Stuck On You (6 page)

Laura flipped the page on her order pad as she considered his face. He did seem a little lighter, maybe happier than she had seen him the past two days. “Get all your paperwork done?”

He scoffed. “God, no. I think it’s worse than ever.”

She pursed her lips. “Find what you needed around town?”

“Made some phone calls, got a list of places to go see tomorrow. That corresponds nicely with the director’s plans to be working in Viva Las Vegas tomorrow with the electrician. That makes me happy too.”

“So, okay. What’s putting the pep in your step?” Why she cared she had no idea. He’d insulted her, nearly ruined her uniform, and had issued the crudest come-on she’d ever heard in her life, so there was no good reason to care whether he was in a good mood or not. He just did it all with such effortless style. She ought to be making plans to spit in his mashed potatoes. Not that she would. Ever. But the fantasy was nice.

“I had the best idea. I mean, in the history of my excellent ideas, this one’s right up there at the top. I’ve decided to hire some help.” He leaned forward to peer up into her face. “And I’ve got the best person in mind already.”

Laura did her best to ignore the way her breath caught in her chest when he aimed all of his considerable firepower her way. No matter how many times that she lectured herself on the probability of how often he’d practiced a look like that, it didn’t sink in. He batted his eyelashes and the wave of heat started in her face and swept down her neck until she felt like she needed to fan herself just to keep from glistening all over the showgirl uniform.

“So you said you have tomorrow off, right?”

Laura nodded. “Uh, yeah, some Hollywood hotshot is closing down the dining room tomorrow to get ready for a television show, so we all have tomorrow off.”

KT winced. “Right. Well, that guy sounds like a total jerk. Since you have the time, would you be interested in working for me? I was thinking a couple hours a day would be a big help, but tomorrow you could also help me work on the stage set. With your local connections. What do you think?”

He looked so hopeful. And handsome. It was a terrible combination. She had no hope of saying no to him even after he’d murdered her feather. “What sort of help are you looking for?”

He shrugged. “If I could find someone to wrangle the damn budget spreadsheet, I think I could actually handle the rest. Are you any good with spreadsheets?”

“I love a good formula.” She didn’t know why she tried being clever. It never worked for her.

KT frowned as he considered her answer. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but I’m going to take that as a positive sign.”

She had to get to work, but she didn’t want to carry trays of food. She could already hear the siren song of Excel and feel the fizz of filing and her long-neglected label maker calling. And to be honest, she liked this fun, flirty KT so much better than the sad guy who’d been in the hell of paperwork last night. Working with him and keeping her hands to herself would be a challenge, but extra money and the chance to do what she was really good at, even if it was only for a few days, was worth the risk.

But she was a businessperson. “How much are you paying?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Hm, a fair negotiator then. How about fifteen dollars an hour? I’m pretty sure we’re already over budget.”

She shook her head with disgust. “Who do you think I am?”

“An underemployed woman in a feathered headdress. Come on. It could be fun and that’s worth something.” The look on his face said he had no idea how it could be fun but he thought it might work for her. Her lips twitched as she fought the urge to smile. With considerable enthusiasm.

When she noticed a Reba McEntire getting restless along the back wall, she nodded. “Okay, fine. I can work from nine to eleven every day before the lunch shift and I’ll help you tomorrow. Where should I meet you?”

He whooped. “All right! Things are looking up. Come up to my room, 308, at nine and we’ll make a plan of attack. Wear something more casual and leave all the feathers at home.”

She smiled. “I’ll be back with your steak.”

He nodded and Laura could feel his eyes on her back as she crossed the dining room to place his order. All night long, she felt a little zing of awareness. And when she’d turn to check on him, he was watching. The idea that she’d be spending time alone with him, away from the watchful eyes of his adoring masses, made her stomach tighten a bit. It had been a long time since she’d spent any significant amount of time with any man under sixty. Her old boss had inspired feelings of both fondness and extreme exasperation. KT was definitely going to be good for some exasperation, as well as breathlessness, nervous energy, and completely inappropriate daydreams.

As the dinner rush died down, she went back over to pick up his dishes and to deliver a fresh Coke. “Are you planning on staying here all night?”

“Maybe. Am I taking up a table you need?”

She looked at him crammed into a dark corner under the speaker. “No, but I’m afraid you’re going to suffer permanent hearing loss from Elvis’s greatest hits.”

KT cupped a hand around his ear. “What? I’m sorry. I can’t hear you!”

They both laughed and KT patted his folder. “Nothing much to keep me busy upstairs. Since I hired a new assistant, I don’t want to work on things I’m very sure she’ll be so much better with. And I like the scenery.”

Laura glanced over her shoulder at the sparsely populated dining room. A few tables held lone businessmen. And there were impersonators here and there. She could see one really convincing Brad Pitt, and a couple much less convincing but no less entertaining Sylvester Stallones.

“Does it make you homesick? Seeing all this amazing star power has got to make you feel like home. Right?” She tapped her finger on her chin. “Come to think of it. How do we know that you are the real KT Masters? You could be some really good look-alike.”

“Since you brought it up, I’ve been dying to ask someone . . . why are they always in costume?” He shrugged. “I mean, I get the competition and they are performers and performers are notorious for hogging the spotlight.” He paused and waited for her to make a comment. Laura just smiled sweetly. “Why are they always fully made up?”

Laura fidgeted with her order pad. “Willodean gives them a discount here and in the hotel if they appear in costume.”

KT whistled. “Smart. Good way to build up the attention, grab some publicity.”

“Two local news crews have already been here to promote the event. Nothing builds interest like a Justin Bieber in the shot, you know?”

“I should probably be taking lessons from Willodean Jackson.” KT shook his head. “You know how I know I’m not at home? Not enough drama. If those were real stars, you’d have entourages, security, and jockeying for the table with the best exposure.”

“This seems to be a good argument against you being the real KT too. Crammed over here in the corner, there are very few people who will see and worship you.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “You’re probably right. I’ll have to get here earlier tomorrow night.”

She laughed and turned to make a prudent retreat but he wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her. “You know, Lola, you were the only one I wanted to see me tonight anyway. I’m pretty happy with the outcome of the evening.”

“Lola? I don’t think that works for me.” She looked down at her hand in his and her fingers curled.

“I like it. Of course, now I’ll sing ‘Copacabana’ in my head every time I see you. The feathers in your hair don’t help.” His thumb swept back and forth over the pulse in her wrist and Laura felt a shiver work its way up her spine. “Thank God this isn’t the Copa, right? We might fall in love.”

Their eyes locked and it was hard to breathe. The faux celebrities and the buzz of the dining room disappeared and for a minute all she could hear was the pounding of her heart. As she watched the small smile on KT’s face turn serious, Laura wanted to pull her hand back, but more than that she wanted to move closer. And most of all, she wanted to be a brave showgirl, one who might seize her chance with KT Masters.

“Hey, can I get some help up here?” At Lucky’s slurred shout, Laura stepped back and regretted losing the connection immediately.

Marcy yelled back. “I’m coming, hold your horses.”

Laura was frozen in place. KT’s mouth quirked. “The moment ruined by the world’s smallest alcoholic Elvis.”

Laura rubbed her forehead. “Thank God for the world’s smallest alcoholic Elvis.”

“Were you wondering how your uniform would look balled up next to my bed too?”

Laura sighed. “That’s got to be the world’s worst pickup line. Does it ever work?”

He shrugged. “Never tried it, but it got such a good laugh at lunch I thought I’d take my chances, see if lightning struck twice.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t mean it. We’d have a hard time working together if you did.”

The slow smile that lit up his face made her really, really nervous.

“If you believe I don’t mean it, I need to work on my delivery. Obviously. And you say that, ‘working together,’ like you’d be losing out on a long-term career choice if a thing between us went sideways. At best, we’re looking at five days until I hop on a plane and head home. Surely we could keep it together that long if we really wanted to, even if we did get naked together every now and then.”

Laura pulled up her sequins and inched her feathers down. “Are you saying you want to have an . . . a thing besides working together? Seriously?”

He shrugged. “Why not? I think it would be fun. I like to do things that are fun.”

“Now, does
that
line ever work for you?”

KT winked. “That’s not really a line. That’s the truth. And the truth works for me all the time.”

She snorted. “Well, here’s some more truth. I am not fun. I never have been. I never will be. You want fun?” She turned and pointed over her shoulder. “There she is. Marcy is fun. Me, I have too much to do, too many things to take care of, and enough responsibility that all I want is stable with a good job.”

KT pulled out his wallet and put three twenties down on the table. “Fair enough. Not everything in life has to be so serious, Lola. Wouldn’t you like to relax, let your hair down for just a few nights? It’s great as I recall.” He winked. “No worries if that doesn’t appeal to you. Nothing’s changed. We’ll work. You’ll then go on to your next job and maybe I’ll see what Marcy’s got going.”

“Why me? If I had any money, I’d bet it all on me not being your type.”

“That’s a harder question. You aren’t my type. The fact that you have permanent lines in the center of your forehead, like a frown is way too common on you, tells me this. You’re too serious. You’re way too organized. You bother me. But . . .” He looked away. “You’re going to call bullshit on this, tell me I’m trying out another line. I like you. I like that you don’t fawn all over me. I like that you treat a showgirl costume like the regimental uniform, even if it dips too low and occasionally rides too high. That numbered list you put together? That was impressive. I want to know more about you.” She couldn’t tell how much of what he said was the truth. He delivered every line sincerely.

He leaned closer so that no one could overhear him murmur in her ear. “And I definitely want to get you naked.” He rubbed her chilly arm with a hot hand. “I’m not an idiot.”

Laura didn’t breathe until he stepped back. “I’m also not an asshole, all evidence to the contrary, so if your answer’s no, then no problem. I’ll live.” He waited for her meet his stare. “See you in the morning?”

Laura nodded. The breeze he stirred as he stepped around her sent another shiver down her back. Impatiently shaking her shoulders, she snatched the money off the table and went over to finish up his ticket.

“So, you and KT. Got a thing?” Marcy waggled her eyebrows as she leaned against the bar.

Laura said, “No, but not for his lack of trying.”

“Lucky girl.” Laura looked over and watched Marcy count out her tips.

Clearing her throat, Laura said, “So what are you going to do with your day off?”

Marcy shrugged. “Sleep probably. May hit a bar tonight, see if I can find somebody to keep me company since it seems that KT Masters is going in another direction.” She laughed. “You want to come with?”

Marcy asked her this occasionally just to watch her squirm. And a few times Laura had almost said yes. She envied Marcy’s freedom.

“No, I need to get home to Holly. But you have a good time.”

Marcy nodded. “Right. World’s Best Mom will probably be making chocolate chip cookies and doing chemistry homework tomorrow, right?”

She smiled over her shoulder at Marcy, who might have a streak of bitch in her but made a good waitress and never tried to cheat on tips. “You know me.”

Marcy laughed. “Right. Good night.”

As Laura worked on closing down the remaining tables and clearing them with the busboy, she thought about both conversations. KT didn’t see her as World’s Best Mom. He didn’t even know she was a mom. He wanted to treat her like a . . . woman. Just a woman. A naked woman. A fun woman. Marcy felt sorry for her, probably thought she didn’t have a drop of fun in her life. And if Laura were telling the truth, she sometimes felt sorry for herself. She’d been a mom nearly half her life and had done a good job at raising a strong, smart daughter. Considering how it all started that was something to be damned proud of. But now, when she didn’t have the career she’d taken so much pride in, she only had Holly and she was starting to wonder if that was going to be enough for much longer.

A
FTER
KT
LEFT
the brilliant light of the bar, he shifted the hated folder from his right and to his left and crossed the soothing lobby. He was happy to escape the bar without doing something stupid. Like kissing his waitress. He’d done his best to play it all cool, but his pulse had just now slowed to within normal range. That stupid joke about falling in love had nearly sent him into melt down. He really ought to run things through a filter before he let them come out his mouth. Laura had looked ready to run away or pass out or both. And he totally understood the impulse.