Pretending with the Playboy

by Tracey Livesay

“Since Dorothy has passed, we need to decide the future direction of this company. For the past two weeks, the business world has made plenty of assumptions about what we’ll do here today. Let’s try not to make asses out of anyone.”

  The door to the conference room opened again.

  Bill stood. “This is a closed meet—”

  Ripples soared and dipped in her belly and her pulse throbbed double-time.

  Carter.

  “Is anyone else getting a sense of déja vu?” he asked, one side of his mouth defying gravity in a tiny, assured smile. He strode in and stood on the side of the room closest to the door, which placed him across from Bill. He let the leather portfolio he carried fall to the table with a commanding thump.

  Her mouth watered. Couldn’t he have just one day when he looked bad, instead of like he’d emerged from the cover of a magazine? Her eyes devoured his swept back hair, navy blue suit, crisp white shirt, and crimson red tie. He looked commanding, powerful and—as she’d already proved—mouthwateringly sexy. The bastard. She guessed their last encounter hadn’t affected him as much as it had affected her. That was fine. She would do what she needed to do and then she could leave.

  Bill leaned his hands on the table. “These dramatics are getting tiresome. We don’t need to be entertained. We’re trying to do what’s best for RichCorp.”

  “I’m what’s best for RichCorp.” Carter’s gaze had hardened and his voice had lost its mocking quality.

  “You said the same thing two months ago, yet you still left. How can we be sure you won’t abandon us again?”

  “Because I won’t,” he said, and his gaze collided with her own. His stare was complex and insistent, like he was trying to tell her something, but she looked away before she could decipher the message.

  Bill followed his gaze. “I’m afraid that won’t work this time. Your involvement with Lauren wasn’t enough to ensure your commitment before.”

  Several heads swiveled in her direction and she could feel the heat coloring her cheeks with embarrassment. Seriously, if she hadn’t vowed to vote these shares, that would’ve been her cue to exit.

  “This isn’t about Lauren. It’s about what’s in RichCorp’s best interest. Give me a few minutes to state my case and I won’t say another word until the vote.” His gaze shifted to her once again, briefly, before returning to Bill.

  Bill nodded his acceptance of the terms and sat down.

  Carter addressed the room, making eye contact with every person seated around the table. “There are three main reasons why you should instate me as president and chairman of the board of RichCorp. First, doing so will alleviate the need for a merger. If the purpose of joining forces with another company is to establish leadership and stability, installing me will achieve that goal.”

  He flicked the button on his jacket and it flared open, revealing his broad chest and slim waist. Shoving one hand into his pocket he gestured with the other, working the room in a confident manner she found extremely attractive in spite of herself. She sat up straight and turned toward him, crossing one leg over the other.

  “Second, it’s my family’s company. As long as a Richardson is willing, able, and competent, you should heed the desires of the man who started the company.

  “Finally, I’m the best person for the job. I have enough business experience not to screw it up, and the hunger and drive to keep us moving forward. While I don’t agree with Bill’s tactics, I understand his motivation. If we want to remain the largest privately owned American shipbuilding manufacturer, then we’ll need to do more than exist. We need to thrive. We need to look into the future and carve out our place in it. If you believe as I do, then I hope I’ll have your support. I promise that I will always base my decisions on what’s in the best interests of RichCorp.”

  “That sounds very inspiring but you still haven’t told us why we should trust you. And we’ll need more than ‘because,’” Bill said.

  Carter opened the cover of his leather portfolio. “I’m not going anywhere. Even if you vote for the merger, I still have a substantial number of shares to vote and a position in this company. I’m here to stay. And to prove it” —he pulled out two sheets of paper and handed one each to the board members on either side of him—“here’s my letter of resignation from Pearson Enterprises signed, dated, and accepted by Marcus Pearson, and the contract for the sale of my condo. I think I did pretty well considering the market.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He wanted to stay and run RichCorp, something Dorothy had dreamed about for a long time. A gathering tide of tears stung her eyes. If only she’d been here to see it.

  Bill Morgan looked around the table at the board. “There are two different proposals before you. This is grounds for a roll call vote.”

  He nodded to the secretary in the corner who began a formal roll call. As she called out each name, the person stated whether they were voting for the merger or to install Carter as CEO and chairman of the board.

  Carter stood, swaying slightly from side to side, like a tense coiled spring. His eyes glittered and he rubbed his jawline as the voting fell the way everyone had assumed, along past alliance lines.

  Then it was Edworth’s turn.

  He stood. “I’ve never wanted to run RichCorp although I love this company. I might have the last name, but I’ve never had the drive, temperament, or vision.” He looked at Carter. “But you do. And you have my total and unwavering support.”

  Carter swallowed and his beautiful brown eyes developed a telltale sheen. “Thank you, Edworth.”

  A familial bond surged between the two cousins and hardened into titanium.

  Carter inhaled deeply and exhaled with a smile. “Now that, along with my own personal shares and the shares I inherited from Dorothy, clinches a majority vote against the merger.”

  “Actually, it doesn’t,” Bill said.

  “The hell it doesn’t,” Carter said. “Check the percentages.”

  “I have, and while you’re correct that before Dorothy’s death, you would have achieved majority with the members you have, right now you’re five percent short.”

  “That’s not possible.” His eyes flickered left and right as he tried to figure out the errors in his calculations. “How can that be?”

  “Because Dorothy left some of her shares to me,” Lauren said boldly.

  Chapter Eighteen

  He turned that deep chestnut gaze on her. “Dorothy left you shares to vote?”

  “She did.”

  “And how do you vote?”

  “A few weeks ago I would have voted the way I thought Dorothy would have. Now I know what she wanted was for me to vote them the way I see fit.”

  Uncertainty and dismay flashed in his eyes.

  Oh, Carter.

  With everything they’d been through, everything he’d said, everything they’d done, she couldn’t hurt him. And dragging out her vote would be unnecessarily cruel.

  “I choose you. I always have.”

  “Yes!” A wide smile stretched across his face and he pumped his fist in victory. Edworth joined him and the two shared a celebratory hug. Soon, a small circle had formed around RichCorp’s new leader.

  She smiled sadly. She was glad it had turned out this way. She checked the time on her phone again. She’d done what she came to do and now it was time to go. She pushed back from the table, grateful that in the commotion, no one would notice her exit.

  That display, a mixture of supreme confidence and frightened vulnerability weakened her resolve. She’d start to get ideas: he’d changed his mind about RichCorp, maybe with more time he’d change his mind about her. And that would be a mistake. She needed to put distance between them, the sooner, the farther, the better. He would never be able to give her what she wanted, but with what she’d just seen, she was afraid she wouldn’t care.

  She’d skirted the triumphant group and headed to the door, when a hand snaked out and grabbed her arm. She jumped in surpri
se.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Carter murmured.

  “I’m leaving,” she said, her heart racing as if she’d swum a two hundred yard individual medley.

  “To go where?” His fingers skipped down her arm, raising goose bumps along the journey.

  Languorous heat pooled in her belly. She tugged on her arm, trying to seek its release. “I don’t have time for this. I have a plane to catch.”

  He didn’t budge, lacing his fingers through hers and bringing their clasped hands to his mouth. He pressed his firm lips to her skin, the contact searing through her.

  “You have a habit of appearing in my life, turning it upside down, and then grumbling about leaving to catch a plane. What’s up with that?”

  She trembled and looked around. All eyes were on them, although they’d thoughtfully moved back to give them space. “I don’t want to talk about this here.”

  “But if I let you out of this room, I have no guarantee that you’ll stay and hear me out.” His breath whispered across the back of her hand.

  “That’s not my problem,” she squeaked.

  “You’re right, which is why we’re not going anywhere until we have this conversation.”

  He was physically stronger than her. There was no way she could retrieve her hand if he didn’t want to let it go. She resorted to passive resistance and let her arm fall limp.

  “Conversation requires two people and an exchange of ideas and information. I have nothing to say.”

  “A first.” He sighed and squeezed her hand. “Fine. You win. You don’t have to say anything. Just listen.” He looked down and cleared his throat. When he lifted his head, his gaze burned into her own, and she gasped at the message emblazoned there. “I love you, Lauren Olsen.”

  Heat rose behind her eyelids and she shook her head, afraid to believe what his words meant and what his eyes promised. “You don’t have to do this. I voted for you. I won’t take it back. And I’ll sign a proxy letting you vote my shares. The Richardson family block is intact. Now please, let me go,” she begged.

  “If you really want me to, I will. But you should know, I’m miserable without you. And it scares me to admit that. When my mother died, my father checked out. He stopped taking care of himself, taking care of me. He drank all of the time. He loved my mother so much, he didn’t want to live without her. But what about me? I was still alive and I needed him. If my own father didn’t love me enough to stay around, how could I expect anyone else to?” He looked up at her and determination blazed in his eyes. “That’s what I was reacting to after Dorothy’s funeral. Not you, but the shit going on in my head. I didn’t want to turn into the very thing I’d always run from.”

  The moment was a fragile, delicate lacing of spun sugar and Lauren was afraid to breathe, afraid to move, afraid the tiniest of motions would shatter her burgeoning hope.

  “I’ve retired my running shoes. Aunt Dorothy taught me that life is precious and we can’t take anything for granted.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Lauren. More than I ever thought possible, more than I will ever be able to adequately express. You once said you would give anything to have a family of your own. To belong somewhere, to someone. If you’ll have me, I’ll be your family. You belong here.” He tapped his chest above his heart with his fist.

  Happiness bloomed throughout her body, causing a lightness in her limbs. He actually meant it. He loved her. She nodded and floated into his arms, their lips, hearts, and souls meeting in the tenderest of kisses.

  Bill Morgan cleared his throat and they broke apart. “This was very touching, but we still have an active vote before the board.”

  Carter furrowed his brows and turned to face Bill, keeping a possessive arm around her shoulders. “I thought everyone voted.”

  “I hadn’t. And while my vote isn’t needed to determine the outcome, I’d like to state my position for the record.”

  The record?

  Lauren eyes darted to the woman who sat next to the digital recorder, her eyes fixed on them. Had she been recording their conversation the entire time? Was their reconciliation now memorialized for generations to come?

  Carter was still addressing Bill. “I understand. Despite what happened here today, I hope we can work together to do what RichCorp needs going forward.”

  Bill nodded. “I believe we will.”

  The secretary called Bill’s name.

  “I vote my shares for Carter Richardson to assume his rightful place as president and chairman of the board of RichCorp International.”

  It took a second for the words to penetrate. She looked at Carter. His wide eyes and slack mouth showed he was stunned, too.

  “I don’t understand,” he said.

  “During your time here, you’ve shown your ability to run the company. I questioned your commitment to do so.” He nodded at them. “Now I don’t. Any man who could put his heart on the line and be that vulnerable, open, and honest for the woman he loves, is a man who will do the same for this company. Now, do you mind if we take a break? I think you have some things to tend to.”

  Smiling, Carter shook Bill’s hand then pulled her out of the conference room. He hauled her into the first empty office they came to and kissed her like she was water and he’d just crossed the Sahara. She melted into him, only to jerk away a moment later.

  “I can’t stay here with you.”

  “It’s fine. No one’s coming in.”

  “No,” she said, trying to speak around his kiss. She gave his shoulder a hard shove to show him she meant business. “Not here in this office. Here in Chicago. I have my fellowship. I know what I said two weeks ago, but I’m not giving it up.”

  He cradled her face in the palms of his hands. “Do you love me?”

  “With everything I am.”

  “Then we can deal with the physical distance. We’ll talk every day.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “If we love each other, nothing else matters. We can make it work.”

  She hugged him, knowing she’d never get enough of being this close to him.

  “So you forgive me for being an ass?” He breathed into her neck.

  “I’d better get used to it. I’m sure it’ll be a common occurrence.”

  He laughed, the sound causing her heart to leap. “I knew you would be trouble.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “That night at my party ten years ago. I knew from that first kiss that I had to stay away from you. That you had the power to break through all of my protective layers.”

  She kissed him, infusing it with all the love and acceptance in her heart. When he lifted his head, she ran her thumb over his bottom lip and smiled.

  “Loving you has always been part of my plan. And as you know, when I make a plan, I stick with it.”

  Lauren stepped off the elevator and directly into the large, open space.

  “This has to be a mistake.”

  She dropped Carter’s hand, pulled her phone out of her purse, and checked the note on her calendar. They’d been in New York for a few days, getting to know the city and looking at apartments in preparation for her fellowship, which was set to begin in a few weeks.

  This was the address her Realtor had given her.

  “I know there’s been a slight bump in my net worth, but—” She gasped. “Is that Central Park?”

  She hurried across the dark herringbone floors and pushed open the glass door that led onto the private landscaped terrace. The warm, humid air caressed her cheeks and stirred the curls at her nape as she stared at the panoramic view of the majestic city skyline and the setting sun on the dense, green foliage.

  “This view is spectacular.”

  “It certainly is,” Carter said, having followed her. He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her temple. “And the park is nice, too.”

  Flutters rippled in her belly and her pulse raced. Laughing, she twisted in his embrace. He looked deliciously casual in jeans and a light blue shirt with a brown coll
ar and piping that matched his eyes. She swept her arms up to encircle his neck. “It’s true, then?”

  “What?”

  “That being pretty has its advantages. How else could you get away with tired, corny lines like that?”

  “Cut me some slack. I used all my good stuff to get you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Lucky me.”

  “No.” His voice dropped to that smooth timbre that shot a flash of heat straight to her core. “Lucky me.”

  He took her lips in a kiss that sent her senses hurtling from the penthouse they stood in to the busy street twenty-four floors below. Her head spun and she clung to him, unsure if she’d ever get used to the whirlwind of passion he inspired in her. His fingers gripped her hips, pulling her into him and she melted against his hardness. To think she’d been so close to never feeling this again…

  He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. “We’d better stop unless you want to offer a show to rival the view.”

  She nodded but stole one brief kiss before laying her head on his shoulder. Her gaze swept beyond the glass doors to the gorgeous interior. It was beautifully embellished with ten-foot ceilings, detailed crown moldings, and architectural casings. The great room was sparsely staged, the furniture placed to make the space bright and inviting without giving the impression of clutter. This place was a dream come true. And it was only ten minutes from the museum.

  She sighed. “There’s no way I can afford to rent this apartment.”

  His breath whispered against her ear, sending tingles radiating to her extremities. “I can.”

  She pulled away from him. “We’ve been over this. I love you but I’m not the Richardson family pet project. I can take care of myself.”

  “I never doubted that for a minute.” He cupped her face in his hands and sweetly brushed her lips with his. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known. But I’ll never stop wanting to take care of you.”

  “As delicious as your kisses are, I’m not going to change my mind.”

  “All right.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Since we’re here, can we finish looking around?”