by Curry, Edna
“Good. And remember to call me Ken.”
“Sure.” She’d better just not use a name at all. Or else the wrong one would be bound to slip out.
“You’d better stick close to me and mention the name of whoever we’re talking to. Remember, I don’t have a clue who most of these people are.”
She nodded, promising, “I will. Besides, they think you still have amnesia.”
The dining room of the Country Club was crowded with people. Kirk leaned down to whisper in her ear, “When do you want to do it?”
She turned back to him and found his lips only inches away. For a long second she considered kissing him, right here in the middle of all her business friends and to heck with ruining her makeup and hairdo. What was she thinking? She swallowed. Why hadn’t they discussed this earlier? She’d thought it all out. “I’ll stand up and tell them after we eat. Then you stand up too, and put the ring on my finger. That’s the cue for the photographer to come and get a close-up picture of my hand with the ring.”
“Okay.”
They made small talk with people and sipped on cocktails, then sat through a seemingly interminable business meeting discussing an upcoming celebration. Finally dinner was served and over coffee, Rosie stood up and chimed her spoon on her glass for attention. Everyone quieted and turned to look at her.
Yikes. Could she really stand here in front of all these people she knew and lie to their faces? What were they going to think of her when they learned the truth?
She swallowed hard and tried to make her voice sound happy. “I wanted to let you all know that Ken and I have made up. “ She turned and smiled at him. “So we’re engaged again.”
Kirk grinned and stood up, too. “And this time, I’m giving her a wonderful family heirloom to seal the bargain,” he said, producing the ring from his pocket. “My grandmother’s ring, said to bring luck to whoever has it. “ He slipped it on Rosie’s ring finger and took her in his arms and kissed her soundly.
Everyone hooted and applauded, and the photographer said, “Let me get a close-up picture of you two with this lucky ring. Rosie, put your hand up on your shoulder to show off the ring.”
They put their heads together and smiled for the camera. After more congratulations, the lights dimmed, the music started and couples moved out onto the dance floor.
Kirk took Rosie in his arms to dance.
“Do you think they believed it?” she asked softly in his ear. “Will this really work?”
“Anyone looking at your lovely smile will believe you’re very happy, Rosie.”
She nodded and closed her eyes and gave herself up to the dance. She was very happy. But only because she was in Kirk’s arms and he seemed to care about her. She was pretending their engagement was real.
If only it were. If only she were engaged to Kirk, not Ken.
When he took her home hours later, she still felt the magic. He walked her to her door and took her in his arms.
Being in his arms felt so right. She glanced up at him and opened her mouth to thank him for a lovely evening. But before she could get the words out, he’d covered her lips with his, cuddling her close and kissing her over and over.
“You’re so sweet,” he murmured. His hand slid under her wrap to cover her breast possessively. His warmth seemed to race along her veins and settle in the pit of her stomach.
She reached up to tangle her fingers into his thick, wavy hair as she’d been wanting to do for days now. It felt as good as she remembered. She closed her eyes, enjoying the delicious sensations of his exploring hands and murmured her pleasure against his mouth.
His lips moved down to kiss her ear, then the side of her throat. Her knees softened like marshmallows melting over a campfire. She was afraid she’d fall, but his hand moved around her back and tightened to clutch her tightly against him and support her. They fit together so nicely, she thought irrationally as his body moved against hers. And she loved the feeling of power when she realized how aroused he was.
Then a dog barked up the street and a car honked as it sped past, reminding her they were standing in plain sight on her doorstep.
She pulled away and stepped back, meeting his surprised gaze. Her heart was tripping away at twice its usual speed.
“I… I…” Her voice came out in a squeak and she swallowed, struggling to bring it to a normal tone. “I had a lovely evening, Kirk. Goodnight.”
He nodded, but didn’t look pleased at all. “Goodnight, Sweetheart. I’ll see you at the office in the morning.”
~ * ~
The next morning, when Rosie arrived at the office, Karen and Harry were talking quietly at Karen’s desk. At her approach, both looked guilty as they greeted her. Why? What were they up to that they didn’t want her to know about, she wondered.
Deciding there was no sense putting off the inevitable announcement, she told them her engagement to Ken was on again.
To Rosie’s surprise, Karen just nodded, as if she’d already heard the news. “I heard it through the grapevine last night,” she told Rosie smugly. “My friend Martha was at the chamber dinner, too.”
“I see. “ So maybe that’s what the two of them had been discussing when she arrived?
“Congratulations,” Harry said. “I’d better get back to work. A delivery truck should be coming in pretty soon.” And he hurried downstairs.
Rosie went into her office to begin her day’s work.
A few minutes later, Kirk asked her to come into his office. She went in and closed the door behind her, a little nervous at being alone with him, which was ridiculous, she told herself as she settled into a chair.
Kirk eyed her and moment, and then said, “Rosie, I have to fly to Chicago today to get my own ID back and talk to Lester. Why don’t you come with me? You’ve never seen our headquarters, have you?”
“No, but…who will do the tills and bank deposits?”
He raised a puzzled eyebrow. “Surely you’re not the only person who knows how to do that?”
She flushed. “No, I’m not. Harry has done it a couple of times, as have two of the check-out girls.”
“So get one of them to do it and come with me.”
“I suppose I could call Lee and ask him to take care of Scamp for me.” She chewed her lip for a moment, then she met his gaze and desire surged between them. She smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’d love to go. What time is our flight?”
“Eleven thirty. You just have time to talk to Harry and go home and pack an overnight case. I’ll call for another ticket for you and get a cab and pick you up at your place, say in an hour.”
~ * ~
He watched her leave, his eyes following her trim figure. She was a fine figure of a woman all right!
Did he have any kind of a chance with her?
She’d agreed to this trip anyway. That gave him a glimmer of hope. He had to try to convince her he cared about her before they were separated by their jobs. If he went back to work out of Chicago, he might never see her again.
~ * ~
Rosie heard him ring her doorbell. She picked up her suitcase and opened the door. He smiled at her and took the case from her. A tremor of anticipation ran along her veins as he took her arm and they hurried to the cab.
They just made their flight. They reached their assigned seats and Kirk took her carry-on and stowed it for her. Somehow he’d managed to finagle adjoining seats.
“Would you like the window?” he asked.
“No, I’d prefer the aisle, if you don’t mind.”
“Great. “ He grinned and slid into the window seat.
She settled in beside him, trying not to brush elbows. But that was impossible in the small space.
He noticed her fidgeting. “Sorry I couldn’t get first class for us. They were all sold out.”
“This is fine, Kirk. It is okay to call you Kirk on this trip, isn’t it? I mean…we’re going to Chicago where everyone knows you as Kirk.”
“Definitely. It feels good
to be myself again.”
“I suppose it would. “ Sending him a smile, she tried to sit quietly. Why hadn’t she thought of bringing a book to read?
Why had she agreed to come? She’d be spending hours with Kirk alone through the next two days. Not a good idea. She’d never be able to hide her feelings for him. And humiliating herself again was not an option. Being dumped once was quite enough, thank you. He’d plainly known that he wasn’t a marrying man, even when he’d had amnesia. So how could she hope he would change now?
Though sometimes she wondered how he really felt. How could he kiss her like he had without having feelings of some kind for her? Even if he did, they weren’t the kind of feelings that led to love and a life together, so what did it matter if he thought she was attractive enough to lust for? It was up to her to see that they didn’t act on that lust, to see that those feelings didn’t go any further.
But maybe it would be okay. When they got to headquarters, she would get to meet her elusive boss at last, and maybe some of the other staff that she’d talked to so often on the phone. Lester’s secretary, Miss Livingston, for example. Kirk and Melvin already knew these people, she realized. A great source of information sat beside her and she needed a topic of conversation.
She turned to Kirk. “Tell me about Lester’s staff.”
“Well, there’s Miss Livingston, his secretary. I’m sure you’ve talked to her?”
Rosie nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s tall, thin and middle-aged. Very efficient and Lester’s right hand. She’s also pretty stern, so some of the others in the office call her Miss Battle-ax behind her back. But you didn’t hear that from me.” He tossed her a conspiratorial grin.
She laughed. “All right.”
The flight attendant appeared with her cart and offered them drinks. They accepted glasses of orange juice with ice and she moved on.
Kirk went on talking as though they hadn’t been interrupted. “Who else have you talked to on the phone?”
“Lester, of course. What’s he like? He always sounds kind of gruff on the phone.”
“He is gruff sounding, and has a will of iron. He’s a big, heavy man, and always has a cigar handy.”
“Does he have a family?”
“No, he never married, so he’s always treated me and Ken as his own.”
“I see.”
“He doesn’t like to be crossed, but he’s really a soft teddy bear inside. Right now, he’s pretty worried that Ken’s actions are going to devastate his sister-in-law, our mother. He’s always had a soft spot for her.”
Rosie felt sick. “There are so many repercussions to our actions, aren’t there? I’m sure Ken didn’t stop to consider how this would affect others.”
He nodded. “Like you, for instance?”
She squirmed in her seat and drank the juice. “Surely he must have known that if he named me the beneficiary to his life insurance, that I would be suspected of being involved? I mean, how could he not realize that?”
He stared into his empty plastic glass, and set it down carefully, as though thinking through his answer. “Maybe he was too upset with his gambling debts to be thinking clearly. After all, those guys were threatening him with bodily harm.”
“Maybe. “ She glanced at him. “And maybe you’re giving Ken the benefit of the doubt.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “He is my brother.”
Heat raced up her face. “Yes. And I’ve heard twins are usually very close, so I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re willing to give him more credit than he deserves.”
“You sound bitter.”
She shrugged. “Wouldn’t you be? I feel betrayed. I trusted Ken. He was my boss for two years as well as my fiancé. Now I feel like I never really knew him at all.”
He covered her hand with his, sending a surge of awareness along her nerves. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I believe you had nothing to do with the embezzlement.”
“Thanks.” She felt tears burn behind her eyes and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The stewardess came by to pick up trash, giving her a moment to blink the tears away.
“You’re not alone in feeling you didn’t know Ken. I’m having a lot of trouble believing he could have done this, too. We haven’t been close since grade school because my parents sent us to separate boarding schools. That was one of the drawbacks of having parents who follow their careers instead of being full time parents.”
“That must have been hard, going to separate schools.”
He nodded, his face unreadable. “We developed different hobbies, interests and friends. But we had a lot of fun together during holidays.”
“But that’s not the same as living together every day.”
“No, it’s not. Who else have you talked to at headquarters?”
Obviously he wanted to get back to neutral ground. “Only a couple of others, like the receptionist, Louise, I think her name is.”
“Yes. She’s young, blonde and pretty. Knows it too. She’s always primping, but very efficient with business matters, or Lester wouldn’t keep her around.”
“I’m sure.”
“And there’s me and Melvin, of course. Though I’m not usually working in Chicago; I get sent out to trouble-shoot one problem or another fairly often.”
“You usually live in Chicago though?”
“Yes. I have an apartment and a car there. We’ll take a cab to my apartment first to pick up my car. Then we can come and go as we please.”
She swallowed, staring at him. Yikes, she’d forgotten to ask, just assumed she’d be staying in a hotel, after the way she’d told him their lovemaking would not be repeated. “But I’ll be staying in a hotel tonight, won’t I?”
He turned to her. Heat sizzled between them as their eyes met and held. “If you want to, Rosie. But I have plenty of room at my place, even a spare bedroom, if you prefer. It’s up to you.”
She couldn’t answer. Did she dare stay with him? What would happen if she did? His eyes were saying he wanted her to share his bed and wanted more than friendship between them. And so did she. But she wanted that relationship to be for real, not pretend, like their fake engagement.
Could she settle for less? Should she trust him not to hurt her?
Luckily the captain announced they were landing, and she was spared having to decide right now.
They picked up their luggage and took a cab to Kirk’s apartment on Lakeshore Drive.
“Kirk, I just thought of something,” Rosie said as they got out of the cab. “How are you going to get inside your apartment? You don’t have your keys.”
He grinned at her over his shoulder and handed the driver some bills. “No problem. I don’t use a key. I have a numeric keypad.”
“And you remember the code?”
“Yes, I do. “ The doorman opened the outside door for them and greeted Kirk by name. Rosie followed Kirk into the elevator and they rose to the twelfth floor.
“Okay, Smarty, I’m impressed. But I’ll bet you need keys for your car.”
Kirk nodded, put their luggage inside, and then motioned her inside. “I keep a spare set of those in my apartment.”
She stepped inside the luxury apartment and let her eyes roam the lovely living room. Gleaming hardwood floors with colorful area rugs offset large windows along one wall and built-in bookcases along another wall. Soft couches with lots of colorful pillows invited them to relax. The picture window revealed a lovely view of Lake Michigan. It was a bright, sunny day and the lake was deep blue, dotted with sails and speedboats while people jogged, biked and walked their dogs along the lakefront path through Lincoln Park on the far side of the Drive. “Wow!”
He grinned at her pleasure. “Glad you like it.” Moving to his desk, he opened a drawer, pulled out some items, then drew out a small box. “Voila! Spare keys to everything I need keys for,” he said with a grin.
He went over to his answering machine, checked the time and date of the messages, and groaned. �
�This was full weeks ago. So there’s nothing very new on it. I’ll go through them later. I’ll take you to meet everyone at headquarters, then we’ll get my license renewed.”
“What about your credit cards? Don’t you need to cancel them? Those guys who mugged you could have run up all kinds of bills on them by now.”
“Lester had Miss Livingston take care of those for me as soon I called him. And I’m not responsible for fraudulent charges, anyway.”
They drove to Latham’s headquarters, which took up a whole floor of a modern high-rise office building.
They first met the young blonde receptionist, Louise, who greeted Kirk warmly. She sent Rosie a cool glance as he introduced them.
Next Kirk introduced her to Miss Livingston in Lester’s outer office, who greeted her with smiling enthusiasm, in contrast to what Kirk had led her to expect. Rosie sent him a questioning look and he grinned back at her.
“Thanks for taking care of canceling my credit cards for me,” Kirk said.
“No problem, Kirk. We’re all just so relieved to hear you’re all right. It seemed so weird not to be able to contact you.” She turned to Rosie, explaining, “Kirk is always on call and that was the first time I can ever remember not being able to reach him for more than a few hours.”
Rosie glanced at Kirk, who was looking uncomfortable at Miss Livingston’s praise.
The secretary noticed and chuckled, apparently pleased at his response. “Lester’s expecting you,” she told them. “Go right on in.”
They walked into Lester’s large, plush office. Rosie noted the expensive desk, leather chairs and gorgeous view from the large window. It screamed “executive” loud and clear.
Lester greeted them warmly and Rosie found herself liking their gruff boss. Rosie and Kirk answered Lester’s questions and brought him up to date on their investigation.
“Don’t forget to pick up your luggage when you get your driver’s license back.”
“Yeah. Funny, I can remember most things, but don’t remember dropping off my luggage. But I don’t remember the actual mugging, either.”
“I’ve heard that sometimes happens, that you don’t remember some things,” Rosie murmured.
