13. Have Her Way
HAVE HER WAY
Now he decides to tease her?
What the hell?
And the look in his eyes before he said it? Like he knew she knew what he was saying. Almost taunting her to say yes.
And the worst part of all? She wanted to.
She wanted to say, “Let’s go back to my place to find out.”
But she wouldn’t.
Those were emotions speaking and she wasn’t one to be led by them.
At least she didn’t use to be.
“Well,” she said. “You sure know how to turn the dial up for the show.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Isn’t that why I’m here? This was your idea.”
She didn’t need to be reminded of that.
That she was so annoyed over the fact some kind of security would be stuck to her like glue she didn’t want anyone to question it.
What did she do? Threw out only if it looked as if they were dating so that no one wondered what was going on.
West had shrugged and said it was her call. Maybe she thought he’d tell her she was nuts, but nope. He was letting her have her way.
Her way was to be here alone and wish none of this crap was going on.
She wasn’t getting it, just like she couldn’t control the way her body was reacting as Fletcher’s eyes rolled over her in a soft caress the moment he’d opened the door to get out and saw her walking toward him.
“We should find our seats,” she said.
She saw the laughter in his eyes. Not the sound. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him laugh once.
Maybe it was part of his persona. Or his personality. Could be his job.
Who the hell knew and she was sick of trying to guess.
“Looks like Nelson is already there.”
“I see,” she said, walking closer, her drink in her hand as she took a sip. Thankfully, Fletcher didn’t try to walk with his arm around her.
Jesus, she hadn’t expected he’d have a gun under his suit.
Which made no sense because he was security and he was meant to protect her and, considering his past profession, yeah, he had a gun on him.
“There you are,” Nelson said. “Hitting the bar already, I see.”
“Very funny,” Paris said. Before she could pull out a chair, Fletcher already had it moved away from the table for her. She sat next to Kenzie, Fletcher on the other side of her.
Kenzie leaned over and whispered, “How are you doing?”
“I’ve been better, but I wasn’t going to bail on this over what happened. It’s not a big deal.”
“I think it is,” Kenzie said. “And I’m used to animals. I lived on a farm. We had mice and rats all over the place in the barn.”
She shivered and gulped some of her wine.
“I could have done without that, sure.” And she hated she kept seeing it if she even thought of it.
“I’m sure they will find out who is doing it and then this can be over with.” Kenzie leaned closer, right into her ear. “But you look good next to Fletcher.”
She shouldn’t have gotten a surge of heat in her belly over those words.
“Isn’t that the idea?” she asked. “Here comes Laken.”
“Alone,” Kenzie said. “I wonder where Jamie is.”
“Either the bar or someone has his ear,” Nelson said.
“There is the woman of the hour,” Laken said.
Paris squinted at her cousin. “Not funny.”
“No,” Laken said. “Sorry. And sorry I haven’t been around much. Still getting this whole working mother thing down. It was easier with Penelope because she was older, but with Calder, it just seems too different.”
Laken had returned to work full time a few weeks ago. Prior to that she’d been doing work from home.
“And with football season Jamie is working more,” Paris said. Jamie Wilde was an NFL commentator, on the road more than half the time for the weekends.
“He is, but thankfully I’ve got Janelle.”
“And me,” Kenzie said. “I’m not far away. You know I’ll come keep you company.”
“I love having a sister-in-law so close,” Laken said.
“I get lonely when Nelson is traveling,” Kenzie said, looking at her. “Even if I like the break.”
“Is he still a slob?” Paris asked.
“Hey,” Nelson said. “I’ve gotten better, right, Kenzie?”
“He has.”
“Sorry about that,” Jamie said, approaching their table. “You know how it goes.”
“Jamie, this is Fletcher Wilcox,” she said. “I’m not sure if you’ve met.”
“We haven’t,” Jamie said, reaching his hand out. “But I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Another couple came to their table. Someone who Nelson and Laken knew, but not Paris. A business that they’d done work with and of course, spent time talking about what she could offer, and next thing she knew, she had their card.
Dinner was served. If they could call it that.
More like one of those fancy dishes that had four bites to it.
Once it was cleaned up, and people got up to speak, she excused herself.
Fletcher stood up with her. “I can go to the bathroom alone,” she whispered to him. Her family weren’t the only ones watching and she hated that, but she’d been introduced to several who came over to the table.
“I’ll just walk with you and do the same.”
There was no use arguing.
She picked up her clutch, Fletcher’s hand going to her lower back and ushering her away.
“You just like putting on a show,” she hissed when they got to the hall, her smile dropping then.
Now he was just doing it on purpose.
Just like all those touches at the table. His fingers on hers. His hand on her thigh.
Like he thought there was a camera under there or someone was on their knees looking for those little romantic gestures.
“Just selling it like you wanted.”
Her lip curled as she marched into the bathroom, leaving him in the hall.
She took her time, refreshed her minimal makeup, checked her hair and teeth for food. That would have been just another way to cap off her night.
When she came out, he was still standing there.
“Did you fall in?”
She narrowed her eyes, and then he laughed. Really laughed.
As if it’d just snuck out without him being able to catch it.
The fact he was almost as appalled as her said everything.
It even relaxed her more than anything else had done.
Which shouldn’t have.
Not with the way his eyes softened. His lips relaxed. His cheeks lifted exposing the thin little wrinkles around his eyes.
“You should do that more,” she said, her voice betraying her need to stay firm.
“What’s that? Tease you?”
Her grin matched his. “So you’ve been doing that?”
“Obviously not that well if you have to ask,” he said dryly.
She couldn’t take another minute of this. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Just like that?” he asked. “Don’t you have to say goodbye to your family?”
“Nope. They will understand. And maybe I don’t want to walk back in there and have more eyes on me.”
His smile dropped. “Did you notice anyone or anything off?”
“No. I don’t like being the center of attention and I can hear them getting ready for speeches. I know others are moving around, but I’m done.” She turned her head to make sure no one else was close by. “And I’m hungry. I need some real food.”
“Tell me about it. Let me text Marcus.”
“Or, we can walk. It’s nice out.”
“In those shoes?”
“I could run a marathon in these,” she boasted.
“I’d pay to see that.”
“I’m sure you can run in a suit, so don’t be that way.”
“Not in heels,” he said.
“Doesn’t matter. I need something like a burger. I don’t even care what it is. I’d take a hot dog from a street vendor right now.”
She was walking toward the door and was glad that she’d picked up her clutch so there was nothing else to return for.
“Guess we are hunting down food,” he said.
“We are. I’m calling the shots here.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “We’ll let you think that.”
She hooked her arm through his, and out the door of the hotel they went. She turned and walked two blocks. “In here.”
“A deli?”
“Yep. Not too busy.”
“We are going to stand out.”
“In New York City, I’m not standing out in this dress any more than the drag queen over there in full makeup and seven-inch heels.”
“Good point,” he said.
They got in line and were looking at the menu on the wall. “I’m getting a roast beef club and fries.”
“Guess you weren’t kidding when you said you were hungry,” he said.
“That food was good, but...”
“I’m used to a bit more than ten bites over four courses.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
They moved up, she placed her order; he got a double bacon burger with fries and had her laughing.
“There is a table right there.”
“There is one closer,” she argued.
“I want your back to the wall.”
She rolled her eyes. “Really? Nothing is going to happen to me here. I’m sure you’ve been paying attention if anyone was walking around with another box filled with a dead rodent.”
“Let’s not talk about dead rodents while we wait for our food.”
He put his hand on her lower back again. “I don’t need help walking.”
“Maybe I just like to use it as an excuse to touch you.”
He had to be joking again.
But there was no humor in his eyes when he sat next to her rather than across.
Both of them in the booth, their backs to the wall, him looking toward the door and around the place while they waited for their food.
When it was ready, he stood to get it and brought it over and she didn’t hesitate to pick up a quarter of her club, pull the toothpick out, squish it down some and take a massive bite.
She moaned and chewed, then took another. “God, this tastes like heaven after what we just had.”
“I would have expected a fancier palette.”
She waved her hand. “Please. There were nine of us. Do you think my mother was cooking fancy dinners each night?”
“No clue. Was she?”
“Oh, you know more about me. We both know that. And though my mother never had to work and money isn’t or wasn’t an issue, we had our fair share of burgers, hot dogs, and mac and cheese meals. Those are the best.”
“I remember those days,” he said. “No more boxed mac and cheese in my house though. Ian is all about fancy shit.”
“Ian?” she asked mid-chew.
“My son,” he said.
“You’ve got a son? Are you married?” she screeched.
Her eyes dropped to his left hand. No ring. Not that she’d ever seen one because she looked.
But that meant nothing.
Maybe in his job he didn’t want anyone to know he could have a family at home.
“Divorced,” he said and continued to eat as if that was the end of the conversation.
Oh, hell no.
He started it.
She was going to finish it.