Love Script (26 page)

On deck, the couples reclined on lounge chairs, and he was surprised to see a vacant chair beside Laney. Whether she had saved it for him or it was a coincidence, he didn’t know. At the moment, Laney was deeply involved in a conversation with the Zelmans, who seemed to have taken a great liking to her, treating her like a niece they hadn’t seen in years.

Nick took his seat between her and Heidi. Heidi gave him a smal pout and then quickly took advantage of the situation by reclining in her seat so he could get a better view of her breasts. Clearly, she hadn’t liked his earlier rejection, but instead of deflating her efforts, she only seemed more determined. But Nick just wasn’t interested. The rock-hard fake tits she was flaunting were unappealing when he could have the natural feminine curves belonging to Laney. He reasoned that if he were not so clueless as to how to deal with Laney, he might pay more attention to Heidi. As it was, his thoughts never strayed far from Laney.

Cooper chose this time to engage Laney in a discussion, and Nick kept a sharp eye on him, ready to pound his face into the deck floor if he touched her. When the possibilities built to a pinnacle, he decided to put an end to Cooper’s close proximity to her. He stood abruptly and took her hand.

“Sweetie, join me for a swim.”

She gave him a tight grin and stood up. To her surprise, he untied her sarong and threw it on her lounge before guiding her to the opposite side of the pool. She stepped in, quickly treaded water, putting some distance between them. He fol owed her, easily drawing near her.

He looked over his shoulder, confident that the distance between them and their party was more than adequate. “Look, Laney, I know you’re pissed off at me and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. It was unfair.”

“But you meant them.”

“Not entirely.”

“That doesn’t mean no.”

“I’m trying to apologize.”

“Wel , you’re not doing a very good job of it.”

“Al I ask is for you to stick to the script. That’s al .”

“I am.”

“Prove it.” He backed her up against the wal of the pool, covering her with his body. He watched her eyes grow large as he lowered his head to brush his lips against hers and motioned for her to put her arms around his neck. As she did so, he pul ed her legs up around his waist. She pul ed away.

“No, Nick. Don’t do this to me.”

“Stick to the script, Laney.” He grew hard against her.

Obviously feeling his arousal against her thigh, her head jerked up. “No, Nick.”

“I want you, Laney,” he murmured against her ear as he trailed wet kisses along her neck.

She pushed him away. “This isn’t a part of the act, Nick.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “I know you want me, too.”

“Let me go.”

“Christ, Laney.” He dragged a wet hand through his hair. “I admit I can be an asshole at times but I’ve apologized. Forgive me and let’s move on.” He pressed closer. “I want you so bad.” She shook her head. “I can’t—I can’t do that anymore.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “Why not?”

“Because it’s al fun and games for you.” Her voice trembled with emotion. “You have no idea what this does to me. Once we get off the boat, things wil go back to the way they were. You’l be the boss and I’l be the assistant. You don’t have to worry about being used for a sex toy, because you have al the power.”

“Believe me, Laney, you are the one wielding the power right now.”

“Don’t you understand? You can easily walk away from me and forget this ever happened. I can’t. On Monday, I’l have to show up to work and do my job regardless of how I feel. You can hide in your huge office and forget I even exist.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “Stop torturing me, Nick. Let me go.”

“Why?” Anger flared up inside him. This conversation was not going as wel as he’d hoped.

“So you can run back to Rob? Cooper? Or John?”

“At least they can’t hurt me the way you can!” He went completely stiff. “I would never hurt you, Laney.”

“You already have,” she said quietly. “I’m tired of putting my trust in the wrong places. You and I are just—sex. Nothing more. And now it’s over.” He moved away from her. “Is that how you real y feel?”

“Don’t play with me, Nick. You said so yourself.

This is as deep as it’s going to get for you, so why would you set me up for disappointment? I wish I could be as uncaring as you. I wish I could sleep with people and not care about the consequences, but I can’t. That’s not me.”

This conversation was suddenly very difficult for him, not because he hadn’t had the practice.

Unfortunately for him, he seemed to stumble into these types of discussions about once a year when a casual lover began to demand more than he was wil ing to give. On those occasions, he’d always known his position. No amount of tears or angry words could persuade him otherwise. But with Laney, he found himself floundering for air. She’d knocked him off his game from the beginning, and he was stil struggling to regain the upper hand.

He chose his next words careful y, not exactly sure if he meant them. “It’s not that I don’t care for you,” he said slowly.

“It’s not like you do,” she snapped.

He wasn’t even sure what they were arguing about anymore. His total lack of comprehension fueled his frustration with her. “So this is just sex for you?” he said with a smirk.

“No, Nick. This is just sex for
you
. It’s work for m e ,
remember
?” She sighed. “Just make sure I have my money at the end of this ordeal. After that, I don’t want to see you unless it’s at the office. And even then, I have my limits.”

He

laughed.

“You’re

right.

You

are

a

professional.”

“Listen to you. Just who do you think you are?

You’re actual y judging me? You’re nothing more than a sleazy salesman who would do anything to make a sale. Don’t you dare act high and mighty with me. If it weren’t for my agreeing to go along with this insane plan of yours, Wil Zelman wouldn’t give a damn about Sinclair Corp. I’ve done the job you asked me to do, and now you ridicule me for it? You can go to hel , Nick.”

She swam to the edge of the pool and pul ed herself out, going to her chair and gathering her things. Nick hurried after her. He couldn’t risk her revealing their plan this close to the end. By the time he made it over to their seats, Laney had gone.

Vivian was shaking her head at him. Wil iam Zelman did not look too pleased either.

“She didn’t look to wel , Nick,” Vivian was saying.

“Uh—” Nick hadn’t heard a word Laney may have said, so he had no idea what the Zelmans were thinking. He feared the worst.

Wil iam Zelman stood. “Wel , this is a great way to ruin a day out at sea.”

“Uh—I—” Nick was at a loss for words.

“You should go after her,” Vivian insisted. “If Laney is seasick, then you need to nurse her to health.”

“Seasick?” Nick hadn’t expected that. How many times was she going to use motion sickness as an excuse?

Wil iam Zelman clapped him on the shoulder.

“She’s a sweet girl, insisting you stay and enjoy yourself, but I real y think you should go care for her.

She must real y be il . Poor thing was on the brink of tears like that.”

Nick left the Zelmans arguing over the best remedy for seasickness. Laney wasn’t in the room.

He could only assume she was back in her old room.

He would give her space for now, knowing he was treading on thin ice. Laney had given a good excuse for being upset today, but what if her emotions took control and she sabotaged the plan? Would she do that? If history had taught him anything, it was that a scorned woman was unpredictable, and Laney was no exception to the rule. He would have to manage this situation immediately, even if he had to beg Laney. He made a deal with himself to give her one hour of privacy and then he was going after her.

An hour had passed and Nick was climbing the wal s. He prepared himself to do war. He was reaching for the door when it flung open. Laney stopped just before walking headfirst into his chest.

She glanced up at him before entering the room.

Without a word, she gathered her clothing, went into the bathroom and didn’t emerge for another hour.

Nick was itching to get things straight between them.

When she final y came into the room, she was dressed in a pearl-white dinner dress. Though simple in style, the gown complemented her shape.

She turned her back on him while she put on her earrings.

He cleared his throat. “How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?”

She didn’t even look at him, just continued shuffling through her jewelry.

Nick became irritated. He turned her around.

“This childish silence is unnecessary. If you have something to say, then say it.”

Her eyes flamed. “I have absolutely nothing to say to you.”

“Wel , I have something to say to you. That stunt you pul ed today is unacceptable. I’m paying you to—”

“I know what you’re paying me for, Nick. There’s no need to remind me.” She looked at her watch.

“Dinner is in thirty minutes. Are you going, or do I need to leave without you?”

“I’m going,” he gritted out.

She crossed her arms and shot him a hateful look. “I’m waiting.”

He cursed al the way to the bathroom.

❧ ❧ ❧

They arrived at dinner on time. The main discussion centered on Laney’s health. It would seem that everyone was a fan of hers. The captain managed to make his way to their table to express his concern.

“Mrs. Sinclair, I heard you were not feeling wel earlier. Is everything alright?”

She smiled. “I’m much better now, Hector.

Thank you for asking. Whatever did I do to deserve such a caring and handsome captain?” Nick rol ed his eyes when the old man blushed under her flattery.

“Mr. Sinclair, would you mind if I dance with your lovely wife?”

“As I matter of fact I do—”

“I’d be honored.” Laney interrupted Nick, offering the elder man her hand and letting him guide her to the dance floor.

Nick suffered through dinner with Laney speaking as little as possible to him. No one seemed to notice, since she was so lively and sociable to everyone else.

When they retired for the night, Laney was stil treating him like a leper. Nick got little rest, knowing if he touched her she would most likely castrate him.

To prevent another sexual mishap, he placed a pil ow between them. That apparently didn’t work. He must have reached for her during the night, because Laney slapped him so hard he was jerked out of sleep. Fuming, he spent the rest of the night on the loveseat. It was unbearable.

He escaped to the gym as early as possible and spent hours running himself into exhaustion. He was happy to shower in the locker room. They were docking at Princess Cays today, their last stop before sailing to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. He was confident that he’d gained some ground with Zelman, but he was ready to get off this damn boat.

They spent the day resting at the beach. Laney, Cooper and Heidi joined a vol eybal game while the Zelmans watched and Nick brooded. He and Laney had managed to say less than two words to each other the entire day. Of course, they played their parts wel when the time cal ed for it, but that was it.

Under the tropical setting, the day passed rather quietly. They were back on the boat by sunset. Laney busied herself packing while Nick checked his email. In al truth, he was amazed by her determination. If it weren’t for him getting pissed off by the rejection, he would have applauded her grit.

As it was, the night slipped by, and he was again sleeping on the sofa.

❧ ❧ ❧

It was final y here. The final day of the cruise had come at last. They had breakfast with the Zelmans and Wrights for the last time. If Nick never saw Cooper’s smug face again, it would be too soon.

They disembarked together and shared a limo to the airport. As fate would have it, they were al scheduled for the same flight. Nick paid an arm and a leg to upgrade Laney’s ticket to first-class.

The flight back to San Francisco was a quiet one. Everyone aboard had the look of someone returning from a cruise, tanned and exhausted.

Laney must have been worn out, as she didn’t protest when he put his arm around her shoulders, offering his chest as a pil ow. She leaned into him and dozed off. Nick took pleasure in holding her close without her attacking him. He leaned over to brush his cheek against her forehead. He inhaled deeply. She stil smel ed of roses. What nobody knew but him was Laney did not wear perfume. Not once had he seen her use any. He had the sinking feeling he would miss her scent.

In the San Francisco airport, they al went their separate ways. They waved the Zelmans and Wrights goodbye and promised to keep in contact.

Outside the terminal, a chauffeured town-car waited for Nick.

Nick turned to Laney and pul ed her into his arms.

He kissed her deeply, his mouth bearing down on her with unsuppressed passion. When he pul ed back, Laney had a pained look in her eyes. He wanted her to fal into his arms and say everything was forgiven between them, but instead, she slipped her rings off her finger and pressed them into his hand. She boarded a trol ey that would take her to her car. Watching her drive away left him with a strange emptiness. She had done her job, and she was now done with him.