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this up to you. I was halfway certain you d try to kick my ass rather than talk to me.
Try to kick it?
Well, obviously. No way you could do it.
A little overconfident, aren t you?
Hey, I m FBI here. Nobody kicks my ass.
In case you ve forgotten, that s just a role you play.
It is? Oh yeah. Oh well. Mitch shrugged, his eyes sparkling with teasing good humor. Rising from the chair in which he was seated,
he held out his hand. Thanks again, Ben. Thanks for the tea too. It was good.
You re welcome.
Ben wasn t sure who was responsible for it, but when they shook hands they held the contact for a few beats longer than necessary.
And there it was again, the same wash of heat he d felt earlier swept over Ben and he actually shivered. The spark of attraction flashed, that
indefinable something flaring between two strangers prompting them to break down the barriers between them. Before he could say anything,
Mitch beat him to it.
Well, I better get going, he said and gave their joined hands a slightly tighter squeeze before beginning to disengage the contact.
Their hands mutually parted and Ben wasn t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. I ll walk you out, he offered. And oh, I
almost forgot. Would you mind saying hi to my partner? She made me promise I d introduce you.
Sure, no problem.
The introductions were duly made and to Ben s relief, Becca behaved admirably. He d been halfway afraid she d take Mitch to task for
that disastrous lunch the two of them had almost shared. But she was enthusiastically friendly and even complimented Mitch on his show
although, once again, she couldn t remember the name of it. Mitch merely laughed that off, exchanged a few more pleasantries with her, and
with a final smile and a teasing wink in Ben s direction, he took his leave.
Wow, Becca commented. It s hard to believe he s the same guy you described meeting with the other day.
I know. The difference is amazing, Ben admitted, still a bit shocked.
So, what exactly did he say? Did he offer some kind of an explanation? Ben recounted the gist of Mitch s apology. I buy that,
Becca acknowledged. I know I ve taken a bad mood out on an innocent bystander. I m sure plenty of other people have done the same thing.
It may not be fair or right, but it happens.
You don t have to convince me. If you ll remember, I ve been that innocent bystander a time or two.
That s part of what friends are for, don t you think?
file:///L|/...20Home%20(html)/Kate%20Steele%20-%20To%20the%20Highest%20Bidder%20(html)/KateSteele--ToTheHighestBidder.htm[13-1-2009 17:26:42]
TotheHighestBidder
Unfortunately, yeah, I do. I suppose friendship is why the injured party can so readily forgive being unjustly used as a punching bag
too. Figuratively speaking.
So what made you forgive Mitch? You guys aren t friends.
Let s just say I was being nice and leave it at that. Ben wasn t ready to admit out loud that there could possibly be any other reason.
Like the fact that he found this repentant and unexpectedly vulnerable version of Mitch strangely compelling.
I don t suppose the fact that he s gorgeous and sexy had anything to do with you being so forgiving, hmm?
Of course not. You know me, I couldn t possibly be that shallow, Ben answered with a smile.
Becca arched a disbelieving brow. Of course not. Not you, my sweet, kind, and completely altruistic friend. So dinner tomorrow night,
huh?
Yeah.
That should be interesting. I d love to be a fly on the wall for that get-together.
Becca. It s only dinner. It s a one-time deal, just to make amends. It s really just a formality.
Really? Hmm. I saw that little wink he gave you. I think Mitchy likes you, Becca teased in a singsong way.
Yeah, right, Ben answered in a derisive tone. But even as he said it, he wasn t sure it was true.
* * * * *
Following the directions Mitch had given him, Ben discovered the address was part of a gated community. The homes were hidden by
hills and valleys planted with a myriad of trees, shrubs, and other dense foliage. Mitch s place was reached by a long, rambling driveway that
descended partway into a secluded valley that overlooked a small, man-made lake.
The house was cottagelike but on a grander scale, with rusty, tan-colored clapboards accenting the irregular stone surrounding the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
this up to you. I was halfway certain you d try to kick my ass rather than talk to me.
Try to kick it?
Well, obviously. No way you could do it.
A little overconfident, aren t you?
Hey, I m FBI here. Nobody kicks my ass.
In case you ve forgotten, that s just a role you play.
It is? Oh yeah. Oh well. Mitch shrugged, his eyes sparkling with teasing good humor. Rising from the chair in which he was seated,
he held out his hand. Thanks again, Ben. Thanks for the tea too. It was good.
You re welcome.
Ben wasn t sure who was responsible for it, but when they shook hands they held the contact for a few beats longer than necessary.
And there it was again, the same wash of heat he d felt earlier swept over Ben and he actually shivered. The spark of attraction flashed, that
indefinable something flaring between two strangers prompting them to break down the barriers between them. Before he could say anything,
Mitch beat him to it.
Well, I better get going, he said and gave their joined hands a slightly tighter squeeze before beginning to disengage the contact.
Their hands mutually parted and Ben wasn t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. I ll walk you out, he offered. And oh, I
almost forgot. Would you mind saying hi to my partner? She made me promise I d introduce you.
Sure, no problem.
The introductions were duly made and to Ben s relief, Becca behaved admirably. He d been halfway afraid she d take Mitch to task for
that disastrous lunch the two of them had almost shared. But she was enthusiastically friendly and even complimented Mitch on his show
although, once again, she couldn t remember the name of it. Mitch merely laughed that off, exchanged a few more pleasantries with her, and
with a final smile and a teasing wink in Ben s direction, he took his leave.
Wow, Becca commented. It s hard to believe he s the same guy you described meeting with the other day.
I know. The difference is amazing, Ben admitted, still a bit shocked.
So, what exactly did he say? Did he offer some kind of an explanation? Ben recounted the gist of Mitch s apology. I buy that,
Becca acknowledged. I know I ve taken a bad mood out on an innocent bystander. I m sure plenty of other people have done the same thing.
It may not be fair or right, but it happens.
You don t have to convince me. If you ll remember, I ve been that innocent bystander a time or two.
That s part of what friends are for, don t you think?
file:///L|/...20Home%20(html)/Kate%20Steele%20-%20To%20the%20Highest%20Bidder%20(html)/KateSteele--ToTheHighestBidder.htm[13-1-2009 17:26:42]
TotheHighestBidder
Unfortunately, yeah, I do. I suppose friendship is why the injured party can so readily forgive being unjustly used as a punching bag
too. Figuratively speaking.
So what made you forgive Mitch? You guys aren t friends.
Let s just say I was being nice and leave it at that. Ben wasn t ready to admit out loud that there could possibly be any other reason.
Like the fact that he found this repentant and unexpectedly vulnerable version of Mitch strangely compelling.
I don t suppose the fact that he s gorgeous and sexy had anything to do with you being so forgiving, hmm?
Of course not. You know me, I couldn t possibly be that shallow, Ben answered with a smile.
Becca arched a disbelieving brow. Of course not. Not you, my sweet, kind, and completely altruistic friend. So dinner tomorrow night,
huh?
Yeah.
That should be interesting. I d love to be a fly on the wall for that get-together.
Becca. It s only dinner. It s a one-time deal, just to make amends. It s really just a formality.
Really? Hmm. I saw that little wink he gave you. I think Mitchy likes you, Becca teased in a singsong way.
Yeah, right, Ben answered in a derisive tone. But even as he said it, he wasn t sure it was true.
* * * * *
Following the directions Mitch had given him, Ben discovered the address was part of a gated community. The homes were hidden by
hills and valleys planted with a myriad of trees, shrubs, and other dense foliage. Mitch s place was reached by a long, rambling driveway that
descended partway into a secluded valley that overlooked a small, man-made lake.
The house was cottagelike but on a grander scale, with rusty, tan-colored clapboards accenting the irregular stone surrounding the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]