Designed for Love

by Roseanne Dowell

  Nick took his hand away. "Don't you ever have fun? Can't you forget about business for one night?" He parked the car in the lot next to Joe's Crab Shack, turned off the ignition and looked at me.

  My cheeks burned. How was I going to handle this? "Look, Nick, just so there's no misunderstanding. I'm involved with someone. I came here on business, not for pleasure."

  Nick smiled. "Fair enough. Okay, business it is, but only after dinner. So tell me who you're involved with. What's his name? What does he do for a living?"

  I groaned. Now what had I got myself into? I thought if I told Nick I was involved it'd solve the problem. I walked up the ramp to the restaurant and took a deep breath. "His name is Bill. He's an architect." Oh, Lord, what made me say that? Why didn't I make up a name?

  Nick took my hand and followed the host to the table. "So is it serious with this guy, Bill? I didn't know you were seeing someone."

  I wished the ground would open up and swallow me. I hated lying. "Pretty serious."

  "Uh huh. So did you leave him home miserable and lonely?"

  "Actually he's here in Florida. He just happened to have business here too."

  "Really, that's great. We'll have to get together. Why didn't you tell me? He could have come along tonight."

  I grimaced. Just what I needed. Bad enough I lied, now he wanted to get together. How to get out of that? "I thought this was a business meeting. I thought Mrs. Gilmore would be here."

  Nick rubbed his chin and looked at me. Oh, God, he knew I was lying. What was I going to do now? Why did I have to say he was here to top it all off? What if he insisted on meeting him? How was I going to pull that off?

  Was there any chance Bill would go along with such a ruse? Dare I ask him? Dumb, dumb, dumb. Where were my brains? Seemed like ever since I met Bill, I couldn't think straight. Hell, I couldn't seem to think at all.

  "Well," Nick finally said, "since she's not here and your friend's not here, whatta ya say we kick back, relax, and have a little fun?"

  The waiter appeared to take our order. Nick ordered a beer and I asked for a cola.

  "A cola, come on, girl, lighten up. How about a cocktail, martini or something?"

  I didn't much care for alcohol, but agreed to a raspberry martini. I ordered the Crab Stuffed Shrimp and Nick ordered the Jumbo Bayou Shrimp. When he reached his hand across the table and stroked mine, my stomach lurched. I tried to pull away, but he took my hand and held it.

  "Why so tense?"

  "Look, Mr. Donatello, I'm not feeling real comfortable right now."

  Nick smiled and stroked my hand. "You're not engaged or anything, are you? I mean how long have you known Bill?"

  The drinks arrived and saved me the embarrassment of another lie. "Maybe we should skip dinner." I pulled my hand away, picked up the drink and sipped it.

  "Don't be silly, we've already ordered."

  I swore he enjoyed my discomfort. "Okay, so we'll eat, then we'll go."

  "Come on, Wendy, lighten up. When's the last time you had a little fun? Surely you're not this tense with Bill."

  I leaned back and put my hands in my lap. Safely away from Nick. I didn't like the look in his eyes. Typical guy, out for one thing. I had a feeling this evening wasn't going to end well. How was I going to face him in the morning? Hell, how was I going to work for him now?

  And how the hell was I going to let him down without jeopardizing my job? Only one thing to do. I'd have to ask Bill for his help.

  "No, I'm not this tense with Bill, but that's because we're practically engaged. I mean not officially, but we've been talking about marriage." At least the last part wasn't a total lie. Bill and I had talked about marriage, just not to each other.

  Nick took a swig of his beer. "Well, hell, why didn't you say so to begin with? Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Hell, I thought you were fair game."

  Heat rushed to my cheeks. Fair game? What did I look like, a piece of meat? I counted to ten. This was my boss after all and I didn't want to lose my job. I let out a breath. "Okay, look, let's forget the whole thing."

  The waiter approached with our order. The shrimp smelled and looked delicious. Usually I loved shrimp, but after the incident with Nick I lost my appetite. Hopefully, we could eat and get the hell out of here. Back to the safety of my hotel room. Although with Bill next door, I wasn't sure how safe I'd be there, either. At least he hadn't rushed me. Hadn't forced himself on me. For all I knew he didn't even think of me that way.

  "Okay, tomorrow we meet with Gladys at one o'clock. I'll pick you up. Tell Bill to meet us for dinner at the Bahama Breeze Restaurant on Route 41 and

  Gladiolus Drive... say six o'clock."

  Oh, crap. I thought he was joking about that. Now what was I going to do? Only one thing I could do, I had to ask Bill to pose as my boyfriend. I had no choice. It was the only way to get Nick off my back. Otherwise I was going to have to quit my job, and I really didn't want to do that.

  Nope, that was my only alternative. I knew if Nick had the opportunity he'd make another pass at me. Only Bill could save me that disastrous fate. If nothing else, Nick never made a pass at a married or engaged woman. He had some morals.

  I ate only about a third of my shrimp. I hadn't been very hungry to begin with, and now I lost my appetite completely.

  How in the world was I going to broach this ridiculous plan to Bill?

  Chapter Twelve

  Thank God, the evening finally ended. After I refused another drink and acted bored and preoccupied, Nick finally gave in and took me back to the hotel. How the hell was I going to approach Bill? Worse yet, it had to be tonight. I needed him at dinner tomorrow. Or did I? Could I make an excuse that he had a dinner meeting with a client?

  I thought about that for a minute. I could do that, but it was only a stall tactic and eventually, I'd have to introduce Bill to Nick. May as well talk to him and get it over with. Damn, I hated lying. Hated concocting ridiculous plans like this one.

  Even when I was younger and my sisters plotted out silly plans to meet boys, I didn't go along. If you wanted to meet someone you just met them. I never could understand the idea of setting up an accidental meeting. Why go to all that trouble when you could just walk up to someone and introduce yourself?

  If they were interested you'd know in a matter of minutes. If not, then you hadn't wasted precious time trying to figure out how to do it.

  This idea was even more absurd than all those others, but I had no choice. I picked up the phone and dialed.

  "Hi, Bill, this is Wendy."

  "You must have been reading my mind. I was thinking about you."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah, how about meeting me for breakfast tomorrow about nine?"

  I let out a breath. Okay, maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all if he was thinking about me. "Uh, sure. Why not? Listen, I need a big favor."

  "Okay, what?"

  I laughed. "Just like that. You don't even want to hear it first?"

  "Hey, anything you need, babe."

  Oh, crap, was this going to come with strings attached? "Uh, can you refrain from calling me names like that?" Great, I wanted him to pose as my boyfriend, yet I didn't want him to call me names of endearment. Was I some kind of a nut?

  Bill chuckled. "Sorry, can't help myself. Okay, what kind of a favor?"

  I held my breath. Here goes nothing. "I need you to pose as my boyfriend. Just for a couple of days. My boss made a pass at me and to turn him off I lied and told him I had a boyfriend." I talked too fast, but I couldn't help it. I had to say it and get it over with.

  Silence on the other end of the phone caused me a moment's anguish. Had I made a mistake? What a fool. He wasn't going to agree. Why would he? I'd been nothing but rude to him since we met. Had he hung up on me? The silence was deafening.

  "Hello, are you there?"

  Someone knocked on the door. Hopefully it wasn't Nick. "Hold on," I said into the phone. I set the receiver down and went to the do
or, peeked through the peep hole. "Bill!" I pulled the door open. "What are you doing? I'm talking to thin air on the phone."

  Bill laughed, walked past me into the room and hung up the phone. "I'm not there anymore."

  "I can see that." Crap, what was I going to do now?

  Bill motioned to a chair and sat in the one opposite. "Okay, let's talk about this plan of yours. Why do you need me to pose as your boyfriend?"

  I sat down and looked at him. God, I loved his eyes. His light blue shirt brought out the silvery gray. I liked that his smile reached his eyes and the way they crinkled at the corners. Was he laughing at me? Something told me not. He looked sincere.

  "Okay, where to begin? You know I had dinner with my boss tonight. I thought it was a business meeting with the client. Well, I was wrong. He had other ideas. To ward off his pass I lied and told him I was involved." I took a deep breath, let it out slow.

  Bill nodded and waited for me to go on.

  "Unfortunately, he wanted to know his name and one thing led to another. I blurted out your name and told him you were here. Now he wants you to meet us for dinner tomorrow." I held my breath and waited for his reply.

  "I see. So you want me to pose as your boyfriend during dinner tomorrow. Is that it?"

  "Pretty much. Unless he decides to include us in something else. Knowing him I wouldn't doubt it." I paused, took another breath and looked at him. He hadn't said no. That was a good thing.

  "So how serious are we?"

  "Uh, I told him we're practically engaged." As usual, heat burned my cheeks. God, I was an idiot.

  "I see. So you want me to show up and pretend I'm in love with you. I assume you want me to shower you with affection."

  Now my face really smoldered. Crap, crap, crap. He was enjoying this way too much. Maybe I should forget the whole thing and tell Nick my fiancé got called back home for an emergency. But I knew better.

  If I didn't produce a boyfriend, there'd be no end to the passes he'd make. This was the only way. I swallowed hard.

  "I guess that's pretty much it. I know this is a lot to ask. I'm sorry. I just didn't know what else to do. I don't want to lose this job."

  Bill stood and came toward me, reached down and brought me to me feet. I felt his warm breath on my cheek. This wasn't at all what I planned. Yet, I stood there, mesmerized by the intense look in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat, then beat faster until I thought it would burst. He brushed the tip of his fingers across my mouth. I thought my heart would explode, it pounded so hard.

  What was happening to me? No man ever looked at me with such desire. Yet, I couldn't pull away.

  Something smoldered deep in my stomach. A rush of heat spread throughout me. Helpless to pull away, I continued to stand there. His hands moved across my back. He pulled me close against him, and his heart beat against my breasts.

  For just a moment I looked at him. His eyes smoldered. He bent his face to mine and kissed me.

  My lips trembled under the slight pressure of his mouth. He moved his hand behind my head and pulled me closer. I opened my lips and felt the warmth of his tongue in my mouth. A moan escaped from somewhere deep in my throat. My body betrayed me, all too ready to give in.

  I gasped. Finally, I came to my senses and pulled away. I couldn't do this. Dear God, I'd only known him for a few days. Yet a chill went through me when he moved away and dropped his arms to his side.

  "Is that what you're looking for?"

  I looked away. My lips seared from his mouth. "Phew." I couldn't help myself. No man had ever kissed me with such passion before. "I think that might be a bit of an over kill."

  "I wanted to do that ever since I met you." His voice held a hint of an apology.

  I walked to the window and looked out. "Well, I must say, Mr. Johnson, you play your part well."

  Too well.

  Could I survive his affection? If he continued to kiss me like that, I wasn't sure I could survive anything. Yet if he lavished that kind of attention on me, Nick was sure to back off.

  "Let's get one thing straight." I turned back to look at him. "Though I appreciate you helping me out, let's keep the affection strictly professional. In front of my boss only."

  "Hmm." Bill rubbed his chin. "So, you only want me to pay attention to you in front of your boss? What do I get out of this?"

  My cheeks blazed. I should have expected that. "I suppose I can pay you for your services." I cringed the minute the words came out of my mouth.

  What made me say that? The murderous look on Bill's face caused me to flinch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just meant...Hell I don't know what I meant."

  Bill crossed the room in two steps. I felt the heat from his body, he stood so close. "I'll go along with your silly charade, but you're not getting off so easy."

  His eyes changed from silvery gray to soft dusty gray. "I'll expect something from you too." He raised his hand to quiet me.

  "No, I don't expect you to go to bed with me for payment. But I won't be put off. I'll expect to spend some time with you other than just in front of your boss."

  I relaxed somewhat. Glad he clarified that.

  "For starters, I expect you to have breakfast with me tomorrow. I expect you to go to the beach with me. And I expect you to have dinner with me, with and without your boss. Fair enough?"

  What could I say? "You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Johnson. But okay, fair enough."

  "Oh, and for seconds, quit calling me Mister. You wouldn't want to slip up in front of your boss would you?"

  I laughed. "No, I guess I wouldn't."

  "Good, let's go have a drink to seal the deal."

  I thought about refusing, but knew better. After all this tension, a drink sounded damn good. "Lead the way." I motioned Bill to the door.

  He opened the door and waited for me to pass. "Do you have your key?"

  I snapped my fingers. "Glad you reminded me." I went back in, picked up my key, slid it into my pocket and joined him outside.

  He put his arm around my waist as we walked to the lounge. Heat like a smoldering ember started deep in my stomach from his touch. Sure hope Nick finishes these appointments soon. I didn't know how long I could control myself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I woke the next morning and looked at the clock. Only seven, plenty of time to get ready for breakfast. Memories of last night came to mind. I still felt the pressure of Bill's kiss. At least he hadn't made any more advances to me in the lounge, not to mention he was the perfect gentleman when he saw me to the door. I slid out of bed, stretched and smiled.

  For some reason I looked forward to seeing him this morning. As long as he kept his distance, I could handle it. Besides, I did enjoy his company.

  I switched on the shower and waited for the water to heat up, then stepped inside the stall and lathered my hair. Dinner ought to prove interesting. How I was going to ward off Bill's affection was another problem. I liked his touch. In fact I wanted more.

  Lots more.

  I rinsed my hair and lathered my body. Thoughts of Bill's touch invaded my mind. I swore I could almost feel him standing behind me, washing my back. His hands sliding around the front to caress my breasts. I closed my eyes and imagined leaning back against his hard body.

  The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I rinsed off quickly, snapped off the water and wrapped a towel around me.

  What the hell was wrong with me? I never had fantasies like that about a man. Not that I'd ever met a man who turned me on the way Bill did. I fell across the bed and grabbed the phone. "Hello."

  "Morning, Sunshine. Ready for breakfast?"

  I glanced at the clock. Just past seven thirty. "You said nine."

  "I know. I just wanted to say good morning to my almost fiancé."

  I heard the teasing in his voice and smiled. Almost fiancé. What would it be like to really be his girlfriend? I shook the thought from her mind.

  Chill out, girl, a relationship and marriage isn'
t part of your plan. Still, I couldn't help but laugh. "Let's not carry this too far. Look, I have to go I just got out of the shower."

  "Okay, see you at nine."

  "Nine it is. Bye." I hung up before he responded.

  Hopefully, we'd finish with Mrs. Gilmore today and I could catch the next flight home. I needed to get away from Bill before I did something stupid.

  A few minutes to nine, I glanced in the mirror one last time, smoothed my skirt and patted my hair. I pulled the door open to find Bill, hand raised, ready to knock. He stepped back and looked at me, top to bottom.

  "Nice." He whistled appreciatively.

  I swore you could probably cook an egg on my face. Lord, what this man did to me with just a look. I moved my gaze from his head to his feet and took him in, too. Not too bad himself. How a guy could look so sexy in casual clothes was beyond me.

  The steel blue of his polo shirt brought out the silvery gray of his eyes. The way his faded jeans hugged his small hips and muscular legs caused a tingle to go up my spine. So taken aback by his good looks, not to mention the desire in his eyes, I could hardly speak.

  "Are you ready? I'm half starved." I finally found my tongue.

  "Ready as ever. Where would you like to go?"

  "You know the area better than I do." Small volts of electricity rushed through my body when he put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to the car.

  "Okay, I know a little restaurant, The Brunch Place. It's not too far up the road." Bill opened the passenger door, waited until I got in, and went around to the driver's side.

  He pulled out into traffic and settled back against the seat. "So what's on the agenda today, besides dinner, that is?"

  His admiring look wasn't lost on me. Nor was the bulge in his pants. Shivers ran through me. How was I ever going to avoid a relationship with this man? He did things to my insides that no man had ever done before. Besides enjoying his company, I had a feeling I could enjoy a whole lot more.

  I leaned back and watched the scenery pass. I loved Florida. Loved the warm. Not enough to live here, but sure would be nice to spend part of the winter here. Someday, maybe. After I opened my own business and it took off. Then I could afford to take an extended vacation. Yep, that's what I'd do. Rent one of those condos along the gulf and bask in the sun, walk along the beach and just relax.