Authors: Beverly Havlir
Excited by the friends-with-benefits idea, she pushed open
Emily’s office door with a flourish. “Em, I’ve got a brilliant idea. Since I
can’t find a man who can get past my five-date rule, I have the perfect
solution.” She grinned at Emily, who stood by her desk. “I am tired of dating.
I’m going the friends-with-benefits route. It’s perfect all around. I’ll get
regular sex with a friend and maybe even write an article about it at the same
time, and—”
She stopped, her words freezing in her throat as she stepped
fully into the office and spied the man standing next to Emily, one she hadn’t
seen because he’d been partially hidden by the door.
Cooper.
An awkward silence descended in the room.
Can one die of
embarrassment?
For a second she wished the floor would open up and swallow
her, anything to avoid the humiliating scene unfolding before her.
Emily was the first one to recover. “Uh, Cooper came in here
looking for you.” Her eyes darted from Taylor to the silent man beside her
before she gathered up some papers on her desk. “I have to run these to uh…the
graphics department. You two stay here and talk.” Rather swiftly, she made her
escape.
Gee, thanks, Em
.
Just leave me here with him.
Pushing aside her discomfort, she pasted a bright smile on her
face. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you found me. Or rather I found you.” She gave a
nervous chuckle and wished that she could keep her composure around this man.
He always seemed to catch her at an awkward moment. It just wasn’t fair.
“About the interview—”
“Please say yes, no matter what you think, I will do a good
job.”
“I didn’t say otherwise. I’ve read your articles. I know
you’re a very talented, engaging writer.”
Well, well. That was a nice surprise. It nearly made up for
her embarrassing gaffe. Almost.
“That’s why I’ve decided to do the interview.”
Upon hearing his words, Taylor barely restrained herself
from jumping up in glee. “That’s wonderful news,” she managed to say with
remarkable self-restraint.
“I do have a couple of conditions.”
“Sure. Anything.” She would agree to interview him at
midnight on the Longfellow Bridge if that got him to say yes.
“Any interview would have to be scheduled on my time, when I
can spare it. Not always during business hours.”
“I understand.” She knew he was a busy man with a packed
schedule. “Any time you can spare me would be appreciated.”
“That won’t be a problem?”
“Of course not. It will actually work in my favor. It’ll
give me a glimpse of the man behind the business façade. A very interesting
angle, don’t you agree?”
“On my terms. On my time,” he reiterated.
“Understood. And the other condition?”
“I get to veto a question I don’t approve of.”
That gave her pause. “Can we do that on a case-by-case
basis? What if I justify the necessity of the question?”
His lips quirked. “All right. Seems reasonable enough. But I
won’t always agree.”
“No doubt,” she said softly, just happy to get the chance
that every other journalist from far more prestigious magazines hadn’t managed.
She held out her hand. “Thank you. I appreciate the chance to interview you.”
Cooper took her hand and enclosed it in his much bigger one.
His palm was slightly rough and warm, his touch firm. Electricity raced up her
arm at the contact.
“I thought it was a very interesting idea.”
Her brain suddenly turned to mush, unable to form one
coherent thought. His thumb rubbed her palm, gliding over the fleshy part of
her hand. “W-what was?”
“Friends with benefits.” His deep voice slid over her like
smooth chocolate.
“Yes, ah, it’s ah…” Great. She’d been reduced to a
blubbering idiot.
He grinned, showing his dimple. Taylor blinked. God, the man
was really sexy. Mouthwateringly so.
And very off limits.
She pulled her hand from his, instantly missing the warmth
of his touch.
“I’ll be in touch.” With that, he moved away and was gone
before she could utter a word.
Taylor slumped against the door.
Oh. My. God.
How was
she ever going to survive being in close proximity to Cooper? Just one touch,
on her hand even, had turned her knees to jelly.
It had been too long since she’d been intimate with a man.
That’s why she was reacting to Cooper so strongly, as if she was in heat or
something. This weekend at the barbecue, there were going to be plenty of
candidates to choose from. She needed to find a friends-with-benefits partner
ASAP, and stop obsessing over Cooper.
* * * * *
“I have a serious case of lust.”
Emily let out a muffled chuckle from behind the dressing
room door. “Well, don’t be so enthused about it. Who’s the lucky fellow?”
“Seriously, Em. I think I’m in trouble.” Taylor examined the
bodice of the strapless, A-line organza bridesmaid’s dress that she was trying
on. It was beautiful and feminine. She loved it. They were in the bridal shop
for a fitting of Emily’s wedding gown, and the place was quiet and deserted.
“Wow. I’ve never seen you like this. Now I’m really curious
as to who this man is. Somebody new, I assume?”
Taylor heard rustling of material, accompanied by some
muttering under Emily’s breath, followed by the soothing comments of the store’s
salesperson. She grinned. She couldn’t wait to see Emily in her wedding gown.
“Not the guy from the office across the street?” Emily spoke
again. “The one you said had an interesting face?”
“No, it’s not him.” Taylor slipped on her shoes and walked
out of the fitting room.
The adjoining door opened and Emily emerged. Taylor caught
her breath. “Oh Em. You look amazing.”
Emily stepped in front of the mirror and examined her
reflection. “You like it?”
Taylor touched the silky, gossamer material overlaying the
white gown. “I love it. It’s romantic. It’s perfect.” She hugged her best
friend, who was more like a sister. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Don’t you dare get teary-eyed,” Emily warned her sternly,
her lips wobbly. “I don’t want to cry.”
Taylor sniffed. “I know, I know. It’s just that you look so
beautiful, and I know how much you and Devlin love each other.” She leaned back
and took in the dress once more. “Devlin is so going to fall in love with you
even more when he sees you in this.”
With a laugh, Emily wiped her eyes. “He better. I’m on a
strict workout regimen to make sure I look good on my wedding day.”
“I don’t know why. You’re perfect the way you are.”
A soft look stole over Emily’s blue eyes. “Devlin said the
exact same thing.”
The salesperson brought over a sheer, lacy veil and arranged
it on top of Emily’s hair. She stepped back and narrowed her eyes, critically
looking Emily over. “Perfect,” she announced in her haughty English accent.
When she walked away, the two of them giggled.
“Oh Em, I’m sure your mom cried when she first saw you in
this dress.”
“We both did,” Emily confessed.
“I hope that someday I’ll be as happy as you are.”
Emily took her hands in hers. “You will be. I know it.”
“I’d want at least four kids, I think. Two boys and two
girls would be perfect,” Taylor murmured wistfully. “I’ve always loved big
families, especially yours. Your house was always noisy and humming with
activity, with kids running around and laughing. It was just fun.”
“Listen, your childhood wasn’t exactly awful. Just…lonely.”
She managed a smile, remembering coming home from school
with just the housekeeper there to greet her. As soon as she was old enough,
she hung out with Emily at the Sinclairs’ house until dinnertime, staying over
for Maggie Sinclair’s delicious homemade cooking. They’d accepted her within
their circle like she’d been part of their family, and for that she would be
eternally grateful. Being with them had alleviated the loneliness of her
childhood.
“So this guy you’re in lust with, do I know him?” When
Taylor nodded hesitantly, Emily narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute, it’s not who
I think it is, is it? It’s—”
“Cooper Hathaway.”
“What? How come I’ve never heard of this before? Since
when?”
“It’s always been there, I just didn’t say anything because
I knew it was hopeless. Why do you think I’ve been dating like crazy during the
past year?” Taylor stood up and paced, her arms crossed over her chest. “It
hasn’t worked. None of the men I’ve gone out with even come close to making me
get over this crazy infatuation I have with Cooper.” Briefly she told Emily
about her encounter with Cooper after his lecture. “I mean, he was flirting
with me. Actually flirting. I just about died.”
Ever the voice of reason, Emily asked, “Why? What’s so wrong
with him flirting with you?”
She threw her hands up. “I need him to be aloof and grouchy
and reserved and not nice. I want to stop lusting after him—not want him more!”
With a laugh, Emily shook her head. “Oh you are in so much
trouble, aren’t you?”
“It’s not funny.”
“Oh but it is. Look at you, all hot and bothered.”
“Too much,” she muttered. “This is
so
not good.”
“What’s the problem? You’re single and attractive. He’s
single and attractive. I don’t see what the issue is.”
Taylor held up a finger. “One, he’s my boss.”
“Technically,” Emily interjected. “He’s not really your
boss
boss, you know what I mean? Sure, he runs the corporation that owns
The Girl
Next Door
, but he doesn’t really have a say in our day-to-day operations.
You don’t report to him at all.”
“He owns Hathaway Publishing, so ergo, he’s my boss.”
“It’s a bit of a stretch,” Emily insisted.
Ignoring that, she held up two fingers. “Two, how can I
interview him and maintain my objectivity if I keep imagining him naked?”
Emily pursed her lips. “Hmm. I can see how that would be a
problem. But I’ve never known you to be anything but objective. You’re
professional and care too much about the e-zine to do anything to jeopardize it
or your reputation.”
Taylor pounced on that. “Exactly. That’s number three. My
reputation. People will talk, Em. Tongues will wag. I don’t want to be the
gossip du jour.”
That earned her an eye roll. “Since when have you cared
about what other people think? When we were in high school, mean girls always
talked about you because all the boys liked you. You always went to school with
your head held high. Gossip didn’t bother you then, why should you let it now?”
She sighed. “It’s different this time.”
“I don’t see how.”
The feelings she felt for Cooper were too strong. Too
different from what she felt for the other men she’d gone out with. “It is.
That’s why I came up with the stupid five-date rule. I’m desperate. I was
determined to give it five dates to see if anything developed, to see if I was
even a little bit physically attracted.”
Emily walked over and gave her a hug. “Oh Taylor. If I
weren’t so concerned, I would find this whole thing hilarious.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is, in a way. You and I are night and day.
You’re bold and adventurous. You’re beautiful. Men flock to you. There’s never
a shortage of men waiting to ask you out. Yet you’re scared silly of Cooper.”
“I can’t get involved with him. There’s too much at stake.
I’m too attracted…too…I don’t know. I can’t even express myself. Besides, he’s
not exactly a saint.” She held up her hands. “In the past year, I never saw him
go out with the same woman twice. He always has new arm candy.”
“Which means that he’s a serial dater, that’s all. He’s
single. He’s rich. He was voted most eligible bachelor. What do you expect?”
“My thoughts exactly. He’s not the type to stick with one
woman.”
“We don’t really know much about his personal life except
what we read in the papers and magazines,” Emily pointed out gently.
Taylor stared out the window. “True. But what I do know is
enough to tell me that this attraction I have for him is hopeless. Futile. I
was talking to him today and all I could think of was how his lips would taste.
I was mentally undressing him.”
“Wow, I’ve never seen you this hot and bothered before.”
“He’s the reason why I’ve bought so many pairs of shoes this
year. It’s his fault I can’t find a man I can have a relationship with,” she
exclaimed, frustrated.
“Maybe there’s a silver lining to this somewhere.”
Taylor stopped and turned to her. “Like what?”
“Maybe being in close proximity to him will help lessen the
attraction.”
She pursed her lips. “Like I might find something about him
that will turn me off?” At Emily’s nod, she considered the idea. “Maybe he
chews food with his mouth open?”
“Ahh…sorry to burst your bubble. Devlin and I have been to
dinner with Cooper a couple of times and I can tell you, he does not chew with
his mouth open. He had perfect table manners. And more importantly, he didn’t
bring along a date on either occasion,” she finished with a wink. “Which disproves
your statement that he always has arm candy.”
“He probably was in between girlfriends at the time,” she
grumbled. Taylor put her hands on her hips. “Maybe he has bad breath?” she
asked in desperation.
“Definitely not.”
“What then?”
“I don’t know.”
She threw her hands up. “I’m stumped. How do I stop lusting
after the man and conduct this interview like a true professional?”
“I wish I knew what to tell you.”
“I’ve got to figure this out, Em. Interviewing Cooper is a
big deal.”
“What are you saying?”
“First of all, I need to get laid. I’ve spent way too much
time daydreaming about Cooper. It’s been a year, Emily. Twelve months of
celibacy. Do you know how hard that is?”