How wrong he was. She was actually beginning to enjoy this game. “I hope so.”
“Tonight I’m going to try and make this as easy for you as possible. I don’t think we need to fall over each other. I think it’s enough that we show up and leave together.”
“Good,” she said as enthusiastically as possible. How could she tell him that she had been anxious for another opportunity to kiss him?
They drove the rest of the way in silence, until they pulled into the parking garage and he said, “Wait for me to open the door and help you down.”
“I thought you said no open displays of affection.”
“I’m not worried about what others might think. I just didn’t want you falling out. It’s kind of steep.”
“I think I can handle it,” she said. She thought back to Sabrina’s story about how she’d met Rick when he’d carried her off the boat. He was obviously used to the fragile type. “I used to do plyometrics-jumping up and down off a step while holding a medicine ball.”
He nodded toward her shoes. “In heels?”
Just to prove her point, she swung her door open and jumped out. “Can’t pass up a dare, can you?” he asked, walking around to greet her. He took her arm and together they walked inside the building next door. Lessa couldn’t help but notice the shocked looks on her coworkers’ faces when they saw Rick’s arm casually looped through hers. They endured a strained elevator ride up to the main floor of Lawrence Enterprises. It was crowded with office workers dancing to the live band and enjoying the free-flowing champagne.
“Looks like your party is a success,” he said into her ear.
“It’s in full swing,” she agreed. Standing so close, she could feel the sexual magnetism that made him so self- confident.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked, as if he really were her date.
“White wine, please,” she replied. He smiled at her and she felt her insides turn to mush.
“What was that all about?” her assistant asked, approaching her after Rick had left. “Did you come here with him?”
“Yes,” Lessa said quickly.
Fran looked at her silently, as if waiting for her to continue. Lessa liked her but knew that she couldn’t confide in her. There was too much riding on the whole scheme. But she couldn’t lie to her either. And so Lessa said nothing on the subject. Instead she glanced around the room and said, “They did a good job with the decorations.”
“After you left today,” Fran said, “we heard from one of the buyers in Antigua. He’s ready to make an offer.”
Lessa felt a surge of excitement as she thought about the property in Florida. Her dream was one step closer to reality. “Great. I just need to run it past Rick,” she said casually, trying to minimize the importance of his approval.
“I hope he’s not furious,” Fran said. “Antigua’s his baby, his pride and joy.”
“It’s not a baby, it’s a property. And Rick is a businessman. He’ll appreciate all my research and my hard work.”
Fran shook her head. “The last person who tried to do this without his approval got fired. But then again, they weren’t
Lessa felt a hint of anxiety. She suspected Fran was only joking about him firing her. But he could make things unpleasant. After all, he had before.
She glanced around the room. Where was Rick anyway? Wasn’t he supposed to be getting her a glass of wine? “I don’t want to talk about business. How does everyone seem to be enjoying the party?” she asked.
Fran shrugged, as if she weren’t impressed. “The shrimp is good.”
After Fran had left to check out the desserts, Lessa headed toward the inner office staircase. The offices of Lawrence Enterprises took up the top five floors of a downtown building. In her attempt to make this party special, Lessa had spared no expense. Each floor had been decorated and had its own private bar. She walked up the ivy- lined staircase and found Rick outside his office, deep in conversation with the head controller. She was just about to make her way over to them when she recognized one of the senior board members flirting brazenly with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. John Roberson was a nasty old man, one who had long been a thorn in her side. She glanced away, hoping to avoid eye contact. But it was too late.
“Look who’s here,” he said a loud and slurred voice as he made his way toward her. “The woman who single- handedly took ten points off our stock.”
His remark had the intended effect. The crowd was stunned into silence. Lessa choked back her humiliation, aware that, once again, every eye was on her.
John slammed a big, fat finger into her chest and said, “Just because you studied history in school you think you’re qualified to run a multimillion-dollar company?”
“Keep your hands off her,” Rick said with a growl, stepping in front of Lessa.
“We made a mistake giving her the chairmanship,” John said, his face red with anger. “The stock has gone down ever since.”
“There were other factors at work.”
“How can you defend her?” John asked. He shook his head, disgusted. “Her father almost ran this company into the ground and apparently that’s her intention as well.”
And suddenly all the anger Lessa had felt regarding her father’s shabby treatment burst to the surface. Her father had considered John Roberson a friend, yet according to Rick, he had betrayed him. “How dare you talk about my father that way,” she said, clenching her fists as she took a step toward him. But Rick was too fast.
“Time to go,” he said, grabbing John by the lapels and hoisting him away.
As Rick hustled John toward the elevator doors, Lessa glanced around at the crowd that had gathered to watch the fireworks. “Sorry about that, everyone. Go enjoy the party.”
As the crowd slowly dispersed, misery set in. After all this work, what people would remember about the Christmas party was not the shrimp or the decorations or the fact that there was a bar on every floor. It was that the chairman of the board had almost punched a fellow board member. She made her way over to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. She had already drunk half of it by the time Rick reappeared.
“Thank you,” she said.
He gave her a look that said all was not well. “Could I talk to you privately?” he asked.
She set down her wine and followed him toward a darkened hallway. Suddenly he pulled her into an empty office and shut the door. He turned on the light and faced her, his eyes dark and controlled. “Are you attempting to sell Antigua?”
“Not yet, no,” she said calmly. “Although there is an interested buyer.”
He took a step toward her. He was towering over her, his mouth set in a frown. “We’re not selling Antigua. You’ve wasted your time.”
“I found a property in Florida that has a lot of potential,” she said, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. “It makes sense to sell Antigua now, before the other resorts on the island are developed. We could use the money to finance the Florida property. Anyway, I’m still getting my ducks in a row. I wanted to lay it all out for you.”
“And what if I disagreed?” he asked. “We’ve ruined a relationship with whatever buyer you’ve strung along.”
“I haven’t strung anyone along. I told them exactly what the circumstances were.”
She could see him hesitate.
“Let me show you what I’ve done. Give me a chance.”
Before Rick could respond, the door flew open. The director of marketing entered arm in arm with the director of finance. When they saw Lessa and Rick standing in front of them, their jaws dropped in surprise. They moved away from each other. “We were just, um, looking for…some more napkins,” the director of finance said quickly.
“So were we,” Lessa said. “None in here.” Rick followed her out.
“We can’t talk here.”
“Tomorrow morning. We’ll discuss everything before I contact the buyer.”
“Tomorrow morning won’t work,” Rick said. “I have a meeting that I can’t change.”
“Please, Rick, give me a chance. Let me prove to you that this will work.”
