Designed for Love

by Roseanne Dowell

  "Here we are." Bill's voice brought me out of my reverie.

  I looked around. We were in a shopping mall. "Where's the restaurant?"

  "Around the corner from the bank. There weren't any parking places in front. I hope we don't have to wait too long."

  Bill came around the side of the car and waited while I got out.

  I stood next to him. "Lead the way."

  He put his arm around me and pulled me against him, leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  I pulled away. "Watch it." The kiss felt too familiar. Too unnerving.

  "Just practicing for tonight. You do want to make it realistic, don't you? I mean we have to act like we've done this before."

  The teasing twinkle in his eyes ignited a flame deep inside my stomach and surged outward. This was a mistake. I never should have asked Bill to do this. We'd never pull it off. "Let's just get something to eat."

  Somehow I had to get through breakfast, meet with Nick and Gladys, do dinner, and hopefully be on a plane out of here tomorrow. Something told me that wasn't going to happen. Past experience with Gladys for one.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Later, I put the finishing touches to my make-up and looked in the mirror. I felt different, did it show? Exactly what I was looking for, I wasn't sure.

  A sparkle in my eyes, something written all over my face? Here I stood, me, Wendy Seidel, confirmed bachelorette. Was I infatuated? Ridiculous. Okay, so we had a great breakfast and Bill made me laugh. So what? A lot of guys made me laugh. Didn't mean anything.

  Yet, something felt different. Something I never expected to feel. I even looked forward to tonight. Hell, I looked forward to going to the beach, maybe even a moonlit dinner somewhere quiet.

  I shook the thought from my mind. "You're getting in too deep, girl. Watch yourself. You're looking for trouble."

  I laughed and picked up my car keys. Thankfully, Nick left a message to meet him at the restaurant. I much preferred driving myself. Especially after last night. How we'd maintain a casual boss/employee relationship after that I'd never know. Yet, when he dropped me off, he didn't seem the least bit bothered or upset. Like it was no big deal. He made a pass. I rejected him, oh, well. Obviously, he wasn't hurt.

  Merging with traffic on the highway, I remembered what it was about Florida I didn't like– the constant flow of traffic. It didn't seem to matter what time of day. Like rush hour at home only continuous. It was worse today than yesterday. I picked up my speed and watched for the exit. I never much liked driving on freeways, especially when I didn't know the area. If I had talked to Nick personally, I would have asked for an alternate route. Oh, well, not much I could do. I braked as the flow of traffic almost came to a stop.

  Another reason I avoided highways– I hated traffic jams. I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as we crawled along.

  Finally, it started moving again. It figured, a fender-bender on the side of the road, and everyone had to gawk. Thank goodness, my exit was next. I pulled into the exit only lane and slowed down to get off. Right turn if memory served me correctly. If not, I was in big trouble. Why hadn't I thought to write down the directions? I wasn't usually so impatient. Okay, it should be on the left about a half mile down the road.

  "Good deal, there it is." My voice startled me. Great, now I was talking to myself. I shook my head. What a ditz. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. Okay, here goes nothing. I took a deep breath and opened the car door. Hopefully, Nick wouldn't mention anything about last night.

  The hostess smiled at me when I walked in. "I'm with the Donatello party." I said.

  "Ah, yes. They're already here. Follow me, please."

  I spotted Nick and Gladys. "Thank you," I said when the hostess stopped next to their table.

  Nick stood up and pulled out my chair. "Wendy, how are you today?"

  Nothing, no hint at all of our dinner or the pass he made. "I'm fine, thanks." I sat down and pulled my chair closer to the table.

  "Mrs. Gilmore, how are you?"

  "Call me Gladys, dear." Gladys waved her hand and took a sip of her drink.

  I thought Gladys's chair seemed a little close to Nick's. I also noticed a place setting with a drink in front of the fourth chair. Before I had a chance to ask about it, Bill walked toward us from the back of the restaurant. Heat crawled into my cheeks. What was he doing here?

  He stopped next to me and seemed just as surprised to see me. What was going on here? How did Nick or Gladys know Bill?

  "Ah, good you're back. Wendy this is William Johnson, the architect we hired," Nick said.

  Bill worked for Nick? This was too much. Bill recovered quicker than me. He leaned down and kissed me full on the lips. The vibration from the small chuckle deep in his throat tickled me.

  "Don't tell me this is the Bill you talked about last night?" Nick leaned back and laughed. "I had no idea."

  "Whatever are you talking about?" Gladys covered Nick's hand with hers and leaned closer to him.

  So close, she'd be in his lap in a minute.

  Nick brought Gladys's hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips across it. "It seems Wendy and Bill already know each other. Very well, if I recall."

  I winced at the look Nick threw me over the top of Gladys's hand. Too knowing, too something, I wasn't sure what. Talk about coincidences. What were the chances? If I was a betting woman, I would bet the odds of this happening were a million to one. From the chance meeting at the airport to Bill being in the next room, now this, no way would I have believed it. Nope, not in a hundred years.

  Bill put his arm around me and nibbled my ear. Shock waves sped through my body starting at my toes. Lord, I was never going to survive these meetings. Not with Bill doing things like that to me, and there was no way to stop him. After all, I was almost engaged to him in my boss's eyes. Still, I couldn't keep from stiffening just a bit under his touch.

  "Relax," Bill whispered. "We have to make this look realistic, don't we?"

  I pulled a small distance away from Bill and smiled at him. A smile I hoped projected love.

  What I felt like doing was gritting my teeth and knocking him off his chair. How dare he take advantage of the situation like this? He didn't have to be that attentive. When he put his hand on my thigh, it was too much. Definitely going overboard. I lowered my hand on top of his and dug my nails into him. That ought to let him know he'd gone too far.

  Instead he took his hand off my thigh and caressed my neck. My blood raced with the heat of it. Better I would have left his hand where it was. The way he ran his fingers along my neck and across my ear, drove me insane.

  I couldn't control the shiver that went up my spine. I leaned forward, trying to prevent the tremor that shook my whole body. I closed my eyes and had a sudden vision of his hands all over me, caressing me, driving me wild with desire. I picked up my napkin and fanned myself.

  Finally, I stood. "Excuse me." Without another word, I hurried off to the ladies room as fast as my trembling legs could carry me. This wasn't going well.

  Not at all what I planned.

  Once inside the ladies room, I leaned against the door and let out a breath. How the hell was I going to handle lunch, not to mention dinner? Somehow, I had to get the message across to Bill that he was coming on too strong and to cool down.

  He didn't need to benefit from our little charade, and I had no doubt he was enjoying himself immensely. That silly, little grin, every time I looked at him, gave him away. Oh, yeah, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

  He took pleasure in seeing me squirm. If you asked me, that certainly was payment enough, and I intended to tell him so.

  Yet, his touch didn't exactly repulse me. Ha, repulse was the farthest thing his touch did to me. Finally calmed down, I freshened up and returned to the table feeling a bit more confident. I'd endure Bill's antics and maybe even enjoy them a little. Okay, more than a little. For whatever it was worth, I had no doubt that Nick bought my story hook, line and sink
er.

  I leaned down and kissed Bill's cheek when I got back. Two could play the same game. "Miss me?" I almost burst out laughing at the surprised look on Bill's face. I'd just turn the tables on him and show him who was boss.

  "I ordered you a cola, is that okay?"

  "You got it, sweetie." Thank goodness we spent enough time together for him to know that was my drink of choice. Sure, I had an occasional alcoholic drink, but not often, and certainly not when I was working, which hadn't been mentioned yet. From the looks of Nick and Gladys, it just might not be brought up.

  The woman couldn't seem to keep her hands off Nick. Not that he seemed to mind. Mind, hell, Nick was eating it up. Didn't seem to matter to him in the least, that the woman was almost double his age. Okay, not double, but she had to be in her mid forties and Nick was only thirty-four, maybe thirty-five. Attractive, though Gladys was, I found their display rather disgusting. The woman actually licked his ear. It took every bit of control I could muster to keep from gagging. Didn't matter how old either of them were, they were going overboard in public for any age.

  "So, Gladys, I thought we settled on everything for your living room." I said. Time to get her to focus on business. They could get a room later for all I cared. Right now I'd seen enough.

  Gladys didn't even look up. She moved from Nick's ear to his chin. Probably working her way to his mouth. I shot Bill a look to see how he was handling this disgusting display. His grin said it all– looks like they're having fun. Ugh, men. I couldn't believe it.

  "Nick!" I tried to get his attention. Damn it, this was supposed to be a working lunch. I'd never get home at this rate.

  "What?" Nick pulled away from Gladys long enough to look at me.

  "I said, I thought we'd settled everything before Gladys left." Try as I might, I couldn't keep the impatience out of my voice.

  The look on Nick's face scolded me. I knew better than to speak that way in front of a client. Not that Gladys seemed to notice, she was still focused on Nick. She darn near sat on his lap.

  Nick rubbed Gladys back and looked like he wanted to eat her alive. Why the hell didn't they get a room? I shifted in my chair and looked at Bill for help. Not that he seemed willing to offer any. Traitor. I glared at him.

  I looked around the restaurant. Did anyone else notice Nick and Gladys? Apparently not. Fortunately, our table was off in the corner, and no one else was really around us.

  Figures, Nick would ask for an isolated spot. He had done the same thing with me last night. I held back a giggle as I thought about what he wanted from me. Was the man insane? Surely he couldn't have expected me to put on this kind of a show in a public place. Could he? From the looks of them, he certainly didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it.

  Finally, the waiter brought our drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

  Order, ha, all I wanted was to get out of here. If they weren't going to discuss business, I saw no reason to stay.

  Could I feign illness? Better not. Okay, I'd suffer through it and hope we got around to business eventually. Surely Bill didn't want to sit here and watch them either. One look at him, told me he understood, but we were in it for the long haul.

  I decided on the chicken scampi with a side salad and ranch dressing. The delicious smell of grilled onions, garlic, and tomato sauce made me hungry. Bill ordered the Shrimp Primavera, my second choice. I didn't pay attention to anyone else's order because Bill started massaging my neck and sent my emotions sky rocketing.

  "Loosen up, you're too tense," he whispered in my ear. "Try to relax and enjoy yourself. There's plenty of time for business later."

  The massage helped to relax me, but it didn't stop me from being annoyed that we weren't discussing business. I wanted to get this over with, wanted to go home. And I sure as hell didn't want to sit here watching Gladys and Nick making out with each other.

  Where were that woman's morals anyway? Was she that desperate for a man in her life? I knew Mr. Gilmore died a little more than a year ago. Was she that lonely? If so, why didn't she join a singles group? Better yet a senior's single group. With all the elderly men here in Florida, surely she could find someone closer to her own age.

  "To each his own," Bill whispered as if he read my thoughts.

  "I know, but I just can't help it."

  "Not jealous, are you?" Bill grinned at me.

  "Are you serious? Of what?"

  "From what I understand that could be you instead of Gladys."

  I chuckled. Lord almighty, that's all I would have needed. No thanks. I grinned back at Bill. "And if I was, would that mean you'd be the object of Gladys's affection? Maybe you're jealous."

  Bill laughed– a big hearty laugh that caused Nick and Gladys to look up. At least something broke their concentration.

  "Care to share that with us, Johnson?" Nick asked.

  Heat flamed in my cheeks.

  "Sorry, private joke." Bill leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Play along with me here."

  I pasted a smile on my face. I hated the whole idea of Bill posing as my boyfriend. Okay, so it was my idea, but still. Bill slid his hand around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, and darn near pulled me off the chair.

  His thigh brushed against mine and the smoldering heat started in the pit of my stomach and spread outwards. Crap, I wasn't handling this well. Try as I might to resist, my body betrayed me.

  I wanted him. Wanted him like I'd never wanted a man before. I couldn't control the urge to touch him. I dropped my hand to his thigh and rubbed gently. I wanted to feel bare skin against my thigh, not pants. The look on Bill's face showed his surprise at my action. Surprise, but pleasure.

  God, what was I doing? I pulled my hand away as if I stuck it in a fire pit, and it was on fire. Hell, it was. My whole body was.

  I wanted him. Wanted his hands all over me. I had to put a stop to this. "Excuse me, ladies room." Before Bill or Nick could stand, I hurried off. I didn't like this. What the hell was wrong with me? Never, ever had a man turned me on like this.

  I flew into the ladies room, washed my hands, and sat down on the couch to catch my breath. I needed to take stock of this situation. I was way too attracted to Bill. A dangerous situation in itself. The fact that we both worked for Nick didn't help. No way to avoid him. I had to put him off. But how? The way I reacted to him sure didn't help. What possessed me to put my hand on his thigh that way?

  Felt darn good, too. His muscular leg tightened under my touch. Bet something else tightened too. I giggled. What was the matter with me? I was enjoying this way too much. Damn it, I wasn't a tease. But I was definitely sending signals to Bill.

  Signals I didn't want to send. I had no intention of acting on this physical attraction. And that's all it was. Purely physical. Sure, I enjoyed his company and conversation, but this couldn't go anywhere. Nope, this had to stop and now.

  But how?

  I looked at my watch. I'd been gone way too long. I stood, looked in the mirror, grimaced and smoothed my skirt. Time to put an end to this charade. That was the only way. Come clean. Explain to Nick that Bill wasn't really my boyfriend and suffer the consequences. The way Nick and Gladys were going at it, he probably wouldn't even care. I opened the door and slowly made my way back to the table.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bill stood up as I came near the table. He held my chair out and kissed my cheek.

  "Missed you," he whispered.

  I tried to move away but his kiss made contact. The look on Bill's face asked what was wrong. I swallowed hard. Nick and Gladys were engaged in a spit-swapping kiss. I took a breath and let it out slow. It was now or never.

  "Don't do it." Bill leaned toward me and whispered. "Trust me on this."

  I looked at him. His eyes held understanding and something else. Somehow, he knew what I wanted to do. I put my face in my hands and almost laughed out loud. How did this man, who I only met– what yesterday, it seemed like I knew him forever– know what I was thinking? But
he did. I had no doubt what so ever that he knew exactly what I was about to do.

  "Wendy," his voice brought me back from my thoughts. "It's all an act, okay. Play along. Don't blow this."

  The waiter brought our food and saved me from having to answer.

  When he left, I looked at Bill. The warning look in his eyes told me not to say anything. I looked at Nick and Gladys and almost puked. Good grief, they each nibbled on a piece of shrimp held between them. Their lips met, and I wasn't sure which one of them ended up with the shrimp.

  Not that it mattered because in a matter of seconds their open mouths locked on each other. I looked at the ceiling. I had to look anywhere but at them or I was going to lose it.

  The delicious shrimp sat in front of me untouched, my appetite ruined. No way was I going to make it through this lunch. I had to get out of here. Now!

  Bill took my hand under the table and squeezed my fingers. "A few more minutes. At least make the appearance of eating."

  I glanced at him, and he smiled. I moved the food around my plate. No way could I eat. Not while they sat there like that. Nick picked up another piece of shrimp and put it between his lips, leaned over and Gladys grabbed hold.

  That did it. I started to stand.

  "Listen, if you two don't mind. Wendy and I have a date at the beach." Bill just about pulled me back into the chair.

  Nick didn't even look up. He waved his hand as if to say go on, and I flew out of the chair. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

  "Come on." Bill took my arm and led me from the restaurant. "I'll buy you a hot dog on the beach."

  I held back. "I'm not going to any beach."

  "You can't make a liar out of me. You know Nick's going to ask about it at dinner."