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“Yes, see you around six. I’m gonna head to the pool until then. Have fun!” And Maxine’s off, leavin us to our shenanigans once more.
I turn to Fiona and retighten my hold, tipping her back just a tad. Those brown eyes look so right staring up at me. Our area’s almost empty now and she doesn’t resist when I kiss her again. When I feel her growin limp in my arms, givin me her full weight, I wanna tell her I’m keepin her forever, but I reckon she don’t know that yet. Anyway, I have the feelin she won’t fight it when the time comes.
“Fiona, sweetheart, I want you to understand that I have the best possible intentions for you. I don’t intend to take advantage or have some kind of a fling.” Her eyes go wide with a mixture of curiosity and vague alarm. I have no idea why she wouldn’t wanna hear those words, but I can detect that somethin’s up.
“That’s okay Bo. I won’t blame you for taking advantage,” she says with one eyebrow raised flirtatiously.
“Now Fiona, why would I wanna do a thing like that to a woman like you? You ain’t the kinda gal Big Bo can take to bed and then walk away from. You understand that, don’t you?” She smiles and distracts me with a kiss, negating my question.
She’s killin me right now. It’s all I can do to resist abandoning the booth and rushing us back to my room. But no way did I come here to play games with this woman. Now that I’ve discovered what she’s like in person, there’s no turnin back for me. I can only pray she feels the same way, and if not…I need to hear the truth.
Fiona rises up to kiss me again, and I pull away just an inch. “You know I’m being straight with you now, don’t you? I recognize a quality woman when I meet one, and I’ve always wanted to meet you. I believe in serendipity and that there’s a grand reason for all this.”
“Bo,” she finally responds with difficulty, “I do have to fly home to my store and my life tomorrow. I’d love to imagine I could stay here with you forever, but you know I can’t.”
“Would you love to imagine that?”
“Of course,” Fiona laughs, “but I have to be realistic.”
“Well sweetheart, we’ll work somethin out…okay? We’ll just figure somethin out, you and me.” She smiles, but I can see the doubt in her eyes.
We continue our song and dance for the next hour, stealin as many kisses as we can and gazin at each other in between. Eventually Fiona has to excuse herself to her next activity, just as I become swamped by another group of ladies with questions, and it kills me that I can’t hold her just one more time before she’s outta my sight.
Chapter 15
Fiona
As I book it from one end of the building to the other, I fiddle with my phone…hot in my hand. What a lot of nonsense, this idea that I’m tapped. As the events of last week fade into a new improved reality, all this paranoia seems ludicrous. But then I remember what Quade actually did and said that night, and it serves as a reminder of just how insane he is and how far he’ll go. I simply cannot take any chances until I at least have someone examine my phone.
That’s what I’ll do. There must be plenty of people out there who specialize in this kind of thing. I’m sure someone can accurately determine whether I’m holding a tapped phone. The thought of having no more personal conversations with Bo is absurd. I’d feel terrible if he had to sit around wondering what he did wrong, when he’s done everything so right. What a great guy.
Yet, our behavior the last time I ordered from Bo is the only thing I can think of that could have led Quade to begin questioning my personal life. It curdles my blood to imagine how long he’s potentially had access to my calls. Or perhaps he’d just let himself in and was hiding somewhere in my house when I made that call to Bo. I physically shudder under the weight of that thought, as I enter the conference room and find a seat in the back.
***
After attempting to quiet my thoughts down throughout two hours of lecture, I’m raring to get to tonight’s dinner party. I stop by the room to throw on a cute mini wrap dress and head straight out. Bo will want to eat me alive in this, and I’m not above torturing him.
As I enter the glamorous banquet hall, Bo swoops over to take me by the elbow and the sight of him makes me go breathless. Dressed in a dapper button-up and dark pants, with a slick looking pair of cowboy boots, he’s country-boy-hot in a way I never knew I was into. I’m not exactly the country-boy type, but Bo seems to be the exception to every rule I have.
After a few minutes of introductions among the group we’re sharing our table with, Maxine makes her appearance. Speeches begin soon enough and it’s all I can do to behave myself. The passing out of wines and cocktails helps, but it seems that we’re doomed to sit quietly listening to floral industry drivel for the rest of eternity.
Our dinner arrives in the nick of time to prevent me from sliding under the table. Having eaten a light lunch, I’m unable to hold my drinks as well as usual, plus I’m experiencing the giddy loss of appetite that I remember getting around high school crushes. I’ll take it as a good sign that this is not something I ever experienced over Quade.
I proceed to eat every last bite of my linguine marsala, in spite of myself. They never skimp on serving quality food at this conference, and everything on my plate is heavenly. Afterward the room divides into various groups doing all sorts of cutesy games and recreational activities. Not exactly my thing, but I guess I’ll play along. I don’t need Bo to witness what a maddeningly uncooperative dame I actually am.
I head with Maxine to the cocktail bar, where we grab Irish coffees, and I decide to commit to my good mood. I only have to survive all this social idiocy long enough to politely exit, with Bo by my side. He approaches us smiling, beer in hand, and stands there a little awkwardly. I’m positive he wants to grab me, but isn’t sure how I’d respond in the middle of a crowd.
“Well guys, I think I’m gonna go join the flower trivia table. Find out how much I really know,” Maxine says finally.
She’s so polite. I know she’s trying to allow me my space with Bo.
“Ooh, that sounds like fun,” I lie. “We might join you after we look around the options a little while,” I respond with a reassuring smile.
Maxine stands before us grinning stupidly for a few seconds, almost as if she wants to hug me, then subtly nods and disappears into the crowd. That was weird. Bo takes my arm in his and walks me to the perimeter of the room, where we pass the next half hour strolling around and watching different group activities. He asks if I want to join in a couple of times, but I can’t get a clear read on whether he’s serious. I guess I’m stereotyping, but it’s difficult for me to imagine this tatted, muscle-bound hunk participating merrily in some chintzy group activity with a bunch of hoity toity strangers.
Eventually Bo tries to pull me into a group that’s doing some sort of goofy challenges, which makes me giggle, but I really do not want to do this. “What’s the matter?” he asks. “I just wanna see em spin you blind-folded like that lady up there,” he says, referring to a woman standing on a small platform. After they release her, she crawls around on all fours feeling her way through a pile of plastic flowers until she finds the one that’s supposed to be a chrysanthemum.
“Um…why the heck did they get her dizzy first?” I have to ask.
