Lady in Black by Christina Dodd

Author:Christina Dodd [Dodd, Christina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous, Butlers, Women Household Employees
ISBN: 9781565970434
Google: 7wymxq1E0fMC
Publisher: Meteor Publishing Corporation
Published: 1993-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

"Sex? That wasn't sex." He scrubbed soap down her arms, between her fingers, across the palm of her hand. "That, my unsophisticated darling, was the most magnificent mating since peanut butter and celery, melba toast and Brie." Leaning down, he lightly bit her nipple. "Yum."

"Unusual combinations," she choked.

"Yes, we are. But perfect together."

Her traitorous body shifted, eager to indulge itself even while her tongue denied it. "I don't want to be one of your women. I can't come running for a quickie every time you whistle. I'm a butler, a mother—"

"My woman," he repeated. He transferred his attention to the other breast.

Spelling it out, she said, "I cannot fornicate with you every—''

He interrupted her. "Do you know who encouraged me to come after you?"

"Your grandfather, no doubt," she said bitterly.

"Oh, no, my fabulous darling. I've heard urging and suggesting and downright nagging this last week, and it all started at the zoo."

Margaret's mouth snapped closed and the last remnants of passion fled.

Drawing herself up, she said, "That's a terrible thing to say."

Reid leaned back against the copper-colored tile and folded his arms across his chest. "Take the bull by the horns, Amy said. No use waiting for Mom to change her mind, she said, because once it's set, only a federal amendment could sway it."

"You brought it up to her. You prompted her!" she cried.

He grabbed her arms and dragged her close, chest to chest. "I don't drag children into these kinds of battles."

His temper flared so hot, she felt scorched by the flame, but she boldly searched his eyes. What she saw there relaxed her suspicions and made her sorry. He looked hurt, as if she'd stabbed both his honor and his affection for Amy. "I know you don't. I apologize, but how did the subject come up?"

"You know your daughter; you know she's sharp as a tack and twice as bright about human relations as any psychotherapist. Is it any surprise that she's noticed what's happening between you and me?"

"Nothing's happening between…" She faltered; he looked so sardonic.

"This"—his gaze swept the shower—"was a hell of a passionate nothing."

Margaret sat on the balcony outside her bedroom and stared into the night. Venus shone just above the trees, bright and unblinking, and she cursed it. "Goddess of Love, indeed. Are you responsible for my behavior today?"

Oddly, she heard no answer. She had made a terrible, terrible mistake by opening the doors to her own sensuality. She'd put her body in the deep freeze for so long, she'd imagined it was solid. Now life was pulsing into the frostbitten parts, and it hurt. It stung, it throbbed, and she didn't want to have to deal with it.

Why did it have to be with Reid?

In some vague way, she'd imagined that she'd find another man one day and they'd marry. Her dreams had been of a mature love, gentle and kind and tender, without the peaks and valleys that characterized youthful passion. So what if she hardly qualified for the senior citizens'

tour of Florida? At thirty-four, she felt as if she'd lived forever.

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