Chapter Six

Kristy's heart involuntarily leapt into her throat at the buzz. She forced it back down and took a deep breath. "He's here," she said, trying to be calm.

"Well, go answer the door," Stacey replied.

Kristy made a face at her and then straightened her shoulders in determination. She marched purposefully across the room and unlocked the door, swinging it open.

There he was. For a moment, Kristy just looked at him, taking in his appearance. He was dressed dressy yet casual, in a pair of khakis, dress loafers, and a navy blue sweater. His hair looked a little damp, as if he'd just showered, and in one hand he held a single red rose. When Kristy opened the door he smiled at her and held the rose out wordlessly.

Kristy took it, a smile spreading across her face. She brought the flower to her nose and inhaled the fragrance. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Thank you," she spoke up. Stepping aside, she held the door open wider so that he could come in.

Once he was inside, Kristy introduced him to Stacey, who looked like she was trying not to ogle him too hard and failing miserably. "Uh, Clive, this is my friend Stacey," she said quickly. "Stace, Clive Brighton." She turned towards Clive, explaining, "Stacey is watching Sarah tonight."

"Glad to know you," Clive said, extending a hand to Stacey. Stacey took it very slowly, holding onto his hand a little too long. "You too," she managed to say.

Kristy cleared her throat. "I'll just go put this in water," she said, holding up her rose.

A few minutes later, Kristy had put the rose in the vase, given Clive's cell phone number to Stacey, said good-bye to Sarah, and left the apartment. Once she was outside her door and it was safely closed behind her, she looked up at Clive and told herself to breathe normally. This was nothing to be nervous about. She was Kristy Thomas, and she wasn't interested in Clive Brighton. She was only having dinner with him to be nice.

Clive smiled at her and offered his arm. "I've made reservations for us at the Tavern on the Green," he told her as they headed out. "I've never been there but I do hear that the food is fantastic."

"Sounds good," Kristy agreed. "Stacey has eaten there a few times and she's always had good things to say about it."

Clive nodded. They spent the next few minutes, outside the apartment and then in the taxi cab, making small, awkward conversation. The entire time, Kristy felt embarrassed for some reason. Clive was good-looking, but this was just what she feared. He was boring. Any minute now, he'd say, "So, how do you like the book business?" Kristy would much rather have been at home, watching TV with Sarah.

"So," Clive said a few minutes later, "how do you like the book business?"

Fortunately, both Clive and Kristy seemed to relax once they were in the restaurant. They got to talking, and Kristy found out that Clive actually was an interesting person. "What part of England are you from?" Kristy asked after they had placed their orders with the waitress.

"I was born and raised in Warwickshire," Clive replied, "but I went to Oxford University and moved to London when I was eighteen."

"And that was, what . . . ten years ago?" Kristy guessed.

"Seven," Clive corrected. He grinned. "I don't look that old, do I?"

Kristy gazed at him, then slowly shook her head. "No, it's just . . . you're so successful, and you've got your publishing job. . . and you're only twenty-five?"

He shrugged. "I suppose most of it was luck. I've always loved books, but I've never been much of a writer. I mean, I couldn't write books myself. Second year of university, I began an internship with Jonathan Anderson Books as an editor, and I met some influential people. Friends in the right places, you know what I mean?" Kristy nodded. "After I graduated," he went on, "I was hired on immediately. I worked my way up the ladder, and now here I am."

Kristy shook her head. "I never would have guessed."

"What about you, Kristy?" Clive looked at her intently. "Am I lucky enough to work with you for a long time, or are you planning other things for your life?"

Kristy sat back and took a deep breath. She had hoped to avoid these personal questions. Shrugging, she absently played with her linen napkin. "You might be stuck with me for awhile," she responded lightly. "I don't have any immediate plans. Taking care of Sarah is my first job. Anything else is second priority."

"I admire that," Clive agreed, nodding. "You love her very much, don't you?"

Kristy smiled, but it was a faraway smile, directed more at Sarah than at Clive. "She's amazing," she answered. "I do admit that I have dreams, but I suppose they're on the back burner for awhile."

He leaned forward. "What do you dream of?" The question, though simple enough, had an intimate ring to it, and it caused Kristy's heart to start pounding. She looked up at Clive and shrugged again, forcing herself to behave normally, like a grown woman. "Oh, plenty of things," she said. "When I was younger, I wanted to be President of the United States."

Clive laughed. "Talk about ambition!"

Kristy laughed. "If you knew me back then, though, you'd agree that it was attainable. I started out with my own business--" Suddenly, she broke off, blushing. She couldn't believe that she was on a date with her sexy, British, sophisticated boss, and she was talking about the BSC.

"Go on," Clive urged, a soft smile on his face.

"It's silly," Kristy insisted, her cheeks still warm. "But what the hell. I had this club, a sort-of business, my friends and I. We called ourselves the Baby-sitters Club. I was about twelve when that started." At his urging, she told him how she'd come up with the idea and all the things they'd done with children: plays, concerts, talent shows, and tons and tons of baby-sitting jobs.

"We lasted awhile, actually," she finished, "until we were in high school and decided we were too old for it."

Clive looked impressed. "An idea like that takes a lot of creativity, and what's more, actually carrying it out and making it a success takes dedication and hard work. I'm very impressed." He raised his glass to her. "This is to you, Kristy, because I've never met someone who was a successful entrepreneur at age twelve."

Kristy laughed and clinked her wine goblet against his. "Thanks."

"No wonder you're such a good mother," he commented.

They talked like that all through dinner. He told her of activities he'd held in high school--he was star of his school soccer team. Well, he called it football, but in England football meant soccer. Clive explained that this was because it was accurate: you kicked the ball with your feet. "Personally, I don't know why you Americans call it soccer," he said with a laugh. "That has nothing to do with the game at all."

Dinner flew by. Two hours and dessert later, Clive finally asked for the check and, after he paid, they left the restaurant. Kristy glanced at her wristwatch and saw that it was close to nine-thirty at night. It was getting to be late, but for some reason, Kristy wasn't ready for the night to end. A cool breeze ruffled her hair and she pulled her new jacket around her shoulders, then smiled up at Clive. He was gazing off into the distance, seemingly content with their companionable silence.

"I'm glad you agreed to go out with me," he said a few minutes later as they ambled down the crowded sidewalk. "After such a long time, it's nice to finally get to know you."

Kristy smiled at him. "I agree."

Any animosity she had felt towards him had melted away. He seemed to be just as good-looking on the inside as he was on the outside. Mature, sophisticated . . . He was so different from Steven, and yet at the same time, Kristy felt a chemistry with him in a way that, up until that point, she had never felt with anyone but Steven. How could she be so attracted to two men that were completely different?

"Any particular time you need to be home?" Clive asked.

Kristy shook her head quickly. "No."

"Good."

They decided to go to a small dance club near the restaurant. It wasn't some kind of club that was smoky and filled with people making out, but rather it was classy, with people quietly dancing and mingling among themselves. A tasteful mix of popular music was being played. Clive and Kristy stole a table towards the back and ordered drinks while they continued their conversation from the restaurant. Kristy's emotional barriers seemed to have disappeared, the more she talked to Clive. They delved quickly into more personal conversation.

"I was married briefly," Clive confessed to her. "To my high school sweetheart. You know how it is when you're young like that. We got caught up in puppy love and married after graduation."

"Did you go to London together?" Kristy asked.

Clive shook his head and laughed; a short, amused laugh. "The marriage didn't even last that long. Over the summer, we tried to live together. It's actually quite funny, it was such a disaster. I didn't have a proper job and she didn't have one at all. We rented a small flat with leaks and we never had money for food. It was positively dreadful."

Kristy raised her eyebrows. She couldn't imagine Clive Brighton living in a tiny England flat with leaks in the roof. He didn't notice her expression.

"Two months into the marriage, she was begging for mercy," Clive laughed. "My parents, who are Catholic, managed to arrange for us to have an annulment. So we did just that, she moved back in with her parents, I went to Oxford, and I never saw her again."

"Wow." Kristy couldn't imagine being married and then divorced all in one summer. It seemed really crazy. But then, she supposed, she'd had a baby, so maybe it wasn't that different.

As if he were thinking the same thing, Clive brought it up. "So, you aren't married. Were you ever?"

"No."

Clive nodded and she knew what he was thinking, only he was probably trying to think of how to ask. She decided to spare him the trouble.

"Sarah's father was my boyfriend, my high school sweetheart, I suppose. She was conceived on prom night, if you can imagine anything more cliché."

"Ah." Clive nodded. "Are you still in touch with her father?"

"No. He broke up with me when he found out I was pregnant, and I moved here after I graduated high school. It's been just Sarah and me since she was born."

He reached across the table and laid his strong hand over her small one, and just for a moment, the contact of his skin against hers sent a jolt through her. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

"Don't be. I hardly think of it anymore," she lied breezily.

For awhile, they sat in companionable silence, listening to the music. Then, as a slow song started, Clive got to his feet and held his hand out to her. "May I?" he asked, sounding like a pure gentleman.

Kristy eyed the dance floor, where only a few couples were swaying in time to the music. Then she looked back up at Clive and found herself nodding. "All right," she agreed. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her onto the wooden dance floor. Once they were there, Clive slowly took her into his arms. He wrapped one muscular arm around her waist and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. Kristy stepped close to him and leaned slightly into him. They began to dance, slowly and silently, content with the music and each others' company.

This is my life

It's not what it was before

All these feelings I've shared

These are my dreams

I've never lived before

Somebody shake me, cause I

I must be sleeping

Now that we're here

It's so far away

All the struggle we thought was in vain

All the mistakes one life contains

They all finally start to go away

When the song was over, Kristy was reluctant to step away from him. But she did. Clive looked down at her warmly, his gaze intense, never wavering. Sensing he was about to kiss her, a feeling of panic washed over her and she stepped away quickly. "We better go," she said.

Looking slightly disappointed, Clive nodded. They headed back to their table and got their things and then headed out of the club. Kristy stole a glance at her watch and saw that it was almost midnight.

They didn't talk much in the cab ride back to her apartment. When they arrived outside of her building, Clive stepped out behind her. "I'll walk you," he offered. Kristy nodded. As they rode the elevator, Kristy cleared her throat. "I had fun tonight," she said. "Thank you."

Clive nodded. "My pleasure. Like I said, I'm happy to get to know the real you."

He walked her down the hall to her door. She fumbled in her purse for a minute, looking for her keys. When she found them, she smiled up at him and put her hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, she felt like Susie Q coming home from a date with the BMOC. It was all very high school. Shaking the thought from her head, she spoke up. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

He stepped closer to her, and looked into her eyes. Kristy raised her chin slightly, and he took the initiative to lean down and brush his lips against hers. Kristy's mind flashed to her violet-edged high heel, but the truth was that the moment his lips touched hers, electricity shot through her body and the last thing she wanted to do was fight him off. She wanted to kiss him forever. But. . . she couldn't. It had started like this with Steven. She was going to get hurt. Damn him for breaking through her barriers.

He was still kissing her gently, but when she didn't resist right away, he moved to deepen the kiss. Suddenly Kristy panicked. She broke away from him and backed up.

"What's wrong?" Clive asked.

She looked up at him. He looked so kind. But what had she been thinking? Never trust a pair of big blue eyes. Cursing herself, Kristy felt her eyes fill with hot tears. Tears of betrayal, tears of anger in herself. Disappointment. When she opened her mouth to speak, however, the only thing that came out was a whisper. "I can't," she managed to rasp, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

Turning, she unlocked and opened her door in one quick motion. Leaving a startled Clive outside in the hall, she shut herself into the safety of her apartment. Once the door was closed behind her, she leaned against it, holding a hand to her heart, breathing deeply and trying to blink away the tears.

It had been foolish to think that she could actually trust anyone. She had opened up too much, let him in too far, and now he would want more. Now he could hurt her. Clive Brighton was sexily dangerous, and she knew that she was playing with fire. Being dumped by her boss would be even worse than being dumped by Steven. She had to stay away from him.

She heard Stacey approach from somewhere in the dark apartment. She quickly blinked away the last of her tears and straightened, just as Stacey came in.

"How did it go?' she asked brightly.

Kristy shrugged out of her jacket and began to move around, settling in for the night. "Fine. He's a nice guy, but there's no chemistry."

Stacey seemed satisfied with her hasty explanation. "Too bad. He was so good-looking."

Kristy just shook her head. Clive was not going to use his charm and good looks to edge his way into her life and heart, only to leave her broken.

So not happening.