He wondered how far she took the train and where she lived.
Ty was glad he could walk home. He couldn’t have faced the press of people on the train, much less the congestion on the roads leading out of the city. An evening market was setting up in its usual location, and Ty could hear the music from the featured band.
Another time, he would have wandered off, gotten some street food, and listened, but he had reading to do. He crossed the foyer of the F5 building and was going to enter his security code for the private elevator, when he noticed that something was going on at the back of the F5 store. Ty took another look.
The best retail space, the corner window facing the busiest street, was curtained off and stripped down to the walls. The store was closed, and clearly, they were changing out the display for the next day. It was all black and pink, just like the covers of the books he had in his briefcase. Cassie and one of the yoga instructors were helping the retail manager with a new display.
From this angle, it looked like a rack of black leather restraints.
In fact, the mannequin in the display window appeared to be hung from the ceiling by her shackled wrists, her head cast back in ecstasy. She was wearing a pair of black leather thigh high boots with fierce stiletto heels and not much else.
Ty forgot the elevator and went into the store. “What’s going on?” The closer he got, the more detail he saw, though he tried to keep his expression calm.
There was a rack of black leather restraints, emblazoned with the F5 logo.
And that was the least of it.
“Ta da!” Cassie said, spinning to face him so that her blond ponytail swung out. She looked excited. “Tomorrow’s the launch of our new specialty shop. Lucky, lucky, you get a sneak peek.”
“Bondage gear?”
“To support our most popular new workshops.” Cassie shook a finger in front of him. “We’re oversold for the next three months. Waiting lists on every single class. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kyle is brilliant.”
Ty wondered whether the world had gone insane when he wasn’t looking. “You’re kidding me.”
“We talked about it during last quarter’s meeting.”
“I thought you were just exploring the idea.”
“It came together perfectly, just the way the best ideas do. And word of mouth booked us up fast. It was like white lightning, Ty. This is going to take F5 to the next level. The buffer the better for these kinds of games.” Cassie grinned. “And who doesn’t like sex?” She poked him in the chest with a fingertip. “We’ll practically be printing money and that should even make you happy.” She gave him a triumphant smile and returned to the display, leaving Ty with the sense that he’d stepped into a parallel universe.
And the realization that reading these books was now research.
He surveyed the store’s merchandise and saw a DVD of the movie he’d watched with Paige. He hadn’t liked it then, but had to admit that he had been viewing it through his own assumptions.
Ty needed to do better than that to earn Amy’s respect. He grabbed the DVD, added it to his tab, ignored Cassie’s surprise, and headed home.
He had a lot of studying to do.
* * *
Amy felt like she had homework. She’d finished Melissa’s story as anticipated, then devoured an entire book, the dark one. It was wickedly naughty and really hot. Outside of her usual boundaries, but exploring that territory in fiction was…potent. She stayed up late to start the new one that Jade had brought out of the back, uncertain which one Ty intended to read first.
She wanted to be ready for their discussion, but Brittany had called around nine and taken too long to reassure. Amy had fallen asleep at three before finishing the second book. That felt like a failure. She slept later than usual, missed the train that was sufficiently empty to ensure she always got a seat, and had to stand all the way from Brooklyn.
No chance to read.
She couldn’t even sneak a few minutes of guilty pleasure in the office, given issues with the copier. She was speed-reading in the atrium at lunch, trying to get through the big finish before Ty arrived.
She didn’t make it.
She heard his footstep, then saw the dark book being thunked on the table. “Nothing short of the electric chair is going to heal this guy,” he said, then sat down and opened his lunch. Brown bagging it today. He gave her an intent look. “That can’t be a spoiler. I knew it in the first chapter.”
“He has been through a lot,” Amy said.
Ty snorted. “Pathetic excuse. Go ahead and finish your book. I’ll just check my email and duck my mom’s inevitable call.”
He looked so weary that Amy couldn’t stop her smile. “Up late?”
He slanted a smile her way. “Re-examining my assumptions. Who knew it was so time-consuming?”
Amy was ridiculously pleased. He’d listened to her. There was nothing more seductive than that.
She shut the book. “And do you get it?”
“No, not yet.” He looked mystified, then shook a finger at her. “But don’t worry. I won’t give it up without a fight.”
Amy smiled. “Stubborn?”
“Persistent is a better word, I think. It has more of a positive spin.”
They smiled at each other across the table and Amy felt warm. “You expect your mom to call again about the wedding?”
“Of course. I can time her.”
“The prep isn’t that bad. Is it?”
Ty shook his head. “No. We’ve done it three times to applause and we have our groove. It’s the next bit I’m worried about.” He actually looked discomfited.
Amy was fascinated. “What next bit? The wedding itself?”
He grimaced. “The part where the truth comes out.”
Amy laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Did you tell a big fat whopper to your mom?”
Ty eyed her. “Would you stop speaking to me if I did?”
“You don’t seem like the type.”
“I’m not. It was bad advice from a friend. Now that I’ve taken it, it just gets worse.”
“One lie leads to another.”
“Something like that.” He gave her a look. “Now that I’ve admitted it, are you going to stop speaking to me?”
“Not if it was an interesting whopper.” Amy would be surprised if he’d actually done something that wasn’t nice. “Not if you tell me about it.”
He opened his sandwich as if he needed the time to choose his words. It looked kind of sad and not very fresh. Bad, bad staff. Ty considered it without enthusiasm. “That’s what I get for leaving it in the fridge for a day,” he muttered.
“You bought a sandwich yesterday,” Amy reminded him. “Did you forget this one at home?”
She won a very quick look for that, then Ty changed the subject. “So, I told you yesterday that Katelyn’s wedding means I’m the only one left unmarried.”
“Which is going to make finding you a wife the next agenda item and inevitable development.”
She got a very green look for that. “I wish it weren’t inevitable.”
“No interest in marriage?”
“No interest in being fixed up by well-intentioned meddlers.” He studied her for a long moment. “Finding the right partner is important. I’d like to get it right, and that means I intend to do it myself.”
Amy liked the sound of that. “Do you have a lot of older female relatives?”
“Hundreds of them, it seems.”
“Particularly at weddings.”
“And they all know a very nice girl…”
“Nice,” Amy echoed and unwrapped her sandwich. “That’s the kiss of death. When’s the wedding?”
“Four weeks.”
“My cousin Brittany’s is in three. Just for the record, I have way too many aunties, too.”
“Well-intentioned meddlers?”
“Every one of them.” She shuddered elaborately. “I’m afraid they’ll all turn out to know nice men by th
e dozens.”
“What’s wrong with nice guys?”
“They’re predictable. Safe. Boring.” Amy wrinkled her nose. “Vanilla.”
“I thought vanilla referred to sex.”
Amy dropped her gaze and blushed, then found her sandwich fascinating. “So, what whopper did you tell your mom?” she asked, changing the subject.
“It’s not pretty.”
“Tell me.”
“It was an act of self-defense.”
Amy smiled. “You’re ducking the question.”
“Okay, for my grandmother’s eightieth birthday party last winter, I invited a woman to go with me, one I’d just met,” Ty admitted.
“Harsh. You threw her to the wolves.”
“On the contrary. They adored her.” He shrugged. “Me, not so much. Well before we even arrived, I knew we had nothing in common. We parted amiably, and that was the last time I ever saw her.” He winced and Amy guessed.
She put down her sandwich. “Tell me that you did not maintain her as a fictional girlfriend.”
“Why not?” Ty looked guilty, despite his words. “It’s been a great few months because of that tactic. Not one person has set me up. Friday nights have been my own. It’s been awesome.”
“But you can’t bring her to the wedding.”
“And I wouldn’t want to. If I go alone, though—” Ty made a face that prompted Amy to laugh again. “Talk about being thrown to the wolves.” He looked away, then down at his soggy sandwich. “You’re kind of in the same situation, aren’t you?”
He lifted his gaze to hers and she knew exactly what he was going to suggest.
“You came down here yesterday, looking for a victim,” she accused. “That’s why you said you wanted to talk to me.” She didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered, but she wasn’t going to let him have his way easily either way.
“A victim? Excuse me.” Ty picked up the book and shook it at her. “This woman is a victim. I’m a nice guy, looking to make a deal.”
“A deception,” Amy said.
“An exchange,” he corrected. “I go to your family wedding, you go to mine. Then we break up.”
“It’s a lie, another one.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I thought that was what you called a story that wasn’t the truth.”
That Ty looked so discomfited told Amy that he didn’t usually bend the truth. “It’s a mutually agreed upon fiction.”
“That doesn’t sound like something you’d say.”
Ty’s expression was exasperated. “It’s something my friend Kyle would say, who, it must be noted, was the one who gave me the advice that started this whole nightmare.”
“It’s not going to work,” Amy had to point out.
“Why not?”
“If it’s just a one-off date, it’s no defense. A successful fake date needs depth.”
Ty’s expression became considering. “Voice of experience?”
“Observer of human nature. Seeds to be planted so that it appears to be a plausible longer relationship.” She held his gaze. “Assuming that we’re going to be each other’s alibis for a whole month.”
He took a bite of his sandwich, considering. “You’re right.”
“If you did this all the time, you’d have known better.”
“Point taken. My mom is asking about Giselle coming to the mixed bridal shower this weekend.”
“See? There has to be consistency for this kind of thing to come off.”
“If you’re going to be my date for the wedding, you should come to the shower.”
“True.”
His gaze locked with hers and she couldn’t look away from that twinkle. “I probably should ask first, though: how often do you scam your family? It’s a bit disconcerting that you have the details worked out.”
Amy smiled. “Never. But I read a lot of books.”
“So?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should think about it.”
Ty’s expression turned wicked as he considered the book in front of her and she felt her pulse skip. “Is that the secret, then? Do I have become domineering to convince you to agree?”
Amy felt the blood leave her face then rush back again. “Of course not.”
“Rats.”
“Don’t give me that. You’re too nice to even consider such a thing.”
“Isn’t being nice the kiss of death?”
“Pretty much. It might be why this won’t get complicated.”
“How so?”
“Well, in a book or a movie, the couple making this agreement would fall in love and live happily ever after. But you’re not my type, and I’m probably not yours, so we’ll be safe.”
“Safe.” Ty seemed to find that choice of word funny. There was no doubt that he was fighting a smile. “Even though you know just about nothing about me.”
“I know where you work. I know you’re a lousy liar. Even your mom probably guessed about the cellophane.”
“She didn’t believe it was really static.” He shook his head. “You’re absolutely right. My mom will find the holes in our story before you even get a glass of wine. If we’re going to do this thing, we should go for dinner on Friday night and prep.”
“Prep?”
“You have to study for everything that’s important.” He nodded, looking decisive. “Research has never failed me.”
“So, this dinner would be like cramming for an exam.”
“Funny how it doesn’t sound inviting when you put it like that.”
“Funny.” Their gazes locked and held and Amy felt a tingle. “But it would still be a lie.”
Ty leaned on the table, his arms folded and his gaze intent. “One that helps both of us. That’s got to count for something.” His voice dropped to an entreaty. “Come on, Amy. We can have some fun with it.”
Before Amy could reply, Ty’s cell phone rang. He pulled out the phone and checked the number, then waited for it to ring again before answering it. “Hi, Mom.” He listened for a long moment, his mother’s voice carrying out of the device. “Even if the weather station says it’s going to rain on June 10, they could be wrong. It’s weeks away.”
He met Amy’s gaze and raised his other hand, inviting her answer.
Amy bit her lip, wondered whether she would regret this, then nodded.
Ty grinned, then touched one of the buttons on the keypad. “What’s that, Mom? Oh, wait. I have an incoming call, Mom.” His voice warmed with enthusiasm. “Oh! It’s Amy.”
Amy heard his mom repeat her name in a squeak of delight, even as she clapped a hand over her own mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“Yes, Amy, Mom. Oh, she’s incredible.” Ty’s gaze was fixed on Amy and his tone was so warm that his praise sounded genuine. “I’m meeting her for lunch. I hope she’s not caught up at the office. Gotta get this. Later, Mom.”
Ty ended the call and met Amy’s gaze, his eyes sparkling with triumph as a smile claimed his lips. Damn that dimple.
“You are wicked.”
“No, no, I’m nice. Remember?”
“You cornered me.”
“You didn’t have to agree.”
“True. Don’t make me regret it.”
“Never. I might learn to be naughty, just for you.”
Amy’s heart skipped, then she caught her breath when Ty grinned. He shoved the rest of the sandwich into the bag and threw the whole thing like a basketball, over his head and straight into the trash. Some of the others having lunch applauded, but Ty was watching Amy too intently to notice. “Friday. Dinner. My tab. Just tell me where to pick you up.”
“Tell me where to meet you,” Amy insisted.
“Because I’m a nice guy?”
“Because you just reminded me that I don’t know anything about you. You have secrets, too.”
“Everybody has secrets, Amy.” Ty was dismissive. “I’ll pick a restaurant.” He tapped the book. “Finish up and we’ll talk about it
tomorrow.”
Then he was gone, striding through the atrium like a man who had successfully fulfilled a mission.
Which meant that it had been a plan.
She could be insulted, but on the other hand, Ty could only have made the plan because he’d noticed her before.
Amy had butterflies in her stomach, which just showed that it had been too long since she’d had a date, fake or otherwise. She heard her father’s voice in her thoughts, repeating his favorite D. H. Lawrence quote: “I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets.”
Well, she was following that advice.
Two weddings with Ty as her date. And dinner Friday. And she was going to be in that ghastly dress for one wedding, the fantasy in tangerine with shoes dyed to match. That made her want to twitch.
She should have fought harder against Brittany’s choice.
But it was just a fake date. It didn’t really matter how she looked or what Ty thought of the dress.
With a sigh, Amy turned back to the fictional Kade and his dark moment.
Even though she was thinking about Ty.
And Friday night.
* * *
Cassie felt as if she were a thousand years old.
It was a pretty sad commentary on her life, she thought, that the financial meeting for F5 was looking to be the highlight of her day, week, and month.
Because Ty would be there. The chance to see him put a spring in Cassie’s step. It always had, although he’d never even glanced at her. She wondered whether she’d been too subtle in showing her interest over the years. The man had a perfect poker face, but was a complete gentleman. For all she knew, the interest was mutual but he was too polite to make the first move.
It was certainly worth finding out.
His reaction the night before to the new bondage gear hadn’t been very encouraging, that was for sure. Cassie had the definite sense that she’d shocked him.
On this day, she’d shock him again with an up-close-and-personal look at the new merchandise. One of the new classes was scheduled right after their weekly meeting. She wore her new black latex catsuit and her highest-heeled pair of black boots. She laced a corset over the catsuit so that her waist was cinched and her breasts pushed upward. With her long blond hair loose, she thought she looked like a hot version of Catwoman.
Simply Irresistible Page 4
