“One day is all I can afford to take off, but it’s been fun so far, well, except…” she trailed off. “Never mind, we’re not talking about that right now.”
“That’s not the first or last I’m going to see of Sebastian. Someday I’m going to get away from all this. I’m going to make enough money to be above all the games and battles,” he said with a sigh and then shook his head. “Ignore me. I need to go put some clothes on, and then I need something cold to drink. After that, I’ll give you that tour.”
He led her inside, through a big entryway, past a living room, dining room, and what looked like a study into the kitchen. “There are cold drinks in the refrigerator, or the coffee pot is right over there if you prefer,” he said, pointing things out to her. “Make yourself at home, I won’t be gone long.”
She sank into a chair when he left the room, enjoying the quiet, then let her eyes roam, unable to miss the signs of Hattie’s touch everywhere. As the minutes slowly ticked by, she was more and more tempted to start poking around. There were still a lot of unanswered questions and after today, she had a few more. Something Sebastian said was bothering her and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but she felt sure that it would eventually come to her.
Only a few seconds later, Taylor appeared in the open doorway and she was glad that she’d stayed put. Getting caught snooping around the house could have ruined all the progress she’d made. “You didn’t get anything to drink,” he said, noticing the empty table in front of her. “How about some iced tea? Hattie always keeps a big pitcher in the fridge.”
“I thought I’d wait for you,” she said, her body warming as she watched him walk across the kitchen to the fridge,suddenly very aware that they were alone. “Iced tea sounds good.”
“Great,” he said, smiling at her. “Tea for two it is.”
His smile did that funny thing to her again, and not only did her stomach flutter with excitement, but desire made her body begin to tingle as a wave of warmth spread through her. Shocked and annoyed by her reaction, she got to her feet and began to walk around the kitchen, pretending to be exploring, hoping Taylor hadn’t noticed anything. She stopped at a shelf of cookbooks, pulled one down and began turning the pages, taking deep breaths until she felt her equilibrium beginning to return.
“Here you go,” Taylor said from behind her, forcing her to turn to face him. “Nice and cold and just a little sweet. I hope that’s okay.”
“That’s perfect,” she said, taking the glass, then a long sip. “I was thirstier than I thought.”
“Are you ready for that tour?” Taylor asked, after he’d drained half his glass of tea. “You can say no if you want to.”
“I’d love a tour,” she said, taking another long drink from her glass, surprised at how thirsty she suddenly was, then setting it down on the table. “I’m ready when you are.”
They meandered through the dining room, the living room, and then the den before ending up in the study room at the back of the house. “I think this is my favorite room,” she said, looking at the floor-to-ceiling bookcases and then over at the huge desk by a big bay window. “It’s so welcoming, and all those books, I could spend an entire afternoon just looking at the titles.”
“It’s quite a collection. I don’t know who owns this house, but it’s clear they appreciate literature,” Taylor said. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to borrow a few.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, shaking her head. “I would beafraid of damaging one, and I can get anything I want at the library, but it was sweet of you to offer.”
A funny look appeared on Taylor’s face. She could have sworn she saw desire blossom in his eyes, but before she could be sure, his cell phone began to ring. He dug it out of his pocket and looked at the screen, “It’s…work…I should probably answer it,” he said, stumbling over his words. “Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes again?”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, excitement surging through her. “I’ll just browse the books while you're gone; take your time.”
As soon as Taylor stepped out of the room, she rushed over to the desk, then hesitated for a count of ten before sitting down behind it in the big office chair. She paused for just a second, listening to the sound of Taylor’s rumbling voice down the hallway, then carefully slid open one of the drawers and began carefully searching through the contents. Alert to the sound of his footsteps, she moved from drawer to drawer, disappointed to find nothing helpful. Then, in the last drawer, she hit pay dirt, and her attention shifted away from Taylor.
CHAPTER 11
***TAYLOR***
The phone stopped ringing before Taylor could get into the hallway, but he called Dakota right back, hoping he would understand. “Hey, sorry about that,” he said when his new friend answered. “I was in the middle of something, but I’m free now. What’s up?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Dakota said. “The last time we saw each other, you were ready to take your gameplay to the next level, but then you just disappeared. I’m worried that woman got her claws into you.”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that,” he said, laughing. “I just had a busy week. I was thinking about finding a game tomorrow night.”
“Why not tonight?” Dakota asked. “There’s a big game over at Meadowlands, and I think you’re ready.”
A game at a casino would take him to the next level of play, bigger bets, bigger pots, and more opportunity to pad his bank account. It was the opportunity he’d been chasing for weeks. For a second he was tempted to accept Dakota’s invitation, but then he thought about telling Emily he was canceling on her and knew that he’d never do that. He mightnot be perfect, but when he made a commitment, he followed through. A big game would just have to wait for another night.
“I wish I could, but I have one more thing to take care of tonight,” he said. “I’m all yours after that, I promise.”
There was a short silence on the other end of the line. “Are you sure it’s not that woman?” Dakota finally asked. “Women are bad news, son, especially in our business. If you want to make it to the top there’s no room for romance. Don’t make the mistake I made, don’t let a woman stop you from reaching your full potential.”
“I got it under control,” he said, becoming a bit annoyed but forcing himself to be patient. “I just had some things come up that couldn’t wait, but I appreciate your advice.”
“You’d better, I’m your ticket to the big time,” Dakota said, his voice hard. “If you want my help, you’ll do things my way. I’ll let you know when I find you another game, but this time nothing had better get in the way of you showing up, or it will be the last time I try and help you.”
“I hear you loud and clear,” he said, but there was a click and the line went dead.
