Jayne Krentz: Corporate Affair

Kalinda mentally ran through all the reasons she couldn’t have dinner with him and found it a very short list Why shouldn’t she accept? She had a long evening to get through by herself if she refused and that thought wasn’t very appealing. Alone with her plans and worries…

He met her eyes and smiled. Kalinda drew in her breath, aware that he’d seen the hesitation in her. Once again it struck her that this man might have been a formidable figure in the business world if he’d chosen that path in life. He knew how to manipulate others. Or was it just that she was willing to be manipulated that afternoon?

„All right,“ she agreed gently. „Thank you.“

„I’ll pick you up at six. My home is down by the lake,“ he said.

It wasn’t until she had left the shop to return to her motel that Kalinda wondered which of them was intent on fighting off a boring evening. Could it be that Rand Alastair was a little restless, too? But that didn’t make any sense. He had obviously chosen to live in this out-of-the-way town of his own accord. And he clearly enjoyed his fishing. Well, it wasn’t her problem. She had her own!

She chose the perfect little summer dress she had brought with her, a wrapped and ruffled silk crepe de chine print It was bare, breezy and, combined with strappy little sandals, even flirty in a sophisticated way. She left her hair in the sleek twist behind her ear and added a gold wire of a bracelet to her bare arm. She wasn’t going out of her way to dress for Rand Alastair. Kalinda liked clothes and she dressed to please herself.

She was prepared to find Rand in a clean pair of jeans and a shirt when she opened the door to him a little before six, but the subtle, pin-striped shirt and dark slacks looked expensive and well-tailored. The thick, chestnut hair was combed back in a broad wave and there was a clean, masculine scent of aftershave clinging tantalizingly around him. Still, it was the white Lotus behind him in the parking lot which took Kalinda aback.

„Yours?“ she murmured unnecessarily as he guided her toward it with a casually possessive hand at the small of her back.

„It was either this or the motorcycle,“ he grinned engagingly, „and somehow I had a hunch you’d object to the bike.“ His eyes ran approvingly over the little flirty dress. „Although it might have been interesting…“

„The Lotus is fine,“ she told him dryly as he slipped her into the cockpit of the low-slung car. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him walk around the hood. The gallery must be doing better than it looked, she decided. But that didn’t make any sense…

„Why do I have this feeling that I’m turning out to be a source of amusement for you?“ Rand asked sometime later as he pan-fried the fresh trout over the open flame of a barbecue pit The corn he was grilling alongside gave off an enticing aroma.

„Don’t you want me to enjoy myself?“ she retorted, crossing her slender ankles as she reclined on the outdoor lounger. The shaded patio was situated to take full advantage of the tree-rimmed lake and privately Kalinda knew the glass-walled house with its elegant, rustic lines had been another surprise to her.

It went with the Lotus, however. The wood-and-glass structure was obviously designed just for the particular, wooded, hillside lot on which it had been placed. The walk through the entryway and living room out to the patio had revealed a plush, cream carpet, low, sleekly styled caramel and brown furniture and a scattering of beautiful, earth-toned pottery pieces. Rand had merely smiled when she’d commented on them.

„Don’t get me wrong,“ he said in response to her flippant question. „I’m delighted to have you enjoy yourself. It’s just that I’d prefer the amusement to be a shared experience!“

Kalinda gave him a slow, teasing smile as she sipped at the tartly delicious concoction of apricot brandy, lemon and orange juice he’d prepared for them. „Are you artistic types always so sensitive?“

„Are you vacationing business executives always so condescending to the local peasantry?“

There was an edge on the darkly timbered voice that made Kalinda wonder if her new acquaintance might not appreciate knowing he was merely a means of getting through a difficult evening.

„You seem to eat rather well for a peasant,“ she murmured, glancing pointedly at the sizzling trout „Off the land, as it were.“

He grinned, a slashing, faintly predatory expression which sent a trickle of unease through her. Kalinda deliberately banished the unwelcome sensation. Rand Alastair was no threat to her and certainly not her chief concern.

„The trout may be free, but how do you know I didn’t spend my last cent on the wine in a desperate effort to impress you?“

„Did you?“

„Not quite,“ he admitted, casting a rueful look at the bottle of Chardonnay chilling nearby.

„I didn’t think so. That little gallery you run in town appears to be bringing in enough to keep you from starving to death,“ Kalinda commented.

„You sound as if you don’t understand how that’s possible,“ he retorted, examining the trout with a critical eye and giving the pan a gentle shake.

„Well, your hours do seem a bit erratic. And even if they were regular there doesn’t seem to be a lot of potential customers up here.“

„During the winter we get a very well-to-do ski crowd.“

„Ah. I understand. It’s a seasonal business.“

„The gallery? A bit Not that I let it affect my erratic business practices unduly. I get in my share of skiing!“

Kalinda shook her head. „Well, each to his own. You seem to live a very relaxed sort of lifestyle.“

„Exactly. Just as you’re supposed to do when you come up here. But you’re not, are you?“

„Relaxed? At the moment I’m very comfortable,“ she countered firmly, taking another sip of the icy highball and preparing to parry his probing questions.

„Oh, you look the part, all right Very cool and elegantly casual. But there’s something about you that doesn’t seem really relaxed. You’re not nervous of me, by any chance?“ he demanded interestedly.

„Of course not!“ Her light laughter was genuine.

„You don’t have to be so emphatic about it!“ he growled wryly.

„Sorry,“ she mocked contritely. „I forgot about the ever-present male ego.“

Rand shot her a quick, perusing glance as he hefted the pepper mill. „Tell me the truth,“ he grumbled humorously, „did you accept my offer of dinner because I represent a change of pace from your usual run of admirers?“

„Isn’t that what a vacation is for? A change of pace?“ she chuckled, enjoying the banter.

„I knew it,“ he groaned dramatically. „I’m fated to be a vacation fling!“

„Don’t worry,“ Kalinda smiled. „Giving me dinner doesn’t exactly put you into the category of a fling!“

„Good,“ he said smoothly. „Because we artistic types prefer to think in terms of affairs, not flings!“

Kalinda’s gray eyes went a little cold. „I’m afraid having dinner is not a prelude to an affair, either,“ she informed him quite firmly.

He watched her curiously for a moment, raising his own golden drink for a sip. „You don’t like the idea of being the mistress of an artist-fisherman?“

„Not particularly!“ The haughty tone was cool and definite.

„But all artists have mistresses. It’s part of the mystique,“ he explained helpfully.

She let her budding annoyance show in her voice as Rand turned back to the trout. „Perhaps you can consider our association as a change of pace for yourself, then,“ she suggested deliberately.

„Yes, ma’am,“ he agreed humbly. Once again Kalinda felt a moment of unease. She had been quite certain since meeting Rand Alastair that she, knew exactly what she was dealing with. But little things kept taking her by surprise. It was unsettling.