Trust Me

that case, Mr. Stark would like to see you in his office this afternoon.”

    Anticipation and satisfaction surged through Stark as he watched Desdemona sign the catering contract. Absolutely perfect. He should have thought of this the day he’d found himself standing alone at the altar. He wondered what the hell had taken him so long to realize that Desdemona was the answer to all his problems.
    She put down the pen at that moment and raised her eyes to meet his. She smiled. Stark stopped breathing. He felt something twist deep inside him.
    Perfect.
    He took a deep breath and pulled himself together. This was business, he reminded himself sternly. “You don’t have any objection to acting as my hostess?”
    “No, not at all. Most people in your position have someone around who can help them host a business affair. A wife or a husband or, a, uh, something….” She broke off, blushing.
    His recent debacle of a marriage hung in the air between them. Stark could see the sympathy in Desdemona’s eyes, and it annoyed him. He didn’t want sympathy. He wanted… something else.
    He wanted her.
    The realization poleaxed him.
    “A something,” he repeated carefully.
    “Yes,” she said hastily. “But once in a while a single person finds himself or herself in your shoes, and in those cases it’s not uncommon to hire a professional hostess.”
    “Good. Excellent.” He looked at her, unable to think of anything else to say. He badly wanted to delay her departure from his office, but he could not seem to find a clever way to do it. “Well, that’s that.”
    “Right.” She leaped to her feet as though the chair in which she had been sitting had been wired for electricity and someone had just flipped the switch. “I’ll look forward to working with you. I’m sure you’ll find Right Touch will suit all your catering needs.”
    “Needs.” He had a lot of them, he though wistfully. So many needs. Odd that he hadn’t realized how strong those needs were until this moment.
    “I trust you’ll be satisfied,” she added earnestly.
    “Satisfied. Yes. That would be nice.”
    “I will personally do my best to see that you don’t regret this decision.” She put out her hand.
    He got to his feet and closed his fingers around hers. Tightly. “I’m sure I won’t.” He stared down into her eyes. After a moment he felt her fingers wriggle like so many trapped birds. He realized he’d been holding her hand for a long time.
    She smiled very brightly as she tried to tug her fingers free. “Goodbye.”
    Reluctantly he let go of her hand. “Goodbye, Desdemona.” She bolted for the door, her copy of the contract clutched in her small fist.
    Stark watched the door close behind her.
    Perfect.

    Juliet, Kirsten, and Henry were waiting for Desdemona two hours later when she sailed triumphantly back through the alley entrance of Right Touch.
    “Did you get the contract?” Juliet demanded.
    “I got it.” Desdemona waved the contract in the air. “My friends, this is the beginning of a beautiful business relationship. Once the word gets out that we are the exclusive caterers for Stark Security Systems, we will be unstoppable. Companies all over town will be begging for our services.”
    Kirsten laughed. “Enough about the business side of this. I’ve got a more interesting question. Was Pamela Bedford right?”
    “About what?” Desdemona regarded the contract in her hand with smug delight.
    “Does Stark really wear jeans and running shoes to the office?”
    “Yes, he does.” Desdemona studied Stark’s signature at the bottom of the precious contract. It was a big, bold, utterly masculine signature. “And a cute little plastic pocket protector.”
    Henry put a hand to his heart and groaned. “How can you work for someone who wears a nerd pack?”
    Desdemona fixed everyone present with a steely glare. “I want to make something very clear here. There will be no nerd-bashing allowed. Stark is now a valued client. As such, unless he turns out to be a mass-murderer, he can do no wrong. Understood?”
    Henry saluted smartly. “Understood, oh great, exalted leader.”
    Kirsten laughed. “Got it.”
    Juliet smiled, but her expression turned speculative. “Understood.”
    “Excellent.” Desdemona swung around on her heel. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office admiring my new contract with Stark Security Systems.” And thinking about the deeply disturbing sensation she had experienced when she had