by AJ Nuest
A playful glint sparkled in his eyes and she shifted her focus back to the negligee. It would be an outright travesty to pass on such a beautiful nightgown. But a complete stranger choosing her lingerie? Yeah, not so much. Mulling over her choices, she reconsidered the kitten nightshirt and chewed the inside of her cheek. Her eyes returned to the negligee.
Dibs shook his head, bobbing the hanger. “This one,” he mouthed.
Oh hell…She folded the nightshirt and tossed it back onto the shelf. Elevating a shrewd eyebrow, she dipped her chin in curt agreement. He grinned and draped the negligee over his arm.
And since turnabout was fair play…She ambled toward a low table hidden under a mountain of men’s bathrobes, trailed her fingertips over the material, and tugged one from the pile that was midnight blue, fluffy, and soft.
In return, Dibs presented an orange velour lounge suit, sweeping the legs up across the inside of his forearm. She scowled, sticking out her tongue. He laughed and hooked the lounge suit on the bar.
She pinched the shoulders of the bathrobe in her fingertips. His head tilted and he paused a moment before nodding. Biting her lip against a smile, she folded the robe over her arm.
He approached a table of women’s sweaters and began sorting through them…which was just fine. But if he ventured anywhere near the women’s frilly underthings she was out of there. She brushed past him to the back of the store and hunted through a rack of men’s shirts, sizing him up over her shoulder.
He lifted a long-sleeved cream cashmere sweater and tilted it back and forth. Tapping her foot, she ran the tip of her tongue along the edge of her teeth, and then nodded. Acknowledging her approval with a grin, he added the sweater to the negligee.
The blue pinstriped shirt she found—starched white collar and cuffs—seemed up to snuff, and she flipped it over her shoulder in his direction. He squinted, poking his elbows out to the sides. She skimmed the width of his chest, shook her head, and selected the next larger size, flipping the hanger over her shoulder a second time. Dibs affirmed her choice with a nod.
She pivoted on her toe to fully face him. He jerked his head toward the register.
“Here.” She smiled when they met near the counter. “I’ll trade you.”
“No way.” He shifted away from her.
Wait…That suggestion wasn’t even in the realm of appropriate. “You’re buying my clothes.”
“I’m buying these things I picked out.”
She shrugged. “Okay, fine. Then I’m buying the things I picked out.” She swung the robe and shirt onto the counter. “Good luck fitting into that negligee,” she muttered.
“Oh, no, I’m giving them to you. I’m just paying for them first.”
She guardedly studied his eyes. Too bad he was such a whack job…
“As a gift.” He smiled pleasantly.
“So…we’re exchanging gifts now?”
“Sure, why not?” He leaned an elbow on the counter, close enough her arm brushed the lapels of his suit coat.
“All right, we can exchange gifts if you want to. Just don’t expect anything for Christmas or your birthday.” She signed the credit card receipt and stepped to the side.
He pushed up from the counter and the woman behind the register froze. “Uh-h-h…” She blinked at him over the top of her half glasses. “Did you find everything all right, sir?”
He faced Tessa, deadpan. “Did we find everything all right?”
Widening her eyes, she rolled her lips together to stifle a laugh.
“Yes, it was fine.” Chuckling, he pulled a thick gold money clip from his pocket and slipped two one-hundred-dollar bills off the roll.
Aha! He was an international jewel thief…or maybe some sort of Wall Street guru.
The woman’s cheeks flushed when she handed Dibs his change. “Thank you, sir. Have a nice day.”
Hmmm…Tessa wrinkled her brow as they walked together toward the exit. “Why is it, do you suppose, she didn’t ask me if I found everything all right?”
“It’s my dashing good looks.” He scrubbed a hand across that dangerous chin of his.
She scowled. “Well, it certainly isn’t your stellar personality.”
“Hah! I like you. You’re funny.”
“You sure it isn’t just my dashing good looks?”
He shrugged. “Well, there’s that too.”
Okay, smarty pants. She pointed toward the sundries shop next door, tipping her head to indicate the woman behind the register as they entered. “Here, let’s test your theory.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
A quick shuffle through the travel size deodorants and toothpaste and she rejoined Dibs—carrying his personal items—and together they approached the counter.
“Hi.” Tessa placed her purchases beside the register, smiling brightly.
“Hello.” The woman snapped her gum as she scanned the items.
“How are you today?” Tessa asked. Dibs’s low chuckle rumbled behind her. She tossed her elbow back and caught him in the ribs. He sputtered, and then laughed again while she maintained the false pleasantries. “Nice weather we’re having, huh?”
The woman grunted, dropped Tessa’s purchases in a plastic bag and slid it across the counter. “That’ll be $34.78.”
As she handed Tessa her change, the woman glanced at Dibs. She whipped her chin in his direction. “Hi, there.” Her terse demeanor instantly evaporated.
“How are you?” He set his items on the counter.
“I’m just fine, thanks. How are you?” The cashier stared at him a moment longer before ringing up his purchases. She returned her gaze to him as often as possible.
“I’m fine.” He cocked an eyebrow at Tessa.
She squinted and bobbled her head.
“Did you find everything you needed?” The woman slowly placed his items in a plastic bag.
Tessa groaned and left the register, waiting for him at the store entrance.
“It’s a curse.” The sober set of his lips didn’t hide the humor dancing in his beautiful steel-blue eyes.
She feigned a gag of disgust. “Unfortunately, you’re still a whack job.”
“Come on.” A knee-weakening grin lit his entire face as he placed his hand on her back. “Let’s share a cab.”
Chapter Two
As the taxi eased to a stop in front of the hotel, Tessa cringed. A mob choked the sidewalk—guests waiting for a cab or searching for a bellman to assist them with their luggage.
Dibs offered her a hand out of the backseat. His palm warmed her back as he escorted her to the revolving doors of the hotel. As many people stood inside the large, marble-floored lobby as were outside. Most waited in line at the front desk, but some were enjoying a drink, reclined on the gold tapestry couches set before the fireplace or standing near the gold embossed elevator bank.
Dibs trailed her through the crowd and they joined the queue to check in.
“So, Tessa from Chicago, what is it that you do?”
There was probably no harm. Not like they ran in the same circles or anything. “Event planner.”
“Really? That sounds like a fun job.”
“It has its moments.” She glanced at him. “And what is it that you do, Dibs with the nickname?”
“Philanthropist.” They shuffled forward together.
“Billionaire tycoon, huh?”
“Something like that.”
Yep, she’d nailed it. The man was like a walking, talking billboard from Times Square, advertising a fantastical combination of wealth and masculinity. But billions? “You’re not serious.”
“I think we should make an agreement right now to always tell each other the truth.” He slid a hand into his pants pocket.
“Really? I was sorta hoping we would tell each other nothing but lies.”
He smirked, keeping pace at her side. “Honestly, I don’t think people tell enough of the truth.”
She tipped her head. “I don’t think we can help it,
actually. It’s in our very nature to lie.”
“The question is why. What’s that saying…if you always tell the truth…”
“You don’t need a good memory.”
“See?” Satisfaction softened the crease between his brows. “I knew I liked you.”
She huffed and approached the check-in desk. The young blonde woman behind the computer appeared harried and worn, her maroon ascot sitting slightly off-center around her neck.
“Hi.” Tessa dropped her bags near her feet. “I have a reservation.”
“The confirmation number, please?”
She tugged the notepad from her briefcase and the woman clicked some numbers on her keyboard. Tessa worked her credit card from her wallet, lightly tapped the edge against the high marble countertop.
“I’m sorry.” The desk clerk pointed to the pad. “What’s this number?”
“I think that’s a three, or maybe it’s a five.” Keeping her finger on the number, Tessa waved Dibs forward. “What is this?”
When he stepped to the counter, the woman gasped and tossed her shoulders back. “Mr. Brenner! I didn’t know you were staying with us today.” She spun to her computer, fingers flying over the keys. She paled. “I’m sorry, sir, but the Presidential Suite has already been booked.”
“That’s all right,” he spoke quietly. “I have another reservation.”
The woman pecked the keyboard and her eyes grew to the size of headlights. “We only have you in a one-bedroom suite, Mr. Brenner.”
“It’s all right.” He placed his hand on the counter. “I called last minute. My flight was cancelled.”
Expelling a tight breath, she quickly ran two keycards through the machine next to her keyboard and hid them inside a small envelope. “Here you are, Mr. Brenner. Sorry about the mix-up. Please let us know if there is anything we can get you.”
“Not a problem.” He cleared his throat, nodding toward Tessa.
“Oh!” The young woman jumped back onto her computer. “Here you go, miss.” She passed over a set of keycards and Tessa gathered her bags.
Standing before the elevator bank, she tapped the small envelope against her chin while they waited. Something wasn’t adding up. That whole kerfuffle at the check-in desk smelled fishy. She finally narrowed her eyes at Dibs. “Okay, who are you?”
“I stay here a lot when I’m in New York.”
“Uh-uh, not buying it. I thought that poor girl was going to wet her pants.”
One side of his luscious mouth quirked in resigned acknowledgment. “I have a standing reservation for the Presidential Suite.” He swung a hand forward when the elevator swished open.
“Oh, well, that explains everything.” She pushed the button for the sixteenth floor, stepped to the rear of the car and stood beside him while additional hotel guests filed inside.
The doors closed, and in their mirrored reflection Dibs held her gaze behind the crowd. The corners of his eyes softened, lips curving in a gentle smile.
On the sixteenth floor, they traversed the corridor to a set of rooms directly across the hall from each other. Dibs unlocked his door and stood inside the open threshold.
Tessa slid her key card into the slot and a little red light on top of the lock flashed three times. She switched to the second key and tried again. The red blinking resumed. She jiggled the handle, but the door refused to budge.
“I think the girl at the front desk forgot to program these cards.” She glanced over her shoulder when he approached from behind. “You had her pretty flustered.”
He cocked an eyebrow, head tilting with a hint of skepticism. “Here. Let me try.”
“Yes, because after all, this is the first time I’ve unlocked a door.”
He grunted and pushed the key card into the lock. The red light winked three times and stopped.
“Told you.” She sighed. “Okay, give me the key. I’ll go back down.”
“Here’s an idea.” He arrowed his hand and her key card into his pocket and braced a shoulder against the door. “Why don’t you put your things in my room, and we’ll go down together. I’ll buy us some dinner, and we can take care of your keys while we’re down there.”
“I don’t know.” She crossed her arms. “Pajamas, now dinner? Next thing you’ll be whisking me off to some exotic private island.”
His eyebrow twitched over the roguish twinkle in his gaze. He set her bags inside his room and pulled the door closed, came forward and offered his arm.
She rolled her eyes and fit her hand inside the crook of his elbow.
****
The lobby outside the Bull and Bear teemed with activity, the steady buzz of conversation underscored by muted elevator chimes and the rumbling grind of luggage wheels. Tessa peered through the crowd then went up on her toes, hoping for a glimpse inside the restaurant. “Follow me,” she whispered.
She straightened her shoulders and strode confidently to the doorway, peeked around the threshold and steadily searched the room. A man seated at the bar straightened a stack of bills between two empty glasses, the woman beside him collecting her purse and coat. Tessa clasped Dibs’s hand and led him through the tables. When they arrived at the bar, the couple pushed back their chairs and stood. The timing was perfect.
“Wow.” He offered one of the high seats, shifting it forward when she sat. “Where’d you learn to do that?”
“One of the hazards of the job. Let’s just say I know how to read a crowd.”
A bartender with stylishly mussed hair and a mischievous grin approached. He cleared away the dirty dishes and wiped down the bar in front of them. “How are you this evening?” He winked at Tessa, tossing a cocktail napkin down in front of her. “What can I get you, pretty lady?”
She smiled. He had to be nearly a decade behind her in years, but the compliment was appreciated all the same. “Why, thank you. Grey Goose martini, three olives.”
“Very good, and for you, sir?”
“Dewar’s, rocks.”
The bartender walked a short distance away, peeked at her from the corner of his eye, and spun a bottle in his hand. She toyed with the corner of her napkin, pursing her lips to avoid gloating over his flirtatious attention.
A sigh heavy with resignation spilled from Dibs’s throat. “Okay. I guess I deserved that.”
She laughed and gathered her dark hair, sweeping it down the front of her shoulder.
The commotion in the bar reflected the amount of people around them, the wait staff bustling about with trays of steaming food and glittering cocktails.
“Do you think all these people were heading to Chicago?” she asked.
“Either that or connecting through to somewhere else.” He pulled his cell phone from his breast pocket, thumbed the screen, and showed her the radar. “Looks like the storm might last a while.”
A huge blue and pink cloud crawled across most of the Midwest. “Fabulous. I’m so sick of winter.”
A moment later, the bartender reappeared with their drinks. “My name’s Doug, if you should need anything else.” He tugged the towel from his shoulder and slapped it against the bar.
“Actually…” Tessa crooked a finger, drawing him back, and reached into her pants pocket. “I think the woman at the front desk forgot to program this key card. Would you mind checking into it? Room 1608.”
“Right away, miss.”
Dibs braced his elbow on the bar, her second key card sandwiched between two fingers. The bartender’s eyebrow twitched and he plucked the card from Dibs’s hand.
He sat back, that penetrating gaze of his tingling along her lips as she sipped her martini. “I think he likes you.”
“It’s my dashing good looks.” She sighed dramatically.
“That, plus your stellar personality.”
They shared a laugh, his husky chuckle so appealing the muscles of her inner thighs involuntarily clenched, but not until his smile faded did she realize he had no intention of looking away from her. She tried to determi
ne the hidden meaning in his gaze and soon became mesmerized by the indigo rings surrounding his irises. Coupled with the long thick lashes…Brrr…A woman could easily get lost in those azure depths.
When her cell chirped, she fumbled the phone from her purse and glanced at the caller ID. “Excuse me a moment.” She pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey.”
“Where are you now?” Tiffany asked.
Tessa cupped a palm over her other ear. “I just got to the hotel,” she answered loudly.
“Sounds like you’re at a party.”
“It’s packed here. We’re at the bar.”
“You and the whack job?”
“I’m at the Waldorf,” she said.
“Are we speaking in code now?”
“We’ll probably need to move some things around this week. I have no idea when I’m getting out of here.”
“Is he being nice to you?”
“It’s a gorgeous hotel. The descriptions don’t do it justice.” She enjoyed more of her martini, twirled the stem between her fingers and thumb.
“Total hot babe alert?”
“Yeah, I saw the radar. It looks huge.”
“All right, that does it,” Tiffany grumbled. “Now I’m pissed. You always find these mega-hot guys and then completely blow them off. It just isn’t fair.”
“Still coming down, huh?”
“Why is it the one woman in the world who couldn’t care less about having a relationship is the one who always meets the beefcake?”
“Okay, I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Men are the only ones who are supposed to avoid relationships like the plague, Tessa. Women aren’t built that way.”
“Be safe going home.”
“Don’t hang up the—”
Tessa snapped her phone shut and smiled at Dibs. “Sorry, that was my partner.”
“Oh.” He studied her a moment before looking down at the bar. He filled his lungs, twisting his glass on the napkin.
A moment of awkward silence passed, the words she’d just uttered bouncing around inside her head. Oh, wait…“My business partner.”
“Oh-h-h.” He lifted his chin, nodding. “So, you have your own company?”
“Tiffany and I started an event planning business about four years ago. That’s actually why I’m in New York. We bid a client earlier today.”
