Mistletoe Maneuvers

Eight

She had just finished slipping her new red velvet dress over her head when Lessa heard a knock on the door. She glanced nervously at her aunt and said, “He’s here and I’m not ready.”

“Take your time,” her aunt said, cracking her knuckles. “I’m looking forward to meeting this Rick Parker.”

Her aunt’s gracious words didn’t fool Lessa. She knew that her aunt did not trust Rick, nor did she approve of her niece spending time with him…even if it was for the sake of Lawrence Enterprises.

“Be nice,” Lessa pleaded. “Please. Remember, he is responsible for the biggest tree you’ve ever had.”

“I just have a few questions for him,” she said in her sweetest, little-old-lady voice.

Lessa yanked a pair of stockings out of her dresser. How had she gotten so far behind schedule? She had left work promptly at five, hurrying to the store to buy a new dress for the party. But she had made one simple mistake: She had taken her aunt with her. And when her aunt had asked to stop at Rockefeller Center to see the tree and the skaters, Lessa had been unable to say no. Nor had she been able to say no when her aunt had mentioned that she was getting hungry and had asked if they could stay for tea. Lessa had had the feeling that Gran was half hoping that Lessa would miss her date altogether.

She finished pulling on her panty hose as she heard the elderly woman say, “You must be Rick Parker. I’m Virginia Lawrence. My friends call me Ginny but you can call me Virginia.”

Oh dear. “Rick!” Lessa called out. “I’ll be right there.”

She grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair. Then she thumbed through her makeup drawer, looking for a lipstick.

But Gran was just getting started. “I’m the aunt of your old boss, the man you fired, and the great-aunt of your new boss, the one who fired you.”

Lessa grabbed the lipstick and swiped it across her lips. Good enough. “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” she said, practically jumping into the foyer.

“No problem,” Rick said. “I was glad to have an opportunity to meet your aunt.”

Gran smiled sweetly, but she didn’t fool Lessa for a minute. Lessa knew she had her talons out and was ready to let it rip. “Don’t wait up,” Lessa told her.

“You’ll see her home tonight,” her aunt said to Rick, as if placing a demand.

“Of course,” Rick said.

She turned back toward Lessa and said, “Try and have some fun dear,” as if she knew there was no possible way Lessa would be able to do that.

“Maybe you could make some cookies or something while I’m gone,” Lessa said with a wink. “Something grandmotherly.”

“Maybe I could give you a good kick in the-”

Lessa shut the door before Gran could finish.

“She’s very funny,” Rick said.

“I don’t know about funny but she’s feisty. I’m sorry if she was insulting.”

“I can’t say I blame her. After all, she thinks I fired her nephew.”

“You did fire her nephew.”

“Lessa,” he said with a hint of exasperation as he led her to his car. She had expected something flashy and she was mildly relieved to see he drove an SUV. As she climbed inside, she couldn’t help but wonder how many other of his women had sat in the very seat she was in. He climbed in beside her and shut the door. “We’ve been over this. I didn’t fire your father.”

She was not anxious to start this argument again. Not right then, at the start of their fake date.

He sighed and she knew he was not going to let it drop. “I was traveling almost nonstop back in those days. I had no interest in office politics. One day, I got a message stating that your father wanted me to return immediately. When I got back, he told me that he had heard from a reliable source on the board that some members were unhappy with his performance. He said he had even heard they had already picked out a successor. He asked me what I knew, and I told him. Nothing. No one had spoken to me about getting rid of him or replacing him. That night I got a call from Ward Harding. He said that the board had voted and it was unanimous. They had fired your father.”

Lessa glanced out the window at the thought of the pain her father must have felt. Ward Harding had once been one of his closest friends. “Only then did Ward ask if I would be interested in replacing your father.”

“And you said yes.”

“No. I needed time to think about it. I liked the travel and I had no desire to get swept up into office politics and become a manager. But when I found out what they planned on doing to your father, breaking their contract and giving him only a pittance of what he deserved, I felt I had no choice. Assuming the presidency was the only way I could help him.”

She would have liked to believe that Rick was totally selfless and that his assuming the presidency had been a personal sacrifice, but try as she might, it was a hard nut to crack.

“Believe it or not, that’s the truth,” he said, his blue eyes radiating sincerity.

One thing was clear. She wanted to believe him.

“He thought you lied to him. That you were the one who convinced the board to fire him.”

“He needed someone to blame. And he preferred me to his oldest and dearest friends.”

She thought about the uptight, stuffy board over which she now presided. Ward, Franklin, Constance, John, men and women she’d known since childhood. And she wanted to throttle them.

But it was the night of the Christmas party. She wasn’t about to ruin it by picking a fight with an old, opinionated and ridiculous board member. She had to change the subject. She had to prepare mentally for the task ahead of her. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she said, “By the way, I really appreciate what you did last night, helping me with the tree.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“I hope you got to your date all right. She wasn’t too mad at you, was she?” Lessa managed to say as nonchalantly as she could.

“My date?”

“I overheard you on the phone last night-”

“I hardly think a business dinner with Betty counts as a date,” he interrupted.

“Betty?” Lessa felt a surge of relief. His secretary was the mystery woman?

“Of course. I always make Betty go to these functions and she always complains. As she is always reminding me, she doesn’t need another man to take care of.”

“What’s the game plan for tonight?” Lessa asked, feeling suddenly refreshed, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Look, Lessa,” he said, “I know you’re not happy about this ridiculous pretend game. But I really think it will work.”

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 friends,” she said, emphasizing the word.

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.”

He hesitated, looking at her sternly. She could almost see the inner machinations of his mind. “Then we’ll do it now. Get your coat,” he said. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Lessa found Fran on the second floor. “I have to go.”

“You’re going? You can’t go! We haven’t done the toast.”

“You’re going to have to take care of it. Rick and I need to discuss Antigua.”

“You’re both leaving?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Yes, but-” But what? She couldn’t very well deny an affair. So instead she shrugged her shoulders. “Thank you for taking care of things.”

“Sure,” Fran said, obviously stunned that the CEO and the chairman of the board would be leaving so soon and so together. “Have fun.”

Fun, she felt like saying, was the last thing she would be having. She had never seen Rick so angry-not even when she’d fired him.

“All right,” he said as they walked to the car. “Where to? Your place?”

Her place was not a good idea. She could just imagine trying to work with her aunt sitting at the table with them, making snide comments about Rick. “Your place,” she said without hesitation.

Without saying a word, Rick turned the car toward his apartment.

Even though Lessa was the one who’d suggested that they go back to his apartment, Rick couldn’t help but feel that this was a bad idea. It might have been okay if she weren’t wearing a skintight red velvet dress that left little to the imagination.

But where else could they go? he asked himself defensively. Besides a restaurant, a coffee shop or any of the other million places that were available in New York City.

“How long have you lived here?” Lessa asked as they stepped inside the elevator in Rick’s building.

He thought for a moment. “Five years.”

Anger. He had to hold on to his anger. How could she presume to sell his property without even conferring with him first?

The doors opened directly into his apartment and they stepped out. He turned on the light. He took her coat, trying hard not to notice the curves beneath her dress. He hung up her coat as she walked over to the window and admired the view. She turned back to face him and asked, “Are you putting up a Christmas tree?”

“No. I never do. As I told you, I’m usually gone for Christmas.”

“But you’ll be in town this year,” she said.

He would not allow himself to indulge in another personal conversation. It was too dangerous with them alone in his apartment. “Let’s get to work, shall we?” he asked gruffly, nodding toward the table. She sat down beside him and began to talk.

An hour later, she looked at him and said, “Well? What do you think?”

He sat back, impressed. He had to admit that the proposal was not as farfetched as he’d initially thought. She had done her research. She understood the problem of the competing marketplace in Antigua as well as the potential and future worth of the property in Florida. “I’ll take a look at this Florida property,” he said after thinking it over. “Set up an appointment.”

She smiled, obviously proud of her accomplishment. A lock of her hair fell over one eye and he had to stop himself from pushing it away. She may not have succeeded in convincing him entirely, but one thing was certain. He was not ready for her to go. He suddenly realized he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten at the party and was fairly certain she hadn’t either. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“I have a housekeeper who keeps me stocked with some basics. Or we can order in.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got,” she said with a smile. He led her into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. She bent down and looked inside.

“Anything good?”

“You’re right,” she said. “Basics.” She handed him a package of eggs. She put a block of cheese on top and grabbed a loaf of bread.

“Omelets?” he asked.

“No. I’m going to make a soufflé.”

“A soufflé. Can you cook? I thought your aunt cooked for you.”

“I’ve picked up a few tips along the way,” she said with a smile.

An hour later, his apartment was filled with the warm, homey smell of fresh-baked biscuits and a fluffy soufflé.

When they sat down at the table, she waited for him to take a bite. “It’s great,” he said, eliciting a smile from Lessa.

There was something about her smile, something about the tenderness in her eyes that tugged on his heart. He felt a sudden surge of protectiveness, a desire to take her in his arms and protect her from the world.

And suddenly he remembered how he had felt when he’d made Karen smile. He could still see her laughing at the beach, her blond hair flowing in the wind. He had loved her with all the passion and naïveté of youth. But would their love have survived? If Karen had not died that day, would she still be beside him?

It was something he was ashamed to admit that he questioned. But how could he not? He had seen friends marry the woman they claimed to be madly in love with then file for divorce several years later. But, he reminded himself, those were his friends. He knew himself well enough to realize that he would never make the same mistake. When he fell in love again, it would be forever.

“Rick?” she asked and smiled. “Where did you go? You look so deep in thought.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. Focus. She was a business associate. The line was drawn. There would be no reprieve. But he couldn’t help but wish otherwise. He remembered the way she had felt in his arms, the way she had looked up into his eyes. He had felt something, a stirring in his soul that he hadn’t felt for years. But it was ridiculous. He could not have her. Never. His very career depended on it. “I should get you home,” he said. “Your aunt will be worried.”

“I’m not a child, Rick. I don’t have a curfew.”

What was that supposed to mean? “Just leave the dishes here,” he said, standing. “The maid will take care of it tomorrow.” He grabbed her coat and headed toward the elevator.

“Wait,” she said, touching his arm. “Did I say something to upset you?”

How could he explain that he needed to get her out of there before he did something he would regret?

She stood in front of him, looking at him with her big emerald eyes. And then that damned lock of hair fell into her face again. But this time he didn’t hesitate. He gently brushed it out of her face. And then she kissed him.