His Leading Lady

by Maggie Dallen

  But the utter disappointment that had him scowling at the crowd told him he had done just that. He’d hoped she’d forget about business—not entirely, of course, they had a job to do. But enough so that he could get to know her. Enough that her thick wall of defenses might lower for just a bit.

  He nodded. “Sure, that’s as good a place to start as any.”

  But they didn’t get far. “Hey, Hot Doc!”

  Alice froze in place when he groaned. He looked down to see her biting her lip, her eyes bright with laughter. “Hot Doc?”

  He opened his mouth to explain, but it was too late. Claudia had reached them, Frank just behind her giving him an apologetic grimace. Claudia smiled at him, but her attention was quickly distracted by Alice. Her eyes rounded, and she made no attempt to hide the fact that she was openly assessing his date… Colleague, he mentally corrected.

  She let out a little whistle. “Well, I can see why Nicholas is so smitten.”

  Nicholas dropped his head into in hand and rubbed his eyes wearily. Of course his best friend would humiliate him. Why had he expected anything less?

  His head shot up again at the sound of Alice’s soft laugh. It was genuine laughter, not her forced laugh she used around her boss. Since when did he know her different laughs? She was smiling at Claudia—a real smile. “Alice,” she said.

  Claudia reached for her hand with an answering grin. “I know. I’ve heard all about you.”

  Alice raised an eyebrow, but she looked amused. “Then I’m the one at a loss here. You are…?”

  “Oh, right.” Nicholas remembered his duties. “Sorry, Alice. This is Claudia. She’s a cardiovascular surgeon at the hospital.”

  Claudia put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, so he added, “She’s also my best friend.”

  Was it his imagination, or did Alice’s posture relax slightly? Had she been jealous? He shook his head—now he was just being hopeful.

  “I’m glad to finally meet the infamous Alice,” Claudia said, stepping next to Alice and taking her arm like they were long-lost friends. To his surprise, Alice didn’t back away or turn on her chilly, standoffish persona he’d come to know. She laughed at the description. “Infamous, huh? That doesn’t sound good.”

  Claudia shrugged one shoulder. “Well, you are the one who loved him and left him.”

  He watched Alice’s jaw drop, and her wide eyes shot to his. He winced at the accusation he saw there. Yes, he’d told Claudia about their night together—and her cold dismissal the next the morning. But she was his best friend, he wanted to say. Before he could make any excuses, Claudia barreled on.

  “Oh, don’t be mad at Nick. He had to talk to someone about it.”

  Alice’s jaw snapped shut and she turned to look at Claudia. She didn’t say anything, but Nicholas could have sworn he saw curiosity in her eyes.

  “It isn’t every day that a woman rejects our fine doctor here,” his best friend said, as if he wasn’t standing right next to them. “As you can imagine, he’s pretty in-demand with the ladies.”

  Alice let out a short laugh. “I can imagine.”

  Claudia nodded sagely. “But...” She leaned over and spoke in a faux whisper that he and Frank could clearly hear. “I am here to tell you that he’s never acted like this with any woman. Ever.”

  He was about to protest. A man’s pride could only take so much. But to his surprise, Alice’s cheeks turned a fetching shade of pink. Was she… Was she blushing?

  “Oh no?” she murmured.

  Claudia shook her head and gave Alice’s arm a pat like she was her little sister or something. She dropped the teasing tone. “I know he went about inviting you tonight the entirely wrong way, but trust me. I’ve known him for a long time, and this is a first. He’s normally the one being chased.” She leaned in as if sharing a secret. “I mean they don’t call him ‘Hot Doc’ for nothing.”

  Alice let out a loud laugh. “Hot Doc, I love it.”

  Nicholas felt the need to interject. “No one but Claudia calls me that.” But neither of the women paid him any attention.

  “He hates it,” Claudia admitted.

  Alice’s grin was wicked. “Even better.”

  Claudia turned to him then. “So, you two have any awesome revelations yet?”

  He couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from Alice and that mischievous grin. “Hmm?”

  “Your fundraiser, remember? Have you gotten any great inspiration from the gala?” Claudia asked.

  Oh, right. Business. That’s why there were here. Before he could respond, Alice intervened. “What do you think of this gala, Claudia?”

  Claudia looked around them and sighed. “Same old, same old.”

  “Exactly,” Alice said so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

  He turned to Frank to try to bring him into the conversation—the consummate introvert; he hated these kind of parties more than any of them. But before he could, he heard Claudia whisper to Alice, “You know those women I was telling you about? The ones who like to chase our Hot Doc here? Well, prepare to meet one of the most ruthless.”

  He turned to see Marla Reese headed in their direction. A young, wealthy divorcee, she had indeed set her sights on him a couple of years ago. But after a few polite conversations in which he explained he wasn’t interested, she had let it go gracefully. Though she did like to flirt at these type of society functions, she was hardly on the prowl. He gave Claudia a questioning look over Alice’s head, and she met his look with a small smile and a little wink.

  When Marla approached, she gave him her typically effusive hug and kissed both his cheeks, ensuring he’s been branded with her hot pink lipstick. “Marla, good to see you,” he said as he tried to surreptitiously wipe his face with the back of his hand.

  “Nicky,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d be here tonight. I’m so happy you could make it.”

  He heard Alice’s snicker at the nickname but ignored it. “Marla, you and your committee did a lovely job with the entertainment tonight.”

  Marla beamed at the praise.

  He half turned to Alice. “May I introduce you to my, er—” He paused, unsure of what to call her. He had a feeling the word “date” would not go over well with Alice. He was about to say, “Colleague,” but Marla cut him off, her eyes never so much as glancing in Alice’s direction.

  “I think it’s so wonderful that you’re spearheading the new children’s clinic,” she said, her voice as breathless as ever. “My friends and I were just saying how noble it was of you to lead up this charity project.”

  Noble. The word made his stomach churn with a mixture of guilt and disgust. It wasn’t “charity,” it was a necessary service for an underserved population that was facing ridiculously high health care premiums. And it was hardly noble. Yes, he’d helped to promote the new clinic to the board and the donors, but it wasn’t as though his intentions were entirely selfless. Part of him had done it because it was the right thing to do. But the new clinic’s timing had also coincided nicely with his five-year plan. If everything went according to plan—and it almost always did thanks to his meticulous planning—the head of pediatrics position at the Boston branch would be his. If that happened, he wouldn’t even have a chance to step foot in the new clinic. But before he could say any of that, Marla continued the conversation without him. “I do hope you’ll save me a dance later, Nicky.”

  Again, he opened his mouth to reply but didn’t have the chance. To his surprise, he felt Alice’s hand on his upper arm.

  “If you’ll excuse us, Marla,” she said, her voice a low purr of polite subtext. “Nicky and I were just about to head out to the dance floor.” She looked up at him then, her eyes filled with an emotion he recognized but didn’t dare to believe.

  “Isn’t that right, Nicky?” she added.

  He nodded mutely, afraid that if he opened his mouth he would laugh out loud. Giving a little wave of g
ood-bye to his friends, he saw Claudia give him a thumbs-up as Alice practically dragged him onto the dance floor.

  Was it his imagination or had she been jealous?

  * * * *

  Alice barely saw the dancers as she weaved her way through the crowd, Nicholas in tow. She was too focused on repeating the same mantra over and over. She was not jealous. There was no way in hell she was jealous. She couldn’t be jealous.

  She turned to face Nicholas and let him scoop her into his arms as a slow dance began. Trying not to notice the way her body responded to his, she kept her gaze focused on his chin. Yes, the cleft was adorable, but it was far better than getting sucked into those eyes. That had been her undoing earlier in the night. She’d let the innate sexual tension between them get out of hand.

  Glancing over his shoulder she saw the glamorously awful Marla watching them, her lips pursed in an unbecoming scowl. And she wasn’t the only one. Alice had been keenly aware of the myriad of women whose faces had lit up upon seeing Nicholas—and then fallen flat when they’d spotted her on his arm.

  That was not sweet satisfaction that had her lips twitching up into a smile. Absolutely not.

  Nicholas led them with a sort of innate grace that made her feel weightless. His head dipped down toward hers. “You know there’s nothing going on between me and Marla.”

  Her eyes shot up from his chin to his eyes. Dammit, she’d forgotten her vow to avoid looking into those blue pools of kindness.

  “So?” She sounded like a bratty teen, but she couldn’t seem to help it. His lips pressed together, and she had the infuriating sensation that he was struggling not to laugh.

  The shoulder beneath her hand lifted in a small shrug. “It’s just that you seemed a bit put out by her…uh…attentions.”

  Alice clenched her teeth to hold back a catty remark. She was not jealous, goddammit!

  “I just wanted to dance,” she bit out.

  “Mmm.” His murmured acknowledgment did not sound convinced but she refused to fight him on it. The more she protested, the worse she would look. So instead, she did what she’d sworn she’d do tonight—she focused on business.

  “Have you noticed that no one seems especially psyched to be here?” It was the thought she’d been stewing over since they’d walked through the door. She loved a good party, and she loved a reason to dress up even more, but even she’d had the urge to yawn when they’d walked in the door.

  Nicholas’s lopsided grin made her mouth water. Shit. She would start drooling soon if she didn’t stay focused.

  “Did you expect people to be psyched?” he asked, over-enunciating her childish word choice.

  She rolled her eyes, ignoring his teasing. “Shouldn’t they be? I mean this is supposed to be a party. The donors are presumably coming out to have fun, and in exchange they lighten their wallets.”

  He gave a little nod. “I guess.” His arms tightened around her, drawing her closer, and she found herself holding her breath.

  Work. They were here for work.

  She focused on the adorable indentation in his chin. “I’m serious, Nicholas. You heard Claudia—this is the same old, same old. If we really want to wow the board and my boss, we need to think outside the box. We need to do something different. Daring.”

  She glanced up then and it was a mistake. His eyes were fixed on her, and they were filled with so much undisguised desire that knocked the wind out of her. She lost her footing and stumbled into him.

  The contact was brief but electric. Her chest pressed to his, his arms tight around her waist as he caught her to him to keep her from falling. Their faces were inches apart, his lips so close, her head tilted up.

  Oh God, she wanted him to kiss her more than anything in the world.

  She could feel his chest rise and fall with his ragged breathing, his hands clenching into the fabric of her dress with a desperate desire that had her lips parting for air. And for his kiss. She wouldn’t stop him, couldn’t turn away if she wanted to. She needed his lips against hers like she needed to breathe.

  “Nicholas! Yoo-hoo, Dr. Bale!”

  The sound of a woman calling his name brought her back to reality. Finding her footing, she pressed against him, forcing him to loosen his grip as they both turned to face the bubbly brunette who was headed their way with a megawatt smile and a skintight dress.

  Once again, Alice was completely ignored as the woman came toward them, her eyes fixed on Nicholas and her perfect curls bobbing as she moved. “Why, Nicholas, I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight,” she crooned.

  Alice gritted her teeth. She was not jealous, she could not be jealous.

  But she could be thoroughly annoyed that this woman had inconsiderately barged in on their dance—and more importantly, their conversation.

  What conversation? The only conversation about to take place was between two tongues.

  She silenced her inner critic. They had been discussing work before she’d tripped and before they’d been so rudely interrupted.

  Nicholas laughed at something the bimbo was saying, and Alice inhaled deeply as the brunette took that laugh as a cue to reach out and touch his forearm, leaning over far enough that he and everyone else in the near vicinity could see her ample cleavage.

  Work. She was here for work. The fact that Nicholas was flirting with another woman had nothing to do with her. Not that he was outright flirting, per se, but still—his old-school chivalry and charming manners were catnip for women, as he must have known. They all wanted him. She glanced around the room, taking note of all the women who were subtly watching Nicholas’s every move.

  And that was when it clicked. The answer to their dilemma. The majority of these patrons were either women or men who had been dragged along by their wives. She had to assume the patrons for the children’s clinic would be the same demographic.

  And what did they all have in common? They wanted Nicholas. And who could blame them? Sexy, handsome, chivalrous, well-dressed, and a doctor to boot? The guy was the closest thing to a real-life Prince Charming she’d ever seen. Add to that the fact that he apparently loved children and had a heart of gold and the man was a walking wet dream for women.

  Excitement had her heart racing for an entirely different reason than it had been a moment before. As the idea took hold, the excitement replaced the jealousy—okay, so maybe she’d been a little jealous. But now she was fixed. She’d focused on work, and it had not only worked to distract her—she’d had a brilliant idea.

  By the time he said his good-byes to the brunette, Alice was fidgeting with unrestrained excitement, her hands clenching together to resist tugging on Nicholas’s sleeve like an overeager child.

  Alice didn’t pay attention to what Nicholas was saying to the young woman, but whatever it was, it was a very polite brush-off, if the woman’s slightly perplexed expression was anything to go by. She almost pitied the woman as they watched her turn and sashay away, off to find another single, attractive, successful, and kind male doctor. Because they were a dime a dozen—not. But that was what made her idea so brilliant!

  He turned toward her, his head slightly ducked as he scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed by the attention. “Sorry about that,” he started.

  “Don’t be,” Alice interrupted.

  “Yeah but we were in the middle of a dance—”

  Alice couldn’t wait any longer. She shot her hand out and grabbed his arm. “I have an idea.”

  He looked down at her hand on his arm and then back up to her eyes, which she was sure were frighteningly wide and filled with an evangelical zeal.

  “What’s your idea?” he asked warily.

  Barely able to contain her excitement, she blurted it out. “I know how we can make this fundraiser a huge success. You. It’s all about you.”

  His brows drew together, his eyes scrunched up in confusion. “Me?”

  She exhaled loudly. Dammit, she wasn’t
explaining this well. She was too excited to slow down. Just cut to the chase. She inhaled quickly and spit it out in one breath. “I want to auction you off to the highest bidder.”

  * * * *

  Nicholas looked down at his stunningly gorgeous date and tried to make sense out of the words that were coming out of her luscious mouth. Maybe it was an overdose of desire that was making him hard of hearing because he could have sworn she’d said... He cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”

  “A bachelor auction,” she said. Her voice was breathless with excitement. Her eyes glowing in the dim ballroom lighting. He was so distracted by the change in her that he almost didn’t register the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  A bachelor auction. His stomach twisted in revulsion at the mere name. “No. Uh-uh.” He shook his head and tried not to be swayed by her pleading gaze.

  “Just hear me out. This could be perfect. Women love you. I mean, seriously, look around you—”

  He did look around just then and noticed that they were garnering stares from nearby dancers. Smiling at an older couple he recognized from past functions, he took Alice by the elbow and steered her toward the edge of the dance floor. He could only hope no one had overheard what she’d been saying.

  She didn’t seem to notice that she was being escorted off the dance floor, she kept talking, her face turned up to his. Her lips so close and so tempting that it was difficult to breathe let alone concentrate on the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  “It’s perfect,” she was saying as they reached a semi-secluded corner. Her hands gripped his arms and the light touch was enough to addle his senses and render him temporarily speechless.

  Jesus, he was in over his head with this woman. For a man who lived by logic and plans, she was an anomaly. The effect she had on him was a mystery. But he loved it.

  It was insanity. Not just her idea—though that, too—but this reaction he had to her. It was stronger than all the rigid plans he’d set his life course to—the methodology that had run his life, quite effectively at that, since he was in middle school. Whatever this was between them, it had completely thrown him off course, had overthrown everything he’d thought he’d known, and had him feeling his way blindly like a man stumbling in the dark. For the first time in his life, he was utterly and completely lost.