Cindy brought eggs and toast to Claire and sat them in front of her. After Claire thanked her, she left. Her attention returned to Tony. “How do you know about that?”
“So you aren’t surprised?”
“No. I spoke to others about it last night. And I suppose I’m not surprised you know.”
“Others?”
“Yes, Tony – friends, Harry called. I spoke to him and to Amber. They are both well, thank you for asking.”
“Why are you not more upset?”
“I was initially, but now I think you’re responsible.”
His spine straightened. “Claire, why would I have someone break into your condo?”
“I don’t know. Whoever it was took my laptop. The only secret information on there is about you.” Claire continued to eat.
Tony sat his cup of coffee on the table, “Me?”
“Yes, I’ve been trying to reconstruct the information from the box I received. I’ve spent a lot of time looking up information about your grandfather and father. It’s on my laptop.” Claire watched as his jaws once again clenched and unclenched.
“I have nothing to do with this break in,” Tony said. “I do, however, think you should consider staying here. It is significantly safer.”
“Well, Tony, I’m being honest with you. That laptop contains information regarding Nathaniel and Samuel Rawls. If you aren’t the person responsible for its disappearance, perhaps you’d like to learn who has it.”
“I will do my best. This is getting out of hand.”
“Well, back to my original question, do you have a car I can take into town for coffee with Sue? I need to call her.”
Tony leaned forward, “Claire, are you asking? I’m having difficulty with your wording.”
“Are we in the presence of others?” She looked to her right and saw the empty pool deck. She looked to her left and saw the southeast wing of the mansion; she knew the woods and gardens were behind her. “No, I’m not asking permission to go into town, only permission to use one of your cars. I would hate to be accused of stealing.”
With her get-together complete, Claire maneuvered the BMW toward Tony’s estate and contemplated the long winding drive. She tried unsuccessfully to diminish the beauty of it. She’d driven off his estate twice; this was her first solo drive back onto it. Looking at the dashboard clock, it was nearly eleven, and the wedding wasn’t until five thirty.
Coffee with Sue was nice. Sue obviously felt guilty for not supporting Claire in her troubles. In many ways Claire felt bad lying to Sue now about her and Tony’s reconciliation. Or was she? Claire’s emotions were so jumbled -- sometimes she didn’t know what was real and what was pretend. To Claire, the best part of their meeting was seeing Sean again. While the ladies chatted, he busied himself with toys. Claire smiled, remembering how Sue picked the bright colored rattles off the floor at least fifty times.
Claire pulled the car to the front door, not worrying about taking it around to the garage. Eric would do that. As she walked up the steps toward the house Claire realized how easy it was to slip into that place where others did things for her. Was this part of Tony’s plan? Did he want her to remember the perks of being here?
She opened the door to the massive sparkling entry. While she decided if she wanted to go upstairs to her suite or down the hall to Tony’s office, Catherine came hurriedly down the hall to greet her. “Claire, you are back!”
“Yes, I just went to town,” Claire looked questionably at Catherine, “Did you think I wouldn’t come back?”
“I was only concerned when Mr. Rawlings told me you’d taken one of the cars.”
“Where is he?” Claire asked.
“He is in his office. Would you like me to let him know you are back?”
Claire remembered his rules: she was only allowed in his office by invitation or summons. Claire decided this was another opportunity to push the envelope. “No, thank you. I will.” She saw Catherine’s surprised expression as Claire turned toward the corridor and walked to office. Should she knock?
As she contemplated, she heard his voice from behind the large doors, “... that was two days ago. I wanted an answer yesterday. Your incompetence is...” His speech stalled, hearing the simultaneous knock and opening of his door. Claire watched his expression morph through a series of emotions. Wasn’t there a time when she couldn’t read his thoughts? Seeing him go from anger -- at the person on the telephone -- to shock at the unrequested intrusion and finally to amusement by Claire’s forwardness, she wondered how anyone couldn’t read his every thought. With a mischievous smile, he continued speaking. Although his heart was no longer in his tirade, he attempted to conceal that from the poor soul on the other end of the line. “It seems as though another pressing matter has come to my attention. We will postpone this conversation. Mr. George, I expect to hear from you Monday morning. Do not disappoint me.” He disconnected the line. His eyes remained fixed on Claire’s from the moment she opened the door.
She smiled as he walked around the large mahogany desk toward her. His movements were graceful yet powerful, like a lion stalking its prey. The light behind his intense dark chocolate eyes made her tingle with anticipation. She’d seen that sultry look before. Why was she smiling? She’d come to his office to let him know she was back, and suddenly the temperature of the regal room was rising exponentially.
She thought about his words on the phone. She’d heard that closing statement a hundred times. “That should be your tag line.”
“Oh, but you are so right.” He was now only inches away, looking down into her confident expression. His cologne penetrated her nostrils and filled her lungs. “I do not like being disappointed.”
“I remember that about you.” She hesitated. If she just leaned forward, they would be touching. She stood straight, fighting the urge for contact. “Your car has been returned in one piece, scarcely a scratch.”
The tips of his lips twitched and his eyebrow cocked, “A scratch?”
Claire’s grin broadened, “Wasn’t that your concern, that I might scratch it?”
He took the initiative and leaned forward. Their subtle touch increased the beating of her heart. Almost instantaneously, her tender breasts responded to the sensation of his massive chest. “I don’t recall being concerned with a scratch,” he said. “The whole damn car can be replaced. I believe my concern was with your safe return.” Because, Claire hadn’t resisted their contact, Tony chose to make another move, wrapping his arms around the small of her back. With their proximity, her face tipped upward.
Her mind told her to back away. However, she could barely hear the instructions over the intense pulsation of blood in her ears. Her words slowed with breathy expectation, “I have returned.”
With one hand still behind her, Tony gently brought her chin skyward. His touch combined with a new husky tone caused Claire’s emerald eyes to flutter. She felt the vibration of his speech against her chest, “You, my dear, are continually teaching me new things?”
“What, pray-tell, have I taught you?”
His lips tenderly brushed hers. “I believe I mentioned before, I liked the black panties. The other night, the light blue satin bra straps monopolized my thoughts. Every time I looked at you, I wondered if it was part of a matching set.” Claire nodded, their noses touching with the movement of her head. “And just now, I realized how much more satisfying it is to have you bring yourself home, freely – willingly, than to know you have been driven, perhaps reluctantly.”