AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A Matter of Trust
Zane’sjawwasso tight he was sure his teeth were going to crack. Shawna and one of her idiot friends had cornered him. She’d latched onto his arm like a leech and he had yet to figure out how to get rid of her without making a scene in the middle of the event. He’d like to peel her off and spray himself down with Clorox but that was not going to be possible. If Maggie would just get back, he could extricate himself and leave. All he’d been able to think about all evening was getting her back to his place and convincing her to stay the night with him; have her face be the first thing he saw in the morning. He glanced at his watch again trying, without success, to extricate his arm from Shawna’s vice-like grip. He hoped Maggie was okay. She’d looked a little pale when she’d left the table.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of pink in his peripheral vision heading for the front doors at a rapid pace. Maggie? Where was she going? “Excuse me, Tom, I see my date. I need to go make sure she’s okay. She wasn’t feeling well earlier.” Zane tried to pull his arm from Shawna’s grip.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Shawna purred, keeping her talons clutched tight around his biceps. “She’s a big girl. She’ll come get you if she needs you.”
Zane glared at her in disgust. How had he ever thought she was attractive? He peeled her fingers from his arm and growled. “I said, I have to go.”
Shawna pouted but finally allowed herself to be stripped from his arm. “You’re wasting your time with that little hick,” she whispered furiously as he turned from her. “I can’t believe you’ve sunk so low.”
He couldn’t even process her hateful remarks in his haste to get to Maggie. He found her at the front of the hotel, phone in hand with the Uber app pulled up. “Maggie! What’s going on? Where are you going?”
Maggie wouldn’t look at him. Her mouth was tight as she continued to tap on her phone screen. “I could see you were having a good time and I was ready to leave so I was calling an Uber.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Zane hissed at her, not wanting to make a scene but completely at a loss over what had changed so precipitously. He’d been waiting to sweep her off her feet and now she was trying to sneak out on him.
“I just want to go home, Zane. I don’t belong here.” She continued to type on the screen, but he saw tears welling in her eyes.
Zane grasped her shoulders and pivoted her to face him. “Baby, look at me,” he pleaded, his anger turning into alarm. “Tell me what happened. You went to the bathroom and now we’re here with you ready to leave me. What did I do?”
She finally looked up at him and tears began streaming down her cheeks. Devastated by the agony on her face, Zane steered her to the side gardens that were filled with the original owner’s of the mansion turned hotel heirloom roses and sat her on a bench before she could speak. It was a chilly night and no one was taking in the gardens at this hour. Cradling her face in his hands, he kissed her forehead and tried to wipe her tears away with his thumbs. “Sweetheart, talk to me. Please, tell me what happened.”
Haltingly, Maggie proceeded to tell him what she had heard in the bathroom. “And then I came out and there she was, that woman from your office, hanging all over you! You weren’t even trying to get away from her. You were enjoying the attention!” Red bloomed on Maggie’s cheeks in sudden temper. “You told me she was nothing but there she was, on your arm, so obviously that wasn’t true. Dani told me that’s the kind of woman you go for and apparently that hasn’t changed. I’d like to just go get my things and get back home, where I belong.”
Zane’s hands dropped from her face and his mouth fell open in astonishment. “I can’t believe you really think that of me. After all the hours we’ve spent getting to know each other and everything I’ve said to you about how special you are to me, you’d think I’m still interested in the likes of Shawna?” He could feel his temper rise and his voice along with it.
“You seemed to be perfectly comfortable with her on your arm,” Maggie countered, wiping at angry tears that were still determined to fall despite her best efforts to stem the tide.
Zane stood abruptly and rubbed his hands in frustration down his face. “What was I supposed to do? Pick her up and body slam her against the floor?” He saw her flinch at his tone, but he was too wound up to care. “I don’t know what you think you saw exactly,” he continued, “but I was trying to get away from her and not make a scene! This gala is really important for the Institute and I know just about everyone there.”
He paced in front of her, jerking his bowtie loose like it was choking him and ripping the first two buttons of his collar loose. “The irony is, do you know what I was really thinking about? I was wishing you would hurry back so I could get you out of there, take you back to my condo, strip you out of that pretty dress, and make love to you until neither one of us could physically crawl from it! But you think I was enjoying Shawna’s talons digging into my arm? What the hell, Maggie? I don’t know what to do to convince you! It’s you I want, just you!”
He saw her tears had dried up during his rant. He thought he could see the war going on behind her eyes. He couldn’t understand how she even had to think about what he was telling her. He started to pace again, raking his hands through his hair in frustration. Her continued silence was deafening.
“You know what? Maybe you have the right idea.” Zane stopped pacing and faced her when she didn’t respond to his declarations, his voice low and oddly resigned. “I should just take you to get your stuff and get you home. If you don’t trust what I’m saying, I have no idea how to get you to. I have a past, yes, but I’ve been really up front with you about that. I’m not proud of it, but I thought we were past that. Obviously not.” He glanced at her again as he shoved his tie into a pocket. It’s probably better that we get some space from each other for a while. C’mon, I’ll take you back to my place to get your things.”
Maggie stood silently and slowly followed him, her heart breaking a little with every step, as he started walking back through the garden to the front of the building. They stood in silence, not touching, as the valet retrieved Zane’s car and helped Maggie into the passenger seat. The ride back to Zane’s place took a million years, neither of them daring to speak or touch each other. They got out and just as silently got into the elevator in his building, standing next to each other, but miles apart. Now that she’d had a little time in quiet to mull it over, she could see she’d made a huge mistake. She’d let her insecurities and emotions take over and had accused Zane of terrible things without any real evidence. It was obvious she’d jumped to conclusions about what she’d seen and now she’d hurt this man who’d been nothing but loving and kind to her. She was sorely afraid she had permanently broken the relationship they had been building. All because she couldn’t believe that she was good enough. And where that fit of temper come from?That so isn’t me. She had just messed up all around. She took a ragged breath and tried to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall again as they faced the elevator door and watched the numbers rise on the display.
“Let me know if you need help with your bags,” Zane said, breaking the silence as they entered his home. “I’m going to get changed real quick.”
“OK,” Maggie whispered to his back as he walked rapidly toward his bedroom. She stood in the entry for a moment and slipped off her heels before padding down the hall to the guest room where she and Dani’d had so much fun just a few hours before getting ready for the gala. This is not how I was dreaming the night would end and I have no one to blame but myself. She lowered herself to the bed and looked around at her bags and hangers. Then her eyes fell on the beautiful flower arrangement still sitting next to the bed. She wiped a rogue tear that had escaped her control. I’m so stupid! How could I have let strangers get to me like that? Make me doubt this amazing man I’ve already fallen head over heels for?
Maggie drew a deep breath and fought for control. She didn’t know how but she would fix this. Somehow. With her decision made, she quickly realized she had another problem. She couldn’t get out of this dress alone. She’s stretched her arms as far as she could but couldn’t reach the top of the zipper in the middle of her shoulder blades. She’d have to ask for Zane’s help, and she’d rather do just about anything else right this minute, especially with what she knew was underneath.
She made her way to his room and quietly knocked on the door. “Zane? Uh, I’m sorry, but I’m going to need your help with this dress.” She waited. Nothing. She tapped on the door again. “Zane?”
Zane had just slipped on his shoes when the knock came and he heard her voice, soft and tentative on the other side of his bedroom door. Her zipper. Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that. He roughed a frustrated hand across his stubble. He’d have to help. He couldn’t make her ride all the way back to Gladewater in her party dress. He was mad and hurt, but even he wasn’t that big of an asshole. She called to him again. He sighed. “OK, be right there.”
He talked to himself all the way to the guest room. I can do this. I just have to touch the zipper. She doesn’t trust you so nothing can come of this. You’ll get over it. There’s a million other women out there. When her sad, brown eyes met his, however, he knew he was a goner. Those other women were nothing compared to his Maggie. He didn’t know where he was going to find the strength to stay away from her
“I’m sorry,” she said again with a wan smile before turning her back to him. “I tried everything to try to reach it but no luck.”
Zane couldn’t reply over the lump that had formed in his throat. He stepped up to grasp thetop of the zipper but found he had to take hold of the silky fabric to pull it down. His fingers brushed the skin at her back as he held the fabric taught. She was as soft as the slippery material against his hand. He gulped down a steadying breath as the fabric parted and he saw what was underneath. Holy hell! Parting the pink satin had revealed a black lace corset trimmed with pink ribbon. His hands froze in place.
“Is it stuck?” she asked, and Zane realized he’d been standing there holding onto the dress way too long.
“No,” he said roughly, unable to resist reaching out a hand to caress the black lace in front of him. He felt a fine tremor run through her at his touch. She bowed her head and suddenly the nape of her neck caught his attention. The small bones stood up in sharp relief under her rose petal skin. He’d never seen the pale column of her neck like this as her hair was always down. It was somehow vulnerable and erotic at the same time. He leaned into her and placed a soft kiss there. That was a mistake. He was almost overwhelmed with her intoxicating scent. He felt her take a deep breath under his hand that had found its way to span her waist. The soft, worn Levi’s had had changed into suddenly felt too tight. What am I doing? He stepped back quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“There you go,” he said gruffly, turning abruptly for the door, desperate to escape this temptation. “Just yell when you’re ready for me to pack this stuff in the car.”
Maggie turned, holding her dress up to her chest and watched him practically run from the room. “Okay,” she whispered hoarsely to his back as he closed the door.
”
