Authors: Sandy Sullivan
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Adult, #Erotica, #Western
They stopped at a private corner of the restaurant, completely separate from the rest, where three men sat conversing amongst themselves. Mark stood nearby while two women stood off toward the back of the room.
“There he is. Justin, come in and meet Mr. Toyoshima.” Mark walked to his side and ushered him closer to the one man who seemed to be in charge of the group. “Mr. Toyoshima, this is Justin Wilder—sole owner of the Flying W ranch outside of town. Justin, this is Mr. Toyoshima, our contact in Japan for Kobe beef.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Toyoshima,” Justin replied as he held out his hand for the other man to shake.
“And you, Mr. Wilder. I hear good things about the beef you produce. I look forward to talking with you more about it over dinner.”
“Good. Raising cattle is my business. Ask any questions you might have and I’ll do my best to answer them.”
“How long have you been ranching?” Mr. Toyoshima asked.
“If you count my parents’ ranch in Wyoming, I would have to say, my entire life. They raised both cattle and horses, although they don’t ranch anymore.”
“You have good experience then.”
Justin chuckled and said, “You could say that.”
A waitress asked Justin if he wanted a drink as he watched Mark moved off toward the two women. His friend slid his arm around one shapely female before he escorted them back to the group.
Justin couldn’t believe his eyes when Mark moved closer and he saw who stood next to him. She looked completely different with her hair flowing in big, long curls around her shoulders and down the middle of her back. A tight, light blue dress hugged every curve, showing off the swell of her breasts to perfection and accentuating the long legs he remembered. The small diamond necklace gracing her beautiful throat twinkled in the light overhead, but it dimmed in comparison to the gorgeous smile she gave Mark. Justin got a glimpse of her smile, and he felt gut punched for a moment, before her gaze collided with his and it turned into a frown. Justin knew she recognized him immediately as her green eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into slits.
“Katrina, I’d like you to meet someone,” Mark said when he brought her closer. “This is Justin Wilder, a good friend of mine and business associate. Justin, this is Katrina Jamieson.”
He could almost hear her grit her teeth when she said, “We’ve met.”
Mark looked confused. “You have?”
“Nice to see you again, Kat.” He purposely drew out her name on multiple syllables and almost laughed when her eyes narrowed further.
Chapter Two
What the hell is he doing here? Damn it and double damn!
Not willing to give him the upper hand, she plastered a smile on her face.
“Well, we meet again… Mr. Wilder, is it?”
“Justin, please.”
“Ah, Justin.”
I have to admit; he’s a lot nicer looking all cleaned up.
Her gaze roamed over his broad chest, straining the material of his tuxedo shirt and jacket.
“You two know each other?” The confusion written all over Mark’s face, almost made her laugh. She hadn’t had a chance to tell him about the accident earlier in the day. She’d barely had enough time to clean up after the training session and make it to the dinner he’d insisted she accompany him to.
“Not really, Mark. We’ve
run into each other
, you could say.”
“I’m confused,” Mark said, looking from her to Justin and back.
Her jaw ached from gritting her teeth. “I hadn’t had a chance to tell you about my
accident
earlier. Mr. Wilder and I met in the middle of the intersection in front of the Mandalay Bay.”
“She ran the light, and dented her pretty little sports car with my truck.”
“I
did not
run the light,” she growled through a clenched jaw.
“You weren’t hurt, were you, Kat?” Mark asked.
“No, I’m fine. Besides, I couldn’t have gotten out of my training session even if I was. You know how the military is.”
“True.”
“What do you do in the military, Kat?” Her name from Justin’s sexy mouth, sent chills along her arms.
“Katrina, if you please, or Ms. Jamieson would be even better, Mr. Wilder. Only my
friends
call me Kat.”
“Duly noted,” he said, cocking his head slightly. His gaze moved over her frame before returning to her face. “Ms. Jamieson.”
“As for your question, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, most men don’t.” She flipped a piece of hair off of her bare shoulder and noticed his eyes dart to the exposed area.
Damn.
I never should have worn this dress.
“Try me,” he murmured so low, she almost missed it. His eyes twinkled in the light, and she caught her breath. She hadn’t been able to see what color they were before. Brown? Cinnamon?
Mmm…
“I fly fighter jets—F 15 Strike Eagle, to be exact.”
A slow, sexy-as-hell smile rippled across his mouth before she saw the dimples peek out of his cheeks.
Holy hell!
Dropping her gaze, she brought the glass of wine in her hand to her lips with a shaky hand.
“Sounds like you are a bit of an adrenalin junkie, Ms. Jamieson. Fast car, fast plane—what else do you like fast?”
She almost choked on her wine, her eyes watering a little, and she forced the liquid down her throat.
“Sorry, Kat. He isn’t usually this rude,” Mark apologized before he shot a furious look at Justin. “What the hell has gotten into you, Justin?”
Before he could retort, they were summoned to the table when their dinner began to arrive. It unnerved her when she’d been positioned directly across the table from the disturbing man. She had really been rather hungry when they had arrived at the restaurant, but now her appetite disappeared and she couldn’t eat.
He wasn’t comfortable in this setting, she noticed, when he fidgeted in the chair and frowned at the multitude of silverware at his elbow.
Sipping her wine, she watched him curiously over the rim of the glass. His voice had a deep, sexy timbre to it as she listened to him discuss cattle with the gentleman from Japan. He wore his hair a little longer than she normally noticed being associated with mostly military men. It brushed against the collar of his jacket, and her fingers itched to feel the texture. He’d removed his Stetson at the table and a slightly curly stray lock of hair fell across his eyebrow. She had the insane urge to brush it back into place for him.
Cowboy,
she guessed by the pointed toe boots and the hat when he first arrived.
Definitely not my type, although he does look damn nice in his tux.
He shifted his gaze to hers for a moment, his lips lifting slightly at the corner as if he knew exactly what she thought. She cleared her throat and set her glass back on the table before she picked up her fork and picked at her food. These dinners were a nuisance, but she loved Mark. When he asked her to come with him, she always went. Protecting him from prying questions came naturally to her since the two of them were close. If his secret ever got out amongst the business community, his successful business relationships would go down the tubes and fast.
Um…does Justin know?
The dinner conversation wound to an end, and she sighed in relief.
Almost over.
The gentlemen stood and shook hands as the Japanese businessman told Justin and Mark he would be in touch. The other two men sat back down, before Justin leaned back against the chair, his gaze finding hers.
“Well, I think that went very well. What do you think?” Mark’s question brought all eyes back to him.
“Yes, it did. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from Mr. Toyoshima within a few days.”
Kat watched the exchange with scrambled thoughts. She didn’t want to notice how long his fingers were or how broad his shoulders looked in his jacket.
He’s definitely confident.
Her gaze wandered over him again as she shifted uncomfortably in the chair.
Mark stood and asked, “Dance with me, Kat. No use wasting this nice music.”
“Sure.”
He pulled out her chair and took her hand in his, but Justin’s perusal from across the table, made her more aware of the disturbing look in his eyes than she’d been of any other man in a long time.
Once they reached the dance floor, she rested her hand on Mark’s shoulder and they swayed to the music. She finally let herself relax under her cousin’s hand. “Does Justin—I mean, Mr. Wilder—know about you?”
“You mean, does he know I’m gay? No, and I prefer he doesn’t.”
“If he’s your friend, he wouldn’t judge. Or is it that you are attracted to him?”
Mark laughed. “No, I’m not attracted to Justin. He’s definitely all about women, trust me.”
She frowned, as her gaze drifted to the man sitting at the table. His gaze met hers, and he lifted his glass in a silent toast.
“Would you care to elaborate on your meeting with him earlier?”
“Not really.” She sighed when Mark only cocked an eyebrow. “There was an accident. I’m not saying I ran the light or he did, but let’s just say, my car has a very large dent in the passenger side door.”
“Your new car?”
“Yes.”
“Damn. I knew you’d get into trouble in that thing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you start with me, too.”
“Too?”
“Yeah, Matt already gave me the third degree. I saved for my car for two years—two years of hell in Iraq. I’ll do as I please with it.”
“Until you get yourself killed.”
She laughed. “I didn’t fly hit-and-run missions over there for the fun of it. I’m just glad I’m back here.”
“Me too. I missed having you around.”
“Mind if I cut in?” The deep voice of the other man cut into their conversation. Mark smiled and stepped back as she frowned, but allowed Justin to wrap his arm around her waist and take her hand in his. The tingle of awareness rippled across her arms, sending goose bumps skittering across her flesh.
Trying to think of small talk, she asked, “So you raise cattle, Mr. Wilder?”
He chuckled, flashing those devastating dimples, and she sucked in a ragged breath. “I have a few head and dabble in selling them.”
Nervously flipping a curl over her shoulder, she said, “Well, you must be good at it if Mark is involved. He doesn’t mess around.”
“How long have you known Mark?”
“Most of my life.” Swaying to the soft music with him like this sent heat right between her legs. The warmth of her hand grasped within his palm sent electricity zinging down her spine.
It’s been way too long since I’ve been with a man if I’m getting horny just dancing with one.
“How long have you known him?”
“Oh, about five years now. I’m surprised I’ve never seen you two together before tonight.”
“I was in Iraq until about two months ago. I don’t always attend functions like these with him.”
“Ah, I see. You must be very close.”
Giving him a teasing smile, she replied, “Like family.”
“Are you originally from Las Vegas, Ms. Jamieson?”