called the I’m-getting-sick-from-that-appetizer look.” She shuddered for effect. “You’d think the brass could’ve hired better caterers this year. I think these guys are the same ones as last year, and you know what happened then.”
Carlee held her stomach. “Don’t remind me. I didn’t see anything but the bathroom for two days. You’re not eating the macaroni salad, just in case.”
“Haven’t touched it.” Allie forced herself to look away from Lukas and the snoring woman, but her gaze didn’t cooperate for long, and it bounced right back like one of those rubber balls on elastic strings.
“Don’t,” Carlee murmured.
37
Tawny Taylor
She watched him as he droned on and on, his expression as flat as her own breasts…without the Wonderbra. “I won’t. I just feel bad for him. He has no idea what he’s doing. Someone needs to help him. A well-meaning friend.”
“That’s what a mother is for.”
“The man’s in his thirties. I’m sure his mother’s given up on him by now.”
“And so should you.” Carlee dumped the rest of her wine down her throat. “Have you thought that maybe he’s happy being the way he is?”
“Sure. But I don’t think he realizes something’s wrong. Without the glasses and outdated haircut and clothes, I think he’d be a real hunk. And he’s smart. He has a good job—”
“Forget it. You’re not the hostess of one of those makeover shows.” Carlee turned to the bartender. “Another glass of the Two-buck Chuck for me, and my friend’ll take a soda…with less Coke and more rum this time—”
“Just Coke, thanks.” Allie corrected. After last year’s fiasco that started with a few Fuzzy Navels and ended with her tongue in the CEO’s fuzzy navel, she’d vowed never to drink at a company party again.
Of course, she’d never know if she’d earned the promotion that had followed soon after the hard way or not. Some mysteries were better left unexplored.
As she sipped her lukewarm soda, she watched Lukas talk. The bored-to-death woman had either sleepwalked away or dropped in a cold faint somewhere, and so he’d moved on to yet another victim.
It was too bad. He really was a good-looking guy. Dark hair that looked like if it was given a toss with some hair wax it might be sexy. Without the heavy grease he used, in fact, she wondered if it might even have some blond highlights.
And without the glasses making his pale blue eyes look as wide as an owl’s, she guessed his face was proportioned real nice. High cheekbones. Square jaw. Narrow nose. A strong, masculine, manly face.
Oh, yes. There was lip-smackin’ potential in that man. She let her gaze travel south.
His clothes didn’t fit properly. They hung on him funny, like they belonged to someone else. Granted, he was big. Everywhere. But his clothes did nothing for him. She wondered how he would look in a snug sweater and khakis.
He caught her staring, and she felt her cheeks heating.
Clearly seizing the moment, the woman next to him slipped away.
Oh, boy. Now she’d done it. Now she had to talk to him. She’d made him lose his partner.
His gaze still focused on her face, he walked toward her.
“What did you do?” Carlee whispered, returning from wherever she’d wandered.
“I leave you alone for two seconds, and look what’s happened.”
“Shush! He’ll hear you.”
38
Body Chemistry
He made an honest attempt at a smile as he approached her, but it didn’t quite mature into a convincing one. Still, she smiled back.
“Hi,” she said, feeling instantly uncomfortable.
“Hi.” He stared in her eyes, unblinking, until she had to glance away.
“Are you enjoying the party?” She studied his shoes. Loafers like her dad wore. She always believed a man’s shoes said a lot about a guy. Loafers said “practical, responsible, dependable”. Not bad things, but not quite what she was hoping for, either.
“It’s okay. You?”
“It’d be more fun if I were loaded,
Carlee held her stomach. “Don’t remind me. I didn’t see anything but the bathroom for two days. You’re not eating the macaroni salad, just in case.”
“Haven’t touched it.” Allie forced herself to look away from Lukas and the snoring woman, but her gaze didn’t cooperate for long, and it bounced right back like one of those rubber balls on elastic strings.
“Don’t,” Carlee murmured.
37
Tawny Taylor
She watched him as he droned on and on, his expression as flat as her own breasts…without the Wonderbra. “I won’t. I just feel bad for him. He has no idea what he’s doing. Someone needs to help him. A well-meaning friend.”
“That’s what a mother is for.”
“The man’s in his thirties. I’m sure his mother’s given up on him by now.”
“And so should you.” Carlee dumped the rest of her wine down her throat. “Have you thought that maybe he’s happy being the way he is?”
“Sure. But I don’t think he realizes something’s wrong. Without the glasses and outdated haircut and clothes, I think he’d be a real hunk. And he’s smart. He has a good job—”
“Forget it. You’re not the hostess of one of those makeover shows.” Carlee turned to the bartender. “Another glass of the Two-buck Chuck for me, and my friend’ll take a soda…with less Coke and more rum this time—”
“Just Coke, thanks.” Allie corrected. After last year’s fiasco that started with a few Fuzzy Navels and ended with her tongue in the CEO’s fuzzy navel, she’d vowed never to drink at a company party again.
Of course, she’d never know if she’d earned the promotion that had followed soon after the hard way or not. Some mysteries were better left unexplored.
As she sipped her lukewarm soda, she watched Lukas talk. The bored-to-death woman had either sleepwalked away or dropped in a cold faint somewhere, and so he’d moved on to yet another victim.
It was too bad. He really was a good-looking guy. Dark hair that looked like if it was given a toss with some hair wax it might be sexy. Without the heavy grease he used, in fact, she wondered if it might even have some blond highlights.
And without the glasses making his pale blue eyes look as wide as an owl’s, she guessed his face was proportioned real nice. High cheekbones. Square jaw. Narrow nose. A strong, masculine, manly face.
Oh, yes. There was lip-smackin’ potential in that man. She let her gaze travel south.
His clothes didn’t fit properly. They hung on him funny, like they belonged to someone else. Granted, he was big. Everywhere. But his clothes did nothing for him. She wondered how he would look in a snug sweater and khakis.
He caught her staring, and she felt her cheeks heating.
Clearly seizing the moment, the woman next to him slipped away.
Oh, boy. Now she’d done it. Now she had to talk to him. She’d made him lose his partner.
His gaze still focused on her face, he walked toward her.
“What did you do?” Carlee whispered, returning from wherever she’d wandered.
“I leave you alone for two seconds, and look what’s happened.”
“Shush! He’ll hear you.”
38
Body Chemistry
He made an honest attempt at a smile as he approached her, but it didn’t quite mature into a convincing one. Still, she smiled back.
“Hi,” she said, feeling instantly uncomfortable.
“Hi.” He stared in her eyes, unblinking, until she had to glance away.
“Are you enjoying the party?” She studied his shoes. Loafers like her dad wore. She always believed a man’s shoes said a lot about a guy. Loafers said “practical, responsible, dependable”. Not bad things, but not quite what she was hoping for, either.
“It’s okay. You?”
“It’d be more fun if I were loaded,
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