Craving Kismet

Chapter 1 They moved around each other with the skill of practiced dancers, weaving from bathroom to bedroom to closet to bedroom again in the seasoned steps of partners, long accustomed to the other’s timing. Neither spoke. In the rush of getting ready for the party, neither had anything to say to the other. Jenny Rohm leaned over the bathroom sink, her face inches away from the mirror as she finished applying her lipstick. It was the third color she’d selected, but her indecision was due more in part to her apathy about the upcoming evening than making the right fashion choice. She didn’t want to go to this thing. Hell, Bryan knew she didn’t want to go. But as was par for the course when it came to his work and its social requirements, Jenny went along with it anyway. She got dressed up, and she followed the rules, and she smiled and pretended to care about what the windbags Bryan called colleagues were talking about. Then, when it was all over, there would be the obligatory f**k because Bryan was too wired to sleep without it, and she’d go out to watch Nick at Nite in the living room while he crashed on their bed. It was the way it went. Nothing had changed in the four years they’d been back together. She pressed into the vanity when he came in behind her, getting out of his way as he scooped up the cufflinks he’d left on the counter. There was no hesitation in the careful swipe of her lipstick as Jenny watched him through her thick lashes, tracking his entrance and exit in the mirror. He did look good in his tux. That was a definite perk to these things. All those years of high school and college basketball still paid off. Maybe she could talk him into breaking routine and f*****g before he undressed later. Alone in the bathroom once again, Jenny capped her lipstick and stepped away from the mirror to appraise her appearance. Her thick chestnut hair was pulled up into a messy twist, with loose tendrils curling along her nape and cheeks, while her smoky makeup highlighted her dark eyes and full mouth. She didn’t need more than a hint of blush for her creamy skin, thank God. The dramatic palette would have been overwhelmed by any more color. Her gaze scanned downward. She only had one formal dress for these occasions, but it had served her well in the two years she’d owned it. A deep midnight blue, the matte jersey gown clung to her generous curves before flaring into a soft sweep at her calves. The beaded collar on the halter neckline covered her throat, but the deep slit between her full breasts usually drew the most attention. Sexy without being slutty, Bryan had decreed when she’d brought it home. “Ready?” he called from the other room. As I’ll ever be. With one last glance in the mirror, she strode out to join him. He waited at the door of their apartment, head bowed as he checked his watch against the clock in the DVD player. “We should be good with traffic,” he said when she entered. “Mr. Portman insisted everyone be there within half an hour of the party starting.” Jenny nodded as she grabbed her wrap, though her brain was working overtime trying to remember which one Portman was. “TDC’s CFO.” Bryan’s gentle smile made her flush when she realized he’d noticed her confusion. “The boss of my boss? You met him at the Labor Day picnic last year.” When he didn’t get an immediate recognition, he added, “He told us he and his wife met in high school too.” “Oh, that’s right.” It was a lie. She had a b***h of a time keeping all the people Bryan worked with straight. They all dressed the same, talked the same, complained about the same politicians. Hell, she wasn’t even sure what his company did, though at least she knew he was an accountant of sorts there. Most of the time, it wasn’t a big deal. After all, it wasn’t like Bryan or any of his colleagues knew how to put together a ‘64 Thunderbird. It only bothered her when she was forced to mingle with people who thought her lack of a college education meant she didn’t have a brain. “So what exactly is this shindig for again?” she asked as they walked out to the car. Her wrap hung loose in her hand. It was only May and already Los Angeles was beginning to swelter. Even the cooling dusk did little to temper the heat. “I’ve told you this.” His tone was mildly annoyed, and Jenny had to bite her tongue not to snap about it. He was right. He had told her. She even remembered being curled up on the couch eating Chinese takeaway from the container when the subject had first been brought up. Of course, the fact that she also remembered the American Chopper marathon playing at the same time didn’t bode well for how close she’d been listening to Bryan. “The new law firm helping us sort out the mess with Kyoto is having a fundraiser gala,” Bryan explained. “They invited all their clients. Lots of people, three or four hundred easy. You should have no trouble finding someone interesting to talk to.” Jenny stopped in her tracks, staring at him in disbelief. “You’re just going to abandon me when we get there?” With a sigh, he turned to face her, the streetlight overhead illuminating his closely cut sandy hair. “I’m going to have to schmooze with the lawyers, Jen. And you hate having to listen to me talk about my work. Why wouldn’t you look for somebody else who’s not going to bore you all night?” Because nothing ever changes at these things, she wanted to say. “I guess I’ll figure something out.” Her footfalls were louder against the concrete as she headed to the car. Arguing about it now would only make the night worse. As they slipped into the night’s traffic, Bryan reached across the seat to take her hand, never saying a word. Jenny glanced over, but his attention was fixed on his driving, wide-set hazel eyes constantly moving from mirror to mirror, his thin mouth set. Inwardly, she sighed. She knew he meant well; she knew how hard he tried. She only wished he’d open his eyes a little bit and see that sometimes square pegs couldn’t fit into round holes. It was dark by the time they reached the party, the valet whisking away their poor five-year-old Toyota to park it amongst all the luxury sedans and convertibles. Putting on her best cheerleader smile, Jenny draped her wrap around her shoulders and followed Bryan inside. The meet-and-greet was always the toughest part. Smile and nod. Go through introductions. Pretend to remember the ones she’d met before. Try not to see the condescending lifts of brows when people learned that their darling Bryan Gillis was engaged to an auto mechanic who only got through high school on her pompoms. And if she had to listen to one more person ask why she hadn’t followed Bryan out east for college, Jenny was pretty sure she was going to lose it. She grabbed the first waiter she saw, taking a champagne flute from his tray and downing it like it was water. That tiny line appeared between Bryan’s eyes when he noticed, but he never broke from the conversation he was having with a portly middle-aged lawyer and his wife. He was a pro at this. He always had been. “So how long have you two been together?” the lawyer’s wife asked, turning to Jenny with a whitened smile and Botoxed brows. “You mean, this time?” Her joked response made the couple pause, glancing at each other before Bryan jumped in. “What Jen means is that we dated all through high school, but then I went off to college while she stayed here. We got back together after I moved back to LA and joined TDC.” “So it’s been four years this time,” Jenny finished with a smile. “Or seven years in total. But high school never counts for anything, right?” The pair chuckled, but she saw the look in their eyes and knew the joke had fallen flat. She glanced down at her empty flute. One of these days, she was going to remember to stay away from any attempts at humor around these people. As soon as the conversation shifted to wedding plans, Bryan found an excuse for them to get away. Neither liked to talk about the fact that they didn’t have a date set, a detail that was as sore in private as it was here. Though they had been engaged for over a year, they agreed they didn’t want to rush into anything, which only brought raised eyebrows whenever it got mentioned in public. Nobody seemed to understand why they weren’t in a hurry. It was as if it wasn’t all right for two people to simply be together anymore. She had finished her third glass of champagne before Bryan finally disengaged from her to go and talk to Mr. Portman. He promised he’d only be gone for a few minutes, but they both knew the truth. Jenny was going to be on her own for the rest of the night. “At least they break out the expensive stuff for these shindigs,” a deep voice said from behind her as she reached for her fourth glass. Whipping around to see who had spoken, Jenny was greeted by a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The man they belonged to wasn’t much taller than her—five-seven, five-eight at the most—with dark hair falling boyishly across his brow and a smile that made her want to smile back. It was the wicked grin of a child who knew the best secret on the block, but wouldn’t tell until everybody was begging to know. It was a grin she would have remembered if she had encountered it before. “There’s actually a difference?” Jenny looked down at the flute in her hand. “Huh. I guess that’s one on me then.” Her full mouth twisted into a semblance of his smile, and she leaned forward, lowering her tone. “I’ll fill you in on a secret. I’m more of a beer kind of gal. Give me a cold frosty mug over this stuff any day.” The man matched her confiding tone. “Me too. Nothing like a cold beer at the end of a long day.” He glanced around the room with a distasteful look. “I’m probably going to need more than one after tonight.” She laughed. She couldn’t help it. After listening to so much pomposity all night, it was a relief to talk to somebody with a real opinion, especially one that so closely matched her own. “I’m Jenny,” she said, sticking out her hand. He accepted it. “Ashley Edwards. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I would ask if you’re enjoying the firm’s humble party, but I think I know the answer.” His grip was as warm as his smile, and he held hers for longer than Jenny would have thought necessary. She knew she should pull away, but the flattering attention was hard to refuse. “I didn’t just step in it, did I? Because you’re starting to sound like you work here and not someone who was roped into showing up against his will.” Ashley grinned. “The two options are not mutually exclusive. I’ve recently been transferred to the Los Angeles branch from Pasadena, and certain people in the firm thought it would be a good idea for me to make an appearance tonight.” He was one of the lawyers, then. Her gaze flickered over his well-cut tuxedo, noting the long fingers still holding hers. No wonder she’d never met him before. “Kind of hard to ignore the head honchos, huh?” She finally extracted her hand from his, pretending she needed to brush back a loose curl. “You should do what I do. Smile, nod, and then do whatever the hell I want anyway.” His eyes followed the movement of her hand. “I like your style. What about you? How did you get roped into this?” Jenny glanced over his shoulder at the crowd of black suits and glittering gowns. She had no idea where Bryan had taken himself off to, though she hoped for his sake that whatever Mr. Portman wanted would work out in the long run. Chatting with a young, flirtatious lawyer probably wasn’t what Bryan had had in mind about her mingling, but Jenny didn’t see the harm in indulging herself. After all, Ashley Edwards might be key in whatever TDC was doing. Being nice to him could both help Bryan and give her a little pleasant distraction at the same time. “With promises I’ll get in trouble for revealing.” She shifted her attention back to Ashley. “But, hey. At least it’s an excuse for everyone to dress up. There is absolutely nothing wrong about a room full of men in tuxes.” His eyes sparkled. “I have to say, I support any excuse that allows you to dress up. That dress looks like it was made for you.” This time, there was no mistaking the appreciation in his gaze. A slow burn crept up the back of Jenny’s neck, a smile curving her mouth as they studied each other. It wasn’t like men didn’t flirt with her; every time a male customer came into the garage, she was the target of their newfound affections. She joked with Otto all the time about being the bait to lure in the new clients, but it wasn’t that far from the truth. Jenny was used to men finding her attractive. She wasn’t so used to responding to their advances as strongly as she was to Ashley, though. She didn’t just hear his appreciation. She felt it with every inch of her now flaming skin. “You’re the first person to mention my dress,” Jenny replied. “I was beginning to wonder why I didn’t just come in jeans and a T-shirt.” Ashley stepped back, his gaze sweeping her body openly. “I think that you could have arrived in jeans and a T-shirt and still outshone everybody in the room.” She’d asked for it, really. If she hadn’t wanted him to continue the compliments, Jenny knew all she had to do was walk away or cut off the conversation at the knees. But she liked the attention. Even more, she liked him. She liked that he cut straight to the chase, and she liked that he didn’t feel the need to put on an act like the rest of the people at the party. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she could get lost in how brilliant his eyes were, but that was beside the point. Jenny took a half step closer before she realized what she was doing. “Not everybody can appreciate a pair of good-fitting jeans. And judging from the accent…” She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she contemplated it. “Texas?” Ashley nodded. “You have a good ear. I’ve been trying to lose that accent since I moved to California.” “How long have you been here?” “Oh, it’s been…” He tilted his head. “A little over a decade now. I came out here, fresh from law school.” “Really?” He was older than she had imagined. With that grin and his youthful appearance, Jenny would have placed him in his mid-to-late twenties. This made him at least six or seven years older than her. “And California sun hasn’t aged you a bit. I have to know that secret.” Ashley smiled ruefully. “Oh, that one’s easy. If you never leave the office, the sun never has a chance to get you. It saves your skin, but it’s hell on your social life.” She looked down at his long fingers. No rings. Single, or a married guy who didn’t wear a band. She knew a few who did that. “There’s no special lady in my life,” Ashley said in response to her unspoken question. “I’m the proverbial asshole married to my job.” He shrugged. “Or I haven’t found the right lady. It’s all the same in the end.” “I can’t believe that there’s a sane woman in this town who wouldn’t want a guy like you around.” Ashley winked. “That’s because we’ve only just met.” Her laughter rang clear in the crowd. “Well, if you’re half as entertaining with other women as you are with me, something’s obviously wrong with them.” Unable to resist, she took another step closer, lowering her voice. “Come on, tell me. What is it you do that drives them all away?” “I’ll tell you, but only if you let me show you what keeps them coming back.” He might as well have reached out and touched her. A shiver ran down Jenny’s spine, and her chest constricted as his eyes burned into hers. Sudden images of his lean body pressing hers into a wall filled her head, those warm fingers slipping beneath her dress, that mouth sans smile savaging hers, and it took restraint she didn’t realize she needed not to automatically say, “Hell, yes.” It had been a long time since a physical attraction to a guy she didn’t know had hit her below the belt. That was the surest sign she needed to stop encouraging his flirtation. The best she could manage was, “In a party with this many people? Not even I’m that crazy.” Ashley checked his watch. “We don’t have to stick around. I’ve put in my time for the night. We should find somewhere a bit less…crowded.” For a split second, Jenny considered it. She knew she shouldn’t. Couldn’t. But the temptation to slip away with him surged as hot through her as the unexpected desire. Nobody would have to know, and she’d be back long before Bryan would even realize she’d been gone. But one look at the way Ashley leaned toward her warned Jenny she was about to take a step from which there would be no retreat. “I don’t think my fiancé would be so happy about that.” There. That should extinguish any hope he might be holding. “Even if it’s the nicest offer I’ve had all night.” “Your fiancé?” The easy smile was still on his face, as though she hadn’t said anything to dampen his spirits. “Which one is he?” She moved sideways, scanning the crowd and wishing she could see him amid the sea of black suits. Ashley shifted as well, turning into her side as if to follow her line of sight, and Jenny felt the definite brush of his arm against hers. “Bryan Gillis.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure where he’s gone off to, but he’s here someplace.” “Bryan Gillis?” Ashley nodded toward the far corner without stepping away. “He’s over there. Though I can’t imagine why he’d want to be so far away.” “One of the bosses is making him network.” Her explanation was smooth and easy, but when she saw Bryan’s fair head above so many others, Jenny was embarrassed about not being able to find him on her own. “Wait.” A small frown marred her features as she looked to Ashley. “You know him?” “We met earlier this week at a luncheon. And, I’ll have to double-check my planner, but I think we’re meeting next Tuesday for drinks.” “Oh.” Then it was a very good thing she had rebuffed him. The last thing she needed was for anything to get back to Bryan. “But…” Ashley drew her attention from Bryan and back to him. “I can tell you without looking that I’m not meeting anybody on Monday night.” Her brows shot up. “I just told you I’m engaged. You’re not seriously asking me to meet you, are you?” “I was just imparting information that I thought you might be interested in. But if you’re not, I beg your pardon.” She didn’t know if he was serious or not. Was this lawyer double-talk to cover his ass, or had she misjudged his flirtatious behavior so completely? She’d thought he was a straight shooter, but maybe she’d been wrong. It would hardly be the first time she’d misread one of Bryan’s colleagues. She needed to cut her losses and get out before she screwed this up even more. With an ease she didn’t feel, Jenny smiled and stuck out her hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Edwards. And as much as you’ve been the most interesting person to talk to me all night, I should probably go let my fiancé know I’m still alive.” Ashley produced his card seemingly out of thin air and pressed it into her palm. “In case you were interested. Or you need a good lawyer.” She took it, dumbstruck, but as she slipped it into her purse, he smiled at her, that easy grin that made her skin tingle without forewarning. With a small nod, Jenny bolted, already trying to erase the memory of those brilliant blue eyes that lingered for hours after the two of them parted.