"Work?" Rachel said. "Why are you working?" She laughed. "Oh, Calista, we should talk. Better yet, why don't you and Leo come over for dinner? Would Friday work?"
Calista blinked. "I need to ask Leo first. He's in so much demand with his company. I try to encourage him to take breaks," she invented. "Thanks for calling though. I'm sure I'll see you soon. Bye now," she said and hung up and turned off her phone. Peace, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. At the touch of a button.
She heard a knock on her door. Wary because of her previous calls, she rose to answer it. Three of her female coworkers stood there with their faces wreathed in smiles. "Congratulations! We're so excited for you," Susan said.
"I'm sure you've already given notice," Anna said. "Do you know who is going to get your office?"
Calista dropped her jaw. "No, I-"
Hal, her boss, a middle-aged man, approached from behind the three women. He shook his finger at her playfully. "No wonder you wanted all that extra time off. You told me you got married, but you didn't tell me your husband's name."
Calista smiled weakly. "We wanted to keep things quiet."
"Why?" Susan asked. "This is the most exciting news we've had around here in a long time."
Her boss's assistant waved as she approached the group. "There's a journalist from Philadelphia Magazine on the phone. She wants to do a feature of you and your new husband. Wouldn't it be great if they put you on the cover?"
Not really, Calista thought. "Would you mind getting her e-mail and asking if I can get back to her? I would obviously have to discuss this with my husband." Even after being married for a month, those words sounded foreign coming out of her mouth.
"When do we get to meet him?" Susan asked. "Do you ever have lunch with him?"
"Don't be silly," Anna said. "You know she's already resigned. Haven't you?"
"No," Calista said. "I haven't. I don't plan to quit."
"Why?" Anna asked.
That same question was thrown at her over and over. Between those questions and the incessant phone calls, Calista was exhausted by the end of the day and she hadn't gotten any work accomplished.
Hal glanced into her office. "Busy day?"
She smiled but knew it was more of a grimace. "Times two," she said. "Don't worry. I'm taking work home, so I won't fall behind."
"I've been wondering if it might be best if you take a leave of absence," he ventured.
"Why?" she asked, her stomach clenching in fear. "I know there was a lot of disruption today, but I'm sure it will blow over quickly."
He shook his head and chuckled. "I think you're underestimating the level of interest people have in your marriage. My assistant was fielding calls for you half the afternoon."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think people would care that much. I'm sure it will get better," she said. "Please don't let me go."
"I'm not firing you," Hal said. "I just think it would be in the company's best interest and yours for you to take some time to get your ducks in a row about all this. And who knows? After you're off for a little while, you may decide you like it."
Panic rose inside her. "I really want to keep this job."
"I hear you. That's what you want now, but it could change. At least, take tomorrow and think about a short leave." His lips twitched. "You're a newlywed. Enjoy the moment."
Calista fought the terrible urge to cry. Before now, she'd been able to keep her marriage under the radar. Now that the news had exploded, it seemed like that was all anyone wanted to talk about with her. It was hard enough to fake her commitment to Leo and herself. With everyone gushing congratulations, best wishes and curiosity, all she wanted to do was scream that the marriage was temporary, so it wasn't necessary to get all worked up over it.
Leo walked through the door of his penthouse after going a round with George in the boxing ring down the block. The former pro hadn't cut him any slack either. He would be wearing a nice bruise on his jaw tomorrow.His housekeeper met him at the door. "Good evening, Mr. Grant. Welcome home. What can I get for you?"
"Bag of frozen peas, please," he said.
He watched her eyes glint with a combination of humor and sympathy. "George was feeling his oats?"
He nodded. "He won't be feeling them tomorrow, though," he said. "I got one of his ribs pretty good after he blasted my jaw. Is Calista around?"
"Yes, sir. She went to the fitness room a little over an hour ago," she said.
"I'll look in on her," he said, barely waiting a moment before Brenda returned with the bag of peas. Immediately applying it to his jaw, he walked to the fitness room and saw Calista pacing from one end of the room to the other with a frown on her face.
"Bad day?" he asked.
Her head shot up and she met his gaze, not smiling. "It could have been better. It started out with my car getting towed from the parking lot of The Mark even though they wouldn't let me get to it last night."
"Did you call George?"
"No. I picked it up myself after work, which brings me to another subject," she said.
Irritation trickled through him. "I told you to call George if you needed help."
"Trust me. Picking up my car was cake compared to the rest of my day. Did you happen to see the newspaper this morning?"
Realization shot through him. "Oh, the little piece in the Inquirer. My assistant told me about it. I don't usually read the social column."
"How many calls did you get about it?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. My assistant screens my calls, and he knows I like my privacy."
"I could have used that kind of assistant today," she muttered.
"Do you want one?" he asked.
"No," she wailed. "I just don't want all these people calling me. My boss even suggested I take a leave of absence."
"I don't suppose this is a good time to say Hoo-rah," he said.
She shot him a dark look. "It isn't. For the most part, our relationship has been between you and me. We went out in public those few times last week, but I had no idea people would be so interested."
He shrugged. "People are interested in anything that involves money."
"I'd like to say that I disagree, but I can't," she said.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said. "It was really disruptive at work today."
"So leave," he said. "Let me take care of your bills. They can't be that bad."
He watched her stiffen in response.
"I'm accustomed to taking care of myself," she said.
"You can take care of yourself, but it's not necessary to take care of your bills. I have more than enough to do that. I wish you wouldn't slam your head into the wall about it," he said.
"Easy for you to say. I guess this means I can make the India trip with no problem," she said.
"I've put that off. The son of the man I'm dealing with is getting married. His father is distracted," Leo said.
"Oh," she said.
"Yeah, oh," he said, extending his hand. "What's it going to take for you to relax?"
She lifted her chin, and he was drawn to the pride she took in herself and her choices. "What's it going to take for you to relax?"
He gave a low, dirty chuckle. "Never gonna happen," he said and pulled her against him. "But I'll cover you. Relax."
For a second, she looked as if she believed him, but then her eyes flickered. "You need to remember that I try not to count on anyone."
"I'm different," he said and pressed his mouth against hers.
"I'm starting to think you are," she whispered.
Her body felt delicious against his. She would feel even more delicious when he was sinking inside her. "I'll take care of you."
"I don't expect you to," she protested.
"Let me," he said, pulling her off her feet and into his arms. "Let me." He carried her into the master bath and made love to her.
Eight
Calista awakened each day the next week feeling a surge of panic. She should be working. She shouldn't relax. She needed to be earning money because, after all, her marriage to Leo could end before the six-month mark if he found out the truth about her. If that happened, she would be out of a job and her sisters would be without the funds for their education.
Calista cleaned their suite, then searched for things to do. Leo's housekeeper, Brenda, repeatedly approached her. "What can I do for you?" she asked. "How can I help you? You seem troubled.""I'm unaccustomed to not working," Calista told her. "I don't know what to do with myself."