Can't Help Falling In Love (5 page)

He paused in his pattern and reached over to pat her on the back. When she finally
caught her breath, he rested his hand between her shoulder blades and rubbed small
circles. It was comforting. And arousing. She wanted to rest her head on his shoulder.
Naked.

“You don’t seem to like the burger as much as I do,” she said, mainly to keep from
making that suggestion. And she hoped the conversation would get her mind back on
track.

He withdrew has hand slowly and Randa fought against the urge to lean into him. One
corner of his mouth curled up as he set his glass back down. “I don’t know that I’ve
ever enjoyed anything the way you’re enjoying that burger.”

Randa was a little surprised to feel the urge to laugh bubbling up inside. He’d proven
he was completely unimpressed with her face, her walk, or the way she filled out her
T-shirt. Since she was usually pretty confident of her physical appeal, she had no
idea what he’d think of her insides. This was not a man she needed to get tangled
up with. She needed to tell herself that as many times as it took to sink in. He’d
be impossible to manipulate. And that’s what she did best.

Manipulation was just another word for strategy.
Thanks, Dad.

“I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed anything as much as that cheeseburger, either. Hope
the management knows it’s way underpriced.”

Tony raised his eyebrows and said, “Management makes decisions based on a lot of different
factors. Profit’s only one and not the highest on the list.”

Randa had to keep from physically gasping aloud at the idea of anything other than
profit being the goal of business. Any business. Even a kooky hotel.

Money was the only way to keep score.

Unless she was playing the wrong game altogether.

She shrugged a shoulder and felt his hot stare lock on to her breasts. Or she thought
she did. When she looked over at him, he was frowning down at the few helpless fries
left on his plate. She glanced around. Here was an excellent chance to see what she
could get out of him. All the action was close to the stage and Cat the bartender
was preoccupied counting out a tip jar next to the order window. They might as well
have been all alone.

Randa cleared her throat and ran a hand down her thigh. To distract him and maybe
make a little headway in charming him into cooperation, she thought for half a second
about touching his leg but was a little bit afraid to. Maybe she wanted to. A lot.
But she wasn’t sure she was ready to go where that first step might take her, no matter
how well a little touch worked to get a man’s help.

“Well, you know… I don’t eat like this often. Most places I go, I live off rabbit
food.” Thanks to her mother’s strict standards, she couldn’t remember a time when
she wasn’t on a diet. Growing up, she’d learned thin was in and carbs, sugar, and
fat were always out.

Tony nodded. “I can tell.”

Afraid she’d choke on another bite, Randa took a long drink of sweet tea and then
asked, “What do you mean? Floppy ears? Fluffy tail? Mean look of someone who is always
hungry?” She wiggled her nose at him and winked. Finally, she was on familiar ground.

Tony shook his head and emptied his glass. “You’re too skinny. That burger will do
you good.”

Stunned, Randa watched him wave at the bartender, drop a bill on the bar, and stand.
The way that was supposed to work was he said something fun and flirty back to her,
a nice compliment maybe. Again he refused to play her game.

Tony didn’t say a word as he looked at her perched on the stool. His eyes burned a
path from her mouth to her breasts, and her hips to the heels she’d slipped back on
before she left her room. When he glanced back at her face, one corner of his mouth
was tilted up. He knew what he was doing to her. And he liked it.

She did too. Damn it.

She opened her mouth to say… who knows what? He was gone before she had time
to figure it out.

“How’s the burger?” Cat asked as she slid another glass in front of Randa and picked
up the money Tony had left.

Randa smiled. “Really good.” Cat nodded and Randa laughed. “But you knew that.”

Cat shrugged. “I had a good idea.”

Randa scooted a few bedraggled fries around her plate. “So, anything you can tell
me about that Tony guy?”

Cat froze mid-step. “Uh, well…” She looked off into space for a minute. “You
know, I’m really the old-school type of bartender. You can tell me your problems,
but I don’t gossip if I can help it.”

Randa shook her head. “Of course not. I just thought…”

Cat leaned closer. “Yeah, you just thought what a lot of women have thought. You thought
he’s good-looking, possibly a challenge you’d like to tackle. But he doesn’t mess
with guests.”

Randa didn’t do jealous. She didn’t spend enough time with men who were worth it,
but twice today she’d felt the jealous sizzle about Tony. “Just employees?”

At first Cat didn’t answer. Then she laughed. “Well,
me-ow
, hon.”

Stuck in her thoughts of how Tony had smiled down at Laura that afternoon, Randa had
no idea what the bartender was talking about at first. She sipped her drink and then
the light bulb went off over her head. Not that anyone would notice one more light
bulb in the intense glow from the bar.

“No, I didn’t mean you. I’m sorry. I just got the impression that he and Laura…
maybe they had a… you know, a real relationship. I didn’t mean that he harassed
the staff or that you had anything…” Randa trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.
“Sorry.”

Cat tilted her head and then laughed. “I thought Laura was the only woman in America
who didn’t read celebrity gossip. You must be the other one.”

Randa pushed her plate away, completely lost now and ready to talk about anyone or
anything other than Tony. “Yeah, I… don’t read any of that stuff.” There’d been
a time, in college, when she might have landed on the front cover. A quick exposure
to what life without her father’s support might look like had convinced her to straighten
up her act. She’d learned then that what the magazines said had an element of truth.
But truth didn’t sell like carefully worded speculation.

Cat pursed her lips. “Ever heard of KT Masters?”

Randa signed her name and room number to the slip the bartender slid across after
she picked up her plate. The name was really familiar. “Actor, right? Used to be on
that baseball sitcom a long time ago?”

The bartender picked up the slip. “You bet. He and Laura are a couple.” She waggled
her eyebrows to punctuate her statement. “Like we’ve-got-a-bet-on-when-the-ring’s-coming
kind of couple.”

Randa had no idea why that made her so happy. More love in the world. That had to
be it. It could not be related to Tony. At all. Laura had been the lowest item on
the list of reasons why Tony was unacceptable. Randa was probably going to put him
out of a job. There was no way they had anything in common. He was rough and tough
and masculine. And she was… well, whatever she was. Nothing rough. Nothing tough.
And as feminine as a healthy spa budget could make her.

The bartender got her attention by patting the sparkling clean surface of the bar.
Lost in thought, Randa had been staring hard enough to burn a hole in it.

She shook herself and stood up.

Cat crossed her arms over her chest. “Here’s the thing, hon. You want him, you go
get him. Tony’s the macho, silent type but you look like you’d be equal to the task.
I’m already rooting for you.”

Randa wanted to tell her there was no way she was going after Tony. And she wasn’t.
She was just walking a fine line between getting what she wanted, which was a tour
of the hotel, and ignoring the other thing that she wanted, which was Tony naked.
She was going to try to get a tour from him or from Laura. Otherwise, she was going
to stay far, far away from him. That was safer for her cover. And her well-being.

Besides, he thought she was too damn skinny. She ruthlessly squashed the little bubble
of happy that wanted to float up. Her mother thought she was thirty pounds past acceptable.
Tony thought she was too skinny
! But that hadn’t stopped him from checking her out.

And that was more like it. She was much happier with him now that he was acting like
she expected. There was a bounce in her step as she left Viva Las Vegas.

When her eyes adjusted to the more natural lighting of the lobby, Randa could see
a new person behind the front desk, a young woman with curly red hair and a blinding
smile.

“Good evening, ma’am. May I help you?”

Randa shook her head. “Oh, no, thank you. I was just enjoying the quiet of the lobby.”
As she examined one of the framed photos mounted to the wall and read the explanatory
plaque about the Jungle Room, one of the most well-known rooms of Graceland, Randa
wondered what had happened to Tony. “Do you know what time Tony will be back?”

The redhead pursed her lips. “He’ll be on in about two hours, but I’m happy to help
you if I can.”

Randa wanted to smack her forehead. Asking about him was a rookie mistake. Now this
girl would tell him, or worse, talk to the bartender and there’d be plans hatching
all over. She licked her lips. “Actually, I was really looking for Misty.” Randa forced
a laugh. “Dog crazy, you know.”

The girl did not believe her but she didn’t push. “Well, sure. She’s pretty special.
When Willodean’s gone, Misty pretty much goes wherever Tony does. And sometimes when
Willodean’s here.” There was a sparkle to her eyes as she said it. Randa walked closer
to read her nametag. Michelle was going to go on the keep list for sure. Her good
mood was contagious.

She knew the answer but she asked anyway. “And who or what is a Willodean?”

Michelle smiled. “Miss Willodean. She’s the hotel owner.”

“Oh, is she? Will she be in? I’d love to meet her.” But not yet. She didn’t want to
take a chance on screwing up the deal. Not that Willodean even knew the hotel was
for sale.

The phone rang and Michelle held up one finger as she answered it. After she set the
requested wake-up call and hung up, she said, “She’s in Hawaii this week but she’ll
be back on Saturday. Elvis Week means all hands on deck, you know? Plus, we’re short
staffed so everybody’s working overtime.”

Randa nodded. “Well, it’s a lovely place. And you’ve all made me feel welcome.” She
smiled at Michelle and took two steps back. “Been a long day. I think I’ll call it
an evening early. Maybe catch an Elvis movie.” The hotel had a special channel reserved
for Elvis movies, and the radio had an Elvis station. The place must be heaven for
true believers.

Michelle smiled. “Of course. Please let us know if we can do anything to improve your
stay.”

T
ONY STEPPED OUT
of his office in time to watch Randa round the corner to the hallway leading to her
hotel room.

Michelle glanced over her shoulder. “Was that okay, Tony? I think you might have an
admirer.”

He could hear the teasing tone. He frowned at her. She saluted and clicked her heels.

“That was fine, Michelle.” Tony watched the security monitors closely for a few minutes
to ignore her laughing eyes. “Please let me know if she asks you any other questions.”

Michelle said, “Oh, you think she’s going to want to know your favorite color or where
your locker is?”

Tony had no trouble controlling his reaction to this. The idea that Randa Whitmore
would pursue him in any way other than in the pursuit of… whatever the real reason
she was here, was silly. He’d seen the guys who attracted her. Charity types. Well,
the ones who wrote fat checks to charities, not the ones who’d depended on those donations
for eighteen years.

“Just let me know.” She nodded and answered the ringing phone. Tony retreated to the
relative safety of his office. He sat down behind the desk and read Laura’s notes
about everything she thought might need follow-up overnight or in the early morning.
They had two rooms with leaking air conditioners that would have to be fixed before
the weekend. Housekeeping had reported a slow-draining shower in one of the luxury
suites and both meeting rooms needed to be set for the fan clubs staying in the hotel
this weekend.

No matter how he looked at it, Thursday was going to be a busy day. He was going to
regret missing his nap this afternoon. Then he remembered the look on Randa’s face
when he’d sat down at the bar. She definitely needed to be watched, but if she frequently
looked like she had while she ate that burger, like she was on the verge of an orgasm
that would bring the roof down, he was going to have a very hard time.

Tony shook his head as he picked up the pen he’d placed perfectly perpendicular to
the edge of the desk. It was a damn shame she was up to no good. And that she wasn’t
a normal girl. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, just to see what other
changes she might bring about.

When he pictured her face as she savored each bite, his restlessness was back. He
wanted to see the same look on her face while they were both naked. He cursed as the
image of the two of them in bed, him happily seated between her naked thighs, flashed
through his mind. She’d probably smell like Chanel and taste like fine champagne.
Not a normal girl. He’d never seen a face like that on an average girl, the ones who
smelled like shampoo and tasted like whatever was on tap. Once upon a time, he’d been
damn happy with normal girls. Maybe he could be again.

Before the expensive blonde had stalked him across the lobby, women were just about
the farthest thing from his mind. Now… well, he was changing his mind. Fast.

Randa Whitmore was something different. That much he knew for sure.

Chapter Four

B
Y TEN IN
the morning on her first full day in Memphis, Randa had already written up her notes
on the areas she’d been able to explore on the first floor and she’d moved out to
investigate the pool. They’d have to gut all the rooms. Her father was going to balk
at the price tag, but as soon as she said “black bathrooms” her mother would be on
board. The furniture could stay. She’d inspected the linens and mattress in her own
room and they seemed to be very fine quality so those could stay as well. As long
as the decorator could work with gold. And lots of it.