Attraction Page 6

  back to the house and stay with us for awhile. Then you can sleep until noon, and I’ll make you

  your favorite for breakfast, blueberry pancakes.”

  “Thanks, Mom. But I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that.”

  Lawrence said, “Yes, you can. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to stay a few

  days with your parents”

  “It’s not that, Dad,” Roberta said. “It’s just there are so many things to do for this

  wedding, and if I let even one day go by, it’s going to throw the whole schedule off.” Her father said with a bit more vehemence, “What schedule? The world isn’t going to

  come crashing down if you go off the schedule?”

  “Dad, you don’t understand…”

  Tanner put in, “Come on, Robbie. You’re exhausted. Your parents are right. You need to

  rest for a few days.”

  Caroline gave nod. “Thank you, Tanner. See, Robbie? Now, there’s a boy who knows the

  wisdom of listening to your parents.”

  “Mom, you know I can’t hide at my parents house for a few days from my wedding.” “Why not?”

  “Well, I have to face all the flowers, the polkas, the cakes, the tables and chairs

  sometime.”

  “Why don’t you call off the wedding?”

  Lawrence’s face brightened. “Yeah, why don’t you call off the wedding…Who said

  that?”

  “Dad!” Roberta burst out, outraged. “I can’t call off the wedding.”

  “I didn’t say that,” her father said hastily.

  “Then, who did?”

  “I did,” Riley said from behind the bar. “Call off the wedding, Robbie.” “Now there’s an idea,” Tanner said reflectively.

  “How…How can you say that, Riles? You’re my own sister, and you’re ruining my

  wedding, already.”

  “I’m trying to save you from a nervous breakdown.”

  “I can’t call off the wedding. Do you know how much is at stake?”

  “Yes, Robbie, I do. It’s your sanity that’s at stake.”

  Roberta got to her feet and grabbed her purse. “Tanner, please take me home. I’m ready

  to go. Now, thank you, Riles, for the delicious dinner.” She kissed her parents’ cheeks. “And

  thank you for the offer of my bedroom. But I have to go back and face the music. I can’t run

  away from it, because if I do, it only gets worse. Goodbye, everyone. And you’ll be getting our

  invitation in a few weeks.”

  One morning, Riley received a call that she had least expected to get. It had been nine

  o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. At first she was going to let the answering machine

  get it, but then she decided that it might be her mother or Roberta. Putting a hand out from under

  the covers, she reached for the phone.

  “Hello?” She croaked sleepily.

  A low, growly voice tinged with amusement said on the other end, “Did I wake you?” Still immersed in her haze of sleep, Riley had at first thought it was Danny Moore, trying

  to sound seductive. In the past few months, Riley had finally acquiesced and had let him take her

  to bed. Her first instinct about his sexual prowess had been right. Danny proved himself not be a

  very exciting lover. But he did try and was not adverse to taking some directions from her. Lately, she had been feeling twitchy, and last night, Riley had considered giving him

  another chance. If she did, then she would have to change tactics if there was any hope of getting

  any pleasure out of it. May be a little role play. And one role that men seemed to like to play

  was that of a little boy being seduced by a mother or aunt figure.

  A little aroused at the hope that she might be able to get her itch satisfied, Riley stretched

  her naked body beneath the covers. She said into the phone, her voice low and throaty, “You woke me up, but I’m so glad you called, Danny. I’ve been lately having this empty feeling deep in my pussy. Maybe you can do something about it, tonight. Would you like that, big boy?.” Riley let one hand wonder up her stomach and close over one her breast and felt her hard nipple stabbing at her palm. She closed her eyes and imagined a man standing behind her with large, very strong hands and long fingers, and using those strong hands to close over her breasts and squeezing and pulling them while murmuring sexually taunting words in her ears, making her

  feel all achy and hot and tense in her loins…

  From the other end of the telephone line, an impatient male voice said, sharply clipping

  his words, “Ms. Calderon, this is Heron Wait, your sister’s fiancée.”

  Riley bolted upright in her bed. The bed covers fell to her waist and she hurried brought

  them back up and held them tightly over her breasts.

  “Are you there?” the male voice inquired impatiently when she did not speak for several

  seconds.

  “Yes, I am,” she answered, trying to sound imperious. “Why are you calling?” “I happen to be in Santa Rosa on business today. And I’d like to meet you for lunch. Is

  twelve thirty good for you?”

  “It depends. Why would I want to meet you for lunch?”

  “I thought we could get better acquainted,” Heron said silkily. “We are going to be

  related in less than a month.”

  Riley’s first instinct was to tell Heron Wait to go to hell. Then she remembered the

  exhausted and distraught look on her sister’s face when Tanner had brought her up from San

  Francisco that night. She knew that Roberta needed every support and strength that her family

  could give her to see her through the grueling ordeal of the wedding arrangements. “Alright. Twelve-thirty it is, Mr. Wait. Where?”

  “Hotel La Rose. Oh, don’t be late. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

  The phone clicked in Riley’s ear as he hung up on the other end. She looked at the

  receiver with resentment before she replaced it. “Arrogant bastard.”

  On cool autumn noon, Riley entered the Mixx, a posh restaurant that often was written up

  in Chronicle for its innovative dishes. She stopped just a few feet from the door and looked

  through the window. And, there, she saw him, and her face turned severe with grimness. He was sitting alone at a small, intimate table for two, sipping at a red wine that she was sure was the

  priciest on the wine menu.

  If she had any guts, she would just turn the other way and walk back to her car. But that

  might only make it worse for her sister. So, she had no choice, but to meet him. For lunch, he

  said, making it sound as if it were a friendly lunch. But she knew it would be far from friendly,

  lunch or no lunch. To give herself a boost of confidence, Riley decided to dress in classic chic in

  camel colored wool pleated slacks with cuffs at the hem, high-heeled cream pumps, creamcolored, long-sleeved silk pullover with a crewneck, and a black pashmina that she draped over

  her shoulders. The attire made her appear together and confident. Squaring her shoulders, she

  stepped inside.

  “Ah, Ms. Calderon. It has been a while since you’ve been in here,” the head-waiter said

  in a thick French accent, half delighted and half admonishing. “A table for one, or are you with a

  guest.” He kissed Riley on both cheeks.

  “Hello, Francois. No, actually I’m here to meet someone. He’s already sitting at the

  table.” Riley gestured towards Heron.

  “Ah! Toute alors!,” Francois exclaimed. “Does he belong to you, then? He is tres, tres,

  tres beautiful, in a cold, brutal way.” He shuddered with imagined pleasure. Francois was an

  occasional visitor upstairs at the bar. He
liked to be whipped and disciplined by other men,

  especially by policemen.

  Riley laughed. “No, he’s not mine.”

  Francois breathed in, his eyes shining with hope. “Then there’s a chance…” “No, Francois, there’s not a chance of that, either. He belongs to my sister. He’s her

  fiancée.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. That could be just for appearances.”

  “Well, you might be the best to pick up on such things. Tell me, when you sat him down,

  did you get any vibes from him?”

  Francois pouted. “No, the brute. He didn’t even know I existed while I showed him to the

  table. He just sat down, ordered wine, and began to talk on his cell. But that could be because he

  was only playing hard to get.”

  Riley patted him on the shoulder. “Well, keep hoping. It doesn’t hurt to hope.” Francois walked her to the table. When she neared the table, Heron, stood up, and when

  he did, Riley was reminded of just how tall he was, Suddenly, she felt uneasy, but in a different

  way than had she felt earlier. She was acutely aware of just how devastating his looks were, and

  she felt as bowled over as Francois had felt. But it wasn’t just the fact that his body was lean and

  powerful or that his face was so strikingly good-looking or that his thick black hair was

  irresistible and inviting. If the dark attraction that Heron seemed to exude just had to with

  appearances, than he was only as good as the next rising actor in Hollywood. There was a certain

  stillness about him, not a quietude or contentment or inner peace, but a stillness that was caused

  by a knowing, waiting, calculating, and playing his cards close to his chest. That stillness was

  magnetic, commanding, dominating and, therefore, intimidating. That stillness did not come

  from being born and raised in comfort and ease, but from knowing what he wanted and getting it,

  and winning at everything he did in life.

  And Heron seemed to instinctively know how to dress to emphasize that silent, heavy,

  male presence. For the lunch meeting, he wore a black suit of the finest wool, meticulously hand

  tailored for his body by an exclusive English tailoring house, olive cotton dress shirt that had an

  expensive patina, and black tie with tiny taupe polka-dots. He looked elegant, incredibly

  expensive, deceptively at ease, in command.

  For a moment, Riley studied his cleanly-cut face that was set into a stony mask and the

  shutters over his eyes. “Hello.” Then, somehow, with some inconsequence, she thought of Heron

  as Mr. Wait.” Do I call you Mr. Wait or Heron?”

  They both sat down in their seats as a busboy filled their goblets with water and slices of

  lemon. Riley took off her pashmina and draped it on the back of her chair.

  “Heron will be fine. You’re ten minutes late.”

  Riley gave an unperturbed, cool smile. “I don’t do very well being ordered around as if I

  were some trained poodle. Besides, you woke me up during my normal sleeping hours. So, it’s

  you who is imposing on my time.” Out of the corner of her eye, Riley saw the busboy jerk as he

  laid a basket of freshly baked French bread and butter on the table.

  Heron waited for the busboy to leave. Then said smoothly, “I apologize. You’re right,

  Ms. Calderon, I am imposing on you. In my personal and professional life, I have very little

  flexibility in my own time. I had a business appointment up here, and I felt it was a perfect

  opportunity for us to talk. Just you and I, alone.”

  Riley wasn’t impressed by his apology, and didn’t bother to attempt to show that she was.

  “Talk about what? What could there possibly be for you and I to talk about?”

  “Many things. Of course, most of them concern your sister, my fiancée.” She yawned and did little to hide it. “You know, I’m not much for conversation when I

  haven’t had a good morning sleep.” She refused to be affected when Heron gave her a look that

  was not very pleasant.

  Francois appeared ready to take their order. “Are you ready?” he asked briskly, trying not

  to give Heron a look of longing.

  Riley ordered light, wondering if she could stomach anything at this hour when her body

  was used to sleeping during this time. “I’ll have pasta in chicken stock and hot tea.” Heron handed his menu to him. “I’ll have yellowtail sashimi rolls and side salad.” “Excellent choice, sir. The yellowtail will be especially scrumptious today. We just had a

  fresh delivery of it early this morning.” Francois gushed. “And, may I say, that the cologne

  you’re wearing is fabulous. What is the name of it?”

  His face deadpan, Heron stared at the other man for a moment. Then he pulled out his

  pen and wrote something down on his napkin and handed it to an excited Francois. But the

  waiter’s face turned to disappointment when he saw that Heron had not written down his phone

  number as he had hoped but the name of the cologne.

  “Thank you,” Francois murmured listlessly and walked away.

  “You must get that a lot,” Riley observed with some amusement.

  “I’m not gay.”

  “I didn’t say you were. I was just saying that you must get approached a lot, by both men

  and women.

  Heron shrugged, not too interested in the topic. “Why would I, more than any other

  man?”

  Riley stared at him in disbelief. “Well, look at you. You’re about the most intensely

  attractive man I’ve ever seen.”

  For some reason, hearing her say that shocked Heron and he could only stare back at her.

  Riley herself was startled to hear the words coming out of her mouth. The words were so

  personal when spoken out loud. And yet, they were so forthright, and said not to flatter or to

  seduce but because it was a fact that was overwhelmingly true.

  “That must not come as a surprise to you,” she said. “Surely you’ve been told numerous

  times that you were attractive.”

  Heron said, “Not quite in that way. Even Roberta has not told me that I was attractive.” An awkward silence fell. Then both looked away, keenly uncomfortable, and not quite

  knowing what to do to ease the tension. Both had not meant for things between them so early on

  the in the conversation to get so personal. They felt some measure of reprieve when the busboy

  reappeared to refill their glasses.

  During the brief interlude, Heron managed to regain his equilibrium.

  When the busboy left again, he said, “I love your sister, Riley.”

  Riley also felt herself back in control. She smiled coolly at his words. ”You know, what

  is coming next should be considered suspect when you start with a line like that.” “That’s not a line,” Heron said coldly.

  “You’re forgetting which sister you’re dealing with, honey. Remember me? I’m the one

  whose business is sex, in one form or another. And what is sex, but one line after another. Now, I

  know you love my sister, but shame on you for trying to pawn that off to try and gain the

  advantage.”

  Heron’s face went stone cold, his dark eyes as chilling and cutting as the icy face of the

  Himalayans. “That’s right. I guess I’m giving you too much credit by trying to appeal to your

  familial sensibilities, to your sense of love and duty to your family. I’d be better off if I

  remember that who I am dealing with is no better than the hustler down at the street corner.” Riley tipped her glass at him. “Now, you’re talking.” She was
not offended. Far from it.

  She would have felt more respected if Heron had dispensed with the niceties that she knew he

  constantly meted out in his own ensconced world of privilege and money. After all, she

  recognized a hustle when she saw it, even when cloaked in a London-tailored, finest sheep wool

  clothing.

  Heron reached for a bread roll. She watched, a little fascinated despite herself, his wellmanicured fingers neatly tearing the roll in half and then the long fingers handling the delicate

  silver butter knife with ease and grace to carefully and with deceptively meticulous care, spread

  the cream on one half.

  He said, almost idly, “Well, you’ll have to forgive me if I observe protocol. You’ll have

  to remember where I come from.” He bit into the bread, and Riley detected a slight relish in the

  way he sank his teeth into the bread.

  “Like I said, I very much care for your sister,” he said smoothly, washing the bread down

  with his wine. “The most important thing to me is her happiness. And I hope that it is as well for

  you, too.”

  Riley drummed her fingers on the table. “You know, I’m ashamed to say that I’m the

  type who, when picking up a new book, reads the ending of the book first before she decides to

  read it or not. It always seemed strange to me that that was blasphemous to those lover of books,

  but it always seemed sensible to me. After all, how a book ends largely tells a potential reader

  just how much she should invest in it.”

  Heron gave her a smile, which was more of showing his white teeth than conveying any

  warmth or humor. “Now that I’m marrying Roberta, of course, my first concern is her future

  happiness. Her future happiness with me largely depends on both our ability to have our

  marriage be enfolded in the community of my family, relatives, and friends. And part of that

  enfoldment depends on our ability to come to a certain understanding..”

  Riley shook her head. “Isn’t is fascinating how life is just one long unending chain? One

  thing in life depends on another, which depends on another, and so on, and so on.” “I’m largely at the whim of your favor.”

  Riley leaned closer towards him, her light gray hazel eyes almost friendly. “That’s