Four Men & A Lady

by Alison Kent

  Which is why he knew she'd kissed him to throw him off balance, to counter what she perceived as a threat. The move still had him reeling.

  When on the defensive, she was brilliant. She'd told him years before what direction she'd wanted to take her career. Her passion made for a persuasive argument and he'd never doubted she'd achieve her goal. He'd known, too, that her biggest obstacle was money.

  He'd solved that problem for her and in the process created a host of new ones. The biggest being the chasm that one simple check carved between them.

  Throughout their years of high school they'd had such a complicated relationship, richer than mere friends shared. It was deep and powerful and bonding. But it hadn't been love. Not then.

  Not with his father and her mother and the pressures of band and the school newspaper, the yearbook, the Stingray he'd received for his seventeenth birthday and the off-limits sign she'd never let down.

  At seventeen, he hadn't been ready to explore what brewed between him and Heidi. There'd been something... He'd seen it in her eyes. And he’d ruined it all by doing what a Tannen did and solving her problem with his money.

  He'd been slow to snap, to understand how deeply her hurt ran. And why. But he'd understood, later, that she was the snob, the one who'd had the biggest problem with where she'd come from.

  In the end, she hadn't returned either of his calls, or responded to his one invitation, making it clear that whatever had remained unspoken between them had dried up and blown away that day he'd bought and paid for her future.

  And now he had the kiss to deal with. That kiss was not a reunion kiss or an old friend's kiss. He wasn't even sure it was a lover's kiss. He and Katherine had shared a nice passion. The same as he'd shared with women before and after.

  But Heidi's kiss went beyond nice. And beyond passion. He wanted to know what that meant, what she wanted. Why she seemed to want it from him.

  Whoever it was spreading the rumors was right. This was going to be a hell of an interesting weekend.

  A slap on his back brought his head up.

  "The music too much for you, Tannen?"

  "Hey, Jack." Ben straightened on his stool, shook his bud's hand. "Taking a break already? Maybe the music's too much for you, old man."

  "Not a chance. Besides, your problem isn't the music. In fact, your problem just headed to the powder room. You work fast, man. Who was that?" Jack raked back sweat-drenched hair, looked off toward the rear hallway.

  Ben straightened, feeling more like himself and less like Heidi's leftovers. "You're kidding, right? You didn't recognize her?"

  A shake of his head and Jack said, "Should I have? I wasn't exactly close enough to see any details."

  "You saw enough," Ben grumbled.

  "And I wasn't the only one. All the damn looks coming your way were throwing off my rhythm. Seems you and the lady had more of an audience than I did. And I haven't quite figured out why. I mean, it was a nice show, but it was just a kiss."

  No. It wasn't just a kiss. In no way was it just a kiss. "The show wasn't drawing the spectators. The players were. Or at least the actress."

  "So?" Slouched low on the stool, Jack waited. "Who were you locking lips with?"

  Ben sat up for this one. Sat up and made sure he had the other man's attention. "Heidi Malone."

  Jack's jaw dropped. He manually closed his gaping mouth. "No friggin' way! That was our joker?"

  "And then some."

  "I'll say, and then some. Thanks, man," he said to the bartender who'd set cool water in front of him. He swallowed, then turned back to Ben. "What happened to the punk hair, the Sid and Nancy look? What happened to the who-gives-a-crap attitude?"

  Ben rolled his eyes. "Oh, she's still got an attitude. Trust me on that one."

  "Uh-oh." Jack's gaze moved over Ben's shoulder. "I guess I'll have to since it doesn't look like I'm going to have a chance to see for myself."

  "Whaddaya mean?"

  "Your joker is moving toward the door." Raising the water glass for a second drink, he nodded in that direction. "The way she's walking I'd say she's on a mission from God."

  "Well, hell." Ben pushed off his stool, dug in his pocket and tossed a ten onto the bar.

  "I'd watch my back, Tannen." Jack got to his feet as well. "Who knows what weapons she's packing. She came mighty close to cutting off your ear last time."

  "It was my eye. Not my ear. Get back to playing your oldies, old man. Break's over." Giving Jack a backward wave, Ben headed for the door and for Heidi.

  He'd never intended to finish all their business in one evening. He wasn't even sure the task could be managed in a weekend. But time had become a critical factor now that their business had moved from the past to the present.

  He found her in the parking lot at the side of the club, unlocking the driver's door of a sporty luxury import. The low-slung model was black and shiny and classy. It fit Mighty Heidi well.

  She turned her head his direction then, and the look in her eyes was so much of the girl he'd known, the child's eyes in the woman's face.

  He wondered if she still felt like she had to keep herself separate. If she still, even at her level of success, considered herself an outcast.

  He couldn't let himself believe that of her. Not after witnessing her at work tonight. Not when he knew the extent to which her clients and community adored her.

  Not when he had plans to show her that success wasn't a license to desert one's friends, or forget the debts one owed.

  He leaned an elbow on the car's roof and made sure she knew he wasn't moving. Made sure she knew he'd followed her outside intending to finish what she'd started in the bar.

  Made sure he had her attention before he said, "Fifteen years later and we haven't made it out of the parking lot."

  She tossed her purse to the passenger's seat then, still standing in the open door, turned to face him. "You know, I don't even know why I came here tonight."

  He raised a brow. "Something about a high school reunion?"

  "Oh, right. Silly me. And here I thought I'd been invited as the entertainment."

  "Jack mentioned that. That he'd seen our show from the stage."

  "Great." She started to pace forward, realized she had to walk past him to make any progress and stopped. "I am so sick of who noticed what and who mentioned that and who thinks this. Why can't anyone come up to me and just say what's on their mind?"

  "Because they don't know who you are?" When she looked disbelieving, he added, "Jack had to ask."

  "They know who I am." She bit off the words then deflated right before his eyes. Easing down into the driver's seat, she sat sideways in the open door. Her hands gripped the ivory leather seat on both sides of her hips. "Have I changed that much, Ben?"

  "I think you're the best one to answer that, Heidi."

  "I know I have a whole new look." Her fingers went to her head. "I let go of the bleach the first time I had to make a choice between my hair and another hour of study for an exam."

  She gestured with both hands, as if the movement aided her thought process. "And makeup can make a big difference. I never wore any in high school, you know."

  He hadn't known. Or, hadn't really thought about it. She'd always looked the way Heidi should look while he'd worn everything expected of him.

  "I doubt it's the way you look as much as the No Trespassing sign you're still carrying. You never have made it easy for anyone to get to know you."

  "You think it was easy for me, for any of the river kids, to go to school at Johnson? I did what I had to do to survive in your world, Ben." She lowered her voice, looked away. "And what I had to do to get out."

  "You're not a river kid any more, Heidi."

  Slowly, her head swung back his direction. Slowly, she uncrossed her legs and got to her feet. She straightened the strap on her dress at the same slow speed, her eyes never leaving his face.

  "How do you know what I am? You have no idea what lies beneath the Mighty Heid
i facade."

  He laughed. He was liking this game. "You mean you can dress her up and take her out but she's still The Joker underneath?"

  "I always was a big fan of playing dress-up."

  Ben turned up the heat. "You were a big fan of undressing, too."

  Her eyes flashed. "Count yourself lucky, Ace. You had a front row center seat for my one and only private strip show."

  "Really? One and only?" That got him to thinking about the men who'd been in her life. "Are you a virgin, Heidi?"

  "Would you like that? If I were?" She gave a tiny snort. "Sexual experience. One more thing to have where I have not."

  Of course she wasn't. He hadn't expected her to be. And this would be a lot more fun for the both of them without having to deal with the logistics of a first time.

  "Is that all?" she prompted when he took too long to respond.

  "You act like you're in a big hurry."

  "It's a long drive to Dallas and I'd like to get on the road."

  She was leaving. He should've known. "Running out on me again, huh?" He glanced through the windows into the lit interior of the car. "Maybe I should do a quick weapons check."

  She clenched and released her fists and took a long steady breath before replying. "I don't have any weapons. I don't make a habit of assaulting people in parking lots, you know."

  "I'm afraid your track record leads me to believe otherwise, counselor."

  Heidi closed the car door and, arms across her chest, leaned back against it. She cast him a long sideways glance that captured all the frustration she was feeling. "So? Are we going to do this now? Here?"

  "This? What do you mean by this?" He straightened, shoved his fists deep into his slacks pockets. "Are we going to stand out here in the parking lot all night talking? No. I don't think so."

  "Where, then? Do you want to go back inside?"

  "After that kiss?" He shook his head, shook off the lingering reminder of her mouth. "Why spoil all the speculation about what we're doing out here? The talk has probably taken on a life of its own by now." She grimaced and he changed the subject. "Where're you staying?"

  This time she shook her head. "I have a room at a bed-and-breakfast, but I'm not staying."

  Take it slow, he told himself then opened his mouth, ignored his own sage advice, and jumped in. "Because of what just happened inside? Or because of what happened fifteen years ago?"

  She sighed her surrender. Facing the car, she crossed her arms on the roof. Chin propped on her wrists, she stared up into the starry June night.

  "That's why I came, you know. Because of the...assault." She looked his direction then, moving to rest her cheek on her forearm. "And because of you."

  Ben pulled in a slow breath, almost forgot to exhale. "You don't say?"

  "Yes. I do say. We haven't even talked about it in all this time. I mean, you tried." She was looking at the sky again now. "I should've called you back.

  "I just wasn't able or ready or old enough or whatever enough to deal with any of it. The money, the assault, it was all too much. And I was humiliated. Yes, I needed the money. But it was so hard to take. Especially from you."

  He knew what she said was true, though a lot of years had passed before he understood the reasons. He wanted to hear those reasons from her, now, and he took a step closer.

  "Why from me? It wasn't like I planned to send Rocco and Bubba after you. I was surprised you paid it back as quickly as you did. You didn't have to."

  She backed away from the car. "What? You thought that because I lived on Deadbeat Drive and had the mother and the clothes and the future to show for it that I'd stiff you?"

  Her voice had risen and she glared her displeasure. Her hands went to her hips. "You knew me better than that, Ben. I know you knew me better than that."

  He was close enough now that, even with no light but that from the moon, he could see her rapid pulse where it beat at the base of her throat. The tiny black stones of her necklace shimmered as they rose and fell.

  He liked the way they looked, not the way he seemed to be softening under her spell. He needed to remember why he'd come, remember the way she'd left him. "With the price I paid, I think I'd know you better."

  Instead of the slap he'd expected her to deliver, she jerked open the car door. "Well, you just answered my one lingering question."

  "What's that?"

  "Whether or not you'd turn out to be a fine model of a Tannen." Her contemptuous gaze found his feet. "I see you've filled your father's shoes perfectly."

  "My father's still wearing his own shoes, Heidi." It was time to see if she'd believe the truth. "What I've turned out to be has more to do with you than him."

  "You're out of your mind, Ben. I haven't seen you for over a decade. If we'd stayed in touch and I'd kept you from burning brain cells by bingeing at frat keg parties, then you'd have a case. But you don't."

  She rubbed at her forehead before looking up again. "Look, I came here to offer you an honest apology. I didn't expect forgiveness. But I did want to put an end to the silence."

  "An end? And here I thought that kiss was just the beginning."

  "Of what?" Her brows drew together. When he reached into his pocket, she waved off his intent with both hands. "Oh, no. Don't tell me you plan to hold me to that note. I can't even believe you still have it."

  He looked at the square of paper from all sides. "It's a perfectly good IOU."

  "Written under duress and therefore inadmissible."

  "You're advising that I write it off as a bad debt?"

  She nearly growled. "Ben. I was seventeen. I was at the end of my rope. I could've promised to deliver the moon and it would've been as empty a vow."

  "But you didn't promise me the moon, Heidi." He stepped closer. "You promised me your body."

  The tension didn't even have a chance to grow. Intruding footsteps came to a halt directly behind Ben. "Whoa. Did I just hear that right?"

  Heidi pushed past Ben to link her arm through Quentin's. "Quentin. Hi. And, no. You didn't hear anything."

  The relief in Heidi's expression was a burr under Ben's saddle. He looked from her pale face to Quentin's. The timing of the other man's arrival set Ben on edge. He'd wanted to finish his business with Heidi before she skipped town.

  Still holding onto Heidi, Quentin slapped a too-friendly hand on Ben's shoulder. "Now, Ace. It sounds like you're putting the moves on our joker here? Take my advice. Give it up. Because I've already used every line I can think of and I am still reeling from the rejection."

  He pretended to stumble. Heidi chuckled, Ben didn't even move. He hated the interruption when he was so close to getting to Heidi the way she'd gotten to him all these years.

  But he finally had to shake his head. "You always did have perfect timing, Marks."

  "Not timing, Ben. Rhythm." Quentin clicked rhythmic fingers. "Don't forget. I'm a professional. Which is why I'm out here sticking my nose in places it doesn't belong. I'm afraid business is about to cut short my weekend. And I'd really like to spend the rest of my time here in the company of friends."

  He arched a brow. "And if one of those friends is a hell of a sexy woman, all the better. You still in the mood for that burger, Heidi? Ben? You want to join us?"

  Quentin's gaze passed between them until Ben gave up all hope of getting back to business. He propped a hip against the rear quarter panel of Heidi's car. "Heidi was just leaving."

  "What? She can't be just leaving. She just got here. Besides," he continued, looking straight at Heidi. "I'm not going to be able to stay until Sunday. We only have tonight and tomorrow morning to catch up."

  "I don't know, Quentin." Her indecision was the perfect cover for finding an excuse to turn him down. "I have a big case coming to trial week after next. I really shouldn't have even taken off this one night."

  "C'mon, Heidi. We've only had fifteen minutes. That hardly makes up for fifteen years." When she still looked unconvinced, Quentin compromised. “At least stay
for tomorrow's picnic. Then if you're still feeling the need to leave, I'll let you drive me to the airport on your way out."

  Ben stood back and let Quentin do all the work. It went against his grain to do so, but it was so entertaining to watch Heidi's conflicting emotions.

  She knew if she stayed he'd want to pick this up where they'd just left off. And that bothered her as much as the short black dress she'd been fighting all night.

  Besides, he was curious about her loyalties, if she'd really come here for the apology she hadn't gotten around to. If she'd come here for him, as she'd said.

  Decision made, she shook back her curls. "Tell ya what. Let's go eat. I can't make any promises on an empty stomach. Feed me and I'll do anything."

  "Great. Now she tells us," Quentin grumbled. He took a closer look at her car, whistled when he saw the make and model. "Nice. But this baby ain't gonna hold the three of us. How 'bout it, Ben? You got more room? Or you want me to call a cab?"

  Ben bowed out. He didn't have a problem letting Heidi stew, because he knew without a doubt that she'd stay. "You two go on. I need to get home. I have a pregnant mare to see to."

  His out-of-the-blue announcement worked. Heidi extricated herself from her protector and approached. The curiosity in her eyes could've killed a half-dozen cats. "Horses? You have horses?"

  Yeah. This was going to work out fine. "And a half-dozen cats. And even one ragged old dog."

  "You're kidding. Where do you live?"

  "Tomorrow," he said and backed away.

  "Blackmailer." He half expected her to stick out her tongue.

  "You were closer to the mark earlier, you know."

  "How so?"

  No matter what effect she'd had on his life, the truth was still the truth. "I'm a Tannen. Still my father's son."

  Chapter Five

  Freshman year

  "WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?"

  Adjusting the strike of his bass drum pedal, Ben deliberately didn't look up. Randy'd been distracting the rest of the group with some lamebrain deal or another since seventh grade.

  But this was high school. The competitions would mean a lot more now.

  And focusing on practice, not to mention finding a replacement for their saxophonist who'd moved to Corpus Chris ti over the summer, deserved more attention than Randy, the proverbial boy who cried wolf.