So far, so good. Confidently, she set forth, prepared to brazen it out with anyone she encountered. She made it to the open balcony and peered around a pillar.
A couple with their backs to her was looking at the display in the historical parlor. Good. Someone was noodling on the old-timey upright piano. Bad, since he faced her.
Worse, it was Dylan.
She’d forgotten that he played; he’d never had much time for practice while they were in school.
He’d worked hard, she remembered, and not just for himself. How many study groups had he been in? She’d wanted to see him, so she’d tagged along, even though she’d already mastered the lesson and knew he had, too. Everyone wanted to study with Dylan because he had a knack for distilling the conflicts in court cases to their simplest elements.
She could hear him now, reminding them to figure out what was truly important to each side. Not necessarily what litigants said they wanted, but what they really wanted. Sometimes they didn’t even know themselves.
Alexis supposed he still had the knack.
She stepped out from behind the pillar so she could see him better. He was always more empathetic than she. She’d been guilty of thinking it was a sign of wim-piness.
She closed her eyes as she remembered lecturing him on how he needed to toughen up. Not too long after that, he’d broken up with her. It was such an uncharacteristically ruthless move that Alexis hadn’t thought he’d had it in him.
The thing was, once she’d stopped indulging in self-pity, she’d admired him. It’s what she should have done.
Dylan was playing little bits and pieces of things, sounding out forgotten passages by ear. Apparently tiring of that, he stood and opened the piano bench. After rifling through the sheet music stored inside it, he found something he must have liked and reseated himself at the keyboard.
Alexis had lost her best chance. She should have snuck across the balcony while he was searching through the piano bench.
But she’d been looking at him. Remembering. Also remembering the feel of his shoulders as she’d rubbed them after a long study session.
So different from Vincent’s.
And remembering where those shoulder rubs had led.
Also different from where rubbing Vincent’s shoulders had led. But Alexis was going to give Vincent a second chance.
In a minute. Or two.
Dylan started playing a Scott Joplin rag, slowly picking out the notes and without the usual bouncy rhythm, but Alexis could still recognize the tune, though she didn’t remember the name.
She wondered what he’d been doing the past seven years. Sure she’d heard of him professionally, but she wondered how he’d fared personally. Had he dated a lot or just a few women for a long time? Was he in a relationship now? She couldn’t imagine him in a relationship with anyone else. Simply couldn’t. Or was that simply wouldn’t?
At that moment, Dylan looked up and caught her eyes. She felt a thrill go through her. Honest to Pete, what did it say about her that Dylan could arouse her more with a look than Vincent ever had?
The music stopped. Dylan’s chest rose and fell. So did his eyes. His gaze roamed over her and still, he didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he’d gone into a trance. Well, yeah! This was the reaction she was going for. Good to know…
Alexis stopped in the middle of a breath having just remembered that she was standing there in the naked negligee.
She took one very large step backward so that the pillar hid her once more and listened for the music to resume. When it didn’t, she swore under her breath and ran for her room.
Dylan didn’t know her room number, did he? But if anyone could charm it out of the receptionist, Dylan could.
And so Alexis was back in the clothes she’d recently changed out of and had stuffed her negligee into her purse when the knock came at the door.
She fluffed her hair, licked her lips and opened the door.
Dylan stood there, breathing as though he’d run up the stairs, which he probably had. “I just hallucinated you naked. You know anything about that?”
“No.”
“So you weren’t naked?”
“No.” Alexis stepped into the hall and pulled her door shut behind her.
“But you were on the balcony just now.”
“Yes. I’m on my way to see Vincent.” She gestured down at herself. “Fully clothed.”
“The balcony is in that direction.” He gestured ahead of them. “Your room is here.”
“I forgot something.” Alexis grabbed her purse and started walking.
Dylan followed. “Like your clothes?”
This was very near the truth, but Alexis was not going to explain. “I’m not an exhibitionist and I’m not responsible for your hallucinations.” As she walked past the balcony, she didn’t look down.
“Too bad,” Dylan said as she opened the door to the stairwell. “You look good naked.”
Alexis smiled to herself as she began climbing the stairs. “And so, as I recall, do you.” She visualized him staring after her, mouth agape. At least he didn’t follow her.
The encounter with Dylan had gone much better than she would have thought. It put Alexis in a confident mood when she knocked on Vincent’s door. Yes, everything was in fine working order. Now, if it would just work for Vincent. “It’s Alexis,” she said, before he could ask.
She heard creaking and then the door opened. “Yes?” he asked as though she were some member of the hotel staff. Not the hooker maids, but say, a bellman.
He was dressed in paisley pajamas. Probably silk and very traditional. The gentleman in his retiring clothes. Fussy. Alexis could see that she’d have to loosen him up. Well, that could be fun, couldn’t it?
He didn’t invite her in. Drat. She wished she was wearing the naked negligee.
“May I come in?” She hated having to ask.
“I was in bed.”
“Excellent.” She brushed past him and kicked off her shoes.
Vincent still stood by the door. Alexis sat on the bed and patted the spread next to her. “You look all done in. Briarwood giving you trouble?” She purposely introduced the case because that gave them a common starting ground.
“Family-owned companies are more trouble than they’re worth.” Vincent sat next to her with a sigh. “Even worse is when two of the families are friends and are sharing a cabin on an end-of-season ski vacation.”
“They aren’t!”
“They are.”
“Turn around and let me rub your neck muscles.” Alexis kept her voice matter-of-fact.
She appreciated what he was doing—up to a point. Vincent was allowing her to take the lead so she wouldn’t feel pressured into a physical relationship before she was ready.
Actually, she was ready now. Instincts told her they needed a prewedding night. Something to bond them together before tomorrow when they would face their gathering families. Or Alexis’s gathering family. She still didn’t know who of Vincent’s clan would be able to come.
Just her family would be more than enough. Alexis knew she’d be better at convincing them she was happy to marry Vincent after a night in his arms.
He tilted his head back. He did have nice thick hair. “That feels good.” Alexis kept massaging and Vincent started talking about the merger. All three families had to agree and it appeared that two families were ganging up on the third. The silly people were trying to keep it from Vincent, as if they could. Vincent was brilliant.
But perhaps too close to the case.
After hearing him talk for long enough that her hands, inexperienced at massaging, were starting to feel the strain, she said, “Why don’t you call the third family and let slip the information that the others are holed up in a cabin in Wyoming drinking too many hot toddies? They might not know.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” He looked off into the middle distance.
“You represent all parties, so it couldn’t be
considered violating any confidentiality. That way, the third group can plan a trip to Wyoming, if they feel like it, and you can get married in Colorado in peace.”
“That sounds delightful, but maybe too optimistic.”
Alexis boldly turned her back to him. “I’ve had a long day, too. My shoulder is bothering me right there.” She indicated a spot at random and waited, anticipating the feel of Vincent’s hands on her for the first time.
She felt the weight of them settle on her shoulders and then his thumbs pressed just above her shoulder blades. Alexis winced. Okay. Massage wasn’t one of his strengths. He had others.
She thought aloud to distract herself. “Also, what do those other two families want? Why are they merging with a larger company? Money? Increased marketing? Why are they trying to cut out the third family? Do they think that third group is negotiating with someone else?”
“Good points.”
Hmm. She was going to have to stop the business chat.
“I knew there was a reason I made you my assistant.”
“And now I’ll be your wife.” She turned around, mainly so Vincent would stop bruising her shoulders, and smiled up at him.
“I’m very lucky,” he said lightly and she knew he was going to kiss her.
It was a nice kiss. A bit proper for her, but probably best for a first time. He pulled away, but Alexis placed her hands on either side of his face and gazed purposefully into those sharp blue eyes of his.
Then she drew his lips to hers and kissed him. Really kissed him. Waited for a response. Waited to feel something.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
When she nodded, this time he drew her to him and delivered a technically perfect kiss.
Alexis was so relieved; she hadn’t been aware that she’d been holding her breath. As long as the technique was good, the rest would take care of itself. She gave him a brilliant smile. “I’d like to change.”
“By all means.” He lay back against the pillows and yes, indeedy, that gleam was there.
Still, Alexis wasn’t quite up to changing in front of him. She escaped into the bathroom and leaned against the door. Thank heavens he seemed to know what he was doing.
This was going to work. Relief made her giddy. She slipped into her naked negligee and tousled her hair. She wished she’d thought to bring the candles, but had left them in her room. No matter.
She turned out the light and opened the door.
Vincent didn’t move. She smiled. The sight of her had stunned him.
There was a gargling snort. Omigosh! She’d given him a heart attack!
Alexis raced to the bed, but Vincent was not having a heart attack. Neither was he stunned.
He was asleep.
She clasped her hand over her own racing heart.She nearly had the heart attack.
Well, hell. What now? Wake him? Crawl into bed with him? He was flat on his back and his jaw had eased open. This was not an attractive look for him.
“Vincent?” she called softly.
Nothing. Except another grating snort.
While Alexis regarded her future husband from the foot of the bed, deciding whether or not to wake him, the phone rang, taking care of the problem.
Vincent came awake instantly and reached for the phone, clearly having forgotten that Alexis was in the room. She moved into his line of sight. His expression didn’t change as his gazed raked over her.
He covered the mouthpiece. “Honey, I’m going to be a while. I missed dinner. Would you check with the kitchen and see if they could bring some crackers and cheese or something?”
Crackers and cheese? He preferred crackers and cheese to Alexis in the naked negligee? She backed away. “Sure. I’ll just…” She hooked a thumb toward the bathroom.
Well. This was a failure on multiple levels. First, Vincent had ignored the naked negligee, the same negligee that had caused a very gratifying reaction in Dylan.
Second, there was the whole “honey, can you get me a snack?” thing. He’d already eaten. If he’d wanted privacy, all he had to do was ask. And what was with taking a phone call when they were about to have sex for the first time?
And the way he’d covered the mouthpiece instead of pressing mute. By covering the mouthpiece, he knew that the other man could hear him. The “honey”
was to let the man know that Vincent had a woman in his room. A woman he could order to get a snack. Grr.
So once again, she was back in the clothes she’d traveled in. She’d left her suit jacket in her room, but because she was in a skirt and because Swineheart, Cathardy, and Steele was a very conservative firm, Alexis was wearing conservative pumps and pantyhose.
As she sat on the edge of the tub and struggled back into them, she swore that once she was married, it was self-tanner and waxing.
Or pants.
DYLAN COULDN’T SLEEP. He also couldn’t get the image of a naked Alexis out of his mind. He would have sworn in court that she’d been standing there wearing absolutely nothing. Why she should do that, he didn’t know. When they’d dated, she sure hadn’t been into the public-risk thing.
Clearly, his thoughts about her were getting harder to control. It didn’t help that he found himself with time on his hands. He should have brought more work with him, but frankly, he’d thought this was going to be a one-day turnaround. He’d already changed his return flight because Vincent had asked him to be his best man.
And what the heck was that about? Just casually throwing it out there between phone calls. Expecting that Dylan had no other demands on his time.
And, because he was Vincent Cathardy, Dylan had cleared his schedule, thus reinforcing Vincent’s sense of entitlement.
Wow. Best man to Vincent Cathardy after negotiating his pre-nup. Dylan’s stock was going to rise. He’d immediately called the managing partner of his firm who had been speechless for a full fifteen seconds. Dylan had timed it. The man had pretended to be studying Dylan’s client schedule, but Dylan knew he was just flat-out speechless.
He’d thrown in a little something about being an old school buddy of Vincent’s fiancée, then wondered if he should have. It wasn’t a secret, but he didn’t want to make trouble for Alexis.
Okay, he did want to make trouble for Alexis, but not that kind of trouble. He just desperately wanted to shake her out of whatever trance she’d gone into.
She’d once, within his hearing, been described as ruthless and it had been a high compliment. Alexis would have made a great defense attorney because a defendant’s guilt or innocence never figured into her strategies. But she’d gone for corporate law.
That was beside the point, Dylan thought, wandering around until he ended up in the kitchen. The point was that she was prepared to give it all up for Vincent Cathardy. As far as Dylan could tell, she wasn’t being blackmailed or forced into anything. Nor was she in love with him.
It made no sense.
Neither did his sudden renewed attraction to her.
Dylan made his way over to the stainless-steel counter where a snack tray had been left for guests to help themselves. Cookies and milk. When was the last time he’d had cookies and milk?
He poured himself a glass from the thermal carafe, grabbed a chocolate-chip and a macadamia-nut cookie and sat on one of the dining stools around the cook island.
His life had been chugging along just fine before this weekend. Why would a few hours in Alexis’s company point out the hollowness of his existence?
He worked hard, but not excessively. He had friends he saw semiregularly, and he dated when he felt like it, which, to be honest, wasn’t all that often.
He may, he admitted, have become jaded about marriage, having seen so many breakups, and that might have caused him not to pursue it.
Dylan munched on his cookies and figured that maybe it was time he sought a relationship. One for the long haul. He’d have to find someone on the traditional side, since he couldn’t see them both maintaining high-powered c
areers once they had children. And, honestly, he didn’t want to be the primary care-giving parent. He’d be happy to make enough money so his wife could take a few years off.
He did note with irony that it was the pattern Alexis was going for, but he didn’t understand why she had to be paid for it. Marriage was a partnership. A settlement in case of a divorce was fine by him, but Vincent was paying her not to work.
And what if she never got—
Pregnant. Maybe he was wrong about her physical relationship with Vincent. Maybe she was already pregnant. His mouth was full of white-chocolate macadamia-nut cookie as he had this thought and it was hard to swallow. Both the cookie and the thought.
But why? Why was he so bothered? He had to get over this. He had to get over Alexis.
And that was the moment Alexis came striding into the kitchen, looking particularly Alexis-like in that confident way he remembered. She was a woman who could make things happen. He pitied the future PTAs and Booster Clubs she’d run because Alexis didn’t have time for inefficiency.
She saw him, paused, then continued over to the snacks.
Dylan took a drink of milk. “Are you a hallucination?”
“Am I naked?”
“No.”
“Guess not, then.” She grabbed a sandwich roll and split it open.
Dylan smiled down at his cookie. “Got the munchies?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t eat this late at night.” She slapped some mayo on one piece of bread.
He watched her hesitate between the bright hot-dog yellow and the gourmet brown grainy mustard. She opted for the brown kind, slapping it on the other piece of bread.
“So Vincent has the munchies.”
“So it would appear.”
Trouble in paradise? “Why doesn’t he just nibble on you?”
Alexis stiffened and Dylan knew she was glaring at him even though she faced away from him.
“I remember how you taste,” he said softly. He couldn’t help himself. Truly. It was as though someone else was speaking for him.
“Stop it, Dylan.”
Excellent advice. So why was he slipping off the bar stool and padding over to her? “Alexis, are you pregnant?”
She whirled around and he caught a slice of cheese in his stomach. “Don’t sneak up on me!”
Can't Buy Me Love Page 8
