Read A Better Reason to Fall in Love Online
Authors: Marcia Lynn McClure
Tags: #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Fiction
A Better Reason to Fall in Love (21 page)
“Good morning, ladies.”
Tabby swallowed. Slowly she turned to see that the Derrière-inator himself had just stepped off the elevator.
Instantly Tabby’s heart was hammering. Her stomach was freaking out with butterflies!
Her attention lingered on his mouth a moment as she said, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Emmy managed.
“Hi,” Jocelyn said.
He strode past them then, as if it was just a regular day—as if he wasn’t any more familiar with Tabby than he’d been a month ago.
“That’s it?” Jocelyn exclaimed. She looked to Tabby and said, “Good morning? That’s all he has to say after spending the night with you?”
Tabby’s throat was constricting with sudden and overwhelming hurt and disappointment. Yet she wasn’t stupid. She knew the office policies on romantic dalliances or dating between employees. She tried to tell herself that he was just playing it cool—that he didn’t want to raise any suspicions. Furthermore, he had a secret identity to protect. He couldn’t very well walk into the place he worked—where he was, for all appearances, a professional businessman—and simply drop into a casual conversation about their time together. Could he?
“Joss,” Emmy began in a whisper, “you can’t expect him to walk up to Tabby and just say, ‘Hey, I had fun spending the night at your house and making out the next morning. Do you wanna meet me in the break room and pick up where we left off?’ He’d find his iron buns out the door and unemployed in a heartbeat!”
“True,” Jocelyn said. “But still…if I was Tabby I’d think—”
“It’s all right, Joss,” Tabby half lied. “Emmy’s right. Remember the girl last year that was dating that guy in marketing? They both got fired for not reporting their relationship. Maybe he’s just being safe.”
“I’m sure that’s it,” Emmy said. She smiled with understanding. “Believe me, Tabs…you don’t sing the blues about a girl, spend the night at her house, shovel her driveway, and make out with her…just for kicks.”
Tabby nodded. Emmy was right. At least she decided to believe she was.
“So tell me,” Emmy said then, “what did you guys talk about?”
Tabby smiled and whispered, “
Gilligan’s Island
, actually.”
“What?” Emmy giggled.
“I’ll tell you at lunch,” Tabby assured her. “That is, if there’s any time left after you tell us about Luke’s phone call.”
Emmy smiled and nodded.
Jocelyn frowned, glancing around the office. “Where’s Naomi? She’s never late.”
“I don’t know,” Emmy answered, looking around as well.
Tabby smiled. “Maybe she’s having a hot and heavy poetry recitation via texting with the dashing Professor Lowery.”
Jocelyn and Emmy laughed.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Emmy said.
Tabby hurried to her desk, trying not to be upset about the fact that Jagger had only said good morning to her. She was certain her and Emmy’s rationale was correct. If Jagger kept his musical talents and performing a secret from everyone at the office, it made sense he wouldn’t let on he had spent an evening at the house of one of the graphic designers.
Still, as she sat down at her desk and booted her computer, she was distracted. Jagger wasn’t in his office. His door was open, and she could see straight into it; he wasn’t there. She wanted to see him—wanted to make eye contact with him—wanted to have him wink at her.
Tabby sighed, tossed her purse under her desk, and silently told herself to get busy. She shook her head and sighed again. It was going to be a long day.
“I just wanted to tell you as soon as possible, Mark…whether or not anything comes of it,” Jagger said. “I mean, I want something to come of it, of course,” he added, smiling.
Mark chuckled. “Who wouldn’t, man?” he asked. “Any guy here would like to spend time with Miss Tabitha Flanders outside of work.”
Jagger’s eyes narrowed as a slight pang of irritated jealousy pricked his mind. He watched as Mark made some notes on the computer.
“So I’ll give you the standard spiel,” Mark began. “Keep the physical stuff outside the office…as well as any emotional drama that may ensue. Do you know what I mean?”
Jagger nodded. “Yeah,” he answered. “But I can talk to her at the office, right?”
Mark chuckled again. “Yeah, you can talk to her. Mild flirting is okay…stuff like that.” Mark’s smile broadened. “You just can’t drag her into your office, throw her on the couch, and—”
“Yeah, I get the idea,” Jagger interrupted.
Mark laughed again, and Jagger thought what a joke it was—that a womanizer like Mark Clark was the human resources guy for the company. Any girl in the office could slap the guy with sexual harassment, but they didn’t. Everyone worked very hard to stay on the HR rep’s good side—including Jagger.
Mark typed some more information into the computer.
“Okay, it’s in here,” he said. “Just keep me posted on the situation every once in a while.”
“All right,” Jagger agreed.
“And, dude,” Mark said, leaning forward. An entirely carnal smile spread across his face. “Enjoy every minute of it while it lasts.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jagger mumbled as he stood to leave. Mark Clark was a slime.
“She doesn’t have to come in, by the way,” Mark added as Jagger turned to leave. “I’ll submit the same info for her files.”
“Thanks, man,” Jagger said, forcing a fake smile.
“Later,” Mark said as Jagger left the HR office.
“Much later, you idiot,” Jagger mumbled to himself as he straightened his tie and headed for the main office space.
Jagger tried to cool the irritation Mark had provoked in him. He had plans, and he didn’t want the jerk messing it up for him. Reporting to HR the fact that he intended to pursue Tabby Flanders was a necessary evil. He didn’t want to risk getting her in trouble. Well, it was done. He checked the necessary, albeit stupid, task off his list and determined to just go forward.
He hadn’t slept at all the night before, having been entirely too stirred up over what had transpired between him and Tabby before he had left the previous morning. He’d totally lost it! He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she turned him down flat when he asked her out. She would probably be afraid he’d attack her again. He couldn’t believe he’d kissed her that way! Well, actually, he could. It was how he’d wanted to kiss her for months. Still, it was messed up. No matter what she said, she probably thought he was a player, and now he would have to prove to her that he wasn’t.
Jagger smiled, however, as he walked into his office—because if he had to do it over again, he wouldn’t change a thing. He’d still take hold of her, tell her to brace for impact, and just go for it. Besides, she’d kissed him back—
really
kissed him back—and he wasn’t stupid enough not to take it into account. Just thinking of how perfectly their mouths had blended together—the memory caused the back of his neck and his ears to feel hot.
Grabbing an ad proof off his desk, Jagger inhaled a breath of determination and headed back out into the main office space. He’d given her twenty-four hours to herself, talked to HR, and now his patience was spent.
“Hi.”
Tabby startled as she whirled around in her chair to see Jagger approaching. Just the sight of the smile he was directing at her made her heart leap.
“Hi,” she whispered as he pushed some stuff over on her desk and sat down.
“So, here’s an ad I want you to fix for me,” he said. He handed her an ad proof, and she felt her heart sink a little. “However,” he added in a lowered voice, “what I really want to know is this. I was thinking that maybe we oughta sort of consummate that kiss we had yesterday by going out on an actual date. Don’t you think?”
Tabby felt her cheeks growing warmer and warmer—felt the rhythm of her heart growing erratic with excitement.
“Yeah,” she answered.
“Good,” he said, smiling. “And I have a plan. Are you free Friday night?”
“Yes,” she said. “What’s your plan?”
“Oh, you let me worry about that,” he chuckled. “I’ll pick you up at, like, seven. Okay?”
“Very okay,” she said.
“Good.” His smile broadened. “I don’t usually do things so backwards. Do you know what I mean? Usually I would’ve asked you out first and
then
attacked you. But the opportunity just presented itself and…well, you know what they say about missed opportunities.”
“Actually, no,” she said. “What do they say about missed opportunities?”
He chuckled. “They’re opportunities that you missed. So I didn’t want to miss that one.”
Tabby giggled.
“Now, give me your phone number,” he demanded, pulling his cell from his pocket. “I was so busy assaulting you that I forgot to ask you for it. I couldn’t even call to make sure you really did have a way to work this morning.”
He handed her his cell phone, and she began to enter her information.
“This is mine,” he said, scribbling on a hot-pink sticky note as she was finishing with his phone.
“Thank you,” she said as she handed his phone to him, “for not making fun of me about the whole snow thing.”
He smiled. “What’s to make fun of?”
He stood up as she said, “Thank you anyway.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven on Friday,” he reiterated, dropping his phone into his suit coat pocket. “And I wanted to ask you one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
He frowned a little. “Do you think your friends would let you have lunch with me today…instead of with them? Or would that be a problem?”
Tabby’s smile broadened. “You want me to go to lunch with you?”
“Of course,” he chuckled. He winked. “After all, I thought of one you’ll never be able to do.”
Tabby giggled, frowning with puzzlement. “One what?”
“An actor that you won’t be able to do your Kevin Bacon thing with,” he answered. “Even if you do pull it off…it’ll take the entire lunch hour, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” Tabby said, still smiling. He was adorable! He was delicious, attractive—addictive!
“Noon?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she told him.
Jagger nodded and started to walk away. He stopped short, however.
“Oh, and I forgot to tell you…I already talked to human resources,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, though she hoped she knew what he meant.
“I told them I’m planning on having a…a thing with you. You know…an affair thing…a romantic interlude,” he explained. “That way they can’t fire either one of us because it’s on record.” He frowned suddenly. “Is…is that okay?”
“Perfectly okay,” she told him.
“Whew!” he breathed, putting his hand to his broad chest as if relief had just washed over him. “For a minute there, I thought I’d really stepped in it.”
“No,” Tabby giggled, shaking her head. “Not at all.”
Tabby’s heart began to hammer as Jagger Brodie’s eyes narrowed—as a smirk of mischief curved his tempting lips. Tabby bit her lip with delight as he swaggered back toward her. He didn’t walk or even saunter—he swaggered.
Tabby was suddenly breathless as he leaned down, bracing his hands on the armrests of her chair.
“After we consummate our first kiss with a date,” he whispered, “do you think there might be a second kiss…then a second date…then a third kiss, then a fourth and fifth?”
“If that’s what you want,” Tabby whispered. She was entirely undone! He could’ve proposed marriage to her right then and there, and she would have accepted.
He chuckled, rose to his full height, and said, “That’s a great answer.” He winked, said, “See you at noon,” and turned, sauntering back to his office.
Tabby tried to catch her breath and put a palm to her cheek to try to cool her blush. Her heart was going to pop right out of her chest!
“Did I miss something?” Naomi asked as she dropped a small package on Tabby’s desk.
“Oh yeah!” Tabby breathed with an elated giggle.
She glanced up to Naomi then—saw the bright pink of her cheeks, the brilliant light in her eyes.
There was a visible change in Naomi, and Tabby asked, “Did I?”
“Oh yeah,” Naomi said, winking at her.
Naomi continued on her delivery rounds. Tabby had a moment of regret in knowing she wouldn’t be at lunch to hear about Luke’s phone call or why Naomi looked so radiant. Still, to be in Jagger’s company for another hour—the realization soothed any regret she might have had at missing lunch with the girls.
She swiveled around to face her computer once more, giggling to herself. Who did Jagger Brodie think he’d thought of? Tabby could link anyone to Kevin Bacon—any actor or actress, that was. She thought of Naomi—of her promise to eat a frog if Tabby ever managed to link Jagger to Kevin Bacon.
“Anything can happen,” she sighed to herself. She thought of the fact that only two weeks before, Jagger Brodie had been nothing but an unobtainable dream man. Now, she had a date with him—had already been kissed by him.