Irresistible You (13 page)

“And he’s chosen you as his dance sponsor,” Phillip added.

“Is that right, oh goody for me,” the decidedly acid tone in her voice drew a chuckle from J.T.

“I’ll leave you two to get more acquainted.” He gently guided Juliet closer to J.T.’s side. “Juliet, tell J.T. here how important it is to demonstrate leadership in the community and to also be a catalyst for cultural and artistic growth in the nation’s capital.”

He turned to leave then instantly turned back, adding, “And that each tax deductible philanthropic donation goes to a very worthy scholarship applicant, which will enable that student to further their career in the performing arts.”

Juliet looked at Phillip’s very serious expression then to J.T. “What he just said,” she stated, nodding her head in Phillip’s direction then smiled innocently.

Phillip’s mouth dropped open. He reached over and took J.T.’s hand. “J.T., it was a pleasure meeting you. Congratulations again, our scholarship program can always use an added boost. I look forward to seeing soon. Juliet…” His bushy brows wiggling like two caterpillars stuck on a fishing rod.

J.T. nodded humored by Juliet’s post performance. “My pleasure Phillip and thanks for the invitation, I just might take you up on that offer,” he added.

“Any time, any time, just give my office a call,” Phillip said, as he handed J.T. a business card then walked away in search of more donations.

Juliet looked at the card in J.T.’s hand guardedly. “What invitation?” she said as she smiled and greeted a passing supporter.

“I’ve been invited to attend a rehearsal.”

She smiled brightly as several patrons walked by and congratulated her on a brilliant performance. “You realize of course that this is a private party.”

“Yes I know, I was invited,” he said.

“By whom?”

“A friend.”

She looked around the immediate area for any women who might appear to be waiting for him. Although several eyed him admiringly, none appeared to be with him at the moment.

She turned to him prepared to respond, but found her breathe caught in her throat. She looked away quickly. A wave of heat flushed through her. “What are you still doing here?” she whispered breathlessly, still refusing to look at him.

J.T. leaned down to catch her eye. He smiled when annoyed, she turned away further. “You look sensational this evening,” he said admiring her simple spaghetti-strap, fire-engine red slip dress with a colorful fringed chiffon scarf draped over her almost bare shoulders.

“We need to talk,” she said.

“My sentiments exactly,” he said as he began looking around the room.

“Meet me in Phillip’s office in ten minutes. It’s through the main doors down the hall on the left.”

“It’s a date. By the way, which one of these ladies is Lena Palmer?”

Juliet turned to him instantly. “Why, what do you want with Lena?”

“It’s business.”

“What kind of business?”

Before he could answer J.T.’s name was announced and applause erupted around them. Phillip beckoned for J.T. and Juliet to come to the center of the room so that she could personally present her basket to him. J.T. placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward Phillip.

Juliet took the basket from Roger, smiled graciously then handed it over to J.T.. He took it then grasped her hand and kissed it adoringly. She curtsied. Applause increased as the pair in the center performed admirably. As they walked off in different directions the attention was now on the next basket awarded.

Ten minutes later J.T. followed Juliet as she knew he would.

“Okay,” she said, getting right to the point. “I brightened up your miserable little life a while back, move on. Right now, you can’t be here,” she said as soon as they entered Phillip’s private office. J.T. closed the door as she walked across the room and stood at the desk. She kept her back to him and lowered her head. “You have to go, now.”

“Why?” he asked simply.

J.T. looked around at the small quaint office surrounded by poster sized playbills and dancers in motion. He stepped up closer to a now familiar figure of a woman in a white tutu, white leotard and ballet shoes. Her expression was somber and majestic. She was suspended in midair her arm was gracefully extended out from her body at mid shoulder while the other was arched up above her head. She faced forward, looking directly at the camera.

J.T. leaned closer to get a better look at the poster. Juliet was sheer perfection. The grace and elegance of her body sent a thrilling spark of excitement through him.

“Go back to New York. There’s nothing for you here.”

“You asked me what I wanted earlier. I need a favor from you,” he said automatically.

“A favor, you’ve got to be kidding.”

“Actually, I’m not.”

“Short of telling you where to find the closest bridge and detailing exactly how you should jump, I’d say that you were out of luck.”

J.T. chuckled and shook his head. She was exactly the same. “Be that as it may,” he decided to forge ahead and ask anyway, “I need favor, I need you to…”

She spun around quickly. “Look, do you think I’m kidding here? I don’t have time for this, for you. Whatever delusions brought you here, forget it. Just leave, that’s what you’re good at.”

“Yes, Juliet, ten months ago I left you in a hotel room, I admit it. I had to leave. I needed to take care of some business, but when I came back you were already gone.”

“How convenient, this time I’ll give you the opportunity of watching me leave. Good-bye J.T.” She brushed past him preparing to leave, but he grabbed her arm as she passed. He handed her a business card. “In case you change your mind, day or night.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” she warned before opening the door and slamming it behind her.

J.T. smiled, realizing that he was enjoying this little distraction. The thrill of the chase had long since diminished over the years. He wasn’t used to being the pursuer. Things always came easy for him, maybe too easy. Women threw themselves at him on a daily basis, and that had long ago become tedious. This curious turn of events had stimulated a long dormant fantasy of his as the challenge of pursuing Juliet had begun.

Chapter Seven

J.T. looked over at the sofa where he had tossed his suit jacket two hours earlier. It was still lying there exactly where he’d dropped it. Frustrated, he loosened his tie and rubbed his hands over his face then looked at the clock. It was after two o’clock in the morning, much later than he’d thought. The time had slipped by quickly and he was sitting exactly where he’d been hours earlier. He’d been working on a program for two hours and hadn’t gotten any closer to solving it.

Working on software had always been his escape. He could lose himself in it and not look up until the program was completely de-bugged. But, for the last few hours he’d been going around in circles.

The distraction of seeing Juliet again had affected him more than he realized. As soon as he got to the hotel he knew that there was no way he’d be able to sleep so he decided to stay up and get some work done. Unfortunately, he’d just wasted two hours unable to focus.

He looked at the clock again. It wasn’t any later than it had been just a few minutes ago. He looked at the laptop monitor and shook his head miserably. His finger hovered over the delete key for the sixth time that evening. With less deliberation than it took to create the program, he pushed the delete button. Two hours wasted.

J.T. stood up, walked over to the window and looked out across the city. It was the same view he’d seen for the past seven years. He’d been on the road too long, but that’s what he’d chosen to do. Although both his mother and father insisted that he cut back on his travel, he refused, arguing that the only way to stay on top in the software business was to be ahead of the game.

It wasn’t until recently that his lifestyle became less appealing. He knew exactly when the feeling hit him, ten months ago when he began searching for Juliet. J.T. rested his palms on the window sill and leaned down. A familiar melancholy feeling washed over him as he looked fifteen stories down into the night. Cars lined the streets and the traffic wound into an endless line of red and white lights along the side streets. It was two o’clock in the morning and the city was just as busy as it was at noon.

He turned and looked around. The luxury hotel suite had every modern amenity and convenience imaginable, but still it seemed empty. The living room, dining area, sitting room and bedroom were all lavishly furnished. He walked back to the desk which was positioned in the corner of the living room and sat down.

He sighed in frustration as he punched a few keys and connected with his office computer. Ordered and perfectly detailed as always, every minute of every day was planned for optimal efficiency. He scanned through his schedule. He had several meetings planned in the morning including a marketing meeting with his father. He made several notations for the meeting then closed the laptop for the night.

He reached up and turned off the desk lamp, grabbed his jacket and walked into the bedroom. The light from the bedside table lamp was on but the room was still dark. He hung his jacket up in the closet and pulled the tie from around his neck. As he began unbuttoning his shirt, he stopped midway.

Going back into the living room, he turned on the desk lamp and opened his laptop. The computer instantly blinked to life. He entered a few codes then waited. He hadn’t used this program for years, not since he realized exactly what it could do. When the screen changed he entered another series of codes and waited. He smiled amazed that he even remembered the sequences.

By the time he’d finished working, the screen listed in perfect order every known detail of Juliet Bridge’s life including her salary, taxes, medical and bank records. Nodding at his success, he connected to the laptop’s phone system while scanning down the six page report searching for the one piece of information he needed. Finally finding it, he highlighted the numbers and pushed a button on the keyboard. The system automatically dialed Juliet’s unlisted home phone number.

A chill went through him when after the fourth ring the answering machine clicked on. He decided not to leave a message then disconnected remembering the last words they spoke as he gave her his business card with the Ritz Carlton room and phone numbers.

A part of him expected her to contact him, hoped she’d contact him. But she didn’t. He turned off the desk lamp and walked over to the window again. He stood there and just stared out into the night. The same night that had brought them together.

The lights of Washington D.C. reflected in his eyes. But in reality, it looked like any other city as far as he was concerned. The only difference was that somewhere out there Juliet was sleeping peacefully.

Juliet entered the Ritz Carlton Hotel and went directly to the bank of elevators. She had no idea what she was doing there. After the fundraiser she drove home, parked and walked around, her standard routine. After a performance she usually walked to relax her muscles and release pent up energy. But tonight, not even her nightly walk helped. The elevator reached the lobby and she stepped on and pushed the button for the fifteenth floor. J.T. Evans was still on her mind. All she kept thinking about was their night in New York. The night they’d spent together on the fifteenth floor.

She looked at the business card in her hand and turned it over several times as she impatiently waited for the elevator to stop on the fifteenth floor. She looked up and watched the numbers as they slowly assented, seven…eight… nine. Then, at the tenth floor she panicked, what was she doing? She pushed the lobby button but the elevator continued to go up. When it reached the fifteenth floor and the doors slid open she just stood there her heart pounding in her chest.

Just as the elevator doors began to close she hurried and passed through. More adrenaline pumped through her at that moment than when she stepped out on stage as a solo dancer for the first time. There, standing in the hallway, she waited until she made up her mind. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the card again, suite 1514 then to the room number listings and directions. She turned the corner and walked straight down an empty corridor, she turned again. Three doors down, she arrived at her destination.