~ Amorous Ambush ~

by

Tricia Lee

Prelude

“What a ridiculous plot!” exclaimed Nichole Morgan, shaking her long, dark pony tail in disbelief, as she and her friend Mitzi Landers walked out of the movie theater complex in the shopping mall near Mitzi’s home. “No one could pull a stunt like that in real life and get away with it,” she added in a skeptical tone.

“Which stunt do you mean? The heroine had no end of creative endeavors,” said Mitzi, a perky strawberry blonde.

“The very first one, at the beginning of the movie where she conned the poor sucker with her sob story at the train station. Really, Mitzi, would a man, any man, especially one who is young, handsome and successful, allow himself to be taken in that way?”

“Hmmm,” pondered Mitzi. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Nichole, as her dark brown eyes glanced with suspicion at Mitzi who had a fondness for mischief. Nichole was never sure when her friend was serious.

“How about you approaching a stranger, a handsome one of course, and throwing yourself on his mercy? It would be fun to see what would happen.”

“Me?” squealed Nichole. “Why me? You’re the one with the guts and the spunk.” Noticing the twinkle in her friend’s green eyes, she said with relief, “Okay, you had me going there for a minute. One of these days I’ll finally catch on to your little jokes.”

“I’m not joking, Nic,” Mitzi replied somberly as the twinkle left her eyes. “Look at you. You’re twenty-five years old and pretty as a picture or could be if you tried harder. You have a promising career, which is well and good, but there’s no man in your life despite all the opportunities you’ve had to meet young executives at work. Uh-uh, let’s forget Scott ever existed,” she said as she shushed Nichole who was trying to interrupt. “Besides, why would I want to play out a part to meet a handsome stranger? I’m happily married with baby, remember?”

“Yeah, but it’s your idea so you should be the one to see if it would really work.”

“Oh no, Nic, don’t be that way. I’m trying to help you. First of all, you need a makeover. You should stop pulling your hair back away from your face with those silly teenage barrettes. Flounce up that beautiful dark mane of yours. Add more makeup, especially accent those almond-shaped eyes. Buy a sexy dress. Loosen up!”

“I couldn’t dress like that at work. It’s not professional.”

“Forget work, although I think a little bit of sexiness wouldn’t hurt anything.”

Nichole laughed in spite of herself. “You’re forgetting who my boss is.”

“Well, I didn’t mean flirt with him, for goodness sake. There are other places besides the workplace, you know. Anyway, this movie gambit just might pan out. Besides, why not try something different? All the guy could do is brush you off.”

“Uh-huh, like a mosquito.”

“So, you try again. Try until you find a guy who’ll fall for the routine. These men will be strangers. You’ll never see them again, except for the one who falls for you. Can’t you see how much fun this could be? In this case, life imitating art.”

“Some art. A movie plot is one thing, real life another. The actors have their lines all written out for them.”

“So, we write our lines or rather, yours.”

“And what about the man’s? How can we guarantee that he’ll follow this script?”

“Improvise. Ad-libbing is supposed to be fun.”

“Oh, Mitzi, you silly goose. Fun, fun, fun. That’s how you describe everything for me that turns out to be no such thing.”

“Now you’re the one who is being silly, Nic. It would be fun to see a handsome stranger react to something like that train scene.”

“Oh, Mitzi, what am I going to do with you? There is no way that I would ever attempt such a stunt.”

Mitzi was silent for a few moments. “This is for your own good, Nic, but I dare you to do it. I double dare you.”

Nichole looked at her longtime friend and said with some amusement, “I can’t believe you’re serious, but let me explain this in simple words so that you'll understand. No way, my friend, no way.”

~ * ~

Roderick Cahill pushed his seat as far back as it would go. He had spent most of the flight going over projected figures for his auditing assignment in Dallas. He closed his eyes and began to relax. Texas. What would it be like? Ranches and oil wells? Tycoons like J.R. Ewing on that old TV show, Dallas? Well, he wasn’t in the oil business but business was business. What would dealing with Texans be like? Not that it really mattered, of course. As the visiting auditor to the Dallas branch of an international retail empire, he would have the upper hand. Still, he wondered if they would be big and blustery.

His random thoughts jumped back home to Hartford, Connecticut, where he had lived all of his life. He had never had a yearning for travel, but his recent promotion had placed him in a position where he would have to travel all over the country. The money was excellent and he was flattered by the new responsibility although he wondered whether the promotion was due to his serious business acumen or the fact that, at 29, he was still single. He imagined that it was much easier and more productive for the company to plan trips for a bachelor rather than a married, family man.

Well, maybe he just might enjoy this traveling life. He had worked hard since his partying days in college and his ill-fated engagement to Chloe, which had left a bitter taste in his mouth, as well as another unrelated memory of a heartbreaking tragedy. He had ignored many opportunities for socializing by dedicating himself to his career. That career had taken an unexpected turn with all kinds of possibilities leaping at him, not to mention the one in front of him now… the beautiful, blue-eyed blonde flight attendant with the honey-dripping, Texas accent. She had been quite attentive throughout the flight. He bet she knew how to give a big, Texas welcome to a newcomer. He shook the thought away. He needed to concentrate on business, not on careless romantic flings, at least not until he met the people with whom he would work. Ethaniel Evans Enterprises was not one of those companies that provided extra-curricular activities for visiting dignitaries but the Dallas branch might be different. For the time being, he would be careful, very careful.