Unexpectedly Yours [Private Relations 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Chapter Eleven

  When Elle opened the door, she saw Jim standing there with a bouquet of hot pink lilies in his hand. He grinned when he saw her, and she felt herself grinning stupidly in return. It had only been a few days, but she’d really missed him.

  “You look amazing, Elle,” he said. She watched as his eyes roamed over her. As if he realized he was staring, he held the flowers out to her and added, “These are for you.”

  Taking the flowers from him, she stepped back and opened the door further, then said, “Thank you. That was incredibly sweet of you. Come in while I put these in water.”

  She made her way to the kitchen as he stepped into her living room. Grabbing a vase from under the sink, she filled it with water. She threw away the cellophane wrapper on the flowers, and trimmed the ends. Arranging them, she set them on the counter.

  When she turned to leave her kitchen, she saw he was leaned against the counter next to her.

  “You look pretty fantastic yourself,” she said as she stepped toward him. He’d dressed in a black suit and charcoal gray shirt with a black tie. Running her hands over his lapels and up his shoulders, she pulled him into a kiss.

  He wrapped his arms around her as his tongue swept into her mouth. She moaned as she felt his hands slide down her back to the curves of her ass. When he straightened and pulled her flush against his body, she could feel his growing erection press into her belly.

  Breaking his mouth away from hers, she felt his mouth move across her jaw to press feather-light kisses against her neck. Then, regret evident on his face, he pulled back from her and said, “As much as I’d like to continue this, we’re going to be late.”

  Elle gazed at him and suggested, “Then let’s be late.”

  Jim sighed and said, “Incredibly tempting, but I’m one of the honorees for the party so that would be a little rude.”

  Her eyes wide, Elle asked, “Why didn’t you say anything? What are you being honored for?”

  “I donated some money to cancer research. It’s not that big of a deal,” Jim said.

  Noticing that he was uncomfortable talking about it, Elle placed her hand on chest and said, “To be continued. We don’t want to be late.”

  Jim pulled her back up against him and said, “I’d like to skip the whole thing and make love to you until we both pass out.”

  Elle felt her heart flutter slightly at his choice of words, but her voice was steady when she said, “But it would be unforgivably rude to skip your own party. The sooner we’re there, the sooner we can leave.”

  Pulling back out of his embrace, Elle said, “Let me go get my bag and coat.”

  Jim touched her cheek as she moved to turn away from him and said, “You really do look beautiful tonight.”

  Elle, flushing, placed her hand on the hand that rested on her cheek and said, “Thank you, but stop stalling. We should go now.”

  Jim gave her a sheepish grin, because she’d completely busted him.

  As they moved toward the door, Jim said, “I just hate these things. I give because it’s important, and because I’m able to. I don’t need a party. They always expect me to say a little something. I hate public speaking.”

  “Really?” Elle asked, surprised.

  “Funny, right? It’s part of what I do every day, but I still get a little anxiety over it,” he admitted.

  “So, if you dislike this huge part of your job, why did you pick the career you did?”

  She took his hand and led him toward the front door. She put on her wrap and grabbed her purse. Leading them out the door, she locked up. As they moved to his car, he responded.

  “Well, there are parts of what I do that I completely love. I like coming up with solutions for problems, and I love helping people. Truth be told, I picked PR to piss my parents off. They were pushing hard for me to be a doctor. At the time I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to work the crazy hours.”

  Elle laughed at that and asked, “Didn’t want to work long hours, huh? When was the last time you worked less than sixty in a week?”

  His voice laced with irony now, as he opened the car door for her, he said, “No idea.”

  When he’d circled around the front of the car and slid into the driver’s side, Elle asked, “Where is this party we’re going to? I don’t know anything except that we’re dressed fancy and you’re apparently an honoree.”

  During the twenty-minute drive, Jim explained a little bit more about the party. They were headed for The Beverly Hills Wilmont, which made Elle’s eyebrows raise. She had the impression that it was a small gathering last time they spoke about it. The more he talked about it, the more she realized that wasn’t the case at all.

  * * * *

  They’d been circulating through the crowd for about an hour now. She’d been nursing the glass of champagne she had in her hand. She was a bundle of nerves. Some of it was her own anxiety over having to socialize with a huge crowd of people she had nothing in common with. Some of it was because of Jim too.

  It was almost as if he flipped a switch when he walked in the door. He had the same easy grin on his face as he did usually, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He seemed to be equally uncomfortable with being here.

  As he talked with a city councilman about a new tax initiative, Elle excused herself. She made her way to the ladies’ room, making a quick stop at the mirror. She refreshed her lipstick, moved a few stray hairs into place, then stepped into a stall.

  As she was finishing up, she heard two women walk into the restroom. One of them said, “And can you believe who Jim Conroy brought with him? I think she was a waitress at an event I went to recently. I wonder if she’s fucking him for status or money? In any case, I didn’t realize he was into fucking the help. Maybe that’s why I’ve never had any luck.”

  Another voice said, “Ouch, Viv. That’s not nice.”

  Elle sat there for a moment, her face flaming. Uncertain about what to do, she took a few deep breaths and finished up. Flushing the toilet, she grabbed her clutch and opened the stall door.

  Calmly, she walked to the sink, and washed her hands without making eye contact. She could feel their eyes on her now, so she made a show of retouching her lipstick and fluffing her hair before she pinned them both with a stare.

  “I probably was working at an event you attended,” Elle acknowledged. “I own a catering company. You don’t look familiar though. Faces tend to blend together when you see so many.”

  Elle shrugged as if she was apologizing.

  Both women looked incredibly uncomfortable now, which made Elle feel incrementally less humiliated. Pausing for a moment, she added, “The reason you haven’t had any luck with Jim is because he’s pretty picky. Being a presumptuous bitch probably isn’t helping your case, though. Just saying,” Elle said, an easy smile stretching across her face. “Have a great evening, ladies.”

  With a small wave, on shaky legs, Elle walked out of the bathroom and headed straight for the bar. She waited for her heart to stop racing. As she waited for the bartender’s attention, a man who looked familiar came to stand next to her. They idly chatted for a few minutes until the bartender came to take their drink orders.

  Suddenly Elle felt an arm slide around her waist. Elle turned and saw Jim standing next to her. Grinning she said, “Oh jeez. You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” he said, squeezing her a little bit.

  Elle watched as he addressed the man who she’d been chatting with.

  “Tom,” Jim said, reaching out to shake his hand. “I see you met my girlfriend, Elle.”

  “I did,” Tom said, smiling easily. “We were just talking about how we’d be happier watching the Bruins game. A woman after my own heart.”

  Elle relaxed against Jim again, still a little flustered. Girlfriend? He hadn’t been at all rude about it, but he’d definitely staked his claim. This was an unexpected development.

  When the bartender dropped off their drinks, Tom made his leave.
After the bartender moved away, Elle just raised her eyebrow slightly and said, “Girlfriend, huh?”

  “Too much?” Jim asked, looking a bit chagrined.

  “Well that really depends,” Elle said. “Did you say that because you actually want me to be your girlfriend or because you wanted to frighten off Tom?”

  “Both of those reasons,” he said without hesitation.

  “Oh,” Elle said, not really sure how to respond.

  Jim turned to fully face her now and said, “I want you to be mine, Elle. I want to be yours. That doesn’t have anything to do with anyone but us.”

  Melting just a little bit, Elle said, “I want that too.”

  Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers and said, “I’m seriously considering making a break for the door now. Can you run in those heels?”

  Elle grinned and said, “C’mon. Let’s go be social. That’s what we’re here for.” She tugged him gently back toward the main ballroom.

  A few minutes later they were circulating through the crowd again when one of the women from the bathroom approached them. Elle tensed. Jim must have felt it because he looked over at her questioningly.

  Elle watched as she came to a stop in front of her and raised her hands, saying, “I come in peace. I swear. I wanted to apologize. Viviana was incredibly rude. I’m sorry. Not that it’s an excuse, but I think she was just jealous.”

  Elle relaxed and said, “Thank you. I appreciate the apology.”

  “That’s really all I wanted to say. Have a good night.”

  “You too,” Elle said as she watched the woman walk away.

  “Uh,” Jim said, “what the hell was that about?”

  Sighing, Elle said, “When I was in the ladies’ room earlier, her friend said some pretty nasty things.”

  “Like?” Jim asked.

  “She said she recognized me from a job I worked recently, and said she hadn’t realized you were into fucking the help. She figured that was why she’d been striking out with you,” Elle said bluntly.

  Jim blinked at her and then asked, “Are you serious? She actually said that to you?”

  “They didn’t realize I was in the bathroom with them. They both had the good grace to be embarrassed by it. The woman who just stopped by told her she was being rude. So that was something at least,” Elle said.

  Jim shook his head in disgust and said, “Please tell me you put her in her place.”

  Her lips twitching now, Elle said, “I may have suggested that the reason she was striking out with you was because you were picky and that being a presumptuous bitch wasn’t going to help her case.”

  “I’m sure that felt good,” he said, grinning.

  “You have no idea,” Elle said.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said squeezing her against his side.

  “Not your fault she’s a jealous bitch,” Elle said with a shrug. “Let’s just try to have a good time.”

  Jim snorted.

  A few minutes later, Jim had to go up on stage. They presented him with a plaque and he gave a brief speech. The rest of the evening passed without incident, but Elle didn’t truly relax until they’d made their way back to the car.

  She’d been mulling over the exchange from the bathroom. The woman had been saying it out of pure spite, but she made an interesting point. Did they really have enough in common to make something work between them? She really hoped so.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jim reached over and put his hand on Elle’s leg. “Doing okay over there? You’re pretty quiet,” he said.

  Risking a glance over at her while he drove, he saw her turn to look at him.

  “Sorry. I was in outer space. That was exhausting. How do you do that all the time?” she asked.

  “I try not to. They can be a bit much. Tonight especially,” he said with a frown. “You don’t have to go with me to these things if you don’t want to.”

  “It wasn’t that bad. That one incident notwithstanding, everyone else was perfectly nice,” Elle said. “I’ll go with you when I’m able.”

  “It makes it seem like less of a chore when you’re there.”

  When he felt her hand rest on top of his, he turned his over and laced his fingers through hers.

  “So, I’m a jerk. I didn’t even ask you about your trip! How did it go?” Elle asked.

  “Both meetings went pretty well. Gavin Johnson was surprisingly down to earth. When I meet these guys I never know what to expect. Sometimes, they’re nice and other times they’re ’roided out jerks. He seemed like a good fit for radio or television, so I’m sure when the time comes, we can find a place for him to land,” Jim said.

  “It sounds like the trip went well. Did you manage to get any barbecue?”

  On a sigh, Jim said, “No. I didn’t have time on Thursday, and flew out before dinner last night.”

  “Sara said that there’s a really good place in Sun Valley. She’s usually spot-on with her food recommendations. We should try that,” Elle said.

  “Tomorrow. We should try that tomorrow. Or maybe I should ask you if you’ve got plans for tomorrow first,” Jim said.

  “I was kind of hoping we’d spend at least part of the day together,” Elle said.

  “We will,” he said. “By the way, how’d that job go last night? You said it was massive.”

  “Ugh. It was an anniversary party for a lighting company. They drank so much, Jim. They were all slurring their words and being handsy. I’m so glad I had Bret with me. At one point, someone threw up on my shoes. Needless to say, I need a new pair of work shoes and we won’t be doing business with them ever again,” Elle said, her voice laden with disgust.

  Jim ignored his immediate instinct to ask her what exactly she meant by “handsy” and instead said, “Wow. That’s pretty disgusting. That had to suck.”

  “Yeah. It was probably the worst night I’ve had in a long time,” Elle said.

  “That’d be up there on my list too,” Jim said. “By the way, stuff like that is the reason we don’t do open bar at our Christmas parties.”

  “My shoes thank you in advance,” Elle said with a smirk.

  They made idle conversation on the way back to Elle’s house, but Jim could tell that she was distracted. He really hoped that she wasn’t bothered by what that bitch had said.

  When they pulled up in the driveway, Jim turned off the engine and looked over at her.

  “What’s on your mind, Elle? I can see the wheels turning in there,” he said, pointing at her head.

  “Nothing, really,” she answered.

  Unbuckling his seat belt, he turned to face her and said, “I don’t entirely believe that. Talk to me.”

  “I’m just thinking over what that bitch said, and wondering if she didn’t make a point.”

  When he opened his mouth to speak, Elle said, “Let me finish. I didn’t mean the rude stuff. I’m a business owner. I work hard. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I don’t like the idea that people are going to assume I’m either fucking you for money or status.”

  “I’m sure some people will see that,” Jim agreed. “You’re not the type of woman that would do that. Just like I’m not the type of person that would allow it. You can’t let that stuff bother you, baby.”

  Jim watched Elle as she took in what he said. Shaking her head ruefully, she said, “You’re right. This is silly. I’m letting shitty comments from a woman who doesn’t know either of us ruin a perfectly good evening.”

  Leaning over, he pressed his lips against hers and said, “Let’s go inside.”

  Nodding, Elle unbuckled her seat belt and said, “Let’s. These shoes are killing my feet.”

  They both exited the car and walked toward the front door. He watched her slip the key into the lock, then open the door. He immediately slid off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Hearing her sigh, he realized she had slipped off her shoes and was wiggling her toes.

  “Better?”

  Elle gave him a relaxe
d smile. “Much better. Those shoes are like torture devices.”

  “C’mere then,” Jim said pulling her toward the couch and gesturing for her to sit. He sat on the ottoman and picked up her foot. Digging his thumb into her arch, he asked, “Here?”

  “Oh. That’s perfect,” Elle said, sighing.

  Jim continued to massage her foot, then switched to the other. After a few minutes, his hands worked their way up her calf, kneading the tight muscles. Looking up, he saw that she was utterly relaxed now.

  Unable to resist, he slowly moved his hand up her thigh until his hand ran into the lacy edge of a stocking. Tracing the edge of it, he felt the edge of her garters and froze.

  “Elle,” he said. “You never would have made it out the door if I’d known what you had under that dress, baby.”

  Giving him a knowing grin and gesturing to her dress, she said, “I spent all evening picturing the look on your face when you realized what was under this.”

  Considering her now, he stood up, then pulled her to her feet and said, “That dress needs to come off immediately. You can’t say things like that to a man, Elle.”

  Delicately shrugging one shoulder, Elle turned her back to him and said, “Fair enough.”

  Jim reached forward and slid the zipper in the back of her dress down slowly. Leaning over, he brushed his lips against each new inch of flesh he bared.

  “Could you possibly,” he asked as his lips continued their journey, “put the shoes back on so I can see the whole picture?”

  “Only because you rubbed the life back into my feet first,” Elle said, grinning. Moving toward the front door, she slid back into her shoes then moved back to stand in front of him.

  Jim reached out and slowly pulled the dress from her shoulders like he was unwrapping a gift. The pastel pink dress slid down her body revealing a lacy, champagne-colored bra. He traced the edge of lace, running his finger along her skin and watched her breathing quicken.