âThis oneâs going to come back to bite you, Andrea. Please choose another bachelor.â
Andrea Montgomeryâs heart bumped along faster than a roller coaster. Her stomach alternated between the rise of anticipation and the plunge of trepidation. She sipped her complimentary champagne, tucked her numbered bidding paddle beneath her arm and then reached for her dearest friendâs hand and squeezed.
âHolly, I canât. You know I have to do this.â
âBuying him is a mistake. Remember how torn up you were when he left?â
As if I could forget that kind of pain.
âThat was then. Iâm totally over him now.â And she was. Absolutely. Without a doubt. How could she not be over a man whoâd led her on for years and then dumped her without giving her a believable reason?
Andrea released Hollyâs fingers and then plucked at the black silk charmeuse of her gown. What little fabric there was in the garment clung to her like a second skin. The neckline plunged almost to her navel, and if the slit in the ankle-length skirt were an inch higher no one would have to wonder whether or not she wore panties.
She shifted on her stiletto heelsâthe only part of the outfit she likedâand scanned the crowd of overexcited, expensively attired women consuming free champagne and bidding on bachelors. No one in this affluent, conservative country club crowd suffered from the same overexposure as her.
âWhat were you and Juliana thinking when you chose this dress? As much as I love sexy clothing, this gown is too obvious and over the top. Couldnât you have chosen something more subtle? Subtle is sexy. Obvious is tacky. I feel like a high-priced call girl. No wait. Even a working girl would leave a little mystery and cover more skin.â
Holly didnât even crack a smile. âWhen seductionâs the name of the game you bring out the big guns. Youâre planning to bring Clayton Dean to his knees. Juliana and I thought you should dress the part of femme fatale.â
Clayton Dean. Hearing his name wound Andreaâs nerves tighter. âYouâve miscast me. A femme fatale seduces the man in question. I have no intention of revisiting the sheets with Clay. He had his chance eight years ago and blew it. And how many times do I have to tell you? Iâm not out for revenge. All I want to do is show him that there are no hard feelings.â
âUh-huh.â Holly didnât attempt to hide her skepticism.
Her friend knew her too well. âOkay, so I wonât mind if he eats his heart out just a little over what he could have had. But thatâs all. Iâd be a fool to hand him my heart again.â
âI agree. Thatâs why Iâm going to keep repeating, this is a bad idea like a broken record until you get it.â
âHolly, Iâve lived through the humiliation of Clay dumping me once. My coworkersâ pity was hard enough to swallow the first time. And according to Mrs. Dean, Clayâs staying in Wilmington only until his father is well enough to return to the helm at Dean Yachts, and then Clay will sail back to Florida. I promise I wonât forget this is temporary.â
âYouâre trying awfully hard to sell yourself on a bad idea, Ms. Marketing Director.â
âCut it out. Remember this is not just about me. Without Clay the business might have to temporarily shut its doors, putting me and a thousand other employees out of work. Joseph Dean has been like a second father to me. Iâve been worried about his mood since his stroke three weeks ago. He and Clay need to work this out before itâs too late.â The possibility of losing her mentor put a lump in her throat.
Hollyâs frown deepened. âWhat if father and son do kiss and make up and Clay returns for good? Heâll be your boss. Will you still love your job then?â
Andrea winced. Good point. Darn it. As if she didnât have a boatload of doubts already about working with Clay. âI need to move forward. I canât do that until I put the past behind me. Iâm a loser magnet, Holly. I have to break the cycle, and to do that I need to know whatâs so wrong with me that Clay and every guy Iâve dated in the past eight years dumps me just when I start to believe there might be something to the relationship.â
Holly stamped her foot in irritation. âI could smack you. How many times do I have to tell you thereâs nothing wrong with you?â
âSays you.â
Hollyâs attention shifted to something beyond Andreaâs shoulder. âI hope youâre right about being over him, because Clay looks good. Really, really good.â
Andrea choked on her champagne. After catching her breath she discarded the flute on a passing waiterâs tray and braced herself before following Hollyâs gaze to the other side of the opulent Caliber Club ballroom. Her first glimpse of her former lover knocked the wind right back out of her.