Double Dealing (2013) (4 page)

“Go back and talk to the niece. I’m sure she has a price.”

Jed began his protest. “Henry—”

“I sense a reluctance in you, Jed,” Henry said, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers across his belly. “I hope I’m wrong.”

Jed stared across the desk at the older man. It was one thing to buy from a willing seller, but quite another to do what Henry was suggesting. “I’m reluctant only because I think we’d waste less time looking for a new site for the complex.
Granted, the Barkeley location was the most desirable, but there were a few others.”

“Not as choice, and more costly.”

“But available.”

Henry made no comment.

“All right,” Jed said, deciding on another tactic. It was a wild gamble, but if it came off, everybody would be happy. Including himself. He stood up. “I’ll talk to the niece on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“If I find you another site for the complex, just as ‘choice’ and at the same price you were originally willing to pay, you drop the Barkeley estate. All of it, including any litigation.”

“And if you don’t?”

“Then you have my head on a platter.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jed couldn’t believe he had said them.

“It’s your head,” Henry said.

Jed gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement. He wondered how happy his conscience would be when it was standing in the unemployment line with the rest of him.

Deftly avoiding the Brazilian consul’s fancy footwork, Rae smiled politely as he whirled her across the Warwick Hotel’s elegant ballroom. She murmured apologies when her partner bumped her into several other couples on the marble dance floor. It was easy to read the Fred Astaire gleam in Senhor Carreres’s eyes, and she sighed inwardly. She knew that if she weren’t careful, “Ginger’s” toes would be squashed bananas.

Gazing around the gaily decorated ballroom, she decided her mother had really outdone herself in organizing the Ruby Ball. An annual charity event for UNICEF, it was one of the few Rae came back to Philadelphia to attend. In keeping with the ball’s theme, everyone was dressed in various shades of red. Her scarlet chiffon gown was strapless, and the bodice, which was covered with twinkling sequins, was little more than a band around her breasts. The skirt was high-waisted and loosely gathered so that it flowed to her ankles. She had eschewed more elaborate jewelry for pearl-stud earrings and a matching tear-shaped pendant. Her hair was done in a simple pageboy that just brushed her bare shoulders.

From the din of cheerful voices that almost drowned out the small orchestra, she knew everyone was having a great time. Except her.

She admitted there was no reason why she shouldn’t—barring Senhor Carreres’s attempts to buff her toenails with the bottoms of his shoes. After all, she’d generously donated to a worthy cause, done her familial duty, and caught up with some old friends. And as she specialized in investments for wealthy women who had never actually handled money, a society function was always an opportunity for her to garner new business.

She refused to admit that it was one “old friend” who was bothering her. Still, she had expected to hear
something
from Jed in the last two days, especially after Uncle Merry’s lawyers had assured her that Atlantic Developers had no claim beyond breach of contract. Unconsciously she winced, as she remembered how she’d impulsively run to the
trash to retrieve the roses, only to discover that Burrows had taken her quite literally. The flowers were unsalvageable.

“Eess something wrong?” asked the consul, breaking into her thoughts.

Rae smiled and shook her head. The waltz ended in a flourish. So did Senhor Carreres, as he bent her backward over his arm. Once she was upright again, she pushed her hair off her face, stifled a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you for the dance, senhor.”

“But it eess a medley, senhorita! Of the Beatles!” Mr. Carreres protested, as the orchestra immediately swung into the next number.

Before she could utter a lame excuse, someone came up behind her and said, “I beg your pardon for stealing Rae away from you, sir, but this is our song.”

In shock, she twisted around as she was expertly taken into Jed’s arms and whisked away from the surprised senhor. She’d never seen Jed in evening clothes, and he looked more than ever like a handsome stranger. Mechanically, she followed his smooth lead for a few turns, before she finally found her voice. “This is
our
song?”

He grinned at her. “Sure is. By the way, what is it?”

She giggled mirthfully. “
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
by the Beatles.”

“Ah. Didn’t recognize the band’s rendition, but I knew it in my heart, Rae.”

She burst into laughter at his sincere tone. Still grinning, he pulled her closer and swirled her around to the music. Her momentary amusement
faded as she became aware of his hand, warm and strong, against the small of her back, and how easily her steps meshed with his. She realized she’d been unconsciously clutching the black silk of his tuxedo, and she could feel the hard muscles of his shoulder through the snugly-fitting material. Her other hand was clasped tightly in his. Somehow she couldn’t force her gaze away from his hazel eyes. He seemed to be looking at her as if seeing her for the first time. A pulsing began in her belly and spread outward at an alarming rate. This is crazy, she told herself, deliberately relaxing the hand on his shoulder. There was nothing she could do about the other sensation, short of turning into a mannequin.

“What are you doing here, Jed?” she asked in as formal a voice as she could muster, attempting to dispel his effect on her.

“I’m dancing,” he said matter-of-factly. “Why are all the women dressed in red gowns?”

“It’s traditional to wear red to the ball,” she said automatically, while deciding his mustache made him look devilishly wicked. She shook her head to try and clear it. “Why are—”

“So that explains all the red. At first, I thought I’d wandered into a …” He grinned at her. His gaze drifted downward, and she found herself nearly quaking as he focused on her strapless gown, scalding her bare flesh. Even though she knew he couldn’t see further, she was grateful for the yards of flowing chiffon that kept the rest of her hidden. “You look beautiful, Rae.”

He drew her fully against him. His hard chest pressed into her breasts, his strong fingers stroked
up her sensitive spine, his hips brushed rhythmically against hers for long hypnotizing moments. She found she couldn’t have pulled away, even if she’d wanted to. It was only a dance, she reasoned. One little dance.

Jed attempted to ignore the innocent torture she was perpetrating on his body, but it was as if he were being enfolded in the gossamer wings of a delightful angel. He had only wanted to see her again—just once, and without the estate between them—and the Ruby Ball seemed like a perfect opportunity. He read about it in the morning paper, and noticed that her mother was listed as the ball’s organizer. It was a sure bet that Rae would attend, so he called a few people he knew and got himself a last-minute invitation. He had to talk himself into dragging his old, rarely worn tux out of the back of the closet. It was a tight fit—almost too tight—and he felt a like a trussed-up turkey in the hellish thing. But if wearing it to the ball meant he’d have a good chance to repair some of the damage to his relationship with Rae, he admitted he’d gladly suffer through one evening. To actually have her pliant in his arms was like wishing for paradise and getting it. A tight tux was a small price to pay for paradise, he decided. Not questioning his good fortune any further, he smoothed his right hand down her back in a tender gesture …

At least he tried to. Frowning slightly as something pulled at his wrist, he glanced over her shoulder to discover that his cuff link was caught on the sequins that adorned her bodice. Damn tux, he thought. His steps unconsciously slowed,
as he gave a gentle tug, trying to disengage his wrist. Nothing happened. Afraid of ripping the dress, he tried wiggling his wrist to get it loose. He didn’t want to draw attention to them by using his other hand to maneuver the cuff link free. After all, they weren’t at a high school prom, where the kids danced all wrapped up in each other.

“Jed, what are you doing?” Rae asked.

“I’m stuck on you.”

“You’re what?”

“My damn cuff link’s tangled in your dress.” He lifted his hand away to demonstrate his point, and her dress gaped open, exposing even more of the dreamy flesh of her back.

“Don’t do that!” she exclaimed, reaching around and pushing her dress back into place.

“You’re no fun,” he complained, as she cut off his gorgeous view.

“This is not fun, Jed Waters. I feel like I’m about to be caught with my dress down!” Her fingers groped blindly behind her in an attempt to find the problem.

“Let me,” he said, nudging her hand away with his forearm. “It’s caught on the sequins.”

Nodding, she replaced her hand on his shoulder. He tugged downward this time in an effort to get free. The back of her dress plunged dangerously low.

“Jed!” she yelped, then lowered her voice almost to a hiss. “This is not a backless dress, but it’s going to be a frontless dress if you do that again.”

“Think of it as a ‘peekaboo’ dress,” he said, a huge grin on his face as the image of Rae’s dress falling to her ankles flashed across his brain.

“I know,” she grumbled. “One peek and you say, ‘Boo.’ ”

“I’d never boo,” he assured her, twisting his wrist around.

“Jed! Quit fooling around back there and get us free!”

“It’s not easy when I’m doing it no-handed.” He tried rubbing his wrist up and down to free his cuff link.

Rae made a desperate grab for her bodice, as the front slipped again. She barely managed to grasp the edge of it before her nipples were exposed, at the same time pressing herself as hard as she could against him to prevent an accidental peep show. She decided there was only one good thing about their present predicament. It had effectively killed her mind-drugging reaction to him. A hot flush heated her skin, as she realized how she’d given herself up to the dance. Forcing the thought from her mind, she acknowledged the dress was an acceptable embarrassment, compared to making a fool of herself over Jed. Finally, she said, “We’ve got to get loose somehow.”

“Obviously, I can’t do it this way without ripping the dress,” he said. “Let’s get off the dance floor. Then you can turn around and I can use my other hand.”

She glanced around and spotted an alcove trimmed with velvet curtains. It didn’t look too deep, but the curtains would give them a measure of privacy. She’d need some, just in case her dress decided to take a sudden trip to the floor. “That alcove—”

“I see it. Be ready for the fifty-yard dash—”

“Are you having a nice time, dear?”

Rae shuddered in horror at the familiar voice. Pressing even further against Jed, she barely turned her head to acknowledge her pretty, dark-haired mother, who was beaming at her in pleasure. Vivian Barkeley was dancing with an older man who looked very familiar.

“We’re having a great time, Mom,” she said in a rush. She nodded to her mother’s partner, who smiled back. “Hello, sir. Well, see you—”

“But aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Rachel?” Her mother beamed a second smile to Jed.

Rae made a strangled sound in her throat, before saying, “Jed Waters, meet my mother. Mom, Jed.”

“You’re even more beautiful than your daughter, Mrs. Barkeley,” Jed said with a charming smile.

“What a lovely thing to say!” Vivian exclaimed happily. She indicated her dancing partner and added, “Have you met the Vice President yet, Mr. Waters? He’s our guest of honor tonight.”

With a quiet moan, Rae dropped her forehead on Jed’s shoulder, as her mother introduced Jed to the Vice President of the United States. Her dress was going to fall off any second now, and her mother was making introductions. That was the trouble with good breeding, she thought in disgust. A person always had to make introductions.

She groaned aloud when Jed, with great aplomb, stuck out his right hand like a flipper to shake hands with the distinguished gentleman, and said,
“I’m sorry, Mr. Vice President, but I’m very attached to Rae at the moment.”

“Now isn’t that nice, Rachel!” her mother exclaimed, as the men shook hands. The Vice President, evidently seeing the reason for Jed’s attachment, only chuckled.

“Wonderful, Mom. Just wonderful,” Rae muttered, wondering how she could strangle Jed in front of hundreds of people and get away with it. Instead, she did a fair imitation of a Vulcan nerve pinch.

“It was a pleasure meeting both of you,” Jed said, obviously getting the message, as he steered them between two other couples.

“Enjoy yourselves!” her mother called out.

“Nice guy,” Jed commented. “Too bad I didn’t vote for him.”

Rae clenched her jaw in frustration. “Forget the Vice President, Jed, and just get me off the dance floor before the music stops!”

They danced rapidly toward the alcove. She was sure they’d make it, until she realized that the orchestra was signaling the last flourish of their grand finale to the Beatles medley. The last note died away when they were still a good twenty feet from their goal.

“We won’t make it!” she wailed, bracing herself to grab the bodice the moment Jed let go of her.

“Sure we will,” Jed replied, and proceeded to loudly hum the verse again as he danced her the rest of the way into the alcove. Once inside, Jed backed her into the corner next to the opening, and they collapsed against the wall. She immediately
grabbed the front of her dress with both hands and yanked upward.

“Safe at last,” Jed drawled, giving her a wry grin.

Relief washed through her, and she started to giggle. Remembering the glimpse she’d had of several startled faces as they passed by, she broke into laughter. She didn’t know which was funnier, the headlong dash into the alcove like a couple of mad Beatles fans, or the fact that Jed couldn’t carry a tune. His humming had been completely off key.

“You’d be a smash as a singer,” she finally gasped in between chuckles.