Mistletoe Maneuvers

Five

“So I’m not only immature enough to fire you over a love squabble, but I’m also jealous. What exactly do you see in me?”

What Rick saw was a woman with beautiful green eyes and exotic cheekbones. A woman with one of the most seductive bodies he had ever seen. A woman so stubborn and determined, she would suffer bruises and sprains without the slightest complaint until she learned how to water-ski. Instead, he said, “Perhaps you excel in other areas. Perhaps you’re skilled-”

“In the bedroom? Is that what you were going to say?” She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away.

“Actually, no. I was shooting for a good listener or cook, but I’d be more than happy with bedroom skills.”

They walked back into the bungalow and shut the door. The air-conditioning was off and the room felt like an oven. She turned on the air conditioner and said, “This is going to be one long evening.”

“Do you want to shower first or should I?”

“Go ahead,” she said, sitting on top of the air-conditioner vent. “I’m set for a while.”

Her long, slender legs were splayed out before her. The other bathing suit strap fell down. His eyes grazed down her neck and onto her bare shoulders. He swallowed and attempted to look in the other direction, then yanked off his shirt.

“You’re not going to get undressed right here, are you?” she asked.

“No.” In fact, he wasn’t thinking about undressing himself, but her. What the hell was going on here? This was a business relationship. She was Alessandra Lawrence, the chairman of the board. The one who had fired him.

So why did he want to rip off her suit and take her right on the bed? Because Alessandra Lawrence just happened to be a beautiful woman. He always suspected as much, of course. But with her conservative suits and reserved manner, he’d never seen her as anything more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’d had her pegged as an uptight prude. He had not expected a spirited and feisty athlete. Nor had he ever expected her to look so good in a string bikini.

But there was something else that gave him pause. She had a quality, a way about her. There was a spark there. A connection. But whatever it was, it needed to be ignored. She was off-limits. Forever and always. This whole thing was make-believe. And he needed to keep it that way.

He let the freezing cold water of the shower pound against him as he shut his eyes, trying not to notice his body’s reaction to the woman just outside the door.

What had she gotten herself into? She was alone in a hotel room, ogling Rick Parker. She was-God help her-attracted to him. But how could she help it? They had spent the afternoon playing boyfriend and girlfriend. She had run her fingers over his raw muscles, felt the power of his kiss. And now here she was, only one closed door away from a naked Rick.

But, she attempted to reassure herself, it was normal, completely normal, that she feel some sort of attraction. After all, he was a good-looking man. Very good-looking. And she had a history with him. Like she had told Sabrina, she had suffered a painful crush.

But she couldn’t allow herself to get confused. He was a business associate and that was all, one whom she did not even like. So why did a part of her wish that perhaps they were truly lovers? Why did a part of her wish that all their kissing and cuddling could lead to something else?

She would simply block it from her mind. She closed her eyes. Just breathe, she told herself. And again…

But she couldn’t stop thinking about Rick. She remembered overhearing a conversation about him in the ladies’ room a while ago. A woman in a neighboring stall had apparently known someone whom Rick had dated. Not realizing that Lessa was in the bathroom as well, the woman had said to her friend, “She said Rick told her on their first date that he didn’t want any commitment.”

“So what happened?” the other woman had asked.

“She slept with him anyway,” the woman had said.

“Did he call her after that?”

“Nope. She was disappointed, of course. You know how it is. We all want to believe we’re ‘the one.’ But she said it was worth it. She said he’s great in bed.”

“Great in bed?”

“Between you and me,” the woman said, “I made a pass at him right after that.”

“And?”

“He said no. He was very nice about it, but he said we work together. You know, he didn’t want an office affair.”

Great in bed…

Lessa turned up the air conditioner, as if a blast of cold air might cool her off. She had to stop thinking like this. Maybe if she had more of a social life, maybe if she had a social life, she wouldn’t even notice Rick.

Unfortunately, it had been years since she’d been intimate with a man. And her last date had been months earlier, when her aunt had fixed her up with a friend’s grandson. On paper he had sounded great, an engineer and part-time pro at a tennis club in the city. But it had been a disaster, right down to the three gold chains around his neck and the way he’d referred to every woman they’d encountered-the waitress, the hostess, the old lady whose cab he’d tried to steal-as “doll.” The icing on the cake had been when he’d told her that for a businesswoman she had a “nice rack.” And he should know, he’d added, because he’d “known”-big wink-a lot of businesswomen.

She knew her aunt blamed her long hours for her lack of a social life, but Lessa knew the problem was more complicated than that. After all, what twenty-six-year-old woman these days had only slept with one man? One sexual affair to her credit and that had ended five years ago. Since then, she hadn’t dated anyone longer than a week or two. And it wasn’t just her love life that was suffering. Her entire social life was lacking. She had tried to make friends since she had come to New York to work for Lawrence, but it was difficult. Everyone she met was connected with Lawrence. Men were intimidated by her position and women tended to avoid her like the plague. One time she had invited a potential friend out for coffee only to find that the woman had not slept the night before, so worried was she that Lessa’s invitation had been a ruse to fire her.

The truth of the matter was that Lessa didn’t fit in with people her own age any more than she fit in with her fellow board members. Patience, her aunt had told her. It will all change with time.

But how could it when she spent all of her time at work? There was no way around it: She was lonely. It had gotten so bad that lately she had begun to wonder if perhaps she was destined for a life without love.

“It’s freezing in here.”

At the sound of Rick’s voice, she turned. The sight of him, standing in the doorway with a mere towel around his waist, was enough to take her breath away. “You couldn’t get dressed?” she asked, quickly averting her eyes.

“Not without my clothes.”

She hurried past him and into the bathroom. He had left the shower running for her. She hurriedly took off her suit and stepped into the warm water. Only then did she realize that her clothes were still in the other room. She had been so flustered when Rick had come out in a towel that she had neglected to get her things. Now she had no choice but to do the same thing she had faulted Rick for-parade through the room in a towel. She finished her shower and grabbed the sole remaining towel, drying off and wrapping it tightly around her. Sabrina’s decor might be nice but her towels left a lot to be desired. Thin and small, it barely covered Lessa’s backside.

She opened the door and took a deep breath. What was the big deal? Rick had seen her in a bathing suit, and the towel covered more than that did. She glanced at her clothes on the chair and quickly calculated the amount of time she would be half-naked in front of Rick. To walk over and grab them, twenty seconds max. The key was to act as if she weren’t embarrassed. To appear cool and in control.

Rick glanced up when the door opened. And there she was, wrapped only in a towel. For a split second he thought that perhaps she had come out to seduce him. But when she didn’t look at him, when she walked right past him, he realized what had happened. She, like him, had forgotten her clothes. But if nothing else, he was a gentleman. He pulled a contract out of his briefcase and perused it, trying not to notice the way the towel slid open, revealing her leg. The way her plump white breasts peeked out of the top.

She hurried back inside the bathroom and when she came out again, she was dressed in her suit skirt and sleeveless blouse, holding her jacket in her hand.

She tossed her jacket on the bed and checked her watch. “Should we go?” Without waiting for him to answer, she walked outside.

“Lessa, wait,” he said, tossing down the contract and following. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“We’re lovers, remember?” he said, sliding his arm around her waist. But the unhappiness in her eyes was almost enough to cool his desire. “It’s almost over with,” he said, as much to her as to himself. “As soon as she signs the papers we can go back to business as usual.”

They walked down a winding path, following the signs to the restaurant. Although the sun had nearly set, it was still hot and muggy. They wove their way around thick patches of bougainvillea and tropical ferns, lit with multicolored spotlights. The restaurant was situated on a hill overlooking the sea. Completely open to the outside, it was lit only by candles, their flames flickering in the warm breeze. Rick gave the hostess their names and they were promptly led to a small, intimate table in the corner.

“I don’t see her,” Lessa said.

“I don’t either,” Rick said, taking the seat next to her. “But that doesn’t mean she’s not watching us.”

“What should we do?”

“Let’s just talk like two people who are interested in what the other has to say.”

She glanced nervously at the door. She looked so uncomfortable he felt almost sorry for her. What had happened to the cool and collected woman from the office? The one who had fired him and then just as quickly negotiated his return?

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“I grew up outside the city. In fact, my parents still live in the same house.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have a sister and a brother.”

“Do you see them often?”

“Fairly.”

This was painful. She was looking everywhere but at him. “So, Lessa,” he said, touching her hand to get her attention, “what are your plans for Christmas?”

“My Gran and I are going to have a quiet dinner. Just the two of us.”

“Your grandmother?”

“No. She’s my great-aunt. My only family. She fell down a year ago and hurt her hip, so I moved her in with me. She’s better now but I like having her around.”

She lived with her aunt? The image of Alessandra as a sweet and caring niece did not jive with the cold, self-reliant woman he knew from the office. “That’s nice of you to take care of her.”

“It’s the least I could do. After all, she took me in after my dad died. She’d never had any children and she took the role of surrogate parent very seriously. She was great about the whole tennis thing. Even though she was already older she flew with me all over the world. She attended every match.”

“I heard you turned down an opportunity to go pro.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said modestly. “But I knew that if I chose to go any further, it would’ve taken all my energy and time. I wouldn’t have been able to go to school or get my MBA.”

“Education is important, but not many people turn down an opportunity to be a professional athlete.”

“Ultimately I felt like I had little choice. I made a promise to my father.”

“You promised him you’d get your degree?”

“No,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “I promised him I’d get his company back. I knew in order to do that, I was going to need all the education and experience I could get.”

He sat there for a moment, too stunned to speak. He had always known that she was on some sort of mission to take over the company, but he had never imagined that it was an instruction that had come from Howard Lawrence himself.

“But I still play tennis,” she said. “At least, as much as I can. I’ve even fantasized about investing in a tennis camp one day. Either on my own or through Lawrence…and now we’re back on business.” She grinned apologetically and shrugged. “I’m not very good at this small talk, am I?” Without giving him a chance to answer, she asked, “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“I’m sure I’ll be working,” he said. He wanted to question Lessa more about her promise to her father, but now was not the time. Not with Sabrina lurking about. He had to take advantage of Lessa’s question to steer the conversation back to neutral ground.

“At the office?”

“No. I usually visit one of the resorts,” he said.

“Not exactly Norman Rockwell.”

“Norman Rockwell?”

“The big family sitting around the table while the father carves the turkey. My aunt is always apologizing for my lack of family. She blames herself for not having children. She’d like nothing better than the big family gathering, crammed with kids and noise.”

“Well, if noise is what you’re looking for, you’d love my family get-togethers. Deafening.” He smiled and said, “My brother and sister aren’t too bad, but I have a big extended family. Lots of cousins, nieces and nephews. Family dinners are pretty crazy. “

“Your brother and sister are married?”

“They’ve both been married and divorced. In fact, my sister is about to get married again.”

She took a sip of her wine. “So you’re the only one who has never been married?”

“Or divorced, as the case may be. I’m the anomaly. They can’t quite figure me out. So every time we all get together the big discussion is usually about who they are going to fix me up with.”

“But you hardly need help finding dates.”

“Apparently they don’t like my choices.”

“You’ve brought a lot of girlfriends home?”

“I’ve only made that mistake a couple of times.” He shook his head. “Disasters. But then again, they all loved Karen.” All these years later, it was still difficult to talk about her.

“Karen?”

“I was engaged a long time ago.”

Conversation died and the room seemed to go quiet. So much for neutral ground. Why had he mentioned Karen? He never spoke of her. Most people at the office had no idea he’d ever been engaged.

“And what happened? No, let me guess. You stood her up at the altar in front of three hundred guests.”

“No.” Let it go, he warned himself. Switch the subject. But for some reason, he couldn’t. It was the way she was looking at him, so certain that her impression of him as a cold, uncaring bastard was correct. “She died.”

She sat still, stunned.

“I was still in grad school. I was studying, so I asked her to come to my apartment after work. She was half a block away when a drunk driver hit her. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment. To pick up the phone and hear a stranger tell me that she wasn’t coming home…that she was never coming home.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He expected her to glance away, to do what most people did when they found out. To make some off-the-cuff comment and attempt to change the subject, but she didn’t. She looked straight at him and said, “I can’t imagine anything more awful. You must miss her.”

“We were high-school sweethearts. We dated all through college. I thought I had everything planned out. We were going to buy a house, have kids. And in a split second, it was all gone.” He ran his fingers through his hair. Why was he telling her this?

“My father suffered the same kind of loss,” she said. “My mother got sick and died only a month later. They had been high-school sweethearts, too. He never got over it either.”

He had known that Howard’s wife had died and he had known that she had been his original partner. But he had never thought about the implications of that partnership.

“You know, when my father died, my Gran said he was still right here,” she said, putting her hand over her heart. “And that part of him would never die, it would always be right there. And she was right. I can still feel him.”

He could see the pain in her eyes and was struck by an urge to soothe her. “How old were you when your mother died?” he asked.

“I was three. I don’t really remember much about her. My dad never really spoke of her but my Gran said she was one of the most determined and feisty people you’d ever want to meet. She said that from the first moment my father met her, he fell in love. My aunt said he was devastated when she died. He shut down. He dated, but he never saw the same woman longer than a month. I think he just couldn’t stand any more pain. He couldn’t allow anyone in because he was afraid of getting hurt again.”

Rick glanced away. Without realizing it, she had just summarized his life. “Or maybe,” he said, “he never again met anyone that special.”

“Maybe,” she said. “I’d like to think my parents shared the kind of love that comes along once in a lifetime.”

“I’m sure they did,” he said.

Her eyes, misty with emotion, narrowed. “I know what you think about me, Rick. The spoiled woman motivated by greed. I know you think I have no right to this company. But you have no idea how important this business was to my dad. It was more than a job, much more. He and my mother started it together and he felt that this company was still an extension of her somehow. That he was fulfilling her dream. Their life together.”

“Lessa,” he began. But what could he say? She was right. He did think that she was a spoiled girl with a keen sense of entitlement. And although she was turning out to be more complicated than he had thought, he could not-no, he would not-allow emotion to cloud his judgment.

But before he could say anything, she spoke. “Sabrina’s behind you.”

He put his arm around Lessa and slipped his hand under her shirt, caressing her bare shoulder. “Act as though I just said something very sweet,” he whispered.

She smiled at him, but it was obvious that his touch made her uncomfortable. Apparently their conversation had done little to change her feelings toward him. If she wasn’t careful, Sabrina would be on to them.

He felt a presence behind him and heard Sabrina say, “Well, what do you think of my dining room? It truly is romantic, isn’t it?” She walked around the table and took a seat across from him.

“Did you bring the contract?” he asked.

She shook her head. “My adviser is looking it over. He should have it to me momentarily. So you might as well enjoy your dinner,” she said, signaling a waiter.

Lessa ordered a steak and a side of rice.

“I’ll have the same,” Rick said. He appreciated a woman who was willing and able to eat.

“How compatible,” Sabrina said. “You even order the same food.” But it was obvious from the tone in her voice, she thought them anything but. They were going to have to lay it on thick to convince her.

“So do you two live together?”

“I live with my aunt,” Lessa said.

“Your aunt? How sweet. And what does she think of your romance with Rick?”

“She’s pleased with…our relationship,” Lessa said, hesitating.

“Really? After what Rick did to your father?”

He could feel Lessa stiffen.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “Rick didn’t have anything to do with my father leaving the company.”

Unfortunately, it was obvious her defense of him was an act. He could practically see the strain on her face.

“Besides, my aunt wants me to be happy,” she said with some effort. “She knows that I didn’t plan this. But she respects my decision.”

“Isn’t that wonderful?” Sabrina said, studying Lessa carefully. Sabrina was suspicious and things were getting worse by the minute. He needed to get Lessa away from her. Just then the band began to play.

“Darling,” he said, standing and offering Lessa his hand, “it’s our song.” He turned back toward Sabrina. “Will you excuse us?”

“Of course,” she said with a smug smile.

He led Lessa to the dance floor. He pulled her in close as he whispered in her ear, “I think I need to kiss you again.”

If Sabrina wanted a show, she was going to get it. He brushed a gentle kiss across Lessa’s porcelain cheek. She turned toward him and their lips touched. A sensuous tremor passed between them as he pulled her tight against him. Momentarily forgetting about his mission, he kissed her long and hard, as if she were a true lover. Suddenly, Lessa broke away. Her breasts heaved as she struggled to breathe. She glanced at Rick and he knew from the look in her eyes that they were in trouble.

“Lessa,” he said, leaning forward and touching the back of his hand to her cheek. “Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Before he could stop her, she turned and hurried toward the door.

Damn her! What was she doing? He went after her, following her outside the restaurant. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I can’t do this,” she said, shrugging off his arm. The look on her face gave him pause. She didn’t look like a woman in control of her feelings and actions. She was shaking and appeared to be on the verge of tears.

He hesitated and, without touching her, nodded toward the beach. “Let’s get away from the restaurant.” He had no doubt Sabrina was bending over backward to get a peek of the action. “Let me guess,” he said as they walked toward the beach. “There’s a boyfriend back home and you’re feeling guilty.”

“No. There’s no boyfriend.”

He felt a small gleam of relief. But why should he care if she was seeing someone?

“I’m just…unsure of the ground rules.”

“The ground rules?” What the hell was she talking about? Did she interpret his touch as true longing?

But if she did, would she be wrong? After all, there was an undercurrent of…something. “Look, Lessa,” he said, “this isn’t one of your tennis matches. There are no rules or regulations. When Sabrina’s around, I touch you, you touch me. That’s all.”

He saw her wince as if in pain. Was the mere idea of touching him so repulsive to her?

“Just pretend I’m…someone else. Someone you care about. Someone you saw in a movie once, hell, I don’t care. Forget about my face and just respond to my actions. That’s all.”

“I’m trying, but it’s difficult.”

“Dammit,” he said, getting even more frustrated. “Let me make this clear. I’m not enjoying myself either. But this is business. You almost cost me my company and you better try damn hard to get it back.”

She did not speak. She looked at him with all the fear and loathing to which he had become accustomed. But for some reason, it wasn’t okay anymore. He felt like a bully.

He should’ve realized that this was too much to ask of her. After all, she hated him. How could he think that she was capable of pretending otherwise? “I should’ve known that you couldn’t do this.” He turned away, heading back toward the restaurant. “Go back to the room and wait for me. I’ll handle Sabrina.”

Rick’s words hit Lessa like a splash of ice water. Couldn’t do this? Was she really ready to forfeit simply because she didn’t like the way the game was being played? Because that was what their whole fake love affair boiled down to-a strategy. The problem was, she couldn’t help but wish it were real. With a kiss and some kind emotional words, Rick slashed through the paper-thin barrier surrounding her heart. The promise of love was enough to make her question even the most fundamental of views. But she had to get over it.

She hurried after Rick and took his hand, stopping him. Then, gazing into his eyes, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She moved her mouth over his, allowing her instincts to take over. She kissed him long and slow, as if he were the man of her dreams and this was the chance of a lifetime. When she was done, she pulled away and said, “Better?”

He was breathing hard and his eyes smoldered with fire. “I’d say.”

She smiled, pleased at his reaction. “I can do this. Let’s go.”

They walked back into the dining room. Their dinner had arrived but Sabrina was nowhere to be seen. He led her back to the table and gulped down his entire glass of champagne, then poured himself another.

“Careful, dear,” she said, leaning forward just enough for him to get a peek at her cleavage. “You know how you get when you drink.”

She saw his gaze wander down to her breasts before gulping down some more champagne.

“There’s Sabrina,” she said. As she watched Sabrina work the crowd, flashing various diners a fake, almost frightening smile, Lessa tried to imagine the woman arm in arm with Rick. “I don’t see you with her,” she said in between bites.

He glanced at Sabrina and said, “I think she was different then. She wasn’t as…hard as she is now.”

“Hmm. That’s probably what my old boyfriends say about me.”

“Oh? There are a lot of them?”

She’d meant it as a joke, but he seemed to take her seriously. “No. Not really.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…” Why was she suddenly feeling as if she were in a therapy session? Was he going to pay the kindly uncle and give her dating tips? “I’ve been busy.”

“An excuse. But not bad. I’ve used it myself.”

“But you date. You date a lot. It seems like every time I turn around there’s another mention of you with a different woman.”

“You’ve been working with me now for six months. Is that your impression of me?”

No, at least not in the office. She would give him that. But there was a question she was dying to ask. “Are you involved with anyone right now?”

“No.”

A surge of relief flooded her veins. But why should she care? She waited for him to finish his meal and then said, “Let’s dance.”

She took his hand and led him out to the dance floor. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She could not only act like a lover, she could act like a temptress. And she was just getting warmed up. “Aren’t you going to hold me?” she said softly.

“What got into you?”

“I don’t like to give up a game.”

“Ah, I see. Everything changed when I told you to go back to the room. You took it as a dare.”

“I took it as intended. A challenge.”

“And Alessandra Lawrence does not back away from a challenge.”

“I know that you have me pegged as a spoiled rich girl, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m very determined and I’m willing to work hard to get what I want.”

“I believe that, Lessa.” He gazed at her, as if drinking her in. “So who am I tonight?” he asked. “Are you pretending I’m a famous movie star…or a-”

“Andre Agassi.” The truth of the matter was that there was no need to pretend he was anyone other than himself. But she could not admit that to him.

“A tennis player, of course. I should’ve guessed.” He smiled. “You’re not what I expected, Lessa. I never thought that I would enjoy spending time with you.”

Her heart jumped into her throat. He was enjoying her company? “Is this part of your plan to convince Sabrina?” she joked. “You sweet talk me and I fall madly in love with you?”

“Do you think that would work?” he asked, flashing her his famous grin.

He was teasing and she knew it, yet she couldn’t stop herself from answering. “If that’s your plan,” she said, playing along, “I should warn you it might be more difficult than you think. I’ve never been in love before.”

“That’s too bad,” he said.

“I’m not so sure,” she replied. “I’ve seen the havoc it wreaked on some of my friends.”

“Not all love affairs end badly,” he said. “And even those that do…well, sometimes it’s still worth it.”

His eyes grew distant and she knew he was thinking about the woman he had loved all those years before. She was possessed by a sudden urge to comfort him. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

He did not speak but cupped her chin tenderly.

She closed her eyes, reveling in the touch. His arm slid around her as he pulled her closer. The act caught her off guard, taking away her breath. He leaned forward to kiss her, and her senses charged to life as a delicious shudder rippled through her body. He softly touched his lips to hers.

“There you are!” Sabrina said, interrupting. “I was wondering if I might be able to steal him away for a moment.” Looking at Rick, she said, “You promised me a dance.”

To Lessa, it almost looked as if he regretted leaving her. She stepped aside and Rick swept Sabrina into his arms. As Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her cheek against his, Lessa felt jealous. Real, honest-to-goodness jealous.

What was happening here? She wasn’t supposed to feel jealous. She wasn’t supposed to feel anything at all. It was all an act. He was Rick Parker, her nemesis, the man who’d stolen her father’s company. There was no possibility of anything happening between them, ever.

But she couldn’t help wishing things might be different. She couldn’t help her body from enjoying his kisses and hoping for more.

Sabrina put her arms around Rick’s neck. Lessa was once again the girl in the doorway, lusting after a man who did not even know she existed.

If she was going to storm out in a fit of jealousy, now would be the time. With one last glance, she made her way toward the door. Just as she got to it, she felt a hand on her arm. Rick spun her around and, pulling her close, kissed her once again.