Dare to Surrender by Carly Phillips Page A

go much easier than I’d anticipated. In fact, he’d let me go completely. Either he’d respected my decision or I’d hurt or angered him to the point that he no longer cared. That was the thought that tortured me, the possibility that I’d caused Gabe pain in order to find my sense of self. I think some part of me believed he’d be persistent even as he tried to understand. I didn’t think he’d let contact go. Then again, I’d left him. What else would a man with a healthy ego do?
    There were times I wondered if he’d thought I was testing him by leaving and was angry that I’d played that kind of game with him. The truth was, I didn’t know how to play games, not when it came to my heart. The fact remained, his silence reigned, as blatant and full of meaning as my parents’, I thought, and a knife-like pain hit my heart.
    Three months later, I still missed Gabe, all the while asking myself how I could miss a man I’d barely gotten to know. Yet he’d reached inside me with the things I craved most—understanding and true passion.
    If I was honest with myself, and during this time of self-discovery, I’d forced myself to be nothing but, I also missed the sexual domination he’d exerted over me. Where Lance’s control had been damaging and ego crushing, Gabe’s had built me up in subtle but important ways. Just a few days with him and I’d felt stronger. Strong enough to leave the easy life he’d offered me and go out on my own just to prove to myself that I could.
    This morning, as I settled into my desk and began checking messages, the familiar sound of Lisa coming through the doors had me looking up. She floated into the office. There was no other word to describe her arrival. Makeup perfect, blonde hair in symmetrical waves, she immediately came over to my desk, a huge smile on her face.
    “Nice evening?” I asked, knowing Tom had told her to dress up because he was taking her somewhere special.
    “Fabulous!” She flashed her hand at me, and I couldn’t help but notice the big, sparkly engagement ring on her finger.
    “Oh my God!” I squealed as only a friend could, jumped up, and hugged her tightly. “Congratulations!” I grabbed her hand for a better look. “Gorgeous.”
    “I know!”
    I laughed, truly happy for her. Lisa had just turned forty, and she’d been beginning to think Tom would never propose, but she loved him too much to leave or issue an ultimatum. Clearly her persistence had paid off.
    Instead of heading to her office and returning calls immediately as she usually did, Lisa perched herself on the corner of my desk. Never the kind of boss to define the workplace by hierarchy, she also didn’t care that I was a good decade younger than her.
    We’d clicked, therefore we were friends.
    I settled back into my chair. “I’m thrilled for you,” I told her.
    “Thank you.” She quietly assessed me with her vivid green eyes. “I’m glad you came back so I could share this with you. Not to mention the fact that you keep me organized.”
    I smiled at her. “I’m glad too.” I’d missed the work, and I’d missed her friendship.
    She leaned in close. “You know, I was fooled by Lance too.”
    I whipped my head up. She hadn’t brought up Lance since the first night of my return, respecting that boundary, if not many others. I think she realized I needed time to heal, and she’d given me that. Apparently, with her engagement and happiness assured, it was time to focus on me.
    My stomach churned, but I figured it was better to have the conversation and be done with it than to avoid it and let her push me until I revealed all.
    “Lance really fooled you too?” I asked, surprised that she hadn’t seen beyond the smooth exterior to the slime beneath either.
    She nodded. “I would have tried harder to talk you out of quitting it—make that abandoning me here—but you were so happy. You loved him, and you wanted security. I knew you well enough to know that, and Lance