Driven to Date (8 page)

“It was the opposite in my household.” With his legs dangling off the desk, he leaned onto his thighs, and peered over at me. “My mom had stayed at home, and seemed unhappy because she didn’t have any goals. I wish she would’ve had a drive in something she loved. That’s one of the things I admire about you.”

“What?” My life was in shambles, or hadn’t he noticed?

He gaped at me, as if I were crazy. “The fiery passion you put into your career. To help people, and make a difference. It’s more than getting by for a paycheck. You’ve invested yourself. Your dedication has impressed me from the start.”

Embarrassed and shy from his declaration, I twisted the cap on the highlighter pen. “If only my dad had some of that passion in him.”

He gave a soft chuckle. “Finding balance can be a challenge. It’s good to have goals, but not to the point that you don’t really live.”

“Anyway . . .” Since he’d just summed up my past five-plus years, I had the sudden revelation I’d been insulted. “You didn’t come to my office to hear about my problems. Which case did you want to talk about?”

“I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said.” Shaking his head, he slid off the desk, then gestured toward me. “Stand up.”

My brows came together as I popped to my feet, checking my chair behind me for a spider or creepy insect. “I don’t see anything,” I said, then turned around.

He stepped forward, pulled me against him, and held me. “I’m
really
sorry.”

My first reaction was to pull away, but the feel of his warm (hard) chest against my cheek felt inviting, and I nestled into him. “You don’t have to console me. I’ll be fine.”

“But I do have to. I want to.” He tightened his arms around me and rested his cheek on top of my temple. “It kills me to see you upset. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“This is nice.” I breathed him in, then something tingled on the back of my brain, and I stepped back. “Actually, there is something you can do for me.”

He brushed a piece of hair back from my face. “Name it.”

Feeling shy, I lifted my lashes. “I need you to be my boyfriend for more than fifteen minutes. One more night.”

His eyes lit up. “Does this have anything to do with Madison McKenzie?”

“Yes.” I bit my lip, wishing he didn’t smell so good standing this close to me. “She’s going to this dance club tomorrow night with her husband. Since she thinks we’re together, she asked if we wanted to meet up with them. I was going out with my friends anyway, so you don’t have to stay long. In fact, you’d probably only need to drop by long enough to meet her husband.”

He raised his brows. “Just to be clear, you only want me to come for Madison.”

“You’re the one who offered to help.” I stepped back, reaching for my briefcase. “If you can’t spare time from your busy social calendar . . .”

Grabbing my arm gently, he lifted my chin. “I’ll be there. You can count on me.”

My belly fluttered as my gaze met his. “Thank you.”

He nodded, made his way toward the door, then turned back. “Anytime, buttercup.”

I gave him a grateful look in return, wanting to hate him for ruining my life, but finding it harder and harder to do so.

****

Friday night, Ginger, Sarah, and I arrived at The Oasis in downtown Sacramento a little before nine o’clock. In my black pants and white sequined top, Madison would have no doubt that Jill Parnell was ready for
fun
—thus balancing out the demanding position I wanted her to give me. And the whole supportive boyfriend thing would be the icing on my cupcake, too.

“IDs ladies.” A burly bouncer wearing a tight black shirt scrutinized our driver’s licenses, which I took as a compliment considering I turned twenty-one nearly a decade ago. I paid the cover charge, then ducked through the door into eighties night at The Oasis.

“When was the last time you came out dancing?” Sarah yelled over Duran Duran’s
New Moon on Monday
as she adjusted the strap of her green halter-top.

“I believe we had a different governor in office.” I scanned the crowded club for Ryan, who had texted that he’d meet me here around nine. I didn’t spot him, but the place was huge and had a lot of dark corners.

“Shall we get a drink before grooving with our hot moves?” Ginger grabbed my hand, leading me through the crowd, then we stopped at the edge of the dance floor.

“I’ll get this round.” Sarah offered, waving away the cash I held out. “Mojitos all around?”

Ginger smacked her lips. “Sounds delicious.”

“Be right back.” Sarah squeezed her way up to the crowded bar.

“Still thinking about Victor?” I watched the crowd dance under the colored strobe lights as the DJ switched songs to
Tainted Love
by Soft Cell. The familiar beat had my body itching to let loose all of this pent up stress from work
.

“I broke it off with him.” Ginger slipped her arm through mine, then led me to the center of the wooden dance floor.

I wanted to cheer as I turned to my friend. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged. “I’m bummed, but not going to let him ruin my girls’ night out.”

“Don’t forget my fake boyfriend will be making an appearance.” Securing our spot, I swung my hips to the beat, letting the music wash over me.

While we danced, Ginger nodded toward a tall blond with a nice build. “Maybe I should ask that guy to dance?”

My gaze drifted down to his left hand where a flash of gold glinted off his ring finger. “Married.”

“Figures.” Ginger laughed, then nodded toward a guy with short brown hair, and a nice smile. “What about him?”

With my hands in the air, I glanced to my right. “He looks nice.”

She nodded. “I know, right? But does he seem like the kind of guy who’d ditch me when I need a date for a wedding?”

“Just ask him to dance and have fun,” I shouted, surprised at my own advice. Since when was I not worried about planning, evaluating, and making sure we didn’t waste our time on the wrong man?

Kristen’s advice to “just have fun” must seriously be rubbing off on me. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but Ginger’s face lit up and she zipped off toward the brown-haired hottie.

Alone on the dance floor, I glanced around, and caught sight of Sarah waving me over. Our drinks were set on a round, chrome bar table. Fanning my hot cheeks with one hand, I lifted the Mojito with the other hand, and took a long, refreshing sip.

“Looks like Ginger met someone.” Sarah tilted her head toward the dance floor where Ginger and her dance partner were getting down to the music. Sarah scrunched her nose. “Now we just need a dance partner for me.”

I put my hand on my hip. “What do I look like? Soggy tofu?”

A slow smile crept across her face as she glanced over my shoulder. “Your dance partner just arrived. And, oh my. . . Ryan looks even better out of the office, and that’s saying something. I see why you smooched him on the dance floor at that wedding.”

Holding my drink, I turned around, and spotted Ryan coming toward me. Oh,
wow
. Sarah hadn’t been exaggerating. Colored lights flashed across his handsome face as he wove through the crowd, wearing a button-up shirt opened at the collar, and a knowing smirk that had me dying to find out what he was thinking.

Ryan stopped in front of me, brushed his lips over my cheek, then whispered in my ear. “You look amazing.”

A rush of jittery pleasure flowed through me, then my brows came together when I remembered he was just playing a part. “You can knock off the act. Madison’s not here yet.”

His eyes narrowed in a sexy way, and he nodded at Sarah. “If this is how she responds to a compliment, imagine how she’d react if I upset her.”

Sarah choked on her Mojito, laughing, then put on a serious expression. “Maybe she needs a dance to loosen her up.”

“You’re absolutely right.” He slipped his hand into mine. “Let’s go, buttercup.”

I wavered for a moment, then decided it would be beneficial for Madison to see us on the dance floor together. It would validate that I adhere to her theory of having a full personal life that releases my stress (yeah, right) so I can thrive better at the office. “Okay,” I agreed, shaking my head at the stunts I had to pull to advance in my career.

The feel of Ryan’s warm and slightly rough hand made me sigh, as he led me toward the dance floor. Were they rough as a side effect from playing basketball? I found myself wanting to know
everything
about him—even down to the little things. Not good.

Joan Jett’s
I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll
blasted out, enveloping me in that soothing beat, as my body started moving to the music. Watching Ryan, I wondered if things might’ve been different if we’d first met tonight at this club. He had fantastic rhythm as he swayed his hips, and his hazel eyes lit up as we exchanged a smile.

Then I remembered his friend’s words at Kristen’s wedding. That Ryan had a short attention span when it came to women. When I’d called him on that, he hadn’t denied it either. No, it was better that we’d met the way we had. Otherwise, I might’ve fallen for those sexy hazel eyes that made my legs wobbly.

He stepped closer. So close that I breathed in his cologne, which was an intoxicating spicy scent
.
And no, it wasn’t the few sips of Mojito affecting me. It was
him
. How he’d devoured me with his kiss at the wedding. His playful emails at the office. And how he’d noticed I’d been crying, and held me. I felt an invisible pull toward him, giving me the strong urge to nuzzle him. But, I resisted, knowing it would only lead to heartbreak.

Wait, heartbreak? No, it wasn’t like I’d exposed my heart to this gorgeous playboy. No way. But I had to admit I’d been nudged toward him a little. I needed to reel my feelings back pronto.

Rock Steady
by Whispers came on, and we continued in our little spot on the dance floor together. Ryan’s neck was inches away and I inhaled deeply. The spicy scent pulled at me, making me want to close the distance between us and press my mouth to his. I mean, would that be so bad? Maybe Madison would see, and want to hand me that promotion tonight.

As I started to lean forward, someone’s hip bounced into mine, and I turned. It was Ginger and her dance partner. I felt both relieved and frustrated by her timing, but I managed a smile for her. She seemed to be having a great time, and this new guy seemed to be enjoying himself as well.

After several more songs, I figured we should take a breather to regroup. I fanned my face, then leaned toward Ryan. “Let’s take a break.”

He nodded, slipped his arm around me, and guided me through the sea of bodies. “Would you like something to drink?”

I scanned the table for my Mojito, but it seemed to have disappeared. Just as well, anyway. Sarah was nowhere in sight, and I wouldn’t want to risk that someone had slipped something into my drink while I’d abandoned it. “What do you want? I’m buying, remember?”

He winked at me. “I’ll get this one. What were you drinking earlier? Mojito?”

I nodded.

“I’ll be right back.” He dropped his palm from my back, and I missed the warm feeling of his hand against me.

Ignoring that crazy thought, I scanned the area for Sarah, wondering where she’d disappeared to. No luck. I pulled my cell out of my pocket to see if she’d texted me. No incoming texts, but I did have a voicemail. I squeezed my way around the crowd to the ladies room, where the music was infinitely quieter. I dialed voicemail, typed in my password, then brought my phone to my ear.

Hi, Jill. It’s Madison. Dan and I were all dressed to go out when an unbelievable fatigue settled over me. Must be the baby wanting me to rest. So, I’m sorry to say we won’t be able to meet you tonight. I look forward to seeing you Friday at three, though. My partners are excited to meet you as well. Give my best to Ryan. Have a good night.

Disappointment made me close my eyes and lean against the wall. But then I reminded myself that she’d said the partners were looking forward to meeting me, and that sounded promising. I clicked to the sink in my heels, jerked a paper towel from its rack and ran it under the faucet. What would I do with Ryan now? It would be rude to desert him after he’d come out tonight just for me.

Although, maybe he’d just come out because he felt sorry for me since he’d gotten the job I wanted. I had made a pretty big stink about it and, despite his affinity for hopping from woman to woman, he did seem like a really nice guy.

My stomach knotted, thinking he’d only come out of pity. I dabbed the cool paper on my forehead and temples, and told myself to chill out. He seemed to be having a good time. I eyed myself in the mirror, remembering him saying I looked amazing. My cheeks turned pink, but that was probably from a mixture of exercise, heat, and liquor. I ran a hand through my gold streaked hair, letting it fall back into place.

I needed to get a grip. I’d just tell Ryan that Madison had canceled, then he could decide if he wanted to stay or not. Taking a deep breath, I pushed out the restroom door into the crowd, and headed for the bar. One look at the blonde sidling up to Ryan and all thoughts of getting a grip were gone.

Irritation snaked down my spine as I strode toward Ryan, who had his drink in one hand and
my
Mojito in the other. His head was leaning toward the blonde, listening to what was most likely her best pick up line. The blonde was tall, sexy, and wearing a black dress that, in my opinion, was cut a little too low in the front. But, whatever.

“Thanks for getting my drink, snookie.” I narrowed my eyes at Ryan. It’s not that I was jealous, per se, but the blonde didn’t seem like his type.

The corners of Ryan’s mouth turned up. “Kim, this is my girlfriend, who I was telling you about.”

The blonde pursed her lips. “She really
does
scowl at you a lot.”

Ryan chuckled, then squeezed me against him. “She’s fighting her feelings for me, but I’m a patient man.”

“Whatever works for you.” She raised her brows, then sashayed away.

My mouth dropped open, and I nudged him with my elbow. “You make me sound terrible.”

“I just tell it like it is, buttercup.” He sipped his beer, and kept his arm around me. “I haven’t seen Madison yet. Did she say what time she’d arrive?”