Farrah"s eyes widened. "You got in Donovan Steele"s bed, the one upstairs?"
Not understanding why the location of the bed would make a difference, Natalie shamefully admitted. "Yes. I was just going to try out the mattress to see if it was as soft as it looked. I hadn"t intended on falling asleep."
"You actually fell asleep?" Farrah laughed. "Wow, that"s rich."
"I don"t know about it being rich since he found me there."
"Let me get this straight," Farrah said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "You fell asleep in Donovan Steele"s bed and he found you there?"
"Yes."
Farrah shook her head. "I"m sure your aunt hated losing him as a client."
"She didn"t. As a matter of fact, he increased his cleaning service from twice a month to every week," Natalie informed her.
Farrah didn"t say anything, but Natalie could see her friend"s mind at work. She was working out everything Natalie had told her in her head to come up with a reason for Donovan Steele"s action. Natalie could have saved her the trouble. She wasn"t born yesterday, nor was she the naive, brainy professor some men thought she was. She knew exactly what his motives were.
"He wants you," Farrah finally said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, that"s what I figured, especially since he thinks I"m no more than a cleaning lady. I didn"t bother telling him what I really did for a living."
Farrah smiled. "So, you"re going to try him out?"
Natalie looked aghast. "Of course not! I know his true colors since he"s been taking every opportunity to display them. I hear from Aunt Earline that he"s Charlotte"s number one player, and there is no doubt in my mind that he"s looking for another conquest. I have no intentions of being the next notch on his bedpost."
Farrah didn"t say anything for a moment, and Natalie had a feeling when her friend did speak again that she wouldn"t like whatever she would say.
"You may want to reconsider that decision, Nat. A fling with him might give you a new att.i.tude," Farrah said softly.
Natalie knew that look, and once again she squirmed accordingly. While in high school, the only time she put her books aside to indulge in some honest to goodness, off-the-wall fun was when Farrah talked her into it. Otherwise, she would have lived a relatively boring life. But this was not their school days and Farrah, who"d been thrust back into the life of a swinging single, evidently wanted her to join her.
"Don"t look at me like that, Farrah. I know what you"re thinking."
Farrah then gave her that smile she knew so well. "And what am I thinking?"
"That I need to take advantage of it because it"s been years since I got laid." Natalie knew there was nothing Farrah could say but confirm her statement since recently that had been Farrah"s constant argument. Over the years, Farrah had relentlessly tried building the case that Natalie needed to get her head out of her books and stop spending so much time in the lab and work on another type of formula-one that produced a love life, and if not a serious serious love life, definitely a fling. love life, definitely a fling.
"Yes, that"s what I"m thinking and it makes perfect sense, don"t you think?" Farrah interrupted her thoughts by saying.
Natalie rolled her eyes heavenward. "No, that"s not what I think."
"Come on, Nat, what do you have to lose? You don"t know what you"re missing out on. You can"t convince me you aren"t curious."
Natalie wished she could deny what Farrah was saying but she couldn"t. She hadn"t slept with anyone since college and Karl. Only Farrah knew the full extent of the scars a man"s emotional abuse could leave. But she had tried moving on, only to encounter men who weren"t cunning and manipulative like Karl but who were weak-minded enough to feel threatened by a woman"s successful scholarly achievements.
"Look, Nat," Farrah said, after glancing at the car in front of them to make sure it hadn"t moved. "Seriously. I"m not saying you need to start sleeping around, by any means. All I"m saying is that you should enjoy your life and not give in to the failures of the only man you"ve ever slept with by thinking all men are that way."
Natalie knew she didn"t think that way, but she would be the first to admit one of the reasons she hadn"t been hitting the singles scene was because she felt more comfortable in her career than in the prospect of putting all that work into a relations.h.i.+p to nowhere.
When Farrah checked on the cars ahead of them again, Natalie decided not to let her off the hook so easily. "What about you, Farrah? Did Dustin make you think all men are that way?" Natalie studied Farrah"s features. She saw a glimpse of the pain in her friend"s eyes that was still there even after a full year.
"I"m trying to move on, Nat. And no, I don"t think all men are like Dustin, but I will admit the next one who comes close to my heart will have a tough job convincing me that he"s not. In other words, no man will ever capture my heart again."
Natalie knew Farrah meant every word she had spoken. To this day Natalie didn"t understand how Dustin could have hurt Farrah the way he had. Regretting she had brought him up, she steered the conversation back to what she"d asked Farrah earlier.
"So, are you going to tell me what you know about Donovan Steele?" The cars started moving ahead, and she watched as Farrah s.h.i.+fted the car back in gear.
"Not much to tell. I"ve seen him before at a charity function or two so I know he"s an extremely good-looking man. I only know what I read and what I overhear from the women at the gym. According to them, he only indulges in short-term affairs and is very selective about whom he sleeps with. Some women think it"s quite an honor to be the chosen one because he"s one h.e.l.l of a lover."
Farrah glanced over at her when the car stopped at a traffic light. "I also hear he"s very persuasive and could probably talk the panties off a nun."
Natalie couldn"t help but smile at that claim. "All the more reason to keep him at arm"s length," she said.
She could see him as a persuasive guy since if given the chance he would have tried wearing down her resistance on Tuesday evening. Hadn"t he told her he went after whatever he wanted and always succeeded in getting it? He"d given her fair warning. And she planned on taking it.
"We"re here."
Natalie was pulled out of her thoughts to glance through the car window. The parking lot was full. "This place gets a lot of business, I gather."
Farrah smiled. "Yes, I"ve only been here once before with a girl from work. The food was good and the entertainment even better. And since you aren"t interested in having a fling with Donovan Steele, I"m sure you"ll meet some other likable guy here."
Natalie rolled her eyes. Having a fling was the last thing she was interested in.
"You want another beer, Donovan?"
"No, thanks. I"m fine, Jon. I"ll be checking out in a few," Donovan said, sparing the bartender a quick glance before returning his gaze back to the flat-screen television on the wall behind the counter. They were showing a rerun of last weekend"s race in New Hamps.h.i.+re.
When the bartender moved on, Donovan leaned back against the barstool accepting the fact that his full concentration wasn"t on the race. Instead, over the course of the night, as well as the nights before, he had done a very unorthodox thing. He had allowed a woman to dominate his thoughts.
He wasn"t sure how to view his meeting with Natalie when he had delivered the flowers. She"d been feisty-that was for sure. And strong-willed. But he had a feeling she was also a very pa.s.sionate woman. And it was that pa.s.sion he would love to get a hold on and work to his advantage. Last night he had dreamed about her. In sleep he had inhaled her scent, imagined her legs wrapped around him and envisioned her lips mingling with his.
He had awakened with sweat covering most of his body and an erection as hard as a rock. He was glad to see the work week come to an end and was looking forward to the weekend. He had a date lined up with Jean Carroll and he knew from past experiences that she would make it worth his while.
He happened to glance back up at the television screen and then looked to the mirror on the wall that picked up a clear view of anyone walking through the restaurant"s door. He blinked thinking he was seeing things, but when he continued to stare at the mirror he saw that Natalie and another woman had come through the door. He was tempted to turn around but knew if he did she would definitely see him. So, instead, he sat there and watched as a waitress led them over to the table and out of sight.
Releasing the breath he"d been holding, he caught Jon"s eye and beckoned him over to him.
"Another beer?" Jon asked.
Donovan shook his head. "No, but you see the two women Marisa just seated at a table in the back. I want you to give them whatever they want."
Jon strained his neck to see who Donovan was talking about. "Okay. Will you be joining them?"
"Later."
"All right." Jon then walked off.
Donovan pulled in a deep breath. What he didn"t tell Jon was he wouldn"t go anywhere near that table until he got himself together. He couldn"t believe Natalie was here, invading his domain. It was bad enough he"d thought of little else besides her all day; now she was going to give him a reason to think of her all night. Again. And now there was a slow burn in his belly, and he seriously doubted even a cold beer would be able to put it out.
He glanced back at the television screen, trying to ignore the fact she was there, but everything in front of him seemed to blur while a current of electricity seemed to charge the air.
Donovan glanced at his watch as heat flowed through his midsection. It was barely eight and too early for him to think about going home. And why should he? He had never ducked the other way when it came to a woman. Goldilocks had once again invaded his turf, so the way he saw it he had rights-rights he intended to exercise. He had given her fair warning.
Getting off the stool, he headed in her direction.
"Everything on the menu looks good," Natalie said to Farrah. "What are you going to have?"
"Um, that guy who just walked in looks pretty good."
Natalie glanced up, followed Farrah"s gaze and nodded in agreement. "Yes, he does look good but, unfortunately, he"s not on the menu."
"What a shame. I wish he was."
Natalie chuckled, but her laughter was cut short when she saw the man in question approached by another man. "I don"t believe it," she said in an annoyed voice.
Farrah, who had gone back to studying her menu, glanced up. "You don"t believe what?"
"Donovan Steele is here, and he"s talking to your guy-the one you wished was on the menu. Hopefully, he won"t look over this way and see me."
As if those very words had d.a.m.ned her, Donovan glanced her way. His gaze settled on her face and held her eyes captive. She barely had time to draw in a ragged breath when she felt white-hot desire whisk through her veins and settle deep in her limbs. So deep she had to place her gla.s.s of water back down on the table.
"Natalie?"
She heard Farrah call her name but was too caught up in the intensity of Donovan"s gaze to break eye contact. She finally answered nonetheless. "Yes?"
"Are you sure you told me everything about your relations.h.i.+p with Donovan Steele?"
That question made Natalie meet Farrah"s curious expression. She swallowed deeply. "Yes." When Farrah continued to look at her, she finally asked in a strained voice, "What do you think I didn"t tell you?"
"How much you want to jump his bones."
Hearing Farrah speak aloud what she had refused to acknowledge in her thoughts caused a blush to color her cheeks. Did she really want to do that? Was that the reason why every morning since meeting him she"d waken with sensuous aches in her body and dreams too scandalous to mention to anyone?
"Natalie?"
She knew she had to say something or Farrah wouldn"t let up. "I plead the fifth."
Farrah chuckled. "You can plead the fifth all you like, but it"s not going to help you since both men are headed this way."
Natalie refused to turn her head to see if Farrah was teasing her. She knew she wasn"t. There was no way for her and Donovan Steele to be in the same place without him trying to use his power of persuasion on her. "Remember what I said. He doesn"t know what I actually do for a living and I want to keep it that way," she whispered.
Farrah smiled. "I"ll keep your secret, but from the way he"s looking at you, I doubt what you do for a living is what"s on his mind right now."
Natalie couldn"t resist temptation any longer, and she s.h.i.+fted her gaze to see the two men walking toward them. Farrah was right.
Xavier Kane glanced over at Donovan. "Hey, man, are you sure those ladies don"t mind being interrupted?"
Donovan smiled as they kept walking toward where Natalie and a friend were sitting. He liked Xavier. Known as X, he was a close friend and personal attorney to the man who"d married his cousin Vanessa last year, Cameron Cody, and was the G.o.dbrother to Donovan"s friend from college, Uriel La.s.siter.
"We"ll find out soon enough, X. Doesn"t she look happy to see us coming?"
X chuckled. "Depends on which one you"re focused on."
"I"ve got my eye on the one in blue. We have a little matter we need to resolve."
X let out a sigh of relief. "That"s good because she"s the one shooting daggers at us. I"m glad I"m focused on the other one. She"s smiling. I can work with that smile. All I have to do is turn up the heat."
As Donovan got closer to the table, he decided regardless of the cold look Natalie was sending his way, he intended to turn up the heat, as well.
Chapter 6.
"How are you tonight, Natalie?"
She would be a lot better if he didn"t seem to be in such a good mood. He was smiling, and his white teeth against his creamy cocoa complexion made his smile even s.e.xier. And then there was the sound of his voice-throaty, husky, just enough to feel like a caress across her heated skin. This man had the ability to stir every nerve-tingling sensation in her body and was doing so. Probably intentionally.
"I"m fine." And then she asked, "What are you doing here?"
He chuckled. "I could ask you the same thing since this is my hangout. I"m here every Friday night unless I"m out of town. My best friend is one of the owners. Considering all of that, it"s my turn to ask. What are you doing here?"
Telling herself it would serve no purpose to argue with him, she glanced over at Farrah and quickly recalled her manners. "I"m here with my friend from high school. Farrah, this is Donovan Steele."
Donovan quickly took up the introductions by taking the hand Farrah offered him and said, "It"s nice meeting you, Farrah, and I would like the both of you to meet a friend of mine, Xavier Kane."
Pleasantries were exchanged and handshakes were made. "Do you mind if we join you?" Donovan asked.
Natalie was about to say yes, she did mind, but Farrah spoke first. "No, of course not. We"d love for the two of you to join us."
Donovan, Natalie noted, was already pulling out a chair before Farrah had finished issuing the invitation. She also noted that he took the chair closer to her while Xavier sat beside Farrah.
"So, have you ladies ordered yet?" Xavier asked, smiling at everyone but especially at Farrah.