Page 9 of Robert

“Of course. See you later.” He hung up before he could make a fool of himself.

Picking up the phone, he called Merva and set about breaking the date. She will know soon enough that it was over.

*****

Sonya stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself critically. The weather had taken a turn, portending the hint of fall that was just lurking around the corners. She missed the fading away of the summer weather, the kiss of heat on her skin when she was outside and the flowers blooming in the garden, she took such pleasure in molding.

The house was a mile or two away from her nearest neighbor and she preferred it that way. She had purRobertd it sometime ago, when she decided that living in the city had its charms, but they had worn thin.

She was near enough to the city to indulge in her love of the arts, the theater, the museum, art galleries and the delightful park where she loved to jog. Not to mention her favorite restaurants and department stores.

She did not have a maid but preferred to use a cleaning service. She had come a long way from being the spoiled daddy’s girl of the past.

She would like to think that she had grown up and matured. And that she was a better person. She worked hard to get rid of the selfish, shallow person of her youth. Sometimes she thought she was succeeding. Sometimes not.

Passing a hand over the russet gold sheath, she examined herself carefully. The dress was thin, the material light and had been picked up on one of her visits to Paris in the spring. It had thin straps crisscrossing around her back and making it impossible for her to wear anything under it.

She had left her hair loose and the thick dark brown strands crackled with vibrant life, drifting past her shoulders. Her makeup was flawless, the diamond earrings glinting at her lobes.

She was wearing the necklace her dad had given her and decided that it was enough. Stepping back from the mirror, she walked into her vast closet to look for shoes and sat on a padded bench against the wall.

Robert Faulkner had agreed to come to her rescue. Passing a hand over her arm, she stared at the revolving shelves, an anxious expression on her face. She vaguely remembered him. The memory of a scholarship kid zapped through her brain, one that had been tortured by her then boyfriend, Jason.

A grim smile touched her lips as her mind drifted to her first love. It was natural for them to get together as a couple. They were the two most popular in school. Jason with his honey blonde hair and laughing blue eyes.

The star quarterback and the head cheerleader. They had been so cliched. And those days, thought they were going to end up together, married and having children.

But life had turned out differently and she had no regrets. Now Jason was a corporate lawyer and on his second divorce. He had not maintained his good looks either. His hair had startedthinning and his former athletic body had gone soft. There was a look of extreme discontent about him that was unmistakable.

“If you had married me when I asked, I would have been much happier,” he had told her teasingly.

But she doubted that. Jason had only grown in age, as far as maturity goes, he was lacking in that department. He had joined his family’s law firm out of a sense of duty and was not happy with his choice.

Sonya was happy with the way her life was going. She loved what she did, and it was not considered work. Most of all, she was happy with her life and sorry that she had been foolish enough to think that a childhood crush was something to take further.

Shaking her head, she wondered what people – their friends from school would think if they knew she and Jason had never made it all the way. Somehow, Sonya had not wanted him to be her first. It had not felt right.

A breathless laugh escaped her as she wondered what they would say to the fact that she had never allowed any man to go all the way, that at thirty-two, she was still a virgin. And she had tried several times to change that.

In college, there had been Jeffry, but he had not done it for her. His pawing and eagerness to get her clothes off had turned her off.

Then after college, there had been Michael, who was sweet and kind, but had started pressuring her to marry him.

Taking a deep breath, she rose and resumed her search for appropriate footwear.

Chapter 3

His first sight of her slowed his breath, before it speeded up at an alarming rate that it took several deep breaths to settle him. Shoving the door open, before the driver could react, he waited for her to descend the steps and walked towards him.

He had always thought she had the sexiest walk he had ever had the pleasure of watching and wondered if it was the years of intense physical activities that gave her limbs such flawless fluidity. Putting a bland expression on his, he smiled at her and stepped aside for her to enter.

“Hi,” she murmured, dark brown eyes dancing and sending desire flowing through his body.

“The personal service. I feel so privileged.”

“Just thought I would come along for the ride.” Ushering her into the vehicle, he went around the other side and tried not to be affected by her subtle perfume or the sight of her flawless bosom.

“This is nice. Very nice.” She ran a long-fingered hand lovingly over the butter soft seats and sent his breath hitching.

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