Warren had written her a letter of apology. Summer had read it, then set it aside to read again at a later date. Perhaps in time she could forgive him, but right now she felt very vulnerable. Some of her ex-coworkers at Worth Advertising had recently referred clients to her, small accounts that Edwin Worth was not interested in taking on.
Henrietta and Summer met for lunch the following week. “Have you heard from Cooper?” Henrietta asked.
The light went out of Summer’s eyes. “His secretary called and spoke to Max. Said Cooper was flying to Germany, and would be gone at least another week which then turned to four weeks, which was fine with me. He is supposedly meeting with other bike manufacturers. He wants to enlarge his own manufacturing plant here in Atlanta. At least that’s what Max relayed to me.”
“Oh, sweetie,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “How long are you going to punish the poor guy?”
Summer looked away. Pride alone would not allow her to let her grandmother see how hurt she still was over Cooper’s deception. “I’m not punishing him,” she said. “I’m merely protecting myself. The guy should wear a label across his forehead that says: warning: dangerous to the heart.”
“Maybe he feels the same about you.” When Summer didn’t reply, Henrietta went on. “Have you started working on his account yet?”
Summer tried to suppress a smile. She’d started planning his ad the day Cooper had handed her his check. “You might say that.”
Henrietta studied her. “You’re holding out on me, Summer Pettigrew. What is it?”
Summer chuckled. “You’ll have to wait like everyone else to find out, but I was relieved when I found out he was taking additional time.” Even now Summer wondered how she’d managed to get everything done and still devote time to the Good Shepherd account and the new clients. Of course, Joyce and Max had proven invaluable the past month, skipping lunch hours and working overtime in order to keep Cooper’s job on the fast track. Joyce’s brother, the photographer, had performed miracles, putting in as many hours as he possibly could.
“Why are you rushing Cooper’s ad?” Henrietta asked.
“I want everything to be in place by the time he returns.”
“Why should he be in a hurry to come back? The love of his life dumped him like a hot potato.”
Summer offered her a coy smile. “Yes, well, he ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Henrietta made a tsking sound. “Why do I have a feeling that you’ve done something very naughty?”
Summer pretended to look shocked. “Oh, Grandmother! You know I would never—”
#
Cooper had tried to sleep during the ten-hour flight over the Atlantic, but his thoughts wouldn’t give him the rest his body required. After four weeks of conventions, meetings, traveling from one country to the next, he was impatient to get back on American soil and try to convince Summer to listen to him once and for all. For weeks he had mentally practiced what he would say as he’d put together business plans. He wanted to manufacture his New Breed bikes in Germany and the UK, and from the feedback he’d received, he should do well. So why wasn’t he excited?
The answer was quite simple. Hopes and dreams meant nothing when there was no one to share them with.
Cooper landed at the Atlanta airport shortly before seven a.m. Feeling tired and disgruntled after the all-night flight, he waited for his bags and flagged a taxi. He’d already planned his move. First, he’d swing by his condo for a quick shower, then drive to Summer’s office and insist she see him, even if he had to use what she referred to as his caveman tactics.
Cooper leaned his head back in the seat and closed his eyes but discovered the futility of it since the cab driver seemed to be in a talkative mood. He mumbled his responses as he gazed out the window at the passing scenery through gritty eyes. The taxi came to a stop at a red light and Cooper found himself staring at a billboard he hadn’t seen before. At first he thought it was his tired mind playing games, then realized with a jolt that it was real.
It was an advertisement for New Breed motorcycles. The bike was black leather and chrome, massive in size, and a thing of great beauty as far as Cooper was concerned. But it wasn’t the bike that captured his stunned attention; it was the woman in the skimpy, fire engine red bikini straddling it like she would a lover. Summer Pettigrew smiled back at him provocatively, giving him a come-hither look that sent his pulse skyrocketing. Beneath the bike were the words new breed bikes are red hot!
The driver grinned at Cooper from his rearview mirror. “Ah, you like that sign, huh? They been popping up like crazy the past couple of days.”
“You mean there are more?” Cooper said, a sinking sensation in his stomach.
“Oh, yes. This chick is plastered on billboards all over the city. I don’t know who she is, but she certainly gets my motor running first thing in the morning. It’s all the guys can talk about at the station.”
Cooper was tempted to slug the driver for looking, but realized it wasn’t his fault. A man would have to be a blind eunuch not to get excited by the temptress and the powerful machine. If this was Summer’s idea of a joke, he didn’t think it was a damn bit funny. “I want to see the others.”
The cabbie shrugged and made a U-turn. Ten minutes later Cooper was staring at another sign. This time Summer was dressed in black leather that clung to her like a second skin. Her breasts looked as though they would spill from the low cut bodice. In one hand she held a small whip. Her hair was wild, untamed, flying in the breeze. Beneath the picture in bold red were the words: ride a new breed. nothing feels better than leather. He almost groaned aloud. Cooper felt it low in his gut.
The third sign showed Summer leaning against a bike in a skin-tight denim skirt that showed more thigh than anything Cooper had ever seen on a woman. A bustier was loosely tied in front, showing plenty of cleavage. Eyes closed, lips wet and slightly parted, she seemed to be in a state of full arousal. He gritted his teeth as he read the words hug the curves with a new breed bike.
The little witch, he thought. She’d done it on purpose! She knew he didn’t like men looking at her, and she had gone and rubbed his nose in the fact that she could and would do as she damn well pleased.
“There’s a couple of more along the interstate,” the cabbie said. “She’s curled up with a jaguar in one of them, and it says something about these bikes bringing out the animal in us. But the one causing the most excitement is the one she had taken with a male model.”
“She actually had her picture taken with a man?” Cooper said, feeling his temper rise.
“Yes, this guy is wearing cut-off jeans and nothing else, and there’s a lot of oil on his body. She’s wearing the shortest shorts I’ve ever seen on a woman, and she’s completely bare in front.”
“Bare?” Cooper croaked.
“Yeah, but you can’t see nothing ’cause she’s hugging the model. You want me to drive you by it?”
Cooper shook his head. His blood was boiling, his ears roared. “No, I’ve seen enough. And I’ve changed my mind where I want to go. I have another address in mind.” He gave it to the driver, and the man nodded. Cooper was silent the rest of the way, his thoughts running in a deadly direction.
They pulled up in front of Summer’s condominium complex shortly before eight o’clock. The guard immediately turned him away, but Cooper pulled out a one hundred dollar bill. He was determined to see her even if it meant spending every dime he had.
The guard hesitated, although his eyes never wavered from the cash. “Ms. Pettigrew specifically asked us not to let you in.”
Cooper gave him a beguiling smile as he added another hundred dollars to the offering. “She was just mad at the time,” he said. “We had a lovers’ spat. Now that both of us have had time to cool off, I think we’ll be able to work things out.” He smiled at the guard reassuringly, trying to hide his true intention, which was to wring her neck.
“Tell you what,” the guard said, leaning in the window. “If sh
e starts a ruckus with my boss, I’ll just tell him I was in the men’s room and didn’t see nobody come through.”
“Sounds good to me,” Cooper said, stuffing the bills in the man’s shirt pocket before the cab driver pulled into the complex. Cooper paid his fare, tipped the driver well, and climbed out of the taxi. He hurried toward Summer’s condo.
“Hey, what about your luggage?” the cabbie said.
“Just leave it on the sidewalk for now.” Cooper told him. He paused, took a deep calming breath, and raised his hand to knock.
The door opened before he had a chance, and a startled Summer jumped back. She had obviously been ready to walk out the door, because she carried her purse and briefcase. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her heart lurching wildly at the sight of him. “And how did you get past the security guard?”
“I bribed him.”
“Liar. They don’t accept bribes.”
“Okay, I hid in the bushes and waited until he disappeared into the men’s room, then I sneaked in.”
“That sounds more your style. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way out.” She tried to push past him.
“Not so fast,” he said, backing her inside once more. He closed the door and locked it behind him. “First, we talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you,” she said, trying to focus her attention on anything but the man. He’d lost weight, and there were dark circles under his eyes. She hoped it meant he’d suffered as much as she had.
“Oh, I think you do,” he said with gritted teeth. “I demand a full explanation behind those tawdry-looking signs.”
“Tawdry? I happen to think they’re quite tasteful. I tried to make them sexy and classy.”
“You look like a woman who charges for sex.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“It’s my account.”
“You gave me creative control, remember? It’s all in the contract.”
His eyes glittered with pent-up rage. “I was not aware you’d planned on being the model and giving every man in Atlanta a free show. You’re wasting your time in advertising, babe. You could make better money working a street corner.”
She was getting angry now. “Have you been home yet?”
“No, I came straight from the airport.” His eyes narrowed into black slits. “Don’t tell me I have another surprise waiting.”
“I’m wearing a fig leaf,” she said proudly. “I had them erect the sign so that it’s the first thing you see when you wake up each morning.”
He was so angry, he wanted to shake her. Instead, he raked both hands through his hair. He had never felt more frustration. “Do you realize everybody in this town is going to recognize you?”
“So? You’re the one who said I needed to loosen up. Frankly, I think I look pretty good up there.”
His look was menacing as he pointed a finger in her face. “You did this on purpose, Summer,” he said, his tone edged with almost uncontrollable rage. “You know how I am when it comes to—” He stopped. “I go crazy when men look at you. If this is how you decided to get back at me, you’ve won. I know dirty fighting when I see it. But if you think I’m going to sit by and let everybody gawk at the woman I love, you can forget it. Those billboards are coming down, starting today.
Summer stared at his wide shoulders as he made to leave. The thought of him going away again was more than she could bare. “Cooper, wait—
“I don’t care how much money I lose.” He reached for the doorknob.
Summer rushed ahead, blocking his way. “What did you say?”
He glowered at her. “I said, I don’t care how much money I lose—”
“No, before that, you big clod.”
This time he almost shouted the words. “I said I won’t have people gawking at the woman I love. Satisfied? All I’ve done the past month is think of you. I can’t eat or sleep. I made up my mind I was going to convince you to marry me no matter what, but then I saw those signs, and I realized you don’t give a damn about me; otherwise, you’d never have done something like that.”
He glanced away, afraid to let her see how torn up he was over the whole thing. His bottom lip trembled, but the hardening of his jaw told her he was not going to let her get to him. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I felt I was a better person when I was with you. I may have let you down, but you let me down too.”
Summer saw the misery in his eyes and was immediately ashamed of what she’d done, not to mention the money she’d spent doing it. “I’m sorry, Cooper,” she said, her eyes stinging. “I was so angry and hurt at the time, I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. Not to mention humiliated. I bared my body and soul to you, but you obviously didn’t trust me enough to reciprocate.”
“It was wrong of me,” he said, staring at the floor. “When people accuse you all your life of not being good enough, it doesn’t go away that easily. I had to know you cared enough to accept me the way I appeared to be.” He shook his head. “I never for one instant thought it was possible for someone like you to love someone like me.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “But I do.”
He looked at her, studying her green eyes closely for signs of doubt. They were soft and full of love, and for a moment he couldn’t believe the emotions were directed at him. He took a tentative step toward her. “If you really feel that way, then have the signs taken down. Call me jealous or possessive or whatever, but the only one who gets to watch my wife prance around in string bikinis and fig leaves is me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Are you proposing?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that’s what it boils down to.” He held his breath for her answer. He’d laid himself wide open this time, put his heart on the line like never before. She had the power to break it or make him the happiest man in the world. It was almost frightening to know she had so much control over him.
Summer stepped closer and curled her arms around his waist. His look remained guarded, but she promised herself one day he would not feel the need to protect himself. “I would love to be your wife,” she said, and saw a flicker of relief cross his face. “As for the billboards, I couldn’t care less what you do with them. I did it only to get a rise out of you.”
“You got a rise out of me all right,” he said, grasping her hips and forcing her against him so she felt for herself that he was already hard. “Me and every other red-blooded male.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to wear burlap sacks just to keep you from being jealous.”
His look sobered. “The truth is I sort of get turned on watching men look at you as long as they know up front you’re mine. Just do me a favor and save the revealing stuff for the bedroom. Does that sound fair?”
She nodded. “I already have half a dozen models lined up for the ads, so I’ll start pulling the existing ones as soon as I can. As for what I wear in public, I’ll agree to dress like a lady and save the kinky stuff for you. Speaking of which—” She paused and undid the top button of his shirt, then nuzzled the curls at his throat. He sighed and closed his eyes, and she took great delight in knowing he wanted her. She would see that he never stopped. “Now that we understand each other, perhaps you’d be interested in seeing my new fig leaf collection. I’m sure my new business partner won’t mind taking over for me today.”
He opened his eyes, and the black irises impaled her. “Oh, babe, I can’t think of a better way to spend the day.”
About the Author
Charlotte Hughes published her first category romance in 1987, a Bantam Books’ Loveswept, titled Too Many Husbands, which immediately shot to #1 on the Waldenbooks Bestseller list. She went on to write almost thirty books before the line closed in 1998.
Although Charlotte is widely known for her laugh-out-loud romantic comedies, she went on to pen three Maggie-Award winning thrillers for Avon Books in the late nineties, before resuming her first love, funny stories about people falling in love. She th
rilled readers with her hilarious books, A New Attitude and Hot Shot, the latter of which won the Waldenbooks Greatest Sales Growth Achievement in 2003.
Her books received so many accolades that she was invited to co-author the very popular Full House series with mega-star author Janet Evanovich.
With that series behind her, Charlotte began her own, starring psychologist Kate Holly; What Looks Like Crazy, Nutcase, and High Anxiety, creating a list of somewhat kooky but always loveable and funny ensemble characters.
To keep current with Charlotte and her projects, please sign up for her newsletter. You can also visit her website at http://readcharlottehughes.com and follow her on Twitter @charlottehughes.
A note from the author:
“I hope you liked reading Tall, Dark and Bad as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please consider See Bride Run! my other recent independently published romantic comedy.”
“On May 12, 2015 Louisiana Luvin’ is scheduled for release. I am currently writing a new series set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.”
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
Tall, Dark, and Bad Page 22