But it’s such a good idea.”
“You could practice your story.”
“I’d have to. Can I practice with you?”
“Sure. I’ll even help you come up with it. First of all, you need an identity for the imaginary father of this imaginary kid.”
She smiled at him. “I have a feeling you’ve had some practice with telling tall tales.”
“Let’s just say I got in more trouble than you did when I was growing up.”
“Okay, who’s the father? Somebody my parents will go into an apoplectic fit over. Swaggering, macho, cigarette dangling from the corner of his lip, tight jeans, a tattoo. No job prospects, but he’s happy I’m working and keeping him in beer. In short, a gigolo.”
Tony started to laugh. “You’re overdoing it. There’s no way they’ll buy a story that far-fetched. They’ll know you’re lying through your teeth the minute you start describing this make-believe lover of yours.”
“Ah, but logical women are notorious for becoming attracted to some sexy loser and having their good sense destroyed by great sex. Besides, I’ve always been completely honest with them. They’ll never expect me to make up an elaborate story like this.” The thought pricked her conscience. She didn’t like the idea of lying to her parents, but she couldn’t actually get pregnant to bring them together, so she had no choice.
“Even so, I think they’ll want proof for anything this wild.”
“Possibly. But I can’t imagine how I could…hmm.” She gazed at him, narrowing her eyes as she mentally rearranged his appearance. Maybe, just maybe, he was her solution.
Tony shifted in his chair. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Take off your jacket.”
“Why?” He looked uneasy.
“Humor me.”
He shrugged. “The lady wants the jacket off, I guess I’ll take the jacket off. It’s been a strange morning.” He stood and removed the jacket of his pin-striped suit.
“Now take off the tie.”
He stared at her.
“Come on, Tony. I’m working on a concept here.”
He sighed and took off the tie.
“Now unbutton the first three or four buttons of your shirt, and mess up your hair.”
“Mess up my—” He looked at her as if she’d gone totally bonkers.
She got up and came around the desk. “Like this.” She rubbed her fingers vigorously over his scalp.
“Hey!” He leaped back. “Who are you and what have you done with Lynn?”
“That’s not quite the look I had in mind.” She started toward him.
He backed up a step. “Stay away from me, woman.”
“Oh, relax. And hold still. This will just take a minute.” Grasping his shoulder to keep him near her, she reached up and combed her fingers through his hair so it fell over his forehead, giving him a look of careless nonchalance instead of his usual combed-back, businesslike style. She was pleasantly surprised by the silky feel of his hair and the solid muscles under his dress shirt. She prolonged the task a little.
He smelled good, she noticed, catching a whiff of an after-shave that she’d always associated with him but never allowed herself to consider sexy. “Now for the buttons,” she said, undoing the first four.
“Lynn, is this a seduction?” Tony asked.
“Nope.”
“Didn’t think so. You’re beginning to worry me.”
“I just want to check something out.” She stepped back, hands on hips, to survey her work.
The transformation was remarkable. Gone was the up-and-coming young lawyer who spent his days immersed in legal briefs and courtroom procedure, the man who always arrived at the office early and left late, a bundle of files under his arm. This Tony was hot. He looked as if he had one thing on his mind, and it certainly didn’t involve paperwork. A tremor of sexual desire shook her poise. Michelle must have gone to stupid school.
But the main thing was that Tony would be perfect for her scheme. She looked up at him and smiled. “Tony, how about if you—”
“Don’t even go there.” He shook his head and backed away. “I was afraid that was where you were headed. I failed drama class in high school. Performances aren’t my long suit.” He started refastening the buttons on his shirt.
“Are you joking? You’re a lawyer!”
He smiled at that. “Yeah, but we’re talking about something a lot more complicated.”
“No, we’re not. You put on a show every time you step into that courtroom. This would just be a different kind. I said I might need your services. Turns out I do.”
“I meant legal services.” He reached for the tie he’d thrown over the back of the chair.
“I don’t need legal services. I need a sexy-looking guy for Operation Gigolo. To my surprise, you’d do very nicely.”
He stopped in the act of knotting his tie and gazed at her. “To your surprise? That’s not very flattering.”
She blushed. “Well, I just never thought of you in that way, because you’re always so…so polished-looking.” So married.
“Polished-looking. As in slick?” He finished with the tie and picked up his jacket.
“No. You look perfectly wonderful, like an ad from GQ.”
“Some women go for that type.”
“Of course they do!”
“But you don’t?” He put on his jacket and adjusted the lapels.
“I didn’t say that.” Damn, this was a bog she hadn’t intended to get into. Six months after a divorce was a prime time for a rebound attraction, and she didn’t want to be the target for that sort of temporary affair. “I just—we’re way off the subject here. Tony, please help me out. It won’t take much of your time to meet my parents. Once they see you, they’ll start a campaign to break us up, which will bring them together again. They can succeed in breaking us up, and then I’ll conveniently miscarry the love child, and life will return to normal. I happen to know you haven’t taken much time off lately.”
“And to remedy that, you’re offering me a fun-filled trip to Springfield, where I get to act like a jerk and hopefully get pitched out of your parents’ house on my butt? Gee, you sure know how to tempt a guy.”
“Actually, I wasn’t thinking of Springfield. Ever been to Sedona, Arizona?”
“Nope.
