their afternoon one more time, Joanne’s self-confidence had been sexy as hell, seriously inciting some testosterone-fueled male curiosity. As images of her shot through his mind, an unexpected quiver of heat suddenly radiated through his groin. Maybe having Joanne for a friend might actually become more of a problem than not, he mused.
For a brief second, before they’d parted company, he had thought of asking her to dinner. And then he’d hesitated, unable to form a complete thought about where, what or when. The moment had been interrupted as Joanne had been called away to the telephone, leaving him tongue-tied while another volunteer showed him to the exit door. Standing on the sidewalk outside the center, the first waves of nightfall beginning to sweep dark and full across the sky had found him flustered, his own confidence suddenly challenged.
Luke pushed his empty plate away from him, shaking his head as he replayed the experience over and over again in his head. The two could hardly become friends if he did that again.
The next time, he thought suddenly, he would take full advantage of any opportunity he had to spend time with Ms. Lake and get to know her better. And he was determined that there would definitely be another opportunity. He’d be better prepared when that moment took place. Better prepared to discover all he could about Ms. Lake and hopefully intrigue her enough to want to know more about him. Fast friends and a solid friendship needed to start somewhere.
Chapter 4
On Monday morning, one whole hour before the community center’s doors were officially unlocked for the day, Luke sat outside on the steps in wait. He was anxious to speak with the center’s director and even more excited with the prospect of seeing Joanne again. Joanne Lake had been on his mind all weekend, thoughts of the woman sneaking in when he least expected them. He’d shrugged it off at first, and then she’d snuck into his dreams, disrupting his sleep, and his curiosity had kicked into overdrive.
Stopping by his office first to handle some necessary paperwork, his morning had started bright and early. As he sat watching children being hurried off to school and parents rushing to work, he was grateful for the brief respite of quiet to collect his thoughts and formulate a game plan for the rest of his day.
Both John and Matthew had beat him to the office that morning, the two men huddled together in deep discussion when Luke had entered the luxury office space. The duo had reiterated the importance of the rejuvenation project, and Luke had to admit that he was already feeling some pressure. Add to that his sudden preoccupation with a woman he’d only met briefly and he knew he had to have a solid course of action to follow before he lost control of both situations. John and Matthew both had reminded him that a man with distractions was a man who made mistakes. Luke didn’t have room for any mistakes, and he had no intentions of losing control.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, a soft voice murmuring behind him.
“Hey, money! What ’chu doin’ here?”
Luke turned to see the young woman from his previous visit eyeing him eagerly. His full lips bent into an easy smile. “Good morning. It’s Brenda, right?”
She nodded enthusiastically, her gaze sweeping over the denim jeans, denim shirt and bright white sneakers that he was dressed in. “So, you come back to see me?” she asked coyly, fingering the ribbon that held her shirt closed at her neck.
Luke chuckled. “I came to see Ms. Lake.”
Brenda rolled her eyes and scowled. “What ’chu want her fo’?”
“It’s business,” Luke responded, rising to his feet and taking a step back as Brenda eased herself closer to him. “So, are you headed off to school?”
The girl scowled, shrugging her narrow shoulders skyward. “I guess. You gon’ be here when I get back?” she asked, her tone hopeful.
“Probably not,” Luke answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “But you have a good day, okay?”
The girl angled her head. “Come back soon, you hear!” she exclaimed as she walked away, moving to join a gathering of teens who were watching them closely. She turned, tossing him a brash wink. “I know Miss Lake can’t handle a man like you. But I’ll be here if you want some real fun!”
Brenda laughed, her friends snickering with her, and Luke suddenly felt like he was the punch line at the end of a very bad joke. He frowned, his mood shifting ever so slightly. “Goodbye, Brenda,” he said, no hint of playfulness in his tone.
Joanne was standing inside the center’s reception area when Luke entered the building. His grin was full and wide, his excitement shining in his eyes when he saw her. “Good morning, Ms. Lake,” he said, tipping his head in greeting.
“Good morning, Mr. Stallion,” Joanne greeted, her own excitement spilling over in her voice.
“We’re being formal with each other again, Ms. Lake. I thought we’d gotten past all that,” Luke said teasingly as he leaned his elbows on the counter.
“You started it.”
Luke laughed. “I guess I did. Joanne.”
She tilted her head. “Luke,” she said, responding with his first name. “So, what brings you back here this morning?”
“I’m still searching for information. I was hoping to meet with your director, of course, and talk to more of your clients.”
Joanne nodded her head. “Well, Daniel’s not here yet, but we expect him shortly.”
Luke nodded, his eyes flitting back and forth across her beautiful face. “So, tell me again, what is it that you do here?”
The woman smiled. “Do you suffer from short-term memory problems, Luke? You don’t seem like a man who’d forget a detail like that so quickly.”
Luke chuckled. “I didn’t. I was just making conversation.” The coy look she gave him sent a shiver up and down his spine.
Joanne studied him momentarily, her gaze racing from the top of his head down to his feet. The man’s stare was unnerving, causing a rise of perspiration to bead across her brow and in the deep valley between her breasts. She fanned a hand before her face, turning quickly to keep him from seeing the expression that crossed it.
“You’re welcome to sit and wait, Mr. Stallion. Daniel shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Will you wait with me?” Luke asked, his tone hopeful. “We could…just…talk,” he said, suddenly stammering.
Joanne shook her head, still refusing to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I have to go head downtown to help some of our clients arrange payment plans for their utility bills.” She tossed him a quick glance over her shoulder. He was still looking at her intently. Joanne spun back around to face him. “Perhaps another time,” she said as she took a deep inhale of air and held it.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Luke answered, his deep tone promising. “So, perhaps when you get back?”
Joanne paused, warm breath seeping slowly past her lips. “I may be a while. You’ll probably be gone by the time I get back.”
Luke tossed her a quick wink. “Don’t count on it,” he said huskily. Their eyes met and held for a minute until Joanne broke the connection,
