by Dara Girard
“No, it’s not. You should always wear heavier makeup for an evening event. You’re the one who called me over to help you,” she said in a hurt voice.
Lora held back a swear word. This was her fault, not Belinda’s. She turned and hugged her sister. “Thank you.”
“Have a great time.”
Lora forced a smile. “I will,” she said, hoping the lights at the party would be dim.
* * *
“Tie or no tie?” Justin held up both items for his dog, Louis, to see. He’d only had his new companion for a year.
“We’re sending you a special surprise,” his mother had told him one autumn morning. “It’ll arrive in a day or two.” His parents had just arrived back home in Oregon after one of their rare visits to see him. While staying with him they had complained on and off that they didn’t like him living alone. No matter how much he told them that he had work to keep him busy and great colleagues to work with, they were scared about something happening to him. They especially worried about who would take care of him, even though his three sisters lived close by.
Justin had sighed, in no mood for what his mother was planning. “I don’t want a surprise...just tell me what it is.”
“No, but it’s just what you need,” she had said, and he had heard his father snickering in the background.
Justin hadn’t been able to guess what his parents were up to. Two days later he had received a knock on the door—the delivery of a two-year-old American bulldog. His first instinct had been to reject it. He was a busy man and didn’t have time for a puppy. But then Louis did something that stole his heart. He didn’t lick him—he sneezed and then wagged his tail as if he were the happiest animal alive. Justin thought it was such a funny sight, and he knew that the puppy would stay. Getting used to having a dog wouldn’t be difficult. He’d had a golden retriever growing up, and they were inseparable until it had died of old age. After that, he couldn’t bring himself to get another dog because he didn’t want to experience that kind of loss again.
Louis changed his mind. After that initial meeting the two of them hit it off. He named him Louis, after Louis Pasteur, and from the first day, he let him sleep in his bedroom with him.
Although he was still young, Louis was trained and would respond to most of Justin’s orders. One order he never listened to, however, was to stay off the couch. Nothing bothered Justin more than having dog hair all over the place. He didn’t mind it on the rugs, but the couch and his bed were off-limits for Louis. But, although he never saw him go on either piece of furniture when he was home, Justin had a sinking feeling that Louis did go on the forbidden cozy spots once he was gone. Louis was clever to never get caught.
Justin looked at his clever dog now. Louis stared back at him, as if he were truly contemplating whether his owner should wear a tie or not.
Justin looked at the options in his hand. “It’s supposed to be casual, but I’m not sure. So what do you think?”
Before Justin could answer his own question, the doorbell rang. He glanced at his watch. He wasn’t expecting visitors, and he didn’t have much time before he needed to leave. He opened the door and saw two of his sisters—Maureen and Sarah—standing there. Maureen was the eldest of the three and took her role seriously. She had the sturdy bearing of a drill sergeant with her short cropped hairstyle, and she often dressed in all black. His middle sister, Sarah, was more fun-loving, as exemplified by her outfit of an oversize blouse and floor-length peasant skirt.
“You’re not wearing that,” Maureen said, marching through the door.
Justin looked down at his clothes. “What’s wrong with it?”
“There’s not enough time to tell you.”
Sarah patted him on the arm. “Anya called us to make sure you looked your best.”
“But—”
Maureen pointed to his bedroom. “Don’t argue, just move.”
Justin knew if he didn’t want to be late he’d better keep his mouth shut. He sat on the bed while his sisters sifted through his closet.
“We’re really glad you’re doing this,” Sarah said.
“Letting you hijack my life?”
“No, meeting a woman.”
“Anya told us everything,” Maureen said. “This woman sounds great.” She lifted a decorative shirt.
“I’m not wearing that,” Justin said.
“You never wear it!”
“I know. I keep it because it was a gift, but I’d rather go bare-chested than in something like that.”
Sarah tapped her chin thoughtfully. “That would be a good idea. You should flaunt what you have.”
“You’re embarrassing him.”
She pinched his cheeks. “Am I, little brother?”
He brushed her hand away. “Watch yourself or I’ll stop being nice.”
She laughed, then returned to the closet. Minutes later they were done dressing him, and they stared at him, pleased.
“Now, remember to be charming,” Sarah said.
“Charming?”
“Yes, compliment her and smile.”
Maureen rested her hands on her hips. “Just for one night pretend to be someone else,” she said, then winked.
* * *
The party was in full swing when Justin arrived. Holiday music floated through the air and mingled with the tinkling of glasses. The Rollinses had rented a small room in one of the hotels close to their house to host the party. He searched the crowd, wondering what his mystery woman would look like. Then his gaze fell on a familiar face. He froze, gripping the glass in his hand and hoping he wouldn’t shatter it.
Chapter 4
Oliver walked up to Justin with a big grin. “Good—you’re finally here.”
“What’s she doing here?”
“Who?”
He stared at Lora and motioned with his head. “Her.”
“That’s the woman my wife was talking about. I just found out that you both work in the same department. I know it might be awkward, but give it a chance.”
“That’s the woman who hates me.”
“The stupid one?”
“She’s not stupid.” He turned. “It was a bad idea for me to come.”
Oliver looked over at Lora then back at Justin, confused. “There must be a mistake.”
Justin set his glass down and headed for the door.
“My dear, you’re here,” Anya called from behind him. “Where are you going? I’m ready to make introductions.”
He reluctantly turned to her. “No, you don’t want to do that.”
She took his hand in an iron hold. “You’re just shy. She won’t bite.”
He was stronger than her. He could lift her up and run if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. “Don’t do this,” he said in a low desperate voice. “You don’t understand. Let me explain.”
“No need to. I know that other woman who hurt you made you shy of risking your heart again, but you can trust me. She’s interested in science just like you.”
“Anya,” her husband said. “I think—”
“Stay out of it, Oliver. I know what I’m doing.”
Oliver shrugged, sending Justin a helpless look as Anya led him away. As he got closer, Justin scrambled to think of what he could say. Then he noticed how her dress clung to her backside, and he again found himself thinking of her naked.
“Lora? This is Justin.”
Lora spun around with a warm smile that immediately fell when she saw him. She stared at him in disbelief.
“Can I get you a drink?” he said, eager for a reason to leave.
“Isn’t he such a gentleman?” Anya said. “I’ll get drinks so you two can get to know each other.”
“We already know each other,” Just
in said. “We work together.”
“Oh, good. Office romances can be so much fun. Then you don’t need drinks. You must work up a thirst first. You should dance.”
“I don’t dance,” Justin said.
“You can learn.”
“I’d prefer to just talk.”
“You can talk later. A dance tells you everything— like how well you move together,” Anya insisted.
“Fine.”
“What?” Lora sputtered.
He grabbed Lora’s wrist and led her to the dance floor. “It’s one dance. And the music’s fast so we might as well get it over with.”
The moment they reached the dance floor the music became slow. He glanced over at Anya and saw her giving him a thumbs-up.
“Just kill me now.”
“What did you say?” Lora asked.
He pulled her into a dancer’s embrace. “For just five minutes, pretend I’m someone else.”
* * *
Lora could hardly breathe. This was all wrong. Anya must’ve gotten him confused with someone else. This was the kind, generous man she was describing? The man she knew had a spoiled niece and an arrogant manner. And why did he have to look so good and smell so wonderful? Without her anger, she had no shield against him. This close, she couldn’t help but notice how solidly built he was, and her traitorous body enjoyed how it moved against him. And he moved well. How could a man who was so cold make her feel so hot? She briefly shut her eyes; she didn’t want to think about it.
“At least there’s no mistletoe,” he said.
His deep silky voice was close to her ear, sending shivers of awareness through her. She could only nod her head, not trusting herself to speak.
“You look beautiful.”
Her head snapped up. She stared at him, ready to hide behind anger. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
He blinked. “No.”
“My hair looks as if I’ve been electrocuted, I have a run in my stockings, my eyeliner would look better on a raccoon, and my blush is too red. You can thank my sister, Belinda, for this. Fortunately, I don’t have to impress you.”
“Your face is fine. Your eyeliner is too dark because it’s the wrong shade. I can stop the run in your stocking if you have some nail polish with you, or better yet, you can take them off and put them in the freezer for a few minutes. As for the blush, it just needs to be softened.”
Lora looked at him openmouthed.
He gently pulled her chin up with a finger and shrugged. “What? You think having one sister is bad, try being the youngest of three. Two of them ambushed me before I got here.”
Lora smiled at the image of anyone having that kind of power of him. “Ambushed?”
“Yes, they went through my clothes, right down to my underwear. They said that ‘answering the question right’ was important.”
“The question?”
“Boxers or briefs. They said women liked to know.”
Lora bit her lip to stop herself from asking, although she was suddenly curious. He’d look good in both. She groaned. She didn’t want to think about him wearing only his underwear, but it was too late.
“Is something wrong? Am I holding you too tightly or something?”
“No. Why?”
“You groaned.”
“It’s nothing,” she said hoping the song would end soon. “Why didn’t you stop them?”
“Blackmail.”
“Blackmail?”
“Yes, they have compromising pictures of me that could destroy my reputation.”
“How?”
“Let’s just say that before I was born they liked to dress up their dolls and our dog Rachael.”
Lora couldn’t help a chuckle. “And then they turned on you?”
“Yes. They accepted me as a little sister.”
Lora laughed. “You’re making this up.”
“No, I wish I were. I was wearing lipstick and bows until I was three.”
“Didn’t your parents say anything?”
“My parents are very lenient.”
“They have pictures?”
“And a video.”
“I’d give anything to see it.”
His voice deepened. “Really?”
She swallowed and looked away. “You’re right—you had it worse than me. My sister only smothers me because she thinks she’s being protective.” Belinda had always been her greatest ally against a strict, emotionally distant father who rarely found anything in Lora he liked. Their father had grown up in dire circumstances as the youngest of eleven children. Her grandfather had taken an instant dislike to him. He was convinced that his mother had been unfaithful and the child wasn’t really his. Not only was his father distant, but he was also a cruel man. Both her father and her grandmother suffered great physical abuse at the hand of her grandfather. Now, for some reason, her father resented her more than Belinda. Before Lora knew it, she was telling Justin about Belinda and their childhood.
“She can turn any simple thing into an expedition. Just last weekend I had to go shopping with her. Thankfully I bumped into Warren...uh, Dr. Rappaport.”
She felt him stiffen. “Be careful of him.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s interested in you.”
“A woman can enjoy a man’s interest.”
“You can have mine.”
Lora paused. Had she heard him correctly? Was he hitting on her? “But you’re different.”
“How so? I’m just like any other man.”
Yes, he was definitely flirting with her. Wow—the book was working, and she still had two more chapters to go. But Silver? Dr. Silver was interested in her? And he was wrong. He wasn’t like any man she’d ever met before. Lora made a noncommittal sound.
“You can trust me.”
“And of course I should just take your word for it.”
“Yes, I’m an honest guy.”
“I know why Dr. Rappaport doesn’t like you. Why don’t you like him?”
“It’s a long boring story. Just watch your step.”
“Duly noted.”
“And if he asks you out, say no.”
“Too late. He’s already asked me, and I said yes with capital letters.”
“When?”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. What I do in my private life is none of your business,” Lora said, feeling conflicted and giddy at the same time. Was this really happening? Why was she really discussing her personal life with, of all people, Silver?
“I know. That’s the problem.”
“Problem?”
“Yes, I want to be part of your private life.” His voice dropped, and his gaze lowered to her lips. “The more intimate, the better.”
Lora licked her lips and swallowed, both alarmed and aroused. Was he truly interested in her? Worse, was she becoming interested in him? “I think you’re more dangerous than he is.”
His gaze met hers. “Don’t make that mistake.”
Lora stopped dancing. What was she doing? If she wasn’t careful she’d start to like him. How could that be possible? He felt too good, too comfortable. His voice was hypnotizing her. She found herself straining to hear it, liking how his breath brushed against her cheek. She drew away. “I have to go.”
She slipped out of his grasp, grabbed her purse then raced out the door, not caring that she was leaving her coat behind. The cold air would do her good.
* * *
Minutes later Anya found Justin sitting alone at the bar. “Where is she?”
“She left.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
“And you didn’t go after her?”
&n
bsp; “I think it was better for both of us,” he said. The longer he’d held her in his arms the more he’d enjoyed it. She’d moved in perfect harmony with him—how could he not be attracted to someone who fit him so well? To everyone there, they probably looked like a practiced dance team in synchrony with each other.
Anya frowned. “Never mind. She still has a lot to get over. I think too much happiness scares her. We’ll give her time.”
He raised his brows. “We will?”
“Yes. She likes you. I could tell by the way she was looking at you.”
“Are you sure you were looking at the right woman?”
“Oh, yes. Oliver explained to me what you think, but you’re wrong. She doesn’t hate you.”
“We have a past.”
“That you both need to get over. I’ve never seen a better pair.”
Justin shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn’t want to sound like an eager schoolboy with a crush, but he couldn’t help being curious. “So you really think she likes me?”
“I do. She’s afraid to show it. “Anya smiled. “You like her, too?”
“I do.”
She clapped her hands. “I already hear wedding bells.”
“It’s a bit early for that,” he said but he took a long swallow of his drink to keep from whistling. She liked him. This was good. Before leaving, he grabbed her coat; he would make sure to put it in her office on Monday.
* * *
This wasn’t good. Lora went home ready to strip down to nothing and stand in front of the freezer. She needed a cold shower to snap her back to her senses. Justin Silver could not be an option. She had to forget about him, about his hands and those lashes and that voice. It didn’t matter that he could make her laugh or that he’d said she looked beautiful. He was just being polite. Unfortunately, that hadn’t stop her from feeling good. No, terrific.
Lora marched into her apartment and then paced her living room. She had to forget about tonight. She had to replace it with something else. She needed to do something wild and reckless. She grabbed the book 30 Days to Romance, flipped through the pages to Chapter 6 and began to read:
If you want things to change in your life, you can’t do the things you’ve always been doing. You have to move past your comfort zone. Do something you wouldn’t normally do. Here are some suggestions: