The Vex house would probably fit into his parents' home three times. And although Mama Vex had been gone a lot, working two and sometimes three jobs to make ends meet, she managed to create a bright, cheery, and welcoming home. Erik had loved every minute he spent there, and that was why he’d recruited her help in decorating his own home. He wanted it to be like the Vex house, not stifling, pretentious, and depressing as hell, like his parents’ home.
Kat would hate it here, just like Lindsey would’ve. He swallowed hard and rubbed his chest, trying to ease the tight fist of guilt and shame that accompanied the sudden and unwelcome thought.
No matter how hard he tried to explain it, he’d never been able to make Lindsey understand why he didn’t bring her home with him. Her parents were kind and welcoming to everyone, much like Mama Vex.
His? Not so much.
Would Kat understand that, or would she be hurt like Lindsey had been?
What the hell does it matter? She’s not part of your life. It’s just sex, remember?
“Tell me, Erik,” Elise said in a tone dripping with bitterness. “How did it come to be that Rusty turned your account over to Kat?”
Not in the mood for slicing and dicing with her tonight, he continued to stare out the window. “I don’t know. You need to ask Rusty.”
“Oh, touchy.” She settled into the chair next to the window. “Are you sure you didn’t know her before she came to work at SMG?”
At that, he cranked his head around and gave her a once over. Everything about her posture, from the crossed arms to the raised chin to the swinging foot, was that of a petulant child who firmly believed she’d been wronged… and intended to make things right.
He sat on the ottoman in front of her and rested his elbows on his knees. Keeping his voice low, so only she could hear, he said, “What do you really want to know, Elise?”
“Why she left R&A, a large, established firm to come to a small, Podunk agency like SMG?”
Erik raised an eyebrow. “Wow, does Rusty know you think so highly of him and the agency he’s worked hard to build?”
She curled her lip defiantly, but diverted her gaze. “Rusty’s no fool. He knows his agency is peanuts compared to R&A.” The swing of her foot picked up its pace as her irritation grew. “I’ve made calls to media reps and a few competing agencies in Charlotte. No one will tell me anything.”
Erik smiled, even though the thought of her trying to harm Kat made him want to latch his hands around her neck. “Maybe there’s nothing to tell.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”
“Why does she bother you?”
Her foot stopped swinging, and a frown settled in as she studied the floor. She was quiet for so long he decided she wasn’t going to answer, but then she looked up and took a deep breath. “Can we go out on the patio? Just the two of us?”
The request was made in a soft, demure tone, and her body language had shifted so drastically he found himself oddly curious about her thoughts. He stood, then offered a hand to help her up. “Sure.”
The wind often blew in the late afternoon and evening, but it had been blowing at a solid fifteen to twenty knots all day and seemed to have picked up even more since his arrival. Elise’s perfectly styled hair whipped in the breeze, and she wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering.
“Here,” Erik said, as he shrugged out of his sports coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He took her by the elbow and led her around the corner of the house, which provided shelter form the wind. “All right, what’s going on? The whole story.”
While Elise stared at the river and gathered her thoughts, Erik leaned against the stone wall of the house and took a moment to look at her. The fit of his jacket exaggerated the slump of her shoulders, her mouth turned down in a serious frown, and her brow sported a series of creases that were going to lead to wrinkles, and quickly, if she kept at it.
“My parents never expected me to go to work and actually support myself. They assumed I’d go to college, then get married and become a social wife. Like my mother. Like your mother.” She turned her head slightly and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She chewed on her bottom lip, then averted her gaze back to the river. “My parents always assumed I’d marry you.”
This wasn’t shocking news to Erik since his mother had pushed and prodded him in that direction all his life. But he was surprised to hear Elise admit it, especially since this was the first time they’d ever talked about anything of consequence.
“Since that’s the only thing they ever expected me to do, and I failed, they consider me flawed.” The dejected resignation in her voice, combined with her parents' fucked-up logic, caused a small piece of him to soften toward her.
He never stopped to consider things from her perspective. Since he was three years older, he never considered her anything more than a serious pain in his ass. She followed him around everywhere he went, and he always had to share his toys with her. Nothing in this house had been sacred or off-limits to Princess Elise.
Then, as a teenager, she had an obvious crush on him that left him feeling awkward and uncomfortable any time they were together. Their parents had encouraged a relationship, and while Elise seemed game, Erik had inwardly cringed. Elise was too much like his mother. No thanks. He always knew, back in the day when he still thought of getting married, that he’d marry someone down to earth, fun-loving, and free-spirited like Mama Vex.
Like Kat.
It was ridiculous for Elise’s parents to find fault with her because of his lack of interest. He brushed a strand of windblown hair from her face, and said, “Elise, that’s crazy. I had no idea they made you feel that way. We’ve known each other all our lives, and… well, it’s not you. It’s me.”
At his use of the ridiculous cliché, she snapped her head around and stared at him. Seeing him laugh and realizing it had been a joke, she laughed too. Pity she didn’t do it more often, because she was much more attractive laughing and smiling than wearing that perpetual I-am-superior smirk.
“Would it make a difference if I talked to them?”
She shook her head and sighed. “No. And I’ve given up trying to prove myself to them, or trying to make them happy.” She stiffened and anger flashed over her features. Apparently the lighthearted moment was over. “But I do have something to prove to myself. I understand Rusty’s need to hire someone to replace Stephen. But the VP of Client Services position should have been mine.” She straightened with renewed determination. “Kat is hiding something. I just have to find it.”
He understood the pressures parents could put on their children. Their backgrounds were similar in that regard. They both grew up in the high-powered world of the self-important, who believed it was acceptable to do whatever was necessary to get what you wanted.
He had the benefit of outside influences, like Mama Vex and Annie, as well as Lindsey and her parents, to teach him that being born into a certain class didn’t make him more entitled than anyone else. Elise hadn’t had the benefit of those influences, but that didn’t excuse her behavior.
Thoughts of her harming Kat caused everything he looked at to have a reddish tint. Trying to curb his temper, so hopefully he’d have a shot at getting through to her, he said, “Rusty made the decision to hire Kat and put her in that position. You need to have a conversation with Rusty about this, rather than trying to harm Kat, who’s innocent.”
Elise scrunched up her mouth, crossed her arms, and turned away from him. “I should have known you’d take her side.”
He grabbed her arm and turned her back around to face him. Looking her directly in the eye, he said, “It’s not taking sides. And believe it or not, I do understand where you’re coming from. But your approach is wrong. I guarantee you, it’ll end up backfiring.”
Before Elise could argue, Annie appeared in the study announcing dinner. God bless her, her timing was always perfect.
They’d finished the main course and Annie was clearing d
ishes when Erik’s cell phone beeped, indicating a new text message. When he saw Kat’s number on the display, that stupid-ass grin reappeared. God help him if Annie caught him grinning like a fool and figured out who was behind it. Working hard, he forced it away and opened the text.
Did Elise give you my message?
Why would Kat send a message with Elise, rather than calling herself? He frowned and looked across the table. “Were you supposed to give me a message from Kat?”
Elise froze with her wineglass against her lips. “No.”
Yeah, he was going to have to call bullshit on this one. He glanced at his mother, then to Annie. Okay, maybe not. “Are you sure?”
She set the wineglass on the table and glared at him, sending a silent message. Drop it.
Oh, this ought to be good. A smile pushed at his lips. “Then why did she send a text asking if you’d given me the message?”
Elise’s lips puckered like she’d sucked on a boatload of lemons. “She asked me to give you her condolences.”
Condolences? What the hell? “Excuse me?”
She huffed. “Since you’re having dinner with me, the bitch asked me to give you her condolences.”
Erik burst into laughter at the same time Elise’s mother went into a rant about Elise acting like a lady. Elise rolled her eyes and drained her wineglass, while Annie leaned over his shoulder and whispered, “I like her already.”
Chapter Seven
Things were beginning to get complicated.
Erik was smart and honest enough to recognize the shift taking place within him, and that had him concerned. Despite his denial and excuses, the no-touching rule hadn’t been implemented by a man intent on seducing Kat, then moving on with his life. It had been an attempt to spend more time with her. Period.
For the past ten years, his emotions had wandered, untouched, in a veritable wasteland. But since meeting Kat, he noticed signs of life here and there, and that was disconcerting as hell.
In an effort to gain control over the situation, he forced himself to stay on the south side of the river and away from Kat for the past two days. He still felt out of control, but business brought him to Riverside, and that made staying away from her impossible.
Which in itself was another clear indication of how much trouble he was in.
When he pushed through the door of SMG and found Luanna on the phone, he waved and motioned toward Kat’s office. He probably should’ve waited for Luanna to announce his presence, but he wanted to see Kat in her natural environment, when she wasn’t expecting company and putting on a front.
He rounded the corner, stepped into her office and… stopped dead in his tracks.
The sight and smell of a half-dozen massive flower arrangements bombarded him. It looked more like a funeral home than an ad agency, and memories and scenes from the past assaulted him at breakneck speed.
His head spun. Spots flashed before his eyes, and somewhere in the distance he heard Kat calling his name and asking if he was all right.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, literally trying to shake off the impact of the floral explosion. He opened his eyes and forced his lips to turn into a stiff, awkward smile. “I’m fine.” He took a few steps toward the chair, just in case he started to go down, and glanced around the room. “Someone’s popular.”
Kat dismissed the flowers with a wave of her hand. “Hardly. They’re all from media reps and other vendors. You know, trying to suck up and gain an edge on their competitor.”
She studied him another moment, then apparently convinced he was okay enough to stand on his own, she let go of his arm and said, “Have a seat.” As she moved around the edge of her desk, he snuck a peak at her feet. Shoeless, just as he expected.
“I was just getting ready to call you,” she said, wriggling in her seat, probably slipping her feet back into her shoes. “What are you doing here?”
Her smile was bright and genuine and made him believe she was truly glad to see him, which worked like a giant vacuum, sucking the tension out of his neck and shoulders. It infuriated him that the memories he tried so hard to leave behind could rush back that quickly and violently.
But if he was completely honest, it wasn’t just the memories that had gotten to him. Thinking Kat’s admirers had sent those flower, or at least some of them, had caused a terrible stench in the room. Something that smelled a lot like jealousy. Never in his life had he been jealous, and now that he had a good whiff of it, he decided it stunk.
Get the hell out of Dodge.
That’s what he should be doing. He should cut and run before he got in any deeper. However, his feet were planted in place, his gaze was transfixed on her face, and he heard himself say, “I came to see about taking you to lunch.”
Her beaming smile was like a sucker punch to the gut. He felt like a damn teenager again, asking a girl out for a first date. Terrified she’d say no. Petrified she’d say yes.
“I wish I could, but I can’t.” As if to make her point, she glanced around her piled-high desk. At the same time, her stomach cut loose with a grumble loud enough to hear around the block. She laughed and bit down on her lower lip.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, slick with moisture, and hunger of a different kind took root in him.
No touching.
To hell with that. There hadn’t been any time constraints placed on that stupid-ass rule, and as far as he was concerned, the statute of limitations had expired. “Obviously, you haven’t eaten. You said you were getting ready to call me. Let’s make it a working lunch.”
She laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know about that. I’ve seen your idea of a business meeting. Yours and mine are not the same.”
Jesus, she was such a delight and being with her made him feel a hundred pounds lighter. “Nothing funny, just lunch.” Although, if he had his preference, he’d be dining on her. He’d start with her full bottom lip, then nibble a path along her jaw to her neck and then down to her breast. He cleared his throat and shot his gaze back to her face. “Have you been to Mel’s Deli?”
“No. Seth talks about it all the time, but I haven’t been there.”
“Let’s change that.” He flashed the perfect smile, and after a moment’s hesitation, she began grabbing file folders from the top of her desk.
As she shoved them into her bag, she paused and glanced at him. “I’m not setting foot on a boat. At least not today.”
He laughed and made a mental note about that “today” exclusion. Another good sign he was in bad trouble. “Agreed. No boats. Today.”
***
A few minutes later, Kat sat in Mel’s Deli, questioning her sensibilities in agreeing to have lunch with Erik. A cute, petite blonde arrived, carrying two glasses of water and menus. Smiling flirtatiously at Erik, in a way that indicated she knew him well, she said, “Hey, sugar, what brings you into town this early in the day? I don’t normally see you until the sun’s gone down.”
Erik relaxed in his chair and returned her smile with an easygoing one of his own. “Just grabbing some lunch. Candy, this is Kat.” Looking at Kat, he tilted his head toward Candy. “Kat, this is Candy.”
Sparing Kat a glance that lasted a millisecond, Candy said, “Nice to meet ya.” She obviously didn’t mean it.
Kat smiled halfheartedly, and said, “Same here.” She didn’t mean it either.
Erik kept his gaze locked onto Kat’s, making it clear to both women where his interest lay. As heat began to build around her, Kat took a swig of her cold water and gulped it down.
Candy sighed. “Be back in a minute, Shug.”
“Candy?” Kat said, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward.
He seemed to think on it for a minute, then chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah, as far as I know that’s her real name.”
“Close friend of yours?” Kat grimaced and bit her tongue. Dammit. Why did she ask that? She didn’t want to know.
Not really.
And she certainly didn’t want Erik to think it mattered to her one way or the other.
Because it didn’t.
Not really.
Erik smiled. “Candy’s also a bartender, so she’s friends with everyone. She works it for the big tips.”
Kat paused with the water glass to her lips, afraid she’d choke if she took a drink. Why did everything with him carry a sexual connotation?
Probably because he oozed bucket-loads of sexuality from every pore, and she knew firsthand it wasn’t just an act. “Uh-huh. I don’t think a ‘big tip’ of the monetary kind is what she’s after from you.”
He flashed a bad-boy-to-the-bone grin, then picked up his menu.
His obvious lack of denial was like a fist to the chest. Cara and Maggie laid his reputation out before her like a red carpet—hell, deep down she knew it the night they met. But being confronted with it like this caused her lungs to refuse the oxygen being sent their way, and her chest constricted painfully.
But what did it matter? She was the one who kept insisting he remain a client and nothing more. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
Following his lead, she reached for her menu and perused her options. However, her thoughts were scattered, and after looking over the entire menu three times, she still had no idea what they offered.
Erik had the distinction of being the sexiest man she’d ever met, and the chemistry between them teetered on explosive. He haunted her dreams, and at work, she struggled to keep him out of her mind. Since Rusty had taken away her excuse for not getting involved with Erik, she began to wonder if a quick fling, just to get him out of her system once and for all, wasn’t the answer.
The slut brigade stormed from the basement, cheering their cause.
Common sense screamed, Don’t be an idiot!
“Hey.” Erik’s gentle tone stepped in the middle of the fray and quieted her warring thoughts. His smile was relaxed, but his eyes held an oddly serious expression. “She’s not a close friend. I’ve known her for years, but never that way.”
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