From Boardroom to Wedding Bed?

by Jules Bennett

  Kayla.

  “Tamera,” Cole’s sister exclaimed, rushing across the room. “What are you doing here?”

  Tamera accepted her old friend’s hug. No matter what had transpired between her and Cole, Tamera had always held a special place in her heart for Kayla. She was most definitely the sister she’d never had…too bad they’d lost touch.

  “I came to work,” Tamera replied, easing back to look at Kayla. “You’re still stunning.”

  Kayla, being a shy woman, simply smiled. “I didn’t know you and Cole had a meeting set for today.”

  Tamera eyed the man in question, who seemed perfectly content to lean against the corner of his desk and smirk. Okay, he may not have been two-timing, but he was still a jerk.

  “We didn’t. We do have a meeting with Victor Lawson on Monday and we need to finalize some plans. I just assumed Cole would be in his office today.”

  “No rest for the weary,” Zach chimed in.

  Tamera turned and smiled as Cole’s twin strode across the office with a folder.

  “Here’s the construction company I’m looking at.” Zach handed the folder to Cole. “If you want to run this by Victor and see if he knows anything about them. We haven’t used them before, but they do specialize in resorts all over the country, some in Mexico. I’ve seen their work and haven’t heard one complaint or negative remark.”

  Cole nodded. “Thanks. You heading home?”

  Zach glanced to his watch. “Probably should. I have to pick up Sasha at three.”

  “Sasha?” Kayla threw a questioning look at Tamera. “I’ve never heard of her.”

  “We just met.”

  “And no further explanation will be given,” Kayla finished.

  Zach laughed and pecked his sister’s cheek. “Good to see you again, Tamera. I suppose I have you to thank for getting my brother in a sour mood today. It’s good to see him knocked off that high horse every now and again.”

  Zach strode out whistling.

  “I have to leave as well.” Kayla went over to the boardroom-style table across the room and grabbed her purse. “I’m meeting some friends for a late lunch.”

  She hugged Tamera once again. “I hope we can get together for something other than business.”

  Tamera’s heart squeezed. She knew she’d missed the female companionship of Kayla, but she hadn’t realized how much. “I’d like that.”

  “Cole,” Kayla called over her shoulder as she headed toward the door. “Call me after the meeting and let me know how it goes.”

  Cole nodded, still not saying a word. He really was in a mood. Oh well, if he was, it was of his own doing. He’d initiated things last night, and he was the one who’d left her behind in the bed. She’d felt just as cheap as if he’d thrown money onto the nightstand.

  Tamera glanced at the boardroom table and noticed her sketches spread out, much like they had been at his yacht last night. She moved over to them, shifting the large, three-ring binders out of the way.

  “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

  Tamera ignored Cole’s jab at her work ethic. She would not start this day with him with an argument. That would do nothing but waste time and make her feel worse than she already did. And if he was in a bad mood, then by all means who was she to help him out of it? He deserved to live in a bit of misery after all he’d done to her…and not just last night.

  Her eyes scanned the papers, but one particular area caught her eyes and tugged at her heart.

  “You changed the registration area,” she murmured, tracing her finger over the new design.

  Tamera threw a glance over her shoulder as Cole moved like a predator across the room. He filled out his crisp white, button-down shirt and dark, designer jeans. Did the man have to look handsome every moment of every blasted day?

  “Zach and I worked on this last night and this morning.”

  “Last night?”

  Cole nodded, coming to stand directly beside her. “He met me here and we worked until about two and then I came back in about nine. I caught a few hours in my bed,” he gestured toward the makeshift apartment.

  Well, lack of sleep would certainly put a damper on anyone’s mood, but Cole didn’t look sleep deprived…he looked torn.

  Was he regretting last night? Was he sorry they’d been intimate or was he sorry about his actions afterward? Tamera knew in her heart, that even if he was remorseful for what he’d done, he wouldn’t admit it. Cole Marcum would never admit to weakness or being wrong.

  Damn prideful man. Just like her father.

  She drew her attention back to the drawing. “This is exactly how I wanted it.”

  Cole reached across the table, picked up the binder and slammed it shut. He took it and placed it back on the floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with numerous other black binders containing designs and sample materials for the firm’s projects.

  “Did Zach think this was a good idea?” Tamera asked, trying to get a sense of what exactly Cole was mad about.

  Cole turned, settled his hands on his hips and shrugged. “He said it would work either way.”

  “Then why did you remove a good portion of the wall?”

  “I just did.” He pulled out another sheet, this one for the top floor, and laid it over the one she’d been studying. “We need to work on the details for the ballrooms.”

  Okay, so that topic was closed.

  Had Cole done the redesigning out of guilt because they’d had sex? Tamera felt absurd even thinking such a thing, but why else would he have worked so late into the night? And why else would he have called Zach in?

  Perhaps Cole wasn’t the jerk she’d deemed him to be. Perhaps he did have a heart after all.

  Or perhaps he just thought he could get into her good graces again and get her back into bed.

  Twelve

  “I don’t know why we need to have a meeting without Tamera,” Kayla stated as she took a seat on the black leather sofa in Cole’s makeshift apartment adjacent to his office.

  Cole poured himself a shot of whiskey. “Because we’ve run into a glitch.”

  Zach breezed through the door. “What the hell is the big emergency? I need to finish these calls I have out to this construction company before I take off for the day.”

  “Have a seat.” Cole motioned to the vacant cushion beside their sister.

  Zach stopped in his tracks. “Oh, no. What have you done?”

  Cole eased a hip onto the barstool, rested an elbow against the bar and swirled his drink. “I didn’t do anything. I have something I need to run by you two.”

  “Why isn’t Tamera here?” Kayla repeated, crossing her legs and quirking a brow.

  “Have a seat, Zach.” Cole eyed his brother until his twin propped himself on the arm of the sofa next to Kayla. “Walter Stevens is dying. He’s in hospice care right now.”

  “Oh, poor Tamera.” Kayla put a hand up to her mouth, tears already forming in her eyes. “How is she holding up?”

  “Just like you’d expect her to,” Cole confirmed. “She’s stubborn, won’t accept help from anyone and is insistent she can run things herself.”

  Zach and Kayla shared a look, like they had some private joke between them.

  “What?” Cole asked.

  “Sounds like you,” Kayla told him. “She’s not going to show her weakness, Cole. You of all people should appreciate that.”

  Appreciate it? The woman was damn near driving him insane with her stubbornness.

  He waved with his drink. “We’re getting off track here. With Walter dying, the fate of The Stevens Group hinges on Tamera and her ability to run the company as well as her father and grandfather did.”

  Zach shrugged. “Okay, so?”

  “There’s no reason we can’t make her an offer.” Cole set his glass on the bar and came to his feet. “Tamera is vulnerable right now and will be even more so after Walter’s death. I don’t see why we can’t approach her about joining forces.”

  Th
e look was exchanged once again between his siblings.

  “Has Tamera hinted that she’s uncomfortable with running the company?” Kayla asked.

  “No.”

  “Then what makes you think this is even a good idea?” Zach piped in.

  Cole paced to the windows where he looked out onto the bay. “Because…this merger would benefit our firm…if we combine forces, just think of all we could accomplish.”

  “This has nothing to do with what’s going on between the two of you personally?” Zach questioned.

  Cole glanced back to his twin, who sat with a knowing smirk. “No, this is strictly business.”

  He turned his attention back to the crystal blue water, lined with tall, sturdy palm trees.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Kayla said. “I think it’s low to dive in and attack while she’s down. And it’s even worse you’re planning the attack for when she’ll be the lowest.”

  Cole shoved his hands in his pockets, turned and leaned against the warm glass. “It’s not an attack, Kayla. It’s a good business move for both of us.”

  “Says who?” Zach demanded. “The Stevens Group has been around longer than we have. Why would they suddenly merge with us?”

  “Because Tamera isn’t stupid. She’s seen what we can accomplish and with both our names on Victor’s hotel, clients will want us as a package deal in the future.”

  “So, you’re just going to ask Tamera to sell her father’s legacy, the only substantial thing she has left of him, and come to work with us?” Zach shook his head, laughed. “Yeah. That’ll go over well.”

  “She’ll think this was all her idea,” Cole countered. “All I will do is encourage her. I need to know what you two think.”

  Kayla ran a hand down her black, glossy hair and shoved it past her shoulders. “I think it would be a fantastic business move for us, but on a personal level, I don’t think it’s wise. You and Tamera share a past. Should you keep this entanglement going?”

  Should he? Was he just asking for more trouble down the road? Perhaps, but in his life, business came first. No matter what.

  Kayla came to her feet, smoothed her hands down her red sheath and smiled. “Cole, when you find out what Tamera really wants, then we’ll talk. Until then, I think this is a premature conversation.”

  With her quiet, easy manner, Kayla left the room, leaving Zach behind.

  “Go ahead,” Cole said to his twin. “I know you want to say something.”

  Zach stood and crossed to the window to stand beside Cole. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Not yet.”

  Zach rubbed his stubbled jaw. “Who are you trying to prove something to, Cole? Tamera, her father, or yourself? Walter is dying. He doesn’t care what you do anymore. This competition is completely one-sided.”

  Cole fisted his hands. “I’m not proving anything. I’m trying to move us into a better direction.”

  “I didn’t know we were going in the wrong direction,” Zach mocked. “If this is about your guilt over a decision you made years ago, move on.”

  Thankfully Zach hadn’t mentioned that aspect while Kayla had been in the room. Kayla had never been told the real reason for the breakup. She would’ve no doubt gone and told Tamera which, in turn, would’ve caused a rift between Tamera and her only living family member.

  “I’ve moved on.” Cole gritted his teeth, narrowing his gaze at his brother. “We both know this is a good move.”

  “Maybe it is, but at what cost?”

  Zach crossed the room and left the office. Cole hated that Zach was always so easygoing, yet to the point. The man knew just how to pinpoint the heart of a problem. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, they were important.

  Zach was right, though. At what, or should he say whose, cost would this merger be carried out?

  Running a hand through his hair, Cole moved from the living area back out into his office. He was already thinking in terms of this merger being a done deal. There was no way, no way Tamera would give in to this business arrangement. But she had to think reasonably. The pressure would be too great for her to run a multimillion-dollar company and deal with the grief of losing her father, when that time came.

  Cole took a seat behind his desk and wiggled his mouse to bring his computer back to life. Who was he kidding? Tamera was more than capable of running—successfully he might add—Walter’s company. Hadn’t she done so already without anyone’s knowledge as to where her father was?

  The truth ate at Cole. He hated admitting it even to himself.

  He wanted Tamera working with him. Period. She was intelligent, resourceful and determined. If she weren’t so stunning, those qualities in themselves would have him attracted to her.

  But she was stunning. Just the thought of her had him catching his breath. He could admit, only because he was alone, that he wanted her on his team so he could keep an eye on her. He wanted to know what she was doing in business and her personal life at all times. Call it overbearing, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to let Tamera out of his life again.

  No, he didn’t want love. No, he didn’t want a relationship. He was simply incapable of those two things. But he wasn’t immune to caring.

  So, Tamera would have to see his side of things. He’d make sure of it. And, in the end, she’d come to work for The Marcum Agency thinking everything was her idea.

  Thirteen

  “Amazing.”

  Tamera crossed her legs and watched as Victor scanned through the first draft of his first American hotel. He sat across from her and Cole at the long boardroom table in Cole’s office.

  Trying to appear calm, Tamera resisted looking over at her co-designer sitting directly to her right.

  “The exterior is absolutely perfect,” he said, his eyes still riveted to the drawing. “Breathtaking.”

  Tamera couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face. “We wanted to give guests a feel of another time and place. Something extravagant, classic and timeless.”

  He lifted his gaze, looking between her and Cole. “You two make a great team. I knew I’d made the right choice hiring both agencies. Have you ever thought of joining forces? You’d monopolize the architectural world.”

  Okay, that comment made her a bit squeamish. She didn’t want to be a “great team” with Cole any more than she wanted to “join forces.” Those days were long gone…and the other night aboard his yacht didn’t count.

  She’d thought that using him, just as he’d done her, would make her feel better, powerful. Quite the opposite. She felt even worse about herself and this entire pairing.

  A boardroom union was fine for now, but this was not something she wanted in the long run. Her emotional state had already taken a beating and she’d only worked with Cole for a few weeks.

  “We have enjoyed working on this project,” Tamera piped up.

  Victor glanced down to the spread of drawings. “It shows.”

  “Shall we go on to look at materials for the exterior?” Cole asked.

  “I actually had my assistant e-mail you both as I was on my way here,” Victor said. “In her message is everything I want to see as far as textures, lighting, metals, in both the exterior and interior. I have another meeting in South Beach in thirty minutes. I appreciate the use of your office seeing as how I had several places to be today and this was on my way.”

  “Not a problem,” Cole said. “Anywhere that’s convenient for you to meet is fine with us. We’re here for you.”

  When Victor came to his feet, looking at his watch, Tamera and Cole rose as well.

  “If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or my assistant and she can get ahold of me,” he continued as he walked to the door. “Zach and I have a meeting scheduled later in the week to discuss contractors. I’m pleased with how quickly this project is moving.”

  “The Marcum Agency is efficient,” Cole beamed.

  Victor nodded. “I will be in touch.”


  As soon as he was out the door, Tamera resisted the urge to slam it, simply shutting it with a louder than average click.

  “What the hell was that?” she demanded, whirling around on Cole. “What?”

  She clutched the door handle behind her with both hands so she wouldn’t be tempted to strangle him. “You implied your agency is more efficient than mine. We are in this together as a team, which means we’re equals.”

  “I never said otherwise.” Cole turned his back on her, walked over to the table and began straightening the papers.

  Tamera tried counting to ten, but only made it to three. “Don’t brush me off like some child.”

  “Then quit acting like one,” he said, still with his broad back to her.

  She marched around to stand in front of him. “You are being deliberately rude and hateful.”

  His hands froze on the papers he was holding as he shifted to face her completely. “Am I? Perhaps you’re just too sensitive because you’re overworked lately. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and rest?”

  Fury that had been rising to the surface for the past minute finally bubbled over. “You may be used to bossing your staff around, but I do not work for you. I work for myself and, at the moment, Victor. And I don’t have time to rest, not with all that is going on.”

  The muscle in Cole’s jaw ticked. “You’ve been to see your father today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Going back?”

  Tamera shook her head. “I will probably go after dinner and see that he’s settled in for the night.”

  “When are you going to tell people about him? They’re going to find out soon enough.”

  Tamera didn’t want to think about what would happen “soon enough.”

  “I’m not worried about that right now, Cole. Hospice is caring for him.”

  “Is he at Mercy Hospice Center?”

  “Yes.”

  Cole brushed the pads of his thumbs beneath her eyes, his hands came to rest on her shoulders. “You’re not taking care of yourself.”