The Woman I Love: Book One (The Woman I Love Series 1) Read online

  ~THE WOMAN I LOVE~

  ‘The Woman I Love Series’

  Book One

  written by

  G. S. Binkley

  © 2001 Binkley

  ©2014 Binkley Cover art and Design

  Synopsis: The Woman I Love is about a beautiful television star on vacation with her family and meets a writer who in turn challenges and changes her life forever as she finds true love in a cabin on the lake. This is the first story in the ~THE WOMAN I LOVE~ series.

  *** This story starts in the year 2001

  Sexual Content: F/F partners with implied F/M relationship

  Code:

  L: Love between two people with kisses, embraces and tender moments.

  LS: Love scenes described in more detail, involving scenes of lovemaking.

  ES: Explicit love scenes.

  · This story is rated: LS

  · Fiction (Alternative)

  This is copyrighted material, © 2001 Binkley…all rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher (author). This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters or incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales are completely incidental.

  other stories

  by

  g. s. binkley

  Alternative

  A Woman Like You

  Here Comes My Woman

  A Woman in Love

  What A Woman

  Murder at Fountain Blue

  An Innocent Heart

  Short Stories: Just the Way You Like It

  Heart of Africa

  Mainstream

  Angel in Disguise

  Murder at Red Rum

  Murder at Knifepoint

  Once Again, Alexis

  Here Comes Jordan

  About the Author

  G. S. BINKLEY has the privilege to write the stories that many characters have come to reveal. It is really their lives that seek an audience to share their stories.

  ** I write both mainstream and alternative stories. All my stories have a romantic element in them. I hope you enjoy them.

  Table of Contents

  ~THE WOMAN I LOVE~

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue: Four weeks later.

  Afterthought

  Chapter One

  Lacy Levine’s long legs hurried down the corridor at LAX with her young daughter, Danielle, by her side, both toting their carryon bags. Looking back over his broad shoulder, David Levine, called to his television star wife, “Will you two hurry up?” With a sharp jerk, David pulled at his son moving him along faster as he navigated around several other passengers who were en route to their respective flights.

  Oblivious to his father, Lacy noticed her three year old son’s unbalanced wobble. She nudged Danielle ahead, letting go of her hand. “Dani, go with your dad while I get Derek.” Dani happily skipped ahead of her raven-haired mother, allowing Lacy to rescue Derek from her pre-occupied husband then Dani grabbed her father’s hand, pulling him forward.

  With loving gray eyes that matched his fathers, Derek smiled shyly at his mother as she scooped him up into her arms. His mother quickly kissed his cheek and readjusted her bag, before dashing off to find the rest of her family. Slightly out of breath, Lacy spotted Dani talking with an older woman seated near a window. With David nowhere in sight, her piercing blue eyes scanned the area quickly before falling on her wayward husband in a heated discussion with an airline attendant.

  Lacy walked up to her daughter, sitting her bag down along with her son. Derek quickly anchored himself on to his mother’s slender leg then looked at his sister and her new friend. Lacy sat down on a nearby seat, holding on to her son while addressing Dani. “Who’s your new friend?”

  Anxious to show off, Dani announced, “This is Grace. She’s 79 years old and married her high school sweetheart, has three kids and eleven grandchildren and… nine great-grandchildren.” There was a time when Lacy would have been surprised at all the information her daughter seemed to squeeze out of strangers in a short amount of time, but she had come to expect it of her curious and outgoing eight year old. “And, Grace…..”

  Grace Davidson interrupted the young girl’s dissertation. “Twelve, remember, I said my youngest just had a little girl.”

  Dani spared the older woman a quick challenging glance for correcting her, but that expression held court for only a short moment before blooming into a full fledge smile. “Anyway, her husband’s dead now.” Crossing her arms, Dani dared the older lady to contradict her.

  Grace smiled sweetly; turning her attention to the young boy holding on to his mother’s leg as if his life depended on it. “What’s your name, little one?”

  Derek shoved his face deeper against his mother’s thigh. Dani tugged at Grace’s arm. “Derek. But he won’t talk to you. You’re a stranger.”

  “He’s a little shy.” Lacy inserted, stroking her son’s short dark hair. Extending her other hand to Grace, she said, “My name’s Lacy Levine.”

  The old woman recognized the television star immediately upon seeing her. “I know. I watch your show on TV. I was sorry to hear it’s going off the air. There aren’t many shows with strong women in them.” Grace shifted in her seat as Dani nudged closer to her.

  Before Lacy could respond, her ever-boisterous daughter explained. “Mom needed a vacation.” She glanced at her mother making sure she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries. Catching the approving smile from her mother, Dani then added adamantly, “And we did, too.”

  Grace remained interested as Lacy took up where her daughter left off. “We’re vacationing at a lake where my grandparents used to have a cabin.”

  “They’re dead now.” Dani added, a matter-of-factly.

  “Yes, anyway, it’s been ages since I’ve been there.” Lacy smiled at the memories that flooded her mind. “My brothers and I had such a great time there when we were little and I…wanted to share that experience with my kids.” Lacy was surprised, having divulged this information to a relative stranger, but then again her daughter had a way of making everyone they encountered familiar, almost like family.

  “Mom has a sister, too. She’s my aunt… and my godmother.” Dani stated proudly causing Grace to smile warmly at the confident young girl in front of her.

  Lacy continued, “Anyway, after five long seasons, it was time to move on and I wanted to spend more time with my children.” Lacy’s beautiful features turned sad. “I’ve missed so much these last few years.”

  Grace touched Lacy’s arm gently in reassurance. “They do grow up fast, don’t they? But, now, you and your family can have a great time together on vacation.”

  “Not all of our family.” Dani’s bright blue eyes turned steely. “Dad can’t come with us. He’s too busy.” Dani’s initial hurt
feelings when her father explained he wouldn’t be going with them turned into a rare show of anger. It subsided a bit when he offered her some hope that he would try to meet up with them within the week.

  With determination, David headed for his family and plopped down between Grace and his wife. Facing Lacy, he vented. “You won’t believe this. They’re running late… some kind of mechanical problem.” Glancing at his watch, David rubbed his neck. “I don’t have time to sit here and wait.”

  Tugging at his sleeve, Dani pulled him around. “Daddy, this is my new friend, Grace.”

  Reluctantly, he shifted around slightly, throwing an off-handed greeting. “Hi.” Turning back to his wife, he offered. “Listen, babe, I really need to get going. But, before I do, I’ll try to light a fire under these guys again so you won’t have to wait long.”

  “David, we’re not in a hurry.” Lacy assured her husband.

  “That’s not the point. They say the plane will leave at ten then it should leave at ten. There are schedules to keep, you know.” David was a man who lived by a schedule his whole life, and it suited his present profession as an executive to a tee. Keeping on schedule meant staying within budget and gave order to his life. If I ran my company the way they run this airline, I’d be out of business, over budget and looking for a new line of work.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Levine.” Drawing David from his thoughts, Grace continued. “If there is something wrong with the airplane, I, for one, am willing to wait for as long as it takes.”

  “Time is money.” David briskly countered.

  “More important than the safety of your family?” The new grandmother pointed out politely.

  Getting David’s full attention, he turned around sternly eyeing the older woman who was holding onto his daughter. “Of course not. My family is of the utmost importance.” David glared at the older woman before him, seizing his daughter from Grace’s clutches.

  Aware of her husband’s increasingly short temper, Lacy interceded before a verbal altercation could take root. “David, we’ll be all right here. I know you have a meeting.”

  Bolting up, David grabbed his wife urging her away from Grace in order to garnish some privacy. Lacy picked up Derek as David shoved his daughter along with him. He stopped a few feet away, glancing back to the older woman then turned back to his wife. “All right, if you want, I’ll go ahead and get to that meeting.”

  Lacy moved in closer. Staring directly into her husband’s gray eyes, she searched for some reassurance. “Remember, you promised to come out next week.”

  David gave his wife a quick peck on the lips. “At the latest.” He dropped down to his daughter and hugged her. “You be good for your daddy, okay?” Blue eyes turned teary. “Honey…..” David began, but Dani shunned her father by turning away so he gently twisted her back around. “Sometimes you don’t always get what you want. I’d rather be with you and Derek and your mom, but first I’ve got to work. Do you understand that?” His shoulders dropped in frustration. Exasperated, his voice took on a harsher edge. “Besides, I’ll see you next week.”

  Sadly, Dani asked. “Does work always have to come first?”

  With no words to offer his daughter, he hugged her tightly. Dani held on, never wanting to let go. The little girl prayed her father would keep his word this time.

  Reluctantly letting go of his daughter, David rose, letting his eyes fall on his son who was still clinging to his mother. “Never thought I’d have a momma’s boy,” he grumbled.

  “David!” Lacy said sternly as fiery blue eyes flared.

  David reached for his only son, coaxing him as he tried to get his attention. “Derek, come here.” The three year old determinedly remained in his mother’s arms. “Aww, hell, I don’t have time for this. Come here!” David’s voice rose sharply as he took hold of his son. But, Derek let his stubborn streak shine through in defiance of his father. Frustrated, David’s anger blared as his face turned red, which did not go unnoticed by his daughter.

  Retrieving Derek from her husband, Lacy shielded her son placing him on her side away from David. “You go on and get to that all important meeting. Your family wouldn’t want to make you late.” Lacy’s sarcastic tone grated against her husband.

  “I don’t need this, you know.” David warned. The last five years had taken a toll on their relationship and David wasn’t happy when Lacy informed him a year ago that she was quitting her television show at the end of the fifth season. David expected that Lacy would do at least two more seasons of the successful cop show starring his wife and her co-star Hayston Rawlings.

  Yanking on his shirt, Dani successfully drew her father’s attention away from her mother. “Dad, are you mad at us?” She didn’t want anything standing in the way of her father joining them on vacation next week as he promised.

  A reluctant smile spread across his face. “No, hon. I’m not.”

  “Are you mad at Derek? He really likes you. But…..” Dani hesitated. “…sometimes, you sorta scare him.”

  An unconscious smirk ran across his face at his daughter’s words. Great, I have a son who’s a scardy cat. If David had chosen to examine his words, he would have realized that he was not concerned that he was the source of his son’s fearfulness. His concern riveted on the fact that he felt his son was going to be a wimp of a man when he grew up. This was something that was unacceptable to him as a father. It was times like these that David questioned Derek’s parentage.

  Drawing David from his selfish musings, Lacy suggested. “David, maybe you should go now.”

  Reluctantly, David offered. “I guess I could stay a while longer.”

  “No. We’ll be fine.” She leaned over to kiss him diverting her lips to his cheek instead of the lips he offered. “Just make sure you show up later. I don’t want you to disappoint Dani again.” She whispered in his ear before moving away and reaching for their young daughter.

  Through a strained voice, David explained. “Do I have to clarify this again? I have responsibilities. And since you decided to quit, I have to ensure the welfare of our future.” When Lacy remained silent, David gritted his teeth. “I don’t want to argue about this, Lacy.”

  Ushering Dani ahead of her, she tossed the shared sentiment over her shoulder at him. “Good. Neither do I.”

  As David watched his family walk back to sit next to the older woman, his shoulders slumped in frustration. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t accept his explanation. My God, you’d think she thought I was lying about it. It was then a little voice in his head proffered, aren’t you? Turning sharply on his heels, David briskly marched away.

  Disappointed with the recent events, Lacy watched her husband negotiate his way through the horde of passengers. She didn’t want their goodbyes to be soiled in such a hateful manner. But lately every conversation they had turned sour. Feeling a need to talk to someone familiar, Lacy reached in her purse extracting her cell phone and punched a number. Lacy watched as Dani embarked on another long conversation with Grace while Derek remained tucked securely in her arms, fighting sleep as she waited for the telephone to ring.

  Chapter Two

  With the deadly aerosol can in hand, Gage Ballant rushed back inside the cabin, jumping over the couch toward the ringing telephone only to knock it further away. Scrambling on the floor, Gage grabbed the phone and answered it. “Hello.”

  “Are you training for a marathon, being chased or just clumsy, as usual?” Straightening back up and sucking in a deep breath, Gage smiled at the familiar voice greeting her.

  “I am not clumsy.” Gage strongly denied the ribbing that was being served.

  “Surely, it can’t be the only other thing I’m thinking of because you’re up there alone, right?” The voice on the telephone taunted.

  “Very funny.” Gage frowned. “And for your information, it’s chasing.”

  “I wish I was there to see who was doing the chasing… is it you or the same geese that were after you a few weeks ago?” The sound
of laughter echoed through the telephone recoiling Gage to remember the unpleasant thought that fleetingly crossed her mind of being bombarded by a flock of geese.

  Gage jumped up, with the telephone in one hand and a can of wasp killer in the other, determined to take her avenge on the wasps that had decided to take up residence on the front porch. “It’s a good thing you’re not here. I’m in pursuit of your favorite insect. You know the ones that chased you around mercilessly until you were stung, swelling up like a balloon.” Gage said letting her lighthearted laugh drift through the telephone.

  “Hey, I’m allergic to wasps.” The unpleasant memory caused Mark to shift uncomfortably in his leather chair. He picked up an antique pen, tapping it on his equally antique desk. “Remember where I left the EpiPen just in case you end up getting stung. They can be deadly,” he added seriously.

  Running her hand nervously through her short blonde hair, Gage was immediately upset with her teasing words to her friend and now partner, Mark Calico. When Mark offered his cabin for Gage to write a new screenplay, they came up together to check the place out. The very first day Mark was stung and would have died if he had not already known he was allergic to wasps and always carried EpiPen with him, also having a spare at the cabin just in case. EpiPen stopped the inflammation that spread throughout his body upon being stung; which started to shut down all his major body functions.

  “Sorry, Mark.” Gage apologized then offered. “I don’t think I’m allergic though.”

  “Have you ever been stung?”

  “I don’t remember really. I don’t think so.” Gage was now more than ever determined to eradicate the vicious little creatures that had caused her friend harm.

  Sensitive to his friend’s regret, Mark changed the subject and asked. “How’s the story going?”

  With keen green eyes, Gage took careful aim and sent a direct hit which flooded the wasp’s nest, saturating it with the deadly spray. The aerosol can had a spray distance of up to twenty feet so Gage was safely tucked just inside the cabin door. “Great, actually, almost finished with it. Needs some editing though and you’ll have to read it.”