by Judy Teel
She had to admit that they had at first, but then they'd changed and turned out to be an amazing amount of fun. Because of them, she felt more comfortable interacting socially than she ever thought possible and she was even learning to dance! She'd made real progress, tonight. In her opinion, the evening was a complete success.
Todd's hand lightly touched her waist and he guided her toward the center of the dance floor where the crowd had thinned. CK did her best to follow him without stepping on his toes.
"Don't look at your feet," he advised, gently. "Keep your head up."
She lifted her chin and gazed out over the club. A fleeting movement caught her by attention and she stumbled. Had she just seen Steve Wayland coming through the door?
"You okay?" Todd asked.
"Sorry. Lost my balance." She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to ignore the cold chill skating down her back.
She must have imagined it. Steve would never come to a place like this. If he did, and saw her partying and flaunting herself in a dress like this—nothing short of a disaster. Methodical and conservative, that's what he was, and everything about this situation would horrify him.
Unable to shake the feeling she was about to be outed, CK slowed to an awkward stop, dragging Todd with her. "I have to go," she said, her voice sounding breathy and panicked even to her.
Concern touched his face. "Getting tired?"
"Please tell everyone I enjoyed meeting them, and—"
"Hello, CK," a cultured voice said behind her.
Her stomach tightened. Slowly she turned around. "Steve?"
Todd kept his hand protectively on her waist and studied the taller man curiously.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, a flush sweeping across her cheeks. How was she going to get herself out of this?
"Stopping what could be a disaster for us all." His gaze flickered over her and his mouth drew down.
"I know I'm not a very good dancer, but—"
Steve's gaze bore into Todd. "Who is this man?"
"A new friend of mine. Todd meet—"
"Well, I'm an old friend," Steve cut in, "and these are desperate times." He took her hand in a firm grip.
Amazement stunned her for a moment, long enough for Steve to haul her away from Todd and pull her up next to him. Todd's expression turned thunderous, alarming her further. The last thing she needed was a fight in the middle of the club.
"It's fine, really, Todd. We work together. Steve, if you want to dance, maybe the next song we can—oof!"
With a quick pull, Steve locked her against the front of his body and pressed his hand against her back. His frame was lean and strong, lithe feeling, like a dancer and amazement swept over her. He didn't make her go all hot and tingly, but he wasn't the pencil-pushing wimp she'd assumed, either.
"Excuse us," he said to Todd. In a quick series of graceful steps, he swept her along to the other side of the dance floor, leaving a bemused Todd staring after them.
CHAPTER SIX
"Impossible, hard headed, irritating, stubborn—" Indignation buzzed through Ryan like a snarled up clump of chain saws.
Brad held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, man, we get it. You hate her guts. Now, shut the hell up."
"I never said I hated her."
Ajax nodded wisely. "He's gettin' a thing for her."
"And whining about it," Brad groused.
Pure, unadulterated fury boiled up into Ryan's chest and bubbled into his brain. Ajax, Brad, and Jackson drained their mugs, oblivious to his wrath. "I am not getting 'a thing' for her!"
"How do we make it stop?" Jackson asked, morosely.
Ryan poked a finger toward him. "Getting worked up, maybe. A little frustrated. But that is not 'a thing.'"
"Let's beat the shit out of him," Brad said to Jackson.
"I'm in."
"'A Thing' means falling in love. Only fools do love. It's a death sentence to freedom."
Farley and another woman materialized out of the crowd and sauntered toward them.
"Nobody really falls in love, anyway," Ryan insisted.
Brad gave him a warning look, and then locked his eyes on the approaching women. "Shut. Up."
"It's just another excuse for sex."
"Now, Ryan."
The women stopped at their table. Farley's friend studied them curiously while Farley gave Ryan a bright smile.
"How you holding up, Casanova?"
"Couldn't be better."
The humor sparkling in her eyes added to his annoyance. "If you say so."
She turned toward his friends. Brad's predatory vigilance had locked onto the other woman while Jackson gave Farley a welcoming smile.
"Where'd you hide CK?" she asked, giving Jackson an equally interested once-over.
"Dancing," Ryan snarled.
Her attention shifted back to him. "Really? Now that is an accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself." Turning away she extended her hand to Jackson. "We never had a chance to be introduced. I'm Farley, the underpaid, overworked executive assistant to CK and Mr. Cranky Pants over here. This is Sharon."
Jackson grinned and listed off the men's names. "We're the abused, underfed friends of the same party."
"Then we all have sainthood in common." Farley slid into Todd's empty chair and motioned Sharon over to CK's.
Sharon gave Ryan a sly look and then turned her full focus on Brad which suited Ryan fine. He had other things on his mind at the moment.
Like when had CK started getting under his skin? What if she'd always been there and he just hadn't realized it?
Their freshman year he'd looked out for her, protected her, enjoyed her company. He'd stayed in touch and made sure they got together now and then after her grandfather shoved her into that private school. It was never a burden to be around CK. She was the only woman he'd known like that—the only woman he'd ever felt so comfortable with.
Everything was changing and he didn't like it.
She wasn't just his anymore. She was branching out. She was...what? Coming out of her shell? Having fun? Making friends?
A slow burn of worry traveled up into his chest. His plan to scare her off was completely backfiring.
She was going to go through with this asinine scheme of hers. She was going to find some guy who didn't give a damn about her, who only wanted her money or her body, or both, and she was going to marry him.
He had to stop her. It was his duty to stop her.
His agitation grew. "But that is not getting 'a thing' for her," he muttered. It was nothing more than being a decent guy who wanted to protect his friend.
"Ryan!"
He looked up, startled.
Brad glowered at him. "They left."
"Because of you," Jackson said.
"Who left?"
"The hot women. Since you were obviously so preoccupied, they said they'd try again, later." Brad poured himself another beer from the pitcher in the center of the table. "Have you hooked up with Sharon before? She kept trying to get you to look at her."
"Never met her."
"H.R. at Kazners," Ajax chimed in. "Said she works there."
A vague memory stirred in his mind. "Sharon, sure. Party last summer. Didn't work out."
Brad gave him an exasperated look. "You are something else, you know that?"
"She's the only woman I've ever known who didn't bore me," Ryan mused. "Ever. How is that possible?"
"Who, Sharon?"
"CK."
"What the hell is he talking about?" Brad asked Jackson.
The other man clapped his shoulder companionably. "Let it go, man."
"It isn't like I don't care about her," Ryan added.
"He's never passed up a willing woman before," Brad said to Jackson.
"She's like my little sister," he continued, determined to sort through why he'd been acting the way he had. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"It's The Thing," Ajax interjected. "Steals your will. Sucks o
ut your brains."
"Amen, brother. Amen," Jackson interjected, solemnly.
Everything he was doing, he was doing because CK was like family to him. Satisfaction settled over Ryan. Of course that was it. How could it be anything else?
"Ryan can't do this to us. He's like an icon," Brad protested.
"Can't stop love, dude."
Brad groaned. "It's the end of world, that's what it is."
Naturally he was upset that CK was still determined to meet the Captain's demands. He had to focus his anger. He had to step up the game.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Ryan realized the table had gone suddenly quiet. He lifted his gaze to find his friends staring at him. "What?"
Brad sighed and shook his head, sadly. "The freaking end of the world."
"No worries," Ryan assured him. "I'll get things back to normal."
"You'd be the first in history," Jackson said, smiling.
* * *
Steve guided her past the other couples. As the rhythmic layers of music flowed around her, a thrill ran through CK. "I can't believe I'm dancing."
"I have several trophies at home, though not precisely for this type of melody. I find myself forced to improvise."
"I'm not even leading!"
"Don't be silly." With perfect timing, he carried her into another breathtaking turn. "CK, I'm concerned for you."
She almost stumbled, but Steve saved them by pulling her in close and slowing his steps. "I want you to know that I've gained a great deal of respect for you over the last few months. In a way, I feel we've become friends."
"I think so, too," she said, suddenly worried about where this might be going.
"First I feel compelled to alert you that an association with Ryan Anderson will likely lead to a broken heart." He wove an intricate step pattern through a crush of other dancers, gracefully carrying CK along with him. "I've known men like him and it's very hard to win them." A smile tugged at his mouth. "Though, not impossible."
She had the terrible feeling that Steve knew something and was keeping it secret. Did he suspect she had to get married? CK's mouth went dry. Worse, did he assume she was after Ryan?
"Second, considering circumstances that have come to my awareness and the potential impact on the health of the merger, I feel it my duty to ask—"
CK missed a step, forcing Steve to compensate with a half turn. Oh, no. Steve knew about the Captain's ultimatum. Why hadn't she seen it before? This explained everything—him coming into the club, whisking her off, warning her about Ryan.
The terrible suspicion of what was coming pressed down on her and all her recent delight faded into a pinpoint of terror. He was about to ask her to marry him—merge the companies, merge them—it would make perfect sense to him. She winced. She couldn't say no. Marrying Steve was a clear solution to her problem. But, she couldn't say yes, because she didn't feel at all that way about him.
How could she hurt his feelings like that, though? Yet, she definitely could not accept. Not even remotely possible. What was she going to do?
"Steve...I...."
The music reached a crescendo and he spun her out the length of his arm and then smoothly brought her back. She landed against his surprisingly hard chest and for the first time noticed his eyes were hazel. A very resolute hazel.
"CK," he said, wrapping his arm snugly around her waist. "I believe that we should be—"
In a panic, she clamped her hand over his mouth. "Please, Steve. Don't say anything you'll regret."
* * *
In the center of the table, the server deposited a huge plate of the nachos Ryan always special ordered when he was at Tom's. His friends pounced on the food while Ryan pulled out some money and handed it over. As he reached for a plate, he noticed Todd making his way back to them.
"Where's CK?" he asked, suspicion riding him. She was probably in the bathroom, he reasoned, but it never hurt to check.
Todd grabbed a chip and stuffed it into his mouth. "Dancing," he said around the food.
Alarm bells started clanging in his mind and Ryan rose halfway from his chair. "With who?" He strained to see through the crowd to the dance floor.
Todd started piling nachos onto a plate. "Some guy she knows."
"She doesn't know any guys!"
"She knows us," Ajax protested.
"Yeah, but now that we've lost our fearless leader, we're harmless." Jackson chuckled at Brad's scowl and reached for the salsa.
All Ryan could see was colorful movement as couples spun and dipped energetically. Not even a glimpse of CK's red hair.
The urge to find her and haul her back to safety nagged at him. He shoved the instinct away, refusing to make any more of a fool of himself than he already had.
Disgusted, he dropped back into his chair. "What was this guy like?"
Todd shrugged. "Unpleasant, so I hung around for a few minutes to make sure she was okay. She didn't seem to mind dancing with him, so I left."
"She has more sense than to go for a jerk," Ryan muttered, trying to convince himself it was true.
"Oh, I don't know," Todd said, stuffing a loaded chip into his mouth. "She looked pretty happy."
A dark mood settled over Ryan. Tonight could not get any worse.
* * *
"I can't marry you. I'm sorry."
Steve's eyebrows shot up and he stared at her for several seconds. Grasping her wrist gently, he pulled her hand away from his mouth. "I beg your pardon?"
Lord help her, he hadn't been about to propose.
Her stomach rolled unpleasantly and her face felt like it had caught fire. CK closed her eyes and wished she could disappear. Dying from embarrassment seemed like a good out under the circumstances.
The house music faded into a slow modern tune that filled up the dance floor with swaying couples. CK focused on her shoes, feeling awkward and foolish. After a moment, Steve took her hand and guided her to a quiet corner.
"I wasn't going to propose," he said.
She grimaced. "I realize that."
"I was about to warn you that my father is pushing to match us up. If we aren't careful, he could make it very uncomfortable for us to work together."
"Oh."
Her mortification thickened. How had she misread him so thoroughly? She wanted to blame Farley for putting ideas in her head, but in all fairness she couldn't. She was the one who'd made a royal jackass of herself and she had to pay the humiliating consequences.
"Why would you want to get married?" he asked, sincere concern softening his voice.
CK gathered her courage and risked a glance at him. His expression showed no signs of annoyance or judgment. In fact, she saw genuine caring in his eyes.
Steve was a good man. She could trust him. She wouldn't have been on board with their companies partnering if that wasn't true.
Smoothing her damp hands over her dress, she took a deep breath and briefly explained the predicament her grandfather had put her in. "That's why I'm here with Ryan," she concluded. "I've hired him to teach me how to handle myself. Socially."
"I never thought you had too many problems in the area," he said.
"Not in business. Only, well, you know, romantically."
That mysterious smile touched his mouth, again. "I understand. And if things were different, I'd be honored to fill that role for you. However—" His gaze shifted to a point past her shoulder and his expression grew pensive.
When he brought his attention back to her, there was a purposeful fire in his eyes that she'd never see before. "You've shared something very personal about yourself that affects me, even if indirectly. I appreciate that. It's made me realize that to work effectively in the years ahead we need to be honest with each other."
He grasped her upper arm and guided her deeper into the shadows. "There's something you need to know about me, CK. Something very few people do. Not even my father."
She caught her breath, suddenly afraid of what he was about to say. Had S
teve embezzled money? Did he work for the mob? Had he murdered someone? What was so awful that he couldn't tell his own father?
He bent his head and brought his mouth close to her ear. "I'm gay," he whispered.
CK froze and then burst out laughing as relief swept through her like a spring breeze. When a bewildered frown creased his forehead, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug. "I thought you were going to confess something really horrible."
"Not the reaction I feared, well...perhaps a little with the hysterical laughter." His whole manner suddenly relaxed. "Now you know why my father's plans for us are out of the question."
"Why haven't you told him?"
His expression sobered. "He's a born and bred Texan until you pry his empty rifle from his cold, dead fingers kind of man, CK. I don't think he'd understand."
"I can tell he really cares about you. You might be underestimating him."
"You don't know how hard he's tried to hook me up with women." Steve grimaced. "He means well, but—"
"Not gonna happen."
"No." He studied her, thoughtfully. "I'm very concerned about your problem with your grandfather, though. There has to be a way to stop him."
"He has the leverage to do it and the stubbornness to see it through. I'm stuck. And to be honest," she blushed, "since Ryan started helping, I'm feeling more interested in this whole 'find someone' game."
"Coming here was his idea?"
"He's been trying to scare me off so I'll change my mind."
"Ahh."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He smiled down at her, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "Nothing. Just 'ahh.'"
* * *
Ryan drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. Where was she?
Making a fool of himself by chasing her down was starting to seem like the lesser of several evils. What if she was trapped in a dark corner, unable to defend herself? What if she didn't want to defend herself and had already gone home with another guy? What if—?
A feather-light electric buzz spread through his chest. He glanced up to see CK coming toward the table.