that statement produced.
Aldy’s lips twisted into an unpleasant frown. “You’ve been hurt enough, Caro.”
“And that’s why I love you. Always watching my back.”
“That’s what best friends do. It’s in the handbook, you know.”
Caroline smiled. “So, I’m meeting up with Wren around nine this evening.”
Aldy sighed. “Did my talk go in one ear and out the other?”
Caroline hugged her. “No, but I know that this is just a weekend affair. I’ve got my eyes open.” She pulled back to smile at her friend. “You wanna do dinner together?”
“Pizza?” Aldy asked. “We can take the subway down to Little Italy and chow down on some delizioso Italian cuisine.”
Caroline laughed as she went to the closet. “Let me take a shower first and then we can head out.”
“You’ve got fifteen minutes. I’m starving.”
Caroline only shook her head as she closed the bathroom door behind her.
****
“You’ve been staring at me like I’m a bug under a microscope,” Wren said warily as he downed the last of his B & B liqueur.
Caroline had her chin resting in her palm as she studied him through the candlelight. They had come to the Big Band Dance Hall for drinks, and it had presented the perfect opportunity to study him.
“I’ve heard a rumor about you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “From your friend Aldrin Crenshaw?”
“Leave Aldy out of this,” she said. “She’s very protective.”
Wren inclined his head. “All right. Which rumor would you like to address, Caroline?”
“ Which rumor?”
He shrugged. “I may have appeared in several tabloids over the years.”
She blinked, then chuckled. “Touché.”
“So, which rumor? I can assure you, I’ve not fathered any children and I’m not secretly in the closet.”
Caroline thought about the redhead for a brief moment. “Fair enough. Then let me ask you this, why are you with me?”
“I don’t think I understand the question,” he admitted, looking perplexed.
“I’ve heard about the type of women you usually go out with, and I’m just wondering how I fit into the mix.”
“Did you ever think that it’s because you’re unbelievably beautiful? Or sexy as hell?”
Caroline pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. “No,” she answered truthfully. “Those are two adjectives I wouldn’t think to use in describing me.”
“I thought you were quite elegant when I saw you sitting in the bar the other night,” he admitted. “I pictured you wrapped in silk, red lips, a cigarette on the end of a long holder. The outward shell displaying an icy, yet beautiful, temptress underneath. And I was right. Whether you admit it or not, you were made for sex.”
Caroline cleared her throat at the mental picture he gave her and tried to find enough saliva to lick her suddenly dry lips. She strove to regroup her thoughts and steer the conversation back on solid ground.
“So, if you’re from New York, why bother sightseeing something you grew up with? You probably missed something very important today at the conference.”
“I’m sure by now Ms. Crenshaw has told you that I’m CEO, and one perk of being boss is having your admin assistant sit in for you once in a while,” he said with a crooked smile. “Besides, I’ve got limited days with you.”
Yes, very limited. The reminder suddenly made Aldy’s fears seem inconsequential.
“Then what’s on the agenda tonight, Mr. Calder?”
He studied her face, his eyes tracing over every curve. She waited, and figured he had something big ready by the way his eyes darkened with desire. Her stomach quivered a little with anticipation.
“Have you ever been to a sex show?”
Caroline cocked her head, not sure if she heard him correctly. “Excuse me?”
“A sex show,” he repeated.
“What does that mean? What’s a sex show?”
“The higher priced version of a backroom peep show.”
She sat
Aldy’s lips twisted into an unpleasant frown. “You’ve been hurt enough, Caro.”
“And that’s why I love you. Always watching my back.”
“That’s what best friends do. It’s in the handbook, you know.”
Caroline smiled. “So, I’m meeting up with Wren around nine this evening.”
Aldy sighed. “Did my talk go in one ear and out the other?”
Caroline hugged her. “No, but I know that this is just a weekend affair. I’ve got my eyes open.” She pulled back to smile at her friend. “You wanna do dinner together?”
“Pizza?” Aldy asked. “We can take the subway down to Little Italy and chow down on some delizioso Italian cuisine.”
Caroline laughed as she went to the closet. “Let me take a shower first and then we can head out.”
“You’ve got fifteen minutes. I’m starving.”
Caroline only shook her head as she closed the bathroom door behind her.
****
“You’ve been staring at me like I’m a bug under a microscope,” Wren said warily as he downed the last of his B & B liqueur.
Caroline had her chin resting in her palm as she studied him through the candlelight. They had come to the Big Band Dance Hall for drinks, and it had presented the perfect opportunity to study him.
“I’ve heard a rumor about you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “From your friend Aldrin Crenshaw?”
“Leave Aldy out of this,” she said. “She’s very protective.”
Wren inclined his head. “All right. Which rumor would you like to address, Caroline?”
“ Which rumor?”
He shrugged. “I may have appeared in several tabloids over the years.”
She blinked, then chuckled. “Touché.”
“So, which rumor? I can assure you, I’ve not fathered any children and I’m not secretly in the closet.”
Caroline thought about the redhead for a brief moment. “Fair enough. Then let me ask you this, why are you with me?”
“I don’t think I understand the question,” he admitted, looking perplexed.
“I’ve heard about the type of women you usually go out with, and I’m just wondering how I fit into the mix.”
“Did you ever think that it’s because you’re unbelievably beautiful? Or sexy as hell?”
Caroline pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. “No,” she answered truthfully. “Those are two adjectives I wouldn’t think to use in describing me.”
“I thought you were quite elegant when I saw you sitting in the bar the other night,” he admitted. “I pictured you wrapped in silk, red lips, a cigarette on the end of a long holder. The outward shell displaying an icy, yet beautiful, temptress underneath. And I was right. Whether you admit it or not, you were made for sex.”
Caroline cleared her throat at the mental picture he gave her and tried to find enough saliva to lick her suddenly dry lips. She strove to regroup her thoughts and steer the conversation back on solid ground.
“So, if you’re from New York, why bother sightseeing something you grew up with? You probably missed something very important today at the conference.”
“I’m sure by now Ms. Crenshaw has told you that I’m CEO, and one perk of being boss is having your admin assistant sit in for you once in a while,” he said with a crooked smile. “Besides, I’ve got limited days with you.”
Yes, very limited. The reminder suddenly made Aldy’s fears seem inconsequential.
“Then what’s on the agenda tonight, Mr. Calder?”
He studied her face, his eyes tracing over every curve. She waited, and figured he had something big ready by the way his eyes darkened with desire. Her stomach quivered a little with anticipation.
“Have you ever been to a sex show?”
Caroline cocked her head, not sure if she heard him correctly. “Excuse me?”
“A sex show,” he repeated.
“What does that mean? What’s a sex show?”
“The higher priced version of a backroom peep show.”
She sat
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