by Mia Cardine
Brandi, however, did not share her amusement. She flattened her lips and for one moment he thought she might not answer. Watching her closely, he saw the moment she realized there was no polite way to avoid it.
Voice cool, she said, “Diamond Theroux, Lisa Ba’Yne, and Renee Jinn, meet Geoffrey Rasmussen. He’s the representative from my newest client.”
“It is my pleasure, ladies. Do you mind if I join your little group?”
“Of course, you can,” the woman who’d spoken earlier, Diamond, said.
Geoffrey rose and resettled himself next to Brandi.
Brandi tensed as his scent wafted to her, spicy and warm, his essential male scent making her mouth water for more than food. Her pulse quickened, the heat of his body warming her, turning her insides to liquid. She turned her face away from him, rejecting the appeal of the man with her mind, in spite of her body’s reactions to him.
A long time ago, Nick had been just like Geoffrey, determined in his pursuit of her. He’d rammed against her boundary walls with his persistent flattery and gifts until she lowered her defenses. She let him in, let him take her over. Then what did he do? He took her love, ground it under his heel and threw it into rotting garbage like that was all she was fit for.
Neither Geoffrey, nor any other man, would get the opportunity to do that to her again.
Brandi chanced another glance at him, woman enough to appreciate his male attributes in a purely aesthetic way. His tall, lean, muscular frame, white-blond hair and brilliant blue eyes put him right up there with Hollywood types, his easy grin making him approachable. Did he make everything female within her flare to life at his nearness, at one glance from those beautiful blue eyes? Yes. No need to delude herself about it.
Sorry, Mr. Rasmussen. I refuse to go down that path again.
She could not afford to.
Taking a deep breath, Brandi consciously released the tension. The acknowledgement of her attraction to him, and subsequent decision to choose not to follow through on it, freed her somehow. She could relax, to a point, and enjoy dinner with her friends and the attractive man who was nothing more than a business acquaintance.
“So what do you ladies do?” Geoffrey was asking as she tuned back into the conversation. “Except Brandi, of course.”
His gaze met hers. She searched the luminous depths of his eyes, seeing the banked fire there, also kindness.
No. I thought Nick was a gentle soul and look what it cost me.
Bottom line, she couldn’t trust her own judgment where her personal life was concerned.
“I’m an accountant,” replied Diamond, drawing his gaze, her dark chocolate eyes twinkling. “I know what you’re thinking, Geoffrey, but I really do enjoy working with numbers more than people.”
“I think I can understand why,” he said without hesitation, surprising them all as they exchanged glances and waited for him to explain. “Numbers are facts, plain and simple, while people are complex, emotions are messy. It’s not always so easy to understand any one person completely.”
Diamond’s brows rose almost to her hairline. Brandi understood the feeling. No one had ever summed up her friend like that.
“Oh, my gosh, you, a virtual stranger, get me. Wow, Brandi, this one’s a keeper.”
Brandi’s lips tightened as she glared at her friend. Not that it mattered. Diamond just grinned.
Geoffrey turned to Renee. “And you, Renee, what is it you do?”
“I’m a licensed realtor, both for residential and commercial real estate.” As was her way, Renee spoke in a soft tone.
“Really? Then it is fortunate that we have met. One never knows when one may have need of a realtor. Do you have a card?”
Renee reached into her purse and withdrew her business card, handing it to him.
“Thank you.”
Lisa reached across Brandi and touched his arm. “And I’m a high school guidance teacher at a private academy.”
Now it was Geoffrey’s turn to be surprised. “You have the most important job of us all.” There was no doubting the sincerity in every word.
Lisa blushed under his admiring gaze.
Diamond’s eyes almost bugged out. “I cannot believe it! I would have never thought you had it in you to blush at anything.”
Lisa gritted her teeth. “Are you finished?”
Diamond shrugged her shoulders. “For now.”
Several more people joined their table. The waitress took the beverage orders then turned to Brandi and her group for their dinner selections. She went to put in their orders and returned, another waitress following, their arms filled with a bowl of soup and salad for all at their table. Conversation dwindled as the teppanyaki chef arrived to cook each of their meals while showcasing his skill with knives. Even after he cleaned the table and left, the positive remarks on the food and show continued.
Dinner over, the women each paid their bill, declining Geoffrey’s offer to cover their meals. Outside, they paused on the sidewalk to say their goodnights. Brandi found the tension creeping back over her. She felt a similar tension emanating from the man beside her.
“Ladies, may I offer a ride in my leased SUV?” Geoffrey asked, looking to each of them.
“Which way are you going?” Diamond asked.
“I am staying at a hotel uptown, but I do not mind if I must drive in the opposite direction to ensure you ladies get home safely.”
“Thank you, but, no,” answered Diamond with a shake of her head. “Renee, Lisa, and I live outside the city. But Brandi lives uptown.”
Instead of responding to that, Geoffrey turned toward the street and raised his arm. Almost at once, a taxi pulled up at the curb and he opened the door with a flourish, sweeping his arm wide and bowing low. “After you, ladies.”
Brandi watched her friends desert her with a wink and a smile, while she experienced a sinking sensation low in her abdomen. She was alone. With Geoffrey.
Not a good idea on so many levels.
Geoffrey shoved his hands in his pockets, saying nothing, which only made her more nervous. “Would you rather catch a taxi?”
He was leaving it up to her. Well, she was no coward. She could do this.
Squaring her shoulders, Brandi pasted on a smile and met his gaze. “If it’s really no trouble, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Geoffrey smiled like he’d won the lottery, like her answer both pleased and satisfied him.
Brandi stepped back, frowning. “This doesn’t change anything, Geoffrey. I’m not at a point in my life where I have the time or the inclination for a relationship.”
“Even a friendship?”
She had to close her eyes and turn away from the hope shining in his, even as she questioned his motives. Brandi sighed. “Fine, but that is all we can be. Can you accept that?”
“Is there any other choice?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Then friendship it is.”
Geoffrey stepped up and linked her arm through his, steering her around the side of the building to a full-sized SUV. He opened the door and assisted her up onto the seat, without the flourish he’d shown her friends. Brandi ignored the slight disappointment she felt and watched as he went around to the driver’s side.
Once they merged into traffic, she asked, “Why do you have a vehicle when you live uptown and work midtown?”
He flashed a grin at her. “Tit for tat, as the expression goes. One for one. For every question of yours that I answer, you answer one from me.”
Brandi pursed her lips as she pondered that. Well, she mentally shrugged, if there was one she didn’t feel comfortable answering, she wouldn’t and have to accept his non-answer, too.
“Fine.”
Geoffrey took one hand off the steering wheel and offered it to her. “Shake on it?”
She blew out hard and slowly extended her hand until his engulfed hers. A shockwave ran up her arm like electric zings until he released her. Swallowing a gasp, she managed to
feign a calm she didn’t feel.
“You first,” Geoffrey offered with a sideways glance.
Brandi licked her suddenly dry lips. “Are you, or have you ever, married?”
“No, not once.”
“Have you ever been in a long-term relationship that involved living together?”
Geoffrey didn’t hesitate. “Yes. About five years ago, but nothing came of it. You?”
“Yes. It ended a year ago.”
“Difficult breakup, I take it?”
Brandi didn’t even question how he surmised that. “Very.”
He glanced over at her. “Ready for some music?”
She leaned her head back and nodded. The rest of the ride was accomplished in silence but for her directions to her condominium.
___
Their many projects were going well, producing expected results for the agency’s clients. Her market researchers had produced viable information that she and her ad execs utilized in designing online and traditional advertising for the greatest result. Everything was going well.
She should be happy. Instead, she felt restless. She hadn’t run into Geoffrey since last week at the Japanese steakhouse.
Drat the man! He did this to me, with his luminous blue eyes, full lips, muscular build, the intense way he watches me. I can’t even lie to myself. I want him.
Brandi wasn’t sure how she felt about that but, thankfully, she had no time to worry about it.
Hurrying home, she changed out of her business suit and hastened to change into jeans and a long-sleeved, graphic tee shirt. She rushed downstairs and speed-walked the block and a half to the restaurant for her book club meeting. Diamond and Lisa were already there with the rest of their members. Renee came in right behind her as breathless as she was.
“Sorry we’re late,” Brandi said for the both of them as she and Renee took a seat at the bar high table.
Well into happy hour, there was a good crowd of people, non-stop hors d’oeuvres to eat and half-priced drinks. Brandi’s stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Have you all started yet? Because I’m really hungry.”
“Go on,” Diamond said, waving her hand. “We’ve only just begun the discussion so you won’t miss much.”
Brandi looked to Renee. “Are you coming?”
She shook her head. “I had a late lunch.”
Brandi nodded and headed to the buffet table. The appetizing aroma of the food sharpened as she neared the buffet table. A wide variety of tapas were available, which was why this was the place for happy hour.
Once she returned to the table, she found it easy to join in the conversation. The book they’d chosen for tonight’s discussion was different from their usual selections.
“Okay,” their book club host, Sarina, said, “I think we should go around the table so everyone could give their opinion on the story.”
A small silence ensued, but Diamond didn’t let it go on long. “Well, it was a well-written story, I can’t deny that. The characters were well-developed, the conflicts believable, the plot made sense. But those BDSM scenes? Whew! I ran the gamut from being titillated to horrified, depending on what part of that acronym played out in a scene.”
Brandi’s eyes widened. “Titillated? Which part?”
She smirked and lowered her lashes for only a second. “Well, I think I could do bondage and submission, with me as the Mistress to a Submissive. Of course, he couldn’t be a weak man. Otherwise, what would be the point? But to have a strong, hard muscled bodied man kneeling at my feet, ready and willing to please me?” She shrugged. “It intrigued me. I wonder if there really are bondage clubs.”
“Of course, there are,” soft-spoken Renee answered.
Brandi’s mouth dropped open. A quick glance around showed she wasn’t the only one in shock. For her part, she would never have guessed that Renee knew anything about the subject.
Renee waved a dismissive hand and rolled her eyes. “You guys are so naïve. I’m as worldly as the rest of you. This stuff has been around for ages.”
Diamond held her palm up. “So?”
“So I think that as long as the individuals involved are consenting adults, then it’s no one’s business, but theirs.”
“But what did you feel when you read those scenes?” pressed Diamond for all of them.
“Well, I’m not sure.”
“Oh, come on, Renee, don’t pussy out now.”
Renee cut her eyes at Diamond. “I’m speaking the truth. I couldn’t figure out what I was feeling as I read the bondage and submission scenes, but the scenes involving pain totally turned me off. I tried to get into the character’s head, to understand why they would choose to receive and give pain, but I couldn’t.”
“Anyone else? How about you, Brandi?”
Brandi pursed her lips, considering the question. “Okay, well, while I could understand the character’s motivation – and I’m talking bondage and submission here – I found it hard to believe that the protagonist could submit herself at all. Yes, the story was well written, but I couldn’t accept it. I mean, look at us. We’re all strong women yet neither of us is even married. Why do you think that is? It’s easy to tell ourselves that there is a lack of men strong and sure enough of themselves to appreciate a strong woman. But is that really it, or is it that we cannot easily submit to a man? Think about it. We’re used to making decisions. We’re used to running things. Building a partnership isn’t an easy thing to do.”
“You said a mouthful there,” remarked Diamond, serious for once.
Sarina cleared her throat. “So are you saying, Brandi, that this book showed you something about yourself?”
Brandi nodded. “I guess I am.” The self-realization hurt. It made her think that, maybe, she deserved Nick’s callous treatment.
“Don’t even think it, Brandi Rafferty,” Diamond said, fierce. “You did not deserve that crap Nick pulled. You were nothing but good to that man.”
“Calm down, Di,” Sarina said, laying a hand on her arm. “Although I agree with your assessment, I think Brandi did a good thing here. She listened to her feelings and entertained a different viewpoint. No matter what we read, in some way, we identify with the feelings the characters experience, whether positive or negative.”
“I can respect that, but she needs to realize that Nick was a coward, a coward who hated the strength that is an integral part of who she is. He wanted to bring her down. You don’t think he came back around after that to see if he’d broken her? I’d bet a hundred bucks he did, but she fooled him. She handled it and kept on going.”
Brandi smiled and hugged Diamond. “Thanks, girl, I needed to hear that.”
A tap on her shoulder startled her and she turned around to find Geoffrey standing there. The silence at the table was palpable. She didn’t need to look to know that all eyes were on him.
Licking her lips – a move that had the man staring – she said, “Hi, Geoffrey.”
“Hi, Brandi, ladies. You all seem to be having an engrossing conversation. Is it for women only?”
“No, you…”
Brandi jumped off her stool, placed her hands flat on his chest and pushed him away, shaking her head vigorously over her shoulder at Diamond who grinned.
“So, Geoffrey,” Brandi began, smiling brightly as she continued to push him away from the table. “What’re you doing here? Have you eaten? They have really good finger foods here. Do you want to dance?”
Geoffrey watched, bemused, as lightweight Brandi tried to take him away from the table, apparently without noticing that she had barely budged him an inch. She appeared panicked, which just made him more curious.
“Do you?” she asked with more urgency. “Do you want to dance?”
Perhaps she didn’t realize that the song currently playing was for slow dancing. He did. The opportunity to take her into his arms and hold her close was much too tempting to resist. He allowed her to drag him to the rear of the bar where several c
ouples danced on the small dance floor, then he pulled her tight against him the way he had been dreaming of doing.
She gasped, her muscles tightening, but he continued to hold her, swaying from side to side.
“Brandi,” he whispered.
His husky whisper of her name sent her into an internal meltdown. Shivers coursed up and down her spine. Yet even as her nipples tightened, butterflies took flight in her stomach and a fire started in her blood, her heart beat out a heavy rhythm of bone-numbing panic.
She didn’t want this.
She couldn’t go down that road. Not again.
As though he sensed her panic, he began running his hand up and down her back, relaxing her. It wasn’t working. She had to get away from him now.
The conflicting desires kept her rooted in his arms, lost in the flames of desire that threatened to swamp her, to turn her into someone she couldn’t recognize.
“Geoffrey.”
Need and plea colored her tone. It brought her up short, pulling her out of the haze enough so she could think. Taking a deep breath, she willed her arms to drop from him. A moment passed, then another. His chest rose against her and he stepped back, his hands on her arms to steady her.
Geoffrey grasped her chin lightly and lifted it until their eyes met. “You cannot deny what is between us, Brandi.”
She drew in a shuddering breath, but held his gaze. “Maybe not, but I don’t have to act on it, either.”
“Are you not the least bit curious to explore what we feel?”
She shook her hand. “I can’t.”
“You can do anything you choose.”
“Not this.”
A small silence as his eyes searched hers. “You cannot make even one small step, Brandi? Not for me, but for you. Fear is not something you want to rule your life.”
Her mouth tightened. “Don’t presume to know what motivates me, Geoffrey. You don’t know me.”
He released a deep, longsuffering sigh. Brandi’s lips twitched, but she couldn’t keep the humor from her eyes.
“Now you laugh at me. Why do you dislike me so?”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Maybe because you don’t seem to understand the concept of the word ‘no.’”