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She looked again at her watch as the waiter approached with a fresh bottle of wine. “I really have to go, Austin. Stay and enjoy your meal. I’ll get a taxi.”
He stood up with a short obscenity and pulled out his wallet. Sensing trouble, the waiter backed away and stood at a discreet distance as Austin peeled off several bills and tossed them on the table. The waiter wasn’t the only one who sensed trouble. Gina recognized the signs all too well. She quickly stood, grabbing her purse. On the ride home, Austin’s irritation would grow with every mile. He’d be tense and silent, seething with rage. But tonight, thank God, she wouldn’t be going home with him.
She stole a quick look at him and felt an odd regret. For several hours today when he was so utterly focused on her, when he’d turned on the full force of his appeal, she’d come dangerously close to forgetting who he was. What he was really like. Just a moment ago, in the heat of his gaze and his touch, she’d allowed her defenses to slip. Then she’d mentioned Liz’s name. That, coupled with her reluctance to stay until he decided it was time to go, was all it took. His good humor was gone in a flash. A dash of cold water couldn’t have brought her back to earth quicker.
With a weary sigh, Gina stood quietly beside Austin while the valet brought the Porsche around. The trip would be a harrowing experience. Austin drove like a maniac when he was ticked off. She’d lost count of the many instances in their long relationship that had ended this way. She’d say something, or do something that set him off and the fat would be in the fire. Tonight, knowing she was not going to be his victim, she could almost view his behavior with humor.
They were barely seated in the Porsche when he pulled away in a wild screech of tires. He was like a teenager, she thought, hiding a smile. In fact, a kid would probably have more self-control. Jesse certainly did. Apparently she hadn’t inherited her father’s black temper, another point for which to thank God tonight.
“What?” he growled.
“Nothing.” She cleared her throat and looked straight ahead. He was pretty mad at her right now, but if he guessed she was laughing at him, his temper would really explode. “Just thinking of something funny that Jesse said,” she lied.
“Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
She gave him a startled look and saw that he was smiling slightly. Austin…laughing at himself?
“Okay, I was an idiot back there. I apologize.”
She made some incoherent sound.
“Yeah, I apologize. You’re right. You can’t impose on somebody who’s furnishing free room and board, plus baby-sitting.”
“It’s okay,” she said faintly. Wow, a touch of gratitude. This was a new twist.
“I was just disappointed that we couldn’t stay and enjoy the atmosphere. And the company.” He winked and gave her a wicked smile. “Anthony’s is a place where you bring somebody you feel special about.”
“Don’t push it, Austin. You don’t feel special about me anymore.”
“I’ll always feel special about you, babe. We’ve got history, good history.”
“And some not-so-good history,” she said dryly.
“Yeah, but I can see the error of my ways. I hate for it to end this way, both of us with regrets and wishing it could have been different. I think we can still salvage something good out of all this.”
“We’ll definitely salvage something good. That’s Jesse.”
“Yeah, which is exactly what we need to focus on, babe. We need to think about Jesse. How all this is going to affect her. I mean, if Liz and Louie are always bad-mouthing me behind my back and you’re hounding me about palimony, how’s that going to look to Jesse? She needs to feel that we still care about each other.”
“I wasn’t hounding you, Austin. I asked for a reasonable amount of child support, a thousand dollars of which is going into trust for Jesse’s education. You can set it up at LJ and B if you want. It was the judge who increased the amount, not me. And Liz and Louie don’t ever mention you to Jesse. They wouldn’t do that. They know how that can confuse and hurt a child.”
“Now you’re saying they never mention me. Hell, that’s almost as bad.”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “Austin, listen to yourself! Just exactly what in all this would make you happy?”
“That’s easy.” He signaled to exit the Interstate. “Just you and me handling our business without anybody else interfering.”
Now they’d reached the neighborhood where Liz lived. Memorial was dense with tall trees, good landscaping and upscale residences. Much of Houston proper was hot and arid with an excess of stark, towering skyscrapers and roads frequently in a state of ongoing “improvement,” but the Memorial area was quiet and understated. Even as successful as Liz was, she couldn’t have afforded living here if it weren’t for the trust fund left for her by her father.
Suddenly, instead of driving the final mile to Liz’s house, Austin pulled into the parking area of a posh condominium complex. At this late hour, no one was stirring and Austin stopped the car near a thick hedge of oleanders. He killed the engine and lowered both her window and his own with a button, then turned so that he faced her.
“Nice night, huh? Quiet and peaceful in this neighborhood, too. Hell, if I didn’t need my health club and the convenience of living five minutes from the office, I might live in Memorial myself.”
For a bittersweet moment, Gina recalled the dreams she’d had during the years of their relationship. When she discovered she was pregnant with Jesse, she had fantasized about being married to Austin, buying a house in Memorial or the University area, having the kind of life she and Liz had planned as foster children. They’d both have super careers, meet and marry two great guys, have two and a half kids each and live in the same neighborhood. Turning away, she gazed from her window at the lush bank of oleanders. How many years had passed now and only a fraction of that dream had materialized, little of it for her. Liz, of course, had a great career and her house truly surpassed their girlish expectations. Gina idly fingered the strap of her purse. She, meanwhile, was still waiting and hoping and dreaming…
In daylight, the oleanders would be bright pink. She thought how much nicer a barrier the flowers made than a conventional fence, wood or stone. Somewhere nearby there must be night-blooming jasmine as its sweet, unique scent hung heavy on the air.
“We need to talk, sweetheart.” Her heart fluttered when he touched her shoulder. Then his fingers slipped beneath her hair and began gently rubbing the taut neck muscles. “I meant what I said a minute ago. We don’t need lawyers to work out whatever’s best for Jesse.” Deep, low, husky, his voice alone was almost a caress, more intimate than a kiss. His fingers moved in a soothing, hypnotic rhythm. “We don’t need people who call themselves friends to tell us what we should do. We’re the ones with the history. And we have the power to make our own decisions.”
Power. She knew what power was all about and it was hardly a two-way street with Austin. She knew how he wielded it, how he’d manipulated her almost from the first day they’d met so that she’d been happy to give him anything he wanted. Everything, if that was the price to be paid to realize her dreams. He leaned closer, finding a spot he knew well. Heat stirred in her belly. Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes were closing. Thank God it was dark and he couldn’t see her. But he knew what she was feeling. He knew.
“Maude is going to tell you that we need our lives to be spelled out in a document.” Still low and husky, his voice was like the stroke of his hands, compelling and hypnotic. “You’ll call her tomorrow, won’t you? Tell her you don’t need her anymore.”
“Hmmm.”
His laugh was low and sexy, feathering over her ear, her hair. She’d always been susceptible to that laugh. “Is that a yes, babe?” His hand was still tangled in the hair at her nape, working magic on the muscles of her neck, the curve of her shoulder, finding the shell of her ear. His lips at her ear, he whispered, “I need to hear a promise, sweetheart.”
“Promise…”
“Ahh, that’s my girl.” He rewarded her with an erotic sweep of his tongue in her ear. In spite of herself, she moaned with the sweet rush of pleasure. It had been so long. So long. Her breasts ached to feel his mouth. Between her legs, she was wet and wanting. If he touched her anywhere, she would—
Oh, God. His hand slid along her inner thigh and found the ready softness. Ah, he knew so well what to do. What to touch. And how. She made a small sound, then bit down hard on her lip to silence herself. To keep him from knowing. But he did know. He did.
“Do you like that, Gee-gee? Is my sweetheart feeling good?” He was crooning in her ear now, his breath hot and exciting, his fingers busy, skillful, all-knowing. “Aren’t we something, sweetheart? This is so right, isn’t it, love? C’mon, now, come for me, c’mon, c’mon, babe…” Then his thumb found just the right spot. She felt the rush of heat consuming her. And need, so strong, so impossible to resist. And with a soft cry, part joy, part anguish, she gave in, shuddering with the force of her orgasm.
She was weak and still senseless with pleasure when he suddenly pushed away, got out and in half a dozen urgent strides was at her side of the car. He jerked the door open and hauled her up and out. Dazed and still in the grip of her orgasm, she didn’t resist as he stripped her of her skirt. Her knees were like rubber, lacking the strength to hold her up. But he had her buttocks clamped in both hands, guiding himself to the softness between her legs. She caught a glimpse of his face, dark and brutal. No love there, she thought in anguish as the glow of her orgasm faded. His hands were hard, cruelly so as they positioned her. Then, growling deep in his throat, he buried himself to the hilt in one hard thrust.
As always when aroused, he was rough. Caught now in the throes of his own need, he set a savage, mindless rhythm. It was not just sexual gratification he was seeking, she realized. He was punishing her for her transgressions. For having to restrain himself in the restaurant when she’d defied him. For her temerity in forcing their battle into the legal arena. For daring to reveal his violent attacks. For her audacity in taking the initiative in the welfare of their child. She pushed at him with a broken cry of self-loathing. But it was like pushing against a stone wall. Too late, too late, too late, she wailed inwardly, bearing the brutal assault in misery until finally, with a loud shout, he came.
A few minutes later, after he’d tossed her skirt to her, zipped up his pants and was again behind the wheel of the Porsche, he turned to her and said, “You won’t forget your promise, will you?”
Her gaze was fixed on the dark landscape at the side window. She was so bruised and miserable and angry that she couldn’t manage a reply at first. It was reckless to defy him in this mood, she knew. “What promise, Austin?” She was suddenly past caring.
There was black silence for the space of a heartbeat. Then, in burst of rage, he lunged at her, forcing her face up to his in a killing grip. “What the hell was this all about then?”
She could barely breathe and her heart raced, but fright and despair combined in a reckless cocktail. She was tired of him thinking all it took was a quick orgasm and she’d readily do his bidding. She caught at his hand and tried to free herself. “What’s this all about?” she repeated, her mouth twisting in disgust. “It is so totally obvious what this, as you call it, is about, Austin. It’s just more of your disgusting way of manipulating me with sex. You really must think I’m a complete idiot.”
He shoved away, releasing her, but still breathing hard with the force of his rage. “I didn’t notice any disgust when you were coming so hard I practically had to hold you down or the whole goddamned neighborhood would have heard you screaming.”
“I didn’t scream.”
He snorted something obscene. With shoulders hunched over the wheel, he looked straight ahead. “Next you’ll be saying you didn’t come.”
“No, I came. Thanks for that, I guess. I’m just disgusted with myself for getting in this situation. I knew what you were doing when I agreed to leave with you today and I did it anyway. I knew what you were doing when you came on to me just now and I did it anyway. It was weak of me. Sick, even. But having sex didn’t turn my brain to complete mush. Here’s the deal, Austin. I’m not agreeing to defy the judge, if that was your aim. I would be an idiot to do that. I’m going to call Maude and arrange another meeting with your lawyer.”
“If you mean Ryan, I fired his sorry ass!” he snarled.
“Then I imagine the judge will appoint someone to negotiate.”
He turned then to look at her. The power of that look was so explosive that it was nearly palpable in the car. “You’re not going to get away with this, Gina.” His voice was soft and deadly, so threatening that she felt a cold chill. He waited a few moments—for her, harrowing moments—then when she remained stonily silent, he started the Porsche and pulled out of the parking lot. She braced for a wild and reckless ride, but he drove the scant mile to Liz’s house at a moderate pace. It was so out of character that she was more unnerved than she would have been had he reverted to habit. Still, she sat with her arms wrapped around herself and her teeth clamped to keep them from chattering. Then, finally, Liz’s street. And escape. She was out of the car and hurrying away almost before he stopped. Once safely at Liz’s front door, she stole a wary glance back and saw that he was out and watching her from over the top of the Porsche. Just…watching.
If looks could kill.
Shivering, she slipped inside and quickly closed the door behind her.
Curtiss Leggett sat in the library of his splendid home in River Oaks waiting for Austin. He’d left messages on his son’s cell phone, his home phone and the pager he carried. No matter what the hour, he told Austin, he would expect to see him.
Women, the disgruntled lawyer thought, swirling the best brandy money could buy in a Baccarat snifter. How his life would have been eased without the complication of women, his ex-wife, his many mistresses, his daughter, now married to some itinerant artist out in some godforsaken corner of California. Even his mother, and he didn’t give a damn whether her soul rested peacefully or not. What a domineering tyrant she’d been. An occasional display of masculinity from his father would have shown her who was boss, but his father had buried himself in his professorial work and never noticed or cared about anything else. Including Curtiss.
That was not the way Curtiss Leggett had run his life.
At the sound of a key in the lock, he stirred in the deep leather chair, but didn’t get to his feet. He wouldn’t bother. As spineless as Austin was, the lecture and subsequent threat could be delivered as effectively in the comfort of his chair as otherwise. Thirty-six years old and Curtiss still had to wipe his ass for him. His son was a great disappointment to him. His daughter, Julia, should have been his heir. She was full of defiance, possibly as bright as Curtiss himself. Focused. An independent thinker. As God was his witness, he couldn’t see any strength in Austin.
Not the kind of strength evident in Ryan Paxton. Now, there was a real man, Texas born and bred, tough as nails, smart as a whip. Steel in his backbone, too. Leggett sighed, bringing the snifter up to his mouth. And look at his old man. Killed himself. No steel there. A weakling. Genes were odd things.
He heard the door open. Then close. “In here, boy!” he called, finishing off the brandy.
“How are you, Dad?” Austin entered the library, his smile wary, eyes cautious. He scanned the room, saw that his father was alone. “Sorry I couldn’t make it over until now, but I had an appointment that couldn’t be rescheduled.” He watched Curtiss set the snifter on the table at his elbow and then walked over to the sideboard to pour himself a brandy.
“Hold up there. You can drink after I’ve had my say.”
Austin put the glass back and slowly turned to face his father. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? Is something wrong, you ask?” Curtiss had planned to stay in his chair, but found he had to get up or, swear to God, he’d blow a gasket. “I don’t want to think you’re as stupid as it appears, Austin, but what I learned today makes me wonder.” He shot a beetle-browed look at his first born. “You finally had the balls to dump the trailer trash slut you’ve been shacked up with for more years than I want to think about, but now instead of a clean break, you get yourself called before Judge Hetherington and he hears that you’ve been knocking her around. Have I got it right, Austin?”
“She’s lying.”
“Ryan Paxton doesn’t think so.”
“You’ve seen Ryan? He’s talked to you about this?” Austin slammed a hand down on the sideboard. “Goddamn it! That’s a breach of client-attorney privilege. Did he come around whining to you about the judgment?”
“He came to bring me a report of the hearing because I asked for it.”
Austin made a dismissive sound. “Well, he sure isn’t the legal eagle you think he is, Dad. I could have represented myself and come out of this looking better.”
Curtiss Leggett simply stood looking at his son for a beat or two before turning in disgust. He stared at the dead ashes in his fireplace for another long moment before turning to face Austin. “I want the truth and I want it plain and simple. Don’t lie to me, I warn you. Have you been knocking that bitch around?”
“What kind of question is—”
“Did you hear me?” It was a roar and it stopped Austin in his tracks and killed whatever defense he might have attempted. Another moment passed while Curtiss calmed himself. “Have you been slapping her around?” he repeated, speaking each word precisely.
Austin cleared his throat, looked anywhere but into the knowing eyes of his father. “We have disagreements like most couples.”
“And you express yourself with your fists?”
“Do I hear outrage, Dad?” Austin’s tone was suddenly less subservient. When Curtiss didn’t reply, Austin was emboldened. “I didn’t think so.”
“Watch yourself, Austin.”
“Yeah, it’s me we’re talking about now, not you, eh, Dad?” Austin reached for a glass in defiance of his old man and recklessly poured brandy in it. Then eyeball to eyeball with Curtiss, he tossed most of it back in one gulp. “I don’t know why you’d be shocked,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “It couldn’t come as a shock to you, a man handling a troublesome woman with a little show of force. I sure didn’t act shocked when you did it. I guess I thought everybody’s mom wore sunglasses in the house as a regular thing, night or day. Until I wised up.”
“I’m not shocked that you did it, Austin,” Curtiss said in disgust, not bothering to deny what was fact. Hell, it was years ago and Marilyn was long gone. Good riddance, too. “I’m pissed because you’ve brought it out like so much dirty family linen. You’re a reckless fool and I just hope to God Paxton can pluck your sorry ass out of the fire.”
“Speaking of asses, I fired his today.” He looked defiantly at Curtiss.
“You what?”
“I’m out four thousand bucks a month because of his incompetence,” Austin said, letting his fury loose. “So I fired him. I’ll work out something less with Gina, just the two of us, no lawyers. You’ll see.”
For a full minute, Curtiss just stared at him. “Austin, I’m only going to tell you this one time. And you better hear me good. Call Ryan Paxton ASAP, or better yet, go see him in person. Now. Tonight. Do whatever it takes to get him back on board in this miserable mess you’ve created. But don’t let the sun rise tomorrow without being able to tell me that he is still representing you. Now—” his tone went lower, more menacing “—do you read me?”
For a long moment, Austin seemed tempted to defy the order. But the moment passed. “Yes, sir,” he said, the response weak, but the look in his eyes was anything but. He finished off the brandy, set the snifter down with a thump and walked out.
As soon as she heard the car door, Elizabeth set her book aside and rose from the chair in the den. She’d been on edge the whole evening, reading with one ear cocked to listen for Austin’s Porsche. The hours had dragged by. It was crazy for Gina to be alone with him, especially tonight when his temper would be on a hair-trigger. Did she forget how dangerous Austin could be when thwarted? He was clearly enraged that she’d dared to air the facts of their relationship in a court of law. He’d made no secret of that from the moment he was served with the papers. And he would be furious with the judge’s ruling today, more so because, in his arrogance, he’d believed that he would prevail. Parting the blinds, she saw the Porsche pull away from the curb and felt deeply relieved that Gina was now home safe.
That idea died with her first glimpse of Gina’s face in the dimly lit foyer. She stood with her eyes closed, back against the door. By the look of her, breathing heavy with arms clamped around herself, she must have run from the car. Alarmed, Elizabeth reached for the light switch. “What happened?”
Gina turned her head slowly and looked at her without speaking. Overhead light caught the glint of unshed tears in her eyes. Elizabeth’s gaze narrowed at the sight of Gina’s face. With a shocked sound, she moved closer and touched Gina’s face, turning it gently to get a better look. Brutal marks on either side of her jaw clearly showed the imprint of fingers. They’d be purple bruises by morning. “My God, Gina, did he do this?”
Gina, still shaky and pale, glanced at herself in the mirror above the table. She lifted her hand and touched her face. “Don’t freak, Liz. He didn’t hit me. He just—I just refused to go along with what he wanted and he—”
“He retaliated by manhandling you, reminding you who was boss, right?” Angrily, Elizabeth tilted Gina’s face this way and that, examining the marks thoroughly. “He may not have actually punched you, but he left fingerprints. Wait’ll you see yourself tomorrow.” She turned away, shaking her head. “He’s an animal, Gee. It takes brute force to mark someone like that.”
“I shouldn’t have argued with him. It was really dumb of me, but I just got fed up.”
“Why not get fed up before you agreed to spend the day with him? Why did you do it, Gee? What were you thinking?”
“Actually, it wasn’t so bad…at least not at first,” she added under her breath. “He was trying to—to make a point. I honestly don’t think he realizes his own strength.”
“Gina, Gina, Gina…do you realize how screwed up that sounds? He knows his own strength, you can count on that. He uses it often enough. But no matter what his intent, you shouldn’t wind up bruised and hurting.”
“I know how to handle him, Liz. If I’d pretended to go along with him, he would have let it go. He lost it when I told him I was going to do what the judge instructed.”
She pushed her hair back from her face wearily. “Can we talk about this tomorrow, Liz? I’m beat.”
Liz’s gaze narrowed. She moved closer and saw another mark on Gina’s neck, one that didn’t look like a bruise. “What’s this?”
Gina put her hand up quickly, covering the mark. “It’s…nothing.”
Liz then stepped back. In her concern about Gina’s face, she hadn’t really taken in the disheveled look of her. Now she saw that the tail of her blouse was untucked in places. Two of the buttons were undone. Her skirt wasn’t quite straight and her hair was a mess. “No, Gina.” Disbelief flickered across Liz’s face. “Tell me you didn’t have sex with him.”
Turning away, Gina waved a mute hand and headed for the stairs.
“Gina…aaa…ah…” Liz played out the name with disapproval.
Gina stopped. “I don’t need a lecture, Liz. I know I’ve been a bad girl. Worse, I’ve been an idiot. In fact, I probably deserved what just happened,” she said bitterly. Then, with a foot on the first tread, she turned slowly to face Liz. “I know you don’t understand. Even if you were in dire straits, you would somehow find the strength to do the right thing. The smart thing. It’s like you always control your emotions while my emotions control me. I’m weak when it comes to Austin, Liz. It’s like a sickness. Honest to God, that’s the only way I can describe what happens when he…when we…are—” she spread her hands helplessly “—together.”
It hurt for Liz to hear herself portrayed as being bloodless. It was so completely wrong that she wanted to grab Gina and scream that she had loved with a passion so consuming that everything else in her life paled to nothingness. Had Gina forgotten that dark year of her life? Liz wished to God that she could bury the memory.
