"Pretty much. Saturdays are usually dedicated to postmortems." I sighed. "A matchmaker's work is never done. But once I get more couples out of the initial dating phases, it settles down some."
"You work as much as I do," he said.
I grinned. "Maybe more."
"A woman after my own heart."
Damn, I really did love him. Or could have. If he'd let me.
My phone rang again.
He grabbed my hand and pulled the phone away from me. "What does a guy have to do to get your full attention?"
"Good question." I smiled. "Just a few more clients to handle. Let me check in with them and I'm all yours."
He nodded. "What are you doing this morning and afternoon? After you finish with your calls?"
I shrugged. "Working to make more and better matches."
He frowned. "Take the day off. Hang out with me. They've sighted a pod of orcas near Bainbridge."
The phone stopped ringing. The call went to voicemail.
"Let's go see them," he said.
"See whales?" I said.
"Yes. Have you seen an orca before?" He seemed boyishly excited.
He was adorable when he was like that.
"Come with me." His voice was bright. "We'll take the ferry. You can finish your calls onboard while we watch for whales. We'll walk around the island on the other side. Shop. They have some quaint shops. What do you say? My treat."
"Big spender," I said.
He grinned and mugged for me, waggling his eyebrows to tempt me into accepting. "I could be."
"Will you buy me a stuffed orca?" Could I sound any more like a teenage girl? I knew exactly what kitschy stuff I wanted. I knew exactly how tempted I was by him.
"If it will convince you to come."
I held out my hand. "Done."
He grabbed my hand to shake it. But it backfired on me. My shake was hardy. But we held on too long. Our gazes held too tightly. And desire burned too brightly in me.
We took his car to the ferry dock. It was typically breezy on the waterfront. The air was crisp. There were clouds on the horizon. In other words, it was a perfect fall day in Seattle.
He bought our tickets while I browsed the terminal and stole glances at him. Yes, I was a lovesick woman. I reminded myself to stick to the plan, wondering whether I'd have to split my personality and let the matchmaking side of me lecture the lovelorn, foolish Ashley in the art of catching a man. Warn her off making fatal mistakes in this chess match of love.
I'd just scored the first point of this game—I'd shown him that, although beautiful, Vanessa didn't compare with me and the way I related to him. I was still surprised at how domineering she'd been with him. I really had meant to be subtler with my lessons.
Lazer waved as he left the ticket counter. I met up with him as the ferry arrived. We watched the cars unload and the walk-ons depart, then joined the throngs of walk-ons waiting for the ferry and boarded in the middle of the horde. We found seats in a booth by the windows.
Lazer bought a cup of coffee for each of us and a paper. He folded the paper to the crossword puzzle and flashed a cheap pen he'd bought at the counter. "Mind if sit here while you make the calls? Or are they confidential?" He actually looked as if he relished seeing how I worked.
My, he was easy on the eyes and so distracting with that roguish grin of his.
"It's our business," I said. "As long as you promise to keep this between us, listen and learn. See how my end of the biz is run."
"I won't be listening," he said. "I'll be engrossed in my crossword. And distracted by you."
Damn him! He would have to give me just enough hope.
I rolled my eyes as if I didn't believe him and he was just giving me a bad time. He laughed and we settled in to business.
I felt him watching me and listening in. We shared conspiratorial grins as I worked.
"So? What did you think, partner?" I asked when I finished the last of my morning-after check-ins.
"Fascinating." He shook his head and grimaced. "I don't know how you do it. Listen patiently to all the complaints, insecurities, and crap all the time. Correct. Guide." He blew out a breath. "You're a saint."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I am!" I laughed.
"But you're good, I'll give you that." He clipped his pen to the paper. His crossword was only half finished.
Reading upside down, I saw a clue I knew the answer to. "Etui." I pointed. "Nine down. A needle case."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're a needle case." He looked surprised. "How did you know that one?"
"My grandma loves crosswords." I paused. "You aren't much of an aficionado, are you?"
"I work with a handicap. I only do crosswords to look busy when I'm eavesdropping."
"I see," I said. "It's your cover."
He nodded.
I felt light and happy. This was a feeling I could get used to. If only it didn't break my heart in the end. "All right, eavesdropper, any advice for the lovelorn?"
Despite his apparent disdain for relationship problems, we were soon engrossed deep in conversation about the issues our clients faced, the intricacies of matchmaking, and the obstacles to getting a relationship business off the ground.
Lazer looked out the window suddenly. "We're getting close to the island. Let's hit the deck and see what we can see. Come on, orcas!" He slid out of the booth.
I slid out after him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the railing at the front of the ferry. On deck, the wind whipped my hair into my face. The air was chilly coming off the water. I hadn't come prepared with a thick enough jacket.
The deck was crowded. Someone screamed excitedly and began pointing. "I see one! Over there! See it, see it!"
The crowd on the deck turned as one. I looked around frantically.
Lazer leaned down and whispered in my ear, "There." He put his hands on my shoulder and gently guided me until I saw it.
I gasped and bounced on my toes. There were two orcas frolicking in the water. One of them swam up to the side of the ferry.
"It's showing off for us," I said.
"It looks like it." Lazer was standing so close behind me all I had to do was lean back and I'd be in his arms.
Instead, I shivered as a blast of mist came up off the water.
"You're freezing," Lazer said in my ear from behind.
I wasn't looking at him. I was too absorbed in watching the whales. Suddenly, I felt his coat around my shoulders. It was still warm from his body heat.
Sometimes stupid, little, everyday gestures bring up an unexpected well of emotion. The simple act of giving me his coat reminded me of Ruck. And how much I missed the sweetness of a man giving up his coat to make me comfortable. Tears filled my eyes. Tears of sadness. Tears of hope. Tears of joy.
I spun to face around to face him. He was in shirtsleeves.
"You'll freeze," I said, looking into his eyes.
He pulled me close. "Not with you in my arms—"
"Ashley! Lazer!" Someone was calling out to us.
I turned to see Danika coming our way.
Chapter 11
Ashley
"Danika!" Lazer said, and gave her a one-armed hug.
I wanted to wiggle out of his arms, but he held me fast.
"What are you doing here?" he said.
And why hadn't we seen her?
"I'm watching the whales," she said, smoothly, taking us in while I fought the urge to say, This isn't what it looks like.
Of course, it was exactly what it looked like. Lazer flirting with me. Me flirting with him and putting my heart on the line.
Lazer grinned at her. "You were smart enough to bring a warm coat."
Danika laughed.
I punched Lazer gently and shook my head. "I would have brought one if this hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment decision."
Danika's gaze bounced between us as she gave us a shrewd look.
"We ran into each other at the Blackberry and heard about the whales," I
said.
She nodded, but it was clear she didn't believe us.
Lazer released me. The whales, as if sensing our distraction, lost interest and swam away. The ferry neared the Bainbridge terminal. We wandered back inside, making small talk while I tried to assess the damage.
"We're going shopping and browsing. Walking around town and doing some sightseeing. Care to join us?" Lazer asked Danika.
"No, but thanks for the offer," she said. "I'm meeting someone." She grinned deviously and pointed toward the ladies' room. "Think I'll just make a pit stop before we land."
It was a blatant ploy to talk to me in private. "Me too." I smiled at Lazer. "I'll just powder my nose and be right back." I followed Danika.
Just outside the ladies' room, she pulled me aside. "Your secret's safe with me."
I gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look she didn't buy. "It really wasn't what it looked like. Lazer and I—"
She laughed. "Save it. I'm not an investigative journalist because I have no powers of observation. Mine are quite keen. You're interested in him. You want him." Her eyes sparkled, but whether with malice or amusement, I couldn't tell.
"Look," she said, "as far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to him. I have no interest in him, though I'm sure most of the other women aren't as magnanimous." She paused, probably deliberately so I could consider the consequences. "I do, however, want a date or two with him."
What was she getting at?
"A date with a billionaire, and his attention, could be good PR for me," she said. "Both in my personal dating life and in business. A connection with him and his friends could be just what my career needs."
"Is this blackmail?" I said.
"You're smarter than that," she said. "I've known what you're up to with me from the beginning of this Seattle experiment. Our relationship is positively Machiavellian. Any good prince—in this case, that would be you—knows that the smartest way to silence a detractor is to take them into the fold. Where they will be constantly forced to show their loyalty to you."
She shrugged. "I'm quite happy to loyally continue on, keeping my mouth shut. I love being part of this experiment. I love Seattle. I love the men here. And I haven't been so adored and desired in maybe ever." She took a breath. "I have no desire to go home now."
She paused. "You've proven that you'll release those who don't play by the rules. You could find a reason to get rid of me if you wanted. That's the way the game is played in the corporate world."
She grinned slyly. "This just balances the power. You keep me. Give me a couple of dates with Lazer—which is beneficial to you because it keeps him off the market and out of the hands of the women who really want him—and I keep my mouth shut. We're both very happy in our Machiavellian world." She gave me a look challenging me to disagree.
"Lazer's not mine," I said, feebly. "A man who won't—"
I caught myself just in time before I said that he was a man who wouldn't commit.
Danika waited for me to continue.
"A man who won't put personal time ahead of business isn't for me."
Danika shook her head. "Isn't that what he's doing now?"
I didn't reply.
"Deal?" she said.
I nodded.
She grinned. "Good. I'll take the holiday season. He should be ready for a break from fawning women by then. And I'll get the most PR possible. Put me on his calendar!" She headed into the ladies' room with a wave over her shoulder at me.
The most powerful deals of mice and men done at the door of the ladies' room.
I met up with Lazer just as the ferry landed at the dock and the deckhands threw the gigantic ropes to the crew on the dock. "It's taken care of."
"At what price?" He took my arm as we walked toward the crowd that was getting off the ferry.
"A date or two with you." I grinned at him.
"That's a small price?" he said.
"Don't worry. She assures me she isn't interested in you."
"I'm not sure how to take that," he said happily. "Should I be insulted?"
"Relieved, I think," I said. "Enjoy your temporary reprieve. She's spit on you for Christmas." I grinned at him. "Buy her something nice, love."
He laughed loudly and merrily. "I'll put my admin right on it."
We got off the ferry and walked into town. We had a wonderful day poking around the shops and boutiques. Flirting with each other. Taunting each other with innuendo and a brush of a touch. It was tantalizing and erotic in its way. Naively sweet in another.
We had lunch in a delightful café. Lazer bought me my stuffed orca on the way back to the ferry. We rode the ferry back and finished the crossword together.
In the terminal in Seattle, Lazer and I became just business partners again. We'd had enough of a scare already.
"That was fun," Lazer said as we waited for our rides and I clutched the stuffed orca like it was a prize he'd won for me at the fair. "Let's do it again."
I nodded. "Let's."
He laughed. "Next Saturday? We can make it a thing. I'll show you the sights while you conduct your post-date wrap-ups."
"Next Saturday," I said, thinking this sounded a lot he was asking me out on a date.
Score two for me. This clearly wasn't skulking in the shadows or being kept secret. This was exactly the kind of getting to know each other in public dating I'd demanded in the first place. I wondered whether he knew what he was doing and if this was intentional, or had he fallen into it?
I studied him, memorizing the small details of his face and watching his eyes. He was too smart to walk into anything unintentionally. Score one for him?
When I got home, I was still clutching my orca. For fun, I sneaked into my apartment via the secret, private elevator. I wasn't in the mood to see any of the women. Work was far from my head. I carried the orca and laid it in the center of my bed, nestled against the pillows. I stood back and admired it, sighing with a happiness I shouldn't have felt. Grinning stupidly.
This celibacy, this just-be-friends plan, was backfiring on me. My lips tingled with the thought of kissing Lazer. My body ached for him. My heart longed for him. I wanted to fall into happily-ever-after with him. I had that silly daydream of Lazer and me living happily together in domestic bliss. And yet those same dreams stirred up a whirlwind of guilt.
I wanted what I had with Ruck. Only better and more. I didn't want to feel afraid that I would lose Lazer like I lost Ruck.
I glanced down at my empty ring finger and then around at the room. When I'd come to Seattle, I'd been making a point to myself to leave the past behind. To only look forward. I was so damn tired of living in the past and longing for something that couldn't be. For someone who'd stepped into eternity and would never be mine again. At least, not in this lifetime.
With that new resolution in mind, I hadn't put up any pictures of Ruck. Part of me rationalized that Seattle was only temporary. This apartment only a temporary place to live. Like a hotel away from home. Ruck had never been a part of this. I needed this separate from him. I needed to be perfectly single, the optimistic, independent girl I'd been before Ruck. A person with a sense of self. Only maturer now. Wiser. Stronger. Battle hardened.
But the guilt and the loneliness were suddenly overwhelming. I went to the drawer where I kept Ruck's picture and pulled it out. I stared at him in his uniform, wishing I could talk things over with him. Get his advice. And knowing I was on my own.
The app had a security flaw. I found out on Monday at our morning staff meeting. The men found it over the weekend. It was setback. A huge setback.
"Until it's fixed, we'll have to concentrate on the matchmaking part of the business," Lazer said, looking to me for confirmation.
Every time I looked at him now, I remembered Saturday, and the orca on my bed when it should have been him in my bed, snuggled with me. Still, that stuffed whale brought a smile to my lips. I nodded, heart pounding. Things weren't going so well in the matchmaking realm. We had plenty of clients
and too much work to do. My Manhattan women had had their heads turned by Seattle men. At the same time, they were eagerly waiting their turn with Lazer.
It was a no-win scenario. They wouldn't settle with someone else until they determined they were out of the running for America's next billionaire's wife. Which meant they were putting their happiness on hold. None of them seemed to want to self-select themselves out of the possibility of being the first Mrs. Lazer Grayson.
"We need a win," Lazer said.
"That will take time," I said. "Relationships take time."
Our eyes met.
He looked away. "We don't have time." He ran his hand through his hair. "We'll have to put our app PR campaign on hold for now. Until we're ready to ramp up the beta to include the city."
"We'll have to cancel our appearances on the evening show," Lottie said.
Lazer nodded. "I'll talk to our PR team. See what can be done."
And so the challenges began.
October slipped into November as the men worked like maniacs trying to find the bug causing the security problem. In the meantime, I worked long, crazy hours, matching, matching, endlessly matching. The other men were too busy and involved with fixing the app and their day jobs to start into any relationships or think about dating. So all the matching I did was for our local clientele. I also set Lazer up with another of the women.
We met on Saturday to go over his date. This time he took me to Snoqualmie Falls for the after-date checkup. I made the rest of my calls on the forty-five-minute drive there. We brunched at the Salish Lodge. Where he insisted we have the country breakfast for two served with classic mimosas. And the honey service where they poured honey, produced from their own hives, from high above your plate.
"I hope you're hungry," he said with a devilish look.
Pancakes, steel-cut oats with fruit, a selection of baked goods, and then the main course—eggs, meat, hashed potatoes, biscuit…
I made it through the pancakes and was out.
Lazer didn't seem to have any trouble finishing his meal. "You'd better eat heartily. We're hiking down to the falls in the cold after."
Dating Lazer: A Jet City Billionaire Romance (The Billionaire Matchmaker Series Book 4) Page 11
