All's Fair in Lust & War (10 page)

“Perfect,” she said.

“Next up, bread,” she added, placing a warm baguette in the basket. “And these strawberries will do nicely.” Then she headed to the deli case. “Are you hungry? Because I could really go for some meat.”

She motioned to the butcher, and soon a hefty packet of sliced deli meats joined the treats in their basket.

“Oh, and wine! But I’ll let you choose.”

Mark grabbed a bottle of Chardonnay, adding a bar of dark chocolate for good measure. He felt himself getting absurdly excited about their upcoming picnic. It was the kind of thing he’d always wanted to do with his mother. But she’d never had the time or the inclination.

Becky found him and he snapped out of his reverie.

“Ready?”

He nodded.

They paid and rejoined the happy throng outside, everyone seemingly intent on getting the most out of what could be the season’s last warm day.

“We’ve got our food. Now where to?” he asked.

“That’s for me to know...”

“And me to find out?” he finished.

“Yep.” She grabbed his hand and tugged. “This way.”

They walked in companionable silence, enjoying the warm breeze and rambunctious crowd. A toddler raced by, giggling gleefully.

“Josh! Josh, get back here, or so help me God...” a frantic voice yelled from somewhere behind them.

Mark jogged forward and grabbed the hood of the child’s sweatshirt.

“Hey, little man, I think you’re forgetting someone,” he said, smiling.

Scooping him up, he carried the boy back to his petrified mother.

“I take it this is Josh?”

She took the boy from his arms, relief flooding her face.

“Yes. Oh, thank you. He was right there and then...I thought I’d lost him!”

“Hey, no problem,” Mark said, squeezing her shoulder. Tapping Josh’s nose with his finger, he admonished him. “No more running for you, young man. Don’t you know that there are alligators in the sewers, just waiting for a tasty morsel like you to run by?”

The boy’s eyes grew wide.

“Really?”

“Really. Your mom will tell you all about it,” he said, and jogged back to Becky.

“That was really nice of you,” she said, a thoughtful look on her face.

“I am the child of a single mom—or at least I was when I was young. I remember doing things like that to her. This was my penance.”

“That’s right. You said your mom didn’t remarry until you were a little older?”

“Marry. Not remarry. I was born a bastard.”

Becky winced. “That’s pretty strong language. I’m sure she never thought of you that way.”

Mark smiled bitterly. “Oh, I’m sure she did. Her pet name for me was Mr. Mistake. I pretty much ruined her life.”

Lord knew, he had enough memories of his mother looking tired and worried, massaging her temples at the kitchen table.

Whatever you do, Mark,
she’d say, bending over her calculator,
don’t have kids. Life’s hard enough as it is.

He certainly never intended to. Especially since he had no desire to get involved enough with a woman to make a child. No relationships, no children, he chanted to himself. No relationships, no...

Becky squeezed his hand, bringing him out of his daydream.

“I’ll bet you were her favorite mistake,” she said. “You’re definitely mine.”

He smiled, which he was sure was the effect she had intended. “Oh, so I’m a mistake, am I?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, most definitely. One I enjoy making over and over again,” she answered, her hand sliding into his front pocket and caressing his suddenly hard penis. “In fact, I’d like to do it again this afternoon.”

“Mmm,” he growled. “Keep doing that and you’ll be making it in the next alley I can find.”

“Now, now,” she said. “Have a little patience. We’re almost there.”

“I guess we are,” he said, suddenly realizing they’d arrived at Central Park.

A short while later she tugged at his hand again, urging him off the blacktopped path they’d been following and onto a carpet of green grass.

They were standing on a gentle slope. At the bottom was a peaceful lake, its waters reflecting the blazing reds, golds and oranges of the trees that surrounded it.

“This is amazing,” he said.

“Isn’t it? It’s just about my favorite spot in the whole park.”

She sat down under a fiery red maple tree and started unloading their picnic.

“What do you want to try first?” she asked, looking up at him.

Mark sat down next to her and gathered her up in his arms. “You,” he said, and kissed her.

As always, the gentle kiss he’d intended to give her quickly morphed into something more. Her mouth opened under his and he moaned.

“Becky,” he said, nibbling at her neck, “you make me crazy.”

“Mmm,” she murmured, tilting her head to give him better access to the sensitive pulse point, “I could say the same thing about you.”

Mark glanced up. For the moment, at least, they were alone. He pushed his hand underneath her brown corduroy skirt, his fingers seeking the place his mouth wanted to go.

He stroked the edges of her cotton panties and said, “I want to make you come.”

“Do you think it’s safe?”

“Don’t worry. Nobody will see.”

Panting slightly, she nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”

“I am,” he said, scooping her up into his lap.

He stroked her silken folds through her underpants, smiling when she moaned. He loved that it was so easy to get her going. Slowly he increased the pace, his heart rate increasing as her breath sped up. Finally, when he couldn’t take it anymore, he reached underneath to caress the tiny knob of pleasure at her core. In seconds she began writhing silently on his lap as she climaxed, then collapsed against his chest. He smiled with satisfaction, knowing she’d never trust anyone else enough to let go like that in public.

“You are amazing,” she sighed.

“I thought the word was
magic?
”

“That, too.”

He lay back on the grass, keeping her snuggled securely against his chest.

Looking up at the scarlet leaves above them, he sighed contentedly. “You were right,” he said. “This was a fantastic idea.”

“I usually am.” She grinned.

“True enough.”

He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the sound of the wind in the trees lull him to sleep.

He woke up with a start when his phone burst into life.

Groggily, he reached into his pocket and grabbed it, hitting the Talk button without even looking to see who it was.

“Hello?” he said sleepily.

“Forget hello. Where the hell
are
you?” David said.

He sounded furious.

“Becky and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and do a little brainstorming off-site,” he said.

“Well, get your asses back here. The client has decided to move up the presentation by an entire week. That means we have three days.”

Crap.

“We’re on our way,” he said, and hung up.

“What was that about?” Becky asked, blinking sleepily.

“Eden has moved the presentation up. We’ve got three days.”

“What?” she said, rubbing her face sleepily. “Okay...okay, we can do this. We just need to get our asses in gear.”

She stood and gathered up their food.

“We never got to eat,” he said sadly.

“No worries. I have a feeling the food’s going to come in handy. Sounds like we’re not going to be leaving the office much for the next little while.”

“You’re right about that,” he said, leaning down to give her one last kiss.

“What was that for?”

“I don’t think we’re going to have much time for fun and games,” he said. “That’s to tide you over.”

* * *

The next three days passed in a caffeine-fueled blur. Mark and Becky worked nonstop, pausing only to sleep when it became absolutely necessary.

Their teams toiled beside them, and against all odds they created a stunningly good campaign. When it was over, Mark was proud of the work they had done—and even more proud of the woman who had worked at his side.

She was the heart and soul of the team, doling out encouragement when needed, praise when deserved, and tissues whenever the occasion seemed to call for it.

It was obvious that everyone loved and respected her, and Mark realized that if there was any justice in the world he’d have no shot at the creative director title. She deserved it far more than he did.

Mark had sent her to get some rest and was just packing the last of the boards away when David found him.

“You’ve done great work here, Mark,” he said.

“Thank you, but it was a team effort. I couldn’t have done it alone.”

“Still, I’ve been watching you and I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen. You have the makings of an outstanding creative director.”

Mark couldn’t help but be pleased by the praise.

“Thank you. I hope to be when my time comes.”

“I have a feeling your time will come tomorrow,” David said. “There’s still a promotion up for grabs, remember?”

“I do, but I don’t know how you’re going to decide who gets it. Becky has worked just as hard as I have.”

“She has,” David agreed. “But I’m just not sure I sense the same potential for leadership in her.”

Obviously the man was blind.

“Are you kidding? The team would follow her right up to the gates of hell—and even beyond—if she asked them to.”

“You’re right. The power of a pretty face can’t be underestimated,” David said. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll find the right place for her.”

Mark stared hard at David’s retreating back. How could the man be so willfully obtuse? He had one of the industry’s most talented women working for him and he didn’t appreciate her at all.

One thing was for sure. When he was in charge things would be different.

EIGHT

As they rode
the elevator to the twenty-sixth floor of Eden’s headquarters Becky checked her reflection in the shiny metal door, nervously tucking a stray hair behind her ear and checking her teeth for lipstick for the hundredth time.

“Babe, don’t worry,” Mark said. “You look great.”

She knew she did. Her hair shone like gold against the navy blue of her suit jacket. The A-line skirt flattered her curves, and her heels were a to-die-for shade of ruby-red—not to mention dangerously high.

“We’re a pretty good-looking team, if I do say so myself.” She grinned, enjoying the sudden rush of adrenaline that flooded through her veins.

“You better believe it. Flash those pearly whites at them and they’ll be ours before we even say a word.”

“I hope you’re right,” Becky said.

“I know I am,” Mark answered, bending down to give her a quick peck on the mouth.

Just then the elevator doors dinged open and Mark straightened.

“You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

They made their way through an empty oak-paneled lobby and headed for the conference room labeled Agency Pitch.

They hesitated outside and Mark squeezed her hand, a question on his face. She winked up at him and whispered, “Let’s do this thing.”

He nodded and stepped inside. Becky followed.

There were twelve business-suited men and women sitting around a long oak table. They were making polite conversation while noshing on coffee and doughnuts, but all chatter ceased when they noticed Becky and Mark standing there.

“Ah, there you are,” David said, rising from his chair. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Becky Logan and Mark Powers, the creative masterminds behind today’s presentation. Between the two of them they’ve won more than a dozen major advertising awards and worked for some of the hottest brands around. I selected them for this project specifically because I knew they had the fresh attitude and unexpected creative flair you need. I know normally we’d do a round of introductions, but we have a lot to cover, so if it’s okay with you I’d like to just let them dive in.”

There was murmured assent from around the table.

“Great,” David said. “Mark, Becky—take it away.”

Mark looked at Becky and she nodded. They’d already agreed that he would start the presentation.

He took a deep breath and strode to the head of the table.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Mark boomed, smiling at the multitude of gray suits in the room. “I hope you brought an extra pair of socks, because we’re about to blow the ones you’re wearing right off.”

“That’s right,” Becky chimed in. “The campaign we’re about to present to you is like nothing you have ever seen. It will change the way business is done in your industry—and make your competition green with jealousy.”

“She’s not kidding, folks. Tell them how you came up with the idea.”

“Well, I was sitting at my desk late one night, thinking,
Now, why would a woman buy our yogurt? What does it do for her?
What do you guys think? Why does a woman buy yogurt?”

A tall redhead raised her hand.

“Yes?” Becky said, waving in her direction.

“Well, because it tastes good,” the woman answered.

“Yeah, it does—but so does ice cream. Anyone else?”

“Well, she buys
our
yogurt because it’s all natural, high in protein and low in fat,” a gray-haired man said.

“Ah-ha, now we’re getting closer to the truth. Women buy yogurt because it makes them feel good about themselves. Not only are they making a healthy choice, but they’re making a decision even the most critical part of them can appreciate.”

“So you’re saying we should market our yogurt as a diet aid? That’s already been done,” the redhead said.

“No, not as a diet aid,” Mark said. “As a portal to another world—one where every woman achieves her version of perfection. Show them the concept, Becky.”

Becky uncovered the first board.

A woman sat in a classic yogini pose, looking calm and Zen, while surrounded by screaming kids and spilled milk.

“Eden. The snack for the perfect you.”

Over the next hour the two of them bantered back and forth effortlessly, trapping the client in a silken web. When the presentation was over, everyone at the table clapped.

The graying middle-aged man who had chimed in at the beginning stood up.

“I’m sold. David, get your team moving, because I want to get this campaign in market by January one.”

“You’ve got it, Larry,” David said, clapping the paunchy man on his back. “We look forward to it.”

“Great. And, just to be clear, I want these two in charge,” he said, pointing at Becky and Mark. “No one else. Don’t foist me off on your B team—you hear me?”

David smiled his sleazy salesman grin. “Not to worry, my man. After all the work this team has put in, we wouldn’t dream of giving it to anyone else.”

The man nodded his satisfaction. Turning his attention to Becky and Mark, he said, “I look forward to getting to know you two better. I know we’re going to do wonderful things together.”

Becky gave him her brightest smile, her heart soaring. “We certainly will. Thank you for your confidence in us.”

“Yes, thanks,” Mark chimed in. “We’ll try to knock your socks off every time we meet.”

“I’m counting on it,” said Larry. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to take care of. Where’s Mary?”

A tall woman rushed to his side. “Yes, sir?”

“Is that other creative team still waiting downstairs?”

“Yes, they are. They’re scheduled to begin presenting in fifteen minutes.”

“Send them home. I have no use for them now. Can’t stand their creative director anyway.”

“Right away, sir,” she said. Then she turned her attention to David. “Can you see yourselves out? I really need to take care of this.”

David nodded. “Of course. We’ll get everything cleared up and be on our way.”

“Great,” she said, and hurried out.

Becky busied herself with the boards so no one would see her triumphant smile. Inside, though, she was jumping up and down with glee.

Take that, Pence,
she thought.
You’ve just been schooled by your former student. Booyah!

When the last bigwig had left the room, David came over and clapped them both on the back.

“Well, team, I believe congratulations are in order. You pulled it off!” He looked down at the gold Rolex on his wrist. “Let’s see. It’s noon now. Meet me in the large conference room at four and we’ll make it official.”

“Make what official?” Becky blurted.

David gave her a sly smile. “I guess you’ll have to show up to find out.”

He waved goodbye and left, leaving them alone in the conference room.

Mark held up his hand. “High five,” he said, grinning. “We did it.”

She slapped it enthusiastically.

“What do you think David will do? Larry specifically said he wants both of us on the team.”

“I have no idea,” Mark said. “And I’m not really in the mood to worry about it. Let’s go have us a Midwestern carnivore kind of lunch—and charge it to the company.”

“That sounds fantastic,” she said. “But let’s go see if we can find Pence’s team and gloat first.”

* * *

The moment they stepped off the elevator Becky heard the sound of raised voices. One definitely belonged to Pence.

Becky grabbed Mark’s hand and followed the squawks into the central reception area.

“What do you mean, he won’t see us? I flew my entire team from Detroit for this meeting!” Pence sputtered, his face flushing beet-red as he gesticulated wildly. “I demand that he make good on his promise to meet with us!”

Mary was doing her best to calm him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Britton, but there’s nothing I can do. Mr. Richards has left for the day.”

“Left for the day? How can that be? I—we...”

Becky knew she’d never have a better chance to exact her revenge. Stepping forward, she said, “Mary? I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I steal you for a second?”

Relief flooded the other woman’s face. “Yes, Becky? What can I do for you?”

“David had to leave, but he wanted me to make sure to tell you that he’ll be emailing over some contracts later this afternoon. In order to stick to the timeline Mr. Richards has requested we’re going to need to move fast.”

“Of course. I’ll be on the lookout for them. Tell David he’ll have the signed contracts by the end of the week.”

“Wait. What?” Pence squawked, his blue eyes flashing with anger as he moved to stand in front of Becky. “Are you telling me
your
team won the business?”

“As a matter of fact I’m not telling you anything at all. You can read all about it in the next issue of AdWorld.”

“You little...” Pence said, rage suffusing his face.

Before he could finish the thought, Mark stepped forward.

“Is this your old boss, Becky?”

She nodded. “The one and only.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said, extending his hand. “None of it good.”

Pence reluctantly shook it. “And you are...?”

“Mark Powers. Becky’s teammate. You have no idea what you missed out on when you let her go, buddy. This woman is brilliant.”

Pence’s already scarlet face turned even redder.

“I don’t know what she’s told you, but it’s almost certainly not what actually happened,” he said.

“I’m not interested in your opinion,” Mark said. “Come on, Becky, let’s get out of here.”

But Becky wasn’t done yet.

Turning back to Pence, she smiled sweetly. “If you get canned, give me a call. We might be able to find a job for you. In our mail room.”

Then she turned on her heel and swaggered out, leaving Mark to follow.

When they were clear of the building he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly.

“That,” he said between kisses, “was amazing.”

“I know,” she said smugly. “You have no idea how good that felt. It’s like a million-pound weight has been lifted off my back.”

“Wanna celebrate...in bed?”

“I do. But not until we know for sure what we’re celebrating,” she said, stepping backward out of his arms. If David announced he was giving the promotion to Mark, she didn’t want to hear the news while still tingling from his touch.

“Okay, then. Still up for lunch?”

She shook her head. “I’d like to be alone for a little while. It’s been a big morning. I need some time to process it, you know?”

He nodded, a sad smile on his face. “I get it. See you back at the office, then?”

“Yep,” she said, then reached up to give him one last melting kiss.

“What was that for?”

“Just a little something to tide you over,” she said. Silently she added,
And something for me to remember you by.

* * *

Mark jogged around the corner, his dress shoes slipping on the polished cement floor. If there was one meeting he didn’t want to be late for it was this one.

Once the frosted glass doors were in sight he stopped for a second to catch his breath and straighten his tie.

This was it. If he got this promotion he could finally feel as if he’d made it. That he’d gotten where he had in his career because he was talented—not because his stepfather had greased the wheels. His mother might even be a little bit proud of him. Maybe she’d stop thinking of him as a mistake.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the conference room doors.

It was crowded. And hot. Everyone in the whole agency seemed to be there, and the air was quickly growing stale. David stood at the head of the big table, with Becky on his right.

“There you are, Mark. We were beginning to wonder if you’d gone off somewhere to celebrate without us.”

“Just staying true to form. You know how I like to make an entrance,” he joked.

Becky rolled her eyes at him.

“Yep,” she said. “He’s the diva on this team. I’m the brains and the brawn.”

The assembled crowd laughed appreciatively.

“All right, enough monkey business,” David said. “Come on up here and we’ll get this show on the road.”

Mark made his way to the front of the room, taking his place at David’s left.

Once the audience had stilled, David launched into his speech.

“As you all know, we delivered our pitch to Eden this morning. Mark and Becky led the presentation, and I must admit they did a fantastic job. They had the client eating out of their hands. They even got a standing ovation.”

There was a smattering of applause in the room.

“In fact,” David said, “the client bought into the campaign on the spot. We’re the new marketing partner for Eden Yogurt—and about to be two hundred and fifty million dollars richer as an agency!”

The room broke out into riotous applause as their colleagues cheered their victory.

“That’s not all,” David continued. “As you may remember, Becky and Mark have been involved in a competition of sorts. The prize was a creative director title and a hefty bonus.”

The room stilled as everyone waited for the next part of the announcement.

“But choosing one over the other has proved to be surprisingly difficult. They’re both incredibly skilled creative geniuses. They both worked on the winning concept from beginning to end. And they both gained the respect and admiration of the client.”

Mark drew in a breath and held it.

“So in the end I decided to create a new type of position. One that gives them each their due. Mark and Becky, you’re now creative codirectors. You’ll function as a creative director team, splitting the responsibilities for the Eden account according to your skillsets.”

Mark blinked, trying to connect the dots.

Next to him, Becky said, “So there’s no winner or loser? We’re both getting promoted?”

“That’s right,” David said. “Eden is a new kind of account for us. It’s only right that a new type of team heads it up.”

The room exploded with cheers.

Becky shrieked happily and threw her arms around David. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much!”

He chuckled and patted her back uncomfortably.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, my dear. You’ve just secured my retirement. Which brings me to my last announcement... If this were a television show I’d have a giant check sitting here. But, since it’s not, you’ll just have to make do with these regular-size ones.”