CardsNeverLie (17 page)

Fireworks exploded as his soft yet powerful lips met hers.
She felt her lipstick glide against his lips. But it didn’t matter, they were
at a costume ball and why wouldn’t a devil have cherry red lips? Powerful
sensations spun her senses in a way the contrived mechanical ride could not.
Her head whirled from the simple contact, while she caressed his cheek with her
other hand. His heated mouth opened beneath hers and she knew Rob wanted her.
The realization melted her bones, made her ready for any suggestion he might
make for the progress of the night.

“Sir?”

Rob’s mouth tightened beneath hers and he turned away. He
didn’t wipe his mouth as he nodded at the tour operator. The bar was released
and he led her out of the seats. She stumbled a little, clinging tightly to his
arm to maintain the feeling of closeness as they left the theatre.

“Whoa,” Rob said when they reached the lighted corridor. He
pulled his arm from hers and used his hands to tug the fabric of her robe
closer together. “You’re in a bit of disarray.”

Melanie straightened her robe, feeling an embarrassed grin
cross her face. What was he thinking about her now?

“I wish we weren’t here.” Rob grinned, helping her close the
gape in her robe. “I hate to pull the edges of this little outfit together when
I’d rather be doing exactly the opposite.”

“I wish we weren’t here either,” Melanie agreed with relief.
The spell hadn’t been broken. They followed the crowd back out.

“Should we refasten your wings or just get out of here?” Rob
asked.

Melanie glanced up at him. Could she dare? Oh yes, she most
certainly could. “I’m not dressed for coffee.”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

“Good,” Melanie said, mentally pumping her fist, “me
either.”

“Devil one, angel zero,” Rob said, quirking up the corner of
his mouth.

Melanie took his arm. “We’ll see about that in the morning,”
she teased, feeling bold. “I may convert you after all.”

Rob leaned toward her. “I welcome the challenge.”

Melanie shivered involuntarily, as a climax of the mind
shook her with his words. They followed Henry VIII and one of his queens back
up the passageway and into the Sky Church.

“Why don’t we use that door?” Rob gestured to the left.

Melanie nodded and they turned.

“Hey, Melanie!”

She glanced to the right when she heard her name. Tommy Joe
stood not five feet from them, looking like a lanky nerd kid in his childlike
devil costume. Her heart sank as she realized she had forgotten all about him.
What was she going to do now?

“Not him again,” Rob groaned. “You came here with him?”

“We’re supposed to be mingling with the muckety-mucks from
Professional Massage,” Melanie said, her voice hoarse with frustration.

Tommy Joe stepped up to them and took her arm. Rob dropped
her hand on the other side.

“What were you doing, Melanie? What happened to your wings?”
He seemed oblivious to the kiss marks on Rob’s face and the fact that they had
been holding hands.

“I—” she glanced at Rob. His lips were pressed tightly
together. “We went through the ride. I couldn’t keep them on.”

“Let’s get them back on,” Tommy Joe said impatiently. He
reached out his hand and Rob handed them to him without saying anything.
Melanie could feel the steam rising though. She felt the same way, but didn’t
know how to extricate herself from the awkward situation.
And who can ever
think straight when all the blood has left their brain and pooled into a more
sensual location
?

“Melanie, what were you thinking, running away like that?”
Tommy Joe admonished. “The CEO is here and maybe even our majority owner. We
have work to do. You need to clean up and get focused.”

She sighed. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it.” She turned.
“Rob?” But he had slipped away.

Melanie whipped around, frustrated almost to the point of
screaming aloud, but didn’t see him anywhere in the crowd. He had disappeared
again and this time she didn’t blame him.

* * * * *

“What are those? What are those?” Ethan chanted, jumping up
and down on Melanie’s bed the next morning.

“Stop that!” his mother admonished. Ethan recognized Brisa’s
“I’m serious” voice and flopped to a sitting position.

“But what are they?” he asked, pointing to the deck of cards
in Melanie’s hands. “They look funny.”

“They’re tarot cards, kiddo. Your mom says it’s time I told
her about her future.”

“You can do that with cards?”

Melanie ruffled his hair. “Not really. It’s just a grownup
game.”

“What’s my future?” Ethan said, leaning over her hands.

“Grownup game,” Brisa repeated. “Go sit at the dressing
table and do your math.”

“But school doesn’t start for two weeks!” he whined.

“All the more reason for you to get caught up, young man. Do
you want to flunk the fifth grade?”

Ethan stuck his tongue out at his mother and ran from her,
giggling, as she reached out to swat his behind.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed we haven’t been alone since
you told me about your past,” Melanie said softly.

Brisa rolled her eyes at her son’s loud sighs as he sat down
on the cherry wood stool in front of the dressing table and opened a math
workbook. “I wanted to spend some time with Ethan before he went back to
school.”

Ethan made pretend burping noises then looked over his
shoulder to see if anyone paid attention. “You’re sure I’m going to buy that
excuse?” Melanie asked with a grin, trying to hide her frustration.

“He’s a little monster, but I love him anyway.”

“One of these days you are going to talk to me about this,
Brisa.” Her cousin avoided her eyes.

“Sure, cuz,” Brisa said diffidently. She picked up the tarot
cards and shuffled them.

“I know you think I’m a pest, but Ethan’s going to have
questions someday. Who is his father, for instance?” Melanie leaned forward and
touched Brisa’s tanned leg.

Brisa moved back. “I’d prefer to forget that man even
existed.”

“I’m worried,” Melanie said, her voice crescendoing. She
softened it to a whisper. “I met some not-so-nice people in Vegas. They could
find you.”

Brisa pursed her lips. “They never knew my real name.”

“But—”

“Do you want your fortune told or not?” Brisa fixed Melanie
with a stare.

Melanie nodded her head. “Sure.”

“Okay,” Brisa smiled, flipping over so that she lay on her
stomach. “Here we are. Your Self card is the Six of Pentacles.
Self-Undoing—Seven of Pentacles. Higher Power—The Hanged Man. Advice—Five of
Cups. Close Contact—Two of Pentacles. Allies—Page of Swords.”

“Swords?” Ethan piped up.

“Do your homework,” Brisa commanded. “And last but not least
we have Potential, which is the Six of Swords.”

“What does that all mean?” The last two cards sounded
violent.

Brisa looked up, her forehead wrinkled. “You’re asking me?”
She tossed Melanie’s tarot interpretation book at her.

Melanie tossed it back. “It doesn’t count if I do it. Figure
it out, while I go grab us something to drink. Want anything, short stuff?”

“Chocolate milk!” Ethan shrieked.

“Quiet, you! Mommy is trying to concentrate.”

Melanie grinned affectionately at her blond cousins and went
into the kitchen. She came back a couple of minutes later with a chocolate
soymilk for Ethan and rosemary lemonade for the adults.

“Thanks. I think I’ve got it figured out now.” Her cousin’s
forehead was wrinkled over the cards. Melanie could see faint crows feet around
her eyes. Brisa was thirty now and starting to show it, a depressing thought
for two single women. Melanie wasn’t far behind in age.

“It’s all good?” she said hopefully.

Brisa shook her head. “Nope.”

“No devil this time?” Melanie looked over her shoulder.

“Nope.” Brisa took a sip of her lemonade. “Okay.” She
pointed to a card with a man in a robe dropping coins into a beggar’s hands.
“You should be open-handed and generous right now, so that your reputation will
benefit. You should also be self-sufficient.”

“What’s new?” Melanie quipped.

“So watch that lack of self-confidence,” Brisa commanded.
“You need to have confidence because you’re going to be a sacrificial lamb.”

Melanie pointed to the card entitled The Hanged Man. “That
doesn’t look good.”

“Maybe not, but the next card is saying, ‘What is truly
yours cannot be taken from you’.” She read from the book. “You need to refrain
from taking sides, find someone who can help you make arrangements and then you
can look forward to using your sharp mind and sensitivity. You’ll need to make
quick decisions and then you will be rewarded.”

“But not until I’m sacrificed?” Melanie made a face and
pulled the book from her cousin’s hands, checking Brisa’s recitation.

Brisa shrugged. “What are you gonna do?”

Melanie flopped onto the bed, displacing the cards, and
propped a hand under her chin. “Couldn’t you just have told me I was going to
meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger who would sweep me off my feet and we’d
live happily ever after?”

“You’d never have believed me!”

* * * * *

On Monday morning, Melanie pushed aside the bottle samples
for Midnight Oil and picked up her ringing phone.

“When you threaten something, you follow through, don’t you?”
Melanie recognized the voice instantly, but it wasn’t a sexy purr this time. He
was all business.

Rob. “I take it you got the letter?” Melanie straightened
her jacket then stopped. As if he could see her.

“Why did you bother?” he asked.

“She’s a single mother, Rob. She quit because she was tired
of being harassed. Do you think either of us would make that up?”

“No, I don’t.” He sighed.

Could he finally be willing to trust her? She asked
tentatively, not wanting to be proven wrong, “What are you going to do?”

“Buy you dinner.”

“What?” Had he forgiven her too and now wanted to conclude
Saturday’s night-of-passion-interruptus? The sudden pounding of her heart told
her that her body still screamed “yes!” but her mind wasn’t so sure how she
would take the suggestion if it was offered. If only she could stop thinking so
much. What had happened to the impulsive teenager who changed her life on a
whim? “She learned from her mistakes,” Melanie’s sarcastic inner voice reminded
her.

“Why not? Let’s talk in person.”

“Don’t you need to talk to Brisa?” she probed, trying to get
a feel for what he had in mind.

“I can’t, Melanie, now that she has a lawyer. I should just
send the letter to my lawyer and forget about it until it’s settled, in the
process probably generating more financial reward for the lawyers than for your
cousin.”

“I just want her taken care of until she finds another job.
She doesn’t want to go back to work for your grandfather.”

“I don’t blame her,” Rob said tersely. “Frankly, he can be a
real pain in the ass.”

Melanie raised her eyebrows. “Maybe we can talk.”

“Good. Tomorrow?”

“Sure.” They agreed to meet at a Thai restaurant.

Melanie frowned as she hung up. How had a threatened lawsuit
turned into a date? At least that’s what it felt like, even if he didn’t
indicate a desire for erotic evening activities to follow the dinner.
Unfortunately, she needed to behave professionally so she could get her cousin
what she needed. She picked up the phone to call Brisa. At least one of them
would soon have a little more security.

Chapter Twelve

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Melanie said, sitting down at the
small wooden table where Rob waited. The restaurant, a popular one with Queen
Anne neighborhood locals, was packed with professionals too tired to cook on a
Tuesday night. “I was stuck in a design review meeting.”

Rob glanced at his watch. It read seven thirty-five pm. Even
CEOs didn’t usually get caught in meetings that continued into this hour. “Why
did it go so late?”

She looked lovely in a green cotton dress that molded to her
curves. It was probably one of those dresses that, if you complimented her,
she’d shrug it off and say, “this old thing?” but it looked great. He was
reminded of the Roethke line, “I knew a woman, lovely in her bones”. Melanie
looked good in everything, whether it be classic or trendy. He mentally
stripped the dress off her and looked again. She’d look even better naked.
Bodies like that didn’t come from sitting behind a desk all day. He remembered
seeing her by the pool in Vegas. They both liked to swim. If he needed a ploy
to get her over to his house, he could invite her to swim in his pool.

“Why are you staring at me? Rob?”

He blinked. In the heat of August and too many bodies packed
together, she seemed more of a mirage than a real person. Mirages were always
too good to be true. Maybe if he saw her more often, he’d be less inclined to
stare. He counted. It had been too long—three days. “I missed you.”

“What?” Melanie pushed a strand of shimmering gold hair
behind her ear. A crease mark showed between her brows. The waiter came up and
Melanie ordered a Thai iced tea and took the proffered menu.

Rob cleared his throat. “It’s been a few days. I thought
Saturday night would end differently.”

At Melanie’s grimace, he said quickly, “It ended too quickly.
We didn’t have a chance to make plans of any kind.”

She nodded. “It got complicated.” A mental image of a man in
a red latex devil suit flashed through Rob’s mind. An image of that man
manacled to a pole kissing his Melanie.

He frowned at the thought. “But you did what you wanted that
night.” And he should have stopped her.

“No, I wouldn’t say that.” She smiled at the waiter who
brought her the glass of tea she’d ordered. “But I was there to help my career,
not to have a good time.”

Rob waved the waiter away and leaned forward. “So you admit
we were having a good time?” He certainly had enjoyed himself. It had taken a
real effort to time his whispers so that he could duck behind other partygoers,
but putting her on edge had been worth it. She had been ripe for mischief, if
only that damn Red Devil bastard hadn’t interrupted.

Melanie glanced at a woman in an Indian-print summer dress
next to them who was clearly eavesdropping. “Of course.”

“You might have called,” he suggested.

“Why?”

Rob shrugged. What was he supposed to say? You could have
called and said you were coming over for the roll in the sack you owed me? I
was willing? I was available and where the hell were you? You left me alone
with an erection and a bad memory of you and the skinny idiot in the devil
costume. He swallowed. “Unfinished business.”

Melanie took a sip of her tea. “It was a moment, Rob. Just a
moment.”

How could she look so calm and collected when he could feel
a droplet of sweat beading down his spine? “So it didn’t mean anything to you?”

“I went there for professional reasons. My career comes
first.”

“That’s obvious.” Rob shook his head. Speaking of
professional reasons, this was supposed to be a meeting about Bombshell’s
resignation. Bombshell seemed such a silly nickname now. He couldn’t understand
how he’d ever found her attractive now that he’d met Melanie. Or any other
woman, for that matter. Why couldn’t Melanie let him know if she wanted a
relationship with him? And something more than just sex. He didn’t want a
one-night stand, it wasn’t his style.

Melanie knocked on the table, making Rob blink. “I don’t
even have your phone number, you know.”

“Brisa could have given it to you. All the employees have my
number for emergencies.”

“I suppose I could have done that,” Melanie said, waving the
waiter over. They ordered Phad Thai and a green curry.

Rob pulled out a pen and scribbled his phone number on a
napkin. “Here.”

“What is it?”

“My number!”

Melanie took it delicately and tucked it into her purse.

“You could give me yours too,” Rob suggested.

“I could,” Melanie responded, not moving a muscle.

Frustrated with her ease, Rob read the drinks menu tucked
into a plastic placard on the table. He pushed the salt and pepper shakers
together.

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not sure what you want to hear.”

He rewound their conversation, reluctant to start discussing
their reason for being there, but wanting to skate past their recent exchange.
He now felt like an idiot for offering his phone number. She might as well have
torn it up for all the enthusiasm she had shown. “Why did your meeting go so
late?” he remembered and asked.

Melanie rubbed at her neck. He noticed her fingernails were
painted a light peach. The nails were just long enough to scratch a man’s back
in the heat of passion.

“They’re trying to cut the cost of the new product.” She
took another sip of her tea.

“They? What is it?” Rob watched Melanie lick her lips and
instantly the feel of her lips against his filled his senses. She couldn’t be
too attached to the guy in the devil costume. Rob had thought he had a code
about other men’s women. Do unto others and all that. What had gone wrong? A
bit of the devil costume must have worn off on him.

“I can’t talk about it. Really. If the slightest hint of
anything regarding my products got out I could be fired. I think they’d cut my
job if they could, but they need me.”

Rob narrowed his eyes, barely noting the frustration in her
voice. Was she sleeping with that pretty kid? Had she been hungry when she
kissed him or was she just taking it all in, experimenting? Stop it! He forced
himself to respond to this conversation he had no interest in. “So the new
product is ready for market?”

“There are a couple new ones, actually. And they’d be
finished if the execs weren’t being so cheap. They want to cut out the jasmine
in one, for instance. I know the essential oil is expensive but Professional
Massage offers a high-end line.” Melanie’s voice rose, her frustration obvious.
She stopped speaking and laced her fingers tightly together on the table.

“Calm down,” Rob said, in his grandfather-soothing voice and
used her agitation as an excuse to put his hands on hers. She felt cold. “I’m
sure it will turn out all right.”

Rob glared at the woman next to them who was glued to every
word. She stared back for a moment to show she wasn’t scared of him then
lowered her eyes.

“I don’t see how.” Melanie’s cornflower blue eyes caught the
light from the fixture above and seemed to glow. “If they haven’t even got the
money to design a decent product, what on earth are they doing trying to buy
your company?”

Rob felt his muscles go slack with relief and realized he
needed to pay attention. Maybe he did have time for a little business. “You
think they can’t afford us?”

“I don’t see how they could now. Of course I have no idea
what LeatherWorks is worth. It sounds like the Professional Massage operational
department has fixed the quality problems, so if we haven’t lost too much of
our client base, we might have spare cash in six months or a year but—” She bit
her lip. “We shouldn’t be talking like this. I mean, I shouldn’t. I’m just a
first-level manager, you know. It’s all smoke and mirrors by the time
information gets to my level.”

Rob grinned and stroked his thumb down the back of her soft
wrist. “That’s right. I remember taking Executive Smoke and Mirrors 101 when I
became the CEO of LeatherWorks three years ago.”
And if I had learned my
lessons better, I might have smoked and mirrored you back to my place Saturday
night
.

“Ha ha. At least you have a sense of humor. I’d rather work
for someone who wasn’t a human slime mold.”

“I’ve never liked your senior management,” Rob allowed. “But
it’s going to be hard for me to cancel the sale. Grandfather has really gotten
pumped since he got another offer, as if the sale is finally real to him. But
Professional Massage made a better offer and it’s a local company.”

“I guess we little people will have to wait and see.”
Melanie tugged her hand away. “I didn’t mean you, of course.”

“No,” Rob shook his head. “That’s exactly what I am. Just
the CEO, not the owner.”

Melanie leaned forward. Rob forced himself to raise his eyes
above the cleavage she now exposed to him. “While you’re still in charge, Rob,
can we talk about Brisa? Why you filled her position? Is your grandfather stabilized?
I saw the woman you hired and she doesn’t look old enough to know her job.”

“She’s an excellent nurse, Melanie. But Jack didn’t seem to
be making any headway with getting Brisa back to work and Tida, well, I didn’t
want her to get into trouble.”

“Trouble?” Melanie’s eyes challenged him.

“She came to me to audition for a modeling job. She was also
talking to some sleazy producers, like Drew Huntley.” He watched Melanie
shudder.

“Exactly. You wouldn’t want me to let anyone throw
themselves into that pit, would you? I was worried about the choices she might
have made. She seemed desperate.”

“Why get involved? She could be on drugs or something. Is it
worth the risk?”

Rob shook his head. “She’s trying to help out her sister
with medical school. Besides, Grandfather likes her. Tida seems good with him.
I don’t think Brisa had been happy for a long time. Grandfather’s tough.”

“I know.” Melanie traced a pattern on the table with her
finger. “I’ve heard.”

Rob reached down under his chair and pulled out a manila
envelope. “I talked to my Human Resources department and they gave me this
information about a placement company. They do career counseling, set up
interviews and so forth. They specialize in the medical field. LeatherWorks
will pick up the bill for Brisa to use their services.”

“That’s all you are offering her?”

“No. I’m offering three weeks’ severance, one week for each
year she worked for us, in thanks for her help with my grandfather. We are
sorry to lose her, but it was her choice. Our lawyer will explain all of this
to her tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know personally.” If only he could
tell for sure if she thought of him as a good guy. He needed Melanie Vanderpool
to like him, though he wasn’t sure why.

Melanie nodded and leaned forward, touching him lightly on
the back of his hand. “You made an effort, Rob. I appreciate it.”

“I’m just trying to do the right thing. Before the company
is sold.” He emphasized this last point, wanting her to realize how easy it
would have been for him to stonewall her until it was too late.

“That does seem to be your way, but what about the rest of
your company?” Melanie folded her hands on the table. “How about some
sensitivity training for the staff? After all, it could hurt your chances of
getting another job if your company has a bad reputation. Companies have lost
millions in these cases.”

Rob frowned. He was losing momentum again. “Grandfather
doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff.”

“Who is running LeatherWorks? You or him?”

“He ran the company for many years. I respect the principles
upon which he built the business. But maybe you’re right. The staff could stand
a refresher on Do Unto Others.” Rob ran his hand over the back of his head.
“Let’s talk about something else, okay?”

The waiter brought out their food and arranged it carefully
on the table before leaving.

“Like what?”

“Like you. Tell me about yourself.”

Melanie laughed as she tugged a spoonful of noodles onto her
plate. “I’m the strong independent type. A modern type-A career gal.”

“The kind who never gets herself into trouble?” Rob
suggested with a grin.

“The kind who prefers not to get herself into trouble unless
she can take the heat,” Melanie corrected, taking a bite. “This is hot, isn’t
it?”

Rob waved his fork at her. “You haven’t even put any chili
sauce on it yet!”

“And you won’t catch me doing that either.” She swallowed
then started to cough.

Rob suddenly felt tired of the game they were playing. He
had given her what she wanted. But he wanted something too. “So now what,
Melanie? Are you going to call me sometime? Or are we just going to walk out of
here tonight and end this?”

Melanie’s eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically
then grabbed her glass and took a big sip of her tea. Clearly the woman had no
tolerance for three-star cuisine. “I’ve seen you in action,” she said, forking
up some plain rice. “You aren’t perfect, but you’ve always been there when I
needed you. And it sounds like you were trying to help Tida out of a rough
spot. I have to respect you for that.”

“So I’m not such a bad guy?” Had it taken her this long to
figure that out?

“I guess not,” she admitted, with her eyes on her noodles.
She scraped off a bit of chili.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

She smiled and said nothing. Women.

“Why don’t you call me later this week? I’ll take you out
this weekend. We could even get away somewhere.”

“It’s soon for that. We’re in the real world now.”

Rob grinned, knowing what she meant. They had left the realm
of fantasy behind. “I think we both know what will happen if we ever get some
time alone together. That is, if you aren’t seeing anyone else?”

The expression that flitted across Melanie’s face was one of
those Mona Lisa grins. “There was a time when I was hoping I could make you
jealous, but Tommy Joe isn’t anyone I take seriously. He’s a puppy.”