Dani pulled away from him and put both hands in her pockets, out of his reach. "Look, Dean Fischer--"
"Jeffrey," he said automatically, staring at the hand that had held hers. It was coated with dark mud, thanks to her fall. He pulled a cloth handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped at it while she talked.
"Jeffrey, I'm fine. I cook for myself out here, and I don't really want to leave since I've only been here for--"
"Nonsense," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "If you won't do it for yourself, you will agree on my behalf. I have no desire to discuss your progress out here in the woods, being eaten alive by bugs and collecting God knows what kind of germs. Gather your things, and clean yourself up as best you can. I also suggest putting on something more civilized. I'll wait."
Dani hid her grimace until she was safely ensconced in her tent. How dare he? Her anger ran free while she rifled through her things, looking for an outfit that was "more civilized." She pulled out some slacks and a lavender button-up shirt to wear under a soft black sweater, unsure of why she'd even packed these items. At least she had something to wear. As she struggled into the outfit, she wondered what Caleb made of this whole situation.
Climbing back out of the tent and heading over to her shower to grab a bar of soap she glanced towards the ranger again. His face was eerily calm, but his eyes were like blue ice as they met hers.
She shivered and turned her back as she washed her hands. "Should I bring my notes and preliminary data or...?" she asked the dean, hoping Caleb didn't hear the anxiety in her voice.
"Don't bother, this is rather informal." Jeffrey grinned. "I'm sure you've got all the pertinent facts in that pretty little head of yours anyway."
"Then I guess I'm ready."
* * * * *
If Caleb had thought the drive to camp this morning was uncomfortable, he had no words to describe the ride back to his cabin. He blinked several times to clear his vision and pushed down the strong emotion whose name he didn't want to acknowledge, although his subconscious whispered it to him.
Jealousy.
Still, his rational mind forced him to remain calm. He sat silently in the driver's seat, thinking steam must be shooting out of his ears. Caleb was unaccountably furious.
One thing he had not expected from the sexy scientist was betrayal, and yet, there she sat in the back next to that skinny snob, making conversation and laughing at his snide jokes while Caleb drove them around like a chauffeur.
It's not really a betrayal, his conscience argued. You aren't attached, and you won't be attached. Besides, you haven't exactly gotten around to discussing your past with her, so how can you fault her for not telling you about him?
He isn't her past, his inner devil argued back, wanting to yank the halo from his conscience's head. He's her present, and she's rubbing my nose in it.
Caleb fumed as the couple talked about their mutual acquaintances and departmental gossip. He realized the hand, not on the wheel, had tightened into a fist, a fist he longed to throw at the smug bastard's face.
Breathing deeply he forced his fingers to unclench. Why did this woman destroy his hard-won calm so effortlessly? He couldn't let her. Deep breaths, he thought. Count to ten. Don't think about the weasel's hands touching her flawless skin. Kissing her warm lips.
The fist was back and tighter than ever. Luckily, he pulled up in front of his cabin before he could use it. The dean jumped out of the ATV and headed over to his Mercedes, whistling tunelessly. Caleb climbed out and walked around the vehicle, coming to a stop next to Dr. French. He looked down at her, and her dark eyes met his.
"It's not what you think," she said quietly.
"Does it matter what I think?"
Her brows furrowed and she started to say something in response, but the dean's nasally drone prevented her. "Come along, Dani," he said, motioning her towards the Mercedes. "We've got plenty to discuss."
Caleb didn't like his oily tone of voice, but he could do little to remedy it. Short of committing a felony, his inner devil corrected. He watched the professor climb into the Mercedes and felt the door to his heart swing shut with the closing of her car door.
Chapter 7
Dani's anger was like a rabid dog barely restrained by its leash when the Mercedes finally pulled into the restaurant parking lot. It was already very late in the afternoon, and the sunlight glinted orange on the ocean waves. Her lips were pressed together into a tight line as she listened to the dean's excuses.
"Here we are," he said. "I apologize for all the twists and turns getting here. But it's not the destination, right? It's the journey."
The journey had taken them almost four hours. Jeffrey had taken wrong turn after wrong turn on the winding byways outside the park. They'd bounced down abandoned gravel roads and even nearly been pushed off the side of a cliff by an oversized logging truck. At last, they'd found the correct highway to the coast.
"I still don't understand why we had to come all the way to Newport for lunch," she said again.
His cocky smile faltered as he attempted to placate her. "You know there are no decent restaurants in Alsea or any of the other tiny towns nearby. We could have headed back towards campus, but I thought you'd appreciate the scenery here better. I know we're a bit late for lunch, so how about I make it up to you with an early dinner?"
Inside the restaurant was swanky and Dani immediately felt underdressed. The atmosphere didn't seem to bother the dean, who appeared comfortable in his khaki shorts and white button-up shirt, the obligatory knit sweater looped over his shoulders. Another glance at his shorts forced Dani to hold back a fit of giggles.
His legs were beyond skinny, almost like two broomsticks. She marveled that such bony calves could hold up the rest of his body. Jeffrey picked that moment to meet her eyes again and took her not-so-secret smile as an invitation. He slid a lanky arm around her and pulled her close as the hostess led them to a secluded table with a view of the ocean.
Jeffrey ordered a bottle of wine and proceeded to attack the breadbasket. In between slices, he asked her polite questions about her research. She relaxed as she talked about her work, happy to lower her guard a bit. Perhaps this really was a progress update.
But as she talked, she realized the dean was barely listening. He read his menu, drank his wine and refilled his glass, and then settled his eyes on the ocean, occasionally muttering, "Good...good."
All pretense at listening vanished when the waitress approached, and Jeffrey hurried to order. He paid more attention to the Catch of the Day than he had her entire presentation. Dani sighed and girded her loins for the upcoming confrontation. She nearly failed to hide her scowl when she heard him order oysters on the half shell. That and another bottle of wine.
The rest of the meal was a study in avoidance. Dani attempted to avoid his refilling of her glass (she failed), barely avoided sharing his oysters (success, but only due to a lie about an allergy to shellfish), and tried desperately to avoid any talk of libido (an utter failure).
"You know, I've heard these things are considered an aphrodisiac," Jeffrey exclaimed after swallowing another raw oyster. "I couldn't tell you if that's true myself, as I've never had any problem in that department."
The wink he gave her almost caused Dani to throw up in her mouth. As the first bottle of wine was replaced by the second, his comments became less and less about biology and more and more about sexuality. What had started as a discussion about the reproduction of amphibian species in the wild had quickly turned into something altogether less comfortable.
"You know, if I may say this without causing offence, your shape is perfect for reproduction. Although your waist is quite slender, your wide hips and, er, prodigious mammary glands make you eminently suited for childbearing."
Dani wondered how he was able to use such elevated vocabulary while nearly slurring every second word. "Thanks, I suppose." Her cheeks were aflame.
"A man can't help but notice these things," he said matter-of-factly. "It's in our
DNA to seek attractive, reproductive females."
"Of course." She attempted to steer the conversation back to safer ground, but Fischer would have none of it.
"What I'm saying is," he started, then burped gracelessly into his cloth napkin, "is that you're quite attractive, and obviously well suited to reproduction, so I just can't help but admire those qualities, you know?"
"Look, Jeffrey, I appreciate your noticing, but I really don't think this is the time to discuss personal matters. You insisted on bringing me out here to talk about my progress, yet we've done everything but focus on my project."
"My sincerest apologies, but I can't seem to keep my mind on serious matters when I have you in front of me."
"I think I'm done with dinner," she said as he drained the last of the wine from his glass. When he attempted to refill it, nothing came out but a few drops. Jeffrey raised his hand to signal the waitress, and when she came, Dani asked for the check to prevent him from ordering another bottle. It took some time for the dean to get around to signing his receipt but at last, he stood, and they headed for the door.
The parking lot was dim, and Dani looked out over the ocean, watching with frustration as the sun began to sink behind the horizon. She risked a glance at the dean and realized he was too intoxicated to drive safely. "Jeffrey," she said in her sweetest, most cajoling voice, "could I please have your car keys?"
Jeffrey smiled beatifically but shook his head in the negative. "No need to drive anywhere."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's getting late, and we're clearly too far gone to drive--"
"I'm fine--" she insisted, but he continued as if she hadn't spoken.
"--and it really isn't safe to tackle those winding roads at night, so I've booked us a room at the inn next door."
"You WHAT?"
He had the decency to look slightly sheepish, but he still wouldn't release his keys. "Well I figured we might have a few glasses of wine with dinner, and since it would probably be late..."
"But we were supposed to have lunch. We're only out this late because you kept getting lost and--wait. You got lost on purpose, didn't you?"
Jeffrey failed to hide his pleased grin immediately but tried to cover up the lapse with his words. "Now, Dani, I'd never be so devious. I figured I'd reserve a room just in case, and if we didn't need it, then fine."
As he talked he began walking towards the inn across the parking lot, and she had no choice but to follow. "I think we should make the most of our situation, don't you? I can drive you back first thing in the morning. Besides," he said, the corners of his mouth rising into a lopsided grin, "won't it be wonderful to sleep in a nice warm bed for a night?"
The clerk at the desk looked bored as he entered their information in the computer. "Room 222," he said, sliding a magnetized card across to Jeffrey.
"Wait," Dani said, "I want my own room."
The front desk clerk raised an eyebrow then shook his shaggy head. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we're full. No additional rooms are available."
"Then I'll try the place across the street," she said, turning away from the counter and moving towards the door.
"You can try," the clerk said, "but I doubt they have anything either. It's the annual Autumn Crafts on the Coast bazaar. The whole town is packed full of blue-haired old ladies hunting down ceramic statues of turkeys, live or cooked. They come from all over the Pacific Northwest for a week of shopping and four pm seafood dinners. And they book nearly every room in town."
"How convenient," she said, staring at Jeffrey with fire in her eyes. He didn't even have the decency to look abashed; he just met her gaze with a radiant smile.
"Shall we, my dear?" he asked, then headed down the hall towards the elevator.
"This is really too much," she said once they were in the elevator and heading up to the second floor. As is the way with all elevators, the shorter the distance to travel, the slower the trip.
"What are you implying?" Jeffrey asked, his good mood turning sullen. "Do you think the Dean of Sciences would really have to trick a lady into spending the night with him? If you believe that, you are sorely misinformed. Perhaps the wine has affected your logic, but I don't appreciate these kind of accusations."
"All right, all right." She put up her hands in defeat. "This is all some vast misunderstanding."
"Agreed," he said, smiling again and pulling her hand into his when the elevator doors opened. "We might as well make the best of the situation," he said, tugging her along to Room 222. The door opened on a comfortable room done in white and the muted pastels that are so favored by coastal decorators.
A king-sized bed dominated the layout. Just one bed. Dani wanted to groan but feared setting him off again. Jeffrey sauntered across the room.
What a big saunter for such skinny legs! Dani thought, then strangled off the hysterical laughter that wanted to follow. He sat on the bed, patting the area next to him in an attempt to lure her closer.
Dani's mind cataloged the series of events that had led to her current predicament. The world had become an absurd place. First, the forest ranger, his body seemingly carved from stone, had driven her to a night of pleasure ripped straight from her naughtiest dreams. And now her boss was attempting a drunken seduction.
Was she giving off some kind of irresistible pheromone that drove the men around her crazy? If so, it was a relatively new development.
Despite Jeffrey's desire, there was no way she was going to surrender to his come-on in the hopes of getting his professional approval. She thought momentarily about turning him in for harassment but knew that dramatic accusations like these tended to follow someone for the length of her career, even if they were entirely true.
That meant she had to beat him at his own game. But how?
Her eyes lit on the mini fridge beside the television, and she prayed that it was stocked. She opened the door and found an array of small liquor bottles. Success! Dani grabbed a handful of bottles and headed towards the bed. She laid them out between herself and Jeffrey as a buffer zone and met the dean's puzzled gaze.
"Since we're stuck here tonight, how about a friendly drinking game?"
Jeffrey's smile was so dazzling Dani was sure it could be seen from space. "That's my girl!" he crowed. "What's the game?"
"Since we're both scientists, we'll start off with something easy. I'll name a genus and species, and then you name another one starting with the last letter of the species that I said. It continues on until someone can't name another genus and species before the ten second time limit expires. Ready?"
Jeffrey nodded, his eyes ablaze with the certainty that he would receive his sweet reward this evening.
"Hyla cinerea"
"Uhh...Alligator mississippiensis!"
"Spea hammondii"
"Um...let's see...that was an "i", right?"
"Eight seconds," she said, not cutting him any slack.
"Right...i...i...oh darn it!"
"Time's up!" she shouted, unable to hide her glee. "Drink up, Dean of Sciences."
The game progressed rapidly after that. The dean was evidently unskilled at holding his liquor. After failing at the game a few times, he insisted that they play something else. He called the front desk and requested that a deck of cards be brought up to their room.
"What game are we going to play now?" she asked with feigned nonchalance. Her luck at card games was terrible.
"How about we make things interesting?" Jeffrey said, his eyes sticking to her body like they were dipped in glue.
"How?"
"Weren't you in a sorority?" he asked, catching her off guard.
"Yes, for a semester."
Sorority life hadn't suited her serious scholarly image, and she'd told herself that she wasn't into all the girl talk session and mani-pedi parties.
"Then you should be familiar with the classic game of Strip Poker."
"Come on," she groaned. "We're adults. Aren't we too old for strip poker?"
> "Whatssammata? Gallus domesticus?"
"I am not a chicken!" she insisted.
A cursory glance told her that the dean was already very drunk. It would only take a few losing hands for her to run out of clothing, but if she could keep him drinking, perhaps he would pass out before she was forced to expose herself.
How much was she willing to risk, to keep the mood cordial. Not that much. If he tries to touch me, I'm out of here. I don't care if there aren't any other hotel rooms, I'll sleep on the beach before I let him put a hand on me.
"All right, you're on," she said, "but first, how about a toast?" He smiled as she opened another tiny liquor bottle for him, and one for herself. "To absent frogs," she said, raising her bottle high.
Jeffrey let out a high-pitched giggle and repeated her words, then took a sip from the bottle. When he went to pull it away from his, lips she grabbed the bottom of the bottle, forcing it upward and causing the liquor to pour down his throat. She didn't release it until he finished the entire thing. He coughed heavily but luckily didn't notice that she hadn't drunk from her own bottle.
The first hand was dealt, and of course, Danielle lost. She bent down to pull off her tennis shoes. "Doesn't count," Jeffrey protested, so she pulled off her socks as well. He grumbled, but she ignored him. The next hand went the way of the first, and Dani was forced to pull off her sweater.
"Nice," Jeffrey said, leering at the hint of cleavage shown by her slightly unbuttoned shirt. She wanted desperately to button it but would show no fear.
She won the following hand and forced him to celebrate her two pairs by taking off his shirt and drinking another toast. His eyes were beginning to droop, and she prayed he would succumb to unconsciousness soon.
Unfortunately, the next hand left Jeffrey holding three kings and Dani deciding whether to sacrifice her pants or her shirt. She decided on the pants, as her shirt was long enough to cover her underwear. Jeffrey was nearly drooling on the bedspread now as he watched her slide the pants down her legs.
Her hands started to shake as the next hand was dealt. What if she'd played this all wrong? What if the dean didn't pass out?
Doctor Feelgood: (A Bad Boy Doctor Novel) Page 33