The Relationship Coach (11 page)

She laughed, the tension leaving her body under the ministrations of his fingers. “Good. We’ll be helping lower the STD epidemic.”

“Where to now?” Reed asked.

She wanted to close her eyes and let him continue to make her feel so relaxed. “Back to Dallas, where I have a full day of client sessions, a church singles meeting, and my Friday night mixer. Plus, I have to go apartment looking.”

“You’re moving?”

“Yes, my boyfriend and I are moving in together.”

Reed’s hands felt heavenly, but the thought of Dean made her stop and think about what she was doing. Another man’s hands giving her pleasure would not be appropriate for an engaged or married woman. She stepped out of Reed’s reach.

“Thanks that feels better,” she said and reached up to rub the back of her neck, where his hands had left her skin warm and tingly. She’d had to force herself to move away from the heated touch of his hands.

“Known each other long?” he asked, leaning against the wall, his arms and ankles crossed as his emerald eyes perused her leisurely.

“Yes, we’ve been dating for almost a year. We decided to take it to the next step.” There was something about his gaze that left her strangely aware of him as a man, and she had the urge to run.

“And you waited ten dates before you had sex?” he asked, his eyes dancing with merriment.

She laughed. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, but yes, we did wait at least ten dates.”

“God, he must be a candidate for sainthood.”

She smiled, remembering how Dean had kept pressuring her, but she’d held steadfast. “No, we agreed to wait.” She put her notes in her briefcase. “Found a new girlfriend yet?”

He shook his head, his lips curling into a grin. “No, I’m still currently without.”

“When you decide you want to change that, let me know, and I’ll set you up.”

“No, thanks. Women in your business are looking for permanent. I’ve yet to meet anyone who would change my mind on staying happily single.”

“That’s a shame. Married men live longer.”

“Well, I’m hardly an old guy.”

“No, but you will be someday.” Yes, she knew exactly what type of man he was. He didn’t believe in what she did for a living, but if she ever had a chance to work her magic with him, by the time she was done, he’d be a great candidate for marriage.

“Thank you, Ms. Morgan. I will take that under advisement. Right now, I’m the type of guy you probably hate. My women know right up front it’s all about sex. When we’re done, we’re done. No commitments, no permanency, no sharing an apartment, not even a drawer in my house.”

Lacey grinned, remembering previous clients like Reed. “Oh, I don’t hate guys like you. I enjoy seeing them change and grow into men who women can appreciate.”

“But I have no intention of changing.”

“That’s what they all say,” she said, turning to leave.
“Wait, we need to set up a time to do a one-on-one interview with you.”

She waved her hand at him. “You’ll have to check with Amanda. She keeps my schedule.”

Chapter Seven

L
acey lay beside Dean in the big queen-size bed, cuddling against his naked skin. The earthy smell of musk surrounded her, and she breathed deeply of the soothing scent. She ran her fingers over the strong width of his chest. Finally, they had managed to squeeze some time for each other into their busy schedules.

When they lived together, this wouldn’t be such a problem. Yet, there were still so many decisions they needed to make before they could combine their households. “Whose furniture will we use in the new apartment?”

He gazed at her and kissed the top of her head as he shifted in the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “Honey, I was going to talk to you about this. You know I love your apartment, but it’s girly.”

“I’m a girl.”

“I know; it’s one of the things I love about you,” he said, his lips soft against her forehead.

“I’m open to change. Our new place should be a merger of our tastes,” Lacey said.

“I agree.”

Lacey wondered how they would combine their apartments, their furniture, including his ugly football chair. “While we’re talking about furniture, I have a problem with your recliner.”

Beneath the sheet, she rubbed her foot against his leg and then entwined her leg with his, trying to make him feel loved, even though she hated that old chair.

“What’s wrong with my recliner? It’s comfortable,” Dean asked, gazing at her like she’d halted world peace.

“I’m sure in the 90s it was very comfortable, but blue is no longer a fashionable color,” she said, letting her fingers trail down his chest.

“I don’t care if it’s avocado green as long as it fits my butt well. That’s my football-watching chair.”

“And it’s butt ugly.”

“I planned on putting it where guests couldn’t see it. I thought maybe the office,” he said, his expression hopeful.

She smiled at him. “We’ll be sharing an office.”

Dean was quiet for a moment, and a crease formed across his forehead. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

“We could always sell our furniture and buy new,” she volunteered.

“Yeah, but that’s such a huge expense, and I’d hoped we could save some money moving in together.”

“Speaking of finances, we’ve not discussed how we’re going to pay for everything,” she said, gazing up at him.

“I assumed we’d split the expenses.”

“I agree, but living together, our credit could affect each other. Is your credit good?”

A long pause interrupted the flow of conversation, and Lacey felt a trickle of unease skitter down her spine.

“My credit isn’t bad; it’s just not great. During college, I ran up some bills, and when I graduated, I owed over twenty thousand dollars.”

“Ouch! I hope you had a great time in college,” she said, her mind racing with this new insight into Dean. He was so meticulous she’d never imagined his credit could be a problem.

He shrugged. “I wish I could say I did, but frankly I don’t know how the balance became so high.”

“College was several years ago. How much do you still owe on the card?”

A long silence was his response, and Lacey knew she’d just discovered something new about her soon-to-be fiancé. Could Dean be hiding his financial situation for a reason?

Finally, he said, “I owe twenty-one thousand on my credit card.”

Stunned, Lacey lay there, her mind reeling like a spin-top out of control, her breath freezing like she’d gotten locked in a cold storage unit. Twenty-one thousand dollars in debt? The cost of a new car and she’d had no idea. She remembered the expensive dinners they’d shared, the luxurious weekend getaways, the sleek car he drove, and the top of the line clothes he wore. Dean’s millionaire looks could grace the cover of GQ magazine. She’d known he wasn’t worth millions, but she had no idea he was so deeply in debt.

He sighed, his face void of any expression as his eyes carefully studied her. “That’s why I thought moving in together would save us both some money.”

“I thought we were moving in because we loved each other and wanted to be together,” she said. Discomfort squeezed her chest like a bra two sizes too small.

“Of course,” he said, his voice satiny smooth and full of reassurance.

“How much money do you have in savings?” she asked, needing to know if he was prepared for an emergency.

“That’s kind of a personal question,” he said, his forehead drawn together, his eyes sparking with irritation.

Lacey took a calming breath and ran her fingers across his chest. “Yes, it is. We’re about to start sharing our life together. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

His body tensed. “A couple of thousand.”

“So, if you’re in an automobile accident, you have just enough to purchase a new car. What about a job loss? Do you think that two thousand is going to get you to your next job?”

He withdrew from her, sat up, and threw back the sheet. “It’s tough out on your own and paying all the bills. Sure, I make good money, but I work hard and a guy deserves to have some fun occasionally.”

She shrugged and wondered at the way she could see him pulling away from her. “I’m not saying you don’t, but do you have the money for a down payment on the apartment?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have the money,” he said, his voice clipped as he crawled out of bed.

She dropped the subject, seeing how tense and angry he was becoming.

“We’re scheduled to meet two property managers on Saturday,” Lacey said, observing his retreat.

“Yes,” he replied, as he pulled on his pants. “I’ve already blocked out time on my schedule for us to meet with them.”

“I thought you’d come over Friday night, and we could spend Saturday together.”

He glanced at his watch, not responding to her suggestion.

“Is there someplace you have to go?” she asked, her irritation growing by the second. He couldn’t run away every time they got into a disagreement or hit a bump on the road of life. If he did, they would never make it as a couple.

“No, I should get home. Tomorrow is a work day.”

“Yes, I know. What about Friday night?”

His face became a blank mask, his eyes cold and dark. “Let me see how the rest of the week goes. I may have to work late.”

She rose from the bed, grabbed her robe, and pulled it around her naked body. Whenever they hit a subject that was sensitive, Dean shut her out and walked away. “If something is bothering you, we need to talk about it. As a couple, we’re going to have issues come up we’ll need to discuss.”

He yanked his shirt on and buttoned it, averting his face from her. “I know. Tonight, when you mentioned getting rid of my favorite chair, it made me realize moving in with you will be different.”

She softened her voice and said, “And when you mentioned your money problems, that reminded me I may not know everything about you I should.”

He gazed at her, his lips turned up in a slight smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Okay, so we’ve got some things we need to discuss. But not now. It’s late, and I’m tired.”

She walked him to the door, knowing once again, he’d put her off. It was a concerning pattern of Dean’s and one she needed to think about. “Let’s talk about them Friday night.”

“Sure.”

At the door, he kissed her goodnight. “Later, Cupcake.”

“Goodnight. Be careful going home.”

She shut the door behind him and flipped the lock. Why did she feel like his reluctant admission of financial issues was a dark cloud looming over their happy future? When they’d discussed moving in together, she’d never dreamed of this problem. What else did she not know about Dean?

***

Reed watched Ty film the session in process. They were getting some great film, but he’d yet to find that one piece of footage that exposed this gig as a fraud. But he was a patient man and sooner or later, it would come through.

A pleasant flowery smell tweaked his nose, and he couldn’t help but wonder where she’d put that drop of scent that intrigued him. He’d love to search that smell out on her body.

“James, last week I gave you an assignment. Do you remember?”

Sitting across from Lacey, the client, a thirtyish meek man, squirmed in his chair. “Yes, you told me to contact one girl online, one girl via the dating group, and one at the Friday night get-together. You told me to make at least one date.” James glanced away, unable to meet her gaze.

“Did you do that?”

The man sat tense and didn’t respond. Reed could see why the man had trouble getting dates. Extremely shy and unsure of himself, at the first sign of rejection, he probably ran.

“If you don’t do the assignments I give you, then you’re wasting my time and yours. My job is to help you make a connection with a woman. We set a time limit on how long I was to help you with the promise that if you didn’t do your part, I could withdraw from the contract at any time. Do you remember that commitment contract I had you sign?” Lacey said like she was dealing with an errant school kid.

“Yes.” His eyes traveled to the ceiling, then down to the floor.

“Did you connect with at least three women?” Lacey asked her voice firm.

“It was a busy week, and the first girl I asked told me no.”

Yep, he’d run at that first rejection with his tail between his legs. Reed had been there in high school, and thank God, he’d overcome that fright. It was paralyzing.

“How did that make you feel?” she asked.

“Like hell,” he said, licking his lips nervously. “I mean I’m trying, but when I get turned down, I think no one likes me.”

“It’s a numbers game, James. It’s all about reaching out to the right people. We discussed the fact you could get turned down, and you might even be rejected after a couple of dates.”

“Yes, I know, but this one hurt,” he said, his voice soft.

“Why was this one so different?”

Who was he kidding? All rejection hurt, and until you learned to blow it off and walk on, it could demoralize you.

With a frown, he glanced at the camera. “They’re taping all of this?”

“Do you want me to tell them to go away?”

James thought about it for a moment. “No.”

“What made this rejection hurt more?”

“Because I met her at your seminar. I thought she’d understand and say yes. I thought she was pretty.”

Lacey leaned back and studied him for a moment. “There are no guarantees even at my seminars or the Friday night get-togethers. There are no guarantees anywhere.”

He nodded. “I know, but I was disappointed.”

When you were rejected, you had to learn not to take it personally. Sometimes you won, and sometimes you were shot down before you even got in the game. The cure was to move on until you found a yes.

“You were rejected by one girl. What about the other two girls? Did you contact two others?”

“Well, I went to the Friday night social, and I didn’t see anyone I wanted to meet.”

“What did you do? At these socials, they play games, they talk and eat dinner. Did you participate in the games and speak with people over a meal?”