In short, William didn't look at all like a nerd tonight.
William had thrown on a coat, raced out of his apartment, and hailed a cab in order to get to Geekland as soon as possible. He cringed at the idea of showing up in front of Amanda in his oldest clothes, but he couldn't take time to change. If she'd thought Justin was in bad enough shape that she'd wrangled his cell phone to call a guy she was trying to avoid, then she must have been desperate.
As he drew closer, he noticed that both Amanda and Justin were covered with coffee-colored spots. Justin hadn't even bothered to clean his glasses after whatever disaster had taken place here. William decided there was no point in asking. Suffice it to say, Amanda wanted Justin out of her hair. She must be heartily sick of dealing with both of them. "Will!" Justin frowned. "Whatcha doin' here?" "Trying to get you to buy me a burger. Pizza last night was on me, so tonight it's your turn."
"But you're not s'posed to be here, ya know." Justin tilted his head in Amanda's direction and wiggled his eyebrows.
"I know. But I hear they have good burgers." He took the stool next to Justin. He'd never seen his buddy so trashed.
Amanda moved in his direction, her expression hopeful. "Would you like to order, then?"
"I would love to order." He was trying to concentrate on Justin and his problems, but here was Amanda, looking gorgeous, even though spattered by some unknown substance. Whatever the liquid was, a blob of it had landed on each breast right about where the nipple was. The color of the liquid made it seem as if someone had painted two nipples on the plaid material of her shirt, almost like a pair of bull's-eyes.
"Could we have a drink, instead?" Justin weaved back and forth on the bar stool. "I'm getting way too sober." "Getting sober's not a bad idea."
"Easy for you to say. You're not trying to block out memories of Cindi Finkelstein the Defector."
"No, I'm trying to get something to eat. How about two burgers, medium?"
"Got it." Amanda turned away and entered the order on her computer screen. "Skinny fries or wedge-cut?"
"I like wedgies," Justin said. "Wait. That didn't come out right."
"I know what you meant." Amanda sounded like she wanted to laugh but was holding back. "William? Which do you want?"
"Just call him Will," Justin said. "William makes him sound like a dork with a stick up his butt. I keep telling him that, but he says William sounds more stockbrokerish, whatever that means."
She glanced over at William, laughter dancing in her eyes. "How would you like your fries, Will?"
"Wedge-cut." He didn't even care that Justin had made that crack about his name. Seeing Amanda lighten up was worth the humiliation. He wondered if she had the slightest clue how beautiful she looked, and how much he wanted to vault the bar, kiss her, and see if he could bring that laughter out in the open.
"Coming up." She turned away when a waitress named Tina arrived and ordered some drinks.
Justin leaned toward him. "I think she likes you more tonight than last night." He smelled like a brewery.
"I think you'd better not lean like that or you're going to fall over."
He straightened, gripping the bar for balance. "How did you know I was here?"
"Good guess." Apparently Justin had been so out of it he hadn't realized Amanda had purloined his cell phone. "Listen, buddy, don't do this to yourself. Cindi's not worth the damage to your liver."
"I know, but what if she's the only woman who ever wants to marry me and have sex and stuff?"
"She's not."
"I asked a couple of women in this bar if they wanted to have sex, and they turned me down flatsky."
William choked back a laugh. "We might have to work on your approach."
"I'm smoother when I'm not drunk."
"I certainly hope so."
Justin's mouth tilted in a sloppy grin. "I know one woman who might have sex with me."
William sincerely hoped Justin wasn't going to name Amanda. That would put a big old crimp in their friendship. "And who would that be?"
"You won't get mad?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
William was getting nervous about this conversation. If Amanda had turned him down and accepted Justin instead, life was going to generally suck. "Just tell me, okay?"
"Gloria Tredway."
William stared at him. "What makes you think that?" "I was in her office today, and she gave me the look, if you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean." He'd been getting that look from the moment he'd met dear Dr. Tredway. "What were you doing in her office?"
Justin waggled a finger in the air. "Well you might ask. Making amends. I was making amends."
"With Gloria Tredway?" William struggled to follow the conversation.
"No, with her!' Justin pointed to Amanda. 'To make up for dragging you here last night. Gave her a deluxe Barmaster." "A what?"
"Barmaster. I got one for me, too." Justin patted his shirt pockets. "Had it right here. Oh, there it is." He started unsteadily to his feet.
"Sit, sit." William put a hand on Justin's shoulder, which was all the pressure needed to coax Justin back onto the bar stool. "That gray thing over there?"
"Yeah."
William retrieved the flask-shaped object lying on the bar several feet away. From the buttons and screen on the front, he figured out that it was an electronic drink reference tool. Too bad he hadn't thought of buying something like that for Amanda. Justin had outclassed him on that one.
Justin took the small flask. "This is great. Let me show you."
"In a minute. Listen, about Gloria Tredway, I don't think you want to go there."
"You jealous?" Justin peered at him through his speckled lenses.
"God, no. Concerned. Now might not be the right time for you to hook up with somebody so ... so ..." "Totally hot?"
"Predatory. She strikes me as a man-eater."
Justin nodded. "Perfect. Stringless sex."
"No strings, maybe, but I'm guessing there would be ropes involved." William shuddered to think of Justin in Gloria's clutches.
Justin's eyes widened. "Ropes? Like in bondage?" "Yep. And you're not up to it." "How the hell do you know?"
"It's obvious. You're used to sweet little Cindi, who never had an S and M thought in her life."
"And look where I am now. Dump City." He grinned at William. "You convinced me. I'm asking Tredway out."
Willliam groaned. "Don't do that."
"I'm doing it." He punched a button on the front of the flask and a recorded voice welcomed them to the Barmaster. "See? It talks!"
"Wonderful. Listen, aren't there some women at Amherst Labs you'd like to take out? Personally, I'd hold off on dating for a while, but if you really feel the need, you should pick somebody more normal."
"Been there, done that. Name a drink, any drink."
"Manhattan."
"Bor-ing. Something else."
William searched his memory. He wasn't a hang-out-in-the-bar kind of guy. "Gin gimlet."
"Oh, come on. Give me something cool."
"For crying out loud. Sex on the Beach!"
Of course Amanda was walking by at the very moment he belted out his response. She turned. "Was that a drink order?"
"No, not exactly." He didn't even know what was in one. He'd heard a client mention it, somebody who took Caribbean vacations and was much cooler than he was.
"My mistake." She turned away.
"Wait a sec."
She turned back, and he looked into those incredible blue eyes that reminded him of a clear day on Lake Michigan. He'd never had Sex on the Beach, the drink, and he'd never had sex on the beach, the experience. He longed to share both with this woman.
Because that was a hopeless cause, he had to settle for having her make him a cocktail with a suggestive name. He decided to go for it. "It is a drink order," he said. "Sex on the Beach. That's what I have a taste for."
The guy was getting to her. Amanda tri
ed to tell herself it wasn't so, but her pulse rate picked up every time she glanced over at the table where William and Justin sat eating their burgers and fries. William looked way too good in his old clothes and his windblown hair. When he ordered another Sex on the Beach, she got honest-to-God goose bumps.
She loved the way he took care of Justin, too. She was a sucker for that kind of loyalty. If he'd come charging to the rescue when Justin was in trouble, then he was a person who could be counted on in a crisis. Amanda had known precious few people like that, so she relied primarily on herself. Justin had William to rely on, and she envied Justin that.
Good thing her job involved standing behind the clear acrylic bar. If she'd had Tina's job, she would have spent far too much time over by Will and Justin's table. When she needed a bathroom break, she forced herself to go the long way so she wouldn't be tempted to stop and chat.
But when she came out into the narrow corridor, there was William, leaning against the wall, smiling at her. Her heart thumped wildly at the look in his green eyes.
"I wanted to thank you," he said. "You could have had Justin thrown out of here." "I wouldn't have done that."
A female customer came down the hallway. Amanda had to move closer to William in order to let her by, and she caught a whiff of Old Spice. Yum.
"You're a good person," William said.
She glanced up at him. Big mistake. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, and with two Sex on the Beach drinks under his belt, he might have the Dutch courage to do it. Worse yet, she wanted him to.
"I should get back."
"Yes." He hesitated. "Aw, what the hell. You only live once." Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. Their glasses got in the way, but still he managed to make full contact with her mouth.
A video of this kiss would probably be hysterical, but she wasn't laughing. Far from it. The sensual jolt from that lip-to-lip contact traveled all the way to her toes and significant points in between. He had a great mouth, and without their glasses interfering, she'd be happy to stay plastered against it for some time. She wanted to suggest they take off their glasses and start over.
" 'Scuse me." The customer came out of the ladies' room. "Sorry to interrupt."
William let Amanda go instantly. They stared at each other as the customer edged past them and returned to the bar.
Amanda struggled to breathe. "Um ..."
William gulped for air. "Yeah, I know. That was probably the dorkiest kiss in history."
"No, no, it wasn't."
"I can do better."
Dear God, if he could do better, she was in big trouble. "I... I have to get back." "Right."
She fled before she did something really stupid like whipping off her glasses and his so she could find out what he meant by better. She wished he hadn't said that, because now that would be all she'd think about every time she saw him.
TEN
Usually Amanda's heavy schedule meant that she slept like a dead person, but that night after work she fought for every moment of blissful unconsciousness. That stupid, awkward kiss kept repeating itself in her head. When William and Justin had left the bar around ten, she'd felt as if the warmth had been sucked out of the room.
She'd now made the unfortunate discovery that William knew how to kiss. Even with two sets of glasses in the way, he'd made a substantial impact on her libido. She could imagine the effect with no glasses.
Once she had that concept firmly planted in her brain, it was a short leap to imagining a kiss with no glasses and no clothes, either. Then she began thinking of Gloria's big-thumbs theory, which resulted in urges that caused her to remember the vibrator Gloria had wanted her to bring home. She'd forgotten.
Maybe the vibrator wasn't such a bad idea. It wouldn't be nearly as much trouble as sex with an actual boyfriend. But the thought of a vibrator didn't turn her on at all. She wanted William.
Too bad. She wouldn't, couldn't scratch that particular itch. She had to be strong. But self-sacrifice could distract a person. On her way out the door to her morning class, she'd grabbed what she thought was a packet of trail mix, only to discover on the bus that she was holding a package of uncooked rainbow noodles.
After class she forgot to zip her backpack completely, and when she hoisted it over her shoulders, half the contents fell out. That little stunt caused her to miss her bus to work. On top of that her jacket was still stained from the coffee accident because she hadn't had time to wash it.
Arriving late, hungry, unkempt, and frustrated to the sex-drenched offices of Dr. Gloria Tredway was not a pleasant prospect. As she hung her jacket on the coat tree next to the door, Gloria walked out of her office, and Amanda figured the day was about to get worse. The always voluptuous, often shocking Gloria had gone nerdy.
"What do you think?" She pirouetted in front of Amanda's desk in the ugliest plaid shirtwaist Amanda had ever seen. Her wild red hair was pulled into a tight bun with a pencil stuck through it. To complete the look, she wore glasses on a beaded chain and flat-heeled shoes.
"Depends on what you're going for." But Amanda had a pretty good idea.
"Last night I decided I was conducting my William campaign all wrong, so I borrowed this dress from one of my neighbors and picked up the glasses and chain at the drugstore on the way to work this morning. I'm embarrassed to admit I own the shoes, but I had them in a bag of things going to Goodwill."
"Did William tell you he was partial to plaid?" She couldn't imagine anyone being partial to this particular plaid, which included alternating shades of poop and barf.
"Of course not! But he was clearly intimidated by my leopard-print jumpsuit. I really shouldn't have unzipped it and flashed my tits at him, either, I suppose. But I do have such great tits that I like to show them off."
Amanda blinked. "Excuse me?" Maybe she'd misheard.
"When I went down to his office yesterday, after he sent the fax he pretended was for his mother, I was teasing him by unzipping my jumpsuit. Then I thought I'd see his reaction if I unsnapped my bra and gave him a glimpse of the goodies." "Wow."
Gloria cupped her breasts. "You have to admit that I have bragging rights when it comes to my girls."
"Uh, sure." Amanda couldn't remember ever being asked to comment on another woman's boobs, but life with Gloria was a constant adventure.
"However, I'm worried that I might have scared the poor boy."
"That's possible." Poor William, just a decent guy with a talent for kissing, a guy who took care of his friends and tried to make a living in the stock market. He hadn't asked to have his newest client flashing him at his place of business, but he'd been the flashee, anyway. Amanda's sympathy knew no bounds.
"So today I'll stroll down there on some pretext or other, and let him see the other side of Gloria Tredway. I can play the nerd game. Did you know I could get into Mensa if I wanted to?"
"Didn't know that."
"It's true. There was a sample test in one of the psychology journals I subscribe to, and I knew all the answers. When I was in school, I could have graduated with honors, but I was too involved in extracurricular activities."
Amanda would bet that Gloria wasn't talking about the chess club, either.
"Help me think of a reason to go to his office," Gloria said. "A nerdy reason."
"Gloria, I'm really not a nerd. I know you think so, but—"
"Don't be silly. Of course you are. Just put your mind to it."
"I thought you needed the billing to go out this morning."
"Use your lunch hour for that. This is more important.
I need the equivalent of borrowing a cup of sugar—some semi-legitimate excuse to go down there, which also demonstrates that I have a brain and I know how to use it."
Amanda could tell Gloria wouldn't rest until she suggested something, so she tried to come up with an idea. "How about showing him an article you read in the Wall Street Journal!"
"That's not bad, except I don't want to read an article in the Wall
Street Journal. I hate a newspaper with no pictures." "Then I don't—"
"But you could read an article in the Wall Street Journal, give me the Cliffs Notes version, and I'd be all set. Go on down to the drugstore, buy one of those boring papers, and find an article you think William would like, or might have already read."
Amanda reached for her coat. Going out for a newspaper wasn't the worst assignment she could have right now. The drugstore would have some sort of junk food on the rack.
"And pick up a latte at Starbucks while you're out."
"Will do." So maybe she could get a muffin for herself and stave off her hunger pangs. Once she wasn't so hungry, she might not feel quite as sex-starved, either.
She left the office and automatically glanced down the hall toward Cooper and Scott. If she wanted to do William a favor, she could stop by there and warn him of Gloria's latest scheme.
No, too risky. After that kiss, she had to avoid seeing him whenever possible. He might pick up on her new fixation, and she couldn't allow that.
Harvey sat by the window drinking his hot mocha cappuccino. Being in Starbucks was a lot like being in church, except better, because of the coffee and muffins. Everybody was glad to see him, the music was good, and he could stay as long as he wanted. Louise didn't like Starbucks all that much because they didn't sell doughnuts. She came with him on Saturdays, though, mostly to complain about the lack of doughnuts.
So guess what? No Louise today. That was a plus, because the best thing about this particular Starbucks was its location right across from Dr. Tredway's office. From this spot he could see when Amanda came out and then he could grab the chance to deliver another valentine.
Today he'd bought her a frosted heart cookie Starbucks was selling for Valentine's Day, and he'd put that in her desk, too, along with the card. He'd been thinking more about how he could tranquilize Amanda in case she put up a struggle when he went to get her on Valentine's night, and putting something in a cookie would be one way. But he couldn't be sure she'd eat the cookie.
My Nerdy Valentine Page 10