Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

was it that I didn't do?"
    She saw the moisture in his eyes and felt his grief. She owed him so much, and everything he said about David was true. Hearing it aloud helped her stand by her earlier decision not to tell Philip the whole truth.
    She moved to the chair next to him and covered his hand with hers. "David Wells means nothing to me. This is all my fault for not explaining everything right from the beginning." She meant to be brief, but once she began telling him about the Little Sister Society, she found herself describing each of the women and their personal experiences.
    When he asked, she only hesitated a moment before giving him the names of the men left on the list. Somehow she convinced herself that the more honest she was about this, the less guilty she would feel over lying about David. The odd part was, Philip didn't seem surprised by anything she revealed, almost as though he had heard it all before. He just sat there nodding as she spoke. She wondered if he could be in shock.
    "And so, the only reason I have spent any time at all with David Wells is to make sure he follows up on the lead about Jerry Frampton. The fact that we were both in Florida at the same time was a coincidence caused by nature. You must have seen the articles he's done on the environmental impact of the hurricane."
    Philip shrugged. "I did, but until he threw it in my face, I wasn't letting myself consider how he had gotten his information."
    "I was wrong not to let you know we had spent some time together down there, but I was afraid—"
    "That I'd react exactly like I did," Philip completed with an embarrassed smile.
    "I'm sorry."
    He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. I should have known I could trust you." He lifted her hand to his mouth for a kiss.
    She felt her stomach turn to lead and reminded herself this was for the best. Everything would work out fine in the end. But for now, she had one more lie to tell. "By the way, one of the women asked me to visit her this weekend and I decided to take her up on it."
    "Oh? Which one?"
    "April."
    "The psychiatrist?"
    "Yes. Maybe I'll come back Sunday night with a whole new outlook on life."
    * * *
    Holly's attitude actually began changing Friday as she and David were driving up into Maryland's Blue Ridge Mountains. Up to that point, she had purposely stopped herself from initiating any action between them, be it communication or lovemaking, in order to keep him coming after her. Once he did, of course, she found it impossible not to respond to him.
    After the volatile scene in her office, she had no doubt he was captivated, at least momentarily. The problem was, he continued to withhold one nicety that could no longer go unnoticed. He had never once called her on the telephone. Oh, he always had an excuse for not calling, but Holly had finally realized he had a quirk about it.
    He was about to embark on a trip of unknown length, the details of which had become vitally important to her. How could she get a vicarious thrill out of his investigation, if he didn't call her while he was on the trail? Their relationship had not progressed to the point where she could logically ask to accompany him on a business trip. His antipathy toward telephone communication was an annoying factor she hadn't counted on.
    Thus she set out to make his weekend so memorable that he couldn't possibly put her out of his mind while he was gone. If she was attentive enough, entertaining enough, good enough, perhaps he wouldn't be able to resist giving her a call or two. Then it would be natural for her to question how his investigation was going.
    She decided to follow April's advice and take the pressure off. Surprisingly, once she removed the restrictions she had placed on herself, she didn't have to consciously think about how to act. It felt right to reach over and stroke his neck while he was driving, or lean into him and whisper something outrageous in his ear while they were having dinner in the lodge's restaurant, or suggest that they order the rest of their meals from room service. Making love in the woods where he had taken her on a hike had been his idea, but she didn't let her normal inhibitions stop her from enjoying it to the fullest.
    Everything about their stay in the romantic hideaway was as memorable as she had hoped it would be... until Sunday afternoon.
    David had made arrangements for a late checkout, so they still had the whole day to spend any way they wanted. He was willing to miss the