Trust Me on This - Jennifer Crusie [32]
“Wait a minute!” Dennie said, but Alec stiff-armed her from the dining room while Victoria’s good-bye bubbled behind them.
Chapter 5
Once they were out in the lobby, Dennie jerked herself out of his grasp and stalked toward the elevator.
“Now, wait a minute,” Alec said, but she kept on walking. He moved after her, taking long strides to catch up with her at the elevator doors.
“Go away,” she said, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her around.
“What’s wrong with you?” he said.
“What’s wrong with me?” She jerked her arm back again. “I finally get to meet your aunt, and things are going great, I’m going to save her, and you try to dump wine all over me! What’s wrong with you?”
“Why is my aunt so important?” Alec asked. “And why were you giving Bondman such a hard time?”
“Your aunt is important because she can get me an interview I need,” Dennie said. “Well, also because she’s a sweetie, but the interview too. And Bondman is a crook. I can’t believe you can’t see that. Anybody could spot him a mile away, but not you. No, you’re offering him money. The Prentice compound. What a twit you are!”
Alec frowned at her. “What interview? You’re a reporter?” He shook his head, but he felt happier than any time since he’d met her. “You know, I don’t think it’s a good idea for women to have careers. I mean, look at you. You’re so wrapped up in yours, you’re knocking over wineglasses and suspecting innocent real estate salesmen of fraud. It would probably be a good thing if you got fired.”
Dennie became dangerously still. “A good thing.”
“Sure. What was that you were yapping about yesterday? The importance of failing. And now look at you, a failure in the making. Just what you wanted.” He beamed at her.
“A failure. I’m a failure? I almost had it all, and you ruined it! You rat!” Dennie swung at him with her soft little purse, and Alec ducked.
“I love a woman with spunk,” he said, and her elbow caught him by accident on the backswing, connecting solidly with his nose, which started to bleed.
“Ouch,” he said, “Oh, hell.” He began searching his pockets for a handkerchief, trying to keep his head tilted up while the blood dripped down his shirt and mingled with the wine stains.
“I don’t believe this.” Dennie opened her purse. “Here.” She handed him a fistful of Kleenex, and then punched the elevator button. “A million guys in this city, and I have to hit a bleeder.”
“Anybody bleeds if you hit him on the nose,” Alec said nasally, trying to stanch the flow. “Even if he gets hit with a limp punch like yours.”
The elevator doors opened, and she pulled him in and put her arm around his shoulders as the door closed. “Lean back. We have to stop this bleeding before you drown in it. What floor are you on?”
He leaned back, his head against the elevator wall. “We better go to your room. Mine’s a mess.”
“There’s no way,” she began, and then stopped. Alec tried to drop his head to see what she was up to, and she pushed his forehead back farther, jamming his head into the wall. “All right,” she said. “My room.” She punched the button for her floor.
“You know, I never thought of you as Florence Nightingale.” He tried to straighten his head again. “You’re more the Lady Macbeth type.”
She jammed his head back again. “I never thought of you as Pee-wee Herman, but that’s who you sound like.”
God, she was exasperating. “If I don’t bleed to death, I may kill you.”
“How? You get close, I’ll hit you in the nose again.”
“I’ll wait until your guard is down.” Alec raised his head cautiously, shoving her hand away when she tried to push him back again. The bleeding had stopped.
“My guard is never down.” She peered at him to see if he was all right, and he kissed her. When she pulled back, he held her face between his hands.
“I need a nurse,” he said to her. “Somebody to stay with me all night and make sure I don’t bleed to death.”
“Fat chance,” she said. “You