‘Not necessarily. You’re worrying too much, my dear. Jake would not have brought up marriage if it wasn’t on his mind.’
‘Because you—we—put it there, Byron.’
‘A seed doesn’t grow if it hasn’t been planted in ground that suits it. You and he suit each other very well. That is very, very obvious to me.’
We’re good together. We’re great together.
Her heart thumped with unquenchable hope as she remembered Jake’s words.
‘Give it a chance,’ Byron advised. ‘See how it goes.’
Precisely what Jake had said.
Was she worrying too much?
‘You want this, Merlina,’ Byron reminded her. ‘You wouldn’t have played the game with me if you hadn’t wanted to bring Jake to heel. He’s there now because he wants to be there. Let him be embraced by your family. Go with the flow. Be happy, my dear. A man likes his woman to be happy.’
Difficult to be happy when she felt so agitated, yet Byron was right. She had wanted this outcome, except it had happened upon her so fast, she couldn’t bring herself to trust it, especially when divorce had been mentioned in virtually the same breath as marriage.
‘Okay, I’ll go with the flow today and see how it pans out,’ she said, screwing herself to the sticking point.
‘Good girl! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Got to be in there playing the game,’ Byron cheerfully chanted.
Which brought home to her how very alike grandfather and grandson were. She was probably off her head to be asking advice from Byron. On the other hand, he had given her an insight into where Jake was coming from. People from broken homes didn’t believe in lasting promises. That didn’t mean they didn’t want a commitment to stay solid. Maybe—just maybe—she could work it so the game with Jake never ended.
‘Thank you, Byron,’ she said gratefully. ‘You’ve just bolstered me up for the next round.’
‘Bravo! And the best of luck to you, my dear.’
‘I’ll keep your diamond ring safe until I see you again,’ she promised.
‘Wear Jake’s with pride, Merlina. He’d like that.’
‘Will do. ‘Bye for now.’
‘Happy days!’
She was smiling as she put the telephone receiver down. Happy days…probably a fool’s paradise but why not enjoy what Jake gave her while she could, anyway? Her body clenched at the memory of last night’s sexual pleasure. He was such a great lover and it had felt like being loved—beautifully, wonderfully loved. If he wanted their relationship to last, she had to give it a chance!
There was a happy spring in her step as she raced off to her bedroom to decide on what to wear this morning. Definitely classy elegance for the kind of jewellery shop Jake would take her to if he was intent on putting just as flashy a ring as his grandfather’s on her finger.
She chose one of her new purchases; a form-fitting red dress, printed with abstract splashes of black and white, featuring a wide square neckline, little cap sleeves and a wide woven belt in white. It was simple but quite striking, especially teamed with high-heeled white sandals and a white clutch bag. Class, she had worked out, could be achieved by meticulous attention to detail.
On this principle, she applied a matching red varnish to her toenails and fingernails, took immense care with her make-up, and as a final touch, attached long dangly vintage gold earrings to her lobes. To her mind, these went with the vintage style gold watch—a twenty-first birthday gift from her grandmother—which was the only other jewellery she wore, having hidden Byron’s ring at the bottom of an open bag of peas in the freezer.
The doorbell rang at five minutes to nine. No nervous waiting around for Jake to come, for which she was intensely grateful. Her heart was fluttering wildly enough as it was. She opened the door to find him superbly dressed in a pin-striped grey suit, white shirt, gold silk tie, and looking more dashingly handsome than ever, especially when he smiled at her, his dark eyes dancing with pleasure in her appearance.
‘Wow! When you make up your mind to sock it to me, Merlina, you sure sock it to me. Red is definitely your colour.’
She was instantly reminded of the red rose bikini. Boldness had served her well as the blonde bimbo from the birthday cake, so she impulsively struck a flaunting pose, jutting out one hip and planting her hands on her tightly belted waist. ‘Thought I’d better wear it since you’re into rescuing scarlet women from damnation,’ she flipped at him, lowering her eyelashes for a sizzling veiled look.
He laughed, and with a bold move of his own, scooped her back into the hall, closed the door behind them and wrapped her in a very possessive embrace. ‘So, the real Merlina emerges in a full frontal assault,’ he purred like a big cat presented with a delicious dinner. He grinned from ear to ear as he teasingly added, ‘Am I man enough for her?’
She arched an eyebrow. ‘Depends on whether you got through last night unscathed by my father.’
‘Passed with flying colours,’ he declared with relish. ‘Bring on any challenge you like. I’m up for it.’
‘Mmm…’ In sheer giddy delight at feeling his erection against her stomach, knowing that seeing her had aroused it and madly wanting to stoke his desire for her even further, she brazenly rubbed her lower body against his, smiling as she said, ‘Up for something else, too.’
His answering smile was positively wicked. ‘The only question is…are you? Right this minute!’
He started walking her backwards, his thighs pushing hers, steering her across the living room towards the dining table, which was set beside the window. ‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, startled by the instant reaction she’d triggered and barely finding breath enough to speak. Her pulse was galloping. Excitement was rushing through her like a freight train.
‘I’d take you anywhere, Merlina Rossi,’ he answered, his eyes smouldering with sexual intent as he propped her against the edge of the table and started gathering up her skirt.
‘Not tonight in my parents’ home, you won’t,’ she flashed at him, momentarily panicking at the thought. ‘We’ll be given separate bedrooms. And you have to respect that, Jake.’
‘Okay. How about now?’
His thumbs were already hooked on the waistband of her panties, ready to pull them down, but he paused teasingly, confident of her consent but also wanting to make her say it out loud.