Elle stared at the photo, absorbing every detail. Lenora was beautiful. Brock looked charming and sexy. She wanted to club him. She was staying home every night when he was out courting Lenora Hudgins. Or her account, anyway.
Twelve hours later, she was still steaming as she waited for Brock to return home. He finally wandered in at eight o’clock as she finished a BLT while watching her second Julia Roberts movie. Taking a deep breath, she focused on that big-screen TV instead of how furious she was with her husband.
“Julia Roberts,” he said. “Did she win an Oscar for this one?”
“No. I watched that one earlier,” she said.
Silence stretched between them. “How was your day?” he asked.
“Downhill after my second blueberry pancake,” she said, “thanks to your photo with Lenora in the paper.”
Another silence fell like a lead weight. “What photo?”
“The one in the paper this morning,” she said, still not looking at him. “You didn’t see it?”
He swore. “No. I didn’t. You didn’t read anything into that photo, did you?” he asked. “Because it was all business.”
“Hmm,” she said. “If I were the jealous type, I would have to disagree. I can’t help wondering how you would feel if the roles were reversed and I were toasting a man with that kind of smile on my face.” She thrust the paper toward him, her gaze focused on Julia Roberts on the screen. “You want to answer that one?”
“It isn’t what it looks like, Elle. Come on. You worked for me. You know exactly what those dinners are all about.”
“Again, how would you respond if that were me in the photo? And I said ‘it isn’t what it looks like?’” she asked.
“I would want to beat the guy to a pulp,” he conceded.
She finally met his gaze. “I don’t think Lenora would look good with a black eye,” she said. “I also don’t think you would get the account if I punched her.”
“You want to join me the next time Lenora and I have dinner?” he asked.
“I think you might have a hard time winning the account with your pregnant wife along,” she said.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Any chance I can get some free makeup samples?” she asked.
His lips twitched. “What do you want me to do?”
“Tell me how much she turns you off,” she said.
“She does,” Brock said. “Plastic. Over-Botoxed. Her skin is so tightly stretched she looks like she’s permanently in a spaceship with a G-force blowing back her skin.”
“You’re exaggerating,” she said.
He chuckled. “The woman is impossible to please. She’s an alien.”
“Does she want you to go to bed with her?”
“No, Elle, she’s just incredibly difficult and demands a lot of attention,” he said, irritation bleeding through his cool countenance.
His response aroused her curiosity. “In what way?”
“Do you really want to know?” he asked.
“Yes, I do. I miss the activity at the office. Hearing about your work is fun for me,” she said and he sat down beside her. “Tell me about her. Is she married? Does she have children? How old is she?”
“Unmarried, one child, college-aged, she’s fifty-three. She’s had too many face-lifts and works out too much,” he said.
“Scared, but gotta be tough to stay on top,” Elle said. “Bring her here for dinner one night next week. We’ll have roast chicken, mashed potatoes, string beans and biscuits.”
“The only thing she’ll eat is the chicken,” he said.
“We’ll see,” she said.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What makes you so sure?”
“What have you got to lose?” she countered.
He shrugged. “Good point.”
They slept together for the next three nights, but didn’t make love, even though their experiment was technically over. The lack of intimacy relieved Elle, then made her feel uneasy. She tried not to focus on it. On Monday night, Lenora was scheduled to arrive for dinner at six. By six-thirty, she still hadn’t arrived.
“This is why I can’t stand dealing with this woman,” Brock muttered, pacing from one end of the den to the other.
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “She finally showed.”
Elle allowed the housekeeper to greet Lenora, then counted to ten and rose. She slid her hand inside Brock’s and walked toward the dining room. He squeezed her hand and glanced at her. “Thanks,” he muttered.
Lenora swept into the hallway. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Crazy Monday,” the platinum blonde with smoky eyes and a too-thin frame said.