Dating A Cougar (4 page)

Jenny looked at her with huge eyes, and Alexa winced. She sighed and reached for Jenna’s hand. “It was an observation honey, not a suggestion to take a strange man to bed.”

Of all the people who thought poorly of her dating habits, her own daughter was the worst critic. But Alexa would never have let a man she dated make her feel as bad as Jenna felt because of Seth’s lack of response.

“Let me rephrase my comments,” Alexa said, having had a lot of practice soothing her daughter’s ego. “I admire your sincere affection and longing for Seth. He’s damn lucky you came to see us instead of picking up the first great looking guy you saw. If Seth Carter is worth the emotional investment, he’s yet to prove it to you. Most men would never have turned a sexy woman away. If you don’t believe me, ask Lauren and Regina.”

Jenna looked at Lauren.

Lauren squirmed, then sighed. “Your mother is right. Most men would never have turned you away, not in a killer dress and those heels. The message you’re sending is loud and clear.”

Jenna swung to Regina. “So am I being a doormat? Am I letting Seth make me feel bad for no reason?”

Regina hesitated, but as usual opted for honesty over diplomacy.

“Yes.” Regina agreed. “It’s probably because you love him.”

“That’s just great,” Jenna pronounced, leaning down and banging her forehead on the table. “I am an idiot then.”

Alexa and Lauren looked across Jenna’s bent head to Regina. Regina tugged at her Rolex and pulled herself reluctantly into Dr. Logan mode.

“Jenna, listen. Seth may have reasons for rejecting your advances,” she softened her tone, “reasons that make sense only to him. You should consider dating other men. It might at least help you decide if Seth is worth the risk of more rejection.”

Jenna’s forehead was still pressed to the table, so Regina leaned over and touched Jenna’s hand to make sure she was hearing.

“If you keep repeating this specific rejection pattern with this particular man, you put yourself at risk of believing the problem is yours alone. Seth may be passive-aggressive about it, but he is rejecting you, not the other way around. You wouldn’t even be here if he had reacted the way you had a right to expect.”

Jenna raised her head and sighed in defeat. Alexa saw the decision in her eyes before she spoke, and she hurt for her daughter.

“No matter how much I care about Seth, I refuse to spend my time wanting a man who’s never going to want me back the same way,” Jenna reached out, linked her hand with Alexa’s and squeezed hard. “One Ranger woman already did that. I’m not repeating the same mistake.”

Alexa brought Jenna’s hand to her lips and kissed it in support. She was grateful there was at least some understanding between them. She was also grateful she’d always opted to tell Jenna the truth, even about her father.

“Okay—to hell with feeling sorry for myself. I’m so done with that,” Jenna said firmly.

She stood and lifted her chin as she smoothed the dress down.

“I love you all,” Jenna told them, her gaze scanning the table. “Thanks for letting me vent. I need to go home, change clothes, and try to forget about tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow, Mama. Is Daddy coming this weekend?”

“I left the invitation open. I’ll call you when I hear for sure.”

Alexa watched her daughter walk out, not acknowledging the men who looked longingly in her direction.

“Men,” Alexa spat the word like oath. “Life is so much less complicated when you don’t want one.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Lauren said, lifting her mineral water.

“Well, I’m not drinking to such foolishness,” Regina informed them. “And since when have you given up on men, Alexa? I consider you the ultimate optimist for trying so many for so long to find the right one.”

“Very funny, Dr. Logan,” Alexa said. “For your information, I haven’t seriously dated a man in a couple of years.”

Alexa paused for dramatic effect, sipping her now meager glass of red wine, thanks to Jenna.

“But it doesn’t mean I’ve given up sex.” Alexa winked at Lauren, who grinned back.

Regina saluted Alexa with the rest of her drink, and polished it off.

“Thank God for that at least. It’s
use it or lose it
after menopause starts, honey.”

*** *** ***

Behind them, Casey sat in silence trying to absorb all he had heard. First, a big one for him was Alexa was fifty instead of forty-five, which made the age gap between them even wider than he had thought. He would have to think about whether or not it bothered him. Certainly, knowledge of their exact age difference didn’t stop him from wondering if Alexa would heed her friend’s advice to
use it or lose it.

Since the idea of Alexa using it with another man bothered the hell out of him, Casey supposed his reaction likely answered his question.

And just who was the red-haired woman talking so much about sex anyway? They called her Dr. Logan. Casey made a mental note to look her up online. She was the one scanning the room for men earlier. The other woman, a polished blonde, seemed to not like men at all.

The entire conversation made Casey wonder just what kind of woman Alexa Ranger was. Not that Casey was a prude or anything, he just preferred a woman with at least some modesty.

Okay, so maybe he was used to having more experience than the women he’d been involved with sexually. He had been his wife’s second lover and last one. The thought still pleased him. That didn’t make him sexist, did it?

He didn’t even want to contemplate how many lovers Alexa had had looking like she did. It was one more thing he would have to think about before getting involved with her.

Still, the worst bit of news to ponder was if something was seriously wrong with Seth. Did he really send Jenna Ranger away tonight? Holy shit if he did, Casey thought, swearing silently as he refused to believe it.

Casey would bet his entire military pension Seth was not gay. The boy had not slept around indiscriminately as a teenager, but Casey had bought him box after box of condoms when there had been a woman in his life.

Seth was not gay—incredibly stupid, definitely—but not gay.

Eavesdropping had seemed like a good idea to Casey when he’d moved around the bar. Now the only part of the conversation Casey was glad he’d heard was Alexa Ranger wasn’t currently dating anyone.

Chapter 3

Just a few more months was all he needed, Seth thought. The import and export business Seth started two years ago was taking off at last. Soon he would have to hire an assistant to help him keep up with it. After that, he could finally slow down and enjoy what he had accomplished. He could also pursue his relationship with Jenna without constantly being interrupted by work problems.

Seth tapped his phone and ordered flowers to be sent to her home along with an apology. Tomorrow he’d call in person and apologize again. Seth was becoming well practiced at saying “I’m sorry. I’m a jerk. I’m crazy about you, so you have to forgive me.”

Normally, Jenna didn’t hold a grudge, though Seth expected this time it might take longer. Before, she had at least complained about being ignored. This time Jenna had just left without saying anything. Silence was never good.

After finishing his apology note, Seth pressed send on his phone just before Casey came through the door. The look on Casey’s face instantly propelled Seth back to being a teenager again.

Casey glared at Seth. “What is your problem? Are you gay?” he demanded.

The question was so unexpected Seth dropped down on the couch and laughed. “Are you drunk on two beers? I’d be mad, but I can’t believe you’d ask such a stupid question. Have you seen Jenna? You know, the incredibly hot woman I’m dating?”

“Yes, I saw Jenna. In fact, I saw a lot of Jenna, and so did thirty other horny guys in Eddy’s bar when she bent over a table to hug her mother,” Casey informed him.

Seth opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it again and put his hands over his eyes.

“Did you really send Jenna away tonight?” Casey asked, his brain still not able to wrap itself around the thought. “
In that dress?
”

“No! I did not send Jenna away,” Seth protested. “I got a phone call from Japan I’d been waiting for all evening. Jenna must have left while I was talking. When I finished the call, she was just—
gone
.” Seth ran nervous hand through his hair. “It’s okay. I sent flowers and an apology note. Tomorrow I’ll call her. This will be okay. It’s happened before.”

Casey swore viciously and glared at Seth.

“Yeah, I heard all about how it wasn’t the first time when Jenna was complaining about it to her mother and friends,” Casey threw up his hands. “Do you have any idea how much trouble she went through to try and seduce you?”

Seth closed his eyes. “
I know.
I messed up—badly. I sent flowers,” he said quietly. “This will be okay.”

“I don’t think flowers are going to make up for Jenna sleeping alone tonight when she so obviously had other plans. You better hope she’s as much in love with you as you are with her. Otherwise, she’s going to be looking for a man without a cell phone,” Casey said, taking off his coat and hat.

“You know, I’m trying like hell to put my expensive Harvard education to good use by getting my business going. Now all the work is finally paying off, ” Seth insisted. “I just need a couple more months, and then I can have a different kind of life.”

“I hope you get lucky then,” Casey said, “because you sure as hell aren’t being very smart about Jenna. If you don’t have time for her, cut the woman loose.”

Seth watched as Casey walked off mumbling about dresses and stupidity, leaving him digging in a side table for the pills Seth took to settle his stomach.

Seth refused to think tonight was the disaster his cousin seemed to think it was. He was in love with Jenna, had been in love with her since the first time he saw her.

There was no choice except to believe things would work out. If not easily, well he’d just see to it they did anyway. Seth was very good at making things work out.

*** *** ***

A couple weeks later, Casey stood outside the building where he knew Alexa Ranger worked. He had accused Seth of being dumb about Jenna, when Casey was being just as dumb about his attraction to her mother. When a woman was on a man’s mind as much as Alexa was on his, it was time to do something about it. Or at least, it was time to explore it and see if it was worth doing something about or not.

The doorman of the building opened the door and nodded respectfully as Casey walked into the lobby. Casey could literally feel the man’s curiosity and concern about the limp.

“Morning, sir,” the doorman said with a smile, holding the door for Casey. “Let me get the door for you.”

“Thanks,” Casey said, noting the man’s concerned gaze dropping to the cane.

“I’m good—just a military injury,” Casey said with a shrug, before smiling and walking on. “Cane beats a chair any day.”

“Indeed it does, sir,” the doorman answered with a respectful nod. “Thank you for your service to our country.”

“You’re welcome,” Casey replied, nodding respectfully in return.

At the elevator, he scanned the building key looking for Alexa’s business. Casey called the elevator and moments later was standing in the middle of the most chaos he had ever seen. A giant sliding door off the lobby was opened, revealing what looked like it should have been an impressive art gallery, but was instead filled with several nearly naked women standing around in nothing but underwear.

After almost two years with no woman in his life, the sight of so many scantily clad ones had Casey momentarily frozen where he stood. A multitude of pleasing female faces looked up at him briefly. One or two smiled and finger waved, causing Casey to grin, but eventually all of them went back to their tasks, which seem to include all of them talking at once.

Casey shook his head. There was a time not too long ago when his presence would have earned more than just a brief glance. One of them might have broken away to come speak to him, at least until Susan chased her away. Maybe the cane was slowing him down a bit. Until recently, he hadn’t given much thought to what women might think about it, or him. He wondered how Alexa would react to it.

“Can I help you?” a distinctly masculine voice asked from behind him.

Casey turned a little too quickly and stumbled sideways into the tall, incredibly handsome man belonging to the voice.

“Damn,” Casey said stumbling a little. “Sorry about that.”

“Easy,” the man said, righting Casey and making sure he was stable before letting go. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Let’s not add to your military injury.”

Casey looked surprised at the guess, but the man just merely smiled. “Military? Did the doorman call you or is it tattooed on me somewhere? I thought they removed the label before I left,” he said.

“It’s the haircut—direct give-a-way, and you carry yourself like a solider. Judging by the haircut,” the man said, his gaze inspecting Casey’s head with a serious perusal. “I would guess you were in the Marines.”

“Good guess,” Casey said, surprised again.

The man just smiled and shrugged. “I’ve dated a few.”

Dated a few. Of course, Casey thought, instantly grinning. It made sense to Casey that only a gay guy could work sanely around all those scantily clad women every day.

“Forgive me, I’m being rude,” the man said, reaching his hand out to Casey, “Sydney Banes—Alexa Ranger’s assistant. What can I do for you today?”

“Casey Carter,” he said in return, shaking automatically. “I’m here to see Alexa, hopefully.”

Casey paused. He hadn’t practiced well enough what to say, so he simply decided to lie. “Actually, she’s not expecting me. I was in the neighborhood and thought I might surprise her with a visit.”

Sydney narrowed his eyes as he noticed the slight flush accompanying the smooth lie. Granted, it had been a couple of years since a man had been a problem around the office, but Sydney still recognized the signs of interest. The hopeful expression and the dreamy look was unmistakable.

Though he’d never known Alexa to date a military man, Casey Carter was at least younger than her usual stuffed-shirt yuppies. Sydney guessed Carter’s age to be somewhere between thirty-five and forty. Maybe Alexa was taking his advice after all.

Whatever the case, his gut instinct was to let Carter in see her. Sydney rarely went against his instincts.

“I apologize for the chaos, Mr. Carter. We’re prepping for a buyer show this weekend. Alexa is hiding in her office. Let’s walk back and see if she has a few minutes,” Sydney said, motioning to a long hallway with his hand.

*** *** ***

Alexa stood at the biggest window in her office, staring out into the street while counting her many blessings. She had a business she loved, some really great friends, and a wonderful—if odd—family. If only Jenna could find a way to be happy, her life would pretty much be complete.

But what about you, a voice inside her asked? What about sex? Love? You deserve those too.

Sure, she did, but then so did everyone. Life didn’t always work the way you wanted. She was content, which was more than many people could say at her age, she thought, scolding her inner voice for stirring up trouble where there was none.

Sydney called her name as he knocked and opened the door. “Alexa? I brought someone by to see you. He said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

Alexa saw Casey Carter come through the door behind Sydney. She saw the cane and how good he looked at the same time.

“Casey?” Alexa was almost shocked speechless. “This is a surprise.”

Casey walked into her office slowly. “Sorry to barge in on a business day. I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to talk to you about something if you have the time.”

Alexa motioned with her hand to one of two brightly patterned chairs in front of her desk.

“Sure. I can take a few minutes. Sit—please. Sydney, will you tell Angela I’ll be a little late? She can start the meeting without me.”

Sydney nodded and closed the door with a decisive click as he left.

Casey sat, relieved to rest his leg and hip. He would have to take a taxi back. Walking six blocks had not been a good idea today. In his determination to come see Alexa, he had all but forgotten some days were a lot better than others.

“I don’t mean to keep you from work,” he told Alexa sincerely. “I just didn’t know how else to get in touch with you.”

Alexa waved his apology away and walked from the window to sit at her desk.

“I love a surprise now and again.” Turning in Casey’s direction, Alexa locked her gaze with his and smiled fully. “What can I do for you?”

Casey’s mind easily drew a picture, even when he could do nothing more than stare. Alexa Ranger was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.

She also seemed to want to pretend she hadn’t felt the instant lust between them last month. Her smile held nothing remotely hinting of the shared moment.

“I like your office,” he said, stalling. “The doorman is very nice.”

“Eric? Yes, Eric has been here a long time,” she replied.

Alexa watched Casey caressing the end of his cane while he searched for what he wanted to say next. She liked his hands. They were big and looked strong.

They are strong. You remember—stop pretending you’re not interested.

Giving in to the voice at last
,
Alexa let herself imagine how wonderful they might feel on other parts of her. A harmless fantasy, she assured herself, refusing to feel more guilty. She’d felt guilty enough about her reaction to shaking his hand.

“So do you lease your space?” Casey asked.

“Actually, my company owns the building. We lease out the first and fourth floors. I was already settled on the second floor when the sale went through. I was too lazy to reorganize,” Alexa said with a laugh.

Casey mentally searched for another safe topic of conversation while he pondered the wisdom of telling Alexa why he’d really stopped by her office. Despite his attraction to her, she was a lot more intimidating in her office than she had been in Seth’s condo. Her rock steady composure made him wonder if he’d imagined her response to him.

“How’s Jenna doing since the break-up?” Casey asked. “I think Seth’s hoping she’ll eventually forgive him. Of course, he still needs to learn how to appreciate a sexy, intelligent woman who’s crazy about him,” Casey said.

“True enough. Maybe you could give him lessons,” Alexa teased, the provocative statement sliding off her tongue like it had been waiting years to be said to this man.

Alexa held Casey’s gaze, pleased with the interest in his eyes, not so pleased with the confused expression on his face.

Bad girl, Alexa, she told herself. Don’t make things worse by flirting with him.

“Lessons? What kind of lessons?” Casey asked frowning and wondering if daily exposure to Alexa would grant him immunity to her smile and the sexy dare in her gaze.

When he noticed the corners of her mouth tilted in a smirk, Casey decided he’d like nothing better than to kiss the amusement right off her beautiful face. Maybe then he’d stop being so intimidated. It also might make her think twice about teasing him.

Alexa gave Casey points for not swearing or yelling at her yet because he looked capable of both. She laughed softly when he just kept frowning.

“You heard me, Carter,” Alexa demanded in her most commanding business tone, trying not to laugh loudly and failing miserably. “I want to know—do you know how to treat a sexy, intelligent woman right or not?”