A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series (13 page)

"I'd like you all to meet Leiselle, my guest this evening."

His date flipped her long, sleek ponytail behind one shoulder and smiled, revealing large, professionally whitened, perfect teeth behind red, glossy lips.  Her hair was gathered at the crown of her head in a black lacquered clip from whence the ponytail sprang, à la Madonna.

"Hello," the giraffe said in a voice that oozed sex appeal.

She has no accent.  How can she be named Leiselle and not have an accent?

Robert pulled out a chair for his date, and she slid into her seat with a smooth grace.  Katrina tried to guess the girl's age as Kiki and Chuck introduced themselves.  For some reason, she hadn't thought about her boss bringing a date.  She should have known this would happen.  No doubt, Leiselle had sent the flowers with the note his first week at the office.  Kate wished she'd asked Barry to escort her to the Spring Fling.

Hello.  I'd like you all to meet Bernard Bothwell Bronson, my guest this evening
.  Somehow, that wouldn't compete with the leggy and glamorous Leiselle. 

Katrina didn't notice when the waiters brought the first course, poured wine, and an ensemble began playing classical music.  She jumped bolt upright when someone placed firm hands on her shoulders.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you.  I apologize for being late," James said as he pulled out his chair and eased into the seat.  "I'm Jim, by the way," he added, raising his hand in a wave, and smiling at the others at the table.

"You
certainly
are," Kiki said under her breath in a whisper that only Kate could hear.

Glad to see her brother, she threw an arm around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.  Then she drew back, beaming with relief that he'd arrived,
and
at her friend's comment.  She studied Jim's face as he dug into his salad and buttered a roll.  Something was different about her brother, which she hadn't noticed in the high desert.  A hardness left its mark on his features, and she didn't believe it was due to additional muscle weight.  Supremely handsome in his altered tuxedo, even Kate realized how attractive he'd become.  He'd allowed his golden locks to grow during his leave, and his hair had just started to show some waviness.  His bright blue eyes still had the clarity of a serious minded man, and his military bearing gave him a strong, masculine presence.  James tended to dominate those around him.

At last, realizing his sister scrutinized him, James decided to return the favor.  He popped the last half of his dinner roll in his mouth and chewed, looking her up and down.

"I'd have never guessed it, but you clean up well, Kate!"  Jim laughed, the life of the party. 

The others joined in, except for Robert.  She noticed that her boss showed no signs of amusement.  She felt her face heat with another blush and glanced down at the table, picking at her salad and hoping the group would move on to another topic.

James sensed her embarrassment, which normally wouldn't bother him, but remembering the pep talk he'd received from their dad, he decided to take it easy on his little sister.  He put his arm around her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You look great, Sugar," he admitted.

"Thank you," she whispered, keeping her attention on her plate.

The waiters soon switched salads for the main course, and the conversation at the table flowed between the rest of the group.  Kate kept quiet, an unfamiliar sadness growing inside her.  She worried about what caused the new granite glint in her brother's eye and the hard set of his jaw.  She thought she noticed frown lines taking hold at the corners of his mouth.  Leiselle's presence didn't help her mood, and she found herself comparing her own features to the other woman's.  When she next became aware of the conversation, Kiki asked Jim if he planned to make a career of the military.

"No, I'm thinking this may be my last tour of duty," he said.

"What are your plans after you complete your service?" she asked.

"I'm thinking of graduate school, but I really have no idea what specialty to pursue."

"Maybe you should consider Asian studies," Kiki responded in a sultry tone.

Katrina choked on a chicken chunk and had to spit it into her napkin.  Her brother took no notice of his sister's distress and instead flashed the Hawaiian a devilish grin.

"That sounds interesting," James said, cocking one eyebrow.

Kate thought there was something very James Bond-like about how her brother looked in his tuxedo, flirting with her best friend.  She'd never witnessed him quite like this, and she tried to watch without staring.

The waiters sprang into action again as plates were cleared and coffee served.  They brought dessert to the table, the ubiquitous slices of cheesecake topped with strawberry sauce.  Kate had no appetite.

At last, a DJ grabbed the microphone and announced something about getting a party started. 
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
blasted through the speakers as the guests filed out onto the dance floor.  

"Do you mind if I powder my nose, Baby?" Leiselle asked Robert.

"I need to powder mine too," James said with a twinkle in his eye and left the table.

Chuck went to get another drink, and the other couple at the table, clients, also departed.  The music segued into the slow song,
Hello
, as the DJ urged more people out onto the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance, K—" Robert began.

"She'd love to," Kiki interrupted her boss.  "This
is
one of her favorite songs!"

The receptionist shot her friend a look that said,
Don't argue
.

Katrina wasn't sure whom he intended to ask, but she allowed Robert to pull out her chair and guide her onto the floor.  His hair was slightly disheveled.  He had lost his jacket, loosened his tie, and looked completely devastating.  She noticed how his tan skin contrasted with his crisp white tuxedo shirt.  Katrina had to force her eyes from his Adam's apple and the hollow beneath.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, fumbling with where to place his hands.

At first he tried holding her hand with a bent elbow, square dance style, then he shifted to one arm around her waist and the other on her shoulder.  Tired of the awkwardness, she sighed and laced her fingers behind his neck, placing her cheek against his chest.  Her hands were finally close to that mop of hair she longed to run her fingers through, so she concentrated on keeping them still.

"Yes.  It's a lovely room, isn't it?" she said, uncomfortable.

"Uh huh, lovely," he said, his deep voice rumbling.

She felt him examine one of her earrings, grazing her neck and lobe with his fingers as he did so.  She had trouble thinking straight and worried she might faint if he kept that up.  Then, Robert slid one hand down her bare arm and rested it on her hip.  She was sure sparks flew from her body when she felt his calloused fingers moving on her skin.  He shifted his other hand to the opposite spot and held her firmly in place.  Kate felt the muscles across his chest go taut and tried to put more distance between them.  She didn't want him to feel her heart pounding.

"Won't someone be missing Baby?" she blurted out, jitters getting the best of her.

"What?"

Embarrassed, Katrina said, "
Leiselle
—won't she be upset to find you dancing with someone else?  I think it's ridiculous that she calls you
Baby
."

She flinched at the words that tumbled from her mouth.  It was all his fault.  He made her nervous, and she spilled things she shouldn't.  She drew in a breath, clamped her eyes shut, and immersed herself in his scent. 

Robert chuckled softly in her ear and transferred a hand to her bare back, pulling her close again.  The way he controlled her movements and swayed with her to the music made Katrina melt.  She became aware of his fingers toying with the strands of gossamer ribbons that trailed down her back before caressing the nape of her neck.  As the song continued, he slid his hand across her skin, drawing her against his chest. The heat from his touch branded the girl.  Kate kept her face hidden from him for fear of what it might reveal.  She could hear his heart pounding and felt her own pulse race as the muscles in his chest grew hard against her.

He whispered, "Powdering her nose takes a while.  There's a lot of maintenance involved there.  And I want to know, why do you think it strange for someone to call me
Baby
?" he teased.

"That's not a term I would associate with
you
," she said, trying to keep from melting into a pool at his feet.

"You know," he said between ragged breaths, "James didn't get it quite right when he said you looked great tonight.  I'd say you are exquisite."

Did she hear that right?  His embrace intensified when whispering into her ear, grazing her lobe with his lips.  How could she concentrate on his words when flames burst within her at his touch?  The song began to fade, and she wished the moment could last forever.

Footloose
booming over the speakers brought her back to reality.  She thought of the supermodel and Robert together.  Who was she kidding?  This man was not meant for her.

Katrina pulled away from her boss and walked back to the table, sensing he followed close behind.  She saw Jim scraping the last bite of cheesecake off Kiki's plate.  She guessed he'd eaten his own
and
hers before hitting up the receptionist.

"I like this song!  Who picked this great music anyway?  Let's dance!"  James exclaimed, grabbing Kiki's hand and rushing onto the floor. 

She watched her brother's moves. He knew how to cut the rug, at least to '80's music, and Kiki looked impressed.  Relieved he enjoyed himself, she watched as her friend threw her head back and laughed at her brother.  Katrina felt a gentle touch on her hand, and was shocked to see that Robert had taken the chair next to her.  Leiselle must still be in the ladies' room.

Her eyes locked with his.  The man gazed at her with an intense tenderness she'd not seen before, and she felt as though she'd never break free of those dark eyes.

"I know how difficult it is," he said with something like sympathy in his voice.

"What's difficult?" she asked, suspicion entering her brain.

"It's hard to watch the person you care about with someone else," he said, as if revealing something of himself, but Kate still had no idea what he meant.

He left his hand over hers and stroked her wrist with his thumb.  The length of his muscular forearm pressed against hers.

Her puzzled look must have registered, because he nodded towards the dance floor.  Katrina tore her eyes from him, beginning to worry where this might be headed.  She witnessed her brother whisper something in Kiki's ear and her friend pull away, an unfamiliar demure expression on the Hawaiian's face.  Kate glanced back at Robert.

"Are you talking about Kiki and James?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yes, I am," he said, his jaw tightening. 

She watched his expression grow hard as flint and the all too familiar clench of his square jaw.  He withdrew his hand and put some distance between them.  She thought she recognized anger glowing from his dark brown eyes.

"Robert, if I think highly enough of Kiki to consider her my best friend, I can certainly trust her with Jimmy!"

"What's going on?" Leiselle demanded, attempting to move between Robert and Katrina and sit on the man's lap.  The giraffe had returned.

"Not a thing," he replied, his voice flat.

He moved his chair over to make room for his date.

"Want to dance?" he asked the leggy bimbo.

"I'd love to, Baby."

Katrina watched as her boss ushered his date onto the dance floor.  The girl's short red dressed swished back and forth, barely covering her rear as
Caribbean Queen
got the crowd humming.  James and Kiki continued dancing and seemed quite cozy when
Keep On Lovin' You
played.  She had to be content with Chuck's company when he finally made it back to the table, drink in hand.

"Y—you know, K—Kate, I re—really like y—you."

"I know, Chuck," she responded with a gentle tone, feeling sorry for the manager and figuring he was too drunk to act on his feelings.

After many more songs, her brother wore himself out and returned with Kiki for a short break.

As Robert and Leiselle also reclaimed their seats, the receptionist asked, "Do you have a long drive home tonight, James?"

Katrina's brother gave Kiki his sexiest grin.

"No, I'm spending the night at Kate's.  I can stay out as long as I want and sleep in late."

"Let's go, Leiselle. I've had enough," Robert mumbled under his breath.

"Good night," she managed to say as her boss escorted his date from the table. 

"You want to grab brunch tomorrow?" James asked Kiki, ignoring the departing couple.

"I'd love to," the receptionist said with a demure smile and a flutter of her eyelashes.

In front of the hotel, Robert LaSalla paced up and down the sidewalk as he waited for his Range Rover.

"What's got you so riled up, Baby?" Leiselle said, reaching for his arm as he passed by her the third time.

"I guess I just don't understand women!" he exclaimed, his frustration spilling over.

"That hasn't been my experience," she said, squeezing his bicep with one hand as she traced a pattern across his chest with her fingers.

He ignored her comment and continued, "This girl who works for me gets her heart broken and her head messed up because some
boy
she thought she was going to marry cheated on her.  Now, the same thing is going on again, right in front of her eyes, and she refuses to see it!"

"Well, you know what they say—stupid women, stupid choices," his date said with a languid voice.  She added, "How do you know all these intimate details about someone you've only worked with for a short time, and why do you care?"

"I didn't just meet her," he said with disgust.  "We go way back.  Oh, forget I mentioned anything. It's not important!"  His deep voice quaked with agitation.