Close to Perfect (18 page)

“I'm just trying to tell you that I'm behaving myself.”

“About time.”

Tess hesitated a moment, then asked, “Don't you want to know if Josh is behaving himself?”

“Sure. That's why I get those daily reports from Hank, Sammie, and Vic.”

Right. “Then you do know he wants to come to the weekly poker game.” Tess forced a laugh. “I told him he was crazy; that you'd never allow—”

Freddy cut in. “What are you talking about? I can't wait till naked guy is here. I'm really looking forward to meeting him, in the flesh, so to speak.”

Tess covered her eyes with her hand. It was going to be a bloodbath. “Pop, please,” she said, using all the sincerity she could muster. “Just let it go. Tell him he can't come. I swear, I'll behave myself.”

“Until I find out you haven't, right?”

He knew her too well. Tess figured she needed to be far more careful in her romantic adventures with Josh—if and when they happened again—not to mention more persuasive with her father.

Despite all of her pleas, she didn't come close to changing his mind. He wanted to be in the same room with naked guy.

That left only one thing, sweating it out until the night of the game, and enduring Josh's new attitude toward her. One of a boss to an employee.

The day before the game, he suddenly announced, in Peg's presence, that he was going to a business luncheon and that Tess was to accompany him.

She glanced at her watch. It was already eleven-thirty and she had already devoured two candy bars as an early lunch. “When are we leaving?”

“Now.”

Tess met his gaze. “Thanks for giving me so much time to prepare.”

Josh ran his gaze down her full length, lingering on her heels, before he looked up. “Your shoes look fine. Not as cute as the ones where your toes show, but not ugly by a long shot.”

Tess gave him a sweet smile. “Maybe that's because we're not going to play golf. Or are we?”

“As long as we avoid a press conference I'll be happy.”

Before Tess could respond, Josh said, “Let's go,” and led the way to the car, where Alan was waiting.

The moment the attorney saw her, he smiled. “Hey, Tess.”

“You're going, too?” she asked.

His smile wilted to her tone. “Yeah. That's okay, right?”

“It's fine,” Josh said, before Tess could answer. “Peg's going, too.”

She is?
Tess looked over her shoulder, surprised that the woman had been following them.

“Let's go,” Josh said. He got in the backseat with Alan, while Peg got in on the passenger side.

During the drive to the hotel, Josh and Alan discussed an upcoming contract, while Tess tried to figure out how Josh had gone from unrestrained passion to treating her like a neglected wife in two seconds flat.

She glanced at Peg who was pulling a bottle of perfume from her beaded purse. “So, you looking forward to this?” Tess asked.

Peg spritzed her right wrist with that perfume, then rubbed it against her left wrist before looking up. “You mean the game?”

“Huh?”

“Oh,” Peg said, her eyes widening as she finally got it. “You mean this luncheon?”

Right now, Tess wanted to return to what the woman had said about the game. “What game are you talking about?”

“Peg,” Josh suddenly said, “did you bring those stats on Trent Howard?”

“You bet.” Peg pulled them out of her briefcase and handed them over to Josh.

“This all of them?” he asked.

“Let's check,” Peg said, then ticked off every single solitary page.

The moment that exchange was finally finished, Tess asked, “What did you mean when you said
the game
?”

Peg gave her a blank stare. “I'm sorry, I'm not following.”

Like hell. Josh had obviously discussed the game with her. Could be he had even bragged to her about going to the game where he was going to do... what? Win against her father and all the other old guys and take their money? Then what? Give them a new security contract so they could earn back the money he had won from them?

This was nuts. Tess glared at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

He ignored her.

Once they got to the luncheon it wasn't much better. There were more than two hundred businesspeople in attendance and Josh seemed to know them all. There were handshakes, smiles, slaps on the back, and his always generic, “This is Tess Franklin,” after which he moved quickly to the next person before the last could ask any hard questions.

Like did he enjoy their kiss that that tabloid had captured? And did he thank her for defending him at the press conference? And did he love her and have plans to build a life with her?

Josh seemed to want no part of that mess, and neither did she.

At last, Tess sat alone at the table. Peg had already gone to the ladies' room to fix some loose beading on her blouse, while Alan and Josh were still working the crowd.

Let 'em. Tess told herself she wasn't going to give Josh so much as a glance, and didn't, until she heard young female laughter that sounded both pleased and aroused.

Turning in her chair, Tess scanned the crowd and immediately saw Josh. In that moment, she recalled what she had told him that first night at his estate—that he was impossible to find.

What are you talking about?
he had asked.
I'm big as life.

He was impressive enough to stand out among hundreds of other people. He was simply beautiful in his Sunday best—a pearl gray suit, pale blue shirt, and a striped blue-and-gray tie.

Despite his male beauty, that female laughter hadn't been for him. Josh and Alan were speaking to an older man, but the women were still watching.

Tess saw those wistful gazes and interested smiles. She had to wonder if it had always been this way for him with women, with those tabloid pictures only making it worse.

She had to wonder if it would always be this way for him with women, then called herself a fool. Didn't matter how many women chased Josh after the contract was over. He was a big boy, and what he did with his life once she was out of it was up to him.

The time for dreaming, the time for hope, was long gone. It had ended on that soggy golf course.

Suppressing a sigh, Tess turned back in her chair to see two younger men lifting their water glasses to her in a kind of toast.

When the one to the left winked, she frowned. When the one to the right grinned, Tess averted her gaze, figuring they had seen her tabloid photo, because she sure as hell didn't look all that great today.

“Keeping busy?”

Tess looked up as Josh suddenly pulled back his chair and sat.

“Just fighting off the guys,” she said.

Alan sank into his chair. He looked worried. “Men are after Josh now, too?”

“I think Tess is referring to herself,” Josh mumbled, then draped his napkin across his lap. “Because of that photo, right?”

She slid her gaze to him. “Couldn't be because I look so hot today, right?”

Alan cleared his throat and looked like he wanted to run.

Josh, on the other hand, started talking business with Peg, who had just returned to the table. He kept it up, too, throughout the meal, right to the speaker's presentation.

As that guy just went on and on about all the people who kept the Florida Keys afloat, Tess studied Josh's broad shoulders, his firm jaw, the way his hair curled around his ears, and finally that female server who came to his side.

Tess arched one brow as that young woman bent at the waist, leaned really close to him, and murmured, “Hi, can I get you—”

Tess interrupted, “No, you can't.”

The young woman's gaze jumped to her. So did the gazes of everyone else at the table, while Peg and Alan exchanged a glance.

Well, screw that. Tess returned their stares, then looked at Josh.

His eyes were widened in surprise. Well, screw that, too. He was the one who wanted her here. He was the one who insisted that she make certain no fake postal workers tried to deliver themselves to him. Who knew what this server was willing to offer? If he didn't want to find out, then he'd just have to accept her protection, and not only as a bodyguard.

Tess leveled her gaze on the server, then wiggled her finger between herself and Josh. “He and I are together.”

The young woman frowned.

“If you don't believe it,” Tess said, “just look at one of those supermarket tabloids.”

“Do you want another drink or not?” the server asked Josh.

“No, thanks.”

The server hurried away, shaking her head.

Josh looked at Tess.

She looked right back.

He hesitated a moment, then leaned toward her and whispered, “You okay?”

Would she be acting so stupid if she were?

She whispered, “I was just about to ask you the same thing, for the last several days, in fact, but you haven't given me a chance, now have you?”

Josh mumbled, “Maybe I should get that drink.”

“You better be really tanked when you show up at that poker game.”

His gaze lifted to hers. He smiled. “That's not until tomorrow night.”

“Keep grinning like that and you might not live until then.”

He leaned close again, and whispered, “I like it when you're mean.”

Tess was not going to smile. It was too late now for him to be flirting with her. He should have thought of that when he started to treat her like an employee.

Leaning back in her chair, Tess behaved like the bodyguard she was supposed to be and regarded the other women in this room. These ladies—unlike the fake postal worker, and Libby, and that other girl who had shown up half-naked at Josh's gate—were legitimate. They had something to offer him.

More than a few probably wanted him. Hell, Tess wanted him, but she wasn't going to get him, especially after he played poker with her dad.
Is he seriously nuts?
Her father was going to grill him like he was a suspect in a gangland murder; then, when Josh was limp and sweaty and babbling “I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry!” her dad was going to toss him to Bonnie and Clyde and Vic to finish him off.

After which her father would probably fire her from this job, and then she wouldn't have an excuse to stare at Josh at boring functions like this.

Tess thought about that clear to the time this thing was finally over.

As everyone else jumped out of their seats like they were ready to conquer the world, Tess sighed.

Josh helped her with the chair. “Tired?”

More like depressed. “Couldn't be better.”

“Really? You look like maybe your gun's a little too heavy.”

Three people near them turned around to look at Josh.

Tess lifted her brows as if to say she had no idea what he was talking about, then leaned into him and whispered, “So now I'm through being just your girlfriend in public? Now you want me to also be your bodyguard? Should I rough up anyone?”

“Just me.”

“Don't tempt me.”

He seemed genuinely surprised by her snotty tone. “Believe me, I'm just trying to behave myself.”

Aren't we all?
Tess straightened before his heat and scent made her forget her latest good intentions. “You should'a thought of that before you started swimming in your birthday suit.”

At just that moment, Alan strolled up.

Tess looked at him.

He edged back. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Don't you worry,” Peg said, joining them, “Josh has everything under control.”

He gave her a look.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I won't say another word.”

“About what?” Tess asked.

“Let's go.” Josh took her arm.

Tess looked down. It was the first time in forever that Josh had actually touched her, and it felt so right, so comforting her knees went briefly weak.

The man had ignored her since their morning at the golf course, and she was ready to forget all of that with one simple touch?

Maybe.

Tess had never let a guy treat her bad, not even the first ones she hung out with in junior high.

She had never chased a guy, either. If she liked someone and he didn't return the favor, Tess just figured to hell with it.

She admired the honesty of her parents' marriage, the fact that they were so goofy with need that the rest of the world didn't matter.

She wanted that for herself. She wanted that with Josh.

Glancing at him, Tess was surprised they had reached the elevator. She went in first, followed by Josh, who quickly turned to the others. “Take the next one down,” he said to Alan and Peg.

As the doors closed on those two, Josh looked at the buttons for the floors. He pressed the one for the lobby, but the moment the elevator started its descent, he hit the stop button.

Okay, that wasn't something Tess had expected. She lifted her gaze from that button.

Josh turned to her.

In that moment, Tess didn't stop to think of the consequences; she didn't even consider her hurt pride. All that mattered was that she was alone in here with him.

Moving across the small space, Tess wreathed her arms around Josh's neck and kissed him with all the passion and love that she felt. She couldn't help herself. She didn't want to help herself. She missed him more than she would have believed possible, and wasn't about to let him go until he was breathless.