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Now that Jessie was down for the night it was time for Meg to get down to her usual order of business – job hunting. She’d been at it into the wee hours of the morning and tonight she was dead tired but she did not have the luxury of taking even one night off. Her savings were dwindling. She had to find work, and fast.
Meg sat at the dining table and munched on an apple as she booted up her computer. She hadn’t done her exercises today, hadn’t gone on the stationary bike for the last four days, actually. She’d been so preoccupied that she’d slipped up on the one thing she’d always told herself she’d never compromise on. As far as she was concerned exercise was the number one factor for good health and, with a daughter to take care of, she needed to stay healthy. Oh, well, at least she was getting in a serving of fruit before the day expired. An apple a day was better than nothing.
She’d been lost in thought for several seconds before she realized that the computer screen was displaying the opening page of her e-mail account. She’d entered the password without even realizing it. She often did things on auto-pilot. Now as she stared at the screen she frowned. Was she seeing right? After weeks and weeks of advertising and posting, there in her mailbox was a reply entitled ‘Ghostwriter for Hire’. Someone had responded to her ad.
Heart skipping in anticipation, she raised a hand that trembled slightly. She clicked on the mouse. The screen popped open and she read the message. “We would like to meet with you regarding engaging your services as a ghostwriter. If we can agree on mutually acceptable terms…” She read on and the more she read the more excited she got. Whoever it was, they wanted to hire her immediately. The words were like music to her heart.
They were based right there in Chicago, the story would be based on the experiences of the CEO of the corporation, and they wanted someone whose timing was flexible. Okay, that part might be a bit tricky but somehow she would get around it. She had a babysitter and a neighbor who watched Jessie every now and then. She might have to call on her for those times when this client might want her to be available on the weekend. Whatever it took, she would have to make it work.
Meg slumped back in the chair, relief flooding through her. She could finally see light at the bottom of the dismal hole into which she had fallen. She was grinning like an idiot but she didn’t care. She could do the happy dance right now and not feel a twinge of embarrassment. Unless, of course, the grumpy old super came to the door and found her doing the dance in her T-shirt-for-nightdress, bunny slippers and her head tied up in a red and white polka dot scarf.
Meg was still smiling as she reached for a pen and a sheet of paper to record the details of the company that had made the offer. And that was when she saw the name. She froze. Her mouth went slack. Duncan Investments. And the CEO was none other than Drake Duncan, the man who had broken her heart.
CHAPTER TWO
Meg gasped and slumped back in her chair, this time not in relief but in shock. She could not believe it. The lifeline she’d been thrown had come from the very man she’d tried so hard to forget. So many years had passed. She didn’t even know if he would still remember her. But she remembered him, just as clearly as if they’d just met. There was no way in the world she would ever forget the man who had taken her virginity.
Biting her lip, Meg sucked in a deep breath then got up from the table and walked over to the window. At the realization, her soaring heart had plummeted down to her toes. The disappointment was thick on her tongue and she felt a warning prick behind her eyes. No, this was not the time for tears. She had to think.
She wanted the money. Badly. But how could she let Drake Duncan back into her life? She’d been twenty years old when she met the tall, blond and excruciatingly handsome senior in Philosophy 401. She’d been a junior then, shy and reserved, and had been taken aback when, at the end of year dance, Drake had ignored the girls fishing around him and asked her for the last dance. It hadn’t been in Meg’s power to refuse. She’d been fantasizing about him all semester, knowing fully well that she had no hope of ever being with a man like that. He was the darling of the university, on the Dean’s List, and a star on the swim team. Why would he even look at her?
But here he was, with his hand held out to her, inviting her to slow dance with him. She raised startled eyes to him and placed her trembling hand in his. Did he know she was madly in love with him? Could he feel her heart beating wildly in her chest? The thoughts chased one another around in her head, drowning out the music that pulsated in the auditorium. She shook her head, pushed her doubts to the back of her mind and gave him a bright smile. Bravely, she stood up and stepped into his arms.
For Meg the night was like something out of a fairy tale. She felt like Cinderella, not deserving the attention of the prince but basking in the glory of it just the same. She almost expected him to disappear at the stroke of midnight. But no such thing happened. In fact, at the end of the dance he walked her all the way back to the dorm room she shared with her roommate. Thinking Amy was in, Meg opened the door, feeling safe in the expectation that his visit would be chaperoned. But there was no Amy there. She’d probably decided to spend the last night before graduation with her boyfriend.
Not wanting to look like an idiot, Meg invited him in anyway. There were beers in the fridge, compliments of Amy who was already twenty-one, so she offered him one. He accepted. And so they sat and talked while Drake had a drink and then another. He was relaxed, lounging in the sofa while she perched on the edge of the arm chair. By the time Meg offered Drake a third beer she’d become just a bit more comfortable with him, charmed by his humor and worldly air. Who would have thought that Drake Duncan would choose to spend his last night before graduation talking to her?
Though they’d been in the same class of over a hundred students, he admitted that he’d only begun to notice her when she presented her paper to the class the week before. She giggled in embarrassment when he told her how he’d admired how professional she’d seemed as she addressed the class. Like a real philosopher, he said. She glowed with pride at his words. Drake Duncan admired her. But did he like her, too? Was that why he’d invited her to dance?
And then he said them, the words she’d been dying to hear all night, all semester, all her life. “You’re a beautiful girl, Meg. I don’t know how I never noticed you before.” He gave her a boyish grin. “I think I like you.”
He patted the seat beside him. “Come sit over here. There’s lots of space, and you sure don’t look comfortable over there.” When she hesitated he gave her a gentle smile. “Come on, we’ll just relax and watch some TV. I’m not going to bite.”
Meg swallowed. “TV? But…it’s kind of late…”
“Just for a little while. I want to see the replay of today’s big game. It’s more fun watching it with you than back in my room. Can’t get too much football, right?”
He patted the seat again and this time Meg moved. He was right. What harm was there in watching some television with him? It was probably the last time she would see Drake Duncan before he graduated and headed off to another life so it made sense to savor every moment with him. She got up off the chair and took the three steps to the sofa where he took her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him.
Drake was true to his word. He flipped channels till he found the game and they watched play after play, comfortable in each other’s company. Eventually, though, the late hour got the best of Meg and her eyelids began to droop. She was barely aware of her head sliding to rest against Drake’s warm shoulder and then she was gone.
When Meg woke up she found herself lying on Drake’s chest, her head tucked under his chin. He was sprawled in the sofa, his chest rising and falling gently, his heart beating in a slow and steady rhythm. He was fast asleep. Slowly, she lifted her head and in the soft glow from the TV she got her first really close look at the man of her dreams. She still could not believe that she was lying in his arms. Could this be a dream? Was she asleep and just fantasizing again? Well, if it was all a dream then she might as well make use of it. She might never get the chance again.
Gently, so as not to wake him, Meg slid up Drake’s body until her face was over his. She smiled down at him. He looked so peaceful, so innocent when he slept. Gone were the crooked grin and the slight cock of the eyebrows. This was the real Drake Duncan, and she was probably the only girl in the whole school who had seen him this way. Suddenly, she was no longer afraid of him. She no longer saw him as a young god on earth. He was lying right there beneath her, big and warm, a man of flesh and blood. And she wanted him. Gosh, did she ever want him.
With a sudden surge of adrenalin came a bravery which made Meg lose her usual shyness and do something she would not normally have dared. Before she could change her mind she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Drake’s, savoring the feel of his mouth against hers. When he moaned, still deep in sleep, she slid her arm up around his neck and pressed her body into his, totally aroused by his groan. He was moaning for her, only for her, and the thought made her nipples peak inside her bra. She kissed him harder.
