Seducing the Matchmaker

“One and the same.”

“Wow—way to go, kid. That’s definitely a name.”

Despite his words, something about Ray’s tone said he was less than enthused.

“What?”

Ray scratched his chin. “Isn’t that guy kinda known for being, well…something of a jackass to his girlfriends?”

Noelle winced. “Not just to his girlfriends. What about it?”

“I was just thinking that if you do find a match for him, great. But what if you don’t? I mean, someone in his position could make a lot of trouble for you, make it sound like the fault was with Love Unlimited—not him. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah, unfortunately I do. I hadn’t really thought about what would happen if I can’t make a match for him. Not to sound arrogant—but I always make the match. The idea of failing never occurred to me. But I admit, after meeting this guy, I am a little worried. He’s a total jerk. He spent the whole interview ogling me.”

Ray’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Noelle’s thin brows crinkled in indignation. “No need to sound so shocked, Ray. Men do hit on me from time to time, you know.”

“That’s not what I meant. He just looks so GQish. And you…you know.”

Noelle found the remarks surprisingly insulting, which was amazing considering some of the insults she and her siblings had exchanged over the years. Instead of letting him off the hook, she kept her silence and waited, watching to see how he would dig his way out of the remark.

“You know! You’re…so…Goody Two-shoes.”

“Are you kidding me? Goody Two-shoes? Me?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Just then, Ann peeked her head around the door. “Ray, when did you arrive? The girls just came downstairs and said Auntie and Daddy were in the bathroom. That sounded kind of strange, so I thought I better check it out. What are you guys doing up here? You’re missing the party.”

Ray crossed the room to his wife without delay. “Hi, honey. How was your day?” He mimicked his wife’s high-pitched voice.

Ann smirked. “Hi, honey.” She stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “How was your day?”

Wrapping her in a tight embrace, he sighed into her hair. “Better, now that I’m with you.”

The sincerity in his voice melted Noelle’s heart, and she suddenly had the feeling of being an intruder. This is what it’s all about, Noelle thought. Ray and Ann, her parents—they were the couples that had inspired her to start Love Unlimited.

Despite the nickname of Cupid bestowed on her by her brother, Noelle had never believed that there was necessarily one soul mate for any one person. She thought it more likely that there were certain people who just fit together better than others. And that if given the proper tools and assistance, those people could find each other rather than spending their lives going from one bad fit to the next. Because when it was right, there was a kind of magic that happened. Like what she was witnessing now.

With their arms wrapped around each other, the couple turned to leave.

“Ray, what did you mean by that Goody Two-shoes remark?” Noelle hated to interrupt, given the day Ray had obviously had. She knew all he wanted was some time with his wife. But the comment was bugging her, and she couldn’t seem to let it go.

“Nothing—I meant nothing by it.” With his arm still around his wife’s small waist, Ray turned back to face his sister. “Noelle. You are a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman, and you deserve only the best. But if even half of what I’ve heard about that guy is true, he’s bad news. Just…keep it professional.”

As the couple neared the stairs, Noelle heard Ann ask Ray, “What guy?” Their voices faded down the stairs before Noelle heard his reply.

Noelle leaned against the shower door and considered her brother’s words. She couldn’t shake the feeling that, whether intentionally or not, Ray had expressed more than he’d meant to. In fact, he’d probably expressed the same feelings anyone would upon hearing that superfine Derrick Brandt had come on to her: amazement.

Noelle had no delusions about her physical appear once. She was of average looks, nothing stunning, but she’d certainly drawn the attention of more than one man in her lifetime. In fact, Noelle was certain that if she were a smaller, more demure woman, she would probably be considered extremely attractive. But she wasn’t a smaller, demure woman. Standing barefoot at almost five-ten, she felt like a giant. And not even an elegant giant, like the regal models the world admired. She was plump.

Of course, the people who loved her called her big boned, but Noelle knew the difference. Her bones were not the problem. It was the meat on the bones, and there was more of it than she’d like. The result of a lifelong sweet tooth and overindulgent parents.

Noelle, and her siblings, Kimber and Ray, had each inherited their father’s build. Of course, on Ray it was considered an attractive feature. What woman didn’t love a big, strapping man to wrap her arms around? Ann certainly seemed to appreciate his height and girth. And even Kimber, although tall, had done a better job of resisting the after-dinner desserts of their childhood, and instead of being big boned, she’d turned out long and willowy. Men loved long, willowy women.

No, Noelle knew she was the only one of her siblings for whom the inheritance of their father’s genetics had not been a plus. At home, it had not in any way been a hindrance. She’d grown up in a house full of love and had never been given the feeling of being anything less than fantastic.

Gilbert and Claudia Brown had managed to do what all the daytime talk shows thought impossible. They’d managed to raise three emotionally stable, financially successful, well-balanced human beings. And after spending the first five years of her professional adult life as a licensed marriage counselor, Noelle had developed a greater appreciation of the uniqueness of her family.

That deeply rooted love, that feeling of complete acceptance, was what had made it so easy for her to give up her career as a counselor and open Love Unlimited.

Although stunned at first by such a drastic move, it hadn’t taken her family long to get behind the idea, and now she had their full support. And that of her happily matched clients.

As Noelle started down the stairs, she considered her brother’s words once more, and was certain of his meaning. Although he meant no harm, Ray was right. If handled properly, Derrick Brandt could be very good for business. But if not…

Noelle didn’t want to dwell on that too long. She had already discovered three women in her database that just might fit the profile for Mr. Brandt. Once she started sending him on dates, he would forget all about his momentary interest in her.

What happened in her office today was just the knee-jerk reaction of a man accustomed to chasing anything in a skirt. Noelle had seen the kinds of women Derrick Brandt chose to date in scores of pictures she pulled off the Internet while preparing for their interview.

But she knew Derrick Brandt’s type, and she definitely was not it.

As much of a brute as he was, he was just so sexy. A real walk-through-fire-for-his-woman type of man.

Chapter 4

Noelle Brown was exactly his type. Derrick couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the woman. Even as he sat at the head of the long conference table, only partially listening to the conversations going on around him.

At the last minute, he’d discovered a glitch in the plan for the Marquardt Building. The engineering firm wanted their building to be the preeminent example of new-age design. They wanted their building to say something. A symbol of stability to their clients and an intimidating foe to their competitors. The board of directors for Marquardt had a bold and daring vision for their new building.

Unfortunately, their vision did not include the ten emergency exits that were required by state code. And now, Derrick and his team of thirty had to find a way to include the necessary exits without diminishing the overall appeal of the building. This was a potentially disastrous development in this crucially important project, and yet…Derrick couldn’t care less.

All he wanted to do was go back to his office and call Love Unlimited. He just wanted to hear her voice. He knew he had a valid excuse. He could say he was calling for an update. It had been a full week since he’d interviewed with Noelle Brown, and she hadn’t so much as dropped him an e-mail regarding the status of his case. For the first two days, Derrick had been in a panic, taking her complete silence as a bad sign. He’d wondered if she’d reconsidered taking him on as a client after he’d left the office and had decided against finding the match. After the third day, his nerves had settled. That was when his accountant had informed him that the check he’d written as a deposit for her services had cleared the bank. So now, regrets or no, Noelle Brown was stuck with him.

He wondered what she was wearing at that very moment. Maybe another one of those form-fitting silk blouses that gave a little but not too much. He closed his eyes and tried to once again conjure the smell of her unusual perfume.

“What do you think, Derrick?” He recognized the voice of Tom, one of his chief engineers. The thin white man was standing beside Derrick’s chair.

What the hell am I doing? She’s a married woman. Derrick blinked and quickly replayed the last thing he’d heard. When he told Noelle Brown that he did not share his women, he meant it. No matter how desirable that woman was.

“Derrick?”

“Yeah, it might work. But the fire-resistant standard metal doors that we use for emergency exits won’t fit that scheme,” he answered smoothly.

“What if we paint them?” one of his interns nervously offered from the other end of the table.

“Paint them?” Tom whined. “What the hell difference would that make?”