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.
Seven
Lessa knew from playing doubles that if a partnership was not strong there was little hope of winning the match. And so she had returned from the Bahamas with a fine-tuned strategy. There was only one way to win Rick’s respect. She needed to prove she was a worthy partner.
Fortunately, she had found a way. She had studied the financials and had come to the conclusion that in order to increase the value of the stock, they needed to sell off some of their more expensive assets. That money could then be used to expand, to buy and develop other properties.
Like the property she had found in Florida. Located off the Gulf of Mexico, Mara del Ray was a former luxury resort, a diamond in the rough. Lessa had attended a tennis tournament there as a teenager and from the moment she’d heard that it was for sale she knew it would be perfect for Lawrence. But where would she get the money to buy it?
Fortunately, there was one resort in particular that was ripe to sell. Located in Antigua, it was now one of their most profitable. But that was certain to change. There was another major resort opening on the island and the resulting competition was bound to affect its value. Better to sell while they were on top. She had made some inquiries and was close to finding a buyer. When she found one, she hoped to present the whole package to Rick and prove once and for all that she knew what she was doing.
“But do you care what Rick thinks?” her aunt asked when Lessa shared the details of her plan.
Yes, she did. So much that when he had walked in and seen her naked, she had done her best to act as if it weren’t a big deal. Even though she was mortified, she was not about to act like the hysterical woman who had run out on him the night before. And so she had swallowed her pride and pretended that showing her half-naked body to Rick Parker was something she did every day.
She told none of that to her great-aunt. All she said was “He’s my partner, Gran. We have to get along.”
“What exactly happened in the Bahamas?” her aunt asked suspiciously.
“Not much. We had a terrible meeting with Sabrina, and then…” Then they had gone back to the hotel room they’d shared. She’d put on a string bikini. They’d kissed, gone waterskiing, kissed again, gone dancing, kissed yet again and then she’d fallen asleep in his arms. Oh, and then, just in case he hadn’t gotten a good enough look at her in the string bikini, she’d shown him what she looked like topless. “That was about it.”
How could she give her elderly aunt the whole truth and nothing but the truth? She didn’t want to upset her. And Lessa had no doubt Gran would be upset to learn that since returning from the Bahamas, her niece had been unable to forget about those damned kisses. They were enough to make her forget who she was and where she was going. But it was more than just a few kisses. It was the way he made her feel, as if she were the most interesting person in the world. More than interesting. He made her feel beautiful.
Her aunt was looking at her curiously, as if attempting to decipher the secret meaning behind her words. Lessa knew the woman was hot on her tracks and, in order to throw her off, she had to toss her a bone. “I must admit that Rick surprised me. He can be very charming when he wants.” It was a gift, actually. He was blessed with the gift of sexual magnetism. She could still remember the way the assistants used to flutter around him at her father’s office. The giggles and the seductive glimmer in their eyes when they referred to him.
Time, she thought. She just needed some time to clear her head before seeing him again.
“What do you mean?” her aunt asked.
“He was kind and considerate. He was actually worried about me when I was waterskiing.”
“He sounds human. That doesn’t make him kind.”
“Did you know he was engaged? She died in a car accident. From the way he spoke about her, he still hasn’t recovered. I think that’s the reason he never married. He’s still nursing a broken heart.”
“Be careful, Lessa. A man like that, one who’s been so wounded, is not the best choice. It’ll take quite a bit to heal his broken heart.”
“I’m not going to heal his heart.”
“But you would like to.”
A heavy silence filled the room. Was her aunt right? Did she want to heal his heart?
It was true that she couldn’t forget the feel of his hand on hers, the way she had felt when he had looked into her eyes and whispered her name. But it was ridiculous, the whole thing. A romantic fantasy inspired by a romantic setting. That was all.
“Of course not,” Lessa finally responded. “If I feel anything, it’s a crush. It’s not real.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised you have a crush on him. It’s the first time you’ve been alone with a man in how long?”
“I’ve been busy,” she said defensively.
“Yes, yes, I know. You’ve been working. As I’ve told you before, a company can’t take you out to dinner. They can’t bring you soup when you’re sick. They can’t keep you warm on cold winter nights.”
“I get it.”
“A company can keep you busy, but it can’t prevent loneliness. I’d like to think that if I’m not here next Christmas you’ll have someone else beside you.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’ll be here. As for my love life, who knows? I must admit, I’m a little more hopeful than I have been.”
“Lessa,” her aunt said, “a man like Rick may serve as a distraction, but that’s all. A relationship with him is a complication you don’t need.”
“Don’t worry, Gran. I’m not interested in having a relationship with Rick Parker.”
She had told her aunt a partial truth. She may not want a relationship with him, but one thing was certain. She was dying to kiss him again.
By the time Lessa left work, it was close to seven o’clock. The air was crisp and it felt as if it might snow. She paused to wrap her scarf around her neck as she glanced at the store window display. It was a scene right out of a Christmas fairy tale. Snow was falling as a couple kissed underneath trees lined with mistletoe. Just as she started feeling sentimental about the special holiday approaching, a pellet of freezing rain hit her on the nose. She glanced at the cloud-covered sky. The rain was a reminder that in real life, mistletoe trees did not exist and it didn’t always snow on Christmas. And sometimes, as much as she and her aunt might wish otherwise, there was no one to kiss under the mistletoe.
She turned away from the window and hurried to the street corner. From the crowd of people desperately trying to hail a cab, she knew her chances of getting one were slim to none. And raining or not, she had promised her aunt a Christmas tree. She would just have to hoof it to the tree vendor as fast as she could. As the horns blew and the people pushed and shoved, her thoughts once again drifted back to palm trees, warm, quiet nights and the man she had kissed.
She had to snap out of this. It was one thing to please a business partner, quite another to dream about seducing him. Although she had spent the day putting together her Antigua deal, pesky thoughts kept interrupting her noble motives. Like how damn good he looked in swim trunks and the expression on his face when he’d opened the door and seen her half-naked.
In fact, several times that day, she had found herself at the water fountain outside his office, unable to quench
