Read Commitment for Free Online

“Come with me. I think it’s high time someone introduced you to a more age-appropriate woman.”
    “This was a set up,” he grumbled, standing his ground.
    “Of course it was,” she said with a tinkling laugh. “Did you really think I cared whether you showed your pretty face or not? I’ve already deposited your check.”
    “You are heartless, Sheila.”
    “And you like that about me,” she countered, tucking her hand into his arm again. “Buy me a glass of that god-awful vinegar we’re passing off as wine and I’ll tell you all about her.”
    “I love your talent for mocking your own accomplishments.”
    She squeezed his bicep. “And I love the feel of warm, firm man. Stick close, darling, I want to feel you up a little more before I give you away.”
    Tom threw his head back and laughed. He may have flexed a little too. “Heartless and shameless.”
    “You’ll thank me,” she said with an airy wave of her hand.
    They drew to a halt just inside the hotel ballroom. He surveyed the scene laid out before him, picking each detail out in one sweeping glance. The tiny white lights strung through the branches of potted trees were both tasteful and festive. A small orchestra played standards from the low bandstand set up at the far end of the room. The parquet dance floor was already crammed with couples. Uniformed wait-staff circulated with trays of crab puffs and shrimp. A buffet anchored by two artfully carved ice sculptures trailed the length of one wall. Four fully stocked bars beckoned the revelers.
    “It’s just the usual crap.”
    Tom acknowledged her assessment with a distracted nod. Then he clicked on the one noticeable difference between this benefit and dozens of others he attended as a part of his duties as a partner. Half of Chicago seemed to be in attendance. “Christ, did you blackmail them all? Is that the mayor?”
    “Believe it or not, some people find me charming,” she said with a sly smile. When he shot her a dubious glance she shrugged. “The rest…Well, they think I’m too rich to piss off.”
    His chuckle morphed into a laugh. He led her to the nearest bar where he ordered a glass of white wine. “Are you sure you won’t run away with me?” he asked. “We can go someplace warm and sunny. You can oil my back.”
    “Are you rusting already?” She tsked softly. “Sad for one so young.”
    Tom eyed the crowd, measured the depth of his patience, then added two fingers of scotch to the mix for safety’s sake. “I thought you wanted to feel me up.”
    “No need to throw yourself at me. I prefer to be more subtle about these things.” She searched the crowd as he led her through the milling throng of guests.
    Tom smiled a hello to a guy who looked a little familiar. At least, he hoped he managed a smile. It may have fallen a bit short, edging more toward a grimace. He hated these things. He hated the small talk, the business talk, and the intense negotiations masked as polite conversation.
    Sheila gave his arm a squeeze and nodded to the room. “Time to mingle.”
    He sighed and kept his gaze fixed on the bar set up along the far wall, charting his course to the next stop. “So, this woman you’re setting me up with… Whose niece is it?”
    “I have no idea who her people are.” Sheila abandoned his arm to exchange air kisses with a passing blonde.
    She reclaimed her hold on him. “I take it she’s over thirty?”
    “Definitely.”
    “Forty?”
    “I don’t think she’s there yet.”
    “Harelip?”
    “And a club foot,” she retorted. “Can’t you give me a little credit? I’ve known you for years, Tom. I know what a snob you are.”
    Her words felt like a punch in the gut. “A snob? I’m not a snob.”
    “When it comes to women you are,” she chided. “A snob and an attention whore.”
    He covered her hand with his and plastered a charming smile to his face. “Careful, Sheila, I’m beginning to think you don’t like me.”
    She snorted, somehow