Erica Lucke Dean - To Katie with Love (13 page)

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW

I
f I had been relegated to old news on Thursday, by Monday, I was back to being the front page headline. Thanks to Vicky.

“Stop right there!” Vicky shouted from across the bank as soon as I stepped through the door.

I froze in place, but I wasn’t sure why. I imagined some enormous spider dangling in my path and Vicky trying to prevent me from stepping into its web. There was no spider. No spider web. Only Vicky’s web of suspicion.

She walked up to me and held her hands up for me to stay still while she circled slowly, checking me out from every angle. I expected her to say, “Nice outfit.” But instead, she took my wrist in her hand. Was she checking my pulse?

“What’s this?” Vicky yanked my wrist toward her face examining my bracelet. “Who’s Henry? Cheating on Cooper already?”

Speechless, I stared her down. Then she sniffed the air around me.

I instinctively alternated raising each arm to check my armpits. I thought I smelled pretty good—Shower Fresh Secret and gardenia perfume. Vicky continued with her inspection, and I felt as if I were showing at Westminster. Maybe she could confer with Silvia, and should they decide me worthy, they could present me with Best in Show.

Next, she felt my forehead. Did she think I looked sick? Despite a little soreness in my previously under-used nether regions, I thought I positively glowed. I may not have gotten much sleep, but I couldn’t possibly be more satisfied if I tried. I almost never left the bed all weekend.

Vicky frowned and clicked her tongue as she made some sort of mental observations. I wondered where she’d left her clipboard. Finally, she stood back from me and just stared into my eyes, a deep crease forming between her brows. Her scrutiny gave me chills, in a creepy sort of way.

She shook her head with a look of absolute disgust frozen on her otherwise pretty face. “When Phil said you were sick on Friday, I thought maybe, just maybe, you had the flu. But…”

I waited but she didn’t continue. “No flu?”

“No flu,” she stated. “You’ve been having sex!”

I felt the flush of embarrassment immediately burning into my cheeks as everyone in the bank raised their heads and looked at me. Did she have to say it so loudly? I hadn’t really believed she would be able to tell, or I would have tried to avoid her. She was a proverbial bloodhound.

I knew it was more than just the smell. I had showered several times over the weekend. It was as if she could see it in my eyes. Because of course she could smell Cooper on me. I could smell him myself. I was wearing his coat.

The weather was much better, but I wore it anyway. I slung it over the back of my chair, so I could discreetly sniff it throughout the day.

I know. Pathetic.
But in a very romantic way. Being in love made it somehow acceptable to be pathetic all of a sudden.

Vicky looked at me funny the rest of the morning. I expected her to grill me for details, and it was almost eerie that she didn’t. I knew I was being over the top, but who could blame me? After what could possibly be the longest drought in history, I’d finally had sex.
Amazing
sex. But seriously, was I really being judged by a woman who probably took on the Flying Wallendas over the weekend? I was sure she’d break her silence soon enough.

I had worn Cooper’s favorite of my new outfits—the brown pants and the champagne blouse—knowing I would see him that evening. He’d caught a plane for New York on Sunday night. It was some mysterious business trip, and although I hated it, he made it somehow tolerable by keeping me on the phone last night until I fell asleep to the sound of his voice. And he’d sent me almost constant text messages since I’d gotten up that morning.

Cooper: Good morning sweetheart. I hope you slept well. I miss you already.

Cooper: Wake up sleepy head.

Cooper: Forgotten me already?

Katie: Don’t be silly. Stayed awake all night. Couldn’t sleep without you. Come home soon.

After my shower…

Cooper
:
You should be awake at all times pining for my return.

Everything changed for us on Friday. Aside from the obvious
having sex
part of it, we had truly become a couple. He even called me his girlfriend—not to me, to someone on the phone. But still, he said it. And it was a lot nicer than I would have dreamed.

We had been snuggled together in my bed, drifting in and out of sleep, when his iPhone rang, startling me with the chorus of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” playing in a loop.
“Don’t Fear the Reaper”? Really?

He looked at the caller ID and slid out of my arms to step away from the bed. He thought I was asleep, and I guessed it was sort of dishonest to pretend I was, but I did.

“Hello?” He paused for a long time. “Yeah, well, I can’t really talk about that now; I’m at my girlfriend’s house.” He said
girlfriend,
and it sounded like he was bursting to say it.

He paused for another heartbeat. “Thanks,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

I wanted to open my eyes to see his expression, but I didn’t want to give myself away.

“You know I can’t do that.” Three beats. “You know why.”

I didn’t know why, but I didn’t know what he was talking about either. I guessed that it was work related, and since he wasn’t interested in telling me what he did for a living, I tried not to worry about it.
Okay, so I
pretended
not to worry about it.

“Can I call you later?” Five beats. “Okay, thanks.”

He slid back into bed, pulled me into his arms, and proceeded to wake me up.

At work, my morning was filled with little more than texting Cooper.

Katie: Wearing your favorite outfit today, better not miss your flight.

Cooper: With the sexy underwear?

Katie: Of course!

Cooper: Leaving for the airport now.
      

I knew he was kidding, but it still made my stomach flip. I’d always wanted to be a wanton temptress like my favorite fictional heroines.

I shared every minute with him as if he were sitting in his chair across from me. With all the texting back and forth, I hadn’t done much work at all. And I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried.

And I tried. Everyone was hovering in the lobby, staring at me since Vicky announced I’d slept with Cooper.

Katie: Everyone knows. 

Cooper: Good. Easier than marking my territory.

Marking his territory? That was the second dog reference in one day. I laughed out loud, and everyone in the lobby looked at me like I was crazy.

Silvia poked her head into my office. “I have no doubt you had a
stimulating
weekend. You may as well tell me all about it.”

My mouth fell open. “I’m not telling you about my… about
that
.”

“Oh, come on, Katie. We’ve been waiting a year for something exciting to happen in your life. You can’t just leave us hanging now that it has.”

“I beg to differ. I can, and I
will
, totally leave you hanging. This is not up for debate. Sorry. If you want smut, go talk to Vicky.” I shooed her away with both hands. “Now go. I need to call my mom. She left me at least a hundred messages this weekend.”
Hey, one little white lie never hurt anyone.
I picked up the phone. My finger hovering over the buttons, I raised an eyebrow.

“You’re no fun, Katie James,” she grumbled as she wandered out of my office.

Phil shook his head as Silvia passed him, and I wondered how long he’d been lingering outside my office. 

Replacing my phone handset to the base, I stared at Phil’s unreadable expression.

He tilted his head and squinted at me as if he was deciphering some secret code, then stuck his head in and smiled. “Dean’s on the phone. Could you please pause your texting long enough to pick up your line?”

“Sure thing.”
As soon as I tell Cooper.

I couldn’t have been on the call more than five minutes, but when I hung up and flipped open my cell, there were three frantic messages in my inbox. And two missed calls.

Cooper: Last message cut off… is Dean there? 

Cooper: Where the hell are you? 

Cooper: Is everything ok? Pick up your damn phone!

I quickly keyed in a reply.

Katie: I’m fine! Phil made me answer a PHONE CALL from Dean. I had no idea you were such a jealous boyfriend.

Cooper: Something about that guy doesn’t sit right with me. Can’t explain it. Just booked an earlier flight home.
 

I caught myself smiling as I reread his message. I had no idea he was as quick to freak out as I was. The man was seriously jealous. But for some crazy reason, I couldn’t find it in me to be bothered by that fact, especially if it meant he was coming back sooner. It would appear I’d found Cooper’s one flaw… okay so his
other
flaw, the major one being secrecy.
But no one’s perfect, right?

Oh, I have it bad
.

I glanced out my door, and Phil was squinting at me with that slightly bewildered expression. I wished I knew what he was thinking. Then again, maybe I didn’t want to know.

Silvia milled around outside my office. I would have thought she would be excited about my foray into teenage behavior, but I was beginning to think they were taking turns interrupting my texting.

She stuck her head in and peered at me over her glasses. “No flowers?” She smirked. “I didn’t even have sex with him, and I got flowers.”

Katie: Silvia wants to know why she got flowers for that stupid outfit but I didn’t get any for sex.

Cooper: Oops!

I fell into a spasm of uncontrollable laughter. Silvia rolled her eyes and walked back into the lobby.

I knew I should be working, even as I held my phone, keying in message after message. An hour later, June meandered by. Apparently, it was her turn.

She poked her head in and stared at me until I was forced to ask, “What?”

“We were just wondering… are you sexting?”

Et tu, June?
I just frowned at her and relayed her question to Cooper.

Cooper: Hadn’t thought of that. You start.

Katie: How do I start?

Cooper: Tell me what you’re doing right now.

Katie: Pretending to work while I text you.

Phil was starting to give me dirty looks, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before he said something about my slacking off all day.

Katie: Will probably be fired. I haven’t done a bit of work today.

Cooper: You can work for me. Balancing my checkbook… naked.

Katie: Does that pay well?

Cooper: Not really. But there are exceptional benefits. But back to sexting. Seriously, you’re going to have to try harder.

Sensing the exasperation oozing out of Phil, I put my phone on my lap, under my desk, and pulled a stack of papers from the pile I’d been ignoring. Pretending to look them over, I continued to watch Phil from my peripheral vision until my phone vibrated. I glanced down at the new message.

You have yet to respond to me. So, what do you have to say for yourself?

Someone was getting very impatient. I decided to give sexting my best shot. I hoped he was in a meeting or somewhere he would have to struggle to hide his reaction.

Katie: I’m thinking about you naked and all the naughty things I’m going to do to you with my tongue.

I snapped my phone shut and went back to shuffling papers so Phil wouldn’t know I’d been texting again. My phone vibrated again a few minutes later. I flipped it open in my lap and sneaked a peak.

Mom:
Katherine Grace James! What in the world is wrong with you?

Crap! Crap! Crap!
I’d just sexted my mother.

I tried to call her from my desk phone. She didn’t pick up. I waited and tried again. I tried three times before giving up. Maybe tomorrow. She couldn’t stay mad at me forever.