Margot laughed again and she knew why. Mr. Bowman was more interested in the party part of the business functions they attended. He paid her and Margot very well because their knowledge of the company was extensive. They handled the work end of things.
“Okay, okay, I guess I knew better than that,” she said unable to stop her own titters from escaping. “You could have done this one for me, you know.”
“Uh-uh, it’s your turn. Besides, I have taken one for you.”
“What? When did you—“
“Oh, you’re going to tell me you don’t remember last year in Chicago?” her friend asked, a sharp edge to her tone.
April giggled. She remembered. Spotless Cleaners was meeting with the reps from Gleaming Shine window cleaner. Roger Wilcox gave the presentation. He was very knowledgeable about the product and they ended up buying, but he was the most obnoxious man they had ever met. April had begged Margot to go to the party because she had a boyfriend and Roger would have to back down with that knowledge.
“That man harassed me all night with his ridiculous ‘what happens in Chicago stays in Chicago’ line.”
April laughed. She could almost see Margot rolling her eyes at the memory.
“I had to pretend to be on my phone the whole time just so I could ignore him and still be politically correct.”
“Oh all right. Maybe I’ll be able to get through the night and win the client over without meeting anyone significant.”
“Good luck with that.”
April chuckled again, then sighed. “All right, Margot. I’m here.”
“Okay. Send me a picture of the dress you pick.”
“I will. See you Monday.”
April pushed a button on the device in her ear to disconnect the call. She took a moment to don her gloves, then pulled her hat from the passenger seat onto her head before leaving the car. Crunching across the packed snow in the parking lot, she hurried into the store.
Familiar with the mall’s surroundings, she went straight to Sexy for all Seasons. Moving directly to the winter line, April encountered several pretty dresses on the racks in her size, but she flipped through them with a frown on her face. She really had no business at a Valentine’s Day party, work related or not. That kind of thing was for people with significant others and unfortunately she hadn’t had a lover in a long time.
April finished jerking the dresses along one rack not really looking at them and moved to the next fuming over her situation. She continued yanking one after another not expecting it, but determined to find something because her boss was paying for it. With a huff, she walked through the store glancing at different displays, clearance shelves and stands when a blur of gold caught her eye. Slowly April retraced her steps and turned to a bracket she hadn’t inspected. Pushing a few dresses to the side, the perfect outfit came into view. She smiled and lifted it to her body.
“Well, if I have to be tortured at this thing at least I’ll look good enduring it.” April made it home close to six o’clock. She hurried to make something to eat and rushed a shower. Her food was too hot to eat after she got out, so she left it on the table to cool as she did her hair and makeup. When she was done, April checked her dinner again and it was too cold. Frustrated and pushed for time, she left the food in the microwave and went to get dressed. Still hungry, she grabbed two slice of bread from the top of the refrigerator, stuffed them into her mouth and put her shoes on.
Stumbling around the room, she gathered the rest of her outerwear as she ate the bread. She snatched her coat from the closet and rushed out the door.
Chapter Two
At the Radisson, several companies took advantage of the holiday, to party and meet potential clients for their businesses. Grant Murphy, Gregory Thomas and Daniel Robbins were inside the overcrowded, noisy Continental Ballroom.
“I hate these dumb parties. What kind of business party has a Valentine’s Day theme?”
“Well Greg, like most people in this town, they don’t need a reason to throw a party, but when one comes around they take full advantage of it,” Grant answered him with a laugh in his voice. “It was time to get together to expand our possibilities and make new connections. Valentine’s Day just happened to be the next holiday on the calendar,” he added with a shrug.
“Well, I don’t mind at all. I brought my wife and we’re having a good time and I get to take care of business too,” Daniel said lightly, waving to a woman across the room.
Grant chuckled. “I kind of like the idea that someone has put a day to the side once a year to remind us to take the time and to do something special with our sweethearts.” He patted Daniel on the back and chuckled. “Valentine’s Day can only get better once you hook up with someone you love. We all hope to be as happy as you and your wife are some day.”
Greg sputtered. “Speak for yourself.”
Grant and Daniel laughed at their friend, then clicked their glasses together. As Grant took a sip of his drink, he spied what he suspected was a woman dressed almost like an Eskimo at the door peering inside the conference room. His curiosity was piqued as he watched her emerge from her coverings.
She pulled her gloves off revealing dainty, soft looking hands. Next, she unraveled the scarf from her head and neck exposing her lovely face. Her sensual and luscious, full lips were tinted burgundy making them stand out from her smooth mocha complexion. Grant’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth when he tried to take another sip of his drink. His conversation with his friends ended. Their voices faded behind him as he took a step forward, focusing in on her.
Grant continued to watch with bated breath as the woman unwrapped herself like the Christmas present he wished he’d gotten. Slowly, she undid each of the buttons on her long brown coat. When full view of her curvaceous body, seductively adorned in a long black dress trimmed in gold was revealed to him, Grant’s breath caught.
He smiled as her movement to hang her coat over her arm showed him just a peek of her slender leg through the split on the side of her dress. She was a feast for his eyes. Never had he seen such a beautiful woman. She was definitely a gift he planned on taking for himself. He swallowed the rest of his drink in one quick gulp, put his glass down and left his friends without another word.
When Grant reached the doorway the woman was standing at the window of the coat check. She handed the person there her belongings, then took the ticket from her and put it in her purse.
“Thank you,” she said pleasantly and Grant quickened his pace to catch her.
* * * *
“Hello.”
April turned to the voice at her back. Okay, who’s this guy?
“Hello.”
The man extended his hand. “I’m Grant.”
April looked at his hand, then back at him. Be nice, April.
“Hello, Grant. I’m April,” she said and walked away.
“Wait,” Grant said picking up pace beside her. “That’s a beautiful name, April. Do you mind if I walk with you? Are you here with someone?”
“Yes, I guess you could say that. I’m looking for someone.”
“A boyfriend, a husband…?”
April stopped walking and gave him a sharp look.
Grant laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. You are absolutely right. That was digging way too much into your business. You just met me. I have no right crossing the line like that.”
April gave him a quizzical look, and continued on her way.
“So, April, can I get a minute of your time? Maybe get you something to eat or a drink perhaps?”
She stopped again and her puzzlement deepened, then her eyes widened as comprehension set in.
“Grant, are you—Are you trying to pick me up?” she asked on a stunned laugh.
Grant’s face reddened at the accusation, but he nodded. “Guilty. Guilty as charged. I just, well, I saw you at the door and I just—” he stammered, then took a slow breath. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I
had to come over and take a chance.”
His confession took her by surprise, but she was still suspicious of it. Grant didn’t look like a psycho killer, though she had no idea what they really looked like. April a raised brow and looked him over. Even with her four inch heels, she still had to raise her gaze to meet his. Slim, but not at all skinny. Handsome in a preppy, Abercrombie and Fitch kind of way with his soft blue eyes and sandy brown hair, but it was his boyish grin he flashed at her earlier that caught her eye. Grant rocked on his heels as she checked him out. She almost smiled at his nervousness. Her gaze rose to lock on his. The light of intelligence looked back at her and hopefulness, but something else called to her that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Grant cleared his throat bringing April from her detailed scrutiny of him.
“If you’re not interested, I’ll just—“
April held up her hand and chuckled. “Now, wait a minute, Grant. Don’t give up so easily. I mean, you did come all the way over here, in a soft-stalker kind of way.” Her tone was teasing as she gestured to his whole body. “The least I can do is hear you out, right?”
Grant smiled, and then let out a relieved sigh. “Yes, I’d like that. Would you like to get that drink?”
April nodded. “Sure. I guess I have time for a drink.”
Grant offered his arm and guided her to the nearest bar stand.
“Yes, sir, would you like to try our new cocktail Cupid’s Arrow?” the bartender asked. “It’s our specialty drink for today.”
Grant raised a brow. “Cupid’s Arrow? That’s a terrible name for a drink. Did you choose it?”
The bartender chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s better than the first name I came up with.”
“Oh yeah? What was that?”
“Love Potion Number Ten.”
Grant and April laughed.
“Yeah, you’re right. Cupid’s Arrow still sucks, but it’s better than that,” Grant agreed.
“It’s smooth, sweet and has a nice kick. It’s made for lovers. My concoctions have brought strangers together and existing couples closer,” he explained with a wink. “Trust me. You’re going to like it.”
Grant and April laughed again.
“Okay, look, let me whip you up a sample cup. If you don’t like it, I have lots of other stuff you could try too,” the bartender urged.
Grant turned a disbelieving look to her. “Well, do you want to take a stab at it?”
April shrugged. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
“All right, I guess we’ll be trying your special concoction, Mr. Bartender. Pour us up a couple of glasses.”
“Excellent!”
He handed April and Grant a small paper cup of the bright pink liquid. April stared at it unsure. Grant looked into his cup with a questioning look on his face, too.
Uh-uh, girl. This was your idea. Suck it up and go for it!
April accepted her inner encouragement, holding her cup out toward Grant.
“You ready?” she asked with her best smile in place.
Grant smiled back. “Yup, let’s do it.”
She tapped her drink to his and they swallowed the contents at the same time. To her surprise the thick liquid was exactly as the bartender described it and she liked it.
“That’s not bad,” Grant said.
She giggled. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“All right, bartender—“
“Joe,” he supplied.
“All right, Joe,” Grant amended. “It’s unanimous. We like it. Give us a real one.”
“Coming right up!”
April and Grant stayed at the bar not only indulging in more Cupid’s Arrows, but several other drinks Joe recommended to them. They spoke on everything from current events to their favorite foods to how much she hated the weather. She was having a good time.
“I think I need to sit down, Grant. I have to back off the drinks and find some food. I didn’t really have time to eat any dinner tonight.”
“I know what you mean. I didn’t either. Let’s get a table.”
There were people standing all around socializing. He took her hand and pulled her through the crowd as the people moved closer together, dancing to the beat of the music. The music was loud and eclectic, but she still heard him when he turned to speak to her.
They maneuvered through the dancers coming out the other side. April spotted an empty table and pointed. Grant shifted direction to head for it.
“So, tell me April, what brings you to this party?” Grant asked motioning for her to sit. “You’re not really here with a husband or boyfriend, are you?”
She chuckled. “No, I’m not, but I am here with a boss. I’m supposed to be working. Well kind of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I work for Spit Shine Cleaning Services. My boss is here to acquire new clients like everyone else I guess. He has a meeting set up to speak to someone tonight about using our services.”
“I’m here with some colleagues who are hoping for the same. They invited me to come with them at the last minute. We’re staying here at the hotel, but I really came for the party.”
April giggled.
“So you’re supposed to be with your boss when he has his meeting?
“Yes, he prefers if it in case they ask something he doesn’t know.”
Grant laughed. “So you’re brains of his operation? I like that. Why don’t you tell me about it. What do you guys do?”
“Well, we do industrial cleaning. You know, like for big companies and stuff. We use our own supplies. When my boss comes to things like this it’s really to push our product since you can hire anyone to clean.”
“Does your stuff work?”
“Yes, it does. Shines better, cleans better, better for the environment, disinfects—“
Grant twisted his lips and April laughed. His pink bow lips looked so cute in that strange shape that she couldn’t help herself.
“You’re just saying that because you work there.”
“No, it really does work. I have tried it on several different things around my own house and at the office and it works great.”
He smiled. “Your boss should use you as a spokesperson or in commercials. I think clients want to hear from real people who actually use the product, not the hired actors who are paid to say it works.”
“Customer knowledge does help with sales. I have been telling him that.”
“Have you? You are way too intelligent to be his assistant.”
“I won’t always be his assistant.”
“Ahh, beauty, brains and ambition. I like that in a woman.”
April smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, Grant. You’re very sweet. So tell me, if you tagged along with your friends, where are they?”
He shrugged and scooted closer to her. “I have no idea. I ditched them the moment I saw you.”
April’s eyes widened. “Really?” She watched him nod and was stunned that he would do so. She cleared her throat and fumbled with her fingers to distract against the heat on her cheeks in case he sensed her embarrassment. “Oh. So what do you do for a living, Grant?”
“I’m a chef. Perhaps you’ll let me cook for you. I’m thinking a nice quiet dinner, and then breakfast the next morning,” he added with a sly grin.
April saw the look of interest in his eye. Something she hadn’t seen in a long time. She swallowed to wet her suddenly dry mouth.
He smiled at her, then stood.
“Let me see if I can find us something to eat around here. I’ll be right back.”
Grant left her at the table and April walked the edge of dancing people bouncing on her toes trying to see over their heads as she searched the crowd frantically.
“What are doing, April? Mr. Bowman is going to kill you if you don’t find him soon. You are here to work, not to flirt,” she chastised, then stopped walking. “Okay that must be it. I must have gone crazy,” she muttered shaking her head.
Catching the glimpses of profil
es here and there of people she didn’t recognize only left her frustrated. She returned to the table just as Grant appeared with two plates of fruit, cheese, crackers and assorted meats. April looked at the plates, then back to him and he laughed.
“Hey, this is all I could get on such short notice. I didn’t see any real food.”
“It’s fine. Look, Grant, I have to go. I’m having a really nice time with you, but I have to find my boss. I’m supposed to be working, remember? If I don’t find him in this crowd soon, I’ll be looking for a new job come Monday.”
“Wait, no, please, April. Dance with me.”
He took her hand tugging her gently to the dance floor.
“Dance? No, Grant, I shouldn’t. I—”
“Come on, you know you want to,” he teased. “Just give me one dance and I promise I’ll help you find your boss. Okay?”
“Grant, for real, I really should—”
Grant pulled her into his arms, their bodies touching for a brief moment. The soft scent of his cologne reached her nose, a spicy, manly scent. He brought her hands to his mouth. Brushing his lips over her knuckles, he made his plea.
“Come on, please. One dance.”
The close contact of his body and the gentle kiss he put on her fingers melted her protests.
“Well, okay...just one.”
Grant’s smile widened as he pulled her to the dance floor. A slow song played. They moved carefully with an invisible wall between them as she held on to his shoulders stiffly, attempting a waltz-like persona. The music changed smoothly into another song with a slower more sensual tempo. Grant dropped his hands to leave the dance floor, but April gave no sign she was done. She liked the current song better and relaxed into her stance. Grant quickly corrected himself and continued dancing.
When the next instrumental started April moved more fluidly to the music. Her arms slowly closed around his neck. Grant’s grasp closed around her waist. Her body seemed to gravitate on its own toward him without her permission He held her tighter. April felt the firmness of his chest against her. She smiled to herself wondering what he would look like naked. With her face pressed against his shoulder, the faint beating of his heart relaxed her even more. His arms were strong and comfortable as they danced. His closeness felt warm and inviting and she realized she wanted him too. Grant’s head dipped as he sniffed her shoulder loudly.
Five Hearts Anthology Page 9
