Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? (15 page)

Most people her age went to IKEA. She’d been landed with French antiques mixed with a touch of Vegas princess. Her bedroom was the worst. It was a little girl’s fantasy in shades of pink. Ella reckoned it was Lauren’s father’s attempt to remind her not to grow up. She couldn’t imagine a man feeling comfortable in it.

Lauren switched on the lamp by her silk-swathed four-poster bed and hurried to take off her clothes. Her body ached from the hours of intense lovemaking she’d shared with Grayson. She stretched and imagined his hands moving over her willing flesh.

She shut her eyes against the image and only succeeded in making it more vivid. She slipped into an old T-shirt and faded sweatpants and headed back to the kitchen. By the time she had brewed coffee and put on the kettle, Ella rang her doorbell.

Ella breezed in, her arms full of bags, her face half-hidden behind a soft green knitted hat.

‘I brought food. You never have any. Now what’s up?’

Lauren had met Ella during her year at finishing school in Switzerland. They bonded within seconds after realising they were the only girls there whose number-one ambition wasn’t to marry a prince and become queen of England.

Although Ella was taller and thinner than Lauren and could eat anything she wanted without putting on a pound, Lauren loved her anyway. Apart from Grayson, Ella was the only person who always told Lauren the truth.

Ella grabbed a cup of coffee and set about making a salad before Lauren turned off the kettle. Within five minutes she carried two plates of chicken Caesar salad and a bottle of red wine through into the sitting room.

After their second glass of wine, Ella curled her long legs up on the couch and turned to Lauren. ‘So tell me what happened. You sounded panicked on the phone. He couldn’t have been that bad.’

Lauren put her wine glass back on the table. ‘He wasn’t. He was . . .’ Damn, what on earth could she say? She wanted to gush like a besotted teenager. ‘He was great.’

‘He was great?’ Ella’s eyebrows rose. ‘Is that it? Do you mean he had a great personality or he was great in bed – or what?’

‘All of the above and more.’ Lauren pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks. ‘I ended up making wild passionate love with him in a barn where people might have seen us. He brought out an uninhibited sex goddess inside me that I never realised existed. That’s how great he was.’

Ella choked on her wine. ‘Then what on earth are you doing here? Why didn’t you stay with him?’

‘Because it wouldn’t work.’ Lauren struggled to meet her best friend’s incredulous gaze. ‘He’s too great.’

‘You’re not going to pull that “I’m not good enough for him” crap on me are you?’ Ella frowned. ‘I thought we decided you were over that the day you left your daddy’s house.’

‘It’s not just about me,’ Lauren said quietly. ‘My father would destroy Grayson. I don’t want that to happen.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because Grayson has made choices that my father would consider weak.’

‘Do you think Grayson’s weak?’

Lauren pictured Grayson’s strong face and found herself smiling. ‘No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I want him to have to deal with my father.’

Ella swept her long black hair over her shoulder and got to her feet. ‘So what are you going to do? Let your father dictate your love life again? You know he’s got that creepy guy Simon Tilney who works for him lined up to marry you.’

‘I’m not that stupid. Simon’s been hanging around me for months. God knows what he tells people. I’m asked when the wedding’s going to be at least twice a week.’

Ella returned from the kitchen with a tub of strawberry ice cream and two long spoons. She sank down on the couch next to Lauren and offered her a spoon. ‘Isn’t Grayson supposed to be coming to San Francisco next weekend?’

Lauren popped the lid off the ice cream. ‘He says he is. I’m not sure if he’ll follow through though. He was kind of mad at me at the airport because I wouldn’t stay with him.’

‘Did he sulk or create a scene?’ Ella looked interested as she sucked a chunk of frozen strawberry from the back of her spoon.

Lauren smiled. ‘That’s not his style. He kissed me until I wondered why the heck I was leaving too.’ She grinned inanely at her friend and Ella grinned back.

‘I think you like him, Lauren. I think you like him a lot.’

‘I do.’ Lauren found it a relief to admit it. ‘But I’m still not sure whether we could make it work together. We’d fight a lot, that’s for sure.’

Ella took Lauren’s hand, her brown eyes serious. ‘But you could try, right? You’ve got another weekend to find out.’

Lauren let the last of the ice cream trickle down her throat. ‘That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Do I start a real relationship with him or do I send him back to Oregon for Anna and Marcie to fight over?’

‘You have competition already? You’ve only been married for six months.’

‘Nobody knows we’re married apart from you. Grayson swore he hadn’t told anyone.’ Lauren licked her spoon, her serious gaze fastened on Ella. ‘Whether I decide to keep him or not, you’re going to have to help me. Grayson seems to think I have a glamorous big-city lifestyle.’

Ella fell back on the couch she was laughing so much. ‘You? You used to be wild but you’ve been so dedicated to building your business this year that I doubt you’ve been out after seven in the evening. How on earth did he get that idea?’

‘I gave it to him. When I first arrived at his ranch, I didn’t want him to think I was some kind of pushover.’

Ella wiped a tear from her smooth brown cheek. Lauren had given her the nickname Pocahontas after noticing her striking resemblance to the cartoon figure. Ella called her Laura Ingalls in return.

Lauren wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them. ‘I’m scared, Ella. I think he knows how much I like him. And I’m still not sure whether that makes me want to run away screaming or run straight into his arms. I’m not ready to make a commitment to somebody. I’m not ready to be in love.’

‘Well, we can’t have that, can we?’ Ella said thoughtfully, her gaze locked on Lauren’s face. ‘We’ll have to find out what he’s made of.’

‘I want to shock him,’ Lauren blurted out. ‘I want to show him that I’m not going to be easy to win over. If he wants to be with me he’s going to have to be tough enough to deal with my father and find a way to make our marriage work.’ She dropped the spoon into the empty ice-cream container with a decisive thump. ‘There’s a possibility that apart from his strong sexual appetite he’s a deeply conventional man and I don’t want to turn into the little wife at home on the ranch.’ She frowned. ‘Not that I think that’s what he wants, but you never know.’

‘So do you want to borrow my social life and make him work his butt off for you?’

Lauren grinned. ‘That’s exactly what I want. I’ll study up on those
Sex and the City
DVDs you got me for Christmas and we can work out a weekend that will decide whether Grayson Turner can take the heat or not.’

Ella knelt up on the couch, her hands clasped together. ‘Oh my God, this could be fun, introducing the boy from Hicksville to the city of sin.’

‘He’s hardly a boy, Ella. But if he runs straight back to Oregon I’ll know he was just an overconfident jerk. If he can stand a weekend competing with my work schedule and your hectic lifestyle, he might even be worth keeping.’

Grayson checked his watch for the third time. His plane had arrived early and there was no sign of Lauren at the San Francisco airport arrivals hall. Damn, she didn’t even have her cellphone on. He was almost certain she’d done it deliberately.

Behind him, someone cleared their throat. Grayson turned. A tall black-haired woman wearing a chauffeur’s uniform smiled at him.

‘Good evening, sir. I’m Ella. Are you waiting for Ms Redstone?’

Grayson tipped his hat. With the advantage of his height he couldn’t help but notice that his ‘chauffeur’ wore nothing under her jacket but a black silk bra. Her tight black skirt barely covered her butt as well.

‘Yeah, I’m Grayson Turner. I was expecting Ms Redstone to meet me herself.’

‘I apologise, sir. Ms Redstone sends her regrets. She’s in the middle of a meeting.’ Ella offered him a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m to take you to her office in the city.’

Grayson picked up his bag and hoisted it over his shoulder before Ella could make a grab for it. Fine. Lauren was too busy to meet him. He’d imagined wrapping his arms around her as she rushed into his embrace in countless lustful dreams. He stared back at the arrivals gate. Perhaps it would be better if he just went home.

Ella hovered at his elbow, her expression politely puzzled. ‘Are you coming, sir?’

‘Obviously not as soon as I hoped,’ Grayson murmured as he followed her out of the airport into the balmy San Francisco evening. Ella led him to a black Mercedes limo parked just outside. Someone must have clout to get that parking place. What was Lauren trying to do? Scare him off?

Grayson grinned as he got into the back of the limo. Lauren obviously had no idea who she was playing with. It might be amusing to find out what else she planned for his so-called entertainment. His smile died as the purring limo engine increased its speed and left the airport complex behind. Had Lauren regretted the intensely sexual nature of their weekend together? He couldn’t allow himself to forget that she’d run away from him once before.

After they exited the crowded freeway he watched the familiar shadowed streets of the city as they were swallowed up by the limo. The view of San Francisco coming in from the airport wasn’t one to sing about. Whoever his driver was, she sure knew her way around the congested traffic. He glanced at the back of her head. Her long black hair hung like a heavy curtain down to her waist. She caught his eye in the mirror and gave him an assessing smile.

Grayson winked and she flicked her gaze away. The limo stopped in front of one of the high-rise buildings on Montgomery Street and he unbuckled his seat belt. He waited until the chauffeur came around and opened his door before collecting his bag and stepping out.

It was quiet in the dead way office space gets on a late Friday afternoon. He knew the area well. His old company had held office space in the building across the street. The height of the tan-coloured buildings blocked the sunlight leaving the sidewalks in perpetual gloom. It was no wonder people wanted to escape to their homes for the weekend.

‘I’ll take you up, sir,’ Ella said. ‘Ms Redstone’s office is on the twelfth floor.’

‘My lucky number,’ replied Grayson as they crossed the deserted marbled hall and arrived at a bank of elevators. Ella glanced at him and moved to press the button to summon the elevator.

‘It’s not that high, sir. You’ll be fine.’

Grayson struggled to repress a smile as the elevator doors opened. Did she think he hadn’t been in a city before? And should he play it up or tell her the truth?

‘I hate to burst your bubble, Ella, but I have been in an elevator. I live in Oregon not Amish country.’

Ella laughed and turned it into a cough when he tried to get her to look at him. She was out of the elevator as soon as the doors slid open. Grayson followed more slowly down the lushly carpeted hallway.

To his surprise, Ella knocked and then stood aside for him to enter. ‘Ms Redstone’s in here. I’ll see you later, sir.’

Grayson dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill. ‘Thanks for the ride, Ella. I’ll be sure to mention you to the boss lady.’ He winked as he tucked the five dollars into her hand.

She retrieved the bill and looked at it as if he’d handed her his dirty laundry. ‘Five dollars? That’s very kind of you, sir. I’ll let Ms Redstone know what a generous man you are.’

Grayson left her at the door and made his way into the reception area. There was no one behind the orange plastic oval desk. The back wall was painted red with the company’s logo
RETRO GIRL
splashed in large white letters across the centre.

The whole office radiated a sense of style and individuality Gray already associated with Lauren. He knew she’d picked out every detail of her workspace, he could feel it in his bones. All the stuff she’d left for him in Oregon had appealed to his taste, especially the portrait of his horses. He nodded in silent approval. No out-of-date magazines or aquariums for Lauren, just bright colours and great modem art.

Four closed doors fanned out beyond the seating area. Gray pondered which one was Lauren’s. She would take the office with the view. He headed for the door on the far left and knocked.

‘Come in.’

Grayson smiled and congratulated himself on his choice. Lauren sat behind a large white desk. Her light-brown hair was twisted into a sophisticated knot on the top of her head and she wore reading glasses. Bathed in the soft glow of an overhead desk lamp, Lauren looked as serene and elegant as a statue.

His body tightened as his gaze slid over her black-and-white shift dress and knee-high black boots. He imagined suckling her through the stiff fabric, how long it would take him to make her nipples hard and sensitive. As if she’d read his mind, she crossed her arms over her breasts.

Grayson touched his hat. ‘Lauren.’

He fought a smile as Lauren whipped off her glasses and sat up straight. ‘Grayson. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you at the airport.’ She fumbled to put away her glasses. ‘I landed three new clients this week and I’ve been trying to free up some time for the weekend.’

Grayson dropped his bag to the floor and sat in one of the brown leather chairs in front of Lauren’s desk.

‘We all get busy sometimes.’

She gave him her professional smile and it riled him. He hadn’t come to be patronised and ignored. He’d come to see his wife. Abruptly he stood up and stalked over to the window. Through the smoke-glass windows, he could just make out a chain of lights leading down towards the Embarcadero and the bay.