Fooling Around Read online

  For the past week, Julie had been ordered around, snapped at, yelled at, and basically dumped on in almost every way. She’d been treated like a servant—not just by Eric but by Kristin and some of the other people who occasionally dropped by during the day. Tim was the only one who had treated her decently. He certainly wasn’t friendly, but he’d gotten to the point where he almost smiled every time he saw her. But everyone else was just rude.

  She was tired of it. Since this was her day off, she shouldn’t have to put up with it—especially from Kristin, to whom she’d only ever been polite. She suppressed the anger that surged through her and murmured, “I am legally entitled to a day off. Just as you are. I’m sorry I can’t help you this morning.”

  She turned around and left before Kristin could say anything else.

  Julie was feeling proud of herself as she rounded the corner and almost ran into Eric in his wheelchair. He was stopped in the hall, and Julie had the sudden awareness that he must have heard their conversation.

  He might be annoyed by her unwillingness to help. Kristin was his longtime assistant and, despite his short temper and rudeness, it was obvious that he was just as loyal to Kristin as she was to him.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Julie said, catching herself before she fell over him.

  Eric didn’t say anything. He was looking at her closely, but he didn’t appear annoyed. She was learning to read his expressions by now, and she could have sworn that he looked almost amused.

  He didn’t say anything, and Julie had no idea what else she should say, so she just kept walking past him to her room.

  Overall, she had not had a good week. The days had been filled with tedious duties, long hours of boredom, and endless moments of having to hide her impatience or resentment.

  Working for Eric was different from working for her parents. No matter how hard it had been to care for her parents, she’d at least known they loved her and appreciated her. She hadn’t felt or been treated like a lesser mortal.

  She was definitely not cut out for this kind of position. It was only three months, though. Now only eleven weeks remained. She could hold out. At least she got Sundays off.

  After picking up her purse, she glanced at herself in the mirror. She wore jeans and a knit top, and her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She looked the way she always looked. Not unattractive, but basically average. Nothing about her stood out in any way.

  She had the sudden urge to get her hair done or put on makeup or buy a sexy top. Before her parents had died, she hadn’t had the time or energy to invest in any personal indulgences except the lingerie, and there had been no reason for her to look pretty anyway, since she’d almost never gone out.

  But there was no reason to always look so boring now. Maybe she would go shopping this afternoon. She could buy something pretty to wear on her date with Ned this evening.

  She’d been vaguely surprised when he’d called her up a few days ago and asked her out again. Her first thought was that he was mostly excited about the money she’d get in three months, but then she rethought. He’d been interested in her a few years ago, when she had absolutely nothing. There was no reason to assume he couldn’t really be interested in her now.

  He was taking her to see a musical this evening. She was looking forward to it. She decided she was definitely going to buy something nicer to wear.

  She needed something nice to wear when Eric had fancy dinners out anyway, so that was another reason to do it.

  Pleased with this resolution, she left her bedroom with her purse and a bottle of water and headed out into the living room. Eric had moved his chair over by the window, where he often positioned himself when he was just hanging out. He’d turned the television to sports, and he was tapping something out on his phone.

  This morning he wore shorts but hadn’t yet put on a T-shirt.

  She really wished he wouldn’t go around shirtless. His chest and abs were incredible, and it wasn’t in her best interests to see them too often, since it gave her thoughts she definitely shouldn’t be having.

  “I’m taking off,” she said. “Do you need anything before I leave?”

  “I thought it was your day off.” He lowered his phone and looked up, giving her a once-over that seemed automatic for him.

  “It is, but I can bring you something, if you need it.”

  “That’s not what you told Kristin.” He was too far away for her to tell for sure, but she thought the corner of his lip might be turning up as he tried to hide a smile.

  He had heard their conversation earlier, and he evidently thought it was funny.

  At least he hadn’t been annoyed at her.

  “I know, but it’s what I’m telling you. Do you need anything?”

  “Nah. Kristin will be back up in a few minutes.”

  He adjusted his good leg, which brought her attention down to his feet. She noticed they were bare.

  Her first thought was that he must be freezing, since it was quite cool in the penthouse. Her second thought was one of concern.

  “You need to put on your socks,” she said, setting down her purse and walking over to pick up the compression socks she’d laid out for him yesterday.

  “I’m not wearing those things.” His good-natured expression vanished as he scowled at the socks.

  “Yes, you are. You’re going to be off your feet for more than a month. It’s terrible for your circulation. You could get a blood clot.” She walked over and knelt down at his feet to put the socks on.

  “Damn it,” he muttered, pulling his good foot out of her reach. “I hate those things.”

  She grabbed for his feet and maneuvered the first sock on. It was very tight and difficult to pull up, and she had to raise herself high on her knees to get the leverage. She was very aware of his body, his physicality, the hair on his legs as she did so.

  He was an incredibly sexy man, even incapacitated and obnoxious as he was.

  She swallowed the thought and kept her eyes down as she put on the second sock. He’d evidently given up the fight, although she could sense disapproval radiating off him.

  “Okay,” she said when she’d gotten it on up to his ankle. She couldn’t get it any higher because of the long cast. As she stood, she glanced up at his face. He was scowling and reaching down to adjust the top of the sock on his good leg.

  She leaned over to straighten it, since it was rolled down a few times in a way that would make it too tight.

  “Thanks,” he muttered, leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath.

  She’d been about to turn around, but she stopped in surprise. He never thanked her. For anything. It was almost shocking.

  She peered at him and couldn’t read anything but discomfort and exhaustion in his expression.

  Maybe he’d just thanked her because it was her day off, and she didn’t have to be doing anything for him.

  “What are your plans for today?” he asked.

  She was surprised by this question too, but there was no reason not to answer him. “I’m going to visit my sister and her family. She has four kids.”

  “I guess you’re close to her, then.”

  She gave a half shrug. “Yeah. I guess.”

  He’d looked only casually interested in the conversation, but at this he widened his eyes. “You’re not? Then why are you spending your free day visiting her?”

  “She’s the only family I have. We were always really close when we were kids. You know how it goes. When people grow up, it’s not exactly the same.”

  He shook his head. “I never had any brothers or sisters.” She was about to comment on this when he went on, “Why did you end up taking care of your parents full time, when she was in town too?”

  For no good reason, the question made her feel uncomfortable. “She has a big family. I had more time than she did.”

  “You had a life too, didn’t you?” He seemed genuinely curious now. His brown eyes rested on her face, as if he were reading the
smallest details of her expression. “Being single doesn’t mean you have more time.”

  “Yeah. Of course.” She cleared her throat. “But I was in school. I really was flexible. It just made more sense for me to do it.”

  He kept staring at her, like he was thinking things that he wasn’t saying. That wasn’t like him at all, and it made Julie very self-conscious.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “I’m just trying to figure you out.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out. It’s not that strange a thing to do—to take care of your parents.”

  “Yeah, but you gave your life away for six years, and you don’t even look resentful.”

  “I’m not resentful.” She straightened her posture, suddenly offended by the nature of the conversation, as if Eric thought she was some sort of spineless weakling. “And I didn’t give my life away. You can take care of people and still have a life, you know. Despite what you may think, having a life isn’t synonymous with being selfish.”

  She gave a little jerk on the last word, realizing she’d said too much. Her tone was still quiet, but the words hadn’t been careful or diplomatic at all.

  If he got annoyed with her, she could lose this job and the money she would earn through it.

  He didn’t look bothered, though. He gave her a smug little smile. “I guess I hit a nerve.”

  And that was the most exasperating thing he could have said. She had to look away from him and take a deep breath to not react in anger. When she’d controlled her response, she smiled impersonally and went back to get her purse. “Have a good day, then.”

  “I guess that’s your thing,” he said. “Running away just when it’s getting interesting.”

  She could have smacked him. She really could. “I don’t think I deserve that.”

  He blinked and appeared to consider this. Then he gave a brief nod. “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry about that. You obviously don’t run away when things get hard, so you’ve got that going for you.”

  She was so surprised by his shift in mood, and by the words, that she just stood staring at him. She felt strangely validated, as if he’d understood her in a real way and then confirmed that who she was genuinely was good.

  “I wonder, though, if you run away if things get too good.”

  She was too startled to even be offended. “Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t know. But you’ve been hiding from something for the last six years.”

  “We already had this conversation. I wasn’t hiding from anything. I was taking care of my parents.” Even as she said the words, she wasn’t sure they were true. She had retreated from life, and it might not have just been because she was so emotionally battered from caring for her mom and dad. In some way, it had felt safer to not put herself out there, to not have to worry about being ignored or rejected, to not have to wait for the next thing that might break her heart.

  Maybe, in some way, Eric was right about her.

  “Got it,” Eric said with the slightest twitch of his lips, as if he was reining himself in on purpose so he wouldn’t offend her any further.

  She found that annoying too, but there was nothing she could say in response that wouldn’t jeopardize her job.

  So instead she just took another deep breath and walked out the door.

  —

  Eric ended up having a bad day.

  He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to depend on having Julie around him all the time, making things comfortable without getting on his nerves. Kristin tried, as did the nurse’s aide who came by to help him wash up, since he couldn’t get in the shower yet. But neither of them was Julie. She shouldn’t have had such an impact on him, since she was always so quiet—sitting in the background—but he was always aware of her presence. His world didn’t feel quite right without it.

  The day dragged on, even more so since there wasn’t much work he could do on Sundays. He sat around and watched sports. He tried to work out—as much as he could without getting out of his chair. And he tried to hold Kristin at bay as she fluttered around him.

  Julie came home around four o’clock, carrying a couple of shopping bags. She greeted him but didn’t stick around. She just disappeared into her room.

  So at six thirty Eric was ready for the day to be over.

  He had no problem spending a day watching sports, if it was his choice to be lazy. But being forced to do so by a broken leg was enough to drive him up a wall.

  Kristin went out to get him takeout from a nearby Indian restaurant for dinner, and Eric was flipping among the forty sports channels on his television when Julie appeared from the hallway.

  He looked over, startled to see that she was dressed up. She wore a black top with beading on the front and a gray skirt. It was much nicer than what she normally wore, but it was still nothing that would stand out in a crowd. She was a puzzle that he’d been trying to figure out for the last week. She came across as so unassuming, quiet, passive. And yet, underneath there was some kind of fire that burned—that would flash out at unexpected moments.

  He wanted to feel that fire, understand it, and yet she always held it back from him.

  From everyone, he assumed.

  She had heels on, though, which he’d never seen her in before, and they definitely looked good on her legs.

  His eyes kept slipping down to check them out as he asked, “Where you are going?”

  “To the theater.”

  “With your sister.”

  “No,” she murmured.

  “You have a date?” He didn’t know why he was surprised, but he was. He hadn’t realized she was dating anyone.

  He didn’t like the idea. At all.

  Maybe someone else did get to experience that fire that burned underneath her composure.

  “With who?” he demanded.

  She raised her eyebrows. “A guy.”

  “Doesn’t he have a name?”

  “Of course he does. But it’s not really your business, is it?”

  She was doing it on purpose, withholding the name from him. There was no reason for her not to tell him. She just wanted to keep it from him.

  “Is he an ex-con or something?”

  “No. Why would he be?”

  “Then why not tell me his name?” He was challenging her on purpose, feeling strangely excited as he waited to see what she would do, whether her mildness would break.

  She bit her bottom lip. “Are you always so obnoxious when you’re bored?”

  The question wasn’t sharp, but it definitely surprised him. “Are you always so touchy when someone asks you an innocent question?”

  He thought he had her. He saw a flash in her eyes before she managed to control it. Then she said, “None of your questions are innocent. I have to go. My date is waiting downstairs.”

  He watched her walk away, noticing the curve of her ass beneath her skirt. Another woman would have dressed to emphasize her great ass, but not Julie.

  He wanted her to keep thinking about him, so he called out after her, “Just when it was getting interesting…”

  To his disappointment, she just ignored him.

  When he heard the front door click shut, he used the remote to change the television to the security feed, which displayed the camera images from four different common areas in the building. It was a security measure that Eric had never used before, but Julie had said that her date was waiting in the lobby.

  Eric studied the lobby area, visible on the top right square on the screen. He could see the doorman behind his desk and a woman walking past with a bouquet of flowers. In the background was a man leaning against the wall.

  The image wasn’t sharp enough to see details, but the man looked average height, average weight, in a suit that couldn’t have been very expensive.

  Julie could do a lot better than him.

  After a few minutes, she appeared, and the man straightened up from the wall and walked over. He gave Julie a brief hug, and the tw
o walked out together.

  Eric shook his head. He wondered how long they’d been dating. He wondered if they were serious.

  He wondered what Julie was like in bed, whether that was where she let the fire out.

  He could vividly remember how she’d looked in that sexy robe she’d worn a week ago. Naturally, she kept her sexiest clothes for when almost no one would ever see them.

  He wondered what play they were going to, and he started to search online for the possibilities. At least it gave him something to think about.

  —

  At eleven, he turned the channel from sports back to the security camera channel.

  He’d figured that they’d probably gone to see the musical that was in town for a couple of weeks. It was at a theater downtown—less than a mile away—and it would have ended about ten minutes ago.

  Julie and her date might be going out for drinks or dessert afterward. Or they might be going somewhere to have sex. But maybe she’d be coming straight back here.

  The time it took for her to come back would tell Eric something about the nature of the date.

  He answered some emails on his phone, glancing up occasionally at the lobby, until he saw a familiar woman enter the screen.

  It was Julie. She was walking beside her date. It was just ten minutes after eleven, so they must not have done anything afterward.

  Eric was relieved. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t like the idea of some other guy taking her to bed.

  It was probably his deep competitiveness. If Eric couldn’t do it, then no one else better do it either.

  He watched as the man gave Julie a vanilla kiss on the lips before she walked toward the elevator.

  Eric smiled, feeling irrationally vindicated.

  He switched the channel when both Julie and the man left the view, and he waited until he heard the sound of her coming in the front door.

  “Hey,” he called, so she wouldn’t slip into the hallway without talking to him. “How was your date?”

  “It was good,” she murmured, stepping into the living room but not very close to him. “Is everything all right with you?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’ve had a breathtaking evening of watching TV.”