As for Justin, well, she’d just have to think about that a little longer. She went back to work, but her mother’s words kept ringing in her ears.
The phone rang again and she pushed her personal problems to the back of her mind. “Good morning, Candy Logan’s office.”
“Good morning, sugar.”
His low voice slid over her like hot caramel over an ice cream sundae and just like that, she felt better, happier. “And what can I do for you, Mr. Squires?”
He laughed, the sensual sound skittering across her skin, making goose bumps rise on her arms. “I can think of several things at the moment.”
“Lucas.” His name came out as part admonishment, part moan as several fantasies of her own flitted through her brain.
“You shouldn’t ask me such provocative questions if you don’t want me to answer them.” She could hear voices in the background and knew he was calling from work. “But that’s not why I called.”
Candy squirmed in her seat, trying to ignore her growing arousal. “Why did you call?”
“Two things. First, are you coming over for dinner tonight?”
“Do you want me to?” She wondered if he wasn’t beginning to get tired of having her around every single evening.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” his rough voice growled over the phone.
“I’d love to come over for dinner. Should I bring anything?”
“Just yourself, sugar.”
“Okay.” She glanced at her watch, knowing she had to cut this short. “What was the second thing?”
“Check your purse. I slipped a little something inside this morning before you left.” She heard someone calling him in the distance. “I’ve gotta run, but I’ll see you tonight.” The phone clicked in her ear and she pulled it back and looked at it. What was it with people hanging up on her this morning?
Curious now, she opened her bottom desk drawer and dragged out her large leather handbag. She hadn’t really looked in it this morning, she’d been in such a hurry when she’d left his place to get home and change in time to get to work. Thankfully, Lucas was always up at the crack of dawn, but still, she’d barely had enough time. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep that up, but for now, she was managing. And the payoff of spending all night snuggled up in bed with Lucas was reward enough for any minor inconveniences.
Unzipping her purse, she rummaged around inside and found the small plastic container that had worked its way to the bottom. Prying off the lid, she peered inside. Nestled on a napkin was a masterpiece of layers of light, fluffy pastry separated by a cream and chocolate filling. A light drizzle of chocolate decorated the top layer.
Candy groaned even as she carefully plucked the treat from the container and laid it on the lid. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to put on a ton of weight. Lucas did seem to enjoy feeding her. Now she definitely needed coffee.
Glancing at her closed office door, she decided she wasn’t taking any chances. Stowing her purse back in the bottom drawer, she yanked open the top one and shoved some papers aside. When she had enough room, she placed the pastry and the container inside and pushed the drawer closed.
She sniffed the air carefully and decided it was probably safe. Ever since word of the brownies had gotten out, many of Candy’s coworkers had started stopping by unannounced to check and see if she’d gotten any more of them. Unfortunately, Missy had been quite vocal in her praise of them and some of the other women in the office were jealous that they hadn’t gotten any.
But Candy only had one pastry and she wasn’t sharing.
The phone rang again just as she reached for her mug. Casting a longing stare at her empty mug, she sighed as she picked up the receiver. “Candy Logan’s office.”
“Ms. Logan, this is Barbara Bates from Jasper Publishing in New York.”
Candy straightened in her chair. “Yes, Ms. Bates. What can I do for you?” Her curiosity was piqued. It wasn’t every day she got a call from a big New York City publisher. Okay, so she’d never had one before. This was her first.
The other woman laughed. “Maybe we can help each other. As you may or may not know, we recently signed a former writer of TK Publishing, Karissa Fields.”
“That’s wonderful. I always knew that Karissa would make it big.”
“Well, Karissa speaks very highly of you as well. In fact, according to Karissa, you’re very good at what you do, Ms. Logan.” The other woman paused briefly before continuing. “We have a position opening up in our publicity department and would like to interview you if you’re interested.”
Candy had to close her mouth, which had dropped open. “Uh, this is quite a surprise.”
Ms. Bates laughed again. “I’m sure it must be. But we’d really like you to think about it. I’ve chatted with other authors you’ve worked with and they all speak very highly of you. I know that you were officially the assistant on these earlier jobs, but according to everyone I talked to, there was really no doubt in anyone’s mind who was really doing the work.”
“I’m very flattered by your offer,” Candy began, not really sure how to respond. On one hand, it was a fantastic offer. But, on the other, it meant packing up and moving away from her friends and family and a job that she was comfortable in. It also meant leaving Lucas.
“You don’t have to say yes or no right now. I realize this is very sudden and you probably want to think about it,” Ms. Bates continued briskly. “Why don’t I give you my number? Take a week and think about it, then give me a call.”
Candy yanked a notepad in front of her and jotted down the phone number. Her mouth dropped open again when the other woman listed the beginning salary. “I’ll definitely give your offer some thought.” She tossed her pen down on top of her desk. “And thank you, Ms. Bates, for the offer. It really is quite generous.”
“I hope to hear from you soon, Ms. Logan.”
Candy was sure she said goodbye to the other woman, but she wasn’t exactly sure what else she might have said. Her mind was spinning with the possibilities. New York City, a big publishing company and more money than she had ever made in her life.
She pulled open her desk drawer to look for her calendar and came face-to-face with the exquisite pastry that Lucas had made for her. She couldn’t believe she’d actually forgotten about it.
Coffee and sustenance first. Then she’d think about the job offer.
Picking up her mug, she walked to the door, but glanced back at her desk. She thought about taking the pastry with her, but didn’t want to risk anyone smelling the chocolate or cream. Easing her door open, she slipped out, closing it behind her. She was smiling as she hurried to the break room for a refill.
Chapter Twelve
Lucas didn’t want to be here. For a man who valued his privacy, this promotional stuff was taking its toll on his good humor. He had no idea why people wanted to know about his private life. It was called private for a reason. So far, with the print interviews he’d been able to steer the conversation back to the book, focusing on Coffee Breaks, the recipes themselves and Katie’s artwork.
He wasn’t looking forward to this afternoon at all. Yes, it was only a local cable show, but it was still television and it was taped in front of a live audience. He’d only agreed to do it when the host of the show, Angela Murray, had consented to keep her questions confined to the upcoming release of the book and the recent reopening of Coffee Breaks. It was only a short seven-minute segment, and Lucas was her first guest of the day, so he was hoping it would be over quickly.
Much like yanking off a bandage fast to avoid pain, Lucas wanted this over and done with. He doubted Candy would be pleased by the analogy, but he didn’t care. He was only doing this because it made her happy. He couldn’t care less about publicity for the book. As far as he was concerned, he’d done his part just in helping Katie write the damned thing.
He stepped back out of the way as a man carrying what looked like a large microphone of some kind
hurried past him. Leaning back against the wall, he amused himself by watching Candy work. The woman loved her job, no doubt about it, and she was incredibly good at it. She’d obviously had dealings with the people here at the television station before and called many people by name.
She’d even swooped by Coffee Breaks first and bought several large boxloads of goodies to bring along for the staff and the audience. Lucas was still ticked off that she’d insisted on paying for it. When he protested, she’d just laughed and said it came out of her promotional budget. It was good business to take along samples for people to taste. He still wasn’t thrilled with the idea of her paying, but he’d satisfied himself by adding extras to the boxes when she wasn’t looking.
He watched her as she talked with the host of the show. Afternoon with Angela was a popular local production, and it was plain to see that Angela liked to be in charge of every detail. She blithely ordered people around, unmindful and uncaring of the fact that everyone was already busy. He’d seen her yelling at her makeup artist earlier when she’d thought there was no one else around. He wasn’t impressed.
She was such a contrast standing next to Candy. Angela was polished from head to foot in a red power suit that hugged her tall, lithe body. Her short black hair was perfectly styled and her makeup impeccable. Candy, on the other hand, was wearing another one of her bland, beige suits that was about two sizes to big. Several strands of hair had already escaped from the big silver clip that anchored it in an intricate twist. And whatever lipstick she’d put on earlier, she’d long since chewed off. Lucas wanted to get her to himself for a few minutes and muss her up even more.
As soon as this was over, he was going to take her back to his place for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe cook her something special for supper. He enjoyed cooking for Candy. She took such pleasure in whatever he fed her, enjoying every single bite. His body tightened painfully. Watching her eat was as good as watching most women in the throes of an orgasm. The way she delicately closed her mouth around the fork and slid the food into her mouth gave a man ideas. And then she’d close her eyes as she chewed, making little mewling noises of enjoyment as she savored it.
Lucas shook himself. God, he was getting turned on just thinking about her eating. He had it bad. He’d been right when he’d told T. S. that Candy was trouble. Once again, Angela turned away from Candy as she was trying to talk to the show’s host. Lucas barely resisted the urge to go over and grab Candy’s hand and drag her out of here. It was hard to watch the other woman treat her with such a visible lack of respect.
But Candy had class and tenacity and waited patiently, bringing Angela’s attention back to her time and again until she’d finished whatever it was she was saying to her. Finally, Angela nodded briskly, said a few words and then walked away as her producer informed her it was almost time to begin.
Candy turned and made her way back toward him, being careful to step over all the cables running across the floor. Once again, she was wearing a pair of those impractical high heels, but they did make her legs look fantastic. He shifted as his cock began to stir again.
By the time she reached him, she was smiling. “Everything is settled. You’ll be first and we can leave as soon as your segment is taped.”
“Good.”
She placed her hand on the arm. He’d refused to wear a suit, thinking he’d have a fight on his hands. But once again, she’d surprised him, laughing and telling him to wear whatever he was comfortable in. He’d opted for jeans, boots and a white shirt. “I know you didn’t want to do this, but it will be over before you know it.”
“You owe me for this,” he reminded her, loving the way her eyes darkened with desire.
“Hmm, what do you have in mind?” She squeezed his arm gently. Anyone looking at them would just see a publicist calming her client. Only he could see the fire in her eyes, feel the subtle tension in her body.
“We go back to my place as soon as we’re finished here.”
“I’d planned to go back to work.” She paused and coyly peeked up at him from under her long, brown eyelashes. “But I could probably be persuaded.”
“Time, people!” The shout startled them both and Candy dropped her hand and took a step back. He missed the contact immediately.
A harried-looking man with a clipboard came running up to them. “Okay,” he whispered. “We’re starting now and I’ll let you know when to walk on. You’ll shake hands, sit, and before you know it, you’ll be done.”
Lucas nodded as a cheerful voice came over the loudspeaker welcoming everyone to another taping of Afternoon with Angela. A short musical ditty followed as Angela walked out on stage, looking poised and confident as she waved at the studio audience before making her way to sit behind her desk.
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the show. We’ve got an exciting lineup today. Margaret Baxter will be here later to talk about an upcoming local hospital fundraiser and we’ll also be speaking with Jason Diamond, the president of a local environmental group that is concerned about the City Council rezoning law that was just passed.”
She smiled and sat forward in her chair. “But first, I’ve got a treat for you. Lucas Squires, the owner of Coffee Breaks, a popular local coffee shop, has recently written a brand-new cookbook that is due to launch in two weeks. And he’s here today to talk to us. Please help me welcome my first guest today, Lucas Squires.”
The audience began to applaud and the man with the clipboard motioned him forward. Lucas glanced at Candy and she smiled at him, giving him a quick thumbs-up. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to walk across the stage, reminding himself that he’d done much harder things in his life.
He shook Angela’s hand and waited until she was seated before taking his own seat next to her desk. He nodded at the audience as he tried to relax.
“Welcome to the show, Lucas.” He nodded at her and she continued on when it became apparent he wasn’t going to add anything to her opening gambit. “Tell us about the book. What made you decide to write a cookbook?”
“I didn’t.” He took another breath, knowing he had to do some talking or these seven minutes were going to last forever. “It was actually Katie’s idea. She’s the artist whose work is featured in the book.” He was warming to the topic now. It was easy to talk about Katie.
“That would be Katie Benjamin,” Angela prompted.
Lucas chuckled. “Sorry about that. I tend to think everybody knows Katie.” The audience laughed along with him and he relaxed slightly. “She’s an amazing artist and her work for the book is among her best to date. Many of the original paintings used in the book are available for sale at the Stacey Stoner Gallery. I even bought a couple of them for Coffee Breaks. I figured I better buy them while I could still afford them.” Once again, the audience laughed.
“Obviously, you’re a big fan of her work.” He caught an edge to Angela’s voice and turned toward her. “But how did a man like yourself come to create such wonderful recipes?”
Lucas shrugged. “Years of baking and trying different things in the coffee shop. I’d experiment with recipes, changing ingredients, and eventually created quite a few original ones.”
“That’s not quite what I meant.” Her eyes glittered in the harsh studio lights and Lucas felt his guts twist. Whatever was coming wasn’t going to be good. “I meant,” she paused and leaned toward him. “How do you go from convicted felon to cookie baker?” A huge gasp rose from the audience.
Stunned by the unexpected attack, Lucas sat there and stared at Angela as she smiled triumphantly. “After all, you did go to prison for assaulting a man.” She turned to the audience. “His own father, in fact.” The audience was murmuring loudly now. “Tell us, Lucas, how does a man with such a violent and criminal history come to write a cookbook?”
Lucas slowly came to his feet. Angela shrank back dramatically as if expecting him to become violent. He shook his head at her theatrics, turned and walked off the stage. The audience’s c
hatter became louder, the noise casting him back in time to that courtroom years ago, it was so similar. He almost expected to hear the wooden pounding of the judge’s gavel as he demanded order in the court.
He could hear Angela talking in the background, but he paid no attention to what she was saying. Right now all he wanted to do was grab Candy and leave. He looked neither right nor left but forged a direct path toward her.
Her face was deathly pale as she stared up at him, her beautiful brown eyes filled with horror. One of her hands covered her mouth and the other one had a death grip on her purse. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hug her tight, but first he had to get them out of there so they could talk. “Come on. Let’s go.”
He put out his hand, but she shrank away from him. Lucas felt as if someone had plunged a dagger in his heart. “Is it true?” Her voice shook so hard that he could barely understand it.
“We’ll talk when we get home.” He had to get out of here. His gut was telling him to grab her and run from this place.
“Is it true?” Her voice was stronger now.
The betrayal Lucas felt was so great he felt something inside him dying. If Candy cared anything at all for him, she’d be furious about this unexpected attack and want to talk to him. Hell, he’d even hoped she’d wrap her arms around him and tell him it didn’t matter. That might be unrealistic, but at this point he didn’t care. He was hurting and it didn’t seem to matter a damn to her. He was the same man he was this morning. The same man she’d slept with and shared herself with the past few weeks. But that didn’t seem to count for much of anything at this moment.
He felt a numbness in the pit of his stomach, growing with each second that he stared at her until it enveloped him completely.
“Yes.” He offered no other explanation, but turned and walked away, his heart growing colder with every step.
Candy couldn’t believe Lucas was just walking away from her. The sound of that one stark word, “Yes”, was still ringing in her ears. She wanted to run after him, to yell at him not to walk away and leave her here alone. She wanted him to haul her into his arms and tell her it was all a lie. But she did neither as she absorbed the impact of that one word. Yes.
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