by Rita Sawyer
His lips touched hers softly. She sighed, and he felt her lips slightly part under his. That was all the encouragement he needed. He deepened the kiss as he slid her hand to his shoulders. Their tongues dueled as he put his hands on her hips and backed her against the counter. He held her in place with one hand and slid the other up her side. Just as his hand covered her breast, he heard laughter right outside the door.
He didn’t get a chance to back away on his own, because Dianne shoved him away. The move took him by surprise, and he stumbled. She turned to the sink, putting her back to him and whoever was about to come through the door.
Gage quickly slipped into the living room to avoid being seen. He hoped she understood why, because he sure as hell didn’t. If he stayed, would it have helped or hurt him? He’d never know for sure. Yeah, he may have made people wonder whether or not something was going on between them. On the other hand, if everyone was watching them, she would be more on guard.
He was smart enough to realize that would only make it harder for him to get to her. So for now, she could keep pretending there wasn’t anything between them. Just knowing she’d kissed him back with equal passion said otherwise. He hoped that little tidbit kept eating away at her until he called her tomorrow. It would only be fair, because he knew it would be rolling around in his mind.
Chapter Two
Dianne crumpled the sheet of paper in her hand and tossed it toward the trash can. It hit the rim and bounced off, skittering across the floor. She looked at the crinkled balls all over the floor and groaned. Her lack of sleep was obviously taking its toll. This illustration should have been easy, but her happy little dancers all wanted to snarl instead of smile. It shouldn’t have mattered so much since it was just a really rough draft, but not being able to get the look she wanted pissed her off.
The phone rang and she glared at it. Her friends and sister all knew better than to call her before noon. Heck, even her agent didn’t disturb her in the morning because she hated to interrupt her creative flow, so she figured it was probably Gage calling. If she didn’t answer, he’d probably assume she was avoiding him. Then he’d probably stop by or do something equally annoying. She tossed her sketch pad onto the coffee table and stomped across the floor.
She snatched up the receiver and stabbed the button. “Hello.”
“Good morning, sugar.”
“Morning, Nanny. How are you doing today?” She let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her grandmother’s voice. She carried the phone back to the couch.
“Darling, I’m fine. It’s you we should be worrying about.” Her grandmother didn’t sound worried, more like excited.
“Why?” Dianne asked, her curiosity piqued.
Her grandmother tsked. “You have read your horoscope today, haven’t you?”
It was a rhetorical question, but Dianne answered anyway. “Nanny, you know I don’t believe in all that hooey.” Not that it mattered. Her grandmother believed enough for all of them.
“Be as that may, you might want to know I’ve been keeping track, and what I’ve noticed is a bit disconcerting.” Her grandmother had an odd sense of what concerned her and when.
Dianne knew the only thing she could do was humor the old woman, or they’d be debating her worries for hours. “What is it that you’ve interpreted that made you pick up the phone and call me instead of waiting to tell me when I come for dinner Sunday?”
“A man.” Dianne rolled her eyes at the dramatic tone her grandmother used. “Every day for the past two weeks there’s been a mention of a handsome man in your future. Have you met him yet?”
Gage’s handsome face, with that sexy smile of his, popped into her head, but she pushed it right back out. “Sorry Nanny. I haven’t met a handsome stranger who’s going to sweep me off my feet.”
“Go ahead and mock me. You’re probably too busy working on your books or playing dress-up to notice a man, even if he was right under your nose.”
“Nanny, I have to work, just like everyone else.” She really didn’t want to have this discussion again.
“I know that dear, but you need more in your life than work.”
“I know, and I promise to be open to the possibilities.” She hoped that would appease her for now.
“That’s all I ask, sugar. Now if you do meet someone soon you be sure to bring him to dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dianne flopped onto her back and tossed the phone onto the table.
Maybe Gage had connections at the paper and paid them to add to his torturous plan? Unlikely, but it was better than having to blame it on coincidence. She lifted the sketch pad and flipped back to the first page. A group of six young girls stared back at her with merriment in their expressions.
She saw what most people probably didn’t. After all, her pictures and the stories that went with them were all inspired by her friends and the mischief they’d gotten into growing up. Of course, she’d changed their names. And to protect the innocent, not that any of them were, she exaggerated or toned down some of the details. Switching their nickname had been the hardest thing. She couldn’t call a group of eight-year-old girls “Sin Sisters,” so with a little brainstorming, she’d come up with “Stone Sisters.”
Each of the girls wore a piece of a stone with purple crystal running through it. They’d begged their parents until they had it broken, polished, and made into jewelry they could all wear. Three of them had it in a necklace. The others wore it in an anklet, bracelet, and a ring. It was the plot of the first story she wrote.
Even with all the changes she made, her friends took one look at her original drawing and instantly knew exactly which one each of them was. Thankfully, they enjoyed being her muses. Karen had actually been awesome enough to build her a collage of them over the years. She had it hanging beside her desk for inspiration, but today, nothing was working.
“You guys would scare him off in the blink of an eye. Why can’t I?” she asked the girls in her drawing.
If you started talking back, I am in big trouble. Then she realized what the problem was. She just wasn’t devious enough to think of a way to get rid of him, but together with the girls, she knew they could come up with a plan. First, she would have to give him this week like she promised. If after that he kept sniffing around, she’d call in the big guns, and they’d chase him off.
The phone rang, and without really thinking, she picked it up. “Hello.”
“Hi, it’s me, Gage. I thought if you’re free we could go out for lunch?” She could practically hear the smile in voice.
“I’m far from free, but lunch is doable.” She agreed since she really couldn’t say no.
“Good I’ll be there in about five minutes.” He hung up without giving her a chance to say anything else.
She dropped the phone onto the floor and groaned.
* * * *
“You’re pushing your luck” had been a mantra Gage had heard over and over as a kid. His mother, father, aunt, and sisters had accused him of it at least twice a day. Unlike most kids who would have calmed down and learned to behave, Gage hadn’t. Instead, he tamed the wildness enough to channel it into being organized. Okay, maybe a little too much at times. Unfortunately, there were still times when his impulsiveness totally took over if he didn’t rein it in. Right now was obviously one of those times.
Gage blamed Dianne, since she had managed to throw his normal boring routine into a tailspin. Last night he’d stayed up late trying to think of things she would enjoy doing with him. He’d been so fucking torqued up by the time he fell asleep, his dreams had taken some crazy turns. To top it all off, he overslept this morning, which put him at risk of missing a very important meeting.
By a stroke of luck every light between his apartment and his office had been green. He got to work with five minutes to spare. The meeting had gone well, and once the clients left his boss had made a point of thanking him for doing such a great job. He left the office with his head held high and big hopes for his a
fternoon off. Before he could really enjoy it, he had a couple of things to do. The most important thing on his list was to find an awesome birthday gift for his eight–year-old niece.
He had special bond with Tabitha. Like him, Tabby was the youngest. Instead of having three older sisters like he did, she had two older brothers, and three older male cousins. Being the only girl, Gage knew she felt left out, so he tried to do little special things for her, especially on her birthday. He usually had her gift bought and wrapped at least a month in advance, but this year he was stumped. She had moved into a new stage in her life. His sisters thought she was getting too old for dolls, but she wasn’t ready for big ticket items, either.
So now he had to spend the day trolling the mall, hoping something popped out at him, since he didn’t have time to order anything online. He stopped at a red light and watched a group of people walk through the intersection. Gage replayed the call in his head.
If he wasn’t wrong, Dianne’s voice held a hint of hostility. His invitation hadn’t been the smoothest, but he couldn’t take it back now. Her sarcastic comeback had made him smile. He hung up before she could change her mind. The call just proved how badly his impulse control needed some help when it came to her. Hanging up without saying good-bye, well, that was just chicken-hearted.
There had to be someplace nice to eat near the mall, so he’d make it up to her with lunch. Then, if he could talk her into accompanying him for some walking at the mall, it would make it even more enjoyable. All the women he knew liked shopping, so the odds were fair to good that she’d probably enjoy it, too. Best of all, he’d be able to get a woman’s point of view on possible gift choices.
He pulled up in front of her apartment building and climbed from the car. Before he reached the stairs that lead to the door, she came out. Staring was rude, so he figured he only had a minute to take her in without offending her in some way.
Her fire-engine red T-shirt that peeked out from under her black jacket had jewels across the top where the shirt clung to her breasts. She had on black pants that hugged her legs and ended at her calf muscles. Her red shoes matched her shirt, but unlike the normal high heels, these were much lower. Still, the straps that wrapped up her ankles gave them a certain sexy flair he associated with her. She looked down at him, her eyes hidden behind a pair of red sunglass.
He stopped and watched her walk toward him. The sparkly gems on her glasses and shirt twinkled in the sunlight as she moved. The way she walked went beyond graceful. She didn’t really walk—it was more of a strut. Not in an arrogant way, but more like a natural confidence she just oozed.
“I would have come in to get you,” he said as they walked back to his car.
“I figured it was easier for me to meet you.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Do your other dates pick you up at your door?” Gage hated that he sounded childish, but he wanted her to take him seriously.
“No. I prefer to meet them at the restaurant, or wherever we’re going.”
“I like to pick my dates up, so can we compromise and try it both ways?” He wasn’t going to push her too hard on this, but he hoped a firm nudge would be enough.
“Let’s see how lunch goes.” Dianne stepped out of the way as he opened the passenger door for her.
Gage closed the door and walked around the back of the car. He always thought you could tell a lot about a person by seeing where they lived. Neat freaks were usually uptight, while people who lived in homey houses were more easygoing. Now slobs like his cousin Joe just didn’t care about anything. He’d bet a week’s pay that Dianne’s place was spotless. He kept his tidy, but only because it had been drilled into him along with his manners. Another part of him he’d like to get a chance to show her.
He got into the car and headed for the mall. His attempt at small talk wasn’t going very well. Every time he asked her something, he got a one word answer in response. It became brutally honest that she didn’t want to be with him and only was because of their arrangement. His hopes of changing that were pretty slim, but he wasn’t a quitter. Gage planned on doing everything in his power to sway her opinion of him.
“So I was thinking after lunch maybe we could take a stroll around the mall,” he said as if the idea just popped into his head.
“Okay.” She shrugged again, and he wondered if she kept doing it because she knew just how much it annoyed him.
If so, this was going to be a long afternoon. Gage didn’t care as long as he got to spend it with her.
Chapter Three
Dianne climbed out of her car and slid her bright pink sunglasses from her eyes onto the top of her head. Two nights of tossing and turning had her ready to snap. She held it together long enough to order a latte and pick a table. Her friends would be there soon. She just hoped the caffeine kicked in before then. With her brain this sluggish she might slip up and tell them about spending yesterday afternoon with Gage.
She knew they’d be thrilled she was dating someone. Hell, anyone would probably do, since it had been so long. Once they found out about her and Gage—and she wasn’t dumb enough to think they wouldn’t find out—they were going to go ballistic. She should probably just tell them and get it out in the open before they heard it from someone else. It didn’t take long for her to make a decision. While she waited, she pulled her notebook out and started making some notes for a new story idea that just hit her.
This one was about a secret admirer. The girls were going to try and figure out who had sent a mushy Valentine to one of them and not signed it. Now that she had the main idea she needed to decide which of the girls would be the lead character. Dianne had gotten so swept up in the details that she lost track of time. She felt the table shake a little as Amy and Lainey placed their drinks on it.
“Who’s in trouble now?” Amy leaned forward to peek at her notes, but Dianne shoved the notebook in her bag.
“I’m not telling.” Dianne never let them read the story until it was finished.
Lainey laughed and shook her head. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
“About that, and a lot more.” Dianne’s comment had both of her friends staring at her.
Luckily, before they could ask what she meant, Jillian and Karen walked in the door. As they made a beeline for the table, Jillian motioned for the waiter. He arrived at the same time Sadie rushed in through the door. Dianne added Sadie’s customary mocha latte to their order before she got there. Sadie dropped into the chair with a huff, staring at the waiter as he walked away.
“I ordered you a latte,” Dianne said.
“Thanks.” The huffiness in Sadie’s tone didn’t come off as very thankful.
“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.
“I found something out this morning that I should have already known.” Sadie didn’t look at her, but Dianne couldn’t think of anything else she might be talking about.
“Well, I guess now is the best time to tell you all.” Everyone’s head turned to look at Dianne.
“Tell us what?” Amy and Karen asked at the same time.
“Gage and I are sort of dating.” Her short and straight-to-the-point comment had the effect of a bomb being dropped on the table.
First, loud gasps filled the air, followed by about thirty seconds of shocked silence. Then came the flurry of questions. Dianne did the only thing she could. She leaned back and waited for them to wind down.
After a few minutes she couldn’t take their babbling anymore. “If you’ll all kindly shut up, I’ll explain everything.”
“She’s dating a guy she can’t stand, even though he’s beyond sexy, and she wants us all to relax.” Amy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her.
“I never said I can’t stand him. I just know he’s not the guy for me, so I don’t see a point in encouraging him. Besides it’s only for a week.” Not that it made much of difference at this point.
“Why?” Sadie wanted to know.
“Because that’s
the deal.” And she had to stick to it.
“Deal?” Lainey and Karen both said. Lainey’s came out high-pitched and kind of panicky. Karen sounded more solemn.
“Look, you all decided to send me to Gage for help. In exchange for helping us, he made a few request.”
“You actually agreed without discussing it with us?” Karen wasn’t afraid to let her know she wasn’t happy about it.
“I, we, didn’t exactly have time to look for other options.” Not that they would have found any.
“Still, you should have told us,” Amy said, her glare fading a bit.
“We needed his help.” Dianne shrugged her shoulders, trying to downplay the whole thing.
“Damn it, we could have found another way.” The serious tone sounded alien coming from Jillian.
“Look, it’s too late to argue now. We needed a sacrificial lamb and I was it.” She often wondered if she hadn’t fought harder when they asked her to go to Gage because deep down she wanted an excuse to talk to him.
“Oh my God!” Lainey’s wail caused some of the other patrons of the cafe to look their way.
“Lainey, I didn’t mean it like that.” Dianne had made the bargain willingly.
She’d sacrificed herself to make sure one of her best friend’s wedding dreams come true. Dating Gage for a week couldn’t be any harder than pretending to date him for the benefit of the other groomsmen. She’d gotten a taste of his charm, and though she couldn’t say she was immune, she could say she knew what to expect.
“I’m a pimp!” Lainey’s comment came out soft, but harsh.
“Pimps sell sex. Trust me, things won’t be going that far. And even if they do, you won’t be getting paid unless he’s really good.” She nudged Lainey’s shoulder with hers and got a small smile.
“How far are you willing to go?” Sadie waggled her eyebrows, and Dianne laughed.
“I promised him one week. That’s it. Once the week is over, we go back to the way things were.” Then she planned on forgetting this whole thing ever happened.