Wild for Him

his chest, down his abdomen, and along his straining erection.

All he could think about was having an affair with her, and it was close to driving him insane. She'd planted the seed and all day she'd nurtured the idea, until resisting her, and everything she was suggesting, was nearly impossible for him to do.

Now, as he finished getting dressed, he suspected that tonight wasn't going to be any different than today- except this evening he needed all his instincts clear and on target, his attention sharp and unclouded by all Christine's sultry attempts to seduce him. Being completely aware of their surroundings and keeping her safe during the charity event was his number-one priority until he had her home again tonight.

But before they could leave, he had to wrangle a long strip of silk into something that resembled a bow tie to go with the designer tuxedo he was wearing, and he wasn't having much luck with the task. He scowled at his reflection in the mirror when he ended up with a tangle of knotted material around his neck, and with an impatient growl he gave it a hard tug to unravel the mess so he could start the frustrating process all over again.

'Well, well, well,' came a soft feminine drawl from behind him in the guest bedroom. 'Don't you look nice.'

'Except for this stupid bow tie,' he grumbled irritably. 'Who invented this contraption of material, anyway? And why couldn't you have gotten me one of those easy, pre-tied bows?'

'Because that would be cheating,' she said, amusement in her voice. 'You can't wear a cheap clip-on bow with a Hugo Boss tuxedo. It would ruin the entire look.'

He rolled his eyes in disbelief. 'Who would even know the difference?' Certainly not him.

'Oh, you'd be surprised.'

He turned around to tell her that it was ridiculous that anyone would even care about a bow tie, but as soon as he saw Christine and what she was wearing his mouth went as dry as dust.

The black evening gown she had on for tonight's ball was an exquisite one-shoulder design, accented all over in beads that sparkled like brilliant jewels with the slightest move she made. The silky, shimmering fabric molded to her breasts, but from there the material lightly skimmed along her curves all the way down to the floor, gently emphasizing her womanly figure, rather than clinging to it. Of course, peeking out from the hem of her dress was a pair of black, open-toed, strappy high heels.

She'd swept her blond hair up into an elegant style of soft loose curls that left her shoulders completely bare, and her makeup had been applied in a way that made her blue eyes stand out and drew his gaze to her full, pink- glossed lips. Since the gown itself was so intricate, she'd kept her jewelry very simple-just a pair of diamond stud earrings that rivaled the lustrous shine of her eyes.

Somehow, he found his voice. 'Wow. You look absolutely stunning.' And she was so out of his league socially he felt like a fraud wearing such a high-dollar, designer tuxedo.

'Thank you.' She smiled, her expression glowing from his compliment. 'Now let's see what we can do about your bow tie.'

'We can always throw it in the trash,' he suggested with a grin.

'Sorry, but that's not an option.' She turned him around so that he was facing the dresser mirror again and she was standing behind him. 'Even in my high heels, you're too tall for what I need to do,' she said, and moved away from him.

She returned a moment later, dragging the straight-backed chair that had been in the corner of the guest bedroom. She parked it behind him, then told him to sit down. Curious as to what she intended, he did as she ordered and lowered himself to the chair. She positioned herself behind him, the back of his head now resting gently against the soft cushion of her breasts-which wasn't a bad place to be, he decided.

She reached around him and took the two long ends of the strip of silk in her hands. 'Tying a formal bow is just like tying your shoes,' she said as she wrapped one end of the material around the other and made a loose knot at the base of his throat.

Her cool fingers brushed beneath his chin as she made some kind of loop with the fabric. 'And you learned this how?'

'I did it for my father when I was growing up.' She tilted her head ever-so-slightly as she continued manipulating the strips of silk. 'Just yet another thing my mother insisted I learn for future reference. See, it did come in handy after all.' She met his gaze in the mirror and grinned as she made one last adjustment to the immaculate bow she'd created.

'I hardly think your mother planned for you to use your bow-tying skills on your bodyguard,' he pointed out wryly.

Finished with the bow, she smoothed her hands along the shoulders of his tuxedo jacket and bent low so her lips were close to his ear. 'Then we won't tell her, now will we?'

She was teasing and flirting with him again, but Ben didn't disillusion himself that if Audrey every found out that her daughter was fraternizing with the hired help, especially him, she'd come unglued and all hell would break loose.

'It looks like we're ready to go,' she said, stepping away as he stood up. 'I just need to get through the auction speech tonight without getting nauseous or sick, and I'll be happy.' She absently placed a hand on her stomach.

He wasn't used to seeing Christine insecure about anything, and this unguarded revelation of hers surprised him and made him see a whole different side to her. 'Not much of a public speaker, huh?'

'No, not really,' she said with a shake of her head. 'I've even tried hiring a public-speaking coach to help with my nerves, but I still get that churning anxiety in the pit of my stomach as soon as I'm standing at the podium and I'm the center of everyone's attention.'

'You'll do fine.' Without thinking, he reached out and caressed the backs of his fingers along her cheek, and her gaze softened in response. 'It's a quick speech and I'll be nearby. It'll be done and over with before you know it.'

'I hope so.' She summoned a brave, determined smile. 'We'd better get going. I'd like to get to the hotel a bit earlier than everyone else to double-check the auction display.'

'Okay.' He followed her out of his room, his gaze taking in the bare nape of her neck and all the smooth, silky skin revealed by the one-shoulder design of her gown. He glanced lower, to the alluring sway of her hips and the tantalizing way the fabric skimmed over her bottom as she walked. As he inhaled, he realized that she wasn't wearing her normal vanilla scent tonight, but instead he breathed in a richer fragrance that was as mysterious as it was provocative.

Feeling that familiar buzz of arousal kick in, he forced his attention elsewhere. 'By the way, I went through the guest list for the charity event tonight, and both Craig and Leanne are going to be there.'

'Yes, as are over two hundred other people.' She picked up a black shawl from the coffee table in the living room, draped it over her shoulders, then turned around to face him. 'We all run in the same social circles, so it's inevitable that our paths will cross.'

He pushed his hands into the front pockets of his black trousers. 'I want you to stay away from both of them. Especially Craig.'

She laughed as she grabbed a black beaded purse that matched her gown. 'You play the jealous boyfriend so well, not that I mind.'

Okay, that did sound way more possessive than he'd intended, and he tried to backpedal so he didn't sound like a Neanderthal. 'I just think tonight will be less stressful if you keep your distance from those two.'

She opened her small purse and looked through the contents. 'You're probably right, but I'll be mingling with everyone, so I can't deliberately ignore them if they come up to me. It would be rude, and since I'm in charge of the silent auction tonight, I don't want to make a bad impression on anyone.'

He nodded in understanding. 'Fair enough,' he said, though he just didn't like the thought of Craig anywhere near Christine, which meant he'd have to find creative ways to steer them both clear of the guy.

THE ballroom of the St. Claire Hotel had been transformed into an elegant and festive affair for the glitzy charity event raising money for the Children's AIDS Foundation. Everyone was dressed in black formal wear, with most of the women in the room wearing their most glamorous gowns and equally stunning jewelry reserved just for special occasions such as this.

Sitting at their assigned dining table enjoying a succulent Chateaubriand with bearnaise sauce and fresh