by Inez Kelley
“Steve?” She rapped softly on the wood. “Are you okay?”
The door opened and she gasped. The usually fastidious man had removed his jacket and tie. His shirt was untucked and his belt unbuckled. He was sweating and a shocking green tint overshadowed his normally ski-tanned skin.
“My gut feels like Old Faithful. Spewing disgusting liquid with annoying regularity.” Even his voice was scratchy and gruff.
“What’s wrong?” Biting her lip with worry, Frannie grabbed his arm and helped him to the long leather couch beside the window. He groaned and sank into the cushions, covering his eyes with one arm.
“Take my advice, Fran. Never ever eat leftover sushi for breakfast.”
As if eating fishing bait wasn’t bad enough, he ate leftover bait? Eww!
“You need to go home.”
“I will. As soon as I can stop puking long enough to drive.” He started to say more but squeezed his lips tight, jumped up and ran back to the bathroom.
Tracey came to his doorway and sniffed the air loudly. Her lips curled in disgust, she whirled around and walked out.
Frannie took matters into her own hands, pulled up Steve’s itinerary on his computer and rescheduled what she could. By the time the toilet flushed and the bathroom door reopened, she had cleared his entire day. She picked up the few notes she’d made and peered into the tiled room. Steve stood bent over the sink, his forehead pressed to the cool tile.
“I’m going to die.”
“No, you just feel like it. We need to call you a cab and get you out of here. I rescheduled your meeting with Sanders and pushed back everything I could until Monday. I’ll take care of the Dobson merger file and anything else that pops up. You need to be home in bed.”
Tracey came back in spraying a huge can of Lysol. She took one look at Steve and her eyes widened. “Flu?”
“Bad sushi,” Frannie answered. Just the words seemed to provoke more nausea and Steve dry heaved in the sink. “Tracey, call a cab, will you? He can’t drive like this. Steve, is there anyone I can call? You shouldn’t be alone when you’re this sick.”
Still hunched over the sink, he shook his head, ran water over a pure white cloth and pressed it to his face.
“No probs,” Tracey said. “I’ll take him home, put his barfing butt to bed and hang out a while. I have plenty of sick time left I need to use up. Lemme just go grab my stuff and we are outta here. But no blowing chunks in my car, bossman.”
Steve emerged on unsteady legs and sat heavily at his desk. As if his head was too heavy to hold up, he laid it on his day planner and let his arms dangle like a giant rag doll. The loud rumbling of his stomach was drowned out by his groan. Frannie placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently. She looked up to find a pair of sexy black eyes staring from her open office. Jinx, dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit, looked at the two accountants, his left eyebrow cocked in unspoken questions. Anger lit Frannie’s fuse.
“What the hell are you doing here?” It was one thing to invade her home, but this was her job, her livelihood. The amusement sparkling in his eyes infuriated her even more.
“Now, is that any way to speak to your future husband?”
“No, it isn’t. It is, however, an appropriate way to speak to you. What are you doing here?”
“Husband?” Steve raised his head and looked at Jinx, who walked into his office. “Frannie, you didn’t tell me you were engaged?”
“Because I’m not,” she spat through clenched teeth. Crossing her arms, she glared at the intruder.
Jinx introduced himself to Steve by offering his hand. Steve took it while looking at Frannie with a thousand questions in his eyes. Before he could voice them, Tracey breezed in wearing a puffy hot-pink parka. Spying the strange man in the room, she stopped.
“Whoa, man candy.” When she realized she had spoken aloud, she colored and then turned her attention to her boss. “Come on, bossman. Let’s get you out of here.”
It took a few minutes for Steve to close down his computer, give Frannie some instructions and pack up his soft-sided briefcase. When he stood, dizziness made him reach out. Frannie grabbed his arm and steadied him. Steve went into the bathroom once more, ran water on the cloth and wiped his face with trembling hands. Trying to give him some privacy and yet keep an eye on him, Frannie stood near the open bathroom door but focused on Jinx.
“You can’t be here.”
With a casual air, Jinx leaned on the edge of Steve’s desk and smiled at her. “I had a few minutes and thought I’d see if you were free for lunch. But I can see you’re tied up. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, dollface, it’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. This is my job, what pays my bills. I don’t mix business with pleasure. You cannot screw this up for me.”
“Who’s screwing anything up? You have to eat. I have to eat. It didn’t seem like a major undertaking.”
“It’s a matter of boundaries. You seem to have a small problem with those.”
Tracey watched the byplay with rapt attention, her eyes darting back and forth like watching a tennis match. A weak voice piped from the bathroom. “Don’t mind me. I’m just dying in here. Go ahead, continue your petty bickering.”
Senior partner Ronald McGee walked into the room. At sixty-three, he looked more like eighty but had a mind like a bear trap. His balding head had numerous age spots, which Tracey and Frannie had once compared to a map of the Virgin Islands. A withered lip curled at the sick smell and he glanced around the room, his small beady eyes nearly invisible behind his thick glasses.
“Where’s McAlly?”
A loud moan pinpointed Steve’s location and all eyes swiveled to the bathroom door. Tracey, galvanized into action, grabbed Steve’s coat from the chair back and marched into the bathroom. She pulled Steve into the office and propelled him toward the door.
“Bad sushi, gotta go.” She breezed by, snagging the small wastebasket by the desk. Thrusting it into Steve’s hands, she grabbed his briefcase and pushed him out the door. “I mean it. No upchucking on the floorboards.”
An efficient whirlwind, Tracey manhandled the chief accountant out the door. Silence fell in the office. McGee turned back to Frannie and for the first time seemed to notice the stranger in the office.
“Sullivan?”
“Yes, sir?” asked Frannie. He waved his hand impatiently at her and looked at Jinx.
She saw a side of Jinx she never had until that moment. A mask slid over his expressive face and he straightened from his relaxed pose. The man who could titillate her senses disappeared and a shrewd dark stranger appeared. This new Jinx would never toss a woman over his shoulder and whisper touching greeting-card innards. This man would eat her for lunch without a pickle.
He regarded the little man with cool appraising eyes before speaking. “Hello, Ronald. How’s Evelyn?”
“Good, she’s good. Are you here on business? I hope so. I realize you deal with Jamison and Fertig, but I’d be more than happy to have you come up to my office and discuss what we can offer.”
Jinx took a moment to think and study the bespectacled man. He glanced at Frannie with a small smile before replying. “Possibly. I expect to be making several changes in the coming weeks. I really stopped by to speak with Ms. Sullivan about many of those changes. Tell you what, Ronald, go ahead and have your office manager call mine and set up a meeting sometime next week. We’ll see what comes about then, okay?”
Apparently Jinx had just informed Ronald McGee that both Santa and the Easter Bunny were real—and hinted that the Tooth Fairy might be also, for the little man nearly did a little dance.
“Excellent. Listen, you must come out to my place for my annual holiday party. You can come as Ms. Sullivan’s guest. It’ll be a wonderful time.”
“I’d be honored to attend with Ms. Sullivan by my side.” Jinx smiled, but his smile reminded Frannie of a cartoon shark, all teeth. McGee was too tickled to notice. Nor did he notice her raised brows. Since
when did her boss dictate her dating schedule?
“Excellent. Excellent. December twenty-third, about sixish. Formal, you know. Have to give the ladies a good excuse to drag out all their finery during Christmas.”
The two men shook hands as Frannie mentally scratched her head. What just happened here? Excusing herself, she followed the company partner out of the office. She caught him by the elevators but he stopped her before she could speak.
“Ms. Sullivan, I don’t know how you got him in here, but if he signs on, I promise you’ll definitely get a hefty bonus. That man is Midas, I tell you. He has this uncanny knack for judging a situation at a second’s glance and making the perfect move. His portfolio is pure gold. Well done.”
Patting her arm like a dog, he vanished behind the swooshing doors. Frannie was left standing with her mouth open. Sit, Fido, good dog. He’d dismissed her without a thought. Resisting the urge to bark, she snapped her jaw shut and marched back into Steve’s office.
Jinx had returned to her smaller office and sat at her desk, staring at her ceiling, his hands linked behind his head. She parked her rump on the corner of her desk, crossed her arms and studied him.
“I just got offered a bonus if you sign on with us.”
“Great. Glad I could help.” His easy grin was so different from his business persona that she shook her head in amazement. He was a man of many faces and she found him fascinating. It was impossible for her to stay angry at him. In such a short time, he had become very prominent in her life. He delighted in teasing her so she volleyed the teasing back to him.
“You know, I already had a date for McGee’s Christmas Party. I go with Steve every year.”
He moved the chair so she was directly in front of him. ”Is there something between you and your boss?”
“McGee?” She deliberately misunderstood, relishing his deep frown of frustration. Teasing him was fun. When his incredibly expressive brows met in a scowl, she fought a laugh.
“No, McAlly. You two seemed very, uh, friendly.”
“We are friends. We’ve known each other since college.”
“Did you date or something?”
Frannie couldn’t catch the laugh that exploded from her lips. Composing herself, she smiled impishly at him. “The last three relationships Steve had were with people named James, Antonio and Richard.”
“He’s gay?” The relieved expression on Jinx’s face was almost comical.
“I don’t know. I never asked. It’s none of my business.”
“Well, whatever floats his boat. I’m just glad I don’t have to compete for your affection.” Standing, he tilted her face up toward his. “So, now that I have your undivided attention, what do you want to do tonight?”
The thick ebony fringe of lashes framing his deep black eyes captivated her. Strong fingers traced a line up her jaw to her ear. The world slipped away until it was just she and Jinx, alone. How does he do that? Muddle my mind with just a look or a touch? Clearing her throat, she fought to regain her hold on reality.
“Nothing. I just want to stay home and do nothing.”
“Nothing works for me. As long as I’m with you, nothing sounds just perfect.” He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. Like a spring bubbling from a mountain well, pleasure coursed through her at his simple touch. It might have been disappointment that made her stomach sink when he pulled back after the brief kiss, or maybe it was sorrow. She chose to believe it was the bagel she had for breakfast.
She wiped a bit of lipstick from his lip, smoothed the shoulders of his suit jacket and stroked his tie. Damn, he looked good. Of course, men like him could make anything look good. “I’ve never seen you in business clothes. This looks good on you.”
“Thank you.” Cocking his head, Jinx stared at her a minute before speaking. “You seem different. Less combative. That was actually a very nice compliment. What happened?”
Lip caught between her teeth, Frannie looked deep into his eyes and didn’t even try to be flippant. This was too important. Recalling Tracey’s words about love and sex, she decided Jinx deserved her honesty. She still expected him to wake up one day and realize he was wrong about her, but at least she would have a clear conscious.
“I told you I’d try and just let things happen, see what develops between us. I’m trying to let that happen. I still think you’re crazy but I’m not fighting it anymore.”
Jinx lowered his eyelids and sighed before hugging her to his chest. Breakthrough! One brick down, half a million to go. He had no idea he’d been holding his figurative breath until Frannie acted on her promise to give them a chance. He wouldn’t mess this up. Fate had given him another chance, and he was going to make it work. If anyone understood how things could slip away in an instant, it was him. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. He inhaled deeply, and the scent of coffee mingled with her pear shampoo. To him it smelled like hope. Hope and Frannie were all he needed.
{
Gritty-eyed with exhaustion, Frannie pulled her compact car into the drive and noted Jinx’s SUV at the curb. Navigating the salt-crusted stairs in her heels took concentration but she couldn’t fight the joy that leapt knowing he was already inside, waiting for her. She didn’t even quibble that he’d kept her spare key. Her shoulder bag sang out with the Star Wars theme song. Digging for her cell, she stumbled and scraped her leg against the concrete step. A fitting end to a crappy day.
She grimaced, freeing the phone from beneath her wallet, cosmetic case and three inches of junk. The laptop case slid off her shoulder and almost wrenched her arm from its socket. Cursing, she fumbled with the knob, juggling her awkward load. Jinx pulled the door open from inside as she managed to flip open the cell. The day got brighter with his smile.
As Tracey gave her a colorful and descriptive blow-by-blow of the care she had given Steve, Jinx took her things and set them aside. He helped her out of her coat and bent to remove her shoes. The cats wound around her feet and he shooed them away. Pocus transferred his feline love to Jinx’s arm with a deafening purr. Hocus spit at him, took a quick swipe at his hand and disappeared into the kitchen, fluffy tail held high.
Jinx ran his hand up her scraped shin, placing a quick kiss on her knee. Listening with half an ear, she smiled. This is nice. Coming home and being taken care of.
She jumped as Jinx’s hands skimmed up her thighs to her waist. Reaching up under her short suit skirt, his large hands grabbed her panty hose band, pulling them over her butt and past her thighs. She hopped from one foot to the other so he could finish pulling them off while Tracey droned on about Imodium and chicken noodle soup. The shredded nylons tossed over his shoulder, Jinx dropped a quick kiss on her lips and disappeared into the kitchen.
Now this I could get used to. She turned her attention back to Tracey. First-aid kit in hand, Jinx returned and propelled her toward the couch.
“Tracey, just let him sleep it off. Okay, call me later. Okay. Talk to you then. Bye.” She closed the phone with a groan and collapsed back into the cushions. Jinx swung her feet into his lap.
“Rough day?” He swiped disinfectant over her scraped shin.
She pulled a throw pillow behind her head and sighed. “Absolute hell. Since lunch, I’ve had three meetings, the computer system crashed and I found out one of our clients may be charged with embezzlement. I had to go over his portfolio with a fine-toothed comb. All this on top of answering the phones since Tracey’s with Steve. Ow! That stings!”
Lifting her leg, Jinx blew gently on the graze. His cooling breath soothed her wound but warmed her blood. She watched in open-mouthed fascination. One simple breath and he sent her blood to fizzling.
“Better?” His chocolate-coated voice drenched her senses in softness and warmth. She nodded and sighed. Using his thumbs, he massaged the aching arches of her feet. Eyes closed in satisfaction, she relaxed against his touch, letting the tensions of the day ebb away. A contented purr slipped out and she pressed her feet firmer against his
hands. No one had ever made her feel so special, so cherished with just a simple act. She lost herself in the repetitive motions of his fingers. They lulled her like a mother’s rocking chair. She was so tired. If she could just close her eyes for a second, then she could garner the energy to move.
“Since you wanted to stay in and do nothing, I thought we could make dinner here and just watch TV or something. Sound okay to you? Frannie? …Frannie?”
Gently putting her legs back on the couch, Jinx pulled the fleece throw from the chair and covered her, letting her sleep. Tenderness washed over him. Slumber had eased the firm set to her jaw and tinged her face with an airbrushed glow. She was beautiful. Not in the classic sense, not in the manner that would turn heads and inspire lust in men passing by. But in a way that reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in an iron grip. He loved her.
Chuckling softly, he listened to her low snores. It had been a hard week for her. An exhausting flight, increased work and, of course, meeting him. He knew he’d pushed every emotional button she had and he wasn’t the least bit sorry. Never in his life had he ever been as sure of anything as he was of his love for Frannie.
The way a bolt of lightning splits a tree in two, love had shattered every pale dream he had for the future. Now the only dreams he had were about Frannie and a life with her. Nothing in his past mattered. From here on out, he vowed he would be with Frannie for every joy and every tear. This Happily Ever After had started the day he met her. But she was so timid when it came to trusting him, he knew he had to move carefully.
It was a balancing act, a precarious juggle to hold her but not squeeze her so tight she ran. She had to want to be with him, to make a life with him. He couldn’t make her believe, any more than he could make her sprout horns. All he could do was feed her growing trust and hope she had enough faith in herself to let go of her fear. He knew fear, could read it in her eyes and in how she pushed him away. The same electrified love surging through his veins shone in her eyes—when she wasn’t spitting at him in fury. If she felt nothing, she’d have decked him when he kissed her the first time or kneed his crotch when he threw her over his shoulder. No, Frannie felt it, she just didn’t trust it. Time might help overcome that but he couldn’t wait. Waiting was the one thing he couldn’t do, couldn’t risk.
