Chances Are

by Red Rose Publishing

  Tal pulled down another side road full of private residences. There didn’t seem to be any public parking available on the street, but Tal didn’t look concerned. He pulled into a driveway, which led around to the back of what appeared to be a cluster of four newly renovated townhouses. One of the bays for the two-car garage in front of them opened as they approached. She hadn’t even seen him press a button to trigger the door. When she looked at him to question how he had done that, he said, anticipating the question, “Automatic sensor.”

  “Where exactly are we?” she asked.

  “My home.”

  “Oh. I thought we were going out to dinner.”

  “Since it’s so late, I thought this would be better, quieter. I have a housekeeper/cook who makes a phenomenal veal Marsala.”

  “What if I don’t like veal?” Kayla asked.

  “Do you?”

  “Love it.”

  “Good.”

  “But what if I didn’t?” she pressed.

  Wide shoulders rose up then down. “Then I would fix something else. I have a fully stocked refrigerator. I’m sure I could come up with something you like.”

  Kayla hid a smile over his laid-back nature. The last time she was on a date the guy was a vegan, which wasn’t a problem for her but apparently it was for him when she refused to change her steak order. If God had not meant for man or woman to be a carnivore, he wouldn’t have given them canine teeth.

  Tal pulled the car into the spacious garage. A white Porsche Cayenne sat in the next bay. “Nice car,” she commented, curious as to who it belonged to.

  “Yeah, I need it for longer drives and bad weather around here.”

  That answered her unasked question. Was this guy reading her mind? She smoothed her hands down the sides of her skirt as Tal walked around the car to open her door. She took a deep breath and silently counseled herself nothing was going to happen. They’d have a nice dinner, a glass of wine, talk some more, then he’d take her home. A good time. Nothing more. Well maybe a kiss or two, she was trying to keep it real. Then he opened the car door for her, stopping her thoughts.

  She had one foot on the tiled garage floor, and froze for an instant when she noticed him staring at her legs. She had great legs, long and shapely. Toned legs ran in her family. Kayla could clearly read his appreciation for hers by his smile.

  When he took her hand to help her up, she had a surreal feeling of déjà vu. Like something from the scene in Sleepless in Seattle when the actor, Tom Hanks takes the actress, Meg Ryan’s hand for the first time and everything just seemed to click into place. That’s the way she felt when Tal took her hand in his. He gave a slight tug on it and she continued her forward motion stepping out of the car. She found herself standing toe to toe with him. His warm minty breath fanned her face. He was so close.

  “Thank you for coming with me tonight,” he spoke softly.

  “As if I had a choice,” she whispered back, afraid to speak any louder in case she broke the spell weaving around them.

  “True. For some things in life there are no choices. I think for us this may be one of them.” He allowed his hand to move from her hand to her elbow in a light caress, and back to capture her fingers. Raising them to his lips, he treated each knuckle to a kiss. “I want to feel your lips on mine, but I won’t. Because I won’t stop with just a kiss, and I promised myself to wait.”

  “Yes…” Kayla had to blink twice before she understood the meaning of his words. “Ah, yes, I think that’s a good idea.” Wasn’t it?

  He smiled his toe-curling smile again and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “Come on.”

  He opened a door which led directly into the first level of his home. They walked right into a spacious game room, where a very modern-looking pool table took center stage. The sides were nickel plated, and the legs were shaped like a sleigh. The rim of the table was a light colored wood, hand rubbed maple would be her guess, and the worsted wool cloth covering the table was a vibrant red.

  Kayla released his arm and walked right over to it. “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said running her hand over the wool.

  “It’s a custom design. Do you play?”

  “Yes. My dad loved the game.”

  “Doesn’t he play anymore?”

  Kayla paused before she responded. “He died of cancer, about six years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said coming over to her to give her a brief hug.

  “Thank you. I know he’s been gone for awhile, but it never really seems to get any easier talking about it.”

  “I know what you mean. My father died when I was seven. I don’t remember him very much, though everyone who knew him says I not only have his business touch, but I look like him. My grandfather raised me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kayla said. “I didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant memories for you.”

  “No not at all.”

  “Are you an only child?” she asked.

  “Yep, it was only me and my grandpa,” he said.

  “What about your mother?”

  He was silent for so long, she feared she had gotten too personal after all, and he wasn’t going to answer the question.

  “It…” Before she could finish her sentence he started talking. “It’s no secret. It’s just hard to talk about. When I said I wanted to get to really know you I meant it, but it works both ways. I want you to know who I am, but the story of my mother is not easy for me to talk about.”

  “Tal, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  “Please don’t be sorry, it’s a natural question and not the first time it’s been asked. Come on, let me show you the rest of my house, and after dinner maybe we could play a game of pool.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Chapter Six

  “Your home is beautiful,” Kayla said as she followed Tal down the carpeted stairs to the first level for her promised game of pool. “I like the way you’ve blended contemporary Asian fusion styles with more traditional designs. Good feng shui.”

  At least what she could see of it in most of the house. She’d made it a point not to linger in any of the three bedrooms upstairs—his bedroom in particular. She merely poked her head through the open door and quickly turned away. After spying the rather large, low lying boxed bed, she didn’t dare set foot in the room with the burnt orange colored suede-looking comforter. Her mind registered those things along with a need to get away from there, fast. The farther the better.

  “Thank you,” Tal responded to her verbal comment, seemingly not having a clue to her inner commentary. Though he did send her a mischievous grin when she only stood in the doorway and wouldn’t set a foot into his room.

  “And dinner was wonderful,” she continued. She knew she was rambling, but anything to get away from thoughts of rooms with beds in them. “I want that recipe.” She barely had time to say a quick hello to his cook/housekeeper before she left for the evening.

  “Do you cook?” Tal asked.

  “I’ve been known to,” she said.

  “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll get you the recipe if you invite me to dinner when you fix it.”

  Kayla grinned at the man’s audacity. Nothing about this man should surprise her.

  “Tell ya what,” she replied squinting at the pool table. “Put your money or your culinary skills where your mouth is. Loser fixes dinner for the winner.”

  Tal returned her grin. “I never said I cook. Why do you think I have a cook?”

  Kayla smiled. “You’ve got a point there. Okay, you can have your cook fix something.”

  “Deal,” he said rubbing his hands together. “Rack ‘em up!”

  “Eight ball?” When Tal nodded, Kayla moved over to the glass display case and looked at the pool cues. “Not what I’m used to.” She turned back to him. “But they’ll do.”

  Tal raised his eyebrows at her remark.

  She was teasing. His selecti
ons consisted of some of the brands a lot of the pros used, from the shafts known for reduction deflection to pool sticks handcrafted with ivory inlays. In fact, all of his cues had handcrafted designs.

  “Do you have a favorite?” she asked.

  “Hmm,” he said. “My favorite is the Meucci. I like the wood design. The brand is known for allowing the player to better feel the connection of the ball.”

  Tal folded his arms across his chest and watched as Kayla opened the case. She pulled a cue from the rack, tested the weight and balance like she’d done it a hundred times, before putting it back for another one. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve been had,” he said, after she pulled out a Meucci design and sighted it down the pool table.

  “Let me put it this way. Have you ever seen the movie The Color of Money?”

  “I’ve seen the original one with Paul Newman as well as the remake with Tom Cruise.”

  “Which one did you like better?”

  “I’m not a Cruise fan.”

  “Me either, but let’s just say my dad played the guy who made the more difficult shots in the Newman movie and beat him.”

  Tal raised his eyebrows again. “Okay. I’m impressed. Did he teach you how to play?”

  “Oh yeah, and he took me to tournaments too. I still try to go to the major ones. I was there to see the Austrian, Jasmin Ouschan, win the BCA Open Championship in Vegas.”

  “She’s a world champion all right. I saw her play at the IPT World Open in Reno. Like I said, I think I’ve been had.”

  Kayla’s grin was nothing but teeth. “I missed that one. I’ll break.”

  Tal’s cell phone rang just as the tip of Kayla’s cue connected with the ball. The shrill ring of the phone melded for a moment with the vibrating sound of perfect contact. Tal took it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. He held up one finger. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take this.” Kayla straightened up as he moved off a little and put the phone to his ear. “Reynolds,” he said.

  He listened for a few minutes. “That’s great news.” He paused again then said, “I understand… Are you sure… Okay, of course. I’ll see you in the morning.” He put the phone down on a side table and returned to the pool table. “That was the FBI agent who’s working on the case. She called to tell me Newington withdrew two million dollars from the account in the Caymans and sent it to a brokerage account here in the U. S. Part of it was immediately invested, but the bulk of it was transferred to a personal checking account in a nationwide bank.”

  “Which now means the money can be accessed from anywhere,” Kayla interjected.

  “Yes, but they’re trying to get a judge to freeze all assets in the identified accounts. They’re sending agents to talk to the brokerage firm to find out who set up the account with them, as well as talking to the electronic transfer techs at the bank’s headquarters.”

  “That’s fantastic. But what if the money is withdrawn physically or moved electronically again before they can get the injunction?”

  “One thing at a time,” he said raking his hand through his hair. “Right now it looks like Newington may need cash fast, but I think he’s too bright to make it easy for us. Agent Patrosky’s getting a court order to get information from the broker. She thinks the account will be under the name of the person who’s been working with him all along. Zach’s monitoring the account numbers he’s been able to trace. That way we can track the movement of the money, but it’s still harder to find the person the money ultimately ends up with. I’m going to meet with Zach and the agent again first thing tomorrow.”

  “Look, it sounds as if you’re going to have your hands full. Let me come in tomorrow and give you a hand with the bank. I know there’s a lot to do in just the day to day stuff, but now we’ve got to deal with the bank’s closing as well as this theft. Let me handle the bank while you handle the closing and the authorities.”

  From the frown on his face, Kayla could tell he was reluctantly considering her proposal. “I promised you time off,” he said.

  “That was before you knew about Newington’s theft, which changes everything,” she said leaning her hip against the pool table. “You need me.”

  He sighed. “All right, I can use your help. But I’ll let you come in on one condition.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Once this bank is closed, you’ll take a week’s vacation before your official duties start for Reynolds Bank. I’m a man of my word. I promised you a vacation and you should be able to take one.”

  “I think I can handle it. I’ve got a lot of vacation time stacked up anyway. I can spend the time shopping for a new car and getting some things done around the townhouse.”

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind.”

  “…what exactly are you talking about?” But Kayla’s intuition told her exactly what he had in mind.

  “I was hoping we’d spend your off time together.”

  Kayla raised both eyebrows. That’s what she thought. “You do move fast.”

  “When I see something I want…” He gave her a slow perusal, not hiding the desire or the promise in his violet eyes. “…and I do.”

  Kayla gave as good as she got. Placing the handle of the pool cue on the floor at her side, she returned his perusal in kind. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, and his arms were lightly tanned and strong. His shirt barely confined what she knew would be a firm broad chest tapering down to a trim waist. She pulled her attention back to his face, not daring to look any further. She wanted what she saw too, and the twinkle in his eyes told her he knew it. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  “Fair enough.”

  She already knew what her answer would be. She wanted a chance to spend more time with him. Some place where they weren’t just employer and employee, but despite what he said or what she wanted, that’s what they were. The next few days would also let them know if they could work closely together and still have a relationship outside of work. The more she was around him the more she trusted him, and wanted to be with him.

  “Did you have something specific in mind?” she wondered aloud. But thinking other than an activity involving her naked skin pressed up against his naked skin. Even though she was sure that’s what he hoped. Maybe she had a little hope along those lines too.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.”

  “What?” she asked when he didn’t immediately elaborate.

  “Does this mean you’ve decided we will spend your time off, together?” he asked.

  “Not really. I was just curious as to where you thought to spend it.”

  “Some place where we can just be Tal and Kayla.”

  “In other words, you have no idea.”

  The sound of full-blown laughter emerging from his throat, she found downright sexy.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I find I can relax and let myself go around you. That’s a rare thing, for me.”

  “Well I’m glad I get to see this side of you.”

  “I’d show you even more, if you’d let me. Sides few people know.” He grinned.

  “The side that’s not Mr. Midas,” she teased, wanting to keep things on a lighter level.

  “Definitely not him.”

  “Well, Mr. Midas or Tal, where exactly do you want to take me?

  “Before I can commit to the where, I’ve got to make a phone call.”

  “Well go ahead and make it, then I’ll let you know,” she said setting up her shot.

  He stared at her and inhaled sharply. “Woman, you make me crazy.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” she asked, just as the pool cue connected with the ball again and their game of pool was on in earnest.

  “I win, I win,” Kayla said moving her shoulders up and down and swinging her hips from side-to-side in a sexy version of the happy dance.

  Tal watched her. She could see her image through his eyes as she enjoyed her victory. She swayed her hips from side to side, their shape emphasized by th
e teal wrap around skirt twirling around her legs as she moved.

  “Yes you did. You’re an excellent player, but I was also somewhat distracted.”

  Kayla gave an unladylike snort. “Yeah right, you’re not bad yourself. But distracted or not, I’d have beaten you anyway.”

  “Maybe.”

  Well, she had cheated a little by posing in provocative ways every time he tried to make a shot. Like when she bent over, just a little so she had a better view of his shot. She had kinda forgotten about the low cut top she wore. It probably provided quite a view for him. “Now, about my prize,” she continued.

  “How about I cook dinner for us tomorrow night?”

  “You mean your cook?” she clarified.

  “Yeah, she’ll cook and I’ll reheat, and I’ll get you the recipe for what we had tonight. So how about it?”

  His request gave Kayla pause. This guy wasn’t kidding. “Tal that would be three nights in a row we’ve seen each other. Plus, you’ll see me all day tomorrow at the bank. I’d think you’d be tired of seeing my face so much in three days.”

  Tal took the cue away from her and turned to place hers alongside his in the cabinet. He didn’t say anything until he closed the cabinet door and turned around to face her. “I could stare at your face for the rest of my life and not get tired of it.”

  What was she supposed say? “Tal, I still think…”

  He quickly approached her and took her hands. “Maybe, that’s the problem. I don’t want you to think. I want you to feel.” And he put action to his words.

  Without breaking eye contact, she felt him move his hands to her biceps, and slowly run them down her arms until he clasped her hands in his. He pulled her body tightly against his until she could feel all those places her body connected perfectly with his. When his mouth at last covered hers, a groan emerged, so full of need, Kayla was shocked to realize it came from her throat until she heard an answering groan.

  Tal raised his head and rested it against her temple, placing a kiss at her hairline. “I want you to stay with me tonight so badly, baby, I’m shaking with it.” And he was, he trembled in her arms, Kayla thought it was just her. But still, for both their sakes, she couldn’t give into this. It was too soon. She wanted them to have more than just one night.