once upon a romance 07 - finding mr right

by leclair, laurie

  They nabbed it together, touching hands. His were big and strong under hers. She swallowed hard. Giggles tickled her throat. No, not now! Slowly, she withdrew, backing away.

  “Easy now,” Dex said, placing the glass away from the edge of the lab table.

  Her mind scattered when he looked at her that way. Deep, probing questions cried out to her. “Why?” she asked, wondering herself at the way her heart went pitter-patter.

  “Do you feel something, too?”

  She bit her lip, trying to stop the tremble that began there. A mixture of fear and nervous laughter bubbled up. “Dex, can you just hold me? For a minute?” Or two. Or three.

  “I don’t know if I’m any good at this, but I’ll give it a try.” He rose, all six foot something of him. Reaching out, he pulled her close.

  Warmth radiated from him. Madison sighed when he wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest. With her ear pressed to him, she heard his heartbeat jump and then thunder.

  He ran his hands down her back, making her quiver. His gentle touch and big hands were a heady combination.

  It made her feel safe, secure, and cared for, something that she’d never known she missed. Had she ever had it to begin with?

  “Madison,” he whispered into her hair near her temple. “If I could bottle you up, I’d be the happiest guy in town.”

  “You’re very good at this, Dex. Believe me.”

  His chuckle rumbled through him and against her. Thrills darted along her spine. Was it from the sound or his fingertips that trailed a path there?

  She eased her hands between his lab coat and shirt and around him, brushing his sides. His soft moan echoed against her ear and shot straight to her nerve endings.

  An ache began, low and deep. The tickly sensations that followed surprised her. The more Dex roamed his hands over her back, the more she wanted him. She almost said as much. Almost.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she couldn’t stop her thoughts. You’re engaged. To Mr. Right. With her memory jogged back to cold, hard reality, Madison retreated by slow degrees until finally she stepped away.

  She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to still the uncontrollable shaking. She wasn’t nervous or giggling. Raising her gaze to his, she sucked in short, quick breaths. Arrows of agonizing need shot through her.

  His eyes, darker and bluer, mesmerized her.

  “You’re cold.” He shrugged off his lab coat and placed it over her shoulders.

  The warmth seeped into her again. His warmth. “Thanks,” she whispered, feeling the sting of tears at his gesture. She blinked them away.

  He’d given up his lab coat for her. The one thing that made him feel in control of his world, he’d easily handed over to keep her warm.

  Reaching out, he touched her cheek. Her heart melted. Turning her head, she pressed her lips against his big, wide palm. With a great deal of reluctance, she shook free. “I can’t…I’m—” The words stuck, her confession dying in her mouth.

  He backed away, holding up his hands. “I understand. We just met. It’s too soon. It’s scary.” The last came out shaky.

  “Yes.” And I don’t know why I’m here when I shouldn’t be. But I want to spend time with you.

  “Maybe…no, I don’t want you to go. Stay. Help me.” His gaze reached out, touching her deep in her core. A wave of longing took hold.

  “Quit looking at me like that.” She tried to sound stern, but a giggle slipped out.

  “Like what?”

  “Hungry.” The word popped out.

  A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “That’s because I am. For you.”

  She gasped. Heat seared her.

  “Did you know that water is a fascinating element?”

  “Huh?” She shook her head.

  “Change in temperatures and it changes properties.”

  “Am I missing something here?”

  “Reduce it to freezing and it turns to ice. Ah, but you heat it and it will turn to steam.”

  “Is that your sexy talk?” She grinned, feeling as if she were floating back to the ground again.

  “Like it? I’ve got more where that came from.”

  Dexter, I like everything about you. And that was a big, big problem.

  ***

  Madison leaned over him. Dex followed her pointed finger. It landed on the little brown bottles with scents in them. He’d used nearly half of them already in his quest to find the right combination.

  “Eenie meenie, miney, mo, which one of you little devils will be the next to go,” she said in a sing-song voice.

  Dex reached for the next dropper and stilled.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Madison’s voice barely contained her excitement.

  “I don’t know. But I see this in the store.” He waved a hand. “All of it.”

  “Exactly! A perfume bar!”

  “A perfume what?”

  “Bar. Like the Beauty Bar, but only with perfume. The customers get to create their own formulas.”

  “Yes. Unique. Individual. Innovative.” He turned to her and grabbed her smiling face in his hands. Leaning forward, he didn’t think, just reacted. He found her lips. Soft. Sweet. Slightly opened in surprise. Dex was a goner.

  She let out a whimper.

  He withdrew. Madison clutched his shirt, holding him there. Now, it was her turn to kiss him. Long. Wet. Thrilling.

  Taking over, he moved his lips against hers, nibbling at the corners where sometimes her teeth bit there. His pulse drummed in his ears. His heart beat a wild tempo in his chest. And he grew hot all over.

  Reluctantly, he broke away and went back for one last taste before he released her. Her breaths matched his, hot and quick.

  “I think we should stop.” She glanced at his lips and then into his eyes. They were wide and searching. The heat there singed him.

  He tumbled. Head over heels, Dexter fell.

  Chapter 14

  Dex raced to a halt in the middle of King’s Department Store. Madison, holding his hand, bumped into him.

  “Why did you stop?”

  “I thought Benny said she was here,” Dex mumbled, looking for Charlie in the jewelry department. The eight-foot-high posters were already there, jewels flashing on Evelyn’s finger, Shane snuggled close to her cheek.

  He smiled, knowing the couple’s turn to grace the posters were now almost a tradition at the store. Each newly engaged employee agreed to the ads, knowing they were indeed a part of the King’s family.

  His eye caught the jewels on display and then he gazed at Evelyn’s ring again. An idea took shape and formed. That’s it!

  “Look,” Madison said, nodding to a space nearby. She tugged on his hand and he followed close behind.

  “Did you see her?”

  “No, but that’s the perfect spot for the perfume bar. Right next to the Beauty Bar.”

  “Ideal,” he agreed, ideas clicking faster and brighter than ever before.

  She pulled him again. This time they stopped and stood looking beyond the glass doors of the beauty salon. The man behind the counter holding a phone to his ear looked up. “Rico!” She waved.

  He nodded to their locked hands and pressed a hand to his chest. “Be still,” he mouthed. Next, he pointed to himself, to Madison, lifted his hand about six feet high, and then pretended he was knocking back a drink.

  “Apple martinis? You, me, and Peg.” She gave him a thumbs-up.

  Dex grunted and then lunged for the door. He flung it open. “Charlie? Have you seen her lately?”

  Rico pointed up. “Office.” He flicked a glance at his oversized watch on his wrist. “Five minutes.”

  His brain fired on all cylinders with the sights of women getting their hair, makeup and nails done, the scents of mingling hair care items, and the sounds of voices over the machines. Dex’s smile grew wider. Note to self, Rico needed his own line of products at King’s. “I may just be able to pull it off.”

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nbsp; “Thanks,” Madison called out as she grasped Dex and they headed for the elevator.

  He squeezed them into the crowded compartment, absently saying hello to the overly interested department managers. The minute they saw Madison, Dex heard the murmurs and some whispers.

  “Her? With him?”

  “Yes, she’s with me,” Dex said, glaring over his shoulder at the woman. He couldn’t even recall her name at the moment. “Is that a problem?”

  No one answered. He grinned. Glancing down at Madison, he caught her smile and a sassy wink. Warmth filled him.

  It took longer to get to the executive floor, or maybe his anxiousness made it feel like forever. Finally, the doors dinged open and he departed, with Madison on his heels.

  Peg stood there, holding the glass doors open. “Holy Toledo, what are you two doing in such a rush? Fire in the hole?”

  “Gotta see Charlie.” Dex allowed Madison to go first and he was right behind her.

  “Meeting in progress. Conference room. Another one to follow with these managers.”

  He heard the conference room part and headed to his left and down the hall. “This way,” he said, directing Madison.

  The door was ajar. Dex shoved it open and they stormed in. Charlie and Griff were on one end of the table and two men were sitting nearby. The four of them jerked their heads up at the abrupt entrance.

  “Dex?” Charlie asked. “Madison! What are you two doing here?”

  “Sorry, Boss 1 and Boss 3,” Peg said, coming up behind Dex and nudging him out of the way. “I herded the managers into your outer office until this one is in the can. But these two got right by me.”

  “Madison? Is that you?” The guy with the faded T-shirt and bleached blond dreadlocks rubbed a hand over his eyes. It was only then that Dex realized there were beach towels, clothes, and sandals on the table, along with a stack of papers.

  “Bodie? I…what in the world?” Madison dropped Dex’s hand and stepped forward at the same time the guy named Bodie stood. She went to the back of one of the chairs and grabbed on tight; her knuckles turned white.

  That name sounded familiar. Where had Dex heard it before?

  She giggled. “Dallas? Why? You’re never this far from a beach.”

  Peg jabbed Dex in the ribs. “Looks like competition. Watch your back, buddy.”

  Her ex—that’s it! Something chilly ran down his spine.

  “You haven’t heard?” His brilliant white grin was like a flash of light in his dark tanned skin. “Surfing, babe. I’m in the top twenty-five in the world. I’m just cutting a deal here. Merchandise exclusively at King’s for a year. Had to go American. Online is going to blow this out of the water.”

  “S…surfing? Really?”

  “It’s a sweet deal. I told you I’d do it. Heck, you kicked me in the pants when you left me. I packed up and moved to the West Coast. Hit it hard. I wanted to prove I could do it. Make you proud.”

  Dex looked from Madison to him and back again. She trembled. He went to her side and lent what little support he could. Bodie glanced at Dex, and then drilled holes in him.

  “Congratulations, Bodie. I’m happy for you.” Her voice quaked. “Thanks, Dex,” she whispered.

  “Mr. Wrong,” he said under his breath.

  “The one and only.”

  ***

  Griff stood, taking command of the situation. “Let’s finish this up. Ten minutes should do it.”

  “Yes,” Charlie agreed. “We have a few more contracts to sign and we’ll be right with you, Dex and Madison.”

  “Come on, you two. Adios,” Peg said, steering them back to the door. “I’ll take them to my office.”

  “Madison, don’t leave. I want to talk more,” Bodie called. The man beside him, apparently his lawyer by the suit he wore, held him back. “Catch up on things.”

  “S…sure,” she stammered out before she walked out in front of Dex.

  “You all right?” Dex asked quietly as they walked down the hall to Peg’s office.

  “No,” Madison said.

  She barely made it to a seat across from Peg’s tidy desk. Her legs shook. Her mind screamed. “Bodie Anderson here?”

  “Water, pronto!” Peg cried out, rushing to the pitcher and glass on the credenza nearby.

  It was like seeing a ghost from her past, a very tanned ghost with the whitest teeth she’d ever seen. Muscles had replaced the skinny arms.

  Dex stood quietly.

  Taking a sneak peek at him, she couldn’t read his shuttered expression. The man was usually an open book around her. “I had no idea,” she tried to explain.

  “Here, sweetie. Knock this back. This will have to do since we don’t keep the hard stuff here.” Peg shoved the glass in her hand and helped her take a few sips.

  “Ah, what I’d do for one of those apple martinis right about now,” she said wistfully. Water just didn’t cut it.

  “You and me both. Holy sassafras, Madison! You and him?”

  “Long, long time ago,” she murmured, cutting another glance toward Dex. “Over.”

  “Roger that,” Peg said. “You got that, mad scientist? Done. Kaput. Fini.” Somehow Peg sensed his silence as a spark of jealousy.

  “Kids trying to be grown-ups.” Well, she was the only one trying to play grown-up while he sat on his duff on the beach. “So, he made something of himself. Thanks to me.” She spoke her thoughts out loud.

  Charlie marched through the door. She placed her documents on the surface of Peg’s desk and leaned a hip against it, folding her arms across her chest. “Your relationship with Bodie is none of our business, Madison.”

  Phew!

  She looked from Madison to Dex and said, “Why did you feel the need to interrupt a meeting? I might add, a very important deal for King’s.”

  “My bad,” Dex jumped in. “Madison and I came up with this incredible idea for the store and literally ran to tell you about it.”

  “Tell me this is about Priscilla’s perfume. The manufacturer is calling twice a day now.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it.” Peg made a face and rubbed her ear.

  “Not yet.”

  Charlie and Peg groaned in unison.

  “Soon. I swear. Process of elimination. But that’s how we, Madison and I”—he waved a hand to her and back to him—“well, it was as if lightning struck us both.” He coughed and then cleaned his throat, avoiding her stare. “A perfume bar, for the store.”

  Frowning, Charlie shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  Peg came up beside Charlie and nudged her to move a little. When she did, Peg plopped down and folded her arms across her chest, too. “Yeah, explain away.”

  “It’s like the Beauty Bar concept, only with perfume. Customers can come in and select the scents, tones, and notes they prefer. Mixed right here in front of them. Their own unique creation. Once they find what they’re looking for, King’s keeps their scent on record and it can be refilled at any time—in store or online, whichever they prefer.” Madison took a deep, shaky breath.

  “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Peg muttered, smacking herself on the forehead. “Why didn’t we think of that before, Boss 1?”

  The smile that grew on Charlie’s face was priceless. “I like it. No, love it.” She looked at Madison and her brow furrowed slightly. “You helped come up with this?”

  She nodded. “It was just sitting there in front of us all this time, right, Dex?”

  His smile seemed guarded. He snapped his fingers. “Happened just like that. Same time, too.”

  “I’m impressed,” Charlie said. “Can you write something up, Dex? A proposal, if you will. A list of what we’ll need, ingredients and such. We’ll have to come up with a unique bottle, slogan, and ad. If you can get that to me by tomorrow morning, I’ll jump on it.”

  Peg scribbled on her clipboard. “Making notes, Boss.”

  Dex relaxed, his grin natural now. “I knew you’d love it, Charlie. It’s right up King�
��s alley.”

  “Good job, you two.” She looked at Madison. “We’ll have to talk more. I’ll check with Griff about compensation.”

  “No.” Madison swallowed hard. “I don’t want anything for it. Not money.” Just access to your records would do. She cringed inwardly at how crass that sounded in her head.

  “What then?” Charlie’s frown matched her own.

  An idea struck. “A job. Temporary even.” You have less than ten days. “I…I can help in the new wedding department. Set up. Clean up.” She shrugged, recalling how Rico had shown her the Charmings Wedding Boutique and she’d offered suggestions on processing the dresses for the new wing.

  “Why?”

  Madison chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m good at it. I do the mannequin thing for my vintage website all the time. And someday I may want to open a real store. This would help me find out what’s involved. Plus, I can really, really help.”

  The words tumbled out of her. For the first time, Madison realized she desperately wanted this, not just for herself, but as a part of King’s. Her time spent wandering the store had struck a chord deep inside her. This store stood for so much more than she imagined. Quality products. Integrity. Family.

  The last caused an ache to shoot right through her. She wanted to be one of them.

  Charlie stuck out her hand. “Three weeks. Deal.”

  Her throat grew parched. Three? How could she manage that? She was due back in Austin to announce her engagement at a lavish affair in less than two. “Deal,” she squeaked out, shaking hands.

  Madison Avenue just got hired by King’s Department Store!

  Panic with a capital P hit hard!

  Chapter 15

  “Bodie,” Madison said, sitting across from him at King’s Café. Why didn’t it feel as good as when she’d been here with Dex the other day? She fidgeted with the silverware, not able to look at him for more than a few seconds at a time.

  “You’re gorgeous. The vintage vibe stuck, but much classier than you were doing it.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out.” An edge of sarcasm crept in her words.