The Safe Bet

by Brittney Sahin

  His eyes softened a bit as his gaze drifted to her mouth. “Hm. Maybe.”

  “Really?” She pressed a hand to his firm chest, and her eyes widened when she realized what she’d done.

  His jaw tightened as he placed his hand over hers. “In what world does maybe mean yes?”

  She exhaled, pulled her hand free from his, and took a large step back. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I was excited.”

  She cleared her throat, waiting for him to speak, but he remained silent. “Michael, I promise everything will be perfect. Tasteful and sophisticated.”

  He blew out a breath. “I’ve lost my damn mind.” He shook his head. “Fine,” he said with obvious hesitation.

  “Great.” She clapped her hands together and tried to will away the embarrassment from her unprofessional touching moments ago. “I was also wondering if you could ask one of the models or celebrities you know to be auctioned off as well. We need to cater to the men attending the event, too.”

  “I can make a few calls. It’s short notice, but I’m sure I can find someone.” He began tugging at his tie, as though it were strangling him.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded at her, but it was clear the whole idea of the auction pained him. “I have a meeting,” he said while retrieving the coffee he’d set on Julia’s desk. “I should get going.”

  “Thank you again for this opportunity.” She turned toward him in haste, almost knocking the coffee onto his shirt. “Oh, God. I am dangerous, huh?”

  “Yes. Yes, you are,” he responded with a husky voice.

  *

  “The location is perfect,” Kate said to Julia as they exited the hotel. “Now we just need everything else.”

  Julia handed her car ticket to the valet and turned toward Kate. “I still can’t get over how you handled my brother this morning. I wish I had it on camera to watch over and over again. How you got him to not only agree to the event but become a part of the auction is beyond me,” she said, pulling her thick, black hair up into a loose bun.

  “I guess he realized that he needed to put the needs of his foundation ahead of his own desires.”

  “Any ideas on what we can auction? Aside from my brother?” Her lips quirked at the corners into a grin.

  “I’m sure Michael has some artwork he could donate. Does he have season passes to any sporting events?”

  “I can definitely access art, but I think I can even do you one better on the sports tickets. Michael and I are friends with a few of the Giants. Perhaps we can offer tickets and dinner with the players.”

  “Wow. That might fetch an even higher price than Michael.” Kate laughed and followed Julia toward the red Ferrari that pulled up to the curb.

  Julia tipped the valet before getting behind the wheel. “Looks like we’ll need to work all weekend.” She shifted gears and joined the traffic. “But there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go out and celebrate. How about drinks tomorrow night? You like to dance? There’s a place I go to all the time.”

  Kate wondered if it was the club where she had met Michael last night. “That sounds good. I have somewhere I need to go tomorrow after work, but I’d love to go out and dance later.” At least this time she wouldn’t be alone.

  “Great.”

  “Thank you for this opportunity. I believe in what you guys are doing with this foundation.” Kate took in a deep breath and glanced out the window. “I’m always so nervous about my brother’s safety. Every time he reports for another tour of duty, I feel sick.”

  “I can totally relate.”

  “My stepmom stopped functioning when my little brother joined the Army.”

  “Is that why she turned the company over to you?”

  Kate nodded. “Basically.” An image of her father fluttered to her mind, and she remembered she still needed to call him back. But what would she say? She didn’t feel like arguing with him about a potential move to Charlotte.

  “Well, I’ll see you in the morning.” Julia pulled up in front of Kate’s hotel.

  “Have a good night.” Kate got out of the car and headed to her room, eager to change into her jogging clothes. On a glorious day like today, the serene streets of Charlotte would be a pleasant change from the Upper East Side in Manhattan. And perhaps her run would help free her from the stress that had seeped into her body over the last week.

  Her feet hit the pavement ten minutes later, and she found herself running faster than normal. Adrenaline burned through her as her fists pumped at her sides.

  An hour later, Kate came to the conclusion that she was losing her mind, though.

  Her skin prickled with concern as she rounded the next corner of the street. She slowed down to a walking pace before stopping outright.

  Was someone watching her?

  Of course, the idea was crazy.

  But she had a strange, gut-wrenching feeling that she wasn’t safe.

  She looked around the street, but everyone seemed normal.

  Her heartbeat elevated a notch as her phone vibrated against her arm. She unstrapped it and looked down at the text.

  No words—just an image.

  An image of her standing on the street looking around. Looking scared.

  Her pulse climaxed as her jaw edged open.

  What the hell? She gulped back the fear that trickled through her body. She spun around in circles, knowing that now she looked crazy.

  But there was nothing for her to see. No one across the street looked like they had just snapped a photo of her.

  It had to be a joke, right? Or was someone trying to scare her into leaving Charlotte? Maybe one of the dismissed event planners had discovered she was hired and was jealous? Her number wasn’t hard to access. It was her business cell phone, the same one she used as her personal line.

  She forced herself to believe her theory was credible and that she wasn’t in danger. And she decided she wouldn’t feed into whatever sick pleasure her mystery texter might get out of watching her look scared.

  She tucked her phone back into the music case and strapped it to her arm. She refused to let some idiot rile her any further, and so she took off with an easy paced jog.

  And she kept running—running until the fear melted away.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  KATE TRIED TO ACT NORMAL around Julia as they worked, to mask the nervous energy that weighed her down. She was pretty sure that Julia hadn’t noticed a thing. Should’ve been an actress.

  “This is going to be doable.” Julia looked up from her tablet. She shook her head, seeming a little amazed. “So, what do we have, officially?”

  Kate opened her notepad. “Ten pieces of art. Box tickets to the Giants. Dinner with two Giant’s players. And your sailboat . . . but I still don’t think you should give that away.” Kate looked up at Julia.

  Julia shrugged. “I can always buy a new one.”

  Rich people. God bless them.

  “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

  Well, so much for keeping it professional. “I, uh, don’t have time to date. Every time I try the whole relationship thing, it doesn’t seem to last.” Kate perched her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. She thought of the string of disasters that had plagued her after she’d signed up for an online matchmaker site a year ago. She hadn’t had sex or been on a date in fourteen long months. At what point does one reclaim their V-card?

  But Kate kept telling herself that this was what she wanted—her new plan was to focus on her business and avoid men for a while.

  “Was there anyone who ever really got to you?” Julia asked. She was clearly more open than her brother. Well, from what Kate knew about him, anyway. He was notoriously tightlipped. And didn’t that seem to add appeal for some women? The ones who were in it for the chase, to make the unattainable man theirs. Kate didn’t have the time or energy for that kind of mess.

  But Michael Maddox wasn’t exactly the typical rich playboy. He wasn’t entitled. He was
generous, but not for the sake of exposure. He was from humble origins, he’d served their country, he was a do-gooder and a genius beyond compare . . . but still totally off limits. Even if he wasn’t an infamous player, he was still her client. She needed to get the damn man out of her head.

  She never dated clients, regardless of their numerous attempts. And now she just wasn’t dating anyone period. Her lack of a sex life had to explain why she was lusting after Michael and visualizing him in a tux—she was trying to tell herself that, at least.

  She wondered how she’d survive another week without her body blushing every time he was around.

  Julia snapped her fingers in front of Kate. “You okay? Hey, did I make you think about some guy?” She smirked.

  Kate contemplated an appropriate response but didn’t have to come up with one. Instead, her phone rang. She reached into her purse and fished it out. She looked down at the screen and sighed. She still hadn’t spoken with her dad. A twinge of guilt poked at her stomach as she slid the phone back in her bag.

  “Not going to answer?”

  “Just my dad. I’ll call him later.” Kate fidgeted with her notepad and pen and attempted to refocus, but she found herself unable to slide the mask back on.

  It was getting harder to silence the pain that was seeping into her body.

  Today wasn’t just any normal day, after all.

  *

  “You’re here.”

  Kate looked up at the cab driver and then out the window to the graveyard. “Could you wait here? I won’t be long.” She lifted the long-stemmed, red roses from her lap and opened the door.

  “Sure,” he replied, turning up the volume so that Sinatra’s croon belted in her ears.

  Kate exited the cab and began to wander through the maze of gravestones. “Where are you?”

  Her breath caught in her throat when she finally found it.

  Surprise flickered across her face at the sight of fresh white tulips nuzzled against the headstone.

  Who visited you? Her eyebrows pinched together as she leaned down and rested the roses alongside the tulips.

  “Hi, Mom.” She traced her fingers over the name Elizabeth and kissed her fingers before bringing them back to touch the cool, arched rock.

  She studied the second date on the headstone. September 9th.

  Today. The day her mom had given birth to her.

  “I love you, Mom,” she whispered.

  *

  “You look fantastic.” Kate slid into a circular booth in the VIP area of the club. It was a different nightclub than the one Kate had visited a few nights earlier.

  Julia smoothed a hand over her short, black sequined dress, and smiled. “It’s my go-to. I love your dress, though. Super-hot. Glad my brother’s not here to see you in that. He has a weakness for gorgeous women, as you have probably heard.”

  Kate almost choked on her Cosmo. “So, um, did Michael find a woman to auction off at the fundraiser?” Hm. That kind of sounds weird to say.

  Julia reached for her drink. “Yeah. Thank God we found someone on such short notice. You ever heard of Jamie Landon?”

  “She’s a model, right?” Kate wondered if she was one of the women on Michael’s laundry list of sultry New York models.

  Julia nodded. “I hate her. Horrible bitch. Probably dated Michael, too.” She shrugged. “Should get a good price, though, which is all that matters.”

  “I’m surprised he goes by Michael, even by you,” Kate found herself saying.

  “He was always Mike when he was in the military, and I think it’s too hard for him to go by that name now. He’s different since he came home. A lot of people come back different.” Julia stared into her drink and paused. “I—I lost someone close to me, because of that. He didn’t die in the military—he died because he couldn’t handle being out of the military. He wound up drinking and died in a car wreck. I was only in college when it happened. Michael was still in the Marines. I think his death was what inspired Michael’s project. He wanted to set up a program that would help veterans find balance in the world as civilians.”

  Kate leaned forward, listening to Julia with her complete attention, allowing the music to fade into white noise. “I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. She had never been good at dealing with tragedy. Look at her own life.

  “I’m sorry to be laying this on you.” Julia pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, with a shake of her head, she flashed her blue eyes open, and her normal calm exterior was back. “Come on. We should be celebrating.” She lifted her drink into the air. “Cheers to you defeating my brother.”

  “Um. Okay. You sure you’re all right?”

  “Of course.” She clinked her glass against Kate’s and tossed back the last of her drink. “Let’s get shots.”

  Kate watched as Julia rose with perfect balance in her black strappy Manolos and headed toward the bar. Somehow, Kate couldn’t imagine the refined and sophisticated Julia doing shots. But after the emotional day Kate had suffered . . . why the hell not?

  When Kate approached the bar, she found Julia engaged in conversation with a guy whose appearance was a little too pretty for her taste. His gel-spiked, coppery blonde hair and his waxed eyebrows screamed metrosexual. He was in khaki pants and a crisp, button-up top—Armani or something ostentatious enough to match his gold Rolex. Kate, of course, preferred a more rugged man. A man more like—don’t think his name.

  Julia was leaning in toward him, her hand resting on his chest. Her eyes shifted from the man to Kate. “Kate, this is my friend James. James, this is Kate. She’s the miracle worker who managed to convince Michael to hold the fundraiser. I expect you’ll be there next weekend?”

  James reached for Kate’s hand and plastered a smile on his face. “So nice to meet you,” he said with a smooth voice.

  “Kate, James is an investor, like Michael. He has deep pockets, so be sure to woo him next weekend.”

  “I don’t think she’ll have to try hard to woo me.” His hazel eyes stared deep into hers before wandering toward her cleavage.

  Kate had the sudden desire to hide behind her hands. She was never one to wear revealing clothing, but the sapphire blue, strapless panel dress she had chosen to wear was a bit snug today.

  “You feel like dancing?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

  Kate looked to Julia, who encouraged her with a nod and smile. “What about our shots?”

  “Here,” Julia said, handing her a shot of tequila that the bartender had placed behind her. They downed the gold liquid, and both winced. “Now go have fun. I’ll be out there soon.” Julia waved her away.

  James led Kate through the crowd of men and women, who all looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine. But the dance floor was even more impressive than the people. It was surrounded by dozens upon dozens of gorgeous strands of crystal, which dangled in thick, glinting rows. She brushed against them as James reached for her waist and pulled her tight against him, his erection pressing thick and obvious against her thigh.

  That was fast. Jesus. Down boy. She placed her hands on his chest, attempting to put some distance between them. She had no interest in grinding. She looked over at Julia standing by the bar.

  The music became almost a dull silence as her eyes shifted to see Michael walking with long strides toward his sister at the bar. The mere sight of him made her body tense.

  She kept her eyes on Michael as James moved them around on the dance floor, her body feeling as limp as a rag dolls. Michael folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side, staring at his sister.

  Julia began waving her phone in front of Michael before jabbing him in the chest with it. A moment later she started for the dance floor.

  “Everything okay?” Kate asked, taking the chance to break free of James’s grasp.

  “Yeah. I forgot I was supposed to be having dinner with my brother.” She rolled her eyes. “He tracked my phone to find me—he
’s a bit overprotective.”

  “Oh.” It’s kind of sweet he cared, Kate thought as she snuck another glimpse of Michael. His back was turned against them, and he was talking with the slim but chesty bartender. A strange pang of jealousy stabbed at her gut.

  “James, I think I’m gonna grab a drink. Maybe you and Julia could dance?”

  “Sure,” he responded, reaching for Julia’s waist.

  Happy to have secured a rescue, Kate made her way to the bar. She pressed her hands against the somewhat sticky bar counter and waited for the male bartender to notice her. The bartender who had been speaking with Michael moments ago was now taking an order from someone else.

  “You go dancing a lot?”

  Kate shut her eyes for a brief moment. “Not as much as I’d like.” She turned toward the man who had infiltrated her dreams the past few nights. “You look different,” she remarked. An underdressed Michael was no less sexy than business-casual Michael. In fact, he looked even more appealing in jeans and a T-shirt. His tanned biceps swelled beneath the short sleeves, and she was dying to touch them.

  Why do you have to be so sexy?

  His eyes focused a touch too long on her glossy lips before he spoke. “We should dance. People know me here. I’m just thinking of your well-being. If you want to dance in peace, dance once with me.”

  Was he kidding? Was this really his line? She folded her arms across her chest and squinted one eye in a teasing manner. “What if I don’t want other men to leave me alone?”

  He tilted his head toward the dance floor and scoffed. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the masses.

  She should have resisted him, and yet, she hadn’t found it inside herself to put up a fight.

  Some of the men and women glanced their way as they passed, and she wondered who was more jealous—men wanting to be Michael or the women wanting to be Kate so they could be with the Man of Steel lookalike.