He must have sensed her staring—‘gawking’ was more like it—because he looked up and their eyes locked. She’d read about love at first sight, of course, and had always thought the idea was bullshit, but the butterflies that had taken flight in her stomach were forcing her to reevaluate that. It might not have been love at first sight, but it was definitely lust.
The slow smile that formed on his lips while he kept his gaze locked on her seemed to suggest she wasn’t the only one to feel something.
“Xandra, we have a problem,” came Randy’s voice in her ear.
She returned the silver fox’s smile, then reluctantly turned away and headed backstage. “I’ll be right there.”
Parker
* * *
His cock was on high alert, begging him to look around the ballroom every two minutes for the little blonde-haired pixie with the streak of blue in her hair. She’d been wearing a headset, so he knew she was working the event in some capacity. How, exactly, he wasn’t sure—he hadn’t seen her again—but he was going to find out.
He’d walked in with Liam, and the two now stood at the bar to let people approach them. It was much easier than trying to circulate.
A dark-haired woman in a bright red dress caught his attention. Not because he was interested, but because the cocker spaniel on the other end of the leash she held looked just like Gertie—a dog he’d had when he was a boy.
The woman was making the rounds, stopping to let people pet the dog while she extolled the pup’s virtues. Parker couldn’t resist kneeling down and scratching the cocker’s soft ears when she was stopped in front of them.
“Phoebe is available for adoption—” the woman began.
He smiled as he stood up and shook his head. “I work fourteen hours a day, six days a week. I have no business owning a dog.”
Although, if he were honest, he’d loved having a pet when he was growing up and missed the unconditional love his dog had shown him.
“I completely understand. Maybe you’d be interested in sponsoring her adoption then?” She handed him a tri-fold pamphlet.
He turned the glossy brochure over in his hand and glanced at the foundation’s address and phone number on the back. “Maybe.”
“If you decide you’d like to, just see one of the cashiers. They can help you with any donation you’d like to give.”
He respected her style. She was pushy, but it was for a purpose. Maybe he could recruit her for the next hospital fundraiser.
“I’ll wait to see if I win any silent auction items; then I can just pay all at once,” he said with a polite smile.
“Good luck, then!”
With a subtle tug at the lead, she let Phoebe know they were moving along.
“If she came with the dog, I’d consider it,” Liam said with a chuckle as he took a sip of his bourbon and stared at the retreating brunette’s backside. She had been attractive, but right now, Parker had his sights set on seeing his blue-streaked beauty.
“You’re a big talker once she’s already walked away.”
The hospital CEO sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’m all talk—which is why I haven’t gotten laid in months.”
“You’re in good company.”
“Sometimes I wonder if the reason I don’t have any lasting relationships is because I work too much, or if it’s the other way around—I work too much because I don’t have a lasting relationship.”
“You know, there’s a way to test that theory,” Parker teased. In his experience, though, it was definitely because he worked too much. Women liked the spoils of his job but didn’t want to put up with the hours—which had only gotten worse since he had taken the chief of staff position.
“You know, you’re right.” Liam drained his drink and set his glass down on the bar with a determined look on his face. “Wish me luck,” and with that, he headed off toward the woman and the cocker spaniel.
Parker grinned. He’s going to end up adopting that dog all in an effort to get laid.
He pulled the card with his seating assignment from his pocket, and looked out at the sea of round tables. It was going to be an adventure finding his chair.
As he stepped into the main ballroom, studying the tables for their allotted numbers, he bumped into someone.
“Excuse me—” he said automatically, then straightened to his full height. It was his pixie. “Oh, hello.”
“Hi,” she said with a flirty smile, then noticed the card he was holding in both hands. “Do you need help finding your table?”
“As a matter of fact…”
She looped her arm through his and pressed her perky tits against his biceps. “Well, you are in luck. I happen to know exactly where Table 36 is.”
Having her touching him made his cock very happy, and he couldn’t help but notice her floral scent. Parker stared down at her. She was even more adorable up close. Her hazel eyes matched the olive-colored sleeveless dress she had on, and she was wearing flats instead of heels, which made her seem that much tinier against his six-foot frame. “It appears to be my lucky day, indeed.”
She shyly looked down with a small grin. He had the feeling she would make a perfect submissive.
“Here we are.” She released her hold on his arm, and he instantly missed her warmth against him.
“Thank you…” He looked at her name tag. “Xan?”
“It’s short for Xanadu.”
Xanadu? Seriously?
Still, he didn’t react except to ask, “Will you be around this way later, Xanadu?”
She broke out in a wide grin, and her chest shook from laughter. “It’s short for Alexandra. I’m busting your balls, Doctor Preston.”
The way she emphasized doctor let him know she wasn’t impressed by his title. And he liked that she was busting his balls. Not many people did that anymore.
“Hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t make the name tag. I would have just put Parker on it if I’d filled it out.”
The corner of her mouth turned up impishly. “That’s good to know. I was worried you were compensating for something.”
He cocked his head. “Why were you worried?”
“Um… well, I—um…”
He cut her off with a smirk, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. No compensation necessary.”
Instead of gasping innocently at his innuendo as he’d hoped, she rolled her eyes. “Says you.”
He pulled his shoulders back. “I’ve never had any complaints.”
She bit her bottom lip and stared pointedly at his crotch. “You might have to prove that, Doc.”
Fuck me.
His dick was instantly hard.
But before he could ask when or where, she spun on the ball of her foot and flitted away.
Chapter Two
Xandra
* * *
“Louise Braniff finally called. She got into a fender bender on her way here, and had to go to the ER to get checked out.”
Louise, the volunteer scheduled to walk Gus and Maggie around the event, hadn’t been there to help unload the dogs, so they’d put them in a kennel, thinking she’d show eventually. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.