The Last Man on Earth Read online

  She sniffed and tucked a hand beneath her cheek, pressing a thumb to the corner of her eye to hide the dampness she couldn’t quite control.

  “Aw, God, Madelyn, are you crying?”

  “No.” She sniffed again, harder this time, and screwed her eyes closed as tightly as they would go—a mistake that forced a near flood to erupt. “I’ve got something in my eye, that’s all.”

  “No doubt from where I’ve been grinding my heel,” he murmured. “Please don’t cry, okay? I’m just tired and moody today.”

  She dug a tissue out of her purse and blew her nose. “Everything was fine . . . at least I thought it was fine, until this morning. Did I . . . did I do something last night to upset you? Was it because I was drunk?”

  “Your being drunk’s more my fault than yours. I’m the one who kept refilling your glass, even after you told me to stop. I didn’t realize you were really serious when you said two glasses was your limit.”

  “I’m not much of a drinker.”

  “It’s okay. Having a weak head for liquor isn’t a crime, you know.”

  “It is when you can’t remember everything that happened,” she confessed.

  “What do you remember?” His voice held an odd note of curiosity.

  “Dinner and the wine, obviously. Then we went someplace in the hotel; they were playing music and a woman was singing. Then I started . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “Kissing you, touching you.” She flushed. “Did I unbutton your shirt?”

  “Yes, and left some rather colorful marks as well.”

  “Really? Where?”

  His lips quirked. “Where it makes me glad I’m required to wear a suit and tie to work and not an open-necked jersey.”

  “Let me see.” She reached out a hand.

  He held her off. “No. If I show you now, I might wreck the car. You can look later. So go on.”

  “With what? Oh. Well, I . . . I remember kissing you again and getting in the elevator to go to our room, and . . . well, this can’t be right.”

  “What?”

  “Some prune-faced woman and an old guy who was staring at my chest.”

  Zack laughed. “You’re batting three for three so far. Do you remember rubbing my thighs?”

  “Your thighs?”

  “Yeah. Luckily you hadn’t tried to take off my pants yet.”

  “Zack!”

  “Just my shirt. Go on.” He prompted.

  “Then we went to our room and started making love and somewhere along the way I stopped to brush my teeth. Is that right?”

  “Yes, that’s right. And then what?”

  “We made love and went to sleep. That’s it. Is there something else?”

  He paused. “No. Your memory seems fully intact.”

  “Then what’s bothering you?”

  “I told you, I’m just tired and we have to be at work tomorrow. Last day of vacation grumbles, that’s all.” He reached over and laid a hand over hers where it rested against her knee.

  She clasped his hand and relaxed. Still, she couldn’t help but feel he was holding something back. She dropped the subject and the two of them talked of ordinary things until they reached the home of Zack’s friend.

  She climbed out, enjoying the buoyant lift of warmth that signaled the approach of summer, the skies clear now. Zack retrieved his bag from her trunk, then stowed it in the backseat of his car.

  She waited for him to come and kiss her as he did each weekend before they parted ways. Lately, those kisses had been long and intensely passionate, stirring her blood in a way that left her nerve endings humming for hours after, her mind crowded and cluttered with thoughts of him.

  But when he walked back to her and took her in his arms, she saw that the shadows had returned to his eyes. And the kiss he gave her—no more than a brief pressing of lips—sent a chill straight through her heart. He was about to step away when Madelyn drew him back down, compelling him to kiss her again, grinding her lips against his own with heated determination. Something snapped inside Zack and he forced her mouth wide, brutal and bruising, uncontrolled.

  Abruptly, he set her aside. “I’ll see you at work.”

  And in that moment she remembered everything, the words resounding in her ears as clearly as if she had just spoken them.

  I love you too. Oh, God, Zack, I love you too. So much.

  She climbed into her car and started the ignition, hands shaking. She knew he wouldn’t leave until she did, so she made herself pull away from the curb, thankful for the sparse traffic and the residential side street.

  When he finally made the turn that separated them—the one that would take him to his own apartment—she drove for two, maybe three blocks, then pulled over. She double-parked, ignoring the horn that blared from behind and the irate driver who squeezed around and roared away, tires screeching. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and let the truth wash over her.

  She’d told him she loved him.

  And he hadn’t said it back.

  • • •

  She made herself go to work the next day even though all she really wanted to do was huddle underneath the bedcovers and pretend none of it had ever happened. Instead she forced herself up and into the shower, letting the hot water bring her fully awake.

  She dressed in one of her favorite outfits, a teal blue midi-length skirt and a saffron yellow–and–white-striped silk blouse. On her feet she wore a pair of white Mary Janes; the opal pendant that dangled around her neck added the perfect finishing touch. She nearly took the necklace off but refused since doing so seemed like too much of an admission that her and Zack’s affair might be coming to an end.

  Her day was a hectic game of catch-up that left her little time to think of anything but work. At first she worried about running into Zack and seeing in his eyes what she feared—indifference or, worse, an uncomfortable kind of pity. Then she heard he’d left the office for a daylong taping of a television commercial, news that should have been a relief but lowered her spirits instead. By lunchtime, though, she was so wrapped up in her own work she managed to forget about him—well, almost forget about him.

  It was late, the office empty by the time she rode the elevator down to the lobby. After trading good nights with the building security guard, she headed for her car. Halfway there she remembered the file she’d left on her desk—the one she was supposed to have sent down to production hours before. Grumbling under her breath, she did a sharp about-face.

  The hallways on the ninth floor were illuminated by lights that dimmed but never slept, the vacant offices and cubicle areas draped in layers of gray shadow. Anxious to complete her task and head for home—again—she walked briskly into her office, grabbed the file, and turned to leave. That was when she heard the sounds coming from the supply room at the end of the hall, muffled bumps and a small scraping noise, the kind you might hear when someone was trying to move furniture.

  Curious, she approached, listening to the low murmur of voices, the words hushed and indistinguishable. Perhaps a pair of the administrative assistants had stayed late to inventory supplies and straighten out the stock, which had a habit of snowballing into a disaster zone every few weeks. She hesitated at the closed door.

  That’s when she heard the moan, high and keening, as if someone were in pain. Immediately she opened the door.

  Posed in profile, a couple was making love. Braced atop a four-box stack of unopened copy paper, the woman’s bare arms twined around the naked torso of the dark-haired man who held her, her skirt hiked up way past indecent, her bare legs curved around his waist as he kissed and stroked her, their movements rocking the boxes of paper she was sitting on, banging them inelegantly into a nearby filing cabinet.

  Madelyn let out a squeak and averted her eyes, starting to back out. Then she caught a glimpse of
the woman’s face. “Peg?”

  The woman looked up. “Madelyn?”

  Peg’s lover turned to look at her. “Todd?”

  “Madelyn!” he squeaked.

  “Oh—my—God,” Madelyn said, each word spaced in stunned disbelief.

  The lovers sprang apart, hopping around like chickens who’d just lost their heads as they tried to cover bare body parts.

  Madelyn knew her eyes must be the size of dinner plates. “Oh, wow. Oh, gee. Oh, just . . .” She flapped her hands. “Just forget I was ever here.”

  “Wait. It’s not what you think.” Peg fluttered a hand, her blouse hanging askew and misbuttoned. “Well, it is what you think, but—”

  “For Christ’s sake,” Todd muttered, his face stained with embarrassment. “I thought you’d locked the door.”

  “I thought you’d locked it,” Peg told him.

  “What’s all the commotion? Is somebody hurt?”

  Madelyn looked over to find Zack standing in the doorway, surprised that he was still at the office. He lifted one dark eyebrow as he surveyed the scene, a ripe grin spreading over his mouth as understanding dawned.

  “I didn’t know you two had hooked up,” he said to Peg and Todd. “Well, carry on, by all means. Madelyn, shall we go?”

  Madelyn met his eyes and nodded.

  “No, wait, both of you!” Peg exclaimed as she gave her short skirt a firm downward tug. “Todd and I have an announcement.” She reached out and grabbed Todd’s hand, pulling him close. “Coming in here—it was just . . . foolish spontaneity. We got carried away from the excitement.” She grinned, beaming as widely as a model in a tooth-whitening ad. “Congratulate us. We’re getting married!”

  Madelyn’s jaw dropped. “What? You and Todd? How? When? No offense, Todd, but I didn’t think you even came up as a smudge on Peg’s radar screen.”

  Todd draped an arm across Peg’s shoulders. “You’re right. She barely knew I existed, not until that wonderful night when I forgot my wallet and missed my train home. The guy she was going out with got all bent when she arrived with me in tow. He really bristled up when she told him she’d offered to let me share their cab.”

  “You wouldn’t believe the big asshole Bruno turned into,” Peg said, taking over the story. “He was just awful to Todd, bellyaching about how he wasn’t going to pay for an extra ten-block cab ride just to give a lift to one of my coworkers. How if Todd was any sort of man he’d make it home on his own. It was freezing that night and beginning to sleet.”

  “I remember,” Madelyn murmured.

  Peg continued. “He made me so mad, I told him he could forget the date; Todd and I would share a ride on our own. Bruno grabbed me and tried to force me into the cab he’d flagged. That’s when Todd came to my rescue and hit him.”

  “Hit him?” Madelyn and Zack repeated together.

  “Yeah, a real roundhouse punch right in the nose. Dude, you should have seen the blood fly, gushed all over Bruno’s white wool sweater. He whined like a baby.” Peg looped an arm around Todd’s waist and smiled at him with the dopiest expression Madelyn had ever seen. “My hero.”

  Todd smiled back, losing himself in his beloved’s eyes. A few seconds later, they were kissing.

  Madelyn allowed them a moment, then clapped her hands. “Hey, break it up you two, or we’ll be back where this all started. I assure you, I don’t need to see it again.”

  “I didn’t see it.” Zack leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb. “If they want to stage a reenactment, they should go ahead.”

  Madelyn ignored Zack and his suggestion. “So what’s the rest of the story?”

  Flushed and breathless, Todd and Peg forced themselves apart.

  Todd recovered first. “Peg and I took another cab. I’d banged up my knuckles pretty good, so when we got to her place, she invited me up to put ice on my hand. We started talking and before either of us knew it, half the night was gone. We found out we have a lot in common. Did you know her brother was best friends with my cousin Jim in high school?”

  “I had no idea.” Madelyn remarked.

  Peg shot her a look. “To cut to the chase, Todd and I started seeing each other. We decided to keep it quiet at first, in case things didn’t work out. Then later, well, it just seemed simpler not to say anything, what with our working together and all.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Madelyn. I’ve felt just awful keeping a secret like that from you. But I was going to break the news to you tomorrow. Todd only proposed tonight. Even our parents don’t know yet. I guess you and Zack will be the first to wish us happy. You do wish us happy, don’t you?”

  “Of course I wish you happy. Oh, God, you’re getting married!” Madelyn rushed across the space that separated her from her friend and the two women embraced like a pair of out-of-control teenagers. Twin squeals of high-pitched girlish glee filled the small room; then they put their heads together as Peg showed off her brand-new diamond engagement ring.

  Zack stepped forward and offered a hand to Todd. “Congratulations, March. Can’t say I envy you the marriage noose, but every luck. Peg’s a great gal.”

  • • •

  Todd didn’t know Zack all that well and lived a bit in awe of him, but he accepted the hand and the good wishes with a firm shake. “Thanks.” He turned his sights on his fiancée, devotion pouring from his eyes. “I’ve loved her from the first day we met, but I never dared hope she would one day feel the same about me. It’s like a dream and I don’t ever want to wake up.”

  As Todd spoke, Zack watched Madelyn, so exuberant and excited in her pleasure for her friend. A strange knot formed inside his chest as he remembered her words.

  I love you.

  When a woman tells you she loves you, it’s well past time to get out. The kindest move he could make would be to end their affair and spare her further involvement, further pain. But every time he thought of it, imagined himself saying the words, some part of him rebelled.

  He just wasn’t ready for it to be over.

  And as selfish as it might be—and no doubt it was—part of him reveled in knowing she loved him. There was something profoundly satisfying in realizing that a woman as sweet and giving and intelligent as Madelyn could find him worth loving. The real him, not the practiced face and easy charm he showed the rest of the world. She saw through him in ways no one else ever had or had ever wanted to. And admitting that scared the crap out of him.

  She looked up as if she knew he was thinking about her. For an instant their eyes met; then he glanced away to keep her from seeing too much.

  Breaking off her celebration with Peg, Madelyn turned to Todd. “I’m so happy for you.” She moved to embrace him.

  “Well, if we’re hugging now,” Zack said, slipping back into his usual urbane mode, “then I claim the right to kiss the bride.”

  Madelyn crossed her arms. “She’s not a bride yet. Kiss her at the wedding.”

  “Am I invited to the wedding?”

  “Of course you are. Both of you are. In fact, Madelyn’s just agreed to be my maid of honor.” Peg looked between the two of them. “Hey, I just realized. What are you both doing here? Todd and I started fooling around because we thought everybody had gone home.”

  Madelyn stepped into the breach. “I did leave but had to come back for that file that needs to go down to production. I’m glad you reminded me, or in all the excitement, I might have forgotten it again.” She walked over to retrieve the file she’d set down.

  “And I had a late meeting across town and stopped back to drop off a few things,” Zack explained. “When I heard all the noise, I came to see what was up.”

  “Since we’ve kept both of you so late, let Todd and me treat you to dinner,” Peg offered.

  “Thank you, but I couldn’t,” Madelyn refused.

  “And I need my beauty sleep.” Z
ack wagged his eyebrows. “Big presentation tomorrow.”

  Peg accepted their refusals with grace. “I suppose forcing the two of you into such a close social situation would be asking too much anyway. To make it up to Madelyn at least, I’ll be happy to take that file off your hands and drop it off so you can go home. Zack, Todd and I will have to be beholden to you.”

  “Don’t be. The pair of you are better than a whole season’s entertainment. And since I’m sure you have better plans in mind, I’ll force myself to walk Grayson here to her car. If she’s game.”

  “As an engagement present to Todd and Peg, I accept.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Thanks for walking me out.”

  Madelyn pressed a button on her keyless remote. The doors unlocked with a brief flash of the headlights and a single electronic chirp that bounced gently off the walls of the deserted parking garage.

  “Of course,” Zack said. “How about a quick lift—one level up?”

  “Okay.” They climbed into her car and she started the engine. “I thought you parked in one of the other garages.”

  “I used to. When my fees came due a couple months ago, I decided to switch. This seemed more convenient.”

  She made no comment as she put her car in gear. Moments later, they stopped in front of his car, a glossy black Lexus she knew he’d bought at a steal from a guy who’d gotten in way over his head on the payments. It was one of only a few cars left on that level.

  Madelyn traced a fingernail across one of the pleats in her skirt. “You could follow me home and I’ll fix us some dinner. It’s a little late, but I’m sure I can toss something together fast, even if it’s only spaghetti.” She met his eyes and wished he’d kiss her, or at least give her one of his gorgeous smiles.

  Briefly, he laid a hand over hers. “Spaghetti sounds great, but I wasn’t lying when I said I have a major presentation scheduled tomorrow. I need to be in the office early to finish up a few final details. It would be better if I wasn’t yawning my way through them. Can we do it another night?”

  “Of course, if you’d rather,” she said, trying not to be deflated.