Lyndsay hadn’t been in her office five minutes on Monday morning when Jodi tracked her down with a huge grin on her face. “So,” she said with a twinkle in her eye and a lilt in her voice. “How did it go on Friday with Mr. Hottie Pants?”
Lyndsay looked at her friend, rolled her eyes, and replied, “Easy, missy. It went just fine. He has a beautiful home and I already started working on his initial plans this weekend.”
Keeping up the playful banter, Jodi said suggestively, “The way I saw him looking at you the last time, I could see that he would like nothing better than you to work on his…plans!”
Giving Jodi a surprised look, Lyndsay asked, “What do you mean, the way he was looking at me? You’re a crazy, hopeless, horny romantic.”
Shaking her head back and forth, Jodi said, “Seriously, girlfriend. I’m not kidding. I saw his face when I first introduced you guys, then I looked at him a couple of times when I walked by your office while you both were talking and I definitely saw a lustful expression on his face as he left the store. I think Mr. Hottie Pants has the hots for you!”
Scowling at Jodi, Lyndsay said in a stern tone, “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a potential client who’s grateful for the help. Besides, even if I was interested in him, which I’m not,” she said, lying through her teeth, “He’s way out of my league. He’s a successful prosecuting attorney and I’m just an interior designer. I’m sure he’s used to, and prefers, higher powered women than me.”
Shaking her head in feigned disgust, Jodi replied, “Oh my poor, completely naïve, out of touch friend. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You are a smoking looking woman. I’ll bet you anything Mr. Hottie Pants got a hard on when you were at his house!” Although the idea of what Jodi was saying was titillating, she wouldn’t let herself entertain the idea of it possibly being true. And she wasn’t going to admit to Jodi that indeed she did have the hots for Nick.
Feigning annoyance, Lyndsay said, “Don’t you have some work to do?” As Jodi retreated from her office laughing, Lyndsay couldn’t help but secretly hope she was right.
***
“Stettler, Stettler, and Olson,” the receptionist answered. “How can I help you?” Clearing her throat, Lyndsay introduced herself and explained that she needed to make an appointment with Nick Olson. “Oh yes, Miss Welch. Mr. Olson said you would be calling. He’s very excited about seeing your designs and has asked me to make your appointment a priority.” Feeling uplifted at the news, Lyndsay arranged a time with Gracey for the next day at noon. “Mr. Olson requested that you join him for lunch at Maximillian’s for the presentation as our guest. Would that work with your schedule?” Lyndsay was beside herself. Not only was she going to have lunch with him, but she had been dying to try Maximillian’s but couldn’t afford the pricey menu. Trying to sound casual like this sort of thing happened every day, Lyndsay agreed to the meeting for the next day. Hanging up the phone, she pumped her fists in the air in excitement and couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Her next biggest worry was…would he like her designs?
Lyndsay knew exactly where Maximillian’s was on South Street in downtown Providence and she had no problem parking. Lugging her bag with her laptop, sketch pad, and a folder full of sample pictures, she entered the restaurant feeling nervous about seeing him again, worried about whether he’d like her ideas, and uncertain about eating at such a high caliber restaurant. Although her father had taken her and Carl out to dinner many times growing up, it was usually to family restaurants. Lyndsay had never been to such an exclusive restaurant before and her nerves were a bit on edge.
As she approached the hostess stand and said she was meeting someone, the hostess glanced at her computer and asked, “Are you meeting with Mr. Olson?” Nodding her head in the affirmative, the hostess explained, “Mr. Olson is already here. Please follow me.” Following the woman across the dining room, Lyndsay saw Nick immediately sitting in a booth. The restaurant smelled heavenly and she loved the white table clothes and the deep, rich wood tone of the chairs and walls. As she approached the table, she could see Nick stand up and smile.
Trying to project as confident an air as possible, Lyndsay extended her hand once again in a business like greeting and said, “Thank you for inviting me to lunch. I’ve always wanted to come here.”
Remaining standing while Lyndsay slid into her side of the booth with her oversized bag, Nick replied, “I’m glad you could join me. It’s nice to get out of the office for a while, don’t you think? It makes things a little less formal.” Not knowing what to say, Lyndsay simply nodded her head and smiled.
For the first half hour, they perused the menu and Nick gently asked personal questions about her. She was secretly thrilled that he cared enough to ask but reminded herself that he was just being polite and to not read too much into it. When lunch arrived, they continued to keep things on a personal level and Lyndsay began to explore a little bit about his family and background. She noticed he rarely took his eyes off her and the intensity of his gaze made her feel like he was looking right into her soul. Once the dishes were cleared, it was time for the presentation. As Lyndsay pulled out her laptop and booted it up, she realized that there was no way she could make the presentation with both of them being on opposite sides of the table. She was going to have either move over to his side of the booth or he was going to have to squeeze in next to her. For the love of Liza, Lyndsay thought desperately. This is going to be awkward. Clearing her throat, she explained,” I’m not going to be able to walk you through my ideas on the laptop from this angle. Perhaps I should come over to your side of the table?”
Realizing that what she was saying was indeed a problem, Nick held up his hand and said, “Stay where you are. I’ll come around to your side.” Within seconds Nick was shoulder to shoulder with her in the booth and she could instantly smell the light scent of his aftershave. Up until now, they had never been this close to one another and Lyndsay just hoped to god she could manipulate the laptop keys without fumbling. Sitting side by side with eyes glued on the computer screen, Lyndsay walked Nick through her initial sketches and layout designs. As the minutes ticked by, Nick remained silent, and the more silent he was, the more nervous she got. Fearing that he hated what she was showing him, Lyndsay grew increasingly uncomfortable. The fact that he was sitting so close made it even worse. Every so often his shoulder or leg would rub up against her and she could feel an increased wave of desire overtake her. She could also feel her body heating up due to his close proximity.
Coming to a close on the presentation, Lyndsay was so nervous that she actually felt jittery. Why in the world did she ever think this powerful, successful man would like anything she had to design? He could certainly afford far more experienced designers and she feared that’s exactly what he was thinking now. She had been so excited about the possible opportunity of getting this job that she had told just about everyone at the store, including her boss, about the meeting. To come back not having landed it was going to be a terrible embarrassment. Lyndsay knew everyone would be polite and supportive about it, but she also knew they would be let down as well. To have Nick Olson, one the city’s rising and well known attorneys as a client would definitely be a coup for them. Why hadn’t she just kept her big mouth shut?
Hearing Nick clear his throat, Lyndsay braced herself for the worst and was already thinking about how she was going to graciously thank him for his time and wish him luck with another designer. Extending his arm to point to her last sketch on the laptop screen, Nick asked, “Do you think we could add another chair over in this corner?”
Lyndsay was momentarily dumbfounded. Now she didn’t know what to think. Was he just playing with her? Or was he really serious about the question? Too nervous to look him in the eye, Lyndsay kept her eyes on the screen and replied as nonchalantly as she could, “Yes. That would be no problem. You also have the option of putting a small decorative chest there as well, depending upon whether you want more seating or storage.�
�� As Nick pulled his arm back to his side, his arm briefly brushed up against her breast and her heart stopped. Was that just an accident? she wondered. Lyndsay hadn’t had a man touch her in so long that just this slight touch instantly caused a fluttering between her thighs. Trying to pretend like nothing happened and positive that it was not intended, Lyndsay gave him an opportunity to not have to let her down in person and said, “I brought you a copy of these sketches to look over later. You don’t have to let me know today. And of course you’re welcome to call me with any questions.”
Just as she reached her hand up to close the screen of the laptop, Nick reached up and covered her hand with his, blocking her from closing it. Not understanding why he was stopping her from leaving, she had no choice but to turn her head and look at him. Seeing his beautiful green eyes, sexy stubble, and feeling heat radiating throughout her body from sitting so close to him, Lyndsay became speechless and just stared into his eyes.
Keeping his hand gently on hers, Nick said in a soft voice, “I love everything about these designs and you’re most certainly hired.”
It took every effort for Lyndsay not to throw her arms around his neck. She was relieved on so many levels that he had hired her that she couldn’t stop talking. “Thank you so much, Nick. I’m really looking forward to working with you. You have a beautiful house and it is my pleasure to help you turn it into your home.”
As Lyndsay continued on with the details of the contract she needed him to sign and discussed the budget, Nick didn’t hear a word she said. He was lost in her beautiful smile and her eyes that were dancing in excitement. She was perhaps the most honestly beautiful woman he had ever met and something tugged at his heart seeing how happy he had made her. He felt like a superhero in her eyes and once again, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and protect her forever. As she handed him the pen to sign the contract, Nick pulled himself together and scrawled his signature. As he sat writing the check for his down payment, it occurred to him that he had never moved back to his side of the booth after the presentation. The delicate scent of her perfume and the closeness of her body was like a magnet to his male desires. With the check and paperwork all signed, Nick had no other choice than to stand up and end their meeting. As he extended his arm to help her out of the booth, Lyndsay took his proffered hand and gave him a wide smile that melted his heart. Thanking her again as he walked her to her car, Nick knew he was in trouble by hiring her. In the upcoming weeks they would be spending a fair amount of time together and if he found out she was in love with someone else or wasn’t attracted to him, it could quite simply break his heart. Regardless, it was a chance he was just going to have to take.
Chapter Six
During their lunch together, Nick had given Lyndsay his personal contact information. Now that they were going to be working together, he wanted her to be able to contact him directly if she needed to without having to go through Gracey. As he sat behind his desk after hours on a Friday night combing through some evidence on his current case, his cell phone chirped.
Momentarily annoyed at the disruption, Nick picked up the phone anyway and was instantly pleased with the text message. It read, “Designs are all finalized. We’re ready to go furniture shopping. Are you free this weekend?”
Nick hadn’t seen Lyndsay in close to two weeks because she had to finalize the designs on the whole house and his covered front porch. He had loved her idea to put some comfy chairs on the porch to enjoy sitting outside on a warm summer night. He was becoming more and more impressed by how talented she was and he was grateful he had gone to Deacon’s Nest that Saturday afternoon and met her. So many of the women he worked with in and around his profession were hard, aggressive, loud, and combative. Although that served them well working in the legal system, he wasn’t attracted to that personality type no matter how successful the woman was. That’s probably why he was so instantly attracted to Lyndsay. She was incredibly talented and successful at her job but she did it with a soft, easy going confidence and a smile. She was a great listener and so far she had made everything with the house easier for him.
Texting her back with a smile still on his face, he said, “I’m all yours! I’ll meet you at the store tomorrow at 10 a.m.” Nick knew how excited she was to start picking out his furniture and he suddenly found himself looking forward to it, too. They were going to start picking out the pieces he liked at Deacon’s Nest. Whatever they couldn’t get there, they would find at a few other specialty shops. Once the furniture and fabric was decided, Lyndsay would then have the basic color palette to suggest appropriate carpets for the floors, paint color for the walls, and drapery fabrics. Turning off his phone for the evening, Nick headed home, looking forward to seeing Lyndsay again tomorrow.
***
If there was one thing Jodi knew, it was men. And there was no doubt in her mind that Mr. Hottie Pants was smitten with her friend. As she watched Nick and Lyndsay walking around the showroom floor picking out furniture pieces, she could tell by Nick’s behavior that he was a goner. She just couldn’t understand why Lyndsay didn’t get it! Jodi and Lyndsay had become fast friends the minute they met as co-workers at Deacon’s Nest even though they were completely different. Jodi loved to party, enjoyed male companionship, was outgoing, and a little on the wild side. Lyndsay, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was shy and reserved and it didn’t take long for Jodi to realize that her friend was completely naïve about sex and men. Because of Jodi’s sixth sense when it came to male sexuality, she had no doubt that Mr. Hottie Pants was very well versed and experienced in the sexual arena of life and her poor little Lyndsay cub was no match for this hungry lion. Jodi thought the two of them looked great together and she could easily see that they got along very well. If only Lyndsay wasn’t so shy! Hell, if it had been her who Mr. Hottie Pants had an eye for, she would have banged him on the first date! Jodi loved sex and wasn’t shy expressing it. Whenever she told Lyndsay about some kinky thing she saw or did, Lyndsay would always roll her eyes and her face would get slightly flushed. As Jodi watched the two of them talking in the bedroom area, that’s when the idea suddenly hit her smack in the face. Although Lyndsay didn’t know it now, Jodi was about to set a plan in place to give her friend an eye opening education of a lifetime.
***
Nick had never thought furniture shopping could be so much fun. He loved seeing Lyndsay in her element and it was the first time he felt her relax a bit with him. Whenever Nick poked fun at some of the names of furniture pieces or accessories, Lyndsay would laugh. He loved the sound of it. He was finding out pretty quickly that she had a funny sense of humor and a quick wit. Nick was also finding out that she was damn smart, too. Every chance he got, he would ask more about her as casually as possible because he didn’t want to scare her off or make her uncomfortable. He was also pleased when she asked questions about him and seemed genuinely interested in his thoughts and feelings. It was tough not being able to just throw her down on the bed in the bedroom section and do all kinds of dirty things with her. Ever since meeting Lyndsay, his libido was in over drive and he fantasized about her every chance he could. But as hard as it was, Nick knew he had to behave himself and not let his cock run her off. He had still not ventured into any conversation as to whether she was seeing someone because he knew he didn’t have the heart to hear it if she said she was. So far, she hadn’t mentioned any man’s name in passing conversation and he knew she worked late most nights like he did, and that on weekends she brought work home. So for now, he was just going to have to keep his pony in the barn and just fantasize about one day taking it out for a long, long ride.
***
“What’s taking you so long, girl?” Jodi yelled down the hall at Lyndsay. “I told you I would be picking you up at 8 p.m. sharp for the party and you’re still not ready!”
Drumming her fingers impatiently on the kitchen counter, Jodi let out a sigh as she heard Lyndsay yell back, “I’m coming! I got home late and
had to shower first.” As Lyndsay appeared in the kitchen buttoning her shirt, she said breathlessly, “Okay. I’m ready. Tell me again about this party we’re going to.”
Jodi was absolutely not going to tell her the truth about the kind of party they were going to because she knew Lyndsay would refuse to go if she knew the details. Answering casually, Jodi replied, “A group of people I know get together once a month and some come with their spouses and some come alone or with friends. It’s usually a lot of fun and is hosted at a different person’s house each time. Tonight my friend Carolyn is hosting it with her husband Rex. You’ll like them a lot.”
Satisfied with Jodi’s explanation, Lyndsay grabbed her purse and coat and said sarcastically, “Well, come on. What’s taking you so long?”
Letting out a disgusted snort, Jodi mumbled, “Yeah, right,” as they walked out the door and proceeded to Jodi’s car. As they buckled in, Jodi asked with a smirk on her face, “So, how’s everything going with Mr. Hottie Pants?”
Casting her friend a dirty look, Lyndsay replied, “Everything is going great. He chose some excellent pieces that are now all ordered. Next, I need to show him some paint samples for each room and hire the painting crew. So far everything is on track.”
Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Jodi said, “I don’t give a shit about the furniture. I mean,” she emphasized the word, letting it trail a bit, “has he made a pass at you? Do you like him? Have you jumped his bones yet?”
Chuckling at her friend’s bluntness, Lyndsay replied sarcastically, “Yes. We’re madly in love, we screw every day in a million different positions, and we’re getting married next week.”
Now it was Jodi’s turn to roll her eyes at her friend’s sarcasm. “Well,” Jodi scolded like she was talking to a misbehaving child. “The boy is super hot for you, so you better not blow it. He’s super handsome, he’s got a rockin’ bod, and he’s a rock star in the legal world. And he seems like a nice guy. I don’t know what you’re waiting for.”
Legally Tied Page 3