How To Marry A Millionaire (For Richer, For Poorer) Page 11

  Only a muscle rippling at his jaw gave away the tension Curt was experiencing. He was a man used to hiding his feelings, Kathryn realized—most often behind an easy grin. She’d begun to suspect the real Curt Creighton had more depth than he bothered to let on. She wondered why.

  Curt shifted uneasily in his chair. He knew he was sweating. It wasn’t so much what Roz was saying. Hell, he’d heard and read worse slander about himself. He simply hated that Kathryn had to hear the lies.

  In the past he’d always been of the words-could-never-hurt-him philosophy and there wasn’t much he could do about what others thought of him, anyway.

  With Kathryn it was different. He cared. A lot. And he hated that there was no way he could stop the perjurious testimony.

  * * *

  AT LAST THE JUDGE called for a lunch break.

  “What a dreadful woman!” Lucy was standing in front of Tom before he had a chance to gather up all of his papers. “What you need, my dears—all three of you, of course—is a quiet, relaxing lunch. I’ve arranged everything. Martinelli’s deli has delivered it all to Judge Wilcox’s chambers.”

  “Judge W. Wilcox?” Tom stammered. “The presiding judge?” A man who Kathryn knew thought of himself as no lower than the left hand of God...and sometimes a notch or two above that.

  “He’s an old friend of the family and is delighted to have us use his conference room.”

  “I don’t really think we should—”

  “Nonsense, Thomas.” Lucy scooped up the rest of Tom’s papers, shoved them haphazardly into the briefcase and firmly snapped it shut. “Martinelli’s pastrami is out of this world. And his half-dill pickles. Mmmm...” She kissed her fingertips in a flamboyantly seductive gesture. “You’ll love it all.”

  Curt clamped his hand on the back of Tom’s blushing neck in a thoroughly macho way. “Come on, old man. I promise to protect you from my overeager sis—”

  “I’m not!” she protested.

  “And we’ll have a chance,” Curt continued, “to avoid the press that’s sure to be waiting outside that door. Including about ten thousand photographers.”

  Kathryn thought avoiding those jerks with the cameras was the best idea she’d heard all day. “He’s right, Tom. It’ll be quiet in the judge’s chambers, and there won’t be any interruptions while you go over Curt’s testimony.”

  Tom’s reluctance to be led by Lucy into the judge’s chambers was as amusing as it was surprising. Kathryn had never seen him quite so off balance. But then the Creighton siblings seemed to have that effect on everyone they met.

  Curt slid into a chair at the end of the conference table and accepted a pastrami sandwich from his sister. The two things he hated most in life were liars and greedy people. Roz Kellogg represented the worst of both. It all seemed so unnecessary, particularly since Lucy had told him Roz had enough talent to make it as an actress. Pity she’d wasted it on a frivolous lawsuit and one big scene in the courtroom. When she lost—and Curt was pretty confident she would—the press would drag the poor woman’s reputation through the mud. She wouldn’t even be able to get a job as an extra.

  A terrible waste of her talents.

  Kathryn, on the other hand, made the most of her abilities, he mused. He could tell by the way she followed the testimony so alertly that not much would get past her. Smart lady.

  His admiration for her clicked up another notch.

  * * *

  THE REMAINING TWO DAYS of the trial went on in pretty much the same fashion—testimony supporting each side, character witnesses, pictures of that awful bed that made Kathryn cringe. During each recess, Lucy managed to take over, soothing and reassuring Tom at every opportunity that he couldn’t possibly lose the case. Kathryn tended to agree.

  The following evening, as Kathryn was letting herself into her apartment after her night class, she heard the phone ringing. Picking up the phone, she smiled in anticipation of what had become a chaste but strangely titillating evening ritual.

  “About time you got home” came Curt’s sexy, teasing voice. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Professor Adkins found the case of Smithers v. New Jersey particularly engrossing.”

  “How ‘bout you?”

  “Fascinating,” she lied, shrugging out of her jacket. She’d hardly heard a word the instructor had said. Instead, she’d been thinking about Curt—how he’d looked in court that day, and what they would talk about tonight.

  “I’m envious.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I don’t like the thought of any man besides me holding your attention.”

  “Would it ease your mind if I told you he was eighty-two years old?”

  “Is he?”

  “No.”

  The sound of his rich, mellow laughter warmed a spot right next to Kathryn’s heart, a place that had been cold for a long time without her even realizing it.

  “Ah, sweet Katie, you make it hard for a guy to keep up with you, but I’m not going to stop trying.”

  She squeezed the phone hard as a band of emotion tightened around her chest. Lord help her, she was beginning to like the way he said her name. Katie. From his lips it sounded like adulation.

  They talked a while longer, then as the hour grew late he proceeded to tell her what he’d like to do if she were willing. Secret, intimate things that made her ache for him. Wonderfully erotic acts she’d never even dreamed about.

  As he spoke she had to remind herself that Curt Creighton’s photo would land on the front page of the morning newspaper with twenty inches of column space devoted to his rather colorful private life. A similar story had appeared in every edition since the trial began. That was the kind of media attention he attracted—the kind of attention she abhorred.

  Darn it all! She was falling in love with the one man who should have been at the very bottom of her list.

  “It’s late, Curt. I’ve got to go.”

  “Sure, sweetheart. You’ll be in court tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, tortured by the thought that she didn’t dare fall in love with this particular man and yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  * * *

  CURT HUNG UP THE PHONE and checked his watch. Well after midnight. He wasn’t in the least bit tired. Talking to Katie made him feel exactly the opposite. Wired!

  The lady was weakening. He could hear it in the breathless sound of her voice and see it in the darkening of her eyes each time they met in court.

  But damn if he wasn’t going to have to speak to the staff of the Seduction Incorporated catalog. They could all get sued for misleading advertising. Silks, diamonds and Cadillacs didn’t have a prayer of working with Kathryn.

  She liked soft talk and flying kites.

  He liked that in a woman. He liked that a whole lot.

  * * *

  “HAVE YOU REACHED a verdict?” the judge asked the jury foreman when the court was called back into session midafternoon.

  “We have, your honor.”

  “Well, let’s not keep it a secret.” Still wearing her perpetual scowl, the judge read the verdict as delivered by the bailiff, then handed it back.

  The foreman cleared his throat, then said, “We find for the defendant, your honor.”

  The judge banged the gavel in a futile effort to quell the swelling buzz of conversation in the courtroom. “The jury’s dismissed, with our thanks. Court is adjourned.”

  Muscles in Kathryn’s neck and shoulders that she had held bunched up for days finally eased their tight grip on her nerves. She blew out a relieved sigh. The jury didn’t think Curt was guilty of anything, at least not where Roz was concerned. Neither did she. With his wealth, he was simply an easy target for people with more greed than good sense.

  She slanted a curious glance in the direction of Walter Simms. He didn’t look like a man content with the jury’s decision, and his hostile expression made Kathryn’s skin crawl.

  But then Curt was on his feet, blocking her view of Sim
ms while shaking hands with Tom. An instant later Lucy was right there, too, giving the attorney a hug and a kiss that lingered long enough to suggest the two of them had been spending time on their own getting acquainted.

  “I’d kiss you, too,” Curt said privately as he took Kathryn’s hand in a professional handshake, “but the press is everywhere. The two of us in a clench would be sure to make the front page. We’ll let Lucy have the attention this time around.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. Emotion filled her chest and she could have kissed him for his thoughtfulness, his willingness to save her from embarrassment.

  “Fact is, Lucy has planned a celebration party for us. A quiet dinner for four at a place that bars the paparazzi. Will you come?”

  “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

  “Lucy won’t take no for an answer. She’s like a steamroller when she gets her mind set on something.”

  “I gathered as much. I’ve even considered warning Tom, but I think it’s too late.”

  He gave her one of those irresistible grins. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Before she allowed herself to fully consider the consequences, Kathryn nodded her agreement. “At seven.”

  Even as the press corps flowed around and past her in their pursuit of Curt and his sister, Kathryn wondered at her decision. If she didn’t stay away from Curt, how could she possibly keep her heart intact? Because with each strobe of a flashbulb it grew increasingly clear that his life-style starkly contrasted with what she could tolerate.

  In grateful anonymity, she slipped out of the courthouse, found her car and crept through heavy traffic back to her apartment. Rudy intercepted Kathryn before she could get her key in the door lock.

  “Ah, my little chickadee, it seems this man of yours is an innocent, after all.”

  She laughed. “I’m not sure that’s quite how I’d describe him. More likely, the jury figured Curt to be such a good lover he’d never lose a woman over the side of his bed.”

  “Yes, that is quite likely, but nonetheless you did win the case.”

  “My boss did. Mostly I did the research on case law. All very boring stuff.” She shoved open the door. “Come on in. I’ll fix us a cup of tea to celebrate, anyway.”

  “No, no, chérie. Do not go to such bother. I only wished to congratulate you when I heard the news on the television.”

  Taking Rudy’s arm, she urged him through the door. He was looking particularly gaunt, she noticed, a little more stooped than usual and drawn around the mouth. “You’re practically family, Rudy. Who better to help me celebrate?” He’d been both neighbor and friend for the past ten years, and more times than not, a surrogate grandfather.

  He shuffled into the living room and eased himself into a chair by the window. “I think maybe that young man should be the one who lifts a glass of wine in your honor, not an old fool like me with a cup of tea.”

  “He’s coming for me later,” she admitted. Her cheeks grew warm with a blush, but she ignored the sensation. Rudy was too perceptive by far to accept a lie.

  “Then I should leave so you may make yourself even more beautiful than usual.”

  “We’ll have tea.” She placed her briefcase on an end table, shrugged out of her suit jacket and headed for the kitchen. She didn’t like the look of Rudy. Normally he radiated energy like a bouncing ball at the end of a rubber band. “Are you feeling all right?” she asked over her shoulder. “You look a little tired.”

  “It is nothing. Only a weariness that comes with old age.”

  Twice he’d mentioned his age. As a rule, Rudy seemed convinced he’d never had a birthday past his fortieth, ready to go the distance with any man half his age. Or any woman, for that matter.

  Kathryn fixed Rudy an aromatic herbal tea and watched with concern as he barely sipped the brew.

  With shaking hands, he set the cup and saucer on the table. “And now, mon amie, I must go so you can ready yourself for your gentleman friend.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right? Maybe you should see a doctor.”

  He shook his head, then brushed a kiss against her cheek. “You must have a very good time this night with your handsome lover who makes your cheeks glow. A chance lost is one you may never have again.”

  With those troubling words, he left the apartment. Kathryn might have followed him except she didn’t have time to dawdle if she was going to be ready when Curt came to pick her up.

  Her wardrobe offered few dressy choices, so after a quick shower she picked the lime-green dress she’d worn in Pebble Beach. Lifting the gown from the hanger, memories swept over her—of the way she had danced with Curt and the evidence of his desire as he held her in his embrace, of the sweet, lingering taste of his kiss. Tonight she would face a new set of challenges. All of them temptingly erotic.

  She might have helped win a legal case today, but she didn’t for a moment believe she could beat Curt Creighton at his favorite game of seduction. Not any longer. He was simply too masterful a player. His finely honed skills were a work of art.

  A few minutes before seven she heard a knock at the door. Smiling, Kathryn decided Curt was as eager as she to explore where this night might lead.

  Without checking the peephole, she pulled open the door.

  “Rudy?” she questioned, anxiety flaring in her midsection.

  “Chérie. I think...” Her neighbor’s eyes rolled upward, his knees buckled and he collapsed in a boneless heap across her threshold.

  Chapter Ten

  Fear as sharp as daggers twisted through Curt’s gut when he turned the corner onto Kathryn’s street. Pulling up to the curb across from her apartment, he parked his Ferrari and leaped out of the car. The revolving ambulance light flicked past him like a bloodred blade.

  “Not Katie,” he mumbled, dodging a passing car as he ran across the street. “Don’t let anything happen to Katie.”

  He shoved his way through the crowd of gawking onlookers. Rationally, he knew there were at least twenty units in Kathryn’s apartment house. He’d seen her only three hours ago and she’d been fine. The chances that something had happened to Kathryn were slim to none. No sensible man would worry about odds like that.

  But not a single logical argument reduced the terror that gripped him.

  He raced into the building and took the stairs three at a time. The sight of Kathryn’s open doorway and the curious neighbors standing around outside her apartment nearly undid him. He burst into the room.

  “Hey, fella, you gotta clear the area,” a paramedic gruffly ordered.

  “Where is she? Where the hell is Kathryn?”

  At the sound of Curt’s voice, Kathryn whirled around. “Thank heavens you’re here,” she cried.

  An instant after he spotted her looking helpless and frightened in the middle of the room, Curt had her wrapped in his arms, swearing to himself he was never going to let her go. Not ever. Moisture stung at the backs of his eyes. This woman had given him more grief since he’d met her than any other woman had in his entire life.

  “My God, Katie, I saw the ambulance and thought something had happened to you. I was so damn scared.” He hugged her even tighter as though to emphasize his words. “So scared.”

  “I’m all right.” His concern for her safety, along with the strength of his arms, cocooned Kathryn like a child’s fleecy security blanket. She relished the unfamiliar sensation. “It’s Rudy. They think he’s had a heart attack. I saw him earlier this afternoon and he seemed tired. I gave him some tea but he didn’t drink it,” she rambled on. “I should have known something was wrong. And then he showed up at my door.” Close to hysteria, she gulped for air.

  “Shh, love. The paramedics are here. They’ll take good care of him.”

  “He’s been like a grandfather to me all these years, Curt. I love him and I don’t think I ever told him so.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. He knows. Based on the stunts he’s played on me—pretending to be a woman, and then call
ing me up as if he were Tom—I figure he loves you, too.”

  She slipped her arms around Curt’s middle and rested her head on his chest, accepting his reassurances and watching as the paramedics worked over Rudy. Dear God, it felt good to have someone to lean on. Playboy or not, at the moment he felt rock solid, a man a woman could count on.

  The paramedics worked with appalling intensity, applying an oxygen mask, starting an IV. Finally they strapped Rudy onto a stretcher.

  “I’m going with him,” she announced.

  “Which hospital?” Curt asked the ambulance attendant.

  “Marina.”

  “Okay, sweetheart. You ride with Rudy and I’ll meet you there.”

  Grateful for his understanding, she palmed Curt’s cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry about the celebration party.”

  “Don’t be. Rudy comes first. Lucy and Tom will do fine on their own.”

  * * *

  SOME TWENTY HOURS LATER Kathryn idly wondered if hospitals intentionally purchased the most uncomfortable furniture they could find for their waiting rooms. To keep out the riffraff, she imagined.

  Stretching, she rolled her neck and shifted her shoulders, then gave Curt a weary smile as he handed her another cup of vending machine coffee and a wrapped sandwich.

  “You should go home and get some sleep, Katie.” He sat down beside her on the rock-hard upholstered bench and began massaging her neck with his thumbs and fingers. “I’ll make sure they call you if there’s any change in Rudy’s condition.”

  “I can’t go until I know he’s going to be all right. But you don’t have to stay.”

  “Why is it you’re always trying to get rid of me, Ms. Prim?”

  “At the moment, I can’t think how I would have gotten along without you through all of this.” He’d been the calm at the center of her emotional storm, a pillar to lean on. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had someone to rely on besides herself. Perhaps that’s what she’d begun to sense in Curt—a man who would be there when you needed him. A staunchly supportive friend under the most difficult of circumstances. Given her adolescent experiences with both boys of her own age and her father, it seemed almost too good to be true.