Strictly Business (6 page)

Nina cleared her throat;
she was certain that her face was the color of her hair. Mortification poured over her as she regarded her mother.
Any natural disaster would suffice right about now
.

“Mother, I don’t think this is an appropriate topic for discussion.”

“Oh, don’t be such a fuddy-duddy! I’m hip, I’m with it. You can tell me. I don’t mind if you’re a lesbian. Although I want grandchildren! You’d have to do that artifactual inspermination.” Beth waved long red nails at her.

“Artificial insemination,
” Robert corrected dully.

Nina
could feel her skin burn from the tips of her toes to the top of her scalp. She glared pointedly at her father for assistance as her mother mumbled on about children and different ways of begetting them. Nina didn’t dare risk a glance in Wade’s direction.

Her father
, either finally deciding to rescue her, or tired of listening to his wife’s diatribe, pushed away from the table and stood. “We’re running late.”

Nina hugged and kissed her parents
quickly, ignoring the flustered Beth. She rolled her eyes as her mother fawned over Wade when he stood and assisted her out of her chair.

“We’ll be in
touch about your birthday plans,” Beth informed Nina. She turned to Wade who was now standing at her side. “And of course you have to join in on the celebration.”

“Wouldn’t dream of missing it.” He grinned down at her.

Nina’s shoulders relaxed as she watched her parents flutter out of the restaurant in a squawk of chatter and chiffon. Relief washed over her until she realized she was sitting alone across from Wade, then her stomach tumbled and spun like a washing machine.

“I have to apologize if they said anything—.”

“Oh, please don’t.” He chuckled and gave a wave of his hand. “They’re very refreshing. Must have been a lot of fun around the house growing up.”

“Yeah,
fun.” She laughed as vivid memories popped into her head. “Most parents keep their children out of trouble. For me it was the opposite. I had to keep
them
in check. I’m afraid as their only child I was the focus of their excessive energies.”

“Well at least they were there for you. My parents were always off on an adventure
, saving the rain forests of South America or some exotic animal from extinction.”  His voice held just a hint of bitterness.

Nina studied his expression, trying to read the undercurrent. “Did you ever go with them? For a kid that might have been fun.”

“Sometimes, but it’s hard for a child to be out of school all the time, so I was practically raised by my aunt and uncle. I spent a lot of time on their small crop farm in Virginia. I was shipped there every summer.”

The waiter stepped in to refill
the coffee. She suddenly felt self-conscious as Wade lifted the cup to his lips and peered at her over the rim. Heat prickled her skin under his provocative stare; he had gorgeous lips. The bottom was slightly fuller than the top. She remembered how soft they’d felt against hers and couldn’t staunch the mental blossoming of sensual images. A ribbon of desire started to uncoil and undulate through her as his eyes devoured her.

Those eyes were amazing;
they expressed so much with very little movement and the long dark lashes that framed them added a mysterious quality. The silence started to swell and she knew they both had something on their minds. Light laughter floated between them when they started to speak at the same time. He nodded his head, deferring to her.

“I—I have to apologize for the other night. I’m r
eally sorry about what happened,” she said.

Wade lifted his coffee cup to his lips and slowly took a sip. She watched as his throat worked down the warm liquid
. “I’m not sorry. I rather enjoyed myself.” A playful dimple flashed in his cheek. “And by the way, if you ever need attestation to your heterosexuality, I’d be more than happy to testify given my first-hand knowledge.”

She
shifted uneasily in her seat and met his steady gaze. Recalling the awkward scene with her mother caused her body to flush, but she refused to be deterred. “I just want you to know that I don’t usually do that sort of thing—lose control like that.”

“That’s too bad.
What’s wrong with losing control?”

She
squared her shoulders, conviction steeling her voice. “Honestly, it was inexcusable. It was unethical. It was unpro—.”

“U
nprofessional and inappropriate.” His voice was gently mocking.

She sighed, finding his nonchalance vexing
. She didn’t know how he was so effective at upsetting her composure.

“Don’t wor
ry. I’m not going to sue you.” He stated dryly.

Nina stared up at him, aware of the inkling of relief that tiptoed
down her back.

“Besides, the only personal injury you inflicted was to my
very
revved up libido.”

She contemplated the sexy curve of his
lips, acutely remembering how delicious they felt and tasted, how his teeth had tugged on her nipples and how she had begged shamelessly for more. She had to admit that since that night
her
libido had been screaming for attention. She knew the sudden warmth in the restaurant had nothing to do with the afternoon sun streaming brilliantly through the large colonial windows. She needed to get out of there while she still could, before things got out of control.

“I have to go.”

“Go?” Wade leaned in towards her. He was like a jungle cat cornering his prey. “You haven’t finished desert.” He indicated the untouched strawberry cheesecake still in front of her.

Escape seemed impossible while he was pinning her with his
fiery stare, liquefying her insides. This man was sinfully gorgeous and equally dangerous to her metal equilibrium.

“You have it. I hear it does wonders for the mood.” She
laughed, trying to break his spell, but the brittle sound floated away from her. She reached down, intending to push the desert plate in front of him, but ended up with a dollop of whipped cream smeared on the tip of her little finger. She reached for her napkin, but before she could grab it Wade scooped up her hand and slipped her pinky into the warm cavern of his mouth. She shuddered as her senses exploded. Her eyes were glued to him as he sucked gently and worked his tongue around the finger in his mouth. An electric current spread from her finger, down her arm and into her body. It settled between her legs and she squirmed as the chair suddenly became too hot.

She
noticed surreptitious glances and raised eyebrows directed their way. She looked down, uncomfortable with the sly attention. Wade pulled her finger from his mouth ever so slowly and held it hovering just inches away.

“Does that bother you?”
he asked.

Her head snapped up.
“What?”

“People,”
he nipped at the tips of her fingers. “Watching?”

She
swallowed hard, wondering if he had any idea of the turmoil that was brewing inside her. When he dipped her index finger into the whipped cream and pulled it to his mouth all she could do was respond with a shake of her head. She didn’t trust her voice to speak.

Of course
it bothered her, but she’d never admit that to him. That was what he wanted—to unnerve her. She shook her head. This test was as much for her as it was for him. She’d never strayed so far out of her comfort zone and couldn’t yet examine why she didn’t yank her hand away and walk out of the restaurant.

He smiled wickedly. “Good.”

He dunked another digit into the foamy cream and held it close to his mouth. Smokey blue eyes locked with hers.

“Do you know where I’d like to put this?” His voice was coarse
and low like distant thunder.

His
hand was pliant and limp from his ministrations. She swallowed hard as she shook her head again.

“I’d love to sm
ear it all over your nipples,” he whispered seductively.

Her
lids fluttered close as she imagined the gentle suction now massaging her finger on her aching nipples. Her breath quickened and her nipples strained against the silk of her blouse.

“And this?” Wade had collected more whipped cream on her thumb. The blue in his eyes almost darkened to the color of his suit.

“
Where?”
The question barely issued from her throat as she held her breath in sweet anticipation.

“Between your legs,” he
said, then moved his tongued seductively along the ridge of her finger.

She
was sure her groan had been audible. She shifted her hips under the table, aware that dormant muscles were clenching rhythmically, drawing taut the knot of desire that had lodged between her legs. She felt damp and achy; a primitive yearning burned deep. Her mind conjured torrid scenes of Wade’s large body above her, his hips relentless as he drove into her again and again.
Oh my!
Her breath staggered in her lungs. The images were raw and potent. She hesitated only briefly when he dipped his index finger into the whipped cream and offered it to her.

Restaurant! People! Watching!

Nina parted her lips and invited him in. She savored the taste of the sweet cream and the feel of his hard insistent finger gliding into the softness of her mouth. She watched his eyes glaze over and his chest rise and fall unsteadily.

He smiled and he reluctantly reclaimed his hand. He placed it over hers which lay folded on the table then gazed at her long and hard. The sexual tension between them was a palpable throb.

“Have dinner with me tonight?”

Nina cocked her head and looked across the table at him.
What was she getting herself into?
Just his mere presence reduced her to a quivering mound of lust. First her very uncharacteristic spontaneity in the exam room, and now she was a damn exhibitionist! She’d never be able to eat whipped cream again without becoming all hot and bothered.

He was so different from the guy she thought she should fall for. Sure he was unmistakably handsome and his presence commanding, but he was also spontaneous and seemed to enjoy taking risks
. He lived in the spotlight and his field was most often tainted with drama and sensationalism.

Nina smiled wryly. She’d done conservative with
Charles Houliton III and look where that had gotten her. She shook her head. Here she was again overanalyzing. She could hear Sally’s voice yelling at her to go for it. She had no doubt her body would be satisfied as it still purred from his caresses, but as she watched his calloused thumb trace lightly over her knuckles she couldn’t help but wonder about the status of her heart.

She was no good at compartmentalizing. She could never separate her head and her heart. That’s why she never did one night stands or fell for unattainable men. She
had always calculated the odds, assessed the potential dangers and skillfully extricated herself from destined heartbreak.

Thinking. Too. Hard.

She felt a tug in her chest when she looked at Wade and the voice in her head warned her that he could prove very dangerous. She silenced her voice, not wanting to travel down that path. She had to admit that he did have the sexiest lips she’d ever seen on a guy. Lips...pecs…eyes…
Enough!

“Okay. Dinner.”
She laced her fingers through his, feeling excitement drum through her. She was glad that she didn’t have to go in to work that night. She’d hopefully have time to prepare.

Wade
grinned at her, a brief flicker of surprise crossing his face.

“You thought I’d say no?”
she teased.

“
You’re trained in compassion. I’d hope you’d take pity on me.”

“Well someone’s got to save you from your female entourage.
‘
New York’s most eligible bachelor’.
I wouldn’t want you to end up in another ‘
not so delicate’
situation and have some other vital body part injured.”

His
brows knitted in confusion followed suddenly by deep laughter that rumbled from his throat. A sexy dimple played on his cheek.

“
You saw the interview.”

She
nodded, sipping her cold coffee, hoping to quell some of the heat still simmering inside her.

“I assur
e you it was all Marie’s idea. A very clever ambush. It’s all about ratings.”

Wade thought the loud jangle he was hearing was coming from his fuzzy brain
, but as the ringing continued he realized the nuisance was inside his suit pocket. He pulled his hand away from Nina’s, instantly missing the warmth of her slender fingers. Annoyed, he flipped open the cell phone and barked his name into it.

“W
e need to talk.”

The deep raspy voice of the private investigator his firm had hired filtered through the phone and Wade was instantly on alert.