His Sugar Baby(60)
Cathy laid her head back and let the hard wall press into her skull. She felt utterly wearied by the long, painful journey that she and Chloe were on. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it felt like to Chloe.
The time that they had spent together, away from the hospital, had almost made it seem that their lives were normal. Almost, she thought bleakly. Cathy let out a rough sigh. That small halcyon sliver of time made this latest return to the hospital that much harder to bear. Undoubtedly that was what had motivated Chloe to ask for such transparency from her. It was a parent’s job to shelter a child against the harshness of life until they were able to stand on their own. She had been stripped of the ability to do that for Chloe a long time ago.
The duty nurse returned to remind her of the time. Cathy gently eased Chloe down, slipped off her daughter’s bed, and left the hospital room.
It was dark and late when Cathy let herself into the apartment. The emptiness echoed. She was upset and on edge. After changing out of her clothes into sweats, she warmed up some leftovers that she didn’t want but ate. Cathy wandered around restlessly, feeling like a caged animal. She wasn’t able to settle to anything, rejecting reading or cleaning to pass the time. She didn’t want to go to bed because she knew all she would do was toss and turn while her conversation with Chloe kept running through her mind. What had made Chloe ask her such a thing, and why tonight?
I need a distraction! She needed to take her mind off the fear and worry that nagged at her. She thrust her hands into her curls and groaned aloud with frustration. Sex with Michael was her opiate of choice. It was the only thing that she had ever found that gave her even a moment of forgetfulness. If she could only go to Michael and let him do for her what he did best, then possibly she would be able to sleep. She desperately needed to sleep. But it was so late, too late to set up anything with him. Maybe there’s a late movie on television. She rejected that idea at once. She wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough to concentrate on a show.
A crazy thought struck her. Cathy ceased pacing, turning it over in her mind. A smile tugged at her lips. She walked into the cramped office and turned on the computer. In minutes, she found what she was looking for, a late-night showing of an action flick. Before she lost her nerve, she called Michael’s number. It was an odd time to get in touch with him, but she didn’t care. The phone rang twice before he picked up. “Michael?”
“Winter?” He sounded surprised. His voice sharpened. “Is something wrong?”
“No, everything is fine.” She spoke the lie without hesitation. She cleared her throat. “I was wondering…would you be up for a late movie?”
“Tonight?” The surprised inflection in his voice intensified.
“Yes, the feature is playing in twenty minutes.” Cathy told him the name of the film and the location. She tapped a nervous tattoo with her index finger on the desk top. “That is…if you’re not doing anything else.”
“No… I’m not doing anything else.” His reply was drawn out, ending in a moment of silence. Then he came back, decisive. “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”
“Good. And Michael…” Cathy paused. She dropped her voice to a sultry purr. “Come commando.”
Without waiting for a response, she broke the connection. She laughed in amazement at herself, closing the cell with shaking hands. She couldn’t believe that she had actually said that. She couldn’t believe she had said it like that.
Inside the nearly empty theater auditorium, Winter waited. She had deliberately chosen a top row seat in the darkest corner. She saw Michael enter, hesitating while he glanced around for her. She waved to draw his attention. When he saw her, she could see the surprise that crossed his face.
Michael bounded up the broad carpeted stairs two at a time. When he reached her, he said, “You’ve got the nose-bleed section to yourself.”
Winter smiled at him, feeling devilment slice through her. Now that he was here, her nervousness vanished. Instead, anticipation was already pooling low in her belly. “That’s what I was hoping for. I thought it would be a good make-out spot.”
His dark brows scaled upward. There was a speculative expression in his ice-blue eyes. One side of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Make-out spot? I like the way you think, woman.” He sprawled down into the seat beside her.
There were only three other people scattered throughout the auditorium, all seated closer to the screen than they were. It was the last screening of the show. Winter smiled to herself as her heart began beating a bit faster. It was exciting to think about the little seduction she had planned, especially with other people sitting just rows away.
“Popcorn?” She offered the striped bucket to him. “I hope you like extra butter.” Without a word, Michael dug in his fingers and tossed some of the buttered popcorn into his mouth. The lights dimmed until the theater was dark. They crunched popcorn through the trailers and the film’s beginning. The action flick was a typical guy show with not much in the way of plot but lots of loud, spectacular pyrotechnics. When the popcorn bucket was empty except for a few kernels floating in the excess butter, Winter set the bucket out of the way. She turned back to Michael, who was watching her. “Now about making out…”
“What did you have in mind?” he asked in a low voice, easing his upper body closer.