Grace Anne - By Kathi S. Barton Page 0,9

to bring a complete stranger to her house. You and your father go and have a grand time. I’ll just go on from here and—” She put out her hand again just as his phone rang. It was his mom. Michael handed the cell to his son and watched Grace shift on her feet and glare at him.

“That was my grandma,” Trace said as he handed the phone back to Michael. “She said you come on with us and that there will be plenty of food. And she said for you to tell Dad to behave himself. I don’t know why she said that, but she said he’d understand.”

Michael threw back his head and laughed. “Yes, I understand. Shall we, Grace?” He waved her toward his car.

“May I speak to you? Privately, please?” She didn’t even open her mouth, her teeth clenched so tight he was sure she was going to do permanent damage to them. She told his son to wait right there, please, and not to move. He walked her to the limo and watched her bend over and climb in. He knew that he’d have that memory burned in his mind for months, if not years to come. She started in on him the moment the door was closed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I want you to back off. I’m going to ask you once more to leave me alone. I don’t know how many ways I can—”

He yanked her to him and silenced her with his mouth. Christ, but she was made for kissing. When she moaned and touched her hand to his shoulder he shifted them so that she was sitting nearly on his lap. Lifting her leg, he pulled her onto him and tightened her to his groin. This time the moan came from him. He had never wanted anyone like he did Grace Waite. When a knock at the window stopped him from laying her back over the seat and taking her, he smiled when she whimpered as he pulled back. Another knock, this one harder, had him sitting her on the seat next to him and reaching for the controls.

“It’s raining. Can we go to the store now or are you guys not finished talking?” Trace stuck his head in the window and looked at Grace. “She looks weird. Is she all right?”

“Yes. She was just showing me how much she wanted to come with me. Climb on in, buddy, before you get soaked.”

Michael could tell by the look on her face that she’d gotten the double-entendre. And he was reasonably sure that he was going to pay for it too. He leaned back into the seat and told his driver to take them to the store on Tenth. They were gliding into traffic when her phone rang.

~~~

She didn’t want to answer the call. She wanted to berate the man sitting next to her and then go home. He’d made her feel things that…well, she was sure she’d never felt things like that before. She decided not to think about those things when she answered.

“You fucking cunt. Do you think I can’t get to you all the way up there in New York City? I can. I will. And the rest of your family will be dead too.”

She didn’t remember her phone being taken away from her. She could hear shouting, but none of it registered. She only knew that someone had found her. Grace tried to pull away from the man who held her and the little boy she’d scared, but Michael kept dragging her back.

“Grace? Grace, tell me…Trace, give me a bottle of water for her.”

She looked up at Michael.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“Nothing. It was…people like to make comments on the type of clothing I sell all the time and sometimes they…this is Trace’s day. I’m not going to worry about a small-minded person when he has so much to celebrate.”

She hoped that he’d understand she wasn’t going to talk about it in front of his son and though he didn’t ask again, she knew that he was far from satisfied. She leaned her head back against the seat and thought about what she had to do now. Now that someone had found her, found her after all she’d done to ensure they wouldn’t, she would have to bolt again.

She could sell him the building. He wanted it and she needed it gone. The caller had been able to find her in New York, which