6: Now Will You?
His subordinate whistled and Craig’s eyes brightened with appreciation. Only naked women interested his best friend on that level. But Donna wouldn’t take such liberties in his apartment, would she? Greg turned around.
There Donna was, posed in the doorway, her head tilted to one side, in her underwear. She looked so natural there, Greg almost smiled but then he noticed the junior executive had his tongue in his lap and swiftly picked up his jacket from the chair. Placing it over Donna’s shoulders and he steered her out of the room.
“Now I know why he was working at home,” snickered the junior.
“I’m sorry, I hope he wasn’t a client,” she said back in the room.
“Just an office junior,” Greg muttered.
Silence.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked curiously.
He tried to analyse his reaction to what just happened. It was kind of like having a little sister to protect from the wrong kind of guy. He had seemed slightly possessive, he knew. As if Donna was for his eyes only. But that wasn’t the case was it?
Was it?
He took a deep breath. “I just didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’m used to walking around in next to nothing.”
He grinned now. “Yeah, I could tell. And I’m used to seeing it, I just don’t usually offer my friends a chance to share. Craig, though, has seen enough to behave like a gentleman.”
Donna laughed. “So it’s the office junior.”
“He’s efficient, but he’s a bit of a dog.”
Donna slipped on her skirt, went over to Greg’s closet, chose a shirt at random and put it on. It practically obliterated her skirt.
“Let’s go meet Office Junior,” she said folding up the sleeves of the shirt
“Hi Craig.”
Craig stood up and kissed her on the cheek. “Was that a sneak preview?” he murmured.
She hit him playfully on the shoulder. “Stop flirting! Greg, your best friend is flirting with me.”
Greg glowered at Craig, who was entirely unperturbed. Donna turned, then, to the junior. “And who’s this?”
The man stood up and introduced himself smoothly, holding onto her hand for too long.
“Ah,” was all she said, trying to remove her hand.
“And you are?” the junior prompted, trying to place a name to this beautiful brunette with the incredible chocolate eyes.
“Pleased to meet you?” she offered.
The Terrible Two laughed. Greg moved over to Donna and gently extracted her hand from the Junior’s, a hand proprietarily at her waist. Without so much as a word, the junior got the message.
Donna offered to cook for them and disappeared into the kitchen. The three men moved from Greg’s glassed in workroom to the living room. When everything was under control in the kitchen, she went to join the men and find out what they were up to.
She noticed from the moment she walked in how they’d arranged themselves. One of the two armchairs was unoccupied and the other was taken by Craig. The office junior and Greg were sitting on separate sofas, leaving her the choice of showing her allegiance or letting things hang.
If she sat alone, that would mean she was open to advances and while she knew Craig would rather walk over hot coals than do something like that... So she sat with Greg, clearly to the executive’s disappointment.
They were drinking red wine and talking business but courteously changed the topic for her.
“What are you making?” Greg asked her.
Craig took a deep breath. “Smells like ambrosia.”
“Ha ha. You are skilled with your flattery Craig. I’m making dinner and that is all you need to know,” she said to Greg.
“I hope it’s edible” he joked.
She punched him lightly. “I’ll spit in yours for that one.”
“If it’s your spit, I will take it with a pinch of salt,” he said unruffled.
She wrinkled her nose, “Gross dude.”
The office junior watched the exchange, unable to decide what the relation was between the two of them.
She stayed seated for twenty minutes before excusing herself. She went back to the kitchen, tossed the salad and removed a lasagne from the oven. Greg came in and helped put things on the table once he heard her banging around, looking for the plates and cutlery.
During the meal, Donna actually put her fork down to ask the Junior, “Why do you keep staring at me? Is there something wrong?”
He looked down at his plate and shook his head.
“Come on,” she cajoled.
Both Greg and Craig looked at Donna with interest.
The Junior mumbled something.
“Pardon?”
He looked up, avoiding, Greg’s eyes and said, “You seem different from, er- Mr. Marshall’s other lady friends. You’re more-”
“Elegant?” Craig offered.
“Refined,” said Greg.
“Sexy,” Donna chuckled.
“Yes!” the Junior said.
Everyone laughed and Greg took Donna’s hand but not in a romantic way. “That’s because she is different. She’s family.”
“Oh- I didn’t realised you two were related-”
His companions laughed again but no one bothered to explain. The time for that would come.
After eating the Junior thanked his boss for letting him stay and Donna for cooking a great meal.
Craig stayed for a few more drinks and then Donna went to Greg’s bedroom to get her things and the three of them left the flat together. They said goodbye to Craig in the parking lot and Greg drove Donna home.
Parked out her building, she said, “Thanks for being there for me today.”
“Anytime you want to talk about Diana, you can talk to me.”
An unreadable emotion flickered onto her expressive face briefly. “Thanks.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Oh no, D. You’re going to have to do better than that. I’m going celibate for a week or two- just for you-”
He was joking and she knew he was, but she silenced him with a real kiss anyway.
The silence in the car stretched until Donna broke it off with a cheeky smile.
“That good enough?”
“Mhm.” He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t mind the occasional social kiss if it’s going to be like that,” he grinned.
“Show them why we got engaged, right?” she mocked lightly
“Ha ha. To keep my blood running the way it should.”
She opened her door, letting in the cool air. “See you tomorrow at lunch,” she said.
“So,” Shirley prompted, “how was lunch? Again?”
“We had pizza at Ma’s House.”
“Pizza took two hours?”
“No,” Donna smiled patiently, “pizza took forty minutes. Window shopping took up the rest of the time.”
“Playboy Marshall went window shopping,” came the disbelieving statement.
“Well not really, we actually went into several of the shops. Just looked.”
“Where’d you go?”
“’N’ Ties, Ducelli’s, Boughart and Boughart’s, Designer House, The Gap.” Donna shrugged.
“Donna, you just mentioned two of the most expensive jewel dealers in America.”
“Yeah, we like jewels, don’t we?”
“I think he’s going to propose.”
Donna shrugged again. “He might.”
“That’s it? He might?” Shirley asked, almost dumbfounded. Her best friend sighed.
“You know it won’t be more than that- I don’t believe it’s love, girl.”
Shirley actually looked sad. “Yes, I know, but- but at least be excited you’re getting what you wanted- or might be getting,” she amended.
“Might be getting, exactly! You go around with these ideals that you want us all to live by... I know you know me better than that and you know what I’d be after, if at all he decides to ask me.” Shirley nodded and said it at the same time as her friend. “A suitable husband.”
“Yes,” Donna murmured. “Boy, would I be relieved.”
“Relieved,” Shirley echoed. “You two are perfectly suited. You come from rich, connected families that have a mutual history. You’re both young and full of life- it’d be the powerhouse you always dreamt of.”
A smile crept onto Donna’s face. The two of them were probably more suited than Shirley realised, but she refrained from pointing anything out now. The prenuptial documents were ready for review and she knew he would agree to a non-exclusive arrangement. Hell, he would probably suggest it himself.
She hadn’t told Shirley about the codicil or too much about his previous engagement to Diana. Nor had she explained that all the time she and Greg were spending together was part of a friends-doing-business situation. Any sexual sparks that showed up wouldn’t last.
All Shirley saw was the private smile and she thought, there’s hope for two of them yet.
The big night finally arrived and Donna decided she looked sexy and that Greg seemed to know what he was doing when it came to designing women’s wear.
Her ruby-red dress had a single strap over her left shoulder that made a thin red slash across her back, joining the dress below her waist. The front was full length, hugging every inch of her body swirling onto the floor with an opening- a knee high slit- in the front.
Donna clipped her hair up in artful disarray with a sterling silver grip sprinkled with diamonds. A simple diamond pendant hung around her neck and matching earrings and a bracelet finished the look.
When Greg arrived to pick her up, he rang the doorbell, curious to see what she would look like in the dress he had designed. He knew he could have just waited for her in the car, but the suspense would have killed him, so he opted to ride up to her apartment.
When the elevator doors opened and Greg saw the woman he was going to propose to that night, his grey eyes darkened briefly with something akin to desire. But it was gone quickly.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you approve.”
“I do. Very much. I did tell you this was my fantasy dress, right?”
“You did mention it once.”
“Forewarned,” he began, “is forearmed.”
“Uh oh,” she said, slipping into the white coat he held up.
They arrived when a quarter of the guests had already settled in. There was a brief hush when they were seen arriving together but it was consumed as the mild cacophony resumed.
The two of them split up and agreed to meet later on.
Donna found Shirley close to the bay window in the living room and they did rounds together. She could see Greg was doing the same thing with Craig. A few of her designer friends were present and she spent a good part of the first hour dancing.
She only danced with Greg once, when he saved her from the desperate advances of one of his employees.
“What is it with you boys at MAC?” she teased.
“I better propose soon before another architect snags you,” he smiled.
He told her to meet him at the old swing in fifteen minutes.
With that in mind, she escaped to the bathroom for a breather, then with seven or so minutes to spare began to make her way outside. It was a cool evening but there was no breeze so Donna wasn’t too bothered about fetching her coat from the cloakroom. She simply wondered what was going to happen next. Was Greg going to just slip a ring on her finger and make an announcement? She realised she had left the planning of this night entirely in his hands and whatever he had arranged would just have to do.
She got waylaid three times so that by the time she took the twenty-five steps down hill and another ten to the big oak tree, Greg was already there.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting, Mrs. Witt wanted to know just exactly it was you wanted at my office that day- whether it was an order or a construction contract on my shops.”
“I’m sure that’s not all she wanted to know.” He took her hand and said, “Close your eyes.” She obeyed. “Follow my lead. No peeking.”
“Ok. What are you up to?”
“I am giving you an answer to the question every lady inside will ask you.”
“Clever man.”
Donna did her best to trust him as he led her away from the tree swing. A minute or so later, she was told to open her eyes.
When she did, she gasped.
Before her was the massive weeping willow with the bench under its drooping branches. The tree itself was surrounded by different sized candles nestled in the manicured lawn.
“Wow, you really went all out didn’t you?”
“I couldn’t disprove my reputation on my future wife, now could I?”
“Uh-oh. Not only is he clever and sexy but he’s a smart ass too.”
“Watch it. I might not propose if you don’t behave. Come sit down.”
He held aside the willow’s leaves and she saw a velvety cushion on the stone bench, a champagne bottle on ice, resting on a wrought iron table that carried a tray with two glasses. Out of the blue, a solo violinist began to play his instrument. Donna couldn’t help but look around. She spotted him behind the trunk of the tree.
Taking the champagne out of the bucket, Greg said, “How’s about a little celebration?”
He popped the bottle and poured the froth expertly into her flute glass. The candles created a romantic glow about them and Donna couldn’t help thinking that it was ironic.
Greg saw it in her expression and grinned. “I think it’s time.”
“You having a baby?” she asked wryly.
“Not yet,” he chuckled.
That was when he knelt in front of her and reached into his jacket pocket.
The box was the signature navy blue of Boughart and Boughart’s.
“Donna, will you marry me?”
Her stomach tightened and she giggled nervously, receiving the box. She opened it and saw a large ruby surrounded by diamonds set in two waves of white gold. The ring in itself said a lot about what they were up to. It was almost like surety for what Donna could expect if she became his wife. But she knew well that it wasn’t about the money.
She looked at Greg and nodded.
He took the ring out and with goose bumps rising on her spine, he put it on her finger.
“Perfect fit?”
“Perfect fit.”
“Great. Let’s go and spill the beans.
“Let’s.”
He held aside the willows and Donna stepped out. The violinist continued to play as if it were the soundtrack to their experience. She took two steps and then she felt Greg’s hand on her wrist, holding her back.
He pulled her close and kissed her lingeringly, in view of any prying eyes.
When he released her, he grinned and said, “To seal the deal.”
“Are we going to do that when we sign the prenupt too?” she joked.
They walked back up to the house side by side, but not touching.
Donna was thinking to herself that it was interesting that the moment they had just acted out would have had any of her friends clinging to the man who had asked the question, but they were happy walking as they were. She wondered if that made her a strange woman. Then she bet herself that Mrs. Lawrence’s jaw would hang open the longest, which made her smile.
The next thing that happened was they ‘bumped’ into Bob and Selena Quinton together with Grant and Amber Marshall. The news was shared quickly and the mothers kissed their children and Grant asked for everyone’s attention in the ball room.
Donna had a horrible sense of déjà vu.
“My son has an announcement to make,” he said.
Then he left Greg standing in a space all alone as he and his wife and the Quintons stood slightly behind him. Greg turned and beckoned for Donna to join him.
She moved up smiling and with confidence. Besotted she was not.
Then Greg spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honour to share my news with you all tonight.” He placed a hand on the small of Donna’s back. She almost expected him to say Diana but he got it right.
“It’s a great night because Donna has finally agreed to be my wife.”
She knew the ‘finally’ was a private joke specifically for her so she smiled and he winked at her.
Gasps of delight were mixed with those of shocked despair and the news spread like wildfire across the room and even out onto the veranda. Then the applause rang in Donna’s ears like fire crackers.