by Starr, Tara
They look over them, carefully, while my eyes dart from the judges to her.
I try to stay calm, but my knuckles are turning white from the anger boiling my blood.
I’m fucking fuming.
This is why she choose to do a chaise lounge. She knew this would be a fucking question or at least a point of contention. How did I not see this coming?
“Thank you for bringing this up, Ms. Armstrong,” the vice president says to her and then turns towards the rest of the contestants, who all look defeated and rightly so.
“Again, thank you all for your hard work. But we’ve decided our first and second place winners for round 1. Tess Armstrong has been awarded 10 points and because of the questionable durability of Oakmont’s chaise lounge, Austin Randall has received 5. All the rest have zero.”
A few audible gasps and sighs ring through the room, but Tess shrieks in excitement and runs over to Ashley, nearly jumping into her arms.
What. The. Fuck.
Seriously. What just happened here?
I had this shit locked up.
I had it in the bag.
And she came…and snatched it out from right under my nose.
I’m fucking fuming. I want to hit something. It would be one thing if I lost fair and square and they liked her designs.
But no.
She cheated.
She beat me somehow by cheating.
This wasn’t a fair fight.
Ok, fine. She’ll win this one. But at least, I know what to expect now. This little one plays dirty and I have to figure out how dirty she’s willing to get.
I shake hands with the judges, reminding myself to be respectful even though I’d really like to tell them to fuck off. Even Taylor.
I thank my team for all their hard work.
“Pack up and take this back to the studio. I’ll be right behind you,” I tell them.
I head over to Tess, who’s still hugging her entourage, but she turns around when I step behind her.
“Congratulations,” I extend my hand out to shake hers.
“Thank you,” she wraps her fingers in my hand and if I’m not mistaken, I feel a sharp spike run down my spine. It must be the adrenaline.
I grasp her hand, pulling it down and tilting her body towards me. “So, tell me, a chaise lounge?” I hover my mouth over her ear.
“Yes, I see you had same idea. Funny how these things happen,” she snickers, but I see a twinkle in her eyes that suggest something more devious.
“And the coating? How did you find out what I was using?” My eyes narrow.
“I have my ways Mr. Randall. You’re not the only one with connections.”
“Is that so? What kind of connections do you have that I don’t?”
“A lady never tells,” Tess teases me. “Looks like you’ll just have to get used to a woman on top.”
She lets go of my hand, taking a step away from me.
Oh, very nice, you little minx.
“A lady is on top only as long as the man lets her be,” I say to her, clenching my teeth.
She looks at me, with fire in her eyes.
“A man only gets to tell her because the lady lets him,” she says back. “Don’t forget who has the fucking power in that juvenile little analogy of yours, Austin.”
She’s pissed.
Good.
I’m pissed too.
“You started it,” is all I can say back. I mean, I gotta say something. But really?
“Really?” she says, smirking. “That’s the best you can come up with?”
“I’m not used to losing to—”
“A woman?”
“A cheater.”
“I may have my methods, but I’m not cheating,” she says back.
“Then how’d you know?” I ask again.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Tess says with a smile.
“Maybe I can get it out of you over dinner?”
“I doubt it, but you can try,” she coos.
“Tonight. Per Se at 8,” I tell her.
There’s a long silence.
“Fraternize with the enemy?” she asks.
“Maybe use it as a chance to learn about your competition,” I say back to her.
“I doubt you’re any real competition, Mr. Randall,” she teases.
“And I doubt you really believe that,” I say back. “If you’re anything like me you’re dying to find out how I tick so you can figure out ways to beat me.”
“I already did just now,” she reminds me.
“The game has just begun, Tess,” I tell her. “Don’t get out of your training bra just yet.”
“Maybe you should stop waving your dick around all over the place like a dog,” she throws back at me as she turns around.
Jesus. This woman fights tooth and nail. Two days at Oakmont and she’d run the place tighter than me.
Tess turns around.
“I’ll see you at 8. But good luck, Mr. Randall. It looks like you need it more than I do.” She winks, and I know she’s referring to my earlier comment.
“You’d be surprised with what I can accomplish without any luck,” I grab her hand, bring it to my lips and kiss it gently, my eyes never leaving hers.
She withdraws her hand, but I don’t miss how she lingers for just a second.
“I’ll see you then,” I turn around, feeling vindicated.
She might’ve been able to beat me in round one, but that’s the one and only time.
It’s now ten, Tess and five, Austin.
She might’ve won a battle.
What she doesn’t realize is that the war is just beginning.
Chapter Ten
Tess
“Dinner, huh?” Ashley asks.
“Dinner,” I reply.
“Seems to me you’re pretty happy about it,” Ashley laughs, her elbows propped up on my kitchen counter as she watches me fidget with my earrings.
“Don’t be silly,” I tell her, grimacing as I prickle one earlobe before finally managing to get the earrings in place. “He’s just trying to play me. Wants to pick my brain or try to fool me into revealing my plans.”
“I think he wants to pick more than just your brain,” she teases me. “And he definitely wants you to reveal more than just your plans.”
“If that’s the case, he can keep on waiting, because—”
“Then why the lingerie?” She asks me before I have a chance to protest. I glare at her, but she just shrugs. “I saw it on your bed when you went for the shower.”
“That’s the last time I leave you in this apartment without adult supervision,” I say.
“C’mon!” Laughing, she stands up and walks toward me. She rests both her hands on my shoulders and makes me look at her. “You’re a grown woman, he’s a grown man. And sometimes, when people feel a tingling deep down—”
“Are you going to give me the birds and the bees talk?” Frowning, I tap my foot against the floor as she just laughs some more.
“I figured it was time. But, really, just enjoy yourself. You’ve earned it. And if anything happens—”
“Nothing’s going to happen.”
“If anything happens,” she insists. “Just enjoy the ride.”
“The ride? Seriously?”
“What? He’s hot, you gotta admit that much. And he definitely looks like he should be fun to, ahem, ride.”
“Sure,” I tell her as I check the time on my phone. It’s time already. “But that doesn’t mean a thing.”
“Uh-uh,” Ashley says, unconvinced. “We’ll see about that.”
Rolling my eyes, I head out of the apartment, Ashley trailing after me. When the elevator stops on her floor, she gives me one teasing wink before leaving.
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I tell myself as the doors close, almost as if saying it out loud will help me believe it. Sure, Austin looks like a marble statue of a Greek God—hell, he looks way better than that—but I’m not the kind of woman that loses
her cool over a six-pack and a rakish smile.
You can take that to the bank.
* * *
By the time I finally get to Per Se, I check my watch and smile as I see its hands marking 8 pm. Punctuality—the hallmark of women that know what they want.
“Right on time,” Austin smiles, appearing right behind me and softly laying one hand on my lower back. I turn around to meet him, and he immediately raises his eyebrows and rocks back on his heels. “Wow. You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” I reply with a genuine smile. I was already expecting a compliment like that, but the warmth of his words actually took me by surprise. He actually sounded sincere.
With his fingers once more resting on my lower back, he guides me inside Per Se, a few heads turning as we make our way toward a table in one of the corners, a red tablecloth draped over it.
“What a gentleman,” I chuckle as he pulls my chair back, and he responds by giving me a mock bow.
“At your service.” As he takes his seat, he reaches for the wine list and looks up at me. “White?”
“Red. And since I still haven’t celebrated my win properly, make it Chateau Lafite.”
“A girl that knows her wines.” Flashing me a grin, he closes the wine list and smiles at me, his eyes on mine. “I’m impressed.”
“I can’t say that I’m impressed with the fact that you didn’t clear out the restaurant,” I say, teasing him. He coughs, clearly not expecting that.
“What you mean?” he asks me.
I roll my eyes.
“You know, most billionaires when they invite a woman to Per Se—they clear out the other patrons and keep the restaurant to themselves,” I say.
He’s flabbergasted. Well, apparently he hasn’t read any billionaire romance ebooks lately, huh?
Seriously, I’m not being a bitch or anything. I’m just teasing him. Keeping him off balance. Classic move during any negotiation or battle. Keep your enemy off balance.
And that’s exactly what this is.
A battle. In a much larger war.
“I want to stay in public with you, Tess Armstrong,” he says to me. “Have some witnesses.”
“Well.” I fake sigh. “At least you know your wines.”
“I know more than just my wines,” I reply after we both place our order. In just a few minutes, the waiter returns with the Chateau Lafite. “But I think you already know that, don’t you? I mean, not to rub it in, but I actually schooled you earlier today, didn’t I?”
“That you did,” he whispers. In his eyes, there’s a knowing glint. “You know, I was very intrigued about what you did back at the Clarendon Tower. There was the chaise lounge coincidence, and all the things you knew about my coating…”
“Well, what can I say? I’m an intriguing woman.”
“Yes.” He takes a sip out of his wine, carefully sets the glass down on the table, and flashes me a smile. “Almost as if you bugged my office.”
Well, there goes my little scheme.
I guess next time it won’t be so easy for me to trump him.
He probably expects me to act offended and deny it, and so I do the exact opposite. “I’m surprised it took you this long to find out,” I laugh, softly clapping my hands together in a mocking gesture. “You think you got them all?”
“You think I’m going to just let you do that and get away with it?” he asks through clenched teeth.
“Oh no,” I say with mock concern. “Is poor little baby gonna cry?”
“By the time I’m done with you, we’ll see whose crying,” is all that he says, looking straight at me.
“You think I’m going to break down and cry, big man?” I say with a grin. “Fucking bring it.”
“Be careful what you wish for, little girl,” he growls. “You should be careful when you’re playing with fire.”
“Why would I worry?” Shrugging, I tease him with a grin as the waiter serves us oysters with a generous serving of caviar. “You know that business is war, don’t you? Don’t tell me you were expecting me to play nice.”
“I thought you were a good girl,” he admits. “That was my mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“Well, don’t act all high and mighty. You’re not exactly a good man are you?”
“Of course not, Tess. What would give you that idea? I’m the exact opposite of a good man. In fact, I’m the absolute worst.” His words come at me heavy, and I can’t help but wonder just what the absolute worst means.
“Makes two of us then.” I raise my glass and he does the same. “To being the absolute worst.”
“What a shame we are on opposite sides, huh? We could do some serious damage in the industry together. Two evil masterminds, joining forces to make barrels of money.” He makes a slight pause, his gaze on me, and only then does he continue. “Too bad I’ll have to crush you.”
“For someone sitting in second place, you sure sound confident,” I can’t help but blurt.
“I don’t mind being behind you,” he grins, the way he just said it making my heart do a tiny somersault. “Soon enough, I’ll be on top, and that’s when the fun starts.”
“You don’t do well unless you’re on top, huh?”
“I like being on top, that’s true,” he continues, and that without having to pause and think of an answer. “But every now and then, I like mixing things up. I’m behind you now, sure, and that makes things a bit...hard. But it also makes it all more interesting, don’t you think?”
Crap, why is my brain acting all drunk out of a sudden? My thoughts swirl around the ideas he planted inside my head, and I feel a growing heat take over my chest and neck.
“Well, Austin,” I start, trying to buy some time as I bring the wine glass up to my lips. “I have to agree with you. I like tackling hard things—too bad that your performance today was a bit...soft.”
“I was just getting into the mood.” Lowering his voice, he locks his eyes on mine. I feel hot blood rush to my cheeks then, the heat spreading from my neck to my face. “But I am in the mood now.”
“What changed?”
“You,” he breathes out. “Now I know just how far you’re willing to go, Tess. And I like that, to be honest. I love a woman without any limits. Keeps me on the edge of my seat.”
“And that’s where you’ll remain...right on the edge of your seat, watching as I sign my name on the Clarendon Tower contract.”
“We’ll see about that,” is all he says, and then the conversation drifts off into more trivial things. He tells me about his early years at Oakmont, when he accompanied his father to meetings as he learned the ropes, and I find myself telling him all about those lazy Sundays I used to spend on my dad’s carpentry, watching as he transformed wood slabs into beautiful handcrafted furniture.
By the time we finish dinner, I can’t help but be honest.
“You know, I actually enjoyed tonight.” I take his arm as we walk out of Per Se, making our way out of the Time Warner Center. “Seems like you actually know how to hold a conversation.”
“Ouch,” he laughs. “Are backhanded compliments the only ones you know?”
“Are compliments on your personality that rare for you?” I ask with a smile as I give him another backhanded compliment.
“You like being a ball-buster, Tess?” he asks me with a grin.
“Maybe,” I tease him, enjoying the closeness of his body. It’s kind of an absurd thing to say, but the way my tiny hand fits in the nook of his elbow makes me feel safe.
“Well, this is it,” he announces, waving at the two executive cars parked right in front of the building. Their engines are purring softly, and both drivers are more than ready to jump out of their cars and get the doors. “Time to be enemies again.”
“The best kind of enemies,” I find myself saying, turning on my heels to face him. Our eyes meet and, for a split second, his presence pushes back the night. Our surroundings seem to melt away, leaving nothing in existence but both our bodies.
“Come here,” he says out of the blue, lacing my waist with one arm as he closes the distance between us. He pulls me against his body, his free hand rising to my cheek, and a shiver runs up my body as I feel the soft touch of his fingers.
Before I know it, my eyes are closed.
The moment our lips touch, I feel thunder go down my spine, every single nerve ending on my body coming alive. He smells like leather and pine, and tastes just like heaven. And the way his lips fit mine...it’s almost as if they’re the last missing piece of a puzzle.
I’m in heaven.
I’m drowning in pure bliss.
And then…he pulls away.
Just like that.
Leaving me panting.
By the time we fully break apart, my whole body is on fire.
“Goodnight, Tess.” With a quick nod, he gives me one last smile and steps inside his car, leaving me in the night with my heart hammering at a thousand miles per hour.
What the hell just happened?
Chapter Eleven
Tess
“What do you think, Tess?”
“Sorry, what?”
“I said we’ll probably have to renegotiate,” my Head of Finance sighs, looking at me with an exasperated expression on his face. “Or maybe we’ll even have to change suppliers. It’s very likely that Mr. Capello, for instance, won’t be able to keep up with the demand. I mean, the Clarendon deal is going to put a strain on all our suppliers, there’s no doubt about it. Assuming that we manage to get it, that is.”
“Oh, right, that,” I nod, looking down at my meeting notes and realizing that they’re empty. Jesus, I haven’t heard a word of anything the past thirty minutes. Clearing my throat, I pretend to be reading something from my non-existing notes and then I look up to meet the gaze of my expectant board. “I think that’s a fair assessment, yes.”
Not my brightest moment, but what do you want me to say? Ever since last night that I haven’t quite felt like my usual self.
As the Board finally moves on to another subject, I let out a sigh of relief. Goddamnit, why the hell can’t I focus today? Why is Austin parked on my mind when I should be fully focused on getting the deal of the century? It’s like my mind has broken free of its chains and decided to roam straight into unicorn land.