Seducing His Heart (6 page)

When she came up for air, her gaze met with
Whit’s as he stepped off the elevator. A tall, thin blonde hung on
his arm. He nodded at Bess. She shot a small smile back.

Terry slapped her rear gently and brushed
her lips with his one more time. “Next week?”

She nodded.

“
Goodnight, gorgeous,” he
whispered then turned. When he saw Whit fumbling with the lock, he
frowned and pointed. “Stay away from my girl.”

“
Blow it out your ass,
buddy,” Whit said. “Bess and I are friends. Nothing more. I’ve got
better things to do than explain my life to you.” He scowled at
Terry, ignored Bess, and turned his key. When the door popped open,
he grabbed the blonde, disappeared into his apartment, and slammed
it shut behind them.

“
Fuck off, jerk-off,”
Terry called out.

“
Way to go, Terry. Way to
make nice with my new neighbor.” Bess shot an angry look at
him.

“
Sorry, sorry. At least
he’ll stay away from you.” He stepped into the elevator and the
doors shut as Dumpling approached, barking.

Whit popped his head out. “Shut that mutt
up!” he yelled, slamming the door a second time.

Bess stepped back as if she had been
slapped. She picked up her pug, who was still carrying on, and went
inside. Tears pricked, then filled, her eyes. She returned to the
window to gaze out across the park at the lights of Fifth Avenue.
“Bess and I are friends. Nothing more.”

Pain gathered in her
chest.
Nothing more? Why am I crying?
Isn’t this what I wanted? Now, I don’t have to choose. Now, I know.
He wants to be my friend. Be grateful, not sad. Still, he didn’t
have to slam the door in my face.

No matter how logical she
was, her heart hurt.
Guess our chemistry
was more for me than him. Best I find out now.
She dried her eyes and cleaned up the kitchen. She went into
the den, turned on the television, and patted the sofa. Dumpling
jumped up and snuggled into her lap, resting her head on Bess’s
leg. At eleven, she yawned, stretched, and pushed to her feet.
“Time for your walk, little girl.”

After attaching the dog’s harness and leash,
they headed for the elevator. The sound of Whit’s door opening drew
her attention. The blonde was draped over him like an expensive
fur. They were smooching. The heat of embarrassment spread up her
chest into her neck. She heard whispering, but couldn’t make out
words. The woman giggled. They joined Bess.

Her expression turned stony as she attempted
to ignore the couple. The woman tugged on her arm.

“
Guess I should thank you.
You gave Whit some great ideas about what to do with chocolate.”
She giggled again.

Anger choked in Bess’s chest. “Happy to
oblige,” she said through gritted teeth. The elevator arrived. The
blonde pushed her way in first. Bess hung back.

“
Oh, did he show you what
to do with the whipped cream, too?” At the sound of a gasp, she
went on, “I guess not. Too bad for you.” Dumpling trotted in with
Bess following, turning her back to the stunned pair.

“
Whipped cream?” She heard
the blonde’s voice behind her, followed by the sound of a soft
thud, like a hand hitting a clothed body. Bess smiled as they
descended to the lobby.

She exited first and
turned right to head down Central Park West, hoping Whit would be
heading uptown with his girl. Instead, she spied him raise his hand
to flag down a taxi. She blew out a breath.
Good, leave, quickly.
As she relaxed
into a comfortable stride, a smooth, deep voice spoke from
behind.

“
What was that crack about
whipped cream?”

She whirled around to see Whit standing with
his hands firmly planted on his hips.

“
I’m busy. Walking my dog.
Can’t you see? Why don’t you,” she made a gesture of sweeping with
her hand, “vanish somewhere, like smoke. Yeah, that’s it,
disappear.” She turned on her heel and continued
downtown.

But he wasn’t to be brushed off so easily.
Whit grabbed her arm. “What the hell was that crack about whipped
cream?” he asked again.

“
What the hell was that
crack about chocolate?”

“
Elsa was being an
idiot.”

“
You don’t say?” She
picked up her pace.

“
Don’t walk away when I’m
talking to you,” Whit said, raising his voice.

Bess turned abruptly to
glare at him. “Who do you think you are? You can’t talk to me like
that. You’re not my father. I’ll walk away whenever I damn well
please.” She spun on her heel and huffed off. When she got to the
curb, she noticed Whit wasn’t behind her.
Don’t turn and look. Don’t look at him. Don’t look.
Don’t!
She swiveled her head for only a
second and met his gaze with hers.
Crap!

He sauntered down the street, displaying a
new confidence. “So…”

She cocked an eyebrow at him and resumed her
walk, jerking the leash.

“
You’re dragging your
dog.”

“
Am not.” Bess clicked her
tongue at Dumpling, urging her to move faster, but the dog was busy
sniffing and didn’t pay attention.

“
Yes, you are.”

“
Am not.”

“
I’m calling the
A.S.P.C.A.” Whit whipped out his cell.

“
Don’t you dare!” She
reached for his phone, but he yanked it away, barely beyond her
reach.

“
Touchy, aren’t
we?”

“
You win the award for the
most annoying human being…ever!” The heat of anger filled her
cheeks.

“
I can’t hold a candle to
you,” he fired back.

She lifted her hand and took a swing at his
face, but Whit was too quick for her. He grabbed her wrist and
twisted it behind his back. Bess fell into his chest. Dumpling
pulled to go the other way. Bess was trapped. Whit closed his free
arm around her waist and held her, her breasts crushed against
him.

“
You’re a fire cracker.
Sexy as hell.” He brought his mouth down on hers.

Bess clamped her lips shut, but Whit ran the
tip of his tongue over them so gently that she opened for him. Her
senses took over as her mind shut off. She leaned, unresisting, as
he stroked her back and explored her mouth. Warmth rose inside her,
and she responded. Her body melted into him, and her tongue danced
with his. The heat generated was almost unbearable.

Bess was lost in a fog until the voice of a
stranger snapped her back to reality. “Hey, buddy. Get a room.”

Bess jerked her head back, disengaging from
Whit. Shame at her lack of control colored her cheeks. “Let me go,”
she said, but her voice lacked conviction.

Whit dropped his arm and released her wrist.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…I got carried away. You were so…so, sexy
and I…I…I’d never hurt you, take a woman by force or anything. I’m
so sorry.”

Bess fussed with her clothes, tugging at her
shirt and straightening jeans that didn’t need it. “It’s nothing.
Forget it. I have.”

“
What? You’ve forgotten
it, a kiss like that?”

The little muscle under her left eye
twitched. “Sure. No biggie.”

“
Was for me. Monumental.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and blushed.

A player can still
blush?
“I’m sure Elsa, Candy, or any of a
dozen…no, a hundred, supermodels can pucker up better than I do.
And who’d know more about that than you?” She looked up, her eyes
daring him to respond.

He surprised her. His
voice was soft and seductive.
“None of
them can kiss like you.” He paused. “Trust me. I know.”

“
I’ll bet you do,” she
replied softly.

A bark from Dumpling brought Bess back to
the reason she was outside. The pug pulled toward the front door,
and Bess increased her pace to keep up. Whit followed. The only
sound in the elevator was a snort or two from the little dog. Whit
stood a respectful distance from Bess, and she kept her eyes
looking straight ahead.

“
I know you’re with that
cop. I promise not to do that again.”

Damn.
“Good. After all,” she said, as the elevator opened, and she
stepped out, turning to face him. “we’re only friends, right?” The
pained expression on his face told her she’d hit a bullseye.
“Goodnight,” she said as she grasped the doorknob. Dumpling barked
her farewell to Whit and followed Bess inside.

“
Goodnight,” he
said.

Tears stung as Bess
removed Dumpling’s harness and padded to the kitchen for a dog
treat.
What’s wrong with me? It was only a
kiss. I have Terry. Do I? Do I have him? Whit isn’t interested in
me. He can’t be. Only an impulse. He’s a seducer and took a chance.
Why am I making this so complicated? Leave him alone.

As much as she reprimanded
herself, something about him called to her, touched her heart.
There was something sad about the man. She had no idea what it
could be and wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.
No wounded guys. Only men who are whole, who can
give. I can’t fix broken people. But I want him.

She stood at the window, looking out at the
lights. Dumpling barked once then trotted to the doorway.

“
I’m coming, girl,” Bess
said, switching off the lamp and heading to the bedroom.
Maybe the answer will come in my dreams.
As she leaned over from her bed to shut off the
lamp, her cell lit up with a text. It was from Terry.

Need to meet tomorrow night. Seven. Can
do?

Chapter Four

It was Wednesday. She’d be
taping her Mocha Magic show on Thursday, so she had the day
off.
Wish I was in the studio
today.
As she often did when feeling
stressed out, Bess got to baking. After a morning walk with
Dumpling, Bess pulled out various ingredients and began
experimenting. Since Terry loved her apple pie, she decided she’d
tinker with that recipe.

She had expected a
follow-up text when she had responded that she was free, but none
had come.
Need to meet. Doesn’t sound
good.
She chewed her lip as she peeled
apples and dropped a few slivers of the fresh fruit into the pug’s
bowl. She arranged slices uniformly on the fresh pie
dough.

Two variations came to
mind. First, a crumb-topping that wasn’t overly sweet. The second
was an open-faced one with sharp cheddar scattered over the
apples.
No need for a slice of cheese. Put
it on top, instead of on the plate.

As the pies cooked, she paced, checking her
watch every five minutes. When the timer sounded, she pulled out
the crumb-topping one and put it on the cooling rack. She sprinkled
freshly grated cheddar on top of the second, turned the oven off,
and let it sit for fifteen minutes. When she opened the door, the
cheese had melted nicely into the fruit. She put it with the other
to cool.

“
I can’t take this. Come
on, Dumpling, we’re going for a walk.”

As soon as she uttered the word “walk,” the
little dog jumped up out of her bed and went to the door. Bess
tossed on a fleece jacket to protect against the crisp, October
wind, harnessed her pooch, and headed for the elevator.

Dumpling pulled her owner toward the park.
The leaves were changing, spreading a variety of shades, from gold
to brilliant red, to please the eye. They strolled along, stopping
to let the dog sniff at the occasional tree and lamppost. Bess ran
over and over in her mind what Terry could have planned, with no
answer surfacing. Her thoughts turned to Whit.

Best to be friends with
him. Maybe he can become a reliable taster? Can I be near him
without touching? Maybe, maybe not.
She
went around and around, but didn’t come up with a way to handle a
friendship-only relationship with Whitfield Bass. She bought a
coffee from a vendor and sat on a bench talking to Dumpling, who
perched next to her.

Time seemed to stand still when she wished
it would rush by. They continued their walk south of the Great Lawn
and to the East Side. Grassy fields were still green. Bess broke
the rules by letting the pug loose in a field for a short romp.

Her mind flipped back to the day she had met
Terry at pug hill in Central Park. She smiled as she recalled their
flirtation and his allowing her friends to avoid expensive tickets
for having their dogs off-leash at the wrong time. She chuckled at
the memory as she directed them back to Central Park West.

A long, hot bath soothed her nerves. She
dressed in velour pants and top in deep purple, which emphasized
the blue of her eyes. A drop of blush to her flawless, peachy skin,
mascara, a dab of perfume between her breasts, and she was
ready.

After throwing together a salad and feeding
the dog, Bess cut two pieces of each pie and put them on plates.
She munched on the greens while waiting for Terry. He was prompt,
for a change. He knocked, causing Dumpling to jump up and race to
the door, barking.

“
Like I didn’t hear him?”
she said to the pooch.

“
Hi, baby,” he greeted,
kissing her. His gun handle pressed against her stomach. He
scratched the dog behind the ears, stepped inside, and closed the
door. Bess sank down on the sofa and patted the cushion next to
her.