Chapter 55
Messy Business
Randi felt like she’d not had much sleep when the sun came creeping in her window. The dogs were in the bed and they were beginning to stir, too. She got up quickly knowing that it had been a while since the pups had been out to find their new favorite tree.
They thought this was a new adventure but she had realized they were not leash-trained. If she was going to stay in a hotel, she was going to have to find a better one. She might have to ask Martin if she could leave the dogs at the mansion where they could run loose and stay in the garage at night.
She doubted if Celia would do anything to harm them, but she also knew she couldn’t count on her to care for them. Once she was dressed, she was out the door and down to the dog walk and the few trees that were there.
There would be time later in the day to go for a longer walk but she would need to get a cab so they could go to the park. She’d asked for a few days off from work so she could figure out who would keep the dogs and find a better place to stay.
After a shower and dressing for the day, she checked her messages. A smile came to her lips, as it always did when she saw a missed call from Martin. She dialed back as she dug through her cooler to make a sandwich. She was about to add mustard when he picked up.
“Hey, beautiful. How are you?”
“Feeling rushed, but okay. I’ve got a few days off from work so I can find a place to stay. Julie can sit this week but I’ve got to find something permanent.”
“Can I come up?”
“You’re here?” she asked, looking around the room, and then into the mirror. “Sure.”
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
“I wasn’t expecting company. The place is a mess.”
“Honey, I don’t care, and don’t kill yourself while I’m on the way up. I’ve seen messy rooms. I’m pretty good at making a mess myself.”
“Come on up.”
“I’m here; just let me in.”
“You’re a sneak,” she said, opening the door, “but a cute sneak.”
Martin came in taking off his sunglasses. Once the door was closed, Randi moved to him, pulled the baseball hat off and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Every time I see you I can’t believe we’re dating.”
“Me either,” he said, and she smiled, giving him a quick kiss. When he cut the kiss short and looked at her, she was puzzled. “What’s wrong? You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well.” She tossed the hat in a chair and rested in his arms. “I have something to talk to you about.”
“I don’t like the sound of that serious tone.”
“It’s nothing bad. I just have a lot on my mind. My sister’s getting married in our Dad’s family church soon and she would like for us to attend.”
“That’s so sweet. I’d love to, but I’m not sure.”
“If the dogs are your only worry, we can find someone to keep them, or Mike can take care of them for a few days. Or, if all else fails, we’ll take them with us. I’m more concerned about your mother. I didn’t tell you but I went to see her yesterday, and it didn’t go well.”
“You did?” she asked, following him as he walked over to a window and looked out. “Is that what has you in this gloomy mood? Don’t worry about it, she’ll come around.”
“I’m not so sure. I might have an answer but we need to talk it over. Let’s sit down,” he said, walking over to the bed, which was the only place to sit. She looked at him, spoke and sat down facing him.
“What is it? What did she say to you?”
“She wants me to sign a paper more or less saying that I’ll never have any touching or kissing scenes with other women. And, she wants it binding though I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“Wow, she said all of that? I’m surprised.”
Randi listened to Martin and how it all came about, and the whole time, she sat holding his hand. When he was finished, she looked at him. “I can see something in your eyes I don’t like. You’re worried or angry and I’m not sure which.”
“Both. I don’t like being forced into anything but I understand a little better. Addison told me to consider if the shoe was on the other foot. My mind has been working and it’s part of this mood I’m in. It would kill me inside to see you kiss or hold another man. I would be sick if I knew your body was pressed against someone else. Randi, I don’t want to do that to you.”
“Then don’t. What’s the catch?”
“The catch is, I know how private you are and there may come a point that I will need you to do something. I might need you to start a love scene. I can’t see a reason that you would ever need to be nude, but I would hate to ask you to undress in front of anyone even just down to something delicate.”
“Martin, if it would mean keeping some other woman from touching you, I’d do just about anything. I love you, and I want to make this work. It would be strange, but I’m sure they could put some kind of a body stocking or something on me. Would it be easy? No, but it would be a lot easier than standing back and seeing some other woman touch you, hold you, kiss you.”
Randi leaned in and brought her lips to his, and she could feel his tension. She also felt it sliding away as he parted his lips and slowly laid her back onto the bed. His hands stayed on her waist but his kisses roamed to her neck and it was hard to not allow him what he wanted. But, they’d held off so far and they could do it now.
“We’re not on the set now,” she teased.
“Are you sure? I’ve seen sets this messy.”
“Hey,” she said, and he rose, looking at her with a grin.
“So, you’ll go with me to the wedding? We might need to leave tonight or tomorrow, depending on the tickets.”
“Yes. I’ll make a call and see if I can get Julie to watch the dogs. If not, we’ll ask Mike. The dogs ran around that old mansion for weeks. As long as someone puts out food and water for them, they will be fine. Are you listening to me?”
“No, and you better get out of this bed or I’m going to kiss you again, and I might not want to stop.”
“I understand. You’re so handsome and when you look at me like that, it’s almost more than I can take and I want to stop thinking and just act.”
“Oh, right. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Go pack, and if you forget anything, we’ll buy it.”