Just One Kiss, page 3
That was about the strangest thing Tamara had ever heard. As an only child, Jamie was her dad’s only hope for taking the legacy he’d built to the next generation. She couldn’t believe he’d give up his lifelong dream.
Maybe the restaurant was having financial troubles. Or maybe local gangsters were running him out of business. Not that they had any local gangsters. Well, at least not any that she knew about.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” A man in his twenties—probably about the same age of every other person in the room—started the meeting and interrupted Tamara’s growing speculations. She tucked her worries about Jamie aside and gave him her attention.
He looked so average it would be hard to pick him out of a crowd. He had dark hair and light eyes, maybe green or light blue; she couldn’t tell from this distance. He was young, very early twenties if she had to guess, and he wore a generic blue suit with a white shirt and blue tie. She was just thankful he wasn’t wearing a space suit or green face paint or anything else that would ensure this evening was a complete waste of her time.
“Thank you for coming.” His deep voice filled the room and caused a curious stir of excitement in her. She leaned forward, suddenly eager to hear what he would say.
“This is a very big day for us.” The words hung over the room as he paused to meet every eye. “It’s the first time we’ve integrated new personnel into our business in many, many years.” The way he said it made the company sound ancient. Tamara searched her knowledge of local corporations dating way back. She came up empty.
It wasn’t that they didn’t have their share of old businesses, but most of them were tiny and quite often family owned. Such small companies wouldn’t hire twenty-five people at once, would they? Maybe his idea of old was different from hers.
Their host continued his spiel with an exuberance that caught Tamara’s attention more so than his words. Other than his voice, which was phenomenal, nothing about him really stood out in any way. He wasn’t tall or short. Attractive or ugly.
Her eyes narrowed as she completely tuned out the words to focus on his face.
Light seemed to waver over him like the beginning of a mirage in a scorched desert. A flickering gold that rippled his feature making him appear ... different. So maybe something about him did stand out. He was glowing!
She gave Jamie a nudge with her elbow. “Do you see that?” she whispered as quietly as she could.
“What?” Jamie hissed back under her breath.
“His face is golden. He’s radiant and regal looking or something.” Tamara couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“It’s the lighting,” Jamie said dismissively after a brief glance towards the ceiling lights. “Listen to what he’s saying.”
Tamara tried to do that but found herself searching for the source of the light that made him look so ... royal. Like a prince from a storybook, she thought in excitement, letting her imagination run free. It wasn’t just the way he shone in the lighting, it was the way he held himself, the way he spoke with such authority.
What if he was a prince? He might look average, but there was something more to him. Something commanding. Maybe everyone would have to try on a glass slipper as part of the job requirement. She snickered at the silly thought and received the point of Jamie’s elbow in her side.
“Ouch!” She rubbed her side and gave Jamie an annoyed look, but Jamie was too intent on whatever her prince was saying to notice.
Her prince. She giggled again and slapped a hand over her mouth. She really wasn’t trying to be disruptive. Maybe the stress of the last couple weeks had caught up with her and she was having a nervous breakdown.
When even that thought made her want to laugh, she instantly sobered. Was she having a breakdown? She folded her hands on her lap and sat up straight. She had a distant aunt who traveled to the shore for a full month every summer at her doctor’s direction to ease her mental stress.
Something like that could be hereditary.
No longer tickled, Tamara forced herself to concentrate on the rest of the speech. She really did need a job.
“Between thirty and fifty top candidates will be invited to orientation. Of those, only twenty-five will be chosen at this time, but if all goes well, we may be recruiting again very soon. So, if you aren’t invited to participate this time, please keep an eye out for us and apply again the next time we’re in your lovely world.”
Lovely world? Tamara’s brow shot up. That was a strange way of describing their tiny city.
“Come on.” Jamie was already standing and pulled her to her feet with an eager grin. “We need to sign up before everyone else does so we have a better chance of being selected.”
She held Tamara’s arm and ushered her down the aisle, weaving in and out between the others who were headed towards the rows of white plastic tables set up at the front of the room. “I really want this,” she tossed over her shoulder as she trotted to the front. “Don’t you? I’ll show Dad I’m good enough for someone. Can you even imagine? What if we both get hired? How awesome would that be?” she almost squealed.
Tamara let herself be dragged forward, noting the excitement and determination on the faces surrounding her. What had she missed? She tried to ask Jamie, but Jamie just rolled her eyes.
“Tell me you’re joking,” she demanded. “This sounds like the best opportunity since, well, ever. One full week paid training. Room and board provided. Exciting outings—again, paid—to break up any potential monotony of the training, and then a shot at a dream job.” Jamie sounded absolutely dreamy herself.
Jamie plunked down in a folding chair at the table and started filling out an application so fast Tamara imagined smoke coming from the tip of the pen.
“Here.” She snatched another application from the stack and shoved it, along with a pen, across the table towards Tamara when she realized Tamara was just watching. “Hurry up.” She rolled her hand through the air, urging her to get busy, then bent back to her task.
Tamara took her time sitting down. “I really doubt finishing the application first is going to have any influence on the selection process.”
Jamie ignored her.
Tamara carefully crossed her legs and glanced around. Unfamiliar faces were squeezing in at every table and pens moved at lightning speed. She wondered where all the people had come from. There was little talking, but the room was far from quiet. Pens scratched at paper. Chairs scraped the floor. There was an underlying excitement that, while not a noise in itself, somehow punctuated the other sounds, making them feel important, exhilarating.
Tamara studied her application and tapped her pen next to each question. Name, address, telephone, and email. Blah, blah, blah. Age. Could they legally ask age?
She flipped the page over, finding the back to be blank then shot Jamie a look. “No spaces for education or job history. How will they know if we’re qualified for the positions? What positions are they filling anyway?” She twisted on her chair to watch as Jamie scribbled in all the required information.
“James?”
“Hmm?” Jamie had her lower lip tucked between her teeth and wrote as if her life depended on it.
“What kind of job openings are they filling?”
Chapter 3
Jamie stopped writing with the blue pen she held suspended in the air and opened her mouth then closed it and frowned. “I’m not sure.” She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and seemed to search her memory for a hint of what kind of job she was so eager to get. After a few seconds she shrugged, and gave Tamara a wide eyed look.
“Where is it? Where does the training take place? The job itself?” Tamara rested her hands on the table and leaned close. “Is it local?”
“I don’t think he ever said.” Jamie’s expression filled with confusion. She shook her head and set down her pen with a firm click against the table.
“Jamie, this could be some sort of scam. Maybe they’re human traffickers,” she hissed and darted a look around the room. It wasn’t really like her to jump to such a highly unlikely conclusion, but stuff like that happened. “Look at everybody. They’re all so happy. So eager to sign on for the job. They don’t even know what the job is.”
“No way,” Jamie said, but quickly lost her conviction as she picked up not only Tamara’s train of thought, but also her rising fear. She took a cautious look around. “Do you think we’ve been drugged or something?” She jumped on board the conspiracy theory with both feet. Her eyes widened even more, and she clamped a hand over her mouth as if to prevent anything foreign from going in.
Tamara considered that but dismissed it. They were in a very public place, and there were hundreds of people here. Some of them could be law enforcement or medical personnel. She didn’t think anyone would risk drugging such a large group, and even more so, she didn’t feel drugged.
But she also didn’t have the same burning desire to sign up for this thing that the others seemed to have. Especially Jamie. “Did you eat or drink anything after we got here?”
Jamie shook her head. “No, I was with you the whole time.”
“True.” Tamara searched for another answer.
Just then Prince Charming—as Tamara couldn’t help but think of him, although he hardly looked the part—stopped at their table. “Hello, ladies.” He met Jamie’s eyes, then turned to Tamara. “I’m Nick Walsh, head of recruitment. Do you have any questions I can answer for you?”
His words were like liquid sunshine spreading across her skin before easing into her system. Tamara felt a sappy grin curve her lips. He was a good person. She nodded to herself. This was a good opportunity. “No,” she shook her head and picked up the pen, “I think you’ve answered everything.”
His smile dipped slightly before righting itself. “I’m glad. If you ever do have any questions,” he said very seriously, “please remember I’ll be happy to answer them.”
His eyes held hers, and that liquid sunshine pumped through her veins. With a final smile, he walked away, collecting finished applications, and stopping to chat at each table.
Jamie bent back over her application, and Tamara attacked hers. She scribbled answers in each blank space, then jumped up and snatched Jamie’s application to add to her own.
“Hey!” Jamie protested.
“Sorry. Are you done?” Tamara distractedly asked as she scanned the room. Where was he? Spotting her target, a huge smile spread across her face. Without waiting for Jamie’s answer, she headed straight to her prince, Nick Walsh.
“We’re finished.” She offered the papers to him a little breathlessly. “It would be wonderful if we were both selected for this.” She tipped her head towards Jamie. “We’ve been friends since second grade and really haven’t been separated much since.”
“Second grade?” Nick seemed to consider that a little too seriously.
“Yes, I guess we were only eight, but we’ve honestly been best friends ever since.”
Nick nodded and took the papers from her, giving them a cursory glance. “Neither of you are employed or have any commitments tying you here, correct?”
“That’s right.” His question poked cold, angry holes through the fluffy layer of happiness that wrapped her like a comfy blanket. She gave her head a tiny shake to clear her thoughts. “Where’s this company located? I don’t remember you saying. I really hope you have an office in New York City. Not that it has to be there,” she hastened to add at Nick’s blank stare.
“I’ve just always planned to move to a big city. I’m going to travel the world eventually,” she confided, “but I figure living in a big city is a good start. I’m a computer systems analyst, by the way. I’m really just good with computers in general.” She knew she was babbling but couldn’t stop.
What was wrong with her? She didn’t babble. Well, apparently she did, she managed to think as more words spewed from her lips. “Any openings in that field? And what’s your company’s ...”
Nick looked deep into her eyes, and her questions and concerns burned away like fog under an early morning sun. Her body was once again warm and mellow. Thoughts and cares chased each other to the shadowy corners of her mind. She felt the drunken smile on her lips but didn’t care or question it.
“There are many open positions.” Nick’s voice was slow and calm. “The training and the job are both far from here. If you accept the position, it is highly unlikely you will ever return to this town again.”
“Not a big loss.” Tamara shrugged and felt confident in her words. What had this town ever done for her? A fresh start somewhere far away sounded very appealing. Maybe they did have a location in NYC. Nick hadn’t said they didn’t. “As long as I could keep in touch with my parents and Jamie, of course.”
The room gave an awkward jolt, and the applications fluttered from Nick’s hand. A few startled gasps filled the air. Nick’s lips thinned before he worked them into a smile. “Not to worry,” he assured the group. “Just a slight tremor.”
He bent to gather the applications, and Tamara stooped to help. “What kind of tremor was that?” she asked. “I felt something similar this morning. We don’t have earthquakes around here.”
Nick focused on the papers he picked up and ignored the question. The fact that tremors were reaching this far could only mean time was getting short. He reached for the papers Tamara held out to him.
“Here,” Tamara said just as their hands touched, sending a surprising tingle along her spine. Her eyes flew up to find Nick studying her. His muddy green eyes grew clear and sharp and held an intensity she’d never seen before. She forgot she’d even asked a question. Then she forgot to breathe.
Wham!
Just like that, a longing beyond anything she’d ever known broke free from whatever dam had held it back all her life. It surged like a roaring river from her head to her stomach. Pooling there, it swirled with a delightful rush before trickling all the way to her toes, releasing a new, more insistent heat along the way.
She instinctively leaned towards Nick since he was the one causing all the yummy feelings inside her. Her eyes narrowed in on his lips, and she licked her own. Her heart pounded as she closed the distance between them.
He wasn’t her type. She eased closer. She didn’t even know the guy. Her eyes grew heavy. He was young, like really young. Words of warning flittered through her mind, but longing rounded them up and tucked them safely away in the shadowy reaches of her mind so they couldn’t disturb her.
Slowly, so slowly, she drifted in, drawn by a force she couldn’t ignore. Her breathing quickened as her eyes met his. Flaming emeralds. She stopped for just a second to study those enticing eyes. Who knew jewels could burn? He didn’t look so young now. The heat in his eyes seemed to have a direct connection to her desire, pushing it to a painful level.
Everything faded around her. The noise, the people. It was just her and her prince. And he was all she needed.
*****
Nick held perfectly still as Tamara eased closer in a fluid movement. She was so beautiful. Everything he imagined in his future bride. He wanted to take what she offered—what she would willingly give him. Wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything. He could end the search right now, and with this woman as the prize, he longed to do just that.
A fraction of an inch separated them. Her warm breath touched his lips, and her eyes drifted closed. She was so beautiful. Not like the women he was used to seeing, with their prism-colored hair and artistic makeup. She looked so pure and natural, with just a touch of bronze on her smooth eyelids above a thick row of lashes and maybe a hint of added pink on her full lips.
She moved to close the final distance.
As much as he yearned to feel her lips on his he couldn’t. Not yet. At the last possible second, he scampered back and jumped to his feet. “Yes, well.” He rubbed the back of his neck before tugging on his collar.
With the way his body reacted to her, he felt she was the one, but he couldn’t take a chance. He also couldn’t bind with her without assuring she fully understood what that meant.
Tamara tottered into the space he’d occupied only seconds earlier and almost landed on her face. The world around her returned in a confusing crash of noise and light. Nick reached out to steady her then helped her to her feet while she blinked at him with an adorable owlish look, unable to make sense of what had just happened.
Nick cleared his throat, twice, then dropped her arm as if he’d forgotten he held it and scampered backwards even further. Muddy green eyes met her own—from a safe three feet away—and she blinked hard at him. Her brain was functioning under a haze of lingering longing and confusion. Weren’t his eyes a sharp, emerald green just seconds ago?
“I certainly hope you’ll be selected for training,” he said quickly, his voice gruff even as he forced his lips to curve into a smile. He knew she would be selected. What he actually hoped was that she would accept, but of course he couldn’t tell her that.
“We’ll be contacting our chosen candidates in the morning, as I said, and leaving early evening. You might want to take this evening to see your family and get your affairs in order. Um, just in case you’re offered a position in the training program, of course.”
Tamara couldn’t form a coherent thought, much less a witty reply to cover her awkwardness. She watched as he took a step to the left before turning a one-eighty and rushing to the right. He hurried past the other applicants without another word and left through a door at the side of the room.
She stared at the door long after it closed behind him. She’d almost kissed an apparently unwilling stranger but was too relaxed and content to be bothered by the thought.
What was wrong with her? What was it about him that made her feel so—happy? He certainly wasn’t her type.
She did a quick mental comparison between Nick and Sean. Sean was 6’2”, a good five inches over her 5’9”. With her heels on, she and Nick had been almost eye to eye. Sean had a strong jaw with a perpetual five o’clock shadow that was sexy as all get out. Nick had a baby face with pimples on his chin. Sean was on the fast track to vice president at R, G, & R. Nick ... What did Nick do exactly? Make presentations to prospective employees? Collect applications?
