“Shu-Shu,” she greeted, peeling off the helmet and letting it slide to the ground before scooping the cat into her arms.
Watching her cuddle the animal to her cheek caused something warm and slippery to break away in Mike’s heart.
In an instant, Sophia’s persona shifted. She was no longer the professional working woman, assistant to the vice president of the Barrington Corporation. Gone was the efficient secretary he knew and in her place stood a happy little girl.
Mike swallowed. Hard. What was happening? He was supposed to be making Sophia fall in love with him. Not the other way around.
She turned to smile. “Thanks for the ride home, Mike. It was sweet of you.”
Sweet, hell. He was the one who’d taken the starter off her car. “It was nothing.”
“I believe I owe you dinner.” She raised her head and sniffed the air. “And unless I miss my guess, Mother’s made her fabulous arroz con polo tonight.”
“Perhaps I should be going,” he said, feeling like a giant heel for messing with her car. He was determined to get back and fix it before going home.
“I know she’s got strawberry cheesecake for dessert,” Sophia tempted. “It’s my favorite and she made it for my birthday. That’s why I had a light lunch. I wanted to save my calories for the cheesecake.”
As if she had any trouble watching her figure. Mike trailed his gaze over her firm slender form.
“I’m sure your mother wasn’t expecting company for supper.”
Sophia waved her hand. “She always makes too much. Come, come.” Still holding Shu-Shu the cat, she motioned him up the stoop.
The ease with which Sophia invited him in, trusting that his motives were honorable, increased Mike’s shame.
Remember, he reminded himself, you’re just out to teach her a valuable lesson about integrity.
“Mother,” she called, pushing open the screen door into the house that was almost as warm inside as it was out. All the windows were open and numerous floor fans hummed noisily. The smell of rice and chicken made Mike’s mouth water.
“In the kitchen, honey. You’re late.”
“I know.” Sophia kicked off her high heels in the corner.
The living room was small and overstuffed with cheap knickknacks but spotlessly clean. The furniture was old and faded by the sun streaming in through the windows. Guilt twisted Mike’s gut. He had no idea Sophia came from such humble surroundings. It went a long way in explaining her determination to marry a rich man.
He made a mental note to give her a raise. A substantial one. She deserved one and besides, if Sophia had enough money of her own, perhaps she wouldn’t feel such a need to have a man provide for her.
Sophia led the way to the kitchen; still talking as she went. Feeling out of place, Mike followed reluctantly.
“The car broke down,” Sophia said to her mother. “I had to get a ride home with a co-worker, and I asked him to stay for dinner.”
“The car?” Sophia’s mother sounded alarmed. “Not again!”
Another twist of the guilt knife. Mike winced.
“Mother,” Sophia said, placing a hand on Mike’s shoulder and ushering him into the kitchen, “this is Mike.”
Mike paused in the doorway. Sophia’s mother was seated in a wheelchair, stirring a pot on a stove that had been made lower than normal. It startled him to realize that Sophia’s mother was confined to a wheelchair. He’d had no idea.
She was a thin woman with blond hair now streaked with silver and eyes as blue as Sophia’s. And even in her mid-forties she was still an attractive woman. But there was a hardness in her eyes that wasn’t in her daughter’s. A rough edge that said life had kicked her around one time too many.
“Michael.” She smiled and extended her hand. “So nice to meet you at last. My name’s Jannette.”
“He’s not Michael Barrington, Mother,” Sophia said. “He’s Mike from the mail room.”
Mike had the feeling that mother and daughter had discussed Michael Barrington on more than one occasion. He began to wonder if Jannette Shepherd was behind Sophia’s desire to marry her boss. If that were true, all the more reason to coax Sophia into falling in love with him. He owed it to her. In a sense, he’d be liberating her from her mother’s control. Sophia needed to make her own mistakes.
“Oh.” Instantly the welcoming expression on Jannette’s face was eclipsed by disappointment, but she quickly hid it from him. “Well, Mike, thank you for bringing Sophia home. You are planning on staying for dinner with us, aren’t you?”
“If you’re sure you’ve got enough.”
“Absolutely,” Jannette replied. “Sophia, honey, why don’t you set the table?”
The food was delicious. Mike had no quibble with Jannette’s cooking abilities but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t approve of him. He glanced up a time or two to find her studying him with displeasure. In attempt to make peace with her, he smiled often and boyishly. Generally his grin worked like a charm with women, but it only seemed to agitate Sophia’s mother.
“So Mike,” Jannette said at last. “How long have you been working in the mail room?”
Aha, he thought. Now we get down to the nitty-gritty. The mailman isn’t good enough for her daughter.
“A few months,” he replied.
“Where did you work before coming to the Barrington Corporation?” Jannette asked.
“Here and there.”
“I see. How old are you, Mike? Thirty-two?”
“Thirty-six.”
“And you still work in the mail room?”
“Mother,” Sophia said, clearly scandalized. “Mike and I aren’t dating. He just gave me a ride home.”
Jannette smiled an apology. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot, Mike, but you must understand. I’m a single mother and Sophia is my only child. I want the best for her.”
“I understand, Mrs. Shepherd.”
And he did. The modest house, the meager surroundings, the wheelchair. He didn’t know the whole story but her motives were easy enough to figure. Jannette wanted a way out of poverty for her daughter. In her eyes, marrying a rich man was the ticket.
“Thank you for the meal,” he said after they had eaten the cheesecake and sang happy birthday to a blushing Sophia. He noticed she didn’t tell her mother about the glass cat paperweight he had given her. “The food was delicious.”
“Thank you for seeing Sophia home safe and sound.”
“I’ll have a look at her car,” he said, his eyes boldly meeting Jannette’s. “I’m pretty good at fixing things. Maybe I can save you some money.”
“That’s very considerate of you, Mike. We appreciate it.” Jannette never dropped her gaze. Even though her voice was pleasant, her underlying message wasn’t hard to decipher: “stay away from my daughter.”
“I’d better be going,” Mike said.
“I’ll walk you outside.” Sophia got up to follow him.
Twilight had gathered while they were inside having supper. Overhead, a few bright early stars shone down. Shu-Shu, purring happily, eeled between Sophia’s legs. Sophia reached into her pocket and gave him her car keys.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” he said. “About seven-fifteen?”
“All right.”
“The food was good. Thanks for dinner.”
“I want to apologize for my mother,” Sophia said. “She’s had a hard life.”
“Nothing to apologize for,” Mike replied, picking up his helmet and straddling the motorcycle.
“She means well.”
“I understand. Only the best for her daughter. And that excludes mailmen.”
“Mike, I...”
Light from the street lamp shone down on her in a hazy glow. She looked so damned beautiful standing there that his heart caught in his throat and his head reeled dizzily.
Mike had no inkling what was coming next. Sophia took him completely by surprise.
She leaned over the handl
ebars of the Harley, favoring him with an unbelievable view of her cleavage. While his eyes were transfixed by her exquisite flesh, she gently cupped his chin in her palm and kissed him on the mouth.
Lightly, quickly, like a butterfly kissing a flower.
He hissed in air.
Without another word, Sophia turned and fled into the house, shutting the door closed solidly behind her and leaving Mike wondering what in the heck had just happened between them.
Chapter Three
“Stay away from that boy,” Jannette warned. “He’s bad news in the making.”
“He’s not a boy,” Sophia replied, standing before the bathroom mirror and combing out her damp curls from her shower.
Her mother sat in the doorway, a frown on her face. Sophia lightly traced her fingers over her lips, which still vibrated from brushing gently against Mike’s mouth. Her spontaneous kiss had surprised her as much as him. The lingering effects had surprised her even more.
“That’s exactly why you should stay away from him. A thirty-six-year-old man who still works in the mail room and rides a motorcycle is nothing but trouble with a capital T.”
“Mother,” Sophia chided, studying her face in the mirror for any signs of wrinkles. “I’m not getting any younger.”
“So now you’re willing to settle for anything?”
Sophia sighed. “Mike’s just a friend.”
“Friends can easily turn into lovers.”
“He is cute, isn’t he?” Sophia said, more to irritate her mother than anything else.
For the last twenty-nine years her mother had dictated every detail of her life by telling her whom not to date and whom to pursue, and Sophia was growing tired of it. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s illness, Sophia would have clipped the proverbial apron strings long ago. It was way past time for a little rebellion.
“Yes, he is handsome,” Jannette said sharply. “There’s nothing more dangerous than a handsome man. They’ll lie to you, rob you of your hopes and dreams, then discard you like yesterday’s dust.”
“Every man isn’t like my father,” Sophia said softly.
“Sophia, you’ve got to think about your future and the future of any children you may have. I only want what’s best for you. Please, honey, try to understand. I’m begging you, don’t repeat my mistakes. Promise me you won’t see Mike again.”
“He’s giving me a ride to work tomorrow.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Calm down, I’m not ‘seeing’ him. We work in the same building. That’s all.”
“I thought you liked your boss,” Jannette said. “What happened with that?”
“I do like him.”
“But...”
“There are no buts. Mr. Barrington is a very kind, hardworking man.”
“And he’s overseas while Mike is here.”
“Yes,” Sophia admitted.
Jannette shook her head. “This isn’t good. Can’t you do something to convince your boss to come home sooner than planned? The next time you speak to him could you let it slip that his father is really ready to retire?”
“Mother.” Sophia sighed her exasperation.
“Well, can you?”
“I wouldn’t mislead Mr. Barrington just to get him to come home to Phoenix.”
“You don’t have to lie, honey. Tell him his father is anxious to start his new life. That’s true, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that simple. So what if Michael comes home? That doesn’t mean he’ll fall in love with me.”
Her mother maneuvered the wheelchair closer and gently stroked Sophia’s arm. “Who wouldn’t fall in love with you? You’re beautiful and talented. You’ve got a gorgeous figure. You’re smart and hardworking. You’d make a splendid wife for any man. Michael will recognize that about you instantly.”
Sophia shook her head and expressed her concerns aloud. “Isn’t it sort of underhanded, plotting to marry someone? I mean you’ve always taught me how important it is to be honest in your relationships.”
Her mother laughed. “If you don’t plot, then you’ll get shafted like I did. I wasn’t smart enough, but women have been snaring men with their feminine wiles for years. That’s how things are. Don’t discard everything you’ve ever dreamed of over some good-looking guy with bad intentions. Don’t throw away all those etiquette lessons I worked two jobs to pay for. Please don’t sell yourself short. You’re special, Sophia. You know how to act like a rich man’s wife, and that’s what you’ll be if you listen to your mother.”
But Jannette’s promise sounded hollow to Sophia and more than a little sad. She stared at her mother in the mirror, felt Jannette’s fingers curl tightly around the sleeve of her bathrobe.
Her mother was frightened, Sophia realized suddenly. Terrified that she would run off with Mike the mailman on his Harley and leave her alone to fend for herself. Her heart ached at the desperation etched on Jannette’s face.
“Don’t worry, Mother, taking care of you is always my first priority,” she said.
“Who said anything about me? I had my shot and I blew it. I just don’t want you to hurt your chance at happiness.”
“I promise, I won’t do anything stupid.”
Jannette’s relief was palpable. “Mark my word, Sophia. When Mr. Barrington shows up to sweep you off your feet, you’ll feel like Cinderella at the ball.”
Yeah, Sophia thought glumly, but what happens at the stroke of midnight?
Mike arrived on her doorstep at seven-fifteen sharp, with her car instead of his motorcycle parked in the driveway.
“You fixed my car,” she exclaimed, running her gaze over him and trying her best not to notice how sexy he looked in blue jeans. Mike wore a short-sleeved chambray shirt and new running shoes. It was Friday and the Barrington Corporation allowed for casual dress on the last day of the work week.
Sophia herself wore a white peasant blouse embroidered with pink and blue flowers, and pale blue slacks. Her cloth belt and low-heeled shoes were a matching pink. She had her hair caught back in a ponytail wrapped with pink and blue ribbon. She’d dressed for a motorcycle ride to work. As happy as she was to see her car in good working order, she couldn’t help feeling a little regretful that she wasn’t going to get another trip on the Harley.
“What was wrong with it?” she asked, stepping off the porch and crossing the driveway to her car.
“The starter.”
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, opening her purse.
“Don’t worry about it.” Mike waved away the bills Sophia flashed at him.
“But I insist. You’ve been so nice.”
“Please,” he said. “I can’t take money from you.”
The tone of his voice caught her attention. She looked over to see something akin to guilt in his eyes and was confused by what she saw. What did Mike have to feel guilty about?
“I may be poor but I’m proud.” Sophia moved to thrust the cash into his shirt pocket.
“Dammit, Sophia, I said no.” He grabbed her wrist.
His touch seared her. Startled, she looked into his green eyes. Don’t push it! his gaze declared.
“Come on, Mike, I know the mail room doesn’t pay a lot. I make more money than you do.”
“I don’t need a lot of money,” he said gruffly, letting go of her arm. “That fabulous meal your mother cooked last night was payment enough. If you feel you must do more, then you can give me a ride home from work this afternoon.”
“Fair enough,” she replied, stuffing the money back in her purse. “Get in.”
He climbed into the passenger side and Sophia slid beneath the wheel. The car started without a hitch.
“How’s your mother this morning?” Mike asked after a few minutes had passed.
“She’s fine.”
“Jannette doesn’t like me much.” He said it as a statement of fact, not a question.
“It’s nothing personal. She’s very protective of me. I’m all she’s got.�
��
“She seemed to like me when she thought I was ‘the Third,”’ Mike observed.
“What can I say?” Sophia shrugged. “My mother is impressed by money.”
“Like mother, like daughter?”
“Excuse me?” Sophia flashed Mike an angry stare as she drove from Sand Mesa Heights and onto the freeway. Traffic was thick and demanded her concentration.
“Forget it,” Mike mumbled.
“No, go ahead,” Sophia said, switching on her turn signal. “Get it off your chest.”
He raised his hands. “It’s none of my business.”
“You’re darned right it’s not.”
“But you shouldn’t let hard times drive you into doing something stupid like marrying a man you’re not in love with just so you can be taken care of financially.”
Sophia glared and honked her horn at a red convertible that cut her off. “Who says I don’t love Michael.”
“Oh, come on, Sophia. Give me a break. You can’t love someone you’ve never even met.”
“That’s not true. People fall in love over the Internet, and haven’t you heard about people who fall in love with a photograph of someone? It happens.”
“Where does it happen?” he taunted.
“In that movie Laura, where Dana Andrews falls in love with a portrait of Gene Tierney.”
“That’s a movie, Sophia.”
“Still, it could happen.”
Mike snorted. “You don’t even know what the man looks like. He could be the Hunchback of Notre Dame for all you know.”
“I doubt that. Rex Barrington is a handsome man.”
“Genetics are no guarantee that Michael isn’t ugly.”
“Jealous?”
“Me?” Mike looked amused. “What do I have to be jealous about?”
“Michael’s physical appearance doesn’t matter to me.”
“That’s right,” Mike said almost inaudibly. “It’s his money that attracts you. You know it’s got to be hard being Michael Barrington, never knowing for sure if a woman likes you for yourself or for what you can buy her. I don’t envy the man.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Sophia snapped. “Michael works hard for what he’s got.”
I Married the Boss! Page 4
