Pretend for Me (13 page)

“Go on, we’re away from prying ears and wandering
eyes. What did you think of my family?” she asked.

He’d pulled the roof down on his convertible. Sara
wore a pair of dark sunglasses and left her hair down. Andy took a quick glance
at her before turning his attention back to the road.

“They’re very protective of you,” he said, choosing
his words with care.

“I think they’re irritating and make it hard for me to
breathe at times. When Tracy went travelling all over Europe our parents
reminded her to wear sunblock and a hat. When
I
suggested travelling they were prepared to order an armed guard
to follow me around.” He saw her shake her head in exasperation. “I’m surprised
they don’t add extra security at the apartment building I’m staying at.”

Andy wasn’t about to tell her that until she came they’d
never had a security guard on the front door. Thinking back, security had been
improved in the apartment building when she arrived. He kept his lips firmly
closed. Sara was searching for her independence. Her family was merely being
supportive—extremely supportive.

“I admit your father is a little scary. I can’t believe
he offered me a check.”

“I can. You should be thankful they didn’t do far
worse. I’m so grateful for you, Andy. You made this weekend easier.” She placed
her hand on top of his on the gear stick. “I wouldn’t have made it through this
weekend without you. You’re my rock.”

He chuckled. “I’m pleased I came with you.”

They travelled along the main roads heading back into
the city. The anticipation to get her alone was killing him. He wanted a bed
and all the time in the world to explore her gorgeous body.

“I was thinking we could go to one of your clubs
tonight when we get back,” she said.

“Why?” he asked. She rarely offered to go to one of
his clubs.

“You can meet up with your friends and have some fun.
I took you away from them, and I feel like dancing. Can I organize a few
friends to come with us?” she asked.

He frowned. “I thought all your friends had moved
away? I haven’t seen any of your girlfriends in months.”

She blushed. “I, erm … kind of keep them away from
you.”

“Why?” He was asking that question a lot just lately.

“I kept them away from you because there was a time
when you slept with anything that walked. I never want to have to pick between
my girlfriend and you. It would be wrong for me to do so. Besides, you’re
mine
now.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

God help him, he loved the way she said those words.
Possessive women never appealed, but being claimed by Sara held a whole new
meaning to it.

“If I’m yours then you’re mine,” he said.

“Well that goes without question. We can own each
other.”

He laughed and picked up his speed. “Do you have your
eye on one of
my
friends?” he asked.

“Of course, Travis is simply dreamy.” She chuckled.
“No, you big ape.
I’ve only got my eye on one man.”

Andy drove to their apartment. He didn’t stop off for
food. Champion was sleeping in the back. His dog had spent the whole time
either in the garden or in his room. Sara reached in the back to stroke his
ears. “I think this weekend wore him out.”

“He’s a lazy dog.”

“He lives with you, so what do you expect? Champion
has learned from the best.”

He shook his head containing his smile.

“You’re an excellent writer,” he said, changing the
subject. “Your hero reminds me a little of me.” He watched her turn to look out
of the window.

“The characters in my books are from my imagination.”

“I can see. We’ve had this argument many times about
fiction and fact. For instance, your hero goes and makes a complete fool of
himself
in front of her entire family to prove his love. No
guy would do that even for the woman he loved.”

Andy knew his statement would get her to look at him.
The glare she shot his way made him laugh.

“You’ve got the emotional capacity of an—”

“Apple
pip
.
I know. I’m just teasing
you. Your writing is perfect, and I wouldn’t change a word you wrote.” He meant
every single word.

“You’re going to keep me on my toes.”

“Always.”

She sat back in her seat, and he glanced her way. Her
lips were swollen from his kisses. Last night sneaking into her room had been
amazing. He’d spent the whole night with her asleep in his arms. He’d watched
her sleep until the early hours of the morning. Did she know she was the first
woman to sleep in his arms?

He drove in silence. The classical music played in the
car as they travelled along.

When they got to their apartment he made his way to
the underground parking area. Andy parked the car then grabbed the suitcases
out of the trunk. Sara held her laptop case and Champion. They made their way
up to her floor to drop off her cases. He took Champion from her then made his
way to his own floor.

Opening his apartment door he glanced around the room.
After spending the last three days inside the house where Sara grew up, he
found his small apartment a welcome relief from the everyday hustle and bustle
of work.

He opened the doors to let Champion out and to air the
apartment. The weekend’s worth of dust got sucked out. He quickly unpacked the
few items of clothing. Andy paused when he saw the check lying at the bottom of
his case. Sitting on the end of his bed, he looked at the amount made out to
him. Her father’s signature was along the bottom.

Champion padded through to his room. He watched his
dog sit back on his hind legs staring up at him.

“Can you believe the amount they’re offering for me to
get out of their daughter’s life?” He showed the amount to the staring dog.
“This amount would pay off my loan and set me up with another few clubs. My
entire future would be fixed, and I wouldn’t want for anything.”

Andy let out a sigh looking at the amount. He thought
about Sara. His mind played images of her like an endless video. He saw her on
the stairs, her face red with embarrassment, with her pile of books all over
the place. Andy saw her laughing face, the way they made dinner together and
joked over movies or their days.

He saw her dancing at Cube, her body encased in a
tight black dress as she looked up at the lead singer. He remembered the jealousy
and need he’d felt to keep Sara all to himself.

Staring down at the check he thought about all of his
future that could be planned out with the money. It would be easy for him to
walk away from Sara and have a future without worry, but the thought of never
seeing her again made his heart ache. The hurt in his chest was tangible. He’d
held Sara in his arms and watched her come apart.

Walking away from Sara wasn’t an option. He’d never
been a man to take the easy way out. He gazed down at the check then tore it in
half. Andy kept tearing the check until it fell to the floor in little pieces.

He felt much better for doing so.

His cell phone buzzed, and he saw it was Travis
calling him. He took the call and arranged to meet his friends at Cube that
night. Andy intended to take Sara out on a date. They’d mingle with his friends,
and then he’d bring her back to his apartment. He intended to spend the rest of
the night making love to her.

****

Sara leaned against the door. Her heart pounded inside
her chest. None of her family had scared him away. She closed her eyes thankful
for Andy’s strong reserve. Most of the men she’d gone out on a date with had taken
what her family offered, and she never saw them again, so the relationships
never went anywhere. When Andy wasn’t around, she’d argued with her brothers
and parents, demanding they treat him with some respect. Andy meant the world
to her, and she wouldn’t have a problem walking away from them. She understood
why other guys had taken the money and never took their abandonment personally.
If Andy had taken the check she knew she would have been hurt.

He was different from all the other men. She opened
the heavy curtains and started to air the room.

Once she was done, she fired her laptop up to see if
her publisher had emailed her. When she checked her email she grabbed her phone
and called a couple of her old friends from college. She’d not seen them in a
while.

She called Samantha and Tiffany from her college days.
They’d been art majors and were fighting in the artistic world to make a stand.
They all agreed to meet at Cube that night. When she was finished she called
Andy to make sure he was still on for that night. He grumbled about having her
all to himself, but she remained firm. They were going out on a date with his
friends. She wanted him to dance with her. He’d taken plenty of women out on
dates. Now was her time to enjoy in the pleasure of his company.

“Can’t we stay in like the old times?” he asked.

“No, I want you to take me out dancing. If you play
your cards right we can do something fun afterward,” she promised.

“You’re going to test me, aren’t you?”

“Yep.
Be ready to pick me up at seven.”

He agreed, and then she hung up the phone. She spent
the afternoon pampering
herself
. Sara soaped her body
then made sure to shave her legs. Waxing was out of the question. She had tried
to wax once before, and the memory was a constant nightmare to her. How women
could wax more personal areas was beyond her. No way would wax get anywhere
near the apex of her thighs.

She soaped her hair then took the leisurely time to
wash and dry her body. Her skin was delicate, and any rushing would make her
skin red and puffy. Rummaging through her wardrobe, she found the perfect tight
fitting black dress. She had to be careful not to clash with her red hair and
always settled on black. Black went with everything.

Next she found a pair of heels to match with a
reasonable heel that wouldn’t cause her to embarrass herself while walking.

Women were supposed to be graceful in heels whereas
she turned into a bigger klutz when she wore them. Suitable heels were a must
in her book.

Sara took some time with her makeup then eased the
dress over her body. By the time Andy knocked on her door at seven she was
pushing her foot into her heel.

“I’m coming.” She walked to her door satisfied with
the way she looked. Her hair was bound on top of her head. She wore a diamond
necklace that was a gift from her parents.

Opening the door, he took her breath away. Andy wore a
pair of jeans with a crisp white shirt. He dressed simply, but the outcome was
dazzling.

“Wow,” they said at the same time.

“You look stunning,” he said. Andy opened his arms,
and she went into them willingly.

“I can say the same to you.”
 
She kissed his cheek then wiped the lipstick
off.

“Are you sure you want to go out? I’ve got a few
tricks I could show you.”

She smiled even though she wanted to moan at the
promise in his words. “I’d love to keep you to myself, but I think mingling
with others would be ideal.”

Their relationship had changed. There was no mistaking
it in the way they touched each other. The heat in their eyes danced between
them.

“The guys are meeting us at Cube.”

“And so are the girls.” She grabbed her purse off the
counter.

“You don’t need your purse. This night is on me.”

She threw the purse into her apartment and locked the
door. Andy took her arm in his. A taxi was waiting for them outside of the
apartment block. The security on the door bid them a good evening, and then
they were in the back of the taxi that was taking them to his club.

His arms surrounded her filling her with warmth. She
locked her fingers with his, staring out at the passing city.

“I love my family, but I’m so thrilled not to be
living in the same town as them. They take everything over. It’s probably
really awful of me to say when your parents are no longer with you.”

Andy shrugged. “Families are what we make of them. My
family was nowhere near as possessive as yours.”

She laughed. “I think that is an understatement of the
century.”

They travelled in silence. Sara took in every part of
the night life. She couldn’t believe she’d spent most of her nights locked away
at her computer desk.

The taxi pulled up outside Cube. The queue to get
inside was huge.

“Do we need to queue?” she asked.

He shook his head. “You’re going in with the man that
owns the place.”

Andy took her hand leading her inside. The place was
abuzz with people. The heavy beat of the music filled her ears. Andy wrapped
his arm around her waist leading her into the main room.

The way his body pressed against hers made her hot all
over. She moved her body against him, and he growled against her ear.