Blind Attraction Read online

  The feel of his mouth possessing hers and the awareness that there were no lingering romantic feelings between the two of them sent any remaining doubts away.

  “Are we all set here?” Catherine asked, the perfectly folded blanket across her arm.

  “Yes,” James murmured, wrapping his hand around Victoria’s, the picnic basket in his other hand.

  “Unfortunately, I am going to have to bring your date to an end, no lingering over goodnight kisses or cups of coffee,” Catherine said as they climbed into the SUV. Looking over her shoulder at Victoria and James, she smiled sympathetically, “I have to get home and Jimmy is dependent on me to drive him around.”

  “I’m not the one who insists that you be my driver,” James reminded her. “In fact, I think I’ve told you on numerous occasions that I have a perfectly good driver….”

  “That allowed you to be in that awful crash,” Catherine interrupted, fastening her seat belt and starting the car as if that was the end of the conversation.

  “I take it you were pretty affected by James’s accident,” Victoria murmured kindly, inadvertently startling Catherine in the process. “I would be pretty shaken up, too, if I had been in his life at the time.”

  Catherine raised her eyes and once again met Victoria’s eyes in the mirror, seeing the sincerity in their depths; the girl was a strange one. Clearing her throat, she nodded her head in acknowledgement before pulling out of her parking spot. “Yeah, well, he’s my Jimmy.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s mine,” Victoria teased.

  James smiled at the heartening words spoken by Cate and Victoria. Entwining his fingers with Victoria’s, he brushed his lips against her ear, “I am yours.”

  Turning her head slightly, Victoria felt the faint brush of James’s lips against her cheek. “I’ve never told anyone other than Taylor about my dad before.”

  “I’m honored,” he said softly, sincerely, bending his head slightly and breathing in the delicate fragrance of her neck.

  “What about your father?” Catherine asked from the front seat.

  “Um, I don’t know my father,” Victoria murmured, a blush stealing across her face. James tightened his grip on her hand in a comforting manner.

  “Would you like to?” Catherine asked, an undertone of excitement in her voice. “I can find out for you.”

  Victoria’s face warmed even more and she understood why people were intimidated by Catherine; the things she knew…. Her sources must be pretty impressive for her to be able to get that kind of information. Before she declined, James spoke sternly, “Enough, Cate.”

  Catherine’s offered a half-smile, acknowledging the fact that she was stepping over the line and that she didn’t give a damn. “Sorry, Vi; I’m just terribly inquisitive.”

  “It’s all right,” Victoria murmured, wondering exactly how much Catherine knew, just how much she was going to uncover. Narrowing her eyes, she watched Catherine’s expression in the rear-view mirror. “And in case you’re wondering, I’ve never asked about him because I already have a dad.”

  “I apologize for my assistant,” James said in a stage whisper. “She performs background checks and has an eerie ability for finding out information some would prefer to remain hidden. She also has an uncanny ability for determining a person’s reliability; it’s almost scary.”

  “It’s okay,” Victoria murmured. Watching Catherine, Victoria saw the other woman’s slight smile, the knowing gleam in her eyes; she definitely knew something. Could Catherine actually know who her father was? Did Victoria even want to know?

  James laughed softly, trying to ease the tension Cate had created, “I don’t know what I’d do if Cate figured out she could make a fortune working for the tabloids.”

  “Ah, Jimmy,” Catherine grinned. “You know I would never leave you.”

  James shook his head but smiled indulgently, “No one else would have you, Cate. They’re all afraid of you and the dirty secrets you always manage discover.”

  “You’re just lucky I love my job,” Catherine laughed. Meeting Victoria’s eyes in the mirror once more, she smirked, “By the way, Vi; I like you – so don’t worry. If I didn’t approve of you, I wouldn’t be driving you around.”

  “We should have taken my car,” Victoria grumbled, making James laugh.

  “If I didn’t like you I would have warned James away and there’d be no more dates,” Catherine shot back with a wicked grin.

  “Does she really have that much power over you?” Victoria asked James in a theatrical whisper, her own eyes sparkling with amusement.

  James made a slightly strangled sound and grimaced, “No.”

  Catherine exploded with mirthful laughter, “Jimmy, tell the truth. You know that when I don’t like a girl you date you always break up with her.”

  “That has nothing to do with whether or not you like her,” James countered. “Besides, Victoria is the only one you’ve ever even remotely endorsed.”

  “I think I should be flattered,” Victoria muttered.

  Both Catherine and James laughed; despite seven years difference in age, they shared a slightly twisted sense of humor and despite a previous physical relationship, they acted more like… brother and sister. That was kind of disturbing.

  “Jimmy, I don’t know why you try to think for yourself when it comes to the women you date,” Catherine continued to tease. “You’d save yourself a lot of time and effort if you’d just listen to me from the start.”

  “Cate has absolutely no ego what-so-ever,” James dead-panned.

  “So I’ve noticed,” Victoria grinned. Liking Catherine required an equal amount of respect and fear. “I don’t ever want to be on her bad side.”

  “Let’s hope you never are,” James murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Victoria’s cheek. If they had further to travel, he could have ignored Cate’s presence and gotten back to kissing Victoria at the very least. But the car was slowing to a stop and he wasn’t going to find out how perfectly they fit together that night.

  “Well, we’re here,” Victoria murmured, looking out the car window towards her darkened shop, not anxious to depart James’s company.

  “So, are you gonna invite me up?” James asked softly, his voice husky.

  “Ny-uh, no way,” Catherine answered from the front, turning around in her seat and glaring at James. “I’m not coming back for you in a couple of hours, Jimmy; I do have my own family to deal with.”

  Victoria was relieved and disappointed; as much as she wanted to spend time with James, she wasn’t prepared to invite him upstairs to her teeny-tiny apartment. Cupping James’s cheek, she softly kissed the corner of his mouth, wishing to linger but very aware of Catherine’s presence. “Another time, James.”

  He closed his eyes as her soft scent floated around him even as she denied him. Instead of turning him off, he wanted her more than ever; and not just for sex. He wanted to learn everything about her, from her upbringing to how she came to own a store selling romance and fantasy. Putting his hand over hers, holding her a little while longer, he lowered his voice, “Stop by the office tomorrow for lunch.”

  “If Marnie comes in I will,” she offered; it was the best she could do. She still had a business to run and no matter how much she wanted to spend time with James, she had to work. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning.”

  “Fine,” he sighed dramatically but ruined it when he smiled, forcing the wind from Victoria’s lungs. Damn, but he had a powerful smile. His entire expression sparkled as he bent his head and kissed her. As soon as his lips touched hers, she was lost. Warmth moved throughout her body and she had no choice but to return his kiss. Sliding her hand to the back of his neck, she pulled him closer as his mouth moved over hers.

  James felt her response the moment she melted, almost as soon as his lips touched hers. He couldn’t take much pleasure in the fact that she was putty in his hands because the vice versa was also true – she could ask for anything from him and he would give
it. The kiss was just a sample of how perfect they were together. He was sure they made a striking looking couple, and it had little to do with vanity. James was aware of his sinfully appealing looks; adding her golden goddess beauty to the equation and the two of them would be a force to be reckoned with.

  “Ahem,” Catherine said, amusement and impatience apparent. “Isn’t there a place and time for this kind of thing – and not in my car?”

  Victoria pulled back, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling the heat of a thousand blushes spread across her skin. James casually sat back in his seat, not-so-discreetly adjusting his pants. He casually crooned, “It was just a good-night kiss, Cate; surely you wouldn’t begrudge your boss a good-night kiss.”

  “If it looks like it’s leading to a good-morning kiss I am,” Catherine grinned, opening her car door. “Since I have duties and obligations that require me to be elsewhere, I will walk Victoria to her door; Jimmy, you stay put.”

  “Until tomorrow, Victoria,” he said with an impish smile, taking her hand and kissing the back of it with courtly flourish.

  “Good night, James,” Victoria smiled, climbing out of the car. Turning to Catherine, she said, “It’s not really necessary for you to walk me home; I am a big girl, you know.”

  “I do,” Catherine nodded, though she didn’t stay behind. Instead, she looped her arm through Victoria’s and started walking towards the store. “However, I just wanted to take a moment to tell you something.”

  “Why does that scare me?” Victoria asked with a wry grin.

  “Because it should,” Catherine said unapologetically. Calmly, as if she was discussing the weather, she warned, “If you hurt Jimmy I have the where-with-all to take you down.”

  Victoria made a choking sound, not sure how to respond, knowing that Catherine could back up her threat. Stopping outside of the shop, Catherine looked at Victoria with a huge grin, giving no indication that she was threatening the younger woman at all. “Of course, I have a good feeling about you; I think you and Jimmy have something special.”

  At this Victoria smiled in spite of herself and admitted, “I think so, too.”

  “Just so we’re clear,” Catherine winked at her, turning around and getting ready to walk back to her car.

  “Um, Catherine?” Victoria called out, not quite meeting her eyes.

  “Yeah?” Catherine paused and looked over her shoulder at Victoria.

  “I’m not going to hurt him.”

  Chapter 8

  Victoria didn’t sleep well the previous night; images of James kept her dreams steamy and unbearably delicious. But it was the invasion of his assistant, her memories from high school, her mother and the vague shape of her father that kept the dreams from being truly interesting. How odd, that she should feel such a connection to James after such a short time together. Other than their first date and last night at the park, she hadn’t even spent much time alone with him yet she felt as if she knew him and their chemistry was off-the-charts. But it wasn’t chemistry alone that made her desire him; it was James himself, with his humor and intelligence and strength.

  A wave of anxiety whispered through her at the thought of finally making love. Guilt mixed with relief at the thought of making love to a blind man: he wouldn’t be able to see her body’s imperfections. Granted, she wasn’t ashamed of her body by any stretch of the imagination, she just wasn’t Taylor. She didn’t mind not being tall since she was well-proportioned. She wasn’t as willowy thin as Taylor but she was slender and had decent curves. And her stomach was flattish marred only by her appendectomy scar, but it was a battle scar and she wore it with pride.

  She probably didn’t have to worry about sex hurting too much; she was a very active girl and her hymen had probably been eliminated years before. If it wasn’t broken through horseback riding or tae kwon do or a million other things then the exam she had to go through in order to get on birth control pills probably did the trick. She still had the pack of pills; it had sat unopened in her bathroom medicine cabinet, a testament to the fact that she hadn’t loved Alex enough to even start taking the damn things.

  During her restless night she also remembered that while she was in the hospital recovering, Taylor lost her virginity to, interestingly enough, Terrance Parker. At the time Victoria had felt betrayed because Terrance had asked her out the week before she had the surgery. By the time she left the hospital, he was dating Taylor and though that didn’t stop him from flirting outrageously with Victoria, it did put a damper on her crush on him. Things were never the same, even after Taylor broke up with him. It was just too weird going out with a guy who slept with your best friend. Not to mention what happened in Daytona.

  It was strange that she hadn’t remembered that Terrance had asked her out before sleeping with Taylor. Most of the boys who had ever shown an interest in her had eventually gone out with Taylor. Of course, the logical explanation was that they only showed an interest in her to gain Taylor’s attention. And it seemed to work; all the boys garnered Taylor’s attention – for a little while, at least. How in the world did she end up thinking about high school and Taylor and Daytona? The way her mind worked frequently baffled her.

  Odd, too, was that Terrance was acquaint anted with James, though she supposed they all traveled in the same circles. Victoria briefly wondered if Terrance had known James all those years ago but realized that James was six years older; a lifetime when one was in high school. Plus, James was in the even more exalted circles, having attended Mises.

  As she walked down the hall to James’s office, Victoria had to admit that she was impressed. His offices were on the top floor of one of the tall, modern office buildings and the layout was so open and warm, definitely not like traditional offices. There were meeting rooms and a few VIP offices along one wall, but for the most part, it was barrier-free. Everybody seemed relaxed, even as they went on about their business. Light streamed in through the large, picture windows; windows that offered glorious views of the city. She could feel the creative energy pulsating through the room.

  “Good morning, Vi,” Catherine called out. Looking to the left, Victoria saw James’s assistant leaning against the wall next to her door, her arms crossed beneath her breasts. Pushing off the wall, the woman joined Victoria. “I see you managed to get away for lunch; I hope Marnie is able to handle the work.”

  “She is, thank you for asking,” Victoria smiled, shifting the weight of the picnic basket to her other arm. With a warmer smile, she said, “Good morning.”

  As they continued to walk towards James’s office on the far side of the floor, Catherine said, “I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Uh oh,” Victoria grinned to hide her unease. “That can only mean trouble.”

  “Not at all,” Catherine said, waving away Victoria’s concern with the swish of her hand. “I just found out something that was… interesting.”

  “Trouble,” Victoria repeated, her curiosity piqued. When Catherine didn’t continue, Victoria grinned, “Well? Don’t leave me in suspense.”

  Catherine stopped walking, tilted her head to the side and studied Victoria with her discerning eye. Narrowing her eyes a bit, she asked, “Did you know that you have been the only student to ever attend Wesmore Lakes on an S. Moore Scholarship?”

  “I did,” Victoria murmured, not sure if there was any point to the question, deciding that if Catherine was asking, there most likely was a reason. “I was very fortunate.”

  “Are you sure that’s the reason?” Catherine asked evasively.

  “Pretty sure,” Victoria responded. With a shrug, she added, “I know that ‘S. Moore’ is probably Taylor’s biological father so it is possible that she asked him to pay the tuition so we could continue to go to school together. Of course, when I asked her, she denied knowing anything, but I think that was to spare my pride.”

  “So you’ve given it some thought,” Catherine stated rather than asked.

  “Of course,” Victori
a said emphatically. “A middle-class girl doesn’t go to such a prestigious school for no reason; and if Taylor’s dad wanted to take care of tuition for me, I wasn’t going to stop him. Wesmore Lakes is a very good school.”

  The corners of Catherine’s lips tilted up and in that moment she reminded Victoria of a cat; sleek and a little bit dangerous. Victoria’s eyes narrowed as she studied Catherine, “Why? Do you know something that I don’t?”

  “Probably,” Catherine said, her Cheshire grin unsettling Victoria. Letting her smile widen, Catherine enthused, “Now, have a great lunch with Jimmy but remember that there isn’t much privacy in the office.” Leaning forward, she whispered, “We can hear pretty much everything that goes on in there if one’s not careful.”

  “Warning noted,” Victoria said wryly. “I’ll save the screams for when we’re alone.”

  Catherine laughed, “I really do like you, Vi.”

  “You, too,” Victoria grinned, adding, “Though I have to admit that you terrify me a little bit.”

  That statement only made Catherine laugh harder. Victoria could still hear her when she opened the door to James’s office after the secretary told her to just head right in, that she was expected. “Knock, knock.”

  James stopped speaking into the microphone and raised his head at the sound of Victoria’s honeyed voice. With a smile, he came to his feet, “Victoria.”

  He was so devastatingly handsome, standing there with the sun shining on his black hair, giving it an almost-blue sheen. Wearing a dark suit, he looked the consummate, successful professional. Walking over to his desk, she set the basket down before stepping into his embrace. “Hey, you.”

  Bending his head, he kissed her softly and his lips lingered against hers. His dark world just seemed brighter with her in it. “Hey, yourself.”