The Tycoon's Seduction Plan

by Elizabeth Lennox

  She couldn’t help feeling sad that she wouldn’t see him but she tried to be upbeat about it. “Well, I’ll see you when you get back, right? I mean, it’s only for a couple of days?” she confirmed, when what she really wanted to say was a plea to take her with him, uncaring of the boredom as long as she could be with him. But she kept those words unspoken, knowing they weren’t what he wanted to hear. She had to be sophisticated about this, not act like a clinging vine who needed to see him all the time. He would probably hate that, she thought.

  “Right. And maybe even less than that if everything goes well. I’m trying to move some meetings up so I can get through the negotiations more quickly. Will you miss me?” he asked.

  His question eased some of the sadness she’d started feeling at his news. If he wanted her to miss him, that meant that he wanted her to care, even if it was just a little, didn’t it? She smiled even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes. I definitely will.”

  “Good. I’ll see you Friday night, okay?”

  She smiled at the comment, curling up in her chair as if he were right here with her. “It’s a date.”

  He rung off and Lana sagged into her chair. She stared at the computer and the cold coffee beside it and lost all her inspiration. Whatever idea she’d been trying to build was gone now after his phone call.

  She stood up and started stretching, thinking all she needed to do was to get back in the groove. She stretched, did several sit ups and then went back to her computer. But it was no use. She just couldn’t get back into the scene. She kept thinking about Victor and replaying all of the nights they’d spent together, wondering what he was meeting about in London and hoping he would be okay. Although she wanted his negotiations to be successful, she still wanted him close by and that was too needy, she thought. This time apart would be good for her. She could gain some perspective, make sure she was still able to make it through the day without the knowledge that she’d see him at the end as they’d been doing almost constantly since they’d met. Their affair would eventually end, she acknowledged. And she’d be without him permanently. He’d move on to the next woman and she’d be fine. Perfectly fine.

  Picking up the coffee cup, she tossed the disgusting liquid into the sink with more force than was necessary and then had to clean up the sink and counter. Okay, she realized, she didn’t like the idea of Victor moving on to another woman. But she had to be realistic. Victor was not the long term, picket fences and babies kind of guy. She had to learn to love what she could and accept that there was no future for them. Their relationship was only temporary.

  She saved her work and stood up, deciding to give in for the day.

  Showering and putting on fresh, clean clothes, ones that were ironed and not a big man’s shirt with a pair of stretch pants definitely helped. The navy slacks and tailored white shirt were crisp and neat. Adding a pearl necklace helped her seem more pulled together than she was on the inside.

  She felt better and put on makeup, something that hadn’t been happening during the day while she was working alone. It wasn’t like anyone would see her, she told herself. She worked hard on her manuscript, getting things down as fast as her fingers could type and makeup wasn’t needed until she faced the world each day. That was reserved for her evenings with Victor but looking at herself in the mirror once she was finished, she genuinely felt better. The depression she’d started to feel was gone and she did several mental exercises that gave her additional help.

  “Coffee,” she decided. “And not just any coffee,” she said to the otherwise empty apartment. “I need special, good coffee.” Nodding her head to emphasize the excellent idea, she tossed another abandoned cup of cold coffee into the sink and packed up her laptop into her computer case. Slipping out of her building, she walked the five blocks to the gourmet coffee shop, ordering a large frappe. Sitting down in the relatively empty coffee shop, she felt even better and she logged onto her computer and felt the story line come back. There were just enough people moving around and talking that it felt like white noise to her. The small distractions actually helped put her into a more concentrated state of mind.

  She was working through the plot, building up the characters as they started to fight with each other when a shadow fell over her computer. She tried to ignore it and breathed deeply, smelling the strong, fragrant coffee with touches of cinnamon and vanilla, ingredients several of the patrons obviously added more often than others since it scented the store nicely. Closing her eyes for a moment, she forced her mind to concentrate. There was something wrong though. Something inside the coffee shop had changed and she could feel it, if not understand it. Some aura had gone bad, which broke into her concentration.

  She remembered reading mystery novels where the victim felt something wrong, his or her neck standing up on the nape of their necks. She’d always thought they were silly to ignore that feeling, but here she was, trying to rationalize that feeling herself. She almost smiled to herself as she thought of a way to incorporate that feeling into her current plot, but then thought of the results of ignoring that sensation and forced her fingers to freeze on the keyboard.

  Looking around, she wondered what could possibly have made her so wary all of a sudden. She searched the faces of the other patrons, looking for something wrong, something that didn’t fit. But no one seemed out of place and she didn’t see any malicious expressions directed her way. Then her gaze swerved to the back of the store, where the clerks were making coffee for the newest patrons and there she saw him as he stared across the store at her. Drew.

  In an odd way, she viewed the last few moments objectively and thought how ironic it was that the man who had shared her life for so many years had created such a bizarre reaction in her subconscious mind. It was just like in those mysteries, but, with relief, she knew that she didn’t consider Drew to be the villain in her life anymore. He was just…the past, she thought analytically. Not a good part of her past, but at least it was over, thanks to Victor’s help.

  He was standing in line for a cup of coffee, his eyes staring right at her with his arms crossed over his chest in the aggressive way she remembered so well. She waited, watching him and wondering, where was the anger? Where was the resentment she’d felt so strongly after he left her for his mistress? Why wasn’t she breaking down in tears and sobbing out her frustration and anger over his betrayal?

  There was nothing. Looking at the handsome man with classic blond hair and blue eyes, she wondered what it was she’d seen in him. He was good-looking, there was no way to deny that. But now, knowing Victor and all of his strengths as well as the hard, external ruggedness of his features, she wondered what it was about Drew that made him look so…unappealing, she finally defined. He had a weak chin and pointed nose, his shoulders were droopy and he didn’t dress nearly as nicely as she’d remembered. Drew wasn’t even in very good shape, she thought, noticing the slight paunch that was starting to hang over his belt.

  Victor worked out hard each day, brutally pushing his body to the next level of fitness. He worked out during the afternoons when he said his mind was dullest and the workout gave him the ability to concentrate further into the evening.

  Drew hadn’t ever worked out that she could remember although she knew that he complained an awful lot about his boring job.

  Come to think of it, she thought as she sipped her fragrant coffee slowly, Victor never complained. She’d seen him irritated by people at work but when he talked about the situations, he was always working out how to resolve the problem.

  Other differences she could think of between Victor and Drew popped into her mind, one rapidly after the other. Victor constantly told her how pretty she was, how sexy and desirable. No matter how much she’d tried to look nice for Drew, he’d never been very complimentary. The man had always found something to make her feel bad about. Her hair wasn’t fluffy enough, too fluffy, her lipstick didn’t match her sweater or a wrinkle marred her outfit. She hadn’t realized how demorali
zed she was until Victor had entered her life and told her how lovely she looked or what a nice color a particular sweater was with her skin or hair.

  Overall, Victor was so much more of a man than Drew could even dream of being. With a secret smile, she realized that Drew walking out on her had been the best thing that ever happened to her. With that realization came freedom. Freedom from the past, freedom from all of her old insecurities although she knew that Victor had already gotten her most of that way with his “lessons” and his praise, both verbal as well as the admiration and desire that showed in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

  Turning back to her computer, she quickly logged off, closing down. She wasn’t running from him she thought happily. She was just leaving an area that no longer interested her. How refreshing.

  As she shut down and closed up her large carry-all bag, she smiled to herself. She’d often wondered what she would do the next time she saw him. She’d imagined horrible scenes where she’d broken down in public, begging him to come back to her, to help her out. Other times, she’d imagined a yelling fit where she blamed him for so many things that had gone wrong. And in the dark of night, when she’d be laying in bed wondering how she would pay the rent or buy food, she’d pictured herself trying to become the woman he wanted her to be instead of who she really was. Standing here, in the restaurant with confidence and success, she knew she’d moved on in her life. Drew was definitely someone from her past. And not a very nice part of her past either, she acknowledged. This was so much better than what she’d been anticipating.

  “Going somewhere?” Drew asked, sidling up to her with his superior-looking expression and huge cup of coffee.

  Lana looked at him and smiled politely. “Hello Drew. How are you doing lately?” she asked and was proud of herself for not cowering in front of him, or showing any sign of anger. It was actually quite easy to talk to him without feeling any emotion at all. What a relief, she thought to herself. She also thanked God that Victor had come into her life before this meeting between her and Drew. She couldn’t imagine what she might have done if he hadn’t shown her how life really could be like, what a healthy relationship could be.

  He smiled and shrugged one shoulder casually. “No complaints. And you?” His eyes kept dipping, roving over her figure as if trying to find out some secret information. She suspected he was looking to see if she’d gained or lost weight since he’d left her. Both were indications of emotional upheaval but thankfully, she was the same size she was before he’d left her, although she felt much more fit than she ever had in her life. Probably the nightly workouts, she thought with a small smile of appreciation. Another bonus from Victor.

  Straightening her shoulders with a great deal of pride, she smiled up at Drew. “I’m doing well, thanks for asking,” she replied. It seemed odd that they would be standing here, in the middle of a coffee shop, being so polite to each other when they’d shared years together as husband and wife. “You look well. How’s the job lately? Still having problems with your boss? Or did you eventually work that out?” She didn’t really care about his boss. Drew had ranted about the man who managed his team almost daily, telling her how incompetent he was, how ridiculous his requests…the complaints were unending. But Drew never sat down and discussed his concerns with anyone, preferring to ruin their evenings together by being upset by the latest offenses.

  “I just got a promotion,” he bragged, his eyes lighting up as if he’d just been waiting for the opportunity to tell her that little piece of news.

  “That’s wonderful. I’m sure your company is very happy with your work. They always liked you, didn’t they?” she suggested. Drew was a computer programmer who wrote code for databases. Beyond that, she didn’t really understand much about what he did, although he would explain his projects to her in minute detail, then rail at her because she wasn’t overly interested in his programming problems.

  “They’ve been very good to me now that I’m out of that other division,” he said with a sneer. Lana assumed he was talking about his previous boss, but didn’t want to raise the question, for fear that the litany of complaints would start once again. She didn’t have the time, nor the interest, to hear them all over again. “What are you up to? Working hard?” he asked, his eyes glancing down at her laptop computer case.

  Lana shifted the somewhat heavy weight on her shoulder and smiled back at him. “Yes. I took my break. I have to get back to work.”

  His face showed his lack of appreciation for her previous job, the sneer obvious as it moved across his soft, fleshy lips. “Receptionist work? Can’t be all that thrilling or challenging. Especially if they keep you on a tight string like this. I can come and go when I want and don’t have to answer to anyone. Why don’t you get a real job? Or are you not yet qualified for anything better?” he sneered.

  Lana thought for a moment, staring at his contemptuous face and almost laughed. When she realized that he was miserable and trying to put her down, bring her down to his level of misery, she shook her head. “Drew, I’m sorry you have such an awful life but please don’t make others feel badly about their work, regardless of whether you think it is beneath you.”

  He chuckled but it was a malicious sound. “So you are still a measly little receptionist.” He sat down in the seat she’d just vacated. “You know, you may want to talk to Andrea,” he said, referring to the woman he’d left her for. “She might be able to help you out and get you a better kind of job. Something that pays better. She’s doing pretty well for herself.” He named a figure that was less than half of what she’d pulled in last year.

  Lana smiled politely but didn’t rise to the bait. “I’m glad she’s happy. Thank you for the offer but I’m doing okay on my own. Although I appreciate your concern,” she said, regardless that she knew his concern wasn’t sincere but simply another way to try and make her feel inferior.

  He smirked and shrugged. “You never were very grateful for any of the advice I gave you. If you’d listened to me, maybe we’d still be together. I never would have looked outside of our marriage if you hadn’t been frigid.”

  Lana took a deep breath and smiled. This time, her face was filled with joy but she didn’t tell him about Victor. Drew wasn’t worth the effort of conversation but she owed him the social niceties simply because she didn’t want to lower herself to his level of pettiness. Instead, she nodded as graciously as possible under the circumstances. “I’m sure I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I’d listened to you.”

  Without another word, she pushed her computer into her carry-all bag and walked away, head held high and shoulders back, incredibly proud of what she’d accomplished with her life since he’d left her. There were no backwards glances and she felt confident, both inside and out and she owed it all to Victor.

  She walked happily back to her apartment, thinking not about Drew but about Victor and her book’s plot, how she would work the difficult scene she’d just encountered and what the conversation should be between the two main characters. As she walked and thought, the impetus she’d been feeling earlier, before Victor’s call, started to return. As soon as she closed the door to her apartment, she sat back down at her desk and logged back onto her computer, pulling up the manuscript. Just as it had before, her fingers started flying over the keyboard. It was as if the magic were back and it was only because she’d been thinking about the man.

  She worked happily until midnight, not even realizing that the time had been passing by. By the time she’d finished the scene, her back was sore from sitting up straight for so many hours and her stomach growled, protesting the lack of food.

  Lana shut down her computer and smiled while she heated a bowl of soup in the microwave. Her last thought before she fell asleep was about Victor, wondering if he was getting enough sleep or if he was pushing himself too hard. She smiled but still cautioned herself to not become too connected with him. This relationship, whatever one might call it, was only temporary. She had to kee
p reminding herself of that fact and keep herself safe from the hurt that would inevitably come when they parted ways.

  Chapter 6

  Victor called her first thing in the morning while she was making her coffee and pouring a bowl of cereal, her mind dreamily working through a funny conversation in her book. She was walking around in her pajamas when the call came through and she just assumed it was Nancy since her editor hadn’t called in several days to check in. Nancy wanted to know when Lana’s next book would be ready. Lana had been sending her chapters as she finished and Nancy was demanding the next chapter. It was flattering that Nancy was so eager and it helped drive Lana to finish the chapters as quickly as possible. She didn’t even bother to edit the manuscripts as she went, just getting the plot down on the paper, assuming she would edit them later on.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Victor’s deep, chocolaty voice came through the phone.

  “Victor?” she asked sleepily, her hand stilling in the process of scooping coffee into the filter. “Where are you?” she asked, instantly awake. Victor’s voice was definitely better than a caffeine jolt.

  “I’m in London but I’ll be finished with my meetings by tomorrow night at the latest. Are you free for the weekend?”