One-Click Buy: September Harlequin Blaze

by Jo Leigh

  “We’re thinking of a caption along the lines of-James Place Condominiums…Where Your Most Forbidden Fantasies Come True,” she said. “But the copywriters are still working on it.”

  He raised his gaze from the photo, locked eyes with her. “It makes me want to sell my penthouse apartment and move in tomorrow.”

  “You really like it?” His approval gladdened her heart.

  “It’s exceptional work. You’ve accurately captured exactly what I was going for. The color, the mood, the marketing elements. You’re a master at this, Katie. You can go as high as you want in your career.”

  The way he was looking at her made her feel competent and accomplished and reliable. She could honestly say no one else had ever made her feel quite this proud of her work. Katie wasn’t accustomed to impressing a man with her artistic skills, especially a man with as much business savvy as this one. He made her want to truly commit to her career. To throw herself into it the same way she threw herself into romantic adventures.

  It was a new experience, this desire to be industrious and self-reliant. She liked it.

  And she liked him.

  Then he did something completely unexpected.

  Liam reached over, took her hand in his, stared deeply into her eyes and said, “After dinner, would you like to go bowling?”

  BOWLING?

  Why in the hell had he invited her to go bowling? Liam had never bowled a day in his life.

  Why? Because Tony had advised him to throw her a few curveballs. And his friend’s advice had seemed to work with the dog collar and taking her to Carmine’s when his instincts had been to send long-stemmed roses and take her to the fanciest French restaurant in town in a limo.

  But bowling? Maybe he should have given the monster-truck rally more consideration.

  Unfortunately for him, Katie had been excited at his suggestion. Apparently the girl loved to bowl. Who could have suspected a well-bred Brahmin blue blood would go for bowling?

  The alley was alive with noise. He was seriously out of his element as he laced up the two-toned rented shoes. Why on earth was he doing this? His forte was the boardroom, not the bowling lanes.

  Then he looked at Katie with her face aglow and he knew why. Her smile made him happy. The realization surprised him. The happiness surprised him.

  Absentmindedly, he raised a palm and pressed it against his heart as he watched her pick up her bowling ball and take aim at the ten pins. She looked adorable in those ugly bowling shoes, the hem of her dress swirling around her firm thighs and her hair tumbling over her shoulders in untamed abandon.

  He loved her gung-ho spirit and her lively personality. She could turn something as mundane as taking out the trash into a grand adventure. Life with Katie would be lots of fun.

  Trouble was, Liam wasn’t used to fun. If he wasn’t working, he felt guilty for leaving things undone. He hadn’t made it where he was today by goofing off with frivolous activities such as bowling.

  Being with Katie made him understand how much he’d been missing out on. And he was tired of missing out. Even if it meant he had to make a fool of himself at the bowling alley.

  She bent over to take the shot.

  Underneath his palm, he felt his heart rate kick up.

  She wiggled her butt and he couldn’t help but think she was teasing him. Then she was in motion, floating gracefully down the lane as only a bowling, blue-blooded princess could. She let go of the ball. It rolled down the alley, mowing down every pin.

  “Strike!” she yelled gleefully, and spun around toward him, a huge smile on her face. She came trotting over to where he sat. “High five.”

  He slapped her upraised palm. The smacking sound, the resulting tingle as his flesh met hers, caused a stirring deep inside him. A stirring unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He had no name for it and that bothered him.

  Her gaze met his. Nervously, she flicked out a tongue to lick her lips. It wasn’t a calculated gesture, of that he was sure. But the sight of her sweet pink tongue darting out to moisten those full red lips caused his stomach to contract and his penis to harden.

  “Where’d you learn to bowl like that?” he asked. “Last time I checked they don’t have bowling alleys in Beacon Hill.”

  “My mother,” she said.

  “Bowling isn’t a sport that high-society mamas usually encourage their daughters to take up.”

  “My mother was an exceptional woman.”

  “I’ve got to hand it to her. She certainly raised an exceptional daughter,” he said.

  Katie smiled at his compliment and he discovered he felt quite pleased to bring that smile to her face. “Mom did a lot of things with us you wouldn’t expect from a woman with her advantages and privileges. Sometimes, it earned her criticism from my dad’s family.”

  “What about your mom’s family?” he asked.

  “Her parents had passed away and she didn’t have any siblings.”

  “What about cousins?” he asked. “Aunts or uncles?”

  “That was always sort of a mystery,” Katie admitted. “My mother never talked about her extended family. My sisters and I got the impression she was estranged from them. We didn’t really ask about it. My father’s family was so close-knit.”

  “What else did your mother like to do besides bowl?”

  “Ice skate, bicycling, anything active. She even took us go-carting one time. I loved it, but Joey fell out of her cart and skinned her knees. Dad forbid any more go-cart excursions after that.”

  “It sounds as if you and your mother were a lot alike,” he commented.

  Katie looked surprised by the suggestion. “I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but, yeah, maybe so. We were the two who never seemed to fit in with the Winfields.”

  “Tell me more about your family.”

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re the kind of guy who hates to lose and you’ve seen what a whiz I am on the lanes. No more stalling. It’s your turn. Get out there.”

  “But I’m enjoying getting to know you better.” He patted the hard vinyl seat next to him.

  “What’s the matter?” she taunted. “Are you afraid you can’t live up to my strike?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Get up.” She reached out, took him by the hand and hauled him to his reluctant feet.

  “Bowling’s really not my strong suit.”

  “I promise, I won’t gloat when I beat your pants off.”

  “I don’t believe you. You seem like the type who would gloat over her prowess,” he teased.

  She raised two fingers. “Promise.”

  “Here’s the deal. I’ve got a confession to make,” he said as she tugged him toward the lane.

  “Oh?”

  “I can’t bowl.”

  She canted her head. “Quit stalling and get out there.”

  “No, honestly, I can’t bowl.”

  “Really?”

  He shrugged.

  She rested her hands on her hips. “Then why did you suggest we come here?”

  “I was hoping to surprise you with a fun activity you wouldn’t expect me to suggest.”

  “And you did.”

  “I had no clue you had the makings of a pro bowler. I thought we could look silly together. Now you’re just going to mop the floor with me.”

  Katie giggled. “Don’t be afraid to look silly. No one cares, honestly. Just pick up your ball and take your best shot.”

  He walked to the ball carousel, stopped, turned back to look at her. Damn, but she seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of glee in his ineptitude.

  “Come on, where’s the fearless attitude that propelled you to king of the heap of Boston real estate? I know you’ve got a risk-taking gene in there somewhere.”

  “It only applies to business.”

  “I don’t believe that.” />
  He couldn’t fight her infectious smile. “All right,” he conceded, “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I can ask.”

  Liam picked up the ball, figured out where to slip his fingers into the holes and then walked to the edge of the lane. How exactly did this thing work? He sneaked a peek at the bowlers on the next lane over.

  “Use the arrows on the floor to line up your shot,” Katie called out.

  He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t-”

  “What? You don’t ask for help?”

  “Not until I’ve exhausted all other options.” He grinned.

  She sat back against the plastic seating, knees crossed, one leg bouncing provocatively and sent him a wicked grin. “Stubborn.”

  “A man likes to do things his own way.”

  “Even if it’s the hard way?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Tough guy going it alone, huh? No need to be part of the pack. Lone wolf Liam.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Sounds desolate to me.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted with a cheerful shake of his head, “maybe a little.”

  “Fine. Go it alone.” She chuckled. “I’ll keep my advice to myself.”

  “Thank you,” he said, and promptly threw a gutter ball.

  Katie hooted.

  He sauntered toward her. “I suppose I deserved that.”

  “Darn right.”

  One look into her eyes and nothing mattered except keeping that wide smile on her face. He kept forgetting he’d hired her to advertise his condos, that she was essentially his employee. As they bowled frame after frame-or rather, she bowled and he pitched balls down the gutter-Liam found himself wanting her more and more. And by the time they ended up at her front door, he couldn’t keep his hands off her.

  All evening her laughter had pealed like wind chimes in his imagination, light and free. Whenever she brushed against him, an uncontrollable surge of hormones deployed straight to his loins. And when he drew close to her, he smelled the exotic scent of her shampoo-a piquant blend of lotus blossoms and crystal ginger. It was all he could do to keep himself from burying his nose in her shimmering hair.

  “Thanks for a wonderful time,” she said. “I know this was supposed to be a business meeting, not a real date, but I had more fun than I’ve had in a long while.”

  “Me, too,” he said huskily.

  She turned to slip her key into the lock.

  He put his arm on the doorjamb over her head. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this badly. “You’re not going to invite me in?”

  “On our first date, which wasn’t even really a date?” She turned back, eyes dancing. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”

  “I didn’t…that wasn’t…um…”

  “Lighten up, silly,” she said, “I was just yanking your chain.”

  “Oh.”

  “But I’m not inviting you in.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because,” she said, “I’ve got something better in mind.”

  His curiosity was piqued. “What’s that?”

  She wagged a finger. “If I told you, it would take all the fun out of it.”

  “You are a tease.” He couldn’t stop looking at her sweet mouth. At his perusal, her lips parted like petals opening.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “And remorseless in what you’re doing to me.”

  “Where’s the fun in remorse?”

  She winked. He loved the way her conspiratorial winks made him feel as they shared a gigantic secret. She looked adorable-grinning up at him, hair tousled, dimples dug deep in her cheeks.

  To hell with self-control, to hell with restraint. He’d spent too many years holding back where his love life was concerned. He took a step closer.

  She reached up to tuck a hank of hair behind one ear.

  “I’m going to kiss you,” he announced.

  She placed her index fingers to her lips. “No, not tonight. Wait.”

  “Wait for what?” Impatience tugged at him. He didn’t want to wait. He wanted her now.

  “Our secret rendezvous.”

  “What secret rendezvous?”

  “The one we’re going to have on Monday afternoon during your lunch hour.”

  “I usually work on my lunch hour.”

  “But you won’t,” she said. “Not this Monday.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because I have something totally erotic in store for you.” She touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip and arched against his body. “You’re going to meet me in front of the Town Crier Theatre in the historical district at noon.”

  He was hard for her instantly, mindless with desire. He could barely take in air, much less swallow past the cast-iron lump in his throat. “And what,” he croaked, “will we be doing?”

  “Come prepared-” she said the word soft and slow “-to do the forbidden.”

  8

  COME PREPARED to do the forbidden.

  Katie’s scintillating parting comment echoed in his head. Did she have any idea how totally provocative those words were? Liam had lain awake all night, his brain conjuring a myriad of tantalizing possibilities. His curiosity was aroused, his blood stirred, his dormant sense of adventured stoked. His body prickled with heightened anticipation.

  The woman had one hell of a creative imagination.

  Just before noon on Monday afternoon, Liam paced the sidewalk outside the Town Crier Theatre wondering what delicious treats she had in store for him.

  The theatre was running a weeklong retrospective of Clark Gable films. The movie du jour, according to the marquee, was It Happened One Night.

  Fitting.

  The title made him think of the one night he’d spent in the cloak closet with Katie. His mouth was dry from the memory. His hip pocket was stuffed with condoms and his anxiety was off the charts. She had him crazed with lust for her.

  Five minutes passed. Then ten.

  He checked his watch repeatedly. Eleven minutes. Twelve. His spirits plummeted. Had she stood him up? Or was making him wait part of her wicked game?

  If that was the case, she’d won. His self-control-the thing he prided himself on most-was totally shot.

  Just when Liam was about to give up and go to the office to try to get some work done, he saw her, strutting up the sidewalk toward him with the confidence of a runway model.

  She was dressed all in black, which created an erotic contrast to her wheat-blond hair. She wore a tight black sweater cut so low it was barely legal and, clearly, she was not wearing a bra. The square of black leather posing as a skirt was barely bigger than a cup towel. She had on black patterned stockings and black stilettos so high it was a miracle she could walk in them.

  Every guy on that Boston sidewalk was turning to stare at her.

  Enthralled, Liam’s jaw dropped and his pupils widened. He was desperate to see more of her. Adrenaline mixed with testosterone. The combo blasted through his veins like a fiery virus, infecting him with a level of lust the likes of which he’d never experienced.

  She passed right by him. At first he thought she hadn’t seen him, but then he got that it was all part of her erotic role-playing game.

  Be prepared to do the forbidden.

  She sashayed up to the ticket counter, bought her ticket and strolled inside without a backward look.

  His cock turned to stone.

  He followed suit. Buying a ticket and then following her inside the darkened theatre. At twelve o’clock on a weekday afternoon, they were the only two people in the lobby.

  The theatre had been fully restored in the cinema heyday of when it had been built. The carpeting was colorful and lavishly patterned. The gold-plated lighting fixtures gleamed, polished to a high sheen. A black-and-white art-deco cat clock on the wall be
hind the concession stand ticked off the moments until show time. Three, two, one.

  The smell of freshly popped popcorn filled the air. Katie stopped and bought a box of three-dollar jelly beans from the elderly woman behind the counter. She opened the box of candy and stood in silhouette so he could watch her pop one into her mouth and suck leisurely on it.

  Liam quelled a groan.

  “Would you like a sweet treat, sir?” the woman asked as Katie walked away.

  “No, thanks.” He shook his head. There was only one sweet treat he wanted and she was escaping.

  The woman nodded, went back to perch on her stool in the corner and picked up the romance novel she’d been reading. Liam went after Katie.

  She did not go in through the main entrance. Rather, she made a beeline for the marble stairs leading up into the balcony.

  Thick red velvet ropes stationed on either side of the steps barred access to the lofty seating. But Katie wasn’t allowing a measly stretch of cable to deter her. She winnowed around the rope, keeping to the strip of carpet running down the middle of the gray marble to blunt the sound of her high heels. She swept elegantly up the staircase.

  Mesmerized, Liam flaunted the rules and tracked after her.

  She pushed back the red velvet curtain leading into the balcony. He did the same, slipping past the rope. His heart suddenly was pounding so loudly he feared the noise of it would echo throughout the empty theatre and alert the staff to their clandestine rendezvous.

  Once behind the curtain, he had to stop and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The black-and-white movie was just starting, transporting them into a different era.

  After a couple of seconds, he spotted her, on the back row of the empty balcony, up high, right underneath the projector, so they couldn’t be spotted from the projection booth.

  Excitement twisting his gut, Liam sidled up the remaining steps and eased into the seat beside her.

  “Katie,” he gasped.

  “My name is Veronique,” she whispered in a seductive French accent. “And I do not need to know yours.”

  He felt the blood leave his head and rush pell-mell to deliver massive doses of testosterone to his groin.

  “What do you need, Veronique?” he found himself asking her huskily.