Through the Shadows (11 page)

“Tori?” It was a resonant male voice that she didn’t immediately recognize.

“Yes?”

“Hi! This is Roger Hart. We met at your mother’s house for dinner a few nights ago?”

Unconsciously smoothing a stray lock of hair, she sat up straighter in her chair, pulling her eyes from the work in front of her.

“Of course, Roger, how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I was calling to ask if you’d like to go to dinner sometime soon?”

“Dinner? Sure, that sounds great. When do you want to do this?”

He chuckled in her ear; the sound was pleasing.

“Well, I know this is bold, but I was hoping we could go tonight. That is, if you’re not busy, and if you don’t already have another date, another commitment. If you do, I’ll understand. I am being pretty presumptuous here, I know, but…”

Tori couldn’t help but stifle a giggle.

“Roger, it’s alright. Yes, tonight would be fine. I have no other commitment, and I just happen to have an opening on my rather busy schedule. Where are we going?”

“Good. That’s great. How about that new restaurant in Forrest Springs—Jerome’s?”

“Yeah, that would be just fine. I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about that place and I’ve been meaning to try it. What time? About seven?”

“Sure, that works for me. Now, I need directions to your house. I’m afraid if I ask Lydia, she will still be talking tomorrow.”

Tori laughed at the shared knowledge of their literary agent and gave him simple directions.

“Thanks Tori. I’ll see you at seven.”

Tori laced her fingers behind her head and leaned back. She was smiling into thin air until her chair flipped back and she landed unceremoniously on the floor in a tangle of red hair, flannel-plaid arms and denim-covered legs. Her Tennessee Volunteers baseball hat sat askew on her head. She was in such a good mood, she could only laugh.

She rose awkwardly, still grinning.

“Hmm, wonder what one wears on a first date with a devilishly handsome man to an upscale restaurant? Ah yes, my new green blouse with black pants. I can wear that ring I bought at the boutique to go with the blouse. Yes!”

She only then realized she wasn’t excited, as much as nervous, about this date.

Steam rising like a dragon’s hot, angry hiss, the bathtub bubbled with fragrant scents. Tori sat on the side of the tub, humming her favorite song.

“Hmmm, Hmmm, where are you, with a love, oh so true…?”

She didn’t notice the darkening of a shadow in the corner behind her, or feel the heat of emotion that simmered there.

Chapter Eleven

Roger was nothing, if not punctual. Precisely at seven
P.M.
he was ringing Tori’s doorbell. He watched as her slim shadow approached the door, saw her hesitate on the other side, seeming to square her shoulders before she opened it. He pulled on his most dazzling smile so it would be the first thing she noticed. He’d been told his boyish face was disarming and his motives deceptive when he smiled this way.

As she stood there, incapable of realizing the effect she had on his libido, she caused him to inhale sharply, quickly, silently. Roger knew from previous research that the pupils of his eyes were becoming dilated in direct response to a stirring beneath his pants zipper.

God, how he wanted to take her right there, right then, without ceremony, without excuses. But abiding by society’s rules, he would wine and dine her, then approach this little matter later tonight.

“Tori, you look lovely, as always. Are you ready, or should I step in for a minute to wait?” He purposely forced a benign expression onto his face.

“No, that’s alright, Roger. I’m ready to go if you are.”

“Of course, Milady, as you wish.”

Tori smiled at his use of the verbiage in her own writing and stepped through the open door. Just as Roger was pulling it closed behind them, there was a sound much like a hoarse moan, or a groan of building anger. He quickly turned his head, peering back into the house, his mouth a round “O”. Tori placed her hand over his that still held the doorknob and gently pulled the door closed.

“Old houses, Roger, make some weird noises, don’t they?”

He grinned as he walked her to the sleek, low-slung sports car waiting at the curb, his hand resting against the small of her back. It was a gesture that Roger knew some women found intrusive, yet sensual, at the same time. He relied on it to see which way the currents were running. If the woman pulled away, he knew to back off, give her more time and space. If she didn’t, he smugly assumed all systems were go. Tori drew away from his touch and his radiant smile slipped just a notch. Thinking this was now a challenge, Roger smiled even wider, anxious to get the charade of dinner over so he could get her back home and begin to thaw her out. No woman resisted him for long, willingly or otherwise.

He had made reservations at the five-star, dimly lit restaurant that encouraged intimacy and had a great menu. Roger planned to eat light; he didn’t want to seduce Tori on a full stomach. He grinned lasciviously as he walked behind her to their table. He wiped the expression from his face when she turned to smile at him before she sat down.

“Tori, I hate to repeat myself, but you are absolutely beautiful. How that husband of yours was stupid enough to let you go… Well, his loss is my gain. I’m sure every man in the room is jealous of me.”

* * *

Even though she was smiling, Tori felt anything but comfortable. She had looked forward to this evening as it had been so long since she’d been on a date. She had anticipated lively, intelligent conversation with a handsome man, a fellow writer. But, before they had even reached his car, she was beginning to feel somewhat ill at ease. This man who had charmed her mother and agent made her feel apprehensive, and she had caught the look that made her feel as if she were standing before him naked. It wasn’t anything she could actually put her finger on, but all at once, the idea of being out with Roger didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Oh, he was still being the charming, attentive host. He pulled Tori’s chair out for her, smiled at her as he seemingly hung onto her every syllable. He was making conversation, keeping it lively and humorous. Still, there was this nagging feeling in the back of her mind, something just wasn’t right here. All she wanted to do now was get dinner over with as pleasantly, as quickly, as possible and then go home. Strangely, her stomach grew queasy when she thought of his walking her to her door.

When the waitress came to take their order, Roger made small, flirty remarks to her. Evidently, the young woman was used to this type of behavior, but it made Tori squirm in her seat with embarrassment.

“Good evening, folks. How are you? Are you ready to order? Our special tonight is the prime rib, served with baked potato and salad. Do you see anything you like on the menu?”

Roger looked up into her face. “No, there’s no pretty little blonde waitress on the menu. I need to speak to the manager at once. It’s unbelievable that he should leave the second most tempting dish off the menu. The first would be my beautiful date here.”

Tori blushed as she stared at her menu, trying to avoid looking at Roger’s face. She knew he thought he was funny, that his comments were cute. She thought him immature and disrespectful.

“My lovely companion here will have the prime rib, cooked medium-well, and the salad with the house dressing.”

Tori knew her mouth was open and that her jaw was slack.

“That’s okay with you, isn’t it, Honey?”

Tori bristled at his too-familiar term of endearment. She could create a terrible scene, verbally, and try to embarrass him as he had just done to her, or she could acquiesce like an adult. Glancing at the young woman waiting to take their order, Tori felt as if they had already caused her enough trouble.

The smile felt as artificial as it was. “Yes, that will be fine. Thank you.”

While Roger ordered his own food, smoked salmon with a side dish of rice, Tori was clenching her hands in her lap. She ached to reach over and slap his arrogant face. His condescending attitude and his assumption he was so attractive he could get by with such behavior, infuriated her. She found she liked him less with each passing minute. What were her mother and agent thinking? Surely they didn’t realize he was such a conceited, overbearing boar. To be honest with herself, she had to admit the man she had dinner with at her mother’s house and the man with her now were two different people. Lydia obviously knew little about her newest client. In spite of herself, Tori chuckled as she imagined how Lydia would tear into this pompous ass seated across from her, looking so smug with himself.

“What is it, Tori? C’mon, share with me. You’re grinning like you have an inside joke.” Roger was smiling, waiting for the punch line, and Tori so wanted to give it to him.

“Oh, it’s really nothing. I was thinking about something my mother had told me about some friends of ours. It really wouldn’t interest you. You’d have to know these people for it to be funny. So, tell me about your latest project, Roger. How is your book coming along?”

Roger groaned, “Are we honest to God going to talk ‘shop’ tonight? I thought we’d go out, have a nice dinner, and get to know each other better, perhaps grow closer.”

Tori’s eyebrows wrinkled. “Well, isn’t this the way to get to know each other better? I mean, we’re both writers, so that’s a common ground to start with. But, if you don’t want to talk about that, what do you want to talk about?”

“How about our first sexual experience?”

Tori again looked at her hands clinched into fists in her lap. “No, I don’t think that’s something I want to talk about. First of all, that’s a very private subject—one I don’t discuss with other people. Second of all, it’s none of your business. You know, Roger, I think this date was a bad idea.”

Roger reached his hand across the table so quickly he knocked over her glass of water.

“Oh, damn! I’m sorry. Damn it! Tori, I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He dabbed at the spreading water stain on the linen cloth. “I just feel relaxed with you. Maybe I feel too relaxed. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please, let’s change the subject and start over.”

Their food arrived and conversation was stilted throughout the meal. Several times Roger attempted to draw her out, but he quickly reverted to using lewd, suggestive remarks.

When the last of the dishes had been taken away, Roger looked at her with a frown. “I don’t know what else to do to make you happy. I’ve apologized and tried to keep the conversation flowing…”

Tori could feel the heat rising in her face. “Oh, please, Roger. Your conversation has consisted of nothing but dirty little comments meant to see how far you can go, to see if you’re going to ‘score’ later. Let me put your mind at ease. It ain’t gonna happen, Babe.”

Roger’ face reddened to an apoplectic shade of crimson. “Why, you ungrateful… Here I am, trying to be a nice guy by doing our agent a favor. She told me that you couldn’t get a date, and asked me to take you out, show you some attention…”

Tori tried to remain calm and display some dignity as she rose from her seat. “Would you please take me home now? If you don’t want to do that, I can call a cab.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, sit down, Tori. Stop being so damned melodramatic. There’s no reason to get all bent out of shape over this. We started off on the wrong foot but there’s no reason we can’t salvage the night.”

Quietly, firmly, “Now, Roger. I’m leaving—now.”

Sighing heavily, Roger stood and threw some bills on the table. He took her arm as they left the table, but Tori jerked it out of his hand. She didn’t wait for him to open her car door and hugged the handle as they drove away from the restaurant. She was only glad she didn’t live so far away that they had to make more conversation. The temperature in the car was glacial, much colder than the sleet that fell on the windshield.

Tori was reaching for the door handle before Roger had come to a complete stop in front of her house. He reached out and took her hand and she froze, glaring at his gesture. She watched in the reflection of the dashboard lights as his face hardened.

“Oh no, Tori. I’m walking you to the door like a proper gentleman. I want Lydia to get the full effect when you tell her about our date. We’re seeing this through to the bitter end, dear.”

“There’s no need for you to do that. I’m perfectly capable…”

Roger got out and stiffly walked around to open her door. Tori held her body rigid as he walked alongside of her, up the steps to her door. She could hear the dying leaves on the trees clacking dryly against each other. He stood silently as she fumbled with her key, then leaned lazily against the doorframe as the lock’s tumblers fell into place.

Tori opened the door slightly, then turned to tell Roger goodnight and end the evening with as little additional anger as was now possible.

“Well Roger, I wish I could say it was fun, but…”

Roger pushed her against the open door, causing Tori to practically fall inside the house. As she was correcting her balance, she watched Roger close, then lock, the door behind his back. He had an evil grin marring his handsome face.

“Roger? What do you think you’re doing?”

“I
know
what I’m doing, Tori. I’m coming in for a night cap.”

“No, you’re not. This whole night hasn’t gone well and I just want it over with. Please, just leave.”

His laughter was mocking, derisive, yet Tori noticed the tightening of his jaw, the nearly involuntary pinching at the corners of his mouth as his eyes darkened.“Do you realize just how much I spent on dinner?”

Tori’s face blanched, then turned pink. She repeated his words in astonishment, “Do you realize just how much I spent on dinner? You have got to be kidding me. No one uses that line anymore; it’s antiquated, Roger. Here, I’ll give you the money for my dinner. Whatever you spent, what was it, twenty bucks or so?” She opened her purse, fishing for her wallet.

Roger’s lip curled into a thin, obscene sneer as he slapped it from her hands in one savage movement. “I don’t want your damned money, girlie. However, you
can
repay me. I’m open to the bartering system.”