Wife for Hire (6 page)

Sarabeth nodded encouragingly. “Very good, Owen. Over the next few visits we’ll try to pinpoint the things you miss most about that time, all right? Now tell us the one thing you expect from Lindy in your marriage, above all.”

“Loyalty,” he said instinctively. Lindy shot him a puzzled look. That hadn’t been what he’d written down and she knew it. He’d better learn to separate Owen Phipps from Owen O’Neil, or he was in danger of revealing more to his accomplice than he’d ever revealed to anyone.

“Now you, Lindy.”

“I’m here because life’s too short to be unhappy, but we made a commitment. I don’t just want to make it ‘work.’ To me, that means settling…jury-rigging it up until it functions. That’s not what I’m looking for in my forever relationship. I want to fix it until it’s right and really…good.” Her voice rang with sincerity, and Sarabeth gave her a beaming smile.

“Excellent,” she said, scribbling furiously in her book.

It sure was. A pretty reasoned approach to a relationship. Why should a person settle for “so-so” if, with a little elbow grease, true contentment could be achieved? Maybe a re-assessment of his own thoughts on choosing a partner was in order.

Filing that away for later examination, he regarded Lindy through new eyes. Her funny, oddball charm camouflaged how together she really was in some aspects. He found himself not only enjoying her company immensely, but also respecting her ideas more with each passing hour.

“And what’s the non-negotiable for you?”

“I want a man whose face lights up when I walk into a room.”

Sarabeth’s eyes went suspiciously soft for a second, the encouraging therapist-mask faltering. “Yeah,” she breathed. “That’s exactly it, isn’t it?”

Something intangible passed between the women and Lindy nodded slowly. “Simple as that.”

Right when he’d given her credit for being sensible she had to go and parade around some nonsense. “Not to burst your bubble, ladies, but that’s nothing more than drivel out of a romance novel. In real life, you give someone that kind of power you’re leaving yourself open to world of hurt. More than half of marriages don’t last, and of those that do, most probably aren’t happy ones. If your sun rises and sets on a person and they call it quits, where does that leave you?”

The women exchanged a nervous look, but neither responded.

“I’ll tell you where. Alone in the bloody dark.”

Chapter Six

“That went well,” Lindy said, forcing as much enthusiasm as she could muster into her tone.

“Did it?” Owen’s voice was deceptively soft and he closed their suite door behind him.

Since early that afternoon, right about the time she’d suggested he was lame in bed, he’d been exuding an energy that had her so on edge, she could hardly stand it. Fortunately, after their session with Sarabeth, they’d been separated for some “me-time” workshops. One was geared toward the husbands, the other toward the wives. It had been a blessed reprieve. She’d hoped by the time they were alone again, the whole pissing match they’d gotten into in their therapy session would have blown over.

No such luck.

“Yeah. Especially the confidence-building session I was in with the other women. I think I made some good connections with a couple of the wives that I can start to mine over the next few days and see if they’ve been approached about investment opportunities or anything.” She shucked off her shoes and padded over the plush carpet to the bar for a seltzer, determined not to look at him.

“I agree. The men were fairly talkative in mine as well, but I’m not interested in that right now. I’m much more interested in discussing our meeting with Sarabeth. You think that went well, Lindy?”

She took a gulp of soda and set it on the bar. “It was our first consultation and all, so we have to work out some kinks.” She cringed at the word choice, recalling Owen’s “confession” about her “appetites” to Sarabeth. “Bu-ut, all in all, not bad. She definitely believed we were a couple, which is all that matters, right?”

Owen held her gaze, advancing closer. “In a perfect world, yes.” He kept coming at her, with slow, purposeful steps.

Her teeth chattered and she took a tentative step back. “Cool. So we’re all good here, then.” She held up two thumbs and wheeled around, heading for the bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower, probably a long one. Feel free to, you know, go somewhere or whatever,” she called over her shoulder.

“Lindy?”

She turned to find herself eye to chin with him and nearly jumped out of her skin. “What are you, like a vampire? How did you get over here so quick?” She clutched a hand over her galloping heart.

“Never mind that. I think we need to have a little talk, hmm?”

“About what?” She craned her head back to make eye contact and regretted it immediately. His eyes were hot, but not with the anger she’d expected. He looked partly amused, sort of…aroused? And entirely terrifying.

“As I was saying, in a perfect world, Sarabeth falling for our ruse would be enough to make me happy. But I find myself oddly wounded by your portrayal of our sex life.”

“Y-you do?”

He lifted a finger to sweep the lock of hair from her forehead. “I do. And I’m not typically the sort of man who cares what other people think, so this is unsettling.”

She took another step back and hit the wall. “I was only fooling around, and you turned the tables on me anyway. I’m sure Sarabeth doesn’t think you’re bad in—”

“It’s not Sarabeth’s opinion that interests me,” he said, pressing close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. “For some bizarre reason, it’s yours.”

“Mine?” She swallowed hard. “No, don’t worry about that, okay? I bet you’re a real stallion.” She reached out to give his shoulder a maternal pat, but when she got a load of the firm muscle bunching beneath her fingertips, she snatched her hand back.

His eyes burned even brighter and he shook his head slowly. “Not okay. That’s lip service. I want to make you a believer.” He dipped his head, closing the last bit of space between them, his mouth brushing against hers as he spoke. “Do you want to be a believer, Lindy?”

She couldn’t answer that, but she couldn’t pull away either. For a moment, she withstood the sensual onslaught. Then, with a low groan, she bounced to her tiptoes and smashed her lips to his. It was out of control, and she knew it was stupid, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop. His tongue slipped and slid against hers in a primal dance she never wanted to end. Her nipples tightened into stiff peaks and she pressed closer, plastering her body to his.

He growled low in his throat, a raw sound that sent a thrill skating down her spine and she shifted closer, giving in to the urge to bump her hips against his. Damn, his whole body was hard and tight. She lifted a tentative hand to lay it on his abdomen. The muscles bunched beneath her fingers, rippling under her caress.

His kiss grew more demanding, until the pounding of her heart was eclipsed by their shared, shallow breaths. Punishing fingers closed over her hips, kneading them, sending flashes of heat between her legs. He was the sun and she was a Popsicle, melting into a puddle for him.

Not good.

She pulled back. “We’ve got to stop.” Her voice sounded husky with need, undermining her words completely.

He regarded her with eyes gone so dark they appeared to be black. “Why is that? I thought things were going rather nicely.”

“I-I need to get in the shower now, though.”

“Feeling dirty, love?”

“Yes. No. I mean, not particularly. In that way.” The fingers on her hips continued their mesmerizing massage and she was fast losing the struggle for sanity. His perfect lips were still scant inches from hers. If she tipped her head back, a tiny bit, she could—

No
.

This guy was out of her league in every possible way. She blinked hard and then did what she always did when she felt confused and overwhelmed. She opened her mouth and let it rip. “I’m a novelty to a guy like you. I get that. This is a fun little cat and mouse game, and it triggers your urge to conquer. I get that too.” She gathered her courage and peered up at him now. “But I’m not you, Owen. I can’t…do this when there’s no chance that it can ever turn into something more.”

…

Lindy’s clear blue eyes cut through the haze of lust like two lasers powered by sheer, unadulterated honesty. At first, the weight of it had him stepping back so fast that she had to clutch at the door jam for balance, but he tamped down the guilt. Why couldn’t two people enjoy each other physically without complicating things with lies and promises they could never keep? Instead, he opted to give her exactly what she’d given him. Total honestly.

“I understand,” he said.

She nodded, seemingly placated by his response, but before she turned away, he stayed her with a hand on the shoulder.

“However, all I can promise is this. I won’t lie to you to get my way, and I won’t ever do anything you don’t want me to. But don’t ask me to be strong enough for the both of us when you look at me the way you do. We’re different, you and I. I’m a selfish bastard and I take what I want. Right now, I can think of nothing I want more than you. And if I get the chance to sink myself into that sweet body of yours, I’m going to take it.”

She gasped, crossing her arms over her chest, but he pressed on. “One other thing. Next time you volunteer ‘intimate details’ about our love life, you’d do well to remember this moment. Every time you challenge my manhood in public, I’ll feel compelled to prove you wrong in private. It’s in my DNA.”

“That was a mistake. It won’t happen again,” she mumbled.

He took a step back, giving her some space. “Maybe after dinner tonight we should work out some deeper issues to talk to the therapist about. That way we don’t let our imaginations run away with us and end up being inconsistent.”

“Sounds good.” She opened her mouth to say more, but then closed it with a snap. With a trembling finger pressed to her lips, she stepped into the bathroom and then closed the door behind her.

He felt strangely bereft once she’d gone, taking the hope of more kisses with her. And what a kiss it had been. His groin throbbed with an unrelieved ache. She was so responsive, so sexy, he could only imagine what it would have been like if she’d allowed him to take it further. It was like an anticipation he hadn’t even known was building had drained away in one fell swoop.

What the hell was wrong with him? She was beautiful in a sweet, girl-next-door way, but he’d been around more than his share of beautiful women. He was no saint. He enjoyed companionship and some sweaty sex as much as the next guy. But not once had he allowed that to distract him from what he’d set his mind to do. Until now. It was unsettling to say the least. In no time at all, she’d burrowed her way under his skin with her goofy accent and her animated expressions. He wanted to watch her move and listen to her talk when what he needed to be doing was paying attention to the goings on here at The Healing Place.

Yet another reason he shouldn’t get involved with her. He had a job to do and all this energy he was expending on Lindy was better spent figuring out Stephanopoulos’s game.

Focus. He had to focus.

He strode into the bedroom, determined to be better prepared for their next session. He wasn’t there for therapy, to improve a relationship, or gain a new understanding of the woman he loved. He was there for revenge. If at some point Lindy saw things his way and wanted to have some fun at night while they were at it, he was more than game, but he couldn’t let her get in his head any more than he already had.

As he unpacked his bags, he did a mental run-through of what they’d learned so far. Twelve couples were staying at the resort, which, according to his research, was about the average since their opening a few months ago. At the brunch, he and Lindy had met a surgeon, a high-end real estate agent, and a husband and wife management consulting team. So far, there didn’t seem to be a common thread between the guests other than a desire to improve their marriages. They also ran the gamut financially, ranging from what he’d pegged to be mid-six figure salary types to multi-millionaires. On the surface, it appeared to be a random collection of well-off individuals, which meant Stephanopoulos was casting a wide net.

He took a small notebook out of his briefcase and made some notes of his impressions, ending with “May be looking for lots of smaller $ scores rather than the white whale???”

With that, he stowed his notes and set himself to the task of getting changed into evening wear. He had just selected a tie when the shower stopped running. His gaze was drawn to the bathroom door. Images of a wet, naked Lindy assailed him. Her skin would be scrubbed and pink from the hot spray. Water would bead on her bare breasts, an errant droplet clinging to the tip of one dusky nipple. Then he could lean forward and capture it with his tongue.

The ache that had finally subsided returned with a vengeance, straining against the zipper of his dress pants. He was still talking himself out of that train of thought when the bathroom door opened a few minutes later.

“Is this okay, you think, or too dressy?”

Lindy stood in the doorway, her tight little body wrapped in a candy-apple red mini-dress that fit her like a dream. Bare, golden legs capped off by nude platform heels made her legs look incredibly long in spite of her petite frame. He couldn’t help but imagine her, dress pooled at her feet, standing before him in nothing but those heels. In a word, she looked amazing. When he’d contacted the shopper at Sacks, he’d given her a list of measurements Lindy had supplied him and a description of her coloring and hairstyle. From what he’d seen so far, she’d done a spectacular job. He made a mental note to send a token of thanks.

“You look great.”

She fiddled with her wedding rings and gave him a self-conscious smile. “Thanks. I still have to do makeup and pick out jewelry.”

He only nodded, uncertain his fly would make it if she managed to improve on this look.

“You look pretty great yourself. Need help with the tie?” She thrust her chin at the cloth dangling around his neck.

He meant to say no. He truly did, but the opportunity to get close to her, breathe in the sweet scent of her skin overrode his brain’s feeble objection. “Sure.”

She stepped close and fiddled around at his collar. The heels gave her a few inches, and her minty breath was warm on his chin. It might have been his imagination, but he swore he could feel the heat coming off her body, so close to his. If he moved even a half step forward, they would be touching, hip to hip. Chest to breast. Thigh to thigh.

“Is this silk?” Her voice sounded reedy and she continued to toy with his tie. “Feels like silk.”

“Yes.”

“Really slippery.”

“Lindy?” He tried to keep the smile from his voice.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know how to tie a tie?”

She shook her head and blew out a sigh. “No, not really. I’ve seen people do it on TV for their husbands and I thought, how hard could it be?”

“We’ll put it on you and I can show you if you want. Then when you find this Prince Charming of yours and get married you’ll know how.”

“No!” she stepped back. “I still have to do my makeup, and we’ll be late for dinner as it is. You go ahead and do it and you can show me another time.” The apples of her cheeks flushed, which made him feel a little better. At least he wasn’t suffering alone.

He watched her retreat and yanked at his mangled tie. It was wrinkled beyond repair after her attempt at what appeared to be a sailors’ knot. He grinned and tossed it onto the bureau, crossing the room to get another. With Lindy in mind, he selected a red and silver striped one. It would look great next to her dress. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the voice in his head that whispered,
It would look even better wrapped around her trim ankle,
or the carnal images of what he would do with her once she was tied. All his blood rushed south, and he groaned.

God, he was screwed.