stranger’s body? But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t a detective. He wasn’t an adventurer. The mystery of Beth Cantrell had nothing to do with him.
But the ghostly warmth stayed with him. He couldn’t shake it.
And how was he supposed to when he’d touched her that way? When he’d watched her face as she came apart in his hands?
“Henry,” he barked. “I’m going to make the rounds. Hold down the fort.”
They wouldn’t start serving samples until eleven, so he didn’t anticipate that Henry would have any trouble handing out coasters and hats and brochures. But Eric didn’t use the chance to pass Beth’s booth again. He headed resolutely in the other direction.
The booth he wanted was about halfway across the room. A local roasting company had offered to make a bid on supplying him with barroom snacks like cashews and peanuts. Eric had promised to hear the owner out. He liked the idea of organic ingredients and imported salt, but it would likely prove too pricey.
He was only a few booths from his target when he spotted Kendall and veered toward the right so he’d be sure to intersect the man’s path.
“Mr. Kendall,” he said simply, holding out his hand as a trap.
“Donovan.” The man’s hand was just like his face, big, meaty and unhappy, if the overly strong grip was any indication.
“It’s great to see you again. I was hoping I’d find you today. You enjoying the expo?”
“A lot of new faces,” Kendall muttered with an arrogant look around.
Yes, Eric wanted to say, that’s the point. But Kendall probably wouldn’t appreciate that. “About lunch today. I hoped we could—”
“Can’t do it, Donovan.”
Eric felt a surge of anger, but he forced a smile. “All right. But I hope you’ve set aside time this evening.”
Kendall sighed, his eyes shifting past Eric as if he couldn’t wait to get away. His attitude made Eric want to growl. He could make this guy a decent amount of money given a chance.
Eric held his tongue and waited patiently. Finally, Kendall cleared his throat. “The chamber of commerce is holding a reception tonight. Are you going to be there?”
“Absolutely.”
“Fine. We can talk then.”
Okay. This was good. It had taken Eric nearly a year of wrangling to get Kendall to meet him the first time. This second meeting had taken only a few weeks. Though maybe “meeting” was a bit of an exaggeration. “I’ll see you there,” he called as Kendall walked off with an impatient wave.
Eric allowed himself one small smile before he headed toward his original destination. This was what he’d come to the expo for, not a secret encounter with a fantasy woman.
Maybe if he told himself that a few dozen more times, he’d stop thinking about Beth Cantrell. But he didn’t hold out much hope.
LEATHER, FEATHERS, METAL and lace. Beth scowled at the display that had popped up next to the register at The White Orchid. She had five minutes to fix this before she had to run back to the conference hall for the reception.
“Well,” she said carefully to her newest employee. “You’ve got a really good idea here, Penelope.”
“Thanks!”
“But I think it might be a bit too…crowded.” More like tacky as all hell and likely to scare off any new customers who might come in. “The handcuffs are good. They’re playful. But when you pair them with the flogger and the, um, oversized toy, it startles people. That’s why we keep the toys behind the curtain.”
“Oh, okay!” Penelope said brightly.
“And I like the way you’ve paired the lace and the leather. That’s classic, right? But maybe we should take the feathered-crotch panties out of the mix.”
“Sure. That makes sense.”
“Great. I’m really happy with your taking the initiative. Why don’t you try one more shot at this, and I’ll have Cairo check it out in the morning. Is there anything else going on?”
“Nah, it’s slow today. Though we did have a bachelorette group in this afternoon. Guess what their total was?”
“How many women were there?”
“Seven.”
Beth tapped her chin, thinking. “How old was the bride?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Oh, that’s a young group. They’re not serious about their vibrators yet. I’ll guess $250.”
“$525!” Penelope squealed.
“Wow. Early learners.”
“I know!”
Beth was laughing as she hurried to her office to fix her makeup and hair. She slipped off her heels and stretched her toes in relief. Heels were standard wear for her, but these expo days were a little long, and there was never any chance to sit down.
But she hadn’t noticed the ache in her feet during the day.