A Night To Remember

“We could, um—”

His voice cracked when her foot slid behind his knee, rubbing in a small circle that was incredibly erotic considering they were both fully clothed, and she was wearing a shoe and sitting on the other side of a wooden table. “We could go to that dance club you like if you want a bit more excitement this evening,” he managed to sputter.

The tiny, enchanting dimple at the corner of her mouth deepened. “I don’t think we have to go to a dance club to find excitement.”

“No,” he agreed, knowing he was going to have to walk out of the coffee shop with his hands in his pockets unless he wanted to amuse the other patrons at his expense.

“I’m ready to leave whenever you are,” she hinted.

He pushed aside his half-finished cappuccino. “Then let’s go.”

He wouldn’t be going to bed alone tonight. The thought was accompanied by a surge of soul-deep satisfaction that might have worried him...had he stopped to think about it.

ANDREW ALMOST ALWAYS went into the office on Saturdays, usually intending to leave by noon, often staying until five or later. For the first time in several years, he stayed home that weekend. He knew some of his associates would be surprised that he hadn’t shown up or at least called in. He didn’t care.

He and Nicole lingered in bed Saturday morning, then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast that Martha had prepared for them. Andrew could see that Martha was already growing fond of Nicole, which didn’t surprise him in the least. He, better than anyone, should know how easy it was to fall under Nicole’s spell.

They spent the afternoon at the Memphis zoo. It wouldn’t have been Andrew’s first choice of entertainment on a Saturday afternoon in early January, but when Nicole had suggested the outing, he’d merely nodded and said, “Sure. Why not?”

And then he’d wondered if he’d lost his mind.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a bitterly cold day, just cool enough for jeans and sweaters, coats and scarves, and pink cheeks and noses. Andrew hadn’t visited the zoo since he’d been a schoolboy. He was quite sure he hadn’t enjoyed it as much then as he did seeing it with Nicole.

She seemed intimately acquainted with the place, proving again that she was a frequent visitor. She was even greeted warmly by name by some of the zoo workers, a phenomenon Andrew was beginning to take for granted.

Nicole seemed to make friends wherever she went. He couldn’t help worrying a bit that it seemed so easy for her. Was he just another of her collection of acquaintances? Was there nothing special about the speed with which their own relationship-of-sorts had developed?

/> And then she took his arm, snuggled cozily against his side, and pointed out her favorite chimpanzee, and he decided to leave the fretting for later.

When he was with Nicole, all he could seem to do was enjoy.

THE TELEPHONE WOKE Andrew on Sunday morning. Blearily noting that it was after ten, and knowing Martha was probably at church, Andrew groped for the receiver on his nightstand. Even as he spoke into it, he realized for the first time that Nicole wasn’t in the bed with him.

Buffy was. The little mutt was curled into a snoring ball of fur at his feet, apparently undisturbed by the phone. Andrew wondered how and when the dog had gotten there. And just where was Nicole?

“Where the hell were you yesterday?” his father’s voice barked into his ear without bothering with polite preliminaries.

Momentarily distracted, Andrew frowned. “What do you mean? Where was I supposed to be?”

“At the office. I waited around for you until noon. I wanted to discuss that new French account with you. You hadn’t told anyone you wouldn’t be in.”

“I hadn’t told anyone I would be in, either,” Andrew observed mildly. “If you wanted to discuss the French account with me, you should have let me know.”

“Made an appointment, you mean? Since when do I have to have an appointment to see you?”

“No, of course you don’t need an appointment. I was merely suggesting that I would have made myself available had I known you wanted to see me.” Eventually.

His father grumbled something in response, then abruptly changed the subject. “What’s this I hear about you living with that girl you met at the club? Joyce McClain’s pretty young cousin.”

“How did you hear about that?” Andrew asked, startled. Roused from her sleep, Buffy yawned, stretched, and bounced up to lick Andrew’s face. He fended the dog off with one hand as he waited for his father to explain.

“That flighty mother of yours has spread it all over town. She’s probably spent her weekend in New York shopping for a dress to wear to your wedding.”

Andrew, Jr., always knew all his ex-wife’s plans; he claimed he kept up with her out of self-defense, more than any real curiosity.

Andrew winced at the mention of marriage—something he hadn’t even allowed himself to consider in connection with Nicole. “It’s not quite the way Mother made it sound, Dad. Nicole is only staying with me until she finds a new apartment. She just moved back to town and—”

“Hell, I don’t care what excuse you use. I liked her. Attractive girl. Classy. She’ll be good for you.”