Читать книгу The Highest Bidder - Maureen Child - Страница 12

Vance had never been big on surprises.

They usually didn’t work well for either the surpriser or the surprisee. He liked knowing what was coming, how he would handle it and exactly how any given situation would play out.

His brother, Roark, was the exact opposite. Roark lived his life on the road, on the edge. He had a place to stay in town, but was hardly ever there. He didn’t like plans and lived for the rush of the new.

Vance couldn’t imagine living like that. More than one woman in his life had suggested that he “loosen up.” Let go of his schedule long enough to enjoy himself more. But he enjoyed himself plenty and his relentlessly-adhered-to agenda kept everything straight.

So no one was more astonished than he when he blurted out that invitation to dinner. Although, judging by the expression on Charlie’s face, she was running a close second in the shock department.

He’d come here today not only to support Waverly’s, but to keep an eye on Charlie. See what she did, who she talked to. He hadn’t actually planned to ask her to dinner. Vance was well aware that having any kind of relationship with his assistant was problematic at best and a disaster in the making at worst.

But everything Roark had said kept resonating with him. Getting to know Charlie outside the office was one sure way to dig deeper. To find out all he could about her and discover if she was a spy or as innocent as she seemed.

“Dinner?” Her voice rose. “With you?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, with Justin.”

She laughed a little. “I don’t think Justin’s wife would appreciate that.”

“I don’t have a wife to care …” His gaze dropped to her left hand and the absence of a ring. “And you’re not married, either, so what’s the problem?”

She curled her fingers into her palms and folded her hands on her lap. “You’re my boss.”

“So if I say it’s okay, it should be.”

“I don’t know,” she said, gaze shifting as if to make sure they were still alone in the break room.

“It’s just dinner, Charlie,” he said, not even sure why he was trying so hard to convince her. Maybe it was simply because he wasn’t used to women turning him down. He was more accustomed to women flinging themselves at him. Charlotte Potter was different. “You have to eat.”

She blew out a breath, unfolded her hands and tapped one finger nervously against the tabletop. “I appreciate it, but I’ve got Jake upstairs in day care and—”

“We can take him with us.” He could hardly believe he’d said that. Spending time with a baby hadn’t been part of the plan. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even seen a baby. But he’d sensed a refusal coming and damn if he was going to give up that easily. He could deal. How hard could it be?

She laughed shortly. “You want to have dinner with a baby in tow? You?”

Just a second ago, he’d been doubting his own sanity for the same reason, but somehow hearing her laugh at the very idea was insulting. “I haven’t eaten a child in at least a decade,” he said solemnly. “I think your son will be safe.”

A smile was still curving the corners of her mouth. “He will, but will you survive?”

“It’s dinner, Charlie. I think I can handle it.”

“Mr. Waverly …”

“Vance,” he corrected.

She looked horrified, and Vance felt a rush of irritation.

“I don’t think I can call you that.”

He scowled at her. She wasn’t making this easy. He’d never had to work this hard to get a woman to spend time with him in his life. He had fully expected her to accept his invitation with a pleased smile and a gracious thank-you. Should have known, he told himself, that Charlie Potter wouldn’t do the expected.

“I’m the boss,” he reminded her again, “so if I say you can, it’s okay.”

“All right then, Vance.” She shook her head a little as if to dispel the weirdness of the moment. “As I said, I do appreciate it, but I just can’t imagine you spending time with a baby.”

Irritation sparked inside him. He wasn’t a damn monster. So what if he was never around children? What difference did that make? Millions of people dealt with babies every day. Besides, he was Vance Waverly. There was nothing he couldn’t handle. “Rumor has it, I was actually a child once myself.”

“Do they make suits that small?”

He cocked his head and studied her. “Are you teasing me?”

“A little bit,” she admitted.

Vance couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. More surprising was the fact that he was sort of enjoying himself. Something else he hadn’t planned on.

“That’s fine.” His gaze locked with hers, he said softly, “I can take it.”

“Mr. Waverly—Vance,” she corrected herself before he could. “I don’t know what’s going on, but …”

She was going to turn him down and, dammit, he wasn’t going to let her. He told himself he was doing this for Waverly’s, but the truth was more complicated than that. And he didn’t want to examine that any further.

Leaning forward, he braced his forearms on his knees and looked into her eyes. “Charlie, it’s just dinner. When you’re finished here, we’ll get your son and go get something to eat.”

Narrowing her eyes on him, she said, “That sounds a lot like an order.”

“Does it have to be?”

She thought about that for a moment, then nodded. “It might make it easier on me.”

He blew out a breath and fought down a fresh stirring of irritation. “I’m only talking about dinner, for God’s sake, not taking you to Bali for a sex-filled weekend—”

That thought stopped him cold then heated him up as his mind filled with some truly amazing images. Charlie naked, her skin glowing in the moonlight, her long, blond hair spread across a pillow. Her eyes looking up at him, her arms—He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and realized that she was speaking.

“Uh,” she said, nervously, “okay then. Dinner. Sure. Um, it’ll be an hour at least before I can leave, though.”

“Fine,” he muttered, wondering where in the hell those thoughts and images had come from. And he couldn’t help wondering if the same kind of imagery had filled her mind, too.

“Charlie!” Justin’s voice came from the other room. “I need you in here!”

“Coming.” She sounded grateful as she answered Justin and that told Vance all he needed to know. Her mind had taken the same kind of imaginative trip his had. It seemed she was recovering a lot quicker than Vance, though.

She jumped to her feet and looked down at him. “Are you going out to watch the auction?”

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his groin, he said tightly, “Yeah. I’ll be out there in a minute. You go ahead.”

She looked at him oddly, but shrugged. “I’ll see you later.”

“Vance,” he prompted.

“Vance,” she said softly.

Nodding, he watched her go, his gaze dropping to the curve of her behind in the narrow black skirt she was wearing. And then farther down to those black heels that made her legs look so long and slender and—

Stop watching her or you’ll never be able to get out of here, he told himself and turned to reach for a damn cupcake.

The auction picked up speed as some of the more fabulous pieces were brought out. On any other day, Charlie would have been enjoying herself immensely. But how could she keep her mind on business when she had a threat hanging over her head? Worry was constantly plucking at the edges of her mind.

But if she was going to be honest with herself, not even her would-be blackmailer had her as rattled as Vance Waverly did. Sex-filled weekend in Bali?

As soon as he’d blurted out those words in a flash of frustration, her mind had taken her on the quickest imaginary trip in the history of the world. Instantly, she’d seen the two of them—Vance and her—on a beach, beneath the moon, leaning into each other. His arms came around her and his hands on her naked skin were as hot as the passion burning in his eyes.

In one split second, she had gone from thinking of Vance Waverly as boss to imagining him as lover. What had stunned her was just how easy that shift in thinking had been. She had absolutely no trouble at all imagining him in her bed and that meant she was in some seriously deep water.

Her heart kicked hard in her chest and her mouth was dry, just remembering the flash of something hot and dangerous that shone in his eyes so briefly as their gazes met.

What was she supposed to be feeling? How was she supposed to act? And why was he being so nice all of a sudden? So … interested in her?

Taking her and Jake to dinner? Most men ran for the hills the moment they found out a woman was a single mother. And Vance—how weird and yet exciting was it to think of him as Vance—didn’t strike her as the kind of man who was fond of children, either. So why?

“Sold for $47,000,” the auctioneer intoned and Charlie gratefully came up out of her confusing thoughts. She was up next and she needed to keep her mind on what she was doing.

She looked down at the porcelain display stand that held the necklace Justin had shown her earlier in the week. The porcelain resembled a woman’s neck, showcasing the necklace far better than having it lie flat on a bed of velvet ever could. Charlie hated having to carry the necklace into the room because she was terrified of dropping it. But she slapped a smile on her face and stepped out into the salesroom.

“Now, we have the last item up for bid and by far the star of this collection. The queen of Cadria’s diamond-and-ruby necklace. As you can see,” the auctioneer said, “the detail is astonishing.”

A close-up picture of the necklace was displayed on the wide flat screen behind the podium and a sigh of appreciation rose up from the women in the room.

Charlie could understand that sentiment completely. The jewels themselves were beautiful, even though Justin had pointed out that the antique cuts of the diamonds and rubies actually lowered the price. Which made no sense to her at all, but since she wasn’t going to be buying it …

As she walked down the center aisle, the auctioneer said, “This magnificent necklace was a wedding present to the former queen of Cadria. Legend promises a happy marriage to the woman who wears this beauty. Please check your programs for the total carat weight. Bidding starts at $150,000.”

Charlie staggered a little at that, but caught herself quickly. Cradling the display stand even more carefully, she continued down the center aisle, pausing occasionally to allow the attendees to get a better look. In the last row, she spotted Vance, sitting alone, his gaze locked, not on the necklace, but on her.

Instantly, she remembered that imaginary beach in Bali and the feel of his hands on her and everything inside Charlie quickened. Her heartbeat jumped into a gallop and something delicious stirred inside her. She wasn’t used to men looking at her with such … hunger. But it was unmistakable and Charlie told herself that going to dinner with Vance might just be opening a door that would be better left closed.

The heat in his eyes raised her temperature enough that she felt warm all over and she knew that whether it was a smart move or not, she would be opening that door. His eyes burned and his features were cool and dispassionate as he met her gaze. No one looking at him would have guessed what he was thinking, but Charlie knew.

She gave him a small smile that wasn’t returned before she headed up the center aisle to take her place beside the podium. The bidding was fierce, but she had zoned out, so she really didn’t notice much more than the flash of an upraised paddle or the wave of a hand.

She didn’t hear a thing, beyond the buzzing in her own ears and the pounding thrum of her own heart. How had her life taken such a gigantic turn in the space of a week or so? Not only was she being blackmailed, but she was having seriously erotic daydreams about a man who had terrified her just a few days ago.

Maybe she was having a breakdown. That would explain a lot.

Drawing her mind away from thoughts that were churning too fast to be examined, she looked down at the necklace and found herself hoping that it went to someone who would appreciate it for its beauty not just for the investment it represented. Something that beautiful deserved to be worn. Touched.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” the auctioneer announced. “This concludes our auction today and Waverly’s would like to extend our thanks for your patronage. There is a champagne reception in the main salon, should you care to linger. And to those of you fortunate enough to have won the pieces you wanted, we will conclude our business in the anteroom. Thank you all again.”

A sedate round of applause broke out and Charlie came up from her thoughts to realize that her mind had been so busy, she hadn’t even heard the winning bid. Turning for the anteroom, she carefully carried the necklace back inside.

Her turn as a would-be Cinderella was over and it was time to let go of the royal jewels and go back to her pumpkin-filled life.

“That was amazing,” Justin cooed as she handed him the queen’s necklace.

The whole day had been amazing as far as Charlie was concerned. “What was the final selling price?”

“You didn’t hear?”

She shook her head. “I must have zoned out.”

Justin just stared at her as if he couldn’t understand how anyone could not pay attention to something as important as diamonds and rubies. “The final came in as a phone bid.” He paused to frown. “I hate phone bids. I like to know who bought one of our pieces.”

Charlie smiled, because Justin really was very proprietary when it came to the jewels in his care.

“Anyway,” he said airily, “the necklace finally went for three seventy-five.”

Charlie blinked at him in astonishment. “Three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars?”

Justin’s eyebrows wiggled and his squinty eyes sparkled with glee. “I said it was an amazing piece, didn’t I?”

She looked down at the necklace, with its antique jewels shining up at her, and took a long, slow breath. “I’m so glad I didn’t hear that when I was still holding it.”

“Thanks for your help tonight, hon.” Justin set the porcelain stand down onto the pedestal waiting for it.

Whoever the lucky bidder was would be paying for the necklace right now. Then it would be wrapped up to be sent from Waverly’s. She didn’t even want to imagine how someone would get such an expensive item safely home. Did you hire armed guards? But that was so not her problem.

“You know I love working the auctions, Justin.” She checked her wristwatch. “I’d better get moving, though. Still have to pick up Jake.”

“Sure, sure.”

“You ready?”

Vance’s deep voice sounded out from the doorway behind her and Charlie felt a small, involuntary sizzle of reaction shoot through her veins. She so didn’t want to feel that. Had no business sizzling over her boss. Yet, somehow, her body wasn’t getting that message.

“Yes,” she said, turning to face him.

“Ready for what?” Justin asked in a suspiciously innocent tone.

Oh, damn. Charlie loved Justin, she really did, but the man wouldn’t know how to keep a secret if someone stapled his lips shut. Surely Vance knew that. So why had he spoken up unless he didn’t care if people knew they were going to dinner? And if he didn’t care, was this more of a business thing than a date? But if it was a business thing, would she be calling him Vance? Would he have really said that about sex and Bali?

And why couldn’t she stop thinking about it?

Vance didn’t say anything and Justin was waiting, shifting his far-too-interested gaze back and forth between the two of them.

Finally, Charlie said, “Vance—I mean Mr. Waverly—is giving Jake and I a ride home.”

“Hmmm …”

“First to dinner, then a ride home,” Vance clarified.

Charlie groaned inwardly.

“I see,” Justin said, his eyes shining so brightly now it was a wonder they weren’t giving off actual sparks. “Well, then, don’t let me hold you up any longer.”

When the older man winked at her, Charlie sighed. Damage done. Justin’s romantic heart and love of gossip would take care of alerting the building to whatever was or wasn’t going on between her and Vance.

She picked up her purse from a nearby chair and slipped the strap over her shoulder. Looking up at her boss, she said, “We might as well go.”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Charlie glanced at Vance. “You do realize that by tomorrow, everyone at Waverly’s will know that we went to dinner together.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve known Justin a long time.”

“So why did you say anything in front of him?”

“You wanted to keep our dinner date a secret?”

“Not a secret,” she countered as they stepped into the elevator for the short trip to the fourth-floor day-care center. “But—”

One eyebrow lifted. “Is there a problem?”

“Shouldn’t there be?” she asked, unsure what she should be thinking now. He was her boss, and now her date. He didn’t seem to care who knew, but she felt odd about the whole situation. He was making her feel things she didn’t want yet certainly enjoyed. Then there was the fact that his family had founded Waverly’s and now there was a blackmailer trying to make her betray not only him but the auction house she loved.

Could her life get any more complicated?

“I think,” Vance said, taking her hand in his, “you’re thinking too much.”

Her palm to his, heat swamped her. When he drew her out of the elevator and led her down the hall to where Jake waited, Charlie knew she was in really big trouble.

The worst part?

She didn’t care.

Vance was in hell.

He could tell because of the screaming.

When he had invited Charlie out to dinner, he’d had in mind a nice steak place. Not too elegant, not too casual. Just a nice in-between, with good service and a quiet atmosphere so they could talk. So he could try to discover if she was an enemy or not.

He had not planned on a zoo-themed diner where children outnumbered adults and the specialty of the house was macaroni and cheese.

“You look uncomfortable.”

“What?” He shouted to be heard over the screaming three-year-old in the booth behind him.

“I said, you look like you’re miserable and wishing that you were anywhere but here.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Okay, I just thought most of that, but you do look miserable.”

She didn’t, Vance noticed. Her son was in a high chair pulled up to their table. Vance didn’t know much about babies—happily—but this one seemed good-looking and far better behaved than the little tyrants running all over the restaurant.

“It’s just a little loud.”

“Is it?” She shrugged and shredded a piece of chicken onto her son’s tray table. “I didn’t notice.”

“Really?” He leaned forward, and frowned when his elbow came down in a spill of soda. “I didn’t realize you were deaf.”

She laughed and something inside Vance fisted so tightly, he could hardly breathe. When she smiled, she was beautiful. When she laughed, she was incomparable. Her whole face lit up, her eyes shone and the laugh itself was not one of those quiet, restrained society titters; this was full-throated laughter that had him grinning in response.

“I’m so sorry, Vance. This is just killing you, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, it didn’t seem so bad after all. “Doesn’t bother me a bit.”

“Other than making you wear the expression of a man who would like to chew off his own foot to escape.”

He frowned. “That’s not what I’m feeling.”

“Then you should smile to reassure me.”

He did and she said, “You really should do that more often. You’re far less intimidating when you smile.”

“Maybe I like being intimidating.”

“Well, you are really good at it,” she said, then leaned over and kissed her son’s forehead. The little boy grinned and kicked his feet before grabbing a tiny fistful of shredded chicken.

Vance glanced around the diner—he refused to think of the place as a restaurant. The servers were dressed in animal-print uniforms, as zebras, lions, tigers. There were other employees over by the play area dressed in wild animal costumes and they were being besieged by an army of toddlers. Vance couldn’t even fathom a worse job.

But he was here with Charlie and she was happy and relaxed, so he decided to make the best of the situation. While she had her guard down, he would gather as much information as he could. And by the end of the night, he would know if she was an enemy—or a potential lover.