Is Three A Crowd? (3 page)

“Ms. Dusan, is everything all right?”

“Who are you?” It was blunt, but what she needed to know.

“Nathan Radulf, Ms. Dusan, is there a problem?”

“What?” Maris was stunned into confusion. Before her stood the man she’d conjured up in her dreams. There was no doubt in her mind, although she knew they’d never met. Not at the office or by chance on the street, only in her sleep. He didn’t try to disguise the overall look he was taking of her, but somehow it didn’t disgust her as it did when strangers sized her up. She let herself take the same long look at him. His hand clasped hers, the feeling of relief and security overwhelming. If Shin hadn’t nosed between them, she might never have let go of his hand.

This was definitely off for her. Since the accident she’d become leery of strangers. Men mostly intimidated her, but she didn’t know why. Right after the accident, her mother continually reinforced that her memories would return on their own, and that forcing the process wouldn’t help. Nevertheless, they hadn’t returned. She remembered all of her past schooling. Only people seemed blocked. The first months she’d held onto hope that one day she’d wake up and remember everything. It hadn’t happened. Seeing her daughter frustrated, her mother, Margo, moved them from their Canadian home to the outskirts of
Manhattan
. There she finished school and turned her engineering degree toward surveying land. With the land, she didn’t have to have personal feelings or give her personal history. She still remembered the name of every flower and leaf, but they held no interest. At least being a surveyor, some of her time was spent outdoors, not locked in a small cubicle in some nondescript office. Being afraid in the woods simply wouldn’t do. Now, meeting the property owner in person shook her to an inner level of sexuality she’d never experienced. Instantly her body betrayed her. Her breasts were heavy with need, her lower lips moist and wanting. She had to get her act together and finish this job. Just because this man resembled a figure from her murky sexual dreams, she’d not assume he had any alterative motive except having his land surveyed. She was hired to do a job and she’d complete it. Maybe her dreams could center around a real person for a change. Yes, she’d use this man as the object of desire for her fantasies for a while.

Maris realized he was staring at her and felt her neck and cheeks heat up from embarrassment, as if he could read her erotic thoughts. Either way, he was quite a specimen. He was tall and broad, solid with a flat belly, large hands that dropped to ruffle the dog’s ears.

“Aminta said you called last night.”

“Oh,” she managed, silently berating herself for staring at him.
Get your act together, girl
, she admonished, pulling a deep breath. She may have dreamed about a similar man, but this man was a stranger to her. He was skin and bone and a reality in person.

Shin sat beside him, accepting his touch. Even her dog deserted her for this stranger. Instantly, she wanted to hate him and knew it was impossible, yet she couldn’t get past the slightly smug smile on his lips.

“Don’t laugh at me!” she said, with a bit too much attitude in her voice, forcing away the introspective thoughts, remembering this was business.

“I’m not laughing, Ms. Dusan, just admiring.”

She did hate him a bit for being honest. “What?”

He laughed openly this time, standing to his full height. “Mr. Conleth assured me of your degrees, but is he aware you can’t form a sentence?”

“Why you smug son of a…” Maris pulled back the rest of her words, glaring at him.

“That’s better, now you have a bit of color back in your cheeks. Come, we’ll go back to the house and you can tell me about what’s been haunting you in my forest.”

“I never said I felt haunted, Mr. Radulf.”
How did he
know she felt haunted unless he was the one watching her?

“I think you should start calling me Nathan, and Maris suits you, all right?”

“Yes. No.” She shook her head. “Yes, you can call me Maris. No, I don’t need to go to your house.” She paused, shaking her head. “I have my truck.”

“It will be brought up to the house.” His tone sounded so final she bristled against it, couldn’t allow him to direct her actions.

Maris watched as her well-trained Jindo trotted beside this stranger. Silently she fell in step beside him. Only when they reached his vehicle did she hesitate. This wasn’t a fear of him, more a fear of her feelings and emotions. Overwhelmed by the situation, she stopped walking. Nathan Radulf halted with his back to her, Shin beside him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Shin, come.” She snapped her fingers and the dog hesitated. This was a first. While sometimes distracted, the dog always went with her. Both people watched the dog look from one to the other. Slowly, as if with regret, Shin moved from Radulf’s side, coming to sit beside Maris.

“Thank you for taking the time to check on me, Mr. Radulf. I’d rather keep to my original schedule. I’ll finish with the acreage tomorrow and move on to the outer buildings.” Thankfully, she found her keys in the zippered pocket of her jacket and opened her truck door. With one last look of longing at Radulf, Shin jumped into the cab and moved to the passenger seat, settling in as she usually did.

“Don’t be foolish, Maris, come back to the house with me.”

“No, thank you. And just to clarify, I never told Aminta I felt haunted. I only asked if there were any other workmen on the property.”

He seemed to be debating his options before answering, choosing to laugh aloud but she caught the look of angst on his face just before he pulled it back. “All right, Maris, have it your way. Call Aminta if you need anything.” She saw he was still laughing as he took to the wheel of his SUV, expertly turning the vehicle around on the narrow road. He didn’t speed away instead Maris felt he was still laughing at her expense.

In her truck, safely locked inside, she let her weight slump against the steering wheel. “You’re a big help,” she said to Shin, ruffling her ears. “What is it about him that you left me for?” The dog turned her head to one side, then laid it down on her paws, dismissing the subject. It took Maris three tries to turn her smaller truck on the same road before heading offsite. Once on the main road, she glanced at Shin, who let out a deep huff.

“Great, now my dog would rather be with him,” she said. “You should hang your head. Just because he’s good-looking doesn’t mean we can trust him.” Maris wondered if she was telling the dog or reinforcing the concept to herself. She didn’t even know what color his eyes were, as he never took off his sunglasses. Just because he resembled the man she’d been dreaming about didn’t make it reality. His image soothing her in the woods at her moment of panic just before he drove up riled her. Did she conjure her sleep lover to comfort her or was he actually there? That would be impossible, should be impossible.

* * * *

Maris was thankful to be finished with the forest acreage the next afternoon. Nathan arrived just as she finished. He wore similar clothing: well fitting jeans, broken in work boots, and a thin turtleneck sweater. No coat, but sunglasses again covered his eyes.

“Any problems today, Maris?”

“None, Mr. Radulf. I’ve just finished the acreage, so I’ll be keeping my schedule.” She hoped to sound professional using his complete name.

“I’ve no doubt, Ms. Dusan.” He used her full name with an exaggerated tone. “Anything annoy you in the woods today?”

She wanted to say he was, but didn’t. She noticed Shin was torn between going to Radulf and staying by her side. As if reading her mind, Radulf said, “Go with Maris, Shin. Guard.” He left with little fuss, Shin sitting beside Maris wagging her tail. Maris swore if a dog could smile, Shin was.

In her truck on the way back to the hotel, Maris looked at the dog when she stopped for a traffic light in town. “You know, ‘Shin’ means ‘trust’ in Korean. How can you trust Radulf without knowing him?” She got no response from the almost sleeping dog, rather wondered again what was the matter with her. Technically, the man had done nothing wrong, but he seemed to get on her last nerve every time they met. Still, instinct told her to trust him, too.

Maris forced herself to finish her reports before taking a swim and walking Shin. Tonight they strolled the main street, alive with activity. However, she got the same feeling she had the last two nights. Scanning the street around her, her eye repeatedly landed on a dark-haired, dark-eyed man who would look away. Shin was back on alert, staying close to her side.

Tonight the dog lay down in front of her hotel room door without being pushed from the bed. Laying in the semi darkened room, the television on but muted, she had a long debate with herself.

She continued to refer to Nathan as Radulf, trying to keep an impersonal distance between them. He was obviously well-bred, handsome, and rich. He knew she was attracted to him, and he knew she felt haunted by the woods. Why didn’t she feel the presence today? She’d read the file Roland Conleth had provided, and he never gave her a physical description of Radulf. She knew they’d never met in real life. So how had she managed to conjure him into her sleep? Her room phone rang at the stroke of ten, slightly startling her as she hesitantly answered.

“Yes.”

“Ms. Dusan, just making sure you’re settled for the night?”

“Yes,” she answered, unsettled by the call. “You don’t need to feel responsible for me.”

“But I am. You’re working for me. While you’re here, you’re under my protection.”

A long pause spread between them before she answered.

“What do I need protecting from?”

“You’d be surprised, Maris. Sleep well, nothing will bother you tonight.” He disconnected while she looked at the receiver for several seconds.

“What is he protecting me from or is it who?”

Shin was antsy again the next morning, so Maris hurried to dress. She kept talking to the dog, telling her she’d be ready any minute as her fingers crossed the long strands of her curly hair into a braid. With an elastic band securing the bottom, she grabbed her keys, phone and laptop before putting Shin’s leash on her. She stopped at her truck to deposit her computer and phone and strolled the back of the parking lot with the dog. Shin was more alert than usual, doing her business quickly without wandering and sniffing.

With the windows half rolled down, Shin sat in the passenger seat and waited while Maris ran back inside the hotel to grab a cup of coffee for the road. Shin was well-ventilated and would wait patiently for her. She always had in the past, accompanying Maris on many errands and trips.

If the aroma of coffee wafting through the lobby air hadn’t smelled so appealing, she probably wouldn’t have gone back. She’d slept well, almost too well, not stirring until her wake-up call. She’d decided to skip breakfast and just take a cup with her.

At the breakfast buffet she headed to the take away cups, waiting none too patiently while the man in front of her slowly mixed sugar into his cup. The length she waited in reality was only seconds, but a strong feeling of unease overcame her. Behind her, a large man approached. In her peripheral vision, she saw tall, dark skin, and dark hair. A chill of anticipation ran through her. She had no idea why, but her pussy had gone wet at the first sight of this stranger. Her nipples hardened, and she was thankful her jacket would cover the protrusions. An embarrassed heat chased through her body, to her neck and cheeks. Her fingers tingled with a strange need to touch this man, this total stranger, in intimate ways she’d not considered before. She had a flash of a vision. He was lying on top of her, his hands holding hers high over her head, his cock penetrating her body. Her body arched up to accept each thrust. She saw the smile on his lips, leaned up to kiss them, and then the vision was gone. Her hand holding the cup started to shake, and Maris moved from the line with purpose, tossing the empty cup into the garbage. Outside she was clipping her seat belt when Shin started to growl. Maris turned automatically to see why and came face to face with the dark haired man who stood beside her door, a white Styrofoam cup in one hand. Maris tried to hush Shin and was thankful she locked the truck after entering. She had no choice but to lower the window, but only a bit.

Up close, she took a long look at the dark man. He was of European descent, his skin a dark olive tone, his eyes brown as his hair. He was attractive, probably in his late thirties, dressed in jeans and boots with only a flannel shirt covering his upper body. In her mind, she wondered if any of the men up here in the mountains ever wore a coat. Only when he smiled did her concerns ease. Shin growled in a deeper tone, but he whistled once to get her attention, and the dog stopped. Now her tail was wagging against the seat. Maris wanted to be annoyed, but couldn’t muster the emotions. Too much was going on around her, and it was time she found out how she fit into the puzzle. It was becoming an inherent feeling. It was obvious that these men would have a part in her future, but just how they fit remained to be seen.