logical that she would since he saw her walking her dog in Central Park every afternoon. He’d wanted to believe she came from another part of town just as he did, because the area was so beautiful.
Her scent tantalized him, and for a moment he imagined what this cab ride would be like if they’d become friends in the park and decided to go out together. He’d be sitting a hell of a lot closer than he was now, that’s for sure. Despite everything, he still got a charge looking into those wide gray eyes of hers. Her mouth intrigued him, too. He liked the fact that she used a pale lipstick that barely looked as if she had on any at all.
Considering all the money she’d paid, she probably wouldn’t object if he slid over and tasted those pale pink lips. The idea appealed to him more than a little. But he didn’t really want to go down that road, not anymore. Any woman desperate enough to spend thirty-three thousand dollars for a date had something very wrong with her. He might not see it at first, because he’d be blinded by sex, but then one night an ice pick would appear in her hand, just like with Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. And Sharon was also a beautiful blonde, he reminded himself.
“Are you free this coming weekend?” she asked.
He jumped. “This weekend?”
“We have to pick a time to use the package, and unless you have a problem with this weekend, we may as well do it then.”
Damn, she was eager. She might look poised and serene sitting over there in her icy white fur, but she wasn’t wasting any time getting with the program. But he’d have chaperons around the whole time, so he should be relatively safe. Someone else was going to sail the expensive yacht down the Hudson, thank God, and someone else would fly the helicopter. After that they’d be at the Plaza with lots of other people. He just had to be sure she didn’t somehow get his room key.
“I guess this coming weekend would be okay.” Actually, the chief’s words had been “Take whatever time off you need.” It was a bone he was throwing Jonah’s way in exchange for making his existence a living hell.
“You think I’m absolutely insane, don’t you?” she asked.
He wondered if telling a crazy person that they were crazy was a bad idea. “It’s crossed my mind.”
“I don’t blame you.” She smiled. “I would think the same thing in your position.”
He was fascinated by her mouth. What a terrific smile she had. What a kissable mouth. He’d never made love to someone who’d gone around the bend. Maybe it would be fantastic…until they killed you or cut off something important.
“You probably won’t believe this,” she continued, “but I’m a perfectly normal woman. I’ve been wanting to tell you how grateful I am that you saved Bobo, but I couldn’t reach you. When I read about this auction, it seemed like the perfect gesture.”
“You could have sent flowers to the station, like six hundred or so other women did.”
She started to laugh. “You got six hundred bouquets?”
“About. Maybe more like six-fifty. After all the guys took them home to their wives, mothers and sweethearts, we still had some left, so we made deliveries to the nursing homes. Except I couldn’t go.”
“Why not?”
“I did the first time, but the sweet little ladies wouldn’t let me leave, and they started to cry when I finally made my way toward the door. It was too horrible. I couldn’t put myself through it again.”
She shook her head, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Bobo and I really caused a big problem for you, didn’t we?”
“You have no idea. But the whole thing was beginning to die down. People don’t stay interested forever. Then along comes this bachelor auction. Now I’m afraid it will all start up again.”
“What can I do to help?”
He almost believed she wanted to help him. Without realizing it he’d moved closer to her, drawn by her laughter and apparent understanding. “Just tell me what you want,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
“To get to know you,” she murmured in a husky voice.
When she talked in that intimate tone of voice, he couldn’t help watching her mouth and wondering what it would be like to touch those pink lips. “You paid all that money just to get to know me?”
“I had no choice. You were unreachable.”
“I know.” But she was very reachable right now, and touching her coat was like stroking a kitten. “Lots of women pretended to be you.”
“They did?”
He slid his hand back and forth along the collar of her coat. “They tried to copy your special look.”
Her mouth tipped up to his and her lips parted ever so slightly. “I don’t have a special look.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I’m just an ordinary girl.”
“I don’t think so.” He couldn’t stand it. He had to brush his mouth against hers, just once. Her lips were like velvet. He came back a second time to make sure they were really that soft. They were even softer, coaxing him to stay. He cradled the back of her head and got serious. Perfect.
Fleetingly he thought that this was probably how Sharon Stone got Michael Douglas to cooperate. Then he stopped thinking as she opened to him and his body tightened a little more with each slow exploration of his tongue. He slid his hand down the nape of her neck beneath her coat collar and stroked her warm skin. Images of running his hands all over her body played in his mind until he was short of breath and straining the fly of his tux pants.
The cabdriver cleared his throat.
Jonah released Natalie with a start. The taxi was no longer running, not that he would have noticed. He’d forgotten they were in a cab. He’d forgotten that this was the woman who had bid an enormous amount of money to chain herself to his side for the weekend. He’d forgotten she probably carried an ice pick in her garter.
Her gaze was unfocused and dreamy. “That was…very nice.”
“At the going rate, that was probably about a five-hundred-dollar kiss.”
Her dreaminess evaporated and she frowned. “Could you do me a favor and forget about the money?”
“Not likely.”
“Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d try.” She opened the cab door and glanced over at him. “Want to come up and see Bobo? He’s grown quite a bit since that afternoon at the park.”
Lust warred with reason as he gazed longingly at her tempting mouth. “Better not.”
“Suit yourself. See you this weekend.” She handed the driver some money and got out of the cab. Then she leaned down and peeked in at Jonah. “Sure you won’t change your mind? I make a mean cup of cappuccino.”
He wanted in the worst way to go with her, because he thought they stood a good chance of making more than cappuccino if he did. But then who knew
