As he walked into the building where Chase, Behr & Lily was located, he pictured her face, her disappointed expression. He’d wanted to comfort her last night, to show her how desirable she was. Instead, she thought he wanted to try out another fantasy when he’d actually wanted to make love.
But was he in love? Or was it just the novelty of the situation? They’d known each other for less than two weeks. They’d seen each other six times and had sex three. He couldn’t possibly have fallen for her. Could he? No, more likely he was responding to the challenge. Women liked to be chased. They liked to believe they had the upper hand. So he would pour on the charm, add an element of romance.
This wasn’t love. It was all part of the ultimate game. And he played to win.
“Well, he does look rich and delicious and I’d nibble him in a heartbeat.” Charlie hummed some more. “Where has David been hiding this brother?”
Danny was here? Her brow crinkled in confusion. What was he doing here? “I’ll be right up.”
Jordan smoothed her hands over her plum-colored suit and combed her fingers through her hair, suddenly questioning her choice to leave it loose. She started to reach for the compact in her desk drawer then stopped herself. It didn’t matter how she looked. She looked just fine. Jordan left her office and walked down the hallway to the lobby.
Wow. Danny did look good enough to nibble. It was the first time she’d seen him wearing something other than jeans or his uniform. He had on a pair of khakis, a button-down shirt, a summer blazer and a hesitant expression. And flowers. Which fantasy was that move from? Stop it. That isn’t nice.
“Hi, Danny.”
He greeted her with a wide smile. “How are you, pretty lady?”
“I’m fine. And you?”
“Good.”
They sounded like two strangers on a bus. Well aware of the awkwardness beneath the pleasantries, she nodded. “Good.”
Danny held out the flowers. “I saw these and immediately thought of you.”
That was a line if ever she’d heard one. But she loved romantic gestures and these really were lovely. She accepted the bouquet, breathing in the scent of bright pink lilies, orange snapdragons and Shasta daisies. “Thank you very much.”
“I was wondering if you were free for lunch? I’m in the mood for seafood myself.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” She touched his arm with genuine regret. “I can’t today. I have a client meeting in twenty minutes.”
“That’s okay. I guess I should have called first.” He offered her a little smile. “How about dinner then? I’ll let you pick the beer.”
Jordan winced. “We’ve got an important trial coming up. I’m going to be working late for the next week or so.”
A perplexed expression crossed his face, as if he didn’t know what to do next. She thought she heard him sigh in frustration. Danny took his hand out of his pocket and scratched his temple. “So, um, what time is your grandparents’ party?”
Jordan’s brows rose in surprise. She thought he’d be thrilled to have his freedom. But he acted as though there’d never been any question of his taking her. Men. There was just no figuring them out.
“It starts at six-thirty for a seven-o’clock dinner.”
“I’ll be at your house around six, then.”
She cradled the flowers in her arm and shifted uncomfortably. He’d probably think she was making up excuses. “I’m going to change at the hotel. I’ve got to be there early to help with the place cards and the thank-you bags.”
His jaw clenched and this time he did sigh. Then he recovered with another winning smile. “Okay. See you there.”
Danny leaned in to kiss her and she offered her cheek. He barely managed to hide his exasperation. She watched him walk to the elevator before she allowed the smile of delight to spread across her face. He’d asked her to lunch, an encounter that didn’t involve either her family or sex. A date. A rendezvous.
A sign of hope?
As she walked past the reception desk, Charlie made a tsking sound. “Hard-to-get does not become you, honey.”
Jordan laughed and pulled one of the lilies from the bouquet. She handed it to Charlie. “Buzz me when my eleven-thirty gets here.”
“I allowed my personal opinions to cloud my professionalism and I’m very sorry for that.” Jordan clenched and unclenched her hands together but willed herself to maintain eye contact. “You see, I’m as guilty of judging you as any skinny person. More guilty, in fact, because I know what you’ve been through.” Her voice caught. “I felt that if I could lose weight, so should you.”
“I understand, Jordan. I really do.” Susan looked at her with a blend of sadness and sympathy. “I struggled with my weight for years, making myself sick with one fad diet after another. But now, I’m very proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished in my life. This is my body, and I like it just the way it is.”
Jordan sat down next to Susan and took her hand. “I admire your courage. Despite losing weight, I’m a long way from acceptance. It’s only recently that I’ve begun to face my issues. I’m still working on it.”
“I appreciate your honesty.” Susan briefly squeezed Jordan’s fingers, then reached into her briefcase for a notepad and pen. “All right. Where do we go from here?”
“I can try to get a settlement. The station may be willing to spend make-it-go-away money in order to avoid the expense of going to trial. And that way you’d have something to tide you over until you can get another job.”
Susan scoffed. “This lawsuit may keep me from ever getting another anchor job, but I want to see it through.” She rested her elbows on the table and laced her fingers. “Regardless of how many ways women are discriminated against, obesity is the worst because it’s the most accepted and the least questioned. I want to fight for my self-respect and maybe set a precedent for other women in entertainment.”
Jordan pulled several sheets of paper from the file. “Okay, then. I did find supporting case law. Television anchor Holly Bertram filed a discrimination and breach-of-contract suit against WMTU-TV.
“She contended that middle age forced her out and that because of her weight she didn’t get the anchor positions she sought.” Jordan shuffled the papers until she found the one she wanted. “Now, Bertram did lose her age claim, but she won on the injury and retaliation claims. A federal jury awarded…are you ready? Five million dollars.”
Susan gasped. “Are you serious? And you think we can apply her case to my situation?”
“I found this buried in the production of documents. It’s a memo from Bob Milton, the station manager, to Paul White, the news director. Milton says some pretty nasty things about your weight gain.” She handed the document over. “He also outlines the steps they should take to get rid of you.”
Susan covered her mouth with one hand and tears glistened in her eyes as she read the damning statements.
“This is the key to winning the case, Susan. They can try to prove breach of contract based on Clause XIII of your contract, but this memo clearly shows malicious intent. Someday we might see a case in which it’s successfully argued that looks and gender are bona fide occupational qualifications for television news anchors, but until then…”
A triumphant smile spread across Susan’s face. “Until then, we’ve got WBNS by the balls.”
He’d tried flowers, compliments, charm, surprise visits and late-night phone calls. All of which had been met with reserve. Was she stringing him along or had she really lost interest? The uncertainty was making him nuts. Danny paused beneath the flower-strewn lattice at the entrance of the Liberty Ballroom, feeling unsure of himself.
The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the night skyline of downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. Crystal chandeliers glowed above tables set with creamy linen and topped with tall vases of peach roses, yellow tulips and sprays of fern. His eyes scanned the ballroom, looking for familiar faces.
Waiters in white dinner jackets offered trays of hors d’oeuvres to the hundred or so people milling about. Near the windows, a photographer snapped group portraits of various family and friends. Meanwhile, a cameraman circulated through the gathering, interviewing guests for a keepsake video.
Then he saw her. And she took his breath away.
Jordan was stunning. Tonight she wore a lime-green cocktail dress that left a whole lot of golden-brown skin on display. The satin material caressed her generous curves like a lover. The strapless bodice showcased her cleavage while the short hemline bared her legs to the thigh. That surprised him most of all.
Danny looked at her with a mixture of lust and pride. Her hair fell loosely around her bare shoulders as if inviting his fingers to stroke the silky tresses. Her light brown eyes were lined with dark green shadow, her lips glistened a deep rose. He’d never seen her look more sexy, more confident or more beautiful. Finally he forced his trembling legs to move.
When he reached her side, he simply followed his instincts and took her into his arms. He claimed her mouth and kissed her eagerly, thoroughly, telling her without words how much he wanted her. When he broke the kiss a moment later, Jordan gave a self-conscious laugh, pretending to fan herself.
“Hello to you, too.”
He smiled at her, his hands still on her waist. “You are just gorgeous.”
“All right, that’s enough, young man. Stop drooling over the girl and greet the rest of us.”
Startled, Danny glanced around him and realized several members of Jordan’s family stood nearby, watching them. With a grin, he shook hands with Matt and Reece, accepted a kiss from Celeste and even gave Keisha a hug. He was both touched and saddened by the warm welcome he received. They were good people and he’d come to hate lying to them.
Celeste looked him over then gave him an exaggerated wink. “You certainly do clean up nice. Save me a dance later so I can make my husband jealous.”
Jordan looped her arm through his and leaned against him. “Watch it, lady. Uncle Matt won’t be the only one jealous.”
Danny sighed and addressed the other two men. “Don’t you hate it when they fight over you?”
“Doesn’t anybody want to dance with me?” Reece sulked.
“With those two left feet?” Jordan laughed. “No way, little brother.”
Just then a bell chimed lightly and the maître d’ invited everyone to be seated for dinner. Danny took Jordan’s hand and followed her to one of the round tables near the dance floor and brass-railed stage. Crystal buckets held chilling bottles of champagne and the place cards were replicas of Charles and Emma’s wedding announcement.
As he held Jordan’s chair, Danny couldn’t resist leaning down to plant a kiss on her shoulder. Camryn beamed at them from across the table. “Get a room, you two.”
“As long as it’s not the one we booked. I have plans for later.” Mason leaned over to give her a smacking kiss.
“You’re supposed to get married before you have the honeymoon, you know.”
“Daddy!” Camryn blushed hotly. “He hasn’t asked me yet.”
The entrées were served and Danny was pleasantly surprised again. Jordan was eating, and not just her salad. She didn’t deny herself a single bite of the Fillet of Beef with Wild Mushroom Medley or the Ocean Trout in Filo with Tomatoes and Olives. He pushed his plate closer so that she could spear one of the baby potatoes.
Danny indicated the head table. “Who are the people sitting with your grandparents?”
“You met my mom’s parents at the barbecue. They’ve got their backs to us. The others are Grandpa and Grandma’s oldest friends.” Jordan subtly pointed to each couple as she named them.
Danny watched the older folks laughing and gesturing and felt a pang of envy. It must be wonderful to share an evening like this with people who’d known you for several decades. He tried to picture what Jordan would look like in another forty years. She’d probably be as beautiful then as she was now.
She caught him staring and smiled. “What are you thinking?”
He couldn’t tell her the truth, not here, not yet. “I was just wondering if Charles and Emma are playing footsy under the table. She keeps glancing at him with a funny little smile.”
Jordan looked over at her grandparents and giggled. “I think Grandma just put her hand on his thigh.”
Eric made a face. “Ugh. You don’t think they still…?”
“And why shouldn’t they? Some things get better with age.” Jordan’s father wiggled his eyebrows at her mother.
Angela playfully swatted his shoulder. “Behave yourself, Jackson.”
Danny felt a tightening in his chest and had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat. These people were so obviously in love as couples, and just as obviously loved each other as a family. The Gregorys shared a warmth and a closeness that was missing from his own life, except for his relationship with David.
Horrified, he recognized the sting of tears behind his eyes. Because he couldn’t deny it any longer. He had fallen deeply, irrevocably in love. With the other women he’d dated, he’d always held a part of himself back. But with Jordan, he didn’t want to hold back anymore. He wanted to matter to her, as she’d come to matter to him. He wanted to have a place in her life, to be a real couple, and to be included in this family.
The power of his emotions left him both stunned and disoriented. His first reaction was panic. He’d never been in love before so how could he be sure of what was happening?
Then he felt Jordan’s hand on his thigh under the table, saw her very subtle wink, and a sense of calm settled over him, a sense of rightness. Danny reached over to cup her cheek and draw her to him. The kiss he gave her this time was sweet and tender, a prelude to the things he’d say to her later.
Danny’s kiss rocked her to the core. In his eyes, she saw a tenderness and a longing that had never been there before. Lightning struck her heart. She had prayed that he would come around, that he’d realize they had something special, and it seemed her prayers had been answered. If that kiss was anything to go by, ten days wasn’t long enough for him, either.
For the rest of the meal it was all she could do not to dance on the tabletop and shout with joy. But this was her grandparents’ night and she wouldn’t take attention away from them. With difficulty, Jordan concentrated on the game of Anniversary Trivia they were playing.
“Okay, it’s my turn.” She picked up the small white card above her plate and read the question. “True or false? The first time Emma saw Charles, he was wearing a banana suit.”
Her father laughed. “That’s true.”
Eric turned his head in surprise. “It is?”
“Yep,” Jackson replied. “Dad was the banana in his elementary school play about nutrition.”
Danny murmured in her ear. “What is it with your family and bananas? If you’re not wearing them, you’re using them as fake weapons.”
Jordan chuckled and whispered back, “Did you read the one fantasy called Strawberry Fields For Hours? We could plan a whole fruit-themed night.”
“I’m next.” Her mother read from her trivia card. “To further their love of learning, which of the following classes have Charles and Emma taken? Citizen’s Police Academy, Ceramics and Pottery or Tai Chi?”
After dinner, Jordan was extremely tempted by the slice of orange-vanilla wedding cake, but decided she’d indulged herself enough for one night. Instead she fed pieces of cake to Danny while they watched a video montage of photographs taken of her grandparents through the years.
“They look very happy together,” Danny whispered.
“I think they are.”
As the lights came up, the DJ started playing up-beat tunes and encouraging people to come out to the floor. Before she could ask Danny to dance with her, though, Aunt Celeste had already grabbed him. But she made sure he was all hers for the first slow song, a romantic ballad about falling in love forever. Jordan melted into his embrace as they danced, hips swaying and thighs brushing.
It felt so good, so right to be in his arms. She closed her eyes, focusing on the music and the magic of the evening. Danny must have been caught up in it, too. When the tempo changed to something faster, he continued to hold her for a moment before reluctantly letting her go.
“Save all of the other slow songs for me, too, okay?”
Jordan beamed at him. “It’s a deal.”
The DJ had set up a karaoke machine on the stage, so in between dance numbers, the guests were treated to an impromptu talent show. Emma and Charles even stepped up to the microphone, delighting everyone with a hit from the latest pop song princess.
Emma started off with, “Oh baby, baby. There’s something you just gotta know.” Then Charles chimed in with, “I love you baby. I’m never going to let you go.” Jordan winced and covered her eyes when they tried some moves from the video. Beside her, Danny howled with laughter. “Wow. That belly-dancing class they took really paid off.”
A few songs later, Eric stepped onto the stage. Instead of singing, though, he made an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re really in for a treat tonight. My sister Jordan and her fiancé, David, have agreed to a duet.”
Jordan looked at Danny with an expression of mock horror. “I didn’t agree to that. Did you agree to that?”
Eric continued. “I’ve chosen a special song for them because it’s one of my grandparents’ favorites. Jordan, David, come on up here!”
Jordan felt hot color rush to her cheeks as Danny took her hand and led her forward. She hadn’t performed in public since the
Hairspray
musical back in high school. She tugged on Danny’s hand. “Can you even sing?”
“I never sing except in the shower. The water drowns out the worst of it.”
“Oh, great…”
She laughed, but to her surprise, when the music intro began, Danny’s rich tenor confidently belted out the first line. Jordan grabbed the other microphone, waited for her cue and came in with the next verse of a famous Motown hit. Although Danny sang with more enthusiasm than talent, they ended the duet to thunderous applause.
As they held hands and took their bows, Jordan decided this was the best night of her life.