Mistletoe Maneuvers (7 page)

“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.

I
t 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.

The thought of Sabrina propositioning the man Lessa was supposed to be with was infuriating, to say the least. The thought of him accepting was even more infuriating. “What did you say?” she asked, her voice cold.

“I don't mix business and pleasure, Lessa,” he said, stopping in front of their bungalow.

“Not even with an old girlfriend?”

He unlocked their door and pushed it open. When she walked inside, he stepped in front of her. “Not even with an old girlfriend,” he said, his voice low and threatening. “Now make up your mind. Are you staying or not?”

She looked at the solitary bed. She could've sworn the room was even smaller than when they'd left it. “I'm staying,” she said.

He paused for a moment and then stepped away. He loosened his tie and closed the blinds. It was obvious he was angry with her for suggesting that perhaps he would have a liaison with Sabrina. But how could she not suspect the worst? After all, the image of him dancing with Sabrina was burned in her mind. The way he had held her in his arms. The way he had looked at her.

Lessa walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. “Did you love her?”

“Love her?” he asked, surprised. “No. I told you, we had a brief affair. I don't think it lasted more than a week. That was all.” He sat down next to her and said, “You're going to have to trust me on this one, Lessa.”

“I'm sorry, Rick. Regardless of what you say, I don't think I can ever trust you. Actions are stronger than words.”

“I assume the action in my case is what happened to your father. And that doesn't define me as anything but
a businessman. I was given an offer and I took it. I did what I could to help him. I'm the one who put together his severance package. I'm the reason you inherited your stock.”

“Do you think I should thank you? Losing this company destroyed him.” It had literally broken his heart. He had suffered a fatal heart attack and died less than a month later.

“Lessa,” he said softly. “He was a good man who did a great job building this company—but he is the one who took it public and hired the board. And you know as well as I do that whenever you take a company public you lose some control.”

“He fought so hard to keep his job. I hardly saw him during that last year.”

“I'm sorry, Lessa,” Rick said quietly. “It's not all about hard work. Sometimes people are simply outmatched.”

Was he talking about her father or her? “I realize that. But if you're referring to me, I conceded, remember? And now we're partners on the same team.”

He glanced away. Whatever may have transpired between them, it was obvious he still harbored doubt about her.

“I need to have your support, Rick,” she said.

His eyes softened and he smiled slightly. He glanced at her leg. “How is it feeling?” he asked, running his finger around the bruise.

“Great,” she said, her response indicating not the pain from her bruise but the exquisite feel of his touch. Their eyes locked and she could feel her heart turn over. Her entire body ached for him. He leaned forward and she closed her eyes, readying for his kiss.

 

In the nick of time, Rick stopped. What the hell was he doing?

He needed to get back to business. The night, the wine, the romantic setting…it was all making him lose his head. She was not a lover he had brought on vacation, nor would she ever be. She was the chairman of the board and he couldn't allow himself to forget it.

He grabbed his laptop and sat in the chair, trying not to notice as she settled herself on the bed. She fluffed up the pillows before situating her computer on her lap. If anyone had looked in the window, he would think they were a happily settled domestic couple, albeit one not romantically inclined.

He sorted through the day's mail and messages before scouring the recent stock activity. “Sabrina has been buying more stock,” he said.

He picked up his laptop and took it over to the bed to show her. He sat beside her and said, “Look at this.”

She scanned the information. “So she has no intention of selling her shares to us?”

“Not necessarily. She might be doing this just because she knows we want it. She figures whatever she has is worth twice as much.”

“Maybe we should draft a letter to the stockholders and tell them what's going on. They need to know that now is not the time to sell.”

“I agree,” Rick said.

Together they began to work. At close to two in the morning, Lessa fell asleep, her head on Rick's shoulder. A copper ringlet had fallen over her forehead. He gazed across her face, slowly lingering on her tempt
ingly curved mouth. He slid his hand under her head and gently set her down on the pillow. She sighed and the corners of her lips turned upwards in a sweet smile as she nestled into the soft down.

Damn, but he wanted her.

He swallowed hard and, utilizing every ounce of willpower he could summon, rolled out of bed. Her rubbing up against him in the middle of the night could trigger a chain of events that he didn't want to think about.

He settled himself into the chair and leaned backward, absentmindedly running his fingers through his hair. Who would've thought he'd want to make love to Alessandra Lawrence? She had been nothing but trouble. He'd found her uptight and rigid, a prim and proper woman with a narrow vision. And, so he thought, they had nothing in common besides their desire to run Lawrence Enterprises.

But beneath that cool exterior was a warm and passionate woman, one with her own struggles and demons. And one who just happened to look damn good in a towel.

He barely slept that night. He tossed and turned until a sliver of light was shining through the rose-colored curtains. As he massaged his stiff neck, Lessa sighed slightly and turned on her back. Her long eyelashes curled over her sleeping eyes, and her hair was splayed out behind her. Her body, long and elegant, rested on top of the covers. Daylight had not helped his willpower. With the light radiating around her, she looked like an angel. At the very least, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He needed to get out of there. Fast. He showered and
dressed as quickly as he could. When he walked back in the room, Lessa was sitting on the side of the bed.

“Good morning,” she said, stretching like a lazy kitten. Her hair was tousled and her shirt half-unbuttoned. And the fact that she was unaware of her sexiness only added to her allure.

“I'm going to find some coffee,” he said, looking away. “How do you take it?”

“Black, please,” she said as he shut the door.

He picked up the coffee in the restaurant and took his time getting back to the bungalow. He paused outside the door and saw Sabrina stepping off a boat, dressed all in white. She was a beautiful woman, but she paled in comparison to Lessa. He found it amazing that he had ever been attracted to her. She seemed so superficial and insincere. But he had not been looking for love when they'd gotten together. He had been looking for sex and adventure and had found her significantly lacking in both.

He could not imagine coming home to a woman like that. He wanted a woman more like Lessa, one who was spunky and tough. A woman who could be sensitive and strong at the same time. Sabrina saw him and waved. He nodded in her direction and pushed open the door.

Lessa was standing with her back to him, wearing only a pair of lace panties. She pulled her dress over her head and spun around.

“Don't you knock?” she said, picking up her bra and heading back into the bathroom.

“Look, Lessa, I'm sorry. Sabrina is right outside the door. It never occurred to me that you would be naked in the middle of the room. After all, the blinds aren't even closed.”

The bathroom door opened and she reappeared. “It's all right,” she said. “No harm done.”

He would beg to differ. He had seen her full, ripe breasts, her tiny flat belly and the panties that hung over her slender hips. It was a sight he was not going to forget anytime soon.

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.