by Mia Zachary
Chris sighed, sounding frustrated in the best way. “I’m fully dressed, if that’s what you mean. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish my hand was yours.”
“Mmm, I wish it was, too.” She looked up at a knock on her door. Mary Alice poked her head in and made a “two minutes” signal. “But I have to go back to work now.”
“I can’t. Not yet anyway.”
She gave a completely smug and unsympathetic laugh. “Well, at least I know you’ll be thinking about me for a while.”
“What makes you think I ever stop?” His voice was rich with desire and humor. “I’ll meet you at Zuni Café at noon. I’ll be the guy with the big smile on his face.”
AT ELEVEN FORTY-FIVE, Chris stood in the triangular two-story entryway admiring the richly colored Indian blankets hanging along the white adobe walls. Zuni Café, with its Southwestern ambiance and French-Italian cuisine, was one of his favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Hearing his name, he turned to see Rei walk through the front door.
He smiled at the sight of her long hair flowing down the back of her bright blue overcoat. When she reached his side, Chris leaned down and kissed her wind-chilled cheek.
“You’re early, too, I see.”
“I’m right on time, actually. Like a wizard, I arrive exactly when I mean to.” Her gaze was as warm as the welcoming smile she sent over her shoulder as she hung up her coat on the rack.
He recognized the reference to the classic J.R.R. Tolkien story instantly and grinned. “You’re a Lord of the Rings fan. I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
“Only one?”
As she turned, he finally noticed her outfit. The colors were conservative, the patterns plain, but something about the way she wore them seemed frankly sensual. The white blouse was draped low enough for him to detect a hint of camisole lace. The hem of her caramel brown skirt ended well above her knees, showing off shapely legs down to her dark chocolate high heels.
“Well, maybe more than one.”
A hostess led them past the copper-topped bar and semi-open kitchen with its roaring brick ovens to a table near the floor-to-ceiling windows. They debated the merits of the Jackson Lord of the Rings films in comparison with the original Tolkien books while perusing the menu and waiting for their drinks.
When their waitress appeared with tall glasses of iced tea, Chris ordered his usual. “I’ll have the hamburger on toasted focaccia bread, medium-rare.”
“I’d like to try the deep-fried mixed fruit, the house-cured anchovies with Parmesan, the foie gras and the yaquina oysters on the half shell, please.” Rei lowered the menu to find both Chris and the waitress staring at her. But she just smiled brightly and shrugged. “I’m trying new things this week.”
He laughed as the waitress left to fill their orders. “I hope you like those appetizers more than you did the tequila.”
As they waited for their lunch, Chris engaged her in a conversation about their favorite books and movies, keeping everything light and impersonal while he prepared himself. Finally he inhaled deeply, having realized he’d been anxiously holding his breath.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Reaching for Rei’s hand, he rubbed his thumb over the back of it. “The sex has been incredible, you know. It’s never been as good with anyone else as it is with you.” He paused, holding her gaze as firmly as her fingers. “But I want more.”
“You want more sex?”
She laughed but he felt her hand tense beneath his.
“Chris, I don’t think that will be a problem. I’ve made no secret about how much you turn me on.”
“You have other secrets, though. We both do.”
She looked away, taking a long sip of her iced tea. “It’s more interesting that way, don’t you think?”
“It’s easier to control, you mean. I know you didn’t want any complications, but I think the rules need to change.”
Chris paused while the waitress placed the foie gras and anchovies in front of Rei. As he watched, her expression became anxious. She lifted one of the thin fish, sniffed it then took a small bite. After a wince and a long sip of tea, she scooped up a forkful of the pâté.
“You’re trying new things, right? Are you willing to be something more than lovers and strangers?”
“We’re not exactly strangers.” Rei stalled for time by shoving the foie gras into her mouth. He wasn’t sure if the face she made was in response to the topic or the food.
“No, we aren’t.” He drew another deep breath and braced himself for her reaction. “You wouldn’t know this, but I’m named after my father and grandfather. David Christopher London III.”
She stared at him, a frozen expression on her face. Her eyes were turbulent, though, when she jerked her hand away. He could see the wheels turning, saw her making the connections, and suddenly he wondered if he’d just made a huge mistake. But, no, he didn’t stand a chance in hell if he didn’t come clean with her about who he was and what he wanted.
“You’re DCL3. You son of a bitch.”
“I’m sorry. But I had to tell you before we go any further. I had to be honest—”
“Honest?” She glanced around the restaurant then lowered her voice. “You’ve been playing me from the very start. All that nonsense about remaining anonymous while being open and honest. When I think about the things I e-mailed you…”
“Things you wouldn’t have told me in person, things you didn’t trust me enough to share.”
Rei scowled at him. “Well, obviously I was right not to trust you.”
The waitress chose that moment to deliver the rest of their food. The burger smelled delicious but Chris’s stomach was too twisted in knots to even think about eating it. He was a risk taker in sports and in business but not in his personal life. He’d never met a woman he considered worth it before.
Rei waited until they were alone again before she leaned forward, pointing her index finger at him. “You agreed to the terms that first night at the hotel and then went and violated my privacy.”
He stepped around that landmine and chose to address what he thought was the more important issue. “Yeah, I agreed at first, but I also told you last night I’d changed my mind. When you gave me your number, I figured you had, too.”
This time she was the one avoiding a trap. “How did you even get my Lunch Meetings e-mail?”
He forced himself to meet her gaze. “I own the service.”
She fell back against her seat. “Damn it, I don’t believe you. Is this how you operate? You steal information and manipulate the results?”
“Hey, I know you’re angry but believe one thing. I’ve never done this before. I wouldn’t jeopardize the reputation of my company or expose my clients. But you—I don’t know—you blew me away.” Chris leaned forward, willing her to see his sincerity. “I wasn’t looking to meet anybody and there you were. Then you were gone. When fate brought you into Lunch Meetings, I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“Why should I believe anything you say? Don’t you see how you’ve betrayed my trust? I thought I was talking to a friend.”
“I’ll apologize again, because I know I misled you, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice, Rei. You wouldn’t let me in any other way. Every time we’ve been together, you’ve shut me out. This still doesn’t have to be complicated, Rei. We’ll see each other in and out of bed, and you’ll have to learn to say the things you told me online in person. The relationship doesn’t have to end, it just changes.”
She slumped in her chair and wouldn’t look at him. “You lied to me.”
Her voice sounded more petulant than irate and he didn’t want to fight with her, but Chris felt his own anger was also justified. “When did you plan to tell me your real name, ‘Jade’? How long were you going to keep lying to me?”
She blinked several times but didn’t answer. Knowing his point was made and not wanting to push her any harder, Chris backed off and concentrated on his own lunch. Rei woul
d definitely walk away now and he had no intention of begging her to see him again. If it was over, let it be a clean break with some of his self-respect intact.
Rei picked up her fork and toyed with hot Concord grapes and peach slices as the last of her anger evaporated into embarrassment. She was so pissed off with Chris…. However she couldn’t avoid the truth. She was just as guilty as he and, thinking back to their e-mails, he’d offered her several chances to reveal herself.
Rei tipped the oyster and brine into her mouth, then tossed the empty shell back onto the plate and reached for one of the rolls in the breadbasket to cleanse her palate. The slimy feel of the oyster sliding down her throat was not an experience she cared to repeat, despite the supposed aphrodisiac effects.
That was another truth she had to face. What kind of person was she really, to use him just for sex, never wanting to know more about him, treating him like he was nothing more than a sex toy? She’d wanted to get swept up into a passionate affair, but while sex without any personal connection might be passionate, it wasn’t satisfying and it wasn’t right.
Her plan had been to break it off as soon as they went too far and Chris had gone as far as he could to make something more of their liaison. But a personal connection was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Despite what Chris had said about being receptive and taking chances, there were too many negative possibilities once she rescheduled the tests for Dr. Solís.
In the meantime though, he hadn’t asked for a lifetime or any other type of commitment. There was no reason they couldn’t be friends…with benefits. They could continue to be lovers while getting to know each other better. Rei drew a deep breath and apologized.
“I don’t know when I would have confessed who I really am. ‘Jade’ made for such a great shield, you see. With an alter ego I was free to be anybody I wanted, except myself.”
Chris wiped a smear of ketchup from the corner of his mouth. “You’re an attractive and intriguing woman, Rei. Why would you want to be anyone else?”
She heard the interest and concern in his voice and a part of her wanted to respond. However, she still chose to keep some secrets to herself and so told him only part of the truth.
“I wanted to let my hair down, get a little wild and crazy. It’s easier to do that when you’re hiding behind a different persona. I didn’t need or want to know anything about you, except in bed, because that’s the only place Jade existed. That was unfair to you and I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology, Rei, if you’ll accept mine.”
She looked up to see hope and understanding in his light green eyes. Smiling, she held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Rei Davis. I’m a commissioner in the Unified Family Court. My interests include travel, romance novels and NFL football.”
He gently gripped her fingers. “Hi, Rei. My name is Chris London. I own a dating service, I like to swim and play golf and go to jazz concerts.”
“This is weird, isn’t it? On the one hand, I shouldn’t trust you because you deceived me. But if you hadn’t, I never would have made a new friend.”
“Now that we’ve been introduced, where do we go from here?” Chris must have seen her hesitation because he reached for her hand this time.
“I’ll have to think about—”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll call me.” He dropped her hand in frustration, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve heard it before—every other time you’ve backed away.”
“That’s not—”
“Maybe if you’d stop running long enough, you’d see—”
“Hey!” Rei smacked her fingers on the tabletop. “If you’d stop interrupting me, I could finish what I was going to say.”
He kept his arms folded and still wore a disgruntled expression, but he was listening.
“I’ll have to think about whether I want to go out with my lover or have sex with my friend. But either way, I’m not only willing but looking forward to spending more time with you.”
His frown lifted to a smirk and the smirk quickly turned into the charmingly boyish smile she adored. Chris uncrossed his arms and pulled her toward him for a quick kiss. His appetite apparently restored, he dug into his hamburger with gusto.
Rei wished she were half as enthusiastic about her lunch. Pushing the salted fish, duck liver, fried fruit and bivalves aside, she caught the attention of their server. “Could you please take this away and bring me a garden salad with vinaigrette dressing? Thanks.”
PajamaPartyGirl is now online
PajamaPartyGirl is instant messaging you
PajamaPartyGirl: How’s it going with the Lunch guy?
JadeBlossom: Good. I mean, we’ve struck up this weird kind of friendship.
PajamaPartyGirl: I can’t invest in the company based on weird friendships. How about the other guys who e-mailed you?
JadeBlossom: Several of them seemed really nice, but I didn’t want to lead them on. I think I’ve found a match and you’ll never guess who it is.
PajamaPartyGirl: The guy who kept asking about your shoes. He sounded hot.
JadeBlossom: Ew. Not him. It’s the guy I’ve been seeing.
PajamaPartyGirl: You mean the boy toy is the one you’ve been e-mailing? How the hell did that happen? I’m confused.
JadeBlossom: So was I. Do you believe in fate?
PajamaPartyGirl: No, and I’m not big on coincidence either. Who is this guy?
JadeBlossom: Chris London. It turns out he owns Lunch Meetings.
PajamaPartyGirl: Oh really. And this doesn’t set off any alarms for you?!? By any chance was he there the day we signed up?
JadeBlossom: Yeah, he recognized me, but he was with a client and couldn’t break away.
PajamaPartyGirl: I’ll bet you’re not the only one he recognized. Think about it, Rei. He’s trying to get money to expand and you walk in with the heir to Hollinger/Hansen, the folks he’s been pitching for funds. I’ll admit it could have been a fluke that you met him at Divas, but how do you know the rest of this wasn’t a setup from the very beginning?
JadeBlossom: I don’t think so, Peej. I’m a good judge of character.
9
MARVIN CARRINGTON LOOKED like a new man. Sort of.
He’d had his hair cut and styled. He wore new glasses and he looked good in a pale blue monochromatic shirt and tie. But the look in his puppy-brown eyes and his body language were the same. He still came across as insecure and slightly desperate.
“I don’t know what went wrong, Chris.”
“Well, tell me how your date started and we’ll figure it out from there.”
Marvin shrugged. “Tina asked when I wanted to meet. I said whenever it fit into her schedule. She asked where did I want to go? I told her anyplace she liked. When we got to the coffee shop, I ordered the same thing she did.”
Chris kept himself from wincing and instead nodded for Marvin to continue. “How did the conversation go?”
Marvin shrugged again. “I thought I was using open communication. I told her how long it had been since my last date and what went wrong in that relationship. I touched her a lot so she’d know I was sensitive and just tried to show her the real me. She didn’t talk much about herself and when I asked if anything was wrong she said nothing, but she kept sighing.”
“Okay, Marvin. I think I’ve heard enough. When a woman says “nothing,” it always means “something.” That’s great that you let her see the real you, but you might have shown her too much you all at once. There are twelve steps to intimacy and you jumped right to step four or five.”
He spent the next twenty minutes coaching Marvin and building his self-esteem and then practically held his hand while he called Tina to ask her for another date. When he left Chris’s office and headed for the front door, he was walking with a more confident stride and a spring in his step.
“You’re in a great mood today, considering all the activity around here today.” Lara paused by the bar on her way past.
Chris looked up from gett
ing a can of his favorite energy drink and shrugged. A team of Hollinger/Hansen auditors and risk assessment specialists had been combing through his files all morning, checking the account books and reading client contracts. “Hey, if this is what it takes, let them look to their hearts content.”
“I thought all they needed were copies of the company’s financial statements and business plan? I don’t think all of this probing is typical, Chris.”
Given Rei’s connection to P.J. Hollinger, he didn’t think so, either. But he wasn’t going to sweat it. “I heard from Andrew Johnston that the expansion strategy presentation went well. He seemed confident the funding would be approved.”
“Let’s hope so. My husband wasn’t pleased about that private investigator questioning my neighbors,” Lara conceded.
Chris was just turning back to his office when he spotted Grant Bronson. His eyes narrowed when he realized Grant was talking to Marvin. Chris walked up to them just in time to hear they’d be at the weekly mixer Friday night.
“See you around, Grant. See you later, Chris, and thanks again.”
Grant cocked his head toward Marvin’s retreating back. “Is he another one of your personal projects?”
“I told you before, I can’t—”
“Talk about your other clients.” Grant offered a self-depreciating grin. “Sorry, man. I was just curious.”
Chris didn’t like the man’s curiosity and so kept his tone cool. “What are you doing here? We didn’t have an appointment.”
“I just stopped by to check my e-mail. I’ll see you at the mixer, right?”
He held Grant’s too-innocent stare for a second then finally nodded. “Yeah. I’m the host.”
“Cool. Catch you later.” Grant stuffed his hands into his front pockets and ambled into the computer café.
Chris watched him go, uneasiness settling into his gut. What the hell was that about?