CourtesanTales Masterfile by Unknown

entertain him while making him want to
get to know her.
    She
stole a glance at his left hand. Bare. Thank God.
    The
association president went to the podium. “Good evening, everyone. We have a
number of issues on the agenda so please find seats so we can begin.”
    Autumn
stifled a groan. Why did the blasted meeting have to start on time? She
reluctantly withdrew her hand from his. “I guess I’d better find a seat.”
    He
slipped a hand under her elbow. “Yes. Let’s do that.”
    His
fingers on her bare skin sent a tingle through her. She turned back to face
him, hoping she’d managed to conceal her emotional turmoil from him. “I see a
seat—”
    “A
seat?” He nodded toward two empty seats on the other side of the room. “There
are two over there. Join me?”
    She
hesitated. Contemplating flirting with him as they waited for the meeting to
start was one thing. Sitting with him might be too close to a line she’d never
crossed before. Her divorce from Sam still stung. The reason he’d divorced her
hadn’t changed enough to make a difference in her life.
    “Autumn,”
his fingers tightened on her elbow. He leaned down until his lips were a breath
away from her ear. “I won’t hurt you,” he promised softly.
    She
stared up into his dark eyes. Why did she feel as if he’d read her mind and
knew of her hurt? “What?”
    “You
can trust me, Autumn.”
    Trust
didn’t come easy. Sam had broken her heart, injured her pride, and damaged her
self-esteem. When Sam left her, she’d decided lost love hurt and that love in
general was overrated. Since then she had managed to remain romantically
unscathed by channeling all her time and energy into preparing her students for
careers in math and science.
    Some
of her students had done very well. She found satisfaction in celebrating their
triumphs with them. Her life wasn’t exciting. It was safe. Safety was
important.
    He
caressed her elbow. “You can trust me, Autumn.”
    Her
desire to accept his word and trust him gave her pause. She knew nothing about
him except that she found him more sexually exciting than any man she’d ever
met. He seemed to want to spend at least an hour or so in her company. An hour
wouldn’t make much difference to him but it might act as a balm to her wounded
ego.
    She
smiled up at him. “Okay.”
    “Great.”
He gave her a slow, warm smile before he led her over to the two empty chairs
on the other side of the room. Once she was seated he sat so close to her, his
thigh pressed against hers.
    She
attempted to draw her thigh away from his.
    He
responded by shifting in his seat in a manner that allowed him to press his
thigh against hers again.
    She
inhaled sharply and glanced at him.
    He
arched a brow and ensured she was even more aware of him by sliding an arm
along the back of her chair. He leaned so close she felt his breath on her
cheek. “Relax, Autumn. I don’t bite—at least not in public.”
    She
blushed and turned her attention back to the front of the room. If he touched
her, she wasn’t sure how she’d respond.
    He
didn’t.
    Nevertheless,
she spent the entire meeting wondering if he were as aware of her as she was of
him. His thigh pressing against hers seemed to indicate he was yet each time
she stole a glance at him, his attention was on the podium. Later, she couldn’t
remember how she’d voted on the proposed condo fees.
    After
the meeting ended, he turned to look at her. “So you’re all for increased condo
fees?”
    “What
makes you think that?”
    He
shrugged. “You raised your hand when the president asked for a show of hands of
those in favor of the higher fees.”
    “I
did?”
    His
lips twitched. “You did.”
    “Oh…hell!”
    He
laughed. “It would probably have passed anyway. Now for a really important
question, do you have any plans for the rest of the night?”
    “No.
    “Will
you have a drink with me?”
    The
thought that she might somehow parlay the drink invitation into a night of
wanton