Donna Hill - Surrender To Me

Avery blinked rapidly and shifted her weight. “Dinner? I... I really don’t think...that would be a good idea.”

Rafe gave the barest of shrugs. “Not a problem, only an invitation.”

His smile was just enough to stir the imagination.

Avery licked her bottom lip. “So what brings you to DC?”

“Meeting a friend. He’s playing a set tonight. Maybe if you’re not too busy—not eating dinner—” his eyes cinched with mischief “—you could stop by. You might like it. Good food, adult crowd, great music.” He extended his hand.

Avery glanced down and mindlessly placed her hand in his. The shock raced up her arm and raised the hair on the back of her neck. Her fingertips tingled.

Rafe dipped his head toward her. “I’ll let you get back to secretly servicing,” he said in a wickedly low voice that set her imagination on a chase down the lane of possibility.

“You have a way with words, Mr. Lawson.”

Rafe chuckled. “So I’ve heard.” His gaze ran lazily over her then settled on her eyes. “Good to see you again, Agent Richards.”

“You...too.”

“If you change your mind I’ll be at Blues Alley. Set starts at eight, last set at ten.”

“I can’t promise.”

“No promises needed. Enjoy your day.”

He turned and strode away and Avery felt he’d taken all the energy with him. She watched him push through the revolving door before merging in with the flow of bodies.

She spun away and right into Mike.

“Friend?”

“What?”

He lifted his chin toward the exit. “Friend of yours? I saw you two talking pretty close. Didn’t think you were seeing anyone with you so wrapped up in this job. You really need to think about letting me take you out. Lunch. Dinner.”

She was so annoyed that Mike snapped the spell of Rafe that she barely refrained from lathering him with the cuss words that she only held on to by sheer will.

“Excuse me,” she said and brushed by him.

Her hand trembled ever so slightly when she pressed the elevator button. She replayed when she’d first met Rafe. They’d barely shared more than a couple of sentences. From what she recalled she’d only given him her first name and certainly no reason for him to believe that he could simply show up at her office.

The doors opened. Even more alarming was how he even figured out what her last name was in order to find where she was stationed. She was the damned Secret Service! But clearly he must have used his father’s connections. She didn’t know if she should be flattered or pissed off.

Avery walked down the corridor and back to her small office, and plopped down in the chair behind her desk. Her body still vibrated and her usual methodically organized thoughts were in complete disarray.

She reached for her cell phone and called Kerry. The call went to voice mail, but while she was leaving a message, Kerry called her back.

“Hey, Avery, what’s up?”

“You will never guess who just left here.”

“Don’t make me guess.”

“Rafe Lawson,” she said in a pressed whisper.

“Say what?”

“Yes! He was here.”

“What did he want?”

Avery ran down the conversation.

“So let me get this straight. This fine-ass bachelor flies across the country, takes the time to track you down, asks you out for dinner and you say—no? Are you out of your damned mind?”

“No. I’m...cautious.”

“No. Crazy. What do you think can happen over dinner?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“I don’t know,” she woefully confessed. She sighed heavily into the phone. “He... There’s something about him that...unsettles me.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I feel as if I lose control when he’s in my space.”

“Girl, girl...” Kerry laughed. “I only wish there was someone to make me feel that way.”

“I don’t. I can’t be all foggy-headed and tongue-tied.”

“Sis, you have got to give yourself some space to live and be a woman. This job can take a toll on the people in our lives and us. No one knows better than me. But every now and then we have to be our own number one priority.”

Avery was quiet. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be in a relationship. She just knew at this stage in her life it was almost impossible if she wanted to be successful. She was good at what she did, and after years of trying she’d finally gained, if not the love, at least the admiration of her father. She didn’t want to lose that over something that probably would never last.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Kerry said, breaking into Avery’s thoughts.

“What deal?”

“I’ll go with you to Blues Alley and after the evening is over if you still feel the same way...I’ll shut my mouth on the subject.”

It would give her a chance to see Rafe again without being out there on her own. “Okay.”

“Great. So you want to go to the first set or the last?”

“First. I’m on duty tomorrow morning.”

“Too bad. I’m off.”

“Don’t rub it in. Meet you out front at 7:30?”

“Perfect.”

“So I’ll see you later.”

“Later.”

Avery disconnected the call and leaned back in her chair. A giddy sensation fluttered in her center. She looked at the time on her phone. Seven hours. This was going to be a very long day.

Chapter 3

It had been several months since he’d been to the DMV area. Driving through the streets of DC brought back a mixture of memories.

He’d partied hard in the nation’s capital, frequenting the many clubs and after-hours spots, either as a musician or one of the revelers. He’d been enamored with the city since his youth, enough that he left Tulane’s grad school and enrolled in Howard University, much to his father’s disappointment, which suited Rafe just fine. The only saving grace was that Branford believed he would be able to keep an eye on his son if he was in the city where he wielded power and also claimed as a second home. Neither reality fazed Rafe in the least. If anything it fueled his bad boy ways: speeding tickets to tabloid news to barroom brawls. Yet somehow he managed to graduate with his master’s degree in music history and composition and built a reputation on campus as one of the most talented sax players of his generation. He’d even been offered a teaching position after graduation, but he turned it down. As much as he loved everything about music he wasn’t ready to be tied down to one place.

The rows of town houses, in a range of browns and dusty red hues, stood in perfectly proportioned squares of grace, adorned with flower-bearing urns all shaded by century-old trees. The neighborhood was reminiscent of times gone by when the roads were cobblestone and horse-drawn carriages were the preferred mode of transportation.

Rafe parked his rented Mercedes out front and took his carry-on from the trunk. He opened the black gate and walked down the short path to the door. Even though he did not stay in town often, he had Alice come twice per month to clean and air out the rooms. He’d called in advance of this visit to make sure the fridge and the bar were stocked. Alice always did an outstanding job, and as usual today was no exception.

When he walked in he was greeted with a vase of fresh flowers in the foyer and the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. He dropped his bag in the hall and followed the scent.

Alice was busy at the sink washing vegetables for a salad. Rafe eased up behind her and slipped his arms around her thick waist.

Alice gave a slight squeal of surprise and giggled like a schoolgirl rather than a grandmother of three when Rafe placed a kiss behind each ear. She playfully smacked his hands.