Giving up hope of getting any peace and quiet until she’d placated her friend, Candy sat back in her chair and stared at the other woman. With her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, Missy Sinclair was a formidable presence. At six feet tall, with dark ebony skin and piercing brown eyes, Missy was gorgeous enough to have been a fashion model. People literally stopped in their tracks when she walked by— or sauntered by, as the case may be. Missy never hurried anywhere unless absolutely necessary. She was also the best friend a girl could ever have and the two of them had been close since they started working at TK Publishing six years ago.
“People don’t take a woman named Candy seriously.” She’d heard every joke and innuendo in the book growing up. For some unfathomable reason, her mother had saddled her with a name that always made her the butt of jokes.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, ignoring the brewing headache as she tried to remember where she’d put that address. “And I want to make the most of this promotion.” She’d been promoted to publicist, and this new project was the first she’d handled on her own for the company. Up until now, she’d been an assistant publicist— more a glorified secretary, actually. She was flying solo on this one and there was no way she wanted to screw it up. But nothing had been going the way she planned.
“Once people get to know you, they don’t care about your name. You’re damned good at your job.” Missy pushed a lock of dark brown hair out of her face and sighed. “And I still think you need to get laid.”
“That’s your answer for everything, Missy. Sex.” It was easy for her friend to suggest that, but then, she didn’t have any trouble getting dates. Candy hadn’t had a date since… well, she didn’t even want to try to remember the last time she managed to have a date with a man who even remotely interested her. Too many of her friends had set her up on blind dates and she’d sworn off men altogether after the last fiasco.
“No, it’s not.” Missy gracefully lowered herself into the seat in front of Candy’s desk and crossed her long, shapely legs. “Sometimes chocolate will do the trick.” She grinned mischievously. “But this situation definitely calls for sex.” She paused for effect before continuing. “When was the last time you even heated the sheets?”
“Just before Gary and I split over a year ago.” She slapped her hand over her mouth, unable to believe she’d just blurted that out.
Missy didn’t miss a beat. “See, I’m right. You really do need a night of hot, sweaty sex with some hunk. Practice safe sex and nobody gets hurt, but you’ll certainly feel much more relaxed about things.”
Candy chuckled in spite of herself. Missy always did know how to make her laugh and help her gain perspective on a problem. “I don’t have time to relax. What am I going to do about Lucas Squires?” She switched topics easily, knowing Missy would drop the subject. For now. “He won’t take my phone calls and I can’t leave a message because he doesn’t have an answering machine. What kind of person doesn’t have an answering machine or some kind of message manager in this day and age?” She took a deep breath when she heard the frustration in her own voice.
“Obviously a person who wants to be left alone.”
Candy scowled. “You’re not helping. I know he wants to be left alone, but as a publicist for this company, I’ve got to get him to do some promotion for his new book. It’s due out in two months and I haven’t been able to set up any kind of advance publicity at all that involved the elusive Mr. Squires.” This was her own very personal pet project and she desperately wanted it to succeed.
“It’s not your fault that he’s being reclusive.”
She knew that Missy was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better. “But I do feel responsible. I was the one who brought this project to the company in the first place.”
It had all started innocently enough at a downtown Chicago art gallery. Candy had fallen in love with the work of local painter, Katie Benjamin, and had attended the showing. She’d been thrilled to meet the artist and even more thrilled a few months later when Katie had called and asked her out to lunch. Over dessert, the other woman had produced the rough draft for a cookbook and asked Candy’s opinion.
She’d been enthralled by the idea of the book from the beginning.
Filled with original artwork from Katie— everything from simple line drawings to elaborate oil paintings— it was, quite simply, gorgeous. The text of the book consisted of recipes for all manner of desserts and treats as well as anecdotal stories about Coffee Breaks, a well-known local coffee shop. It was only after they’d talked for a while that Candy had come to realize that Katie had compiled the work, but the person behind the recipes was Lucas Squires, the owner of the shop.
Fired with enthusiasm, she’d convinced the editors at TK Publishing to take a chance on it. They loved the idea of combining the artwork of an up-and-coming artist with the recipes from a popular local coffee shop. They figured it would be a hit with locals and tourists alike and would have mass appeal as well. The recipes went from the simple to the complex, but there was something for everyone.
Now the book was close to release and management was pushing for advance promotion to coincide with the grand reopening of the new Coffee Breaks location. They wanted local television and media coverage, and she had yet to be able to track down Lucas Squires long enough to say one word to the man. It was frustrating, to say the least.
She was damned good at her job, but he was quickly becoming a mark on her otherwise unblemished record. And that, she could not allow. She knew she could do this job. After all, she’d done most of her old boss’s work before finally being promoted after years of hard work. There was no way she was going to allow Lucas Squires to ruin everything she’d worked for. All she wanted was a few hours of his time over the next few months. That certainly wasn’t unreasonable to expect considering the money her company had put behind this project.
“Earth to Candy.” Missy waved her hand back and forth. “I recognize that look and it means you’re up to something.”
Candy jumped. She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she’d all but forgotten that her friend was still sitting there. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pasted an innocent look on her face, but Missy just laughed at her.
“I know you too well to be fooled by the ‘I’m not doing anything’ look.”
Placing her hand over her heart, she shook her head sorrowfully. “I’m so misunderstood.” Missy laughed but made no motion to leave, and Candy knew she wouldn’t budge until she knew what was going on. “Okay.” She leaned back in her own chair. “There’s a party this afternoon, by invitation only, to celebrate the fact that the new location of Coffee Breaks will be ready to open its doors next week.”
“And you know this because…” Missy’s voice trailed off.
“Katie just happened to send me an invitation.” She felt a large smile spread across her face. “And Mr. Elusive has to be at his own party, right? All I have to do is corner him and keep at him until he agrees to give me a few hours of promotion time.”
“Very sneaky. I like that about you.” Missy glanced at her watch, sighed and stood. “I’ve got to get back to work, but take it easy at the party. Maybe he’s got a reason for avoiding you. Maybe he’s just shy.”
Candy nodded. “Maybe.” In fact, she had a picture of the man in her head. She knew he was in his early forties and she figured he was short and probably balding. He also spent most of his time in a kitchen, so he was probably portly as well. She could relate to that as she was no lightweight herself, perpetually trying to shed that last ten pounds that would never go away and sat right on her hips and belly.
“I’ll call you tonight for the scoop on the success or failure of your party crashing.” Missy wiggled her fingers goodbye as she strolled out the door.
Turning back to her desk, Candy dug through the pile in her in-box. She was sure she’d tossed the invitation in there when she’d gotten it. Ah ha! She plucked the creamcolored
envelope out from between two magazines and waved it in the air. Today, she would meet the infamous Lucas Squires. He’d soon find that he could run, but he couldn’t hide from her.
Lucas stood in the shadows of the far corner and stared around the room. Pleasure filled him. He couldn’t believe how much the building had changed since he had purchased it. Even though it had been rundown and in need of major repairs, it had still cost him a pretty penny. But it was worth every cent, he thought as he took in the changes that weeks of hard work and sweat had wrought.
The main area of the coffee shop was warm and inviting. Hardwood floors gleamed underfoot— a pleasant surprise that they’d found when they’d ripped up the old linoleum. Wainscoting adorned the bottom half of the wall, while a rich French vanilla cream color topped the upper half. Wood tables and chairs were scattered strategically around the room, while five cozy booths lined the far wall. The sinking February sun was shining in through the series of small windows that ran across the front of the shop. All in all, Lucas was pleased with the work that had been done and in such a short time.
Right now the space was filled with people, many of them long-time customers or suppliers, as well as a smattering of friends and neighbors who’d all come today to celebrate the finish of the renovations. Chatter filled the air as people drifted from group to group, talking and laughing and eating. He’d already replenished the buffet table twice and this crowd showed no signs of letting up. Good thing he’d made plenty.
“So, what do you think?”
Lucas recognized the arm that slipped around his waist and he automatically draped his arm across her shoulders as he looked down at the woman standing beside him. Until recently, there had only been two people on the face of the planet that Lucas considered family, and Katie Wallace, former employee and the sister of his heart, was one of them. Not related by blood, they had long ago decided they were family. But in the past year, that small circle had expanded to three and now included her new husband as well.
“Lucas?” She was frowning at him now, so he gave her a quick squeeze of reassurance.
“It looks good.”
She laughed, the sweet sound filling the room. “Honestly, could you tone down your enthusiasm?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up slightly as he glowered at her in mock anger. “All right,” he conceded. “I love it.” He gazed around the room again and his voice lowered. “I really love it.”
It was the first home he’d ever owned. And that’s what it was, really. He’d taken the main floor for the new shop, but the top floor of the modest three-story building belonged to him, and he was slowly renovating it to suit his own tastes and needs. The second floor had been gutted but still needed to be remodeled. He had plans to rent the entire floor either as office space or as two apartments. He hadn’t quite decided yet.
“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.” She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“Making time with my wife, Squires?” a male voice growled. Cain Benjamin was a huge man who stood well over six-and-a-half-feet tall. With a black patch covering his left eye and his long black hair flowing to his shoulders, he looked more like a pirate than a multimillionaire businessman.
Lucas just cocked his eyebrow at the large man who’d strolled over to stand beside them. “You treating her right?”
Katie laughed again and gave him another quick kiss before going over to slide into her husband’s arms. “Honestly, anybody listening to you two would think you couldn’t stand each other.”
Lucas was glad that Katie had found a man who loved her as much as Cain obviously did. Their relationship hadn’t been an easy one from the very beginning and for a while it didn’t look like they’d make it. They’d had more than their share of problems to sort through, but the big guy had finally come to his senses, and not a moment too soon as far as Lucas was concerned. Now the two of them were happy together and Lucas had found himself with an unexpected friend.
The ironic part of the situation was that it was Cain’s company that had bought the original building that had housed Coffee Breaks and had forced Lucas to look for another location. That had also caused problems for Cain and Katie when it had finally come out.
Lucas had thought about leaving Chicago altogether, but after much soul-searching he had decided to stay. After all, it was home. It had all ended for the best as far as Lucas was concerned. In fact, it was Cain who’d suggested this building to him.
“Congratulations, Lucas.” Cain extended his hand and Lucas reached out and shook it. The two of them were friends now. Katie had been the reason they’d met, but they had forged their own bond of friendship over the last year.
“Thanks.” The other man had helped him with much more than just finding the building. “For everything.” Lucas meant to continue, but his mind suddenly went blank, all thoughts forgotten, as the woman from his dreams walked in through the front door of his shop.
He blinked, certain he was dreaming. But she was still there, chewing on her bottom lip as she peered around the room, obviously searching for someone. As she opened her coat, slid it off and handed it to the person in charge of the coat-check he’d set up for the evening, his cock stirred and every male instinct he possessed began screaming at him to claim her before another man did.
Her cheeks were flushed from the cold outside and her lips were rosy. He couldn’t tell if the color of her lips was due to her lipstick or the fact that she was chewing nervously on them. Her hair was thick and curly, falling to just past her shoulders, and when she walked past the window, the fading sunlight made it glint. It was the color of a cinnamon stick. She was wearing a nondescript beige suit, which, in his opinion, was about two sizes too big for her. It hid her shape. But Lucas had always been a keen observer and this woman had some serious curves under that outfit. He’d bet on it.
As if from a distance, he heard Katie tell him that she and Cain were going to get something to eat. He must have made an appropriate response because they left him standing there as they wandered off toward the buffet table that had been set up on the main counter of the shop.
He tracked the mystery lady as she moved through the room. The heels on her boots were about four inches high and were ridiculously inappropriate for a slippery winter day as far as he was concerned. But man, they made her legs look good. The only redeeming feature about the hideous suit she wore was that the skirt fell about three inches above her knee. From what he could see, she had incredible legs.
He was starting to sweat now. He swore and took a deep breath as his cock pushed hard against the zipper of his jeans. A hard-on was definitely not appropriate for a crowded party, but what was a guy to do when a vision from his own fantasy walked through the front door?
She stopped to chat to someone and he growled with displeasure when she placed her hand on the other man’s arm. He felt like stalking over and yanking her hand away.
What the hell was the matter with him? He turned away and took another deep breath. He had to get control of himself. Raking his hand through his hair, he gathered his composure before turning back to the room.
His stomach clenched when he didn’t see her right away. Had she left? Quickly, he scanned the room and found her off to his right, looking slightly forlorn. Maybe he could help her find whoever she was looking for. After all, as host of this party, it was his responsibility to make sure his guests were taken care of.
Right, he snorted as he sauntered toward her, ignoring everyone who tried to catch his attention. His entire focus was on the woman in front of him.
Chapter Three
Candy stared around the room in dismay. She couldn’t believe that she’d missed Lucas Squires yet again. But the person she’d just talked to had told her that the object of her search had already come and gone. “Damn. Damn. Damn,” she muttered under her breath.
This was definitely not going as planned. Besides which, her new boots hurt her feet and she was starving. It was just after
five o’clock and she hadn’t had time for lunch. Sighing, she thought about just hauling on her coat and going home to curl up with a pizza and about a gallon of vanilla ice cream. It had been that kind of a day.
“That’s a big sigh. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Candy glanced toward the voice and had to look up. Oh my! For the first time in her life, all ability to speak left her. The man standing next to her cocked his eyebrow, obviously waiting for her reply. Well, he’d have to wait a little longer. There was no way she could talk. It was taking all her concentration just to breathe.
Never had she been so instantly attracted to a man in her life. He was much taller than she was, and she was wearing high-heeled boots. But then again, she wasn’t very tall, so that wasn’t surprising. Massive— that was the first word that came to mind to describe him. His shoulders looked to be about a yard wide and his thick biceps strained the sleeves of the short-sleeved T-shirt he was wearing. Her fingers itched to touch them just to see if they were as hard as they looked.
His blond hair was cut short, but there was just enough for her to run her fingers through. Her hands curled into fists at her sides as she fought the impulse to just reach out and stroke it. His face wasn’t pretty. Instead it was compelling and tough, just like the rest of him. His nose looked as if it had been broken at least once, and his thin lips were set in a half-scowl as he continued to wait for her reply.
He was the kind of man you didn’t want to meet in a dark alley, the kind of man that made other men nervous. But Candy wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. For the first time in her life, she understood instant attraction. Everything feminine inside her was screaming out to jump this man’s bones. Her breasts were aching and she was glad that she’d kept her suit jacket buttoned or he’d be able to see her pebbled nipples through her blouse. She fought the impulse to squirm as she creamed her panties just looking at this sexy stranger.
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