by Tara Mills
“Has dad called you yet?”
“About what?”
“Obviously not.”
“What am I missing here?” Jackson tossed his tablet onto his desk and pulled his chair out. He sat down and set his cane aside. Maybe tomorrow he could leave it home. His ankle was already feeling a good deal stronger. One more night in the Jacuzzi wouldn’t hurt.
Rob cursed, “Damn it, I had a feeling he was going to dump this on me.”
“What’s going on?”
“News. Whether you find it good or bad is beside the point.”
Jack sighed. “Let me have it.”
“Kelli is expecting.”
Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re messing with me, right?”
“I wish.”
“Does Mom know?”
“We’re supposed to tell her.”
“So call her.”
“I called you. Besides, you’re her favorite. You should tell her.”
“But you’re the sensitive psychiatrist. You’re uniquely qualified for the job.”
“Nice try.”
Jackson frowned and drooped in his chair. “Are you sure about this?”
“She’s into her fourth month already. They didn’t want to say anything until she made it through the first trimester.”
“Damn.”
“I know. How screwed up is that?”
Jackson hung up the phone and tossed it onto the desk. Groaning, he rubbed his temples, digging in with his thumbs. When he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the bobblehead turtle on the corner of the desk. He tapped the side of its head, sending it swinging back and forth, but it didn’t take long for it to shift back to its more natural up-and-down pattern.
“Yeah, but no one says I have to call her right now.” He reasoned with the toy. “I’m playing golf with the old man on Thursday morning. She can wait until I’ve talked to him in person first.”
****
Tanya shrieked. “You will? Really?”
“Chill,” Sabrina said, hoping to bring her friend’s enthusiasm down a notch or two. “Yeah, I admit I’m dying to see how the next installment goes tomorrow night.”
“You’re going to love it.”
“I’m coming strictly to watch, so don’t get any crazy ideas.”
The last thing she cared to confide to Tanya was that she was hoping to brush elbows with a guy or two. Perhaps get close enough to get a whiff of cologne. How long had it been since she had actual body contact with a man? Brotherly hugs didn’t count. Before her collision with Jackson, it was too hard to recall, and nothing since. Wasn’t that a sad state of affairs? At least she had a name for him now.
“Did I say anything?” Tanya asked innocently.
“I don’t like that gleam in your eye.”
“I doubt we could use you anyway. There are plenty of women interested in playing.”
“Just so we’re clear.”
****
“And that’s the news for Wednesday, June twenty-first. Thanks for joining us. Good-night,” Justin said warmly, his smile and his handsome face leap-frogging KBHY over the number three news program in just under a month. For the only station in the area not affiliated with a major network, that was big.
“Cue the music and roll credits,” Jackson said into his mike.
The lights dimmed on the news desk, and their team chatted while they waited for the close of the broadcast.
“And we’re out,” Jackson said, cutting the air with his hand the way a conductor would. He pulled off his earpiece and dropped it on the console. Then, kicking back in his chair, he stretched for the ceiling.
Van leaned in. “I thought that went well, but you obviously disagree. Who do you want to see in your office?”
Jackson lowered his arms and frowned. “The show was fine.”
“Well, something’s bothering you. You’ve had a gray cloud over your head for the last two days.”
“I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
“Thanks.”
Van looked at his watch. “It’s ten thirty-three, and I know just the thing to fix your mood. You in?”
“What is it?”
“Trust me.”
Reminding himself that he’d already decided to accept the next invite, Jackson nodded. “I’m in.”
When he caught up with the others, they were huddled together near the door in the middle of an animated discussion, but as soon as he appeared they dropped the topic abruptly. It was a Twilight Zone sort of moment, and Jackson felt an unsettling foreboding as they headed out to their cars.
****
Because Sabrina was coming back to the Oasis later that night, she left work early so she could catch a nap. She wasn’t used to staying up late. By the time ten o’clock hit, she was usually nodding off with a book in her hands.
After she woke, Sabrina ate a light dinner, then went rummaging through her closet for the perfect outfit. Well, maybe the word “perfect” was a bit of a stretch. Hitting nightclubs wasn’t something she typically did, so her clothing options were limited. She rejected outright every dress she owned, because all were bought for special events like weddings, graduations, or other specific occasions. She didn’t want to walk into the Oasis looking like a Sunday school teacher.
She tugged out her skirt rack and studied the form-fitting black leather skirt Toni had passed on to her. After Kipp was born, Toni figured she’d never get into it again. Sabrina had never even tried it on. She’d wondered at the time when she would even wear something like that. Well, she was laughing now. It was the only thing suitable that she owned. Who knew? She looked for a top next, shoving hanger after hanger down the rod and pulling potentials out and tossing them onto the bed. Five minutes later, she turned—and groaned at the pile in front of her.
She’d never realized until now how much she favored soft pastels and basic white. This wouldn’t do. As a last resort, she picked up the hanger with her black silk blouse from Aunt Trudy’s funeral and held it against the skirt. It looked good, but the outfit needed color—bad.
Going back into the closet, she tore into sealed boxes until she found another of her odd impulse purchases—a pair of deep red pumps and the matching belt, still virtually new. That was better.
Now that her outfit was set, she went into the bathroom and spent a decadent twenty minutes luxuriating in the shower, where she shaved not only her legs but her underarms, as well. Take that, Mrs. Starkey! That indulgence alone made the move to her new apartment worthwhile.
Then, belly to the sink, she grinned like a fool into a mirror that was big enough to allow her to see not just her entire face but most of her torso, too. Awesome. She hummed while she dried her hair, then plugged in the curling iron. While it heated she brushed her teeth and thought about make-up. She was a mascara-and-lip-gloss girl, and that was about it, but tonight she should go a little darker, a little smokier around her eyes. She unearthed her neglected cosmetics and fanned everything out on the counter until she found what she was looking for.
“Not too shabby,” she said with satisfaction. She finished her lashes with long sweeping strokes of mascara. “Honey, they don’t stand a chance.”
Now for the lips. Taking the deep red of her belt and shoes into account, she located her darkest lipstick and swept it around her mouth. Blotting it carefully when she was done, Sabrina smiled, then tried a pout, then made a little kitten “rawr” in the glass. Okay, maybe that was a bit much.
She returned to her bedroom and picked up the bottle of perfume Toni and Andy had given her for her birthday. She loved it, but there never seemed to be an occasion to wear it, until now. She opened the bottle and dabbed a little on one wrist and rubbed it against the other. Then a light touch behind each ear. Feeling a little naughty, she brushed her fingertip between her breasts, too.
Even though she was only dressing for herself, she went looki
ng through her lingerie drawer and pulled out her sexy black bustier. A little more rummaging and she found the matching panties and held them in the air triumphantly.
Might as well pull out all the stops, right? You only live once, after all. How often did she get to glam it up? Attending to these little details was the enjoyable side of being a woman and made her feel a little special, a little fun and flirty, and there was a price to pay for neglecting them. It was time to remind herself she was still beautiful, confident, and downright sexy.
Her jewelry was the last thing she tackled, removing the simple gold studs in her ears in favor of large silver hoops. She slipped them on and went back to finish her hair.
****
“Holy shit, Brie!” Tanya shrieked when she saw Sabrina come through the Employees Only door. “You’re gorgeous! I mean, you’re always pretty, but oh, my god, you’re smoking tonight.”
Sabrina blushed but felt so incredibly grateful for the ego boost she hugged her friend. “I feel kind of strange.”
“Don’t.”
Tanya tugged her by the hand through the crush of people. The music was loud, people were everywhere, and they couldn’t get through all the bodies without being bumped or bounced one way or another as they plowed forward.
“Nate!” Tanya yelled as soon as she saw him.
He looked up and his eyes popped. “Wow! Sabrina, you look incredible.”
Her blushes were back. “Thank you.”
“Seriously, I’m kind of sorry you’re my boss right now.”
She laughed. “Knock it off.”
“Now I really think we should do it,” Nate said to Tanya, his eyes glued speculatively on Sabrina. “Did you ask her yet?”
“No.”
“Ask me what?” said Sabrina warily.
“We want you to be one of our bachelorettes,” Tanya said, with a hopeful cringe. Nate nodded.
“No.”
“Come on,” they both crooned together.
“No.”
“Why not?” Tanya whined.
“Because I’ll feel stupid, for one thing.”
Nate leaned in so she could hear him better over the noise. “You don’t have to go first. Stay back and watch how it goes with the first group. We’re about to start. Just give it a chance before you decide.”
“We won’t let you look bad. Promise,” Tanya said, nodding her head.
“Let me think about it.” Sabrina wished they’d just drop it and leave her alone.
****
The cocktail server brought the drinks. Jackson lifted his Crown and Coke to his lips, pleasantly surprised to find they’d mixed it just the way he liked it.
Across the table Justin and Becky looked like two hormonal teenagers in a world all their own. Their hands were conspicuously hidden beneath the table, and Jackson rolled his eyes at Van, not exactly thrilled at the direction this was heading.
Damn it, he didn’t like being here. Jackson was on the lookout for Sabrina the minute they pulled into the parking lot. He couldn’t seem to shake his paranoia. Did recklessly walking into the woman’s lair constitute suicide? Would he have legal recourse if something happened, knowing he went inside of his own volition? Even though he didn’t see her, he was edgy as hell.
He could feel the music thumping through his body, jarring his organs. It was unpleasant, and for the life of him he couldn’t understand why so many people had smiles pasted on their faces. He looked over the packed room and shook his head at all the eye candy on display. What was he doing here? It would be rude to bail this early, but he didn’t intend to stick around any longer than it took him to finish his drink, either.
Nudging Van, who seemed to have no qualms about eyeballing the assorted women, Jack hollered, “Where did Derek go?”
Van yelled back, which seemed ridiculous since they were sitting right next to each other, but it was either that or resort to pantomime. “He saw someone he knew or wanted to know. Hell, I couldn’t hear what he said.” Van craned his neck and looked out over the sea of heads until he spotted their sports anchor. “There he is.”
Derek was clearly turning on the charm for a young woman in a lime green dress, who seemed quite receptive.
“Think he’s doing his Ted Baxter voice?” Jack asked.
“That’s a given.”
“I’ll bet we don’t see him for the rest of the night.”
“Would you come back to us?”
“Hell, no.”
But as soon as the Dating Game started, Derek did rejoin them.
“Are you nuts?” Van asked him.
“Cut me some slack. She’s here with friends, but I got her number. I’m giving her a call tomorrow.”
****
There was a change of music, and Nate walked out and held up his hand, settling everyone down and clearing the dance floor.
“Welcome to the Oasis and another edition of The Dating Game. Who’ll have a chance to find their perfect match tonight? Let’s find out, shall we?”
Chapter 8
Sabrina learned a couple of things, watching this creature that she’d unleashed at the Oasis. One: people had way too much fun playing up all things sexual for the meat market crowd. Two: she wanted no part of it.
Tiptoeing backwards, she was halfway to her office when Tanya turned and saw her. They both took off running, but Tanya managed to trap Sabrina in her office when she stopped to get her purse before sprinting out the back.
Tanya gave her a desperate look. “Come on, what have you got to lose?”
“My self-respect, for starters.”
“You can’t let all this,” Tanya’s hands framed the beautiful woman in front of her, “go to waste.”
“I’ve done it for years.”
“Sabrina.” Tanya looked at her with understanding. “Something brought you out tonight. After all the effort you put into yourself, you can’t tell me you weren’t hoping to meet someone.”
“But not like that!” She threw her hand toward the humming wall. “I’ll be a laughingstock.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“Hello, did you see that out there?”
“First of all, that slut chose to ask her own questions, and based on those she got exactly the feedback she was looking for from the guys. She played up the sexual shock value—her choice.”
****
Jackson pushed his glass away and stared in distaste at the stage. Witnessing that spectacle was like watching a cheesy striptease, revolting and disturbingly compelling. He felt cheap and dirty, degraded somehow. Screw this. He was done. This was not how he wanted to spend his precious personal time.
Sliding off his stool, Jack was about to call it a night when his three male companions looked at him with the queerest looks in their eyes. Becky sat back and joined the fun. So why wasn’t he smiling?
****
Nate strolled across the set and grinned into the bright lights. “I can’t wait to bring out our next beautiful bachelorette, but before I show her off I need three contenders. Come on, gentlemen, don’t be shy. This lady is well worth the effort.”
“Here!” someone called, and a cocky ex-jock type sauntered out of the crowd, his friends whooping in support behind him.
“Two more, I need two more!” Nate eyed the crush of people expectantly.
****
It wasn’t easy to get Sabrina to cave, but now that she’d managed it Tanya didn’t dare let go of her sleeve. Still, she had to see what was going on out front. She alone stepped around the door just in time to catch the second bachelor come dancing out of the crowd.
What the hell?
He was using his hips to carry him obscenely forward to the beat of the music while his arms and shoulders did their own freaky little dance. Tanya’s self control was excellent, her amusement betrayed only by a subtle lift of an eyebrow and a trembling at the corner of her mouth, but her efforts to hold back a full-blown smile couldn’t withstand what came next. She totally lost it when
he tossed his long dark hair back like some sort of sexy god. Everyone roared in approval, egging him on, not that he needed the encouragement.
Tanya gave up and broke out laughing. “Oh, my god, this guy is awesome!”
“What’s he look like?”
Sabrina tried to peek around the door, but Tanya blocked her, hissing impatiently, “Tsst, tsst!” She turned back in disbelief at what she saw next.
Sabrina’s man with the golden glutes was being steered and shoved out front by three friends. He looked pissed and unwilling, but once Nate acknowledged him he seemed to accept the inevitable. Watching him, it was as if he drew the mantle of his dignity around his shoulders, then walked onto the stage with his head held high.
“No kidding,” Tanya said softly, then gave an ominous chuckle.
“Now what?” Sabrina’s urge to bolt reared up again.
“It’s nothing.”
****
Nate turned and scanned the room for Tanya. She popped out and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Relieved, he beamed at the crowd. “Now it’s time to introduce our next bachelorette. She’s an intelligent professional with a cool head for business and a body too hot to handle. Please give her a warm welcome.”
Nate clapped furiously and everyone joined in, their enthusiasm growing more boisterous when they got a look at her.
Tanya thrust a stack of recipe cards into Sabrina’s hand and pushed her forward.
Sabrina tried to ignore the howls and wolf whistles as she stepped onto the platform and took the empty stool. She didn’t want to think about the three men hidden behind the folding screens.
She was going to kill Nate for that intro.
****
Jackson looked at the crowd of rowdy people and groaned. How the hell had this happened? He found Van in the sea of faces and shook his head, his expression hard. Van was not taking his mood seriously, because he merely broke out laughing. Jackson was just going to have to kill him—or fire him, either option perfectly acceptable as far as he was concerned.
Damn it. There wasn’t nearly enough alcohol in his bloodstream to get with this program. At least the brainless bimbo was getting a good welcome. She was obviously worth the price of admission. It helped, anyway.