Blackmailed by the Hero

by Julie Particka

  “I parked down the street. I can’t afford valet parking. Waitress, remember?”

  “I would have covered it for you.”

  “And I don’t need you to come to my rescue. I’m a big girl who can handle a couple blocks in heels.” She swept the hair off her shoulders and tipped her head toward the door. “So, are you planning to feed me or are we taking over for the valet? Regardless of the walk I mentioned, if it’s the latter, I would have worn different shoes.”

  “Definitely not the latter. The shoes look too good on you to get rid of.” They did, too. The nude leather matched her skin, and the stiletto heels made her legs look a mile long. He rested his hand on the small of her back and led her to the door. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

  She arched a brow, just a slight raise, as if she wasn’t amused enough to give him the full depth of her sarcasm, but he also saw the flush of pleasure rising in her cheeks at the compliment. “Were you expecting me to show up in a burlap sack?”

  “Never that,” he said as the maître d’ led them to their table. “I guess I wasn’t sure if you cared enough to dress up.” He pulled a chair out for her and caught the very obvious roll of her eyes.

  “Even if you were the most hated man in America, I would have respected the restaurant enough to dress appropriately.”

  He didn’t know why, but the way she was acting… Vicky was trying to keep her distance, as if she didn’t want to let herself get too close, lest she get burned. Was he never going to lose that damn nickname? At least she was still talking. That was something, right? Dante took his seat across from her and glanced at the wine menu. “Do you have a preference?”

  “To be snuggled up with a good book.”

  Or not.

  He handed the wine list to the maître d’. “Bring us your top recommendation.” As soon as the man was out of earshot, Dante leaned across the table. “You always could have stood me up if you really didn’t want to be here.”

  “Give up a free dinner for the privilege of having you tell my boss I tried to seduce you? No, thanks.”

  Right. The blackmail, and the likely reason she was being so pissy. What the hell had he ever done to make her believe he’d actually stoop that low? Sure, he’d threatened it to get her away from Reed, but that was as far as he’d go. Had she told him to shove it up his ass, he would have let the whole plot dissolve. Maybe talked to Evan about her plans and had him deal with it, but he never would have said a word to her boss. “About that…”

  “Let it go, Dante. I’m here. Let’s just eat, and you can tell me what other things I’m required to attend with you.” She slid a piece of paper across the table at him. “My work schedule, since I’m sure you didn’t take that into account.”

  He definitely hadn’t. Even the days she finished work early, he’d be taking her out after she’d been on her feet all day. It made him feel like a first-class jackass. That was the moment the plan he needed to pull together shifted from individual threads into a perfectly knit blanket, one that would cover her work worries and give her a break from her job. His lips twitched toward a smile he couldn’t show her, and he had to school it to something more serious as he pushed the paper back toward her. “You’re right. I didn’t account for that. But if your boss knows you have an in with your brother’s old friend who happens to be looking to throw a big party to celebrate both their birthdays next month…maybe he’ll be willing to cut back your waitressing hours in order to let you take charge of the account.”

  “Right. From waitress to party planner overnight? You realize that my five-year plan had party planner at the end of it—and I’d have been happy enough with assistant tacked on to the front of that title. So, I’d ask what you were on, but you are the guy who’s all about clean living.” The way she said it made it clear she didn’t believe a word she heard about him, either.

  “I’m not on anything. What’s the office number again?” He pulled his phone from his pocket.

  “Stop it. You aren’t funny.”

  When she wasn’t forthcoming, he did a quick search for Elegant Entertainment, pulled up the number, and hit call. Voicemail picked up on the first ring, and Vicky’s eyes went wide as he spoke. “Hi, Mr. Collins, this is Dante Palladino. We met at Saul’s party last night. My best friend’s birthday is the same month as mine, and I ran into his younger sister there last night, too. I’d really like her to plan a party at my home. I know she’s currently in your employ, so if you could clear her calendar for the next couple weeks, I’d be happy to come to your office and sign a contract for this. If it causes any unforeseen expenses on your part, we can discuss compensation for that as well.” He left his number and then ended the call, sliding her badge across the table at the same time.

  The expression of abject shock on Vicky’s face made the cost of a party well worth it. She shook her head slowly, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Getting you a better job? A few reasons. First, it’ll give you a shot you would have waited months, if not years, for otherwise. Second, for at least a couple weeks, you’ll make more money. Third, your schedule is a lot more flexible now. That last one’s a bit selfish, I admit.” Hero to the rescue again.

  “I don’t need you to hand me a promotion.” Vicky sat silently for a moment as their wine was served, her eyes never leaving his. Slowly, as he sampled the wine, her glare faded to something softer, kinder. “But thank you.”

  When the wine steward left, Dante allowed himself to smile at her. “Vicks, I didn’t give you a promotion. I gave you a shot at one. This won’t be a bullshit job. You need to plan a party, and your boss has to be impressed. The only difference is your first client wants you to succeed as much as you do.”

  “I…” She bit her lip and stared into the depths of her wine, swirling it in the glass. “I told you before, you don’t need to save me. But I do really appreciate this.”

  “Like I said, it’s more than a little selfish on my part.” He reached across the table and rested his hand on hers, stilling the movement of her glass. “In the meantime, I promised to feed you. Let’s figure out dinner.”

  …

  Vicky dreamed of Dante again and woke cursing his name. Why did he have to be so freaking beautiful? And why the hell was he helping her? This wasn’t the bad news her brother had warned her about. Instead he was doing all the right things, going above and beyond the call of a first date. And it was driving her batty.

  After dinner, he’d walked her to her car, insisting he’d be the worst date ever if he let her go alone. It was just like the night before—only this time she was with him because he’d forced her to be rather than because she’d sneaked into the wrong damn bed. She’d expected him to get pushy once they arrived at her Acura, insist the night wasn’t over. But not only had he not suggested they should go back to his place, he hadn’t even gone in for a good-night kiss.

  This morning, her lips still ached, yearning for something she hadn’t gotten. Something she shouldn’t have even wanted.

  In the dream, he’d leaned in close, more than once, his mouth so near hers there was barely space for breath between them. But it had never progressed beyond that, almost as if her own brain were admonishing her for not kissing him after dinner.

  She wanted to scream her frustration to the wind.

  Instead, she settled for scrubbing herself viciously in the shower. I’ll just loofah him right out of my head. Too bad it only reminded her of all the places he’d never touched her.

  Not him. He’s not supposed to touch me anywhere.

  These two weeks were going to kill her.

  The drive to work was long, and she spent it trying to come up with explanations in case Mathew asked her what the hell she was doing with Dante. Worse, if Mathew talked to Saul Mortensen, he might have caught wind of her late-night visit. Even worse, Dante himself might have decided to spill since she hadn’t moved in for a kiss or something more last night.

  So many scenar
ios, so little time.

  She still had a dozen possibilities racing through her head when she walked through the door. And then time for concocting responses ended as Mathew stepped from the shadow of the reception desk and said, “Ms. Stone, can I see you in my office?”

  “Of course. Did you want me to clock in first?”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  Oh, that didn’t sound good. She followed him down the hall, accompanied by the stares of far too many coworkers. Obviously this wasn’t a normal occurrence to people who had been around awhile.

  Mathew’s office was as stark as she’d remembered. He’d told her that he preferred it that way because it kept potential clients from seeing any specific theme or style he might press on them for their events. His office was a blank canvas, as every party plan would be. At the moment, however, it was oppressive. Kind of the way she imagined an empty prison cell would be as you walked through the door.

  “Have a seat.” Mathew waved a long-fingered hand toward one of the straight-backed chairs in front of his desk.

  Vicky gave one yearning glance at the sitting area behind her before taking her spot in the horribly uncomfortable metal chair. This obviously wasn’t a social meeting.

  He steepled his fingers and stared at her long enough that she started sweating and had to fight the urge to fidget. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, not really. Sure she’d planned to have sex with a party guest. And she had ended up in another guest’s bed, where she’d put her hand on his rock-hard, pierced cock. But…

  Great. Now I’m getting turned on. I’m going to kill Dante.

  “I got an interesting message this morning from Dante Palladino.”

  Okay. Interesting didn’t mean bad, and probably only referred to the message she’d heard him leaving last night. Best to play it off like it was news to her. “Oh?”

  “It seems you two have a history.”

  Old history or recent history? How much did Mathew know? “He and Evan have been best friends for years. And we ran into each other Saturday night, as you saw. Again, sorry for lingering as long as I did with him. Every time I went to walk away, he would decide he wanted more crostini.” She shrugged, brushing it off as actor craziness.

  Mathew tapped his fingers on the desk, the beats far too similar to the sound of a death march. “The call wasn’t about that, exactly.” The drumming stopped, and Vicky waited for him to drop the ax. “He wants you to plan a birthday party for himself and your brother.”

  That was it? She let out a sigh and tried not to let the relief show on her face. “I’d love to.”

  “I’m sure you would. So would several people who have been with Elegant Entertainment years longer than you. However, I spoke to Mr. Palladino already, and he was quite insistent. It was either you or he’d look into other options. Any idea why he’d be so determined?” The drumming started again, slower this time.

  Because he wants me to be at his beck and call? “It’s probably because he knows my situation. I’m making a new life start, and this is his way of helping out. Of course, it’s also beneficial to the planning that I know the likes and dislikes of both the client and the other birthday boy.” Mathew’s eyes narrowed, and Vicky started to get pissed. Sure, what Dante was doing was a little underhanded, but she did have experience. She’d planned more than one of Evan’s parties over the years—the only difference between then and now was she had a boss calling the shots these days. Which meant she could always give him something to consider. “Honestly, if he’s talking about looking into other options, there’s a good chance Dante will just call me directly. This party can either be mutually beneficial, or I can use it to make money on the side. I suppose that’s up to you.”

  His fingers stopped tapping on the desk, the pause abrupt and jarring. For a long moment his hand stayed in that position, as if she’d frozen time, then he laid it flat on the desktop. “And what would you expect from an opportunity like this?”

  Hot damn, he was on the hook. “For starters, complete creative control once a budget is worked out. Obviously I’d need access to staff and supplier lists, as well as awareness of any standard up-charges so I know what I really have to work with as well as where I can get the best deals. I also need to know if I’m permitted to move outside that network if I deem it necessary to make the client happy.”

  “Complete creative control and access to supply chain? If I didn’t know better, I’d be worried you planned to strike out on your own and arranged this whole thing so you would have insider info on how to be most competitive.”

  Mathew narrowed his eyes at her, but Vicky’s only response was to laugh. “You know my situation as well, if not better, than Dante does. I don’t have the means to start my own business, and you know damn well I won’t take money from my brother to do it. If that was my goal, Dante never would have come to you with the offer in the first place, he’d have just hired me straight out.” Instead of returning his glare, she cocked her head to the side and favored her boss with a tight smile. “Oh, a couple more things—I expect to have the rest of my schedule cleared in order to give this party the attention it requires, and I expect to be paid what any other planner would be for an event similar in scope and attendance. Of course, ultimately, the decision is yours.”

  Chapter Five

  When Dante had gotten the call to set up a meeting this afternoon, he’d texted Vicky immediately.

  Looks like congratulations are in order. Does this mean we can have our first planning session tonight?

  It took less than a minute to get a reply.

  Make sure you let Mathew know you want that. I get paid overtime if I work past five.

  He rubbed at the scruff on his face, his hand effectively covering his smile. It wasn’t a no. It wasn’t even a why don’t we meet after you sign the contract? Maybe she was starting to actually enjoy spending time with him.

  What if he says no?

  It was possible, after all. Even though Dante planned to include “odd hours” in the contract to ensure they were able to spend time together…as well as her getting paid.

  We’ll figure it out then, I guess.

  And that had been a little too noncommittal for his taste. When it came time for his meeting with Mathew, Dante decided to play hardball. He wanted Vicky on retainer until the party happened. The man balked and tried to force him into a more modest option, but Dante didn’t want any part of that.

  “Mr. Collins… May I call you Mathew? Well, Mathew, you see, filming starts on my new movie soon, and I’m going to have to do all my planning with Vicky between takes and at odd hours. It would be the same no matter who I hired, but it’s likely she’ll make better use of her time based on simple knowledge of myself and her brother. But I really need her on my schedule, not some nine-to-five crap.”

  Mathew swept a hand through his blond hair. It looked like a toupee, but Dante wasn’t about to call the guy out on it. It didn’t matter if women had jumped on the bald-is-beautiful bandwagon; the guy already had his short stature working against him in life. If Mathew Collins thought he needed the hair, he could have the hair without comment from Dante.

  “Mr. Palladino…”

  “Dante, please.” He smiled, showing off his nearly perfect teeth. His agent had once said that Helen might have had the face that launched a thousand ships, but Dante had the smile that could draw them all off course.

  “Dante.” Collins slid a sheet of paper across his desk. “This is what you’re looking at costwise for nothing but the planning, and that only allows for ten hours a week overtime in Vicky’s pay. She’s going to have to sign off on it as well, since you can’t guarantee you won’t need her more off hours than that.”

  Shrugging, Dante shoved the paper back. “As long as she’s game, I’m in, but it will be in the contract that she handles this account. I don’t want it passed off to someone else because you decide you need her as a waitress.”

  “I understand. You want to
make sure she’s given a fair shot.” Collins smoothed down his tie. “What you’re doing for your friend’s sister is admirable, even if I think there are people better suited to the job. I hope the two of you prove me wrong.” He pushed a button on his phone. “Stone, my office, please.”

  “Right away.” Vicky’s voice was lighter than Dante had heard it since…well, since before she was married. Definitely lighter than the past couple days.

  Collins nodded to him. “I’m assuming you have at least a little time to draw up a rough proposal with her now?”

  “Of course. It’s why I wanted to get started immediately.” That and getting her off the outrageous work schedule. As soon as the door opened, he stood, turning to smile at her. “Sounds like we can get to work as soon as you approve the schedule.”

  Vicky nodded. “Sure thing. I’m guessing there’s not a lot of wiggle room with it, anyway.” She gave Mathew a pointed glance, and the man squirmed.

  “Even considering Dante’s request for late work hours, I think it’s more than fair.” He handed over the paper.

  Giving a shrug, Vicky nodded. “I suppose it is. I’m just wondering how you want me to track my hours. I’m not exactly going to drive into the office to clock in and out before I meet him on set—or wherever it is he needs me. I mean, most planners are salary instead of hourly, so it’s not an issue, but in this case…”

  She let the question dangle, and Mathew started to squirm more. “I trust you to report your hours for this on the honor system. Just keep track of when you start and stop working.”

  “What about working through lunch and that?”

  He let out a sigh. “Report your time to the nearest quarter hour daily. Is that reasonable?”

  “Totally.” She grabbed a pen from his desktop, scribbled a note on the paper, and shoved it toward him. “Added that bit, and now it’s all signed. If you can just initial the change or something. Do you need Dante’s John Hancock, too?”