Day Leclaire - The Provocative Proposal

by The Provocative Proposal (lit)

  “Yes.”

  “Incredible.” He shook his head in disgust. “You can’t handle one crazy woman’s matchmaking schemes without going to these extremes?”

  He’d put her on the defensive and Tess escaped from her chair, stepping outside the circle of light. The heavy shadows reached out and wrapped tight around her, veil­ing her from Shayde’s keen gaze. “For your informa­tion, I’ve been handling them for five years. And I’d have kept handling them if it hadn’t been for an unfor­tunate complication.”

  He didn’t shift from his position, but continued to lean against her desk. The light gilded the darkness of his hair and tux and turned his eyes to pure silver. “Let me guess. Dick Smith runs smack into your promotion.”

  “Exactly. After failing to spark a romance between me and the various men she’s deemed worthy, Adelaide took it into her head that her son and I would make the perfect couple and nothing I said would change her mind.”

  “Why didn’t you just meet the guy and blow him off?”

  “You already hit on it. The promotion. About the same time all this happened with Adelaide, Al began dropping heavy hints that her son was the Impossible I was expected to turn in order to get my promotion.”

  “And?”

  Didn’t he understand? “And it’s a conflict of inter­est.”

  Shayde shrugged, the easy movement pulling his tux taut across an impressive set of shoulders. It annoyed her that she’d notice such a thing when there were far more imperative concerns deserving her attention. It an­noyed her even more that he was so oblivious to the impact he had on her. Maybe if he knew how badly he distracted her, he’d...

  She bit back an exclamation of annoyance. He’d what? Shrink his shoulders? Turn his eyes from an in­triguing shade of quicksilver to something more non­descript? Dilute the power of his masculinity? Yeah, right. No doubt he’d hop on those suggestions. Thank goodness she stood in darkness and he couldn’t see her reaction to him. It was a small saving grace, but the only thing that kept her from total humiliation.

  “Come on, Tess. Be reasonable.” To her relief, he seemed oblivious to her wayward thoughts. “So you go out with the guy. You laugh about how awkward it all is because his mother is sweet and romantic, not to men­tion nutty as a fruitcake. And then you hit him up for a couple mill.”

  “And then?” she demanded. “What happens when we land on my doorstep and he wants me to show my appreciation for those couple mill?”

  “Simple. You duck his kiss, stick out your hand and tell him it’s a pleasure doing business with him and any­time he’s in the neighborhood, feel free to drop off an­other check.” He lifted an eyebrow. “What’s so tough about that?

  “Cute, but it doesn’t work that way. This is a serious business.”

  “I realize that.”

  “No, I don’t think you do.” The light drew her from the shadows. Or was it the man standing within the light’s embrace? “We’re talking about donors who con­tribute thousands upon thousands of dollars to causes that could mean the difference between life and death to countless people. We’re constantly scrutinized for the least impropriety, both in the way we handle the money that comes in and the way we go about soliciting it. I can’t have a personal relationship with a donor. I don’t solicit funds that way.”

  “Dammit, Tess. I didn’t mean to suggest—”

  “But other people will,” she cut in. “That’s why I went to the extreme of hiring you. If I’m already in­volved in a serious relationship, any dealings with Adelaide’s son will be seen as strictly professional. I can approach him, explain all the ways in which his donation will benefit the causes we support. If he says no, some­one else will take another crack at him at some point in the future. And if he says yes, I’ll have won the pro­motion through sheer hard work.”

  “Death before dishonor,” he murmured wryly. “Is that it?”

  “More like, no job promotion unless it’s achieved on the up-and-up.”

  “So what now?”

  “Now I go through the files on the three Impossibles and see if they contain any information that’ll help me determine an avenue of approach.”

  Shayde straightened, nodding decisively. “In that case, I’ll take you home so you can get to work.”

  “Thank you.” She owed him more than a simple thank you. Far more. “I also appreciate how you cov­ered for me tonight. You didn’t have to tell Al we were engaged. I know you were trying to protect me, and you were right when you said announcing our engagement was the only way out of a sticky situation. If you hadn’t come up with a reasonable explanation, Al would have—”

  “Forget it,” he cut her off brusquely. “Everything worked out in the end. Just as our engagement will even­tually work out, too.”

  She couldn’t help but marvel. “You sound so confi­dent.”

  “That’s because I am.” He picked up the files she’d removed from the cabinet. “Ready to go?”

  “Considering how long a night I have ahead of me, I guess we’d better.”

  They left her office and signed out at the security desk, bidding the guard a friendly goodnight. Shayde’s Jag sat all alone in the employee parking lot, prompting a moment’s idle speculation. So much about him didn’t add up—the car, the ring, his familiarity with so many of Altruistics’ benefactors. There was a mystery here and the minute she had some free time she intended to solve it.

  “Don’t let it bother you,” he murmured, reading her mind again.

  “Oh, I won’t.” She smiled complacently. “I’ll figure it out soon enough and then it won’t bother me at all.”

  The drive home didn’t take long, mainly because they didn’t get held up at any of the draw bridges that made Seattle such a distinctive place to live. “Would you like some help going through those files?” Shayde asked as they pulled up outside of her Green Lake house.

  “No, thanks.” She yawned. “I can handle it.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute. I just thought the two of us together could accomplish more than one alone. And we could probably do it a lot faster, too.” He smiled at her frown. “Would you reconsider if I promise this isn’t an excuse to seduce you?”

  “I should have known you wouldn’t try something that obvious.”

  He chuckled softly. “Sure I would.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his thumb leaving a scorching trail along the curve of her cheek. “But not tonight. Not with something this important.”

  She could feel herself wavering between the possibil­ity that his knowledge of Grayson Shaw and the Smiths would benefit her research, and a more basic and far less noble need for his company. “Do you really think you can help?”

  “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t think so.”

  She nodded, giving in to a desire she was too tired to resist. “All right. Come on in. Maybe between the two of us we can get through those files before sunup.”

  Once inside, Tess changed into jeans and an oversize shirt that not only covered every inch of skin between shoulder and waist, but practically hung to her knees. Next, she rolled up her sleeves and put on a pot of coffee in preparation for the hours of work they had ahead of them. Carrying the mugs into the den, she found Shayde waiting for her.

  He’d removed his tux jacket, tossed aside his cum­merbund and bow tie, and yanked free the first few studs of his dress shirt. Stripped of his civilized veneer, he looked dark and dangerous and entirely too attractive. He sat on the edge of the couch, the three files spread across the coffee table in front of him. Oh, no. The couch. She stumbled to a halt, unable to help remem­bering what had happened the last time they’d shared that particular piece of furniture. Had it only been last night? Incredible.

  “Hand me the coffee and try not to think about it,” he said absently as he flipped through the files. “Excuse me?”

  “You were remembering last night. And I was telling you—”

  “Not to think about it. Got it.” She passed hi
m one of the mugs and lied in her most cheerful tone of voice. “Not a problem.”

  “I wish I could say the same.” He shot her a glance every bit as scalding as the coffee. “But I made you a promise and come hell or high water, I intend to keep it.”

  “In that case, maybe the couch isn’t such a good idea.”

  “It’s a great idea.” His gaze over the rim of the mug turned wicked. “Just not for what we have in mind for tonight’s activities.”

  She closed her eyes, hoping that once temptation was out of sight, it would also be out of mind. “What did you say about keeping your promise? Something about come hell or high water?”

  “Relax. I’m done teasing.” He took a quick swallow of coffee and selected one of the files, dropping it on top of the others. Just like that he switched from charm­ing seducer to serious businessman. “Let’s start with Gray. “

  She forced herself to follow Shayde’s lead and focus on work. “Why him?”

  “Because he lives in San Francisco, not Seattle, which means he won’t be in town for long. The other two are local. You can approach them at your convenience. But you’ll only have access to Gray for a limited time.”

  “I’ll tell you what. Let’s do a general overview of each candidate and then we’ll discuss them one at a time and dig a little deeper.” She pulled a notepad and pen from her briefcase. Flipping to the first page, she made a few notations. “First up, Grayson Shaw. I’ve ap­proached him on three separate occasions so far and though he’s always polite, nothing I’ve said about Altruistics has made an impression.”

  “Gray’s very logical. He’s also not easily swayed by emotion. So make sure any dealings you have with him address the nuts and bolts of the situation.” Shayde thumped a finger against one of the pages. “Something you might want to add to your file is that Gray’s favorite restaurant in Seattle is House Milano.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Taking him to his favorite restaurant is supposed to turn him? I thought you said he was logical.”

  “Hey, what’s more logical than appealing to the man’s stomach?”

  “The food’s that good?”

  “Honey, if you hand Gray a list of all the good causes Altruistics benefits, and combine it with you, the view from House Milano, and Joe Milano’s food, I don’t see how you can lose. If all that doesn’t convince Gray to fork over his money, nothing will.”

  She stirred uneasily. Why throw her into the mix? “But you’ll be with me, right? I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

  Shayde hesitated. “Sure. No problem.”

  She flipped open the next file. “Okay. Tell me about Dick Smith. What’s he like?”

  “A total idiot.”

  She grimaced. “That bad, huh?”

  Shayde leaned back against the couch cushions and stretched. “I used to think he was an okay sort of guy. But now I’m not so sure.”

  “Okay, explain why.”

  He snorted. “Any man who lets his mommy pick his women for him has to be an idiot.”

  “Really?” Tess regarded Shayde in amusement. “Considering I’m the woman Adelaide selected, I’m not sure whether to be flattered or insulted.”

  “That only makes him more of an idiot. Either he should have realized a hell of a lot sooner what phenom­enally good taste Mommy has, or he should have found you without her help.”

  “Got it. The poor man can’t win in your book.”

  “Not a chance.”

  The next couple of hours flew by. Tess discovered that Shayde was an invaluable source of information. When they’d first met, he’d told her he had an instinct for read­ing people, that he saw beneath the surface. He proved it in the short time they worked together. She found his insight staggering as he analyzed the situation and of­fered suggestions on how best to approach each man. If she hadn’t been so exhausted or so concerned about keeping their conversation out of the realm of the per­sonal, she’d have asked how a man of Shayde’s obvious talents ended up working for a temp agency.

  They kept at it until the hands on the clock crept well past midnight. Checking his watch, Shayde stood. “Why don’t I brew up a fresh pot of coffee?” he offered. “An­other hour and I think we’ll have done all the prep work possible. I assume the next step will be to arrange an initial meeting with everyone?”

  Tess nodded absently, running her hands through her hair. “Coffee. Good.” The curls tumbled back into her face in utter disobedience and Shayde couldn’t help smiling. Even exhausted and totally focused on work, she looked gorgeous. Ruffling the rebellious curls, he headed for the kitchen. Five minutes later, he returned and found Tess slumped to one side on the couch, sound asleep.

  “Okay. Maybe we’ll stop now. What do you say to that, boss lady?” He waited for a response he knew full well wouldn’t come. “You agree? Perfect. Time for bed.”

  Setting the mugs aside, he gently lifted her into his arms. She felt good. Too good. Worse, she felt like she belonged. She stirred, her lashes fluttering against her pale cheeks. Aside from heaving a gusty sigh she didn’t wake, much to his relief. He didn’t think she’d appre­ciate any explanation he might offer as to how she’d ended up in his arms, no matter how noble his intentions.

  It didn’t take long to track down her bedroom. Opening the most likely door, he looked around and grinned. So. He’d been right. Her inner sanctum was decorated in bold, striking colors, the interior as bright and radiant as a jeweled butterfly. He deposited her on the bed and removed her shoes. Standing there for a moment, he debated how much further to strip her. With a fatalistic shrug, he slid his hands beneath her volu­minous shirt and unsnapped her jeans. Tugging them downward, he folded them across a nearby chair. Finally, he tucked her beneath the covers.

  It was time to leave. It was also time to take care of one other unpleasant duty. “We both have a job to do, don’t we, sweetheart?” he murmured regretfully. “I guess we’d better get those jobs done, no matter how resistant we are to the idea.” Leaning down, he took her mouth in a kiss as gentle as it was hungry. “Goodbye, Tess. Sweet dreams.”

  After collecting his belongings, Shayde left her house, locking the doors behind him. The minute he walked outside, he flipped open his cell phone. He’d better tell Shadoe how badly he’d screwed up before his brother heard it from another source. He’d also better not let on the intense masculine satisfaction that screwup afforded him. Then he’d have to get to work. Whether he liked the idea or not, he couldn’t duck his responsibilities any longer.

  The time had come to instigate a romance between Tess and Gray.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “WHAT’S the status?” Shadoe’s boss demanded.

  He hung up the phone. “Oh, my brother is making an excellent hash out of the entire assignment.”

  “Explain.”

  “He’s botching it, lady.”

  “You have to correct it.”

  “No, not, yet.” Leaning back in his chair, Shadoe folded his hands behind his head and propped his feet on the desk. “1 have every confidence in my little brother. He’ll get it straightened out in time.”

  “And if he fails?”

  “Shayde fail?” Shadoe pondered the concept. “What’s the chance of that?”

  “I’ve checked my math twice,” she fussed. “It keeps coming up as ten to one in favor of his failing.”

  “Really? Are you certain?” He frowned. “I had the odds of success calculated as much better than that.”

  “No. Ten to one against.”

  “Ten to one,” Shadoe repeated. He smiled compla­cently. “How very encouraging. As skilled as he is, I was afraid he might actually pull it off.”

  The instant Shayde ended the call with Shadoe, he punched in another number. The phone was answered on the first ring.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Mother? What the hell have you done?”

  “Dick, darling. Do you have any idea what time it is?”

  “Don’t `Dick, darli
ng’ me. I want an explanation and I want it now.”

  “It’s two in the morning.” She paused a beat. “Now that we’ve settled that, are you going to tell me about what I’m supposed to explain or is this a guessing game?”

  “You want a guessing game? I have two words for you, Mother. Tess Lonigan.”

  “Darling girl. So sad how she lost her husband. I’ve done my best to help.” Adelaide heaved a sigh. “But she’s a wee bit stubborn.”

  “Then you admit it? You’ve been matchmaking again. “

  “Of course,” she answered promptly. “You know it gives me something to do.”

  Shayde gritted his teeth. “You need to stop and stop now.”

  “Done. In fact, you didn’t even have to ask. Wasn’t that easy?” She didn’t wait for his response. “Besides... It’s all been taken care of.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that I’m finished with Tess.”

  Hell. “And what does that mean?”

  “Since she’s found the perfect husband, my job is done. Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your en­gagement, dear. I couldn’t have done better if I’d chosen her for you myself. Oh, wait.” Her laughter came through loud and clear. “I did choose her for you, didn’t I? Have a lovely evening.”

  The connection went dead and Shayde snapped his phone closed, dropping it in his pocket. He should have known that Adelaide would be one step ahead of him. He shook his head in disgust. His mother was always one step ahead of her children. Okay, fine. So, Adelaide knew what he’d done. That couldn’t be helped. Right now he had to decide on his next move. His mouth tight­ened. He knew what that move would have to be. He’d do what he’d promised. He’d make sure Tess received her happily-ever-after ending.

  Even if it meant that he wouldn’t.

  Toward dawn Tess awoke from the strangest dream. She’d been in her den, stretched out on the couch work­ing a jigsaw puzzle she’d spread across the coffee table. Shayde sat beside her and every time she reached for a certain piece, he’d take it away.

  “Not that one,” he’d murmur.