The Last Man on Earth Read online

  “Yes, actually. I like all sorts of music. I thought your head might appreciate this a bit more than hard rock or hip-hop, but if you’d rather I can—”

  “No, leave it. It’s fine. For now.” He checked their progress, then closed his eyes again. “How was your birthday dinner last night?”

  “Nice. The food was great and the girls gave me a very pretty scarf plus a stack of lottery tickets—thirty—one for each year. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and hit the jackpot.”

  “If you do, there’s a gold Rolex I’ve had my eye on for a while.” He rolled his head toward her, a grin on his lips.

  Madelyn didn’t return his smile.

  “Hey, I’m joking, you know.”

  “I know.” She locked both hands firmly on the steering wheel. “How was your night? Did you do anything in particular?”

  He studied the passing scenery for a moment. “No, nothing special. Had dinner, read for a while; then I went to bed.”

  “Hmm.” Her hands tightened involuntarily. “Quiet evening at home, then?”

  A long silence ticked past. “For the most part.”

  Her heart sank. “That’s odd. Peg and Linda and I saw you out, having dinner with a woman around ten o’clock. Who is she, Zack?”

  “She’s no one,” he said, his words clipped.

  “She didn’t look like no one.”

  “She isn’t important. She has nothing to do with you and me.”

  Anger settled as hard and cold as a stone inside her chest. “You told me once that you didn’t like to share lovers. I don’t either.”

  “Is that what you think?” He sounded amused.

  “What else am I to think?”

  “For one, that she’s rather old for me. You obviously didn’t get a good look.”

  Annoyed, furious, she shot him a glance as she shifted into the slow lane. “We were passing by in front of the restaurant.”

  “Were you ladies spying on me?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. We were walking up a block to flag down a cab when Peg spotted you. If you didn’t care to be noticed, you shouldn’t have chosen a window seat.”

  “Touché. But then, you see, I didn’t care. Believe me, Madelyn, she’s no one you need to concern yourself with.”

  She sighed. “If that’s true, then why won’t you tell me who she is? Why the lies?”

  “I haven’t lied to you. Omitted a few details, perhaps, but not lied.”

  “A few details?” she scoffed. “Maybe I should just turn the car around.”

  “You are not turning the car around. Jesus, you’re the most obstinate female I’ve ever met. She’s my mother, all right?”

  Shocked, Madelyn looked him full in the face. “Your mother?”

  “Yeah. Hey, watch where you’re going before you run us off the road.”

  She returned her attention to the highway, taking a moment to digest what he’d revealed. “I thought your mother abandoned you when you were a boy.”

  “She did.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw, bitterness leaching into his words. “She found me a few years ago, after I earned my degree, after I landed my first decent job. I still don’t know how the hell she tracked me down.”

  “Because you’re her son and she wanted to know you.”

  His lips curled cynically. “You’re sweet, Red, you know that? Really sweet. No, what she wanted was my money.”

  “Surely not.”

  “She has a habit of running low on funds when she’s between men,” he explained. “Last night she gave me the heartbreaking news that she’s split with her fourth husband.

  “God, you’d think she’d learn her lesson and have enough taste to shack up with them for a while, instead of going to the bother of making it legal. With all the lawyer fees, she never comes out with anything more than a few new dresses and some jewelry that she eventually winds up pawning. When she’s tapped out, she finds me.”

  “Why don’t you tell her no?”

  He laughed, but it was without humor. “Don’t think I haven’t wanted to. If it were just me, I’d have cut her off without a cent long ago. But she knows where Beth lives and she’s threatened to drop in on her for a visit—to see her grandchildren. I’m not going to let her bother Beth. She’s ruined her life enough as it is.”

  His sister, he was protecting his sister. Madelyn reached for his hand. “I’m sorry, Zack. Does she ask for a lot?”

  “Enough. She’s not bleeding me dry or anything. Most of the time she links up with a guy who has enough cash to bankroll her high-maintenance lifestyle. She likes feeling important. She’d be thrilled, by the way, to know you thought she was young enough to pass for my date, even if she was only seventeen when she had me. I guess the plastic surgery’s been worth every penny.”

  A heavy silence hung between them.

  He sighed. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I didn’t want to bring her up, that’s all. I didn’t want to spoil your birthday.”

  “You haven’t spoiled my birthday. We are going to Atlantic City, I assume,” she said as they passed under a road sign that pointed them in that direction.

  “We are. I thought you might enjoy the glitz.”

  “I’ve never been to a casino before,” she admitted.

  “Never? Not even in Vegas?”

  “I’ve never been to Las Vegas. My family’s not big on gambling, and I was ill the one time a bunch of my college friends decided to fly out there.”

  “Then it will be my distinct pleasure to corrupt you.”

  • • •

  “Hah, hah, this is fun!” Madelyn gave the lever a solid pull and watched the dials spin in wild succession.

  “Slots are for suckers. We should go back to the blackjack tables,” Zack said as he leaned over her shoulder to watch.

  “Everybody there’s too serious, staring at their cards as if they expect to witness the Second Coming, mumbling, ‘Hit me, hit me,’ then cursing when they go bust. I like this.” She patted the side of the machine. “Just me and the pretty box.”

  “Looks like the pretty box ate your money again.”

  “But if I keep playing, it’s eventually bound to cough it back up.”

  “These machines are rigged, and at a dollar a pop you’ll be broke before the hour’s out.”

  She drew herself up, sitting straight on the padded stool beneath her. “It’s my money and my birthday and I’ll waste it however I choose, Zachary Douglas.”

  The machine ate another one of Madelyn’s dollars.

  He shook his head and wrapped a hand around her ponytail, pulling gently on it to tip her head back for his kiss, a slow, easy slide of lips and tongue that warmed them both.

  “Why don’t I go get us a drink?” he suggested, releasing her.

  “Um, sounds good. Something cold and wet and nonalcoholic for me. I need to keep my wits sharp for the game.”

  “The fleecing, don’t you mean?”

  “If you disapprove so much, you should never have brought me here. Now shoo. I’ve got work to do.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Zack strode away from the casino area, his footsteps mute on the plush red and gold carpet beneath his feet. It was a pleasure to see Madelyn having so much fun. He congratulated himself on the decision to bring her here. The gaudy opulence of the hotel was exactly what she needed after weeks of intense pressure and hard work. The new ad campaign—the one that was supposed to have been his—was proceeding well, but at a punishing pace. Forgetting the work and the responsibility for a short while could only do her good, and him as well. In this palace of unabashed hedonism and shameless greed, one couldn’t help but find enjoyment.

  At first, he’d thought he might have to coax her into letting loose, but she’d surprised him by adapting almost immediately to the easygoing style of th
e place. Over the past two days, she’d been happier and more relaxed than he’d ever known her—the only exception the times they made love. When they were alone together, intimate, she seemed to glow, losing herself to him with an abandon that never failed to steal his breath. Just thinking about her now fired his blood with need. No matter how many times they came together, it was never enough.

  He’d expected their affair to be over by now, or at least on the wane. Contrary to his reputation, he didn’t invite every attractive woman he met into his bed. He was far more discriminating than most might imagine. Still, his relationships tended to be short-lived, ignited by passion, doused by disinterest when the flames burned low. But with Madelyn it was different. Yes, there was the sex, and yes, it was wonderful, but there was far more between them. The simple fact was he enjoyed her company, more than he could remember enjoying any woman’s company, ever. And that, above all else, left him uneasy.

  He wasn’t looking for commitment. He didn’t believe in love—not the hearts-and-flowers kind the poets wrote about, the sort people claimed would last forever. Love was impermanent and fleeting, a fickle bitch who led you on, then turned her back and left you to bleed. It had no place in his life.

  Yet there was such a thing as want, desire, need. And with Madelyn he felt all three, craving far more than a weekend with her and a handful of hours stolen in between. Being here together, free of the subterfuge and secrecy, made him long for a more honest arrangement where they no longer had to hide what they were to each other. Where he could exist in the open as part of her life.

  But he couldn’t fault her motives, her caution. And when the day came and the passion between them died, he didn’t want to see her hurt or shamed or damaged—especially at work—because of what they’d been to each other.

  His mood pensive, Zack ordered their drinks.

  On his return, bells were ringing, sirens clanking, electronic whistles hooting in celebration as he wove a path in among the rows of slot machines. From the sound of it, somebody was a winner.

  A crowd of people had formed, preventing him from reaching Madelyn. Being tall came in handy on occasion, and he put that advantage to use now, peering over the sea of heads to scan for a familiar glint of red-gold hair. His eyes widened when he located her and realized she was not just part of the hoopla but the main attraction.

  “Zack!” She flung an arm into the air and waved. “Zack, I won! Oh, let him through,” she pleaded, motioning for people to step aside so he could reach her. Parting as if they were the Red Sea and he Moses, the crowd opened a path.

  Bemused, Zack walked forward. “You won?”

  Coins overflowed from a host of buckets scattered across the floor, gleaming and sparkling like booty spilled from a pirate’s treasure chest, an occasional straggler coin tumbling now and then from the machine to clink onto the heaps below.

  “Can you believe it? I won. I won.” Laughing, exuberant, she launched herself toward him, leaping up to wrap her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.

  He staggered back a step or two, soda sloshing over the rims of the cups he still carried. Only he didn’t care, too busy enjoying the sensation of Madelyn’s lips moving with feverish excitement against his own. He kissed her back, abruptly hungry, losing himself in the scent and taste of her. The place and the people around him faded to nothing, the world spinning away.

  Far too soon, Madelyn pulled away, returning once more to solid ground and her own two feet. “I won!” she squealed again.

  “I know. How much is there?”

  “A couple thousand at least. I was ready to quit, but since you weren’t back, I thought, ‘What the hell?’ and plunked in one more buck. All of a sudden the machine went wild, like it was going to explode, and wow, I hit the jackpot.”

  He set their drinks aside, then hugged her hard, spinning her around twice. “Congratulations, baby, and happy birthday.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  By evening, Madelyn was more than a little tipsy. High on wine, intoxicated by Zack.

  Dinner at the hotel’s elegant five-star restaurant had been divine. And despite her winnings, all $4,784 of them, Zack had refused to let her pay for a thing—part of his birthday gift to her. Afterward, they’d decided to take in the show of a well-known singer. Twenty minutes into a superb performance, Madelyn had begun nibbling on Zack’s neck.

  At first, he’d tipped his head to one side to allow her better access but soon found himself wishing he hadn’t encouraged her, not in so public a place. She was unrelenting, reaching up to loosen his tie and unfasten his collar in order to give her lips and tongue a broader canvas on which to play. She began opening his shirt buttons, freeing a good half dozen before he realized he had to stop her. A shiver ran through him as she slid her hand inside to caress his bare chest in a most distracting way.

  He’d whispered to her to quit, but it did no good. With people beginning to stare, he’d done the only thing he could do.

  Leave.

  Propelling them up and out of the theater with as little fuss as possible, he tried to keep her hands from wandering over portions of his anatomy not generally fondled in public.

  He yanked off his half-knotted tie and stuffed it into his pocket as he hustled her down a carpeted hallway toward a bank of elevators. “You’re like an octopus. If you don’t stop, you’re going to get us arrested.”

  She giggled, then confessed in a loud stage whisper, “I’ve never been arrested.”

  “Believe me, it’s not an experience you’d enjoy.”

  “I know an experience I would enjoy.” She snaked an arm down to grab his ass.

  Zack sent her a disapproving look and walked them faster toward the elevators. He startled when she buried her face against his exposed chest, her lips and tongue roaming over his skin before pausing to suck on one of his nipples.

  “Have I ever told you how good you taste?” She sighed, licking him. She gave his hard, flat nipple a gentle bite that turned other parts of him even harder.

  “No.” He moaned, giving the elevator’s up button a savage punch with his fist. “Cut it out, Madelyn. I mean it.” His words sounded weak, even to himself.

  She wrapped both arms around his waist and pressed her body flush against his. “Oh, I hope you mean it.” She rubbed herself sinuously against him. “I know I do.”

  “I should never have ordered that bottle of wine.”

  “But it was so sweet,” she crooned, blinking up at him. “A thirty-year-old bottle for my thirtieth birthday. I’m going to have to find some way to thank you for making my day extra special.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and began tugging his head down for a kiss.

  He evaded her, reaching up to unwind her arms. “You already have thanked me. Now, behave yourself. Someone’s coming.”

  Madelyn snuggled closer and dropped her head onto his shoulder.

  Zack held her upright with one arm and gave a polite nod to the elderly couple who’d stopped to wait for the elevator as well.

  The older woman, her head crowned by a thick puff of snow white hair, sniffed disdainfully and raised her eyes to the lighted panel of numbers above. Her husband, on the other hand, perused the pair of them with open interest, his lips curved with prurient amusement.

  The elevator dinged and after the passengers inside disembarked, the four of them walked on board. Zack pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor.

  The old man pressed the one for the twentieth. “Newlyweds?”

  After a short pause, Zack said, “No.”

  The old woman sniffed again, lips pursed. Under her breath she muttered, “Shameful.”

  Before Zack could stop her, Madelyn spun around and flattened herself against him, caressing his thighs through the material of his pants. “There’s nothing shameful about it,” she declared. “It’s my birthday a
nd I’m here with my man to celebrate.”

  She thrust out her breasts, proudly displaying the expanse of cleavage revealed above the top of her evening gown along with the opal and diamond pendant nestled in between. “He gave this to me. Isn’t it beautiful? I adore it.”

  The old man leaned in for a closer look.

  His wife gave him a hard smack on the shoulder and yanked him around to face forward. “We’re getting off,” she said, pushing the button for the next floor—the sixteenth.

  Zack angled his head and whispered into Madelyn’s ear. “God knows I’m going to do the same if you don’t quit with that rubbing of yours.” He captured her hands to still them.

  The other couple must have heard him, the woman’s spine stiffening so much it was a wonder it didn’t crack. Her husband choked out a laugh as the elevator doors opened and his wife hauled him out.

  Zack wrapped his arms around Madelyn as the doors slid shut and the elevator glided upward. “What’s gotten into you, Red?”

  “I don’t know. She made me mad, that’s all. And I don’t want to be mad, not tonight.”

  “Then don’t be.” He turned her around and took her mouth in a ravenous kiss that quickly had her purring against him.

  Somehow they made it to their room without causing another scene.

  Zack had left a small lamp burning; it cast the furniture in dim shades of amber, the bed a wide plain of inviting shadow. Between the elevator and their room, Madelyn had managed to unfasten the rest of the Zack’s shirt buttons. He yanked the tails out of his pants and flung the garment behind him as he and Madelyn danced, lips locked, toward the bed. The mattress gave a squeak as they fell upon it, bouncing once.

  Consumed by desire and the overpowering urge to feel the silk of her bare flesh beneath his hands, to sheath himself inside the hot, honeyed depths of her body, he yanked down the zipper of her dress with one hand as he thrust up the long formal skirt of her gown with the other. Slipping a grateful hand beneath her panties, he cupped her rounded bottom and fondled her flesh.

  He was poised to move on to even more interesting territory when Madelyn stopped the wicked things she’d been doing to his neck and propped her elbows against his chest.