Music blaring from the front of the house and the din of robust conversation left no doubt where they needed to go. Mackenzie started up the steps of Angie’s back deck first, but she stopped when Alec suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
For a second, Mackenzie thought he had one of those gag-type buzzers in the palm of his hand. At least that’s how it felt when a strong vibration suddenly pulsed through her body.
“Thanks,” he said, seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on her. “For letting me tag along, I mean. I owe you one.”
“No problem,” Mackenzie lied, easing her hand out of his grip and wondering exactly how long her hand would stay paralyzed merely from his touch.
“You just stick to your promise,” she added as she started back up the steps on rather shaky legs. “Inconspicuous, remember? Just like a fly on the wall.”
“Just like a fly on the wall,” Alec repeated, but when Mackenzie looked back over her shoulder, the twinkle in his dark blue eyes reminded her exactly what a pesky little insect a fly could actually be.
They walked along the side portion of Angie’s wraparound deck to the front of the house that faced the ocean. The front deck was one of those multilevel types that meandered out onto the sand, expanding Angie’s outdoor entertainment space. A group of at least forty people were scattered here and there, some in pairs, some in small groups, some just standing off by themselves staring at the white-capped waves or canvassing the crowd. Mackenzie scanned the crowd herself, and it only took a second to find the attorney she had come there to meet. He was taller than average, blond, broad shoulders, nice build, straight teeth. Extremely attractive, actually, she decided. His face broke out in a wide grin when he looked up and saw her. Mackenzie smiled back.
“Shoo fly,” Mackenzie told Alec, who was still hovering at her elbow. “Go mingle. Go take a swim. Just go!”
Alec followed her gaze toward the attorney who had started walking in their direction, but he didn’t move an inch. Suddenly, Alec’s hand shot forward. “John Stanley!”
“Well, Alec Southerland, you old dog,” John said, pumping Alec’s hand. “What are you doing here in Charleston? The last I heard you were out in Los Angeles.”
Mackenzie looked from one man to the other as Alec grinned back. “Oh, you know me, John. I never let too much grass grow under my feet. When United made me an attractive offer, I just couldn’t turn it down.”
“Well, I bet moving back to the sunny South sure made your folks happy,” John said, then turned to Mackenzie. “Alec and I both grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and went to high school together,” he offered in the way of an explanation. “How do the two of you know each other?”
“We’re neighbors,” Alec piped in before Mackenzie had a chance to say a word. “In fact, Mackenzie has seen quite a lot of me lately, haven’t you Mackenzie?”
The double meaning of his statement made Mackenzie blush. She reserved her drop-dead look for Alec, then smiled sweetly up at John and said, “I assure you, John, what I’ve seen of Alec lately is nothing worth mentioning.”
Take that, mister! she thought triumphantly, but Alec never missed a beat when he asked, “And what about the two of you? How do you and Mackenzie know each other, John?”
John opened his mouth to comment, but Mackenzie jumped in first this time. “I personally like to think that Fate brought us together, don’t you, John?” she asked sweetly, then gave John her most dazzling smile before she purposely took his arm and began leading him away from the fly who was going to be splattered against the wall if he didn’t leave her alone.
“Enjoy yourself, Alec,” Mackenzie called back over her shoulder as she and John headed to the far side of the deck. “Your hostess is playing bartender. Go introduce yourself.”
ALEC WATCHED THE HAPPY couple walk away, hoping it didn’t show that he was seething inside. But he was. He still couldn’t believe it, but of all the people in the world to find himself up against, it would have to be his old high school rival, John Stanley.
The same guy, by the way, who had been Alec’s competition for his teenage crush, Anne.
It had been eons since he and John had matched wits for the hand of sweet Anne, but it didn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that Anne had only been a silly high school infatuation. He was being childish, and Alec knew it, but that didn’t matter either. Because there is always one person in everybody’s life who manages to get under your skin just enough to be annoying.
And John Stanley had always been that person for Alec.
He watched Mackenzie laugh at something John was saying, trying to be rational about the situation. So maybe it was ridiculous to let that old jock versus geek mentality from his high school days haunt him now. But he and John Stanley had had a long, drawn-out school boy rivalry. In junior high Alec had been captain of the junior varsity football team while John was president of the student council. Then in high school, Alec had been voted all-American halfback and John Mr. Most Likely To Succeed. After college Alec had gone straight into the air force to earn his wings while John was off to Harvard to earn his law degree.
And now it looked like Alec wasn’t going to get a second look while Fate stepped in and happily brought John and Mackenzie together.
Like hell! Alec decided at about the same time someone yelled out from the crowd, “Hey, Angie. What’s this mystery drink you’re serving called?”
Alec glanced at the attractive blonde who was happily serving drinks at a makeshift bar set up on the far corner of the deck. She had a dynamite figure, he would give her that, and a perfect tan that was concealed only by two tiny swatches of purple material that barely covered her most private parts.
“What you’re drinking now is skip and go naked,” his hostess yelled back. “And when you’re through with that, come on over here and try a little sex on the beach.”
Everybody laughed.
Except Alec.
Instead, he glanced again at his old pal John, wondering how Mackenzie could possibly look so interested in anything the bore had to say.
She wants interesting? Fine. I’ll show her interesting, Alec decided, then yelled across the deck, “Hey, I could use a little sex on the beach.”
“Then come on up here and see me, big boy,” his hostess teased back, doing a better than average Mae West impersonation.
Everybody laughed.
Except Mackenzie, Alec noticed with satisfaction.
Watch this, he thought to himself, then walked directly toward the bar and the blonde with his best let-me-rock-your-world smile plastered on his face.
“IT’S REALLY A VERY interesting case,” John had just finished saying when Alec made his bold announcement to the crowd about his current frame of mind.
Give me a flyswatter. Now! Mackenzie thought when Alec strolled right past her.
“Yes, I hate to say it, but corporate America has really gotten out of hand these days,” John continued, oblivious to the fact that Mackenzie really wasn’t paying attention. “Take my client, for instance. This guy had worked for the same company for twenty-two years. He always received top marks at his annual review. He even made his sales quota during extremely difficult times when the economy was down and most of the guys half his age didn’t even come close.”
“Uh-huh,” Mackenzie said, trying to concentrate on what John was saying and keep tabs on Alec at the same time.
“And how does his company reward him for twenty-two years of faithful service?”
Mackenzie missed the question when she noticed Angie’s eyes widen in full appreciation the second Alec stepped up to the bar. Down, she mentally told the green-eyed monster as it reared its ugly head, but she could almost smell the smoke blazing from its dragonlike mouth when Angie tossed her hair playfully and said something, probably lewd, that made Alec throw back his head and laugh.
“I’ll tell you how they rewarded him,” John said when Mackenzie failed to answer. “They flew him all the way to their c
orporate offices in Boston to inform him that he had to accept an early retirement package so they could give his territory to a younger, less qualified man. Can you believe that?”
“No. No, I can’t,” Mackenzie managed, but her eyes wandered back to her best friend and her neighbor who had suddenly left the deck and stepped inside the house.
So? What do I care if they disappear together? Mackenzie asked herself as visions danced through her mind of them ripping off their clothing so they could have wanton sex on that fluffy, white faux-fur rug stretched out in front of Angie’s fireplace, the one Angie insisted was worth every cent of the four thousand dollars she paid for it.
Delete that thought! Mackenzie leaned up against the banister of the deck to steady herself.
Or maybe they’d go to Angie’s kitchen, pushing everything off the counter to make room for the lust they simply couldn’t deny. Glasses would explode as they crashed to the floor. Pots and pans would clang and clatter as they bounced across the room….
Delete! Delete! Delete!
“So, by the time the guy finally wanders into my office, the poor man is a virtual basket case,” John said, shaking his head sadly.
Exactly like I am now, Mackenzie thought, but her sanity was thankfully restored when Alec suddenly appeared back on the deck.
He’d been gone no longer than five minutes tops, Mackenzie decided, allowing herself to breathe a silent sigh of relief. After all, even the fabulous Alec Southerland would surely need more than five minutes to perform either of those sexual fantasies that had driven her close to madness.
BACK OUT ON THE DECK, Alec glanced around the crowd, pretending not to notice the cozy couple at the far end of the deck and reminding himself that his current agitation was his own fault. Didn’t Mackenzie tell him up front that she already had a date for this party? Yep, she definitely did. Alec just hadn’t expected to be up against such a formidable opponent.
And John Stanley was a fierce competitor, Alec would give him that much. John was also an overall nice guy, though Alec found no comfort in admitting it. Especially since he suspected Mackenzie had already come to the same conclusion herself.
Of course, he could always take advantage of his past association with John and saunter over to bust up their intimate little conversation. Talking over old times with John would be good for at least thirty minutes, possibly even an hour if he pushed it. If he wanted to play dirty, that is, which Alec didn’t. No, Mackenzie was sure to see right through that ploy. Not to mention the fact that it would only make him look like the jerk his lovely neighbor obviously already thought he was.
No, if he wanted to get Mackenzie’s attention in a positive way, Alec knew he would simply have to tough it out and….
“Hey, look alive, partner,” a rather fit-looking dude with a military haircut suddenly called out to John. He sprinted down the steps to the volleyball net that was strung out directly below Angie’s deck. “Let’s show these sissies a thing or two,” he said, tossing a volleyball above his head, then catching it. “In fact, right here, right now, the law firm of Stanley and Jameson is willing to purchase an individual case of the beer for every man on the first team able to beat us at our own game.”
Alec immediately looked at John.
John looked back with a level stare.
“What about it, Southerland?” John challenged before Alec had the chance. “I’ve kept in shape since our high school days. How about you?”
Mackenzie’s tense look from one man to the other made Alec smile.
Some things never change, Alec thought with glee, and trying to conceal the fire in his eye he quickly called back, “Sounds like a worthy challenge to me, Stanley. Just remember you asked for it.”
His old rival quickly pushed off from the banister he’d been leaning against, then handed Mackenzie what was left of his drink. “This shouldn’t take long,” Alec heard him say with confidence.
You’re right about that, Alec thought with a grin. They’ll be calling the rescue squad to carry your fuzzy butt out of here in about another thirty minutes.
Like magic, a group of guys lined up behind Alec on one side of the net. Another group fell in behind John and his overconfident partner. John took the ball from his partner and purposely tossed it over the net to Alec.
“Ladies first,” John teased, getting a good laugh from the crowd that had gathered on the deck to watch the game.
“Let the games begin,” someone yelled from the deck up above and Alec threw the ball into the air for the serve, then smacked it with such force it almost took his old buddy’s head off as it whizzed over the net.
“Does the firm of Stanley and Jameson want to make that two cases of beer?” Alec called out, getting a good laugh of his own from the eager spectators on the deck.
Everyone except Mackenzie, that is.
Alec could see her out of the corner of his eye. She was standing where John had left her, glaring in his direction. Alec could definitely feel the weight of her stare as he threw the ball into the air for serve number two. Like the first one, Alec left too much spin on the ball for anyone to successfully return it. This time, he purposely sent Mackenzie a wink that only made her roll her eyes, but God, how he did love the thrill of a good game.
The remainder of his serves were just as effective as the first two, but by the time Alec turned the ball over to one of his teammates he had already worked up a pretty good sweat. Grabbing the collar of his polo shirt, he pulled it up and over his head, then tossed it aside, prompting several appreciative female onlookers to clap and cheer.
Mackenzie, of course, wasn’t one of them.
He even got a few whistles when he flexed his muscles a bit, trying to loosen himself up for the battle at hand.
And yes, maybe he was showing off a bit.
But so what?
Despite Mackenzie’s pithy little remark about having seen him naked being nothing worthy mentioning, John had been responsible for unleashing that old Neanderthal type of reasoning when he challenged Alec to the game.
Alec’s need to prove himself had him by the throat now, and it wasn’t about to let go anytime soon. At least, not until someone won the game and was crowned the victor.
Of course, Alec intended for that someone to be him.
And then?
Well, for starters, he would have earned the privilege of strutting back up to the deck the winner, right? And like those ancient caveman cousins who had passed down a man’s occasional need to prove his own brute strength, the outcome should be fairly simple.
Right?
Me man. You woman. I won. Now, come home with me.
“HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THIS game go on?”
Mackenzie glanced at Angie who had suddenly appeared at her elbow. “Not long, I hope. Poor John looks like he’s about to have a stroke.”
“He probably will if Alec doesn’t kill him first,” Angie said. As if on cue, several people gasped as one of Alec’s deadly serves grazed John’s left ear.
“It never ceases to amaze me that something as simple as a game can turn grown men into a group of competitive schoolboys,” Mackenzie grumbled, then toyed with the ice in her cup for a moment before she added, “Of course, letting Alec talk me into bringing him here was my first mistake. Not that the two of you didn’t hit it off from the get-go.”
Angie jerked her head around at her best friend’s chilly tone. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, please,” Mackenzie scoffed. “People five miles down the beach could have heard him laughing. What did you say to him, anyway?”
Angie grinned. “Well, when he walked over and introduced himself, I told him we weren’t as liberated as you guys were at the Colony. I told him he’d have to wear his trunks if he decided to take a swim here.”
Mackenzie almost choked on the ice she’d been chomping. “Angie! Can’t you ever keep a secret? The last thing I wanted was for Alec to know I’d even repeated what happened last night.”
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Angie shrugged. “So sue me. Besides, it’s obvious you two have the major hots for each other. You practically need a chainsaw to cut through the tension between you.”
“Bull,” Mackenzie argued, shaking her head in protest. “I came out here today to see John. Remember?”
“And?” Angie probed.
Mackenzie sighed, then moved her hand back and forth in a so-so motion. She then stared down at Alec who had just made another spectacular save that had the whole deck cheering again.
“Well,” Angie said as she watched the last seconds of the heated game. “Maybe it’s better you aren’t exactly smitten with your attorney.”
“And why do you say that?”
“Because it looks like your pilot just killed off the competition.”
“That’s what he thinks,” Mackenzie vowed, then walked over and grabbed her towel from her beach bag and hurried down the steps.
Purposely looking past Alec who was walking in her direction with the rest of his team, Mackenzie waited for John, then promptly handed over her towel.
“Thanks,” John said, wiping the perspiration from his face.
“You guys played a great game,” Mackenzie said loud enough for prying ears to hear. “I’ve always been a sucker for the loser, myself.”
“Well, we certainly fit that bill,” John said and handed back her towel.
John then slung his arm casually around her shoulder, and though Mackenzie was startled by his sudden familiarity, she didn’t pull away. Partly because she was afraid John actually needed her help getting up the steps. But mainly because her little fly was currently less than two feet away and watching every move she made.
“Good game, John,” Alec said, holding out his hand when they reached Alec’s side.
John shook Alec’s hand, but Alec looked directly at Mackenzie when he smiled and said, “And thanks for being so thoughtful and bringing us a towel, Mackenzie. We appreciate it, don’t we, John?”
Mackenzie’s look spoke volumes. She held firmly to her towel, forcing Alec to practically tear it from her grasp. And she didn’t find it the least bit amusing when he did more than just blot the sweat from his face.
Driven to Distraction & Winging It Page 19
