Tempting Nora

Tempting Nora

By A.M. Evanston

For God, who has given me so many gifts.

Prologue

Eight-year-old Nora Williams lingered in front of an orphanage. Her mom stood before her, a shell of the person she'd once been. The woman's chestnut hair was greasy and lifeless. Her face, which once glowed with health, was pale and emaciated. Not even a smidgeon of fat clung to the woman's body. Nora blamed herself for her mom's sickness. Still she was determined to change—to behave better—if only she was given the chance. She didn't want to go to an orphanage. She wanted to be with her mom no matter what.

"I'll be a good girl
from now on." She clutched the bottom of her mom's coat as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Don't send me away. Please."

"
I don't have another choice." Her mom shook her head. "Being around you hurts me too much."

"
But I want to be with you." A sob burst from Nora's lips.

"I can't take care of you anymore
." Her mom looked away. "I should have given you up from the beginning. You were a mistake."

Even a burst of frigid Chicago wind could not make the atmosphere more chilling.

"I'll be good." Nora wept wildly, tears and snot dribbling down her face. "I promise I'll be good."

"
Stop crying. You know that I hate it when you cry." Her mom seized her hand and pulled her toward the door of the orphanage. "Come on."

"No,
" Nora wailed, digging her heels into the ground.

"
Please, Nora." Her mom's grip on her arm tightened. "Stop being so difficult."

Nora
choked on her tears as she was pulled through the door, but her mom didn't stop or hesitate. At that moment, Nora realized her life was going to change forever.

Chapter One

Twenty years later…

Nora st
ood inside a tea shop where she worked as a clerk. The door of the shop opened and a heavyset man with glasses rushed inside. The new arrival was her best friend, Robert, who worked across the street as a head cook at a chain restaurant. 

"Nora," Robert said, drawing
out her name as if he was singing.

"Hey." She
waved.

Unlike her,
Robert always oozed excitement. That was why he pulled her into a bone crushing hug. He smelled of grease, grease, and more grease. She didn't think the odor would ever leave him. When he pulled back, she was sputtering. Robert reminded her of a friendly golden retriever—loyal, sweet to a fault, and overenthusiastic.

"
Are you up for an early birthday get-together at McLeod's tonight?" Robert asked, his green eyes glistening with excitement. "My birthday is on a Monday this year and that sucks. Celebrating on a Friday is way better."

"
You want to go to McLeod's?" She groaned. "Am I morally obligated to go as your best friend?"

"Of course." Robert nodded. "You're even obligated to like it."

"Really?" She cracked a grin. "I suppose I could go. I don't know if I'll like it, but I'll be there."

"You're the best." Robert looked like he was about to hug her again, so she stepped out of
the way before he could make a move.

"Do you
need me to bring anything?" she asked.

"
No." Robert shook his head. "Just bring your lovely self."

Lovely?
She raised an eyebrow. Robert never called her lovely. He wanted something.

"Okay, what's up?" She
scrutinized him.

"What do you mean
?" He whistled innocently.

"You've never called me lovely in your
entire life." In fact, hearing the words gave her the chills. She didn't know how to handle compliments.

"
Okay, fine. I want you to be my wingwoman." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're the only one who can make it to the bar tonight and I was hoping I could meet a woman. Well, one besides you."

She
hated being his wingwoman.

"Oh
man." She groaned. "Do I have to?"

"It's my birthday
wish." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Please."

With an exasperated sigh, she nodded. He planted a kiss on her forehead.
With a twitching eyebrow, she wiped away his spit. She didn't like it when he kissed her.

"After you help me
nab a girlfriend, I'll return the favor," he said. "I'll be the best wingman ever and find somebody perfect for you."

"I don't want to find somebody,
" she said.

"This again."
Robert rolled his eyes. "You want a boyfriend and you know it."

Okay, maybe he was right.
The truth was she was lonely. Still she didn't think anybody would want her. It wasn't that she was undesirable. No, the reason why she thought she would never find somebody was because she vowed to never, ever sleep with a guy before marriage. Her dad had run for the hills after getting her mom pregnant. After that, her mom had worked herself to the bone to feed the two of them before finally dumping her at an orphanage. Nora didn't want to put herself in the same position as her mother. That was why she refused to sleep with anyone without being married first.

And no one was going to change her mind.
Not now, not ever.

"You know my reasons." She headed behind the
service desk.

"Yeah, I do." Robert
sighed. "But you'll still be at the bar at six, right?"

"I never break a promise." She winked at him.

"Yeah, yeah." Robert grimaced. "Never is a strong word. I know a certain someone who missed my poetry reading a few weeks ago."

"I'm a horrible
person." She clapped her hand dramatically to her chest. "Tell the cops to come and have me locked away for life."

Robert snorted and shook his head.
Unfortunately, that was when the door to the shop opened and a couple of women streamed inside.

"I'd better
let you get back to work." Robert stepped away. "It's getting busy."

"See you tonight." Unfortunately.
"I'll meet you at the bar."

"Bye."

She watched him go.

****

That evening, Nora stood in front of the mirror and examined her reflection. She wore a bright green dress that clung to her voluptuous figure. Her long brown hair flowed down her back in a shimmering stream. All things considered, she thought she looked pretty great. After she ran her hand over her hip, she turned and saw Mr. Fleas, her five-year-old Chihuahua, sitting on her bed. Chubby, her obese cat, was sitting nearby on the dresser.

"What do you guys think?" She struck a pose.

Mr. Fleas started to scratch himself so hard he fell over. Chubby knocked a picture off the dresser with his tail. Typical.

"Thanks for the input." She snorted and picked up the picture.

At that moment, she realized she'd asked her animals for fashion advice and had acted like they'd responded. Maybe Robert was right. She needed to find somebody.

Still
she remembered the many dates she'd been on. The dates had been a series of wrestling matches as one guy after another tried to fondle her. She shivered. No, she was all wrestled out. So what if she talked to her animals? At least she didn't have to worry about them pawing her…well, at least not in an inappropriate way.

She headed over to Mr. Fleas and patted his head.

"Be good," she said.

Mr. Fleas started to pant.

She turned her attention to the cat. He looked as cranky as always.

"You too, Chubby." She kissed the tip of his nose. "
If I come home and find out that you've destroyed a roll of toilet paper again, I'll put you on a diet."

The cat stared at her and
meowed.

"Don't look at me
like that." She scratched him behind his ear. "We both know I'll do it."

Chubby meowed again.

"Don't argue." She stepped back. "Now I've got to go."

After she left her bedroom, she
collected her purse and left the apartment. Instead of taking her car—a dingy Subaru that hadn't been new in ten years—she walked to the bar. She arrived ten minutes late but lingered outside the door anyway. Already, she could here rambunctious laughter coming from inside.

Her stomach c
hurned. She and Robert were different in many ways. For example, her version of a good time was curling up on the couch with a good book, not drinking beer in a rowdy bar. Shoving away her inner introvert's wail of protest, she opened the door and stepped inside.

She was immediately hit with a
tsunami of cigarette smoke. Tables were packed as people wolfed down greasy food while watching college basketball on TV. She waded through the herd of people and spotted Robert sitting in the corner drinking a beer. When she reached him, Robert gave her a hug so hard that all the air was chased from her lungs.

"You're late," Robert said
, finally releasing her.

"Sorry." She didn't have an excuse unless having a strange conversation with her cat counted. "Thanks for saving me a spot."

She sat on the stool.

"No problem," Robert said. "I took the liberty of ordering you your favorite
food—chocolate cake."

"You're the best." She gushed, now forgiving him for making her come to a bar.

McLeod's had chocolate cake so decadent she could feel her arteries clogging when she ate a slice. Hey, she didn't drink, smoke, or sleep around. She might as well have one vice. For her, that vice was chocolate.

"I ordered a meal, so t
he waitress will probably bring the cake with my food." Robert took a sip of his beer.

Both of them fell silent as a loud roar filled the
bar. Somebody must have scored during the basketball game. As she winced—she wasn't fond of loud noises—she saw that Robert was looking at someone over her shoulder. Uh-oh. He must have found a potential girlfriend already. There were only two things in the world that could make Robert stare—food and curvy ladies. She followed his gaze.

Sure enough, two women sat in the corner. One of them was a skinny woman with long
red hair that trickled down her back. The redhead wolfed down a hamburger so fast it made even Nora wince.
No, he's not after the redhead,
she thought. The redhead had a wedding ring on her finger. He must have been looking at the curvy brunette at her side.

"Found your target already?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's the brunette, right?"

"Yeah." Robert nodded. "She's gorgeous."

"Well, when do you want to
make your move on her?" she asked.

"I'll have the bartender send her a drink first," Robert said.
"Maybe that will do the trick."

She knew her best friend well enough to understand that
he was nervous and hoping the woman would wander over on her own after receiving the free drink. Nora knew that wouldn't happen. Unfortunately, she was going to have to do the dirty work. With a sigh, she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"Don't bother
to buy the drink. I'll go talk to her." She hopped off the stool. "I'll send her your way when she's all buttered up."

"I owe you big," he said.

"Yeah, I won't be buying you a birthday present in, well, ever." She was lying again. She always bought nice presents. Well, sort-of nice presents.

Just as she
was about to head over to the pretty brunette woman, the door of the bar opened and a guy stepped into the room. It wasn't just any guy, either. It was an impossibly handsome guy. Dark hair curled over his forehead. Caramel eyes stared out from beneath a dark brow. A grey sweater clung to every last perfect muscle. The man was inhumanely handsome. Never, not once in her entire life, had she ever laid eyes on a male so immaculate. But there was something else about him that caught her attention as well. He radiated power. She felt ridiculous for even thinking it, but it was the truth.

"Earth to Nora," Robert said.

She blinked twice and finally looked away from the beautiful stranger.

"Yeah?"
she asked. 

Her friend had the audacity to smirk.

"I saw who you were looking at," Robert said. "Want me to go talk to him for you?"

She
elbowed Robert in the shin.

"
Ouch," Robert cried. "I was just trying to be helpful."

She knew better. Robert had been
heckling her. As her best friend, he had to be aware that the caramel-eyed Adonis was not for her. If she ever decided to give finding love another shot, then she'd look for someone who was nice, secure, and loyal. The caramel-eyed man didn't look like a nice, secure, loyal kind of guy. No, he looked like the kind of guy who was trouble with a capital T.

I don't even want to think about this anymore,
she thought, forcing herself to look at the brunette Robert had his eye on.

"Do you still want me to
talk to that woman for you?" she asked.

"Of course." Robert's eyes watered as he clutched his shin.

"Then I'll be back," she said.

As she waded through the sea of people, the door to the bar opened a second time and a
gorgeous woman with a beautiful cascade of blonde hair stepped into the room. The blonde was followed by two other handsome men. More heads turned.
Is every gorgeous person in America meeting in this place tonight?
She glanced warily at the caramel-eyed stranger who'd entered the bar first and saw that he was already surrounded by several women trying to buy him drinks.

Well, whatever.
It didn't matter how many gorgeous people flocked here.

She finally made it over to the dark-haired woman
Robert had his eye on. Something large and angry stomped around in her stomach. She was an inhibited, I-don't-talk-to-strangers kind of person. The fact that she was willing to make an idiot out of herself for her best friend showed just how much she cared about him.

With a sigh
, she hopped onto the stool at the woman's side. The woman glanced at her curiously before looking away.
Okay, you've got this
, she told herself.
All you have to do is get her over to Robert.
Yeah, easier said than done, especially with the caramel-eyed guy making all the other men in the bar look bad. How was she going to play this? Cool? Mysterious? No, she was about as mysterious as a drowned rat. Brutal honesty was the way to go. She could do brutal honesty. Heck, sometimes she did brutal honesty a little too well.