Let Me Hold You (7 page)

Rubbing her eyes, she realized that she’d been crying. She touched her throat, which was sore and scratchy like she’d been screaming at the top of her lungs. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she felt her heart pounding as she tried to stand. Staggering slightly, she made it down the hall to the dining room, looking out into the living room, fully expecting to see the things that she’d hurled at Sam all over the floor, but everything was as she’d left it, as neat as a pin. All she could do was sink into the nearest chair and cry.

She was shivering all over from the clammy sweat on her skin and her heart was still pounding. Tollie was right, she needed to sleep. Suddenly she remembered the prescription she’d been carrying around; her doctor had given her a script for a sleeping aid but she hated taking pills of any kind. But she knew she couldn’t go on like this, especially after the horrible dream she’d just had.

Moving quickly, before she changed her mind, she went to the bedroom and put a sweatshirt on over her tank top. She didn’t even bother to put on jeans; she just put on a pair of sneakers and tied her hair up in a scarf. In minutes she was headed out.

Wal-mart was open all night and she could get the sleeping pills there.

She stopped at a red light and something moved in her peripheral vision. It was a little dog, obviously lost and frantic. The poor little thing was going from car to car, standing on its hind legs every time it got to a stopped car and it looked utterly pathetic. Without thinking about what she was doing, Alana opened her car door and got out, calling to the poor pup. It heard her soothing voice and came right to her, narrowly missing getting hit by a car. She scooped it up, ignoring the horns honking and the rather uncomplimentary things that a couple of men were shouting at her. She was back behind the wheel in seconds with the wet, bedraggled little dog clinging to her in gratitude. Putting all thoughts of the sleeping pills out of her head, she headed for home.

“You poor baby,” she soothed as she drove. “It’s okay, I’ll take care of you, yes I will. You poor little thing,” she crooned. The little dog was panting happily and licking her arm and her hand, whatever it could get to. When she got home she put her new charge inside her jacket and carried it into the house. She kicked off her sneakers at the door and went to the linen closet for some towels to dry the dog.

“You’re a girl,” she murmured. “You sure are a mess,” she said as she rubbed it all over, searching for any wounds or injuries. The dog was mostly white with back markings, especially on its face. It looked like it was wearing a mask; its bright eyes were surrounded by black and its ears, which were enormous, were also black. It was a small dog, about ten or twelve pounds, she guessed, and had what would undoubtedly be silky hair when it was shampooed and groomed. She was extremely friendly, or at least extremely grateful to be out of the cold rainy night. She had plopped herself in Alana’s lap and attempted to lick every bit of skin she could get to.

“I’ll bet you’re hungry,” Alana said. “Let’s go find you something to eat.”

About an hour later, Alana and her new friend were sound asleep on the floor in front of the fireplace. Alana had found a petite filet mignon in the refrigerator and cooked it for the puppy, trimming off every speck of fat and cutting it into bite-sized morsels.

After the puppy ate, she was dry and disheveled, although cute as she could be. Her big eyes stayed glued to Alana and she followed her everywhere as if she thought her new friend would leave her and she’d be out in the cold and rain again.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. You’re going to be just fine,” Alana assured her. She made a makeshift bed of pillows and cushions on the floor and they cuddled up and went to sleep. It was the best sleep Alana had had in years.

* * *

A week later, Alana was in her office working on the weekly payroll when the intercom buzzed and she was told that a Mr. Casey wanted to see her. She frowned slightly and said, “Send him back, please.”

She looked up as his large body filled the doorway. It was the first time she’d seen him since the night of the party and he looked just as good now as he had then. And he was bearing gifts, as usual: a bunch of her favorite flowers, this time in a gorgeous pink color. She was trying to think of the appropriate greeting but it wasn’t needed. His eyes crinkled in a smile as he noticed her companion, who was peering at him from the play area Alana had set up for her.

“Who is this? Where did you come from, cutie?”

“I found her a week ago,” Alana informed him.

To her surprise, Roland squatted down and held his fingers out to Domino, who wasted no time in trotting over to meet him. She stood up and put her paws on his knee, staring up at him as though he were the most wonderful thing she’d ever seen in her life. Her plumy tail was wagging so fast that it was a blur of black and white, and she smiled at him for all she was worth.

“Aww, man, she’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she?” He was so absorbed in making her acquaintance that he’d obviously forgotten why he’d come. He practically tossed the bouquet at Alana and said, “These are for you,” in an offhand manner while he and Domino flirted with each other. He finally picked her up in one big hand and sat down with her in his lap. She was shameless, standing up and putting her paws on his broad chest while she tried to give him kisses. He leaned down so she could have her way with his chin and he laughed his appreciation.

“You found her?”

“Yes, I did. I was on my way to the drugstore in the middle of the night and there she was. I couldn’t leave the poor little thing.”

The morning after she’d found Domino, she’d taken her straight to the vet used by Alexis and Sherri for their dogs and had her checked out thoroughly. The vet said she was less than a year old, and she gave her the basic shots and checked her for a microchip. There was no chip in her, but she’d already been spayed. Alana then took her to the groomer, and when they were finished with her she was even cuter.

Alana had used her time while Domino was being groomed to purchase a dog bed, dog food, leash, collar, harness, toys and a couple of sweaters. And a snappy red raincoat with polka dots for rainy days.

“She’s a little charmer, isn’t she? Isn’t she a papillon?”

“Yes, she is,” Alana said, impressed that he knew the breed. “I put an ad in the paper and I’ve been watching the ads to see if anyone is looking for her. I really pray no one is because I’ve gotten really attached to her. I named her Domino.”

“Because of her mask, right? She looks like she has on one of those fancy masks that people wear at masquerade balls.”

Alana had to smile at the picture Roland made with the little dog in his lap. Domino was generally shy around men, Alana had learned, but she was obviously crazy about Roland. She looked so pleased with herself and so happy to have all his attention that it was just the cutest thing ever. She finally remembered her manners and thanked Roland for the tulips.

“They’re lovely. I really appreciate them, Roland.”

“I’m glad you like them. I enjoy giving you flowers because I love seeing you happy,” he said. “I also brought them as an apology because I think you misunderstood my intent the last time we were together and I want to put things back in order.”

“You don’t beat around the bush, do you? I guess I should apologize for not taking your calls. That’s childish as well as being passive-aggressive and I’m better than that. Do you want a lint roller for your suit?”

He was wearing a really expensive one that looked like it was hand-tailored for his height. It was a beautiful black worsted worn with a lavender shirt and purple silk tie and pocket square that gave him the look of a Fortune 100 CEO.

“Naw, I had some meetings earlier but I’m going home after this, so it’s not a problem. I’ve had dogs all my life so I’m used to dog hair, muddy footprints, whatever. She looks very well cared for, by the way.”

“She is. She’s been to the vet and the groomer and she has a nice bed and lots of toys and she’s the best company in the world. I haven’t gotten any answers to my ad and I haven’t seen any lost dog posters, and if I do, I don’t how I’ll react. I don’t want to lose her,” Alana admitted.

“Don’t worry about it, Alana. I think she was meant for you and you were meant for her. It’ll be fine.” He laughed as Domino gave a little bark of agreement.

“Listen, honey, I had to go out of town and I’m just getting back, which is why I haven’t been here to plead my case in person until now. I wanted to know if you’d have dinner with me so we can talk about me putting my foot in my mouth the last time we were together. Does that sound doable?”

Alana felt the usual rush of pleasure she felt whenever Roland was near. “Yes, it does. Would you like to come over tonight? I’m not a trained chef like you, but I can make a mean sloppy joe,” she said with a laugh.

“How about if I come to your house and cook for you and Domino? I have the feeling that you don’t like leaving her too much.”

“You’re right about that. The first time I was leaving to go to work she went and got her leash and brought it to me as if to say, ‘I’m ready, let’s go,’ so I’ve been bringing her in with me. Dinner at home sounds like heaven, actually, and we’d love it. By the way, would you like to see the progress we’ve made on Black Beauty?”

“Absolutely, I sure would. May I bring the little princess with me?”

“Of course, just don’t put her down. She’s getting to be real sociable and I don’t want her trampled underfoot.” She got up and came around the desk. “Come with me and see if you notice any improvements,” she said cheerfully.

They walked through the showroom to the service area, stopping several times so that customers could admire Domino. The admiration in the women’s eyes for Roland was plain to see, although the men only had eyes for Alana. Tollie came out of the employee break room in time to see the three of them and she was positively jubilant, although she tried to be low-key about it.

“Ooh, there’s something so adorable about seeing a great big man with an itty-bitty dog,” she said. “It’s like seeing a little kid with a great big dog, you know? It’s just so cute. I think Miss Domino likes you,” she told Roland.

Alana laughed. “She loves him, Tollie. Absolutely adores him. I don’t know how I’m going to tear her away from him. It’s a good thing he’s coming over to cook dinner for us tonight because I don’t think she’d forgive me if she didn’t see him again.”

Roland held Domino up to eye level and said, “She loves her mommy best, you’d better believe it. And she’s going to see lots of me, aren’t you, baby girl?”

While he and Domino were making kissy faces at each other, Tollie was giving Alana the high sign for getting back on track with Roland. She did a good job of restraining herself because Alana knew she wanted to break into a happy dance.

Tollie went on her way and they continued to the service area where Black Beauty awaited. Roland was speechless when he saw the car. He just stared at it and it was hard to read his reaction. It was stripped of all paint, the tires were off and there were no headlights. But the windows had been installed, the warped and broken axles had been replaced, the grill was brand-new and the frame had been reengineered. The seats were still out of the car, but the new covers were scheduled to be done next.

Assuming that his silence was a form of horror, Alana began to explain to him everything that had been done to the car so far, as well as giving him the order in which the other repairs would be performed.

“We have excellent suppliers and we’re waiting for the right head-and taillights, which should be in tomorrow. You’ll notice that the chrome has been removed because it’s been sent out for replating. The biggest thing was replacing the axles and reworking the frame, which has already been done, and the windows have been put in. The interior wasn’t too badly damaged, but since the driver’s side had to be replaced, we went ahead and did the whole interior. The specs for this model called for vinyl, but I had some genuine Corinthian leather which I felt you would appreciate. As far as the seats are concerned, the driver’s side was damaged so we’re replacing both the front and back. We can do them to factory spec for the 1967 model, or we can tweak the design a little to make it custom for you. If you come with me I can show you what I mean.”

She was about to lead the way to the upholstery room when Roland grabbed her upper arm and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss.

“Wow,” she gasped. “That was pleasantly unexpected. What was it for?”

“You continue to astound me with everything you do,” Roland told her before laying another juicy kiss on her willing lips. Domino yipped indignantly, as if to say that she didn’t appreciate sharing the nice man with her mommy.

“I had no idea you’d get so far with it so soon. I can already see that it’s going to be a masterpiece. It will look just like it did when it rolled off the line in Detroit, Alana. Damn, girl, you have a master crew here. This is just one of the reasons I love you so much.”

Alana’s face was deep burgundy from surprise and arousal and she wanted to get him out of the service bay and away from the mechanics who were whistling and clapping to her chagrin. “This way, Roland. Now, please!”

They were alone in the large room and Alana cleared her throat and tried to go back into automotive professional mode but Roland wasn’t interested. He was so hyped up about seeing how much progress had been made on Black Beauty that all he wanted to do was shower her with praise and kisses.

“Roland, I’m trying to show you the computer that makes the patterns and the machine that does the stitching and I need to get your approval on the final design,” she said breathlessly. “That takes concentration and you’re not paying attention.”

“I’m just excited, honey, that’s all. As far as the rest of it, I trust you completely. Now come on over here and let me thank you again.”

“No, I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t trust me?” He took a step towards her and she barricaded herself behind a huge sewing table.

“You stay right there, mister. We have business to conduct,” she reminded him.