Tender Deception: A Novel of Romance (17 page)

Some of the anger toward his brother filled Jimmy’s eyes again. He turned his gaze to Lilly. “I’d like to be able to wish you happiness, Lilly, but I’m afraid marrying Kirk is going to mean nothing but a broken heart for you....”

CHAPTER NINE

The day that followed was a whirlwind of confused activity. There were conferences with lawyers in Remington’s office. Lilly signed papers she didn’t completely understand, following Kirk Remington’s directions numbly.

Then he sent her on a quick shopping trip in the custody of his secretary. She was whisked from shop to shop in a chauffeured limousine. There was a parade of salespersons, fitting rooms and style shows.

She stared wide-eyed at her reflection in mirrors, seeing herself in the kinds of designer garments she had seen before only in fashion magazines. She was fitted with exquisite lingerie, footwear, and finally a beautiful fur coat ideal for the chilly San Francisco climate.

The secretary never asked the price of any item. She merely signed the sales slips.

Finally, she was driven back to Remington’s office building. He stepped into the car beside her, and they were driven to the airport. He gave her a critical examination, ranging from her new hair style to the costly lavender pumps on her feet. He nodded approvingly. “You are lovely, Lilly. A man would be proud to introduce you as his wife.”

She drew another meaning from his words. She was now the possession of Kirk Remington, a prized possession like his racehorses or his yacht, one he wished to display proudly to the world.

He drew a velvet box from his pocket. “I noticed you don’t have a wristwatch. I want you to have this as a wedding present.”

Before her astonished eyes, he opened the box and took out a diamond encrusted wristwatch worth a small fortune. She stared, wide-eyed, as he placed it on her wrist and secured the clasp.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

She could only nod. Reality eluded her. It didn’t seem possible that such a dazzling piece of jewelry could grace the wrist of Lilly Parker, the small town girl whose daddy had been too poor to buy her a secondhand piano. The money this watch cost would not only have paid for the piano, it would have bought the small house they lived in as well!

Lilly’s heart flooded with emotion and she looked at Kirk with tear-filled eyes. The watch could mean more—a symbol of the extent of Kirk’s love for her. How she would treasure its value far beyond its price in dollars! For a moment she was so pleased, she couldn’t speak.

But then she sensed that Kirk seemed cold and preoccupied as he put the watch on her wrist. He looked at it with a measuring gaze as if he were only aware of the appearance it made.

The watch was beautiful beyond any woman’s dreams. But suddenly it brought a chill to Lilly’s arm. The momentary rush of happiness at the exquisite gift faded and turned to sadness. With a sinking heart, Lilly recognized that the true symbol of the gift was the kind of relationship she was to have with this man.

They arrived at the airport. There, another surprise awaited her. They didn’t board a commercial airliner to Las Vegas. Instead, they were taken to a private twin-engine airplane waiting on a runway.

She was even more surprised when they boarded the craft and Kirk took a seat at the controls and indicated she was to sit next to him. “You’re a pilot?” she asked in astonishment.

“Yes. I enjoy flying. Don’t have the time to do it as much as I’d like.”

“How did you learn?”

He smiled. “The government taught me.”

“You were in the Air Force?” For some reason that bit of information surprised her.

“Yes. I flew a chopper in Viet Nam.”

She gazed at him curiously. He had more unexpected facets than a gemstone. How many other sides were there to Kirk Remington that she didn’t know about?

He checked out the plane with experienced skill, switched on the radio and spoke to the control tower. He instructed Lilly to fasten her seat belt. Within minutes they were rolling down the runway. Then she felt the exhilaration of the plane growing lighter, the wheels lifting from the ground, the sudden, sweeping turn up as they were airborne.

They circled the area. An exclamation of pleasure escaped her lips as she gazed at the world of clouds around them, and the scenery far below.

He smiled at her excitement. “You like flying?”

“Oh, yes!” For the time being, she forgot about the cloud under which she was marrying Kirk. She was inspired by the thrill of the moment.

Kirk laughed. “I find your youthful enthusiasm delightful, Lilly. But I agree; there’s no other experience quite like being up here with the world and all its cares far below. You feel closer to the angels.” Then he said, “If you think you’d be interested, I could arrange for you to have flying lessons. Perhaps after a while you’d like to have a little plane of your own.”

Her gaze moved from the clouds around them to his face. She tried to divine his motives. Apparently, he was ready to give her anything she desired. Was it generosity or his curious need to show off before her, to impress her?

Or, was it more than that? Was it possible that in some way she didn’t fully understand and perhaps Kirk didn’t understand himself, he did love her? Could she believe that, knowing his heart belonged also to another woman? Men were a total mystery to her when it came to their view on love. And Kirk was the greatest mystery of them all. But she was going to let herself believe that Kirk loved her in his own way. Perhaps it was a fairy story she was making up, but she was going to pretend for now, at least, that it was true.

Holding to that thought, she settled into a strange but happy mood. With a feeling of anticipation, she included Jimmy in her thoughts. He would be flying to San Francisco with the other fellows. Next week he would open at Kirk’s new club. Perhaps she would get to see him then.

When the plane took off, Lilly had gazed down at the city of New Orleans, seeing the freeways, the Super-dome, the waterfront and finally the cluster of ancient buildings and narrow streets of the old French Quarter. A lump filled her throat. Only a few weeks ago she had come here, filled with young, romantic dreams. Then Kirk had stepped into her life and scattered the dreams, substituting his own kind of romantic reality.

She thought about Jimmy and asked herself if she had any regrets. Some, she admitted. Jimmy had a very special place in her heart. But she couldn’t go on living on dreams. Jimmy wasn’t going to marry her. She had been forced to make a choice. Was she going to regret the choice? Only the future could decide that. Jimmy had warned that she was asking for heartbreak, marrying Kirk. Was his warning a prophecy?

She was glad for Jimmy’s sake that things had turned out this way. He was going to have a brilliant future. She was sure of it. Knowing she had played a part in helping him gave her a warm feeling. She knew she would always love Jimmy in a special way in a secret corner of her heart.

Yes, Jimmy was going to be all right. He would be up there again, blowing his golden horn, in front of his band, happy and smiling. She knew she’d been right when she had said his horn was his mistress.

But what did the future hold for Lilly Parker?

She sat beside the window, watching the panorama of western scenery passing below—the various mountain ranges, the Grand Canyon, the vast stretches of desert, and finally Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas wedding progressed as smoothly as a ticking clock. Kirk’s staff had arranged everything. When they landed, a limousine was waiting for them. They were driven to the Cluster of Roses Wedding Chapel. A brief ceremony was performed. Kirk placed a wedding band on Lilly’s finger next to a large diamond ring he had also given her.

It was over; she was Mrs. Kirk Remington. It was all so unreal. Could she be dreaming?

By then, night had blanketed the desert. The Strip had sprung to life with blazing lights. The limousine took them to a luxury hotel where more elaborate arrangements had been made.

Lilly was surprised when Kirk insisted on carrying her across the threshold. She didn’t think the reserved man was capable of such old-fashioned sentimentality.

When they entered the room, Lilly gasped in amazement. The spacious suite had been transformed into a garden of flowers. Huge blankets of giant red roses banked the walls and covered the tables. Through a doorway, she glimpsed a great, round bed. It, too, was covered with roses. Then her wide-eyed gaze encountered another unexpected sight—a white baby grand piano almost hidden under a basket of flowers.

The rooms of the suite were decorated in white and gold. All the furnishings were in those colors. The deep, soft carpet was white, the walls were white with gold trim. The red roses exploded with brilliant hues.

Lilly became aware of Kirk’s gaze regarding her eagerly. “Do you like it?” he asked.

Again she remembered that night in his New Orleans apartment when he had shown her his sound system. She detected the same eagerness and uncertainty, the need to impress her. It was a curious side to this man she had married.

“It’s breathtaking,” she admitted.

“This is the bridal suite,” he explained.

Lilly Parker in the bridal suite of the most luxurious hotel in Las Vegas! She felt a hysterical impulse to giggle. A week ago she was struggling to pay the weekly rent on a third-rate hotel room with stained wallpaper!

“But why the piano?” she asked.

“I thought you might enjoy playing a little. I haven’t heard you play for a while.”

She looked at him curiously. Why would he want to hear her play? She moved to the piano and touched the keys. The tone was magnificent.

“I told my staff to rent the piano and have it tuned when it was delivered. Is it in tune?”

She nodded. “Yes. Perfect.”

“Well,” he said then, “I have ordered a dinner for us to be served here in our room. In the meantime, if you’d like to freshen up and change, there should be something waiting for you in the bathroom.”

“More arrangements by your staff?”

The slight edge of irony in her voice seemed to escape him. He merely answered, “Yes,” and went over to the white princess telephone to check with room service on the dinner.

Lilly walked to the bathroom. Again, the sight that greeted her took her breath away. The splendor of the room would have done justice to a Roman Emperor’s bath. It was decorated in the white and gold motif of the other rooms. The walls were paneled with mirrors. The white carpet was ankle deep. Dominating the room was a heart-shaped whirlpool bath. Dozens of white and gold orchids floated in the swirling water.

Hanging near the door was an exquisite white negligee and gown, her wedding night garments ordered by Kirk Remington’s staff. Lilly disrobed. She touched the swirling water of the bath experimentally with her toe. The temperature was perfect, just warm enough to be relaxing.

She sank into the moving, foaming water, losing herself among the orchids. A thousand gentle fingers massaged her sensuously. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the luxurious sensation. It was delightful. She was floating on a magic carpet of feeling that transported her to another realm of existence.

Suddenly, through the steam and vapor that rose from the bath, she saw the outline of a man standing over her. Her eyes flew open. She gasped as she saw Kirk’s naked body. The sinewy muscles in his shoulders and chest bulged in smooth symmetry under the golden tan flesh. Her eyes moved down his body. His thighs and calves rippled like those of a stalking jungle cat as he moved to the heart-shaped pool and stepped into the water.

“It will be a little while before dinner arrives,” he murmured. “I thought I would join you.”

His intense gaze searched out the contours of her figure under the water. The way he drank in the sight of her nakedness embarrassed and disturbed her. Instinctively, she drew away from him.

But he moved closer, pushing aside the floating blanket of orchids. Under the water, she felt their bare legs touch. A shiver ran through her body. Quickfire flashed through her nerve ends.

He was close now. She felt helpless in the grip of his dark eyes holding hers with hypnotic force. For long, throbbing moments, they were motionless, reclining in the water, lost in the gaze that joined their eyes with deep, searching intensity.

She felt herself being drawn closer to him as he began to caress her under the water. The gentle massage of the swirling water was intensified by his hands roving over her arms and back, sending tingling, electrical shocks through her entire being. His palms moved down her spine to the curves below, gently holding the yielding flesh.

Slowly, tantalizingly, he pulled her closer. She felt her soft curves touching and moving against his hard, masculine skin. Their wet bodies, gleaming under the water, sent a thousand sensations exploding through her.

It was impossible to think, to remember how hopelessly she had tried to struggle against loving a man who did not love her in return.

Vapor from the warm water billowed around her. Through its soft haze, she saw the reflection in the mirrored walls of the man and woman in the heart-shaped pool like a dream sequence. The bodies were joined in a love embrace, legs entwined, arms locked about one another. Their movements followed the rhythm of the swirling waters. The orchids floated around them. Their murmured cries of ecstasy mingled with the bubbling of the water. Conscious thought was swept away and she only felt and saw and heard and rose to a molten height of gasping fulfillment that gradually fell away to a temporary sense of drowsy peace in his arms.