Natalie unlocked the door and opened it. “Well, good—”
“What on earth have you done? Are you crazy? Hello, Bobo.” Her mother marched past both daughter and dog and whirled to face them. “Thirty-three thousand dollars? What did you do, clean out your IRA?”
“Yep.” Natalie made a production out of relocking the door to get her racing heart under control before she met her mother’s gaze. Every time she thought of her empty retirement fund she pictured an old age spent at the Salvation Army.
“Are you insane?” Her mother peered over the top of her glasses. “Please tell me this doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Natalie lied, knowing the truth would fill her mother with guilt. “I’ve been fantasizing about that guy, just like every other woman in New York, and I couldn’t get through to him, either.”
“Yes, but isn’t this a bit extreme?”
“Extreme situations call for extreme measures. I have more reason to be smitten than the women who only saw him on TV. I interacted with him up close and personal, and I…fell a little bit in love during that episode at the lake, if you must know. I realize love at first sight is considered naive, but when I turned and looked into his eyes for the first time, it was…amazing.” Not amazing enough to spend her retirement money on, but he definitely had a way about him. That mesmerizing gaze of his had made her forget herself for a moment in the cab last night.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Her mother tossed aside the paper and came over to enfold Natalie in her arms while Bobo scampered around them in delight. “Of course I believe in love at first sight, but it usually doesn’t cost thirty-three thousand dollars. What must Jonah think of a woman who would do something like this?”
Natalie hugged her back, grateful that this auction business seemed to be distracting her mother from her grief. That alone was worth the money. “Jonah thinks I’m crazy,” Natalie said.
Her mother held her firmly by the shoulders, exactly the way she’d done when Natalie was eight years old and in big trouble. “That’s not a very good beginning.”
“I know.” As she considered beginnings, Natalie thought about the kiss last night in the cab. Nice as it had been, it probably wasn’t a very good beginning, either. She’d bid on Jonah to get his cooperation to help her mother. Kissing him was liable to distract her from her goal.
“Does he realize you sacrificed your old-age fund to get a date with him?”
Natalie wished her mother would stop bringing up a subject that made her queasy. She responded with a confident smile. “I’m a stockbroker, Mom. With a few well-chosen investments, I can start making the money back in no time. I’ll just use a more aggressive approach for a while.” If only she felt as sure of that as she sounded. She headed for the kitchen. “I need to feed Bobo. Want some coffee?”
Alice followed her. “So if Jonah doesn’t know you threw away your retirement account—”
“I didn’t throw it away.” Natalie poured dog food into Bobo’s bowl and scooped some coffee beans into the hand grinder. “Heart Books staged the auction to benefit literacy, and that’s a very good cause.”
Alice waited for the noise of the grinding to stop. “You don’t have to tell me that, after being married to a literary critic for thirty years.”
“I guess not.” Natalie held her breath, wondering if the reference to her late husband would send Alice into a bout of weeping. It had happened plenty of times before.
“Still, I doubt Heart Books or the literacy movement expected anyone to surrender their nest egg in the name of a good cause,” her mother finished calmly.
Natalie relaxed. Apparently this fascinating new subject of the bachelor auction had claimed her mother’s full attention. “I’d hoped the bidding for Jonah wouldn’t go that high, but Mom, you should have seen those women. They went bonkers for him.”
Alice perched on a stool at the breakfast bar. “And so you went super-bonkers. Does he think you have this kind of money to throw around?”
“Probably.” She started the coffee brewing. “He also knows I live here, and I didn’t bother to explain about Great-Uncle Jerome and all that rent-control stuff.”
“Oh, boy. So he thinks the way everyone else does—that we’re rolling in it.”
“Actually he thinks I’m rolling in it. He doesn’t know you live in this building. And I’d rather have him think I’m rich than to have him know I spent my savings on him. Then he’d really question my sanity. Toast?”
Alice nodded. “Thanks.” She tapped her finger against her mouth and frowned. “So,” she said at last, “you need to get him to fall in love with you, even though he thinks you’re some spoiled rich woman who buys a boy toy when she gets bored.”
“I guess that’s about the size of it.” Or at least the version she wanted her mother to believe.
Her mother smiled. “That should be easy. Just be yourself. You’re not a spoiled rich girl, and that will become obvious the longer he’s with you. And once he’s truly in love with you, you can tell him the truth.”
“The truth?” Natalie was losing sight of what that was, exactly.
“That you have no retirement fund and are, in fact, a financial liability. That should arouse his protective instincts considering he put you in this sorry mess because he’s such an Adonis. So that should be that. Happily ever after.”
“That was more or less my plan.” Except that Jonah didn’t have to fall madly in love with her. He only had to like her enough to go along with her mother’s project.
“You know, this would make a neat plot twist in my novel,” her mother said. “A bachelor auction. I hadn’t even thought of it, but I could probably work it in.”
Natalie concentrated on buttering the toast so her mother wouldn’t notice her smile of triumph. “Maybe so.”
“And if you win him over, which I have no doubt you can do because your motives are pure, I might even be able to interview him and clear up a few details in my book.”
Natalie kept buttering. She wasn’t so sure about pure motives, but she believed they were noble ones, at any rate. “We’ll see, Mom. I can’t promise anything, but we’ll see.”
“I’m still shocked about the money, though. You’ve been contributing to your retirement account since you graduated from college, and I was always impressed with your foresight.”
Natalie looked at her, glad she could finally say something honest for a change. “What’s more important, financial security or connecting with those you love?”
“You know my answer. But it’s a good thing your father isn’t around to hear about this. He’d hit the ceiling. I’m sure he would never have understood such youthful impetuosity.”
“But you do?”
Her mother studied her with fondness in her blue eyes. “Of course I do. Why do you suppose I’ve decided to write a romance?”
A TOTAL OF FOUR GUYS from the station contributed to Jonah’s wardrobe for the weekend. The sailing date wouldn’t be a problem, clotheswise, but Jonah wasn’t accustomed to being limoed to the Plaza and treated as an honored guest there. Stewart came up with a dinner jacket, Herm produced a silk tie, Billy happened to have a good leather belt in Jonah’s size and Cal loaned Jonah his topcoat, the same one Jonah had worn over the rented tux for the bachelor auction.
There was much debate among the firefighters as to whether Jonah should buy new underwear for the occasion. No matter how many times Jonah declared that he wasn’t going to engage in any activities in which underwear would be a factor, the men still insisted he should be prepared. Red was the favored color, and there were also some helpful suggestions about birth control and bedroom technique.
Jonah hadn’t felt so fussed over since his senior prom, and he remembered not liking that much, either. Even his parents had called from Buffalo to see if he needed anything for his big date. He almost told them that a well-trained bodyguard would be a good idea.
It amazed h
im that everyone seemed to think it was perfectly understandable that a lady had spent thirty-three thousand for a date with him. His mother said that amount was about what a date with him was worth, because he was a real prize. Apparently she never considered that the lady in question might be totally wacko.
As Jonah packed his small suitcase on Saturday morning, he deliberately left out the red underwear Herm had presented him with. The glow-in-the-dark condoms definitely weren’t going. As long as he didn’t pack birth control, he wouldn’t be tempted to get carried away, and after that kiss he’d shared with Natalie, he knew that getting carried away was a possibility.
On the cab ride to the pier, he thought some more about that kiss. To be honest with himself, he’d thought about being with Natalie more than he should have. He’d been eager for Saturday to arrive so that he could see her again. Not that he would kiss her again. You didn’t kiss a woman like Natalie when you were going to spend the weekend with her unless you were willing to go where that kiss would inevitably lead.
He became aroused just thinking of where it could lead. Okay, so he was willing. More than willing. But he didn’t believe in making love to a woman for a temporary thrill, he told himself sternly. That’s all it could be with someone like Natalie, whose life and priorities were so different from his. And he had to keep in mind that she was nuts.
That would be difficult, he thought as he climbed from the cab and saw her leaning against the railing of the sleek yacht. She lifted her face to the warmth of the sun, and it shone on her wind-tossed blond hair. Someone had ordered up a perfect spring day for this sail and Natalie had responded by wearing all white. Her slacks, blouse and the sweatshirt she’d knotted by the sleeves around her shoulders gave her an almost virginal look. She seemed to glow as she stood on the polished wooden deck.
He remembered how irresistible she’d been when he was with her in the cab and that kissing her had seemed like the only option. Damned if he didn’t want to kiss her again, and the day was just beginning.
“Sir?”
“Hmm?” Jonah snapped out of his daze and glanced at a guy in khakis and a shirt with Satin Doll embroidered on the breast pocket.
“My name is Eric. Welcome aboard the Satin Doll. Would you like me to take your luggage?”
“Sure. Thanks.” Jonah handed him the small suitcase and crossed the gangplank.
Natalie turned to him and waved. “Isn’t this glorious?”
“Beautiful day.” He swallowed. Even her voice tempted him. He had no idea how he’d manage to keep his hands off her for the next twenty-four hours. Taking a deep breath and adjusting his sunglasses, he walked toward the bow of the boat.
Just as he reached Natalie, a woman also wearing the yacht’s name on her shirt approached them. “Welcome to the Satin Doll. My name’s Suzanne. What can I get each of you to drink?”
“Champagne!” announced Natalie with a big grin.
Jonah shrugged. Her enthusiasm was contagious. “Why not?”
“I’ll be right back,” Suzanne said, and left.
Natalie looked like a kid at a carnival. “This is so exciting. Do you suppose they’ll let us take the wheel?”
He leaned his forearms against the mahogany railing. He did his best to appear relaxed, although his heart was hammering from being this close to her. “I don’t know. This is a pretty fancy boat.”
“Yeah, but your hobby is sailing. You could convince them to let you, don’t you think?”
He turned more fully toward her. Time for her to start realizing he wasn’t the superhero she thought he was. That might keep both of them from making fools of themselves this weekend. “My chief made me put that down on the form, but I really don’t know much about sailing. A guy from the station has a little boat and he’s taken me out a few times, but I’m not qualified to sail a beauty like this.”
She gazed up at him, her smile serene, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. “If they gave an award for the most modest man in America, I’ll bet you’d win, hands down.”
“I’m not modest, I’m truthful. I hope you haven’t bought into all the hype about me, because if you did, you’re going to be sadly disappointed in the next twenty-four hours.”
Her smile wavered just the tiniest bit. “I hope not,” she murmured.
He almost groaned aloud. She did have high expectations for this date, after all. She probably expected some combination of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. He was in big trouble.
“There they are! On the Satin Doll!”
With a fresh feeling of dread, Jonah turned toward the dock, and sure enough, a television van had pulled up and a camera crew was piling out.
“Let’s go below,” he said, grabbing Natalie’s arm.
“At least until we get out on the river,” she agreed as the yacht moved away from the mooring slip. She started down the steps into the cabin.
“I don’t think leaving the dock’s going to help.” Jonah glanced back at the camera crew as they boarded a motor launch. “Dammit, I was hoping this wouldn’t happen. Why can’t they leave me alone?”
Natalie looked over her shoulder at him. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“No! I’m nothing special.”
When they reached the bottom of the steps, she took off her sunglasses and gazed at him. “I think you’re wrong.”
“Ah, there you are.” Suzanne emerged from the galley and handed them each a champagne flute. Then she returned with the rest of the bottle nestled into an ice bucket and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She set the bucket and tray on a table anchored in front of a leather banquette. “Lunch will be served on deck in a half hour. Listen for the bell. And enjoy!” She climbed the steps to the deck, leaving them alone.
Natalie raised her glass and touched the rim to his. “To friendship.”
Jonah looked into her eyes and wondered if her motivations were that simple. Somehow he doubted it.
3
SHE REALLY DID NEED a friend, Natalie thought as she looked into Jonah’s eyes. A friend who would help her mother reenter the world of the living. And she specifically needed Jonah to be that friend.
But just as it had been that night in the cab, friendship was being nudged aside by something a little more exciting. She really couldn’t let that happen, at least not until she’d talked to him about her mother’s book.
Jonah handed her his drink. “If you’ll hold this a minute, I’ll go topside and see if the TV motor launch is still after us.”
“Sure.” Their fingers touched as she took his glass. Yep, the chemistry was strong between them. Watching him bound up the steps to the deck made her go all warm and tight inside. She would just have to ignore the feeling and concentrate on becoming Jonah’s good buddy instead. Maybe they could play chess.
Putting both champagne flutes on the table, she poked around the cabin but didn’t turn up a chess-board. Finally she gave up. Untying the sleeves of her sweatshirt, she hung it on an ornate hook by the door before sliding onto the leather banquette and nestling among the pillows tossed there.
The gentle rocking motion of the boat coaxed her to lean back, put her feet up and relax. After all, she should try to enjoy herself a little, considering she’d sacrificed her retirement account to be here. She’d ordered the champagne in hopes it would make her forget about the money. And here she was not even drinking it.
She picked up her drink and helped herself to a chocolate-covered strawberry. This wasn’t half-bad, she thought, biting through the chocolate into sweet red pulp. If she could forget how much this weekend was costing her, maybe she’d enjoy being pampered for a change.
As a young and inexperienced woman in the stock market, she’d had to hustle the past few years to keep her head above water. Even with her rent held lower than the other tenants’ because of an old agreement made by her great-uncle, she still didn’t have lots of cash for luxuries left over at the end of each month. Lately
she’d been spending all her spare money and energy trying to lift her mother’s depression.
At least that was working. Whenever Alice wasn’t wrestling the bachelor-auction theme into her manuscript, she was brainstorming ways for Natalie to make a good impression on Jonah this weekend. The white outfit had been Alice’s idea. The illusion of purity always fascinated a man, she’d said.
Meanwhile, Natalie struggled to keep her two roles straight. In her mother’s presence she had to pretend to be crazy in love with Jonah, but in Jonah’s presence she had to squelch any sexual feelings, or risk compromising her mission. Her brain was tired from the effort, come to think of it. She ought to have another strawberry.
She closed her eyes and took a bite. When the juice spurted out, she tried to catch the runoff with her tongue before it dribbled down her chin. She missed. Damn. She should have been more careful. Her illusion of purity was probably compromised. Opening her eyes, she glanced down at the front of her blouse. A red dot marked the exact position of her left nipple. She grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at it, which only spread the stain and made her nipple pucker under the soft material.
A soft sound drew her attention to the stairs, and she realized Jonah had been standing there for several seconds. Even across the distance separating them, she could feel the heat in his gaze. Unfortunately her body was responding to that heat. This buddy plan wasn’t working too well.
He cleared his throat and walked over to sit on the opposite end of the banquette. He picked up his champagne glass and drained it before he spoke. “The launch is still keeping up with us. The captain says there’s not much he can do about it, as long as they don’t come close enough to be any kind of navigational danger.”
“So what do you think we should do?” It came out sounding much more suggestive than she’d meant it to. She couldn’t help it if being nervous made her voice husky. And she was definitely a wee bit nervous being alone with him. The look he’d given her a minute ago hadn’t worn off yet, either.
Single, Sexy...And Sold! Page 3