The Best Man (3 page)

She tugged a thick robe around her
body, basking in its warmth. She could track the man down, probably within hours,
but should she? Kitty shook her head. She wasn’t sure she should. And that
indecisiveness bothered her more than anything. He was just a man, after all. One
more cock hardly mattered.

She smiled at her frown in the
mirror. It wasn’t his cock she’d been imagining so recently, and so vividly. It
was his mustache, his tongue, and his laughing eyes.

Didn’t he take her seriously? If
nothing else, she’d be taken seriously.

She reached for her makeup kit. She’d
put off a decision about Jared Jacobs for another day or two. She’d learned early
on not to be rash.

Brushing blush on her high
cheekbones, she made one decision she’d been putting off for too long. She’d
track down her business contacts who owned racehorses. She grinned at her
reflection. Maybe that was the most important thing she’d brought back from Seattle—a commitment to her childhood dream of owning the next Seattle Slew.

CHAPTER TWO

The following morning, after meeting
for two hours with her two staff assistants, Kitty stepped out into the main
office area to find Maria Alvarez, her receptionist/secretary, grinning like
the proverbial Cheshire cat.

“What is it?” she asked. “Did we get
an unexpected offer on a property?”

Maria showed plenty of white teeth
as she shook her head from side to side.

“A new client?”

Maria shrugged, her big brown eyes turning
toward the empty desk between her and the entrance.

Kitty followed Maria’s line of
sight. She gasped when she saw the long stem yellow roses—then she brightened. “So
you have an admirer?” She wasn’t about to fall into the trap of saying Maria
must have a new male admirer. She’d been down that embarrassing road once
before. Maria welcomed lovers of both genders and didn’t appreciate assumptions
otherwise.

For her part, Kitty tried her best
to accept everyone for who they were. But switch hitting had no appeal to her
personally. Still, whoever had given Maria the bouquet had excellent
taste—whether the giver was male or female.

“They’re not for me,” Maria chided. “They’re
for you.”

“For me,” Kitty squeaked. She stared
hard at the flowers. They’d lost some of their luster. Who would be trying to
butter her up with flowers? She wasn’t easily overwhelmed by such
sentimentality.

Cautiously, she approached the desk
and reached for the tiny note card. Opening it, she frowned. The words had no
meaning. She gulped. Yes, they did. It read:

To the vision in yellow. Perhaps we
should start over.

JJ

Damn it. He’d gotten to her before
she could make up her mind about him. At least he wasn’t assuming anything. The
roses, the card were a peace offering, of sorts. She nodded. He must be smiling
over what she might do with the flowers. Did he expect her to toss them out, or
accept them without comment?

She brought a yellow rosebud to her
nose. She loved the fresh scent. Had he known she was a softie for flowers? Usually
she had to buy her own.

“I can put them in water, if you
like,” Maria said.

Kitty glanced back at the fifty-two
year old bursting with curiosity. “Please. It’s nothing to get too excited
about.”

Maria rose to her feet and beamed a
warm smile. “I was giving it fifty-fifty that you’d toss the flowers in the
waste basket. So I’ll be a little excited for you.”

Kitty walked back to her office and
closed the door behind her. She sat at her desk and stared at the phone. What
should she do? She’d dug up his work phone number as soon as she’d gotten to
her office. Jared obviously had hers, too, since he had her work address.

Obtaining his home phone would take
a little more doing. Hers wasn’t going to be easy to get either, if he wanted
it.

She shook her head at the phone. She’d
promised herself a couple days to decide about the man from sunny California. Had he really seen her as a vision in yellow? She wet her lips. She had to
admit she liked that—a lot.

- o -

Trimming his moustache after
shaving, Jared wondered if his vision in yellow had received her flowers yet. He
wasn’t sure, but there was a two hour time difference.

He shrugged, trying to convince
himself he was as nonchalant as he appeared in the mirror. What had he
expected? A phone call dripping with thanks? That didn’t seem like Kitty Paige’s
style.

Would she hang up on him if he
called her? Probably. It was too risky to try that. He had to soften her up
more before taking that step. Though he’d sure love to hear her throaty voice
again.

Before the day was over he’d have
her home address and private phone number. He nodded at his own reflection. He’d
already asked Sorenson to do the necessary digging. He knew he could trust the
scrawny snoop. He’d used him on several cases. There had been times the man had
ferreted out potential legal landmines resting beneath a company’s surface
before Jared had taken the fatal step of plunking down good money for it.

Jared glanced at his reflection and
gave himself a satisfied smile. He’d be one step closer to claiming the vision
in yellow before the day was done. He set the clippers down on the sink. “Patience,”
he muttered. He peeked down at the stiff erection tenting his pajama bottoms.

He shook his head. He didn’t entirely
like how much time the woman was taking. He was a busy man; he couldn’t stand
around all day thinking with his dick.

She’d better be worth the effort. He
flashed on the image of her grinding away on his cock in the corner of the
darkened ballroom and smiled—she’d be worth it.

He’d no doubt get over her in a
flash, but she’d definitely be worth the effort.

Whistling to himself, Jared walked
into his bedroom where he’d already laid out the day’s clothes. It was time to
select the next salvo for softening up Kitty Paige.

Was she fantasizing about him at
all? He sure hoped so. He didn’t like the thought of doing all the fantasizing.

What next? He didn’t want to appear
overly eager. He’d wait a week, but it wasn’t too soon to consider his next
step. He thought of Kitty’s below-the-shoulder length blond hair. She’d worn it
pouffed up for the wedding, with half of it falling over one shoulder and the
rest down her back. It wasn’t difficult at all to imagine drawing the blond
tresses over a breast, using them to play hide and seek with a nipple.

Would her nipples harden quickly or
would they rise slowly?

Jared tugged his trousers up over
his arousal and tucked his shirt in. Carefully, he buckled the belt.

Did she ever wear her hair up? She’d
look stunning with it up. Not that she didn’t with it down.

He chuckled, toying with that image.
A scarf. A yellow scarf. A yellow Thai silk scarf, like he’d seen in Bangkok. A long one, with long fringes. She could wear it around her forehead and let the
tails fall down her back. Or she might lie naked on a bed and let the tails
fall forward. Would they reach to her pussy, prompting another game of hide and
seek?

His decision made, he reached for
the bedside phone to make the arrangements. He wished he could see her face
when she’d seen the roses and the card. Damn, he wished he could see her when
she ran the yellow silk scarf through her fingers. Would she appreciate its
beauty? Would she run the pads of her fingers over it wishing she was running
them over his flesh? Would her wrists tingle, aware the scarf would be perfect
for binding them?

Jared jerked himself alert at the
demanding voice on the phone. “Yes,” he said at last, “I’m here. I’d like to
place an order—a rush order.”

- o -

The next morning Kitty immediately
walked over to the yellow roses sitting on an end table next to the couch in
her office. She sniffed and inhaled deeply. A smile crossed her lips. It was
hard to forget Mr. Sunshine with these flowers greeting her. She imagined that
was their purpose.

Sitting down at her desk, Kitty
checked her calendar. Her morning was free. She was meeting for lunch with a
couple who were interested in looking at houses in the million to million and
half range—she grinned: her kind of client. There was a closing to attend in
the late afternoon on a five acre parcel zoned commercial she’d brokered with a
national retail chain.

She tapped her fingers on the desk. She
really liked looking at her own investments grow, but she’d already decided her
next investment was going to be a fun one. If it made money for her, fine, if
not—so be it. Her commission from the retail chain would go a long way toward
the purchase of a race horse.

The following afternoon Kitty stood
in the alley of Barn B staring at the huge animal that was eyeing her
carefully. She didn’t know a lot about horses, but she had the same feeling she
had when she stepped into majestic mansion with oak trim, French doors, and
plenty of soft light. She recognized class and majesty even when it stood on four
legs. Even when it snorted at her.

“As you can tell, he’s a good
looking animal. He’d be a good way for you to get started in horseracing. I’ll
make you a fair deal on a fifty-percent share.”

Kitty nodded at her old friend and
real estate magnate, Lawrence Madison. His white hair turned whiter each year. She’d
been his broker almost from the time she’d broken into the business. Five years
ago the man had been devastated by the death of his wife. Kitty had waited for
more than a year before inviting him to her bed and showing him he still had
much to offer a woman in her boudoir. They’d remained an item for over six
months—a near record for Kitty. She’d done much to lift his spirits and
reintroduce him to the world of the living. He’d taught her to appreciate older
men. His staying power was phenomenal, particularly if she did most of the
physical activity. They’d parted amiably after she introduced him to banker
friend close to retirement. The two of them had been married nearly two years.

Lawrence
thought he owed her. She smiled to herself. He didn’t
owe her a thing, but she knew she could trust him. And he’d been racing horses
for over thirty years, making him the kind of partner she needed for her latest
venture. She wanted to learn the business and she was a quick learner, but her
old friend could coach her and guide her through the inevitable pitfalls of any
business.

“I know you’ll be fair, Lawrence.” She didn’t take her gaze off the horse. “So this fellow is four years old.” She
grinned at him. “Guess he’s too old for the Derby.”

The white-haired man chuckled and
shook his head. “You’ll probably get to the top of any business you decide you
want to conquer, but we don’t start there. If you want a derby possibility, we
can visit one of the yearling sales later on and see what we can afford. For
now, I’d advise tiptoeing into horseracing. This guy’s no slouch. He’s stakes
quality. He has one win and two seconds in the five stakes he’s entered. He’ll
be a contender.” Lawrence gave her a sardonic grin. “That’s about the best one
can hope for—a contender.”

She nodded. Her lips curved
slightly. What would her California man think of the horse? She pursed her
lips. So was he a contender?

“He’s still intact.”

“What?” she looked sharply at Lawrence.

His face crinkled. “He’s still got
his essentials. He could become a stud—perhaps even a promising stud.”

“Oh.” Kitty wet her lips. “A
promising stud. That would be nice.”

“You’ve got that faraway look in
your eyes, Kitty. Are we still talking about the horse?”

Kitty laughed easily and leaned over
to peck his cheek. “You know me too well. Have the papers drawn up, Lawrence. How is Rebecca doing these days? I haven’t seen her for weeks.”

“She’s doing fine. She told me to
tell you she’s excited about owning a horse with you. She wants us all to get
together the next time he runs.”

“When do you expect that to happen?”

“He bounced back from his last race
nicely. We’re shooting for a medium level stakes race here at Arlington in
three weeks.”

“Good. As soon as you know, let me
know.” She accepted his extended hand and shook it. “Thanks to both of you for
your willingness to help me get started in this business. It’s been a childhood
dream I nearly forgot.”

His fingers tightened around hers. “
We
thank
you
. For everything. And we’ll help you learn the ropes. Like in
any business, there are a lot of unsavory types who’d love to take advantage of
newcomers—particularly a beautiful, wealthy woman. Do be careful.”

She laughed. “I’ll try.”

“But not too careful.” He winked. “Remember
what I’ve always told you. You need to take more time for play. Maybe this four
legged fellow can help with that.”