The Fan

by Velvet Vaughn

  Logan smiled, his gaze finding his daughter frolicking in the pool with Lauren and several of the other children of COBRA Securities. She looked over and waved. His heart clenched and he waved back.

  “So who thinks you and Ted Bundy are fraternity bros? No, wait, let me guess. A chick, right?”

  “You better not let Kaitlyn hear you talk like that.”

  Luke cringed, his head darting around to locate his very outspoken baby sister. She was stomping away from a laughing Dan, a look of retribution on her face. “Thank goodness your brother has her otherwise occupied.” They both chuckled, feeling sorry for the currently chortling Dan. “Kaitlyn’s paybacks are always hell.”

  “Yeah,” Logan agreed merrily. “My brother has the intelligence of Wile E. Coyote. No matter how many times he tries to get the better of her, he always ends up getting plowed.”

  They watched in fascination as Kaitlyn sashayed her way back to Dan, her long black ponytail swaying against her back. She stopped a few feet away and reached for the hem of her blue T-shirt. In a purely seductive move, she slowly peeled her shirt off to reveal a red and white Hawaiian flower-patterned bikini top. Dan’s eyes widened comically and his gaze locked on her chest. She slinked over to him and walked her fingers up his chest. His Adam’s Apple bobbed visibly.

  “Here it comes,” Logan predicted.

  Kaitlyn grabbed the waistband of Dan’s orange board shorts, reached behind her back and whipped out a water bottle full of lemonade. She dumped the entire contents while a horrified Dan froze. Kaitlyn had the audacity to pat the front of his shorts once, twice and then back up and shriek, “Good grief Dan,” loud enough for everyone to hear. “I can’t believe you couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time.” She turned to one of the amused onlookers shaking her head and mimed too much to drink with her hand and then pointed to the yellow liquid dripping down Dan’s leg.

  “Nice,” Logan praised, exchanging a hand slap, knuckle bump maneuver with Luke.

  Luke beamed with pride. “Taught her everything she knows.”

  Kaitlyn basked in the laughter like a queen with her loyal subjects.

  “Uh oh,” Logan whispered.

  Kaitlyn had a split second warning. Her head whipped around to see the gleam in Dan’s eyes and she yelped. She backed up quickly, trying to pacify Dan with apologies and sugar-sweet smiles.

  It didn’t work.

  He shot forward and scooped her up in a fireman’s hold before she could run.

  Kaitlyn pounded on Dan’s back, protesting with outrage. Dan smacked her fanny and Kaitlyn halted. He kept his hand there and rubbed the sting.

  It was Logan’s turn to grin with pride. “Taught him everything he knows.”

  Redoubling her efforts, Kaitlyn struggled in his arms. Dan kept walking with purpose, unfazed by her protests. You could almost see a light snap on in her head. She stopped struggling, waved to Luke and Logan with a wicked gleam. Then she grasped the waistband of Dan’s shorts on both of his hips and jerked upward with all her strength.

  And Kaitlyn was pretty darn strong.

  A collective “Oohh,” rippled through the crowd and more than one guy covered his groin in sympathy. Dan’s eyes rolled back in his head, his knees buckled and his steps faltered. He gritted his teeth, but he didn’t lose his grip.

  Kaitlyn propped her hands on his back and lifted her head to the onlookers. “And that my friends, is called an atomic wedgie.” She smiled and waved to her constituency, not realizing Dan’s destination until it was too late.

  “Don’t you dare throw me in, Daniel John Bradley! These are brand new Jimmy Choo sandals!”

  Dan reached down, slid one shoe off and tossed it over his shoulder. Kaitlyn made a swipe at it, missed, and watched with horror as it plopped to the ground with a thud. She “humpf-ed.” The second shoe followed and she missed again. “Put me down this minute, Dan.” She grabbed his waistband again. “Or I’ll give you a wedgie that'll make the atomic one seem like a caress.”

  “Try it sweet pea,” his free hand grabbed the back of her shorts, “and you'll be flashing this pretty little heart-shaped ass to all of your friends.”

  Kaitlyn curled her lip in frustration. “You're pure evil Dan Bradley.” She settled for a loud snap of the waistband and before she could so much as sputter, Dan leaned forward and tossed her into the pool. In typical Wile E. Coyote fashion, his reflexes weren’t quick enough. Kaitlyn made a desperate grab and snagged his wrist. Dan went headfirst into the water after her.

  “I wish those two would wise up and get together already.” Luke shook his head, his lips curved in a smile.

  “Yeah,” Logan concurred. “He needs to stop serial dating. Every woman he goes out with looks like her.”

  “And she throws herself into her work to avoid dating.” He focused on Logan. “Speaking of serial, what was the killer question about?”

  Logan shifted in his chair. “Oh…it’s just the woman who rented the house next door for the summer.”

  “Really?” Luke sat up straight and craned his neck. “I didn’t know anyone rented it. A looker?”

  God, yes. Logan shrugged a shoulder. “Eh.”

  Luke pushed to his feet. “Maybe I’ll go introduce myself.” Logan completely missed the teasing note in his voice.

  “Sit down you bastard, she isn’t home.” He squirmed. “Besides, I think she’s a lesbian,” he grumbled.

  A wide, knowing grin split Luke’s face. “Turned you down, did she?”

  “Twice.”

  Luke threw back his head and roared with laughter.

  #

  Jade pushed the porch swing back and forth with her foot, a glass of Merlot in hand as she surveyed the festivities next door from the shadows.

  Dozens of people of all ages wandered around Logan’s yard, some swimming, others playing volleyball or talking with friends or sampling food from the amazing spread spanning two tables. Colorful bowls filled with goodies, bags of chips and an assortment of beverages waited for hungry partygoers. The heavenly scent of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs tempted her resolve and was almost enough for her to crawl over on her hands and knees and beg for scraps. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate a burger, let alone a grilled one.

  She also couldn’t remember the last time she attended a party and actually had fun. Maybe back in college. It had been that long.

  The glamorous Hollywood life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Sure, she was invited to hundreds of parties, but never for pure enjoyment. They were for networking or appearances, never for the opportunity to just relax and hang with friends. Many times the buffet of drugs available outnumbered the selection of food.

  Most parties she wouldn’t have been caught dead at in the first place but either her agent or Kyle insisted. Whenever the illegal stuff came out, she left, always alone. She knew Kyle dabbled in all kinds of drugs but when she confronted him, he denied it.

  It was another bone of contention in an otherwise lousy marriage.

  Shouts of triumph rang through the air. She watched the players on one side of the volleyball net high-five each other. Not surprisingly, Logan’s team won. When the woman with the long black ponytail jumped into his arms and he spun her around, Jade averted her gaze.

  What would it be like to go to a party just to hang out with friends? Play games? Eat hot dogs and chips and potato salad and drink beer? To know that people wanted you there for you, not what you did for a living or who you knew or what you could do for them. To play volleyball or croquet or badminton and share in a victory with teammates or boo the opposing team good-naturedly when you lost.

  To grab Logan Bradley and hang on.

  She longed to fit in, to be part of a group of people that looked past the gloss of Hollywood and saw the individual underneath the gaudy make-up.

  Logan’s friends looked like those kinds of people, the ones who would judge her for who she was inside, not the glamorous star on the outside.

  For the
one hundredth time tonight, she regretted declining his invitation.

  Chapter Ten

  Jade jammed the plug in the socket and switched on the fan. Everything became dark and silent. The music from her CD player abruptly stopped. The muted television screen blackened and every lamp snapped off.

  It was early evening of a cloudy day. The light filtering from outside cast a dark gray shadow to the eerily quiet room. She had no idea what to do. Was power out all over the neighborhood? She peeked through the window to Logan’s house and saw yellow lights blazing from several windows. Okay, it was just her house.

  Jade froze, her eyes roaming the darkened interior. Had the power been cut? Was someone downstairs waiting for her to come down? She'd been in a campy B-movie where this exact thing happened. She'd been the ditzy co-ed that stumbled downstairs to her early demise.

  Well, she wouldn’t be this time. Searching the room for a weapon, she settled on a pair of shears. Carefully, she stepped into the hall. Nothing. Ignoring her mom’s warnings of running with scissors, she took off like the hounds of hell were nipping on her heels. Bolting down the stairs, she shot out the door and across the yard to the Bradley’s house in three seconds flat. If there was anyone in the house, that should have startled the heck out of them.

  Her lungs burning, breath bellowing in and out, she depressed the bell. She searched behind her, making sure nothing followed her outside.

  The door swung open and Jade realized her mistake. Logan’s eyes raked her face and then traveled down her body, his eyebrows lifting when he reached her chest. Belatedly, she looked down and realized she still had her workout clothes on: spandex bike shorts and a white sports bra that criss-crossed in the back. Her nipples were pebbled from excitement. He definitely noticed.

  Clearing his throat, he forced his gaze back to her face. “Ms. LaRossa? Is there something I can help you with?” His eyes dropped to her chest briefly before snapping back to her face. Her hair was secured into a pony tail on the top of her head and not one stitch of make-up covered her face.

  “Who is it, Daddy?” A little hand appeared on Logan’s leg and a cherub face poked around to peer out the door. “Jade!” Isabella squealed. “Did you come over to play?”

  Jade bent down and brushed a curl off the girl’s face. “I wish I did, but I need to ask your dad for a bit of help.”

  “My daddy’s the best at helping,” Isabella confirmed with all the seriousness of a three-year-old.

  “Bella, why don’t you take Fiji and go play in your bedroom for a minute while I talk to Ms. LaRossa?”

  “Kay, Daddy. Come-on Feejee.” The dog bounded after Bella, dancing at her heels. “Bye, Jade.”

  “Bye, Isabella.” Jade watched the girl jog away, a smile on her face. She met Logan’s stare and her smile faded. “What?”

  One eyebrow raised. “I was just going to ask you the same question.”

  Good grief, she almost forgot. Whenever she was around this man and his daughter, everything seemed right in the world. She couldn’t even remember her own name. Either of them.

  “All the power went out at my house and I’m not sure why.” Although she didn’t want to send him into a trap, she didn’t want to voice her suspicions of foul play…yet.

  Logan’s brows bunched and he stepped out onto the porch. She followed and shrieked when he spun suddenly and crashed into her. His arms shot out to steady her.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know you were so close.”

  She would've responded, but her mouth wouldn’t work. His callous-roughened hands were warm and comforting on her bare arms.

  “The lights are on downstairs.”

  “Hum?” Jade had no idea what he said. He was now running his hands up and down her arms.

  “I said, the lights are on downstairs.”

  Even though he repeated the words, it still took a few seconds before they penetrated her lust-fogged brain. Her spine snapped straight. “What did you say?”

  He was giving her that look again, the one where he thought she was nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake.

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  Right. Stick to the facts.

  “Well, I was working out and even with the air conditioner, I was getting hot so I plugged in a fan and then bingo, everything went dark.”

  “It sounds like you threw a fuse.”

  “Threw a what?”

  “Fuse. You know, the electrical safety device consisting of or including a wire or strip of fusible metal that melts and interrupts the circuit when the current exceeds a particular amperage.”

  Huh? Come again? Jade didn’t have one clue what a fuse was. “Wow. That sounds serious. I guess I need to call a fuse electrician or something…what?”

  Logan made a strangled sound and then burst out laughing. “Fuse electrician, that’s a good one.”

  What the heck was so funny? He’s the one who used the words electrical and circuit and amperage. Didn’t electricians usually take care of those things? She crossed her arms and stared.

  Logan looked at her straight face and stopped. Although he was trying not to laugh, his lips were quivering. “You were kidding, right?”

  She shook her head.

  “Oh, honey, please tell me you know what a fuse box is and where it's located.”

  Fuse box? Sure. Her head moved from side to side.

  Logan wiped a hand down his face, as if trying to erase his smile. It didn’t work. His deeply etched dimple made an appearance. “Bella,” he called. When the little girl came running, he scooped her up and said, “We're going to go to Ms. LaRossa’s house for a few minutes.”

  “Feejee, Feejee,” the little girl sang. Logan tilted her over the ground and she picked the poodle up in her arms.

  “I’m a certified ‘fuse electrician’, Ms. LaRossa,” he informed her, still trying not to grin. “I’ll take care of the problem for you.”

  Jade didn’t know Logan was an electrician. How lucky for her that he lived right next door! She felt guilty for not asking about his occupation sooner but then he might ask what she did for a living and no sense opening that can of worms. The fewer people who knew where she was staying for the summer the better.

  Quelling the urge to skip, she led her hunky neighbor to her rented house.

  Logan didn’t know whether to believe the sexy Ms. LaRossa or not. How many people in the world didn’t know what a fuse was? Either she lived one sheltered life or she was a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

  He almost had a stroke when he opened the door to see her standing on the porch all sweaty and half-naked. Instant thoughts of another scenario where she was sweaty and all naked flashed in his mind. It was all he could do to force his eyes to her face. He failed a couple of times, having to ogle her world class chest, but hey, he was a guy. It was instinctual as breathing.

  He bit back a groan, watching her sexy backside sway in shorts that might as well have been painted on. Good thing his hands were full with Bella or he might not have been able to resist reaching out and shaping his palms to the slightly rounded globes.

  “Lucky for me I live right next door to an electrician,” Jade tossed over her shoulder. “I have no idea how much it costs to fix a thrown fuse, but I'll definitely pay you for your time.”

  The sexy Ms. LaRossa was a darn good actress. She almost had him believing she really didn’t know what a fuse was. He decided to play along.

  “No telling how long this will take. Tripped fuses can be a tricky business.”

  “If it takes too long, I can order some food in so you don’t miss dinner.”

  Logan’s steps faltered. Dear Lord, now he didn’t think she was kidding. She was kidding…wasn’t she? “You are kidding, right?”

  She twisted around. “Of course not. It’s the least I can do for you coming to my rescue.” She flashed him a dazzling smile and he thought, damn, she really does know how to throw fuses. His not only melted, but had caught fire and was slowly burning him
from the inside.

  Jade opened the front door and ushered them inside. “I don’t know much about tools but if you can tell me what you need, I’ll do my best to find them in the garage."

  Logan held up his index finger. “This is the only tool I will need.” He deposited Bella on the floor. “Stay here, be good and don’t touch anything.”

  “Kay, Daddy,” she said, her attention riveted on her puppy.

  “So you really don’t know what a fuse box is?” He thought he would ask one more time, just in case she was yanking his chain.

  “Sorry, I don’t. But if you describe it to me, I might've come across it. Is it jewelry box size or bread box size or bigger? It might be in the garage.”

  Oh honey, he thought, you are too naïve for your own good. How did she survive this long without a keeper? Pushing those thoughts aside, he debated about the most logical place for a fuse box. His was located in the kitchen pantry.

  “Does the kitchen have a pantry—you know, a room or closet used for food storage?”

  She flashed him an exasperated frown. “I know what a pantry is, Mr. Smart-alec. And yes, there's one. This way.”

  His mouth twisted into a rare smile, something this woman seemed to pull from him often, whether she meant to or not. She opened a set of louvered doors and flipped on a light. He brushed past her, trying hard not to initiate any body contact.

  He located the fuse box right off and started forward. He almost groaned out loud when the scent of wildflowers wafted to his nose. What would it hurt to just bend down and smell her glorious hair? One little, teeny-tiny sniff.

  “Daddy, can I push the button?”

  Ah, Bella. Coming to his rescue.

  “Sure, baby.” He'd blown a fuse just a few weeks ago and she helped him fix it. He picked her up and opened the gray door.

  “I see it, I see it.” Bella pulled the switch, just like he taught her. Music blasted from upstairs and he turned to face Jade.

  She glared at him, her hands fisted on her thin hips. “Are you telling me a three-year-old just fixed my fuse?”