Boyfriend for Hire (15 page)

He stood, pulled her along with him. “Walk with me. I need to stretch my legs.”

Did the man not know how to ask?

She followed for no other reason than to get some breathing space. At least that was what she told herself. It was either that or schedule an appointment to check for a brain tumor.

Normally, she’d bristle at an order; with David, she found herself softening. She wasn’t really sure why. The man irritated her 90 percent of the time. And at the same time he intrigued her.

With everyone else he never passed judgment, took them as they were and went about his day. With her, it wasn’t that he didn’t judge, more that he went out of his way to make sure she was having fun or happy. When she really thought about his earlier comment, she realized he wasn’t mocking her lifestyle. There had been no condescending tone, no reprimand. Goodness knows, growing up in the shadows of three overachievers, she knew the tone well.

David was a welcome change. Yeah, he could fit in with her brothers on the whole be-the-best thing. The work he and Jason did on the rec center was top notch. Maybe the refreshing quality about him was his ability to go with the flow, accept people for who they were and not brag. Sure, she’d heard him boast a time or two with his buddies, rib them about barbecue techniques or some game or even women, claiming to be better at all three than his two best friends. But when it came to the important things like work or even just as a person, she never heard him brag.

So while his comment hit a nerve, she had to admit he had a point. She could stand a little more downtime (just a smidge, though).

“What’s on your mind, Farber?” She leaned against the railing separating the concession area from the seats. The game had hit a lull again.

He angled his body next to hers, his arm resting on the rail. His calloused thumb caressed back and forth across the top of her hand. “You.”

Together they watched the PawSox player step up to the plate, swing, and strike one. Several minutes passed while they watched the game in silence. She presumed he was gathering his thoughts, selecting exactly what to say, from the deep concentration he had on the batter. His thumb never stopped moving, silently stroking, soothing.

The batter struck out. David turned his full attention on her; deep blue eyes full of serious thought held her in place.

“Why temporary? I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but why not stick around for the long term at this company?”

“My degree is in finance, not party planning. I’ve spent the past eight years working my way up. What, I’m supposed to give up my goals now? Do you know what a financial manager makes compared to an event planner?”

“No.”

“Try double. I’m talking a six-digit figure.”

“And that’s what’s important to you? Making a lot of money?”

She shook her head. How did she explain her desire or her fear to him so he’d not only understand, but also not think she was crazy? “It’s not so much the money, although not having to worry about how the bills will get paid is great. It’s about the independence that comes from having money. Being able to put money in savings for a rainy day or a tornado or a freak snowstorm, as New England seems to have pissed off Mother Nature in the past couple of years, is reassurance. It’s the comfort of knowing when I’m old and can’t work, I won’t starve. It’s knowing I won’t have to depend on anyone else for my physical needs.”

He lifted her hand, kissed the back before working his way to nibble across her fingers. “There are some physical needs money can’t satisfy.”

She tugged her hand. He wouldn’t let go. Instead he turned it over to place whisper-soft kisses on her wrist.

“Trust me, money can satisfy any need. With a six-figure salary, I’ll never run out of batteries.”

He released her hand to place his own over his wounded heart. “Ouch. You know where to stick the knife, don’t you.”

Her gaze shifted down and then back up to meet his cautious look.

“Okay, I’ll concede money can buy whatever. Doesn’t mean it’s the same quality.” He took her hand again, keeping her close. “Look, all I’m trying to say is, give the place a chance before you start looking for another job. Since you started working there . . . I don’t know. You’re more relaxed. Not always in a hurry. You smile more. I like this side of you, not that I didn’t like you before.”

She’d give him credit; he had a point. In the past week, she’d slept better. Not that she hadn’t lain in bed going over her lists, like always. No, it wasn’t that. It was that her lists were shorter, and items were getting checked off. She liked the challenge the job brought, always searching for a new theme or keeping the client happy even when they didn’t know what it was that would make them happy. Maybe she would stick it out for a while longer before deciding.

“I’ll give it some thought. And speaking of new jobs agreeing with you, yours seems to be going well.” She waved to Kerri, who signaled for her. “We better head back to our seats. Looks like I’m being paged.”

“Yeah, looks can be deceiving.”

They strolled down the corridor toward the stairs. “Why do you say that? Is there a problem at work?”

“No, not really. A lot of moving parts to keep track of, and I’m used to Jason handling this end. Different mind-set than my norm. Need to take my own advice and give it some time.”

She stopped him before they descended the stairs and rejoined the group. “I’m pretty good at organization, in case you haven’t noticed. I could help. Set you up with a top ten list. It really helps me keep on top of things.”

“I’ll give it some thought.” He echoed her words back.

Reaching their seats they found the NE Events gang in an excited flurry of chatter and motion. Shouting, laughing, people talking over each other. Trying to follow the bouncing conversation made Tawny’s head spin. She turned to Kerri, who had signaled them to rejoin the group.

“What’s going on?”

“You picked the wrong time for a walk.” She bent down and gave her hubby a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. “Troy caught a foul ball. You should have seen it. Totally worthy of
America’s Funniest Videos
. First he jumped up onto his chair, and when it looked like it would go over his head, he leapt in the air and fell backward, landing in Phil’s lap. Classic Harper move. If it had been me, we’d be on the way to the ER. This guy,” she pointed to her husband, “always manages to land safely and come out smelling like, well, not roses in this case, but nacho cheese sauce.”

She didn’t get it. What was the big deal about catching a foul ball? Didn’t matter. As evidenced by the group’s delight, she’d be happy for Troy, kind of hard not to, when the enthusiasm wrapped itself around you and gave you a mama bear hug.

“Congrats, Troy. What are you going to do with it now?” Did you throw the ball back? No clue, and she hoped the group didn’t realize her lack of knowledge of baseball etiquette.

“Going to get this puppy signed by the batter and save it for when Laurel gets old enough to play.”

Okay then. She smiled back at the beaming, proud papa. Men and sports. She’d never get it.

“This is why we sit down here instead of up in the club seats. All the action is in the stands. The clubrooms are nice with food set for a royal feast, but it’s also easy to step into the room, grab a plate, and get caught up in a work-related conversation. Down here, it’s all about the game.” Al Spinelli took his eyes off the batter for an instant to connect with Tawny. “What’s the point in going to a live game if you cut yourself off from the action?”

“Hey, speaking of action, check out the jumbotron.” Felicity pointed to the giant monitor.

Tawny shifted her view to see what was going on now. Mouth dropped, heart thudded. She and David were on the stadium big screen framed in a red heart. One word flashed on and off: KISS.

Pink stole across her cheeks, tingling from the sudden heat. Her heart pounded filling her ears, shaking her body. It took a few seconds to realize the rumble bouncing the soles of her shoes came from the stomping crowd. Their chant grew louder and louder, penetrating the thick fog engulfing her brain. One word, over and over.

Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

David slid his arm over her shoulders, drawing her closer. “It’s tradition.”

She dragged her gaze from the screen to his piercing blue eyes. “Did you forget? I’m a nonconformist.”

His thumb stroked the soft spot below her ear. “Can’t let the fans down, can we?” He slid his hands into her hair, cupping the sides of her face. Slanted his mouth across hers and seared her brain cells.

Not a quick, casual, we-did-our-job kiss. No, this was a slow, succulent, soul-rendering claim on her mouth, sending bolts of passion through her system as he seduced.

Crowd forgotten, she held on for the ride.

Lost in sumptuous sensation and fantasies of where this would lead, it took a beat or two for her to realize the warmth of his lips had been replaced with the cool August air.

Her mind spun. Her body ached. Her heart cried out for more. Looking into his eyes, which had gone from clear blue skies to storm gray, she knew she had to end this now. No more pretending. It had gone too far. She didn’t have time for romance. She had a new career to focus on. A plan to execute. And David was just the type of guy she’d lose herself with. Charismatic, outgoing, and sexy as hell.

The crowd roared with applause as the two broke apart. With the camera still focused on them, Tawny gave a little wave. Well, maybe she could pretend for a few more hours; after all, she didn’t want to let down the fans.

Al Spinelli whooped with cheer. “Yep, this is where all the action happens.”

The woman blew him away. One minute she was plastered against him, the next a million miles separated them. It had been obvious she’d been as caught up in the kiss as he had. Her body went from stiff to soft and back again. It was always three steps forward, two steps back. Didn’t matter. One thing he’d learned long ago while playing ball was you never quit when the bases were loaded with a grand slam within your reach.

He’d give Tawny some breathing room. Not a lot, not enough to let her backpedal to when they’d first met or even to when they’d started this game. He liked this new Tawny and he was pretty sure she did too. Not that there was anything wrong with the old one. She’d been on his mind since the first moment they’d met, but she needed time to get used to the changes. Hell, he needed time to get used to his own.

Chapter Ten

T
he chirping birds outside her office window reminded her of Snow White. Or was it Cinderella? Either way, for the past four hours they hadn’t shut the freak up. Sort of like her coworkers on the subject of David Farber. Was there anyone in this company who wasn’t crushing on the guy? She’d refused to take him cookies some woman she’d never met before dropped off yesterday; instead she’d taken them home and eaten half of the plate.

Yesterday, she’d been handed her second planning gig, a small corporate luncheon. No problem, except the company had forgotten about it and she had only two weeks to set it up and finalize the details. The entire morning had been spent finding a location available on short notice. Thanks to Kerri, she had two options. Picking up her purse, she was on her way out to inspect both when her office door opened.

“Hey, Tawny. Got a minute?” David’s dive buddy walked in and planted a hip on the edge of her desk before she could respond.

She didn’t bother to put her purse down, as she had every intention of keeping the appointments she’d scheduled. First on her list, check out the private dining rooms of the two restaurants, and then meet up with Camellia and the momster for flower selections.

“What’s up?”

“It was great to see you and David at the game this weekend. Lot of fun what with Troy and the foul ball and you two on the jumbotron. How’s the wedding planning going?”

Excuse me? What the hell had he and David talked about on their food run?

“Anna DeSalvo can be a handful at times, definitely the type who needs to have everything done her way. She’s a smart lady, though. Talented at balancing a lot of balls in the air at once. If you need to distract her and want a sure fire way to get on her good side, mention the Rhode Island Child Read program to her. It’s her baby. Started it about ten years ago and they do amazing work.”

She appreciated the tip, but was starting to get the feeling that the men in the company doubted her ability to deal with strong-willed women. If they’d ever met Katia Torres, they’d understand Tawny had been trained by the best.

“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.” She glanced down to her watch. “I don’t mean to be rude, but . . .”

“Sorry.” He popped up off the desk corner. “You know that financial guy’s retirement party? Anyway, found out he’s heading south, moving to Texas. Thought I’d plan a fiesta for him. I, uh, hoped you could, uh, maybe recommend a caterer.”

He fidgeted, rubbing his hands together, then shoving them in his pockets. Ducking his head showed off his bright pink scalp where the hair refused to grow—a flaming beacon Santa could use on a wintery night should Rudolph want the night off. In a way, it was kind of cute, his worry. Goodness knows she’d faced worse stereotyping growing up. None of that bothered her, she was proud to be Hispanic, and if she could ask Cherry’s grands about the Irish pubs (and Lord knows they could name the best joints within a hundred miles), then people could ask her about Mexican food.