"May I come in?"
Lila shook her head. She knew where that led. "What do you want?"
"You never sent a bill."
She nodded, and a grimace crossed his face. "Can't we talk about this inside, cupcake? Or do you prefer that the whole neighborhood see you in your fuzzy pink bathrobe?"
He's got a point. Lila blushed and stood aside, allowing Drake to enter. She closed the door behind him, then crossed her arms and leaned against it. "What do you want?" she asked again.
Alex sighed. "Look, you didn't send a bill so I sent you a check, but my bank says it hasn't been cashed yet."
"I ripped it up."
"What?" His shocked expression almost made her laugh. He must have seen her lips twitching because his expression lightened. "You're joking?"
"No, I'm not. I ripped up your check. It was too much."
"No, it wasn't." Alex took a step closer. "You did a fantastic job, so I rewarded you."
"Which job are you talking about? The catering, or the blow jobs?
His mouth tightened. "I don't pay for sex."
Lila couldn't help the jibe that slid out next. "Looking at your fiancée, I wouldn't think you would have to, but..."
"I'm sorry," he said then, stepping closer, making Lila slide away from the door and around him to put space between them. "Lila, I didn't want to hurt you. Something came over me, and I know you felt it too. But it was wrong, and I apologize."
"Maybe you should be apologizing to your future wife."
His eyes shot sparks, his mouth a thin line. "You're right. But I should apologize to you as well. And I am."
"Fine. Now, if that's all..." She motioned toward the door.
"No, that's not all. I want that bill for the party."
"Your deposit covers it."
"Like hell." He pulled out his wallet, grabbing out an assortment of bills.
Lila put her hands up. "I'm serious. No payment needed."
Alex grumbled, shoving his money back into his wallet and the wallet back into his pocket. "If you won't accept payment for the first job you did for me, perhaps you'll agree to do the second?"
"The second?" Alex was offering her another job? After the fiasco of the first?
"Yes. I want you to cater my wedding."
Lila rolled her eyes. The nerve of him! "Get out."
"I'm serious," he protested. "Hear me out. Your food is excellent, and I need a wedding caterer. I know your business is just starting out and you could use the exposure."
"I don't need it that bad," she retorted. "You must be insane if you think--"
"Yes, I'm insane. I admit it. So agree to cater the wedding, and I'll pay you an insane amount."
"You know that money isn't important to me."
Alex nodded, his gray eyes holding hers captive. "I know. But your business is. If you agree, I'll promote the hell out of your catering service. I'll print the name of the business on my programs. I'll let you put up a sign at the reception. I'll sing your praises to all of my associates until you've got to find a bigger kitchen."
His words were rapid-fire, his tone persuasive. But the thought of spending more time in close quarters with Drake was sobering.
"Mr. Drake, I appreciate your offer--"
"Goddammit, I told you call me Alex." His eyes were fierce, and his hands came up to grip her shoulders tightly.
"Mr. Drake," she said again, "I respectfully decline."
"Don't," he said, and she thought for a moment that there was more than petty disappointment in his tone. "Don't say no. I know you need this."
"And you're willing to pressure me into it, is that it?" Lila couldn't help the stiffness that came into her face. She picked up his hands and removed them from her body.
"Yes," he said, staring down at her after shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'll pay you one hundred thousand dollars."
"That's insane!" Lila couldn't believe him. Why was he doing this, coming to her when he could have any caterer in the state, especially at that price?
"It's not insane. Agree to cater my wedding and you won't regret it, I swear to you."
Lila shook her head. It made no sense. But then she caught the hint of hurt in his eyes, and paused. She did need the job, the money and the exposure. But was it worth the price she would pay?
"Fine," she said at last. "I'll cater your wedding, you big jerk."
"Thank you," he said, pulling out his hand from his pocket and taking hers, shaking it up and down vigorously. "I look forward to discussing the arrangements with you."
"Just get out," she said wearily.
Alex frowned, then nodded, turning back to the door and opening it. Before he departed, he paused. "I'll have my assistant deposit $20,000 in your account. As a deposit on the wedding. It seems I can't trust you with a check."
"Get out!"
With a smile, he went out the door and she slammed it behind him.
* * *
The restaurant was crowded, the noise reaching their table although it was situated in a private alcove. He watched as Alana scanned the crowd again, her eyes alert for anyone she might know or want to know among the diners. Alex set down his silverware and sighed.
"I've settled on a designer for the dress. The location we were talking about has a couple of days open in December, so I think we should decide on a date and book it."
Alex nodded distractedly. He'd talked her out having the wedding in the Caribbean, and then had to persuade her away from New York. Portland was his adopted home town, and he stood firm in having the wedding here, where he lived and worked. Although she'd pouted for a week, not-so-subtly hinting that most of her friends and colleagues were in NYC, he hadn't been swayed.
Finally she'd given up trying to change the location and had set to spending his money as quickly as she could. The venue was a luxury hotel downtown with a spacious ballroom that was often the site of expensive weddings. He was sure Alana would shine in the lavish surroundings, and that was what was most important to her.
"The florist wants a deposit. I think five thousand should cover the down payment, but I want orchids, so I'd expect the final cost will be triple that."
"Of course," he murmured, taking a drink of water. Weddings weren't cheap, especially a wedding planned by Alana Morgan, a wedding that was sure to be the most expensive in recent memory. He'd be surprised if her dress cost less than the entire catering bill.
Maybe my offer to Lila was too low. He considered it, but knew there was no way she'd take more. Money didn't interest her. He wondered what did.
"I've talked to a travel agent about the honeymoon. She can get us a private bungalow at the most exclusive resort in Bali for a whole month, but I wasn't sure if we should confine ourselves to one island. I thought a week in Tokyo for shopping would be nice."
"A month is too long," he replied automatically. "I have to work." And he didn't know if he'd survive a month of doing nothing but doting on his bride.
Her lips turned down into a frown, an unattractive expression for her face. "Two weeks then. No negotiation."
He nodded absently and she returned to her list of demands. Alex tried keeping a running tally of expenses in his head, but soon realized the futility of such an exercise. Alana didn't care about the cost. Why should he?
Maybe because he knew exactly where the money was coming from. How hard he'd had to work to earn all the dough she was doling out so indiscriminately.
Multi-millionaire Alexander Drake came from humble beginnings. They were so humble, he'd not had a dime of his own until college. Any time he'd managed to bring home some cash, his father had quickly stripped him of it, spending the earnings on moonshine and cigarettes. Alex had gotten wise and began hiding any payments he received for odd jobs or pelts he'd taken while hunting. His father had gotten wise and started beating the money's location out of him. Finally Alex had given up on hiding and just turned his money over to his father. It was easier. It didn't make his little sisters cry.
"You're not paying attention to me."
Alex jerked back to the present, his eyes finding Alana's. Hers were cold, annoyed.
"Sorry, dear. I was thinking about college. Did I ever tell you how I started my first business?"
"No," she replied politely, her eyes leaving his to once again scan the crowd.
Alex leaned back, letting the memory wash over him. "The internet was just hinting at its potential my freshman year in college. Websites were popping up, and people were starting to trust their computers with such sacred information as their credit card numbers. I saved up the money I made working nights as a dishwasher to buy my first computer. I took a few classes on web design and writing code, and I figured out how to set up online funds transfers."
Alex drummed his fingers on the table, remembering the long nights he'd spent teaching himself how to build webpages and figuring out marketing angles. "I approached a few progressive local businesses and convinced them to build a web presence, as well as set up online orders. Most were skeptical at first, but that first year I got five businesses to contract their websites through me. All of them increased their profits, some doubled or tripled their business. After that, I hired a few more students, built my business up until half the big manufacturers and retailers in the region were contracting through me, and in my senior year I sold the company for a quarter of a million dollars."
"Fascinating," Alana breathed, and Alex looked up, realizing her attention wasn't on him but on the crowd. People like Alana didn't care where the money came from, as long as it could be spent freely. He bit back a sigh, motioning to the waiter to refill his wine glass.
Alana pushed away her plate, and he noticed that she'd taken no more than a few bites. The meal would cost him several hundred dollars and she'd barely tasted it.
"Now, the caterer is tricky," she began again, "but I've narrowed it down to two finalists."
"The caterer's taken care of."
Alana frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I've already hired the caterer." He took a sip of wine to fortify himself.
"You have? Who?"
"The same woman who catered our party has agreed to do the wedding." Another sip of wine. It did little to cool the heat inside him. His eyes bored into Alana's, telegraphing the message to move on.
She obviously didn't receive that message. "Her? I thought you didn't like her. I thought she was crying because you were firing her."
"She wasn't crying," he said too loudly, then took a breath and lowered his voice. "I thought she did a great job at the party. The guests all seemed to enjoy the food."
"Sure, it was fine, but our wedding? Do you think she can handle an event of that magnitude?"
Alex had to fight not to spit his wine across the table. An event of that magnitude? Who the fuck did she think they were, the Royal Couple? "She'll do fine. She catered the Masterson wedding impeccably. Don't worry about it."
Alana's eyes narrowed and a little worm of nervousness coiled in his belly. "If you say so," she said in her breathy voice, a voice he was quickly coming to equate with her disbelief.
"A week in Tokyo sounds nice," he said with a large smile. Maybe that would distract her from the caterer business.
Alana smiled back, then added a simper to her voice. "Oh Alex, it sounds wonderful."
Chapter Nine
"Mr. Drake's office calling."
Lila bit her lip as she recognized the efficient tones of Helen Douglas, Alex's assistant.
"How can I help you?"
"Mr. Drake would like me to set up a meeting to discuss the catering of his wedding. He's asked for a time this week that would be appropriate to come by your establishment. Evenings work best for his schedule."
Lila rolled her eyes. She bet evenings did work best. Just like the evening he'd spent in her kitchen. And the one she'd spent in his. Oh no, evenings would not work best for her schedule.
"I'm sorry, but my evenings are tied up. I can meet Mr. Drake in the afternoon. And not at my place, er, my establishment either."
"I see." Helen's voice was curious, but she didn't press the matter. "Mr. Drake does have an opening at one on Thursday. He usually takes his lunch then, but--"
"Lunch is fine." Lila jumped on the excuse not to be alone with Alex in his office. She didn't trust herself behind closed doors with the man. Lunch would be perfect. A very public lunch. "Is there a restaurant nearby that Mr. Drake frequents?"
Lila imagined she could hear the wheels turning in Helen's head. "Let's see, he's fond of a little place in Chinatown, within walking distance of the building." Helen gave her the name and address, and Lila agreed to meet Mr. Drake there on Thursday.
She didn't notice how fast her heart was beating until she hung up the phone. Damn, just the thought of meeting with the man made her palms sweaty and her heart rate increase. Picturing Alex Drake was a better workout than doing an hour's worth of cardio.
Still, Thursday didn't give her much time to come up with a game plan. Lila was grateful for all the research she'd done for the Masterson wedding. She knew what upscale ceremonies called for. But tailoring to Alex's tastes would be a challenge. Not to mention his fiancée's tastes. Then again, Lila wondered if the woman even ate at all.
The soon-to-be Mrs. Drake was tall, thin, and willowy. A man's dream. Her perfect white smile and mile-long legs were death to the competition. Especially when that competition was five foot five and probably had more than fifty pounds on her. Hell, probably a hundred.
Lila sighed. Why the fuck was she comparing herself with Alana Morgan? Yes, she knew who the woman was, had googled her and found tons of pictures of Alana and Alex. Tons of gossip sites bursting with rumors of their engagement. She was mentally kicking herself for not googling Alex before the party, her only excuse being that she'd been too busy to bother. But she'd learned her lesson well, and had tortured herself with internet innuendo about their relationship for hours.
Every day she'd berated herself for falling into the same trap again. Just like high school, only almost more painful, since this was real life and she wasn't supposed to make the same mistakes. Every night she'd laid in her bed remembering his hands on her, her body too revved up with the memories to surrender to sleep until she brought herself to climax and exhaustion. And every morning she'd wake up, feeling guilty, feeling cornered, but feeling sweet anticipation at seeing him again.
Why would he hire her for his wedding? She'd asked herself this question dozens of times, and had yet to come up with a suitable answer. She doubted that he wanted to continue their...affair wasn't quite the right word. Hook-up? He'd been a jerk for not telling her about the engagement, no doubt, but he didn't seem a big enough ass to continue his seduction of her, not with her knowing. If it wasn't lust, then what was it?
Guilt, her mind whispered, and Lila shivered. Alex felt guilty over using her and was throwing her a bone by letting her cater his wedding. Lila prayed that she was wrong, feeling that the pain she'd experience if guilt was driving him would be greater than the betrayal she'd already experienced. She didn't need any man's pity, even if she did need the exposure for her business.
If it wasn't lust, and it wasn't guilt, Lila couldn't begin to fathom what the real reason for his generosity could be. Again her mind attacked, bringing up an even greater fear than the thought of Alex's guilt. He's setting you up.
No. She shook her head. Why would Alex be setting her up? For what purpose?
To expose you and embarrass you. Like before.
No!
Lila covered her eyes, pressing on them to keep the tears from welling up. This wasn't like before. She'd never let anything like that happen to her again.
Lila sprang from the table, desperate to drive out her treacherous thoughts. She piled a stack of
magazines, cookbooks, and notes on her table and dove in, praying that hard work would banish her past and keep her future safe.
* * *
Alex spotted her in the dim lighting of Fong's and headed back to her table. "Sorry I'm late. My last meeting went over."
"No problem," she said, giving him a small smile. Alex sat across from her, taking a moment to drink in her presence. Her long hair was drawn back in a braid that now came over her shoulder to hang past her breasts. Her perfect, luscious breasts.
He adjusted himself under the table, wishing he wasn't such a fool. He picked up his card and the tiny pencil beside it and began circling the dishes he wanted. A skinny waiter shuffled over and took his card, then Lila's, and shuffled off again.
"Thanks for meeting me," Alex said, his expression serious. Even though she'd agreed to cater his wedding, he still wasn't sure if she'd go through with it. Yet here she sat, those beautiful hazel eyes peering at him warily.
"Of course. I've been working on a menu--"
The reappearance of the waiter interrupted her speech. He placed several small plates in front of Alex, but only two before Lila.
"That's all you're having?" he asked, motioning to the plate holding two dumplings and the other a couple spring rolls.
Lila shrugged. "The card was a bit intimidating. They don't have dim sum in my hometown."
"Well that ain't enough," he said, cringing inwardly as he heard the twang in his words. Alex gestured to the nearby waiter who was pushing a cart around the dining room. The man brought his cart over and Alex began grabbing dishes off it.
"If you haven't had dim sum before, then you've got to try this. And some crab puffs, I think. Oh, and the sticky rice..." He didn't stop until several more small plates took over the table.
"I think that's enough," she said with a laugh, and Alex smiled and dismissed the waiter. He dug into his own collection of plates, sneaking a few glances at her as they ate.
Worth the Risk: (A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) Page 60