Home Ice (25 page)

Suddenly, things weren’t looking so grim.

“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Spencer,” Izzy said.

“Ah, you know my name. I’m afraid that gives you the advantage.”

Perfect. Izzy preferred to have the upper hand.

She batted her eyelashes. “Good for me then.”

“What’s your name, beautiful?”

“Izzy.”

His lips curved into a smile at her answer. “Izzy,” he repeated.

Of course it was. She was too unique to be a Sarah or Debbie.

“Izzy Sinclair.” She stuck her hand out and instead of shaking it, he pressed his lips in between her knuckles. Izzy marveled at the fact that two minutes earlier she’d been planning her escape route.

“It’s nice to meet you Izzy.”

Pierce Spencer’s eyes were ice blue and they twinkled when he smiled. She noticed because he was looking into her eyes and not down at her cleavage.

Wow, this guy was good.

“Please, you can call me Pierce.” He released her hand.

Pierce. She mulled his name over in her head. It suited him. And it was exactly what his eyes were doing to her from the next seat over.

“Is that what your friends call you?” she asked.

“I don’t have many friends, Izzy.”

“Well, I’d like to be your friend.” She coyly fingered the stem of her wine glass.

“Turns out this conference is going to be worth the trip after all.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. When I first saw you, you almost made me forget my own name.”

“You’re as charming as the tabloids say you are.”

“Ah,” he waved his hand. “Pay no attention to the filth they publish.”

“Yeah, they also say that a three hundred pound baby was born in Idaho last week.”

He smiled. “Exactly.”  He took a sip of his wine. “Are you an agent?” His blue eyes were on her face again.

“Yes. Red Valley Real Estate Group.”

“You must do very well,” he said with a wink. “With that smile, who knows what you could talk me into buying.”

“The night is still young.”

Before they could continue their stimulating conversation, Pierce Spencer was called up to the stage to make his presentation. Izzy couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was impeccably dressed and quite possibly the most sophisticated man she had ever met. And, for being an older man, he was gorgeous. Thinking of the experience he must have, in and out of the bedroom, Izzy shifted in her seat.

And those eyes. She almost felt uncomfortable under his gaze because she was afraid he could see right through to her very soul. Izzy had never been ashamed of her past and her previous “relationships”
before. But when Pierce looked at her she didn’t feel quite good enough. Or rich enough to be associated with him. The feeling was new to her. She always felt good enough, if not better than, everyone else. Especially men. They were lucky to have her. But Pierce was different. He was uber-successful and distinguished and had flawless taste. She worked hard and made a good living for herself, but she would always just be the girl from Red Valley with no family and no legacy. As for Pierce Spencer, he was a legend.

When Pierce stepped down from the podium, Izzy realized she hadn’t heard a word of his speech. She clapped politely with the rest of the audience and tried to compose herself. If she would’ve been listening to his speech, she would’ve learned that he was in town to promote a convention in Las Vegas.

Pierce made his way through the maze of tables and sat back down in the empty seat beside her.

They exchanged smiles and she fiddled with her quilted Chanel bag.

I’m in way over my head.

“Have dinner with me, Izzy.” It was more of a command than a question. She could tell he was used to getting his way. After all, money talks and he had enough of it to run marathons around the earth’s equator.

She raised her glass to his. “I’d love to.”

What harm was there in just one dinner?

They made their way out of the Convention Center and out to his waiting car.
Car
, meaning limousine. He didn’t travel any other way, except by his private jet or personal yacht, of course.

Izzy climbed into the limo as gracefully as she could, sat down and looked around. She hadn’t been in a limo since Senior Prom. And this time, she wasn’t wearing taffeta and sparkly eye shadow. Thank goodness for that.

Pierce got in after her and sat in the seat across from her. “Champagne?” he offered.

“Please.” She could smell his cologne in the close quarters of the limo. He even smelled wealthy. Izzy imagined a bottle of Tycoon No. 5 on his dresser.

He poured two glasses of bubbly and handed one to her. Looking every bit at home on the leather seat, he spread out his legs and rested an arm on the back of the seat. “How do you like French cuisine?”

“Mmm. Very much.”

“Good. There’s a great little bistro I’d like to take you to. I always try to visit it when I’m in town.”

“That sounds lovely.” She looked out of the heavily tinted window and could still feel his blue eyes on her.

“Tell me. What is Izzy short for?”

She looked back at him and into those blue eyes. “Isadora.”

“Isadora.” He let her name roll off his tongue. “Exquisite. It suits you.”

“Thank you. I think the name Pierce suits you, as well. You are very…,“ she searched for the right word, “…direct.”

“It’s the only way to get what you want.”

The restaurant was a Parisian-styled bistro that boasted a refined atmosphere. Izzy instantly fell in love with the quiet and classy setting. She and Pierce were promptly led to a cozy table in the back of the restaurant. As they passed the other patrons, she could hear the whispers follow them.

“
Is that who I think it is? That’s Pierce Spencer.
The
Pierce Spencer?”

He competently ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the wine list. And for dinner, he ordered the New York Strip. Izzy read over the menu and went straight for the least expensive item. She ordered the Butternut Squash Gnocchi with sautéed wild mushrooms. Izzy was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a gold-digger. She would never take advantage of a man, no matter how incredibly wealthy he was.

They chatted about the real estate market, new tax laws and new housing construction. He was pleasantly surprised at her knowledge of the market. She liked proving that she wasn’t just a pretty face. Most men didn’t spend time to talk to her long enough to find out that she had a brain, too.

The chef was a friend of Pierce’s and came out to say hello when he heard they were in the restaurant. Pierce received personal attention wherever he went but he wasn’t pompous by any means. The chef went back to the kitchen to bring them an assortment of desserts.

“I’m glad we met today.” Pierce reached for her hand and caressed it with skilled fingers. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat when he began massaging the v between her index and middle fingers. She felt her cheeks flush. Throughout the evening, the chemistry between them had been undeniable.

“I’m really glad we met, Pierce.” She liked saying his name. It was so commanding and masculine.

“Which hotel are you staying in?” He glanced down to her lips and back up to her eyes again.

Her stomach fluttered. So much for having the upper hand.

“I’m not.” She shook her head. “I mean, I didn’t make any reservations anywhere. To be honest with you, I thought the convention was going to be a boring as hell schmooze fest and I planned on skipping out early and driving home tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. Skip town or book a room,” he said with a smile.

“Me too.”

His voice softened. “I have an extra suite at the hotel if you’d like to stay the night and drive out tomorrow.”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t want to take advantage. You’ve already paid for dinner…”

“Please. It’s been my pleasure. And it’s not often I get to mix business with pleasure. I’d love to spend some time with you tomorrow before I fly back home.”

There was that fluttering feeling again. She
never
got that feeling. Unless it was for someone she
really
liked. She hadn’t felt this way since Mitch Hurley in high school. Mitch had shaggy black hair and drove a motorcycle and hung out with the “cool kids
”
. He was also a great kisser who played guitar and was awarded a music scholarship. Then he had moved away to college and Izzy never saw him again. And here was that fluttery feeling again all these years later. Who would have thought it would be back in response to a man nearly twice her age?

“I have a feeling I could get used to letting you spoil me.”

“You deserve every bit of it. And more.”

“Thank you.”

“So, what do you say? Will you stay?”

“I’d like that. A lot.”

“Excellent. For some reason, I don’t want to let you get away just yet.”

That night, Izzy called Ally from the giant whirlpool bathtub in her hotel suite.

“Hey, Iz,” Ally answered. “How are you? How was the Annual Faketors Conference?”

“Turns out, it might be the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Izzy sounded sincere, but Ally was skeptical. “I know Dom turned out to be a dirtbag, but I can’t imagine some stuffy Realtor Conference being the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“You have no idea.” Izzy blew a handful of bubbles across the tub.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ally sounded much too worried so Izzy steered the subject in a new direction. She couldn’t wait to get to the juicy stuff. “Guess where I’m calling from?”

“Sacramento?” Ally answered with sarcasm in her voice.

Izzy guessed she was probably rolling her eyes, too. “Yes, I’m still in Sac, Mizz Smart-Ass, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Fine. I’ll play along. Where are you calling from, Izzy?

Izzy ignored the ridicule and squealed into the phone. “The Executive Suite!”

“Really? Your office sure doesn’t mess around, do they?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly my office. I sort of met someone at the conference. Oh, Ally, he’s wonderful.” Izzy paused for dramatic effect. “His name is Pierce Spencer.” Izzy dropped his name and waited for Ally’s reaction.

“
The
Pierce Spencer?”

“Yes.
The
Pierce Spencer.” Izzy mocked her friend’s surprise.

“He’s the Donald Trump of Nevada!”

“Yeah, but luckily he looks a lot more like Dennis Quaid than Donald Trump.”

“Now, Izzy…”

Izzy cringed. She could feel a lecture coming.

“…don’t get too carried away. He’s so much older than you. Than us. Than the two of our ages put together.”

“I admit, he is a
little
older, but he’s sooo good to me.”

“Good to you? You’ve only been gone a day. He’s only the richest man in the western hemisphere, not to mention nine times your age. How did this happen? You need a new man in your life like you need to go on a diet,” Ally said, referring to Izzy’s tiny hundred pound physique. “You’ve only known him for a day and you’re already in a suite with this guy?”

After what happened with Dom, Ally had wondered how Izzy’s would ultimately get over him, but this was just plain crazy. Pierce Spencer was the most prominent and successful real estate mogul in the state of Nevada, and he had to be at least thirty years her senior.

“Ally, calm down. Pierce has his own suite, the Penthouse, of course. I made it clear that I wasn’t seeing him for the money and that I’m not some moolah hungry woman looking for a sugar daddy. He thinks I’m delightful.
Delightful
, Ally! And we didn’t even sleep together. He walked me to the door and kissed me goodnight and that was
it
!”

Wow
, Ally thought. This really was big news. Izzy usually gave away the goods well
before
the first date. That is, if there ever even was one. Maybe things would be different this time around.

Nah. This Pierce guy must have forgotten his Viagra in Las Vegas or something.

“And we’re spending the day together tomorrow. It’s first class all the way with Pierce. Five star hotel, seven course meals, amazing spa treatments. He cleared his schedule for me.”

Huh. Perhaps there was something substantial here. The most successful man in Nevada wouldn’t clear his schedule for just
anyone
.

“That’s great. Just be careful. You’ve only known this guy for a day. I know he’s richer than God, but--.”

“Okay, okay, Debbie Downer. I’ll call you when I get home. Who knows when that will be. He’s talking about showing me his chalet in Lake Tahoe and…”

Ally sighed. Good night, Iz.”