Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) (6 page)

“No, you were open today.” Evie was clearly as confused as she was. She stood up and moved toward the office door. “I’ll go see who it is.”

Brianne’s heart leapt a little. Maybe it was someone unannounced who wanted her to plan a huge event. Maybe this was the moment everything was going to change for her, and she would get her life back on track. She had to hold on to Gabe’s words that everything would be okay, even if she hadn’t been able to hold on to their friendship.

She could hear Evie speaking to someone with a deep voice. The voices grew louder as they came toward her office in the back. Brianne frowned as she recognized the person Evie was talking to. He was absolutely the last person she wanted to see.

“Leland Mahoney is here,” Evie said, sticking her head in the door.

Brianne’s heart sank into her Jimmy Choos, her worst fears confirmed.

Evie made a gagging face.

They both felt the same way about the owner of the biggest charity event planning company in Los Angeles. Leland Mahoney was handsome, sophisticated, and his clients loved him. He was also a slimy, two-faced snake, and Brianne hated him even more than she hated Brussels sprouts.

Plastering on her fake smile again, she stood up behind her desk as Evie moved aside so Leland could come into her office. “Leland, what brings you here?” she asked, hoping she sounded sincere enough that Leland would at least appreciate the effort.

He had a way of walking into a room and sweeping his eyes over the place that made a person feel like he was wordlessly judging. He was so transparent, it was pathetic. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he took in her simply furnished yet tasteful office. It was obviously not up to his standards, judging by the way his mouth curled up in a sneer.

Leland took her hand in his and shook it limply. Brianne almost recoiled at how cool his hand was to her touch. As she looked him over, she could see why so many of the society matrons found him handsome, even though his too smooth skin—she definitely suspected Botox—made her feel slightly on edge. Rumor had it he had come to LA to make it as a movie star, and even she had to admit that it certainly wasn’t his looks that had kept him out of the industry. His surfer-boy blonde hair and magazine-quality features had many a woman swooning, and he used his beauty to his advantage. The grapevine had it that he’d enjoyed affairs with many of his clients over the years, especially the older society matrons looking for a bit of excitement in their dull, dynasty-enhancing marriages.

Brianne had always tried hard not to trade on her own appearance, or her family’s wealth or social status, for business. Nonetheless, she knew that many of her clients used her because of her family’s connections, in the hope she might be able to get her father or mother to attend her events. In turn, she’d made a point of keeping her family life and work life completely separate, and made sure her clients knew her family wouldn’t be on event guest lists. Leland, however, was more than happy to use whatever he could to advance his business, and had no qualms about crossing any lines of propriety or decency. If it moved and breathed it was fair game in his book, and connections were there to be exploited.

“Hello, Brianne,” Leland said smoothly as he released her handshake. “Always a pleasure.”

“Of course,” she agreed hurriedly, as she simultaneously resisted the urge to wipe her hand on her skirt. “What can I do for you?”

Leland settled himself into the seat Evie had just vacated and gracefully crossed his legs. “Please relax, Brianne! I’m not going to bite,” he said, gesturing to her desk chair.

She wasn’t so sure, and she was pretty certain Leland’s bite would be poisonous. After giving him a hard stare that would have felled almost anyone else in their tracks, she sat down.

Leland simply smiled.

“I’m here to talk to you about the
Life and Society
contest,” Leland said.

Life and Society
was a high-society publication, and she was all-too-familiar with it; her family had been subjects in its pages for generations. They’d even published a blurb about her aborted wedding, which probably hadn’t been helping her business any.

One of the few good things the magazine did, however, was sponsor a contest every year that pitted two different charity fundraising firms against each other to see which one had more earning power. The winner got a glossy spread in the next month’s magazine, which provided more good publicity for a company than anyone could ask for.

Her heart started to beat a little faster.

“As you know, Premiere will be competing again, as we have for several years.” He paused again, presumably to let Brianne remember that not only had his company competed, but it had won every single time Leland had been chosen to compete. “But this year, we have a little problem.”

“Really, what kind of a problem?” she asked, trying to remain cool. She knew that Premiere was due to go up against Merrill Productions, a highly respected company owned by an acquaintance of hers, Jane Merrill-Birch. Brianne had put Lavish Events into the original pool of applicants, and had been named as the runner-up. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, Jane—I believe you know her well—has unexpectedly had to cease operations,” he said, that sardonic little smile still playing on his lips, clearly not upset about Jane’s business woes in the slightest. He sat coolly, waiting for the impact to hit Brianne.

Poor Jane
, Brianne thought, even as she kept her expression blank. She would have to call Jane and offer her support—something she knew Leland wouldn’t bother doing. Then it hit her hard exactly what it was that Leland was here to tell her.

As the runner up, Lavish Events would be expected to step up and fill Jane’s place. It meant she would be going up against Leland, if she chose to take the challenge, and would have the chance to get her company back on track.

“So you want me to step into Merrill’s place,” Brianne confirmed, her heart hammering with nerves, and her mind racing with ideas of how she could beat this slimeball. She longed to take that self-satisfied smirk right off his annoyingly handsome face.

“You know that the contest provides amazing publicity for the winning firm,” Leland said silkily, “and, of course, it usually means more money raised for the charity in the end. Which is what we’re all about, after all!”

Brianne could see right through his empty words. His real motivation was as clear as a newly washed window. He was in it for himself, and if some charity made some money, well, that was a nice side benefit.

“Of course,” she smiled, humoring him. She’d learned enough from Coronado’s high society mavens over the years to pull off patrician coolness as easily as most people would pull off a sweater.

“Since you were the next best firm,” he said in a slightly derogative tone, as if he couldn’t quite believe it, “you’re up. If you want to be, that is. I’d understand if you didn’t.”

Brianne looked at him sharply. “And why wouldn’t I want to?” The publicity that the
Life and Society
spread would give her was something she couldn’t put a dollar value on; it would finally catapult Lavish Events into the big leagues where it belonged.

“The unpleasantness with the wedding and all, of course,” Leland said, looking down his nose at her.

She had to admit she wasn’t surprised that, of all people, he was the only one to have voiced out loud what everyone else appeared to be thinking. It didn’t improve her opinion of him, of course, but at least he was ballsy enough to say it.

He sniffed the air. “Everyone would understand if you just weren’t up for it.”

She had to forcibly restrain herself from leaping across the table and grabbing his perfectly-ironed lapels. If one more person treated her like a fragile, suffering flower, she was going to scream. Instead, she tilted her chin just a little higher and smiled, flashing as many of her teeth as was physically possible.

“Not only am I up for it, Leland, but I relish the challenge. A full feature spread in
Life and Society
is just what my company needs.”

“I’m sure,” Leland said. “But you’ll have to
win
the spread first, which is highly unlikely,” he said.

He didn’t even bother to hide his sneer, and Brianne actually wanted to laugh at his supreme sense of superiority. She looked forward to wiping the floor with him.

“Leland, not only will I win, but you will be begging me to work for you—no, scratch that, you will be begging to work
for me
once this contest is done,” Brianne declared defiantly.

In truth, the publicity would be invaluable; but the opportunity to put Leland in his place was practically making her salivate. He needed to be taken down a peg or two, and his clients deserved better than his tired and unoriginal events. She would be more than happy to take them into the new century for him.

He chuckled. “I’m impressed with your self-confidence,” he said, indulgently. “Would you care to make it more interesting?”

Alarm bells went off in Brianne’s head, but she couldn’t help herself. “How exactly do you propose we do that?”

Leland laid his hand on her desk, his perfectly manicured fingers tapping the surface.

Brianne couldn’t help but feel a little repulsed by them; they were too shiny and his hands were too pale and delicate to belong to a real man. Even Eric, for all his money, had calluses on his hands from years of riding polo ponies and mucking out his own stables. She made a mental note to wipe down the surface of the desk when Leland left.

“What if winner takes all?” he replied with almost predatory pleasure.

Her eyes narrowed. This was dangerous territory he was leading her into, and he knew it, the reptile. “What exactly do you mean by that, just so we are absolutely clear on the stakes?”

“The winner of the contest gets all the funds raised,” he said, nodding, as if the idea was the best one he’d had in a while. “And,” he continued, looking triumphant, “to make the judging fair, neither of us will know who will be attending our events.”

Brianne frowned. She didn’t miss his implication that the only way she’d beat him was if she used her family’s influence to invite everyone from her own social circle to her event. Leland had great contacts and knew it, but virtually everyone Brianne had ever known was a billionaire many times over. “Who would find the attendees?”

“The magazine,” Leland said, sitting back, a smug look on his face. “
Life and Society
will select the people to attend the events, and they are the ones that will vote on the winner.”

Brianne felt a little nauseated by his arrogance and the cloying scent of his sickly aftershave. It would be one thing to go up against Leland and lose. Many did—there was no shame in that. But to lose to him, then also lose the raised money? That seemed not only damaging, but downright dangerous.

Leland read into her hesitation and took the chance to twist the knife. “Of course, if you’re still having personal issues left over from the wedding, I wouldn’t want you to overtax yourself.”

He’d thought it all out long before he stepped into the office. Every step, every dig at her self-esteem. He couldn’t keep himself from looking gleeful.

Bile rose in her throat. She swallowed it back down and took a deep breath. When she looked across the desk at Leland, at his oozing over-confidence and certainty in his victory, she knew she needed this challenge not just for her company, but on a personal level. This could be the moment that everything turned around. Beating him would be a game-changer for Lavish; and cutting the head off the vile snake who sat so casually in front of her would be a major personal victory.

She stood and stuck out her hand. “Okay Leland, you’re on.”

Leland stood up and shook her hand.

She had to suppress a physical shudder of distaste.

“Excellent,” he said. “I’m looking forward to some friendly competition.”

Brianne smiled a wicked grin, and for the first time in weeks, the expression felt natural. “You have no idea.”

As she ushered him from her office, she felt a burst of excitement rising in her chest.
This could be the best thing I’ve ever done
, she thought as she began scribbling ideas down.

* * *

“Oh my God, Evie, this is the worst thing I’ve ever done,” Brianne moaned, burying her head in her hands. For a week, she’d been pouring over her ideas. Nothing seemed original enough, fun enough, spectacular enough to beat the snakelike Leland Mahoney.

“Oh, come on, Boss,” Evie said in a soothing tone, sitting on the opposite side of Brianne’s desk. “It’s not that bad. In fact, it could turn out great.”

“How?” Brianne cried. “Leland’s won this damn contest for the last three years. He’s practically unbeatable.”

“Nobody’s unbeatable,” Evie said firmly, toying with her blonde ponytail. “They said the Titanic couldn’t be sunk, and look at what happened there.”

“So you’re comparing me to the Titanic?”

“No, I’m comparing Leland to the Titanic!” Evie rolled her eyes. “Never mind. There’s no Titanic. We just need to concentrate on coming up with something great, something new.”