First Take (Star-Taken) (18 page)

Rachel tempered her excitement over the fact he wanted a relationship with her. Despite her feelings, she wasn’t sure she could take the leap—the landing, when it happened, wouldn’t be pretty.
“I know. Honestly, that stuff didn’t bother me. Not really.” She took a deep breath.
Truth time.
“I was overwhelmed by your attention and how it made me feel.”

His voice soft, he asked,
“And how was that?”

“Special. Cared about.
” Her throat tightened. “Loved.” She held her breath. Would he say the words? She didn’t know if she could resist if he did.

“Good.” As disappointment washed through her, t
here was some commotion in the background, though she couldn’t make out what was being said.

You should be relieved, Rach. You don’t need that kind of pressure when you’re trying to decide your future.
But no matter what she told herself, the hollowness in her chest didn’t disappear.

Stephen sighed
then said, “I’ve gotta go. I put my itinerary in the package so you’d know when the best time to get me was, but feel free to call anytime. If I can talk, I’ll pick up. Okay?”

“Okay.” A he
artbeat passed while she braced herself to take the plunge. “And Stephen, I miss you.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was a step onto the ledge.

“I’m back in
the City this weekend. We’ll see what we can do to catch up on lost time. How’s that sound?”

“Heavenly.”
Though she knew sex wouldn’t solve their issues. However being able to speak to him, knowing he was there if she needed him, settled her nerves.

“Good, because it’s gonna be hell in the meantime. Bye, Rach.”

“Bye.” Then the line was dead.

The weekend c
an’t come soon enough.

~ * ~

SIXTEEN

When the buzzer for the front door sounded, Rachel checked the clock on the desktop monitor and smiled while she stood. Five o’clock, delivery time. Stephen had sent her something every day for the past few days. What would it be today?

Tuesday had been a box of panties like the ones he’d ripped, but in a rainbow
of colors. The card had read,
Be prepared.
~
Stephen.
Wednesday had been take-out, which had been perfect because she’d been putting in a lot of hours on a big project. Her stomach growled. She was hoping today would be more food, though she still had the stuff she’d bought the day she arrived home. But it was nice not having to exert the energy to fix something when she was in the middle of making forward progress on a piece of software.

She buzzed open the
door to the brownstone then popped out her front door and waited while the delivery guy made the trek upstairs. The head that appeared above the railing sported a familiar brown hat. Not food then.

Unless it was special order. Cookies maybe? She’d mentioned to him during their phone conversation the previous night that she was craving chocolate
chocolate chip cookies from her favorite shop. Heat washed through her. Her innocent comment had led to phone sex involving a very detailed description of where he’d cover her with melted chocolate and how he’d lick her clean.

A shudde
r worked through her. Stephen Raymond was one intense man. No wonder he’d made a permanent mark on her heart in such a short time. She still didn’t know what to do about guarding herself from future hurt though.

“Hey
, Rachel.” The delivery guy’s familiarity startled her until she glanced at him again. John, going by his name badge, offered a pearly white smile that reached his sparkling blue eyes. He’d been the one who’d delivered the panties. A hot blush threatened to spread even though he couldn’t have known the contents. “I have a package for you.”

She smiled, fighting the urge to hop from foot to foot like
a four-year-old waiting for a treat.

He held out a tablet. “Sign here, please.” Then he winked.

Rachel’s smile faded as she took the pen. Surely he wasn’t flirting with her. After signing her name, she handed the pen back then accepted the fairly lightweight box, though it was heavier than the lingerie boxes had been, so no more sexy surprises for her. “Thanks.” Her stomach rumbled. Food was the preferred gift of the day anyway.

“No problem.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Hopefully, I’ll have more deliveries for you in the future.”

At the odd comment, Rachel forced a laugh. Maybe the guy just didn’t get enough opportunities for conversation during the day. “Well, that’s entirely possible. There’s one more day in the week and, so far, he’s been sending me something every day.”

John’s smile dimmed but didn’t completely fade. “Well, he’s a luc
ky guy, and of course, every gal likes presents.”

Rachel cocked her head. “Are you from Texas?”
The touch of his brim, the use of “gal,” the general air of politeness screamed Southerner at the very least.

He stowed the electronic signature tablet in a holster at his hip and leaned against the railing. “I sure am. Lubbock.”

“You’re a long way from home, but then so am I. Richmond by way of Houston.”

He knocked his baseball cap further up his forehead
. “At least Houston’s a big city. New York after Lubbock was a shock.”

Though she knew she shouldn’t share personal information with a random stranger, especially while standing on the doormat to the apartment she lived in alone,
he seemed kind of lost and lonely. “What brings you to New York?”

“I want to be an actor.”

And with those few words, all desire to be friendly disappeared. She straightened from where’d she’d been leaning against the wall. “That’s a tough career choice.” Did he know who she was dating? But how was that possible? She was being paranoid.

“What do you do?”

“I write software.” Best to keep details to a minimum.

He
scratched the back of his head. “That must mean you’ve got a lot of schoolin’.”

She narrowed her eyes.
His accent had grown a little too pronounced, tripping her internal alarm bells. “Yeah, and speaking of work, I’ve got a huge project I’m expected to give an update on in a few minutes.” A complete lie, but he didn’t need to know that. Dad had always taught her to be aware of her surroundings and protect herself with whatever was at hand. Right now that involved letting this guy know she was expected somewhere and soon and retreating into the relative safety of her apartment as quickly as possible.

He tugged the hat back down and smiled. “Okay. I’ve got some more deliveries to make as well. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure.” Though not if she had anything to say about it. She’d tell Stephen to cool it on the presents. Of course, it probably wouldn’t do any good since he was overnighting the gifts. More than likely tomorrow’s surprise was winging its way toward her already.

Once the top of
John’s head disappeared beneath the railing, she twisted the doorknob, pushed the door open and backed into her apartment. As soon as she was inside, she shut the door then threw all the bolts and put the chain on. She looked out the peephole, but the landing was clear.

S
ucking in a deep breath, she headed for the kitchen to fix some food. She was still hungry. John hadn’t acted threatening, but rather suspicious. Why had he asked the questions he’d asked? And while she’d never been to Lubbock, his accent had sounded a little over the top. Shaking her head, she laid the package on the countertop. No doubt it was all her imagination.

S
he grabbed a knife and slid it under the seals on the box. After setting the utensil on the counter, she opened the lid. A gasp stole from her lips as her mind processed what she saw.

An array of
clear, plastic packages, some small, some large, nestled on hot pink tissue paper. Inside those packages, colorful objects of various shapes tantalized her. One was a dildo and another a butt plug. A third contained samples of various lubricants. A rampant fire spread through her body, leaving her scalp tingling and her toes curling. When she talked to Stephen later, she’d have a thing or two to say about sending her these things while he was nowhere around. The two days before he arrived stretched endlessly in front of her.

But why wait until tonight to harass him? Leaving the toys, she went in search of her phone.
When he picked up on the fourth ring, right before experience told her his voice mail would answer, she didn’t hesitate to deliver the message she’d intended to leave. “You’re a horrible tease.”

“Exc
use me?” A harried-sounding female asked.

Rachel’s heart stuttered then resumed at a pace so fast she was sure it would thump out of her chest.

Don’t assume anything, Rachel.

“Oh, sorry about that. Is Stephen around?”

“Huh? Oh shit. Sorry, I must’ve picked up his phone by accident this morning.”

This morning?
Blood roared through Rachel’s ears like a wave crashing against the shore. She took a deep breath.

“Is this Rachel? I just grabbed the phone without looking at the screen.”

The strange woman knew who Rachel was, which meant Stephen had been talking about her. He wouldn’t tell one woman he was sleeping with about the other, would he? She wanted to scream at the doubts running through her head. Instead she swallowed hard. “Yes, this is Rachel. I’m sorry, but who is this?”

The woman laughed. “I’m the one who should be sorry. This is
Becca, not that I expect my name to mean anything to you. Stephen’s been so damn insistent on personally handling all the stuff he wanted to send you. Normally, I do those types of things for him. That, of course, makes me his personal assistant, though really we’re old friends. Me, him, Allie and Zach go back to before Stephen hit it big. He’s taken good care of us all. But look I’m rambling. It’s what I do. I’m meeting up with Stephen later to finalize the details for the restaurant opening tomorrow. I’ll let him know you called. Was there any particular message you wanted me to give him?”

Restaurant opening?
Rachel should have looked closer at his itinerary. She’d assumed his time in LA had to do with filming not food. Of course a lot of assumptions often weren’t true. Logically, Stephen had to be doing something with his money other than buying her presents.

“No, that’s fine. Just let him know I called. It was nice talking to you.” Rachel pray
ed Becca had forgotten her teasing comment from the start of the conversation.

After they said their
goodbyes, Rachel hung up and blew out a noisy breath. Man, Becca was a bundle of energy, just like Stephen. Were the other two friends Becca had mentioned the same way? What would they think of her and her mostly stay-at-home lifestyle? She pushed off the couch, contemplating going to the park for a run. It would clear the cobwebs from her mind.

First, she went to the kitchen
, dropped her phone on the countertop then grabbed a yogurt to tide her over. When she was finished, she tossed the spoon in the sink with a clatter. Taking a deep breath, she started opening packages. Her hands shook the entire time, but this was a box of promises she planned on holding Stephen to. Saturday couldn’t arrive fast enough.

By the time she finished opening the toys and following the cleaning instructions for each, she was hot and bothered and
exercise to burn some energy sounded even better. She changed into running clothes and shoes, grabbed her iPod and house key then headed out. Stopping on the stoop, she let the heat wash over her while she did some stretches.

“Excuse me. Rachel Harrington?”

Startled, Rachel looked to her right. A guy with a camera focused on her stood on the sidewalk below. Did these people have nothing better to do? She walked down the stairs, fitting the earbuds into place. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away. She brushed by the guy without a word.

“Why does Stephen Raymond need a software developer?
Are you working on some secret project for him? Is he expanding his entrepreneurial endeavors?”

Thinking of today’s gifts, she smirked and kept on walking. The answer to the guy’s question was R-rated at best.
The smirk faded to a frown. Would anyone believe the truth even if she said it? She’d obviously been found wanting if they thought his only interest in her was professional. She shook off the blow to her ego. What did she care for the opinions of people she didn’t even know?

Her step
s faltered. Did she really know Stephen? Did he have any entrepreneurial endeavors besides a restaurant? Aside from that first night when he’d volunteered the story about his parents, he hadn’t shared much else. Hell, she hadn’t even known of Becca’s existence. Was Stephen protecting himself too? Or maybe, sometimes the early part of a relationship was all about the attraction. Her stomach sank. Yet another reason to end things permanently, what if, after time, they found there wasn’t anything beyond that initial spark?

Stop it
, Rach. You’re over-thinking again.

She shook her head. Next time she talked to him, she’d steer the conversation clear of anything to do with sex
, see if they could have a real conversation like the one they’d shared over sushi. With a firm nod, she picked up her pace. Running would do her good. It kept her from thinking at all.

After a
brisk, five-minute walk, she crossed into Central Park. With a push of a button, music played through the earphones. Inhaling a deep breath, she started running.

An hour and f
ive miles later, her chest heaving, she slowed to a walk at the park entrance and headed home. The run had succeeded in emptying her head of all thoughts, but once her breathing slowed, they came rushing back.

Maybe she’d let
Paul stick around for so long because she wanted to hold all the cards in a relationship. Hell, that applied all the way back to Nate. But weren’t relationships supposed to have give and take?

Of course, looked at that way, was she doing all the taking with Stephen? He hadn’t seemed the least bit put out by her saying she felt loved and taken care of during their conversation on Monday. However, aside
from a willing sex partner, whom he should be able to find anywhere, what did she offer him? He’d said more than once she was a boost to his ego. Was that enough? She wasn’t a sycophant by nature.

Becca had mentioned how he took care of his friends who’d stuck by him during the journey. Maybe he was one of those people who liked to take care of other people.
Wouldn’t that be why he’d paid for his parents’ expenses during his mother’s treatment?

Rachel
blew out a deep breath. So, the ultimate question: how did she feel about being taken care of? A shiver worked through her despite the heat, and it didn’t have anything to do with the cooling sweat beading her body. It was too damn humid for that. One part of her certainly liked the attention Stephen gave her. Financially, she could provide for herself. However, during the whole emotional rollercoaster with her dad’s health, Stephen had been a rock. Wasn’t it a good thing that she didn’t need Stephen, just wanted him, even if it meant less privacy? If she maintained her independence and withheld some small part of her heart, would that help when he inevitably left? She still didn’t have any answers, and he was due back in only a couple of days.