Can't Say No Page 14

  She hadn’t been prepared for her once-tried body to take such a liking to his that she continued to crave his male attention. Only her pride had saved her from making a complete fool of herself. All it took was a look from his dark, hot gaze, and she was wet, ready for his hard length. It was shameful, the way she was constantly fighting her need for him.

  For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why he’d come back for more. She wasn’t egotistical enough to believe her lovemaking had gone beyond the ordinary. She hadn’t had a clue as to what she was supposed to have been doing. She hadn’t even known how to move…let alone give him pleasure. No, it could not have been that good for Ralph.

  So why, then, was he chasing her? Apparently, he really resented the fact that she’d walked away before he made that same move. The male ego was evidently more powerful than she’d realized. The man was dangerous to any weak-willed, empty-headed female. Talk about trouble. So what was…

  “More corn?” Ralph held out the platter, that blasted masculine charm in his dark eyes, and blatant sexual appeal all over his handsome face. Even his teeth were too even…too white…perfect!

  Determined to be ruled by her head and not her hormones, she kept her voice cool when she said, “No…I can’t eat another bite.” Glancing at her family, she forced a smile, “Dinner was wonderful.”

  “Great.” Lana smiled, wiping her sticky fingers on a napkin.

  Ralph grinned but refrained from saying, “I-told-you-so.”

  “Tired, baby girl?” Vanessa asked as she caressed her little sister’s cheek.

  Courtney merely nodded, hardly able to hold her head up as she rested against Vanessa’s side. Curtis was no better. The chair was the only thing holding him upright. His dinner was only half-finished.

  “Ralph, we’re going to have…”

  His laugh was deep and throaty. “I can’t believe that Curtis, human dynamo, has run out of steam.” Ralph rose slowly to his feet. “You and Lana get your things. I’ll carry these two.”

  “There’s no need. Lana and I…”

  “Thanks, Mr. Prescott,” Lana interrupted, then remembered he’d asked her to call him by his first name. Blushing, she said, “I mean, Ralph.” Lana began gathering the plates.

  “It’s my pleasure. Don’t bother with that, Lana. It was my turn to entertain and clean up,” he said with a wide smile.

  Lana returned the smile. “Thank you for everything. We had so much fun.”

  Vanessa was feeling guilty. Just because she resented the way he blasted his masculine charm her way didn’t excuse a lack of good manners. “Lana is right. Dinner was delicious. And we enjoyed the use of your pool. Thank you for inviting us. The twins really enjoyed themselves. Please, let Lana and me help, at least clear the table.” She reached for the platter of corn.

  “Nope. No need,” he insisted as he carefully lifted Curtis. When he easily picked up Courtney, she rested against his chest, an arm around his neck. He started moving toward the open French doors. Lana followed them into the house. When Vanessa reached the foyer, Lana had their purses and duffel bags.

  Ralph paused, surprising Vanessa when he said to her sister, “Lana, you’re a strong swimmer. You and the twins are welcome to use the pool and waterslide anytime you’d like. You have my cell, just give me a quick call to make sure I’m home.”

  Beaming, Lana nodded eagerly. “Thanks, Ralph.” Excited, Lana squeezed Vanessa’s hand.

  Resisting the urge to smack him, Vanessa said, “That’s kind of you, but…”

  “I’m not being kind. When I’m in town, most mornings I work out of my home office. If I’m home, you and the kids are welcome.”

  Steaming, Vanessa thrust her purse on her shoulder and followed the others to the front door. She didn’t say a word, even as Lana helped Ralph place the children in their car seats and fastened their seat belts like an expert. Once Lana was buckled into the passenger seat, Vanessa hesitated.

  She had no trouble recognizing the satisfied smile on his handsome face, thanks to the light from the sconces mounted on either side of the wide door and the small torches lining both sides of the walk and the circular drive.

  Vanessa said to her sister, “Be right back,” before she hurried toward him. She was careful to keep her back to her sister and her voice low. With her arms crossed tightly beneath her plump breasts, she hissed, “You haven’t won this stupid game you’re playing, Prescott.”

  “It’s not about winning, beautiful. You have it all wrong. I’m not playing a game with you,” he said quietly.

  “Really? You can’t fool me.” It took every ounce of her control, not to scream. “You are playing…a sex game. And you’re trying to use my family to manipulate me.”

  He stepped forward until they were eye to eye. “No games…sex or otherwise. And I would never use your family in any way. You don’t know me well, yet. If you did, you would realize you just insulted me. And I’m tired of your insults.” He let out a deep breath as his eyes moved over her small features. Then he said, very softly, “Every time we’re together, I learn something new about you. Tonight, I learned that I scare you, and when you’re scared, you strike back.”

  Dropping her arms, Vanessa glared up at him, her hands now balled into two small fists. “You know nothing, Ralph Prescott! Did you hear me?”

  “Oh, yeah. Any louder, and Lana and the twins will also hear you, beautiful.”

  She hissed, “Enough! Stay away from me and mine.”

  He said, “Take a moment before you crawl into your empty bed tonight. Ask yourself one question…why are you so frightened. I guarantee the answer won’t have a thing to do with me. I haven’t so much as touched your hand tonight, beautiful. So why are you shaking?”

  “I’m not afraid of you! And if I’m shaking, it’s because you make me so angry I can’t stand it!”

  “Then why were you trying to hide under that stupid towel, wrapped around your waist? Surely, you don’t think I’ve forgotten the shape and feel of the delectable curves of your hips and thighs? Sorry, beautiful.” He tapped his temple. “It’s all up here, every sweet detail.”

  By the time she whirled around and practically ran to her SUV, she was furious. Lucky for her, Lana was talking excitedly on her cell, and the twins were dozing. No one noticed that Vanessa wasn’t smiling as she drove away, refusing to so much as glance in Ralph’s direction.

  Later that night, her temper had gradually eased enough for her to stop pacing her bedroom and get into bed. She was fed up with Ralph yanking her chain…manipulating her into seeing things his way. What she needed was a plan of her own. Ralph, evidently, had one. He was too confident, too sure of himself, while she was sick and tired of simply reacting to his moves. And she’d wasted enough time wracking her brain trying to figure him out and getting nothing but a headache for her trouble.

  Turning off the bedside lamp, she couldn’t say she was pleased with her decision to come up with a plan, but she was determined. It was quite simple. Once she had her own plan in place, he wouldn’t be able to rattle her. So what was this wonderful plan? What could she do?

  “That’s it!” Vanessa suddenly sat up in bed. That was what she would do while he ran around driving his fool self crazy.

  “Let him!” Let him waste his time and come by every single day of the week…it wouldn’t matter to her. All she had to do was wait him out. Eventually, he would get fed up with the situation and bow out. In the meantime, her kids would have a ball, using his stupid old pool and waterslide. Vanessa clapped her hands with glee, smiling from ear to ear.

  So, as Ralph’s impromptu visits moved from one week to the next, Vanessa found her tension around him disappearing. The kids certainly enjoyed Ralph’s attention. And she had to give him credit. He never came empty-handed. He either brought along a take-out meal, board game, video game, or newly released DVD that was always age appropriate.

  Vanessa was proud of herself. While he thought she was caving in, she was merely
waiting him out. Eventually, he’d get tired of pretending to like her and her family and not getting what he really wanted…sex. He was in for one long dry spell. And it would serve him right.

  The past few times, while the kids and Lana had enjoyed his pool, Vanessa walked around in her new dark red bathing suit without trying to see if he was busy checking her out. Although she felt his gaze, she was relieved that she hadn’t caught him staring. Perhaps, it proved her plan was working…familiarity breeding indifference on his part.

  So what if in the late evenings, after the twins were in bed, and Lana was upstairs in her room either happily chatting on the telephone or reading and watching television, Vanessa and Ralph actually talked about nothing important. He told her stories about his family, told her about his business. And she talked about her family, her growing-up years. Her dreams of becoming a designer and owning her own store. They didn’t talk about anything serious.

  It was true that she’d often ended up laughing, as he recounted an episode of his growing-up years as part of the lively Prescott household. His family was exactly what they appeared to be, a warm, caring, and close-knit family, involved in each other’s lives.

  Vanessa hadn’t expected Ralph to tell her about the volunteer work he did at the Malcolm X Community Center. Or his work, coaching at University of Detroit. There was no doubt, he genuinely liked kids. He revealed that he and his cousins were planning a big surprise for his uncle’s retirement next spring.

  He’d laughed when he explained the latest effort to keep his Uncle Lester from finding out that on their old family property they were building a community center complex for the neighborhood kids his uncle had worked so hard, over the years, to help, and that it would be named after his uncle.

  Vanessa was amazed at how full Ralph’s life was. He, in essence, worked two full-time jobs yet made time to do volunteer work. He believed in giving back. She was touched that, despite his full schedule, he found time to play with the twins and he listened to Lana and took her concerns seriously. Also she was shaken that she often found herself staying awake, thinking about him.

  Vanessa had been surprised when Ralph started to end their evenings with a hug and the brush of his lips against hers. Then he’d walk off to his car, whistling like he’d won the lottery. He never asked for more. Yet while he held her, she felt the hard, unmistakable proof of his desire. He felt so good that she was beginning to worry that she might be the one to weaken and do the asking.

  Thirteen

  Things were going well, yet Vanessa couldn’t help wondering if in her efforts to beat Ralph at his own game she was, in essence, allowing him to get too close to the children. It was clear that all three of the children admired and respected him, especially Curtis.

  Her little brother clearly missed not having a father. Evidently he longed for what Vanessa couldn’t provide, a man with whom to talk with and do things.

  The girls were a lot like Vanessa. Neither was outgoing, and they didn’t make friends easily. Yet once the new person had gained their trust, they had a friend for life.

  She vowed, as she pulled into the driveway, to do a better job of spending less time with Ralph. After all, she knew first hand that Ralph’s charm could be lethal.

  Determined, she ignored the way her heart raced as she glanced at his SUV parked at the front curb. “I need help,” she called, balancing several bags of groceries and her purse. Awkwardly, she managed to put her key in the locked screen door.

  “Hi,” Ralph said with a wide smile. He scooped up the bags. “Where do you want these?”

  “Hi. The kitchen table. Thanks.” After greeting the twins and Lana, she gave Lana her keys. “There’s more in the van.”

  She went into her bedroom, dropped her purse in the armchair, and took a moment to freshen the makeup she had applied that morning. When she went into the kitchen, Lana and Ralph were busy, with the twins helping them put away the food. In the past few weeks, Vanessa hadn’t realized how accustomed they’d all grown to Ralph being in what she’d always considered her private domain.

  She said, “Ralph, I didn’t expect you today. Didn’t you say you had a conference call with a new airplane manufacturer?”

  He smiled at her, then went back to washing, then cutting an apple in half for the twins to share. “I did. The call went well. We’re ordering two new planes.”

  “Congratulations! That’s wonderful.” She knew how important the new planes were to his expansion plans. Vanessa resisted the urge to walk up to him and give him a hug.

  Ralph grinned, his dark eyes sparkling. “Thanks. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to go forward with growing the airline until I talked it over with you the other night. The private jet service is a fast-growing industry. As time goes on, I’m finding it means more to me than merely an investment.”

  Vanessa blinked, warmed that he trusted her enough to discuss business matters with her.

  When he reached for another apple, she shook her head. “Ralph, don’t give them another one. It will spoil their dinner. Now, all of you get out of here so I can get dinner started.”

  “Come on, Ralph.” Curtis tugged on his arm. “Let’s finish shooting hoops.”

  “Not until we see if your sister needs help.”

  “Aw, that’s girl’s work,” Curtis sneered.

  “Some of the best cooks are men.” Ralph moved toward the hall bathroom. “I’m going to wash up. Courtney, come on, you can help.”

  Curtis pouted for a second, before he said, “I want to help, too.”

  “Then come on,” Ralph said from over his shoulder.

  Vanessa laughed as Curtis raced to keep up. As she began rinsing off the ingredients for coleslaw, she listened to Lana reprise her day. When the three of them returned, she announced, “We’re having sloppy joes, homemade fries, and coleslaw.” She pointed to a large bag of potatoes in the pantry. “They need scrubbing.”

  Lana and Vanessa exchanged an amused smile as Ralph and Curtis got busy.

  Courtney looked up at Vanessa. “What can I do?”

  “You can help me make the Kool-Aid.” Lana smiled.

  Vanessa was pleased not to hear sexist remarks coming out of her little brother’s mouth. She also was surprised by how quickly the meal came together with all of them working. She nearly laughed out loud as she imagined what Laura would say about Ralph’s antics. There evidently was no limit to the lengths a man would go in order to seduce a woman.

  She was serving dessert, the brownies she’d bought at the supermarket, when Ralph mentioned, “Vanessa, would you and the children like to go to Disney World? I’m flying down to Orlando Thursday morning, on business. I’m sure I can talk Gavin into giving you a few days off. How does a long weekend of fun at Universal sound?”

  Before she could respond, the twins were on their feet, jumping up and down in their excitement while Lana squealed in delight.

  “You can’t be serious,” Vanessa had to shout, to be heard over her family’s enthusiasm.

  “What did you say?” Ralph asked, laughing at the children’s antics.

  Vanessa shocked them all when she jumped up and pounded her fist on the dining-room table. Furious and upset, she had to stop this before it went any further. She shouted, “I said NO!”

  Instantly, the room was quiet, with all eyes on her.

  To the children, she said in a calm voice, “I’m sorry, but we can’t afford a vacation at this time. It’s too close to the end of the summer. You will be starting school in a few weeks. All our extra money has to go toward school clothes and supplies.”

  “But Nessa,” Courtney begged, “please!”

  “I’ve never been on an airplane!” Curtis pouted, his thumb going into his mouth, something he never did unless he was very upset.

  Lana didn’t say a word, but Vanessa could tell by her face that she was as disappointed as the twins.

  Vanessa sat down, so she was eye level with the twins. She held out her arms, and the
y both came over to stand on either side of her chair.

  Frowning, Ralph had to clear his throat, before he said; “I’d be happy to pay for…” He stopped when he saw the glare she sent his way.

  With a protective arm around each child, Vanessa said to him. “Thank you, but we can’t.” To the children, she soothed, “I’m very sorry. I know how much you would like to go. Unfortunately, we can’t have things we can’t afford to pay for. Maybe, next year, we can save up and plan for the family to take a Disney vacation. Courtney, Curtis, do you understand?” Both twins nodded, as tears rolled down their smooth brown cheeks. She said softly, “Please tell Ralph thank you for inviting us.”

  They managed to mumble a thank-you, then with lips poked out, hand and hand the two stumped their way upstairs. Without a word to anyone, Lana began stacking the dishes, then took them into the kitchen. The room was heavy with silence when she returned for another load.

  Shaking from suppressed emotion, Vanessa said, “Lana. I’ll finish up. Would you, please, go up to the twins? I need to speak to Ralph privately.”

  Lana nodded her head, then hurried upstairs.

  Ralph rose to his feet. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset everyone.”

  “What did you think would happen? Ralph! Why did you ask me something like that…to go to Disney of all places, in front of my family!” She threw her hands up in the air in a helpless gesture when she’d much rather punch something…namely him.

  “Look, I know I messed up. But, Nessa, it was an honest mistake.” When he reached for her hand, she snatched it away before he could make contact.

  “Honest mistake? Hardly! You were trying to trick me into going away with you.” She let out a frustrated sound of sheer rage. “For a little while, I thought I might be wrong about you,” she said, holding up her hand to stop him. “But tonight proved, as nothing else could, not only can’t I trust you, but we live in two different worlds.” On trembling legs, she picked up a dish and carried it into the kitchen.