The Love Laws (13 page)

But
Cathy surprised them both by squaring her shoulders and raising her eyes to
look in the mirror again. “You think I’m pretty?”

“Yes!”
Jamie and Clay shouted in unison.

“Seriously?”
She squeaked, touching her own cheek. “You’re not just saying that? Because you
want to build up my confidence?”

“No!”
They answered in unison again.

Jamie
felt herself getting a little choked up as she watched Cathy look at herself
with new appreciation. Needing some outlet for her emotions, she reached up and
squeezed Clay’s hand. He looked down at her and gave her a cheeky grin, but his
eyes also looked suspiciously shiny as he twined his fingers with hers.

“You
don’t think I’m showing too much boobage?” Cathy asked, trying to pull the
sides of the dress together to cover up her impressive décolletage.

Clay
and Jamie were going to respond with another resounding ‘no,’ but a deep voice
from the showroom entrance beat them to it.

“Not
possible to have too much of a good thing.” Kevin said, stepping into the
observation area with an appreciative grin as he took in Cathy’s form in front
of the mirrors.

Jamie’s
body didn’t give a damn about her reservations regarding the handsome writer.
Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach dropped as she turned to look at him.
He was here and there was no denying that she was thrilled to see him. Late or not,
his arrival was the most exciting thing to happen in her store that day. Maybe
ever.

Appreciation
surged through her as she noted the way his dark, fitted suit clung perfectly to
his massive shoulders. Beneath that he wore an equally dark shirt with a forest
green tie. She couldn’t stop staring at that tie. She could easily imaging
using it to restrain him as she toyed with that extremely fit and powerful body
until he begged for mercy.

Forcing
her gaze away from that tempting accessory she ignored his smug smile and took
in the rest of his appearance. Good Lord, he’d even combed his usually tousled
sandy hair back into a smooth, elegant style that looked like he’d just stepped
out of a boardroom. For once, he looked more corporate than cowboy. And Jamie
loved every square inch of his transformation. She could almost pretend he was
someone else. Someone she didn’t know, without his sordid past or his annoying
habit of driving her crazy.

Pulling
herself together Jamie stood up. She tried to tug her hand out of Clay’s
suddenly knuckle-crunching grip, but he held firm and even moved a few inches
over until he was pressed against her side.

She
gave Clay a puzzled look for a moment but he just stared blankly at her like he
held her hand and invaded her personal space on a regular basis. Sighing she
gave up and turned her attention back to Kevin.

“Can
I help you with something?” She asked, sounding way more composed than she
felt.

Kevin
glanced at her. For just an instant his gaze flashed with heat as their eyes
locked but then he noticed Clay hovering and his eyes went positively frosty.

Then
he did the unthinkable. He ignored her completely and approached Cathy instead.

“Forgive
me for barging in like this,” he said, stepping forward until he was standing
directly behind her. His tall frame in the dark suit made the perfect backdrop
for Cathy’s bright ensemble and he smiled warmly at her reflection. “But can I
just say that you look incredible in that dress before I get kicked the hell out
of here.”

Cathy
didn’t respond. Instead she turned her panicked gaze towards Clay and Jamie,
but they just watched, awestruck as Kevin leaned down and stage-whispered in
her ear. “No wonder no one’s out in the showroom. Everything worth seeing is in
here.”

That
did it. Cathy actually giggled. And Jamie saw red.

“What
are you doing back here?” Cathy asked, her tone breathless with nerves.

“Well,
I was looking for someone. A beautiful woman, in fact. Looks like I came to the
right place,” he said with a teasing smile.

Jamie
resisted the urge to hurl her breakfast coffee all over the shag rug. Did this
actually work for him? From the way Cathy was simpering up at Kevin it
evidently did. Were women really this easily charmed? Just a few compliments
and he was golden? That definitely wouldn’t work on her. Or would it? If she’d
just met him and he was showering all that attention on her, would she feel
differently? Or was she jealous and this was just a case of sour grapes?
Definitely not. He was lame and her best friend would support her theory. She
was almost sure of it.

Squeezing
his hand to get his attention, Jamie smirked at Clay and rolled her eyes, but
he didn’t return her look. He just turned his gaze back to the handsome blonde
couple in front of the mirrors, watching in complete fascination as the tall
writer introduced himself to Cathy and made her laugh several times.  

Annoyed,
Jamie elbowed Clay in the side and whispered. “Hey. This isn’t Animal Planet.
We’re not here to just observe. Say something sarcastic to him. Mock him. Make
him cry if you have to, but don’t just stand there.”

Clay
shuffled them several feet away until they were out of earshot. “I’m sorry,” he
hissed. “I know some kind of macho, brotherly protective instinct should be
kicking in right about now, but I can’t look away. It’s like a really hot train
wreck. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cat giggle before. She’s practically
flirting. It’s unnatural. And who the hell is this guy? He looks familiar.”

“You
don’t remember Kevin? From the wedding?”

Clay’s
green eyes went wide in recognition. “Seriously? Duncan’s best man? The last
time I saw him he was stumbling into his suite with THREE Hawaiian hoochies!” He
gave Kevin a lecherous once over. “He cleans up niiii-ce!” He sighed, drawing
out the word ‘nice’ for several lewd syllables for emphasis.

“Down
boy. Pretty sure he plays exclusively for the hetero team.”

“And
how do you know that exactly? Have you played with him yourself?” He raised a
speculative golden eyebrow at her.

Jamie
paused long enough to cause a gleeful smile to break out on Clay’s face. “No.
Of course not. When have I had time? But from what I’ve heard, I’m in the
minority. He’s not exactly discriminating.” Her voice sounded more bitter than
she’d intended, but Clay was too busy staring at Kevin to notice.

“And
what is he doing here exactly? Cruising lingerie change rooms for new
conquests? Seems pretty shady for a renowned lady killer.”

Jamie
debated lying to Clay but decided to come clean. He was a pain, but she valued
his friendship and he didn’t deserve her dishonesty. “No. Nothing like that. I
asked him to come here.”

He
turned to face her. “What? You asked a complete hound-dog to come here and
molest my sister? Why?”

“To
flirt with your sister. Not molest her. Build up her confidence.” She gestured
to where Cathy was smiling up at Kevin in complete adoration. “And it’s
working. See. He’s making her feel pretty. Mission accomplished.”

Clay
looked at her like she had a screw loose. “Then what?”

She
shrugged. “Then nothing. She feels better and he goes away. End of story.”

“James!”
Clay put his hands on his slim hips. “What were you thinking? How’s she going
to feel when he leaves and doesn’t even ask for her number? Or worse yet. What
if he takes her number and then doesn’t call? She’ll feel more like a
wallflower than ever!”

Jamie
felt her stomach drop. Clay made an excellent point. She hadn’t really thought
this out. She’d just wanted Cathy to realize she was worthy of male attention.
But if Kevin rejected her then she might just regress to her pre-makeover
demeanor and this project would be over before it started.

Jamie
felt like the worst Love Guru ever. She wracked her brain, trying to come up
with a solution but she drew a blank.

Stepping
forward she approached Kevin and Cathy with Clay trailing close behind her, his
handsome face a mask of disapproval. Composing her lips into a cool, professional
smile was difficult as Jamie noted the charming way Kevin was focusing on
Cathy. She, in turn, was staring up at him with nervous awe.

“Excuse
me, Sir. But is there something we can help you with?” She asked Kevin in her
most indifferent tone.

His
friendly demeanor disappeared in the blink of an eye as he glanced in her
direction. “No, I don’t think so,” he said dismissively, and then turned his
attention back to Cathy.

Had
he actually just done that? Again?

Jamie
felt herself flush in reaction. There was no getting around it. Being ignored
by Kevin enraged her. Her sensible notions regarding avoiding him fled and all
she could think about was staking her claim. In that moment, she suddenly felt
like pushing her friend back in the change room so she could have his undivided
attention back on her. Where it belonged.

She’d
planned all this, but she hadn’t counted on how it would actually feel to watch
Kevin seduce another woman. His very convincing flirtatious act, if it was an
act, made her want to howl in frustration.

She
had made the colossal mistake of underestimating Cathy’s appeal. She’d thought
the younger woman was still too awkward and self-conscious to attract a man
like Kevin. But judging by the sparks flying between the pair she’d obviously
made a terrible error in judgment. It looked suspiciously like Kevin was doing
more than feigning interest here. And she was the one responsible for bringing
them together. Her own stupidity and arrogance appalled her.

But
she wasn’t done with him yet.

With
some effort, she managed to keep her composure and spoke to him again. “I’m
very sorry, but this is a private appointment, so I’m going to have to ask you
to step into the showroom,” she said with complete insincerity. “If you’re
interested in some lingerie, Clay here can show you our plus-sized line. Can’t
you, Clay?” She said, pulling her friend forward by the arm.

Annoyance
and humor flared in Kevin’s eyes as he turned back towards her. Obviously, he
was remembering their transvestite conversation from earlier and the inference
amused him.

“That
won’t be necessary,” he replied with a dismissive wave towards the showroom. “I
usually shop at the more high-end boutiques, so I doubt you have anything I’d
be interested in. But thank you for your kind offer.” Then he turned back to
Cathy who was now looking a bit uncertain and confused by the hostile
undercurrents flowing around her.

Jamie
felt like slapping his smug face. She typically would never react so violently,
but there was something about Kevin that made her lose control. Just one little
slap would have been so satisfying, but she couldn’t do that. Especially in
front of Cathy. She could, however, demand that he leave her store immediately.
Just as she was about to kick his ass out, Clay interceded on her behalf.

Stepping
directly between Jamie and Kevin, Clay puffed out his chest and swaggered
forward with masculine purpose. “I’m afraid we don’t have anything here for you
then. Sir.” The polite address positively dripped sarcasm. “So perhaps you
should leave. I believe it’s Skank Hour at the pub down the street. You really should
move along before all the really desperate Housewives of Vancouver are taken.”

Clay
had deepened his usually melodic voice to a remarkably butch baritone, but his
threatening demeanor just made Kevin’s smile widen. 

Jamie
couldn’t really blame him for being amused. Kevin’s impressive height and
muscular frame would make most large men think twice before challenging him.
Clay didn’t fall into that category. Not even close. He was of average height,
but slight and almost delicate looking. What Kevin didn’t know was that Clay
was scrappy and extremely proficient at defending himself. He didn’t stand a
chance against Kevin’s girth, but he would do some damage before being utterly crushed.

To
her utter amazement, Kevin laughed.

Clay
bristled, but Jamie held onto his arm before he launched himself at the
irritating writer.

“Okay
then,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “That must be my signal to get out of here. I
have business next door anyway. Sorry for interrupting.”

Kevin
took Cathy’s hand and pressed a polite kiss to her knuckles. “It was a pleasure
to meet you, Catherine. I hope we run into each other again.” He gave her one
long, heated look and then strode out of the observation area with a polite nod
at Clay and a wink at Jamie.

Cathy
sat down on the nearby love seat. “Thank God,” she sighed, slumping against the
seat back.

Jamie
gave her a puzzled look. “What? You didn’t enjoy that?”

Cathy
widened her eyes in shock. “Are you kidding me? That guy was like testosterone
city. I am so NOT ready for that. I was hoping to start off with a nice,
balding accountant or maybe a shoe salesman with bad teeth. Chatting with Brad
Pitt’s bigger, hotter, younger brother nearly gave me heart palpitations.”

Jamie
and Clay looked at each other and burst out laughing. Evidently they didn’t
need to worry about Cathy’s ego getting crushed.