by Lulu Pratt
I have all the ammunition in the world to bring the two of them down, but the only one I want to hurt is Cade. I have a whole different list for what I want to do with Ellen.
Desire surges within me and I push it down, stamping it into the dirt. I have a job to do and I will be damned if one pretty girl ruins that for me. I have plenty of women interested in me and I will not be distracted by the one who happens to walk through my door today.
I have just composed myself, standing to head over to my desk, when there’s a knock on my door. I frown, surprised. I am sure I have no more appointments this morning. I specifically blocked out time so that I could focus on Cade Harlow.
Confused, I head to the door and open it. To my surprise, Ellen is standing there, Cade nowhere to be seen. She smiles and it seems to open up her whole face, “Hi. Uh…” She shifts, looking awkward, “I left my purse. Sorry to trouble you…”
“No, no… it’s no trouble at all.” I smile and step back, allowing her into my office. She looks even better alone and I watch her bend over to grab her purse. She smiles and holds it up.
“Got it.” She smiles, sounding relieved, “My life is in this thing.”
I smile graciously, “It’s no trouble. Really.” I look her over and an idea sparks into my head.
“Say, Miss Cassidy…” I tilt my head, “Do you mind coming in within the next week or so?”
She looks confused and I can’t blame her. “Isn’t that what you and Cade were talking about?”
“Well, yes…” I concede, “But I meant a meeting with just you.” I smile apologetically. “I know it would be a bit of an inconvenience… but I’d like to discuss wedding dates and so forth… the family would like to know.” I shrug like this is all out of my control.
“I know us men aren’t great with that, so I thought it would be quicker if it was just you.” I look at her quietly, “You’d really be doing me and Cade a favor. Get some of that stress off his shoulders and just handle it, you know?”
She seems to be mulling this over, considering my words and I hold my breath.
“Okay.” She eventually replies, “Here.” She grabs something out of her purse, jotting something down and passing it to me.
I glance at it only to find her number scrawled onto a piece of paper. For some inexplicable reason, I find my heart stopping.
“Out of business cards.” She smiles in apology, “Let me know when, okay? I’ll have to arrange something with work.”
Then she turns and saunters out of the room. It takes all the strength I have not to take her by the hand and pull her close. I find myself wondering if Cade has kissed her. I wonder if he’s done anything more.
And when she glances back at me, I see fire in her eyes and I know that I’ve made the right choice.
A meeting along with Ellen Cassidy is exactly what I need.
Strictly business, of course.
CHAPTER TEN
ELLEN CASSIDY
I’m sitting in my apartment, feeling the hum of the past few days rush through me. It’s been one hell of a ride and I still feel a bit unbalanced. I’m curled up on my couch, waiting for the phone to ring. It might be Adam calling me, or it might be Cade. It might even be work, and at the moment, I’m not in the mood for any of it.
Instead of being dressed up, I’m in sweatpants. Instead of working hard or being sexy and witty, I’m slouching on the couch, watching bad TV. I should be helping out my mother or working extra hours. Something, anything.
Instead, I’m feeling flat out exhausted from the emotional roller-coaster. I’ve been proposed to, I’ve been wooed and taken out to dinner. I’ve also had my heart trampled over and over again. I’ve felt sparks fly with a man I can never have and I’ve felt the crushing guilt of the secret I keep close to my heart.
If I tell Cade that I’m going to meet Adam in private, he’ll tell me not to go. I know he will. He won’t want me to do it – he’ll worry about me giving everything up. Resentment curls around my heart.
We need to convince Adam and hiding from him is definitely not going to achieve that. I need to do what’s best, and what is right. I need to make sure that I give Adam the details he needs and make sure that Cade never finds out about the meeting.
I bite my lip. I also need to make sure that I stay as far away from Adam as possible after the meeting. He’s bad news. I can feel it in my bones. He might seem polite and friendly, but I sense danger. He’s done this before – he’s used to pulling people apart and I can’t have that happen.
I’m so caught up in my own thoughts that I almost jump out of my skin as the phone begins to ring. I clutch it in my hand as I try to still my beating heart, before I answer. I decide not to check the number before answering.
“Hello? Ellen speaking.”
“Ellen, it’s Adam Jones.” His voice, cool and soft and I don’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
Adam continues, “I was wondering if you were free later today?” His question is polite, but worry sparks across my skin. It’s my day off and the convenience doesn’t sit right with me.
“Yes, I might have some time this afternoon.” I answer, trying to keep the weary tone out of my voice.
He chuckles, “Great. Would meeting for coffee work for you?” He sighs, “I don’t know about you, but I am sick of being in an office day in and day out.”
“That works for me.” I feel myself relaxing, the phone call suddenly feeling so much less threatening.
“Great. Say about… three?” He suggests, a friendly tone in his voice.
I glance around at my apartment, the way I’m dressed in nothing but my dingy home clothes and I try not to laugh, “Sure, three is fine.”
“What about the new coffee shop on Main Street?”
I consider the place before nodding. It’s a lovely little joint, hip and fun and definitely not the sort of place I thought Adam would have liked. I’ll go along with it, though. Maybe I will learn something.
“Sounds great. What should I bring?” I ask.
“Just yourself and anything about the wedding.” He chuckles.
His words are friendly but I feel a tingle of apprehension move down my spine. Cade and I have discussed what we’ll be doing, when we’ll be having it, all the details that make for a really convincing story.
Still, it makes me nervous. I’m going into this alone, and I have no back up. I steel myself and smile, “Yeah. There’s so much to think about!” I laugh, trying to keep up the light-hearted vibe, the happy bride-to-be who is planning her wedding.
“I can’t even imagine.”
“Your wife didn’t have to go through this?” I find myself teasing him.
“I’m not married.” He smiles – I can hear it in his voice.
“No? A catch like you is still single?” I know that I am flirting. It feels different with Adam than it does with Cade. But it comes so easily with him. It’s so difficult to resist it. Anxiety swirls in my stomach at the thought of being alone with him. I’m going to blow it completely. I bite my lip and try to be more careful.
As if on cue, Adam answers, “I don’t want to offend your fiancé.” He’s teasing me in return.
I smile, “Oh don’t worry, I’m one hundred percent taken. I’m sure there are plenty of girls for you, Adam.”
When we finally put down the phone, I am left feeling shaky and a little breathless. I know that I need to be careful, but I find myself getting caught up in this web further and further. The more I struggle, the more tangled I become.
I need to be careful. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I’m not sure if it is from excitement or fright. I get up and go change.
I pick my outfit carefully – trying not to be too revealing. Professional, polished and pretty – that’s what I am going for. I change, slip into my heels and spend a few minutes on my hair and makeup. I also make sure to wear the ring. It only takes me a few minutes to gather up my paperwork and get it all ready for the meeting.
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I glance guiltily at my phone. I’m doing the right thing. Cade would approve if he understood, but I don’t think he trusts me enough. Not yet.
The thought sends a pang through me as I step out of the door. I’ll show him. I’m making the right choice and I’m not about to mess up just because I’ve met another flirt.
Those kind of men are a dime a dozen, and I have had more than my fill.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ADAM JONES
I am sitting at the café waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ellen is staring me down and I swear it takes all my strength not to reach across the table and pull her into my arms.
She is frustrating – I never expected that. All sweet exterior and smiles that could make you melt. A pretty dress and delicate taste, and she makes you think that it’s going to be easy.
But it’s not. She has every single one of her facts straight. A cross examination couldn’t unsettle her. She stares at me with a smile as sweet as candy and eyes that challenge me to keep going, to seek out a chink in her armor. I’m confident that I won’t find anything. I’m confident that she will be the last one standing if we continue this battle of wills.
It’s an unusual feeling and I can’t deny that it thrills me. I haven’t had a worthy opponent in a very long time and this one just happens to be sexier than anyone I have met recently. She leans across the table and I consider giving up the fight – for now. There must be an easier way in than through her.
“Are you fishing for an invitation, Adam?” Her voice is low and soft and I feel heat creep up my skin. She’s teasing me.
I smile back, “That would be unprofessional, Miss Cassidy.”
“Ellen, please.” She smiles and her fingers brush mine as she reaches for the sugar, “I’m just curious why you’re asking all these questions.”
She blinks at me and I swear she could melt butter. If she’s faking this, she’s damn good at it. What did she say she did for a living? A hairdresser? You wouldn’t know it just looking at her.
I shake my head, “The dates were just for business purposes. The rest? Well, I though ladies liked to talk about their wedding plans.”
She laughs and it’s a beautiful sound, her hair shimmering in the low, four o’clock sunlight. We’ve already been here about an hour and I have learned a lot, but at the same time, I’ve learned nothing about the case.
She leans back and takes a sip of her coffee. Her movements are easy and as our eyes meet, the familiar flicker of electricity seems to pass between us. She’s beautiful and she looks at me in a way that she doesn’t look at Cade. I’m sure of it.
They’re faking it, but there’s not a single crack in her performance that can prove it. She looks at me with those smoldering eyes and I wonder if I could make her melt. I’m usually good with the ladies, when I bother. Could I seduce the fiancée of my enemy?
Do I dare finish the job that way? If I do that, I’ll lose her afterwards. But it might be one hell of a ride. I decide I will take it one day at a time. “Thank you for your time, Ellen.”
She blushes when I use her name and I take her hand. It’s intimate and for a moment, it feels like it is only the two of us in the room at the little street café.
“I’d like to meet with you again.” I murmur.
“You would?” She’s sounding a little breathless now, as if she is caught in the storm.
I press my advantage, “Yes… yes, I would.” I gently stroke her hand and I feel her shiver beneath my touch.
So there is something here, after all. It’s not all smoke and mirrors. I can feel my body responding and I lean in and kiss her hand, pressing the soft, perfumed skin to my lips. The blush creeps further up her neck, flushing her cheeks in the most beautiful way.
“You don’t need to bring the documents next time.” I murmur, barely a breath away from her hand. I notice the ring that glints on her finger and gently drop her hand, a hint of a smile on my face as our eyes meet.
“You are, of course… welcome to invite your fiancé.” I add, but the professional tone has dropped right out of my voice and she knows it.
I can see her swallow as she mulls it over, and the tension between us is palatable, “More business meetings?”
“In a way.” I smile, low and soft, “But we can always personalize it a little…” I lean forward, “Office blocks can be so soulless, don’t you agree?”
She’s lost in my eyes and I can’t say that she’s the only one. We linger like that, our gazes locked across the table, the only sound the hum of the coffee shop behind that and the sharp little breaths that she takes.
“That would be perfect.” She straightens up a little and the spell is broken. She’s all smiles and professional niceties again, but I can see something lingering behind her eyes, and the way she crosses her arms over her chest suggest that my body is not the only one interested.
The thought thrills me and the way she shifts, self-conscious, hints at good things to come. Excellent.
“Thank you for coming.” I stand and slip on my coat. She does the same and pulls it closed quickly. I pay for our meal and escort her to the door. When she turns to say goodbye, I want nothing more than to kiss those lips that are only a few inches from mine.
Instead, I lean in, brushing her hair back from her face. Her eyes widen and we stay like that for as long as I dare. “Take care, Ellen. It was a pleasure.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is soft and my goodness, I think I could get lost in those eyes, so knowing and so sweet at the same time.
“I’ll call you.” I let my hand drop, give her a polite smile, and turn away. I don’t need to look back to know that she’s still staring as I walk down the street.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ELLEN CASSIDY
I walk down the streets feeling conflicted. I’m not sure why I am feeling so unsettled, but I am. Adam is charming in a very disarming sort of way. All sincere smiles and polite gestures, but the undercurrent that runs between us is fierce and I don’t know how to stop or silence it.
Flirting with him. That was a bad idea, no matter how I try to swing it. He is purposefully trying to find an error, to catch us in a lie and I am giving him more ammunition. I bite my lip. I hope I was subtle. I thought that I was, but you never know. He seems to be quite the perceptive man.
What’s worse is I can’t deny that I want to see him again – I sincerely do. I love the way he looks at me, the way the tension sparks between us, the way he stares into my eyes like they are the most important thing he has ever seen.
I’m so lost in thought that I almost don’t see Cade at first. I find him standing at the bottom of my apartment block. He looks agitated and I suspect that he would be waiting outside my very door if he wasn’t too polite for that. His arms are folded and there is thunder in his eyes.
And suddenly I feel sick to my stomach. I’ve gone behind his back on something – even though it’s something I felt was right. If he caught me out, he’ll be furious and he’d have every right to be.
I steel myself and stand at my full height, preparing for an argument. Anger bubbles just below the surface – I have the right to see whoever I want and besides, I did it in his best interest, not in an attempt to hurt him. I make my way to his side.
“Cade? Is something wrong?”
He smiles and turns to me and I can see the danger dancing beneath the surface of his eyes. He keeps his distance from me. “Can we speak in private?” He smiles, a low, soft smile and I shiver.
“Sure… is something the matter?”
“No, no…” He shakes his head as he wanders to the elevator. I join him and we step into it. It’s full of people. “I just wanted to pay my beloved a visit.”
I check that my phone is in my pocket, taking comfort in the fact that if something happens, my neighbors and security will hear. I frown at my own thoughts. I don’t doubt the anger between us, but no way would he ever hurt me – I’m letting my thoughts run away with me.
We head down the passageway in silence. When we reach my apartment, I unlock it and we step inside. The moment I have shut the door, I expect him to start yelling at me. Instead, he turns almost casually, “I was walking down the main strip today during my break.” He begins, and I can feel my blood run cold and hot at the very same time.
“Oh?” I answer. I can see he expects me to confess, to grovel, but I will be doing none of that. I did nothing wrong.
“Yes.” The dangerous tone is back in his voice and he smiles, “And what do I see but you and Mr. Adam Jones getting cozy over coffee.” His smile drops, “Care to explain that, Ellen?”
I narrow my eyes, anger blooming between us, “Yes. A business meeting to discuss our wedding happened.” I shoot back, “Talking about the dates – the dates and details that you and I agreed on.”
I narrow my eyes further, “Something wrong with that?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His anger hasn’t softened and I can see the tension in his shoulders.
“Because you’re not my keeper!” It bursts out of me, “We’re not even in a real goddamn relationship!” The hurt that I have been holding back comes flooding out of me in a sickening rush.
“Because I’m playing the part you want me to play, but that doesn’t mean you own me. This isn’t even real.” My breathing is short and sharp.
Cade’s eyes darken, “I’m not the only one benefiting from this.” He hisses, “You’re getting just as much out of this as I am, so don’t go acting like you don’t.”
I ball my hands into fists, “I went to a business meeting to help you, you selfish bastard.” I stare him down and the tension rises between us like a fog. “I did it to keep up the ruse. You know, most couples are independent in some way.” I glare at him, “Not that you’d know the first thing about being in a real relationship.”
“Oh, and you do?” He sneers, “Somehow I doubt that. You think you’re being subtle, but you couldn’t be more obvious.”
It’s hurtful and my chest aches. “Then you can go ahead and leave. Forget you and your money!” I need the money, I need to do this, but it’s hard to think straight when he’s pushing every single one of my buttons.