Finding the Perfect Man (6 page)

“How long do you have for lunch?”

“At least two hours.”

“That doesn’t give us much time to get to know each other, does it?” His voice came out huskier than before.

She swallowed hard. “We’ll have to make the most of the time we have then, won’t we?”

Had those words really come from her mouth? She felt almost proud to be flirting. Definitely not Doctor Reed-like behavior. With a little practice, she could become good at this flirting thing. It wasn’t as difficult as she thought. At least with the right man.

His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I suppose we’ll have to.”

She swallowed, realizing how dry her mouth was. Maybe she needed a stronger drink, yet she didn’t drink alcohol, so naturally she’d have to get a regular Coke instead of diet.

The hand on her leg lifted to her chin, his fingers gently caressed her skin. “Do I make you nervous?”

She wanted to deny it, but her body shook so bad he’d see through the lie. “Yes, a little.”

“Tell me, Doc.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip. “Have you ever done this before?”

“Done what?”

“Flirted with a strange man in a bar.”

“No.”

“Really? So I’ll be your first?”

“Yes.”

“I like that.” He grinned. “But I’ll confess I’ve never flirted with a doctor before.”

“You’re doing just fine now.”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “That’s good to know. I definitely don’t want to say anything to turn you away.”

She stared at him through half-closed lids, feeling very relaxed around him now. Why was it one minute she was nervous as a cat in a dog farm, and a moment later she wanted to tell him everything about herself?  “Are you this polite to all the women you meet?”

“Only when they dress like a lady.”

Her cheeks heated from his compliment. “So tell me Rocky, do you work here or is this just where you hang out all the time?”

“I work here. I co-own this bar with my friend Charlie.”

“Oh, good.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Why do you think that’s good?”

She laughed lightly. “I hope you don’t think me a snob, but I was hoping you were a working man and not one who lived at a bar and drank all day just to pass time.”

“You’re not a snob for thinking that. In fact, sometimes I get upset at some of our regulars who think this is their life. I usually have to call them a cab…or their wives to come get them.”

“That’s pretty sad.”

He nodded. “It is.” He leaned in closer, his minty breath fanned her face. “Now it’s your turn for answers, Doc.”

Once again her mouth turned dry and this time a lump was in her throat, making it hard to swallow. “Sure.”

“What is a classy looker like yourself doing in a bar trying to pick up one of the bartenders?”

Embarrassment washed over her, yet at the same time, pleasure filled her from his compliment about her appearance. “Who says I’m trying to pick you up?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “You did come in here looking for me, remember?”

“Oh, and suddenly that means I’m picking you up?”

He chuckled. “Then what do
you
call it?”

“Uh…I’m getting to know you. I felt bad that we couldn’t talk the last time we met. I was having a lousy afternoon, and I wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone new.”

“And you’re in the mood now?”

She wasn’t sure she liked the innuendo or the way his voice deepened just now. Then again…maybe she liked it too much. “Yes, I’m in the mood to meet new people. Is that a crime?”

“Not in my book.” He winked. “But now I want to know why you don’t have some overbearing boyfriend trying to keep you away from guys like me.”

Tilting her head, she studied him closer…well, as close as she could in the dimly-lit room. Even though he was still very close to her, she couldn’t see him as clearly as she’d like. However…there was something familiar about his eyes, and the tilt of his nose, and even the curve of his lips. For a fleeting moment, she thought she’d met him somewhere before…but then quickly convinced herself she was remembering what he looked like when they first met. Yeah, that had to be it.

“Honestly, I don’t have time for overbearing boyfriends…or any kind of boyfriends.”

“What?” His eyebrows lifted. “No time for dating?”

“None.”

“Why is that?”

She shrugged. “Probably because I don’t make the time. I have other things I want—or need—to do that I think are more important.”

Slowly he shook his head and tsked. “That’s not healthy, you know. A pretty woman like you needs to go out more.”

“But I’m here now.”

He lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips across her jaw. “Yes, you are, and you’re all mine at this moment.”

She gulped hard. “I am.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth and he inched his way closer. “That’s all the encouragement I need,” he whispered before pressing his lips against her.

Sucking in a quick breath, she clung to his shirt. Although she had anticipated the kiss, she wasn’t prepared for how warm and soft his lips were, or how pleasure spread through her as the seconds ticked by. Dang, he was a good kisser. Was it bad of her that she didn’t want him to stop? When was the last time she’d kissed a man on their first date? Then again…she and Rocky were not on a date!

With great reluctance, she broke the kiss and pushed him back. His expression was tight with confusion so she offered a tender smile. “I…I’m sorry I had to stop that, but…well, I think we should stop.”

“Stop? Honey, we haven’t even started.”

She laughed lightly. “What I meant was that I didn’t want to get carried away.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “You were getting carried away, huh?”

“Not really, but I could have.”

He pulled away, but still had his arm around her shoulders. “That’s good to know…very good to know.”

Breathless, she tried to regulate her quick breaths. Kissing him nearly had her forgetting everything and anything. She couldn’t let that happen…not the control-freak kind of doctor that she was.

“I’d better get going back to the office.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to read up on my next client before their appointment.”

He nodded and scooted out of booth before taking her hand and helping her out. “When can I see you again?” he asked.

She panicked. If he knew what kind of doctor she was, it would drive him away, just like it had driven all the other men in her life away. She glanced down at her hands clutching her purse. “I’m sorry, Rocky, but this was the first and last time.”

“Can I ask why?”

“No.” She tried to move past him, but just like his name, he was a rock and he wouldn’t budge. “Will you please let me by?”

“Not until you promise you’ll come back.”

She lifted her gaze and met his stare. Her heartbeat hammered faster the longer she gazed into his beautiful face, a face she still couldn’t see very well in the dark.

“Say you’ll come back, and you’ll meet me here tomorrow,” he said sweetly.

Heaven help her, but she wasn’t going to lie. “Okay, I will.”

* * * *

Brock watched Doctor Reed walk out of the bar and sat back down in the booth. He couldn’t stop the victorious grin from touching his mouth. She hadn’t known. Not even suspected. Of course, he didn’t look at all like her pathetic client.

It surprised him to see her back at his bar. What a coincidence she showed up the same day as his appointment. He relaxed his smile, when he thought of their session. He’d definitely disturbed her, which was exactly his goal.

Unfortunately, his plan had failed. He clenched his jaw. She was stronger than he figured she’d be. Even though she’d allowed him to hold her and kiss her neck during the appointment, she covered up the mistake by saying it was role-playing…and it was therapy for him. The patient seducing the doctor would have been the perfect way to get her license revoked, but she remained the professional doctor.

Not now…a few minutes ago, anyway.

Then again, she wasn’t his doctor. He wasn’t her client. Not here at the bar. To her, he was Rocky. There for a minute while flirting with her, he’d almost forgotten his goal. When he kissed her, he knew he’d lost his mind—if even for a few seconds.

Crazy. Why would he allow her sweet kisses to fog his mind?

He looked up just in time to see Eddie stumble on to the seat in front of him. Under the man’s arm was a newspaper, and he still held the same glass he had earlier. Stupid drunken fool.

“Hey Hammull,” he slurred. “Glad t’ see the woman was nicer t’ you than she was t’ me.”

Brock nodded. “Thank you for being her distraction and making me look like a knight in shining armor.”

“No problem.” His hand rubbed at his neck. “But I really thought ya were goin’ t’ punch the daylights outta me.”

“I was about to. You degrade her again and I won’t hesitate to punch you in the face. In fact, I won’t let you back into the building.”

Eddie’s eyes widened, making him look like a bug-eyed frog. “You can’t do that.”

“I certainly can, since I own half of the bar.”

“But Charlie likes me, and he owns the other half.”

“Charlie likes me more.”

Eddie nodded. “Okay, you win.” He scooped up a handful of pretzels from the small bowl on the table and plopped a few in his mouth. “Have ya read the personals in the newspaper? Ya won’t believe what I found.” He set down his empty glass first, then opened the paper, smoothing out the crinkled edges before turning the page.

“Here it is.” Eddie pointed to the ad. “Some woman is seeking a man t’ be her business partner.” He glanced up at Brock and grinned. “Sounds interestin’ all ready, dunnit?”

“What kind of business? Does it say?”

Eddie looked down where his finger pointed. “Must be charmin’ and witty. Must be older than thirty, younger than forty-five.”

Brock laughed. “Well, that leaves you out.”

Eddie scowled. “I can lie, can’t I? ’Sides,” he continued, “it says must have actin’ ability.” He puffed out his chest. “I was top man in drama durin’ my senior year in high school.” He glanced back at the paper. “It says t’ call and arrange an interview.”

“If you want my advice, I’d say forget it. She’ll take one look at you and see you’re not the man she’s looking for.”

Eddie snorted. “And ya think yer better qualified?”

Brock picked up a pretzel and bit it in half. He knew he was more qualified than Eddie. He certainly was pulling off a great acting job with Doctor Jordan Reed, but he wasn’t interested in the advertisement. “Yeah, I’m more qualified, but right now I have plans of my own.”

Eddie snickered. “Gettin’ chummy with that woman ya were just with?”

Brock grinned. Eddie didn’t know how true that was.

“Let’s just say I’m trying to impress her. She’s a sophisticated lady. A far cry from the women I’ve been out with lately, and I’m looking forward to the challenge this lady will bring.” Among other things.

Eddie nodded. “Well, let me know if ya need my help.”

“No thanks, Ed. I don’t need you. Never did.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

After Eddie walked away, Brock picked up his cell phone to call Jordan’s office to make another appointment. The sooner he discovered Jordan’s weakness, the sooner she’d lose her license. He couldn’t let another client fall victim to her unprofessional tactics. He shuddered to think they’d have the same fate as his poor sister.

He stopped his fingers before pushing another button. Yet he had discovered the doctor’s weakness. Passion. Jordan would be a bigger challenge than he first expected. The slender woman with shapely legs was a knock-out, and so very zealous. Perhaps this was the way to bring her down in front of the professional world? The other doctors might like to know what the good doctor had done in a bar this afternoon with a total stranger. Now if he could just make those kind of moves on her while he was her patient, he’d be golden.

He snapped his fingers and smiled. Look out Dr. Reed. Scenes flashed through his imagination, and excitement grew in his chest. Oh, yes. This was going to be good.

SIX

Dumbfounded, Jordan stared at contestant number two. Eddie, the drunk from the bar, sat in her office, waiting to be interviewed. He had a lot of nerve responding to her newspaper advertisement. His blond hair had been slicked back, and he smelled like he’d sprayed himself with vanilla. Granted, he tried to look presentable, but his gray slacks had no crease, and his Kelly green blazer was wrinkled. Kelly green? What was the man thinking? Who wore Kelly green nowadays?

She couldn’t wait to see how he would pull off being financially secure. It surprised her he didn’t recognize her, but she was glad for it. At the bar, she wasn’t the professional doctor. Now she was.

“I appreciate your interest in my advertisement,” she began as nice as she could be. “I had a situation come up in my personal life, and this is the only way I know how to handle it.”

“Oh, Doctor Reed, I understand. I just flew in from Augusta, Georgia or I would have responded to the ad sooner. You see, I won the Master’s Golf Tournament last week, and they gave me this green coat.”

She almost laughed. At least that explained the jacket. Not that she believed a word of it. The man was an odd duck, but she still continued the interview. “Anyway, keep in mind as we go over the questions, I’m looking for a business relationship only.”

He grinned and leaned forward in the chair, linking his fingers over his knees. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for, too. We must be a match made in heaven.”

Hell wa
s more like it.
She almost gagged.

She nodded instead and picked up the question sheet. “Are you married?”

He chuckled. “Nope. I don’t have time to settle down and raise a litter of kids. I’m a woman’s kind of man, and the ladies just flock to me. Do ya know what I mean? You must have seen me on TV last month. I’ve even walked on the moon. People on the street recognize me from being in the newspapers and on tv so much.”

Oh, brother!
She nodded, clenched her teeth, and tried her hardest to keep a straight face. “Oh, I’m sure you were.” She wrote down his answer. “Is there anything else you’d like me to know?”

Eddie puffed his chest like a strutting peacock. “I own half of Charlie’s Passions. If you don’t know what that is, it’s the hottest bar in town.” He scratched his ear. “It brings in tons of money a night. Any day now we’re gonna change the club’s name to Moon Walker...after me, of course.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of Charlie’s.”

“Ya ought to come by and let me buy you a drink.”

“I’ll have to really consider such a tempting offer. Thank you.” She glanced down at the paper and made some notes, then looked back at him. “Can you tell me about your acting ability?” She was getting a taste of it right now.

He sucked in air through his nose, making a disgusting sound that caused her stomach to churn. During his outrageous lie, she noticed how often he scratched his head, his ear, then underneath his arm. She hoped monkey-boy didn’t have fleas.

She kept her focus on him, although her mind drifted. She especially thought about her next appointment. Brock. It surprised her to think she’d be so anxious to see him again. It had only been a few days, and here she was eager for their session, yet she knew she had to tell him that she’d already referred him to Doctor Fairchild.

There was a brief pause in Eddie’s speech, and she stood and placed the paper and pen on her desk.

“Thank you for coming. I’ll certainly give a lot of thought to your resume.”

His brows knitted, but he rose to his feet. “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“But…well, I thought there’d be more.”

“I’m sorry. Not this time.”

In two steps he stood before her, his eyes dark with anger. She braced her hands on the desk as she fell back on it.

“You’ve already decided I’m not good enough for you, right?”

“I don’t know why you’re getting upset. I probably won’t make my decision for at least a couple more days.”

He grabbed her shoulders and yanked her up against him. Up this close, the alcohol on his breath overpowered her. She forced herself not to vomit.

“You haven’t even sampled my charms.”

Her hands pressed hard against his chest as she tried to move him away. “Take your hands off me.”

“Tell you what—let Eddie give you a little kiss, and I bet I can convince you I’m the right man for the job.”

“And I’ll tell
you
what. You will turn around and get out of my office before I call security.”

His sick, deep laughter made her shudder. “Come on, just one kiss. That’s all I ask.”

She reacted quickly, brought her knee up and connected it with his groin. The disgruntled sounds coming from his throat as he crumbled, let her know she succeeded. She kept herself from spitting in his face while he was down, but turned and leaned over her desk, pushing the red emergency button.

The siren shrieked. Two security guards and Erica rushed into the room.

She prayed the meeting with Brock would go much smoother than this one.

* * * *

“Good afternoon, Doctor Reed,” Brock greeted, as he walked in for his appointment.

Jordan was her old self again, hair pulled back tight into a knot, old lady’s clothes covering her from knee to wrist to neck. Those familiar, unflattering reading glasses sat perched on her nose. He wished she wouldn’t wear them so he could see the beautiful ocean blue of her eyes a little better.

He scolded himself for thinking that way. Time to focus on his plan to play on the doctor’s weakness.

“Hello, Brock. I’m surprised to see you so soon. Wasn’t it just two days ago we had our last visit?”

He tried not to grin. She’d been counting. It’d been forty-eight very long hours, especially when she didn’t come to the bar the next day like she’d promised. He hated himself for actually waiting and being disappointed when she didn’t show.

“Yes, it was.” He put a little more whine to his speech, just so she wouldn’t recognize the man’s voice from the bar.

He moved to the brown leather couch and plopped down. She sat in her regular chair.

“Brock, I must tell you of a decision I’ve made.”

He crinkled his forehead. “What’s that?”

“Because of what happened during our last session, I feel it appropriate that you see another psychiatrist.” She lifted a business card out of her notebook. “I studied with Doctor Fairchild in college. He’s very good.”

He shook his head. “Are you saying you don’t want to help me?”

She took a deep breath, keeping a smile. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that, well...I don’t want a repeat of our last session.”

Panic suffocated him, closed around his throat, and threatened to cut off his air supply. She couldn’t do this. How else would he bring her down? “But I thought you said our role playing helped me.”

She shrugged. “It did help in your progression, but it went against my professional ethics.”

He hung his head and stared at his clasped hands. How could he make her change her mind? She couldn’t let him go. Not now. Not today, especially.

“So, are you saying I can’t talk to you today?” he mumbled.

She released a deep sigh. “I really shouldn’t—”

Hearing the hesitancy in her voice, he snapped his head up and met her stare. “But you will, right?”

“I would rather wait to schedule you with Doctor Fairchild.”

Failing was not on his list of things to do today. He couldn’t walk out of here. Not yet. He slumped in the couch and covered his face with his hands.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “It doesn’t matter, anyway.”

“Brock, look at me.” Her stern voice boomed through the air. “I don’t want you to take it personally.”

He shrugged. “Do what you want. I know the real reason. You don’t care. You really don’t care what happens to me.”

“Brock, you’re wrong.”

He continued in his pathetic voice. “It doesn’t matter that something happened between me and Lanie, and I felt you needed to know.”

“Brock? What happened?”

Her tone sounded different this time. Sympathetic. Worried. He dropped his hands and looked at her. She had leaned forward, her beautifully arched brows drawn in worry.

“Did you tell your girlfriend you know?” she asked.

“Well, no. Not really.”

“Then what happened?”

Breathing easier that she might talk to him this time, he swiped his fingers through his unkempt hair. He let out a heavy sigh, hoping to appear like a guilt-stricken man. “I almost told her I knew, but at the last minute, I couldn’t go through with it.”

“What?” Her voice escalated. “Tell me what happened.”

He wanted to smile, but he kept the excitement controlled, for now. So far, so good. “After our session the other day, I went home, feeling like I had the courage to face Lanie. When I drove to the house, the other car wasn’t there. I walked inside. At first I thought she wasn’t home. When I reached the bedroom, she was redoing her makeup. I think I’d just missed catching them together. When she looked at me, she even appeared shocked to see me home from work.”

Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his expression blank as he focused on the sorrowful man he portrayed. “My mind snapped, and I couldn’t control myself or my thoughts. I wanted to punish her. I wanted to shake her and demand her tell me why…why she’d do that with my best friend. Why she didn’t love me any longer.”

Jordan’s eyebrows drew together, so he continued, “She was sitting on a stool at her vanity. I walked up behind her and rested my hands on her shoulders as I looked at her through the mirror. She had a hard time meeting my eyes. She tried to tell me that she came home from work early because she’d had a headache, but that she felt better so she was fixing herself up to return to work.” Slowly, he shook his head. “I told her I didn’t believe her.”

Jordan’s slender throat constricted before she licked her lips. “Then what happened?”

“She first tried to tell me I was crazy…that I was being too suspicious. When she could see I wasn’t budging, she tried to change the subject, but I wouldn’t let her.” He took a deep breath. “I told her that I’d been noticing her aloofness toward me lately, and I wanted to know why she was pulling away. I even told her that I felt she didn’t love me any longer.”

He paused, studying Jordan’s expression. She looked worried over what he was saying.

“What was her response to that?” she asked softly.

“She pouted and complained that she was putting in too many hours at work and tired all the time, and that was why I probably
thought
she was pulling away.”

Brock stood and walked to the window, shuffling his feet on the way for dramatics only. He spoke over his shoulder, but focused out the window. “Emotion was so tight in my throat right then, I was afraid that if I said anymore I’d cry. Yet, at the same time, I was so angry at her for not confessing to me what she and my best friend were doing, that I wanted to wrap my hands around her neck—” for emphasis, he shaped his fingers in front of him like he was choking someone— “and squeeze as hard as I could.”

He glanced at Jordan still perched on the edge of her seat. Her fingers clutched the pad and pencil, her knuckles white. A bead of moisture formed on her forehead, and it made his heart quicken to know she was caught up in his story. This was getting to her, and he loved the powerful feeling it gave him.

“What did you do, Brock?” she coaxed, her voice so low he almost couldn’t hear.

“I—I couldn’t.” He turned away from her and looked out the window. “In my mind I knew I couldn’t do what anger was pushing me to do. Just because she was breaking my heart, lying and cheating on me, didn’t mean I should do something stupid, too.” For further effect, he swiped his fingers through his hair. “I knew my anger controlled me, and I couldn’t go through with it. Choking her wasn’t worth going to prison over. She’s not worth it.”

The leather on Jordan’s chair squeaked as she moved. The clicking of her heels on the floor grew louder, the closer she came. The warmth from her hand gently brushed his shoulder. It was all he could do not to turn and take her in his arms, especially when her rose scent drifted around him, bringing with it images of him kissing her the other day at the bar.

Good grief, he needed to stay focused!

“Brock, I’m glad you didn’t follow through with your urges. You did a good thing.”

“You don’t know how badly I wanted to.” He shook his head. “After I left the house and went back to work, I felt like such a loser. No wonder she turned to my best friend. In her eyes, I’m not a man.” He paused, then added, making his voice crack, “The sad thing is, I agree with her. I’m not a real man—not the kind she wants.” His hands covered his face for better effect.

“Brock, you shouldn’t say things like that. They are not true.”

She maneuvered him around to face her, and he let her control the situation. She pulled at his hands. He let them fall away from his face. He tried to project utter despair, making his lips tremble.

“It’s not your fault,” she said.