‘Don’t paint all us men with the same brush.’ Reaching out his hand, Jake gently loosed the glossy strand of hair that Caitlin had tucked behind her ear and watched it glance against her cheek as it fell silkily down to her shoulder. ‘I sincerely hope I’m not as shallow as you seem to think I am. When you get past the physical attraction, I’m quite aware there’s got to be something deeper and more compelling to keep both parties in a relationship interested. If I found a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with I’d never let her go…no matter what happened.’
Jake’s arresting blue eyes were regarding her so intently that Caitlin felt the imprint of his gaze resonate deep inside her. Along with the heartfelt words he’d expressed, his intensely examining glance shook and unravelled her. It made her body burn and her heart race. It stirred a longing in her for things that she knew could never be.
‘This is the last outfit Ronnie gave me to try on. I think I’ll go and get changed now. I suddenly feel quite cold.’
Despite the intimacy that Jake had woven round them, the harsh cold reality of the situation suddenly doused the heat that had all but drowned her just a moment ago. Caitlin was beginning to care too much for Jake and that was dangerous.
Turning away, she rubbed briskly at the chilled flesh on her arms in the diaphanous blouse, and was taken aback when he moved swiftly behind her and turned her firmly back round to face him.
‘That first outfit you tried on…the purple velvet top and the long black skirt with the chain belt? That looked great. Shall we go with that for starters?’
A muscle flexed in the side of his lean jaw. The outfit he’d described was one of her favourites, too. It seemed that they agreed on something after all.
‘Okay.’
‘And, by the way, we’re not going straight home after this. We’re going back to Ronnie’s place for a while, then I’m taking you to a club. We’ll eat dinner there and enjoy some entertainment.’
He was taking her to a club? What was that all about?
‘Why didn’t you mention this before? What kind of club?’
Jake’s expression remained as inscrutable as ever, yet he definitely had a twinkle in his eye. Caitlin frowned. What on earth was the man up to?
‘I wanted it to be a surprise,’ he drawled. ‘Hopefully an enjoyable one.’
‘I’ve hardly got the right clothes with me to go out for the evening…especially to a club. Can’t we leave it for another night?’
Ignoring her hopeful plea, he clenched his jaw and firmly shook his head.
‘Sorry, but you’re not going to wriggle out of this one. Trust me. Tonight will be just what you need. As for not having the right clothes—why don’t you pick out one of the outfits you were looking at to wear? You can get ready at Ronnie’s.’
‘Those outfits are ludicrously expensive, Jake! I can’t afford—’
‘I’m footing the bill. You can have anything you like—and I mean anything. Think of it as a gift.’
More than a little overwhelmed by his unexpected generosity, she was almost lost for words. ‘Well…I mean, that’s very kind of you, but just what kind of place is this club you’re taking me to?’
He smiled one of his maddening sexy smiles that could stop a woman in her tracks in less than a heartbeat and said, ‘It’s classy…very classy. That’s all you need to know.’
‘Let me help you to choose something. Jake has told me where you’ll be going and I know the perfect outfit. We’ll also need to accessorise you with shoes and jewellery to complete the look.’
The fragrant Ronnie was suddenly at her side and, whilst Caitlin had plenty of reservations about being kitted out for an evening out with Jake somewhere ‘classy’, she sensed that any more attempts at wriggling out of the night’s events would be a waste of energy.
* * *
In the sumptuous mirrored enclave of the exclusive members-only jazz club, frequented not just by aficionados but by many well-known celebrities from the worlds of music and film, Jake sat opposite Caitlin at a beautifully laid dining table and thanked the gods for giving him a legitimate excuse simply to sit and gaze at her.
Ronnie had helped select the perfect outfit for her tonight. The powers of the ‘little black dress’ should never be underestimated, she’d told him knowledgeably, and she’d been right. The slinky little number she’d come up with had taken his breath away when he’d seen Caitlin wearing it. It had a daringly low-cut neckline that immediately drew the eye to her sensational cleavage, and the fitted black satin clung to her body in all the right places. The voluptuous curves that she contrived to keep hidden from the world were tonight displayed in all their glory.
Add to that some sexy red lipstick and the sultry, alluring perfume that Jake had chosen especially for her—he’d slipped out to purchase it as Caitlin had got dressed—and he doubted there was a single male in the vicinity who would ever forget seeing her.
He sucked in some air and breathed it out again slowly. An unexpected need to protect her had crept into his blood and he couldn’t help now and again surveying the other diners in case they looked a little too interested in her. He knew it was crazy when very soon Caitlin would be appearing with the band and from then on would be in the public domain. But in light of his protective feelings and undeniable need to keep her to himself, how was he going to handle it? he wondered. It was a dilemma that had never affected him before…
The manager of the venue—an immaculately dressed Frenchman called Dion, who famously took great pride in entertaining an elite clientele—had expressed delight at seeing Jake. It had been a long time since the two men had met. The last occasion had been just before his ex had written that dreadful exposé about him. After that Jake had retreated to lick his wounds and kept a deliberately low profile. Even so, the Frenchman had recognised Jake straight away.
‘It’s so nice to see you back in public again, Mr Sorenson,’ he’d told him. ‘It’s been too long.’ Then he’d turned to Caitlin and commented, ‘Many beautiful women come to this establishment, but you ma chère…you take my breath away!’
In truth, Jake had almost been readying himself for a small stampede when he’d walked in with Caitlin on his arm. He’d honestly sensed the moment when the other stylishly attired patrons seated at the tables had drawn in a collective awed breath. They might be surprised at seeing him out in public again, but he doubted their interest was solely in him. The woman by his side was the main reason they glanced their way, and Jake would be a liar if he didn’t admit to feeling both pride and pleasure at the realisation. After all, he was only human.
Although the club featured predominantly jazz, and there was a smoky-sounding sax playing in the background, tonight was Burlesque night,—and that was what he’d brought Caitlin to see.
‘This is some place,’ she commented shyly.
‘And you’ve just elevated it to a whole other class,’ he said, and smiled.
Delicately sipping her Margarita, she added, ‘I feel so guilty drinking this when you’re just drinking soda and lime.’
‘There’s no need. I’m quite happy being teetotal tonight. Especially when I have a very precious cargo to drive home,’ he teased.
Jake supposed it was inevitable that the compliment would make her cheeks turn pink, but he loved to see her blush. It reminded him that she was still relatively innocent…quite a rarity in his world.
‘I’ve heard of Burlesque, but I don’t know very much about it. Isn’t it some kind of variety show?’ she enquired.
Even before he told her the answer Jake sensed the muscles in his belly clench hard in anticipation of her