He suddenly realized that he hadn’t moved. He was still standing in the doorway, holding the coffee in front of him.
“Is this mine?” she asked, taking a cup. He watched her sip the warm liquid. She sighed and closed her eyes. “Mmm. This tastes great,” she said, running her tongue around her lips. “Thank you.”
What was she trying to do, drive him crazy?
Oblivious to her charm, she smiled and said, “Now I’m ready for another round.” She opened the door and waved to Sabrina. Then she turned back toward him and whispered, “We should kiss.”
Without hesitation, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. As her lips touched his, he could feel his body respond.
Unaware of the seductive spell she had cast, she pulled away. “Did she see?” she asked cheerfully.
“I’d say so.” Sabrina was walking straight toward them. “Good morning, Sabrina,” he said as Lessa turned around.
“How did you sleep?” Sabrina asked.
“Did we sleep?” Lessa teased with an obvious wink.
“No,” he answered truthfully. “I didn’t sleep at all.”
Ignoring the fact that Lessa was practically glued to him, Sabrina touched his cheek. “Tsk, tsk. And the mattresses are guaranteed to provide a good night’s sleep.”
“Oh, we did enjoy the mattress,” Lessa said, rubbing her hand against Rick’s chest.
“Are you ready to sign?” he asked Sabrina. Any more talk like this and he was going to have to toss Lessa back onto the bed and test out the mattress himself.
Sabrina sighed dramatically. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone once again. It seems my research has not been thorough.”
“How unfortunate,” Lessa said.
“I’m going to need a few more days,” Sabrina said with a shrug. “It was nice meeting you, Lessa. I certainly do hope you enjoyed your stay. Rick,” she said, pausing to flash him a stiff smile, “I’ll be in touch.” She spun on her heels and turned away, walking quickly back toward the office.
“You were right. She had no intention of signing that contract,” Lessa said when Sabrina was out of earshot. She let go of Rick’s arm and stepped away from him. “This whole strategy was a bust. It won’t be difficult for her to find out that we’re not together. After all, everyone at the office knows how we feel about each other.”
“Perhaps we can change that.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Pretending we’re together for a stranger is one thing, but doing this on a day-today basis?”
“We’ll give them just enough to assume.”
“What do you mean?”
“The office Christmas party is in a couple days,” he said. “We’ll go together. It should be enough to get the rumors going.”
After all, everyone knew that he and Lessa had fought tooth and nail over the party. He had never liked Christmas parties. Too much alcohol and partying had turned an otherwise diligent worker into the murderer who was responsible for Karen’s death. But that was not the only reason he disliked office Christmas parties. They were a complete waste of time and money. It was a momentary pleasure at best, an obligatory occasion in an otherwise busy season at worst. But Lessa had insisted. The annual Christmas party had been a Howard Lawrence tradition.
“Right,” she said, after a moment’s hesitation. “I just hope it’ll be enough.”
“We’ll get this company back one way or another,” he said reassuringly. And then, before he could stop himself, he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze even though no one was there to see it.
Seven
Lessa knew from playing doubles that if a partnership was not strong there was little hope of winning the match. And so she had returned from the Bahamas with a fine-tuned strategy. There was only one way to win Rick’s respect. She needed to prove she was a worthy partner.
Fortunately, she had found a way. She had studied the financials and had come to the conclusion that in order to increase the value of the stock, they needed to sell off some of their more expensive assets. That money could then be used to expand, to buy and develop other properties.
Like the property she had found in Florida. Located off the Gulf of Mexico, Mara del Ray was a former luxury resort, a diamond in the rough. Lessa had attended a tennis tournament there as a teenager and from the moment she’d heard that it was for sale she knew it would be perfect for Lawrence. But where would she get the money to buy it?
Fortunately, there was one resort in particular that was ripe to sell. Located in Antigua, it was now one of their most profitable. But that was certain to change. There was another major resort opening on the island and the resulting competition was bound to affect its value. Better to sell while they were on top. She had made some inquiries and was close to finding a buyer. When she found one, she hoped to present the whole package to Rick and prove once and for all that she knew what she was doing.
“But do you care what Rick thinks?” her aunt asked when Lessa shared the details of her plan.
Yes, she did. So much that when he had walked in and seen her naked, she had done her best to act as if it weren’t a big deal. Even though she was mortified, she was not about to act like the hysterical woman who had run out on him the night before. And so she had swallowed her pride and pretended that showing her half-naked body to Rick Parker was something she did every day.
She told none of that to her great-aunt. All she said was “He’s my partner, Gran. We have to get along.”
“What exactly happened in the Bahamas?” her aunt asked suspiciously.
“Not much. We had a terrible meeting with Sabrina, and then…” Then they had gone back to the hotel room they’d shared. She’d put on a string bikini. They’d kissed, gone waterskiing, kissed again, gone dancing, kissed yet again and then she’d fallen asleep in his arms. Oh, and then, just in case he hadn’t gotten a good enough look at her in the string bikini, she’d shown him what she looked like topless. “That was about it.”
How could she give her elderly aunt the whole truth and nothing but the truth? She didn’t want to upset her. And Lessa had no doubt Gran would be upset to learn that since returning from the Bahamas, her niece had been unable to forget about those damned kisses. They were enough to make her forget who she was and where she was going. But it was more than just a few kisses. It was the way he made her feel, as if she were the most interesting person in the world. More than interesting. He made her feel beautiful.
Her aunt was looking at her curiously, as if attempting to decipher the secret meaning behind her words. Lessa knew the woman was hot on her tracks and, in order to throw her off, she had to toss her a bone. “I must admit that Rick surprised me. He can be very charming when he wants.” It was a gift, actually. He was blessed with the gift of sexual magnetism. She could still remember the way the assistants used to flutter around him at her father’s office. The giggles and the seductive glimmer in their eyes when they referred to him.
Time, she thought. She just needed some time to clear her head before seeing him again.
“What do you mean?” her aunt asked.
“He was kind and considerate. He was actually worried about me when I was waterskiing.”
“He sounds human. That doesn’t make him kind.”
“Did you know he was engaged? She died in a car accident. From the way he spoke about her, he still hasn’t recovered. I think that’s the reason he never married. He’s still nursing a broken heart.”
“Be careful, Lessa. A man like that, one who’s been so wounded, is not the best choice. It’ll take quite a bit to heal his broken heart.”
“I’m not going to heal his heart.”