by Violet Howe
“The Performing Arts Center.”
“What do you do there?”
“I manage the Center’s fundraising and social events.”
“Ah. That sounds interesting.”
“It can be. And what about you? What do you do other than build hospital wings and perform horse tricks?”
He laughed. “Hopefully something better than my horse tricks, right?”
I pulled my keys from my purse and stopped short as I remembered I didn’t drive to the hospital.
“Something wrong?”
I frowned at him and looked down at the keys in my hand. “I completely forgot I have no car. I got dropped off. I need to call my assistant to come and get me.”
“I can take you,” he said.
I shook my head, perhaps a bit more vehemently than was called for.
“No, absolutely not. She can be here in a few minutes. Thanks, anyway.”
“It’s no trouble, really. It would be my pleasure to get you where you need to go.”
I was certain he meant the comment innocently, but my body didn’t take it that way, and I blushed as I considered where I needed to go and how many ways the strong cowboy could get me there.
Something was definitely wrong with me.
I hesitated, a battle waging within me between two equally powerful forces. My mind argued that any man able to produce that kind of effect was dangerous, and I needed to stay far away from him. But my body argued that it had been too damned long since those fires had been stoked, and if anything, a man able to produce that kind of effect needed to be held closer, not pushed away.
My mind had logic and reasoning on its side.
“Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn’t want to impose. Nice seeing you again.”
I pulled my phone from my briefcase and turned to walk away, but he sighed deeply and fell in stride beside me.
“Look,” he said. “My only other appointment today is with Kratos, and having met the beast, I’m sure you can understand why I might want to delay getting back on him. You’d actually be doing me a favor if you helped me kill some more time.”
Oh my God. His eyes. His smile. The slight cock of his head as he waited for my answer. Could he be any more enticing?
I hesitated a moment longer before throwing caution to the wind. “I guess it would be quicker than waiting for her to come get me.”
“Dax! We need you in a picture. Pronto. Don’t sneak off yet!”
I looked from Dax to the gentleman in the doorway of the banquet room calling for him.
“Be right there,” Dax answered, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ll only be a minute, and we can be on our way. You want to wait here or come back inside with me?”
“I can just call—”
“Oh, c’mon. You just gave me a reprieve from Kratos. I’ll be two minutes. Five, tops.”
He tilted his head to the side again, his smile a little crooked as he raised one eyebrow, almost like he was nervous to see how I would respond to his plea.
His eyes were back to the deep emerald of the first time I saw him, but they held a spark I hadn’t noticed before.
Another flush of warmth surged through me with a tickle between my thighs, and I shifted my weight to dispel it.
My mind flashed red warning lights and told me I was in dangerous territory, but something about his eyes held me. I didn’t want to walk away just yet.
I nodded and moved toward the banquet room, and his smile grew.
“I’ll make it quick,” he said, holding the door for me.
Despite my mind’s protests, I inhaled deeply as I passed him, breathing in the intoxicating scent again and marveling at the sensual reaction it caused.
What was it about this man that was bringing sensations to life that had long been dormant? I resolved to call my doctor as soon as possible to tell her my hormones were out of control.
I watched him as he joined the group photo, his laughter and his stance confident.
He was at ease in this room of movers and shakers, but I’d seen him just as confident standing in the sand dripping water after a horse tossed him.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to consider what it would be like in his arms. To just stop fighting. To shut off the automatic resistance response and allow myself to be attracted to Dax.
After all, I was older than before. I was wiser. There’s no way I would make the same mistakes as last time.
But then the old memories flooded my mind, and I turned and hurried from the room before I made eye contact with him again.
8 CHAMPAGNE BUBBLES
If only I’d had the same strength and resolve to walk away at nineteen.
Instead, I’d run straight into the viper’s den.
Well, okay, maybe I didn’t run since I was on crutches or in a therapeutic boot for the entire courtship, but I definitely didn’t let anything or anyone stop me.
Sandy didn’t like him from the start.
“Something about him gives me a bad vibe, Mags. Be careful, okay?”
I’d asked to borrow one of her little black dresses for the reception, hoping if I looked like a knockout from the knees up he might overlook the crutches and bandaged foot.
“I think he’s nice,” I told her as I surveyed the way the dress hugged my lean, muscular frame in the mirror. I may not have had the curvy hips or cinched waist of some of the other dancers, but the short hemline showcased my legs, and I had no doubt they looked good. “I wish I could wear heels,” I said, staring at the bandage on my left foot and the boring, flat shoe on my right.
“You’re lucky you’re not at the hospital right now getting X-rays. I can’t believe you talked Lucas into waiting until tomorrow.”
I shrugged. “There’s nothing they can do, even if it is broken. You know that. They’ll put me in crutches and tell me to stay off it for a few weeks. No sense missing the reception to find out what I already know.”
She bit her lip and met my eyes in the mirror. “What do you think Benjamin’s gonna do with your position?”
A momentary panic gripped my heart, and I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. “I don’t want to talk about that. Here, help me do my hair. Should I wear it up or down?”
The deep red waves hung almost to my waist, tousled and in disarray from being twisted into a tight knot for the evening’s performance.
“Definitely up,” Sandy said with a frown at my reflection.
I pulled the mass of tangles up and tugged at loose tendrils to frame my face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you look like a vixen with it down and flying all around your shoulders. I don’t want to do anything to make you more attractive to this guy. I’m telling you, he’s bad news.”
I immediately released my hair and ran my fingers through it, liking the sound of vixen. “And you’re basing this judgment on your vast experience with men?”
Her mouth fell open and immediately clamped shut. “Just because I date girls doesn’t mean I can’t spot a player when I see one. He was looking at you like you were dessert and he couldn’t wait to devour you. I think he’s a little out of your league, and you need to stay away from him.”
Her words of caution only fanned the fire and made Gerry seem more attractive. Forbidden. Dangerous. Alluring.
Whatever he had awakened in me had no desire to play it safe.
My eyes found his the moment we entered the room. He was watching the doorway, as though he’d been waiting for me to arrive.
His jaw went slack for a moment, and then he smiled and made a beeline for me, leaving his conversation without a word of apology.
“I was beginning to think you might stand me up,” he said, his grin wide.
His eyes went immediately to my hair, tumbling over my shoulders in a wild cascade, and then his gaze raked over my body in the tight-fitting dress. A little tremor of pride ran through me as he lingered over my legs, his expression clearly showing his appreciation
, but then he saw the bandage on my foot, and he looked back up at me with eyes full of concern.
“You were injured!”
Alberto handed me the crutches I’d hastily given him when we came off the elevator, pleading that I wanted to make an entrance without them.
“I’m fine,” I said to Gerry. “It’s a broken toe. It happens.”
He took my hand and did the same dramatic bow he’d done before, and my pulse raced at the anticipation of his lips touching my skin once more. He held them against my hand for only the briefest of moments, but the thrills it caused raced through me like a wildfire.
My hand was still in his when he stood upright to meet my eyes again, and I couldn’t help but think we were like the classic scene of the movies where the two lovers meet and the electricity between them seems to come out of the screen. The only thing missing was the dramatic soundtrack. The string trio playing in the back of the room didn’t quite cut it.
“There you are,” Ernesto exclaimed as he joined us. His joy turned to a frown when he noticed the crutches. “Oh dear. Let’s get you a seat and get you off your foot. Come this way. I see Mr. Tucker has already found you,” he cast an irritated glance in Gerry’s direction, “but I’d like you to meet our other special guests.”
“I’m heading to the buffet,” Sandy whispered as she disappeared through the throng of people beginning to surround us.
Everyone had noticed our arrival by then, and Alberto and I were both swarmed with well-wishers congratulating our performance and other members of the company inquiring about my foot.
Gerry stood smiling on the outskirts of the commotion for a moment after we were separated, but then I lost sight of him in the crowd as Ernesto led me over to introduce me to the other financiers. Just when I could no longer resist the urge to look over my shoulder and find Gerry, he appeared at my side to pull out my chair.
“Here, Ms. Shaw, your foot must be hurting. Sit.”
I smiled. “Please, call me Maggie,” I said, just as I’d rehearsed in Sandy’s bathroom mirror before we left for the party.
He nodded as he sat in the chair beside mine. “Gerry, then. I’ve taken the liberty of getting you a glass of champagne.”
I took the glass, but before I could thank him, the others at the table had started firing off questions about my background, the performance, and my injury. No matter how hard I tried to focus on what they were saying, my entire body tingled every time Gerry moved beside me. I wanted to sit and stare at him, to listen to him talk, and to feel the warmth in my core when he looked at me the way he did. But instead I forced myself to make eye contact with the others, only turning to face him when he spoke, and even then, making myself look away despite the desire to take in every detail of him.
I was turned away from him when I felt his breath against my cheek, and I jumped at the sound of his voice close to my ear.
“I’m going to get a drink,” he whispered. “Would you like more champagne?”
I nodded, unable to find my words.
Perhaps I should have protested and asked for water instead. I’d reached the legal drinking age of nineteen earlier that year, but other than a couple of glasses of wine here and there, I’d never indulged in alcohol, especially not while under the influence of painkillers.
I’d felt the effects of the first glass right away, and by the bottom of the second, any awkwardness I felt with Gerry melted away as my inhibitions were numbed.
I’d never been a shy girl, but the excitement of the evening combined with the alcohol and pain pills brought out the life-of-the-party in me. I’d never laughed so unabashedly or been so witty and clever. I was the belle of the ball, holding court at the table as a steady stream of people stopped by to say hello or rave about the evening’s performance.
In the weeks leading up to the show, I’d been so stressed with rehearsals that it hadn’t really sunk in that I was the principal dancer. I had made it. I was the youngest to ever be named to such an honor at Miami City Ballet. All the hard work had paid off, and the attention went to my head right along with the champagne and painkillers.
My short-lived stint as a diva began that night, in a borrowed black dress with a bandage on one foot and a black satin ballet flat on the other.
Throughout the evening, I was always acutely aware of Gerry’s eyes upon me. Of his admiration. Of his attention. His hand casually brushing against the back of my waist when he stood to help me with my chair so I could hug someone saying goodbye. His fingers lingering on mine as he exchanged my empty glass for another full one. The way he leaned in close when he was listening to me talk, so close that I thought at any moment he would surely kiss me, but just far enough away that the distance nearly drove me mad in my desire to be touched.
I think it was probably on my fourth glass of champagne that the room turned hot, and the lightheaded dizziness became unpleasant.
“Are you okay?” Gerry asked, as I looked around the room for an exit.
“I think I need fresh air.”
“Okay,” he said, his hand on my elbow to steady me as we stood. He gathered my crutches from where they were leaning against the wall, but they proved unwieldy and uncooperative in my altered state, and I handed them back to him in frustration.
“You want to just lean on me?” he asked, his arm outstretched.
I felt Alberto’s hand on my shoulder before I saw him beside me. “You okay, Mags?” He bent to look into my eyes, and I nodded, still unsteady on my feet.
“I’m fine. Just need some air.”
“There’s a patio right over here. A balcony,” Gerry said as he pointed. “I think maybe if you take the crutches—“
He handed them to Alberto, but Alberto ignored the gesture.
“I’ve got her,” he told Gerry, putting his arm around my back and pulling my weight against him, just as he did every day during our routine.
He moved us through the crowd, and when we stepped outside, I took a deep breath of the night air, trying to dispel the hazy fog swirling in my mind.
“Why don’t you sit here while I get you a soda,” Alberto said. He set me down on a bench and turned to go, stopping as he saw Gerry entering the patio with a glass of water in his hand.
“I thought this might help,” Gerry said. “I think the champagne may have gotten to her.”
“She shouldn’t have had champagne. She got a pretty good dose of meds earlier, and she hasn’t eaten since breakfast.”
“I’m right here,” I called out, a bit more slurred than I would have wished. “I can hear you, you know.”
“Why don’t you get her something to eat, and I’ll sit and keep her company?” Gerry asked.
Alberto frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I would love something to eat,” I said. He glanced down at me and back to Gerry, obviously not comfortable leaving me alone. “I’m fine, Alberto. I just need to eat. Will you get me something? Please?”
He glared at Gerry a moment longer before nodding slowly and leaving us.
“I don’t think your friend likes me very much,” Gerry said as he sat beside me on the bench.
I laughed. “He’s just protective. He’s my partner. It’s kind of his job to look out for me.”
“Your partner? Are the two of you an item?”
“Alberto?” I laughed harder. “No. Oh my gosh, no. Alberto is like my brother. Definitely nothing there.”
Gerry relaxed against the back of the bench and gazed up at the stars above us. I tried to lean my head back and look up, but the stars were spinning and it made me nauseous, so I immediately looked back down at my hands in my lap.
“It’s a beautiful night,” he said, stretching his arms across the back of the bench.
I tensed for a moment, anticipating his touch, but it didn’t come. I leaned back a little, searching for contact, but even when my back was flat against the bench, his arm simply rested along the top of it. I could feel the warmth of his closeness, but
he didn’t touch me.
“Here you go,” Alberto said as he brought a plate of food outside. “I tried to get mostly protein, but I did bring a tiny piece of cheesecake since it’s your favorite.”
“Oh, cheesecake! Yes, thank you.” I dug into the creamy goodness with my fork, moaning slightly as it melted in my mouth.
Alberto stood awkwardly at attention beside us, and I felt Gerry shift his weight and move his arm from the back of the bench. They were both silent as I ate, and if it hadn’t been for the other partygoers mingling on the patio, the quiet would have been uncomfortable.
I was trying to figure out how to get Alberto to go back inside when Benjamin emerged from the party and called out to him.
“Alberto, there you are. I have someone you must meet.”
Uncertainty flashed across my partner’s face as his gaze shifted back and forth between Benjamin and Gerry.
“Go,” I said, nudging his foot with my own. “I’m fine. I swear. I feel better already after having the cheesecake, and there’s plenty of people out here so I don’t need a chaperone.” I grinned as I said it, but he frowned and rolled his eyes, glaring at Gerry once more before following Benjamin back inside.
“He seems like a barrel of fun,” Gerry said, exhaling sharply.
“Aw, he is, really. He’s just looking out for me. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and we’ve been through a lot together. That’s all.”
“Maybe someone should tell him you’re not a kid anymore.”
His voice was soft, and when I turned to face him, he looked so handsome it almost hurt. The moonlight highlighted the sharp angles of his cheekbones and made his eyes so light they nearly glowed. His curls framed the sides of his face, and his lips were full, slightly parted.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Maggie? How perfectly exquisite you are? The way you moved on that stage tonight, it was like my heart was pulled from my body and taken on the wind with you. Then when you walked in here and I saw you again, your hair like flames blazing around you…you have no idea what you do to me.”
I had never wanted anything in my life like I wanted Gerry Tucker to kiss me in that moment.
