“Please pay attention,” Ashley begged. “I’m going to go over the rules now.”
“You’re so beautiful,” Todd said dreamily. Ashley assumed he was talking to her—he was looking right at her—but with Todd you could never be sure. “Will you go out with me?”
“She can’t,” a voice said from the doorway. They all jumped—Jeannie and Tanya let out small screams of surprise—and turned to look. Victor was standing there, arms folded across his chest. He was so large he nearly filled the doorway, Ashley realized, and why did that thought make her feel so strange, so trembly and excited? “She’s going out with me.”
“Oh,” Todd said. “Well, will you go out with me?”
“Close the door!” Kirsten yelled. “You’re letting all the space in!”
“Are you from the CIA?” Tanya asked suspiciously.
“Are you in?” Jeannie asked, tapping the cards. “Or out?”
Victor opened his mouth to reply and Ashley never knew what he was going to say, because at that moment Erika Growette, the head nurse, peeked around Victor and announced, “I’ll tell you who’s out, Ashley Lorentz. You’re out. Right now!”
“Awww, Erika,” she whined, but was already getting up. Having been thrown off the ward more times than she had fingers and toes, she knew the drill.
“Ashley, say your good-byes now, please.”
Ashley wasn’t fooled by Erika’s pleasant tone. She knew the woman was five seconds from siccing security on her. “Goodbye,” she said glumly.
“The rest of you, calm down. That girl’s gotten you all riled up.”
“I’m not riled,” Jeannie said coldly. “Just annoyed because my civil rights have once again been violated.”
“Tell it to your shrink, honey,” Erika said, kindly enough, and turned to escort Ashley out.
* * * * *
“Well,” Victor said, once they were in the car. “That was entertaining.” But he didn’t smile, and Ashley wondered what was wrong. He hadn’t smiled, in fact, since she spotted him in the doorway.
She had taken the bus to the hospital, knowing Victor would be picking her up, and also because she adored his car. It wasn’t a rich man’s toy, but instead an eminently practical white Saturn. He kept it immaculate, and it still smelled new. Best of all, Victor was a good driver, and there were few things she liked more than spending long stretches of time riding in a clean, pleasant-smelling car. Cars meant trips, and trips often meant new and exciting experiences.
“It’s so embarrassing, but you’d think I’d be used to it now,” she said, stealing a glance at him. He was definitely unhappy about something. No smiles. No teasing. And his jaw looked tight, like he was clenching his teeth. “I didn’t mean any harm. Jeannie says the worst part about being in the hospital is the boredom. I figured if I taught them some games they could make the time go faster.”
“Thoughtful of you,” he said politely.
“Thanks. But sometimes—like if someone’s having a tough day, or more than one someone—it doesn’t work out so well.”
“And they show you the door.”
“Yes. They always claim I get the patients stirred up, but the thing is, the patients were stirred up before I even opened my mouth. It’s just an excuse for Langenfeld to keep civvies off the floors.”
“Civvies?”
“People like you and me.” Ashley tried to choose her words carefully. She didn’t want to say ‘normal’ because she didn’t think anyone was truly normal. “People who don’t have to stay in a hospital so they don’t hurt themselves or someone else. Langenfeld doesn’t like us around. I don’t know why.”
“I don’t like you spending so much time there,” he said abruptly. “Someone might hurt you. You’ll be blundering along, la-la-la, and not even notice when you tick off a psychopath. It’s too dangerous.”
“Well, Victor, I’m sorry you feel that way. Especially since I’m certainly not going to stop going.” She spoke firmly; he never looked at her. “I can take care of myself, and I know a lot more about the inpatients at Carlson-Musch than you do. And by the way, who rammed a stick up your butt today?”
“Oh, that’s charming.”
“About as charming as you taking it upon yourself to tell me where I can and can’t go. C’mon, Vic, what’s the matter?”
Long silence, then he sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day. It was the only good thing on my schedule. Then I got there and you were in the middle of all these screaming mental patients, and that guy—”
“Which one? The one who kept asking everyone out, or—”
“The big guy. The guy who looked like a damned Viking, the guy who looked like he could snap your arm off and use it for a toothpick.”
“Tanya.”
“Uh, yeah. Tanya. Anyway, so there was all this chaos and you right in the middle of it and I just got worried, that’s all. I was kind of glad when the nurse threw you out.”
“Well, I can’t go back until next week, so that should make you happy.”
He smiled for the first time, a small curl of his lips. Not much, but a beginning. “It does, actually. If you’re missing Jean, maybe I could try to get her a pass or something.”
“Oh, Jeannie can come and go as she—never mind. It’s a long story and I don’t want to go into that. I want to know why you’re in such a bad mood. Was it Crystal? Did her lawyer pull something?”
“No. Yes. I don’t—she said she wants to re-negotiate our marriage. That’s why her lawyer was there. With our divorce papers. All ready to null and void them.”
Ashley felt her heart pause, almost stop, and then start hammering at about two hundred beats a minute. “Oh, yeah?” she asked, striving with all her might to sound casual. I’ll listen and I won’t interrupt and I won’t make an idiot out of myself, she told herself fiercely. We’ve only known each other a month, it’s not like he promised you anything, so don’t make a fool of yourself and for God’s sake don’t cry.
“Can you believe the gall of the woman?”
Ashley relaxed. Relaxed so much, in fact, that she wondered for a moment if she was going to pass out. She slumped against the seat and said, “Yeah, that’s some nerve, all right.”
“She said—she said that…” Victor made himself stop talking for a moment. Much as he liked Ashley—liked her, hell, sometimes he worried he was falling in love with her—he couldn’t tell her this. It was too humiliating. Yes, getting married had been Crystal’s father’s idea. Yes, he had gone into it with his eyes wide open and yes, it had made both families a lot of money. But he had taken his vows seriously, and he had hoped to bring children to the union. Crystal, he found out today, had never seen it as more than a business deal. She had cheated on him from the start, and had been honestly astonished when he protested. She had never taken her vows seriously, never taken his role as her husband seriously. When she realized he viewed this as an actual marriage, that he wanted them to be faithful to each other and have children, she had panicked and put the divorce paperwork in motion…but not before taking yet another man to his bed.
And now, two years after the end of the debacle, she wanted to give it another go. “We get along, Victor, you know,” she had said. “It’s nice having a spouse—instant date, right? No matter what time of the day, or part of the year. I don’t like being single, and I know you don’t. And I hate living alone. And we can make money, Victor, lots of money! My father wants the deal, and so do I. It’ll work. Let’s re-negotiate, what do you say?”
“Get a roommate,” he had said, “we’re rich enough.” And then walked out.
“Anyway,” he said now, aware that Ashley was waiting for an answer, “it’s done. I think I made that pretty clear to her. But I have to admit, it’s left me in a filthy mood.”
“I’m sorry,” she said at once. “What can I do to help?”
He reached out and cupped the back of her neck, then stroked h
er nape. “You’re doing it right now. Just be you. Please. You’re all I could think of during that miserable meeting. I really care about you.”
“I care about you, too, Victor,” she said seriously. “I could strangle Crys-dull right now. I’m glad your marriage didn’t work out because otherwise I wouldn’t be here, but I’m sorry you felt so used.”
She was right, though he hadn’t mentioned feeling used. Again, he was struck at her intuition. After a month she knew him better than his wife of six years.
“I know what it’s like to be used,” she was saying softly, and he could hear the thread of anger under her tone. “It makes you feel filthy. Filthy and worthless. I could kill her for making you feel that way for even a second.”
It was at that precise moment he knew he could never, never let her go.
“Last week I saw her picture in Vanity Fair, and you know something? It made me feel bad. She looked like—like a goddess or something, so tall and blonde and perfect. And rich, of course.”
“Ashley, don’t—”
“Let me finish,” she said sharply, and he shut up. “As I was saying, can you imagine how I felt? Her family’s had money for nine generations! They probably owned the damn Mayflower. Anyway, there she was, smirking up at me on the page, and I asked myself who I was kidding, going out with you. But I’ll tell you what. I don’t have any money and I owe eight grand to MasterCard and I only made twenty-five thousand dollars last year, but I’d never use you and I’d never want to make you feel the way she made you feel today. Which means I’m worthy of you, dammit! And I want to be with you as long as you want to be with me. What I’m saying is, I don’t care about your money and your background anymore. I like you. I want to be with you. What are you doing?”
“Pulling over,” he said, doing just that. “Parking this damn car so I can kiss you. For about a hundred years.” He yanked the parking brake and reached for her with his other hand. “You don’t mind, do you?”
For reply, she unbuckled her seat belt. He pulled her closer to him, so that she was almost in his lap, and for once she was glad she wasn’t tall. He kissed her hard, holding her in an unbreakable grip, and she was sure her mouth would be bruised later. He seemed to catch himself, to try to calm down, and then he was gently sucking on her lower lip, which was throbbing from his attention. “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely, near her mouth, into her mouth. “I didn’t mean to be rough. I just had to touch you. Had to kiss you. Couldn’t…ah, God, don’t do that. I couldn’t—what are you doing?”
She held up his belt. “This is the classiest belt I’ve ever seen,” she said approvingly. “Real easy to get off, too.”
“We can’t,” he said delightedly. “We’re on the highway. It’s the middle of the afternoon.”
“Prude,” she sniffed. He grabbed her and kissed her again, for a lovely long time, and when it was done she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. “God, you’re good at that.”
“Spend the night with me,” he said intently. “Please. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but there’s no one on the planet I want to be with more than you. Stay with me.”
“Soon,” she promised gently, “but not yet. I’m disturbingly old-fashioned.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ve slept with two men, and only because I loved them, and because they said they loved me,” she went on, and when he opened his mouth she clapped a hand over it. “Don’t say anything. Not yet.” She grinned. “I’m not sure I could believe you, anyway—we just got done necking like a couple of teenagers. I’ll love you soon, I know that. I’m halfway to being in love with you now. But in the meantime…there’s lots of fun to be had in a parked car, yes?”
“Only two men?” he asked, pulling her toward him. “Lucky bastards. I like your rule.”
“That’s not the only thing you like, I think,” she said slyly. He agreed, and showed her what else he liked, and they were having a wonderful time until the state trooper tapped on the window.
CHAPTER FIVE
“The cop gave you a ticket?” Derik Mann asked incredulously. “What was the charge? Necking without a license?”
Victor, changing into his dogi, the outfit used in martial arts lessons, had to grin. “Nope. Contributing to traffic flow problems. And he didn’t believe me when I explained it was an emergency.”
Derik snorted. “Some emergency. A fire in your pants.” Two years younger than Victor, Derik owned the dojo, was, in fact, Victor’s sensei. Derik had been studying aikido from the age of four. He had been teaching Victor as long as they had been friends. “Bet that went over like a lead balloon.”
“Ashley swore up and down she was giving me mouth-to-mouth, but the cop didn’t believe her. I could tell he was trying not to smile, though. It’s hard to resist Ash when she’s worked up about something. Didn’t stop him from whipping out the old citation book, though.”
Derik slapped his forehead and pretended to collapse on the nearest bench. “I don’t believe you! I was sure you’d be mega-pissed today, that’s why I booked the floor for us. Instead you meet with the ex, then go to the mental hospital to pick up your new girlfriend, make out with her by the side of the highway for half an hour, get a ninety dollar ticket for your pains, and now you’re practically whistling, you’re in such a good mood.”
“When you meet Ashley,” Victor said with utter confidence, “you’ll understand.”
“Vic, old buddy, I can’t wait to lay eyes on this girl. I haven’t seen you in such a good mood since…” Derik Mann thought back, and realized with a start he hadn’t seen Vic so happy since their graduate school days. Pre-Crystal, in other words. “In a long time. She sounds like quite a lady.”
“She is. She’s a writer,” he said proudly. “She works for the South Shore Star, but she does freelance stuff, too. She’s going to start a book pretty soon.”
“Smart?”
“Really smart. She’s practically a mind-reader. Let’s get together in the next few days. Are you still with Marya?”
Derik shook his head. “Catch up, Vic. Marya was two babes ago. Now I’m deeply, eternally, forever in love with Julie Kathryn.”
“Well, bring your third deep, eternal, forever love-with-two-names to dinner. I really want you to get to know Ashley, Der.”
Derik found this incredibly encouraging. He and Vic had been best friends since college, and he could only be insisting Derik meeting his new ladylove if he intended her to be around for a long time. After the Crystal fiasco, this was wonderful news.
“Damn!” He slapped Victor on the back. “Now you’ve got me in a good mood.”
“Great. Let’s go kick the crud out of each other.”
* * * * *
Ashley was so excited and happy, she felt like somersaulting all over the mats. Great things, she was sure, were going to happen. She had put aside her insecurities, her envy of Crystal and pity for Victor, and now they could go nowhere but forward.
“Onward and upward,” she said aloud, looking at the trophy case. Derik Mann, whoever he was, was apparently the aikido champion of the universe, if the dozen or so trophies in the case were any indication. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Go for the gusto. Abandon hope, ye who—wait, that’s wrong.”
“Victor didn’t mention you talked to yourself.”
She turned and saw a man standing by the water fountain, smiling at her. He looked about Victor’s age, but that wasn’t why Ashley was trying not to gape. Victor was taller, but this man was easily as broad, and dressed in the sort of white suit the good guys wore in karate movies. With his tan, blonde, chiseled good looks, broad shoulders, and tree-trunk legs, he looked like one of Jean’s G.I. Joe dolls come to life. He looks, she thought, like he could break my legs with one arm while mixing a milkshake with the other. Fortunately, the man appeared friendly.
“I—what?”
The man paused, then asked, slowly and carefully, “Which word didn’t you understand?”
She should have been annoyed—the man was clearly mocking her. Instead, she burst out laughing and after a moment, he joined her.
“That’s not even yours,” she protested. “You stole Val Kilmer’s line from Real Genius.”
“On top of everything else, you’ve got great taste in old movies.” The man stuck out a hand the size of a frying pan, or so it seemed to her. “Derik Mann. Vic’s bud.”
“Ashley Lorentz. Vic’s…friend.”
His eyes, very blue, twinkled at her. “Oh-ho.”
Ashley could feel her face getting warm. She wished, for the thousandth time, that she wasn’t such an easy blusher. “What’s that supposed to mean, Mann?”
“It means, Lorentz, that Victor and I have been ‘friends’ for almost ten years, and we never necked on the highway. Not even that time we got drunk and I flirted with him outrageously.”
“Try starting with a back rub,” she said archly, and Derik laughed so hard he had to sit down.
“He said I’d like you,” Derik said after he got himself under control. “And he was right. Ashley, take a good look at me.”
She did.
“Are you looking?”
“If I stare at you any harder, my eyeballs are going to dry up.”
He snorted. “Excellent. Take a good look, Ms. Lorentz, because Vic’s gone on you. He might not know it yet, but he is. And that means you and the guy you’re currently looking at are going to be very good friends. So I’d advise you to get used to the idea. Starting now.”
“Mr. Mann,” she said sincerely, “you’ve got a deal.”
They shook on it. While they were shaking hands, Victor came out of the locker room and trotted over. Ashley saw he was wearing the same outfit Derik had on, with one difference. Derik’s belt was black, while Victor’s was dark brown.
“Thank you again, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her cheek. Even this innocent peck made her shiver. He felt it and bent closer, fully intending to do more than buss her cheek, and she turned, ready to happily melt into his arms, as he tipped her chin up, as the room seemed to fade away and there was only the two of them…