Unintentional (14 page)

“No, I didn’t sign the contract. The other guys did, but it needs my signature. So I’m still a free agent.”

Relief floods her expression. It’s followed by what looks like regret. “If we’re going to work together, then we can’t do this, Cade. I never mix my personal life with business. It’s just not done.”

Damn. I didn’t think about it that way. She’s right. We can’t get anything started up and keep it professional. I don’t want to get a serious relationship going anyway, so this might be manageable. I’ll still get to be around her, get to know her better. I need to get this last thing out of my system first.

“Yeah. I understand. Okay, it’s a deal. We’ll keep things professional.”

I want to laugh at Laurel’s expression. I’ve just given her what she wants, but she doesn’t look happy about it.

“I haven’t signed your contract yet, so we have a few more
minutes. Just one kiss and we can deal with our chemistry problem once and for all. I’ll be good, I promise.”

Laurel laughs, I love that sound.

“We wouldn’t want a good rendezvous in a storage closet go to waste. Everyone probably already thinks we’re up to no good anyway.” I hope I’m convincing, because I really need to kiss her, right now.

I approach her again, slowly. Her back is still against the wall. Our eyes lock again, and I smile. This will be our last kiss, so I want to make the most out of it.

Laurel

He’s going to kiss me again. Am I ready for it? This will be good, I tell myself. We can both get this out of our systems. Cade obviously remembers the kiss from last year. I’m so glad I’m not the only one.

He’s smiling at me as he takes a step closer. I watch him closely as he slowly moves toward me, his expression changing the closer he gets. He looks down at my lips, and his face darkens, becomes intense.

“May I?” he asks, tugging on the rubber band holding back my hair.

I nod yes without thinking.

With a quick movement, he releases my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders. He picks up the colored strand. “I love this. Purple today, huh?”

All I can do is nod. He has me paralyzed. I can’t move. I can’t speak.

He continues his slow torture, running his fingers slowly through my hair. I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. I hear Cade take a quick intake of breath, and I open my eyes again, to see his blue eyes boring into mine. I don’t think this will be a slow, soft kiss.

I was wrong. He links his hands into mine, placing them over my head. He leans in and starts the softest, sweetest kiss I’ve ever had. This is good—no, this is spectacular—but I want a little more. I gently nip at his lower lip. He stops suddenly, leans back, and looks at me again, studying me. I think he likes what he sees, because I’m suddenly back against the wall, all bets are off. This is not a soft or slow kiss. This one is demanding, passionate. Oh no, what did I get myself into? But right now, I don’t care. This feels so good. I couldn’t
stop even if I wanted to. Wait, I do want to stop. I need to stop. But I can’t. Lord, help me, because I don’t want this to ever end.

He shifts me away from the wall, continuing the devastating kiss that is now skyrocketing out of control. His hands are rubbing up my back, into my hair, back down. Now he has hands on my upper arms, drawing me even closer.

My hands are doing their own exploring. I’ve kept all my feelings in, under wraps, for a year now, and I’m unable to hold back any longer. My whole body goes into a total meltdown.

“Stop me, Laurel.”

I meet his eyes and shake my head.

Cade groans as he starts to unbutton my blouse. Are those my hands unfastening the buttons on his shirt? I think I’ve gone out-of-body, because I’ve never had unbridled passion take over before. We are frantically trying to remove the clothing barrier between us when there is a loud banging at the door.

“We know what you’re doing! You get out of there now!” Scott and Sophie are talking and laughing outside the door.

Cade stops immediately, leans into me, and simply says, “Damn.”

I look down at my clothing. I’m a mess with my shirt untucked and two buttons undone. Cade looks to be in the same shape.

He pulls me close and says, “Laurel, what are we doing? I don’t think I can control myself around you. I really thought this would be a good thing. We could rid ourselves of this tension, this need. I think there’s something between us, more than physical.”

I take step back, physically and emotionally. “I want to be your agent, Cade. If I become your agent, that means this,” I point back and forth between us, “can’t happen again.”

Cade groans and places his head against the wall. “Laurel, I want both.”

“No way, Cade. It’s my code. I never date the talent. I could damage my reputation. It’s never a good thing to do in any working situation. It will complicate everything, every decision.”

“And this isn’t already complicated?” Disappointment is written all over his face.

“All we have to do is make sure we don’t kiss anymore. That’s been our problem.”

Cade’s brow crimps together. He’s thinking hard. “We can try it Laurel. I can’t promise to be good. Are you okay with that?”

At least he’s honest. “What do you mean, you won’t be good? In what way?”

Cade’s all dimples. “I might try to tempt you now and then. I won’t be making the first moves though, that’ll be up to you.”

I nod. I can handle it. Right?

Chapter 12

Kelly Ricci

I smile at Laurel Lawson, knowing she’s too late. The contract is signed. Her grand entry will be for nothing. Too little, too late. I’m going to love seeing her expression when she finds out she lost this one. Finally! I let the feeling of victory flow over every inch of my body. I catch Rodney’s eye and give him a wink. He looks concerned. He shouldn’t be. We’ve got this one in the bag. Just as I’m about to give Laurel the news, Cade gets out of his seat and grabs Laurel’s hand, tugging her out of the room. What the hell?

Scott starts laughing. He hits Mica on the shoulder and says, “I knew it! I knew there was a reason he’s been acting so weird.”

Scott jumps out of his chair and practically runs to Laurel’s assistant. I can’t remember her name. It doesn’t matter though, she’s not important.

I announce to the group, “Okay, guys, it looks like we’re through here. We have all the signatures, so I’ll get these to the attorney, and we’ll wrap everything up from here.” I lean over to take
the documents now sitting in front of Mica.

He says quietly, “Cade didn’t sign. He hasn’t signed yet.”

No. I saw him. I saw the pen in his hand. He was writing, but was I distracted? Did Laurel come in before he had a chance? My stomach drops. This can’t be happening. The excited feeling I had moments before are replaced by dread. Hell, no, this isn’t happening.

I reach over and take the contract, trying to keep my composure in front of the group. I look down, and Mica was right. Cade didn’t sign. All the other signatures are on the contract, but if Cade doesn’t sign, it will be null and void. I’m sure he’ll still sign it. He has to.

Through these negotiations, Scott has been Cade’s second-in-command. I want to talk to him. I need to find out what’s going on with Cade. Why did he grab Laurel like that and leave the room? Do they know each other?

I approach Scott, but he’s majorly distracted, falling all over Laurel’s assistant. I interrupt their little introductions. “So, Scott, I’ll just need to get Cade’s signature before I go. Do you know where he went?”

Scott and Laurel’s assistant look at each other and burst out
laughing. Do they think this is funny?

Rodney comes up next to me and enters the conversation. “Look, we’ve spent a lot of time setting this up. Is there a problem here?”

Laurel’s assistant has the decency to look a little guilty. She reaches out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sophie. There might be a little problem. Cade made a promise to Laurel about a year ago to give her first crack at signing him.”

My patience is about to snap.

“Yes, I heard that, but Cade’s been trying to reach her for weeks without a response. I think it’s only fair you back off and let us finish our negotiations. Everyone has signed except for Cade.”

She shrugs. “I don’t have control over that. You’ll need to ask Cade.” She smiles at Scott. “That is, if you can find them.” She asks Scott innocently, “Did you see where they went?”

Scott smirks and puts his arm around her. “Nope. Let’s take a tour around and see what we can find.”

Scott and Sophie leave the room, giggling like preschoolers.

I look over at Rodney for support. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angrier. He’s sitting back down at the table, and, if I didn’t know
him better, I’d think he was patiently waiting to see what happens. But I can see his leg jiggling under the table. His hands are clasping and unclasping nervously. He knows this account is huge. I don’t even want to think we’ve lost it, right at the last second.

Seeing Rodney like this makes me sad. He’s upset, and I don’t like it. I’m accustomed to the indifferent or drunk Rodney. I move to the table next to him. “Whatever happens, I appreciate all your work.”

He looks back at me stunned. “Who are you, and what have you done with Kelly?”

“I know, I know, I’m a bitch, blah, blah blah.” I finally see a hint of a smile.

“I thought you would be ballistic by now. What’s up?” His face tries to stay neutral, but he’s failing miserably.

“I’m upset, but we don’t know anything for sure yet.”

Just as I say those words, Cade and Laurel walk in. If I weren’t majorly pissed right now, I would think they were funny. Laurel’s pretty little do is all over the place. Her hair is down and she’s a mess. Her clothes are disheveled, but it’s her swollen lips and flushed face that give her away. Cade doesn’t look much better, or actually, he does look better. His hair is messy, tousled, and his shirt is buttoned
incorrectly. Well, that settles that.

I can’t help myself. “So now we all know how you land all the popular bands, Laurel.”

Rodney makes a squeaking sound next to me. I’m not sure if he’s trying to smother a laugh, or if it’s plain and simple shock. The room goes quiet. I keep my eyes defiantly on Laurel. I’m not backing down. What she’s doing is totally unprofessional.

Her face remains flushed as she replies, “I can understand how you might think this is inappropriate. It’s not like that. Cade and I were just concluding some unfinished business.”

“I bet,” Rodney says under his breath.

I finally look at Cade. He’s looking at Rodney with a scowl on his face. So he doesn’t want his little princess insulted. Too bad.

Cade finally speaks. “Laurel, will you match Kelly’s offer?” She nods enthusiastically. Of course she’s going to agree to anything he asks.

He continues. “I have one more stipulation.”

“What is it?” she asks

“Every day you’re in Seattle, you have to meet me at 8:00 am to run Green Lake. If you agree to this, I’ll sign with you.” He looks
over at his three band mates. “Is this okay with you guys?” he asks.

They’ve just signed with me, so I imagine this is just as surprising for them as it is for me. I see them hesitate, but they nod their agreement. Of course, Cade is obviously their leader. They’ll do whatever he wants. End of story. I need to keep my disappointment contained. My acting skills need to come into play. I can do this. I’ve been fooling everyone my entire life.

I think this meeting is done until I see Laurel balk. What? Will she possibly blow this opportunity because she’s too lazy to run? Laurel turns even redder than she already is. She takes Cade’s arm, and they move across the room. Something is going on. Maybe something good for me.

Chapter 13

Cade

I have a plan. My goal is to know Laurel outside of the professional business arrangements we’re about to enter. If she isn’t out of her comfort zone, I’ll never get the opportunity to find out more about her. The real her. Laurel isn’t happy with the newest development in our possible partnership. She motions to me to talk between ourselves at the opposite side of the room.

“Cade. I thought the idea was to try to avoid being alone together.” Her face is flushed.

She’s the most exotically beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, all messy and off kilter. I need to word this just right. I don’t want to scare her off.

“What? It’s not like a date. I need some way to work off my frustration, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I figure if you’re the one frustrating me, you’d logically be the ideal running partner. I hate running alone.”

I give her my most innocent smile. I know I have her. She
won’t risk this deal arguing about a little exercise.

“I don’t run.” She looks defeated.
“That’s okay. I’ll slow my pace for you. I’ll even walk when you need to.”

I think she’s done protesting, until she says, “Also, um, I’m not really a morning person.” She’s chewing her bottom lip. It must be a nervous habit.

It’s having an unwanted effect on me. I want to be doing that. “You’ll get used to it.”

She groans. “All right. It’s not like I have a choice, do I?”

“No.”

We’re looking at each other. I’m smiling. She’s glowering.

“One more thing,” I add.

“Oh, no you don’t! I’d almost prefer giving up my firstborn child rather then get up at that ungodly hour and run. Run! I don’t do running. Don’t you dare add more. What’s next, weight lifting?”

A laugh escapes me. She’s feisty.

“Nah, this next one is easy. I need some help with the ins and outs of the music business. I’ve focused all my attention on my engineering job, and I’m afraid I haven’t been able to educate myself
properly. While we run, I want to ask you questions, lots of questions. I’ll need honest answers. Are you okay with that?”

She looks relieved. “Thank God. Yes, yes! I can answer your questions. If I’m out of breath, you’ll wait, right? This isn’t part of the torture is it?”

“No, you’ll enjoy this. I’ll wait for you whenever you need me to. So, do we have a deal? We run, I ask questions, you answer. Simple.” My eyebrows rise while I wait.

She’s actually thinking about this. She’s feisty
and
stubborn. She doesn’t like to concede anything apparently. I try to hide my smile as she wrestles with the two small requests. I watch as the war rages, and she concedes defeat.