A.C. Arthur - One Unforgettable Kiss

It had been a long week, one he was still wondering how he’d survived. His career was on the line, and after two Cuba libres, his mouth was still dry. He’d just held up his hand to signal the bartender when the man on the stage began to speak.

“He’s a handsome one, too,” a woman said. She had pushed through the crowd and stopped right in front of him. “Nice body and everything.”

The last was said as she lifted small hands and pressed them firmly, front and center, on his chest.

“Harper, you let me know if you need any help with this one.” The woman spoke over her shoulder, as her hands squeezed his pectorals.

Garrek was wearing a white T-shirt that fit him snugly, a fact that the woman who looked to be in her midsixties seemed to enjoy.

“I’m Connie, and I’d be happy to escort your fine self up to the stage.”

Before Garrek could decline her offer, Connie, with her cap of silver hair and no more than five-foot stature, was right beside him, lacing her arm through his and holding on tight. She wore a pale-green-and-white polka-dot dress, and a huge white flower was pinned close to her left shoulder. Her grin was wide as she looked up at Garrek, and when he continued to stare down at her, she winked.

Before Garrek could react, she was taking a step, and he found himself quickly slipping off the wobbly stool he’d been perched on to follow her lead. They moved down the path that reminded Garrek of the old Soul Train line, sans music. He hadn’t purchased anything but drinks since he’d arrived not even a half hour ago, so he doubted he’d won a raffle.

The people on the outskirts clapped as they walked by, and Connie nodded as if she were in her element being the center of attention. When they came to the two steps that led up onto the stage, Garrek had to hold Connie steady as her knees wobbled with each step up. A quick flash of memory had him thinking back to his late teenage years in Pensacola, the years when his mother’s condition was getting worse.

“Here we go,” the man said as he touched the younger woman standing next to him on the shoulder. “Now, you can thank us later, Harper. But this is what the lovely ladies of the Magnolia Guild wanted to give to you.”

She looked frightened.

That’s the first thought that came to Garrek’s mind as he gazed at the young woman standing next to the other man, who was doing all the talking.

Garrek was a navy pilot, but he’d been trained as a pilot first. His instinct to protect was strong and quick.

“That’s right, Beuford,” Connie said as she stepped away from Garrek to grab the microphone from the man’s hand.

Beuford frowned down at her, but Connie didn’t notice, because she’d already turned her attention to the other woman.

“Now, Harper, us ladies at the guild have known you since you were a little thing running around town with scraped knees and dirt smudges on your face. Haven’t we, ladies?” Connie asked and looked out to the crowd.

A group of six women wearing the same white corsage as Connie stood close to the stage, nodding their agreement.

“So don’t be shy. We had this auction just for you ’cause we knew we’d get you a good man that way. Good men always step up to the plate,” Connie continued.

The woman—the one Connie had called Harper—didn’t move. She was wearing a long black-and-white skirt and a sleeveless white blouse. Her hair was pulled back from her face, so Garrek couldn’t tell how long it was.

“You were the highest bidder, coming in at two thousand twenty-five dollars,” Beuford said, stepping around to clap a hand on Garrek’s shoulder.

“Woo-wee, over two thousand dollars for a date with our little Harper!” Connie yelled.

She grabbed Harper by the hand and pulled her closer to where Garrek stood, shocked speechless by what was happening. He’d been in Temptation for a little over an hour, and already he was the center of attention. Again.

To be fair, he was sharing the attention with the strangely quiet Harper, just as years ago he’d shared the spotlight with his five siblings. Wait, had they just said he was the highest bidder? Meaning he was paying for a date?

The thought was almost laughable, because the last thing in this world Garrek wanted right now was a date, and he certainly wouldn’t be paying for one if he did. Clapping resumed, and music started to play as Connie pushed Harper’s hand into Garrek’s. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel the little spike of heat at the contact. But he instantly brushed it aside. Garrek had grown really good at ignoring things he didn’t want to deal with.

“Well, say something, Harper,” Connie insisted and put the microphone in front of the woman.

Without thinking twice, Garrek took the microphone and spoke into it. “Harper and I want to thank you for coming out tonight. We’d also like to announce that the money raised here tonight will be donated to—” He paused.

Then he looked over to Harper. Garrek was six feet even. Harper was a tall woman, her shoulder only a couple inches shorter than his.

“The Veterans Fund,” she said after staring at him questioningly for a few seconds. “The two thousand and twenty-five dollars will go to Temptation’s Veterans Fund and provide support for those who fought hard to protect us and this country.”

Garrek’s first thought was, how had she known who he was?

Connie snatched the microphone at that point. “No. No. That’s not the plan for the money. It’s going to the Guild, because we planned this little event. We’re getting a sign to hang over the doorway to our headquarters. It’ll be real classy, and that way everyone will know where to find us.”

Connie nodded as she spoke, as if everyone was naturally going to agree with her. The six women whom Garrek suspected were also from the Guild mimicked Connie’s movements, and there were some murmurs from the crowd that said they were confused. Well, they could join the club, Garrek thought.

Then he spoke again, without the need for a microphone. He was loud enough that they could hear him across the room where the bar was. He knew this by the shocked look he received from the bartender after he announced, “My check will be written to the Veterans Fund. Any other proceeds from this event can be used for whatever purpose the Guild decides.”

Connie gasped and clamped her thin lips closed, her facial expression clearly annoyed. Garrek doubted she was thinking about touching his pecs again at this moment. Beuford looked from Garrek to Connie and back to Garrek again without saying a word. The once-clapping crowd had now fallen quiet, some of them with mouths open in surprise, others whispering to the person next to them. All of them staring at Garrek.

How the hell had this happened?

He’d come here to get away from people looking at him in question. Now, it seemed he’d walked right into yet another sticky situation with a woman. He wanted to curse, or possibly even run as far from this place as he’d just run from Washington. Instead, Garrek made his way off the stage, slowly pulling the woman named Harper along with him.

* * *

Harper was done!

The only reason she’d put on a skirt and come to the Sadie Hawkins dance was for business. What better way to promote Presley Construction—a company owned and operated by a woman—than to come to a dance where the women were supposedly liberated enough to ask the men out? Yet these same women apparently thought Harper needed help finding a man, when the truth was Harper wasn’t even sure she ever wanted a man permanently in her life. She certainly wasn’t on a personal crusade to find one who would take precedence over everything else in her life.

Coming here tonight had seemed like a good idea when she’d first thought of it. This dance was an annual event, like so many others in Temptation. Up until tonight, it had been one that Harper had proudly stated she’d never attended.