A Captivating Conundrum (24 page)

I handed her the glass "Thanks, hottie."

Beth pinched her eyes together with her fingers, as if the headache was already blazing like a wildfire inside her skull.

~ Hers ~

I love Nicole; I love her more than life. Years ago she took a chance on an unknown writer and saw something in me that no one else had. 

Strong, smart, Nicole fell in love with the world I'd created; she also had enough firepower and sheer will to make the publisher fall just as hard. When it comes to who I would thank for getting me to that 'Number One' spot, Nicole was it.

But,
now
?
Right now
? The one time I was going to throw caution to the wind with a man? All I could hope was that the reason was a damn good one. "What news?"

Her eyes began to sparkle across the table, and her hand came up and twirled a piece of black hair between her fingers. I knew that look.
No way!

"I'm in love." Nicole practically squealed.

Thankfully I had rethought the breadstick, or choking would have commenced immediately. "Excuse me?"

"In LOVE!"

My head was spinning. "With a guy?" 

She rolled her eyes. "No. With a cheetah."

I blinked a couple of times, wondering if I
had
somehow died on that breadstick and was right now having an odd dream while I flatlined. But as I looked over at the counter and saw Matt, I knew that I was still alive. Not even
my
brain could have come up with that man. 

"Does he speak German?" Matt mumbled.

I burst into laughter thinking about what type of man it would take to walk into the Commandant's world and sweep her off her feet.

Nicole's face was confused. "Why would he speak German?"

Tears were streaming down my face—whether from humor, regret, or a dream left unfulfilled—I had no idea. Probably a combination.

"His name is Kenneth Spalding the Sixth…that's V.I," she said, with a chuckle. Her tiny body was practically squirming in her seat.

"When did you meet this perfect specimen of maleness?"

"Yesterday." She sighed dreamily.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, Beth, it was perfect. I was coming out of the office to get my green tea, which the teenage moron waitress made WRONG." She turned in her chair and looked at Matt. "It was BLACK of all things. Can you believe the education system, nowadays? These kids know nothing!"

Matt nodded his head, as Nicole whipped back around. "Anyway, there he was getting out of a taxi and I practically fell off the curb."

I had to remain quiet. I was floored.

Her head was turning so fast—back and forth between me and Matt—that
The Exorcist
came to mind.

"Right off the curb and into his arms." She jumped in her seat as her attention came back to me full force. "And he has some serious guns on him, girl. I mean, this guy," she said, pointing to Matt, "is a stunner."

Matt smirked. "Thanks."

"BUT Ken—he is one of those huge football-player types…from DALLAS! A true southern gent who knows how to charm and treat a lady." 

I smiled as remnants of Nicole's own southern accent came rushing out. "Sounds like a perfect match."

Her face grew serious. "We went on a date last night and Beth…he's absolutely perfect. We have so much in common that I honestly feel like I've known him for years."

Unconsciously, I flicked my gaze at Matt who was now staring at me with something that looked like complete and utter understanding in his eyes.

Nicole's energy level rose even higher. "I didn't even notice that the restaurant was quiet until the owner came over and said that we had to leave or he was going to get in trouble with his pregnant wife for being out so late."

The squeal pierced my ears again, as Nicole continued, "I looked down at my watch and it was FOUR A.M.! Can you BELIEVE that? We had been at that table for ten hours and had never stopped talking. I mean…he's amazing, Beth. I want him to marry me."

I swear I swallowed my tongue. "You met him yesterday!"

"So?" She provided me with a vacant stare.

"So…aren't you the one who always tells me that you have to take your time to be sure and all that crap?"

Matt looked at me and smiled, apparently loving the fact that one of my own had been shown the light. He raised his shoulders and pursed his lips as if to say, "I told you so."

Nicole stole a piece of cheese from the plate beside her. "Absolutely. And I still believe that. But Ken, he's—he can't be placed in the same category, you know? With this guy, the rules do not apply."

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them—as per usual. "So why are you bothering me this fine evening instead of with Ken picking out china patterns?"

She rolled her eyes so high I thought they'd get stuck. "Because I need to talk to you. I need your advice."

This time I definitely swallowed my tongue. "My advice? Since when do you ever listen to me?"

"I've never been through this and YOU have. I need to know if I'm being an idiot, or…you know?"

A strange look crossed over Matt's eyes at her words, and I suddenly wondered what on earth she'd said.

~ His ~

I wanted to kick a table. I mean, I know that's ridiculous, but with Nicole's announcement I knew for sure that there had been a love in Beth's life, and all I wanted to do was find the guy's address and kill him. That is a juvenile thing to say, but there was something in me that'd really wanted to be the first one to capture this woman's heart.

Without thinking, I just began walking around them, trying not to jump when Nicole shouted words to annunciate her sentences. 

Going behind Beth, I reached down in front of her to grab her plate, and her hand grasped my wrist. As she leaned her head back into my chest, she stared up at me, offering me the perfect path to those stunning lips that I wanted so badly to taste. 

She offered me a soft look. "Sorry about this. The food was unforgettable, thank you."

I smiled back. "So was the company."

If the chair hadn't been between us as she stood up, I could've wrapped my arms around her and simply carried her up the stairs, leaving Nicole to gabber on. After all, with the rate she was speaking and the fact that she hadn't stopped yet to draw a breath, she probably wouldn't even notice Beth's absence for a while, giving me enough time to prove to this woman how  really 'nice' I wanted to be.

Beth took the plate from my hand. "There's no way the chef cleans up." Leaning in, she kissed my cheek, lingering there for a bit and making my pulse race so fast I started to wobble on my well-balanced dancer's legs.

From behind us came, "BETH, what do you THINK?"

She closed her eyes and headed toward the sink. Another moment gone.

"Maybe I
should
go to church," I mumbled.

Beth sent a laugh over her shoulder as she began cleaning up from our 'almost' romantic dinner.

Taking the chair she vacated, I watched her. I shook my head. There was no perfect girl with long black hair…this was perfect.

Nicole rattled on across from me. "He's VERY tall. He's also very chiseled, like YOU!" She smiled. "But he's very dark—shiny black hair and dark black eyes."

"Dark black?" I teased the woman who was most definitely showing all the signs of being completely head-over-heels.

Hitting the back of my hand, Nicole laughed. "You KNOW what I mean. And the lips…Wow!"

"I have a feeling Matt doesn't want a run down on your love life, Nic," Beth said, from around the corner.

"He's in the education field."

Beth poked her head back in the room. "You're in love with a mild-mannered Texas teacher?"

"Well," she replied, with a wink. "He actually owns the school. He owns lots of schools and lots of property. I wouldn't say he was mild-mannered, but he oozes that true charm. All us southerners have that gift, you know."

I laughed. "Only you?"

She immediately reached out and grabbed my hand. "Oh, I'm sure you California boys have some, too."

Suddenly Nicole pivoted in the chair, taking my hand with hers and practically throwing me to the floor. "You need to teach me how to cook!"

Beth's eyes grew wide. "You? Cook?"

Nicole let loose a frustrated sigh. "Yes, ME. He's a Texan—they eat big, you know. Besides, this house always smells terrific."

"Matthew made dinner."

She twirled back around as if her teacup ride was still in full swing. "YOU can teach me."

The vision arose of me in a kitchen, surrounded by sharp knives and this woman's extremely sudden movements. "I don't really know all that much."

"SURE you do!" 

I could hear Beth let out a huge laugh. 

"Ugh. Men!" The agent sent a blazing look at her top author. "At least teach me how to bake. They always say desert is the best way to a man's heart." Nicole reached over and patted my chest. "Of course, with abs like yours you probably don't fit into that category."

She twirled again. "Come ON, Beth!"

The squealing seemed to be getting way too much for my beautiful dinner companion, as she marched back into the dining room. "Okay. Relax." Beth sighed. "I'm making cookies for Chris tomorrow and you can help."

"YAY!" Nicole jumped up and ran to the bag she'd left sitting by the door. "Oh! And he SMELLS so good, Beth. He wears
Polo
."

I watched Beth's nose wrinkle a bit and tried not to laugh.

Nicole whirled around to face me. "What do you wear? You smell great! Very clean."

I laughed. "Nothing. Just soap."

Turning to Beth, her voice took on a somewhat teasing tone. "What is it you like, again? The clean type, right?"

Beth sighed. "My favorite happens to be
Aramis
, but just a dot behind the ear. I don't like the overpowering crap." She sent me a wink from across the room. "Keeping it clean is always way hotter."

Nicole raised an eyebrow at the small exchange, but went straight back to her 'Ode to Ken.' "I also went shopping and have some seriously interesting negligees I want to show you. I even picked one up for YOU."

Without warning, I was suddenly staring at the most beautiful emerald gown I'd ever seen. Slits up both sides, a barely-there back… Nicole held it up to the kitchen light and everything that is 'male' exploded inside me. 

Holding it up to Beth's curvaceous figure, Nicole kept right on talking, gifting me with a preview of what the stunning woman would like in the gown. If a fire had been lit behind my chair at that moment I wouldn't have known. The auburn waves would flow over the silk material that would cling to every part of Beth. I licked my lips; the only downside for the lovely garment was that it would have about a two second shelf-life before I tore it to pieces. I swallowed, trying to shake the image from my mind.

Beth's glance caught mine and she immediately tossed the gown back into Nicole's bag. "Take this stuff upstairs. This isn't appropriate."