by S. E. Babin
Her easy smile slipped and her eyes shuttered. “I’m not sure that’s the kind of thing an investor should be asking the lead scientist.” She turned away from him and strode back into her office. He followed behind her wanting to kick himself. She fidgeted through her desk drawers until she pulled up a folder. “Here.” She handed it to him. “It’s all the notes about what we’ve talked about.”
Leo took the proffered folder. “It was just a question, Mel.”
“And one that’s none of your business, Leo.” Mel eyed him speculatively. “I’m curious as to why you’re asking me something like that.”
Leo sat down in one of the office chairs and decided to place his cards upon the table. “Do you feel something between us?”
Her eyes widened and she sank into her desk chair. She closed her eyes and pinched the top of her nose. “You’re dating my best friend, Leo. You are not a real man. You’re wires and metal and programmed to love her.”
He tried and failed not to be offended. Leo leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. “I notice you’re not denying it.”
She huffed out a tired laugh. “Leo, honestly, I’d have to be an idiot not to realize the amount of time you’ve been spending here hasn’t been exactly normal.”
He flushed at being caught out so easily. Her mouth twisted. “But,” she held up a finger, “again, you were created for Katie.”
“I’m almost completely human now, Mel.” He stood up from the chair and took the few steps necessary to reach her. He pulled her hand up and placed it over his chest. “Feel. Here. The metal and wires are gone.”
Her hand was warm and soft; her fingers lean and elegant. She closed her eyes for a moment, then pulled away. “I will not betray Katie. Even if you walk away from this research and I get zero money. She’s been my best friend since grade school. I will not betray her over a man.”
Leo felt the loss of her warmth against his like a stab to his heart. “I’m not asking you to betray her, Mel. I’m asking you to think about it. To maybe give me a chance.”
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “And what about her?”
Leo ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’ll tell her. If there’s any indication from you there could be something more between us, I will go home and tell her right now.”
Mel shook her head. “It would shatter her, Leo. I can’t do that to her. And you…don’t you think there’s some kind of error in your database? Why do you have feelings for me when you were created for her?”
Leo gritted his teeth. He didn’t know. It frustrated him to no end wondering every day whether he was on the right path or if he was a piece of faulty workmanship. There was no way to communicate with others…there had to be others. He was happy with Katie—he truly was, but it was a comfortable sort of happy. She was witty, charming, sexy and smart, but did he feel his blood heat up when she was around? Not quite. They could make it—he knew they could and they would make each other happy.
The kink in his plans was the wildly sexy woman sitting in front of him. He burned for her—every time she reached down to touch a beaker, turned to look at him with that sweet smile on her face, and every time she said something intellectual he didn’t understand, he wanted to tear her bra off with his teeth. It—no, she—was maddening. Katie’s face flashed behind his eyes every time he had these thoughts, bringing with it a burning guilt—a deep sense of self-loathing. Being human was great. Being human with all these emotions was not.
He felt the need to plug himself in less and less. He wasn’t a hundred percent human yet, but the part of him that mattered the most and urged him to get into trouble was—his heart.
“Does it matter?” His amber eyes stared into her brown ones.
“Of course it does, Leo. I won’t be party to this. I won’t allow you to hurt her. Even if it means that I need to step away for a while.” Mel turned her monitor on, dismissing him.
He sat there for a few moments, willing himself to say anything to straighten this out, but nothing came to mind. So he acted instead. His head screamed for him not to get involved, but his heart was different. He hauled her up from the chair and pulled her against him.
“I am a flesh and blood man now, Mel. And I know this is wrong. But I know what’s right, too. You. In my arms. Feeling you against me. Don’t you feel it, too?”
She was molded against him, a perfect fit. One slim leg tucked in between his thighs, the other clamped against his leg. She rested her arms against his chest, fists clenched tight, and her mouth parted in surprise. He didn’t give her time to speak. He swooped his head down and took her lips with his own.
A muffled sound of surprise came from her, then a moan of pleasure. Mel softened against him, breasts plastered against his chest. She moved her arms around his neck and kissed him back wholeheartedly. Leo picked her up with little effort and perched her against the edge of the desk. He reached up, never breaking contact with her lips and pulled off the clip securing her hair. Tumbles of wild curls fell against her shoulders, and Leo plunged his hands into them, bringing her even closer against him.
All thoughts of right and wrong left him as he held her in his arms, but it was over almost as soon as it began. Mel pulled away from him, panting heavily. She wiped her swollen lips with her sleeve and stared at him for a long second.
“I think you should leave.”
“I think I should stay.” Leo reached for her, but Mel hopped off the desk, straightened her skirt, and picked up the clip he’d cast onto the floor.
“No, you shouldn’t. If my boss had walked in just now I would have been fired! And not to mention the bigger elephant in the room! I am Katie’s best friend. Even if you and I were meant to be together, I couldn’t be with you. You should never have kissed me, Leo. I’m going to tell Katie.”
“Don’t tell her,” Leo implored.
Mel’s eyes darkened angrily. “I will not keep a secret like this from her.”
Leo picked up the jacket he’d discarded hours earlier when he’d first arrived at the lab. “I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking you to wait. I’ll be the one to tell her.”
Mel nodded once and turned away from him. She scooped up her disheveled hair and clipped it efficiently. She didn’t turn back around to face him, only sat down in her chair and pulled the keyboard toward her.
Dismissed, Leo wiped his hand across his mouth to rid himself of the feel of Mel’s lips and swept out of her office. Even though he should, he didn’t regret what had just happened. Katie was a wonderful person, but he suspected she was still struggling with feelings for her neighbor. She never admitted as much to him, but the signs were there. In fact, Katie went out of her way to avoid Will. Many men would think that was out of respect for him, but Leo knew it was more for her own sake. Still, it didn’t make what he had done right. Not only would Katie be hurt, he’d managed to hurt Mel, too. Maybe even their friendship. He would explain himself soon. No matter what.
* * * *
Katie was feeling hot. In a super awesome, super sexy, fling your hair back sort of way. She didn’t often bring out the little black dress, but when she did, her little city better watch out. Katie twirled in the mirror, watching the skirt flare around her thighs and drop against them in a swirl of silk.
Her blonde hair was upswept in a simple chignon and her makeup was elegant, yet understated. Everything except for her lips. They were a come-hither fire engine red. She pursed them and grinned in the mirror. Yep. She’s still got it. Katie reached over to her dresser and grabbed her best perfume. A couple of spritzes later and she was ready to go.
She flipped out the lights, leaving only the living room lamp on, grabbed her shawl and headed out the door to await the taxi cab. She had reservations for one at the newest French restaurant and her favorite Indie rock band was playing down the road at a local dive she used to be a regular at. Driving her own car didn’t seem to be ideal, especially because she planned on a few glasses o
f wine and maybe something harder if the mood struck her.
She was greeted by a kindly older gentleman when she stepped into the restaurant. He guided her to her table and presented her with a wine menu. She had some things to celebrate, actually, even though she’d yet to tell anyone. Plotting Mr. Perfect was finished. What she planned to do now she wasn’t exactly sure, but completing the book was enough for her to celebrate with a nice bottle of wine.
She ordered the most expensive bottle on the menu, then removed her shawl and studied her surroundings. Ambient light poured out of earth-toned chandeliers hanging from various parts of the ceilings. The walls were painted with murals of vineyards and littered with French words in elegant, lilting script. It was the perfect atmosphere to lift her mood.
As an afterthought, Katie removed her cell from her purse, shifted it to the vibrate position, and waited for her bottle of wine. When the waiter brought it over, she brushed him away before he got too tied up in the pour and sniff ritual. She didn’t care; she just wanted something to soothe her frazzled nerves. The last several weeks had been an emotional roller coaster. And tonight—well, she just wanted to be herself tonight. Good old nerdy Katie Walker. Scratch that, nerdy and hot Katie Walker. She’d be scorching up the streets if she walked down them wearing this dress.
She grinned in spite of herself, catching the curious glimpses of a couple sitting next to her. She smiled widely at them and turned to her menu. She didn’t care if anyone thought she was weird. It was high time she managed some quality one-on-one time. She was almost forgetting who she was lately.
The wine poured through her veins, heating them slowly and bringing a happy flush to her face. That was more like it. Tension seeped from her bones, and when the waiter came back over, she ordered the most fattening thing on the menu. She’d be drunk and overweight by the time she finished, and she’d do it all with a sloppy smile on her face.
By the time her meal came, Katie was feeling no pain. She cherished every single bite of the chicken cordon bleu pasta she ordered, even going so far as to sop up the last little bits of sauce with the free bread. She hoped it would soak up some of the wine she’d drunk because she still had several hours of Katie time left to go. She paid the check, tipping the waiter generously, and texted the cab company to come pick her back up.
Katie tipped up the last of her wine, overcame the urge to hug the bottle, and weaved happily through the maze of tables until she found her way out the door and into the chilly night air. The same driver showed up and as she climbed in she smiled sloppily at him and slurred a friendly hello.
He grinned and tipped his bowler hat to her. “Where to, Miss Katie?”
She patted him on the shoulder. “O’Doyle’s.” She leaned forward in between the two front seats to watch the scenery.
The driver shifted to give her a quick look. “Do you have someone joining you, miss?”
Katie waved away his concern. “No worries—” She leaned closer to look at the license displayed on the dashboard. “—Jack. I’ll be just fine. Used to be a regular there.”
Jack pulled a card from the cup holder and handed it to her. “Keep this and make sure you call me when you’re finished. I got lucky to be your driver twice. I’d like to see you home safe, miss.”
Katie took the card and examined Jack. He was a grizzled older man with a kind face. He had a broad grin and his profile was hawkish. She’d bet he was prior military. He had the kind of face you could trust and the kind that would back you up in a fight. Not that she was planning on fighting or anything, but she’d definitely keep his card and call him when she needed to get home. “Will do, Mr. Jack.”
He turned his attention back to the road, but not before she saw the grin split his face. “Good.”
After a drive long enough to kill some of her buzz, Katie stepped out of the cab, wrapped her shawl around her and waved at Jack. He gave her a short wave and pulled away from the curb. She was overdressed for the pub, but it was dark enough inside no one would probably notice. Katie walked inside, thankful for the no-smoking ordinances, and paid her cover fee to get in. The crowd was beginning to pick up, but she was still able to find a good seat. She removed her shawl and placed it on the back of her chair. A waitress came over and Katie ordered another glass of wine. She really wanted a beer, but she was smart enough not to switch drinks right after she’d polished off the better part of an expensive bottle of wine.
She sipped her drink and participated in one of her favorite pastimes—people watching. There were groups of girls dressed to the nines scoping out the place for love, the men who were pretending not to notice that group of girls, the after-hours business crowds with their ties loosened and a firm grip around their beers, and people like Katie. She tipped her glass at one tired woman sitting at the bar facing her. The lady gave her a weak smile back and lifted her beer in acknowledgment. Katie motioned her over. Her face registered surprise for a moment, but she shrugged, gathered her things and walked over to sit across from Katie.
Katie held out her hand and introduced herself. The woman shook it. “I’m Candace. Nice to meet you. And thank you for motioning me over here. There were already a couple of creepers eyeballing me and, honestly, all I wanted was a drink after a long day at work.” Candace was pretty in an exotic way. Long dark hair fell almost to her waist, and a heart-shaped face was accented by brilliant green eyes. Katie wondered if she was erring on the low side when talking about creepers because this chick was gorgeous. They engaged in small talk for over an hour, each ordering another drink when the waitress came by. Candace was witty and funny, and Katie was glad to be around another woman who wasn’t bugging her about her dating life.
“So what do you do?” Katie finally asked the inevitable.
Candace’s easy smile turned lopsided. “I’m a literary agent. Here for a conference in Charleston, but I wanted to get the heck out of Dodge for a little while and away from all the writers lathering at the bit for a deal.”
Katie felt like she swallowed her tongue. Candace eyed her. “So what do you do?”
She laughed self-consciously. “Don’t throw your beer at me, please. I’m a writer.”
Candace closed her eyes, but then laughed. “What are the odds?”
Katie grinned. “Honestly, not good. I guess you’re just lucky.”
“What’s your last name?” Candace asked before she took a long swig of her beer.
“Walker. I wrote the Hanover Beach series. You’ve probably never heard of it.”
Candace choked and sat her beer down quickly. “Are you kidding?” she wheezed out. “That’s one of my favorite series!”
“Get out of town!” Katie was delighted the initial awkwardness was gone because Candace seemed like a pretty cool chick.
“I can’t believe it. How awesome is it that we’re sitting here together?”
Katie clinked her glass against Candace’s bottle. “Pretty awesome. So did you ink any deals at the conference?”
Candace’s mouth twisted. “Not a single interesting bite yet. We have two more days to go, so I’m hopeful.”
The band members began to mill around the stage. They had about half an hour until showtime and were busy testing out their instruments to make sure everything was in working order. She was excited for the show tonight, and was already glad she made it out alone because she’d met Candace. An idea suddenly struck her.
“Candace, what do you think about chick-lit?”
Her eyes lit up. “Chick-lit is like that secret porn stash every man has in their closet but refuses to divulge. I love it. I hoard it, but I haven’t had a project that really called my name.”
Katie held up her hands. “I won’t talk shop tonight because I know you’re exhausted. But why don’t you give me a card? I might have something for you.”
Candace looked intrigued. “We can talk shop right now. Spill the beans.” She dug around in her purse for a silver business card holder, clicked it open and handed her
a card. “But take this anyway.” She held out the card to Katie, but snatched it away at the last minute. “Wait. Aren’t you already represented by that shark Lucinda?”
Katie leaned over and snatched the card out of her hand. “Lucinda says, and I quote,” Katie affected a posh British accent, “Chick-lit is fluff. You’re too smart for fluff.”
Candace burst into laughter. Katie continued. “I love this book. I know this isn’t my typical genre, but I’m willing to take on a new pen name if necessary. Lucinda made it clear that if I continue working on this I can consider myself as good as fired. We haven’t talked since.”
Candace leaned in closer. “So why did you write something so out of the box?”
Katie thought about a way to tell her without sounding like she’d just escaped from the loony bin. “Life is so much weirder than fiction. And my life has been representative of that lately. I wanted to take real life and mash it with some fantastic elements for entertainment value. Once I started I couldn’t stop.”
Candace nodded. “All right, Katie. My email address is on that card. I’m going out on a limb here. Send me the full. Mum’s the word until the time we need to strike a deal. If we don’t strike a deal, rest assured I will never breathe a word of this to Lucinda.”
Katie exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Maybe we could make an even better deal soon.”
Candace held out her hand for a high-five. “Lame, I know, but give me some skin. I have a feeling this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful, chick-lit friendship.”
Katie smacked her hand, and then motioned the waiter over for another glass of wine.
* * * *
Three songs in and a couple of glasses of wine later, Candace said her goodbyes, blaming an early morning ahead of her. Katie was sorry to see her go, but felt thankful she’d met her tonight. She stood, swaying a little bit, and gave Candace a fierce hug. “I’ll send the full over by tomorrow. Maybe the evening, considering how much more wine I drink tonight.”