Kristi had removed him from that on-site responsibility three weeks ago. “Oh. I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Louisa.”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. We weren’t right for each other. I’m waiting for that one special person, no matter how long it takes.”
“Yeah, if only it was that simple.” She’d been dating for twenty years and had more strikeouts than she could count. At this rate she’d never get to home plate. “Then again you shouldn’t have any problems locating Ms. Right.”
He leaned back, ignoring his still-unknotted tie. The ends dangled, a contrast to the crisp white shirt that fit like a glove, hinting at the sculpted body beneath. “You think it’ll be easy?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? You have a good job. You’re an attractive guy.”
That was an understatement. At six foot two, and with jet-black hair and eyes the color of dark chocolate, Mitch was hot. He was also her PA, which was why she tried not to stare at him too long.
“Women should be standing in line to date you. I mean, not me obviously since I’m your boss, but other women. I’m surprised they aren’t breaking down your door.”
His lips curled. “Thanks, I think.”
With his Latin ancestry, Mitch’s skin was a constant light tan, and his eyes were heavy lidded and soulful. His full lips framed a perfect smile.
The truth was, when she’d first met Mitch, she’d swallowed…hard. Unfortunately, her dad had definite ideas about the type of men she should date—wealthy, successful and from a good family. Larry Jensen had set the bar high. Those who didn’t measure up found the door fast. With his blue-collar background, Mitch would never meet her father’s standards.
Kristi shook her head, trying to rein in her wayward thoughts. “When do I need to leave?” She finished tying his bow and focused on her job and the real reason Mitch was in the room.
He checked his watch. “Three minutes ago.”
The party was at an upscale hotel ballroom in Clay ton, a ten-minute drive from Jensen’s corporate headquarters. The only potential hitch in the evening was that St. Louis was expecting five inches of snow, but that wasn’t supposed to start until well after midnight. “Then I best get going. You leaving, too?”
Mitch nodded and placed a hand on the small of her back. For some reason Kristi felt a shiver of pleasure travel down her spine. “I’ll walk you out.”
Chapter Two
By ten minutes to six, Kristi had lost track of Mitch, who was helping Barbara at the welcome table for tonight’s event. Her team was very efficient, which meant Kristi was free to focus on her parents, who’d arrived to oversee another Jensen year-end gala.
“You did a beautiful job, dear,” Kristi’s mom said, surveying the full ballroom, which glittered with people dressed to the nines. The lights overhead created the perfect mood. Crystal gleamed and no expense had been spared on the rented china table settings. After dessert and a few speeches, a band would take over so that everyone could dance the night away. “You’ve really outdone yourself.”
Kristi warmed under her mother’s praise. As Emma Jensen’s only child, she’d grown up knowing she was supposed to fulfill all her parents’ hopes and dreams. Except for finding a husband, Kristi had met every expectation her mom and dad had set. “Thank you. I have a great staff and the hotel’s new banquet manager was amazing.”
“Yes, but it’s all because of your leadership,” her father said. Larry Jensen was a big man, six foot six and built to match. His very presence commanded respect, and tonight was no exception.
Since her father hated feeling as if he was eating in a fishbowl, there was no head table. Her parents and three other couples would eat at a round table near the podium, and Kristi’s place card was at the next table over. Bill was to have been seated to her left.
As if sensing a problem, Emma turned back to her daughter. “Where’s Bill? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
The moment of truth.
“He’s…” Kristi faltered as her father slid his arm around his wife’s waist. A lump formed in Kristi’s throat. Even though her father could be overbearing, Kristi always found herself awed by the love he had for his family and his wife.
Although she wanted a love like her parents shared, she’d been willing to settle for companionship with Bill. At her age, something was better than nothing, right?
Kristi brushed some imaginary lint from the skirt of her dress. “So where is he?” her father asked. “I’m considering buying stocks in a start-up company and I wanted to ask him about it.”
Somehow she managed to speak. “He’s not coming.”
Her father frowned. “Why not? You invited him, didn’t you? Is he out of town?”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “More like out of my life. He met someone else.”
“Oh.” Her father absorbed this. While he was adept at dealing with business crises, he wasn’t good at handling Kristi’s constant breakups. He simply couldn’t under stand what was wrong with his perfect daughter.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you okay?” Kristi’s mother gave her a sympathetic hug.
“I’ll be fine,” Kristi repeated the words she’d been telling herself all day as she quickly ended her mom’s embrace. It was common knowledge around the firm that Kristi Jensen couldn’t keep a man. Soon enough the gossip would be whispered around the watercooler that Kristi had been dumped yet again. Tonight she wanted some peace.
“I’ll explain what happened when I see you on Sunday night.”
“Did you invite someone else?” her father asked.
Her father—Mr. Practical. “No, he only told me the news today at lunch. Besides, I don’t need a date. I’m working, remember? It’s my job to make sure this party goes off without a hitch.”
“That’s why you have staff.” The lines on Larry’s forehead deepened.
“But it’s still my responsibility,” Kristi insisted, scanning the crowd for an escape route.
To her relief, her father leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of the head. “Sorry. I’m being insensitive. Sometimes I forget to be a dad first. I hate seeing you hurt. Believe me, I’m already plotting Bill’s demise.”
“Don’t go to jail on my account,” Kristi said. Their long-standing joke still made her father smile, although sadly.
“Okay, but remember, I have good lawyers. I’d get off,” he finished, as was custom.
Her mother, though, continued frowning. “I still don’t like you eating all alone, especially tonight. How will that look? Larry?”
Her father always deferred to his wife. He nodded. “True. The president of the union is seated at your table. We’re going into contract negotiations in a few months. You need a date.”
Sometimes keeping up business appearances was so archaic. Kristi opened her mouth to protest again, but a male voice spoke first. “I’ll sit with her.”
Kristi pivoted to see Mitch behind her. She wondered how much he’d overheard.
“I don’t have a date, either, and that way there won’t be any empty seats,” he told her dad.
Pride had her bristling. A knight in shining armor was not required. She could handle dinner. The union president could deal.
“That would be great,” her mother said with obvious relief.
“Really, there’s no reason,” Kristi protested, but her father’s nod sealed the deal.
“That’s a grand gesture, Mitch. This is perfect. I’ll want to hear your impressions of the union president. Mitch’s dad is a carpenter,” Larry told Emma, “so his family’s had a lot of experience dealing with the union.”
“Dad’s been in the union since he was twenty,” Mitch confirmed. “Almost thirty-three years.”
Kristi watched the exchange with interest. She’d known Mitch’s dad was a tradesman of some sort. The fact that her dad knew Mitch’s background didn’t surprise her. Larry Jensen had a mind like a steel trap, which was why he and his brothers had been so succes
sful building their business. With the issue of Kristi’s dinner companion resolved, Larry guided his wife to their table.
Kristi turned to Mitch the minute her parents were out of earshot. “I didn’t require a rescue.”
“No, but I do.” He stood so close his breath tickled her ear. “Lisa in Accounting found out I’m single. I figure eating with you is a good way to fend her off.”
“Oh.” She stepped back, trying to maintain a professional distance. “Then I was right. I told you this after noon you wouldn’t have any trouble finding someone new.”
Mitch took a glass of wine from a passing waiter and handed it to Kristi. “Yeah, but there’s only one person I’m really interested in and she’s not available. I don’t date for sport.”
“But why not Lisa? I’ve met her. She’s a nice girl. A little boy crazy, but sweet.”
“She doesn’t do anything for me.”
A small chime sounded, signaling that everyone be seated for dinner. With a sweep of his arm, Mitch indicated Kristi should go first.
“So are sparks really that important?” she asked as she went by him.
Mitch’s brows knit together. “There has to be some thing there. Something more than a pretty face and a willing body.”
“Like what?”
He pulled out her chair and she sat. “I don’t exactly know. When guys are young we’re happy to be with any girl who pays us attention. It’s hormones and physical. When we get older we get choosier. There has to be some deeper connection than sex.”
She’d thought she and Bill were connected. “I guess I don’t understand. Bill and I both loved Thai food, National Public Radio and walks in the park. He dumped me for a twenty-one-year-old stripper.”
“Bill’s an ass. Always has been.”
Her mouth dropped. “Now you tell me?”
Mitch still stood above her. He shrugged. “I’m your PA. Who am I to criticize your personal life? You seemed happy.”
“Blind is more like it. I have terrible guy-radar. It leads me to the wrong man every time.”
Mitch settled into his chair. “You deserve to be happy.”
“Yeah, we all do. Like you.” Eager to get the spotlight off herself, Kristi asked, “So what about the girl you mentioned earlier, the one you said is unavailable?”
Mitch’s brown eyes clouded as he focused on some thing over her shoulders. “Forget I mentioned that.”
“Come on. Tell me. I’ve told you all my secrets tonight.”
His tone turned wistful. “I think things could be great between us, but she has no idea how I feel. She’ll never see me as anything more than a friend.”
His forceful determination sounded so sure, and thank goodness she was sitting down, for Kristi’s knees weakened. What would it be like to have a man who loved you that much? The only ones who’d been that enamored of Kristi had turned out to be gold diggers. She really couldn’t win.
“And you can’t fix that? You can’t give her a clue?” Kristi’s romantic notions couldn’t believe a man of Mitch’s caliber could fail at getting anything he wanted.
He shook his head, the ballroom lights shimmering off his black hair. “No. It’s not possible. Some things aren’t meant to be.” Mitch’s tone was flat and final, as if he’d long ago resigned himself to the situation. Their tablemates then joined them, and personal conversation ended.
Dinner was pleasant, and Mitch and Kristi made small talk with the union president and his wife and the others throughout the four courses. After dessert, Kristi excused herself and located her best friend Alison.
“Hey, what’s going on? Where’s Bill?” Alison asked as they made their way to the ladies’ room. “Why are you eating dinner with Mitch?”
Kristi glanced around. No one was paying them any attention. “Bill broke up with me. Mitch is my self-appointed mercy date.”
Alison’s horrified face was classic. She touched her friend’s arm. “Oh, God. Kristi. I’m so sorry.”
Kristi somehow refrained from rolling her eyes. “Tell me about it. I texted you.”
“I left my phone at home by mistake and I had my work phone set to voice mail so I could get this week’s employment transfers finalized. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“It’s okay. I’d rather not talk about my sucky love life tonight anyway. Maybe tomorrow we could have a wine-and-cheese pity party?”
Alison nodded. “Of course. I’ll send the girls to my mom’s and come over. Tonight you should give yourself a night of pure unbridled lust.”
“That’s your answer to everything that goes wrong in my life. You know I will not go to some bar and pick up a handsome stranger.”
“Yeah, I know. Although, doesn’t it sound grand? Sex with no strings and no expectations. Satisfaction without heartbreak.”
“We’re not very good at dating, are we?” Kristi observed. While neither was the one-night-stand type, it was fun to fantasize about the possibilities.
“No. And dating the second time around is even suckier than the first. The only good part is you break up easier since you don’t have as many delusions that you can somehow fix things.”
“True. I didn’t even protest when Bill told me he’d met someone else. I guess it gets easier.”
“I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks.”
Kristi knew it was true. She and Alison had been best friends since seventh grade, and they’d attended the same college and joined the same sorority. The big difference between the two women was that Alison had gotten married at twenty-two and found herself divorced ten years later. She’d been working at Jensen Distributors ever since and raising two children as a single mom.
“So what about Mitch?” Alison asked. “He’s dateless.”
“Yeah. Wait, are you suggesting I go after Mitch? He works for me.”
“Not anymore. He transferred. He starts a new job Monday. Didn’t he tell you?”
Kristi frowned. Alison worked in Personnel. She knew all the hirings, firings and transfers. “No. He didn’t.”
Alison’s mouth formed a little O. “Well, surely you didn’t think he was staying. The company’s been grooming him for something better.”
“True. I’m not sure why he stayed as long as he did.”
“Maybe he likes you.”
Kristi remembered Mitch’s mystery girl. “Highly doubtful.”
“It was only a thought. Too bad you won’t see much of him anymore. You know there are people in the office I’ve met once and never seen again until tonight. Our building is too big and he’ll be working on another floor.”
The thought of not seeing Mitch bothered Kristi a lot, as did the fact that he’d transferred and not told her he was even thinking about it. “True, there are people here I’ve never even met.”
“Your loss is someone else’s gain. I wish Mitch would have transferred to Personnel.” Alison pushed a tendril of brown hair away from her face. Like Kristi, she’d gotten an updo. “If something comes up and we don’t see each other tomorrow, let’s for sure do lunch Monday. As much as I don’t want to, I should probably get back before Winston thinks I ditched him.”
Kristi heard the inevitable in her friend’s voice. “Are you planning on dumping him?”
“He’s a good guy, but there’s no excitement in our relationship. No ooh or aah. But then again, that’s what got me in trouble and married.”
Sparks again, or rather the lack of them, Kristi thought as she and Alison reentered the ballroom.
“Dancing’s started,” Alison said.
Kristi figured poor Winston’s days were numbered. “You don’t have to dance with him.”
Alison sighed. “So you say.”
As Kristi watched her walk away, she remembered how much fun they’d all had at Alison’s wedding, when for one night everything had seemed perfect and it had been easy to believe in endless love.
The joyous illusion hadn’t lasted. Still, Kristi knew that marriage coul
d work—her parents were living proof.
“There you are.” The warmth of Mitch’s deep voice washed over her and she turned. He cut an impressive figure, so handsome in his tux. “Would you like to dance?”
The temptation of being in his arms lured her. What could dancing hurt? “Okay. One dance. Two if you’re good.”
“Oh, trust me, I am.” His eyes twinkled.
“Oh, really? We’ll see.” She forced her tone to be light and casual. “By the way, I have a question for you.”
“That sounds serious.” He led her onto the dance floor, where he gathered her in his arms. Despite the gentleness of his touch, she tensed. “Relax,” he cajoled. “I don’t bite.”
Which was good, because Kristi’s brain had short-circuited. She knew he worked out, but the tautness of his muscles directly underneath her fingers made her stomach clench.
Give yourself a night of pure unbridled lust. Alison’s words didn’t seem like such a joke at the moment.
She tried to ease her grip lest she be clutching his forearms like a woman fearful for her purse. The music slowed, and he guided her even closer. Her legs brushed against his as they stepped in rhythm. “You still haven’t relaxed,” he chided.
How could she when she was wrapped around such a delectable man? “Trying.”
His lips were dangerously close. “You’re safe with me,” he told her.
No, she wasn’t. Dangerous, illicit thoughts ran through her mind. What would his lips on her ear and neck feel like? Would his fingers be light or heavy when they traced her skin? What did he look like naked?
Her body was on fire.
She arched back slightly so she could look up at him.
The great view of his square jaw and sensual lips did little to cool her down.
Desperate, she said the only thing that could act like a bucket of cold water. “So when were you going to tell me you’d transferred?”
He sighed, his entire body releasing the breath he’d been holding. “I accepted the position before lunch. In light of Bill’s news, I thought telling you today would be doubly upsetting.”
Baby in the Boardroom Page 2