Sabrina’s heart rejoiced. Daniel loved her. He wasn’t having an affair with Audrey.
She’d reached the entrance to an oversized living room and saw Audrey facing Daniel. At Audrey’s appearance, Sabrina’s heart nearly stopped: except for some skimpy underwear and high heels, she was naked! And she was clearly trying to seduce Daniel. But to Sabrina’s delight, Daniel scowled at her.
“Yes, and nothing will ever change that. If you think that you can split us up with some staged photo to try and make her believe I’m still with you, then think again. I’ll make sure she finds out that nothing ever happened between us.”
Audrey scoffed. “And how are you gonna do that?”
“He won’t have to do anything,” Sabrina said firmly, entering the room.
Both Audrey and Daniel whirled their heads in her direction, noticing her only now.
“Fuck!” Audrey hissed. Then she bent down and picked up the robe that lay on the floor and threw it on. “Betty!” she yelled. “Call security and get that bitch thrown out of my place!”
“Don’t bother,” Sabrina said calmly. “I won’t stay. I’ve only come to take back what’s mine.” She looked at Daniel and smiled.
His lips curled up and he came toward her.
“You mean you came to steal what’s mine,” Audrey screamed. “Daniel was never yours. You took him from me.”
“No, Audrey, he was never yours to begin with. If you ever try to come between me and Daniel again, I will take your perfectly manicured nails and scratch your eyes out with them. Do you understand?”
Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Get the hell out of my house! Both of you!”
“Gladly.”
Daniel took Sabrina’s hand and ushered her to the front door, past the older woman who still stood in the foyer. At the elevators he stopped.
“Sabrina,” he murmured and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to him.
All fear and tension evaporated at the feel of his arms wrapping around her and his lips brushing hers. “Sabrina, I’m so sorry, baby. Audrey instigated all this to try to split us up.”
“I know that now,” she replied and looked into his eyes.
“I looked all over the city for you. I was so worried.”
“I’m so sorry I ran away, but thinking that you and she were still together hurt so much.”
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry, but when she cornered me in that store, I had no idea that she would make it look like I was intimate with her. I didn’t tell you that I’d run into her, because I knew you’d be upset.”
Sabrina nodded. “It’s all over now. I should have trusted you.”
He kissed her, then looked at her again. “How did you find me here?”
“Holly told me to meet her here. She said it was an apartment from one of her clients and we could use it. I had no idea that this was Audrey’s place. Holly said we could bitch about you all night.”
He laughed. “I had no idea that’s what Holly was planning. But you can always count on her to come up with a solution.”
“Yes, she’s the best.” Sabrina smiled up at him. “Take me home?”
24
The elevator doors slid closed and Daniel shut his eyes momentarily. This nightmare was over. Sabrina was back in his arms, and nothing else mattered.
“Come here,” he said, once again pulling her into an embrace.
He slanted his lips over hers and explored her mouth with his tongue. God, she tasted good. Daniel moaned into her mouth.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
“I missed you more.”
Her hands slid under his jacket. “I want you. Now,” she moaned.
“Now?” he echoed.
“Yes,” she murmured, then lifted her lids to look at him. “I’m calling in paragraph eleven of our contract.”
“Paragraph eleven?” His mind worked frantically.
A few weeks earlier, before they’d left San Francisco, he’d drawn up a contract that they’d both signed. A contract that bound her to him, and him to her. Now he was trying to remember what paragraph eleven stipulated.
Sabrina chuckled. “You’re terrible, Daniel, you don’t even remember what’s in the contract.”
“I do,” he insisted. Then he reached past her and slammed his hand onto the emergency stop button, making the elevator rock to a halt instantly.
Sabrina bounced against him.
“In fact, I just remembered.” He lowered his lips to her. “If I’m not mistaken, paragraph eleven requires me to satisfy you at all times. I reckon we have about fifteen minutes before somebody sets this baby in motion again.”