Mistletoe Maneuvers

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, What am I doing?

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 touch?” He shook his head, still holding her captive with his eyes. She couldn’t miss the twinkle of mischief there. It was obvious he took pleasure in her discomfort. She was certain it was a different experience than what he was used to. When he held a woman’s hand, he probably expected a sigh of delight.

“I suggest you swallow back whatever revulsion you feel toward me and focus,” he said sternly. “When I touch you, do not grimace or make an effort to get away. Remember your mission and do your job.”

He was right. She had agreed to this; now she had no choice but to give it her all. After all, if they were successful with Sabrina, they could single-handedly thwart all other takeover attempts. Maybe. At the very least, they could buy themselves some time to prevent this from happening again. She took a deep breath and picked up his hand. Still staring into his eyes, she brought his hand to her mouth and kissed it.

His eyes softened and he smiled. “That’s better,” he said. “I knew you could do it if you put your mind to it.” Then he pulled his hand away and opened his cell phone, making another call and going back to business as if nothing had happened.

She rolled down the shaded limousine window, welcoming the bright sunshine. They were meeting Sabrina at one of her most famous resorts. Located on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, it was one of the most romantic resorts in the world, catering to honeymooners. Lessa breathed in the warm, tropical air. New York had been dark and overcast with the forecast of another day of freezing rain. She reminded herself that this was one of the things her parents had loved about this business. Whenever one world became unpleasant, they could escape to another.

She kept reminding herself how fortunate she was as the car pulled into the gated resort and stopped in front of a large bungalow marked Executive Offices.

“Wait for me to open your door,” Rick instructed, purposely tucking his collar under his jacket. “When we get out, I want you to adjust my shirt collar. After that, follow my lead.”

He walked around the car and opened her door. He took her hand and helped her out, pulling her close. What, she couldn’t help but wonder, was the point of this playacting before they even saw Sabrina? Did he think that she was spying on them from a window? Or was it just for rehearsal’s sake? Despite her hesitation, Lessa did as she was instructed, carefully adjusting his collar. When she was finished, Rick smiled and put his arm around her, guiding her to the door. His arm weighed against her back as they walked. To be so close to him felt strange, but, surprisingly, not uncomfortable. In fact, there was something sensual about the way he held her, as if he were publicly claiming her as his.

The secretary led them into a large, airy office with overstuffed furniture upholstered in tropical prints. When a statuesque woman stood behind a desk, Lessa stopped in her tracks. Blond, busty and completely made-up, she was the same woman Lessa had seen that night in Rick’s apartment. And suddenly the cold, hard truth hit her like a slap on the face. It was she, not Sabrina, who was being duped.

“Rick,” Sabrina said. She held out her hands, signaling him to greet her.

What was going on? As Lessa watched Rick walk toward Sabrina, her heart banged against her chest so hard she was certain they both could hear.

Sabrina took his hands and kissed him on both cheeks. Without letting go, she said, “It’s been too long.”

How could he do this? Lessa thought. How could he have pretended not to know who Sabrina was?

Rick stepped back from Sabrina, as if suddenly remembering his date. “Sabrina, this is Alessandra Lawrence,” he said.

“Well, well,” Sabrina said, giving Lessa a careful once-over. “She’s a beautiful girl, Rick.”

“You two know each other,” Lessa said coldly.

Sabrina smiled. “Rick and I are old friends.”

“I’ve met you before,” Lessa said. “At Rick’s apartment.” Rick glanced at her, startled. “I seem to remember that you two were more than just friends.”

“We were lovers,” Sabrina said, flashing her a pearly white smile. “Rick? You didn’t tell Alessandra about me?” she teased. “I’m insulted.”

Rick looked Lessa in the eye and said, “Sabrina and I haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Has it been that long?” Sabrina said. “It seems like only yesterday.” She turned back toward Lessa and said, “We spent Christmas together one year.”

Lessa couldn’t take her eyes off Rick. Had he set this whole thing up? Was the whole “takeover” staged simply so that he could get his job back? As tempted as she was to confront him right there and then, she couldn’t risk it. What if was just an awful coincidence? After all, she knew Rick had engaged in many affairs. Perhaps Sabrina was just another one of his women.

“We’ve come to make you an offer,” Lessa said, glaring at Rick. She wanted to get this over as soon as possible.

“She’s all business, isn’t she?” Sabrina asked him.

“She’s determined.”

Why were they talking about her as if she weren’t there?

“As Rick will attest,” Lessa said, flashing him a smile, “I don’t believe in wasting time.”

“Something else we have in common,” Sabrina said.

Something else? Lessa had nothing in common with the overly made-up, phony woman standing across from her.

Sabrina motioned toward the chairs and took a seat on the couch across from them.

“I don’t mean to pry, Rick,” Sabrina said, “but I was a bit surprised to get your phone call yesterday. After all, I had heard that you weren’t working at Lawrence anymore.”

“Reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated,” he said.

“Were they?” She focused her black eyes on Lessa. “I had heard that Alessandra fired you.”

“A lovers’ quarrel gone public,” he said, putting his hand on Lessa’s bare knee.

“Really?” Sabrina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “So you and Alessandra are…together, shall we say?”

Rick nodded. “For some time now. Of course, we’ve been hesitant to take our affair public, for obvious reasons.”

“And she got mad and fired you. Tsk, tsk, Rick. What did you do to deserve such treatment?”

“It was all a misunderstanding,” he said, giving Lessa a squeeze.

Sabrina’s lip curled up suspiciously, as if she didn’t believe him. “Very vindictive of you, Alessandra. Not to mention stupid. You should’ve been aware that firing him would make your company vulnerable.”

How dare she? “I was acting under-”

Rick gave her knee a light squeeze and she knew he was signaling her to be careful. “I wasn’t thinking very clearly at the time,” Lessa said, doing her best not to take Sabrina’s bait. “And it cost me dearly.” Very dearly, she felt like adding.

Sabrina said nothing; she merely glanced at Rick.

“She’s a very passionate woman,” he said with a shrug. “For better or worse.”

“And I remember how much you enjoy passion,” Sabrina said, giving him a little smile.

Lessa couldn’t stop herself from sending Rick a look of her own, an angry one.

“Oh dear, Rick,” Sabrina continued. “It looks like she’s not very happy with you. I certainly hope I didn’t cost you your job again.” Sabrina laughed. It was a cold, empty sound, just as haunting as Lessa remembered.

But the laugh was enough to remind her of her mission. Pretending to be Rick’s lover was bad enough. She would not play the weak and hurt mistress. “Oh, no,” Lessa said. “It’s just difficult for me to keep all of Rick’s old lovers straight. In fact, when I first heard about your takeover attempt, I assumed it was the move of a bitter ex-girlfriend. You know, retribution for his new romance.”

The smiled faded from Sabrina’s lips. “She’s very spirited, Rick. I can see why she caught your eye. Although she looks a little buttoned-up for you.”

Buttoned up? “I’m losing my patience,” Lessa said, standing. Rick took her arm and raised his eyebrow, motioning for her to sit. She knew that he was right. She had no choice but to continue.

When she was seated, Rick turned to Sabrina. “The bottom line is that the situation is not what you thought. I am not leaving Lawrence Enterprises.”

“You can’t defeat both of us,” Lessa added.

“So my purchasing stock was enough to heal a…” Sabrina glanced at Rick. “How did you describe it? A lovers’ quarrel? Perhaps you should be thanking me, Rick, for winning back your job.”

“Let’s face it, Sabrina, If not you, it would’ve been someone else.”

“If I remember correctly, there was someone else,” Sabrina snapped. “There were several in fact.”

Was she implying that he’d been unfaithful when they’d been seeing each other? Lessa wondered.

“Let’s hear your offer,” Sabrina said.

“We’re willing to buy back your stock at a decent premium,” Lessa explained as Rick opened his briefcase and handed Sabrina the contract.

After scanning the document, she put it on her desk. “Why should I agree to this when I could have all the properties?”

Rick leaned forward. “Because you’re never going to get all the properties.”

“I’m not so sure. You two seem to have a tumultuous relationship, to say the least. One that is not having positive repercussions on the company. Your stock has dropped rather dramatically.”

“Actually,” Lessa said, “when you look at our revenues in the context of the economy, we had an excellent year. And Rick has some properties due to open that should dramatically increase our value. But then again, you know our property is valuable, otherwise you wouldn’t want it so badly.”

Sabrina hesitated and glanced down at the contract. “I’ll need some time to discuss this with my advisers. Unfortunately, they’re out of the office right now, inspecting some properties. Perhaps, if you’re not in a rush, you could stay until dinner. They’ll be back by then and we can all discuss this further.”

Lessa felt her heart stop. As excited as she was to think that perhaps Sabrina would abort the takeover, she couldn’t bear the thought of carrying on this charade any longer than necessary.

“We would be happy to,” Rick said, glancing at Lessa. The look in his eyes was clear. Don’t blow this.

“It’s settled,” Sabrina said. “We have a couple of hours to play before we return to business. I’ll have my secretary show you to your room. Why don’t you change into your suits and meet me at the boat docks? I know how Rick loves to water-ski.”

Water-ski? “Unfortunately,” Lessa said quickly, “we didn’t bring suits.”

“I’ll have some sent to your room.”

Her heart jumped into her throat. Room? As in one room, not two? “It’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “We’ll just pick some up at the gift shop.”

“The gift shop is closed temporarily. Renovations,” Sabrina said with a shrug.

“Well then, thank you,” Lessa managed to say.

Rick took her arm and they followed the secretary, Christa, outside and down a palm-shrouded walkway. Beyond the walkway was a white sandy beach framed by the Caribbean. Christa stopped at a bungalow just feet away from the crystal-blue water. Their quarters were isolated from the rest, a special little love nest next to the sea.

Christa slid a card through a lock and opened the door. “Enjoy,” she said cheerfully, handing Rick the card.

It was an opulent and meticulously appointed suite, with French doors that were open to the sea. A bottle of champagne sat chilled in an ice bucket, while two plush robes lay across a bed.

Lessa shut the doors and turned to face him. Her eyes were cold, her face set in a frown. “I thought you didn’t like games.”

“If you have a problem, Lessa, I suggest you tell me about it. I don’t like dissent in the office.”

“You know Sabrina Vickers?”

“I knew her,” he said.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was your girlfriend?” she asked. The accusations once again filled her head. Was he working with Sabrina? Was this all a joke? Had he arranged this just to get his job back? Was this just a ploy to get her stock?

“She was never a girlfriend.”

“If she wasn’t your girlfriend, then why did she insinuate that you cheated on her?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“It most certainly is my business. Your girlfriend is threatening to take over my company and-”

“Your company?”

This conversation was going nowhere fast. He should at least be able to admit that he had made a mistake. “You should’ve told me this before.”

“Would it have made any difference? I would think if anything, it would’ve made you more eager to retain my services. After all, I have firsthand knowledge of how to handle her.”

The look in his eyes was of a confident victor. She had been deceived and he was enjoying every moment.

“Look,” he said, his tone softening, “my relationship with Sabrina was casual. It lasted for a couple of days in Acapulco and then we got together a couple of times when she was in New York for business. Like I said, I haven’t seen or spoken with her in years. But I do know that she is one of the toughest and smartest women I have ever met.”

Lessa felt a tingle of…what? Jealousy? Why would she care if he thought that bubble-headed blonde with the beautiful lingerie and sexy laugh was intelligent? “You and I both know that I would not have asked you back if she wasn’t threatening a takeover,” Lessa said. “Do you expect me to believe that this is some sort of coincidence?”

“You’re welcome to believe whatever you want. I would suggest, however, that you at least listen to the truth.”

“And the truth is…”

“Exactly as I told her. If she hadn’t attempted a takeover, someone else would’ve. This company is weaker than it’s ever been. When a twenty-six-year-old with only two years of experience uses her father’s connections to take over a company, the sharks start circling.”

“I’m more capable than you give me credit.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Yet here I am.”

“The question is why am I? Why didn’t you just go see her yourself, considering your past relationship?”

“Whatever Sabrina and I shared has nothing to do with this. I know her well enough to realize that she cares little about our past relationship. She’s only interested in making money. You’re with me because we need to convince her that we’re a united front. The heir to the Lawrence fortune and the man who has given you his fortune are friends. If she suspects our relationship is not sincere, she will never accept a deal. She will simply wait and strike again.”

He shook his head and absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair, as if frustrated. “Look, Lessa, as I told you last night, the only one for you to blame for this mess is yourself. Sabrina never would’ve attempted this if I were in charge. You should’ve spent more time doing your homework. If you did, you would’ve realized that any corporate upheaval makes a company ripe for this sort of thing.”

There was a knock on the door. Rick opened it and accepted the package, handing the man a tip in exchange. Rick looked inside the bag, and, with a wicked smile, pulled out the tiniest swimsuit Lessa had ever seen.

She whipped it away from him. “She didn’t by chance include a cover-up in there, did she?”

He opened the bag again. It was clear he was enjoying this. “Not unless you want to wear this,” he said, pulling out his bathing-suit trunks.

She went in the bathroom and slammed the door. She was fuming as she looked at the bright yellow string bikini. It was the type of suit guaranteed to get attention, one that left little to the imagination. She slipped it on, afraid to look at herself in the mirror. She knew without looking that her underwear covered more turf than the suit. She had always been extremely modest, preferring swimsuits that covered her essentials and then some. She wrapped a towel around her waist and, after a moment’s hesitation, opened the door. She hurried past Rick without looking at him. “Let’s go,” she said, heading outside.

“Wait.” He grabbed her arm. “Sabrina might think you don’t care,” he said, tormenting her with his teasing tone.

She hesitated and he let go of her. He had changed into his bathing suit as well. She was not surprised to see that he had the physique of a natural athlete, finely sculpted and strong.

He gave her body a raking gaze. She pretended not to notice his obvious examination and approval, but she could feel her cheeks grow warm. “Take my hand,” he instructed. His hands were large, swallowing hers. He could crush her, but instead he held her as gently as he could. “Take your time,” he instructed. “Slowly. Don’t forget, I’m your lover, not your enemy.”

“It’s easy to forget,” she said.

His eyes gazed over her once again, slowly drinking her in. She could smell Rick, feel his presence.

“Let’s get on with this,” she said. She found herself thinking once again of Sabrina. She had done a lot more than just admire Rick’s muscles. While Lessa had been worshipping him from afar, Sabrina had been experiencing his skills as a lover. She had no doubt Rick was as skilled at lovemaking as he was everything else.

“I’m curious about one thing,” Rick said. “When did you see me with Sabrina?”

“At your apartment,” she replied, not intending the words to sound as bitter as they did. “About ten years ago. My dad sent me over to deliver some papers.”

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I’m surprised you even remember.”

Of course she remembered, she felt like saying. She had been madly, wildly in love with him. But before she could say anything, his hand settled on top of her rear end. She could feel herself grow short of breath as he pulled her to a stop. “Sabrina is behind you,” he said. “She’s watching us.”

He brushed the back of his hand across her face. “I’m going to kiss you, Lessa,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be a tender, passionate kiss. I want you to take your hands and wrap them around my neck. Can you do that?”

Oh God, oh God…

“Just relax,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

As he leaned forward, she closed her eyes and puckered up. His lips pressed against hers as his hand slipped around her small waist, pulling her in to him. As her bare flesh pressed against his, she was overwhelmed by his physical strength and power.

Slowly, he stopped. He smiled softly, his eyes caressing her. And for a moment, she forgot it was not real. He loved her and she loved him and that was all that mattered.

But instead of sweet nothings, he said, “You didn’t put your arms around my neck.” With a nod toward Sabrina, he added, “Next time follow instructions.”