Strictly Business (7 page)

“I think I’d better pour the coffee,” Nick said, coming up behind her.

“Smart man.”

After cleaning up the mess, she joined Nick at the counter, and, to her surprise, actually spooned sugar and cream into her cup without mishap. She took a sip … and gagged on the mud she’d created.

“This is awful,” she pronounced in disgust.

Nick grinned. “It’s hot. And it probably has enough caffeine to keep me awake for the next three days.”

She opened her mouth to say she’d make another pot, then shut it. She wasn’t that dumb. Besides, she’d probably dump coffee all over the kitchen this time. She took another sip. It really wasn’t that bad—if one liked hot mud.

Her facial expression must have betrayed something of her thoughts, because Nick reached over and covered her hand with his.

“Jess, the coffee’s just fine.”

His touch coursed through her veins, nearly toppling what little control she had. She pulled her hand away, picked up her cup, and took a big gulp of coffee.

“You know, you’re right. The coffee’s just fine,” she said in a rush, hoping to hide her abrupt breaking of physical contact. “So who do you follow in the sports world, Nick? The Eagles? Flyers? It’s baseball season, isn’t it? You probably follow the Phillies. Everyone does. So what do you think? Will Mike Schmidt’s legs hold out for another season? Astroturf has ruined more ball players—”

His burst of laughter interrupted her rapid-fire monologue.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, glaring at him.

“You. First you’re not sure if it is baseball season, then you’re asking me about Mike Schmidt’s legs.”

“I just forgot it was spring,” she retorted.

She definitely wasn’t cut out to hide a man in her bathroom with aplomb, she thought. She knew she had overreacted about Tony’s presence. Maybe she hadn’t made the best of first impressions with Nick, but he seemed to be overlooking that. Despite her
internal lectures, she continued to make a fool of herself around him. Now she was stuck. This was the last time, she vowed.

“Schmitty’s legs will be fine,” Nick said, breaking into her thoughts. “But I’d rather talk about you. I have to admit that I thought you’d live in a mansion.”

She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve never lived in a mansion. My parents had an apartment.”

“You’re kidding!”

She smiled wryly. “Well, I will admit it was a penthouse. But an apartment is an apartment.”

“Any brothers or sisters?”

“I’m it. My father likes to say I was more than enough.”

“And you’re single.”

“Divorced. Same as you.”

“How do you know I’m divorced?” he asked, surprise evident in his voice. “I know I never told you that.”

“Sandy mentioned it,” she lied, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“Oh.” He seemed to relax. “What’s the state of your love life now? Other than our kiss, of course.”

A thump came from the bathroom, as if in answer.

Jess froze.

“What was that?” Nick asked.

“Oh … the cat. It must be my cat. I have a cat.” She prayed he believed her, even while she was horrified at how fast she was lying to this man.

“In the bathroom?”

“He likes the bathroom.” She giggled nervously. “Just like me. He’s afraid of people, so he hides whenever anybody comes to the house. He’s a funny little thing. I’ve had him for two years, and even my
parents have yet to see anything other than a blur diving under the sofa.”

“The door’s shut.”

“What?”

He pointed toward the powder room. “The door’s shut. How did he shut the door behind him?”

“Damn!” She decided to brazen her way out of this disaster. Hurrying around the counter bar, she said, “Who knows with cats. He must have bumped it somehow, racing in there when he heard you ring the doorbell. Once he jumped in the hamper and the lid swung shut on him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Cat.”

“That’s it? Just Cat?”

“I have no imagination when it comes to names.” She cracked the door open a bare inch. “Here, Cat … psss, psss. Come on, Cat. Nick won’t hurt you.”

Complete astonishment shot clear down to her toes when a piteous “meow” came from inside the powder room. It sounded exactly like a frightened cat.

Finally taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned around and shrugged. “He’s not a very bright cat. I’ll just leave the door cracked open for him.”

Nick nodded, then drained the last of the coffee from his cup. He looked at her expectantly.

She smiled. “I’m sorry the coffee wasn’t the best. You look really tired, Nick. I’m sure you want to get home.”

The last thing he looked was tired, but she hoped he’d get the hint.

He rose from the bar stool. “That’s me. Wet and tired. Thanks for the coffee and the towel.”

“You’re welcome.”

She walked with him to the door. He retrieved his jacket from the back of the sofa. As he put it on, she opened the door. He turned to face her.

She gazed up at him, then realized that was exactly what she’d done before she’d kissed him yesterday. Instantly, she looked away.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Thank you for bringing me my portfolio.”

“You’re very welcome.”

He traced her jawline with a gentle finger, then strode out the door.

It took Jess a full minute to come to her senses. Closing the door, she leaned against it and sighed loudly. What a night! Nick Mikaris was complicating her life—in every way.

But now, she had to get his brother out of the bathroom.

She walked into the center of the living room.

“Ollie, ollie, all’s in free!”

Parked two doors down and across the street from Jess’s townhouse, Nick sat in his darkened car and chuckled over Mike Schmidt’s legs. That unexpected little gem coming from Jess Brannen’s mouth had been astonishing.

He was glad now he’d found her portfolio and decided to return it. The truth was, he hadn’t been able
not
to come by, although when he first heard voices he’d very much wished otherwise—especially when she’d answered the door in her robe. Her odd nervousness had thrown him, too, and then he’d seen the closed door off the kitchen. He could still
feel the hard anger that had curled through him. But the cat had cried out, and he’d realized he was being ridiculous in thinking Jess would hide someone there. He’d never considered that she might have a lover, and he reluctantly admitted she had no reason to hide one from him. He had no claim on her.…

Nick fumed. He’d been the one to insist on a strictly business relationship, even knowing Jess inspired in him a desire for something entirely different. She was soft and sexy, poised and elegant. He sensed that in the bedroom, she would drive a man to the brink of insanity. Seeing her dressed in a nightgown and robe, her hair gleaming damply around her shoulders, he had nearly gone crazy himself. The only thing that had kept him in control was the realization that she was nervous about being alone with him. He’d found it endearing.

Jess Brannen made him laugh—a lot. He felt young and carefree, as if he didn’t have a responsibility in the world. No one had ever made him feel that way before.

From the first moment they’d met, he hadn’t been at all fair to her. Part of it had been his humiliation at her innocent hands in that hotel room. So she had had a mistaken impression of his sexual preference. He finally admitted the other part of his problem had been her background. He was wealthy in his own right, although his money was tied up completely in his business. But he was proud of it. He’d earned it through a great deal of hard work and sacrifice.

Starting tomorrow, he vowed, his relationship with Jess would be entirely different.

Glancing over at her house, he wondered what she would think about the brand-new Nick Mi—

Her front door opened and Tony emerged into the light of the porch lamp.

Nick watched numbly as his brother turned up the collar of his jacket and hurried down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, he felt a hundred years old.

Nick walked into his house to discover his brother seated on the couch watching television, a can of beer in his hand. Nick had taken a long drive to cool his anger, but the sight of Tony making himself at home brought it all back again.

“Hi,” Tony said. “Just thought I’d stop in and—”

“Did you and Jess have a good laugh after I left?” Nick asked caustically, cutting off his brother’s greeting.

Tony stared at him in clear amazement. “What!”

“Don’t play innocent,” Nick said between clenched teeth. He should have known Jess Brannen wasn’t quite what she seemed. “I know you were at her place tonight. Probably upstairs in her bed. I’m not as stupid as you like to think I am, little brother. Or as stupid as you are. She’s playing you for a fool, Tony. I know, because she’s trying to play me for one.”

“Are you finished?”

“Damn straight I am.”

“Good,” Tony said calmly. “I’m not sixteen, Nick. And she’s not Janet.”

Nick’s anger died instantly at the mention of his ex-wife. “That incident never once came to mind, Tony.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Tony stood up and walked over to him. “Jess Brannen is a nice woman. She wouldn’t try to seduce her husband’s brother, and she wouldn’t run her husband into debt for thousands either. Janet was a bitch from the first. It just took you a little while to see it.”

“I know.” Nick took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He remembered all too well when Tony had run away shortly after moving into Nick and Janet’s home, after their mother had died. It had taken three days to find him, and about two minutes to discover that Janet had been trying to get a mixed-up, grieving sixteen-year-old into her bed. The only thing Janet had succeeded in was finally showing her true self.

Still, that didn’t explain to Nick why he’d seen Tony coming out of Jess’s house right after him. But it was him Jess had kissed in the office trailer, not Tony. That needed some explaining, too, and he braced himself for the worst. Tony had never lied to him, but Nick knew he’d prefer a lie right now to hearing that his brother and Jess had an intimate relationship.

“So why were you at her house tonight?” he asked, as calmly as possible.

“That’s none of your business,” Tony said flatly. “But I’m going to be nice about it. Before you condemn us to the gallows, you might like to know that I only saw Jess to apologize about the practical joke. I didn’t know that she had this landscaping thing
going on with you. When I heard about it from Sandy, I knew I might have made things difficult for her with the job. That’s the only reason I went to see her.”

“That doesn’t explain why I didn’t see you inside the house.”

“You no sooner knocked on the door, when she started shoving me toward the nearest hidey-hole while babbling something about your thinking she’s the ‘original fun-time girl.’ ” Tony shook his head. “She didn’t think you’d believe I was there for an entirely innocent reason. I thought you would. Obviously, you really are more stupid than I think you are.”

Nick tried to digest the information. “You mean, she didn’t want me to see you because I might think you were there for more than an apology?”

“Which you thought. Admit it. After I saw her, I came here, as I’d originally planned to do before going back to Columbia, to insure that you wouldn’t hold against her that damn joke I wish I never pulled. Dammit, Nick! She’s a terrific lady.”

Nick sank down into the nearest chair. Tony, knowing he’d been caught, would be crazy to try to hide anything about Jess now. It was easier for Nick to believe the worst, but he found himself accepting Tony’s story. Even as a kid, Tony had usually owned up to misbehavior, sometimes before anyone had even been aware of it.

“You’re right, Tony. She is a terrific lady.”

Tony returned to the couch and sat down. “But that hasn’t stopped you from jumping to other conclusions about her the first chance you get. So are you finally calm and straight on this? Or should I get out the dueling pistols?”

“I’m straight,” Nick muttered, disgusted with himself. “But what was I supposed to think when I saw you coming out of her house like that?”

“Well, now.” Tony made a show of stroking his jaw. “It isn’t the perceived purpose of the visit that’s so interesting. It’s the reaction. Most people would just say, ‘Lucky fellow, that Mikaris.’ But if one has a certain affection for the lady in question, seeing another man coming out of her house would provoke an entirely different response. From tonight’s evidence, my older but not necessarily wiser brother, I would say the jury’s in. You’ve got it bad for Jessica Brannen.”

“I don’t know about that,” Nick said, in automatic defense. “She’s attractive, but I’m not about to turn into a wild man if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Really? Want to tell me about the kiss?”

“How the hell do you know about that?”

Tony grinned widely. “Meow.”

Nick stared at his brother in confusion. “But … that was her cat.”

Tony laughed. “That was me stuck in that damn bathroom. I felt like I was doing Cary Grant imitations in there. First, I’d think, ‘This is dumb. Just go out there and explain,’ then I’d think, ‘No, this is what the lady wants, and I’ve caused her enough trouble already.’ I was going ’round and ’round on the best thing to do when I heard you mention a kiss. I was so startled, I accidentally bumped against this hanging plant she has in there. Next thing I know, I’m a cat. Hell, I didn’t know what else to do, so I meowed. It made sense at the time.”

Nick looked at his brother, then flopped back and laughed helplessly. He knew he shouldn’t be laughing,
but the thought of Tony trapped in the bathroom playing a cat was too much. It was his own fault that he’d made an idiot of himself tonight with Tony. After the bad time he’d given Jess, it was no wonder she’d been uncomfortable about Tony’s being in her house. It wasn’t fair to her, he thought, to be enjoying what must have been a bad moment for her. It really wasn’t.

“It could only happen with Jess,” he said, his laughter growing when he thought of her bravura performance. “I must have scared the wits out of her when I asked to use the bathroom.”