by Lynn Emery
“Cleaned it up I suppose.”
“You betcha.”
“But you found out the family secret.”
“My great-grandmother got a little senile in her golden years. I’d listen to her stories. Mama and Grandmamma had no idea what an education I got.” Nicole wiggled her eyebrows like a little girl who’d gotten away with being bad.
“You’ll have to tell me some of them,” Marcus said and gazed at her.
“Name the time and place,” she replied, then blinked rapidly, as though bewildered. They exchanged a glance, then both became self-conscious.
“Anyway, about these potential customers.” Marcus was eager to get back on safer ground, at least for him.
“Right. Let’s go over these profiles you put together.” Nicole looked away from him.
For the rest of the ride they studiously avoided any kind of personal disclosure. Marcus felt a mixture of relief and disappointment in a strange way. He hadn’t felt so mixed up around a female since first discovering girls as a thirteen-year-old. Forced to cope, Marcus did his best to concentrate on the meetings ahead. Nicole seemed to recover much more quickly, a tiny blow to his male ego that he did his best to mentally shrug off. By the time they entered Calcasieu Parish, Marcus felt drained. Not a good sign, since he would make the presentations to two major companies. Nicole’s voice jerked him out of his reverie.
“Ready?” She stuffed a thick file into her soft leather Dooney & Bourke briefcase.
“I’ve read and reread at least three sources on both Daigre and Sons Construction and Ellender Real Estate.”
Marcus knew the companies on paper. Unfortunately his mind kept skipping back to her smile, the scent of her skin, her eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He damn well would be even if it killed him.
“Good, because I’m nervous. Man, it feels good being able to confess. Thanks for being supportive in spite of the circumstances.” Nicole glanced at him.
“You’re welcome.” Marcus didn’t risk returning her gaze. An unfamiliar feeling crawled over his skin like a small insect. Guilt.
eleven
“Those meetings went so well it’s downright scary. We’re hot!” Nicole clapped her hands together and grinned. Then she started the Durango. Marcus had agreed she should drive, since she knew the city.
It had been one o’clock in the afternoon when they’d finished their meeting with Ellender Real state. A medium-sized business specializing in large commercial properties, the vice president had grilled them for well over two hours. The gruff man had finally hired them.
“You charmed his socks off. Some technique, Ms. Benoit.” Marcus made notes as he spoke. “I was sure he’d say no.”
Nicole wove in and out of traffic skillfully. “He’s really a softie inside, kinda like my uncle Alton. He’d done his homework, too. The man is no fool.”
“You had him purring like a big tame cat by the time we left.” Marcus finally stopped writing. He put his pen in an inside pocket of his coat and closed the portfolio. “I’d say you’ve had lots of practice getting your way with men.”
“Scared?” Nicole went around a line of cars backed up behind someone trying to make a left turn.
“Of you or your driving?” Marcus wisecracked.
“Take your pick, Mr. Big Stuff.”
“Neither.”
She laughed. “Yeah, you’d have to say that to prove you’re a big strong guy.”
Marcus surprised her by laughing too. He seemed to relax for the first time since they’d left Houston. Nicole felt like they had crossed another boundary in their relationship. She felt less and less like he was an object of conquest, much to her chagrin. Liking him too much had not been in her plan. But the fire that had reached down to the soles of her feet when they’d kissed had not been in her plan either. Beyond that mind-bending experience was the magnetism he seemed to exert on her senses. There was no denying it, she enjoyed his wry sense of humor and respected his intelligence. They drove on in a companionable silence.
“So, where is this place that puts eating anywhere else to shame?”
“Mr. D’s On The Bayou, best seafood around. In my humble opinion.” Nicole turned down Common Street and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. “Here we go. You’re going to thank me all the way back to Houston.”
“We’ll see.”
Nicole couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses. Still, she was sure there was a teasing twinkle in them. She walked beside him, very conscious of his tall, imposing figure. Female gazes slid sideways whenever they passed by. Yeah, girls. He’s with me. Once seated, Marcus took her recommendations on what to order. They laughed and talked during the meal, about business and the city’s history.
“Dessert?” The pretty, dark-eyed Cajun waitress beamed at them both.
“No indeed. I’m two seconds away from bursting open.” Nicole patted her lips with the white cotton napkin.
“Nothing for me either.” Marcus reached inside his pocket and took out his credit card.
“No, I’ll get the check,” Nicole said as she put a restraining hand on his arm.
“Tradition.” Marcus dropped the card into the small tray with the bill. “Anyway, it’s the company account.”
“My hero,” Nicole teased.
“I thought you’d appreciate my enlightened approach. Women don’t want to be taken care of or rescued these days.” Marcus sipped from the tall glass of iced tea.
“Why in the world would I insult a wealthy dude whose main joy is buying me anything I want?” Nicole said with a grin.
“You intend to follow the family custom of marrying rich?” Marcus put the glass down and gazed at her.
Something in his eyes tugged at Nicole’s insides. “That was a joke. I’m not that superficial.”
“Oh,” he said blandly.
“Besides, my ex-husband cured me of rich chumps,” she joked. Still, he must have seen past her attempt at humor.
“Hurt that bad.” He tilted his head to one side.
“Not even money could make it worth it.” Nicole made a sour face and drank more diet cola.
“How long were you married?”
“Four hellish years if you count the year we were separated.” She raised her glass in a salute. “I don’t care what people say, thank the Lord for divorce lawyers.”
“I’m guessing you two don’t speak.”
“Your guessing is on target, my friend. Those made-for-television movies lie. It’s not easy to hire hit men.” Nicole gave a short graveyard laugh.
“I’m sorry he mistreated you,” Marcus said in a quiet tone. He looked away when she gazed into his eyes.
“Maybe we should change the subject. This is a celebration.” Nicole drained her glass of cola.
“Right.” He tugged at his jacket lapel as though putting on his business persona again.
After another quick run through their presentation, they left the restaurant. Neither said much during the ride to their last meeting of the day. For three hours they met with two astute businessmen. They sat in the large, yet functional, office of Joe Daigre. His oldest son, Damien, sat to his father’s right at the round cherry wood table in a corner of Joe’s office. Marcus watched Nicole work. She demonstrated that she’d done her homework.
Joe Daigre’s thick eyebrows formed a line. “We’ll study your proposal and get back to you.”
“I travel to Houston quite frequently. Maybe we can get together,” Damien said directly to Nicole.
Marcus nodded to him. “Sounds great. We can schedule something right now.”
“I’ll give you my card,” Nicole said smoothly.
They wrapped up the meeting a few moments later. They walked out with Joe Daigre beside Marcus. Damien and Nicole followed them down the hall.
“Have a safe drive back to Houston.” Damien’s copper eyes glittered when he glanced at Nicole.
He strolled off, one hand in his custom silk ble
nd dress pants pocket. The muscles in Marcus’s jaw rippled. He opened the door for Nicole and followed her to the Durango. Neither spoke for thirty minutes as Nicole drove them out of the city. She glanced at Marcus several times. He seemed more interested in checking e-mail on his cell phone. Then he turned his attention to the contents of his briefcase.
“I think the meeting went well. The father doesn’t like dealing with women when it comes to business, though. But toward the end I chipped away at the old rock.” Nicole spoke in a lighthearted tone.
“Good.”
“He knows my family. That always helps.” Nicole pressed the accelerator and activated the cruise control.
“I wouldn’t know. Never had connections, family or otherwise.” Marcus rattled a hand full of papers.
“Don’t try to tell me nobody ever gave you help.”
“After I worked my butt off.” Marcus made notes in the margins of a page.
“There you go. Connections.” Nicole lifted a shoulder.
“Based on ability, not my last name.” Marcus looked at her, then went back to his notes.
“Well, excuse me for being born a Summers. But the fact remains that you have connections. Admit it.” Nicole grinned at him.
“If you say so.”
More silence. Nicole decided to try again. “You made an impression on the old dude, Joe I mean. Another connection.”
“You definitely impressed his son. He did everything but kiss the back of your hand.” Marcus pressed the ink pen harder as he wrote in short, stabbing motions.
“He poured on the charm. All part of business. Damien is as tough as his father, just has a different style.” Nicole felt his vibe in waves. “You okay over there?”
“Sure.”
Nicole glanced at the papers balanced on his knee. “Don’t see how you’re going to be able to read your own handwriting. And just what do you mean?”
“The guy was making a play for you.” Marcus stopped writing. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”
“Oh, I noticed big time.” Nicole laughed.
Marcus didn’t crack a smile. He rattled the papers louder as he shoved them into his briefcase and took out a folder. “Right.”
“My goodness, he disapproves!” Nicole glanced at him, then at the highway again. “I couldn’t exactly shoot him down.”
“Whatever.”
“C’mon, he didn’t do anything overtly offensive.”
“If you say so.” Marcus pursed his lips as though pressing back more words.
“Okay, what,” Nicole said finally after ten seconds of the silent treatment.
“Forget it. Since you didn’t seem to mind anyway.”
“The guy just did a little exploratory flirting. I deflected it. End of story. We’ll get his account because he knows we’re good.”
“I’m just saying we don’t need to sacrifice our image or principles to get him to sign up,” Marcus muttered. More paper rustled, but quieter.
“I know what this is about, Marcus. Okay, I’m used to having a certain amount of privilege based on my family name. And yes, I don’t exactly protest if a guy likes the way I look and that smoothes the way. However, I do have some pride.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Damien Daigre will talk to you from now on. He’ll get the message.”
Marcus didn’t answer immediately. He lowered the folder he held and studied her for a time. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Nicole stared ahead at the gray pavement.
Remarkably, she wasn’t angry. In fact, in the last few weeks she’d examined herself more than she ever had before. Nicole wanted to prove she could take Summers Security to an entirely new definition of success. She wanted the company to be a top performer.
“You’ve really done a lot of hard work these last few weeks,” he said finally, as though he’d read her thoughts.
“Yes, I have. Like I said before, this isn’t a game to me anymore. Besides, I’d like to rub Russell’s nose in it when I succeed.”
Unexpectedly Marcus laughed deep in his throat. The sensuous sound wrapped around her body. Nicole’s breathing kicked up several notches.
“You haven’t changed completely from those old ways.”
“Sorry, I’ll try harder.” Nicole smiled without looking at him.
“Not necessary, at least not for me,” Marcus said.
His tone sent a serious shiver up her spine. “Thanks. I didn’t think you cared,” she replied.
“Russell deserves a little payback. So do I, come to think of it. Those first few days I—”
“Was less than thrilled,” she finished for him. “I know. But we’re beyond that now, so let’s forget it. Deal?”
“You got it, boss lady.” Marcus wore an impish expression.
“You had to go and mess up our new relationship.” Nicole gave a theatrical sigh.
He laughed again. “Okay, okay. No more ‘boss lady’ digs.”
The rest of the ride flowed along like a pleasant outing. Marcus relaxed again. Little by little she was chipping away at the Stone Prince. The man admired a serious approach to business. Nicole felt like she belonged at Summers Security. His acceptance of her made the real difference.
The next morning Nicole hummed a tune as she pushed through the double doors leading to the Summers Security office suite. She waved to Imani and Jacinta as they rounded a corner.
“How is everything?” she said in a cheery tone.
“Great, peachy.” Jacinta’s mouth turned down at the corners, giving her round face a sour look.
“Thank God you and Marcus made it back. Never leave us again.” Imani caught Nicole’s free hand and squeezed it.
“What is up with you two? Today is beautiful, we’ve got happy customers again, and the weekend is only two days away. Life is just about perfect.” Nicole grinned and walked toward her office.
“Sure. We’ve got a meeting. See you later,” Imani said, her tone dry. She and Jacinta headed off.
“Maybe we can have lunch, ladies,” Nicole called as she waved goodbye to them cheerily. The two women each mumbled an assent as they walked away.
“Hey, Cat. You look fresh as a Louisiana peach in picking season.” Nicole scooped up a stack of mail and messages from the tray with her name on it.
“Look who’s singing like the blue bird of happiness. No wonder, you didn’t have to put up with Russell for a day,” Cat grumbled.
“I’ve put up with him since I was born,” Nicole wisecracked.
Cat’s frown deepened. “You had parents to protect you. We were defenseless.”
“Oh, come on. How bad could it have been?” Nicole headed into her office with Cat on her heels.
“Should I begin with the five memos he put out before lunchtime?” Cat let out a snort of disgust. “I thought I was the queen of nitpicking. And I don’t need a lecture on how to answer the telephone properly.”
“You should be used to him by now.” Nicole turned on her computer. “Anyway, I tried to make sure he couldn’t be too much of a pimple on your butt.”
“Very funny,” Cat retorted and dropped into a chair. “You had to make things worse by letting him think he was in charge of something.”
“Well, sorta kinda. We didn’t get any 911 calls while we were in Lake Charles. So, I think y’all are exaggerating.” Nicole settled into her leather chair and shuffled through the mail.
“The trip went very well, I take it.”
“I actually felt like I knew what I was talking about, Cat. I think we can open offices in New Orleans and Lake Charles sooner than I thought.” Nicole wore a feline smile of satisfaction. “Take that, all you Nicole skeptics.”
“How wonderful. Just don’t sick Russell on me again, or I can’t be held responsible for the result. By the way, Mr. Phoung called twice. I put his message on top. You might want to call him first, considering.”
“You’re more priceless than rubies.” Nicole dropped the stack of mail and punche
d in his phone number. She knew it by heart.
Mr. Phoung sounded as though he still felt leery of their services, but he did thank her for all the attention they’d given him. Nicole used her best diplomacy to mention his role in the security breaches. Mr. Phoung’s tone softened considerably.
“Thank you, Mr. Phoung. We intend to earn and keep your trust.” Nicole hung up the phone with a wide grin. “Life is perfect.”
“Hello.” Russell’s latest flame, Aliyah Manning, stood in her door.
“Hi.” Nicole rocked back in her chair and waited.
“I just happened to be passing by and thought we might have lunch,” Aliyah said.
“I’m sorry, but I have plans.” Nicole didn’t have to think about her answer.
“Maybe you and Marcus could meet us, sort of a double date.” Aliyah made the comment sound casual.
Nice try, sugar. “Marcus would have to make his own social commitment. I don’t know his schedule,” Nicole said mildly.
“Oh, I see.” Aliyah arranged a silk oblong scarf across one shoulder. Her royal blue dress was impeccable and obviously expensive.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Nicole sat forward.
Aliyah didn’t seem put off. “No, thank you,” she replied with a polite smile. She opened a leather case containing a planner. “What about lunch next Wednesday? I’m free then.”
Nicole suppressed a sigh of aggravation. This woman got the hint—she just had no intention of taking it. “What exactly do you do again, Aliyah?”
“I’m in freelance fashion marketing. Right now I’m between projects, thank goodness. I’ll put us down for Wednesday at one.” Aliyah’s sugared manner was a thin cover for an iron will.
“Let me see.” Nicole tapped a few keys as though checking her calendar. “Oops, can’t do it. I’m booked. So exactly what do you market?”
“I’ve worked on projects for several hip-hop artists who have branched out into clothing, jewelry, and footwear lines.” Aliyah took Nicole’s question as an invitation to sit down. “The African-American and Latino communities love to style, you know.”
“Must keep you busy,” Nicole said. She gazed at Aliyah.
“Never too busy to get to know Russell’s family. Russell and I have become very much a couple.” Aliyah flashed her expensive dental work at Nicole.