Home Free - Fern Michaels [29]
This was definitely not the time to be coy. “Yes!”
Fergus looked down at his watch. “We have five hours before the clock turns to six, at which time we will absolutely have to start to work. Five whole hours? I suggest we adjourn to your second floor and do what both of us have been dreaming about.”
“I guess you think I’m easy,” Annie called over her shoulders as she galloped toward the staircase in the back that led to the second floor.
“The thought never entered my mind,” Fergus shouted as he whipped off his shirt and tie.
“Liar!” Annie giggled.
Five hours later, the couple, all smiles and, as Annie put it later, all kitchey-koo, descended the staircase, where Fergus immediately replenished the fire while Annie swept the cookbooks off the counter.
“I’ll pick those up later,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “If you want breakfast, I have some donuts and juice. And, of course, coffee. I make very good coffee.”
Fergus grinned. “I’ll take it. Tell me something, Annie. Is what transpired upstairs something we aren’t going to talk about, or should we beat it to death and go on from there? I just want to say that, for a woman your age, you certainly are . . . agile. I had no idea you had a tattoo on your rear end. I like that.”
Annie stopped measuring out coffee into the wire basket. “You do? I can pole dance. Did you know that?”
“I . . . ah . . . suspected as much when I saw that pole in your dressing room. Perhaps you would give a recital for me.”
“Just say the word. Oh, God, did I just say that?”
Fergus laughed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I . . . actually . . . I guess . . .”
“Yes?” Fergus drawled.
“It was the best sex I’ve ever had. There, is that what you wanted to hear?”
“It’ll do. I think I can say the same thing. Shall we do it again after all your guests leave?”
“Make this dinner come out perfectly, and I’ll give you a recital you won’t soon forget.”
Outside, as the sun came up, light snow was falling. Annie took a minute to stare out the window as she peeled sweet potatoes. She realized in that one nanosecond that she was happier than she’d been in years. “Just let me hold on to it for a while,” she whispered under her breath.
Fergus watched Annie out of the corner of his eye. What an extraordinary lady Anna de Silva is. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this upbeat, this happy, and he’d just turned down an invitation issued personally by the president of the United States. What in the world had he done to deserve this instead?
By ten thirty, all the prep work was done. What loomed ahead was a magnificent Thanksgiving dinner made by two pairs of loving hands. The kitchen was tidy; all the dishes, pots, and pans were washed and put away, the cookbooks returned to their special drawer.
Annie made fresh coffee for both of them. “This is so nice,” Annie said. “I love the fire, these two rocking chairs, dinner roasting, my family coming today, and it’s snowing outside. And then there is . . . you, Fergus. I can’t help but wonder what brought you back into my life right now. Can you tell me why you went to the White House?”
“Well, I’m retired now and not bound by the same rules I once was. But I know better than to talk about things I shouldn’t. What is it you want to know?”
“I think you know me and the others well enough to know that whatever is said to any of us goes no further. I probably shouldn’t do this, either, but I want to show you something. Wait right here.” Three minutes later, Annie returned with a gold shield in her hand. “By any chance, do you know what this is?”
“I do. We have the equivalent of it abroad. I can’t say that I am surprised at what you’re holding. But do you know there is another shield that tops yours and mine, because there is? I can’t be sure about this, but I think only three have ever been issued.”
“Who were they issued to?” Annie asked.
“I don’t know. Over the years, we’ve all speculated, but no names were ever mentioned. I guess I can tell you what the meeting was all about, and, no, I will not insult you by asking you not to