SecondSightDating (16 page)

He relaxed a little and swallowed.
A wide grin spread across
his face.
“Fine.
Wonderful.
It was like old times.
She seemed really glad to
see me.”

“I told you she would.”

“We’re gonna talk some more today.”

“Great.
I always liked her.”

“Now, eat up.
It’s your turn to talk.”

Serena gulped down her drink, the cool liquid chilling her
insides as she screwed up the courage to tell her brother an outline of her
disastrous, sex-frenzied night out.

She’d leave out most of the sex part.

After Michael left, Serena dragged herself over to her sofa
and plopped down onto it.
Dan’s image plastered itself everywhere she looked
around her office.
The sofa reminded her of him and what they shared.
The chair
did, too.
Ditto for the desk and the carpet.

Inhaling deeply hadn’t helped.
His scent, the one that
filled her with a heady, lusty urge the night before, still lingered in the
room.
Dan’s physical being wasn’t there, but everything else about him was,
tormenting her heart.
Her damn pulse quickened, just at the mere thought of
Dan’s last appearance in her office and their overwhelming surrender to
temptation.

Her brother had been patient and listened to
her tale, only interrupting a few times to verify information and ask a few
pointed questions for more descriptive facts.
While not immediately concluding
Dan’s motives as sinister, Michael acknowledged and agreed with her suspicions.
The sneaking at her files worried him as much as it did Serena.

After bickering back and forth as to what her brother’s role
would be in any future investigation of Dan, Michael agreed to step back and
let her handle the upcoming night out by herself.
Confident she wouldn’t
relinquish control of her senses again, she’d convinced Michael to spend
another evening with his former girlfriend instead.

With no more clients expected for the day, Serena decided to
close early.
Getting some additional sleep before partying at night seemed
crucial.
She had a big night ahead, one sure to be filled with anxiety and
doubts.
Serena geared herself up to be alert and keep a close eye on Dan.

Dinner for four, coming up.
Her life was in the doghouse
anyway, so, bring on the dogs.
The fates had reduced her to dining with a maybe
false client, whom she most likely mismatched with another client and she was
dragging someone else along for the ride as her escort.

How much worse could her life get?

Chapter Thirteen

“Don’t you just love this?” Miss “E”, Ramona Simms, dog
groomer extraordinaire, shouted her comment over the incessant noise of one
hundred excited dogs echoing in the massive dining hall.
“I can’t wait for the
best-dressed contest.”

The gala event, unknown to Serena and a complete surprise to
the two male escorts for the evening, not only offered dinner for those paying
to attend, but dogs were admitted free, too.
Of the two hundred guests crammed
into the banquet hall, half of them brought their pampered pooches along.

Brightly colored floor mats, coordinated with doggie water
bowls and food dishes, were doled out upon arrival.
Each pooch also received
his or her own dog treat bag, courtesy of a local gourmet dog bakery.

Ramona had greeted Serena at the entrance, dog in tow and
both had waited for Dan and Jason to arrive.
Other than Dan’s eyebrows arching
to surprising heights, he never expressed any sign of emotion at the chaos
greeting him.

Jason, Serena’s non-real date for the evening, took the
frantic scene in stride.
He commented on his appreciation for all four-legged
canine friends and expressed his disappointment over not knowing he could have
brought his dog along.
Jason immediately fell into step with Ramona, probably
both dazzled by her charms and pumping her for hints and strategies on caring
for his golden retriever.

Actually, at least that’s what Serena assumed they mumbled
about with each other.
Deafened by the howling sounds of both happy and unhappy
dogs, she wasn’t sure what anyone was saying.
Dan, however, smiled at everyone
and yelled out a comment here and there.
Serena marveled at his ability to
decipher any topic of conversation.

Ramona motioned for them to head to their table, one set up
for the four of them.
Located in a corner, it provided space for one dog mat on
the floor between two of the chairs.
Her dog, Queen Sheba of the Nile, a
prissy-looking white toy poodle adorned with hot pink bows, yipped and pranced
around their feet, entangling them with her leash.
Ramona unhooked her leash,
wound up the strap and placed Sheba on the mat.
To her credit, the dog sat
perfectly still, one of the few creatures not moving in the hall.

The foursome took their seats, Dan and Serena crammed into
the back area of their tiny corner.
Jason and Ramona had a wider area between
them, space big enough for Sheba’s pink and purple mat.

Two sets of eyes focused on the dog, while the other two
sets, belonging to Dan and Serena, glanced at each other for a few seconds
before each turned to stare intently at the scene of people and dog pandemonium
before them.

Dog owners spread across the room, tracking down their
tables.
Distracted and preoccupied pets trailed behind them, although some
didn’t appear to be on leashes.
Big, small, dogs of all sizes and breeds
strutted their stuff.

Some canines even sported outfits.
Most noticeable were the
tuxedo-garbed males and fluffy evening-dressed females.
Dogs wore top hats and
tiaras, not to mention the fancy studded collars.

Sheba pranced around in her bows with a matching sequined
gown in hot pink, totally coordinated with Ramona’s choice of wardrobe color
for the night.
Matching rhinestone and ribbon collars bonded the two and
screamed, “we’re together”…just in case anyone doubted Sheba belonged to
Ramona.
Of course, the hot pink nail polish on the woman’s hands and Sheba’s
four feet completed the picture.

For a weird split second, Serena addressed the possibility
of being underdressed amidst the fashion display surrounding her.
She and Dan
wouldn’t stand a chance at the best-dressed human award, even without a dog in
tow.
They’d dressed comfortably, not anything near the formal attire donned by
over half the diners.

Jason, however, fit right in, dressed in suit and tie, an
outfit Serena deemed expensive.
The scene blurred before her eyes and she
questioned her sanity and stamina to get through dinner.

Dan tapped her thigh under the table.
The contact shook her
out of shock mode and caused her to jump.
She pushed her hand under the
tablecloth and over his, covering it in an effort to still his fingers.

Warmth spread from her thigh up her body and in seconds,
heated her cheeks.
His letters danced in her brain until she lifted and removed
his hand from its location.
She raised her face and moved closer to his,
wondering if the noise level had diminished enough for her to hear what he
wanted to say.

“I don’t think she’s interested in me.”

Serena’s heart sank, another failure on her part.
However,
that tiny part of her, the one that still craved Dan’s attention, shouted,
“Good.
I don’t want her to be.” Serena admitted total control over her emotions
needed work.

She moved her mouth near his ear.
In a testy tone, more
irritated at her own niggling reminder of a desire for him than his remark, she
replied, “We just got here.
Talk to her.
You said you like dogs.
Say something
relevant.”

Take your own advice, girl.
Talk to Jason
.

She watched as Dan tapped Ramona on the shoulder and moved
his chair closer to hers.
He placed his arm around the back of her seat and
said something in her ear.
At first, Ramona pulled back and stared at him.
Giving a giggle Serena managed to hear, Ramona then leaned over to Jason and
made a comment.

Dan kept smiling while the other two spoke back and forth
between themselves.
Serena’s mind whirled, disaster a sure outcome.

Music began playing and Serena watched in awe as people got
up to dance, taking their pets with them.
Some danced with human partners while
trailing their dogs on a leash.
Others opted to dance only with their dogs.
Some
dogs were actually scooped up into the arms of their owners and carried into
dance steps.

Jason stood up and Serena geared herself to tackle the dance
floor, dogs and all.
But, her date for the evening didn’t ask her to dance.

No, her escort, unknowing chaperone helper for Dan and his
date, never even looked her way.
He asked Ramona and Sheba to dance.
All three
drifted away from their table and onto the dance floor, disappearing into the
sea of gala celebrants bobbing to music.
Serena couldn’t tell if they’d held
Sheba in their arms as they danced to a slow number.

That left Serena and Dan stranded at their table.
She
grabbed for the carafe of table wine, hoping to pour a glass full of the red
liquid and give her something to do.
Dan intercepted her target, pouring her a
glass and one for himself.
Without a word, he reached over and tapped her glass
with his, raised it in a salute, nodded and chugged it down.

Serena followed suit.
Maybe the wine would help her get
through the next hour or two.

Dan grabbed her hand after she placed her glass back on the
table.
Pulling her up with him, he shouted over the hubbub, “Let’s dance.
I
don’t want to just sit here.”

Great.
She was deemed a better choice than wallflower
companion duty.
Her arm went limp as Dan led the way onto the dance floor.

They stopped in a semi-opened area and began dancing to a
rock tune that had just started playing.
Everyone did their own thing to the
music and Serena took the opportunity to glance around her at the other
dancers, both human and canine.

Some dogs definitely possessed more rhythmic qualities than
their owner counterparts.
Not far from them she spotted Ramona and Jason,
twirling with Sheba, all three completely out of sync with the music.
Dan,
however, danced like a pro, someone very comfortable with his movement style
and steps.

Impressive dancer, lousy at talking to dates, excellent sex
partner, clueless as to his date’s interest in another man.
All these rolled up
summarized Dan’s outward appearance.
The puzzle pieces of his appearance didn’t
quite fit, really didn’t gel.

The song ended.
Before Serena could make her escape back to
their table, Dan caught her arm and drew her into his embrace.

“Our dates are still dancing, so why don’t we do the same.”

Serena glanced over at Ramona and Jason, deep in
conversation, holding Sheba between them as a slow song started.
“Dan, it’s
probably not a good idea for us to be doing this.”

She tried to break free from his grasp, but his arms only
tightened around her.
Heart beating rapidly, she ended her struggle and sank
into his hold.

“Why are you doing this?
Can’t you see we shouldn’t be
together?”

He spun her in a turn, grasping her closer as he did so.
“Serena, all we’re doing is dancing.
Obviously my date isn’t the least bit
interested in me.
Yours,” he nodded in the other couples’ direction, “hasn’t
spoken more than ten words to you since he got here.
I came to eat and enjoy
myself, so we’ll dance.
You owe me that, at least.”

Serena’s body sagged against his.
He directed
their steps, leading the way into their slow dance.
She had no more energy to
argue with him.
He expected to be entertained and she was available.

Ramona had probably been another disappointment for him.
Perhaps she didn’t fit the type he was really looking for.
Not wealthy, dog
groomer, a little overboard in the pet-loving category.
And, she hadn’t given
Dan more than a cursory once-over.

Maybe he felt crushed.
Maybe he felt relieved.
Maybe he felt
a better catch would still materialize.

Serena sniffed in a deep whiff of his aftershave, the one
that had jumpstarted her heart the night before.
Shivers of delight rushed
through her body, making her tingle with desire for him.
And, of course, his
letters bobbed into her head.

No.
She wouldn’t give in, no matter how much she craved to
have him satisfy her needs.

She looked at her watch.
Dinner would be served in ten
minutes and the whole blessed mess of an evening would be over soon.
She’d zoom
out as quickly as possible, go home and let the tears fall.

I don’t want to let her go
.
Dan’s heart warred with
his brain, the one telling him to stick to his job and ignore Serena’s
mesmerizing charms.
She felt so good in his arms, coconut-smelling, shampooed
head resting under his chin on his chest.

Heated sensations thrived and burned everywhere her skin
touched his.
Giving himself one swift mental kick, Dan shoved all thoughts of
lust into the back recesses of his mind.
Serena.
His job.
No combining work and
play.

Ramona, her “expert” match for him, was as far out in left
field as he was in right field.
What match?
She held no interest for him and
seemed perfectly content to entertain Jason’s attentiveness.

Here again, an insurance salesman didn’t hold a candle to
the professor, an impeccably dressed one at that.
He’d caught the remarks Ramona
had made about Jason’s expensive suit and his first-rate judgment in using the
most prominent and pricey dog trainer in the county.

Maybe Ramona looked at Jason as a potential source for her
to increase her income.
Dan couldn’t compete with a wealthier catch like Jason.

Or, maybe Ramona just preferred Jason, the knowledgeable dog
owner, someone she could relate to on a higher, dog-loving level.
Had Serena
set them up on purpose, using Dan as a front, or had her gift, as she called
it, screwed up again?

Dan twirled Serena around the floor once more until the
music stopped.
Noticing that their dinners had been delivered to their table,
he wordlessly led Serena to their seats.

Ramona and Jason returned, laughing with each other and
paying more attention to Sheba than to the others seated at the table.
Dan
began eating and smiled at Serena while his insides clenched.
Spurned again,
still unsure of the true reason for his rejection, he swallowed hard.

Serena spoke with Jason and he explained his desire not to
hurt her feelings but to pursue Ramona’s attention.
She agreed with his
assessment of their mismatched evening selections and planned to make a hasty
exit after once again facing a turned-down Dan.