One Night with the CEO (9 page)

Something was terribly wrong.
A case of stage fright maybe?

Gracie began to rise from her chair, a look of distress on her face. As discreetly as he could, Mark motioned for her to return to her seat. Then he moved closer to Karen and leaned in. “Can I have the mic?”

She raised her head and blinked several times. Without a word, she let the mic drop into his outstretched hand.

“Sorry, folks. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s this: Don’t tell a woman you’ll do one thing and then do the complete opposite. It’s a recipe for disaster. You see, I told Karen I’d go first, and then I screwed up by forgetting the order of these festivities. I’m up first, because Gracie and Ethan knew I’d be a pretty easy act to follow.”

A few guests laughed, and Karen turned in his direction. “What are you doing?”

He covered the mic with his hand. “Giving you a minute to catch your breath. You need it, right?”

She parted her lips as she nodded her head. God, he wanted to soothe her right then. Wished he could fold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. But that would have been far too intimate, and he certainly couldn’t do that on a stage at Gracie and Ethan’s wedding reception, with her parents and grandmother staring at them expectantly.

Better to lighten the mood and give her time to get herself together.

So that’s what he did. And the bride and groom, who’d decided to sit at a table with their parents, smiled throughout his toast, which was gratifying in a way that spoke to how much they’d come to mean to him, not only as individuals but as a couple, too.

And after several minutes, Karen returned to life, smiling along with everyone else. She’d beaten down whatever had spooked her. When he handed her the mic, she took it without hesitation, meeting his eyes with a clear and steady gaze. He stepped to the side, and she positioned herself in the center of the stage.

“Most of you know Gracie’s my sister. But she’s much more than that to me. She’s my closest friend. My most vocal cheerleader. She’s wiped my tears countless times. She did that when I was young, and she did that when I was in college, when the stress and anxiety of taking more courses than I should have became too much. And she’s the reason I didn’t give up on my dream to go to medical school.”

Karen’s eyes glistened, and her wistful expression caused a pang in his chest. “We did it, Gracie.” Gracie barely held her emotions in check and rose from her seat. She reached the stage and hugged Karen. With their arms around each other’s waists, the sisters faced the crowd. Karen lifted the mic to her mouth. “Ethan, make her happy. She deserves it. And since she chose you, I know you deserve it, too. Congratulations to you both.” To Gracie, she whispered, “
Te amo.
”

Karen’s speech confirmed what he’d already suspected: Her path to medical school hadn’t been easy. But she’d done it nonetheless. For someone so young, she had a clear sense of what she wanted to accomplish and an appreciation for the hard work needed to get there. That should have been enough to convince him to get out of her way.

Nope.

He still found himself drawn to her.

Somewhere a Marine was shaking his head in disappointment. So much for the
oorah
.

K
aren sat on a chaise lounge by the hotel’s outdoor pool. The faint sounds of the band’s drums and brass instruments served as a testament to the fact that the party was still in full swing. She stared at the water, her gaze searching for the source of the occasional ripple that marred the pool’s otherwise calm surface. Finally, she glimpsed two sets of iridescent wings. Two dragonflies hovered near each other, until one of them darted away, the other following in its wake.

She knew the moment someone had joined her. As his footsteps drew near, she braced herself for the conversation she didn’t want to have.

Mark stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets and his eyes focused on a cascade of water near the swim-up bar. He didn’t turn to her. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

He gestured to the chaise lounge next to her. “May I join you?”

“Sure.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened back there?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. Do you want to go skinny-dipping then?”

She laughed. Mark, she’d discovered, had an uncanny ability to either cut straight to the heart of the matter or make you forget the matter altogether—for a few seconds at least. Now, for example, she was picturing him stripping bare and diving into the pool in one fluid movement rather than worrying about the way her nerves had almost ruined her toast.

The planes of his face softened when she sighed. He swung his legs onto the chaise and lounged as though he were spending a carefree day at the beach. “I’m always happy to listen.”

That she knew to be true. She’d divulged embarrassing snippets about her sex life to him, and he’d never made a snide comment about them. It didn’t appear to be his way. But could she share more? Would he look at her differently then? Maybe. But in her heart, she knew that even if he looked at her differently, he wouldn’t think less of her. “Remember when you asked me about medical school the other day?”

He nodded.

“I said I was nervous. And that’s true. But it’s much more than that. To do well, I need to be able to concentrate on my work. And focus has never been my strong suit.”

“Said the woman who got into medical school.”

“I never said I can’t do it. It just takes a lot of work. Sometimes I don’t have enough energy to push myself to get anything done. A task is a task for most people. For me, anything that requires me to focus is a task squared. Or that’s at least how it feels, at least.”

He furrowed his brow. “Has that always been the case?”

“For as long as I can remember.”

He opened his mouth, but that was far as he got before he clamped it shut.

“Go ahead, Mark. I can handle a question or two.”

“Did you ever seek guidance about why that might be?”

Oh, God. Why had she decided to go down this road? “My parents took me to a few specialists. I think my mother suspected I had ADD. According to the doctors I saw when I was a teenager, though, I don’t. One doctor mentioned hyper-intention.”

“What’s that?”

“A fancy word some doctor made up to explain away minor problems, I guess.”

“I’m sure it’s more than that. Tell me.”

“It’s almost like a self-fulfilling prophesy as I understand it. Like, let’s say you’re deathly afraid of spiders. You focus so much on that fear that the fear gets worse. In my case, I’m so worried that I won’t be able to concentrate in a given situation that I guarantee it.”

“Any situation?”

“Highly stressful situations usually. Like meeting new people.” She pointed her thumb in the ballroom’s direction. “Or being in front of a large group.”

“But you’ve managed it so far.”

“Yeah. I’m just worried medical school might be my breaking point. That’s one highly stressful situation in and of itself.”

“You had to take a big test to get into medical school, right?”

“Yes. The MCAT.”

“How’d you get through that?”

“That’s just it. I didn’t have to. When it comes to my studies, it’s never been an issue. It’s like my brain is wired to do exactly what it needs to do. It’s probably why I’m so focused on my studies. I don’t know. When I’m studying, I feel centered. Everything falls into place.”

“You’re motivated to do great things, Karen. You’ll be an excellent medical student and an excellent doctor. You didn’t push yourself in college only to stop now.”

“You’re right. I just wish it didn’t have to be this hard.”

“Life
is
hard. But all of it doesn’t have to be. You’re going to stumble, sure, but it’s so much easier to get back up when you’re stumbling over something that’s important to you. Decide what you want to work hard for, and leave the rest of it behind. Focus on what’s important to you.”

She dropped her head against the back of the chaise and stared at the night sky. “That’s your philosophy on life?”

“In a nutshell.”

He’d shared his advice as though the solution to her problems was simple. She knew otherwise. And she suspected he did, too; he was a smart guy, after all. One aspect of his statement did pique her interest, however. She turned on her side and propped her elbow against the back of the chaise. “So tell me this. What did you leave behind?”

His life was not up for discussion, so Mark ignored Karen’s question and posed his own. “What time is your flight tomorrow?”

She stretched and rubbed her eyes, reminding him of a sleek feline waking from a restful slumber. “Eleven a.m. Why?”

“Thought I’d give you a ride to the airport, but I’m leaving earlier than that. I could arrange for the car service to pick you up, though.”

She yawned. “No, that’s okay. Ethan and Gracie took care of everything.”

He nodded and checked his watch. “Shall we head back?”

“Mark.”

“It’s getting late.”

“I’ve shared some very personal stuff with you. So far, you’ve shared nothing.”

“I didn’t realize we were keeping score.”

“No, we’re not. But
friends
share information about themselves.”

His gaze traveled over Karen’s body. Even at rest, she captivated him.

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“Not really.”

“It’s a yes or no question, Mark.”

“I have a half brother.”

She sat up and rubbed her hands together. “
Ooooh.
Now we’re getting somewhere.” She scooted closer so that their knees almost touched. “Tell me about your parents.”

Every muscle in his body tensed, instinct warning him to protect himself from the unpleasant memories ahead. He slowed his breathing, attempting to ease into the conversation as casually as possible. “I grew up with my dad.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Did something happen to your mom?”

“Yeah. Boredom.”

“Excuse me?”

He’d said too much, but he couldn’t figure out how to retract the truth. So he gave her an abbreviated account of his mother’s fucked-up departure. “I grew up with my dad. My parents split when I was four or five. My mother was too young. She and my dad had no business getting married when they did, he says. She had big plans, a life to live, a world to see. My dad and I were deadweight. So one day she left. No note, no phone call. Just a voice mail message at my father’s work. ‘You need to pick up Mark,’ she’d said. ‘I won’t be coming back.’”

He didn’t tell her the precise day, but he knew it by heart: September 6. The first day of school. He’d left the house, nerves and excitement warring within his six-year-old belly, and he’d ridden the school bus like a big boy. That afternoon, when he’d jumped off the school bus and barreled through the front door, his father had been waiting for him. His stunned dad delivered the news without preamble.
She’s gone
, he’d said.
And she’s not coming back.

Karen moved closer to him. “That’s awful.”

Her earnest expression worried him. “Don’t be so concerned, Karen. I’m not broken because of it. I was too young to know what was happening.”

That’s what he told himself, at least. He clamped down on his bottom lip, a physical reminder to keep the grittier details to himself. His father’s depression. The unkempt house they’d lived in. The way his father’s shoulders had slumped every time he looked at his son. Not until he’d been invited to a play date at a friend’s house had he remembered people kept tidy homes—and smiled at their children. That was all in the past, though. After a while—several years, in fact—his father had emerged from his funk and learned to be the caregiver Mark needed. And he was grateful for his father’s love and support since then.

Karen’s gaze bounced around the beach, eventually landing on his face. “But you were a baby. And then your mother was gone.”

“I had my dad, and although he didn’t know a thing about raising a child, we survived. Together.”

“Did you ever reconnect with her?”

“I did. Years later. By then, she and my dad had divorced and she had a new family of her own. I have a brother. A half brother, I mean. She finally settled down after she had him.”

“I don’t know that I could have a relationship with my mother if she’d left that way.”

“It took time, but we’re okay now. She calls occasionally, to check on me. Guilt, I guess. And I’m not angry at her. I’m indifferent mostly. She made mistakes. So did my dad.”

“Where’s your dad now?”

“He lives in Maryland. On Kent Island. I think he’s still waiting for my mother to come back to him. He never remarried. Never dated really.”

How the hell had they gotten to this point? He never shared anything about his personal life, not voluntarily, and now he’d regurgitated his childhood in the span of minutes. She’d coaxed him into sharing his past with her, and if he didn’t guard himself better, she’d take a lot more. He had no inclination to go down the same path his father had stumbled over.

He wanted to fill the silence, but he didn’t know what to say. More than anything, he worried about her reaction. And if she pitied him, he had only himself to blame.

She slapped his thigh and smiled. “We’re a depressing pair, aren’t we? Tell you what. You’ve been great today. First you got me out of a jam during the reception and then you shared something about yourself even though you had no desire to. For that, I’ll let you take me to the casino at the Ritz.”

What the hell was she talking about?
“Why would I do that?”

“Because the reception is almost over. Because it’s our last night in Puerto Rico and I need to live it up for a change. And I’m an excellent blackjack player, so I could teach you a thing or two.”

“Blackjack’s not my game. Poker’s more my speed.”

She made a big show of inspecting his face, her eyes bright with amusement. After several seconds ticked by, she widened her eyes. “Oh, you’re serious. Mark, I hate to tell you this, but your face doesn’t lend itself to poker.”

He smiled as he rose from the chaise. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple. Your face is a neon sign for your feelings. Mark’s happy? The big, open smile appears. Mark’s confused? Those eyebrows knit together and you wrinkle your nose.”

“I do
not
wrinkle my nose.”

“Do, too. Not in the mood to be bothered? The blank stare emerges. And if you’re trying to hide your true feelings, you stare at your toes, or your watch, or a spot in the distance.”

He caught himself wrinkling his nose and shuddered.

She pointed at him. “See there. You’re proving my point.”

He reached for her hands and pulled her out of the chaise. “I have an early flight out tomorrow, so I’ll have to take a rain check on our casino date.”

She pouted. “Fine.”

Mark laughed at the disingenuous look of disappointment on her face. He’d spent several minutes in her presence without their mutual attraction stifling them. Had they turned a corner? Maybe the sparks that had flown during their initial meeting had finally been snuffed out.

As they made their way back to the wedding reception, she clung to his arm, cozying up to him in a way she probably thought was friendly, unaware that being this close to her had a dizzying effect on him.

“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” she asked.

“It is,” was all he could manage.

Soft blue and green lights bathed the hotel’s grounds, giving the courtyard a majestic appearance. The shadows and dark corners along the hotel’s corridors taunted him. He pictured himself maneuvering her into one of those corners and stealing a kiss.

The heat caused him to imagine her wavy hair plastered against her skin, her body languid with lust as he caressed her shoulders, moved his hands down to her waist, and trailed his fingers over her thighs. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the images to go away.

“You okay?” she asked by his side.

He opened his eyes and gave her a curt nod. “I’m fine.”

“You’re staring off into space again.”

He stopped mid-stride and faced her, a few feet from the garden that fronted the hotel’s courtyard. “Drop it, okay?”

Her arm fell away from him. “Okay.”

With her eyebrows knitted, she rubbed her upper arms and walked ahead of him. He knew the chill in the air came from his sour attitude, not the temperature.

Dammit.
He reached for her, wanting to apologize, needing to explain that his frustration was his problem, not hers. “Karen…”

She didn’t slow down and spoke over her shoulder. “Forget about it, Mark. It’s okay.”

No. It
wasn’t
okay, and he could think of only one way to make it right.

So he tugged her to his chest and kissed her.