They began the drive in silence. Tony didn't do or say anything. He drove and let Claire cry. It had been two months since her accident. She hadn't cried or said a word-suddenly it all exploded.

Dr. Leonard had given his clearance. Tony had been patient. Claire knew what he wanted, and she was petrified to be with him again. He drove them to a meadow. She'd never been there before or even seen it. It was very secluded. Claire's crying subsided. Tony tenderly helped her out of the car, and while holding her hand he offered his overdue apology. "Claire, I'm sorry."

She looked up at his eyes, they glistened light brown. "You're sorry? Why are you sorry?"

His tone was remorseful and sincere, "I'm sorry for your accident." She didn't respond and looked away from his eyes. He continued, "Yes, I admit what happened that night was me. I admit I lost control-something which doesn't usually happen. I admit I feel terrible-and Catherine has made me feel worse. I admit I was beyond furious with you and the article by Meredith Banks. I wasn't thinking straight." His eyes were getting darker. "I trusted you. I believed you wouldn't betray my confidence and then-" His shoulders stiffened and then relaxed. "Claire, I would do anything to have that night to do over."

They stood by the car, no longer touching. The breeze gently rustled the tall grass, blew wisps of hair around her face, and filled her lungs with the smell of impending winter. Claire watched his expression as he spoke. It had been so long since she'd felt anything. Suddenly, she fought the rapid mixture of emotions stirring inside of her.

Tony watched as her eyes, which had been dull and dead. They now contained a small spark.

"Tony, I remember. I remember what you were doing and saying. I remember you saying I would need to be alone for a while-to think about who to talk to and who not to talk to." Tony nodded his head. He'd said that. Claire's eyes brimmed with tears. "Is that still coming?"

He reached for her shoulders. He intended to be gentle, but Claire backed away-tripped-and fell onto the ground.

His eyes said tender but she remembered anger. She didn't know what to think or feel. Not feeling was so much easier. Confusion, apprehension, anger, and dread all bubbled up inside of her. From Tony's expression, they also showed in her eyes.

He followed her to the ground. "Claire, please stop." He knelt beside her. "No-that isn't coming. I don't think you need any more reminders on how to behave, do you?"

Barely audible, she replied, "No-no I don't."

"Claire, may I please touch you?"

Her trembling resumed. Sobs again resonated from her chest.

His voice, still gentle was also firm, "You know I don't need your permission to touch you. I don't need your permission to do anything."

Claire's eyes closed as she tried to swallow her sobs. She nodded her head knowing too well her permission wasn't necessary.

"But, I'd like to have it. Please, may I have your consent?"

She braced herself and opened her eyes. She looked at him, his expression, and his eyes. She closed her eyes again and meekly replied, "Okay."

He scooted next to her, sitting on the cold hard ground, and softly placed his arm around her back. She tried to hide the tension, but she couldn't control her anxiety at his touch. He gently bent down and tenderly kissed her lips, very lightly brushing his lips against hers. She didn't back away. His mellow tone whispered near her ear, "Have I told you how much I like the highlights in your hair?" She shook her head. He lightly stroked her hair. "I think you're amazing. You're so strong and resilient. I don't deserve your forgiveness for what I did, but you deserve to hear me ask for it."

She didn't want to look at him. Her emotions were too raw-she wanted to forgive him.

He didn't touch her, instead he moved himself in front of her so they were eye to eye. "Claire, I'm sorry I hurt you." She felt the tears as she tried to maintain eye contact. He gently took her hands. "I ask that one day you'll consider forgiving me."

He kissed her hands.

When she looked into his eyes she saw sadness and remorse. The swirl of emotions that had so violently erupted at the estate now settled into her chest. She wanted the sadness to go away. He'd been so patient. He was being so tender. She didn't forgive him, but she began to respond to his advances. It started with kissing, he kissed her and she began to kiss him. Then she felt his warmth as her hands caressed his arms and shoulders.

Tony bulged with excitement, yet he didn't rush or push. He stayed compassionate and tender.

"Tony, I'm scared," Claire confessed.

"I promise I'll be gentle." Although she had every reason to not believe him-she did.

"Can we please go home-to a nice soft bed?" He quietly stood and helped Claire to her feet. She took the hand he offered and walked back to the car. This time, she got in willingly.

When they pulled up to the house, Claire leaned over. "I really want this, but please be gentle."

He parked, walked around to her door, and helped her out of the car. They walked up the front steps hand in hand where only a few hours ago, had been the scene of her hysterics. When he opened the door, he scooped Claire into his arms. Instead of going up to her suite, he carried her to his room. While he held her, she closed her eyes and nuzzled his neck. The aroma of his skin and cologne intoxicated her.

She had never-in all the time she'd been there-been in his bedroom. It was grand-almost royal. The walls were covered with cherry paneling and ornate carpentry. One wall was covered with a large screen framed like a picture-like the one in his office. His bed was massive-tall and larger than a normal king-sized. There were even steps to reach the height of the mattress. He gently placed her on his bed.

She watched as he slowly removed her shoes. Then, he unbuttoned and tenderly removed her jacket, her blouse, and her jeans. He removed his own clothes while she observed his every move. He was gorgeous, and his moves were slow and sensual. He softly kissed her, causing her to lie back. She looked up at the beautiful ornate ceiling. She felt his lips move down her body. They lingered at her neck, at her breast, stopping to lick and suckle her nipples. Claire's back arched, and she pressed her breasts toward Tony.

He continued to touch her warm body, taste her skin, and inhale her scent.

She hadn't realized it before that moment, but after experiencing satisfaction routinely, the void of the past two months left her wanting. Her body was now alive-on full alert-with every nerve electrified. He fondled her breasts and gently twisted her nipples. When she moaned in ecstasy, he stopped. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?"

She pleaded, "No, God no. Please don't stop."

He allowed his lips to move from her breasts to her flat stomach and over her protruding hipbones. As he tenderly spread her legs and kissed her inner thighs, she feared she would explode before he reached his destination. Next, his mouth affectionately awakened her desires. He satisfied every need she'd ever had and ones she'd forgotten. He moved slowly and deliberately, sensual and romantic, compassionately and lovingly.

He was patient and remorseful. His pleasure came by pleasing her. Now, it was his turn to experience a favorable consequence. His actions had taken everything away-and now his actions brought everything back.

Nothing is more common on earth than to deceive and be deceived.

-Johann G. Seume

Chapter Twenty-Two.

The ashtray overflowed with cigarette butts. Samuel Rawls and Jared Clawson sat while Nathaniel Rawls paced. The large polished conference table was barely visible beneath the magnitude of papers. The players no longer worked from the New Jersey office above the textile factory, as they had five years ago. Instead, the view from the conference table or large mahogany desk was now that of Cedar Street in the heart of Manhattan's financial district.

"Rawls stock is up another five-eighths after heavy trading. The rumors that circulated today about the quarterly report helped with that increase," Clawson said as he leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, adjusting his suit jacket.

Nathaniel's track around the large office included peering out toward the NYSE and circling the desk to see the large computer screens which relayed up-to-the-minute stock information. Exhaling a large gray cloud, he asked the question that sat heavily on his and Samuel's minds, "But what happens when it's discovered the rumors and reality are different?"

"Shit hits the fan"-Clawson smiled-"So-we don't tell anyone."

Samuel rubbed his throbbing head. "What do you mean we don't tell anyone? The quarterly earnings report will be released tomorrow. The investors will find out that our capital is down. That last string of investments wiped out millions."

"Numbers are funny things. I have a copy here of an alternative report. The numbers are all legitimate, but the information is written with a positive slant." Clawson distributed the report. The room filled with uncomfortable silence as the two Rawls men read the new report.

"Where's the original report?" Nathaniel bellowed. Immediately, Clawson pulled the requested pages from the cluttered table. The elder Rawls took the two reports and sat heavily at his desk. Page by page he compared the figures. Samuel and Clawson watched as the tips of Nathaniel's lips moved from south to north. The telephone rang, breaking the silence. Instead of answering, Nathaniel hit the button on the intercom. "Connie, I said no calls!"

The voice from the box spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Rawls. It's your personal line. I'll take care of it." Immediately, the ringing stopped.

The sight of Nathaniel's smile had differing effects. Clawson resumed his leaned back position and lit another cigarette. Samuel leaned forward and held his head in his hands. Confronting his father in front of Clawson wasn't a good idea, but it had to be done.

This whole damn thing was getting out of hand.

It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know it has begun -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Chapter Twenty-Three.

His head rested on his arm as he listened to her breathing and watched her sleep. The discussion in his head had raged for hours. Sensing her warmth, inhaling her scent, and wanting to taste her lips...the voice of love prevailed.

Claire floated in that place before consciousness, having difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy-unsure of what she was feeling. The epiphany came with the realization-she was feeling. It'd been so long since she felt anything. She felt warm-safe-and secure. Her mind tried to convince her it was a dream, but she remembered feeling the same way before she fell asleep. She questioned herself, is this real? Her soft skin rolled on the silky sheets and felt radiating warmth. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Right in front of her-close enough to touch-was Tony's firm broad chest. Again-questions, is he really here-he usually left her bed before she woke-Why is he still here?-Now as Claire rolled onto her back and saw the beautiful ornate ceiling she wondered, Where is here? This isn't my room.

With a rich raspy tone, he greeted her, "Good morning, Claire." His smile revealed the winner of his internal monologue; adoration and love showed through. He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Good morning, what are you doing still in bed?" The room was quite dark. "Or is it morning? It's so dark." The eyes watching her weren't.

"I've been watching you sleep." He slid his arm under her back, placing her head upon his shoulder. His hard strong shoulder made the perfect pillow as his arm gently surrounded her warm body.

"Why would you do that? I need a shower and probably look awful." She buried her face into his chest, allowing his hairs to tickle her cheeks and inhaled deeply. His aroma was exhilarating.

He took her chin, turned her face toward his, and gently kissing her lips. "I've been watching you because you're so beautiful. Your face is flawless"-Claire tried to look away from his eyes. They were light, honest, and real-the candidness made her uneasy-"Please don't look away. I see you now and think about what your face looked like-what I did to you. I'm not going to keep bringing this up, but I want you to know how much I regret what happened, and to let you know how amazing I think you are. You went through so much. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again."

She couldn't stop the tears from trickling down her cheeks. She wanted to hide her face, but he held her chin firmly. "Tony, I'm glad to know you're sorry. I'm sorry too." He let go of her chin, but she continued their gaze as she spoke. "I'm sorry about Meredith; I really didn't say anything to her. She walked up and recognized me. Like the article said; we were sorority sisters. I never suspected she was a reporter. She asked if she could join me. I didn't want her to; then I thought about your rules-about appearances-and I decided telling her no would be rude. I'm sorry I made the wrong decision."

He rolled her over onto her back. The skin of his chest pressed against her bare breasts. Looking up into his face she saw only a slight darkening of his eyes. His features reminded her of those of a model-prominent cheek bones and strong jaw line. His gaze went on for an eternity before he finally spoke, "I can't promise I'll never get upset. I can probably promise I will; however, I promise I'll do my best to never hurt you like that again, but, I need something from you."

She assumed it involved gratification, and she didn't mind. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to make me a promise"-Claire raised her eyebrows-"A promise, that you'll do your best to follow my rules. That you'll do your best-to never give me cause to hurt you again."

"Tony, I promise I'll do my best to make you proud, and I accept your apology. You don't need to keep apologizing." Looking at his expression she read a mixture of emotions: gratitude, adoration, and relief.

"Have I told you how amazing you were? I've watched you with Dr. Leonard fifty times. You were in such pain. God, even water made you sick, yet you were perfect and made me so proud. I have listened to your answers over and over. I understand his concern. Our story didn't hold water. I was just so worried about you, lying on the floor, and I couldn't get you to wake. I had to get you some medical help. I was upset about what I thought you'd done. The longer I waited for you to get home that night, the more betrayed I felt, and I lost control"-Claire saw such honesty in his eyes. It was like a window exposing his soul, one she didn't think he allowed many people to see-"When you quit moving I realized what happened, and I became more upset about what I'd done. Suddenly, getting you help was more important than appearances"-He gently smoothed her hair-"You had the chance to tell someone about me, and what I did. I deserved that and more, but no, even in your condition you were perfect." He lowered his face to her collar bone. His rough beard growth prickled her skin. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but..."-looking again into her emerald eyes, he continued-"Thank you for giving it to me."

When he started to kiss her, her body obediently responded; however, her mind thought about the cameras and surveillance. She knew they were there. Compartmentalize. She had a lot to put away-she needed bigger compartments.

Claire felt his hardness on her leg as his lips moved down her neck to her collar bone. Her breasts pressed upward in anticipation of his mouth, and her nipples hardened as his lips lightly brushed their tips. Trying to suppress her heated desires, Claire asked for a favor, "Tony, while we're asking for things, may I have something from you?"

"I have something for you right now," he said between kisses-inching his way down her body, gently spreading her legs.

"And, I want that." Claire smiled as she lifted her head to catch his eyes. "But first, can I have a promise?" Tony moved up, kissed her lips, and asked what she wanted him to promise. "You're right, there was pain, but what haunted me for two months was the threat of you locking me in my suite. Please don't use my honesty against me. I don't want to be locked up alone again. It was unbearable. I know you don't have to, but I'm asking you-please promise you'll never threaten me with that or do that to me again."

"Claire, I promise I'll not lock you in your suite again, and if we each keep our promises, maintaining them all will be easier."

"Thank you," she sighed. His promise removed a tremendous weight and allowed her body's yearning desires to come to the forefront. "Now what did you say about having something for me?"

He gaze held her captive. She felt her cheeks rise and her eyes glow. Despite everything, she knew the smile she exposed was real, and it was exclusively for the man above her. When Tony grinned back, she couldn't help but notice that his expression was a little more mischievous than it had been. Her entire body trembled in anticipation.

Breakfast was served in Tony's suite. They ate with wet hair while wrapped in thick soft white robes. Claire's appetite had returned with a vengeance. She ate eggs, turkey bacon, toast, and fruit. She even thought about hash browns and decided maybe she should tell Catherine she liked hash browns. Tony's voice took Claire's attention away from her food. "I have a confession. I think I'm an example of my own rule." Claire told him she didn't know what he meant. He explained that although he's thrilled with the outcome of yesterday's drive, it wasn't his goal.

Claire smiled and responded, "Well appearances"-looking at their wet hair and robes-"would say differently." She used her toe to rub up and down his leg. "I'm happy with the outcome too, but what was your goal?" He told her it was simply to get her to leave the estate to go somewhere. He wanted to get her away before they needed to go somewhere. Claire reflected on the past twenty-four hours. Okay, he did that too. "Why? When do we need to go somewhere? And where do we need to go?" Her toe still wandered.

"If you keep that up, we'll be late"-Tony's voice didn't sound concerned. He glanced at the clock by his bed: 11:17 AM-"Well, we're supposed to be at Brent and Courtney's for dinner at 3:30 PM."

Claire thought a moment, they had four hours. "I really would rather stay here, but I suspect I don't have a choice. How many people will be there?"

Tony confirmed she was correct-they were going and it would just be the four of them. Courtney had been asking Tony to bring Claire over since the beginning of October. They sent her flowers and cards, they must have known about her accident. Claire liked Courtney, and Tony obviously trusted them. She could do it.

While she thought about the Simmons' and refocused on her breakfast, her toe was stopped in its exploration and lifted. She gazed toward the sensation and found Tony on the ground-holding her foot.

He slowly put her toe in his mouth and began to suckle. He watched for her reaction as her brain forgot the breakfast and impending dinner. The slight gasp that escaped her lips brought a devilish grin to his.

She immediately felt the sensation from her toe ignite pulsations elsewhere. His lips moved from her toe-to her foot-to her ankle-and slowly up her leg. When he opened her robe and pulled her toward him, Claire's body tingled in anticipation. Too soon he gave her unimaginable thrills.

Finding their way back to his bed, Tony supported himself above her lean, blossoming body and with a raspy voice he inquired, "Claire, what do you want?" She looked in his eyes again-still so light and real. He'd never asked her what she wanted. As he kissed her neck, her body responded; her back arched-pressing toward him-silently begging for his touch. He continued, "I want to hear you-no forcing-and no directions. I want to hear what you want?" His desires were clear and rubbing across her thighs.

"I want you," Claire whispered.

That wasn't enough; Tony wanted to hear more. "Tell me what you want. I need to know you want it as much as I do."

"Oh, God, Tony, I want you"-her desires gave strength to her voice-"I want you inside of me"-with her body on the brink of explosion, she implored-"Please-please, Tony, take me."

As she held tightly to his broad shoulders, her eyes closed, and he fulfilled her desires. Claire wanted every bit of him-every inch-and now that he was there-it was her turn to lose control. Without effort, her body responded to his every touch. There were no thoughts-only carnal desires as he-more than once-elicited earthshaking convulsions. There was no question-this was consensual-and Claire was getting exactly what she wanted-what she'd asked for-and still wanted more.

Tony drove to and from the Simmons' in one of his Mercedes. It was a great ride from the back when Eric drove, but it was even better from the passenger's seat-smooth and quiet. Tony tuned the satellite radio to a classical station. The warm car, soft music, and smooth ride almost had Claire napping. Her energy wasn't at its pre-accident level, and her eyes began to close. Catherine told her one time not to act tired, but she wasn't acting.

Tony glanced her way and said, "It's all right. Why don't you lay the seat back, and I'll wake you when we arrive." She did.

They had a good time with Brent and Courtney. Courtney told Claire a thousand times she needed to gain some weight-the unfortunate accident in the woods left her too thin-but she quickly added, "You're still beautiful." After the delicious dinner they retired to the lower level; the Vikings and the Packers were playing. Apparently, Brent and Tony were Vikings fans. Claire wondered how she didn't know that.

While they watched the game and argued with the television, Claire and Courtney chatted. It was nice to talk to someone else. Courtney made Claire feel warm and secure. She didn't pry, but wanted to know about Claire's accident and recovery. Apparently, Brent told her how upset Tony had been. He couldn't believe something like that could happen on his land. Did they ever find out if someone had been out in the woods?