One Little Kiss (Smart Cupid)

by Maggie Kelley

  No—he was off-limits. The man didn’t believe in love. And she didn’t want to screw up her last chance to save her career. She’d sacrificed the bachelor profile for him. But this exclusive? He owed her. And she meant to claim.

  She eyed him as he wrapped up the call, an easy smile on his face. For better or worse, she liked him. Liked his ocean blue eyes. Liked his clean scent. Liked the impossibly enticing grin that made her want to confess all her fantasies. And then share them on the kitchen floor. Close call? Absolutely.

  Finished with the call, Jake moved the phone back and forth between them. “This lesson is not over,” he said, handing her the cell. “But I have to go. I have a meeting with my publisher in an hour, and thanks to my sister’s ability to call at the most inconvenient time,” he said, shaking his head in affectionate surrender, “I’ve got to swing by the Smart Cupid office, too.” He shook his head and sighed. “Do you have plans for lunch?” he asked.

  “You tell me.”

  “We can at least go over what you want the interview to look like.”

  “Are you sure that’s all we’re going to talk about?”

  He smiled. “We can talk about that kiss if you want, but I know we said this would be all business.”

  He had a point. A stolen kiss wasn’t such a big deal as long as they ignored it.

  Yeah, Kate. That’s a brilliant strategy.

  “Deal.”

  …

  Fishing the phone from the pocket of his shorts, Jake looked up at the corner office of the sleek building in the Flatiron. He turned the phone over and considered calling Jane. Let her know he’d cut his meeting short and arrived early. But—no. So much more fun to be a surprise.

  A few minutes later, armed with her favorite extra hot, no-whip, triple mocha latte, he stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall into the Smart Cupid offices. Nice place—bold, sophisticated, cool—just like Janey. He felt a surge of pride in his chest. Yeah, damn proud.

  He stopped in front of a small desk overrun with technology, and a pretty, dark-haired woman wearing tortoise-shell glasses blinked up at him. He’d only seen her in a wedding photo. Nick’s wedding photo. Yeah, he’d missed a lot by staying away. More than he’d counted on.

  A pang of guilt in his gut joined his sense of pride as he offered his hand to his brother’s newlywed wife. “You must be Marianne. I’m—”

  “Jake,” she said.

  Her voice was warm and sweet. A far cry from Nick’s usual type, the ambitious legal eagle looking for a fun Saturday night, and yet, if she was taken aback by his out-of-the-blue arrival, she gave no indication. No doubt she could handle Nick. He liked her immediately.

  A conspiratorial smile broke across his face, and he nodded toward the corner office. “Thought I’d get here early. Surprise Jane.”

  In what could only be a well-practiced stall tactic, she readjusted her glasses against the bridge of her nose. “Maybe I should let her know you’re here.”

  “And spoil the surprise?”

  She bit down on her bottom lip. “Not sure she enjoys surprises. Statistically speaking.”

  Jake’s smile widened into a grin. He knew exactly how much his sister liked a good stunner. “Not even a little? Not even when I come bearing coffee?”

  “Not even a little.” She eyed his misguided coffee-flavored peace offering and lowered her voice to a whisper. “And after the whole bachelor fiasco…”

  “M.A., can you please…” His sister walked out of her office, nose pointed at a tablet computer, forehead wrinkled. He cleared his throat, and she stopped in her tracks.

  A knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. July.”

  He held his arms out wide. “The one and only.”

  “Except it’s August.” The snap of her tablet closing emphasized the point. She walked over and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.” She flashed him a smile. “But I’m happy you’re here.”

  Jake drew his sister into a bear hug and looked over her shoulder at Marianne.

  “Good surprise?” he asked.

  Marianne nodded. “Good surprise.”

  …

  “A new book?” Jane tore into a bag of peanut M&Ms. “That’s the reason you’re here?”

  “Not the only reason.” Jake eased onto the red velvet sofa a few feet from his sister’s oversized desk, stretched out his legs, and crossed them at the ankles. “I get to see my brother and sister and wrap up the sale of the apartment, but yes, there’s a new book.”

  Jane settled into the chair behind her desk. “Three years and, all of a sudden, a new book.”

  He shrugged. “Easier than digging my heels into a lawsuit against my ex-agent.”

  His publisher was dealing with that asshole, so as long as Jake delivered the second book on his contract, he’d never have to see him again. A definite bonus.

  “Easier since when?”

  “Since I’ve been…inspired.”

  “Inspired.” She gave him nothing. A poker face.

  Jake shifted slightly. Cleared his throat. He knew she was pissed that he’d bailed on the bachelor interview, even more so that he’d side-stepped her attempted matchmaking, but the truth was, she’d done him a tremendous favor. Kate had inspired him. Hell, maybe she was his Muse. “All I know is that the book was banging at my insides, dying to get out.”

  “So what’s the title?” she asked, all nonchalant curiosity.

  Yep, here’s where it got tricky.

  He shifted on the loveseat. “No Strings Attached. It explores my new theory that a friends-with-benefits situation is a healthy way to get a guy’s groove back.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “Get a guy’s groove back?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about a woman?” The tearing of candy wrapper emphasized her words.

  His eyes narrowed on the crinkled packaging. So not static. “What about a woman?”

  Jane pinned him with a look like the one she’d used when they were kids and he’d hidden the beat-up, stuffed monkey she’d loved. “Can a friends-with-benefits situation help to get a woman’s groove back?”

  He arched a brow. “I don’t see why not.”

  Jane nodded. “And after the groove is back?”

  He folded his arms over his chest. “Nothing. That’s the beauty of it. In the contemporary dating landscape, a ‘friends-with-benefits relationship’ is the new gold standard.”

  “The contemporary landscape? The gold standard of relationships?” Jane laughed as if she knew the punch line of a joke he hadn’t quite figured out. “You call that inspired?”

  The muscles in his jaw clenched defensively. “This is a strong, psychologically valid theory about how nice guys—and, yes, nice women—can have a short-term sexual relationship and enjoy it. Not everyone needs a commitment to be complete. Life’s not a Tom Cruise movie.” He’d learned that one the hard way. Marriage Lesson Number One. He leaned back on the couch. “There’s joy in freedom.”

  “Sounds like a lot of bullshit to me.” She tossed a few of the candies into her mouth and gave him a long, assessing look. “Yep, this is better than I expected. I can’t wait to tell Nick.”

  “Tell him what?” Jake suspected his sister’s attitude had something to do with Kate, but he’d already explained that her matchmaking radar was way off on that score.

  She picked up her cell and pressed the speed-dial. “Tell him you’re on the ropes.”

  “I am not on the ropes.”

  A mischievous laugh escaped her. “Okay, Jake, if you say so.”

  “I am—” Jake drew in a breath. Not on the ropes.

  “By the way, I spoke with Kate about her exclusive.” She shifted forward, a smile edging across her face. “Since she’s too nice to call you on it, I asked legal to draw up the contract.” She opened up her drawer, took out a lengthy document, and tossed it onto the desk. “Sign it. Give it to Kate.” She held up
the phone to indicate their brother had picked up—and on the first ring or two. He never picked up that fast for him. “Nick, guess who’s in my office.” She covered the phone with her palm. “Should I put him on speaker?”

  Jake shook his head. One of them heckling him was enough. As his sister joked with Nick, he picked up the contract. All pretty standard, he thought, burying it into the front pocket of his cargos. But why did she need a contract? Granted, he hadn’t described his full-on theory. Or told her the title yet. But he would. Timing was everything. As for the contract, he’d given his word, and he always kept his word.

  Jake gave his sister the high sign to let her know he was heading out and walked over to the door.

  “Where are you running off to?” she asked, ending the call. “I thought we could all grab lunch at Salvatore’s?”

  He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb. “The old pizza joint in Brooklyn?”

  Jane held up the phone. “Nick’s in, too.”

  Damn, he loved that old place down on Washington Street, with its unmistakable red-and-green sign that lit up half the block. He loved Sally, too. The pizza maker with the heavy Brooklyn accent had been more like a father to them than their own. Hell, he’d given Jane a job when they’d needed the money. How many times had the old guy let his sister sneak him slices of pizza out the back door? Probably would have starved if not for Sally. He’d have to get over there before he left the city. “I can’t. I made plans to take Kate to Chinatown for lunch.”

  She tucked her dark hair behind both ears and leaned forward on her elbows. “Spicy Village?’

  “Is there any place else?” Jake walked back and gave her a fast kiss on the cheek. “Tell Nick I’ll call him later.”

  She smiled up at him. “After your date?”

  “Business,” he reminded her, making a break back to the office door. “Not a date.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were you definitely on the…”

  He stopped in the doorway and looked over at her. “Don’t say it.”

  Jane held back a smile. Gave him a little wave. “Have fun on your date.”

  Jake turned to go. “Not a date.”

  Nope. No matter what his matchmaking, date-obsessed sister had to say, he was so not on the ropes.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Now this is New York,” Jake said, diving into a Styrofoam container of hand-pulled noodles and shredded chicken in a satisfyingly sauce with hints of beer and chilies, flecked with Sichuan peppercorns. “Remember when you asked me what I missed about New York?” He pointed at the container with his chopstick. “Spicy Big Tray Chicken. New York pizza is fine, but there’s nothing like Spicy Big Tray Chicken.” He worked the chopstick like a pro. “I may be in love with this chicken.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Not exactly the angle I need for my exclusive.”

  “But you like it? The restaurant?”

  “Like it?” she said. “No. I love it, and the food is amazing.” She loaded up her chopstick with a dumpling. “How did you find this place?”

  Jake looked around at the definitive hole in the wall: a narrow sliver of a space that let in almost no natural light and boasted less than ten tables. “After I found out about my ex, I had some trouble sleeping. It was tough. My parents’ marriage failed to inspire. I wanted something different. Something real. Something that would last.”

  “Makes sense,” she said, chopsticks hovering above the food.

  He shrugged. “Guess I wasn’t always incapable of a relationship. Uninterested in love.”

  “Everyone’s interested in love.”

  A small smile crept up on him. “Yeah, some love blogger told me that once. Wonder what ever happened to her.”

  His smile widened as her napkin hit him square in the face.

  “So how does this relate to finding Spicy Village? Food’s amazing, but it isn’t exactly easy to find.” She looked out the window at the narrow street, red and gold lanterns obscuring the view of the graphitized doorways across the way.

  “Well, as I said, I’d been having trouble sleeping. Bed at two in the morning. Up at five.” A blinking red light over the wall-sized menu caught his attention, then fizzled and burned out. A bit like his marriage, he thought. He looked back at Kate. “One day I said the hell with it. Threw on some clothes and started walking. Everywhere. Central Park. Over Delancey. Down Canal. I ended up in Chinatown, exhausted, outside of this place.”

  Kate gave him a sympathetic nod. “Of course.”

  He liked how comfortable she seemed here. His ex-wife never would have stepped into Chinatown, much less Spicy Village. Too bad, because she was missing out on some of the best food in the city. “Must’ve looked like shit, because the owner opened up early and made me a skillet of his best dish.” He pointed toward the chicken. “So I kept coming back. Now he keeps my standing order framed behind the counter.”

  “Really?” she asked with a smile.

  “Really. He was a good friend when I needed one. Wish he was here so I could introduce you,” he said, scooping the noodles into his mouth.

  She looked at him, a smile at the edges of her kissable mouth. “Well, no wonder.”

  The gentle sound of her voice washed over him. “No wonder what?”

  She reached across the table and laid her hand on top of his, a gesture so much more personal than business. “No wonder you love it so much.”

  …

  Thirty minutes later, they stood outside on the sidewalk. The midsummer sun washed the neighborhood in light, reflecting off the boldly-colored signs of Chinatown’s narrow shops and stalls selling T-shirts, perfume, jewelry, and “luxury” handbags. The staccato sound of the Mandarin mixed in with the rush of cars and the ding of bells of the bicycle delivery guys. The energy, the sounds, the people. This was why she’d wanted to stay in New York.

  “Do you have to go?” Jake asked, casually linking his fingers through hers.

  Kate smiled at him, enjoying the feel of him. “No.”

  “No work deadlines?”

  “Just researching my exclusive.” For a split-second that shuttered look crossed his face, tension formed at the edge of his eyes. “But if you need to be somewhere…”

  “No.” His response was quick and certain. “The only place I want to be right now is here with you.”

  “Me, too.” Kate gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Let me take you somewhere,” she said, nodding toward the restaurant window. “You shared one of your secret places. I want to share one of mine. So we’ll be learning each other’s secrets.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “More research?”

  “Absolutely,” she said, tugging him down the sidewalk.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  As they crossed over to Canal, they wandered onto a few side streets lined with awnings and flags with Chinese writing, and stopped to buy some ginger, some teas, and a small red plastic Buddha, which she insisted would be good luck. Over on Mulberry, the sweet scents of Lung Moon Bakery seduced them inside, where they loaded up on inexpensive pineapple cakes and lemon and ginger cookies. As they approached Columbus Park, she was already polishing off her second dessert.

  She dusted some sugar from her fingers and pointed toward the center of the park where a few people practiced Tai Chi. “Always wanted to come down here and learn Tai Chi.”

  “Why haven’t you?” he asked.

  “Just haven’t made it down to that place on my list yet.” She tilted her chin toward a group of old-timers gathered for intense games of poker and Chinese Chess. “I want to learn mahjong, too.”

  Jake laughed, and the sound sent her heart racing. “You have a list?”

  She nodded. “A New York City bucket list. One of the things I love most about the city is how it’s so filled with…”

  “Possibility?”

  “Exactly,” she said, as the sounds of Chinese opera drifted toward them from the park. “Possibili
ty.”

  Near the end of Canal, she took his hand. “This is what I wanted to show you.” She looked over at a yellow brick building with a red and green tile facade. “The Mahayana Temple, and no, I’m not Buddhist,” she continued with a smile. “I’m a good Presbyterian girl from a small town in Ohio.” She let go a smile. “But it’s a beautiful, peaceful oasis. There’s so much chaos in the city, and it’s all wonderful, but sometimes it’s important to unplug and connect.”

  He looked doubtful. “A Buddhist temple located beneath a billboard for the local casino.”

  She tugged him up the stairs. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”

  “Am I going to have to meditate?”

  “Meditation isn’t required, but it is an active place of worship, so be on your best behavior.”

  He stepped in front of her, snaked his arm around her waist, and pulled her into a kiss that sent her mind reeling. Right there on the steps of the temple. Next to the gold lions.

  “I think I better add to my bucket list,” she said in a voice she scarcely recognized.

  Funny, but he seemed as surprised as she was by his kiss. He nodded toward the entrance. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”

  “Hey, I tried your big chicken,” she whispered as they moved into the temple.

  “That’s because Spicy Big Tray Chicken is amazing.”

  Kate gave him a look that said he could go ahead and talk tough, but she noticed his hushed voice as he took in the red and gold foyer. He was open to the experience. Funny, she’d never brought any other man she’d dated here. In some way, she felt able to reveal herself to him. He felt inexplicably safe. She felt his hand low on her back as he ushered her past the foyer. A nice guy in a naughty, naughty package.

  Inside the temple, the walls were lined with paper strips bearing prayers along with offerings of flowers, fruit, and incense. Kate let the distinctive scent of lotus blossom fill her senses as she took in the magnificence of the temple. Never failed to amaze her. “Beautiful.”