“Stop it. He didn’t come here for me. He’s probably just taking a run and stopped to rest for a bit. He doesn’t know where I work.”
“It wouldn’t be hard to figure it out,” Ceci said. “All he’d have to do is put an Internet search out for your name and SmoothOperators would come up. There was that article in the Trib six months ago. And you were on that news show in January.”
“Oh, God. Maybe he’s seen the Web site. Maybe he read his profile. What am I going to do? Does he look angry?”
“Go talk to him,” Ceci said. “He’s sitting there waiting for you. How sweet is that? Maybe he brought you a donut. Oh, that would be so romantic.”
“Why are you so determined to put us together? You’re going to be the one picking up the pieces when he dumps me. And you know he will. And that’s when I’m going to say, I told you so.”
“Oh, boo freaking hoo. I feel so sorry for you. You have a gorgeous man who wants to take you out on a date and you’re grumbling about how miserable he’s going to make you. Well, don’t fall in love with him then. Go out, have a nice time and see what happens. And quit being such a beeyotch or no one is going to want to date you.” She paused. “Ever again.”
“You’re the beeyotch,” Angela whispered. “And I’ll hate you forever if this blows up in my face.”
“I may be a bitch, but I’m your best friend,” Ceci replied in a low voice. “And I love you. Now go talk to him or I will.”
When Angela refused to move, Ceci stepped back out on the sidewalk and started toward the office. As she approached, Max stood up. Angela watched as they chatted for a bit, then Ceci turned back and waved at Angela. Left with no choice, Angela walked up to the pair, a smile pasted on her face.
“There she is,” Ceci said, with a cheery expression. “What was wrong? Did you have a pebble in your shoe?”
“It came untied,” Angela said. “My shoe.” She looked up at Max. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
“He came to see you,” Ceci said. “You gave him the wrong phone number last night. I always have trouble remembering my own cell phone number. I mean, you never call yourself, right? Why would you remember it.” She gave Max a cute little wave, then reached for the door. “I’ll see you in a bit, Angie. Don’t hurry.”
“What are you doing here?” Angela asked.
“I thought I’d bring you some breakfast. But I’ve been sitting here so long, I ate the cheese Danish and drank the latte I bought you. Do you want to walk down to Starbucks with me?”
Angela knew she could use work as an excuse to beg off. This had disaster written all over it. Even if he didn’t know about the Web site, chances were he’d find out sooner or later. And she already knew the effect he had on her. When she was with Max, she forgot all the reasons she was supposed to mistrust him. Still, she couldn’t help but be a little curious as to what he was planning to say. “Sure,” she said.
“They won’t miss you at work?”
“I’m the boss. No one will miss me,” she assured him.
“Good.”
They strolled down the sidewalk in the direction of the coffee shop. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said.
“Which one?”
“Why are you here?”
“You gave me a bogus number last night. I was wondering if you’d done it on purpose or by accident. By the way, I already know you gave me the number of your favorite Thai restaurant, so don’t bother lying. That’s how I found you. I sent some chicken soup to this address last night at 1:00 a.m. I thought this was where you lived.”
“Chicken soup?”
“It’s a long story. So why did you give me a bad number?”
Angela knew she ought to make up some excuse, but for some reason, she wanted him to know what kind of effect his behavior had on women. “I didn’t want to be disappointed when you didn’t call,” she finally said.
“But I asked you to dinner. We had a date.”
“In the heat of passion, you asked me to dinner. Things look different the morning after.”
“God, you must really think I’m a jerk,” he said. “And you don’t even know me.”
His words brought her up short. True. She didn’t know him. She was lumping him in with all the other misogynists she catalogued on her Web site and wrote about in her book. And she was accepting the opinions of women she didn’t know. Maybe she ought to put more trust in her own observations.
“Man, you must have dated some real scumbags to be so cynical,” he said.
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…I don’t understand why you’re interested in me. I know about you, Max Morgan. I’m not your type.”
“Maybe I’m looking for a new type,” he said. “And maybe you’re exactly what I’m looking for.”
Angela smiled and shook her head. “You are smooth, I’ll give you that. I’m not sure whether to believe you or to run away as fast and as far as I can.”
“Give me a chance,” Max pleaded. “Just one date. And after that, maybe another five or twenty. And if you don’t like the way things are going, you can dump me. I promise I won’t kick up a fuss.”
“I’ll get to dump you?”
“Yes.”
She thought about the offer for a long moment. Every fiber in her being told her to refuse. She knew the danger of spending time with Max. But curiosity overwhelmed common sense. “Okay, it’s a deal,” Angela said, holding out her hand. “I’ll give you three dates to convince me of your honorable intentions. If you don’t make the grade, I’m going to cut you loose.”
“Five dates,” he said.
“Four,” she countered.
“Does last night count?”
Angela thought about it then shook her head. “No.”
“What about this morning?”
“Yes,” she said.
“All right. I guess that’s fair.” He grabbed her hand as they continued to walk down the sidewalk. “So, how am I doing so far?” Max asked. “Are we having fun?”
“You’d be doing better if you hadn’t eaten my Danish,” she said. “And drank my coffee. But I’ll forgive you for that.”
He grinned, then wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “I’m glad we got this all straightened out. I was beginning to think you didn’t like me.”
How could she not fall hopelessly in love with this man? He was sweet and charming and funny. And he knew exactly what to say to make her feel like she was the only woman who could make him happy.
She couldn’t fall in love with him. At least not completely. But a little bit wouldn’t hurt, would it?
THEIR FIRST DATE WAS going well, Max mused as they sat at an outdoor table sipping coffee and sharing a cinnamon roll. He hadn’t had such a simple date since…well, ever. When he dated, it usually came along with cameras and curious onlookers. Today, he felt like a regular guy, enjoying the company of a beautiful woman on a breezy summer morning.
“Tell me about your work,” Max said, taking another bite of the cinnamon roll. “You said it had to do with Web design.”
“I’d rather not talk about work, if that’s okay,” Angela said.
“You said you’re the boss.”
“It’s only the two of us,” she said. “Me and Ceci. And occasionally we have a part-time programmer working for us.”
“Some of the guys on the team have their own Web sites,” he said. “I never thought much of doing it myself, though. It just seems like a lot of work.”
“I suppose it depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want your name to become a brand of sorts, then a Web site is a good idea.”
“I don’t think we have a Web site for the bar. Maybe you could help us out with something like that?”
Angela shook her head. “We really have all the work we can handle right now. But I can put you in touch with someone if you’re really interested.”
She glanced at her watch and frowned. They’d bee
n sitting at the coffee shop for nearly two hours. Max had hoped she wasn’t noticing the time. “It’s almost lunch time,” she said. “I should really get to work.”
“You’re the boss, right?” he asked. “Skip work for the day. Let’s go to the ballpark. The Sox are playing. I can probably get us seats in one of the luxury boxes.” He wasn’t sure if she even liked baseball, but the word luxury usually appealed to women.
Angela wagged her finger at him. “I know what you’re doing. You think that if you run this date into the next and then into dinner it will only count as one date,” she teased.
He sat back in his hair, thoroughly amused. Man, she just didn’t let him get away with anything, did she? Most guys might call her a ball-buster, but he liked that about Angela. She kept it real. “I never thought of that. Thanks for the idea.” He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. “Call Ceci and tell her you won’t be coming in. In fact, call her and ask her to join us.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and tell her to invite someone else along. Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Will,” Angie said. “He’s the one who told us about your bar. He hangs out there on Monday nights with a bunch of his friends. You’ve met him. He took a picture with you.”
“Invite him. I’ll get four tickets and we’ll make a day of it.”
He waited while she called Ceci and when she handed him the phone back, she had a bemused smile on her face. “So this is how famous people do things,” she said. “You just make a few phone calls and it’s done.”
“Usually,” he said. “Being a celebrity is good for some things. But most of the time, it’s a huge pain in the ass.”
“What else could you do?” she asked. “Could you get us a table tonight at Charlie Trotter’s?”
“You want to eat at Charlie Trotter’s?”
“No. I’m just wondering if you could get a table there.”
“Probably,” he said.
“Could you get us a table at any restaurant in Chicago?”
“Probably,” he said. Max knew it sounded conceited, but she wanted the truth. And maybe it was better she understood from the start what it was like to be with him. “The thing is, it can get complicated if people know where I’m going to be ahead of time. Then there are cameras and questions. Like, if we were to go sit in regular seats at the game, we’d both be in the news tomorrow. I hate that they’re always in my business.”
“Are you really that good a baseball player?”
“This has nothing to do with my skills on the playing field,” he said. “It has everything to do with my skills playing the field.”
She smiled at the joke. “It’s about the women.”
“Yeah, it’s all about the women. Unfortunately, I realized that too late and now that’s all anybody’s interested in. A few months back, they wrote that I was addicted to painkillers and I was rushed to the hospital after overdosing. My nephew heard about it at school and flipped. He couldn’t stop crying. They’re such leeches. I hate it.”
“Why would they be interested in me?” she asked. “I’m not famous.”
“They’re interested in anyone I’m interested in. I can’t believe there was a time when I thought I wanted that kind of notoriety. I thought it would be cool to date famous women-models and actresses. Have my face in the magazines. And for a while it was pretty much fun. Unfortunately, a nice guy isn’t all that interesting to the press. And if they can’t find any dirt, they invent it.”
“Then stop dating actresses and models,” she said.
“They’re going to be just as interested in you. I’m giving you fair warning. It hasn’t been that bad here in Chicago. The press has kept a respectable distance. And since I told them I was thinking about retiring, I’m not such a hot story.”
“Are you retiring?”
“I haven’t decided,” he said. “Depends upon the rehab.” He paused. “Hopefully, they won’t bother us. But if they do, expect that there will be some pretty silly stories.”
“Like what?”
“That we’re engaged, fighting, expecting a baby, hooked on drugs, dependant on booze, having plastic surgery, planning our wedding, moving to Europe, buying a mansion in Beverly Hills, looking at a condo in Manhattan, getting a dog. I don’t know. It could be anything.”
Angela giggled. “Wow. All that after just one date.”
“It’s not so funny when you’re in the middle of it,” Max warned.
“But we’ll know what’s true,” she said. “It shouldn’t make any difference what they say.”
She was wonderfully naive about it all. And maybe she wouldn’t have to endure the scrutiny of the media. He could only hope they’d be able to get to know each other without having to deal with it.
“So, if I wanted to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the deck of a yacht on Lake Michigan, you could arrange that?”
“Is that what you’d like to do?” he asked.
“I’ve heard it’s really cool to watch them from out on the lake.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Max replied.
“I was just kidding,” she said.
The fourth of July was a month away. If they were still together after a month, then it would be one of the longest relationships he’d ever had with a woman. And if Angela wanted to see fireworks from a yacht, he’d make it happen. “But today, we’re going to the game.” Max stood and held out his hand to her. “Now, I have to run home and change. But I’ll come back in about an hour to get you and your friends.”
“Where is your car?”
“At home. I ran here. I needed the exercise. Can you make it back to the office on your own?”
“No, I might get lost,” Angela said, shaking her head. “I walk here all the time by myself.”
“Oh, sarcasm,” he said. “I like you even more now. I have a great appreciation for sarcasm.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while.” With that, he pulled his sunglasses off the brim of his cap and slid them on. “Look both ways before crossing the street. And don’t talk to strangers.” He jogged backward down the sidewalk, waving to her as he went. “And prepare yourself for a great afternoon.” Then he turned and headed toward home.
As he ran, he felt a wonderful energy pulsing through him. For the first time in a very long time, he was…happy. Over the past three or four years, he hadn’t found much pure joy in his life. Everything he achieved seemed to come with strings attached. But this feeling he had when he was around Angela was simple to understand.
There were so many different things they could do together. The fact that she ran her own business was a big plus. They both had the freedom to come and go as they pleased. They could take off for a weekend in New York or fly down to Florida for a few days. He could steal her away to San Francisco for a romantic getaway.
As he jogged at a stoplight, waiting for the traffic to pass, Max realized he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to take this slowly. “Woo her,” he said. “Court her.”
But how easy would that be? The more time he spent with Angela, the more he wanted to learn everything about her-including what made her pulse beat fast and her body ache with desire. He had no doubt he could pleasure her in bed. In truth, he was much better at that than he was at dating.
“Hey, Max Morgan! Rock on!”
Max glanced up to see a truck driving by with a kid hanging out of the passenger window. He waved and smiled. “Rock on!” he called.
The driver beeped his horn and before long, there were other drivers staring at him and waving. As soon as the light turned, Max jogged across the intersection. Though Max wanted to be a different person here in Chicago, there were always reminders that he had a different life in Florida, and a career that paid very well.
This would be a stolen summer, a time when he could experience life the way it was meant to be lived. His time wouldn’t be wasted. He’d figure out the man he planned to be once baseball wa
s over. And Angela was going to be a part of his summer. He could learn a lot from her. And maybe, if things went well, they’d have more than just this summer.
4
“WILL IS IN HEAVEN,” Ceci said.
They sat together in the back row of seats in the luxury box. Will and Max were sitting outside, their arms braced on the railing as Max pointed to the scoreboard.
“Look at him,” Ceci continued. “He’s like a little kid.” She tipped her head and fanned her face with her program. “I think I’m having a moment.”
“Really?”
“How can I not love that man? He’s got a pennant in one hand, a foam finger on the other and a big old mustard stain on his shirt. Who else is going to love him?”
Angela giggled. “Will is a pretty nice guy. In all the time you two have been going together, he’s never done anything to make me doubt his feelings for you. There’s something to be said for that.”
“Max is a nice guy, too,” Ceci said. “I didn’t expect that. I mean, after reading his profile, I thought he’d be full of himself. But he’s really sweet. And it was so nice of him to invite us here. Will is going to be talking about this for months.”
“You told Will to keep quiet about our business, right?”
Ceci nodded. “Yes. And he understands completely. Besides, he’s not about to do anything to mess up his chances for future fun with Max Morgan.”
“Good,” Angela said. “I was thinking that…well, maybe we should take Max’s profile off the site. Just until…you know, we’re over.”
“Really? We’ve never done that, Angie. Don’t you think we have a responsibility to be completely objective?”
“Of course,” she said. “But I know how he’d feel about this. He wouldn’t be happy. He’d feel like it was a betrayal.”
“Well then, he shouldn’t have treated those women so badly,” Ceci said.
“Maybe he didn’t,” Angela said. “It’s their word against his. And you said it yourself, he’s a nice guy.”
“To you. That doesn’t mean he was nice to those other women.” Ceci sighed. “Secrets aren’t a good thing, Angie. They have a tendency to blow up in your face. Maybe you should just tell him. If he really likes you, it shouldn’t make a difference.”
The Sexy Devil Page 6