CHAPTER 14
Lux glanced at the man sitting across from her. Was he a rake? He had all the hallmarks of one—a man cut from the same cloth as Scott.
Last night, after their encounter, he’d left to twirl twins around a dance floor, while she had been left to untangle her feelings alone. The sting of that leg touch, so boldly offered and coolly declined, lingered. The chemistry she had imagined had been a one-sided affair.
Scott Landshire represented excitement, high energy, and sexual tension. That type of guy wasn’t attracted to safety nets. Why would he be? Safety nets caught people. He didn’t want to be caught.
And yet, there she’d been, caught up in a daydream where the infamous Rake of Manhattan might choose a forever love with her. In her musings, she had allowed herself to envision a life of glamorous events, passionate nights, and a love that would never dim. That she could give her heart to him and have faith he’d never hand it back battered and bruised. That it would be safe to have a man like him look at her like the sun rose and set with her. That she could trust he would never get tired of her.
But that wishful thinking had died a painful death when she’d seen the photo of him with the twins. Tonight, she would throw herself whole-heartedly into the spirit of the Flirtation Gala. Not because she suddenly believed Scott’s training would help her land a rake, but because it was time to reel in her heart before it spiraled out of control and became permanently enraptured with the myth of being the one who tamed the Rake of Manhattan. Where was he? If she had to participate, he should have to as well.
Lux’s gaze drifted and landed on Ms. Birdie. Standing there in a luxurious, gold-tone gown that shimmered like liquid wealth, holding a golden microphone, she appeared both mysterious and powerful.
What had Ms. Birdie’s end game been when she’d sent Lux to speak to Frankie? And Lux was certain Ms. Birdie had one. She didn’t do anything without a plan. But to know her end game would require knowing where her loyalty lay. Was she more concerned with landing the best possible candidate for her alma mater, or a company she’d owned?
“Men, your job is to woo the lady across from you with your best pickup line,” Ms. Birdie said. “And go.”
The guy sitting opposite Lux gave her a nervous smile. “Hello, beautiful. Here’s my card before I blank out and don’t give you one.”
“Thank you.” Lux took the card and slipped it in her purse and waited for him to offer his best pickup line, just like Scott had taught her.
“Umm. If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?” he said.
Lux bit her tongue to keep from laughing out loud at the line she recognized from a song of years gone by. She cocked her head and thought about her response. “No, but I would allow you to buy me a drink later.”
He laughed. “Hi. I’m Tim, and it’s been a long time since I’ve spouted off a pickup line. I’m recently divorced and just getting back into the dating scene after a decade out of it.”
What tiny bit of interest she had in him died. While she knew it wasn’t fair to dismiss a man simply because of a failed marriage, she just couldn’t help herself. “I’m sorry about the divorce.” Should she give him his card back? Explain why?
He shrugged. “We got married too young. Once we settled into our mature personalities, we realized we had nothing in common.”
Was that what had happened to her parents? Had they gotten married too young?
“Time,” Ms. Birdie said. “Ladies, please move one seat to your right. If you’re on the end, move back up to the front of the line.”
Lux stood and sat at the next seat. The guy sitting across from her looked old enough to be her father, but the amount of jewelry he wore told her he was loaded and looking for a young partner. She immediately didn’t like him.
“Men, begin.”
The guy wiggled his brows. “I’m a billionaire in need of a companion when I visit Manhattan. Someone willing to be a kept woman. Are you interested in knowing more? If so, I’ll give you a card.”
Lux blinked and then scowled. “Are you for real?”
He laughed. “No. I’ve just always wanted to say that and see how a woman would react. I have to say, the one before you jumped at the offer. I couldn’t hand her a card fast enough.”
“If I were you, I’d try something different. The kind of woman you’re going to land with that is only going to be interested in your money.” As she dispensed her wisdom, Lux couldn’t help but remember Scott’s counsel on her unintentional innuendoes, and the memory brought a smile. A smile the guy across from her must have taken as encouragement because he sat up a little straighter, a peacock preening.
“Exactly,” he said, moving his arm in such a way that his Rolex watch became visible.
Lux scowled.
“Time’s up. Move one seat over,” Ms. Birdie announced.
Rolex was followed by several unremarkable men, neither good nor bad. Their pickup lines were: ‘Would you like a back rub.’ ‘I’m no organ donor, but I’d be happy to give you my heart.’ ‘What’s your name? Or can I call you mine?’
They were followed by an idiot whose idea of a line was, ‘Want to blow this popsicle joint? This party sucks.’ To which Lux scowled.
“Change partners,” Ms. Birdie said.
Still scowling at Mr. Popsicle, Lux moved one spot and found herself sitting across from a gentleman with a charming smile who wore a green corduroy jacket. Her frown immediately morphed into a happy grin. This guy was her male mirror. That was if she’d been allowed to come to the gala wearing something out of her own closet.
“Begin,” Ms. Birdie said.
Lux tensed. Please let him be—
“Forgive me for what I’m about to say,” he said with a nervous hitch to his voice. “It’s going to sound corny and cheesy and—”
She couldn’t stand the suspense, not to mention precious seconds were flying by. “Just say it,” Lux encouraged.
He gave her a sheepish grin. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
Hell’s fudging bells.She didn’t. Love at first sight was all about loving someone’s looks, not their personality. “Only if the man is blind.”
He nodded as if he completely understood her response. He handed her a card. “Allow me to take you out and prove to you that insta-love isn’t a bad thing.”
“Insta-love?” His use of a term used to describe a popular romance trope caused her to pause. “Are you by chance a reader?” She tucked his card away.
He blushed. “Guilty. My grammy loves her romance novels. When she became ill last year and could no longer read, I started reading them to her.”
Lux placed her hand over her heart. “That is the loveliest thing I’ve heard in a long—”
“Time,” Ms. Birdie announced.
Lux didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay right where she was and learn more about the man across from her. A guy who read to his grammy was not a rake. Not a serial flirt. “I hope to see you again tonight.” With that, she stood and started to move to the next seat but realized they hadn’t exchanged names. She was about to ask him when another woman sat in her vacated seat.
She turned to her next partner and blinked. Scott was her next speed date, and he was glaring. When had he joined in on the fun and games? Whose seat had he taken? The last she’d seen of him, he’d been behind her…no doubt analyzing her game so he could tell her what she was doing wrong. Had she already screwed up? Had he sat to give her pointers?
“Please tell me you didn’t believe his I-read-to-my-grammy line,” he said.
“That is none of your business,” she snapped.
“Men, begin,” Ms. Birdie instructed.
Scott said nothing.
“You’re here,” Lux prompted. “You might as well flirt with me. Keep your edge sharpened.”
When he still said nothing, she sighed. “Fine. I’ll go. Tell me, Scott, have you ever voluntarily gone out with an ordinary woman? One not beautiful but instead smart and funny and awkward?”
“I’m a rake,” he said flatly. “What do you think is the answer to that question?”
His response hurt in an irrational way. It wasn’t like she cared. Not much, anyway. “At least you’re honest.”
He sighed. “Why are you looking at me like I just insulted you? You must know you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight. Hell, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever sat across a table from. Take the compliment.”
She rolled her eyes. If ever a rake had said a rakish thing, it was that. She’d bet her career that was his favorite pickup line. “I may look a little different on the outside, but the inside me is still the same. A woman who hasn’t been able to keep a guy interested past date one.”
He opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it. When he opened it again, she knew he’d chosen something different to say by the way his jaw tightened and the light in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly. “When you look like you do, your body does the flirting for you. Guys don’t care what comes out of your mouth.”
“I don’t want my body to do the flirting, or my face for that matter. I want my conversation to do the flirting.”
“Why?” he asked, rubbing a hand down his chiseled jaw.
She got a whiff of his aftershave. Something woodsy and rugged. It was different from what he’d been wearing this week. Was this what he wore on dates? Or did he change out his aftershave the way he changed out women? “Because I want a man who will love me when I’m old and wrinkled. One who fell in love with the superficial will not. One who falls in love with my intellect hopefully will.”
His expression turned thunderous. “Then you’ll have to wait until you’re old and wrinkled before falling in love, because trust me, the new you is—”
“Time,” Ms. Birdie said. “And that ends this portion of tonight’s events. Our next flirtation activity will begin shortly.
“The new me is what?” Lux asked.
“It will prevent you from finding the unicorn capable of separating your beauty from the rest of the package.”
“Hell’s fudging bells.” She stood.
“Unless he knew you as plain Jane first. Like—”
“Hey, there you are,” Mr. Insta-Love said, coming to a stop next to her. “May I buy you a drink?”
Lux bit her bottom lip. According to Scott, Mr. Insta-Love’s view of her was now tainted. She’d never know if he could love plain her. Then again, just because Scott said something didn’t make it gospel. “I promised another I’d have a drink with him. But later, for sure.”
Mr. Insta-Love smiled. “Of course. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better as the night moves forward.”
Watching him walk away, Lux sighed. “He’s really quite nice…isn’t he?” she said to Scott, who had listened to the whole exchange instead of moving on like a gentleman.
“Boring was what I was thinking.”
She raised her brows. “Which I’m sure is what you were thinking last night when I propositioned you. But luckily, your boring might just be my Mr. Right.”
“You’re wrong, you know,” he said. “About me. You’re wrong.”
She moved a little closer, not wanting to be overheard. “I don’t think so. Actions speak a lot louder than words, and your actions have deafened me.”
“Whatever you think they said, you’re mistaken.”
“I doubt that.”
He swore softly. “Just remember, Doc, you’re obligated to give it your all to try to land a rake using the methods I’ve taught you.”
“Then get the hell away from me, so I can.”
“Ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for part two of the flirtation gala. Men, you’ve offered the ladies your best pickup line—now it’s time to show off your dance moves. When the music starts, make your way to the floor and grab a dance partner. Each time the music changes, pick a new partner.”
Lux glanced around for Insta-Love. She refused to write him off just because Scott had put doubt in her head. Knowing him, that was one of his rakish moves to defeat the competition. Right as she laid eyes on Mr. Insta-Love, a woman walked up to him and said something that made him smile.
“May I have this dance,” said a gentleman stepping in front of Lux. A guy who looked a tad like a younger version of Jason Momoa.
“You may.” Lux placed her palm in his, a bit dazzled by his movie star looks.
The music started, a Latin song, and her dance partner twirled her onto the floor, causing her to laugh in surprise.
Then he pulled her into his chest. “Do you know how to cha-cha?” he asked, even as he spun her out.
Before she could reply, he spun her back in and started moving his feet and his hips. “Just follow my lead.”
She did her best to keep up and found herself wondering if Scott was right. Did great dancers make great lovers?
The music changed, and she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw a smiling Mr. Insta-Love. “My turn.” He pulled her into his arms.
She waited for excitement to zip through her and was disappointed when it didn’t. “I didn’t catch your first name.”
The music turned to a slow song, and her partner moved her around the floor like a man comfortable on the dance floor. “It’s John. And yours?”
“Lux.” Fuck Scott and his head games. This guy wasn’t a dud. Just like she wasn’t a dud.
“I’m sorry if I startled you earlier with my insta-love question,” John said. “It’s just that my parents fell in love the first night they met, and they just celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary, so it’s on my mind.”
Lux stumbled and stepped on his toes. “Sorry,” she murmured.
“Don’t be,” he said with a kind smile. “Mistakes happen.”
“My parents didn’t make it to their fifth.”
“I count myself lucky to have had such great role models.” He pulled her a little tighter. “They are as in love today as they were the day they got married.”
She stepped back enough to look into his eyes. “Then age hasn’t dimmed your father’s love of your mother?”
“Oh, God no. In his eyes, she’s as beautiful today as she was in her twenties. You should see the way they still flirt with one another.”
“Was she a beauty in her twenties?”
“She was a model,” John said. “So I’d say the answer is yes.”
“Oh.” That threw water on Lux’s theory. “I wonder if she ever worried about him losing interest when she no longer looked like a model.”
John chuckled. “It was dad who worried she would someday find him not handsome enough. Especially once his hairline receded.”
Interesting. Lux had never considered men suffering from the same sort of insecurity as her. She would never stop loving a man just because he had aged. To do so would be the shallowest of shallows. A narcissist of sorts. A person only interested in what made them top dog in a situation.
“While I believe in love at first sight,” John said, “I also believe in taking the time to verify there’s a connection after your heart’s settled down and your brain has had a chance to get involved in the decision-making process.”
“You’ve given me something to think about. To be honest with you, I’ve always viewed insta-love as nothing more than insta-lust.”
John blushed. “I look forward to proving to you that when I say I fell for you instantly, it wasn’t just because you’re beautiful.”
Before she could form a reply, the music changed, and a strong hand landed on her shoulder. She knew who her new dance partner was before she turned. “You,” she said to Scott.
“Me,” he replied.
The music was a pop song, but he didn’t even pretend to try to follow the beat. Instead, he pulled her tightly against him and just swayed.
“You two looked quite chummy,” he growled against her ear.
“Probably because we were,” she shot back. “And if this is your idea of dancing, no wonder you turned down my offer last night. You don’t want me to discover you suck at sex.”
He brought a hand between them and lifted her chin, forcing their gazes to meet. What he saw in hers must have distracted him, because he stopped dancing, and slid his hand over the curve of her jaw before allowing it to rest at her nape. “I don’t suck at sex. But please, don’t take my word for it. Let’s get out of here, and I’ll prove it.”
Her knees turned to jelly and her brain to mush. Yes. This is what she wanted. One night in his arms. One night to remember as she went about living her life. But to say yes after the way he’d humiliated her last night would be pathetic. She raised her hand and cupped his strong jawline. “I can’t. As you reminded me earlier, I’m here to do one thing and one thing only…practice my flirting until I land myself a rake.”
With those words, she pulled out of his arms and walked away, not looking back and not stopping until she found Mr. Insta-love, who now stood next to Ms. Birdie, chatting as if they knew each other quite well.