Loving Vivienne: The Publicist, Book Six Read online

  You’re such an idiot, he thought.

  He was standing so close he could feel her breath catch in her throat.

  “I’d love to. Although I have no idea what kids want to know about movies.”

  “That’s easy,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Just ask them what they’d like to know. You’ll be there for hours answering questions.”

  . . . .

  He walked her back to the restaurant and then dropped her off at her cottage.

  While he walked her to her door, she ran through the scenarios in her head. It had been so long since she’d had a date—a real date, with someone she wanted to do the wild thing with—that she wasn’t sure if she should make a move now, invite him in for an after-dinner drink (she hoped the mini bar had something that would suffice), or just wait for a kiss goodnight and hope for, well, nakedness.

  Vivienne scolded herself. She wasn’t easy, not at all, but something about Daniel melted her panties.

  “I had a lovely time,” he said as they reached her door.

  “I did, too. Thank you again for dinner.” It was now or never. Make a move or decide to wait like a heroine in a 1950s movie. And then, before she could exert her female power, he made the decision for her. Daniel leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He held his lips there for a moment, long enough to shake her lady parts awake. She felt a shudder slide down her spine. God, if this is what happens to me after a kiss on the cheek…

  “See you tomorrow,” he said as he pulled back a little, although he was still close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. “Now, I wouldn’t be a true gentleman if I don’t make sure you get inside safely.”

  For a second it didn’t register. Vivienne heard him say something about going inside. Oh, her going inside. Alone. Right, her key! She started digging for it and found the card, slipping it into the lock. The door buzzed and she pushed it open. He stayed outside.

  “Goodnight, Vivienne,” he nodded, and with a soft smile, he turned to walk down the pathway back to his car.

  . . . .

  Daniel sat in his car watching the closed door for a long time. He wanted to knock on her door and come clean. Just tell her everything, and let the pieces fall where they might. He even walked back to her door, raised his hand to knock, and then pulled it back. If he knocked, he knew there’d be more going on than his confession. Although he wouldn’t mind that, he couldn’t allow it to happen under these circumstances. So, with much effort, he turned and left.

  . . . .

  Daniel went back to his small loft apartment and collapsed onto his bed. What the hell was he doing?

  Christ, she was Vivienne Lavigne! How in the hell was that possible? What were the odds of him running into her in this remote place? Nil, he thought. The odds were nil, much like the likelihood that she’d want to see him when she found out. Soon he’d have to tell her who he was—or rather, who his parents were—and then the jig would be up.

  He hadn’t allowed himself to kiss her, though he’d wanted to. Oh, how he’d wanted to. Her smile sent his blood cells marching southward, in formation, whistling happily. Then he remembered the inevitable showdown, and the whistling stopped.

  “Damn it!” he said, grabbing a pillow and pressing it into his face with a muffled growl, “Argh!”

  He hated the thought, but tomorrow would have to be it. He’d show her around the orphanage, and that would be that. She’d go her way and he’d go his.

  He was playing with fire. A smarter man would just let it be, cancel tomorrow, and let her go home and remain forever ignorant of his connection to her archenemy. Clearly, and despite his stellar academic record, he wasn’t smart at all.

  . . . .

  Back at her suite, deflated because he hadn’t kissed her, Viv decided to call her friends, who were no doubt eager for details. She texted Evie. In less than a minute, she and Sam were knocking on her door.

  . . . .

  “You mean he didn’t even try to kiss you?” Sam looked aghast. Clearly she’d hoped for a juicier ending to the evening. “What the hell kind of first date is that?”

  Evie flopped onto Vivienne’s couch, sighed, and said, “The perfect kind of first date, where it’s just about getting to know each other. Vivy, he sounds like a dream!”

  Sam huffed, flung herself down next to Evie, and said, “I can’t believe you didn’t have mind-numbing sex!! I’m so disappointed. I was hoping for details!!”

  Viv laughed at Sam’s chagrin, then sat on one of the overstuffed chairs and said, “He’s invited all of us to see the orphanage tomorrow.”

  Evie narrowed her eyes. “Us, or just you?”

  “He invited me, but I’m sure he meant all of us!” she insisted.

  Sam perked up. “Yes, let’s all go. I bet there are other hunky doctors there!”

  Evie shook her head, “No, we’re not going, Viv.”

  Sam whipped around to glare at Evie. “Why the hell not?”

  “Look, this guy clearly likes you, and I think you should give it a chance, see where this goes,” Evie insisted.

  “But this is supposed to be our trip!” Viv protested, flinging her legs over the arm of the chair.

  “And it is,” Evie nodded, “and it will be. We can do something after your tour, but you should explore this. The guy seems really nice.”

  Vivienne shook her head. “You know, I think I’m going to just cancel and tell him to look me up when we’re in New York.”

  Sam pumped her fist. “Good one, play hard to get.”

  Evie looked at her, “Aren’t you the one who wanted to buy her a truckload of condoms?”

  Sam jutted her chin out, “Yes, but now this whole hard-to-get thing seems like a better idea.”

  “It doesn’t to me.” Evie gave Viv a laser-focused look. “Go have fun. See what happens, and if he asks you out again, go. We’re fine. Aren’t we, Samantha?” She raised an eyebrow at her blonde friend, who nodded like a bobblehead doll.

  “One hundred percent fine.”

  9

  Viv took a cab to the orphanage. When she arrived, she couldn’t help but notice how dilapidated everything looked. The large two-story building was white, or it had been. Now the paint was peeling and fading, corners of the building revealing the gray stone beneath. The windows were dirty on the outside, and she could tell, even at this distance, that the curtains were frayed.

  While she paid and tipped the driver, she could hear children’s laugher erupting from the courtyard off to the side of the building. She followed the cheerful noise and saw kids of various ages playing. A woman with darkly braided hair and a generous smile emerged and called to them. She wore a light colored dress that set off her dark skin.

  “Come inside,” she said in Spanish. “It’s time for lunch.” Viv walked closer, and the woman spotted her, her face creasing in a broad, bright smile. The woman was tall and sturdy—not thin, but not overweight—and she had kind, gentle eyes.

  “Hola,” Vivienne began in broken Spanish, “Estoy aqui…um…para…”

  “Ah,” the woman’s eyes twinkled. “You are here to see Dr. Dan!” She spoke English with a Jamaican lilt that almost made what she said sound like a song. She held out a large hand.

  “My name is Marie. I help out with da children.”

  Viv shook her hand and liked Marie immediately.

  “He’s talked about nothin’ else since he pulled you from da water,” Marie winked.

  “Oh, you heard?” she felt a little embarrassed that he’d told everyone.

  “Yes, but not from Dr. Dan. He would never talk about himself dat way. But it’s a small village. When something exciting or scary happens to a tourist, we all hear about it.” She winked again and said, “Let’s get you inside and not keep da good doctor waiting.”

  Marie led her through a heavy but worn front door and into a large entryway. There were children everywhere, even more than she’d seen outside.

  “How many children do you
have here?” Viv asked quietly, overwhelmed at the sight of all of these kids without parents or anyone to love them.

  Marie sighed. “We have a couple hundred right now, sometimes as few as twenty, but mostly it’s much higher dan dat. It’s sad, I know. I fight da sadness every day.”

  Marie walked her into a large hall, where she spotted Daniel, who was giving a little boy a shot.

  Marie leaned into Viv. “All us women have a crush on da good Dr. Dan, but he don’ see it. And he is a good man, dat one, and gives so much while he’s here.”

  Marie almost sounded like she was trying to sell her on the good doctor, not that she needed to.

  Then she added, “He comes here more dan de others, and always alone. But all da people need someone to love, don’ ya t’ink?”

  Viv nodded, unsure of how to reply. Marie waved over to Daniel, and called out, “Dr. Dan, here’s da lady ye’re expectin’.”

  Her heart leapt into her throat when Daniel looked over his shoulder and motioned for her to come over, and she left the sweet woman who had obviously missed her calling as a matchmaker and walked over to him.

  He was kneeling in front of a little girl with dark, curly hair and bright blue eyes, “This is Sophia,” he said and then added, “Do you speak Spanish?”

  Vivienne knelt down next to him and smiled at the girl, “Only a little.”

  “She’s scared of shots, and I could use your help.”

  “Sure, what do you need me to do?”

  “Just hold her hand, I think she misses a woman’s touch.” He winked at her and then said to Sophia in slow Spanish, so Viv could follow, “Señorita Vivienne is a friend of mine. She came here to meet all of you, and she’d like to hold your hand while I give you your vaccine. Is that okay?”

  The little girl nodded and held out her hand. Viv held it and felt her heart crack a little.

  This poor child.

  Daniel rolled up her sleeve while the little girl squeezed her eyes shut and gripped Viv’s hand tightly. In less than a few seconds Daniel was done and smiled as he set down the needle and handed her a lollypop.

  “Here you go, my brave girl,” he said in Spanish and kissed her on the forehead. Sophia beamed and threw her tiny arms around his neck.

  “Gracias, Daniel,” she said in a tiny voice, and trotted off, sucking on her candy.

  Daniel turned to Vivienne, “Good to see you.” He stood up and she followed his lead.

  “I don’t want to keep you from your work,” she said, sounding annoyingly breathless for no reason. It absolutely wasn’t just the sight of him all doctored up and looking more McSteamy than ever, if that was even possible.

  “Not at all. It’s time for their lunch anyway. I’ll get back to work after a break.”

  Viv looked around and heard Marie calling them all to the lunch hall. “Daniel this is so…”

  “Overwhelming?”

  She nodded.

  “I know,” he said, those gypsy eyes sorrowful. “I had no idea. I came down here to surf one summer with friends and found this place, and I’ve been coming here whenever I can ever since.”

  Daniel was standing close to her again while they watched the large room empty. She went utterly still for a beat because he smelled delicious, like he’d recently showered. She inhaled deeply, then pretended she wasn’t trying to catch a bigger whiff of him. She wanted to hold his hand like they had on the beach, but this was his work.

  “Come on,” he said, smiling down at her. And, just like that, the butterflies were back. “Let’s give you a tour.”

  Daniel escorted her down the hall past a smallish exam room he explained was used for more private appointments. He and a few other doctors rotated shifts, coming down here when they could. But it was a lot to keep up with. Kids poured in. Some were adopted and some, sadly, just aged out of the system and were forced to leave because of a lack of beds.

  “Their financial support,” he explained while he showed her some of the sleeping rooms, “has dwindled a lot over the years.”

  Vivienne looked inside to see beds were lined up close together, every one covered by a sickly-looking green blanket. Some beds had a single stuffed toy on them, while others were bare, with only a pillow and blanket. There were twenty beds to a room.

  “They try to group them by age, and the girls’ and boys’ rooms are on different floors. It was just easier that way, given that there are always more girls than boys. Often boys are adopted to work the fields, or some other kind of work, so they tend to turn over more quickly.”

  Daniel stood for a moment in one of the rooms, “It’s just sad this has to happen, that even with all the wealth out there, these kids have no real home.”

  Vivienne walked into the room behind him. “How do they wind up here?”

  He shrugged, “Parents die, or one parent dies and the other one can’t support a family, or a young girl gets pregnant and is forced to give up the child.” He scrubbed a hand over his forehead, clearly upset. “I don’t know who could do that, give up a child—and to have it forced on you. Poor girls.”

  His voice trailed off and Vivienne touched his arm gently, and let her hand drift down to his and hold it.

  . . . .

  “It’s so incredible, what you do.” Her voice was soft and tentative, and those sea-green eyes held his, and he could feel an irresistible urge spark to life, drowning out all good sense.

  “It’s nothing. It’s just…I can’t imagine a child going unloved and uncared for. It makes me…” He swallowed hard and she touched his face softly.

  Then, despite the voice in his head screaming for him to stop, he lowered his lips to hers and then—oh, God—then he kissed her.

  10

  The moment their lips met, it triggered some serious voltage. Electrical mixed with two hundred volts of pure sexual energy.

  Her lips were soft and sweet. God, were they sweet. Yet somehow spicy, too, and he liked that.

  And then she was kissing him back, her hands on his chest. Then she nipped his lip, softly, and it sent a shudder down his spine.

  He needed to be closer, wrapped his arms around her more tightly. God, she felt good pressed against him. Wanting to savor her, he gently slid his hands up, stroking and kneading her arms, her shoulders, his thumbs gently caressing her throat and tilting her head to suit him—and man, did she suit him.

  She let out a soft, wordless murmur, and then her hands, which were still on his chest, dug in a little bit and gripped his shirt, pulling him closer.

  Then things detonated.

  He flicked his tongue on her lips. When her lips parted, he pushed her against the door and kissed her harder, his tongue inside her mouth, dancing with hers. She smelled sweet, like vanilla and cinnamon, tasted like wild honey, and when he wove his fingers through her curls, he caught the faintest whiff of an exotic flower.

  Stop this, his mind screamed. But since all the blood was busy elsewhere, his body wasn’t listening. His body was in control, that and his heart. Definitely his heart.

  And then, when they were both breathless, he jerked away.

  “Vivienne, I-I’m so sorry, please don’t take this the wrong way.”

  Vivienne stumbled back, eyes dilated, hand over her mouth.

  He stepped back again, putting more distance between them.

  “That was…” she began, trying to catch her breath.

  Spectacular, he thought. Heart-pounding and perfect.

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” he mumbled before Vivienne had a chance to finish her sentence.

  “I-uhhh… You don’t need to apologize. I liked it—I mean, I’m not sorry you kissed me.”

  “I didn’t lure you here for this. I truly wanted to show you the orphanage,” he insisted, looking at her, and then away from her, so she couldn’t see the guilt that must be written all over his face.

  Vivienne moved closer and took his hand, “It’s okay. I’m not sorry we kissed.”

  Daniel stepped back
again. Distance, he thought. She’s gonna hate you, and it’s just a matter of time before she finds out. Don’t open this Pandora’s box. If you do, she’ll hate you more when she finds out.

  As a doctor, he had learned to compartmentalize things like death, despair, and a hopeless case he knew he couldn’t save. But he was having a devil of a time compartmentalizing this, or her. Then, with every inch of resolve, and some he didn’t even know he had he said, “Let’s go see the lunch area, shall we?”

  What he actually needed was a cold shower. But he’d take the distraction of lunch, since that was all he had at the moment.

  The rest of the afternoon Daniel did his best to be polite, even funny, but made sure he was always on guard. He saw her confusion, and then the hurt, and then her lovely face went cold, and he knew it was over.

  11

  Viv knocked briskly on the door of her friends’ cottage. They’d probably see the smoke coming out of her ears the minute they opened the door.

  Evie threw the door open. “There you are! How was—uh-oh. What happened?”

  Sam peered over Evie’s shoulder, and her eyebrows shot up. “Get in here, girlfriend, and tell us everything before we bust.”

  Evie, bless her heart, said, “Want some wine? Looks like this might require some wine.”

  Viv threw herself down on their couch, then tucked into one corner, fuming silently until Evie handed her the wine.

  Evie sat next to Sam, and they both watched her, goggle-eyed.

  “Well?” Sam finally demanded. “What happened?!?!?”

  “I don’t know what the hell happened,” she growled. “One minute he’s kissing the daylights out of me and the next he’s pushing me away like…like…I don’t know. Like I’m contaminated or something. Clearly he has issues, and I’m just damn glad I found out about them now, as opposed to wasting a whole bunch of time with a guy who blows hot and cold.”

  Sam sipped the wine and nodded in BFF support, “I agree, saved you a ton of wasted time.”