“She wanted a Christmas wedding and it was the only time she could get the reception hall she wanted. It’s a…well, a last-minute affair.” He hesitated a moment and said, “Maybe you should come.”
“What?” He wanted to introduce her to his family?
“Makes sense. The wedding’s in White Plains at two o’clock. There’s an airport in Westchester. After it, we’ll leave directly for Florida. We should get there before sundown.”
“I’d love to, but-” She hesitated. “Do you think it’s a good idea? How’s your sister going to feel about you bringing a co-worker to her wedding?”
“She knew she ran a risk having her wedding in the middle of a work week. She’ll just be happy that I’m there.”
She saw herself surrounded by his devoted and loving family, all asking the same questions: Who are you and what are you doing with Rick?
“It’s business,” he said, summing it all up.
He made it sound so simple, as if meeting his family would be the most inconsequential event of the year.
Ten
Lessa arrived home shortly after lunch. She had given herself less than a half hour to get ready for the wedding and throw some items into a bag on the off-chance they ended up staying over. It was a time squeeze, but she had no choice. Her aunt had a lunch date and Lessa wanted to arrive home after she was gone so that she could postpone the confrontation she knew was coming. After all, she would have to confess her love affair to her aunt. She couldn’t keep something that big a secret.
Unfortunately for her, Gran’s lunch date had been postponed and she was still there when Lessa got home. As Lessa hurried to get ready, her aunt took a seat on the bed and wasted no time starting her interrogation.
“Well?” Gran asked impatiently. “I want details.”
“The party was a bust. I certainly tried, but it doesn’t seem to do much good.” She pulled her blue dress over her head and said, “Sometimes I think I’m fighting a losing battle. I don’t think anyone will ever see me as anything more than Howard Lawrence’s daughter.”
“You have to prove yourself.”
“I haven’t done a very good job so far. A board member accused me in front of everyone of destroying the company and I almost took him out. Nothing like punching an old man I could’ve blown over by whistling.”
“Fire him,” her aunt said defiantly, crossing her arms.
“I can’t go around firing people. That’s not going to solve anything. I think it was a mistake to fire Rick.”
“I’m sure you do.” Her aunt shook her head as she continued, grumbling, “You arrive home all disheveled at two in the morning. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”
“All right, here’s what happened,” Lessa said resignedly, taking a seat next to her. Whether she liked it or not, her aunt deserved an explanation. “During the party, Rick found out about my proposal to buy Mara del Ray. He was pretty upset so I volunteered to go over it with him.”
“At his place?”
“We couldn’t come here, you were sleeping. And the party was still going on at the office.”
“So you went to his place.”
“And…one thing led to another.”
“You’re not a virgin anymore?” her aunt asked calmly.
“Gran, I’m twenty-six years old. I haven’t been a virgin for a long time.”
“Tommy Winston?” her aunt said with a grin.
“Tommy Winston? No! I was in seventh grade when I dated him. We didn’t even really date.” In reality, she’d lost her virginity when she was in college, at the ripe old age of twenty-one, with Kevin Blane. He had been a popular fraternity boy with whom she’d had little emotional attachment. She had endured the whole thing with a let’s-get-it-over-with attitude. They had slept together exactly twice.
“So now Rick wants to take you home to meet his family?” Gran asked. “Sounds serious.”
“It’s not like that. It only makes sense. I want him to see this property before sunset.”
“And you couldn’t take separate flights and meet him there?”
Gran had a point. “But there’s only one corporate jet,” Lessa said.
“So? You take the corporate jet and make him fly commercial.”
“We need to go over everything first.”
“I thought you did that last night.”
“We discussed selling Antigua last night.”
Her aunt raised her hands as if admitting defeat.
Lessa sighed. “It’s no relationship, Gran. I don’t think he’s capable. And I know I’m not.”
“You don’t know that at all. You’ve never been tested. That’s the problem. I always thought you were picky, just waiting for the right guy. Not the wrong one.”
“I’m sorry, Gran. I know this seems strange. I spent all that time plotting revenge and thinking about how I was going to get rid of him. I hated him.”
“There’s a fine line between love and hate.”
“I never thought this would happen. But I’m going to try and keep it all in perspective. I have to. I could be working with him for a very long time and I can’t afford to be jealous or distracted.”
“How in the world do you plan on preventing that?”
“I just can’t allow it. That’s all there is to it.”
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, Lessa, but how do you know that Rick didn’t do this just to confuse you?”
“You think he slept with me just to bring me pain?”
“It’s a possibility. It’s also a possibility that it meant nothing to him.”
“I don’t think he did it out of spite, Gran. I know how I must sound, but he really isn’t a bad person. Underneath it all, I think he’s sweet and sensitive.”
“I hope you’re right, Lessa. I really do.”
“I’m a big girl, Gran. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re going to have to if you insist on playing with pirates.”
Normally, he would’ve been relieved to wake up and discover that his lover from the previous evening was gone. But not this time. It had only made him crave her more.
How had that happened? After all, Lessa was opinionated, stubborn and one of the most frustrating women he had ever encountered. But the truth of the matter was that underneath her bravado was warmth and tenderness. She had made him feel things he’d never thought possible again.
And so, when the opportunity had presented itself, he could not deny his mind or body the pleasure. But he would have to. As much as he was tempted to pursue their relationship, he had to agree with her. They would put the previous evening behind them. This was the only solution. After all, he was on the verge of winning back his company and firing her. As much as he might wish otherwise, Lessa did not belong at Lawrence Enterprises. She was resented and distrusted. The board would never again allow her any independence.
Although she was certain to be furious with him when she discovered that she had lost the company, in the end, he had no doubt she would be happier. She could take the money he paid her for her shares and start her own company. She would move on with her life, as he would with his.
But before then, he was going to introduce her to his entire family.
He must be crazy. After all, only a crazy man would do something so ridiculous. But it only made sense, right? They needed to go over their briefs before the meeting. They could do that on the plane.
Yeah, right.
The truth of the matter was that, like or not, he cared about Lessa. And, although they had promised each other that it was a single night, he was already longing for the moment when he could touch her again, when he could make love to her once more. He was not willing or able to go back to business as usual.
