Page 36 of A Searing Acquaintance
The Knightleys overheard the conversation and immediately engaged Collins in a spirited discussion of performance art and free will. Elizabeth listened for a moment, eyebrows raised.What do you know; the man has depths. Deeply buried under layers that needed lots of pruning and reshaping, but he’d obviously done more than simply skim the newspaper’s Arts & Leisure section.
Darcy glanced at an amused Elizabeth. “I’m sorry your dinner was hijacked. May I get you a plate?”
“No, thank you. I like to window shop.”
She and Jane rose, and Darcy and Bingley followed them to the scattered serving stations. They returned with full plates, and the table’s occupants—minus Caroline—spent a half-hour talking about the food, the theater, and Bingley’s big idea for reviving an obscure eighties video game. Darcy mostly listened, and Elizabeth wondered why he made an effort to come to such a nice event only to sit around like a stodgy old man. As soon as Jane and Charles started sharing desserts—and forks—Elizabeth headed to the ladies’ room. When she emerged, Collins awaited her.
“Elizabeth, what do you say we get out of here?” he asked eagerly, his words slurred. “Charles said you live in Jersey. I can show you the city. Have you been to the top of the Empire State Building? New York’s grid system is fascinating to see at night.”
“Um, not since I was five years old,” she said slowly. He was no one she wanted to spend time with, especially when he was obviously inebriated, but his business—and probably his friendship—was important to Charles. She stared at the bits of dried cream sauce in the corners of his lips.God, Bennet, think of something. Quickly.
Bill smiled and shrugged. “We’ve barely had a chance to talk. I’d like to know more about you. I hear you’re an athlete.” Liquor spoiled his attempt at a suave demeanor. “Perhaps you could give me some advice on working out?”
Involuntarily, her eyes swept his physique. It looked plenty built up to her, just in all the wrong places, especially his midsection. Tonight’s overindulgence in high-end beers was obviously not an anomaly. Suddenly, she felt his hand sliding up her arm. He squeezed her biceps.
“Oh my, you are buff.”
“Get your hands off of me. Now.” Elizabeth shook her arm free and pulled back from him. “Bill, I hope you’ll continue to do business with Charles, but you have no further business with me. You need to go home, alone, and sleep it off.”
She wheeled around and walked outside to find some cool air. She couldn’t escape the feel of Bill’s moist hand on her arm and his breath in her face.
“Are you all right?” Another voice, deeper and with a British accent, came from behind her.
Dammit. Seriously?
Darcy had been standing over at the espresso bar, his arm trapped by Caroline, his ears only vaguely attuned to her vivid update on last week’s social gossip, and his eyes trained on the ladies’ room. He’d seen Elizabeth head in there a few minutes earlier and soon spotted Bill Collins hovering near the doorway. He felt terrible for her situation. Charles’s whispered confirmation of Bill’s client status and Elizabeth’s unknowing role as his “date” both amused and horrified him. They clearly had divergent ideas about the evening, and Darcy didn’tappreciate the way Collins had been eyeing Elizabeth. Microbrews and fried bread puddings were not a good mix with his personality. After Elizabeth had risen from the table, Collins disappeared. Darcy excused himself and followed a moment later. He ended up standing with an over-served, highly caffeinated Caroline but quickly pulled away from her when he saw Elizabeth trapped by Collins, his hand on her arm. Elizabeth pushed him away and stalked out. Darcy noted Collins watching her, confused and disappointed.
He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Be smart. Get a cab and go home.”
Then he headed outside and found Elizabeth with her arms crossed, leaning against the railing overhanging the boardwalk and looking up at the stars. “Are you all right?” Elizabeth stared at him. “I’m sorry, I saw he was waiting for you, and I thought you might need backup.”
She still didn’t say anything, and Darcy began to worry he’d come off as a stalker.
Elizabeth sighed. “I’m fine. He’s just overenthusiastic and socially clueless. So what’s the deal? Are you my new bodyguard, protecting me from men you disapprove of?”
Darcy nodded and gave her a rueful smile. “I suppose so.”
He abruptly leaned toward her and pointed up at the sky. “Look at that. You can actually see the Pleiades tonight.”
“The Seven Sisters?”
“Right.” He smiled, pleased but unsurprised that she knew the constellations. “You don’t always see so many stars?—”
“—this close to the city.” Their eyes met.
Elizabeth pulled away and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Collins isn’t a long-lost Darcy cousin, is he?”
“God, no. Why would you ask that?”
“I’m kidding. It just seems that whenever I see you, I run into one of your cousins. A De Bourgh here, a Fitzwilliam there.” She stared off toward the tall ships docked at the pier. “Your family has a luxury suite at Yankee Stadium. Wow.”
“My cousin mentioned the game. I hope you enjoyed it, despite him.”
She laughed. “Oh, he’s a fun one. Quite a talker. You two are very different.”
“I’m not much like any of my cousins.”
“Your American cousins?”
