At noon, having survived the onslaught of meowing and barking patients, Shona entered her private office, collapsed into a chair and began to eat her lunch. As she picked her way through a chef's salad, she mused, "I really could have used Ginny's help this morning. This would be the day she'd be out of the city attending a seminar." Shona knew she shouldn't complain, however, as her partner of 7 months had always put in extra hours before and after being away from the office for a day or so.
It hadn't been difficult for Shona's husband to find a new love. All he'd had to do was walk outside of his office and knock on the door of his partner's inner sanctum. Having gained entry, Walker was then greeted by the beguiling and extremely willing to please, Rebecca Deschenes, a smolderingly sensual woman in secure possession of the keys to Walker's body and, in time, his heart.
Following her husband's departure, Shona became even more dedicated to helping her father develop the clinic into a successful enterprise. While her dad, Steven, had long been recognized as an exceptional doctor, he was almost totally lacking in business skills. For many years, the clinic had been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy due to a perilous receivable crisis. Over the next two years, Shona managed to not only increase the clinic's client base, but morph the center into a model of business success.
Just when the tide had finally been turned, Steven MacKenzie perished in a freak accident while enjoying an afternoon of tuna fishing on the waters of The Bay of Fundy. A sudden swell of rampaging waves had swamped the boat, captained by her father. Within minutes, MacKenzie and his two comrades had succumbed to the perilous waters.
In time, Shona would come to grips with the loss of her father via the constant outpourings of love and support from her mother, Susan. She had taken it upon herself to try and bolster her daughter's heart, versus concentrating on her own pain.
3 months after her husband's death, Susan prodded her daughter into contacting Ginny Morgan, a woman who had graduated alongside of Shona. She had recently resigned her position with a veterinary pharmaceutical supply company and was looking for a new challenge. Ginny immediately accepted an offer to become Shona's partner.
The relationship had turned out to be more than just a successful business one; Ginny Morgan had become Shona's dearest friend. Responding to Ginny's gentle nudging, Shona had dated one or two of the eligible bachelors in the area, but remained locked in an embrace of loneliness. It was only on the stage that Shona's spirits seemed to rise.
As Shona finished eating her, by now, lilted salad, she allowed herself, for but a moment, to begin dreaming that perhaps Brigadoon still awaited her? It might be possible that the man of her destiny awaited her in the mists of love and pure, unequaled romance. Victoria's words of that morning gently entered her mind. "Oh you'll like him, Shona, and this will be a magical evening for me." Shona could only hope that, in time, she too would feel such joy again.
"Okay, hold on please."
Within a minute, Rory's voice charmed its way into Victoria's heart and caused her body temperature to rise, appreciably. "Hello, Victoria. What a pleasant surprise! How are you this afternoon?"
"I'm doing great, Rory," answered Victoria, instantly allowing a decidedly softer tone to honey coat her voice. "I wanted to suggest that we meet in the lobby of the theater, rather than here in the hotel. You see, I don't want the manager to get the impression that..."
"Yes, Victoria, I've been wondering about that. I wouldn't want him to think that something is going on. After all, we are just friends, rather than, um, well something else. I'll meet you at the theater at about 7:45."
Victoria found herself dreaming about Rory's, "something else," remark and had to take a second to regain her composure. "Yes, that will be fine, Rory, and thank you for being so understanding." She had to struggle to keep her ever-increasing interest in Munro from being noted in her voice. "Okay, I'll see you then. Enjoy the afternoon."
"That I will, Victoria, and am really looking forward to seeing you and, of course, attending the play and party this evening," Rory responded in a mildly flirtatious manner.
As Rory hung up the phone, he found himself wondering what Victoria would be wearing to the theater? Her 5'5" body was one of the most delectable he had ever seen and surely she would drape it in something extremely appealing. Yes, Victoria was an extremely sexy woman and this could turn out to be quite a night, even if he didn't get a chance to spend much time with Shona Leigh MacKenzie.
"Okay, Rory," called out Peter Sinclair, "we're ready for the next part of your presentation."
"All right, Pete, let's get on with it," said Rory as he put away thoughts of Victoria, for the time being.
Every time Victoria closed her eyes, she visualized Rory's charming and deeply sensual smile. As she allowed herself to fall into his arms, she would delicately raise her lips to his and revel in the passion that would surely be experienced this very night. Victoria was consumed with Rory and unabashedly so.
Finally, at 6:30, Victoria walked up to her boss and said, "Devon, I've got to get ready for the theater, so if you don't mind, I'll use one of the ladies rooms and change."
"Vicky, why don't you use one of the empty hotel rooms and get dressed in, let me see... 721? Yes that suite will be empty tonight. I'd hate to think of you getting prepared for the evening in one of the hotel bathrooms! I should think you'd like a little more privacy than that."
"Oh, thank you, Devon. That is a very generous offer. Okay, well, I'd best get going," said Victoria.
She tossed the key into her purse, slung the garment bag, containing her evening dress, cosmetics and accessories, over her shoulder and headed for an elevator. Just as the door opened and she was about to step in, Victoria felt a tap on her arm.
"Hi, Victoria," said Rory, instantly oozing a plethora of masculine charm. "Where are you off to?" Munro had a distinctly cheeky grin covering his face.
"Oh, um... good evening, Mr. Munro," answered Victoria desperately trying not to present an air of suspicion to the other people stepping into the elevator. "I'm going to the theater, this evening, and am on my way to change my clothes. Victoria's scarlet blush had successfully painted her features with a glow unrivaled by the most brilliant of sunsets.
"Well, that sounds wonderful, Victoria. I hope you have a very entertaining evening," said Munro as the door closed and they were whisked up to the seventh floor. As she exited the elevator, Victoria turned towards Rory and said, "I hope you have a pleasant night as well, Mr. Munro."
As Rory entered his room, on the 14th floor, he was decidedly intrigued with thoughts of the remarkable sensuality exhibited by Victoria. "Yes, " mused Rory, as he began to prepare himself for the evening, "I intend on having a very pleasant night."
In her dressing room, at The Royal Haligonian Theater, Shona had completed the laborious task of applying her stage make-up and was zipping up the first outfit she would wear for this evening's performance of Brigadoon. She turned towards a full-length mirror and stared at herself, garbed in the attire of Fiona, the lady who would find her true love, deep within the timeless mists of the highlands of Scotland. "Someday," thought Shona, "perhaps I'll be as fortunate as you, Fiona, someday."
Shona sipped a cup full of steaming, herbal tea, sweetened with a dollop of honey, and then brushed a tress of her magnificent red hair into its proper place. While one glistening tear ran down her cheek, she began to practice her musical scales. "Do, re, mi, fa..." sang Shona as her majestically precious voice filled the dressing room. "So, la..." Shona's voice faltered and she turned to look into the mirror, once again.
"No, I won't believe in it," whispered Shona, "Brigadoon is just a fable, a play, it isn't real." She took a deep breath, dried her eyes, corrected her make-up and prepared to depart for the backstage area from where she would make her entrance before a packed theater.
Victoria moved with the grace of a ballet dancer as Rory's eyes traveled down the length of her magnificent legs and quickly returned to gaze upon the full vista of molten sensuality looking up at him. "Good evening, Rory," purred Victoria, "I'm so very pleased to see you. That is a wonderful suit you are wearing."
Rory stammered, "I, I um, thank you. Victoria, you look incredible and I, I... well, you are extraordinary."
Victoria replied, "how kind of you to say so, Rory. Would you check my coat for me and then shall we take our seats?" Rory strode over to the coatroom, received a claim check and then returned to Victoria, who graced him with an even more brilliant smile than before.
As she slipped her arm beneath Rory's, Victoria felt an overpowering rush of heat fill her body with such intensity that she felt faint for a moment. Munro steadied her and then hailed an usher who guided them to their places, in the third row of the theater. Rory felt equally as flushed when Victoria poured her body into the plush seat and crossed her legs with a whispering sound. Her skirt came to rest well above where it was meant to lie.
Finally, the house lights went down and the orchestra began to play the overture. As the music filled the auditorium, Rory felt Victoria nestle closer to him and he responded by allowing his leg to momentarily brush up against hers.
Just out of sight of the audience, the chorus began singing, "Brigadoon, Brigadoon, looming under sable skies." The stage was bathed in a swirling cloud of highland mist and the townspeople of the mystical hamlet began to awaken from their long sleep.
Victoria barely heard the opening lines of the actors as Brigadoon unfolded its beauty, on the stage. The dream of spending a few private hours with Rory, following the cast party, had replaced the fantasy being presented in the theater.
Try as she might to distract Rory's attention, whenever Shona appeared on the stage, Victoria was unable to obtain more than a smile or two from Munro. He was always polite and charming to her, but had become distant. During the intermission, Rory chatted with her about the production. For a time, she thought he might return to her, but the intense look of desire, even lust, she had seen in his eyes, of just a short while ago, had disappeared.
On stage, when Fiona and Tommy finally reunited, for eternity, in Brigadoon, the warmth of Rory's smile seemed to fill the theater and Victoria's spirit worsened. She desperately tried to convince herself that Rory had been affected by the mystical tale of love and not by Shona's presence. Deep inside, however, Victoria knew that her dream of being Rory's love had been shattered.
Finally, the cast took their curtain calls and graciously basked in the rapturous applause of the audience. When Shona walked to the edge of the stage and beamed at her throngs of admirers, Rory cheered louder than anyone in the theater. Shona waved at her friend, but there was no reaction from Victoria. Only her body seemed to remain in the auditorium. There was a void where her heart, soul and spirit had been.
For the next half-hour, while awaiting the start of the cast party, Victoria and Rory chatted about their mutual interests and other issues. She tried to be mildly seductive and, for a time, her flirtatious manner did achieve the desired effect, but then he'd begin talking about how accomplished Shona was as an actress. Just mentioning her name succeeded in creating a gulf between them.
Finally, Victoria, Rory and at least 100 other guests were steered backstage to where the party was about to get underway. Victoria continued to cling to Rory's arm while hoping that her fears wouldn't turn into reality and decimate all that she had ached for.
"Victoria, can I get you a drink? What would you like?"
"Thank you, Rory," answered Victoria in a voice touched with need and a growing tide of desperation. "I'd like a glass of Chardonnay, please."
As Rory walked towards the bar, Victoria glanced around the room, trying to locate Shona. She had decided to tell her friend that the date with Rory hadn't turned out very well and she'd prefer that Shona didn't meet him. She hated the idea of lying to Shona, but Victoria would do anything she could to head off the impending disaster.
Victoria continued to scan the room, but was unable to see through the throngs of people who had filed into the area. She was frantic now and had to stop Shona from meeting Rory. "Where is she, " her heart cried out? "I've got to find her before he does."
All of a sudden, Rory was standing in front of the quivering Victoria and passing a glass of wine to her. She looked deeply into his eyes, but they were focused on a vision of stunning beauty and it wasn't her. Victoria knew instantly that all was lost. She turned and was presented with what appeared to be an angel in a precious gown of cream silk jersey.
"Hi, Victoria," said Shona. "I'm so glad you were able to make it tonight. Oh, my dear, you look scrumptious. Absolutely wonderful!"
Victoria said, in a halting voice, "ah, um... thank you, Shona." With a sigh of resignation, Victoria said, "I'd like you to meet Rory Munro."
Rory took a deep breath, felt the rush of overpowering need and passion flow from his heart and reached out his hand towards Shona. As he gazed upon the most ravishing woman he had ever dared dream possible, the mists cleared and Brigadoon was finally within sight.
(Gary loves to hear from his readers so please email him)
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