Debra Webb - In His Touch Box Set (Here To Stay, Up Close, Tempting Trace, Basic Instincts) (59 page)

~*~

Almost an hour later when Dan had tucked Suzy safely into his Volvo, and Merri was secured out of reach on the passenger side of Jake’s Jeep, Mr. Landry shook their hands one last time.

“This has been a very enlightening evening, gentlemen,” the older man said affably.

“Sir, I’d like to—” Jake started.

Landry shook his head. “Don’t try to explain, Brandon. I admire your ambition and your ingenuity. Why, you two actually hired a pregnant friend and a model so I wouldn’t get the wrong idea.”

Jake felt his knees weaken. Dan had been right again.

“But, sir, you don’t understand—” Dan protested.

“An alternative lifestyle is nothing to be ashamed of in the twenty-first century, gentlemen,” Landry cut him off. “I’ve looked at your work. You’re good, and I want to do business with you.” He shrugged and threw up his hands. “Discrimination is illegal and I don’t believe in it anyway. What do I care if you’re two talented gay men?”

Chapter Six

Meredith’s fingers slowed on the keys of her laptop. It had been three days since the Landrys’ dinner party, but she couldn’t forget what had happened. She still tingled at the vivid memory of Jake’s fingers on her bare foot. She swallowed, squared her shoulders and forced the sensual episode from her mind.

She had work to do.

Her fingers moved to the keyboard once more, filling the screen with her thoughts. For the first twenty-four hours after the dinner party she hadn’t even been able to think about Jake or the emotions he had evoked within her. She had carefully avoided any kind of contact with him so as not to influence her conclusions. This was, after all, what she’d come here to do.

She understood now what the term
love at first sight
meant. When men and women first encountered each other, they experienced varying levels of attraction or none at all. The chemistry involved could be explosive. It didn’t take a degree in psychology to explain that—and that’s what happened to her. At first.

Admitting that she had very strong feelings for Jake was not really a problem when she considered the definition of the word
love:
a deep and tender affection for, and attachment to, a person. She certainly felt affection for him. Even attachment. The initial physical attraction had been the force that drew them together that first night. The time spent as a couple had formed the bond of affection and deepened the sense of attraction to an attachment of sorts. The extraordinary attraction, however, had been superficial at first. Now that bond had grown, deepened. The two of them were ready for the second stage: a consummation of their blossoming relationship.

But this was only research, Meredith reminded herself. She could not prevent the feelings she had for Jake... she was human. But she would not allow them to go beyond this point. She’d done more than enough in-depth field work to develop her theory. The desires that drove men and women were generated by their most basic instincts to mate. Though she yearned to make love with Jake and experience the fulfillment of the bond growing between them, she couldn’t do that to him or to herself. It was bad enough that she had deceived him this long. She would not cross the line she had drawn when she set out to do this research personally, no matter how close she had already come to doing so.

The telephone rang, startling her. Taking a breath, Meredith focused even more intently on the screen before her. She would not answer the call, just as she hadn’t answered the other dozen or so. She couldn’t talk to Jake and she certainly couldn’t see him again. She would not risk hurting him. If she disappeared from his life now, he would forget all about her soon enough. He was handsome, charming, and had so much to offer. Some lucky woman would come along and fulfill his every fantasy.

She would eventually stop thinking about him. Her life would go on as before. The hollow feel of that last thought made her stomach roil.

“Merri, it’s Suzy,” said a female voice from Shelley’s answering machine. “Please call me as soon as possible, it’s very important. I only...”

Whether it was the words or the urgency in the other woman’s voice, Meredith sprang from her chair and rushed to the telephone. What if something had happened to Jake?

“I’m here, Suzy,” she said in a breathless rush. “Is Jake okay?”

Suzy laughed softly. “Jake is fine. Nothing’s wrong, I just have a favor to ask you.”

Meredith sagged in relief. Thank God. If something had happened to him... she refused to complete the thought. Instead she shook off the lingering anxiety and focused on Dan’s wife.

“What can I do for you?” Meredith rubbed at her right temple to assuage the pounding there.

“I know we don’t know each other very well, but I know that Jake adores you and I thought you’d be the right person to ask.”

Jake adored her?

“Well, tomorrow is Dan’s birthday and I want to give him a surprise party.”

Meredith felt a little ashamed. “His birthday? I didn’t know.”

In fact, she knew nothing about Dan, and practically nothing about Jake. How could she care so deeply for someone about whom she knew so little?

“He doesn’t want to have a party this year since the baby is due any minute.” She sighed. “He’s afraid it would be too much stress for me. But I have to do this. I can’t let his special day pass unnoticed. That’s where I need your help.”

Meredith cringed.

“Dan knows all my close friends. He’ll suspect something if any of them is involved. Jake is taking him out on the new boat tomorrow afternoon. Dan doesn’t have a clue it’s for him.”

“Jake bought Dan a boat for his birthday?” Meredith heard the disbelief in her own voice.

“Isn’t he great?” Suzy’s tone was so affectionate. “Jake is the most generous man I know. Last year it was cash. He uses Dan’s birthday every year to give him a big bonus. He says he couldn’t do it without Dan.”

“I thought they were partners.” Meredith wasn’t sure how she’d gotten that impression, but she definitely had.

“No, it’s Jake’s company. He’s offered Dan a partnership a dozen times, but he refuses. He knows how much the company is worth and he wouldn’t let Jake give him half, which is actually what he wants to do. Dan just tells Jake that when he can afford to buy his share, he will, but until then things stay the way they are.”

“They make a good team,” Meredith noted aloud, her heart full with awe and respect for Jake. No wonder she’d fallen for him so easily.

“So, anyway, will you help me out? I don’t think I can do this alone.”

Meredith hesitated for only a moment. “Sure. I’d be happy to.”

Over the next few minutes Suzy outlined her plan for the birthday bash. She would make all the calls, if Meredith would do the leg work. Picking up the balloons, the gifts, the food and drinks wouldn’t be so difficult. Jake would be busy keeping Dan occupied. Then tomorrow night, when the party got underway, Meredith would simply leave early with the old headache excuse.

All she had to do was stay as far away from Jake as possible.

~*~

Dan passed the business section of the newspaper to Jake. He breathed an audible sigh of relief. “No mention of alternate lifestyles there.”

Jake slumped with relief as he accepted the paper. He quickly scanned the article and thanked his lucky stars that Mr. Landry had not seen fit to mention his assessment of their gender preference in the article announcing their new business deal.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to fix this.” Jake pitched the newspaper onto his desk.

“What’s the big deal?” Dan shrugged. “We’ve got the contract to build the most exclusive subdivision in Atlanta to date. Who cares if the old man thinks we’re gay as long as he doesn’t broadcast it? I’m a liberal thinker.”

Jake glared at him. “That’s easy for you to say,” he growled. “You have a wife and a baby on the way. No one who knows you would ever believe him anyway.”

Dan chuckled. “Like you’ve got anything to worry about. Do you think for one minute that anyone would believe
you’re
gay? Get real. You’ve had a whole stream of girlfriends since college, and we won’t even go into the ones before that. You’re a regular Casanova.”

And therein lay the problem. “A whole stream of failed relationships,” Jake corrected. “People will think that’s why none of them lasted.” He closed his eyes and forced away the realization. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t supposed to be mourning the fact that he was still single. He was only thirty-two, for God’s sake. And he was a guy. Guys did not have biological clocks!

Dan frowned. “I never thought of it that way.” He turned his palms up and lifted a shoulder in a resigned shrug. “That’s it, then; you’ll just have to marry Merri and set the record straight—literally,” he added with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see a problem.”

Marry her? The fact that he didn’t wince at the idea or instantly protest was more unsettlingly than his sudden vision of Merri in full bridal regalia.

“We barely know each other.”

“Well, there’s a way to remedy that,” Dan pointed out. “What the two of you need is time alone with no distractions. Quality time.”

But Jake understood what he and Merri were likely to do when they were alone had little or nothing to do with what Dan had in mind. There wouldn’t be a whole hell of a lot of talking.

“Are we still on for tomorrow afternoon?” Dan asked, interrupting Jake’s troubling thoughts.

“Yeah. Two o’clock.” Jake resisted the grin that tickled his lips. Dan would certainly be shocked when he found out the new boat they were taking out on Saturday was his birthday present. The real present Jake wanted to give him would have to wait until the baby was born. Dan would be vulnerable then. Becoming a father would likely make him more open to Jake’s offer.

“Great,” Dan said with visible relief. “Suzy will drive me crazy trying to make the day special if I don’t get out of the house, I want her to take it easy, but she just won’t listen.”

Jake needed to call Merri again. Suzy had said she was helping with the party. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t been able to reach her since Tuesday night. Of course she could be avoiding him. After all, she was probably as embarrassed about their shared moment at the Landry dinner party as he was. One thing was for sure, Jake promised himself, the next time he and Merri fooled around, he wasn’t going to stop.

“Hey, here’s an idea,” Dan said with sudden inspiration. “How about we all go out to dinner tomorrow night? Suzy and I could referee.” He pulled a serious face. “Tell us about yourself, Merri.” He waved a hand toward an empty chair, then gestured to Jake. “And you, Jake, what is it you like to do besides play footsie at a prospective client’s swanky dinner party?”

Jake only shook his head at his friend. Though Dan’s idea might be a good one, Jake already knew tomorrow night’s real agenda. He only hoped he would make it through the night in the same house with Merri without doing something equally foolish.

~*~

Meredith sang “Happy Birthday” with the rest of the assembled group as an ecstatic Dan kissed his wife and blew out all thirty-seven of his candles at once. Meredith applauded and smiled, but her thoughts were on Jake. His affection for his friends was displayed in his every action, every word. She had never known a more caring man.

His patience was unending, his generosity undeniable. And it didn’t hurt that he was great to look at, too. A tiny thrill of desire coursed through her, coiling her already tense muscles in anticipation of his nearness.

She put an immediate stop to those thoughts and eased back toward the rear of the room. Whatever the cost to her personal comfort, she mustn’t get too close, and she couldn’t risk being alone with Jake. She was too close to the edge. One wrong move and she might be tempted to cross the line that would only bring pain and heartache to both of them.

Next week she planned to return to New York, by Wednesday at the very latest. Shelley was not happy about Meredith’s decision. A complete romantic at heart, her friend entertained the notion that Meredith could tell Jake everything and fall into his arms to live happily ever after. But Meredith knew from experience that life didn’t work that way. She had counseled couples every day who fantasized in just that manner to no avail. Life wasn’t always easy and was rarely fair. Just like now.

Not to mention that deception was the number one cause of death when it came to relationships. Lack of communication ran a close second.

After all her years as a therapist, Meredith knew exactly what she wanted in a husband—if she ever found one. Just her luck to fall for a guy who would never want to see her again if he discovered who she really was.

The best she could hope for at this point was to pick up the pieces of her heart when it was over. But she wanted more for Jake. She didn’t want him to feel the hurt, or to have any regrets over their short time together. With that in mind, she intended to get through this night, then never see him again. By Wednesday she would be back home, and by Friday Jake would have forgotten her. Dan would probably take him out for a few beers, and some other lucky lady would spot the good-looking single guy at the bar. And that lucky lady just might be the one.

Pain seared through her, making her want to cry in spite of the lively birthday celebration underway. Boy, she’d made a mess of things. Meredith blinked back the sting of tears. All those years of higher education and counseling hadn’t prevented her from making the wrong choices. How could she presume to help anyone else ever again?

“Hey, pretty lady.”

Meredith looked up to find Jake leaning against the wall next to her. The sexy grin on his lips and the twinkle in those velvety brown eyes made her want to weep all over again. How would she ever be able to forget him? He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb and made her heart flutter.

In a few weeks he would be looking at another woman this way. One who could honestly return that look of powerful yearning and sincere hope. “I...have to go.” Her voice, along with her courage, fell. She had to get out of here. Meredith hurried past him, ignoring his look of concern and the words he called out to her. In the hall, she looked right, then left. She couldn’t leave by the front door and she had no car in which to escape. Could she call a cab? Foolishly, she’d left her cell phone at Shelley’s.