Boyfriend for Hire (6 page)

Hmm, didn’t see that coming
. Either way, it didn’t discourage Stacy, whose gaze slid down David’s body in a slow and what she probably hoped passed as sensual inspection. Tawny called it something else altogether.

“They’re setting up lunch. It’s buffet, and with this crowd, I’d suggest you get in line right away. Not all the games are for the kids, either. How’s your skill with the three-legged race?” Stacy directed the question to David. Apparently, unbeknownst to Tawny, she had donned Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” Tawny looked around to spot Mrs. Spinelli. She was here to win a job, not some silly game.

“Oh, too bad. David, you’re welcome to be my partner in the race. I’ve won for the past three years in a row,” Stacy purred.

“Appreciate the offer, however, I think Tawny and I might give it a go.” He pulled Tawny tighter against his side.

What was he up to? Not sure if he tried to tell her to play along or save him from the man-crazed receptionist, Tawny went with her gut. “On second thought, why would I pass on a chance to be tied up with David as my partner?” By Stacy’s popped-up eyebrows and pink cheeks, her message came across loud and clear. Good.

“Oh, there you are, dear.” Mrs. Spinelli crossed the lawn to greet them. “Stacy, be a good girl and make sure the caterers know I want the cake served two hours after lunch, please.”

Stacy turned into Miss Manners with the elderly woman. She gave one last pouty look at David and walked away.

“My great-niece. Nice, but not the most motivated individual.” Mrs. Spinelli shook her head as she scratched her neck.

“Mrs. Spinelli, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” David took her hand. He didn’t shake it. Nope, not Mr. Charm, instead he kissed the back as befitting a gentleman from the bygone mansion’s era. “Tawny spoke highly of your mother from her meeting. You must be very proud of what she’s done with the company.”

Mrs. Spinelli’s cheeks and eyes brightened, the smile grew warmer and Tawny’s spirits lifted.

“Oh you’re good, my dear boy. Very good. And thank you, I am quite proud of my accomplishment, although there are times when I miss my little office in the kitchen corner.” She slid her arm through Tawny’s, gently pulling her away from David’s side. “Now come meet the rest of the family.”

Within fifteen minutes Tawny’s head swam with names and faces. She’d met not only Mrs. Spinelli’s son Al, the birthday boy, but his wife and daughter and their grandchildren, and about twenty employees and their respected families. The lady wasn’t kidding when she said they were like family. All of the children called Mrs. Spinelli, Grandma Spinelli. They also ran to her with open arms and loving smiles.

Somehow Tawny and David ended up in the buffet line with their plates piled a mile high with food. Not a clue who to sit with or what the hierarchy was, she picked the first open table she spotted. Soon the remaining chairs were taken and David was deep into conversation about scuba diving with Ed . . . Ted . . . Ned? No. Carl? Nope, Carl was the beanpole with the smoky eyed wife who looked like Sophia Loren. What was his name? Oh yeah, Phil.

“Have you ever dived the Med?”

“Always wanted to. To date I’ve only gone locally and Mexico, which is where I learned.”

“Man, we’re planning a big dive trip next summer to Italy. You should try to come along. There’s nothing like it. Crystal-blue water with visibility of twenty to fifty feet,” Phil said.

“No way. New England is five feet on most days, fifteen if you’re lucky.”

They talked, they laughed, they drank. Not one person talked shop. The woman to her right, Kerri, passed her pictures of a baby.

“That’s my Laurel. She’s six months old now.” The new mom beamed with pride.

“Beautiful. You didn’t bring her today?” Tawny loved snuggling with a new baby. Who didn’t? So sweet, innocent, and that smell. Clean and pure.

“No, she and Grandma are having a girls’ day.”

“Manis and pedis?”

Kerri titled her head to the side, her face scrunched as she thought about it. “With my mom, it’s possible. There is no doubt shopping will take place, and probably a trip to the park where she can show her off to anyone who glances her way.”

Tawny smiled. Her mom loved to show off her grandbabies. “It must be hard being away from her on your day off.” Tawny handed the picture back to her, ignoring the little pang of envy. Someday she wanted a child. First, a job, one that would allow her to give her child all the things they’d ever need. Second, a husband might be a good idea. It wasn’t that she had any doubt she could handle life as a single parent. No, that wasn’t it at all. She wanted a partner in dealing with dirty diapers, the terrible twos, the frustrating fours, and the torturous teens. Not to mention sex. She wanted lots of sex first.

“That’s the beauty of this company. Grandma Spinelli’s been fantastic. I love my job. Love. It,” she sang. “Leaving Laurel with strangers, even someone vetted left me with nightmares. You hear so many horror stories. Not to mention, they grow up too fast. I didn’t want to miss the first time she rolled over or started walking. When I told Grandma Spinelli my concerns, she understood completely.”

Tawny understood too. Another woman forced to give up her dreams to stay home. “Do you plan to come back when she starts school?”

“I’d go crazy if I waited five years. No, the Spinellis are allowing me to work from home. When I need to meet with a client or attend an event, Laurel stays with my mom or my husband, Troy, who loves his daddy-daughter time.”

For the first time in . . . ever, Tawny had met someone who’d found a way to have it all. The urge to grill her on how exactly she accomplished the feat ran deep. She wanted to know what Troy thought of his wife working. Did she have to convince him, and if so, how? What about her parents? Were they behind her decision to keep working, and if not, how did she deal with the situation? Knowledge was power, and Tawny craved both.

“Sounds like management really cares about its employees.”

“They do.” The woman on the other side of Kerri piped in. “Hi, I’m Felicity.” The brunette extended her hand before going on. “Two years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. They gave me all the time I needed, no questions asked. Covered for me at the last minute, and not only did Mr. Spinelli and Grandma Spinelli donate their sick days and vacation time, so did the rest of the staff. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

Everywhere Tawny looked people smiled; engrossed in conversations, they laughed. No one wore a bored, please-get-me-out-of-here expression. Children played games or sat with their parents eating, and those not engaged in the first two events sat under a tent listening to a story Mrs. Spinelli read. Had Murphy’s Law lost and she really had stumbled upon Paradise?

David and Ted, no, that wasn’t it, Phil—his name was Phil—laughed. Tawny turned to see what was so funny and found the two men deep in a story about Phil’s two-year-old son. In his hand were baby pictures.

Aha! She knew things were too good to be true. Some how her mother arranged this job. Everywhere she looked there were kids. Big kids, little kids, in-between-sized kids. Her mother’s evil plan fast at work. Get her to see all these cute, irresistible children and soon she’d crave one of her own. Good thing she was on to the woman.

Yeah, if that’s so, how did she arrange this? She doesn’t even know you’re unemployed
.

Clearly the past three weeks had taken more of a toll on her brain than she’d realized. NE Event Solutions was a wonderful company and she should jump at the opportunity (because really, there were no others knocking on her door) before her. If not, she’d end up working for George to pay her rent. So why was she hesitant? This wasn’t part of the plan. Instead of taking a right at the fork in the road called her life, she’d taken a left and found herself . . . Where? Judging by all the smiling faces around her, in the mythical land of Utopia. Working for her big brother, not Utopia. What was the complete opposite of Utopia? Purgatory?

“So, Tawny, can I ask you something?” Felicity looked to Kerri with a look of uncertainty on her face.

Oh man. David was right. They were going to pry into her personal life.

“That was you on
Finding Mr. Right
, wasn’t it?”

Whew! She could handle talking about the show. “Yep, for all of three seconds.”

“Was it cool being on TV?” Kerri asked.

“Not really. Long, long days and nights with a camera in your face every moment, except when you were in the bathroom. No contact with the outside world, including TV or radio, and fifteen women fighting over nine bathrooms and sharing six bedrooms. It was total chaos. Although I did make a few new friends, which made it worth it.”

“Okay everyone, grab your partners,” Al Spinelli announced. “It’s time for the three-legged race.”

David grabbed her hand, tugging her out onto the lawn with the rest of the couples. The children ran up to the adults with strips of cloth in their hands. A cute boy of about ten knelt in front of her and David. As he tied the knot binding her to David, he giggled. An evil sound. It would take a miracle to unbind the two of them. David grinned down at her. Her heart skipped a beat and then another and another. Ah, the price to paradise, her soul.

Things inside her went mushy, things like her heart and willpower and her brain, while her nether regions went hot and tight. Getting involved with this man would bring nothing but heartache and complications to her life. Their best friends were getting married in a few months. David would be in her life for as long as Cherry was, and that would be until she took her last breath.

“Let’s show these guys what their new event planner’s made of. Keep your arm around my waist and start with your left foot. I’ll match my stride to yours. The secret is to work together.”

Sweat broke out and trickled down her back. She was going to fall on her face in front of her potential boss. “David, I can’t. I’ve never done this before, and when I make a fool of myself, they’ll never want to hire me.” Panic laced through her words. She should have lied and told the Spinellis David had to work today.

He bent his head, kissed her forehead, and hugged her. “Do you trust me?” he whispered in her ear.

Good question. Did she? Yes, if nothing else, since she’d met him David had proven to be a loyal friend to both Jason and Cherry. She also trusted him to remain faithful to himself.

“Yes.” She dragged the word out.

“Follow my lead and we’ll rock this race.”

The whistle blew, David yelled left and they were off, somehow in sync as they ate up the ground making their way to the finish line. Woo-hoo, they were in the lead, and even better, she hadn’t stumbled and fallen on her face. The whole thing felt awkward and silly and somehow she heard herself giggle like a child.

She glanced up at David to see his grin matched her mood. He looked down at her, his smile big and bright.

He bent his head, placing his lips next to her ear. “Ready for the final push?”

Warm air trickled down her neck. His hand shifted, sliding from her waist up her rib cage until his fingertips skimmed the curve of her breast. Lost in the sensation and subsequent fantasy his words and touch set off in her mind, Tawny didn’t see the couple next to her. The mom and teenage daughter lost their balance, stumbling in front of Tawny.

David grabbed the girl, keeping her and her mom from falling, and set them back on track. In the dance to keep them from a group face plant, Tawny twisted her ankle and went down, taking David with her. At the last second he executed an intricate flip that put him on the bottom, and Tawny landed mostly on his broad, hard chest.

Air rushed out of her lungs as she gazed into his electric blue eyes. “Pretty slick moves, Farber.”

“Yeah?” He shifted to settle deeper between her legs. “Good thing for you I passed Advanced Damsels in Distress Rescue last week.”

“I’ll be sure to send my thanks to your teacher.” Tawny looked to the finish line as the crowd cheered. “I’m afraid we lost.”

His hand caressed her back in slow, steady motions. “You enjoyed yourself.”

“Still didn’t win. That is the goal in a race, isn’t it?”

“Darling, it’s not about who crosses the line first, it’s how you get there. What do you say we get up and finish this bad boy? Show these fine folks what you’re made of.”

She’d say that lying there with David snuggled up very close and personal felt way too good. That with each passing second her body got warmer and more tingles raced from all over her body, all heading toward her center. She’d say that the longer they stayed like this, with his kissable lips within reach, the more likely she was to forget where she was and why she shouldn’t be taste-testing him. So she rolled off David. Together they stood, working in unison to hobble over the finish line to the cheers of the crowd. It didn’t matter they had placed last to those around them. The applause, backslapping, and jovial comments were the same as for all who came before. A few good-natured comments were thrown David’s way for his saving not one, but three woman at once.

The crowd dispersed, moving on to other play stations the venue had set up. Some went back for seconds at the buffet, and David dragged Tawny to the horseshoe pit.

She pulled her hand free, too aware of the warmth and comfort she found in his touch. Or the burn of desire in his eyes when he looked at her. “I should go talk to the Spinellis. Fun and games are fine, but I still need to land this job.”

David reached out, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her against him. Trapped with her back against his body, she had no choice but to stay.

“Relax, Tawny, let yourself enjoy the picnic,” he whispered. “Look around you. What do you see?”

Concentrating with David pressed behind her was a little hard. Pun intended. She wiggled to put space between them. “People. Chaos. Networking opportunity.”

His head shook. “No. You need to look deeper.”

What did he want of her? “I don’t know. Families playing. Laughter.”

“Exactly. Everyone is relaxing, having a good time. They’re not discussing work. You need to show you can do the same. Play a game of horseshoes with me.”