Tender Kisses. Sheryl Lister

for fun. All she wanted was to do her job and make her family proud.

      Cynthia, standing on the other side of Siobhan, playfully bumped Siobhan’s shoulder. “You never know—your real Prince Charming could be here tonight and you’re out here sulking.”

      “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you two,” Siobhan muttered.

      Kendra laughed. “Hey, we’re trying to get a couple of godchildren. Cyn’s baby girl and this one here,” she said, rubbing her baby bump, “need a godsister or brother.”

      Siobhan glanced down and smiled. “Somehow, I think I may have to settle for being a godmother.” She was thirty-three years old and, as much as she wanted marriage and children, Siobhan didn’t see herself allowing another man to get close. In fact, she thought it better to officially retire from the game of love altogether.

      * * *

      “Thanks for the invite.” Justin Cartwright shook his longtime friend’s hand. He and Robert Mitchell had been college roommates and bonded through their mutual love of technology. While Justin had continued to pursue a career in technology, Bobby changed directions to help his ailing grandfather run the family’s winery.

      “No problem, man. I figured with all the home-safety companies here tonight, you could get that next idea off the ground. It’s even better than the first one. I can’t tell you how much I love your first one. Those electronic floor sensors are the best I’ve seen on the market. If this next one is as good, you’ll have companies lined up.”

      “I appreciate the endorsement, Bobby. Maybe I should have you taking care of marketing,” he added with a chuckle.

      “Five years ago, I might’ve taken you up on your offer. Now I actually like the wine business.” Bobby’s gaze shifted to a man approaching then back to Justin. “That’s Charles Hickson. He might be someone you want to talk to.” Bobby had contacts throughout the business world.

      Justin nodded and greeted the man in question. He had read up on Hickson’s company, as well as several others. But he was interested in only one company—Gray Home Safety, one of the largest in the country. The floor sensors had done well and afforded him a comfortable lifestyle, but partnering with the Grays would catapult Justin’s new idea to another level and have far-reaching benefits for both parties. He’d researched everything he could find on the company and determined working with them would be his best shot at making his new alert system a household name. “What do you know about Gray Home Safety?”

      “The Grays?”

      “Yeah. You know them?”

      “We met about a year ago. They’re cool people, down-to-earth. At least a couple of his sons and daughters work there. The one brother I met is a sharp businessman. The daughter is a helluva PR director. I’ve never seen anybody handle the media and negative press the way she does. On the personal side, she’s pretty nice but tends to keep people at a distance. Is that the company you’re targeting?”

      “Yes. I want the best, and they’re it.”

      Bobby smiled. “I can introduce you, if you want.”

      “No, thanks. I’m sure I can handle an introduction.” Justin scanned the ballroom again and zeroed in on the beautiful woman on the dance floor. He had spotted her when she arrived earlier and noticed that she carried herself with the regal bearing of a queen. She was tall, wore her hair in a short curly style and had him absolutely mesmerized. He hadn’t been able to keep his concentration on the task at hand for staring at her. His gaze narrowed. That was the third or fourth man he had seen her dancing with. Either she was very popular, or she was somebody big in the safety industry. The latter didn’t bother him because he had only one company in mind. He kept one eye on her while sipping his drink and listening to Bobby. When the song ended, Justin watched as the man followed the woman from the dance floor and handed her what appeared to be a business card. Just as he suspected, the man was trying to pitch his idea. “Excuse me, Bobby. I want to do some mingling. I’ll catch up with you later.”

      Bobby nodded. “Good luck. Not that you need it. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’m cutting out early. So, I’ll call you later this week.”

      The two men parted ways, and Justin headed in the direction he saw her go. Halfway there, a man caught his arm.

      “Well, if it isn’t Justin Cartwright. How’ve you been?” he said, grabbing Justin’s hand.

      The man pumped Justin’s arm so hard he thought it would fall off. “Just fine, sir.”

      He grinned. “I’ve been keeping up with you and hearing some great things about your sensors.”

      “Really?” Three years ago, Justin had approached the man about backing his floor sensors and had been all but tossed out of the office. But he had persevered without any backing, and now his floor sensors were among the best available.

      “Yes, yes. So, do you have any new products coming to market?”

      “Not yet. If you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to someone. Enjoy your evening.” Not waiting for a reply, he left the man standing there. As much as he wanted to tell the man exactly where he could go, Justin didn’t believe in burning bridges in business. Now it was back to his original mission—the beauty in gold. For a moment, he lost her in the crowd then spotted her exiting to the balcony on the far side of the room. Two other people stopped him before he made it to the balcony.

      “If I have to dance with one more scheming stuffed shirt, I swear I’m going to give him a swift kick in the shin with the pointed toe of this shoe. I bet he’ll think twice...” he heard her say as he reached the open door.

      Justin went still. He took two steps back, pivoted and headed for the bar. Damn! He had to rethink his strategy. He ordered a Coke, not wanting anything to cloud his thinking. He took the drink out to the opposite balcony and leaned against the rail.

      “Now what?” he muttered. Truth be told, he shouldn’t be worried about a woman. He had more pressing things on his plate, like making sure his alert system was perfected and talking with Mr. Gray tonight. He sipped his drink and stared at the grounds below. A slow smile curved his mouth as an idea came to him. He was great at multitasking and wanted only a dance. There would be plenty of time to get that pitch in. Justin downed the remainder of his drink and went back inside.

      He greeted and made small talk with several people, all while maneuvering closer to the woman. “Good evening, ladies.” She stood talking with two other women, and seeing her from a distance had not come close to capturing her beauty, especially her eyes. They were a lighter shade of brown and perfectly complemented her golden-brown skin. Soft laughter from one of the women made him realize he was staring like an awestruck teen. Justin quickly gathered himself and stuck out his hand to the first woman, who was still smiling. “I’m Justin Cartwright.”

      “Kendra Martin. Nice to meet you, Justin.”

      “I’m Cynthia Johnson,” the second woman said, extending her hand.

      “Nice to meet you both.” He turned slightly to face the woman he had been studying all night. “And you are?”

      “Siobhan. Siobhan Hunter,” she said, shaking his outstretched hand.

      “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Siobhan,” Justin said, his eyes never leaving hers. The warmth flowing from her touch gave him pause. The slight widening of her eyes and the way she pulled back let him know he wasn’t the only one who felt it. “Are you ladies enjoying yourselves?”

      “Yes,” Siobhan and Cynthia chorused.

      Kendra angled her head. “Let’s say the night just got more interesting.”

      Justin lifted a brow. “Is that right?”

      “Definitely.” She hooked her arm with the other woman and led her away. “Come on, Cynthia. We should probably go find our husbands. You know how they get. Nice to meet you,