In the Red Zone

by Crista McHugh

  It was enough to make her want to pull her hair out.

  She glanced up at the dress hanging from her file cabinet. At least she had something to look forward to once she got through this last phone call. She’d been waiting all week for dinner with Frank, and the form-fitting, sequined gown was a perfect mix of naughty and nice. Not to mention, it went perfectly with the shoes Savannah had recommended.

  A woman with a deep Southern drawl finally came on the line. “Yeah, we can feed that many people, but it will double your quote.”

  “But this is a charity event, Miss Rosa.”

  “And I have a business to run,” the woman answered.

  Time to play hardball. “A business that rose to prominence because my daddy endorsed it when you were just starting out.”

  Miss Rosa didn’t reply immediately, and Kiana took advantage of the woman’s hesitation. “This foundation was my daddy’s dream, and I’m doing my best to keep it alive. I’m over the moon that the anticipated attendance for the gala has doubled, but I want to keep as much money as I can for the kids. Please, can you give me a little discount? If not for the foundation, then at least as a thank-you for all my daddy did for you when he was alive?”

  Some muted grumbles filled the line, followed by the drone of sedating music.

  Shit! On hold again.

  This time, however, it only lasted for a couple of minutes. “If I give you a ten percent discount, will you provide me with a receipt so I can claim it as a tax deduction?” Miss Rosa countered.

  Kiana nearly jumped out of her chair. “Deal!”

  “I’m already cutting you a better deal than most of my clients, after all, and this is a last-minute adjustment.”

  “I know, Miss Rosa, and thank you so much for accommodating all the extra guests. Thank you, thank you.”

  “One more thing.” Miss Rosa lowered her voice and added, “My boy is a huge fan of Frank Kelly, and his birthday is coming up. If you could get him to sign something for him—”

  “Consider it done.” It shouldn’t be too hard to convince Frank to sign a football or a jersey for a teenage boy.

  “Thank you, Kiana.” The caterer hung up, and Kiana sprang from her desk to change for dinner.

  Night had fallen over Atlanta, and the skyscrapers glittered on the horizon. The clear weather came at a cost. A cold front had moved through this morning, and the temperature had dropped over thirty degrees from when she left the house. Suddenly, those strappy sandals didn’t look so appealing. But it would all be worth it when she saw the look on Frank’s face.

  The dress dated back to before she’d gotten pregnant, thus requiring her heavy-duty Spanx. There was no way she’d ever come close to getting her pre-baby body back without the use of the constrictive Lycra undergarment. She tugged at the high-waisted shorts for several minutes before she squeezed all of her generous curves inside, sweat prickling along her forehead. But once the dress slipped on over the Spanx, the effort was worth it.

  She applied some smoky eye shadow to her light brown eyes and a burgundy shade of lipstick that was far too daring for the day job, but perfect for a night out. Once the makeup was set, she reached for her shoes and sat down on the small sofa in her office to strap them on.

  She was in process of buckling the second one when she heard a knock.

  Frank filled the doorway, his tie hanging loosely around his neck like he’d started to take it off. The dark blue suit complemented his eyes, but the perturbed expression on his face captured her attention and made her heart lurch. “It’s a little late for that,” he said and pointed to the clock on the wall behind her desk.

  7:52 PM.

  Shit!

  An icy river of dread filled her veins, and her explanation stumbled forth. “Frank, I’m so sorry. I just lost track of the time. I—”

  The words froze on her tongue as he stepped toward her. Memories of how Malcolm would find any excuse to hit her overrode everything she knew about Frank. All she saw was a big, hulking man who had every reason to be angry with her. One who could easily beat the crap out of her for this.

  She curled up into a little ball on the sofa and kept repeating, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

  He stopped short, and his brows gathered together. “Kiana, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry I forgot about dinner. It won’t happen again. I was just on the phone with the caterer, and—”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about.” He reached for her, and she instinctively jerked back against the sofa. His arm fell slack, followed by the expression on his face. “Jesus, Kiana, what did that bastard do to you?”

  And just like that, the present came crashing into focus, and tears prickled her eyes. “I’m sorry, Frank.”

  “Stop saying that.” He turned around and raked his fingers through his hair with a loud exhalation. “Just tell me what happened. And no more apologies.”

  Her body trembled, but she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or relief. Or maybe just embarrassment. She’d automatically thought the worst of him, and now shame scorched her skin. “We’ve sold so many tickets for the gala that we exceeded our expectations. I’ve been on the phone all day to make sure we had enough room and food and drinks for the attendees.”

  “So that’s why you didn’t answer your phone?” he asked, his back still to her.

  She nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “I was on the phone with the caterer until about ten minutes ago.”

  He put his hands on his hips and stared out of her office window. “And that’s why you stood me up.”

  “I didn’t mean to. I just lost track of time, and…” The implication behind his comment finally hit her. He’d been waiting for her at the restaurant, and she’d never shown up. And after she’d turned him down on the Orlando trip, who knew what he’d been thinking? “Oh, shit, Frank, I’m so sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing.” He turned around and rubbed his hand along the side of his face. “These things can’t be helped.”

  She finally felt safe enough to allow her legs to uncurl, but she didn’t trust them enough to rise from the sofa. “Is it too late for dinner?”

  “It is for STK.” His eyes flickered over her body, stopping at the plunging neckline that exposed a generous amount of cleavage. “You look nice, by the way.”

  Her cheeks warmed, but for an entirely different reason now. “We can still go out, if you want.”

  “My place is always open.” He flashed a seductive grin that almost had her agreeing to his suggestion.

  But her reaction to him moments ago tempered her enthusiasm. She still didn’t trust him. Not completely. Not yet. And definitely not enough to follow him back to his place. She shook her head. “Nope. Too far, and I have a curfew tonight.”

  Or at least, she’d promised Madison she’d be home by eleven.

  “Fine,” he said with an exaggerated pout. “Time for plan B.”

  He tossed his phone to her and went around her desk. “There’s an app for a local pizza place on there. Order whatever you want and have them deliver it here.”

  She held his phone, but didn’t follow his instructions right away. “What are you planning?”

  “Dinner and a movie.” He typed a few things on her keyboard and flipped her monitor around to reveal the webpage for a site that streamed movies. “You sound like you could use a breather, and I can only bear to wear this necktie for so long.”

  In other words, he was trying to meet her on her turf, to leave her in control of the evening. His actions tore down her defenses and thawed the remaining fear that still lingered in her blood. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect plan B. “Thank you, Frank.”

  “I like the sound of that much better than an apology.” He gave her a hopeful smile. “Now order that pizza, and when you’re done, pick out a movie.”

  She found the app and looked at the menu. “What kind of pizza do you like?”

  “Your call. If it’s pizza, I�
��ll eat it.” He started to shrug and paused. “Except no tofu. I draw the line at fake meat.”

  And for the first time that evening, she felt comfortable enough to laugh. “Me, too.”

  He met her gaze, and his smile widened.

  Her heart gave a little flip-flop. Frank was so different from Malcolm. Her ex would’ve had her bleeding on the floor for missing a dinner date—especially at a place as nice as STK—but Frank just rolled with the punches and came up with something new. There was an easy-goingness to him that calmed her frazzled nerves. He was big. And yes, he knew how to throw a punch. But she was finally beginning to see she was safe with him.

  “Are you going to order?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Because I’m starving.”

  “Of course. I mean, I bet you are after waiting at the restaurant for so long. I’m truly s—”

  “I thought I said no more apologies.” There was a stern quality to his voice that silenced her, but the twinkle in his eyes softened the harshness of his words. “You got wrapped up at work. I get it.”

  “Do you?”

  He glanced down at the floor and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I do. I mean, I feel the same way about my job. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous.”

  At that, her guard went up, and her muscles tensed. “Jealous of what?”

  He gave a self-deprecating laugh and nudged the toe of his shoe against her desk. “I just wish there was a way I could capture your attention as much as your job did.”

  And once again, she was back to melting on the inside. He might not have known it, but he’d said just the right thing. “Well, you have my complete attention tonight. Or least until 10:45.”

  “Hey, even Cinderella had until midnight.”

  She ordered a large pizza with all the meats and a two-liter soda while using the time to collect her thoughts. This was her chance to tell him about Savannah. But she’d already pressed her luck too much tonight. Telling him about her kid might be the deal-breaker. No, it was better to take things slowly and see where they went first. “Cinderella didn’t have a nine AM interview with the local TV network the following morning. I need my beauty rest.”

  “I don’t know.” He came around the desk and leaned on the edge. “You look pretty beautiful to me.”

  “And you don’t know how much goes into looking like this.” She finalized the order, not at all surprised to find Frank had stored a credit card number on the account with the pizza place. “You need to secure your personal information better.”

  “They have to guess my password first. Now, pick out the movie.” He tapped her computer screen.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to fill me in on how your trip to Orlando went?”

  He shook his head. “You’ve been working too much. It’s now time to play. Dinner. Movie. Business can wait until Monday.”

  “Fine.” When she stood, her knees only gave the slightest of wobbles, but she blamed that more on the unfastened sandal strap rather than the dread from earlier. She leaned over to grab the mouse from the other side of the desk.

  “Nice view from here,” Frank quipped, his gaze firmly fixed on her backside.

  She laughed again and gave him a little wiggle to see if he’d grab the way he had the night of the basketball game, but his arms remained firmly crossed over his chest. Almost restrained across his chest, to be more accurate. It was like the other night when he’d promised not to lay a hand on her.

  Maybe he read her better than she thought. It was obvious that he wanted to touch her, but after her meltdown, he was probably giving her space and waiting for her to give him the green light.

  And one more wall came crashing down around her heart. At the rate he was going, Frank Kelly was well on his way to winning it.

  She scrolled through the movies on the streaming service, unsure of what to pick. Then she switched over to the recently viewed tab and was greeted by a list of comedies with the rare action film dotted in. Yeah, it was pure Frank. A man who liked to laugh, not see people beat the pulp out of each other. She worked her way down the list until she found something she liked. “How ’bout we go a little retro?”

  She clicked on the movie, and a few seconds later, a title with a skull and crossbones filled her computer screen.

  “The Goonies!” Frank exclaimed like an overly excited kid. “Absolutely one of the best movies ever.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty good.”

  “Pretty good?” He looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “This movie is a classic. Come on—I’ll show you.”

  He took her hand and led her back to the sofa. “Wait a minute. I don’t need this.” He shrugged off his jacket. “Or this.” He yanked off his tie.

  Then he scooped her up in his arms and flopped back on the sofa so she was seated in his lap. “And you don’t need these,” he finished, slipping off her sparkling stiletto sandals.

  She rested her hands on his shoulders and grinned. “You really are something else, Frank Kelly.”

  “You’re just now realizing that?”

  “I’ve seen bits and pieces here and there, but it’s all starting to come together.”

  “Good.” He took her right hand and lowered it to his chest until it rested over his heart. “Because I have every intention of making you smile tonight.”

  A rebellious jolt of desire shot to her lower pelvis. There was definitely one way he could make her smile. Too bad the pizza guy could walk in on them at any moment.

  His grin widened as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. And judging by the hard bulge pressing into her bottom, he was feeling something similar, too. He slid her off his lap to the seat next to him. “But first, I need to prove to you that The Goonies is a cinematic masterpiece.”

  Chapter Ten

  God, it was a night of the most exquisite torture he’d ever known.

  Kiana’s soft, sexy laugh.

  Her warm curves pressed up against him.

  The intoxicating perfume that clung to her skin.

  It was enough to have him sweating out the date like he was back in high school and wondering when he should make the move to first base. Or even beyond, if he was lucky.

  But every time he thought about touching her, he flashed back on the way she’d cowered on the very same sofa she was calmly sitting on now. Her repeated apologies haunted him. Jesus, what had the bastard done to her? Based on her behavior, her ex must have roughed her up pretty badly for being late for dinner. It was enough to caution him to cool his jets, even though all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and hold her until her fears vanished.

  He meant what he said about wanting to make her smile, and based on her relaxed posture and easy grin, he was succeeding. Not in the way he’d intended, but he’d take it.

  Thankfully, he’d seen The Goonies more times than he could count. That left the evening open to learning all he could about Kiana and how to read her emotions. He spent most of the movie watching her and memorizing every little detail he could. For example, she glanced down when she laughed. She pursed her lips together while twirling a curl around her finger when she seemed to be concentrating on something. And she laced her fingers together and brought them up to her lips when things got tense. All things he filed away for later.

  But when the credits starting rolling on the screen, he was paralyzed about what to do next.

  “Fair enough, Frank,” she said with another one of those soft laughs that doubled the blood flow to his dick. “That was a fun movie.”

  “Told you so.”

  “Wait a minute.” She turned toward him, her thighs pressing against his. “I said it was fun. I’m not so sure about it being a cinematic masterpiece.”

  “Perhaps we need to watch it again to convince you otherwise.”

  For the first time that evening, she looked up when she laughed.

  He took that as a sign that she’d finally recovered from her earlier fright, and he leaned
in closer, dropping his voice to a seductive rumble. “Or did you have something else in mind?”

  Her breath caught, and he silently cursed. Way to screw it up for being too hot to trot.

  But she didn’t back away. Instead, she stared at him and licked her lips like he was some decadent treat she was dying to devour.

  If she’d been any other woman, he’d take that as an invitation to lock his lips with hers until she begged him to fuck her senseless. But since it was Kiana, he forced himself to hold back. Hell, he even refused to touch her. The last thing he wanted to become in her eyes was an oppressive, domineering asshole. He’d put the ball in her court, and he was going to let her decide how far she wanted to go.

  He didn’t have to wait long. She closed the gap between them and pressed her full lips to his. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the sweet bliss of her kiss.

  But as the kiss grew more demanding, he found himself caught in the agony of desire. He balled his hands into fists, determined not to lay a hand on her without her permission even though the only thing he wanted to do was cradle every delicious curve of her body.

  She stopped and pulled away. “Is something wrong?”

  He kept his eyes shut because if he even had the slightest of glimpses of her kiss-swollen lips, he’d be in danger of crossing the line. Instead, he merely nodded and tried to ignore the ache in his groin.

  “Trying to be a good boy?”

  He nodded again. Shit, this fucking hurt.

  Her breath bathed his ear, increasing the pounding in his dick. “Don’t be.”

  And with those two words, she’d given him all the permission he needed. He grabbed her ass and pulled her toward him until her knees straddled his lap. Then he kissed her like he’d wanted to do since the moment he’d seen her in that ridiculously tiny dress. He’d used up all his gentleness for the evening. All he had left was the raw lust pulsating through his veins.