“Tomorrow night?” I raise a brow, knowing full well what’s coming next.
“I’m throwing a little shindig at my place.” The corner of his lip ticks up in a half-smile. “Just so happens my father’s got one going on at the same time. Should make for a raging party. Best way to clear my headof…” He waves a hand over his notes, scattering them haphazardly over the table. “This.”
“Oh, I heard about that,” I say, acting aloof. “Sounds like a blast.”
Don’t come across as too eager. That’s one of the rules. I need to have him thinking I’ve got other stuff going on and then he’ll beg me to join him.
“That’s why you should come.” He’s right on cue.
I’ve been working on Tom for over a month.Stumblinginto him and spilling my drink over his shirt, offering to clean him up and then staring at him wide-eyed as he pulled it off over his head. We’ve been having library stops three times a week ever since that day. Ihadexpected an invitation sooner, but hey, this will do.
“I should?” I ease back into the rickety wooden chair, smiling. “I’m not sure I’d fit in with a bunch of drunken frat boysorthe city’s elite.”
“The best way to make a change is to step out of your comfort zone.” Tom winks. “And if it all goes south, I’ll give you a tour of our library. Beats this one by a mile.”
Hook, line and sinker.
As far as flirting goes, Tom’s attempt isn’t the best I have ever experienced. However, if I read between the lines I can see that is where the treasure lies. He wants to get me alone, in a place similar to the one where I canbe myself.
It can only mean one thing. My years of studying Mom’s habits are paying off, and a job at Lux-Peak is as good as mine.
“It’s a dress-up party, right?” I flick my blonde hair over one shoulder, and the brightest smile I can muster spreads across my face.
“It sure is. But don’t worry about running around town looking for an outfit.” As he speaks, Tom gathers his notes and jams them into an olive-green shoulder bag that’s hanging on the backrest of his chair. “Hell, you could walk in naked and call yourself an angel, and no one would deny it.”
Heat instantly courses up my neck and settles in my cheeks.
“There it is,” he says, before I have a chance to respond with words.
“There’s what?” I gulp, while doing subtle breathing exercises to regain my composure.
“Your big smile and bright red cheeks.” He half stands, bringing his face closer to mine as if inspecting his handiwork. “That’s gotta be the most adorable thing in this world.”
“Tom, stop.” I giggle, shrinking away in a vain attempt to hide what he’s done.
“Why would I do that?” he asks, planting a kiss on my burning skin. “That’d mean I wouldn’t get to see you like this.”
I look up and meet his soft, smiling eyes. They should elate me. They don’t. The pieces of my big ploy are falling into place, and I can’t let a few kind words sway me from my mission.
However, seeing the joy on his face makes me realize that this is going to be harder than I first anticipated. Beyond what Tom and his family can help me accomplish, he’s still a person. A man being strung along and toyed with.
It won’t hurt him, I tell myself. He’s none the wiser to my true intentions and there’s no reason for him to suspect anything. But how doIdraw the line between what’s real and what isn’t? A kiss on the cheek today, maybe on the lips tomorrow, and eventually something more…
Can I stay in control of myself, when the time comes to do what needs doing?
“I really do need to get going,” Tom snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. “About tomorrow night. Okay if I send a driver to your place around six?”
“A driver?” I cross my arms under my breasts, tactically pressing them upward for his viewing pleasure. “Does everyone get that treatment or am I special?”
“Special doesn’t cut it,” he says, coming in for another kiss on the cheek. “You’re perfect, and tomorrow night, the whole world is going to learn it.”
Giggling frantically, I raise a hand to his face and graze his lightly stubbled cheek. “Six it is.”
Tom walks off, rummaging through his pockets for his cellphone. He’s on a call before he’s even out of the library. But as he reaches the exit, he turns around and blows me a kiss.
I do the same back, even as the first signs of doubt begin to claw their way through my mind. This should be a moment of celebration, not second guessing. Yet, as he vanishes, I’m left wondering if this mission is a terrible mistake. I should’ve started smaller. Honed my craft before I set my crosshairs on Tom Henderson.
Sad as it sounds, I can picture more than a few years of fun with him. But that defeats the purpose of what I’m doing. Sharing a life with him, just to reach my goals, would be no different than accepting help from Mom.
