Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (5 page)

‘God, I want you
.
’
He
lifted his head, his eyes almost dark with desire. ‘
I want to peel
the
clothes of
f
your body and make love to you until there is nothing left but us, the rest of the world gone
.
’

‘
We
can’t do it here
,
’
she
said, her voice shaking desperately. She wasn’t sure if it was the passion or fear speaking. She
had been
wondering if she would manage to get him to do anything improper
,
and she had her answer. The thing she
hadn’t
consider
ed
before
,
though
,
was her own
treacherous
body blossoming under the touch of his fingers.

‘I know
.’ H
e smiled and kissed her lips again, his mouth lingering and reluctant to leave. ‘I
’
m sorry if I
’
m so impatient, Muriel. It’s just that I haven’t done anything like that in almost a year, if
that
is any excuse.’ He grinned wryly at her surprised face. ‘
What
? Do you think only women go through celibate times?’

Well
, he didn’t exactly do that, according to Vic. Quite the opposite. If she remembered correctly, he was bedding plenty of women almost from day one of their failed marriage.

‘
How
about we
go on a proper date instead?’
h
e was asking now, surprising her again. She thought he would press the issue, her eagerness from moments ago invitation enough to let him hope she’d agree. Instead
,
he lifted her chin with his fingers, their eyes meeting.

‘I would hate to give you
the wrong impression
,
Muriel
,’ h
e
said,
suddenly serious. ‘I might want you and be sexually frustrated, but I want more than a quick shag in the dark. I
’
m not afraid to admit that ever since I saw you in here, I had this insane feeling that we shouldn’t
be
allow
ed
to pass each other. I still do
.
’

He let his fingers travel down her cheek,
slowly and almost wonderingly.

‘
Would
you like to c
ome for a ride
with me
?’
he
asked, his voice warm. ‘I swear you can leave the info about it with the bartender if you
’re
worr
ied
, Muriel. I understand
.
I came here by cab
,
and it would take me just a moment to get us another one.
See,
I just thought I’d rather get into
a
car where I can’t really do anything improper. The temptation here is kind of testing my willpower.’ He smiled crookedly, his
expression already familiar. ‘
We could have a chat and maybe agree on the next place to meet?
I hope
,
at least
,
that you will say yes even after I tell you a few things
about
myself first. I’ve always believed in starting everything with honesty.
’ He waited for her to say something, his gentle fingers smoothing out the wrinkles on her silk
top
.
‘
You
see, I am going through a divorce right now.’ He waited for her reaction
,
and she nodded, completely shocked. She didn’t expect him to bring it up, not after the image of a cheating Don Juan that she
had
gotten from Vic.

He must have misunderstood her silence as disapproval,
because
he nodded, his eyes imploring.

‘I know, it sounds horrible.’ He sighed, his eyes dark with some emotion she couldn’t quite read. ‘
But
you can believe me that it’s only a matter of time until all the proceedings will be finalized. And for all it’s worth
,
I didn’t come here searching for some distraction
,
if that’s what you think, Muriel. It’s rather like I
’
ve been hit on the head with your presence here, my sweet. That’s why it’s so important for me not to mess it up.’ He kissed her lightly before letting go
.
‘
Can
we still go out
,
or did I put you out too much? My offer of a ride with no strings attached still stands. There is a lovely little
teahouse
at the end of it
that
I thought we could both enjoy
.
’
H
e looked at her
expectantly,
his phone in his hand. She nodded
,
and he smiled at her, dialing the cab company’s number and ordering a pickup for them with just a few swift
words.

That was it, her freedom. She could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, she thought as she nodded, afraid of speaking. What if she burst into tears, giving him the impression that she was totally mental? Because he had no clue why she was sad, did he? He couldn’t know that he
had
messed it all up, her carefully put together plan of doing something good and useful even if not entirely right. He destroyed it with his kiss and smile and honest words, the true nature of what she was about to do completely exposed in its ugliness. In the end
,
she wasn’t anything better than a real hooker, or maybe even worse. At least they were honest, working for their money and not pretending to be anything else. She
,
on the other hand
,
had
stooped
as low as it got,
making her feel dirty and horrible.

She had to save it somehow, she thought as she watched him pay for their meal and later help her put on her coat. She buttoned up quickly, eager to look more like herself again. The show was over
,
and the lure
had
worked better than expected. Now, with her beige coat wrapped against her and secured with the belt, she felt less exposed and vulnerable.

‘I will risk your anger and guess that this is more your day
-
to
-
day style
.
’ Justin watched her
,
amused, his eyes missing nothing.
Then
again, she was pulling up the collar and refastening the buckle of her belt enough times for anyone to notice,
wasn’t
she?

She
smiled and nodded, her mind made up. She couldn’t go ahead with the plan, not like that. Whatever Vic thought of her husband
,
he was definitely different from what
Kate had
expected to find
that day
.

They stepped out into the night air
. A
light wind combed through the branches of trees lining the street and sent clouds to cover the full moon. Justin told her
the cab driver would have to park
the car just around the corner
. The line of cars parked on the street in front of the pub
was
why the drivers preferred to use the side parking lot, just a few meters from the main entrance.
He offered gallantly to
go
make sure the driver was already waiting for them, his eyes going to her impossible shoes. He must have noticed how difficult walking was for her, she mused
. She felt
humiliated, but thanked
the
heavens for this unexpected help. True, the side parking lot was just mere seconds away, but it would give her enough time to do the only thing possible
.

She knew what she would do next. She made sure they stood apart, nothing more but casual
acquaintances
to any eye, including this faceless photographer she knew hid somewhere in the dark.

What happened next took her by surprise
,
like so many other things
that happened that evening. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, her whole body tense as she waited for Justin to leave to get the car. She didn’t dare to go any further into the wave of desolation that threatened to overpower her at any given second. He would leave
,
and so would she, out of his life and hopefully with no damage whatsoever. He seemed smitten with her and eager to get to know her
,
but she had no
illusions about
what should happen next. As much as she felt tempted to give in and go
with
him, she simply couldn’t risk it. In the end he would find out where she worked and put two and two together
.
A
ny chance for a relationship
would be
gone as soon as he realized who she was.

A man like him wouldn’t remember her for a long time,
she thought miserably. He was handsome enough and pleasant enough to find someone else the moment he started looking for company. Surely he would find someone nice, without
a
hidden agenda and lies that destroyed everything even before it had
a
chance to grow into something bigger. What hurt most was the knowledge that it would
have
grow
n
into something, for sure. She was certain of it as she
seldom
ever was, an image of them as a couple happily in love rising before her eyes and filling her with such misery that she felt like howling.

She had never believed in love
at
first sight. Never one to take things lightly, she had seen enough relationships break apart in front of her eyes to be confident it could never happen to her. If she ever fell in love with a man
,
it would be after a long time of careful dating and making sure the investment of her emotions would actually bring some positive returns. Justin McBryndon was nothing like the mystery man
she
had created for her
fantasies
, everything about him defying the norms she had chosen for her Mr. Perfect. And yet, without her even noticing, he
had gotten
under her skin and into her brain, her heart giving up the resistance the moment his lips touched hers. In a different world and a different time, she knew she would be allowed to love him and embrace it.

She had made sure the bar had a second exit
,
and she knew where it was. She
had
checked it out on her short trip to the washroom
when
she was still alone, waiting for him to show up. It would save her now, giving her a way out without him even knowing what happened. All she needed to do was to see him turn the corner and then
she would
sprint back in, exiting on the
side that
opened onto
a busy pedestrian zone full of people.

‘I’ll be right back
. Wait
for me
.’ H
e turned to her now, his eyes very blue. He looked much more optimistic and relaxed than when she first saw him an hour ago, she thought as she smiled at him encouragingly, hoping that her polite smile was innocent enough for the photographer to pass.

Justin ruined it all. She saw the resolve in his eyes even before he moved and
was ready to step back
, but s
he was too slow. Suddenly his arms were around her, his mouth coming down to hers in a swift kiss. It was over before it even started
,
but she knew that somewhere out there, in the forgiving d
arkness, someone had just earned
his reward for the assignment. She blinked away the tears that suddenly threatened to spill and smiled up to Justin, fully aware that it was most probably the last time they would ever be so close again. Her smile held it all, the hopes and the promises that were about to be dashed and broken. She offered him her heart on a plate and for one crazy moment didn’t care if he knew it.

‘
Something
to remember me by while you wait
,
’
he
whispered, his smile weightless. The next second she was free, watching him turn the corner.

She ran then
, a
s fast as she could, the high heels of her shoes making it difficult for her to move. She felt her ankle twisting painfully and gasped, ignoring the hot shards of pain that radiated from her pull
ed
muscle as she
limped
back in
to the bar
.