Chapter 13.

Seven days.

That's how long it had been since he'd last seen Colby, Sterling thought for the hundredth time that day. He was trying to concentrate on the script that had been delivered to him that morning. And he couldn't keep his mind on what he was doing.

It had been seven whole days.

Seeing his concentration level was at an all-time low, he stood and went to the window and looked out. The view of the ocean was beautiful, but not as beautiful as it had been that day he had watched Colby rousting about in it.

Sterling knew he ought to get back to the script. Filming would begin in five weeks; that was two weeks after he returned from his honeymoon. The last thing he wanted to do was think about Colby, but that was the very thing he was doing.

He had refused to call her by convincing himself of "out of sight, out of mind." And he wanted to get her out of his system. But to his utter dismay, that hadn't worked with him, which was very confusing. Never before had a woman effected him the way Colby had. His past affairs with women had always been a way to release his l.u.s.t. They had been brief and meaningless liaisons. But Colby touched him on a different level, one that wasn't just physical.

He had tried desperately to close his mind and thoughts to her, needing distance to get his mind back in focus, and to reinforce the reason for her place in his life. He kept telling himself that she was just another woman, like all the others, whether they were fashion models, other movie stars, or star-crazed groupies. He wanted to believe there was nothing about Colby that was so special. But deep down he knew that in itself was a lie.

He pulled in a ragged breath as he shifted his gaze from the ocean to the sun that was blazing bright in the sky. Why did things with Colby have to be so complicated? Getting through each day was hard enough, but his nights were even harder. He would lie awake during all hours just thinking about something she'd said or something she'd done, and would find himself smiling or laughing out loud like a fool. He was no longer able to take a walk on the beach without thinking of that night when their pa.s.sion had nearly flared to the point of no return. While his better judgment told him she had done the right thing by calling a halt to things between them before they had gotten out of hand, another part of him still ached for something only she could give him. He needed to find complete release in her arms.

In the midst of his thoughts, he looked around and saw Simon enter the room. "Yes, Simon, what is it?"

"Security just called, sir. You have a visitor at the front gate."

Sterling went over to the table to pour a gla.s.s of wine. He wasn't in the mood for company. "Who is it?"

"A woman by the name of Angeline Chenault."

The gla.s.s froze in Sterling's hand midway to his mouth. His body stiffened. "Who did you say?"

Simon heard the sharp hardness in Sterling's tone and didn't understand the reason for it. "Security said the woman identified herself as Angeline Chenault. Can she be admitted?"

Into Sterling's mind sprang the image of him as a six-year-old boy approaching his mother for the first time, the harsh words she had spoken to him that day, and how they had hurt. He'd felt devastated, betrayed, rejected. But then another memory stood out. It was the recent memory of Colby and the words she had spoken that night on the beach. She didn't know how much he had truly needed to hear them. She had read him the riot act and had made him realize that regardless of the fact his mother had not been a part of his life while he'd been growing up, Chandler Hamilton had more than made up for it. Colby had been right, he had been blessed to have had at least one loving parent.

"Sir?"

He suddenly remembered Simon's presence. He didn't know why Angeline Chenault had made a trip from Florida to see him, but he was going to find out. "Tell security it's okay to let her through."

She hadn't heard from Sterling in seven days. Not that she was counting, Colby told herself as she slipped into a pair of black leggings and a colorful T-shirt that promoted Wingate Cosmetics. It was Sat.u.r.day, and she was getting dressed to go spend her weekly hour at the gym. Mac would be picking her up any minute. She smiled when she thought about Mac.

Earl MacFadden hadn't been what she expected. She had expected someone a lot younger than the fifty-five-year-old man who had shown up the day Sterling left. But she soon discovered what Mac lacked in the way of youthfulness, he more than made up for in the way of competence. He was good at what he did. Thanks to him she was no longer unnecessarily hounded by reporters.

Mac took her to school each morning and picked her up in the afternoons. At first she had resented him being her personal chauffeur and watchdog. But after that first day, when she returned to school, she had been very appreciative of him and his ability to protect her from the media's unnecessary ha.s.sles. She knew he had been instrumental in having the police ban the reporters from hanging around the school. Sterling had been right, some of the reporters had been outright jerks. Their questions had been relentless. Most of them wanted to know how she felt about Sterling's past involvement with movie actress Diamond Swain. Her "no comment" had not appeased their curiosity. The more she refused to be baited by their questions, the more they tried making Sterling's past involvement with Diamond Swain an issue.

Colby wished she could say this week had been pretty much uneventful, but she couldn't. It started out with the arrival of the sleek red Jaguar that Sterling had shipped to her. She hadn't been too happy about that.

Then she smiled. But at least two things had occurred to make her happy. And both incidents had been the result of Sterling's thoughtfulness.

The first happened the second day after she had returned. Otis Marshall's grandmother was standing outside her cla.s.sroom door waiting for her. She wanted to thank Mr. Hamilton for being so kind and paying off all her medical bills. The hospital had informed her that Sterling Hamilton had taken care of all her unpaid bills. With tears in her eyes, the older woman could not thank Colby enough for Sterling's act of kindness. Colby had downplayed her shock and accepted the woman's thanks.

The next incident happened when she was called out of her cla.s.sroom to the princ.i.p.al's office on the fourth day of her return. Again she had been taken aback by what she had discovered. Sterling had accomplished what the authorities hadn't been able to do, and that was to locate Maria Martin's natural father by using his clout and friendship with Jay Leno, David Letterman and Oprah. All three of the popular talk show personalities had agreed to periodically flash a message across the television screen asking if anyone knew the whereabouts of Frank Martin, and to have him call the toll-free number given. The plan worked. Within less than twenty-four hours, Maria's father had phoned in. The sad thing about it was that he, too, for the past two years, had been working with the authorities in Connecticut, to help him locate his daughter. Maria's mother had taken the child after their divorce and fled to parts unknown. The authorities, although they had tried to help, had been unsuccessful in their attempt to locate his daughter.

Colby sighed. She couldn't believe Sterling had actually listened to anything she had said that night on the beach when she'd gone off on him like a raving lunatic. But he had done more than just listen to her, he had taken it upon himself to make the lives of Otis and Maria a lot better.

She had called Sterling to thank him for what he had done for her two students, but Simon had told her he had gone out and that he would give him the message when he returned. She was sure he had done so, but Sterling had not bothered to return her call. But she knew for a fact that he checked in with Mac every day. He was making it very clear that whatever harmony that had existed between them during the last days they'd spent together was over. He was now taking the same position he had taken in the beginning. Their relationship was strictly a business deal and nothing more. And by ignoring her, he was reinforcing that fact.

And he was doing a pretty good job of it, Colby thought as she moved around the room keeping herself busy until Mac showed up. But she was just as determined not to be ignored. She picked up the phone and began dialing his number when she heard a knock at the door. She hung up the phone knowing it was probably Mac to take her to the gym. She would try calling Sterling again when she got back.

Sterling took a deep breath when he heard the soft knock on the study door. "Come in."

He braced himself when Angeline Chenault walked in, convincing himself that how she felt toward him no longer mattered. She had chosen not to be a part of his life nearly thirty-five years ago, and like Colby said, it was her loss and not his.

The woman who entered the room had dark hair and delicate features. She didn't look the age of a woman who had a thirty-five-year-old son...or a thirty-year-old son, for that matter. The years evidently had been good to her.

"h.e.l.lo, Sterling."

Sterling nodded. "Mrs. Chenault. This is a surprise. Why are you here?" He frowned. To his way of thinking, she looked calm. Too calm. Like it was an everyday occurrence to pay a visit to a child she had walked out on thirty-five years ago. "Is there something I can do for you since I'm sure this isn't a social call."

Angeline Chenault sighed appreciatively. "You inherited more from Chandler than just his good looks, Sterling. And I'm glad of that. You're upfront and to-the-point like he was."

"My father was a hard-working man, so am I. He didn't believe in playing cat-and-mouse games and neither do I. So I'm going to ask you again. Is there a reason why you're here?"

He watched the coloring slowly drain from Angeline Chenault's face. She dropped her head and closed her eyes before lifting her head and looking back at him, meeting his gaze directly. "I'm here to try to right a wrong. Turning my back on you was the worst thing I could ever do, and I know that before I leave this earth, I'll pay for how I treated you that day when you approached me in North Carolina. You weren't any older than-"

"I frankly don't want to talk about it," Sterling said with a definite hardness in his voice.

"But I have to. I want to apologize for the pain I caused you that day. I called you the day after the incident, but Chandler wouldn't let me talk to you. He said if I ever hurt you again, he would tell Alan all about my past. And at the time, I thought I would lose Alan if he found out. So I never contacted you again. I don't want you to hate me any longer."

Sterling rubbed his hand across his forehead, feeling a tension headache coming on. "Lady, I don't hate you. In fact, I have no feelings for you whatsoever. Now if that's all you came here to say, I'm through listening. I have work to do and would appreciate if it you left. Please have a nice trip back to Florida."

Angeline Chenault nodded. When she spoke again her voice was subdued. "I also wanted to congratulate you, Sterling. I read in the papers that you're getting married. I wish you the very best, I sincerely mean that. I hope you'll be very happy."

She sighed deeply and Sterling saw tears cloud her eyes. "Hopefully one day you'll forgive me for being a seventeen-year-old girl who thought money was everything and was willing to sacrifice anything to get it, even the love of a good man and my newborn child. I made a mistake, and I know that before I die I'll have to pay for it. I'm paying for it right now."

Her voice was soft and quivering when she continued. "My doctors informed me a few days ago that I have a blood clot on my brain that's causing the headaches I've been having lately. They don't think there's anything they can do, and surgery may not even be an option at this point."

She took a handkerchief out of her purse and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "I want to get things right in my life, and more than anything I want to bring my two sons together. If anything were to happen to me, you'll be the only blood relative Nicholas will have. I plan to tell him everything. I just wanted to let you know that. And whether you choose to believe it or not, I regret not being a part of your life. I realized that many years ago, but then it was too late. The damage had already been done. I did tell Alan the truth before he died, and he was very understanding and supportive. I was a fool not to have told him sooner. If I had, maybe things would have been different. Like Chandler, Alan was a good man."

Her mouth trembled at the corners when she said, "No matter what you may have thought over the years, I've always been proud of you and all of your accomplishments, Sterling, and I do love you. I just hope and pray that one day you'll believe that. Goodbye."

Sterling didn't say anything as he watched her walk out of the room.

Colby sat curled up in the huge rocking chair in her brother's office trying to be quiet as she watched him go over some business reports. It brought back memories of her sitting in this very chair as a child doing homework while he studied at that same desk. Even now his concentration was just as intense.

Cynthia was upstairs taking a nap and had been ever since Mac had dropped Colby off here instead of taking her back to the condo. She had decided to pay James and Cynthia a visit after her workout at the gym.

She released a deep sigh, which James heard. He looked up, concerned. "Are you all right, honey?"

"I'm fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You never do that. You ought to know that by now." He pushed aside his papers. "How are the wedding plans coming along?"

"Okay, I guess. There really wasn't a whole lot to do since Sterling wants a small, private ceremony. I've already bought a dress to wear, the flowers and cake have been ordered, and since I'm getting married here, Mac said that will eliminate the need for security from those pestering reporters who'll want pictures."

James nodded. "What about the honeymoon?"

Colby shrugged. "According to Mac, Sterling is working on those details."

"So you have no idea where you're going?"

"No, none."

James smiled. "Maybe I'll wheedle the information out of Sterling the next time he calls me."

Colby jumped out of her chair and went to stand in front of James's desk. "Sterling calls you?"

James laughed. "Yes, he calls me. I talk to him every day."

"Why?"

"He calls to see how you're doing."

Colby was livid. "I don't believe this!" she said, throwing up her hands. "He calls both you and Mac every day to check to see how I'm doing, but he doesn't bother to call me. me." She began pacing in front of James's desk. "It doesn't make sense."

James nodded. "I admit it didn't to me, either, at first. Then he explained things."

Colby stopped pacing. "By all means, please explain things to me."

James sat back in his chair. "He misses you, Colby. He misses you a lot and if he were to hear your voice, he'd miss you that much more."

"Sterling told you that?"

"Yeah, he told me that."

Colby shook her head. Sterling was some actor. "And you believe him?"

James frowned and looked at her with a bemused expression on his face. "Why wouldn't I believe him, Colby? Is there any particular reason why I shouldn't?"

Colby tinted. She had almost given something away. "No, of course not. I'm just surprised he would admit something like that to you, that's all."

"Well, he did admit it. And although I still have reservations about him being a lot older than you, I have to admit he's doing everything in his power to look out for your welfare, and I like that. I really was prepared not to like him."

Colby nodded knowing that was an understatement. At that moment the phone rang and James picked it up.

"h.e.l.lo." His smile widened.

"You were just being discussed, Sterling." James laughed. "Yes, she's here." James nodded. "Sure, hold on." He handed Colby the phone, got up from behind the desk and walked out the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Colby scooted into the seat James had just vacated. Excitement rushed through her veins. She wouldn't fuss, she wouldn't complain, and with heaven's help, she wouldn't let him know she'd been upset that he hadn't called. She took a deep breath, and with a calm, controlled, and impersonal voice she said, "Yes, Sterling? What can I do for you?"

"I miss you and you can let me make love to you over the phone. Is that possible?" he asked huskily.

Colby closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Her calm, controlled and impersonal manner went flying out the window with Sterling's words. She wanted to cry, she missed him so. He could say some of the most unexpected things at times.

"Is it?" he asked in a deeper, huskier voice.

"Is it what?" she managed to somehow choke out.

"Possible for us to make love over the phone?"

Colby tightened the phone cord around her hand. "I don't think so."

"Can I try it?" he asked, crooning smoothly in her ear.

She hesitated briefly before saying, "Yes." A huge lump formed in her throat.

"Is James still there?"

"No, he's left the room."

"What about Cynthia?"

"She's upstairs taking a nap."

"All right. We'll pretend it's the day after our wedding. That will make it proper, won't it?"

Colby couldn't help but smile. "Yes."

"Then just imagine it's the day after our wedding night. I made love to you all night and it's morning. I want to make love to you again. Is that all right?"

Colby could barely get a response out. "Yes."

"Good, because this is what I'm going to do. Now close your eyes and listen very closely."

In a voice that was light, soft and more s.e.xy than any voice had a right to be, Sterling told her in explicit detail just what he was going to do to her. Colby's body became heated and aroused. Her breathing quickened.