[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

office with leather wing back chairs, a state of the
art computer, and several sunny windows. His desk
seemed a bit out of place in the opulent
surroundings, and no one could understand why he
had insisted on bringing the old desk from his first
36
office into his new office. They also couldn t
understand why he had an old ruler in a place of
honor on his bookshelf.
John s secretary buzzed him and cheerfully
announced,  Your wife is here for your lunch date.
John stood to greet his wife as she entered the
office. She walked toward him and stroked her
fingers across the old desk. The woman, who still
made his pulse race when she wore a sweater,
glanced at the ruler on the shelf and said with a
mischievous smile,  Mon professeur, I have been a
very naughty girl zis morning.
37
The Senator Takes a Bride
 Oh, yes. Right there. A little lower and a little
harder& that s it. Charlene s husky voice rang out in
the soft candle light of the hotel suite. She moaned
softly and expelled a deep breath.  That feels
wonderful.
The masseuse continued to work her way down
through the knots in Charlene s back. Finally, her
client began to relax.
Charlene closed her eyes and let her mind
wander while the hotel masseuse worked her magic.
In just a few hours, she was going to become Mrs.
Senator Daniel Josephson. She smiled with
contentment as she pictured herself growing old
with her beloved and slowly drifted off into a gentle
sleep on the massage table.
Earlier that day, things had not looked so
bright.
______________________
The day had started out well enough. Sunshine
streaked through the gap between the heavy hotel
curtains and woke the bride-to-be. She stretched
out under the crisp sheets and downy comforter for
a few minutes to gather her wits about her for the
busy, and stressful, day ahead, then slipped on her
robe and went out to the terrace. The room service
breakfast she d ordered the night before had been
delivered, and was waiting for her on a silver cart
next to the wrought iron table. She peeked under
the lid and chose a blueberry muffin and a small cup
of fruit, poured herself a cup of hot coffee from the
silver coffee pot, and sat down to have a look at the
day s newspaper.
Her eyes grew wide when she saw her own
photo near the bottom of the front page and read
the headline: Senator to Wed Kindergarten Teacher
Today.
Charlene tossed the paper onto the chair next to
38
hers. She didn t need to read the story. She was
living it.
The gentle kindergarten teacher could
understand the public s fascination with the story. It
really was like a modern day fairy tale. In fact, she
would have found it hard believe too if she hadn t
been there.
When little Ryan Josephson had proudly
announced that he was bringing his Uncle Dan to
K.I.S.S.---Kids Invite Someone Special----Day at
her school two years ago, she had no idea that it
would change her life.
Perhaps she should have suspected that Uncle
Dan was not your ordinary guest because Ryan was
so puffed up with pride whenever he talked about
the impending visit. But, all of the students were
excited to be bringing a loved one to school, so it
didn t really register with her. The class spent
weeks planning activities, making party favors and
name tags, and preparing special snacks to share
with their guests.
On the morning of the big day, Charlene wore
her favorite outfit and the necklace that the class
had gotten her as a Christmas gift. When school
started, she was waiting at the door to her
classroom to greet her students and their visitors.
When Ryan introduced her to his Uncle Dan, all she
could do was stare. Of course, even if she hadn t
recognized him as Daniel Josephson of the United
States Senate, she would have stared. He was
head-turningly handsome---soft brown hair, firm
jaw, piercing green eyes---and a body that made
her palms sweat.
She stammered a greeting and feebly held out
her hand to him. Daniel was as charming as he was
good looking. He held her fingers gently between
his two strong hands and said,  So, you re the Miss
Aronson that Ryan tells me about. His descriptions
really didn t do you justice.
Charlene felt herself blush and thought she
would die of embarrassment. She gazed, tongue-
39
tied, at the gorgeous politician. Finally, she found
her voice and said,  it s a pleasure to meet you,
Senator Josephson.
 Please, Miss Aronson, today I am Uncle Dan. I d
be much happier if you would call me by my first
name. His smile, which was intended to put her at
ease, made her toes curl.
 Well, Charlene s mouth had gone dry and she
struggled to get the words out,  Uncle Dan it is,
then. We re glad to have you here today. She
smiled back and hoped she didn t look like a star-
struck schoolgirl. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]