Since Kit’s mother had died, Carl had stumbled through a few relationships, all with grasping divorcées who were interested in finding a man to provide. Kit had warned him that a multimillionaire of his age would be easy pickings for the wrong kind of woman. Luckily, Carl had broken off the relationships before he had become legally entangled. But this woman was something new-she was prettier and younger, an irresistible combination for a man approaching the age of sixty.
“Aw, hell,” Kit muttered. “I should have stayed home.” He wove through the tables and stopped next to his father’s. “Hi, Dad.”
They both looked up from their conversation and Carl immediately rose and clapped Kit on the shoulder. “Kit, my boy. I was wondering if you’d make it.” Kit glanced over at the woman and his breath caught in his throat. She wasn’t thirty-five at all, probably not even thirty.
Her skin was flawless, luminous in the low light of the candle that sat in the center of the table. Her hair brushed against her jawline and he fought the impulse to reach out and touch it, to see if it was as soft as it looked. She smiled at him hesitantly. He watched in fascination as her lips parted slightly and he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss a mouth like that. Good Lord, she was pretty.
“Kit, this is Roxanne Perry. Roxanne, my son, Kit.”
Startled out of his fantasy, he took the hand she offered, folding her delicate fingers inside his.
“Your father has told me so much about you,” she said. “It’s so nice to meet you, Kit.”
“Sit,” Carl said. “I’ve ordered another bottle of champagne. Would you like a glass or do you want your usual scotch?”
Kit glanced back and forth between his father and Roxanne Perry. By the flushed look on his father’s face, the guy didn’t need any more champagne. “No.” Kit turned and flagged down a waitress. “Chivas on the rocks,” he said. When his attention returned to his dinner companions, he couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. “So, how long have you two known each other.”
“Oh, just a few days,” Roxanne said. “We met Saturday morning.”
“Roxanne is a finalist in a contest that WBAM is promoting. I was the one who gave her the good news.”
“A contest?” Kit asked. “What kind of contest?”
“I’ve been nominated by Family Voyager magazine for their ‘Mother of the Year’ contest,” Roxanne said.
“And the prize includes dinner at Fred’s House of Crabs?” Kit asked, trying to cover his embarrassment. She was married and a mother and this was nothing more than a simple business meeting.
“No. A trip to Paris. Your father invited me to dinner and I accepted.”
A long silence fell over the table. “So, are you involved in radio?” Roxanne asked, glancing at Kit from over the rim of her champagne flute.
Kit chuckled softly. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He dragged his gaze from her face, reminding himself that Roxanne, though attractive, wasn’t available. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself?”
She gave him a shy smile. “Well, I’m divorced and I have four children.”
Kit cursed silently. This did not bode well. His father was already gazing at Roxanne as if she’d hung the moon and the stars. “And what do you do for a living?”
“Actually, I don’t work. I have a little money from my father’s family. It’s hard to work with young children. But I hope to go back to work soon.”
“I was just trying to convince Roxanne to take a job at the station,” Carl said. “We need to increase our demographic with young mothers and I think she could help us. Every talk radio station in the world is chasing the conservative male demographic, but I’m thinking that we’ve found a niche with stay-at-home moms like Roxanne. That’s what we were just talking about.”
“I told Carl it makes sense,” she said.
“I’m sure you did,” Kit replied.
“When I’m taking care of the kids, it’s impossible to watch television. But I would listen to the radio if the programming were interesting. And appropriate for little ears.”
“You’re already starting to think like a radio programmer,” Carl teased.
A blush stained her cheeks. “I’m just telling you what I know about being a mother, that’s all.” She took another sip of her champagne, then smiled at Kit.
The conversation continued without Kit’s participation. Though she tried to draw him in, he preferred to sit back and watch her in action, to evaluate her motives and to find the best way to counteract her beauty. His father seemed completely captivated, hanging on every word she said, lavishing her with compliments.
When she finished her champagne, she set her napkin on the table and pushed back in her chair. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to call home and check on the kids.”
They both watched her walk out of the dining room. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Carl said.
“What the hell are you thinking? She’s got to be thirty years younger than you.”
“At least,” Carl said. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Are you really that blinded by her beauty? She’s out to snare you, Dad. She knows you have money and she’s moving in for the kill.”
“What?” Carl laughed, clearly taken aback by Kit’s comments.
“Come on, Dad. I see what’s going on here, even if you don’t.”
“You think you do,” he said. “But you’re wrong.”
“You can’t date her.”
He straightened as if suddenly insulted. “I suppose I could do whatever I want. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
Kit threw his napkin down on the table. “If you expect me to approve, then you’re crazy. I’m not going to condone a relationship with a woman who’s young enough to be your daughter.”
“Are you leaving? We haven’t even ordered yet,” Carl said. “The crab here is fantastic. Sit down and stop acting like a spoiled child.”
“I have to go,” Kit said. He strode out of the dining room and turned the corner to the front door. But he wasn’t watching where he was going and ran, full tilt, into Roxanne Perry. She cried out in surprise and Kit grabbed her to keep her from falling backwards.
For a long moment, they stood in the foyer of the restaurant, his hands gripping her bare arms, their gazes locked. God, she was beautiful…and soft. And she smelled really good. No wonder his father found her irresistible.
“Did you need to make a phone call?” she asked. “The pay phones are just out there.”
“I know what you’re up to,” he said, his eyes fixing on her lush mouth.
“Up to? I just needed to check on my kids.”
“Don’t think you’re fooling me. Both you and I know what’s going on here and if you hurt my father, you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Hurt your father? Why would I hurt him?”
Hell, she was good. He actually found himself fooled by that wide-eyed innocent look. So why did he want to yank her into his arms and find out exactly how that pretty mouth tasted. With a soft curse, Kit released her, then stalked toward the door. But an image of her stayed with him, swirling in his head, imprinting on his brain. When he reached his car, he sat down inside, gripping the steering wheel.
This was a great move. A lot of good he could do out here in the parking lot. Kit cursed again. There’d be plenty of time to convince his father against a relationship with Roxanne Perry. And while he was at it, he might take the time to convince himself that Roxanne Perry wasn’t the most beautiful and intriguing woman he’d ever met.
But until then, Kit was going to keep a close eye on her. Sooner or later, she’d show her true colors. And then he’d find a way to get her out of his father’s life for good.
CHAPTER TWO
“COMING UP NEXT, we have Roxanne Perry. Roxanne was recently chosen as a finalist for the ‘Mother of the Year’ contest, sponsored by Family Voyager magazine. We’ll be talking about the struggles of raising children alone and we’ll be giving away free subscriptions to Family Voyager. So join us after these messages.”