They walked back into the dining room. Their dinner had arrived but Sabrina was nowhere to be seen. He led her back to the table and gulped down his entire glass of champagne, then poured himself another.
“Careful, dear,” she said, leaning forward just enough for him to get a peek at her cleavage. “You know how you get when you drink.”
She saw his gaze wander down to her breasts before gulping down some more champagne.
“There’s Sabrina,” she said. As she watched Sabrina work the crowd, flashing various diners a fake, almost frightening smile, Lessa tried to imagine the woman arm in arm with Rick. “I don’t see you with her,” she said in between bites.
He glanced at Sabrina and said, “I think she was different then. She wasn’t as…hard as she is now.”
“Hmm. That’s probably what my old boyfriends say about me.”
“Oh? There are a lot of them?”
She’d meant it as a joke, but he seemed to take her seriously. “No. Not really.”
“And why is that?”
“Because…” Why was she suddenly feeling as if she were in a therapy session? Was he going to pay the kindly uncle and give her dating tips? “I’ve been busy.”
“An excuse. But not bad. I’ve used it myself.”
“But you date. You date a lot. It seems like every time I turn around there’s another mention of you with a different woman.”
“You’ve been working with me now for six months. Is that your impression of me?”
No, at least not in the office. She would give him that. But there was a question she was dying to ask. “Are you involved with anyone right now?”
“No.”
A surge of relief flooded her veins. But why should she care? She waited for him to finish his meal and then said, “Let’s dance.”
She took his hand and led him out to the dance floor. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She could not only act like a lover, she could act like a temptress. And she was just getting warmed up. “Aren’t you going to hold me?” she said softly.
“What got into you?”
“I don’t like to give up a game.”
“Ah, I see. Everything changed when I told you to go back to the room. You took it as a dare.”
“I took it as intended. A challenge.”
“And Alessandra Lawrence does not back away from a challenge.”
“I know that you have me pegged as a spoiled rich girl, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m very determined and I’m willing to work hard to get what I want.”
“I believe that, Lessa.” He gazed at her, as if drinking her in. “So who am I tonight?” he asked. “Are you pretending I’m a famous movie star…or a-”
“Andre Agassi.” The truth of the matter was that there was no need to pretend he was anyone other than himself. But she could not admit that to him.
“A tennis player, of course. I should’ve guessed.” He smiled. “You’re not what I expected, Lessa. I never thought that I would enjoy spending time with you.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. He was enjoying her company? “Is this part of your plan to convince Sabrina?” she joked. “You sweet talk me and I fall madly in love with you?”
“Do you think that would work?” he asked, flashing her his famous grin.
He was teasing and she knew it, yet she couldn’t stop herself from answering. “If that’s your plan,” she said, playing along, “I should warn you it might be more difficult than you think. I’ve never been in love before.”
“That’s too bad,” he said.
“I’m not so sure,” she replied. “I’ve seen the havoc it wreaked on some of my friends.”
“Not all love affairs end badly,” he said. “And even those that do…well, sometimes it’s still worth it.”
His eyes grew distant and she knew he was thinking about the woman he had loved all those years before. She was possessed by a sudden urge to comfort him. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
He did not speak but cupped her chin tenderly.
She closed her eyes, reveling in the touch. His arm slid around her as he pulled her closer. The act caught her off guard, taking away her breath. He leaned forward to kiss her, and her senses charged to life as a delicious shudder rippled through her body. He softly touched his lips to hers.
“There you are!” Sabrina said, interrupting. “I was wondering if I might be able to steal him away for a moment.” Looking at Rick, she said, “You promised me a dance.”
To Lessa, it almost looked as if he regretted leaving her. She stepped aside and Rick swept Sabrina into his arms. As Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her cheek against his, Lessa felt jealous. Real, honest-to-goodness jealous.
What was happening here? She wasn’t supposed to feel jealous. She wasn’t supposed to feel anything at all. It was all an act. He was Rick Parker, her nemesis, the man who’d stolen her father’s company. There was no possibility of anything happening between them, ever.
But she couldn’t help wishing things might be different. She couldn’t help her body from enjoying his kisses and hoping for more.
Sabrina put her arms around Rick’s neck. Lessa was once again the girl in the doorway, lusting after a man who did not even know she existed.
If she was going to storm out in a fit of jealousy, now would be the time. With one last glance, she made her way toward the door. Just as she got to it, she felt a hand on her arm. Rick spun her around and, pulling her close, kissed her once again.
Six
It was the velvet kiss Lessa had dreamed of, the one she had longed for all those years ago. She wrapped her arms around Rick’s neck, welcoming him. His arm slid around her as he pulled her closer. Her senses charged to life. It was as if time had stopped. Nothing else mattered. She wanted to feel him, all of him.
And then, just as suddenly as it had all started, it stopped. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, breaking away.
His words suggested an intimacy, a desire to be alone. But she knew better. She could tell by the look in his eyes that something was wrong. “But the contract…”
“She’s not signing the contract tonight. It was all a game.”
Accepting his hand, Lessa followed him out the door. Once outside, he stepped away from her.
“What did she say?” she asked as he led her down to the beach. It was a warm tropical night. The sky was littered with stars and a heavy, full moon that reflected off the glittering sea.
“She’s put us off until morning.” He stopped and let go of her hand. “I think she’s playing with us, Lessa. I don’t think she bought our story, unless our last-ditch effort convinced her. I don’t think she has any intention of signing that contract tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I wasn’t very convincing as the jealous girlfriend.”
“You did fine.” He smiled at her again. It was genuine and sincere, not like the patronizing grins to which she had grown accustomed.
“What are you suggesting we do?” she asked.
“We can go back to New York and try to come up with another way to fend off this takeover. Or,” he said, after hesitating, “we can give it another night.”
Another night. A night sharing the same room. She glanced toward the water slowly licking the shore. “I didn’t bring a change of clothes, or anything,” she said.
“I know how you feel about this, Lessa,” he said. “So if you want to go home tonight, I understand. I’ll stay and deal with Sabrina alone tomorrow morning.”
As she followed him back toward their bungalow. She felt the jealous whisper of uneasiness. She thought back to the way Sabrina had leaned into him, the way she had looked at him. Did he want Lessa to leave so that he could have a secret rendezvous with the enemy? Perhaps he had decided on a different way to convince Sabrina to abort the takeover. “She propositioned you, didn’t she?”
“How did you know that?” he replied in a tone that let her know her hunch was correct.