Playing the Game (12 page)

At the end of the meal, Mark ordered coffee and Barry ordered brandy. Roxanne didn’t know what to have so she ordered nothing. The evening had strained her to her outer limits and she was kicking herself mentally for ever allowing this to happen. Next week, when she was looking back on it, she would probably appreciate the experience much more than she was at the present.

“We haven’t had a chance to talk business at all tonight, Rox. But then perhaps this evening wasn’t the appropriate time.” Mark looked at Barry and then continued. “We’ll have to get together again tomorrow, maybe have a business lunch.”

“Sounds perfect. Are you calling it an evening now, Mark?”

“No need to run off,” Barry added with a hint of sarcasm. Roxanne glared at him to behave.

“I’ll grab a taxi and see you tomorrow. Call me on my cell.” Mark rose and she rose with him. She thought for a second he was going to give her a kiss as it was his custom to do. But she put out her hand and he shook it instead. Mark nodded at Barry and left. Roxanne turned to sit again, but Barry had risen and she bumped smack into the wall of his chest.

“Why don’t we leave too?” He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her at the impact and held her there to wait for her response.

“Why don’t we?” she breathed in his freshly showered scent. Anticipation raced through her body, exciting every nerve ending as if an alarm had gone off. They left the restaurant and got in their waiting limo.

Slouching back into the deeply cushioned seat with his legs extended all the way out in front of him, Barry once again accepted the glass of champagne she handed to him. She settled in next to him and leaned into his warmth.

“We better slow down with the champagne. Driving all the way to Marblehead will take a long time.” Barry warned her in mock seriousness.

“Speak for yourself. If there’s one thing I learned to do very well in my role as a volunteer fund-raiser, it’s how to hold my champagne.” Roxanne’s smile held in the bubble of laughter. She was nervous with anticipation at bringing this man to her home. She hadn’t felt this way since, well, since the first night she met Barry.

“And you’re very good at your fund-raising,” Barry observed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, although I’m not so sure it was meant that way.” Roxanne’s pretensions were completely forgotten. She was momentarily defenseless, trusting herself to him utterly.

“Don’t worry. I admire people who make the most of what they have.”

“Oh? And what is it that I have?” she asked.

“You have, little lady, what I believe would be called charm—but a special brand, most effective on those of the opposite sex. Something I’m sure of which you are very well aware.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He raised his brows.

“You don’t do too badly yourself, Mr. Superstar. I bet I could learn a lot from you,” Roxanne said.

“To the contrary. I don’t charm people. I know them. It has the opposite effect a lot of times.” His half-smile appeared and he added, “You’d be surprised how many people don’t find my sarcasm very charming. For instance, Mark. I bet he didn’t find me too charming.”

She laughed when she should have been upset. “Good example. But then we really don’t want to get into your behavior toward Mark tonight, do we?” She looked at him and could feel her smile fade. His eyes sparked with challenge, but then he grinned and touched her face.

“No. I guess not. That’s a whole other can of peas.” He lowered his head and thank God he kissed her. She couldn’t remember feeling so much at someone’s mercy, let alone a man’s.

They arrived at her house and Barry was fascinated with the views, so they lingered outside on the deck. Roxanne shivered and snuggled her coat around her more tightly to ward off the cold. At least that’s what she told herself. While Barry breathed in the salty crisp ocean air and looked out to see if he could spot the distant Boston skyline, Roxanne gazed upward at the stars. It was a clear night.

The breathtaking panorama of the churning ocean didn’t hold any fascination for her these days. She turned away from the jagged rocks below, with a shiver. Barry moved to wrap his arms around her from behind.

“This is beautiful. But then everything about you is.”

“And you said you weren’t charming.” Roxanne turned in his arms to face him and she wrapped her arms around his middle looking up into his face and those fiery blue eyes. He hugged her closer, moving his face closer to hers until she could feel the warmth of his breath.

“You feel so good. Maybe we should go inside?” His voice was low and husky. He nuzzled his head in her hair, holding her tighter yet. The relentless intensity of her pounding heart prevented her from saying anything in response. Instead, she pulled back from his embrace and led him to the door, moving with more confidence than she felt, away from the scene of the crime.

Inside, Barry barely noticed his surroundings. He followed Roxanne as she headed up the stairs, shedding her coat and hanging it over the banister. After opening the double doors to her room, she turned. He stood, his own coat gone.

“So this is the den of iniquity?” Barry paced around the room, trying to dispel the air of tension. He forced himself to take notice, not liking the loss of control he felt with the intensity. Maybe it was being on her turf that bothered him. He mentally shrugged it off. Was he ready to jump in bed with this woman again? Didn’t he vow not to repeat his impulsive move the last time they had parted? Roxanne looked at him steadily, but she only nodded her head. He was a fool if he thought he could escape her. He'd be lucky to make it to his next game in one piece. He felt her watching him like a jungle cat lying in wait. He steeled himself for the attack, not because he wouldn’t surrender, but because he’d found playing their game to be as exciting as the end result.

After a long pause at the window where he was compelled to look out over the sea once more, he lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.

“Why don’t you have a seat with me?” He patted the chair next to him, looking over his shoulder at her. She stood with her arms crossed now and a seductive pout formed on her face. He figured she’d play his game and was plotting her strategy this very second. The key was to try and not do anything she expected. “Can a guy get a brandy around here, or is the bar closed?” he asked as she sat in the chair next to him.

“Losing your courage, big man?”

His head snapped up in surprise. Only her smile took some of the bite off the remark. But he was up to the challenge.

“No. But suddenly it’s chilly.” He wanted to see how far he could push her and tried to keep his face straight.

She raised a brow. “By all means, light a fire and I’ll get you that drink.” She opened the door to a cabinet that housed a small bar and poured two drinks. Her expression was faultless in its innocent concern for his comfort as she returned to hand him his drink. But he wasn’t fooled, and he knew damned well she was onto his game and playing him perfectly, not about to give him any satisfaction. He finished lighting a small fire and sat again.

“Here’s to a quick return of the fire in those eyes of yours.” The curve of her lips was automatic and then she downed her brandy in one gulp. He couldn’t help the quirk of his brow and the smile that returned to his face. He put his drink down, untouched.

She couldn’t tell whether or not it was the fire he lit in the fireplace reflecting in the blue of his eyes or something that lit them from within. Was he playing games with her or was he angry after all at her for going to the game with Mark? It was impossible for her to tell, but she wasn’t going to let him think she was worried about it.

“Why did you invite Mark to the game?” He said this so casually that she was almost surprised.

Roxanne tried to keep the amusement out of her voice, but she couldn’t completely. “I told you it was business. Besides—he invited me. I needed to talk to him about something important.” Then she added, aware that it sounded pompous, “My work is important at the hospital. A lot of people count on me.” The thought of Dr. Oki’s lost funding dangled in her mind.

“I see.”

She knew he did not see.

Barry’s expression had turned quite serious as he contemplated her. He rose from the chair and crossed the room again to stare out at the sea. It was a compelling vision, she knew, with the waves endlessly crashing onto the rocks.

She was not going to add to her explanation and she most certainly did not intend to apologize. She was glad to see the wry grin return to his face as he turned toward her again.

“You have quite a view.”

“So you’ve pointed out.” She rose from her chair now, walked to him and faced him. Her voice was quiet when she continued. “You can leave if you want,” she lied with her blank look of casual detachment. Only the tense knot in her stomach could give her away as she fought the instinct to grit her teeth. She watched him as he coolly thought it over. She would have thought it was no big deal to him, but he took a bit too long to make up his mind.

“If I left now I’d never forgive myself in the morning.” Etched in his left cheek was the dimple that cracked his lopsided grin.

Roxanne let the sudden pleasure show on her face and she laughed. “I’d have a little trouble forgiving you myself.”

He came to her then.

Chapter 6

“I CAN’T do it, Roxy,” Mark said, turning to her.

“Why? This is a wonderful cause, Mark. Exactly in line with your corporate gift plan. I hope you’re not letting personal feelings interfere. It’s not because of last night, because of Barry?” Roxanne asked. She sat in a small chair in Mark’s hotel room. She arrived ahead of lunch to get their business discussion out of the way. But it was not going as she expected. It was not going well at all.

“In a way, it is personal. You’ve made it pretty clear all along you can’t give me what I want.” Mark looked down, everywhere except at her, and she found it exasperating. She desperately wanted to close this deal. She had not anticipated this resistance from Mark, at least not a brick wall.

Her spine straightened with determination. Her mind was spinning with thoughts of Dr. Oki and the lab and the children. Now without thinking of anything else but her immediate goal of raising funds for those children, Roxanne saw her opening and plunged in.

“Oh? I wouldn’t be so sure. What is it that you want, Mark?” She held her breath, not sure how bold he might be.

Mark inhaled deeply.

“I want, more than anything else, a commitment from you. A personal commitment.”

She recoiled. The suggestion felt like an assault. She would never give up that one thing he wanted: herself. She froze. She couldn’t think what to say. Her emotions warred over the need to run from the threat of entanglement with him—almost a clone of Don in his doggedness—versus her need to raise money for the hospital. She decided to stall.

“Our relationship hasn’t reached that point. Maybe…” She looked at him without a smile. She couldn’t say it. Couldn’t fool either of them into thinking he had a chance. She was not that desperate.

“You know as well as I do that our relationship is never going anywhere. I can’t give you this promo. I’m leaving town on the next flight out. I think it will be a long time before I come back.” He turned from her now.

“There’s no need to leave town over this. I never thought you were the type of man to let personal feelings get in the way of professional judgment.” She was appalled. He’d been her friend and he was turning his back on her now. Literally. She felt like she’d swallowed a brick.

He laughed. “I know how this looks. But the truth is, I’ve let my feelings for you interfere with my so-called professional judgment far too long. Your charms have gotten you a lot further than your cause alone could have. Professionally speaking, my company should spend their charitable dollars on much broader, far-reaching projects than a single research unit. And I can’t work with you anymore,” he said.

He was breaking all the rules of their relationship. They were supposed to be business friends. They’d known each other for years. Even in the face of losing the much needed funding from this deal, she felt the loss of his friendship even more. But she saw his pain and knew she had to let him go.

“I’m sorry, Mark. You won’t have to work with me anymore. I’ll assign someone else to oversee our joint project from now on,” she said quietly.

“Don’t bother. The only reason I would have stayed involved with that project would be to see you. It will be a long time before I’m back in Boston.” She meant to move, but she didn’t. She meant to speak, but she couldn’t. The brick in her gut rose to her throat. She thanked God that Mark had his back to her as she wiped her trembling hands across her cheek and the spilled tears. She had to let him go.

“I’ll get someone to replace me when you come back.” Hoarseness choked her voice.

He turned to look at her. His eyes glistened with sadness. He straightened himself as if with effort. “No one could replace you, Roxy,” he said and walked out the door of his own hotel room.

Roxanne stood there in the middle of Mark’s hotel suite thinking how foolish she should feel. But the sense of loss overwhelmed her. Until the guilt slid in. The force of a sudden return of violent waves of guilt washed over her. She wished she could feel more than friendship for him, but she wouldn’t go down that path again the way she had with Don.

Reaching to pick up her bag, she watched her hand tremble. She bit her lip. She had to leave. She hurried to the door, but before she walked out she turned and took a look back into Mark’s room. Sadness threatened to overwhelm her once again, but before it could get hold of her, she forced herself to close the door behind her and keep walking.

The only thoughts she would allow herself from that moment on concerned how and where she was now going to get the money for Dr. Oki. The specter of her outstanding bills would have to wait. She had a million things to do that day, but her mind kept returning to the problem of millions of dollars worth of funds she had counted on from Mark’s company.