by Jennie Lucas
‘I was thinking about it all last night, and it doesn’t seem right to trash our relationship after so many years. One of their boys is going to show me what they’ve got Monday morning. In the meantime why don’t you fix the concerns I have with your current proposal and get it back to me ASAP?’
Miller was thankful for the years of practice she’d had at pretending she was perfectly fine when she wasn’t, and schooled her features into an expression of professional blandness. Was this because she’d rejected his advances in the restaurant the week before? He might be ruthless and without morals, but he didn’t strike her as the vindictive type. But he did know Oracle was desperate for his business, so he had them over a barrel in that regard.
She had started to hate this aspect of business. The ‘anything goes’ mantra Oracle had adopted as the global economic crisis had deepened. In some ways she supposed it had always been there, but she hadn’t noticed it in her single-minded climb to the top.
Now that she was almost there, so close she could see her name on a corner office overlooking the famed Harbour Bridge and the soaring white waves of the Opera House, she felt unsettled. Nerves, she supposed. But also the acknowledgement that maybe she didn’t have the killer instinct that was required in the upper echelons of big business. Miller cared too much about business practice, and sometimes that didn’t play out very well.
‘Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have guests waiting to play croquet on the south lawn.’
You could have heard a snail move as TJ pushed back his chair and ambled over to the door. ‘By the way, Miller.’ He stopped and held her unwavering gaze. ‘Tell Maverick to quit stalling on taking the Real Sport sponsorship deal, would you? My people don’t seem to be able to pin him down but I’m sure you can.’
And there it was. The real reason Winston International were supposedly being given a second chance.
Miller heard the door snick quietly closed but hadn’t realised she was staring at it until Dexter muttered a four-letter word under his breath.
Miller swung her stunned gaze towards him.
‘You didn’t know?’ He raised a condescending eyebrow.
Miller felt her face heat up, not wanting to add to her cache of lies. ‘No,’ she admitted reluctantly. She’d had no idea one of TJ’s subsidiary companies was professionally courting Valentino. Why would she?
Dexter swore again. ‘Some relationship you’ve got there. Does lover boy have any idea he’s put a multi-million-dollar contract in jeopardy?’
‘Valentino didn’t do that.’ Although she was silently spitting chips that he hadn’t had the decency to inform her of TJ’s overtures so she could have been more prepared. ‘TJ did.’
‘TJ’s just doing business.’
‘Unethically.’
‘Stop being so precious, Miller. Business is business. Getting this account will boost Oracle’s reputation—not to mention yours and mine.’
Miller’s stomach felt as if it had a rock in it and she methodically stuffed her notes back into her satchel.
‘So, do you think you’ll be able to convince Ventura to do it?’
Miller strove for calm. ‘I wouldn’t even try.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because courting favours is not the way I do business.’
‘TJ Lyons’s is the biggest account in the country and you want it as much as I do. Maybe more. Why wouldn’t you use your influence? It’s not like it’s any skin off Ventura’s nose. In fact, I’m quite sure TJ is offering to pay him a pretty penny for the use of his pretty face.’
Miller tried not to let her distaste show. This was a side of Dexter she hadn’t experienced before.
‘Maybe you could give him a little more of what you gave him on the beach this morning. To sweeten the deal,’ he said snidely.
Miller felt her whole body go rigid and knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her reaction from him this time.
‘You know, Miller,’ he continued softly, ‘I expected more from you than to see you romping on the beach with your lover in full view of the house.’
Ignoring Dexter, she slammed the lid of her laptop closed and fervently hoped she hadn’t broken it.
She didn’t have to explain herself to Dexter, but she knew if he repeated any of this back at the office it would jeopardise her promotion. It was hard enough being taken seriously at this level, despite the pains she took to always to appear confident and professional.
Dexter tapped his pen on TJ’s antique desk. ‘It won’t last, you know. You and Tino.’
‘Whether it does or not is none of your concern,’ Miller fumed, barely keeping a lid on her anger. ‘And while we may have known each other at university, that does not give you the right to comment on my personal life. I’m here to do a job. That’s all you need to think about.’
Dexter looked disgusted. ‘Then do your job and remember that this isn’t a school camp. And another thing.’ He put his hand on her arm as she turned to leave. ‘If we lose this campaign because of your lover, it will be your reputation that suffers, not mine.’
Glaring at him, Miller shook her head. ‘You know, Dexter, earlier this week I could have sworn we were working on the same team. My mistake,’ she finished coolly.
She heard something skitter across TJ’s desk as she let herself out of the study—presumably the pen he’d been madly tapping the whole time.
‘Miller! Dammit, we have to talk!’
Miller didn’t stop. She had no idea what had gotten into Dexter, but she needed time and space to work out what to do next.
* * *
Tino was sitting on the bed when the door opened. Miller stood in the doorway like Medusa on a mission. He was on the phone to his sister Katrina, who was doing her best not to talk about Sunday’s race and thereby placing it front and centre in both their minds.
Miller stepped into the room, her eyes sparking fire and brimstone in his direction.
Man, she was something else when she was riled—passionately alive—just like on the beach earlier. Not that he was thinking about that. He’d been honest when he’d told her it wasn’t part of his plan, but watching her come apart underneath him had been possibly the most sensually arousing experience of his life, and as such it was damned hard to put out of his mind.
‘Kat, sweetheart, I’ll ring you back.’ Glad of the excuse to end the conversation early, he dumped his mobile on the quilt cover beside him, reminding himself that he was supposed to be keeping his distance from Miller. ‘Bad day at the office, Sunshine?’
She stalked across the room and dumped her computer bag and satchel on the small desk against the wall. Then she turned on him, hands on hips, her large aquamarine eyes shooting sparks.
Tino lounged back against the bank of pillows behind him. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s eating at you? Or is this one of those times when a woman tries to make a man’s life truly miserable by making him play Twenty Questions?’
Her gaze narrowed. ‘You’ve got that wrong. Women do not make men’s lives miserable. People do that to each other.’
He stared at her and could see she was mentally wishing her words back. He wondered who had hurt her. It was obvious she didn’t like talking about herself. Something they both shared, and that protective instinct she seemed to engender in him tightened his gut.
She drew in a breath as if preparing to go into battle, but her words were resigned when she spoke. ‘It would have been nice if you’d told me that TJ was trying to recruit you to represent his Real Sport stores.’
‘Ah.’ That was where he knew TJ Lyons. TJ’s people had been hassling his publicist to get him to become Real Sport’s public representative for about six months now.
‘First—’ Miller’s voice brought his eyes back to her ‘—you don’t tell me that you’re the legendary
lothario Valentino Ventura and nearly make a fool of me. Now you neglect to tell me that my client wants your face and body for his online sports brand and succeed in making a fool of me.’
‘Miller—’
‘Don’t Miller me.’ She stalked towards him and stopped at the foot of the bed. ‘You’ve been having fun with me right from the start of this silly charade and I’ve had enough. I am not here as your resident plaything and nor am I here to alleviate your boredom.’
Irritation blossomed inside him. ‘I never said you were. And might I remind you that this is your silly charade and I’m actually trying to help you.’
‘Some help when TJ all but told me the only way we would win his business is if you “quit stalling” and give him what he wants.’
Tino rubbed his jaw. ‘Sneaky bastard.’
His response seemed to knock the wind from her sails because her shoulders slumped a little and her hands dropped from her hips.
‘Quite.’
‘I’m sorry, Miller. I didn’t deliberately withhold that information from you. I get over a hundred requests of a similar nature every week and my publicist handles that side of my business. Yesterday, when I met TJ, I was aware that I knew him from somewhere but assumed it was a race meet since he was such a fan.’
She swore lightly and retreated to sit on the velour window seat, and Tino found himself fascinated by the play of light on her thick, glossy hair.
‘What did you say to him?’ he prompted when she remained silent.
She scowled and he noticed that her face was slightly paler than usual. ‘Nothing yet. It was his parting volley.’
‘A strategic tactic.’
She looked surprised that he would know such a thing, and he didn’t like the fact that she still thought he had the IQ of an insect. ‘You can stop looking at me as if you’re surprised I can string a sentence together.’
‘I don’t think that.’ She paused at his disbelieving look and had the grace to blush. ‘Any more.’
He grinned at her honesty.
‘Anyway.’ She sighed. ‘I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because his weapon of choice is to ask his current consultants to re-pitch for the job, but if they had any good ideas they would have already given them to him.’
‘They might have something new up their sleeve.’
‘Nothing as good as mine.’
Tino chuckled. He enjoyed her superior confidence and kick-ass attitude. It reminded him of himself when a rookie tried to come up against him on the circuit.
He noticed her eyes were focused on his mouth, and when she raised them to his a spark of red-hot awareness flashed between them.
Clearly not wanting to acknowledge it any more than he did, she turned to face the window.
Silence filled the room so loudly he could hear the gentle ticking of the marble clock on the desk two feet away.
‘Dexter saw us on the beach this morning.’
Her voice was soft, but he heard the disappointment edging her words.
Tino rolled his stiff neck on his shoulders and swore under his breath. That man was dogging his every step and he was getting beyond irritated with him.
‘Are you telling me or the seagulls?’ he asked pleasantly.
Miller swivelled her head around, a frown marring her alabaster forehead. ‘I’m not in the mood for your ill-timed humour, Valentino.’
‘What about my well-timed humour?’
She shook her head but a smile snuck across her face. ‘How is it you can make me smile even when this is deadly serious?’
‘Deadly?’
She sighed. ‘Maybe I’m exaggerating slightly.’
Tino sat forward and regarded her silently for a moment. ‘Relax. At least he no longer thinks we’re faking it.’
Her smile disappeared. ‘He’s right about the fact that I should behave in a more professional manner with you.’
Tino snorted. ‘Let me guess. He told you no touching?’
‘He told me to keep my private life private—and he’s right.’
‘Of course he did,’ Tino drawled, half admiring the man’s nous. He wanted Miller for himself, and he was trying to drive a wedge between them to get her.
Not that he could blame him. He’d realised this morning on the beach that Miller was one of those women who had no idea of her true appeal to men and, given similar circumstance, he might have done the same as Caruthers. Then again, he had yet to want a woman enough to actually fight for her.
‘What does that mean?’ Miller frowned.
‘It means he wants you for himself.’
‘No, he doesn’t.’
She turned her face away, but he’d already seen her eyes cloud over.
‘I can’t work out if you’re actually naive when it comes to men, or hiding your head in the sand.’
Her eyes flashed a warning. ‘I do not hide my head in the sand.’
‘Hit a nerve, have I?’
‘If you’re trying to be annoying you’re succeeding beyond your wildest dreams,’ she retorted pithily.
‘If you’re trying to avoid facing your colleague’s attraction to you then so are you.’
She sighed heavily and turned away. ‘I’m not naive. I just...’ She stopped, looked uncertain. ‘Can we talk about something else? Or, better still, not talk at all?’
Tino could sense the deep emotions rolling around inside her. He knew she would hate him to know the turmoil she was obviously experiencing. He didn’t think he’d met a more self-contained woman, and it wasn’t his experience that women kept such a tight lid on their emotions.
His Italian mother was a classic case in point—as were most of the females he’d dated, who had wanted more from him than he had ever been prepared to give. The fact that Miller so steadfastly didn’t want anything from him made him feel ridiculously annoyed.
‘This weekend really isn’t going as you planned, is it, Miller?’
She had tucked her legs up under her chin as she gazed out of the window and now she glanced back at him as if surprised he was still in the room. Another blow to his over-inflated ego, he thought bemusedly.
‘You think?’
Her eyes snagged on his and for a moment he was caught by how vulnerable she looked.
‘You clearly dislike TJ’s business methods so why do you want to work on his account so badly?’
‘Partners are not made of people who say no to clients, no matter how distasteful they are.’
It took him a minute to decipher her meaning. ‘Ah. You’ve got a promotion riding on this.’
‘Something wrong with that?’ Her voice was sharp and he realised she’d taken his words as an insult. He wondered what was behind her strong reaction.
‘Only if you think so.’
‘I deserve this. I’ve sweated blood for this company. I...’ She released a long breath. ‘It’s not something you would understand.’
‘Try me.’
He thought she would reject his offer, but she heaved a resigned sigh.
‘It’s not rocket science, Valentino. I grew up poor with a father who thought the grass was always greener on the other side and a mother who was uneducated. My mother had to work two jobs to put me through a private school so that I would have opportunities she never had. My making partner would mean everything to her.’
‘What does it mean to you?’
He saw her throat move as she swallowed. ‘The same.’
‘So you dreamt of being a corporate dynamo when you were a little girl?’
He’d meant to sound light, friendly, but Miller didn’t take it that way.
‘We can’t all have exciting careers like yours.
’
Her sheer defensiveness made him realise she was hiding something from him. ‘Interesting response.’
‘I expect it was easy for you,’ Miller prevaricated. ‘Your father raced.’
‘You think because my father was a racing champion my career choice was easy?’
‘I don’t know. Was it?’
‘My father died on the track when I was fifteen. My mother still buys me medical textbooks for Christmas in the hope I’ll change careers.’
She laughed, as he’d wanted her to do, but the pain of his father’s death startled him with its intensity. It was as if the crash had just happened—as if a sticking plaster had just been peeled off a festering wound.
Ruthlessly shutting down his emotions he fell back on his raconteur style. ‘Astronaut.’
‘What?’
‘Your childhood dream.’
‘No.’ She shook her head at his cajoling tone.
‘Lap dancer?’
‘Very funny.’
Some of the tension left her shoulders, but Tino still felt claustrophobic.
Jumping to his feet, he fetched a baseball cap from his travel bag. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Where?’
‘I don’t know. A drive.’ It was something that always calmed him.
She looked dubious. ‘You go. I have work to do.’
‘And all work and no play makes Miller a dull girl. Come on. It will refresh you.’
Miller sighed. ‘You’re like a steamroller when you want something. You know that?’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘SORRY, I only have one baseball cap,’ Valentino said, holding the car door open for her.
‘That’s okay. My fame hasn’t reached small seaside towns yet.’
He grinned at her lame joke and for some reason she felt better. Though she wasn’t really interested in feeling better. What she wanted was TJ’s signature on the bottom line of a contract and the weekend to be over. And not necessarily in that order.
She sighed, turning her mind away from work for once. ‘Why do celebrities wear baseball caps to hide their identity?’