Page 4 of Power Play

“Pleasure?” she said, with real skepticism. “Uh… to be clear. I help my dad recruit potential investors, but I’m not…like I don’t…I’m going to school to be a kindergarten teacher!”

I laughed. “Kit, relax. I didn’t think this was…you know, transactional. I’m just saying we’re done talking about business and money. Now I want to talk about you.”

“What about me?”

“Well, for one, you’re going to school to be a kindergarten teacher?”

“Not yet, I’m not. Hopefully next year.” She shook her head, that small smile playing around her lips again. “That’s pretty much it. I did say it rather righteously though, didn’t I?”

“Very righteously. I wasn’t aware all kindergarten teachers were saints. Which means…I have to do something to corrupt you.”

She lifted her chin in the air. Her black hair shimmery in the low lights.

“How dare you, sir. I am incorruptible.”

“We’ll see about that.” I waited until the bartender had his back turned and I put two hands on the bar and hopped onto the other side.

“Liam,” she whispered, her silver/gray eyes wide, her beautiful lips smiling. She was pretty. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for…got it.” I pulled a bottle of champagne from a sink full of ice and set it on the bar in front of her. Then I hopped back over the bar in an easy motion and took the bottle and her hand, leading her through the crush of guests.

“You stole that!” she hissed in my ear.

I shook my head. “It’s an open bar. Like, I could have just asked for it.”

“Oh. Right. Where are we going?”

“There’s an outside patio that will be less crowded. We’ll drink champagne, you’ll tell me your life story and I’ll try and convince you I’m the man of your dreams.”

She pursed her lips. “Are you going to try and seduce me?”

“I’m going to give it my best shot.” I gave her my best smile. The smile that worked on every girl at East High School and quite a few since then.

She laughed. “I’m not as easy as you are.”

“We’ll see about that.” As we approached the double French doors leading out to the patio, the p.a. system buzzed to life and the lights dimmed behind us. There was a sudden crush of people heading towards the stage and she bumped up against my body. I wasn’t certain, but I thought I heard a catch of breath in the back of her throat.

I looked down at her and her mouth was right there. Lush and perfect and parting as she pulled in a breath. Her eyes met mine and I knew that she was feeling exactly what I was feeling.

“Liam,” she sighed and shook her head. “What are you doing?”

“Taking a beautiful girl out into the moonlight to drink champagne and learn all her secrets.”

“There are a dozen far more beautiful women here,” she said, like she had no idea what a smoke show she was in that red dress. “Why me?”

“Because…” She felt so right. Because my gut was never, ever wrong. “Because we might be magic. Tonight feels a little magical. Doesn’t it?”

She seemed to consider that, then narrowed her eyes in a way that would make her a formidable kindergarten teacher one day. “One glass of champagne.”

“Two,” I negotiated. “Two and a half if you spit any of it on me.”

2

Liam

Two glasses and two hours later, we were headed up to my room on the second floor and I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but even I couldn’t believe my luck.

When the elevator closed behind us, I turned to her. “You sure you-”

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