A Friendly Engagement

by Christine Warner

  She closed her eyes, swaying closer, her lips parted.

  Before she could do something stupid—like go in for some action—he pulled back and gave her the most delicious smile she’d ever seen. He made her feel warm—like she’d done the right thing in becoming a liar, even though her inner voice told her otherwise.

  “Convincing enough?” His roughened voice sent a chill of disappointment through her. He forked his fingers through his hair.

  “For starters.” She cleared her throat, stepped back, and pulled at the hem of her blouse. She practically had to change her underwear and he acted as if their interlude hadn’t affected him at all. Calm, cool, and collected. If only she could be so unaffected.

  She’d never believed in the stupid weak-knee stories she’d heard—until now. She just might be in trouble here. A real-life attraction would be the last thing she’d need if she had to play lovebirds with her boss.

  Ugh. What have you gotten yourself into, Devi Boss? She pushed aside that annoying voice in her head. The one telling her—in Grams’s voice no less—that she’d just torn off more than she could handle.

  An hour later Devi sat barside at Remy’s. She couldn’t get into her umbrella drink any more than she could enjoy the loud music pulsating around her.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Cass plopped into the barstool beside her, breathless and all smiles from her latest round on the dance floor.

  “I guess I’m not in the partying mood after all.”

  “I see that. Bossman?” Cass flung away the hair crowding her eyes and took a large draw on the straw from Devi’s untouched margarita. “Hmm, this is refreshing.”

  “You can have it. And yes, Bossman.” Devi signaled the bartender over and then asked her for a cup of ice in a frosted mug. Within seconds the tall blonde slid a frosty glass across the shiny bar top, and Devi caught it in her palm.

  “Let work go. It’s Friday. Funday.” Cass’s laughter stopped on a dime when Devi didn’t join in. She leaned close, rubbing Devi’s arm. “What happened?”

  Devi filled her in on all the details and finished with a sigh. “I really don’t like the idea of lying, Cass. But at the same time I really want to help Omar, and more importantly I want that raise.”

  “That’s natural. You’ve wanted to find your dad since…well, since forever. And you like Omar, right? You trust him.”

  Devi nodded. “He ranks right up there in the trust department.”

  “I know you said he’s been a great boss and a good friend. And damn, girl, he’s something else to look at for sure. I had no idea. Any job openings at Esterly I need to know about?”

  They both laughed, and for the first time since Devi entered Remy’s the tension gnawing at her spine eased.

  “So you don’t think it’s wrong of me—of us—to lie just so we can meet this guy?” With each second that passed as she waited for Cass’s answer, Devi’s chest tightened. She wanted her friend’s reassurance.

  Cass puckered her lips as she looked thoughtfully into Devi’s eyes. Then she smiled and shook her head, her hair bouncing around her face. “Not at all. I mean, I guess if he wasn’t willing to come clean right away I’d question his motives. But you’ve said yourself more than once he’s a good guy. He just needs an in to show this Barley—”

  “Bartow.” Devi laughed.

  Cass shrugged. “Barley-Burley-Bartow—whatever. Anyway, he wants to show him what he has, how good he is. That’s all this plan is. Once he presents his idea and this rich guy goes for it, Omar will give him the scoop and all will be right. He’ll have his contract, the rich man will get richer, you’ll be searching for your pop, and nobody will have gotten hurt.”

  “Hmm.” Devi took a sip of the margarita cradled between Cass’s palms. Listening to her friend made it all seem easy. She had to get over her conscience. Get over the fib.

  “I’m surprised, Dev. It worries me how much you’re overthinking all of this.”

  “You’re worried?” Devi frowned.

  “This just isn’t you. Aren’t you the girl who told me life’s an adventure, grab hold and don’t let go? Live in the moment. Never look back. No regrets. Need I go on?”

  “I know. You’re right.”

  Cass took another swallow of their now shared drink and chuckled. “I mean, it’s not like the man’s asking you to have his baby or something. When it’s all said and done you’ll break off your engagement and all will be right with the world. You only have to embellish on the truth for a little while. Then it’s win-win for everyone, even for the Barley guy.”

  “Bartow.” Devi plucked an ice cube from her mug and plopped it into her mouth. She swirled the cool cube around with her tongue. She had to hand it to Cass, she could put a nice spin on any situation. And her use of “embellish the truth” was for sure a winner in word choice. For some reason that made things easier to digest. “You’re right. I can’t believe how I’m dwelling on this. It stops here. My main concern was someone getting hurt, but nobody will.”

  “Nope. Everyone will be golden.”

  Trev’s band stepped back up on stage after their short break. Cass’s boyfriend teased the crowd with a guitar solo until they went wild and demanded more by stomping their feet and chanting his name.

  “I think now’s the moment for the unveiling of Trev’s new song. Come on,” Cass yelled over the noise of the crowd and the music as she jumped to her feet, dragging Devi with her. “Time to shake some boo-tay and have fun.”

  Devi threw back her head and laughed. Now that she’d wrapped her mind around all that had happened the last few hours her body felt as light as air. They wove their way around a sea of tables and then across the dance floor. The rest of their friends owned the space before the stage. Cass hugged the edge of the stage and gazed up at Trev. He bent to cradle her cheek with his palm and then announced his new song, dedicating it to his woman.

  A pang of jealousy shot through Devi—that only lasted a second. Sometimes when she watched those two, she wondered if she might be missing something by not opening herself up for a relationship. But she doubted she’d ever find that type of soul mate. And truthfully, did she want one? Life was pretty good the way it was.

  She shook off her thoughts as a couple of friends tugged her into their inner circle. The beat of the music swirled around them, drawing her in and letting her relax enough to dance. She swayed to the sounds, lifting her arms over her head, her body moving faster as the tempo increased.

  Seconds later, Cass rejoined the group and threw her arms around Devi as the momentum of the music filled the room. Energy shot through Devi as she and Cass spun each other around. She felt free. Empowered.

  Life was wonderful. Music truly did heal the soul.

  The audience chanted Trev’s name as he belted out the words to his newest song.

  Devi loved her friends. They kept her grounded. At least as grounded as she could handle. She tossed up her arms and chanted Trev’s name along with everyone else.

  Live in the moment. She had no cares. No worries. Nothing stressful in her path. And that’s the way it should be.

  …

  Omar hung up from the phone call with Beth, his inside source at the paper. She’d agreed to pull a few strings and get his engagement announcement—complete with a picture of him and Devi from last year’s office Christmas party—in Monday morning’s edition. Always the professional, Beth had quickly covered her surprise at his news and taken the specifics with razor-sharp precision.

  Mission accomplished.

  He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands down his face, releasing a deep sigh. His body sagged with weariness. He felt like he hadn’t slept in a week.

  He should be counting down the minutes until Bartow called with the invite, but instead a whisper of guilt over involving Devi in his scheme tromped down his mood. He didn’t like asking her to do something she wasn’t comfortable with, but at the same time he couldn’t see any other option.

 
He tossed his pen on his desk and sat back in his chair hard. Devi hadn’t liked the idea of lying, and neither did he, but had part of her hesitation been because she didn’t trust him? Did she think he wouldn’t honor his word and come clean with Bartow as soon as possible? He shook off his doubt. Hell, if that’d been the case she’d never have agreed. If nothing else, his and Devi’s friendship had been built on mutual respect and trust.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, digging in deep until he felt the bite on his scalp. Unfortunately for him, he’d probably dented some of the respect she had in him, but he’d earn it back. Of that he was certain. After this was all said and done, everyone would walk away with a smile.

  But something else niggled at him. Something he didn’t really want to think about.

  Omar sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He had no clue how to handle what had happened when he’d taken Devi into his arms on the sidewalk. Something clicked deep inside of him. Something that felt right, but wrong at the same time.

  He couldn’t shake the sensation of holding her in his arms. The crowded sidewalk and everything around them disappeared. For a moment the world had only been the two of them.

  His body clenched as he relived how she squeaked when he’d tightened his grip around her, the way the edges of her eyes darkened when her breathing increased. How her breasts pushed up tight against his chest and heat swirled around them. Hell, he’d forgotten all about Bartow and that damn contract.

  Her warm body pressed up against his had taken away any breath of sanity, and her clean scent—was it vanilla?—had paralyzed him with surprise, followed by a huge punch of desire.

  Then when she’d caressed his face with her soft fingers…

  He’d had no choice but to pull back, otherwise she’d have known her effect. Hell, thinking about it now turned him on.

  How come, after all these years, Devi had suddenly stopped being his assistant, his employee, his friend—and had become a woman he desired. He’d never reacted to her like that before. Of course, he’d never held her in his arms before, either.

  He rubbed the tension throbbing against his temples. Damn, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  He’d wanted to kiss her then, and he wanted to kiss her now. Had she felt anything? He’d always been able to pick up on a shared attraction. But not this time.

  Omar shook his head. This was Devi. He shouldn’t even try to gauge the situation. If there was an attraction, he needed to stop it before it went any further. For both of their sakes. It’d be a mistake to act on a fleeting feeling of lust. No way could he jeopardize their relationship. Professional and personal.

  Hell, for all he knew she hadn’t felt the same tug of desire. And maybe the only reason he had was because there hadn’t been a woman in his life in a while. The last several months he’d concentrated on work. His entire focus—ever since he’d heard Bartow had feelers out for a new planner—had been trying to get that account. He’d tossed what little personal life he did have out the window to win that contract.

  Part of him did it for the financial future of his business, and a more selfish part wanted to win over such a large account to make his father proud. If not in person, in spirit.

  As for Devi and the lust consuming him—nothing would get in his way when he was this close to Bartow. Nothing. Not even some off-the-wall fantasy he shouldn’t even have.

  Stress. That’s all this was.

  He switched off the desk lamp with such force it wobbled on its metal base.

  These feelings, whatever they were, would fade away. He needed to give it some time. Maybe Devi had a point when she accused him of working too hard. All that work and no play had finally hit him where it hurt most. His libido.

  Once he got the contract settled with Bartow, he’d concentrate on his personal life. He did need to get a life. Relax some. Take a vacation every so often.

  He stood, twisted his neck from side to side, and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair. Now that he’d figured all that out, maybe he could get some shut-eye without seeing Devi’s face every time he blinked.

  And maybe the prickles of awareness skating across his flesh or the adrenaline shooting through his veins had nil to do with the memories of holding her in his arms and all to do with the prospect of closing in on the account he’d wanted for years.

  Somehow he doubted that.

  Chapter Four

  Devi glanced at the clock on her desk and sighed. Almost noon and she finally wrapped up the number crunching for the O’Barry account, one of the toughest clients in Esterly’s portfolio. Good thing she’d discovered the error before their statement went out.

  Even with all the work on her desk, Monday mornings always dragged. And the fact that she’d partied with her friends all weekend long didn’t help much, either. At least she’d worn in her new dancing shoes. The blisters on her pinky toes were proof.

  She smiled and then stifled a yawn at the memories. Her head still throbbed from all the music and lack of sleep.

  At one point Cass accused her of trying to forget her deal with Omar by partying too hard, but no matter how many umbrella drinks she swallowed, or how much she danced, her mind had been filled with thoughts of Omar. But not about their deal—about their almost kiss on the sidewalk.

  What would’ve happened if they’d followed through? Her mouth tingled, and she rubbed her lips together and fantasized about a peppermint kiss.

  She didn’t want to think about it, but at the same time she couldn’t stop.

  Damn it, this is your boss. Your friend. Omar, for Pete’s sake.

  “Think fast.”

  Devi jerked to attention as the man on her mind strolled into her office and tossed her a small box. Proof of excitement lit up his face with his large smile and bright eyes.

  She caught the red velvet box with one hand. “What’s this?”

  He stopped in front of her desk. With a wide stance and hands low on his hips, he delivered her a proud nod. “That’s your engagement ring. We got an invite.”

  Her belly flipped. “This just got real.”

  “That it did.”

  Of course what had she expected? Omar had never been a runner-up, but always a winner. If he set his mind to something, he’d make sure it happened. Unfortunately for her, the weekend had barely given her time to absorb this entire cockamamie idea. Not to mention the new way she’d been thinking about Omar.

  He perched on the side of her desk and his cologne filled her senses. Did she really need to take a bigger breath? Geesh, go ahead and torture yourself.

  “If you don’t like what I picked out, we can head back to the jewelers and look at some others.”

  Devi wanted to make him squirm. She’d always enjoyed their teasing, and their deal, or her newfound attraction, wouldn’t stop that. She wouldn’t let it.

  She put on her poker face. “Before this goes any further, I want you to know the grapevine is buzzing with news that Bartow not only wants family first, but he’s gearing up toward asking for a firstborn.”

  “Really?” Sarcasm laced Omar’s tone. He folded his arms across his chest.

  Devi dropped the box on her desk, leaned back in her chair, and laced her fingers over her stomach, rocking her chair back and forth slowly. “I just want to be up-front, because there is no way you can talk me into carrying our ruse that far.”

  “More of a raise?”

  “Not this week.”

  “Not even with jewelry?” he teased.

  Devi sat forward and opened the velvet box. She almost swallowed her tongue. A large princess-cut diamond winked back at her. This puppy had to be at least two, three carats—maybe more. Tiny rubies surrounded the diamond, and then several more beget diamonds trailed down the side of the platinum band.

  Although not one she’d have picked out herself, she couldn’t deny the beauty.

  She cleared her throat to regain her composure, then glanced at Omar and winked. “Normally I’d say no
way, but I might have to reconsider.” She slipped the size-five ring on her finger, fearful her digit wouldn’t be able to support the weight. How had he known her size?

  The diamonds twinkled in the sunlight streaming through the window behind her. She couldn’t have looked away if hot-neighbor-guy walked by. The one she swore she’d only fantasize about because of the way he swaggered around their condo community. His judgmental eyebrows and chiseled chin told her what words didn’t—he’d be arrogant, conceited—and once he opened his mouth he’d lose his appeal.

  “Is all this playing around your way of telling me you’re having second thoughts?” Omar’s back stiffened.

  Although she still didn’t like the lie, her talk with Cass had calmed her nerves and her doubts. She trusted Omar, and the raise he’d dangled into the mix sealed the deal. The prospect of finding her dad trumped everything—even her moral conscience. “Don’t all newly engaged couples have second thoughts?”

  “I wouldn’t know about that,” he answered dryly.

  Devi thrust out her hand, inspecting the ring from every angle. She really had an addiction to shiny and sparkly. Although, truth be known, if this engagement were real, she’d want something a little more unique. A little more her. A little more one of a kind.

  “Anyway, the ring. You like?” His voice sounded unsure.

  She glanced up, then smiled. “I love, but I’m afraid I might get too attached.” Devi broke their locked gaze to admire the ring again. “I don’t think we have to go to this extreme. I can dig out something from my jewelry box that would pass as an engagement ring.” The girl in her wanted to keep the ring and wear it, but the practical woman didn’t want to make the ruse any more complicated.

  Omar nodded. “I’m sure you have some beautiful jewelry, Devi, but everyone will expect my fiancée to have something over the top and unique on her finger. This has to exceed expectations.”

  “Well, I’ll give you the fact that it’s over the top, but unique it isn’t.” She laughed nervously. “Not that I’m complaining, but I’ve seen this exact ring—albeit with a smaller rock—on countless commercials.”