But that was a plan for after the wedding. One mammoth project at a time.
Jenny’s email had just been a surprise today. That was all this was. Stress and shock was turning him maudlin, and he knew just how to fix it. The night was still young, after all. He had a model or two on speed dial who would be more than happy to help lift his spirits.
Grabbing his phone, he unlocked it with a swipe of his fingers to see Allison’s contact details popping up on the first screen.
Darian hesitated.
Call someone. Get this feeling out of your system.
It would take next to no effort to set up a date tonight. But staring down at Ali’s number, the desire to see anyone else drained away. She’d been the woman he’d called when he needed to hear another human voice. The woman he’d pictured smiling at the other end of the phone.
And right now, he didn’t want to erase the contentment she’d been able to offer merely by answering his call.
With a sigh, he tucked the cell back into his pocket. Tomorrow would be a long enough day all on its own. Perhaps it was wiser to stay in.
Grabbing his beer, he headed for the living room and did his best not to think about redialing the one woman he had no business calling.
Chapter Four
Allison stared down at her desk in growing horror. The more information she printed out the faster her heart rate became.
“Damn project will give me high blood pressure,” she said.
Already her clutter free desk was covered in pictures of smiling brides, flower options, and budget estimates. She should be thinking about mergers and acquisitions, not the perfect cake flavor.
“Knock knock, I’ve got the—” Gillian stopped short. “Whoa.”
“Tell me, Gil, do you know the top ten tips on how to be the best bride you can be?”
“If I do something went horribly wrong in my formative years,” she replied, moving closer to the piled desk. “What is all this?”
“I came up with the brilliant idea to print out any information I thought might be helpful. This is the result, and I’m only on the fourth page of my Google search.”
“Might I suggest a new system is in order?”
Allison shook her head. “People plan for months to put together the perfect wedding, and that is usually with the help of professionals.”
Gillian dropped into the chair opposite the desk. “If only there was some way of getting out of this project.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “Hmmm, what could it be?”
“Zip it. If you’re not going to be helpful, you can leave.”
Gillian held up the file in her hand. “I’ve got the Thompson papers. John will be in later next week to see Darian and get them signed.”
“Right. Thanks.” Allison grabbed the file and searched for some wedding-free surface to set it on. Ignoring Gillian’s amused smile, she opted to tuck it inside her laptop bag for the moment.
“Anything I can do to help with this?” Gillian waved a hand at the wedding sea swamping her office.
“Have any priests that owe you a favor or two?”
“Can’t say as that’s come up recently.”
She shook her head. “If the wedding is a month away, then invitations need to be sent yesterday. However, you can’t invite people without telling them where to go.”
“Venue giving you grief, huh?”
“I’ve been making calls all morning. Everything Darian would like is booked.”
“Hmm.” She leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers against the desk. “So hotel event rooms are out?”
“Unless someone has a cancellation.”
“What about private event spaces? Or historic sites? An outdoor wedding could be beautiful.”
“Can’t be on a farm,” she said. “Darian already vetoed that.”
“What about an estate or a winery? Something with manicured gardens instead of fields.”
She mulled it over before nodding. “Not a bad idea. It’d have to be close to the city, though. Darian plans on a society affair.”
Gillian shrugged. “King Enterprises is throwing a wedding? Everyone is going to want to see how this plays out. Especially since Darian is a confirmed bachelor. This is as close to a wedding as he’s ever likely to get. The society ladies aren’t going to let an opportunity like that pass by.”
Allison made a face at that. “Whether they will or they won’t, we still need a location. Let me start calling some spots outside the city. I figure if we’re going to succeed, we need to lock in a location in the next couple days.”
“At the most,” Gillian agreed. “Look, I can help lighten your load for some of the day to day stuff here so you don’t get too bogged down.”
“I appreciate it,” she said, and she’d never meant any words more.
“Good luck.” The redhead pushed up from her chair and headed for the door.
With a sigh, Allison turned back to her computer. Two hours and a dozen phone calls later, she’d come up with three locations that seemed to be a decent fit.
Grabbing the addresses, she walked the short distance to Darian’s office door and rapped on the dark wood.
“Come in,” she heard him call.
“I’ve found a few places for us to check out,” she said, pushing into his office.
Darian glanced up from his desk and she was gratified to see an equal mass of paper decorated his workspace as did hers.
“Sorcery,” he said, dropping his pen and pushing back in his chair. “Everywhere I’ve called has been fully booked.”
“Well, I had to get a little unconventional,” she said, taking a seat before the desk.
“How unconventional?”
Her lips twitched, though she fought to bite back her smile. His tone did not sound very reassuring.
“Three possibilities. One is a tea garden downtown, but it might be too small. There is a brewery on the west side that’s available, and before you say anything”—she held up her hand as he was about to object—“they have a lovely event space with exposed brick and redesigned salvaged lights. City rustic chic.”
“Hipster chic maybe. What’s the third place?”
“A hobby vineyard outside the city. They’ve got incredible gardens and a space large enough to house the reception.”
He let out a long sigh. “You really think these are our best options?”
“I do. Unless you want me to try and bump someone. I’m sure with the weight of King Enterprises behind you some venue would—”
“I’m not ruining someone else’s wedding day just because Jenny is impulsive.”
Her heart fluttered at the words in a way she did not appreciate. How did he manage to be as successful as he was in business and hold on to that firm sense of honor? But that was Darian. He always tried to find the right way for as many people as he could.
“Show me the pictures of the brewery.”
She handed over the papers and waited.
“I’d rather keep this as a backup unless the other two places fall through. Shall we go see them?”
“Now?” she asked.
“I have no more meetings today, and I can catch up on the work I miss tonight. Unless you aren’t free?”
She shrugged. “You’re the boss. Let me grab my purse and the rest of the details I’ve collected.”
“I’ll call up a car.”
Allison dashed back to her office to grab her messenger bag and the binder she’d started organizing her research in. She shrugged into her coat before heading to Gillian’s office next door.
“I’m heading out to see venues with Darian. Can you cover me if anything comes up?” she asked.
Gillian nodded. “No problemo. Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She twirled in her chair. “To be fair that doesn’t leave out much.”
“I owe you,” she said with a wave before making her way to the elevators.
Darian was already there when she arrived. His overcoat
hung open, with a blue scarf tossed around his neck. She smiled at the sight. Though the weather wasn’t yet cold enough to warrant such an accessory it wasn’t the first year it had made an early appearance. In fact, that particular scarf had a habit of appearing the second the calendar hit fall and stayed in place well into spring.
Ever since she’d given it to him for Christmas her first year here.
He’s just wearing it to be polite, she reasoned.
For four years? a devilish inner voice asked.
“Ready?” he asked her.
She gave herself a mental shake. “Absolutely.”
They rode down to the underground car park in silence. A car would no doubt be waiting for them when they stepped out of the elevator, ready to whisk them away to the vineyard.
“Might be a forty-five minute drive or so,” Darian said as the doors opened.
“That’s fine,” she replied, following him to the car. “I’ve got my tablet with me. I can work off that.”
He cast her a quizzical look. “I just meant your afternoon might be a write off.”
“Oh.”
Opening the back door, he gestured for her to get inside.
Allison folded into the back seat and pulled her binder from her bag as she waited for Darian to walk around to his side.
In no time they were out on the bustling city streets, weaving their way through traffic.
“I appreciate the company,” he said, hooking an ankle over his knee.
“We’re in this together, right?”
His eyes warmed. “Right.”
Swallowing hard, she tried to calm her nerves. It shouldn’t feel intimate just sitting in the backseat with him, but with the divider up between them and the driver it did. Like they were in their own little world. It’s not as if this was the first time they’d ever shared a car together, but for some reason, with the weight of her decision to leave the company in the back of her mind, everything felt different.
Urgent in a way it hadn’t felt before.
You’re letting Gillian get to you.
Nothing had changed between her and Darian. It never would.
“What’s in the binder?”
She shook her head, coming back to the present. “Research,” she said. Her fingers curled around the plastic cover. Work was something she could take haven in. Flipping it open, she passed it over to him to peruse. “Once we lock in a location we need to get the invitations out ASAP. I have some samples arriving tomorrow that you can choose from.”
“Urgh,” he said, reviewing the pictures of possible stationary she’d printed out. “We’re going to have a conversation about white, aren’t we? I’ll fall in love with the polished pearl and you’ll fight to the death for the silver snow tint.”
“If such words ever leave my mouth you’ve my permission to fire me,” she quipped.
A rough chuckle escaped him. “Never.” He reached over to pat her hand. “What would I ever do without you?”
Her heart twisted even as her smile stayed in place.
Just another month and you can tell him, she told herself. There was no reason to add more stress to his plate right now.
She cleared her throat, shaking off the guilt. “Once the invitations are out we can worry about the rest of it. We’ll need food, flowers, music, etc. Basically everything you’ve ever seen at anyone else’s wedding.”
“I’ve only been to two, actually,” he said, flipping through the binder. “Both friends from college. One was on a beach and the other was a city hall affair. I doubt my personal experience will be of much help here.”
“Well, Jenny’s beau is a musician. I assumed he’d do the music himself or if not, he’d at least have an idea of who to substitute in.”
“I’ll call her tonight.”
“Do we need to throw a bachelorette party?” The idea of coming up with a wild night for Darian’s free spirit of a sister sounded like a monumental task.
“Knowing my sister, that’s taken care of.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Then I suggest we tackle venue, invites, and flowers this week. There’s a flower market that’s open on Saturday. If we get there early we might find some nice picks.”
“You’d give up your Saturday for me?”
Blue eyes pinned her, and she resisted the urge to drop her gaze. “Planning a wedding isn’t a nine-to-five kind of task. Besides, when have you ever complained about me working odd hours?”
“True enough. You are ever the reliable assistant.”
“Of course I am.”
Reliable. Dedicated. The woman you called when you had a problem that needed fixing. That’s what her role in Darian’s life was.
It never bothered me before.
Allison gazed out the window. It’s the only role she’d ever tried to play. Gillian’s teasing was really getting to her if she was mooning over a life she’d never have. When Darian looked at her, he saw a work partner. Not a desirable woman. That reality wouldn’t change. Even if, in her secret heart of hearts, she might wish it would.
“I suppose the least I can do is feed you.”
She turned back to him. “What?”
“Saturday.” His smile was slow and devastating. “If you’re giving me your weekend I should at least take care of dinner. I’ll cook something.”
She blinked. An invitation to his home that wasn’t work related? They were entering uncharted territory.
“I don’t think—”
“Come on. While we are unfortunately culinary equals I’m sure I can put something together.” He flipped another page. “Say, eight o’clock?”
She opened her mouth to refuse, but the words stalled. Why not accept? Hell, by Saturday he might have completely forgotten his offer. And even if he didn’t, hadn’t she always been curious what lay beyond the tiny bit of his house she’d seen? This was her chance. Any other woman would jump at it. Why couldn’t she?
Why indeed?
There was really only one thing to say.
“I’ll bring the wine.”
…
Darian stepped out of the car, still wondering what phantom had possessed his body and invited Allison to dinner. Not that sharing a meal with her was an unusual occurrence, but never at his home.
Maybe he could take her out to dinner instead. He didn’t deny he owed her that and more. But having her to his place seemed…
Intimate.
“Oh, Darian.”
The breathy sigh shot straight through him, sending his blood rushing in the opposite direction of his brain.
Christ, he thought, pulling his coat tighter around his body. What the hell is wrong with me?
He turned to admonish her and froze.
Allison stared up at the building before them, with rapt pleasure on her face. Her eyes sparkled with delight, her lips parted on a silent breath. She looked…
Beautiful.
He blinked. Surely not. She was his right hand. His dependable assistant. He actively avoided thinking of her as anything else.
But right now they weren’t in the safe confines of his business, and the woman at his side was smiling at him like she’d discovered magic.
“You can’t say this isn’t perfect.”
What was perfect? The landscape? Or her?
Dangerous thought.
Tearing his gaze away from his assistant, he turned to see what had made her react with such wonder.
And felt his eyes widen.
They stood before what appeared to be a modern fairytale castle. Stone walls sprawled out in both directions, curving around grand windows that would be more at home in a church than a vineyard. Jet black roofs stretched beneath twisting chimneys that looked like miniature medieval turrets.
Given the size of building, he doubted they’d have trouble accommodating a large function. This place practically screamed wedding venue.
“Jenny will love it,” Allison said.
She wasn’t wrong. His quirky sister w
ould appreciate the uniqueness of this location.
“Let’s go inside and see the rest,” he said.
As they stepped forward he placed his hand on the small of her back, the gesture automatic.
She tensed under the touch but made no move to shrug him off. Together they walked into the beautiful mansion.
A reception desk waited just inside the doors, with a beaming employee. “Welcome to Sahra Vineyards,” she said.
“Hello,” Allison said, taking the lead. “I called earlier from King Enterprises.”
“Oh yes. Just a moment and Sam will be with you. He’s very excited about the prospect of working on your event.” She picked up the phone as Allison turned to face Darian.
“Look at those coffered ceilings,” she whispered, staring up. “The wood is so shiny it gleams.”
Despite the darker exterior, the inside of the winery was all white walls and glossy chestnut wood.
Even he had to admit it was a stunning setting.
“Ms. Reed.”
They turned to see a smiling older man striding toward them.
“I’m Sam Lewis. We spoke on the phone.”
“Of course,” she said. “Darian, this is the owner of the vineyard.”
“You have a beautiful property,” he said, reaching out to shake the other man’s hand.
“Just wait till you see our gardens.”
“We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us today,” Allison said.
“You had excellent timing. We had a cancellation on the weekend you were requesting.”
She smiled. “Trust me, I know just how fortunate this was.”
“Are you two the happy couple?”
He watched a blush stain Allison’s pale cheeks. Usually she was unflappable no matter what situation she found herself in. He rather liked that the question had her flustered.
“No, not us. We’re not together,” she said. “Well, I mean we are physically together, but not in that way. Work. We work together.”
Her blush intensified.
Biting back his smile, he placed his hands on her shoulders and took over. “We’re trying to book a venue for my sister’s wedding. She’s currently out of the country, so all final decisions fall to us.”
Right Billionaire, Wrong Wedding (Sexy Billionaires) Page 4