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Jeff had had just about enough of this conversation. Was the woman not able to take a hint? “Yes, well, interesting observation. I have to go. Allison’s waiting for me.” He made his escape, finally breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the safety of the elevator.
None of the afternoon workshops appealed to him. He went for a swim in the hotel’s Olympic-size pool, wishing he’d worked out with Allison instead. At least he’d have had someone to talk to, and he wouldn’t have that pastrami sandwich sitting in his stomach like a lump. He sat in the whirlpool for a while. The only other person there was a woman from Albuquerque, a bookkeeper for a medical clinic who was attending the conference to brush up on the latest insurance laws. Jeff steeled himself for a come-on, but then she started talking about her husband and daughter, and he realized she was just being friendly, not flirting.
Not all women threw themselves at him, as Allison believed. Hell, he’d been turned down by plenty of ’em. He could remember times he’d been ignored and overlooked by the opposite sex. She didn’t have a corner on that market.
Come to think of it, though, he couldn’t remember Allison ever dating anyone. Maybe he should set her up with a nice guy. He had a few single friends left.
That thought immediately made him uneasy. No, he wouldn’t meddle in Allison’s love life. That was a sure way to ruin a perfectly good friendship—introduce her to some guy who later dumps her, and then Jeff would take the blame.
When he glanced at the clock, he realized he ought to go to the suite and change for the reception. He hoped Allison was there, so they could go together. He didn’t want to face Sherry again without her.
ALLISON WAS READY a half-hour early. Her new hairdo and makeup routine took forever, so she’d left herself plenty of time. But it was only four-thirty, and the reception didn’t start till five.
And where was Jeff? That thought had scarcely formed before she heard him at the door. Oh, shoot, she didn’t want him to see her yet. He would know how eager she was, and besides, she wanted to make an entrance. She quickly retreated to her bedroom and closed the door.
“Allison? You here?”
“I’m getting dressed,” she called through the closed door. “Bathroom’s all yours.”
“Thanks. Oh, and thanks for running interference with Sherry. You did good.”
“No charge.” She hoped they could steer clear of Sherry from now on. Lying didn’t sit well with Allison.
With time to kill, she decided to polish her nails and tried not to think about the fact that Jeff was naked in the shower. Then she would get all hot and bothered, and her face would glow and her hair would go flat, and she would chew off her lipstick.
The water in the bathroom stopped, and she heard Jeff moving around in the living room. Probably getting dressed. Maybe she could walk in by mistake and catch him half-naked.
Oh, Allison, you are sick.
When her nails were dry and she judged she’d given him plenty of time to make himself decent, she doused herself with perfume guaranteed to drive any man wild, grabbed her tiny evening bag, and opened the door, walking with as much sensuous grace as she could manage.
Apparently, that wasn’t very much, because the first thing she did when she entered the living area was trip.
Somehow, Jeff caught her before she hit the carpet face first. “Whoa. You all right?”
Just dying of embarrassment. “Fine, fine. New shoes. I’m not used to them.”
He inspected her four-inch heels, then tsked at her. “Do you know how many women I’ve had in my office who have sprained their ankles wearing ridiculous shoes like that?”
“Don’t lecture me, Jeff. I happen to like these shoes. Anne picked them out for me.” She figured mentioning Anne couldn’t hurt, since she was only slightly less revered than a saint in the Hardison family.
“I’ll have to have a talk with her.” He sneezed. “Are you wearing perfume?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I think I’m allergic. What is that stuff?”
She would die before she admitted it was something called Seduction. “Mmm, I don’t remember.”
“Could you tone it down a little? I have to hang out with you all night.”
Her face burning, Allison retreated to the bathroom. So, he thought hanging out with her was a chore, did he? She swiped her wrists, behind her ears, and between her breasts with a damp washcloth. The beast! He hadn’t even noticed her dress, which had cost her two root canals and one crown. It was a sexy little black thing with a plunging neckline and no back and a hem much higher up her thigh than she’d ever worn before. And he hadn’t said a word.
She said nothing as they rode down the elevator together. She wished he didn’t look so damn handsome in his suit. She wished she could find something wrong with his appearance—some evidence that he was turning prematurely gray or thickening around the middle. But no such luck. He was more handsome than ever, and at the moment she hated him.
As soon as they arrived at the reception, which was packed with conventioneers eager to take advantage of the complimentary hors d’oeuvres, she excused herself to the rest room. In the ladies’ lounge, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Anne’s number.
“Allison? What are you doing calling me? You’re supposed to be seducing Jeff.”
“It’s not working. He said my shoes were stupid, my perfume stinks—”
“What about the dress?”
“It could have been a potato sack for all he noticed. I might as well be a piece of furniture.”
“Why don’t you pretend to trip and let him catch—”
“Been there, done that. He patted me on the shoulder like I was a golden retriever.”
“This calls for drastic action. You’ve got to shake that boy up—but good.”
“How?” Allison wailed. “I’ve tried everything.”
“I bet you haven’t kissed him.”
Chapter Three
I bet you haven’t kissed him.
Yeah, right, Allison thought as she minced her way back to the ballroom in her high heels. What was she supposed to do, just grab him and put a lip lock on him? Just give him a big ol’ long-time-nosee kiss, like Sherry had wanted to do?
A woman like Sherry could get away with such behavior. If Allison tried it, though, Jeff would probably have her committed. Allison shook her head. She needed a plan, but a full frontal assault wasn’t it.
Allison didn’t immediately spot Jeff when she returned to the ballroom, which made her a bit uneasy. She wasn’t a social butterfly, certainly no good at making small talk with strangers. She usually did her best imitation of wallpaper at these receptions and beat a hasty retreat as soon as she’d scammed some free hors d’oeuvres.
She was about to decide to do just that when she spotted Sherry, wearing a black halter dress with a plunging neckline. Allison supposed she ought to find her “fiancé” and live up to her end of the bad deal she’d made.
Maybe he’d gone to get them drinks at one of the crowded bars set up at either end of the ballroom. But a quick tour of lines of conventioneers waiting to order their beverage of choice didn’t turn him up.
She was starting to feel a bit piqued that Jeff hadn’t stayed where she’d left him. She reconsidered her urge to flee to the room and order room service, never mind they were supposed to go out to dinner at Antares, when a group of three men walked straight up to her.
“Allison?” the tallest one greeted her.
“Yes? Oh, Tom, how nice to see you again,” she said, recovering quickly as she recalled his name. He was a dermatologist from Cincinnati with wavy black hair and killer brown eyes. She’d played match-stick poker with him in the lobby last year.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve…changed something.”
“I’ve changed everything,” she said with a laugh, gratified that at least this man had noticed. “Whole new lifestyle.”
“You look great.” Those velvety brown eyes held hers just a trifle too long before he introduced her to his two friends, also dermatologists.
The two friends, Greg and Ian, practically elbowed each other to shake her hand first. Then they all stood in a semicircle around her and showered her with compliments and all kinds of attention.
Allison was overwhelmed. These men were flirting with her, and she hadn’t done a thing. Two other men wandered over, friends of Ian drawn in by the laughter. Allison did her best not to act like the shrinking violet she wanted to be, matching joke for joke, asking questions of the men to deflect attention away from herself. After a few minutes she forgot to be nervous and found she was actually enjoying herself.
This had never happened to her before. Normally, if she was included in a group of people, it was on the fringes, listening and maybe laughing, but never saying much, and certainly not the center of attention.
Was this phenomenon a result of her change in appearance? Or had the changes she’d made caused her to project more outward confidence?
“So, would you like to join me for dinner?” Tom asked. “Greg and Ian have plans with their wives, so I’m…at loose ends.”
Allison, caught up in the flirtation, was on the verge of saying yes. Tom was a charmer. But a masculine voice behind her saved her the trouble of answering.
“She has plans.”
Allison whirled around to see Jeff standing behind her, his usually pleasant face darkened with a scowl. He slid a possessive arm around her waist, obviously laying claim to his territory.
She cleared her throat. “Tom, I’m sure you remember Jeff Hardison. We’re from the same—”
“We’re engaged,” Jeff said, relaxing slightly as he shook the other men’s hands. “I promised Allison dinner at Antares.”
Tom took a step back. “Well, congratulations, you two. I guess I’ll have to make other plans myself.” The rest of the men slithered away until Jeff and Allison stood alone.
Allison couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Our reservation is at seven-thirty,” Jeff said tightly. “We’d better go.”
As they stood outside the hotel waiting for the valet to bring Jeff’s car around, Allison finally found her tongue. “That was pretty rude.”
Jeff immediately relaxed, a smile forming on his sensual lips. “That’s all right, I forgive you.”
“You forgive—what are you talking about? You’re the one who was acting like some caveman, coming on all macho, speaking for me. What were you doing, marking your territory?”
Jeff’s smile vanished. “I was playing the part we agreed to play. You, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten I existed, flaunting yourself in front of those men like some…some…”
“Single woman?”
“You’re not single, at least not for the moment. You’re supposed to be engaged to me. It doesn’t reflect very well on me if my fiancée is throwing herself at every man who walks by—”
“You have totally lost your mind. I was making pleasant conversation. Anyway, if you don’t want me talking to other men, you could be a bit more attentive yourself. You disappeared while I was in the rest room.”
“Another ice age came and went while I was waiting for you. What were you doing in there?”
Allison abruptly lowered her voice. “Ix-nay, shark warning, three o’clock.”
“What?”
“Sherry!” Allison whispered. “And she’s heading this way.” Allison knew she ought to let Jeff sink in his own macho pool—just blow the whistle on him right here and now. But then she wouldn’t get dinner at Antares. At least, that was what she told herself.
“Well, hi, you two!” Sherry greeted them, coming up between them and putting her arms around both of them. “Where are you two lovebirds off to this evening?” Her nose was practically twitching, trying to find a weakness she could sink her teeth into.
“Antares,” Jeff said, suddenly turning into the devoted fiancé. “It’s one of Allison’s favorite places.”
“I’ve never eaten there,” Sherry said. “I’ve heard it’s wonderful, unless you have motion sickness. Personally, I just don’t think my food would settle with the restaurant spinning circles that high up in the air. You don’t have that problem, do you, Allison?” She looked at Allison, all innocence.
“Um, no.”
“I get car sick just thinking about it. I’d order something light if I were you. Well, you two have fun. That’s my car.”
The valet had just delivered a red Firebird. Sherry disengaged herself from Jeff and sashayed to her car, where two other women joined her.
“Thank you,” Jeff said under his breath.
“I’m not going to renege on our deal just because you’re acting like a Neanderthal.”
“Listen, if you want to go out to dinner with Tom What’s-his-face, just say so. Seems Sherry’s safely occupied for the evening.”
“Oh, no, you’re not weaseling out of our dinner,” Allison said, doing her best to hide her hurt feelings. She’d been looking forward to this romantic dinner all week. Apparently, he wasn’t. “I’m ordering the most expensive thing on the menu.”
Despite her threats, Allison ordered a modest dinner. She kept thinking about what Sherry said about motion sickness. The restaurant’s movement was so subtle you couldn’t really feel it—unless you were thinking about it, which Allison was. The last thing she wanted to do was spoil the evening further by becoming nauseated.
So she ordered a chicken breast and picked at it, barely sipping at the expensive wine Jeff had ordered to accompany their meal.
But, really, could the evening be any more spoiled? She and Jeff had never fought like this before. Even though they eventually apologized to each other, and Allison admitted that she had been flirting, and Jeff admitted that he’d overreacted, the bloom was off the rose of this evening. The panoramic view could have been a dingy brick wall for all the attention Allison paid it, and the food might as well have been sawdust.
JEFF CRINGED when he saw the bill. He wouldn’t have minded paying a sky-high price for an enjoyable evening. But dinner had been an ordeal to be survived.
He still felt angry, even though he and Allison had apologized and were talking. He couldn’t bring himself to tease her, the way he usually did. Their conversation was stilted, almost forced. He’d never had trouble talking to Allison before.
They returned to the hotel and practically raced each other upstairs. She seemed as eager to end the evening as he was. She beat him to the door with her key already out, then scurried into the bedroom and closed the door.
When she opened it again, she was wrapped head-to-toe in one of the hotel’s roomy terry cloth robes. Her hair was slicked back from her face with a stretchy headband.
For some reason, her appearance was reassuring. Jeff relaxed slightly. Allison seemed suddenly more like his friend, less like the fake fiancée she’d been pretending to be in public.
“I’m done in the bathroom,” she announced.
He brushed his teeth and washed his face. When he came back out of the bathroom, Allison was sitting stiffly on the sofa, watching the news. She immediately stood.
“Guess I’ll turn in.”
“The wake-up call’s for six,” he reminded her. “It’ll ring in your room. If that’s too early, we can change it.”
“No, that’s fine. I want to work out. Good night.” With that terse dismissal she retreated into the bedroom and closed the door.
Jeff found an extra blanket and pillow in a closet, then undressed and stretched out on the sofa. The sofa was large, so it wasn’t terribly uncomfortable. He shouldn’t have had any trouble falling asleep, especially after the glass of wine he’d drunk with dinner.
But sleep eluded him. He was as tense as a coiled spring, and he found himself checking the illuminated dial on his watch every five minutes or so, wondering how long before he could relax.
He’d never in his life had insomnia. Something he ate, maybe? He couldn’t even remember what he’d eaten. All he could recall was staring covertly across the table at Allison, wanting to shake her.
Now that was just patently stupid. He’d never touched a woman in anger and he wasn’t going to start with his best friend. But why in the world was he so mad at her? And he was still mad, there was no denying it.
The truth hit him like a truckload of concrete. He was jealous. All those men flirting with Allison had brought out every savage instinct in his reptilian brain. He’d wanted to challenge Tom to a duel, run him through for daring to look at Allison’s breasts—which was exactly what the jerk had been doing.
He couldn’t possibly be jealous—that was ridiculous. If he’d wanted to make a conquest out of Allison Crane, he would have done so by now.
Or…maybe not. He talked with Allison all the time, and she told him all kinds of personal things. But maybe not everything. Maybe she had a string of boyfriends he wasn’t even aware of.
He’d just never thought about this before. Allison dating, going out with men. She was in her midthirties, close to his own age. She’d said she couldn’t see him married, but he’d never even thought about Allison falling in love, marrying, having kids.
Now he did—and it filled him with the most awesomely uncomfortable pricklings.
It couldn’t be jealousy, it just couldn’t be. Brotherly protective instincts—that was it. All big brothers resisted the idea of their little sisters falling in love, getting married…having sex.
Relieved to have put a name to the strange phenomenon, Jeff was finally able to relax and fall asleep. But the next morning those foreign feelings assaulted him anew, stronger than ever.
He and Allison ordered a light room-service breakfast. The waiter set the food up at a small round table, and Jeff and Allison sat down to eat, both of them in their exercise clothes. Jeff’s gaze was drawn again and again to Allison’s breasts, revealed rather fetchingly in a clingy blue shirt.
No wonder Tom had stared.
Allison ignored him and read the paper, which was a good thing or she might have noticed his state of agitation. No, agitation wasn’t the right word. Arousal said it better.
He couldn’t believe it, but he could no longer deny it. He’d known her for twenty-five years or more. Why was he only now noticing how shapely Allison’s legs were? How had he never noticed how alluring that hollow in her throat was? She drank a big glass of water with lemon to prepare for her workout, and he watched her lush lips wrap themselves around the straw as she took a sip. His arousal was going to be painfully evident when they stood up.
But no thoughts of cold showers or tax audits or Mrs. Simmonetti, his third-grade teacher, could douse his sudden ardor.
“I want to get going,” he said abruptly. He sprang to his feet and bolted from the table before Allison even had a chance to look up. He grabbed his key and exited the room, hoping a couple of seven-minute miles might set everything aright.
Three miles into his run, he realized nothing would ever be the same now that he’d brushed up with the idea of sexual awareness of Allison Crane. He could never take the notion any further, of course. Allison wasn’t the type of woman to trifle with, and he sure as hell wasn’t in the market for a serious relationship—Allison had been right about his commitment aversion. Besides, Allison was his friend, really his best friend. Nothing messed up a friendship like sex.
That was assuming he could have sex with her if he wanted, which he seriously doubted. He’d seen the way she was flirting with those guys at the reception. She’d never acted like that with him.
And if those weren’t reasons enough to put these ridiculous thoughts right out of his mind, there were a couple dozen people who would have his hide if he trifled with Allison, if he approached a relationship with her with anything but the utmost respect and the most serious of intentions. Respect he had, but serious intentions were out of the question. His sister-in-law, Anne, would have him drawn and quartered. She was a force to be reckoned with.
At least he’d come to a decision. He would not act on these newly hatched desires. He would ignore them, deny them and eventually conquer them.
He absolutely would not try to seduce Allison Crane.
ALLISON STARED at the door where Jeff had disappeared for a long time. What was with him? She couldn’t imagine he was still angry after their stupid disagreement last night. He wasn’t the type to hold a grudge, and everyone agreed he was the most easygoing of the three Hardison brothers.
She could only conclude that he just didn’t want to be with her right now. Pretending to be her fiancée was more of an acting job than he’d counted on, and he couldn’t take the pressure.
Well, what else could it be?
When Allison returned to the room after her workout, it appeared Jeff had already showered, dressed and cut out. Feeling disappointment mixed with relief, she dressed in one of her new outfits, a red knit dress with a zipper down the front. She couldn’t afford to wear heels today, not when she had miles of convention floor to cover. She had to get as much done this morning as she could, because her doctor’s appointment was scheduled for two o’clock.
She put on a pair of red Keds with lace socks.
Once on the trade show floor, Allison consulted her map and zeroed in on the vendors that interested her. She needed a new irrigation system for her office—the old one was so ancient it leaked all over her patients. And she wanted to find a new supplier for dental stone and X-ray blanks. The one she was using was woefully unreliable.
Shortly before lunch, she was pleased with the progress she’d made. She’d found a new irrigation system that she could actually afford, and she’d gotten a number of other dental supply companies to agree to come by her office and bring her free samples. She’d also filled up a canvas tote bag with freebies she could pass on to her patients—toothbrushes, toothpaste, flavored floss, whitening systems. What fun.
She’d also managed to stop thinking about Jeff, at least for a little while. Her plan to convince him she was a desirable woman, worthy of his romantic attention, was a bust, and she had almost come to terms with the idea that she would have to extinguish the flame she’d been carrying for him since junior high and look elsewhere for male companionship.
Then she saw him, just before lunch, walking down one of the aisles at a brisk pace—with Sherry trotting after him like a loyal puppy.
Sherry was nothing if not determined.
Allison sighed. She supposed she ought to rescue him. That was the deal, the price she paid for staying in this nice hotel.
She caught up with him, pasting on a smile. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you all morning.”
Jeff smiled, too, an expression she hadn’t seen on his face since sometime yesterday. “This place is a zoo.”
“Are you ready for lunch?” she asked brightly, taking his arm. It was a struggle, touching him and acting as if it was nothing. She could feel the heat of his skin through his shirtsleeve.
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Mind if I sit with y’all?” Sherry asked.
Jeff started to object, but Allison elbowed him. “We’d love to have you.” She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt sorry for Sherry. After all, Sherry was in the same boat as Allison, carrying a torch for Jeff Hardison, who wasn’t the least bit interested. Allison was sure Sherry wouldn’t be a problem at lunch, so long as Jeff’s fiancée was there to protect him.
At lunch they found themselves at a table with an obstetrician, an ear, nose and throat guy, a medical office manager, a woman from a laboratory that made fake skin, and a maxillo-facial surgeon.
Allison was seated next to the surgeon from Chicago, a distinguished-looking older gentleman, and she was fascinated by the stories he told her about reconstructing an accident victim’s jaw and replacing a hockey player’s teeth.
“I’m doing a tricky surgery next week,” the surgeon, Dr. Handel, said. “You’d be most welcome to come and observe. I know of a charming hotel very near the hospital where you could stay.” He waggled his eyebrows ever so slightly, and his ulterior motives became clear.