Greg studied the group of friends as he passed the lunch room. It looked as if they were studying the gossip pages or discussing the latest scandal to hit parliament. A politician found in bed with a married woman. At least Maggie had the sense to feel embarrassment because her cheeks glowed and she fidgeted with discomfort. Greg made a scoffing sound. He did not understand why Maggie spent so much time with the bunch of losers. None of them possessed ambition. Granted Connor Grey had brains. The head of the IT department held him in high regard, but the man was a womanizer. He had a different woman on his arm every time Greg saw him.
Greg continued along the passage to his office, ignoring the traces of envy curling through him. The leggy blondes who spent time with Connor never gave him a second glance.
And as for the three women. Julia acted like a slut—the female version of Connor. Greg didn’t know the other two well, since he steered clear of them in the work environment. They were both secretaries and his accounting assistants dealt with that side of his work.
What was he going to do about Maggie?
She refused to speak to him at work, wouldn’t take his calls at home. The message box on her cell was getting a workout, and he’d stopped leaving them.
Greg dropped into his chair. He picked up a pen, tapping it on his pristine blotter pad while he tried to think of a way to contact Maggie. He needed to assemble an accounting team together to work on the Silverstone project. She wasn’t qualified, but it might not matter. At least she’d have to spend time with him. Work late to meet deadlines.
Perfect, he thought, mentally flitting over names to fill the rest of the personnel spots for the project. At worst, she could make coffee and run messages, liaise with the office and IT departments.
“Maggie, dear. You’re not getting away from me, not after the time I’ve invested in you.”
He gave a fleeting thought to one of their last conversations. Spanking. Now that had been weird. Way out of character. Surely, she couldn’t have been serious?
Connor scanned the room and shuddered at the speculative stares he intercepted from the women. He felt like a duck in the sights of a shooter’s rifle. No wonder sensible ducks headed for ponds in the middle of reserves come shooting season. A dark corner of the pub next door lured him like that duck pond.
“How long does this last?” he mumbled to Julia.
Julia caught a woman staring and snickered. “Don’t be a baby. They won’t hurt you.”
He glanced at Maggie. He wanted to grab her and run. She didn’t belong here anymore than he did. Not that he could inform her of that. He cursed himself for allowing this situation to develop. What he should have done was tell Julia and the others he wanted Maggie and gone from there. Nah, that wouldn’t have worked. They would have pressured Maggie to turn down his request for a date. The four women thought he was incapable of settling with one woman. A touch of frustration brought a deep frown.
Once, that would have been true.
Even six months ago the accusation would’ve contained the ring of truth.
Things changed.
People changed.
A strident bell rang and a woman in a black dress and heels approached the waiting mike on the small stage at the front of the room. The din of excited chatter faded to quiet expectancy.
“Welcome to the first Auckland Speed Dating event. Thank you for coming tonight. Your attendance fee is going to a good cause—to aid research for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand.”
Thunderous applause erupted, and the apprehension in Connor abated. Each time he started to feel like a duck in the sights of a hunter, he’d remind himself this was for charity. And he’d keep an eye on Maggie. He didn’t want anyone else to get ideas about her.
Maggie belonged to him.
She just didn’t know it yet.
“When you registered for this event, you each completed a form with your details. When you checked in tonight, you received a number. That is your number for tonight. You should also have a second sheet with other numbers. Those numbers will be your dates for this evening.”
Connor shot Maggie a swift glance but failed to grab her attention. Irritation burst in him when he realized she was scoping out the competition. Scowling, he checked them out too, trying to decide what she might see in them. Call him big-headed, but they were a geeky-looking bunch. The closest guy—tall and skinny—looked as if he might run at the sight of a rugby ball. A dazed expression froze on his face when a woman approached him. Connor experienced sneaking sympathy. Don’t make eye contact! Too late, the guy offered the woman a tentative smile. She pounced.
“Hey, Connor. Seen anyone you like the look of?” Julia asked.
“Don’t you dare move away from me,” he muttered.
Grinning, she backed up, and he grabbed her arm. “Don’t even think about it. They can’t see through my clothes. Can they?”
Julia blinked. “They’re trying to will them away. Now you know what women feel like when we pass a building site.”
“Huh, Susan told me you girls make a special detour to pass the building site at the bottom of Queen Street.”
“Busted.” Julia’s eyes glowed with silent laughter. It made Connor realize her behavior bordered on reserved.
“How are things with you, Jules? I haven’t seen you much lately.” Although they’d never slept together, they were close, and he often stopped by her apartment. Since hooking up with Maggie, he hadn’t visited as often.
“I’m fine. Nothing a holiday in the sun wouldn’t fix.”
Connor knew the feeling. He’d love a week on a Pacific Island with Maggie. Time in a place without interruptions and where they didn’t need to hide they were a couple sounded like heaven. Rarotonga or maybe Samoa. Even Fiji.
“See anyone interesting?” Julia interrupted his daydreams of sand and sun.
Maggie in a bikini. Maggie naked.
“I’m too scared to study the women.”
“Good men are hard to find,” Julia said. “That’s why a function like this has more women than men.”
“So why did you agree to come?”
“Bored with my own company,” Julia said.
“But—”
“Despite popular opinion, I’m not a slut. I don’t have a constant parade of men through my bed.”
Connor blinked. “I never said you were. Are you sure nothing is wrong?”
Julia sniffed. “Positive.” The sheen of tears in her eyes said otherwise. Momentary panic hit him, his relief when the woman in charge of the event approached the mike on the stage again almost palpable. Crying women always got to him because he never knew how to comfort them. Sometimes it didn’t matter what a man did or said. They cried regardless.
“Gentlemen, please find the desk with your number on it and take a seat. They’re labeled behind the screens. Ladies, the numbers of your dates are all in the same area. We’ll get started in a few minutes, just as soon as the gentlemen are seated and ready to proceed. Remember you have five minutes with each date. The bell will go when your time is up and you move onto the next one. At the end of the dating, everyone will complete a form, detailing the numbers they’re interested in meeting again. We’ll take things from there and contact you with your list of prospective dates. Good luck, and have fun!”
Applause filled the hotel ballroom, some clapping with more enthusiasm than others. Connor fell in the lukewarm category.
“That’s your cue,” Julia said, sending him a wink.
“Right.” With a last glance at Maggie, he strode off to find his desk behind the screened off area of the ballroom.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all week, but now that I’ve seen the men I’m not so keen,” Susan said in a glum voice.
Maggie agreed, although it wasn’t right to judge by appearance. “There is a couple of guys who look okay.” One of them was Connor. She’d noticed the way the women had scanned him, like a dieter studied a chocolate bar.
She tried to tamp down her blooming jealousy. No reason for resentment. They’d both agreed they were free to date others.
A bell interrupted her jumbled thoughts. “Ladies, the gentlemen are ready for you. If you’re lost and not sure where to go, look for the ladies wearing the bright yellow T-shirts. They’re stewards and will help with directions.”
“I feel as if I’m at school,” Christina said. “And look how the women outnumber the men. It’s a competition and that makes me nervous.”
“You and me both,” Susan agreed.
“I will need drinks after this,” Julia said. “Anyone else want to hit a bar with me?”
Maggie nodded. “I’m in. We can discuss our dates. Good luck. Something tells me we’re going to need it.”
There were some beautiful women present tonight. Old insecurities surged back to haunt her. If they couldn’t find dates, what hope did she have?
She slipped into the seat opposite her first date and forced a smile. “Hi, I’m Maggie.”
“Stewart,” he said. “I like stamp collecting and reading Superman comics.”
“That’s nice.”
“Can you cook?”
“Yes, I like cooking,” Maggie said.
“Good, I need a woman who can cook. My mother said that’s important.”
Maggie stared, shocked. In her worst nightmares she hadn’t thought the men would be this bad. She glanced at her watch. Another hour. A drink was looking good, and she’d barely started. “What else are you looking for in a woman?”
“I want a woman who is an excellent cook, does an efficient job of housework and won’t mind looking after my mother.”
“I’m not great with sick people.” Maggie had no experience with ill people and didn’t want to learn unless it was for someone in her immediate circle. “Maybe you should hire a maid?”
His mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged.
Just then the bell rang.
Saved by the bell. Surely the dates couldn’t be all as bad as Stewart?
She slipped into the next seat and smiled a welcome. To her relief he wasn’t as bad. But he wasn’t interesting either. Her mind drifted to spanking and her blog.
“Is there anything you’d like to know about me?” he asked. “Maggie?”
“Yes, what do you think of spanking in a consenting adult relationship?”
The man’s mouth opened and closed before he replied. “Spanking? During sex, you mean?”
“That’s right,” Maggie said in a crisp voice. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “Er…I suppose I could try it. What would you spank me with? Would it hurt?”
“That wasn’t quite what I had in mind,” Maggie said, the need to laugh taking her by surprise. Maybe the night wouldn’t be so bad.
The bell signaled and she moved on to her next date. She grinned and took her seat. “Hi, I’m Maggie. How do you feel about spanking?”
The man stared before his mouth curled into a delighted grin. “I haven’t been naughty.”
“But you’re thinking about spanking now. Surely that’s worth a swat or two.”
“And I came tonight under protest,” he said. “Where have you been all my life?”
“So spanking might interest you?”
He winked at her. Maggie grinned back. Not bad. The man edged into cute when he smiled.
“Stranger things have happened,” he said.
“Have you spanked anyone before?”
“I’d be willing to learn.”
The bell ting-a-linged and with a quick wave, Maggie sashayed to her next date. Maybe this speed dating wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.
“Spanking?” her fourth date asked. “Isn’t that kinky?”
“And your point is…?”
“None of the other girls have asked me that question. Is spanking a new fad I haven’t heard about?”
“Just ordinary run of the mill kink, I think,” Maggie said, managing to keep her smile at bay. “Do you have any interests?”
“Nothing to beat spanking. You like getting spanked? It turns you on?”
Maggie allowed herself a secret smile. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Good grief. This flirty siren wasn’t her. She didn’t want to attract the wrong sort of man. It was fun, though.
The bell rang. Maggie stood. “Nice to meet you.”
Three dates later, she came across Connor. “Hi.” She grinned at him. “Are you having fun?”
“Fun is not the word I’d use to describe this speed dating thing.”
“So you haven’t met anyone interesting?”
“I didn’t expect to. Did you?”
Maggie thought about her dates so far. “I’ve met a few interesting men.” And she’d shocked some of them speechless. A couple had seemed intrigued.
Connor leaned closer, lowered his voice. “What are you doing afterward? You want to come around to my place? Spend the night?”
“I don’t know. The others were talking about the pub. I’d already said I’d go for drinks. They’ll think it’s strange if we both change our minds.”
The bell intruded, loud and strident.
“That’s my cue to meet my next date.” Maggie blew him a kiss. “Only four more dates to go and we’re out of here.”
Connor groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’m gonna make things up soon. I’m tired of the same old questions.”
“Poor baby. It sounds like you need a drink.”
“A drink won’t cut it. I need a shower. I feel dirty after being stared at so hard.”
With a laugh Maggie skipped off to meet her next date, a spring in her step.
Connor wished he’d never agreed to attend. All he could think about was Maggie. He wasn’t interested in other woman. Once, maybe. But not anymore. Hiding and skulking around wasn’t working for him. He wanted to tell everyone that he and Maggie were together. The friends with benefits deal meant he couldn’t do a thing.
Hamstrung by his own cleverness.
The final bell rang.
Thank God. Connor stood and joined the rest of the men. “I’m pleased that’s finished. I came under protest.”
“I don’t know,” one man said. “There were a few interesting dates. One girl asked me about spanking.”
“You too?” another man asked. “She was fun—she didn’t look like the kind of girl who would be into kinky stuff.”
“No one asked me about spanking.” Suspicion rioted through Connor. “What did she look like?”
“On the plump side. Long dark hair.” The man held his hands up in front of his chest, a leer forming on his face. “Big tits.”
Maggie. Hell, why hadn’t she asked him about spanking? Why would she ask complete strangers and not ask him?
“She’s on my list of dates,” another man said. “I like adventurous women.”
Connor’s mouth tightened. Maggie wasn’t going anywhere with these men. Not if he had anything to do with it.
He left the men talking about the woman interested in spanking. When he exited the screened area, a crush of chattering women met his gaze. Hell. He stilled like a possum in headlights. Where were the girls? He’d had enough of feeling like prey. Julia. Good. Without making eye contact, he navigated the room.
“Drink,” he said in greeting.
Julia gave a clipped nod. “Let’s go.”
“Where are the others?”
“Somewhere around the place. I saw Susan briefly. They’re meeting us at the pub around the corner. God, if I ever agree to do speed dating again, shoot me. It was excruciating.” She hooked her arm in his and dragged him to the door.
Connor went unwillingly. He didn’t like leaving Maggie here with all these slavering men. What the hell had she been thinking, asking about spanking?