The awful nicknames were going to have to stop. He handed the valet a sizable tip, handed Hanna’s lone bag to the bellman, then wrapped an arm behind Hanna, resting a hand on her waist, and ushered her toward the revolving front door. “Oh, Hanna-banana. They’ll just want to eat you to pieces when they see you. But let’s not worry about that right now. We need to get you settled in.”
When they entered the hotel, Will scanned the ornate luxury lobby and steered Hanna toward the reception desk. A moment later, he stopped short.
Leaning against the marble counter, making a receptionist blush and flutter, was Doug Perry. The man who’d been the burr in Will’s saddle that had spurred him to climb the corporate ladder and achieve C-level in record time.
The man who hated Will’s guts because he’d stolen Doug’s future job.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hanna looked from her fake fiancé to the stranger with a too-suave smile on his face.
Will extended a hand. “Doug. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
The man shook Will’s hand then immediately withdrew. “Business doesn’t stall while you’re off sweeping lovely women off their feet.” Doug glanced Hanna’s direction and winked in an attempt to—charm her?
William’s fingers clenched in a ball. “My business is not—”
A strange protective urge pushed Hanna closer to Will. She snuggled to his side then extended her left hand, ringside up. “We went to go pick out this.”
Doug took her hand to inspect the rock then raised his eyebrows. “Nice. Would have thought you’d spring for something a little bigger, though.”
She shook her head and pulled her hand back from his cool, too-smooth hands. What’d he do, soak them in baby oil? “Nope, it’s just perfect. Exactly what I had in mind. Too big and it’s just gaudy and pretentious, you know?” She made a point to stare at his giant gold wedding ring on his left hand that probably weighed a ton and cost even more than her diamond.
He folded his arms and looked down at her as if she were a teenager being reprimanded. “Remember, Hanna. You aren’t in backwoods Minnesota anymore. Will’s an important man. He has an image to protect, and you’re part of that now.”
She had an image all right. One of her with Dad’s hunting rifle and Mr. Doug screaming like a girl, running the other direction. The man was clearly a rich pansy in a suit who didn’t care about people, just what people thought of him.
Hanna took a step away from Will, nonchalantly disengaging his arm from her waist. It was a fantastic reminder that despite Will’s charm, he was no better than Mr. Full-of-Himself Doug here.
Will’s lips lowered in disappointment, but she was thankful he didn’t pull her back. Instead, he adjusted his focus to Doug. “Hanna’s going to be a fantastic wife just as she is, and her ring is perfect. It suits her. Now, it must be important for you to meet us here. What’s going on?”
“I talked to Steve this afternoon. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“And?”
Doug cleared his throat. “You don’t have much time, Will. I’m not sure if your, uh, efforts will help.” He slanted his head slightly toward Hanna.
Will grabbed Hanna’s arm a little firmer than necessary and all but pushed her toward the counter. “We can talk about this at the office tomorrow.”
“What, don’t want your delicate little flower to hear about your potential financial crisis?”
Hanna couldn’t decide if the troll knew the engagement was a fake, or if he was trying to out Will in front of Hanna to get her to break up with him. Either way, this was not good. “I really am tired, boys. I’d love to get up to my room and have a little nap.”
If it hadn’t been totally inappropriate for the tense moment, she’d have giggled at the pompous sound of her words. Next she’d be powdering her nose or freshening up a bit. Hanna wasn’t quite sure she even knew how to powder her nose. Pink tinted lip gloss was as fancy as she got.
Doug called after them. “I’ll bet. You and Will have a nice time, now.”
Will swirled around, Hanna with him. “Hanna will be staying here alone, Doug. I’ll escort her to her door, and that’s it.”
“No need to get testy, Will. Your personal business is between the two of you.” He angled his body toward Hanna and held out his hand. “It was lovely meeting you, Hanna.”
She fought to find her nice voice versus the “eat dirt, pig” one she knew was threatening to escape. “Likewise.”
For propriety’s sake only, she pulled her arm from Will’s grasp and shook his offered hand. At first, the pasty fingers were as limp as a cooked walleye. But then he tightened his grip and pulled her to him in a rough hug. It took her a moment to register the sound of a camera click in the distance.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Will moved his body between the pair and the camera then pulled Hanna to him. Through gritted teeth, he hissed at Doug. “What are you doing? Are you crazy? Just leave before you make everything worse.”
To his credit, Doug looked baffled, his eyes wide. “I had no idea there were cameras, Will. I was just trying to—”
“Save it and get lost, okay? We’ll talk later.”
The man must have no brains left, which was not great since he was Foster and Jones’ CFO. They were trying to improve sales to save their hide, not send them tanking with an added scandal.
He left Doug behind and escorted Hanna to the counter. “Reservation under Knight, please.”
The woman in a coiffed uniform nodded. “Right away, sir. And”—her eyes glanced in the direction of the man who’d clicked the camera then walked away to lean against a wall—“I’ve already called security as well. They should be here momentarily to escort the gentleman off the premises.”
Will took the key card from her. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Also, I took the liberty of having her bag delivered to her room while you were, uh, in conversation. I hope that is agreeable to you?”
“Yes, fine, thank you.” Will put a hand on Hanna’s back and maneuvered her toward the elevator.
She turned to him when he pushed the UP button. “You can’t come up, Will. Everyone will talk, even if you do come right back down. They’ll assume the worst, just like Doug.”
Managing people’s perception of his morals didn’t come naturally. In the past, going up to a woman’s hotel room would have earned him points on his man card. “If I don’t come up, you’ll have to kiss me again here.”
Hanna’s eyebrows arched high. “I’m sure a hug good-bye would be good enough.”
Half of him agreed, but he knew onlookers would suspect something if they parted with such a tepid good-bye. Plus, the other half of him wanted to back her up against the wall and kiss the breath out of her. “They are expecting a happily engaged, in-love couple who kiss good-bye from time to time. Especially before our first departure since our reunion.”
Her eyes flitted to the man arguing with a security guard then back to Will. Without a word, she stepped up to him, put a hand to his cheek, and brushed her lips to his.
It was the briefest, lightest kiss he’d ever received.
Meaningless. Just acting.
But as she slipped into the elevator and disappeared behind the closing door, he couldn’t help but feel like his traitor heart was riding up with her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Passing Emma’s desk, William wordlessly motioned her to follow him.
His large corner office was bathed in the late-afternoon sunlight, looking the same as he’d left it. Folders and papers littered his oversized mahogany desk, and new product samples dotted the round table in the corner. The only thing organized was the small sitting area where the black leather couch and chair sat.
Normally, his office was meticulous if he was leaving for more than twenty-four hours, but he hadn’t had time to clean up before his hasty trip to the frozen tundra of Minnesota.
Knowing he’d left such a mess was the only thing that broug
ht him here instead of his condo in downtown Nashville.
That, and the fact that he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss after the encounter with Doug.
A knock sounded on the doorjamb behind him, and he turned to see Emma stick her head in. “Welcome back, boss. Did you need something?”
He waved her in. She was the best executive assistant he’d ever known. All his previous ones had been adept at getting him coffee and that was about it.
But Emma—he got his own coffee because she was too valuable to waste on menial things like that. She could put together a board presentation better than anyone he’d ever seen, and he genuinely valued her opinion.
She was finishing her MBA by taking night classes at the University of Tennessee. When she was done, he had big plans for her future at Foster and Jones.
“How’d the trip go?”
He fell into his leather office chair and leaned his head back, eyes closed. “I’m engaged.”
“So you said. Your choice?”
William opened an eye. “What do you think?”
The tall redhead relaxed into the chair opposite his desk and crossed her long legs that were covered in thick black tights. She smoothed the lap of her knee-length red shift dress. “I think you’re in love with her but won’t admit it.”
Maybe she wasn’t as smart as he gave her credit for. Wanting to kiss a girl wasn’t the same as being in love with her. Although he was sure many women would disagree with him. “It’s business, Emma. That’s it.”
“Whatever you say. I have that list of news and talk shows who’ve called requesting interviews.”
He sat up and nodded toward the desk. “Just leave them on top. I’ll let you know which I need you to call back.”
“You gonna do these in person or video in? They’ll want to know.”
His brain ached with all the decisions that needed to be made. “Let me think about it. I’ll let you know in the morning.”
She nodded and headed toward the door. “Sure thing.” Just before she reached the door, she paused and turned back. “By the way, Doug was in here earlier.”
William frowned as he reached for a file on top of the stack. “What did he want?”
Her red dress bobbed with her shrug. “Didn’t seem like much. Just rustled through the folders. He did open the Costco file and glance at a few things but put it right back.”
At least that made a little more sense. The pending bulk-product deal was all but finalized and should be a nice addition to sales starting next quarter. He was probably just double-checking a detail. But he had his own file. What did he need from Will’s? “Thanks. You need to get home. It’s getting late, and don’t you have classes?”
She waved off his concern. “Most of mine are online this semester, so I’m flexible. But I’m heading out in a few. See you in the morning.”
After she exited, he cleared the space in front of him and picked up the stack of notes.
The Today Show. Maybe pile.
Jerry Springer. Not-a-chance stack.
A slew of local news shows. Probably not enough impact to be worth it, so he tossed them on top of Jerry.
ALIVE with Kate and Mike. Extreme possibility. With a reputation for more fun interviews and a younger audience that would mirror the audience for The Price of Love, it might be a good fit.
He flipped through the rest, but none held the possibility that ALIVE did.
Granted, it was filmed in New York, and they didn’t have a remote interview option.
Going to New York with Hanna would be dangerous on many levels, the least being the even more overwhelming presence of the paparazzi.
But the thing he worried about most was that it would obligate them to visit two people who had him on their bad list. Whom he hoped to avoid until this all blew over but, considering the three voice mails he’d not yet listened to on his phone, wasn’t going to be a possibility.
His parents.
Room service was the greatest thing ever invented.
Especially when someone else was footing the hotel bill.
Hanna adjusted the pillows against her back and flicked the TV on with the remote control then dug into the scrambled eggs on the tray in front of her.
She could get used to this life.
Even as she thought it, she shook her head. No. She probably couldn’t. This all had been super cool for a night. Sleeping in late, bubble bath in her in-room whirlpool tub, room service. Will had even had a laptop delivered for her to use, as well as the biggest bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen.
But if she was locked away in this room one more day, she would go crazy.
And probably gain about fifty pounds. The dessert menu here was to die for.
Will had texted her earlier to let her know he needed to catch up at work today but would take her to dinner tonight, and that a rental car was waiting with the valet for her use whenever she needed.
She had no idea how to get around Nashville, but she’d figure something out. She needed more daylight than the sun that shone through the large windowed wall on one side of her room. She’d have to give Will a hard time for not springing for a room with a balcony.
Her cell jingled beside her. She clicked off the morning talk show she’d been half watching and smiled as she saw Dad’s number on the caller ID.
“Hey, Pop.”
“Just checking up on my girl. Everything going okay?”
She moved the tray to the floor beside her and snuggled down in the bed. “Yeah, I guess. Will’s busy at work today, and we still need to decide which interviews to do. I’m having dinner with him tonight, so we’ll make final plans then, I think.” Or, at least, she hoped they would. They really needed to get this figured out. The sooner they finished acting like the love-struck couple they were not, the sooner they could break up.
“Sounds good. Carly’s been keeping an eye on the Internet for me and says nothing too bad has come up. What’s this about you hugging some strange guy, though?”
Hanna rolled her eyes. That had barely gotten a mention on some obscure blog, so Will had said not to worry about it. “It was nothing. An exec at Will’s company is just a hugger, I guess. Not my choice.”
“You tell him about my twelve-gauge I’d be happy to acquaint him with?”
Hanna grinned. Her daddy was a gun man. Had always kept it out and visible when boys came to pick her up for a date. She’d never been out past curfew. Her date’s choice, not hers. “I’ll be sure to let him know if it happens again.”
“Well, I best be seeing to the chickens. Just wanted to make sure they were taking care of you. You say the word, and I’ll buy you a ticket on the first plane back to Duluth.”
An odd, foreign lilt of emotion laced her dad’s words. “Daddy, are you having second thoughts about telling me to come?”
He cleared his throat and hemmed and hawed a bit. “Well, I just—I just want to see you happy, girl. You know that. You deserve the world, and even though I thought you were off your rocker for doing that TV show, you were dealt a pretty bad hand after that. If I could fix it, I would in a second. And, well, I miss ya, Hanna. Old Pete down the road just isn’t a challenge at checkers anymore.”
Hanna blinked away a tear. “I’ll be back before you know it. Take care of yourself, ’kay? And don’t forget your medicine.” She’d worried about that since they’d left. He promised he’d take his heart meds, but he had a tendency to get busy and need reminding.
“Oh, stop worrying about me. I’m fine and fit as a fiddle. Tell me what you decide about the interview, all right?”
She agreed, and they hung up.
Goodness, she missed that man. She’d been so excited to “leave” on an adventure when she’d signed up for The Price of Love, she hadn’t given her dad a second thought. He was an adult and could handle himself. Besides, she hadn’t lived with him since college, but she’d always been within an hour’s drive.
It never occurred to her that
he’d be lonely.
Even more guilt to heap on her shoulders.
But she didn’t have time for that today. She had a city to explore and sun to reintroduce to her vitamin D–starved skin.
Finished with her breakfast, she padded to the door in her robe and slippers and set the tray outside.
Click.
She whirled around and came face-to-face with a closed door.
Her hands immediately patted her hips where her pockets should have been.
Only her thin robe and equally threadbare nightgown underneath met her probing fingers.
This was like a scene out of a very bad cliché movie where a naked guy gets locked out of his hotel room.
At least she was covered.
Mostly.
Surely there was a housekeeper somewhere on the floor? She’d hung the Do NOT DISTURB sign, as there’d been plenty of towels to last her and she could make her own bed. But she’d heard the vacuum in adjoining rooms about an hour ago.
With quick steps, she walked down the hall, but no one was in sight. Turning around, she gasped when she ran into a man.
For a moment, she feared it was Will.
But when she looked up, she would have given anything for her fiancé to be standing there with her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hanna grimaced at the tight hold he had on her arms.
“Doug. What are you doing here?”
His fingers relaxed and slid up and down her arms. He probably meant to calm her, but instead, it made her nerves tighten even more and gave her an overwhelming urge to let his cheek meet the sting of her hand across it. “The question is, what are you doing out here in next to nothing? I could have easily been a guy with a camera. Or even another guest with a camera phone.”
She’d almost have preferred either of those options. “But you aren’t. I was just setting out my tray and got locked out.”
His mouth tipped up in a crooked style, and he pulled a piece of plastic from his coat. “Well, then it’s your lucky day. I have a spare.”
The Engagement Plot Page 9