don’t want to see it destroyed. But this is your decision.”
“I’ll agree under one condition,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “That I give you my shares only when the threat of a takeover is alleviated.”
“Fine,” he said, holding out his hand. “So we have a deal.”
“I’m willing to put past grievances behind us in order to save the company,” she said. With what appeared to be a supreme amount of effort, she accepted his hand.
“I’m very happy to hear that, Lessa,” he said, squeezing her hand gently. “Because in order to save this company, you’re going to have to forget what you learned in grad school. Now,” he said, letting go of her hand, “can I take your coat?”
“What do you mean, forget what I learned?” she asked, shrugging off her coat and handing it to him.
“Sabrina Vickers is simply the first in a long line of companies waiting to steal Lawrence Enterprises,” he said, hanging up her coat. “The problem is not Sabrina, it’s the perception that Lawrence Enterprises is a company in turmoil. All the Sabrinas have crawled out of the woodwork. And there’s only one way to get rid of them.”
“Let’s hear it,” she said, taking a seat on his leather sofa.
He sat across from her and leaned forward. “We need to convince Sabrina and everyone else that my job is intact. That our…union is secure.”
“What are you suggesting?”
He paused, almost enjoying the look of anticipation in her eyes. “We’re lovers.”
He watched as the surprise in her eyes gave way to indignation.
“No,” she said.
“Just for show, of course. It’s the only way. We need to prove to Sabrina Vickers and the rest of the world that we’re together. That my firing was simply a lovers’ quarrel. If you and I are united, in both power and money, they’ll know better than to attempt another takeover.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, standing. “This is business, not make-believe.”
He stood up so that he was towering over her. “If Sabrina thinks for one moment that you asked me back only because of her takeover bid, she’s going to know that my stay is only temporary. She’ll know that, sooner or later, you’re going to fire me again. The end result is that she will never give up her shares. She will simply wait it out and strike when the timing is right.”
“This ridiculous scenario is the best you can offer? I don’t think so. We’ll win this company back the old- fashioned way. By proving that we’re stronger than her.”
“But we’re not. In the past year, stocks have fallen considerably. Stockholders are aware of the turmoil at Lawrence and are anxious to shed their shares while they’re still worth something. You got us into this mess, Miss Lawrence. I think you owe it to everyone to do whatever you can to get us out.” He could almost see the disdain in her emerald eyes.
“What does this…plan of yours entail?” she asked.
“We meet with Sabrina and do our best to convince her that we’re in love…or at least, you’re in love with me. We’ll explain my departure as your reaction to a lovers’ quarrel. That you would never really do anything to harm me or the company.”
“I’m not an actress, Mr. Parker. And I’m not a hysterical woman.” He didn’t doubt it. She looked as icy as princesses come. But beneath the veneer he could swear he saw something else. Perhaps, he thought, she was one of those women whose prim visage was a mask for the fire and passion beneath.
“How long will it take you to draw up the contract?” he asked.
“I have to have it approved by the board first.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Meet me at Teterboro Airport tomorrow at eight in the morning. Bring the contract with you. I’ll sign it before we leave.”
“But that’s less than ten hours from now.”
“I guess you should get going, then,” he said, taking her coat out of the closet.
“I have not agreed to do this.”
“You’ll do it, Miss Lawrence. You have no choice.” As he hung her coat around her shoulders, his fingers brushed the skin of her creamy-white neck. She jerked forward, touching her fingers to the spot as if burned.
Her eyes narrowed and he could see the hatred burning inside. She took a step toward him and for a moment he thought she might slap him. Finally she bit her lower lip and turned away with her head held high, as regal in defeat as she was in victory. He couldn’t help but smile as he shut the door.
He was going to enjoy this.
Three
Lessa sat beside Rick in the limo, determined to maintain her composure. She forced herself to focus on the laptop screen before her, trying to forget that she and Rick were getting closer to Sabrina Vickers by the minute. That Rick had just signed a deal in which she gave him half her stock, essentially making them partners, paled in comparison to the task at hand. But she had no choice. After all, to bow out was to admit defeat. And she was not defeated. Not yet anyway.
She had, however, suffered a professional setback that was so severe many at the office were already planning her retirement. The rumor mill had been working overtime ever since she’d arrived. Everyone knew she would not be the chairman or even on the board if she didn’t own a majority stake in the company. The most recent rumor had her paying off the board members to get her post. Her efforts to win the employees over-starting a day care in the office, increasing benefits, even supplying coffee and doughnuts in the morning-were ignored.
Time, she reminded herself. She needed to be patient. After all, her father had been just as beloved as Rick. Rick had had to work hard to turn the tide of sympathy, but he had done such a good job that the employees seemed to have forgotten all about her father. The fact that she was Howard Lawrence’s daughter and the rightful heir to Lawrence Enterprises meant little. The only thing that mattered from now on was how well she got along with Rick.
They were no longer opponents but partners. Her new strategy revolved around winning Rick’s respect. She had a hunch that if she won Rick over, she might be able to win over everyone else. It was a strategy that held little appeal, but she had no choice. She had made a deal with the devil and now she had to make the best of it.
Lessa glanced at Rick. He was talking on his cell phone, laughing as he spoke to a colleague. The crinkles from his laugh lines only made him look more handsome. Wearing an open-neck business shirt and khaki slacks, he looked relaxed and in control, totally at ease with the caper they were about to attempt.
Once again panic gripped her heart as she thought,
Could she really pull this off? What did he have in mind? Holding hands and kissing? Or just exchanging knowing glances?
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to approach this just as she would a tough match. Like the one she’d played against Korupova, the tall Russian girl with the black hair, in the NCAAs her sophomore year. Korupova was a lauded champion and Lessa began the match determined that the only way to win was to hit every bit as hard as her opponent. But it soon became obvious that she was outmatched. Korupova was a better and stronger athlete. Since Lessa could not win the match on the strength of her strokes, she had to come up with a new strategy. She switched from offensive playing to defensive, hoping that through sheer determination and patience she could outlast her opponent. In the end, Lessa had squeaked out a victory. She counted that win as the best of her career because it made her think she could get into something completely over her head and somehow, someway, get her feet under her and win. Just like now. Rick may be a superior player, but by staying in the moment, by not letting her fears get the best of her, she would get her feet under her again. And she would be victorious.
“Are you ready?” he asked, snapping his phone shut.
She glanced at him and nodded.
He smiled and took her hand. His touch sent a bolt of electricity running through her. So surprised was she by her reaction to him that she yanked her hand away.
“Now, now, Lessa,” he said, purposely referring to her by her nickname. “Is that a way to respond to a lover’s
