What is Love? by Tessa Saks Read Free Book Online Page B

penoir, into her suitcase and
carefully covered it with the protective garment-liner. Silk and candlelight
would help rekindle their lost but not forgotten love. She zipped the case shut
with the satisfaction that she had done it. Jonathan was staying. And she was
going away with him. Ten days. Ten glorious days to make their marriage work.
When he hadn’t come home those three nights after the Valentine gala, she
realized how much she would lose if he actually left her.
    Ellen glanced at the
suitcases on her bed and smiled, accepting her victory. He had behaved badly,
and he knew it. He had finally come to his senses, and wasn’t that what she
wanted all along? Even though he had been busy these past two weeks and they
barely had time to talk, he had been home—every night. She picked up the phone
to call Weston, their driver, to come for their suitcases. She hung up and as
she opened her purse, the phone rang.
    “How’s the blushing
bride?” the familiar voice in the receiver asked. “And how’s the packing going?
Pack lots of sexy lingerie?”
    Ellen blushed. “Patty!”
    “I’ll take that as a
yes,” Patty said. “Well, I hope you have a wonderful and romantic trip. Where
are you staying?”
    “The Sandy Lane
Resort—considered a favorite hideaway for royalty and celebrities. And the
Rosenthals go all the time. They say it’s their favorite resort. Mrs. Z stays
there, too, and raves about the service.”
    “Well, if it’s good
enough for queens and Mrs. Z, it must be something.”
    “It is. We have the
private villa with our own beachfront and a full staff, everything imaginable.”
    “A hot tub?”
    “Patty! It’s not
that kind of trip.”
    “Well, maybe it
should be,” Patty said with a laugh. “Look, this is your big chance. I want to
make sure you rekindle that spark, that you remind him of the sexy times you
used to have. And don’t forget the spice. Think like the enemy.”
    “I will try my best.
I’m so excited—I do feel like a newlywed.”
    Patty laughed.
“Somehow, Ellen dearest, that doesn’t surprise me. Just be sure to act like
one. Remember: when you’re good, you’re good, but when you’re bad, you’re better.”
    “I will  … we will.” Bad? How
could Patty consider such nonsense for her? She hung up and heard Weston
approaching. “Put these in the car, please, and then bring Mr. Horvath’s
luggage down from his room.”
    “Yes, Mrs. Horvath,”
Weston said before disappearing.
    Ellen turned and
stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wished she could erase all the
lines, yet they were part of her, reminding her of the years of her life. Her
road map. She thought of the other women who had had surgery, how they often
ended up looking ridiculous, like caricatures of themselves. None of them
looked natural. She couldn’t do that to herself. But this week, just this once,
she wished she could appear beautiful and young. If only he could see me as
I used to be, when he was attracted to me and couldn’t keep his hands off me.
    She sighed and
turned, glancing around her room, wondering if upon his return, Jonathan would
once again share her bed, as he had long ago. Thoughts of him kissing her and
saying he loved her filled her with anticipation about the task that lay ahead.
It wouldn’t be easy, but like everything else in life, the things that matter
most are rarely ever easy.
    ***
    Horvath Industries
sat in the heart of the garment district on West 38th Street in Manhattan and occupied
six floors of a neoclassical limestone building and employed over two hundred
people. This did not include the thousand employees at their factories in Long
Island, Georgia, South Carolina and California. The business had started back
in 1921, when Jonathan Horvath Senior returned home a WWI hero, full of
ambition and military connections. Jonathan had grown up working for his
father’s uniform factory and spent most of his time learning everything about
the business—from