Class Reunion (12 page)

As the pair continued to size each other up, Jennifer stared, seething at the way Heather had cast her aside so abruptly. Jennifer had kissed Heather only an hour ago! Jennifer stared at the seductive smile meant not for her, but for this man, and felt the heat rising along the back of her neck. Then her eyes lifted, tracing the curve of Heather’s cheek, coming to rest on her eyes.

Her eyes. Not smoldering. Not teasing. Not playŹful. Cold eyes. Steely eyes. A grin sprang to Jennifer’s lips as she recognized her own mistake. Quite an actress, Jen thought, as she braced herself, eager to see just how Heather would play out the charade.

“So where’s your name tag?” Dan asked coyly, his cheeks dimpling. “Did we know each other in school?”

“Oh yes,” Heather nodded. “We knew each other.” Dan’s expression showed frustration as he shook his head. “Did we go out?”

Jennifer nearly choked.

“No.” Heather chuckled, content to draw him out. Then she lifted a hand to draw Jennifer closer, drawing her into their conversation as she continued to smile graciously. “Do you remember Jenny Moreland?”

Dan’s smile faltered as his eyes floated over Jen. “Sure.” He nodded a hesitant greeting, which Jennifer returned. She noted with satisfaction that he seemed to grow edgy.

“Who are you?” His eyes narrowed as his attenŹtion swept back to Heather.

“I’m Heather O’Brien.” She smiled sweetly while Jennifer’s eyes glittered with anticipation. This is too good.

Dan squinted, shaking his head. “I’m sorry,” he began. “But I can’t place you. Are you sure that I knew you?”

“Positive.” This time Jennifer’s voice chimed in with Heather’s.

“You know, Danny,” Heather’s voice dropped down. “I must admit that I’m a little disappointed that you don’t remember me.”

Dan dipped his head in an appropriate aw-shucks response.

“Especially when you had such a tremendous imŹpact on my teenage years,” Heather continued. Now Dan was preening again.

“Now I remember.” Heather reached up and tapped her palm to her forehead as if a realization had suddenly occurred to her. “You probably only remember me by my nickname.”

“Your nickname.”

“Yep. I’ll bet that’s it.” Her smile never faltered as she continued. “You used to call me Tracks, Danny. Isn’t that right, Jenny?”

Jennifer knew immense satisfaction as she watched his face fall.

“Yep,” Jen drew the syllable out slowly. “That’s what he called you.”

Dan’s face grew white. “No. You can’t be her. She was —”

“Homely?” Heather finished the sentence for him, the sweet smile never leaving her face. “I believe you called me that as well. You know, Danny,” she lowered her voice until it was nearly seductive. “I can’t tell you how many nights I cried myself to sleep over the cruel things you used to say and do to me. But as you can see, I turned out just fine.” Without missing a beat, she raised her voice again to a normal tone. “Do you have any children, Danny?”

“No.” Confused, he stared back at her with horror as he shook his head.

Heather managed her brightest smile yet. “That’s probably a blessing, you know. After all, if there’s anyone here who shouldn’t procreate, it’s you.” She blinked her eyes sweetly. “It’s been a pleasure catching up with you, Danny. And now if you’ll exŹcuse us.” Her nod was abrupt as she turned away swiftly and stepped forward toward the bar.

Stunned, Jennifer followed her lead and stared straight ahead as she replayed the conversation in her mind. A moment passed before she let out a soft whistle.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” she said under her breath, for Heather’s ears only. She exŹpected to hear Heather’s laughter, but quickly turned to look at the other woman when she received no reply.

Heather had gone white, and Jen could see that her hands were shaking.

“Are you okay?” Concern enveloped her, and she reached out a hand to steady her.

Heather ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “Yeah. I’m just a little shaky.” The blue eyes that lifted to Jen’s were wide with something close to remorse. “I was mean, wasn’t I?” She was shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”

“You were perfect.” Jen rushed to reassure her. “He deserved it.”

“He’s probably a really nice guy. All that old shit was years ago.” Her voice was heavy with uncerŹtainty.

“Hey.” Jen turned so that she faced her fully, not caring what the others around them might be thinkŹing. “You’re right. He might very well be a nice guy now. But he wasn’t then. And if he is such a great guy today, then he’ll recognize why you said what you did.” She searched Heather’s eyes, feeling inadeŹquate. “I’m proud of you. Closure. Remember?”

Heather blinked several times before a small laugh fell from her lips. “Did you see the way his face dropped?”

“I sure did.” Jen gave her a quick hug. “I can’t wait to get to know you better,” she smiled. “I think I’m going to enjoy it immensely.”

Heather raised an eyebrow, her lips curving in a knowing smile. “I’m enjoying it already.”

Jennifer felt a sharp pang of arousal as she stared into Heather’s eyes. The effect was delicious. “I can’t wait to get out of here,” she whispered.

“Me, either.” She glanced across the room to where Lucy and Diane were holding court. “I’m still a little shaky, though. Do you mind if I go sit down for a bit?”

“Go ahead. I’ll get their drinks and be right over.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Jen assured her. She watched as Heather walked away, feeling her absence immeŹdiately.

The line was moving too slowly, and Jennifer grew impatient. Her mind wandered to Dan Johnson, then somehow to Sheila.

Unreasonable panic seized her. She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to have any opportunity to run into Sheila. A sense of foreboding came over her as she looked around. Just as she’d guessed, Sheila wasn’t far away.

Yikes. Jen wasn’t sure if Sheila had spotted her or not, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances. She knew Sheila would find her. The last thing she wanted was a moment alone with Sheila. With or without an audience. Jen was sure that it would only lead to another confrontation, and she wasn’t ready to test her newfound freedom face-to-face.

It seemed like a good time to make a detour to the ladies room, and she tried making herself as inconspicuous as possible as she threaded her way through the bar crowd.

The door loomed before her, and she grabbed for it, breathing a sigh of relief as she stepped inside the lounge area apparently unnoticed. She stood there for a moment, collecting her thoughts and glancing around. The lounge area was small, with one couch and a large makeup area before a wall-size mirror. A separate doorway led to the lavatory.

Jen took a deep breath and realized that her hands were shaking. She was angry with herself for running. Running. Anxiety crushed the air from her lungs as she berated herself.

The door to the hallway opened slowly. Jennifer held her breath as Sheila made her entrance.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Sheila purred, her smile lazy as the door closed behind her and she stepped to within arm’s length of Jennifer.

Funny, Jen thought. Up until about five minutes ago, I hadn’t given Sheila a second thought in hours. “No. I haven’t,” she said honestly.

Sheila brushed the comment aside. “No matter. I’ve got you now.” She stepped forward, far too close as far as Jen was concerned. “Here, I brought you something.” She held out a fisted hand and waited for Jen to raise hers.

Reluctantly, Jen lifted her hand. Two seconds later, a large brass key rested in her palm.

“What time can you meet me?” Sheila asked sweetly.

“I can’t.” Jen said the words as firmly as she could muster while trying to return the key to Sheila’s hand.

“Don’t tease me, Jenny. I won’t beg.” Sheila’s voice sounded slurred as she reached up to trace Jen’s chin with one finger. “Unless, of course, it makes you hot. Is that what you want, Jenny baby?” She was so close now that Jen could smell the alcohol on her breath.

Jennifer kept her arms carefully at her sides, reŹfusing to react as she felt the tension building along her spine.

Sheila’s fingers dropped down, tracing the collar of Jen’s blouse before brushing across one breast.

“Let’s play doctor, Jenny. Or do you have a better game in mind?” Her breath was hot on Jen’s cheek. Jennifer clenched her jaw as she struggled with the conflicting emotions that kept her immobilized. RepulŹsion, anger, and frustration clashed with quick, hot arousal as Sheila’s hand dropped to Jen’s crotch.

“Stop it, Sheila,” she croaked. She could tell by her smile that Sheila thought she’d won. And Jen wasn’t so sure that she hadn’t. Sheila pressed the length of her body against Jen’s, her large breasts pushing against Jen’s chest as her hand continued to play between Jen’s legs.

“Let me fuck you, baby. Please.” Her voice was gruff, somewhere between a demand and a plea.

Jennifer’s head spun as her senses collided. The voice in her head screamed for Sheila to stop — while the ache between her legs begged Sheila to fuck her fast and hard.

She lifted her leaden arms, palms finding her shoulders.

“Sheila. I said no.” Jen shook her head, forcing arousal aside as she pushed Sheila just beyond reach.

Sheila’s brown eyes were wide and wounded, staring back at Jen as if she’d just been hit.

“You’ve never said no to me,” she said quietly, curiously. She seemed dazed, and Jen seized the moment to catch her breath and steady herself.

“What did you say to Bobby, Sheila? Why did he come after me today?”

Sheila wasn’t hearing Jen’s words. She seemed to be talking to herself, her lips moving soundlessly. The puzzled look remained on her features.

“You’ve never said no to me,” she repeated aloud. Jen grew uneasy. As if a light went off somewhere in her mind, Sheila’s head snapped back and her eyes glared into Jen’s.

“It’s that woman. Tracks.” She threw back her head and laughed.

Anger exploded behind Jen’s eyes.

“It is, isn’t it? That slut,” she spat.

Jennifer felt her hands clenching as she fought to control the seething in her belly.

“You’re pushing me too far, Sheila.” Jennifer said the words slowly, succinctly. “Heather has nothing to do with this.”

Again Sheila seemed not to hear as her bitter laughter echoed in the small room. “That’s good. That’s rich, Jenny.” She stepped forward again, her voice dropping to a menacing octave. “Did you tell her that you fucked me this morning? Did you tell her how good it felt to have me in your arms again?”

Jen hated her. She wanted to slap her. She wanted to reach inside of her own body and rip Sheila’s memory from her heart and throw it to the ground.

A toilet flushed.

Oh christ. Someone was hearing their conversaŹtion, had heard every word.

An evil smirk settled on Sheila’s face, and triumŹphant laughter gurgled in her throat.

“Caught red-handed, lover.” She dangled the last word sarcastically before raising her voice. “I’ll be waiting for you, darlin’. You’ve got the key,” she called, before spinning away to pull open the door and step out into the hallway.

The sudden quiet was deafening as panic seized Jen. Should she make a quick exit herself? Or should she stay and find out who had witnessed the little scene.

She glanced down, and her fist uncurled to expose the brass key that had impressed the palm of her hand. She dropped the key to the carpeted floor and watched it bounce once before she reached for the door.

She was chicken. And she’d had enough of this class reunion shit.

“Where’s Heather?” Jennifer made a beeline straight to Diane Miller. She was milling about with some others beside the fireside lounge.

“I thought she was with you,” she smiled. “We were all thinking about taking off. Wanna join us?”

Jennifer was already scoping the crowd, searching for Heather’s familiar features. “Maybe. I need to find Heather.” Jen turned to walk away, but Diane’s hand on her arm stopped her cold.

“Whoa.” She squinted her eyes, raking them over Jen’s features. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Yeah. A ghost named Sheila.” Her eyes searched nervously. Where is Heather? “I want to get out of here.”

“Had enough?” Lucy approached, smiling as alŹways.

“I’m afraid so,” Jen grimaced. “I want to find Heather before I leave.”

“Here she is.” Diane was looking over Jen’s shoulder, and Jen turned to see Heather coming their way, a glass of wine in one hand. Relief washed over her.

“Are you ready to go?” Jen called when Heather was barely within shouting distance. Her voice was anxious.

She was nodding, and Jen grew impatient as she took her time saying good-bye to everyone. Finally they were leaving, making their way through the ballŹroom, and down the long corridor toward the hotel lobby.

Heather seemed strangely quiet, and Jen’s thoughts raced with paranoia. “Where are you parked?”

“Across the street. In the garage.” Was she imagining the coolness in Heather’s voice?

“Would you like to go somewhere for coffee?” While Jen was eager for the reunion to be over, she wasn’t ready to say good night to Heather. Too many things were happening. She wanted suddenly to tell Heather about Sheila. Everything. About the scene just now in the rest room, about that morning, about everything that had happened years ago.

“I think I should probably be getting back. It’s getting late, and my flight leaves early tomorrow.”

They had reached the lobby, and Heather stopped so that they faced each other. Heather’s features were closed, her lips unsmiling.

Desperation welled up inside of Jen.

“I know it sounds silly” — she forced a laugh she didn’t feel — “but I don’t think I’m ready to let you go.

One fine brow raised ever so slightly as one side of Heather’s mouth lifted. “And I don’t think you’re ready to let anybody go.” Her words, although spoken without a hint of sarcasm, sent tremors through Jennifer’s body.

Dumbstruck, Jen stared at her stupidly, waiting for her to continue.

“Haven’t dated anyone in two years, huh?” Sarcasm was finally sneaking into her voice. “I guess you weren’t counting one-night stands. Or should I say one-morning stands?”