The Bare Facts (2 page)

He suddenly realized that sunshine and flowers had been missing from his life ever since graduation night a year ago. It drove him crazy not knowing what had happened between them. They had both been naked. He did remember that. But she had dressed so fast and had quickly exited his room. She'd given him no chance to talk to her. Maybe if he steered the conversation toward that night, she'd elaborate on what he had or hadn't done.

 

H
ALEY'S HEART FLUTTERED
in her chest and she wiped her palms on her skirt beneath the table where he couldn't see. She'd forgotten the sheer impact of him. Even from across the room his hot, dark green eyes watched her with an intensity that made her skin tingle.

He hovered over her. The heat from his body sizzled against her skin and the smell of him intoxicating—a spicy, masculine scent. He raised his hand and immediately caught the eye of a waitress. He'd done that easily in college, as if he was in tune with every woman. All Dylan had to do was use those dreamy bedroom eyes.

And he did, constantly, in college. Haley had lost count of how many women he'd dated.

He wore a classic navy-blue suit. The impeccable cut of the suit couldn't hide the powerful essence of Dylan Malone. His maleness and fundamental strength shone through like a beacon burning brightly in a dark room. And all that raw power was held in check by a will just as formidable.

The waitress came over and said in a breathy voice, “What can I get for you?”

“She'll have a gin and tonic and I'll take a whiskey straight up.”

“You remembered, even though that party was a year ago, crowded to the rafters, and out of control.”

That strange little quiver that tightened her belly and ran up her spine struck again. His face was finely sculpted, with high cheekbones and dark velvet skin. He wore his black hair cropped, short and sexy. It was the perfect corporate ladder-climber look.

“There isn't much I've forgotten about you, Haley. Bumping into you at the bar we'd set up for the party was fate. We talked for hours that night about everything you liked, including what you liked to drink.”

Those eyes were a combination of dreamy and lethal charm. He just stared at her and his scrutiny made her heart flutter helplessly. His eyes were a hot, vivid green, like new-grown mint.

“I bet you didn't expect me to run off?” Inside, Haley thought she was going to explode. He hadn't forgotten about her. She could do this. She could ask him.

He smiled sheepishly and leaned toward her. “To tell you the truth, it saved me from having to explain how we ended up naked and in bed together.”

“Why did that save you?” Her stomach knotted. This was where he'd tell her, with tact, of course, that she wasn't in his league.

A memory came to her as if in a dream. Her eyes shifted to his sexy mouth. The recollection was fuzzy,
but she remembered him kissing her, those provocative lips moving over hers. She remembered the taste of him was a wild flavor on her tongue.

“I can't remember a thing about what happened. Tell me you do.”

“I'm sorry to disappoint you,” Haley said, her tone serious. “But I don't remember, either.”

“Is that why you left?”

“I left so it wouldn't be awkward between us. It was a one-night stand. At least I think so. That's all. An exploration of whatever it was that crackled between us.”

He glanced down; then after a brief pause, he looked back at her. “You wonder why I didn't ask you out in college.”

She toyed with her cocktail napkin, taking a quick sip of her drink. “No. Not really. You had plenty of reasons not to ask me out.”

“And those are?”

“Susan, Jessica, Tiffany…”

His mouth kicked up into a wry grin, his hands rose in defeat. “Okay. I did date a lot, but I didn't ask you out because you were dating Sean.”

“Up until the middle of my senior year.”

“I didn't want to be your rebound guy.” He grinned and made a face. “And don't look at me like that. What happened on grad night happened. I didn't plan it.”

“I didn't think you did plan it. But you're right. It happened.”

“So why did you call and ask me to meet you for drinks?”

“What if I told you I had an ulterior motive?”

This time the smile was slow and provocative. “I'd want to know what it was.”

Haley smiled and chickened out. She couldn't just blurt it out. “What have you been doing with your time since college?”

Dylan sat back and studied her, noting the secrets in her eyes. Either the angel liked to tease or she wasn't exactly ready to tell him why she'd called. He wasn't in any hurry to get to the end of their conversation.

“I'm an ad exec, cappuccino in the morning, rushing to the subway, handling large accounts along with clients who have deep pockets and pay me for what I love to do.”

She snorted. “Since when did you start drinking cappuccino?”

“You've got me. So I exaggerated on the cappuccino. But the ad exec is true.”

“An ad executive a year out of school. That's fast work, Dylan.”

“I guess it would be if I had been the traditional college student. Westin, Mayer and Martin sent me to school. I started at the bottom straight out of high school because my dad had some contacts.”

“What does your father do?”

Dylan hesitated only for a second, but then he said, “He works on Wall Street, Roger Malone.”

“Roger Malone?” She reached for a stabilizing breath, trying to contain her shock.

“He's my dad.”

“The Donald Trump of Wall Street is your father?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I had no idea.” Dylan was the son of one of the richest men in New York and about as high in society as he could get, and she hailed from the other side of the river. Maybe that's why Dylan was such a playboy. Women were always attracted to money. If she had known he was
so
out of her playing field, she might have thought up another plan.

“So why did you go to NYU? Why not an Ivy League school?” She took another sip of her drink.

“My father had some financial problems when I was ready to go to college. So, I got a job in the mailroom, if you can believe that. I was promoted to copywriter after a year. After two years, I got involved in a major project. The ad executive who was handling it got into a car accident. I took over the meeting and sold the client. The VP of Account Management was impressed. He offered to send me to school while I worked as a junior account rep, and I ended up at NYU with a full scholarship from the agency. So, as soon as I graduated, they promoted me.”

“That would make you, what, twenty-five?”

“Don't I act my age?”

“No.”

“No? I don't act my age?”

“I didn't mean that. I thought you and I were the same age, that's all. Doesn't matter how you did it. It's still impressive. So you're in the commercial profession…selling consumers stuff they don't need but you make them want.”

He smiled. “Ah, Haley, you never beat around the bush. I sell a product to consumers and I've done ad campaigns for women's underwear, sporting goods and wine coolers. We put Titanic Sporting Goods on the map, increasing their sales by two hundred percent.”

“I remember reading in the NYU alumni magazine that you won a Clio. Congratulations. That's wonderful, but if I remember correctly, Dylan, you could sell ice to an Eskimo and have polar bears eating out of your hand.”

He shrugged. “The NAPTA just hired me. They want a national campaign.”

“The NAPTA?”

“National Association to Promote Teenage Abstinence.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Intriguing. Abstain? From sex? Drugs? Rock and roll?”

“Sex.”

“That brings us to an interesting subject.”

“Oh.”

Haley thought he had to be the sexiest man alive. She wanted to lean over and cup that hard, handsome jaw, feel the dark stubble against her palm, draw all that intensity into her own body and let it explode inside her.

“I'm looking for a tutor.” His closeness overwhelmed her senses, and she swallowed hard, trying to struggle against the longing that surged through her.

His green eyes sharpened. “Having problems with math?”

She laughed, but stopped abruptly when he touched her hand. He curled his fingers around hers and it made her feel so cherished. Scratch that. Dylan was not relationship material. She wasn't here to start a relationship. She just needed his delectable body.

“Not exactly.”

There was a hint of humor in his voice when he answered. “Grammar. Having problems with commas and nouns?”

“No. I know how to punctuate. You see, I majored in journalism.”

“So you did.” He brought the back of her hand to his mouth. His lips were warm and provocative.

“In a way, my tutoring request has something to do with journalism.”

“There's that ulterior motive again.” He gave her a wry smile and tilted his head, waiting.

Their gazes locked, and Haley shivered.

“I've been working for
SPICE Magazine
as an editorial intern.” Her voice hitched slightly when he kissed her palm.

“I've heard of it. It's popular among the 19–35 demographic.”

“That would be the one.” She closed her eyes to keep her concentration. Her body went liquid when
he kissed her wrist. She pulled her hand away from him. Her body felt like mush. “Today I got a column dropped into my lap, but I lack the experience to pull it off convincingly. Experience always makes the words leap off the page. If I do a good job with this, Kate, my boss, may give me full-time writing assignments.”

“You've always wanted to write.”

Haley blinked. “How did you know that?”

“You told me.”

“You remembered?”

“I told you there wasn't much that I forgot, well, except about the naked-and-in-bed part.”

“Yes, you did. This is very important to me, Dylan. I want to impress my boss because this could be the stepping stone to the writing career I've always wanted.” Her stomach knotted.

“I'm hooked. What kind of column is it?”

Haley swallowed hard, the knot in her stomach tightening. Be bold, adventurous, she reminded herself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. “How to spice up your sex life.”

When Dylan stared at her, absorbing her words, she thought she'd die from embarrassment. But she didn't let it show. She kept her face impassive and her eyes on his.

“You want me to be your sex tutor?”

She clasped her hands together in her lap. Did that sound like pleasure in his voice? Were his eyes sparkling? Did it seem as if he liked the idea? Her voice came out hoarse. “Yes. Exactly.”

“You're kidding?”

“No.”

He continued to look at her as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Haley couldn't take the suspense. Her hands were sweating and clasping, her stomach knotting and rolling. “So, Dylan, what do you say? Just you and me and a fantasy. Well, four to be exact.
SPICE Magazine
puts out a monthly issue. This wouldn't involve dinner or dancing or any kind of relationship. Just sex.”

“What kind of fantasies?”

“I don't know exactly. I guess I would have to think about it. To tell you the truth, I could only think this far in advance. Asking you was enough of a challenge for me at this point.”

“You thought I wouldn't agree.”

“Dylan. I haven't seen you in a year and I waltz in here and ask you to teach me some hot and heavy moves with your very fine body. No strings attached. I didn't know how you'd react.”

“I'm thrilled.” He leaned forward and gave her a slow grin. “You think my body's fine?”

“Absolutely. And I need your help.”

“My help. Hell, Haley, it will be my pleasure.”

The knot unraveled in her stomach and it settled down. She unclasped her hands and released a sigh. “I'm glad that's settled.”

Dylan felt a little frisson of unease buzz through him. She sounded relieved, as if this would be a chore
for her. He picked up the whiskey glass and downed the contents quickly. “So when is your…deadline?”

“The column is due to my editor on the fifteenth of the month and each issue comes out on the first of the month.”

He glanced at his watch. “So that makes your first column due on Monday, which gives us the weekend.”

“That's right. I'm sorry for the short notice, but it was just passed on to me today,” she said with a breathless edge to her voice.

“No. That's fine. Would you like to—”

“I should get going. I have dinner plans.”

“Do you? Okay then, you'll call me?”

Did he sound disappointed? No. It was her over-active libido working overtime. He probably had a little black book in fine-grained leather with all the names alphabetized. “I still have to come up with a plan. You don't mind if I call and run a few…scenarios by you, do you?”

“Not at all.”

They quickly got the check, and as soon as Dylan paid, Haley rose.

He followed her out of the bar. It was dark and Haley decided she'd take a cab home. She didn't know why she told Dylan that she had dinner plans when she didn't. Maybe it was because he was already spinning his magic web to entangle her. She had to keep this purely physical. No deep feelings. No getting to know each other. Just sex.

Dylan touched her arm and turned her toward him.
He moved his face closer to hers. His hot scent almost made her swoon. His nearness and warmth sent fire sizzling along her nerve endings. His handsome face and gorgeous body this close to her made her realize how much she ached for him.

She couldn't help it. She pressed against him and felt him tremble. The fact that he wanted her as much as she wanted him made her gasp and swallow hard.