Duchess (21 page)

Was he implying that he was going to be around even after the concert was over? The thought caused a swelling in her heart. She thought of how it felt having him at her side that night at the hospital, and how she’d enjoyed having someone there for her.

“Your dad wants to be part of your life. You should let him.” Chase’s words suddenly threw a bucket of cold water on her emotions. Of course he hadn’t been talking about himself.

She nodded silently and looked away, not wanting to make eye contact for fear he would know what she’d been thinking. Clearing her throat, she changed the subject.

"Anyway, let's talk about how this date with Duchess is going to go down." She put on her business voice.

"You make it sound like a bank heist or something.”

"With Duchess, you never know." She smiled before continuing on. "You can pick her up here tomorrow night. I made reservations at her favorite restaurant. The paparazzi will no doubt be nearby, but Duchess will only pay attention to you. You’ll have to convince everyone that the two of you are in love."

Chase stood up and began to pace. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Of course you can. Just smile at her, hold her close—you know, all the things people do when they're in love."

He stopped pacing and turned to face her. "Have you ever been in love?"

"What?" Katie wasn't prepared for the question. "That's none of your business," she said with indignation, and hoped he would forget the question.

He stepped closer, and Katie was very aware of the desk behind her that wouldn't allow her to back up.

"I thought I was in love once. I smiled at her, held her close—I even married her. That's what you do when you're in love, right?" He took another step toward her, and Katie knew her heart was in terrible danger. 

"Um, sure." She didn't know what else to say.

"But when I came back from Afghanistan, I wasn't the same person anymore. She couldn't love a cripple—who could? So how can we convince anyone that Duchess and I are in love when love isn't something people feel for me? Pity, yes. But love? Never love." He searched her eyes with an intensity that started a fire inside her.

She gulped, then took a step forward, placing her face just inches away from his. "First of all, your ex-wife is an idiot. You don't stop loving people just because they are injured, or sick, or dying. Secondly, love isn't about being a perfect person. It's about being perfect for each other. It's about wanting to be near that person no matter what. Nothing can stand in the way of love. I know that makes me sound like a child who still believes in fairy tales, but I don't care. I believe in love."

She stopped talking, but didn't move. Chase gazed into her eyes, and her breathing became shallow.

"What do you know about love?" His voice was like a gentle growl.

"Well . . . I . . . um . . ." She didn't know what to say. She bit her lip and tried to come up with something profound.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Instead of answering, Chase gave a low growl as his arm reached out and grabbed her around the waist.

Before she could even blink, his lips covered hers. The warmth of his mouth spread throughout her body. She wanted this kiss more than she wanted anything else, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Peace fell over her like a warm blanket, and a soft sigh escaped her lips.

All too soon, the kiss ended, and Katie pulled back. Chase had both his arms wrapped around her waist and didn't loosen his hold.

"Wow." Katie didn't know what else to say.

She was rewarded with a cute half-smile as Chase looked down at her.

"Wow is right." He put his forehead on her forehead. "Katie, I know I should walk away. I know you deserve someone a whole lot better than me, but I can't stop thinking about you. I want . . . I want to be near you all the time."

Katie breathed in deeply and nearly went dizzy with the scent of his cologne. This couldn’t be happening. Hope bloomed in her heart. Could someone like Chase truly love her?

“Me too,” she admitted before looking away, embarrassed at her admission. Why was it so hard for her to confess her feelings?

Chase gently placed a finger on her chin and turned her head back to face him.

“Don’t do that,” his gentle voice cautioned. “Don’t be ashamed of your feelings. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”

The words swelled inside her, and she suddenly wished with all her heart that was true. She wished she could tell him everything, and that he knew about Duchess.

Thinking about Duchess shattered her bubble of happiness, and she stepped out of his embrace.

"Wait! We can’t do this! You're supposed to be Duchess’s boyfriend." Katie began to pace as the dilemma solidified in her mind.

"Are you kidding me?" Chase ran his hand through his hair. "Doesn't our relationship mean more than a fake one?"

"Yes, but . . ." Katie stopped as his words jolted through her panic. Did he just admit that he wanted a relationship with her? Excitement permeated her emotions, and she looked for a reason to doubt his sincerity. After all, no one stayed in her life for long. Could Chase be any different?  She narrowed her eyes as she figured out a reason he could be saying all this. "Why did you kiss me?  Was it so you could get out of the fake date with Duchess?"

"What? No! Of course not."

"Good, because you’re going to help me fix this. Duchess is expecting you at seven sharp tomorrow.” She hoped her brusque voice covered up the warring emotions taking residence inside her.

"Seriously? I don't want to date Duchess. I want to date you."

She ignored the electric thrill that charged through her and pressed forward. "You're not really dating Duchess. You're just pretending. It'll be fine." She tried to tell herself not to think about the kiss that still burned on her lips.

Chase just stared at her, and Katie shifted her feet. The silence seemed to stretch on forever.

"Fine," he finally said, but his teeth were clenched. "But I'm only going on this one date. After that, you’ll have to find another solution. Because I won't be your amputee poster boy."

He stormed out before she could respond. She heard the front door slam and began to plummet down the emotional roller coaster she was riding.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chase looked in the mirror at his crisp ironed slacks and purple-collared shirt with a black tie. He looked like an over-dressed monkey, but what did one wear on a date with a pop diva? If he went by what she wore in her videos, his outfit was way too normal. But he didn’t care what Duchess thought, though her manager consumed his mind.

Thinking about Katie made his forehead wrinkle up. One moment, she’d melted in his arms as their lips converged, and life had taken on new meaning for him. But the very next moment, she accused him of kissing her to get out of the date with Duchess.

He sighed and turned away from the mirror. As much as knew he should walk away from Katie and never look back, he couldn’t. With Katie, he felt whole again. His disability didn’t exist around her. As much as he’d feared she would pity him if she found out the truth, he had to admit that he’d been wrong. Not once had she shown him pity—or mercy, for that matter. The woman could be ruthless when needed. A smile came unbidden to his face. Katie made him want to trust again. He decided that after the date with Duchess, he would make sure Katie knew his feelings. He didn’t want to let her go.

After straightening his tie one more time, Chase picked up his coat and left his apartment. Katie had sent a car to pick him up. He didn’t even pause to look around for paparazzi. They had almost become a normal part of his life. Of course, being followed and spied on by people who weren’t trying to kill him wasn’t that big of a deal. He’d lived through much worse.

The drive to Duchess’s house didn’t take long, and he found himself wishing it had taken longer. He really dreaded having to make conversation with her. When the car stopped, the driver offered to call up and let them know he was there.

“Call me old-fashioned,” he replied, “but I’ll go to the door myself.” A part of him hoped he could catch a glimpse of Katie.

Chase knocked on the front door, and the maid answered.

“She come down soon,” Maria said in broken English. “Wait here.”

He started to come in, but the door shut in his face. Stepping back, he mumbled to himself, “No one appreciates chivalry anymore.” He had just turned to wait in the car when the door opened abruptly, revealing the one and only Duchess. Or was it? Could anyone tell who was actually behind the elaborate costumes?

Speaking of costumes, Chase could only stare. He had no words for the woman before him. The red Renaissance-era dress had see-through material on the sleeves that hung like a giant bell. When she held her arm straight to pull the door closed, it looked like a giant bat wing in red that cascaded all the way to the ground.  The top part of the dress wasn’t sheer, thank goodness, but cleavage spilled out, causing Chase to cast his gaze downward. The skirt parted open in the front to show off skin-tight bright red leather pants. Of course, the outfit wouldn’t be complete without blood-red stilettos. He looked up only to be stunned into silence by the straight white hair parted down the middle with a braid circling her head like a halo. Luckily, half her face was blocked by the big, black sunglasses she wore.

The whole getup was too ridiculous for words. He knew he should offer a compliment.

“Um, you look very…” He searched his mind for something that would be true, though not negative. “Red,” he finished hesitantly.

“Thank you, dahling.” The synthesized voice still caught him off guard.

He noticed the small head mic that wrapped around from her ear toward her mouth. That meant somewhere in the outfit, she hid a speaker, though he wasn’t sure how.

He stood awkwardly on the front steps and realized she was waiting for him.

“Oh, um, shall we go?” He gestured toward the car in the drive.

She held out her hand, and he offered his arm and they walked to the limo. As he shut the door, he let out a long breath. He was visualizing every worst-case scenario in the world. Running his hand through his hair, he shook his head. He couldn’t go through with it.

Moving quickly up the steps to the house, he rang the doorbell for the second time in five minutes. Maria answered the door again, looking confused.

“Si?”

“Can I speak to Katie, please?”

“She not here,” she answered.

“What? Where is she?” He craned his neck to look around the housekeeper. Surely Katie was just hiding from him.

“I not know. She left hour before.”

Chase sighed as he realized he had no choice but to go through with the evening, but the next time he saw Katie, he’d let her know he’d never do this again …ever.

“Gracias,” Chase said as Maria shut the door.

He walked back to the car, trying to take as much time as possible, though he knew he was only prolonging this disastrous evening. Sighing one more time, he got into the car.

“Everything all right, dahling?” the synthesized voice asked.

“No, it’s not all right.” He couldn’t keep his agitation to himself any longer. “This evening is a lie, and you know it. We’re not lovers. Heck, we’re not even friends. I don’t like you, and I don’t like the way you use Katie to do everything for you while you do who knows what.”

“Then why are you here?” Duchess gazed at him calmly, and Chase turned his head away from the ridiculous-looking woman.

“I’m only here because Katie needs me to do this for you. Why she’s so loyal to you, I’ll never know, but you don’t deserve a person like her.”

Silence hovered for a moment before the robotic voice responded.

“Fair enough. We will make this night quick—just dinner and a few pictures for the reporters, and then it’s over. Agreed?”

Chase nodded, then settled back into the seat and did his best to ignore the red personage next to him for the rest of the ride. When the limousine pulled up in front of the fancy restaurant, flashes went off all around them.

“How did they know?” he asked dryly.

“They may have received an anonymous tip,” Duchess replied, and Chase realized he was getting used to the robotic voice.

The chauffeur opened Duchess’s, door and she instantly responded to the attention of the photographers and reporters clamoring for her. He watched in awe as she came alive under the flashing lights, waving at everyone as regally as possible. Chase got out and came up behind her. It was time to put on the best show of his life. Taking a deep breath, he offered her his arm, though this time, she didn’t take it. Instead, she wrapped her arm around his waist.

“Come on, love. Let’s give them what they want,” she whispered in her synthesized voice. Chase put his arm around her waist and started to propel them forward through the crowd.

He plastered a smile on his face. “Excuse us,” he said as he moved her into the restaurant and shut the door on the crowd outside.

He only had a moment to take in the peacefulness of the establishment when a hostess walked up with menus.

“Miss Duchess, your table is waiting.”

Duchess nodded, and they both followed the hostess to the table. Chase’s thoughts wandered to Katie, and he wished she were the one with him. He thought about how her eyes lit up at the Hollywood Bowl when she explained its history, the way she bit her lip when she was nervous, and how the taste of her lips haunted all his dreams.

"Sir?" The hostess was looking at him expectantly, and he realized Duchess already sat in her chair.

"Oh, yes, thank you," he said as he took the proffered menu and sat down. He looked around at the sectioned-off portion of the restaurant. There were a couple of empty tables around them, but their table was in the middle of the area, and highly visible from the panel of windows facing the street.

Those windows were lined with paparazzi, and camera flashes went off like a private fireworks show.

"How are we supposed to eat like this?" Chase asked as he turned to look at Duchess. "Oh, crap!" he exclaimed as he looked into her bright red contacts. She had taken off her sunglasses, and he wished she would put them back on.