The Designated Drivers' Club (4 page)

“I’m Jenny.” A brief shake of his hand, then she returned hers to the steering wheel. She glanced at her watch and sighed. The constant juggling of schedules in order to meet her business objectives was frustrating. Between Katy and herself, they had to call each other numerous times throughout the day and switch customers just to keep up. The surge in customers was great — the toll it took on the cars and drivers was worrisome.

“It’s right there.” Grant pointed to the apartments at the next exit as if he felt her impatience. Five minutes later, Jenny had pulled up behind his bright red, sporty convertible Audi.

She took one cautious glance at the car and raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

He gave her a startled glance. “No, why?”

“You’re going to pick up your boss in that car, with this horse in the back?” Surely, he saw the futility in it. “Which one is going in the trunk?”

The guy glared at her for a minute, then relaxed and laughed. “You know, if you weren’t a little pretty, your mouth would be downright annoying. What the hell else am I supposed to do? That’s the only car I have.” He looked out the window, she assumed he was willing the car to change into a Jeep or a Cadillac as the dog licked the back of his head. He slapped at the beast. “Knock it off, Bugsy.”

Jenny registered the backhanded compliment, or insult. She wasn’t sure which it was. “You’re not going to get there on time if you don’t hurry. I recommend you leave the dog in your apartment.”

“Can’t. My boss is pretty picky about that.” He opened the door and reached for the back latch to let Bugsy out. “Besides, I don’t want the stupid thing eating my furniture while I’m gone. It’s leather and brand new. He’d probably think it was a rawhide chew.”

Jenny quickly dodged the wagging tail that was facing her, and sighed. She lowered her forehead onto the steering wheel for a second and let out a small groan. “Get in. I’ll take you.”

“Take me?” He sounded hopeful.

“To the airport. It’s impossible to get the three of you in that sardine can.” It took the man all of two seconds to jump back in the car with relief written all over him.

“You know, behind the abrasiveness there’s a nice streak in you,” Grant said with a smile. Damn that smile.

“If the dog ruins my car, you’ll think differently. And you’ll find out what else I use that golf umbrella for,” Jenny responded.

“A nice streak that you keep hidden deep. Real deep.”

Jenny cast him a glare, then hit the speed dial on her hands-free. “I need to make a quick call.”

When Katy answered, she explained that she wasn’t going to make her next stop and asked if Katy could help out.

“Jenny, you know I have something going on tonight?” Katy pleaded. “You really need to think about hiring another driver.” They had talked about hiring several times lately. Jenny was increasingly dependent on Katy’s help. It would be pointless to try to run the business without her.

Grant looked out the window as she spoke. The slobbery towel rested in his lap, clasped between both hands. He pretended to ignore the conversation, entranced by the city zooming past.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Jenny said. “If you could take care of this one, I’ll start looking tomorrow. I promise.” She had no clue when she’d find the time, but she would do it.

Katy let a few seconds pass before responding with an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll be late then. You know this business of yours is killing my love life. Speaking of love life — what’s that panting noise?”

Katy glanced sideways, startled to see the dog standing over her shoulder with his tongue hanging out. No one could say the beast didn’t have a good set of lungs.

“What panting noise? I don’t hear anything,” Jenny answered innocently. Grant snickered at her coy response, adding a very masculine tone to the panting dog’s background noise.

“Jenny Madison, you’re with someone! Is that David?” Jenny couldn’t help but giggle too.

“No. It’s not David and I’m not
with someone
. It’s just a dog.” She didn’t look but knew Grant was shooting daggers at her.
Okay, and a hot as hell guy but who’s checking.

“Yeah, right.”

Jenny couldn’t blame her skepticism. If she’d heard it, she probably would have thought the same thing.

The dog licked Jenny on the ear and she whispered, “Stop” at the beast and shoved him away. Grant laughed softly in the passenger seat, barely attempting to conceal his voice. His body started racking with silent laughter when the dog sighed heavily, made some smacking, licking noises, and panted stronger. Jenny glared at the man, who obviously did not intend to contain his dog.

“Katy, I have to go. Thanks for your help. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Jenny clicked the “end” button on the phone before the dog could make some other disgusting sound.

“You’re a lot of help,” she snapped.

Grant let out a loud howl of laughter and clutched his stomach. “Oh God, that was funny.” He stomped his foot on the floorboard as if to get a grip on himself. “Your friend obviously thinks you’re making out hot and heavy with someone — apparently someone named David — and it’s just a 200-pound slobbering dog!” He had tears in his eyes, the jerk.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the fact that my best friend and business partner now thinks I’m cheating.” Jenny frowned. That rumor would make the rounds by morning, knowing her friends. “Cheating?” He stopped laughing and stared at her hands. “You’re married?”

“No. Not married. Just … involved. Sort of. I think.”
Was she?

“I gather a guy named David is the ‘sort of, I think’ guy?”

“Yeah, and he’s out of town, which Katy is definitely aware of.”

Grant straightened in his seat before responding. “Well, it’s still funny. You want me to call her and explain?” He reached back and scuffed Bugsy’s ears. He was practically commending the dog’s performance.

“Hmmm. Let me think about that.” Jenny tapped a finger to her chin for a second. “Sure, why don’t I have a random guy that I hardly know call up my friend and tell her that it was his dog panting on the phone in the car? Especially while that same guy is the reason that I am missing work and is in the car with me at the moment. That probably will go over even better than the dog story. Sure, that’s believable.”

“You have a point,” he muttered. “Maybe I could go talk to her?”

She took one look at Grant and said. “Not a good idea.” If Katy saw Mr. Tall, Dark, and Grumpy, she would certainly never believe Jenny was just giving him a ride. He was the type that women drool over — even with the bad attitude.

He looked at her skeptically. “You don’t think I can behave myself, do you? I could take Bugsy with me and she’d see right away.”

Sure. “Speaking of drool, could you wipe the dog’s mouth again?” Jenny felt the dampness on her shoulder.

He looked at her funny then passed the towel under Bugsy’s head. “We weren’t talking about drool,” he responded.

No, I was just thinking about it. Oops.

“The airport!” Jenny announced their arrival. “Where should I wait?”

There’s nothing like circling the airport continuously with a giant black and white slobber machine breathing in your ear. Jenny was certain she looked like someone that just stepped out of a sauna and needed a shower. She opened the back window so the beast could deposit some of his overflowing moisture outside the car and went around for the fourth time. When a person talks of hot breath on their neck, this is definitely
not
what they mean. Still, for all the wetness, she had to admit the dog was cute, in a huge, oversized, happy-go-lucky way.

She eased the car slowly down the pick-up line and darted her eyes from person to person, seeking out Grant and his boss. She passed a family of four, a woman in a business dress, two men in suits, and three young men in jeans. No Grant.

One of the two men in suits flashed a waving hand at the cars and lunged in front of her, jolting her to a stop. She let out a loud squeal just as she recognized the face. She nearly ran over him and she had to admit it might have felt good for a second or two. At what point did Grant don a suit jacket and comb his hair to look like he stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine? Her mouth fell open and she stared as he thumped the hood of the car and glared briefly at her. She was still dazed with the change when he pounded on the trunk.

Jenny jumped out of the car and pressed the trunk button to flip it open. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” She forced her customer friendly smile and helped him drop the newly acquired bags into the hatch. She ignored the raised eyebrow that Grant flashed her way and extended a hand to the middle-aged man with him.

“I’m Jenny.” She grinned. “How was your flight? “The man smiled and clasped her hand in his vice-like grip and introduced himself. Hodge. A well-dressed black man that spoke to his dog like it was an infant. He looked familiar but she couldn’t place him. Within minutes, Hodge was strapped into the back seat with his adoring hound and Grant planted himself next to her once again.

Hodge looked at the dog standing over his lap and frowned. “Bugsy,
SIT.”

Amazingly, the energetic, car-eating horse dropped his behind into the seat and watched his master. Hodge leaned over and pulled the seatbelt around the dog, strapping him safely in. Wow. Jenny looked at Grant with a “why didn’t you do that?” look.

Grant scrunched up his nose and gave her a snarl, and then amazingly he broke into a very charming grin. “Pretty smart dog, huh?”

Wow. She couldn’t help but stare at the clothes, the combed hair, the suit, flashing dark eyes, and the seriously pleasant smile. Even though she realized he had let the dog drench her purposely, she warmed. He looked like a different person. She was certain the show was for his boss and she didn’t have the heart to ruin it for him. So, she played along — smiling pleasantly, talking with Hodge, and teasing with Grant. She poured on the flirtatious charm. At least she thought she did.

• • •

“So, how do you know my boy Grant?” Hodge peered at her through the rear view mirror.

“We met outside a bar on Halloween. He thought I was a hooker and hit on me.”

“I did not.” He hadn’t said that, she jumped to conclusions. He had never meant to imply — anything. It was just the boots, they didn’t fit. And he hadn’t hit on her.

She laughed, “It was raining like crazy and I had this big umbrella — ”

Grant finally eased up and lifted an arm over the seat back toward Hodge. “She had on these stiletto heeled boots and black suit. With a red umbrella that was bigger than this car.”

Hodge leaned forward. “Cat woman! Awesome.”

Jenny shot a glance at Grant, “How’d you know what I was wearing? I was soaked.”

“I noticed. It was black and the rain made it — cling in all the right places.”
Not to mention the white top had been almost translucent when wet.

Jenny turned to the traffic and slammed on her brakes when a car swerved into her lane. She bumped the horn twice; the dog punctuated it with a soft bark.

Hodge reached up and stroked the hound. “Ooh, I have these visions of Halle Berry in all that black shiny shit with zippers everywhere.”

Cool it, Hodge.

“It wasn’t like that.”

Grant tensed when Hodge stuck his hand into Jenny’s hair from behind and squeezed. “You should come over some time, Jenny Cat, and bring the black shiny thing. I’ve always wondered how hard it was to get out of all those zippers.”

Okay, this was going way too far.
Grant wanted to yank the hand down. Jenny smiled and pulled at Hodge’s wrist instead.

“Back off there, Batman, or I may have to have Robin here use a couple of Judo moves on you.”

Hodge leaned back in the seat, his voice a bit softer. “Cat woman does judo moves too, you know. As I remember, she used those stiletto heeled boots pretty damn well in the movie. It’d be more fun with you than him.”

Grant couldn’t believe his uncle was actually making a move on Jenny. Seriously? She could be his daughter. “You might need to take a dose of Cialis first, old man.” Yeah, he shouldn’t have said that but it felt good.

Hodge glared for a second. “Harsh, man, harsh. Just because you hate women doesn’t mean I have to.” Thankfully, he decided to change the subject. “You like music, Jenny Cat?”

“Sure, love it. I have a friend that — ”

“We’re in the business. Grant didn’t tell you?”

“Nah, we haven’t really talked much about work.”

Hodge obviously thought that meant something else and patted his shoulder. “He wouldn’t. Too modest and serious if you ask me. Especially since he’s about the best damn manager on the west coast. Probably the east coast too.”

Grant turned and looked out the window, keenly aware she was staring at him. Why did he say that crap?

“Hodge’s real name is Benjamin Hodges Larson,” Grant explained. He was relieved when the name didn’t register. “He’s fairly well known as an agent in the entertainment business.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Hodge interrupted. “We’re very small, only a few clients. Mainly because we choose our clients selectively. I don’t touch anyone that’s not of sound mine, clean body, and has a good work ethic. I don’t have time to risk my career on bad seeds.”

Jenny turned back to the traffic. “Smart move, since most of those bad seeds are spoiled, addictive personalities with a whole host of problems following them around.”

“No shit.”

Grant adjusted the volume of Jenny’s Sirius radio when a long lull in conversation occurred. He hoped it would silence the banter between the two of them. Surely, she’s not falling for his spiel? A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed the man admiring the back of Jenny’s head just before his eyes drifted closed. Jet lag had finally set in. Thank God. If he had to listen to any more of her flirting and laughing with his aged, gray-headed, overweight boss, he was going to be sick. Yeah, she was beautiful doing it but that wasn’t the point. And Hodge. What the hell was he thinking? Grant thought to say something but bit it back. Must be professional. Clearly, he himself didn’t really know what the point was.