“I…guess they do.”
“And then I see some of the looks on the faces of those women, and my heart goes out to them. They need someone to speak a kind word to them, to smile, to ask them how they’re doing. And I don’t dare.”
He felt a light touch on his arm and opened his eyes.
Natalie had scooted over next to him and rested her hand on the sleeve of his sport coat. “That’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard anyone say.”
God, she was beautiful, especially when she got that soft look in her eyes. The leather seat reminded him of the one down in the cabin of the boat, which reminded him of what she’d felt like beneath him. He wanted her in his arms again, wanted to kiss her and touch her the way he had this morning. “I wasn’t trying to be sweet. I just—”
“You just can’t help it,” she said. “You’re a decent human being, and so you just can’t help being such a nice guy.”
He sat up straighter and smiled at her. “Don’t push it. I wasn’t having such sweet thoughts about you just now.”
Her cheeks grew rosy and she glanced down at his sleeve. Slowly she removed her hand. “You know, I’m not so different from all those women you’ve been trying to stay away from.”
“You mean aside from the fact that you’re twenty times better-looking than any of them, and probably twenty times richer, and you’ve promised not to go to bed with me under any circumstance? Other than that, yeah, I guess you’re just like them.”
The blush on her cheeks deepened and she glanced away. “I am. I want something, just like they do.”
Aha. He’d been afraid from the beginning that she had an agenda. He’d hoped to be wrong, but apparently not. He wondered if it was something kinky, or illegal, or kinky and illegal. She looked innocent enough, but he’d only spent a few hours with her. How could he claim to know whether that innocence was a cover-up for all sorts of weird cravings? And damned if the idea didn’t excite him. Even straight arrows could be tempted.
As his imagination worked overtime, his question came out sounding gruffer than he’d meant it to. “What do you want?”
She glanced at him uncertainly. “Maybe this isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“That wild, huh?”
“No, it’s just—”
“Just what?” he asked softly, his heart pounding. He should have guessed that a woman with her looks and her money had become bored with traditional sex. She probably didn’t want to go to bed with him because she was saving him for something far more elaborate than a simple roll in the hay. When he’d asked if she expected him to make love to her this weekend, she’d probably laughed to herself at his conventional ideas.
The limo slid to a stop and the engine stopped.
“We can talk about it later,” she said. “Maybe after the helicopter ride.”
He was more aroused than he cared to admit, and a little afraid he wasn’t up to whatever she had in mind. “Remember you’re not dealing with some swinging playboy.”
“That’s why you’re so perfect for this.” She smiled at him. “You’re even an Eagle Scout.” The limo driver opened her door and she stepped outside.
So that was her agenda, he thought. She planned to corrupt an Eagle Scout.
NATALIE HAD LOST HER NERVE, but as she strapped herself into the helicopter seat she decided everything had worked out for the best. They wouldn’t have had enough time to discuss her mother’s book before the helicopter ride, and doing it during the ride was totally impossible. She sat in front, next to the pilot, with Jonah directly behind her. They’d dodged the usual crowd to get to the helicopter, but once through the gate they’d been protected by a wire fence that cordoned off the landing pad.
She’d never been in a helicopter before, and her stomach tickled with excitement as she looked down through the bubble of glass that curved under her feet. Once again she reminded herself to soak up this experience—after all, she’d paid for it. The whirling blades made a lot of noise, but the pilot handed each of them a headset which provided symphony music that pretty much drowned out the heavy thumping of the rotors.
The helicopter lifted off and her stomach lurched as the ground fell away beneath her. The pilot swung the chopper out over the river, its dark surface a mirror of color and light. They glided downriver past the harbor, heading straight for the Statue of Liberty’s torch. Natalie’s heart pounded with anticipation as they grew closer, and closer still, until she felt as if she could touch the great lady’s cheek.
After a majestic sweep around the giant statue, the pilot aimed for the financial district and the sparkling towers of the World Trade Center. He must have had a taste for drama, because as the violins swelled to a crescendo he brought them down a little and then straight up, as if they were scaling the glittering side of the building.
As they sailed up and over, headed toward Midtown, Natalie was so overcome with the beauty of it that she impulsively reached out to Jonah over the back of her seat. Instantly his hand was there, clasping hers.
They rode that way, hands linked, as the pilot soared over the distinctive scalloped lights atop the Chrysler Building and the brilliant center of Times Square. The helicopter made a tight circle above the Empire State Building while Natalie gasped at a spectacular three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the island she called home. Never had it looked more magnificent.
As the pilot reached the darker portion of the landscape that was Central Park, Natalie squeezed Jonah’s hand. For better or worse, that was where this whole crazy business had started. He squeezed back.
The pilot made one more sweep over Midtown before returning to the heliport. Reluctantly, Natalie released Jonah’s hand. As the rotors quieted, she took her headphones off. She was shaking with delight. She’d save her money and take this flight again. Of course, she probably wouldn’t take it with Jonah. And that, she realized, might make all the difference.
She turned to the pilot. “That was amazing.” She unfastened her seat belt and swiveled in her seat. “Wasn’t that fantastic, Jonah?”
“Unbelievable,” Jonah agreed. “Thanks.”
“Glad you liked it.” The pilot grinned. “I get a charge out of it myself, no matter how many times I take people up.” He nodded toward a group of people just outside the fence. “Looks like your fans waited for you.”
Natalie glanced at the crowd and quailed. If possible, there seemed to be more people than before. “How much would you take to fly us back out of here?” she asked, half-serious about the prospect. She didn’t have much money, but she still had a credit card in her purse.
“Sorry. Can’t do it,” the pilot said. “The folks who hired me would have my hide if we didn’t stick to the schedule.”
“We don’t want to get you in trouble,” Jonah said. “Let’s go.”
Once again in the protective curve of Jonah’s arm, Natalie pushed through the mob of people and managed to get inside the limo with Jonah close behind. After the vehicle pulled away, they sat in silence for several long moments.
Finally Jonah turned to her. “Would you really like to ditch this program?”
She remembered the claustrophobia and panic she’d felt as she’d battled her way through the crowd. She thought about eating dinner at the Plaza with dozens of pairs of eyes watching every bite she took. Maybe she’d have some privacy once she was locked in her room, but then she’d be a prisoner. And the next morning she’d be living under a microscope.
“I would love to ditch this program,” she said.
“That’s all I needed to know.” He reached out and pulled her overnight case toward them. “You’d better change into your other shoes if we’re going to make a run for it.”
She grinned at him. “We’re literally going to run away?”
“Yep.”
“Cool.” She had her deck shoes on and her scarlet pumps tucked into her overnight case by the time they reached the Plaza. As a doorman approached the limo, she automatically took money f
or a tip out of her purse.
The car door on her side opened and the uniformed attendant held out his hand. “Welcome to the Plaza, Miss LeBlanc.”
“Go ahead,” Jonah said. “I’ll let you know when.”
“I hope you kids know what you’re doing,” the chauffeur said.
“Don’t worry. He’s an Eagle Scout,” Natalie said, putting her hand in the gloved grip of the doorman.
The man gave her deck shoes a quick look of surprise before composing his features into a polite mask once again.
“It’s a new fashion statement,” she whispered to him.
“Of course, madam.” He turned back to the limo just as Jonah climbed out with both overnight cases. “Allow me, sir.”
“Sorry,” Jonah said. “Can’t.” He glanced at Natalie. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
“Then follow me!” Carrying an overnight bag in each hand, he took off in the opposite direction from the Plaza, the crowd and the gaping doorman.
Natalie thrust the tip into the man’s gloved hand. “Thanks. You’ve been terrific,” she said. Then she ran after Jonah.
He glanced back to make sure she was coming before he started across the street. “Watch out for traffic!”
She kept running. “Hey, you may be from Buffalo, but I was born here!” She could hear shouts from behind them. Somebody had sounded the alarm and people were giving chase. “Don’t worry about me. Just go!”
He ran, dodging through traffic, but she could tell he was slowing his pace just for her. And he was checking on her so often he was liable to get run over.
She looked down the street and spotted an empty cab coming straight toward them. Putting her tongue to her teeth, she sent out a piercing whistle that stopped both the taxi and Jonah.
He whirled and gazed at her in astonishment. “Was that you?”
“That was me.” She grinned and ran toward the cab. “Come on, before they catch us.”
They opened opposite doors and jumped into the back seat, colliding with each other in the process.
“Where to?” asked the cabbie.
“Lower East Side,” Jonah said, dropping the overnight cases on the floor and slamming his door. “And step on it.”
The cab barely escaped the mob of people who converged on the corner.
Panting, Natalie turned to Jonah. “What’s on the Lower East Side?”
He gave her a level look. “My apartment.”
JONAH GAVE the driver an intersection rather than an address. He’d learned to be cautious. Fortunately his apartment building remained the one place in town where he’d be protected from the prying media and loony women who seemed constantly on his trail. From the beginning of this nightmare, the residents in the small complex had been extremely protective, misdirecting anyone who came looking for Jonah.
Natalie glanced at him in some surprise after he announced where they were going. “Not long ago, you didn’t want me to know where you lived.”
He still didn’t know what she had in store for him, but he’d decided he’d rather face it on his own turf. “That’s true. Maybe I should blindfold you.”
“Maybe you should. What if I’m kidnapped by your fan club and tortured until I reveal your address? I warn you, it doesn’t take much to make me sing like a canary.”
He grinned, thinking how great she looked in her red dress, white furry coat and deck shoes. “I wouldn’t know about that, but I can vouch for the fact that you whistle like a longshoreman.”
She laughed. “Jimmy Holcomb taught me how in fifth grade. I promised never to try and kiss him again if he’d teach me how to whistle.”
“I’ll bet old Jimmy lived to regret that deal.” He’d gotten a real kick out of that whistle, and now he enjoyed watching the laughter light up her face, making her look almost like that ten-year-old who’d chased Jimmy around the playground.
“Maybe.” She gave him an impish smile. “But at the time he was desperate to get rid of me. I could run faster than he could.”
“You’re still pretty good at the hundred-yard dash. I wasn’t sure how well you could keep up with me, but you stayed right behind.”
“Oh, Jonah, wasn’t that fun?”
“Yeah, it was fun.” Like her, he was enjoying the high of successfully pulling off a caper, even one as small as this. Not that skipping out on the last half of the planned activities was such a crime—shoot, for the money she’d paid, she ought to be able to call the shots. Except for him, of course. She was definitely not in charge when it came to him, and in his own surroundings he could make sure of that.
He also wanted to show her his apartment to give her a dose of reality. He’d learned the hard way that being mysterious and elusive had only fired the imagination of all those women. He couldn’t invite them all to his modest apartment to prove he was just a regular guy, but he could make sure Natalie knew it.
“Do you have food in this apartment of yours?” she asked.
“Absolutely.” He managed to say it with conviction, but in the excitement of executing their getaway he’d forgotten all about dinner. Still, he couldn’t very well drag her over there and starve her to death. He tried to remember what he had on hand. Not much. He ate a lot of meals at the station. Besides, shopping had become such a chore now, with people recognizing him left and right, that he tended to put off doing it.
“We could order up a pizza,” she said.
He shook his head. “Too risky.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. I tried it once, and the first words out of the guy’s mouth when I came to the door were ‘You’re the one who saved Bobo!’ I gave him a twenty-dollar tip and begged him to forget where I lived. I guess he kept his promise, but I’m not taking any more chances.”
Natalie shook her head. “That’s awful. If you can’t order pizza, then you can’t order anything, can you? No deli sandwiches, no Chinese, nothing.”
“Actually it’s not quite that bad. My neighbors took pity on me and we’ve worked out a system. I phone them, they phone in my order, and I pick it up from their apartment.” He shrugged. “I guess if worse comes to worst, we can do that. We’ll see what’s in the refrigerator when we get there. Mrs. Ruggerelo keeps promising to surprise me with a batch of lasagna.”
Natalie eyed him cautiously. “Who’s she, your cleaning lady?”
He laughed. “Nope. Don’t have one. I get to take full credit for the state of my apartment. Mrs. Ruggerelo is a neighbor who makes outstanding lasagna.”
“But you said she was going to put some in your refrigerator. How would she do that?”
“She has a key.” It occurred to him that it might be a good idea if Natalie realized how chummy his apartment complex was, so she might consider modifying whatever exotic plans she had for the two of them. “In fact, about five of my neighbors have keys, I think.”
“You think? Jonah, that sounds a little risky.”
“It’s the way we like it. When I’m on duty at the station, somebody checks my apartment and takes in my mail. Pete Hornacek goes upstate every other weekend to be with his grandkids, and I feed his cat. Or one of the others does, if I’m on duty that weekend. And Mrs. Sanchez is pretty old. If she has a problem, she can call from her bed and one of us can be there in no time. She doesn’t have to worry about getting up to open the door.”
Natalie was quiet for a while, obviously thinking about his arrangement with his neighbors. “But what if you’re…involved in something personal, and Mrs. Ruggerelo decides that’s the very time she’s going to deliver lasagna? Couldn’t that be embarrassing?”
He was glad she sounded so cautious. Maybe she wasn’t quite as jaded as he’d thought. “I guess so.”
“I take it you’ve never had something like that happen?”
“The last woman I dated liked her apartment better than mine, probably for that very reason. Come to think of it, that had a lot to do with why we broke up. She had no sense of community. She told
me flat out she couldn’t live like that, and I said I couldn’t live any other way.”
She studied him in the dim light of the cab’s back seat. “So your saving my dog wasn’t just an isolated case, was it?”
He sighed. “No, but I wish you wouldn’t let that get around. My life is screwed up enough as it is.”
The cabdriver stopped at the corner Jonah had given him. “Sure you don’t want me to take you to the door?” he asked.
“Nope. This is fine,” Jonah said, depositing money in the chute. “We’ll get a little air.” He climbed out, grabbed both bags and set them on the curb. Then he helped Natalie from the cab. Her hand felt warm and good in his.
She stepped to the sidewalk and smiled up at him. “If you’re the least bit worried, you could still blindfold me. Then I wouldn’t know what direction we’re going and I’d never be able to find your building.”
He held tight to her hand and looked into her eyes. More than anything, he wanted to kiss her right now, but he probably ought to hold off on that kind of gesture until she told him what she had in mind. His body tightened in anticipation. “You sure seem eager for that blindfold,” he said. “Does that have anything to do with what you were going to ask me just before the helicopter ride?”
She looked startled. “Why, no…not at all.”
He wasn’t convinced. “Are you ready to tell me what this special request of yours is?”
She looked decidedly uneasy. “Um, not yet. I think we should have something to eat, don’t you?”
“Okay. And after we eat you’ll tell me what it is?”
“Yes.” She nodded and looked very solemn. “Girl Scout’s honor.”
He smiled. “I thought you didn’t make it past Brownies.”
5
SEEING THE INSIDE of Jonah’s apartment was critical to the plan, Natalie realized as they walked up two flights of stairs and approached his door. She could tell many things about him from the way he lived, and if the scheme worked, her mother would need material for describing her hero’s apartment. Natalie vowed to pay close attention to details.
Single, Sexy...And Sold! Page 5