Ribbon of Steele: A Romance of Suspense by Jq Allan Page A

hill and towards the main building.
     
    Lizzie closed her eyes and smiled . Right now I'm happy.
     
    Her phone buzzed twice and she realized she had just received a new voicemail. Instinctively, she pulled the phone from her clutch and looked at the screen. She took in a small breath after reading the screen.
     
    New Voicemail. Sam.
     
    She hoped Mackenzie hadn't noticed the reaction. Luckily, he was also deep in thought as they strolled through the rows of vines. She shoved her phone back into her clutch and tried to put it out of her mind. She almost succeeded.
     
    That night she slept over at Pemlilly. They made love again and he had kissed every inch of her body, teasing her body as she again saw stars from behind the black ribbon. She had planned on resisting the blindfold, but saw the passion in Mackenzie's eyes and relented. After, she had fallen soundly asleep in Mackenzie's king-sized bed.
     
    His strong arms were still around her when she awoke the next morning. Outside, morning had begun without them. She could hear birds beginning their day, and felt the warmth of the sun enter the room.
     
    Lizzie thought about the vineyard. He had made her feel so alive and sexy. He had planned the perfect date. For the first time in her life, she had gone to bed naked, and feeling his body cradled around hers made her feel warm and safe. She watched him as he slept, and smiled at the innocent expression on his face. Then she remembered the voicemail.
     
    She slipped out of bed, slowly pulled on her sundress, and grabbed her clutch. Walking on the balls of her feet, she moved down the long stairway and into the large great room. The Roman gods seemed to stare at her from the ceiling as she quietly made her way to the kitchen.
     
    Lizzie pulled out her phone and stared at her voicemail for a long time. She hovered her thumb over the delete button, but paused and curiosity got the best of her. She pushed the play button and quickly moved the phone to her ear.
     
    "Hey Lizzie it's Sam. It's about six on Saturday, thought you might be around. I didn't want to leave this over voicemail, but I wanted to make sure you got this. I wanted to let you know the museum is opening next weekend. I want to tell you to come. I want to tell you I'm sorry. I want to tell you that it doesn't mean anything without you here, Lizzie. That's what I want to say. It doesn't mean a thing without you. I miss you. I really miss you. Can we start over? Maybe just get a drink somewhere? I love you Lizzie. Call me, ok? Bye."
     
    She slowly removed the phone from her ear. The museum was a big deal. She had not even thought about it since the day she left Sam's apartment. The museum had represented two years of work for both her and Sam. His voice brought back memories that she had almost forgotten. The museum project was how they had met. When they first started working together, they had disagreed about almost every part of the project. She had wanted to make everything beautiful and he had criticized her for not thinking about the function rather than just the form. She accused him of trying to design a box with windows. Their arguments spilled over into comical and spirited discussions at the campus coffee shop and then into something more.
     
    She hated it, but a piece of her missed him too. She was pretty sure she loved Mackenzie, but remembering Sam made her head spin . I should have just deleted the damn message.
     
    "Everything ok?", Mackenzie said walking into the kitchen with a yawn. He kissed her cheek, and turned on the coffee pot.
     
    "Yep," said Lizzie, forcing a smile.
     
    "Breakfast?", he asked.
     
    "No thanks," said Lizzie. "I've got to help Nicole today...so."
     
    "You've got to go," he finished. "No problem," said Mackenzie. "Let me get my keys."
     
    The ride home was quiet. Lizzie's head was swimming. The call had completely thrown her off, and she didn't feel comfortable in her own skin. She was suddenly very conscious that