"I want to see Sydnie,” Mars bellowed. “Where is she? You better not be monkeying with me."
"Of course we're not, Mr. Mars. Sydnie is...” Smythe looked at Trevor for help with the six feet, seven inches, two-hundred and eighty-five pound man.
"Sydnie is out town for a few days, Alfred,” Trevor said.
"Why? She knew I was coming. She should be here."
"And she would be if she could. But her ... grandmother had a mishap and needed Sydnie's help."
"Oh? Nothing serious I hope,” Mars said with genuine concern in his voice.
"Nothing serious. A few days of rest and she'll be fine."
"Good. Be sure and express my concern to Sydnie, will ya. And tell her I'm crestfallen I didn't get to see her."
Trevor bit his tongue. The last thing he wanted to do was let Sydnie know the wrestler, turned lingerie guru, was crestfallen over her absence.
"You are keeping in touch with her via phone or email, aren't you?” Mars asked.
"Of course."
"Good. Tell her I'm anxious to get rolling on this campaign.” He resumed his pacing, the spot lighting in the office glistening off his clean-shaven head. “The Venus Bra is ready to hit the market. And I want to get a jump on the competition. I want our Celestial line of bras and panties to finally outsell those that Victoria's Angels wear. I'm damn tired of finishing second."
"We'll do everything in our power to help you reach number one, Mr. Mars,” Smythe said, clearly sucking up to the man.
And Trevor knew Mars deserved sucking up to. The Stardust Lingerie account was one of the agency's biggest. Unfortunately for Smythe and Jones, Mars still insisted that Sydnie be the one to personally handle his account. Trevor knew Mars had developed a crush on Sydnie from the day he'd met her at a benefit wrestling match. Thanks to Sydnie's business savvy and Mars's penchant for redheads, the agency landed the Stardust account. And after Mars saw Sydnie's ideas for promoting his lingerie, he was even more enamored with the girl who had a set of legs that wouldn't quit.
After each successful campaign, Mars showered Sydnie with exotic bouquets of Heliconias, Anthuriums, and Birds of Paradise shipped in directly from Hawaii. Now, after two years of hard work, Stardust Lingerie had maneuvered its way up the intimate apparel ladder to the number two spot.
"Number one is what I want. There's no reason why we shouldn't be, either. Our lingerie is made of the finest materials out there, and our designs are the sexiest."
"I agree, Alfred. Stardust is the only lingerie my wife wears,” Smythe said.
"Good. How about you, Vanden Bosch?” Mars crossed his Herculean sized arms across his equally huge chest. He looked as though he could crush a piano as easily as an elephant crushed a peanut. He was definitely not a man a person wanted to make an enemy of. “What does your wife wear?"
Trevor saw the glint of, you better have the right answer, in Alfred's eyes. “I'm not married. But I've given Stardust Lingerie as gifts. And my sister loves it. She won't wear anything else."
"I'm glad to hear it.” Mars lowered his arms and smiled. “I'll be back in two days, gentlemen. I'll expect to see some ideas on the drawing board, Smythe."
"We'll have them for you, don't worry."
"Good.” Mars sauntered toward the door and exited the room.
A ponderous silence hung in the air between Trevor and his boss. Funny, but he never noticed before how cagey Charles Smythe looked. In fact, if Trevor didn't know better, he'd think Smythe would cheat his own mother out of a ten-dollar bill. Had the CEO of the company changed that much over the last few months and Trevor just refused to see it?
"Well, what are you waiting for, Vanden Bosh?” Smythe asked at last. “You'd better hightail it over to your new job and get busy. We've got to have something drawn up before Mars comes back."
"I told you it's not enough time.” Trevor shook his head. “It'll be tough enough to mention Stardust Lingerie to Sydnie, let alone quiz her for advertising ideas."
"By damn you'd better get something. Mars expects a colossal campaign and we're going to deliver.” Smythe turned to the bar lining the wall of his plush office and poured himself a shot of bourbon. “You've got a way with the ladies, Vanden Bosch. Lavish her with sweet nothings and she'll give you anything you ask."
"Sydnie isn't that easily fooled. I've got to tread lightly or she'll figure out I'm up to something. In fact, I'm afraid she suspects already."
"Then distract her. If she finds out the real reason you're working for her, she'll be furious.” Smythe downed his drink, then poured another. He moved to stand only a few inches away from Trevor. A dark scowl blanketed his features. “I don't care how you do it. Hell, sleep with her if you have to. Just get her ideas for the Venus bra.” He swallowed his drink in one gulp. “Or you'll find yourself working for her permanently."
Trevor's protective instincts kicked in and demanded he punch Smythe in the teeth, putting the weasel in his place. Sydnie wasn't, and didn't deserve to be referred to as, a cheap, easy fling.
Reluctantly, Trevor tamped down his temper and settled for a curse under his breath.
He was getting damn tired of being threatened with termination. If a possible partnership wasn't on the line, he'd be out of here. He could work for any ad agency in the country if he wanted to. But a shot at a partnership didn't come along every day.
"I'll do the best I can. That's all I can promise.” Trevor strode toward the door, anger fueling his steps.
How was he going to get himself, and Sydnie, out of this mess?
CHAPTER FOUR
"I'm back. Did you miss me?” Trevor asked Sydnie as he strode into her office.
"No,” she said bluntly. She looked up from the papers on her desk and almost choked. The black T-shirt he'd worn yesterday had made him look hotter than a man should be allowed to, but today he wore white, and well ... with his whisky brown hair and tan skin ... ?
Oh, boy. White was supposed to remind a person of purity and innocence. But Trev's snug fitting T-shirt only made Sydnie think of blazing white-hot sin. A sin so delicious, so explosive, a girl could almost die from the sheer pleasure of it.
Lord. Her imagination was shifting into overdrive again. She really needed to banish these fiery emotions Trevor evoked in her.
With huge effort, she shook away her carnal thoughts, shot out of her chair and nearly tipped it over onto the carpeting. Feeling as clumsy as Terri, Sydnie hurried over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of spring water and hid her embarrassment behind a long swallow.
"Are you feeling okay today, Syd?"
"I'm fine,” she snapped.
"You don't act fine. I'd say you're a little jumpy."
"I said I'm fine.” She took another swallow of water and caught Trevor staring at her with skepticism. “It's just the stress of getting the business off the ground. And I'm in the middle of planning our grand opening. There's a ton of decisions to be made."
"Sounds like you could use a little R & R.” He propped a lean hip on the edge of her desk and placed one strong hand on one equally strong thigh. He must spend hours at the gym pumping iron to get his muscles into such rock-hard perfection. And the bad part of it was, she'd like to remind herself how rock-hard those muscles were.
Sydnie ruffled her hair in frustration. Every thought that popped into her head regarding Trevor was loaded with sexual innuendos. She had to stop this nonsense. Or run the risk of being sorry later down the road. Being burnt once was enough.
"I could help you with that R & R, if you'd like?” Trevor drawled. He quirked a brow and gave her one of his roguish smiles.
Damn his smiles. They sure didn't make it easy for a girl to be strong. Sydnie turned her back on him in self-defense. “I don't have time to relax,” she managed to say. She focused her attention on a pile of home improvement magazines she'd stacked on the counter earlier that morning. The only way to relax was if he left her alone.
Forever.
"Sometimes it isn't a
matter of whether you have time or not, but what's best for your health."
Without even looking, Sydnie knew he'd moved to stand directly behind her. The warmth of his body and the musky scent of his skin enslaved her common sense.
With the tip of his finger, he traced the length of her shoulder. The knit material of her navy T-shirt provided a poor barrier against his provocative touch. Her knees weakened and she felt herself leaning into that rock-hard solidness she fantasized about.
It would be so easy to give in and let things which were so taboo happen. She needed to regain control of this situation with Trevor—and fast—before it was too late.
The idea that he could seduce his way under her skin so easily frightened her. Was she that weak? That desperate for a man in her life that she was willing to give up her convictions, her standards, for a moment of pleasure?
Absolutely not. If there was one thing she'd learned from growing up in a family of four over-protective brothers and a macho contractor father, it was never to let a man run roughshod over her. She'd learned dog-eat-dog survival tactics at a young age.
"Speaking of which,” she said as she stiffened her spine. She turned around and faced him. “How did you fair with the doctor this morning?"
"Ah ... great. He thinks I'm going to live a few more years."
"Wonderful,” she said dryly. He gazed at her with eyes so dark, so intoxicating, they could hypnotize a nun. It would be so easy to walk into his arms and forget all about the past.
There she went again, drifting away from her resolve.
The past. Don't forget about the past. Sydnie analyzed his perfect smile. Yeah, Trevor Vanden Bosch was still a snake charmer through and through.
She skirted out from between him and the counter. “We've got a bunch of work lined up for you, so you'd better live. And we had an emergency call come in this morning, so I need you to head over to Fifty-Second Street first thing."
"But what about your R & R? I've got some great ideas on how to relieve stress. I thought maybe we could work on that this afternoon."
Sydnie studied her potently-male employee leaning against the counter with cool confidence. Snoopy's altar-ego, Joe Cool, would be impressed.
A pang of suspicion hit her anew. “Since when have you been so concerned for my welfare?” she asked. It was time she found out why Trevor was really here.
"I've always cared about you, Syd,” he said softly. His expression darkened.
"Ha!” Sydnie laughed and tossed her empty water bottle into the recycle bin. “Save your breath, Vanden Bosch. I'm not buying your sympathy act."
He shrugged his shoulders. “Think what you will, but it's true."
"Really? You should have thought to be so considerate months ago."
Trevor didn't blame Sydnie for being hurt and angry with him. He would be, too. And he deserved her censure, but he didn't have months to mend fences with her. To be precise—he glanced at his watch—he had exactly forty-four hours, thirteen minutes, and seven seconds to get things shifted into the right gear.
And the way Ms. Ice Cube was responding to his R & R suggestions, three hundred and sixty-fives days wouldn't be enough time. Trevor needed the help of some Devine intervention.
"I'd like to change your low opinion of me, Syd.” He closed the distance between them. “Give me a chance. I'll prove to you that I really am a nice guy."
"All right.” Sydnie shot him a razor-sharp smile. “You can begin by getting over to Fifty-Second Street and taking care of this little emergency.” She shoved a work order into his hand.
"What's the emergency?” he asked with reservation. “This isn't another old lady, who's starving for male flesh, is it?"
"If only you could get so lucky,” she snickered.
Trevor wanted to tell her what his idea of getting lucky was, but held his tongue. He didn't have time to make a misstep in this complicated dance with Sydnie.
"A client had a door busted in,” Sydnie continued. “Put in a new lock set and you're good to go. Then take care of this job.” She handed him a second work order. “If you're as good as you say you are, you should be able to get through both jobs this afternoon with no problem."
Trevor bit back a groan. Spending all afternoon away from Sydnie wasn't what he had in mind. He needed to be with her if he hoped to get any ideas for the Venus Bra.
The Venus Bra. That was his answer. He'd put that little scrap of silk and lace to work.
* * * *
"Sydnie, you have a delivery,” Terri said as she popped her head through the doorway.
"I didn't order anything,” Syd said without looking away from her computer screen. “I'm kind of busy here with grand opening plans. Just accept it and I'll look at it later."
"It's not that kind of delivery. It's a—you know—a gift delivery."
"Gift?” Sydnie stopped typing and looked at her friend. “Who would send me a gift?"
"Why don't you tell me? I'd like to know what you did to deserve what you're about to get. If you've got some kind of new strategy to catch a man, you'd better share."
"I have no strategy ... at least none that I know of,” she sighed.
A young man, who looked as though he couldn't have been much older than a sophomore in high school, strolled into Sydnie's office carrying a massive bouquet of tropical flowers and an elaborately wrapped package.
"Are you...” he said from behind a Bird of Paradise blossom poking him in the eye, “Ms. Sydnie Riley?"
"Ah ... yes.” Sydnie's tummy did a flip-flop at the sight of the bouquet the kid held.
"Awesome. This is for you.” He thrust the flowers and package at her. A boyish grin covered his pimple-specked face.
"Gee, thanks.” She struggled to balance the heavy arrangement with one arm.
"No problem. You know this delivery stuff is kind of fun. To think I'm responsible for bringing happiness into people's otherwise depressing days. It's a heady experience, let me tell ya. I did make your day, didn't I?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Yeah, sure.” She gently set the flowers on her desk and reached into a drawer and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. She stuffed it into the kid's sweaty palm.
"Way cool. Thanks, ma'am.” He walked toward the door, then stopped. “You know. I just got to say it. He said you were hot. He wasn't blowin’ smoke, either. You are hot! And I'd like to add, mighty fine! But hey.” He held up his hands and grinned. “I got a girl on the line, so I'm not really available at the moment. Maybe some other time.” He winked.
Sydnie shook her head. She didn't know whether to be flattered or depressed by Sophomore Boy's declaration. If teenagers were the only age bracket of the male species that found her attractive these days, she was in serious trouble. “That's okay. I'm not really available, either."
"Yeah, I guess not. Any guy who'd send you a two hundred-dollar bouquet of erotic flowers is seriously staking a claim, if you ask me."
"Erotic? I think you mean, exotic."
"No, I mean erotic. Look at those things,” he said, pointing to an Anthurium. “That guy sure knows his flowers."
"Guy?"
"The dude you got this stuff from."
"Yes, but do you know who this guy is?” she asked, hoping for information.
"Sure.” He shrugged his shoulders.
"And he is?"
"Sorry. I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. Goes against company policy. But he did mention something about the card explaining everything. Got to run, babe. More deliveries to make, and more hearts to break.” He shot her another wink and swaggered out of the room.
"What the heck was all that about?” Terri asked.
"You tell me. Things have changed since we were in high school. I feel old."
"Me, too. But hey, by the looks of these flowers, all is not lost for you. Flowers like this cost a small fortune."
"Money isn't everything. He could be a real jerk. I'm prone to attract jerks, remember? I hold our high school record for
the most jerks attracted in a single year."
"How could I forget. I finished second, remember? But by the looks of that delivery boy, I'd say you're not in danger of losing your title."
"He was just flirting,” Sydnie said defensively. Even after all these years, she still couldn't help but feel for the underdog, the non jocks, the nerds. Probably because she'd fallen in the underdogs’ category all her life. “We weren't exactly the prom queens of our class, either, you know."
"Yeah, well, flirting is flirting. Truthfully, I'd be ecstatic if he flirted with me.” Terri frowned and a tinge of sadness filled her eyes. “I'd even flirt back. When a girl is old and lonely, she'll take any bone thrown her way."
James, Sherry - [Studs For Hire 01] Page 4