Read Online Lady's Choice by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online
Authors: Jayne Ann Krentz
Tags: Contemporary Romance
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avocado-green contents of the bowl were already sailing through the air toward him. He held up a hand and instinctively ducked but the guacamole was faster than he was. It spattered across his white shirt and jacket, a good deal of it hitting him squarely on his striped tie.
Juliana surveyed her handiwork with some satisfaction and put the bowl back down on the table.
"Now, at least, you're the right color for a frog."
She swept away from the buffet table, moving through the stunned onlookers like a queen through a crowd of stupefied courtiers. She had never been this infuriated, this hurt before in her life. Not even when her fiance had told her he wanted to marry another woman.
She had been so sure of herself this time; so sure of Travis. How could she have been so certain and yet be so wrong? It wasn't fair.
Her mother, petite, silver-haired and quite lovely at fifty-nine, was suddenly hovering anxiously in front of her. "Juliana, dear, what's going on? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Mom."
"Your father and Tony are worried. That man.,." Beth Grant's voice trailed off as she glanced helplessly past her daughter to where Travis stood covered in guacamole.
"I know all about it, Mom. Excuse me, please. I'm going home."
"But, Juliana..."
Juliana patted her mother reassuringly on the shoulder and hurried around her. She took several deep breaths as she went through the lobby and out into the parking lot. She would have to calm down a little before she got behind the wheel of her car.
Travis stood staring after her, as riveted in place as everyone else around him. He could not quite bring himself to believe what had happened. No one he knew did things like this. Not in front of a hundred people.
"Welcome to the dangerous hobby of escorting Juliana Grant." Like the good host he was, David Kirkwood waded through the shocked crowd toward Travis. He grinned wryly and picked up a napkin off the buffet table. "If you plan to hang around her very long, you'd better get used to being taken by surprise," he advised as he handed Travis the napkin. "She's got a way of keeping a man off balance."
Travis snatched the napkin from his host and took several furious swipes at the guacamole. He could tell instantly that the tie was ruined. "You sound as if you speak from experience. I take it you've seen other men buried under guacamole?"
"Oh, no. Juliana rarely repeats herself. She's too creative for that. But I've sure seen more than one man with that particular expression on his face."
"What expression?"
"That of a poleaxed steer. If it's any consolation, I know exactly how you feel."
"How would you know?" Travis looked with disgust at the avocado stained napkin.
"I was engaged to Juliana for a short but very memorable month almost four years ago."
Travis crushed the napkin in his fist, his gaze slamming into David Kirkwood's amused eyes.
Sympathetic, lively hazel eyes. Six foot three, at least, Travis estimated. Fair-haired. Smile like something out of a toothpaste commercial. An expensive Italian pullover sweater over a designer sport shirt and pleated slacks. A massive gold ring on one hand that went with the massive gold watch on his wrist. Travis's instincts warned him of the truth. No doubt about it, this was Juliana's golden god, the one who'd left her for the petite blonde. The blonde was Elly.
"You were engaged to her?" Travis wiped off more guacamole.
"I know what you mean. Hard to believe, isn't it? She's definitely not my type. I'm not quite sure how it happened, myself. She sure dazzled me for a while, though. Something about her makes a man look twice. Then run."
"What do you mean, she dazzled you?"
"Hey, give me a break. You've been around her long enough to know what I mean. She's a lot of woman. But maybe a little too much woman for most of us poor mortal males. Who wants to marry Diana the Huntress? You always get the feeling you're one step behind Juliana. Say, you want to wash the rest of that stuff
Juliana surveyed her handiwork with some satisfaction and put the bowl back down on the table.
"Now, at least, you're the right color for a frog."
She swept away from the buffet table, moving through the stunned onlookers like a queen through a crowd of stupefied courtiers. She had never been this infuriated, this hurt before in her life. Not even when her fiance had told her he wanted to marry another woman.
She had been so sure of herself this time; so sure of Travis. How could she have been so certain and yet be so wrong? It wasn't fair.
Her mother, petite, silver-haired and quite lovely at fifty-nine, was suddenly hovering anxiously in front of her. "Juliana, dear, what's going on? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Mom."
"Your father and Tony are worried. That man.,." Beth Grant's voice trailed off as she glanced helplessly past her daughter to where Travis stood covered in guacamole.
"I know all about it, Mom. Excuse me, please. I'm going home."
"But, Juliana..."
Juliana patted her mother reassuringly on the shoulder and hurried around her. She took several deep breaths as she went through the lobby and out into the parking lot. She would have to calm down a little before she got behind the wheel of her car.
Travis stood staring after her, as riveted in place as everyone else around him. He could not quite bring himself to believe what had happened. No one he knew did things like this. Not in front of a hundred people.
"Welcome to the dangerous hobby of escorting Juliana Grant." Like the good host he was, David Kirkwood waded through the shocked crowd toward Travis. He grinned wryly and picked up a napkin off the buffet table. "If you plan to hang around her very long, you'd better get used to being taken by surprise," he advised as he handed Travis the napkin. "She's got a way of keeping a man off balance."
Travis snatched the napkin from his host and took several furious swipes at the guacamole. He could tell instantly that the tie was ruined. "You sound as if you speak from experience. I take it you've seen other men buried under guacamole?"
"Oh, no. Juliana rarely repeats herself. She's too creative for that. But I've sure seen more than one man with that particular expression on his face."
"What expression?"
"That of a poleaxed steer. If it's any consolation, I know exactly how you feel."
"How would you know?" Travis looked with disgust at the avocado stained napkin.
"I was engaged to Juliana for a short but very memorable month almost four years ago."
Travis crushed the napkin in his fist, his gaze slamming into David Kirkwood's amused eyes.
Sympathetic, lively hazel eyes. Six foot three, at least, Travis estimated. Fair-haired. Smile like something out of a toothpaste commercial. An expensive Italian pullover sweater over a designer sport shirt and pleated slacks. A massive gold ring on one hand that went with the massive gold watch on his wrist. Travis's instincts warned him of the truth. No doubt about it, this was Juliana's golden god, the one who'd left her for the petite blonde. The blonde was Elly.
"You were engaged to her?" Travis wiped off more guacamole.
"I know what you mean. Hard to believe, isn't it? She's definitely not my type. I'm not quite sure how it happened, myself. She sure dazzled me for a while, though. Something about her makes a man look twice. Then run."
"What do you mean, she dazzled you?"
"Hey, give me a break. You've been around her long enough to know what I mean. She's a lot of woman. But maybe a little too much woman for most of us poor mortal males. Who wants to marry Diana the Huntress? You always get the feeling you're one step behind Juliana. Say, you want to wash the rest of that stuff
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