Free Dusky Rose by Joanna Scott Page A

man like that and then just turn him off again by saying you're not that kind of girl. You can get into big trouble doing things like that, and it's about time you knew it. Now be quiet and let me think things out. You've upset my life enough already."
    The tone of his voice was so angry and demanding that Laura sensed she'd best obey. She sat back in the seat and silently watched him drive, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly and the scowl deepening on his face. By now the antihistamine and the wine had begun to take complete hold of Laura and her woozy head rested heavily against David's shoulder as she drifted in and out of reality. She felt herself dozing and was only partially aware that David was driving through unfamiliar streets. Suddenly, the car stopped and she heard him turn off the motor, open his door and walk around to her side of the car. When her door opened, she smiled hazily up at him then closed her eyes again. She felt as if she were floating on air, happier than she had ever been.
    David's arms came under her legs and lifted her from the seat while she rested her head contentedly against his chest. She laughed gaily as he led her indoors, leaning against him for support as once again her legs threatened to buckle under her. He placed his arm under hers and drew her to him, bracing her tottering body as she lightly traced her finger across his firmly set jaw.
    The bright lights of the room they had entered made her feel more alive and even more in love than ever. She snuggled closer to David, wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing pleasurably as he introduced her to the distinguished man who seemed to have been waiting for them.
    Her spirits were much too buoyant for her to pay much attention to what was going on, but she managed to keep a bright look on her face and tried to appear alert and interested when the august stranger began speaking to her.
    She felt as if she were an actress appearing in a play and she did her best to put on a convincing performance. Apparently she had achieved her goal, because in a short while David and the man were shaking hands and patting each other on the back. She flashed a smile of which any ingénue could have been proud and began giggling breathlessly to show them that she was enjoying herself just as much as they were.
    Suddenly, just as she felt herself about to black out, David's arms lifted her rubbery legs off the ground and carried her back to the car. She sank back into the seat contentedly and immediately drifted off into a deep sleep. The rest of the evening was a total blank to her, although she was dimly aware of finally being placed in a bed and relaxing happily against the softest pillows she had ever known.
    The next morning, Laura awoke with a splitting headache. She opened her eyes slowly, placing her hand over them to shield them from the blazing ray of sunlight streaming through a narrow slit in the heavy silk draperies. Then she turned her eyes away from the offensive glare, burrowing them into the silky softness of her pillow. As she did so, her nostrils were stung with the all too familiar spicy scent of David's cologne. Her eyes drifted lazily to the indented pillow beside her and she sat bolt upright in bed. She leaned back slowly, her head aching and reeling from the effect of the sudden movement. After pulling the sheets up to shield her naked body, she studied the room around her. It was a large room, furnished with dark Scandinavian furniture. The sheets on the bed were heavy, cream colored silk and the carpet on the floor was a thick shag in a deep shade of brown.
    Laura ran her fingers through her tangled hair as she tried to sort out the events of the past evening. But try as she would, she could remember nothing more than attending a barbecue with David and getting dizzy because she had consumed two glasses of wine after having taken one of Janine's antihistamines. Then she recalled that David had asked her to participate