Manhandling

by Karen Anders

  Laurel made the introductions and Dylan Malone took Mac’s hand in a strong handshake. Dylan narrowed his eyes. “Have we met somewhere?”

  Damn. It was possible that Dylan might have seen him at Malone Financial Services. He wasn’t sure if her brother had been there since Mac had been hired.

  “I don’t think so,” Mac said convincingly enough, starting to sweat.

  He scanned the club looking for potential threats. He often frequented this chi-chi West Chelsea hotspot, but thankfully no one inside looked vaguely familiar. It was also dim enough in here that it was a bit hard to fully make out features unless you were very close.

  The classy space, designed by big-name architectural firm Jason Spangler was impressive. A glass-bead chandelier lit up the dramatic main room, accented by dark, polished wood on all sides and sprawling banquette seating. At the back, a pyramid-like staircase led to a soundproof, glassed-in, second-floor lounge overlooking the vaulted main room.

  Laurel took his hand and they pressed through the crowd to the bar. Champagne was free-flowing and many people were drinking the bubbly stuff, but Mac needed something stronger.

  “I’ll have tequila, straight,” he told the bartender.

  Laurel said, “A French seventy-five.”

  She’d gone with a blend of gin, lemon juice and sugar topped off with champagne, so she wasn’t feeling as much stress as Mac was, that was for sure.

  Laurel turned to talk to someone and Mac heard Sherry’s voice over the din of the crowd. He moved sideways by increments, getting lost amid the partygoers. He found a dim and secluded place where he could watch Laurel and Sherry from a safe distance.

  Laurel looked around for him, but shrugged and struck up a conversation with her friend. Mac’s palms were moist. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and slung it on the closest banquette.

  As soon as Sherry and her boyfriend moved away to the dance floor, Mac returned to Laurel.

  “Mac, there you are. You just missed meeting Sherry.”

  “I’m sure I’ll have that pleasure before the night is out,” Mac said, surreptitiously keeping an eye on his assistant. When Sherry turned his way, he very effectively turned his shoulder to hide his face.

  The music was beating a heavy rhythm and Mac leaned down. “Do you want to dance?”

  Laurel nodded and they moved to the dance floor. It was so crowded that Mac had to move against Laurel, but he didn’t mind that one bit. She was dressed in a tight black lace dress with a low-cut back and a plunging neckline. A simple black ribbon encircled her throat and diamond earrings dripped from her ears.

  As the music continued, he found his eyes wandering to the sway of her tight, sexy body. He reached out and slid his hand around the slender expanse of her waist, moving his lower body closer, forcing her legs apart so that she danced her groin against his thigh. She smoothly matched her movements to his and held his gaze, hers full of excitement and pleasure.

  When that number ended, a slow, sultry Latin tune played over the speakers. He gathered her against him as she rested her head against his chest.

  He moved closer to her, trailed his lips down her neck as she twined her arms around his and continued to move intimately against him.

  Sliding her hands to his waist then to his lower back, she splayed her palms against the muscled slope of his spine, the heat of her touch seeping through his shirt.

  God, she was so damned sexy, she made his insides clench and his palms itch to touch her everywhere.

  But he had to remember that they were in a public place. The music ended on a slow, provocative note. Mac saw that Sherry and Michael were moving toward Laurel. He asked, “Would you like another drink?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Mac moved away toward the bar and his hiding spot.

  The night progressed with Mac disappearing each time he saw Sherry coming toward Laurel. Finally, the tension was too much for him, and as Sherry and Michael went up to the soundproof room on the second-floor, Mac went outside and had the valet get his car. Back inside he looked for Laurel who was talking to her sister-in-law.

  “Laurel, didn’t you want to get an early start tomorrow?” Mac said when he came abreast of her.

  “I did. We’d better get going.” She turned to Haley. “Looks like your party was a great success.”

  “Thanks for coming. It was nice to see you again, Mac.”

  Mac nodded and steered Laurel for the door. From behind him, he heard Sherry’s voice calling Laurel’s name and she was getting way too close. He moved Laurel through the crowd at a quicker pace, his heart pounding.

  They broke out into the street at a fast walk, Laurel rushing, but Mac didn’t slow.

  The valet waited beside the car and Mac opened the passenger side door, and practically shoved Laurel into the seat.

  He slammed the car door and jumped into the driver’s seat after giving the valet a tip.

  “Geez Mac, why the hurry? That was Sherry,” Laurel protested.

  He roared away from the curb just as Sherry reached it and he felt a shock go through his system as Sherry met his eyes for a brief second. He replied, “I saw someone I didn’t want to talk to.”

  Had it been enough time for her to recognize him?

  He sure as hell hoped not.

  11

  What kind of underwear would your hottie wear?

  a. boxers

  b. boxer briefs

  c. briefs

  d. nothing.

  —Excerpt from Who’s Your Hottie? quiz,

  SPICE magazine

  LAUREL PLACED HER bag behind the driver’s seat of her SUV. Mac did the same.

  He still hadn’t asked where they were going and she didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

  “It’s an hour away.”

  He turned amused eyes toward her. “I’m intrigued.”

  She didn’t feel the need to talk mostly because her anxiety level was rising the closer they got to Cranberry. How did she talk about something so dear to her heart? How did she verbalize that she felt so connected to Mac that he was the only person in her life she trusted with this secret.

  When they reached the outskirts of the little town, Laurel said, “We’re almost there. I should warn you that this place is very small and quaint.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I love it there. I have to make one stop before we get to where we’re going.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s the lumber yard.”

  Mac turned to her with a stunned look on his face. “Why the lumber yard?”

  “I told my neighbor I’d do some work for him in exchange for a lasagna dinner and I called him when you were in the shower to let him know I was bringing a guest. Mr. Hayes said that was great and I could invite anyone I wanted.”

  “I get a free dinner, too? Sweet.”

  She smiled at him. “The more the merrier, I say. Do you know anything about carpentry work?”

  “What are we talking about?”

  “Stairs.”

  “You know how to build stairs?”

  “Yes, I do.” They pulled up to the lumber yard and Laurel felt that old familiar excitement just being this close to wood. “Let’s go.”

  She made her way through the store, picking up the items she would need. Most of the equipment she had back at her workshop.

  She got to the lumber area and flagged down a clerk.

  “Hi, there, Miss Malone,” he said with a smile. “Back for more wood. What are you building this time?”

  “I’m building outdoor stairs with seven steps, so I’ll need seven finished hardwood treads and three nine-foot boards. I’ll need quality grade wood and banisters. Here are all the measurements for everything. Thanks.”

  She paid for the wood and she could feel Mac’s eyes on her.

  After making her purchases, she told the guy she would pull her car around.

  Mac fell into step beside her. “I’m impressed as hell. I had no idea that you knew any
thing about carpentry.”

  “Why? Because I’m a girl?”

  “Uh, women can do anything, including carpentry. It’s just that…it’s like picking up a shiny object in the sand and discovering it’s a diamond. I really like discovering things about you, Laurel.”

  With wry amusement still pulling at her mouth, Laurel tipped her head. “That’s got to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Let’s go get the wood. I’ll need to get started on those stairs if I’m going to get them finished.”

  “Laurel, what a pleasant surprise.”

  “Wanda, it’s nice to see you. How’s the diner?”

  “Busy every day. I can’t cook or bake enough to keep these people happy.”

  Laurel turned to Mac. “Mac Hayes, meet Wanda Sanders, she owns and runs the local diner.”

  They exchanged pleasantries and then Laurel said, “You know, Mr. Hayes has invited us for lasagna after I fix his stairs. He said I could invite anyone I want. How about you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Wanda blushed. “I don’t want to intrude.”

  “It won’t be an intrusion. I’d love to have a chance to catch up with you.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  “What was that all about?” Mac asked as Wanda walked away.

  “Mr. Hayes is sweet on her. I’m just giving them a nudge. They’ve been dancing around each other for months.”

  “Matchmaking can be dangerous.”

  “Ever since I met you, I like living on the edge.”

  WHEN SHE PULLED into the driveway next to a little clapboard house, Mac’s patience ran out. “Okay, I’ve waited as long as I can. Where are we?”

  “This is my home away from home. See that white house. I own it.”

  “Your escape from the city?”

  “Sort of. It’s a little more than that.”

  Before Mac could ask her, he saw an older man cross the yard from the house next door. For a moment, the man seemed oddly familiar as if he’d seen him somewhere before.

  Laurel got out of her SUV and greeted her neighbor. “Mr. Hayes. Let me introduce you to Mac Hayes. He’s going to help me with your stairs.”

  “Glad to have you, son.” The man reached out and clasped Mac’s hand. He gave Mac a quizzical look. “Funny we have the same name.”

  Mac nodded.

  They got right to unloading the lumber and brought it to the back of the house.

  Laurel was not only beautiful to watch, but he found himself even in more awe of her as she began to assemble wood, frame out the stairs, and cut the stringers that would hold the treads and the risers. She worked fast and effortlessly, measuring and hammering and giving him orders he followed without comment.

  It was a hot day and Mr. Hayes brought them beer and regaled them with jokes that kept them in stitches. When the stairs were done and the tools replaced, Laurel went over to the hose and cleaned herself off.

  She looked at Mac with merriment in her eyes and before he could duck, she’d gotten him with a squirt of the hose right in the face. He chased her and they fought over it. That was about the time the first person arrived. Then a young girl with a pretty pink dress came by, then more—old folks and families with children in tow. All of them were carrying dishes of food. Before Mac realized what was happening, there was a yard full of people.

  Mr. Hayes had started the barbecue and when Mac and Laurel approached him, he turned to them and said, “Sorry, no lasagna, Laurel, but when I let slip that you were fixing my stairs, I got all these offers from people to come over. Before I knew it, it was a potluck barbecue. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “We don’t mind, Mr. Hayes, although I will miss having your lasagna. It’s delicious.”

  “Don’t you worry about that. I made you one and put it in the refrigerator.”

  Shortly after that, Wanda arrived and she never left Mr. Hayes’s side.

  It’d been a long time since Mac had attended a barbecue and he enjoyed chatting with Laurel’s neighbors and watching Laurel herself move around as if she was a hostess at a party. Always talking and laughing, full of energy and life.

  When he spied her walking toward her SUV, he excused himself from the conversation about the planning for the town’s Fourth of July celebration and followed her.

  She was pulling a sweatshirt out of her bag when he came up behind her. “Cold?” he asked. “All you had to do was tell me. I know a few ways to warm you up.”

  “And all of them are illegal in public,” she said, pulling the sweatshirt over her head. “Having a good time?”

  “The best.”

  “I know it’s not exactly your scene, but they’re nice people.”

  “They are.”

  Someone turned on a radio and soft music filled the night. Mac looked up. “Damn those stars are beautiful. You don’t get this kind of view in the city.”

  “That’s why I like coming out here. It gives me a fresh perspective on everything. It’s so simple here, no hustle and bustle, just a measured pace of life.”

  He carefully tucked some hair behind her ear, the feel of her oddly comforting.

  He stroked her cheek with his thumb, then slid his fingers into her hair. “Everyone needs a place to go where they can rejuvenate.” For him it was the Hamptons and the beautiful beach outside his parents’ home. He felt completely frustrated that he couldn’t tell her about them or the house he loved so much. What would a bad-boy biker know about the Hamptons or the beach? This whole disguise was beginning to chafe. He so wanted to tell her who he was and drop this whole thing, but this place of solitude and respite didn’t seem like a good place. He didn’t want to ruin her sense of home she had when she visited here.

  “Will you look at that,” Laurel said with a whisper.

  Mac turned his head and felt a kick to his heart when he saw Mr. Hayes and Wanda sitting on the porch swing, talking and holding hands.

  “Told you,” she said smugly.

  Mac couldn’t resist that sassy little mouth. He leaned down and captured her lips.

  After that, things broke up and Laurel and Mac headed to her small house.

  Once inside, she directed him upstairs to the closest bedroom where he dropped the bags. As he was leaving the room he happened to glance into the half-open closet. On the top shelf were a number of board games. He recognized Life and Trivial Pursuit, but it was Monopoly that caught his eye.

  He reached up and pulled the box down. In a few minutes he stepped into the living room where Laurel was lighting a fire to chase away the late spring chill in the air.

  She looked up when he came in the room and smiled when she saw the game in his hands.

  “If you’re thinking of challenging me to a game of Monopoly, I have to warn you that I play to win.”

  “Cutthroat, huh?”

  “Downright bloodthirsty.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Let me make us some hot chocolate. I’ll be right back.”

  Mac settled down in front of the fire and pulled the cover off the game. Memories of the times he’d beat the pants off Tyler made him smile. He picked up the top-hat token and set it on Go. “What token do you want?” he called to her.

  “I’ll take the iron.”

  He selected the iron and placed that too on Go.

  Laurel walked into the room with two mugs emitting curls of steam. She set them on the lip of the field-stone fireplace and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the board. “Who’s going to be the banker?”

  “We’ll roll for it.”

  He picked up the dice and threw them. One die landed on five and the other on six.

  “Not bad,” Laurel said, picking up the dice and throwing them, scoring two sixes.

  “Something tells me I’m about to be humbled.”

  They played fast and furious for one and a half hours. Laurel was good. She bought Park Place and Boardwalk. She owned the utility companies and two out of the four railroads along with Nor
th Carolina Ave., Pennsylvania Ave., and Pacific Ave., the next highest rent rich properties. She’d also bought St. Charles Place, Virginia Place and States Ave., leaving him with the rest of the properties. He’d parlayed his one thousand dollar stake into three thousand, but Laurel looked like she’d doubled that.

  Before her turn was over, she bought a hotel for Boardwalk and set it down with a sassy smile.

  Mac rolled and moved from Ventnor Ave. to Community Chest. He picked up his card and laughed. “I collect ten bucks for second prize in a beauty contest.”

  Laurel reached into the money bin and pulled out ten dollars. “Maybe if you shared your Community Chest more, you’d have gotten first prize.”

  “I’m not that kind of guy.” He took the money and added it to his stash.

  Laurel rolled and landed on Chance, she picked up the Go Directly to Jail card without collecting two hundred dollars. She scowled and advanced her token to the jail.

  “Hmm. Can a banker be a jailbird?”

  “Sure. I can conduct my affairs from jail, just like all the other jailbirds.”

  Mac picked up the dice and rolled a three to land on Chance. When he picked up his card, he found a Get Out of Jail Free card.

  He showed it to Laurel. “Look at this. What would you do to get out of jail free?”

  “Plenty buddy, but I think I’ll try my hand at rolling doubles, since all of the things I’d do are rated X.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “You wouldn’t.” She picked up the dice and rolled, ending up with a three and a one.

  “Tough luck,” Mac said, holding up the card. “What will you give me for it?”

  “I’ll do something to heat you up.”

  “Deal,” he said. He handed over the card and Laurel moved her token out of jail.

  Laurel leaned across the board and then snatched up his cup, giggling. “Okay, hot chocolate it is.”

  “Cheater,” he called after her.