by Tania Joyce
The thought made Jessica’s skin crawl and nausea loomed in her belly. “Thanks for that horrid vision.” She shuddered. “Surely not.” But doubt had been planted firmly in her mind. “I didn’t even know Nate was coming. The invites for this function were out months ago, before we even won the Somers account.”
Jessica couldn’t take her eyes off Nate. He looked up. Straight at her. Then a smile crept across his face that made butterflies take flight in her stomach. The longing to be with him blazed to life, overpowering any form of reasoning. All her thoughts of calling off their affair dissipated into thin air. That smile of his should be made illegal.
Max was kicking her under the table. “Here he comes. You were right. He’s so much better looking in person.”
* * *
Jessica was here. Nate inhaled deeply, intoxicated by the very sight of her from across the room. He ignored the people he was with and made a beeline for her table.
He couldn’t help himself. His body was drawn to hers in some mysterious manner. As he approached her table, Jessica rose from her seat, moved behind her chair and met him face to face. Her hand slipped into his. Her skin was so soft it made the rest of him ache, because now he wanted to touch her all over.
“Hi,” she said, a girlish smile inched across her lips.
He took a moment to absorb her attractive features. Her mouth looked irresistible and he longed to taste her lips against his. And as he stared into her eyes, there was no doubt in his mind that they reflected his own burning desire.
“Ah-hum.” A woman cleared her throat loudly as she joined Jessica at her side.
“Um. Yes. Max, I’d like you to meet Nate Somers.” Jessica introduced her friend without breaking eye contact. “Nate, Maxine Gordon.”
He reluctantly drew his attention away and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you. But please call me Max. FYI, I’m the friend who knows everything.”
Nate raised his eyebrows in surprise. Jessica winced and nodded. “She’s right. She’s my best friend.”
What happened to discretion? Should he worry about Maxine?
“You two are like bunnies on heat, aren’t you?” said Max.
Nate couldn’t believe his ears at the bluntness of this woman. He took a step back from Jessica, fighting against the desire to keep contact with her skin.
A group of people gathered around them in the clearing between the tables. A woman’s nasal voice drew his focus momentarily away from Jessica.
“Ah! There you are, Nathan.”
Meredith!
“Well hello, Jessica. Maxine.”
It was as plain as day, Jessica stiffened. Every muscle on her face tensed and her eyes narrowed. There was no handshake, no friendliness in their manner. The warmth in the air seemed to drain away.
Jessica looked suspiciously at him. “So, how do you know Meredith?” There was a definite sting in her voice. “Did you two come together?”
“No. We just bumped into each other outside in the foyer and we seem to be at the same table with the Harbour Authority representatives. I met Meredith when EyeOn did their presentation during the tender process for the launch.
“Fancy seeing you here, Jessica,” Meredith said. “I wondered if you’d make an appearance, especially after this afternoon’s announcement.”
“What announcement?” Jessica asked dubiously.
“EyeOn are taking over another one of your accounts. The national food chain giant, Garcon’s.”
“No. I hadn’t heard. I was out all afternoon at meetings.” Jessica flinched, as if she’d had a quick blow to the stomach.
That was cruel of Meredith. He could see the hurt in Jessica’s expression, even though she still held herself with an air of grace. He knew the feeling of losing business all too well. All he wanted to do was reach out and put his arms around her and tell her it would be okay.
He noticed a triumphant smile extend across Meredith’s face. She seemed to puff out like a peacock on display. The nerve of this woman to gloat about winning an account in front of others, at the expense of someone right there, was downright rude and unprofessional in his opinion.
“See, Mr Somers.” Meredith turned to him. “We’re an international company, expanding and growing. Excelling in everything we do. We would’ve put on one outstanding show for you if you’d chosen us to help you open your hotel.”
Did she just flutter her eyelids at me? Oh, that’s so wrong!
“Jessica’s organization is doing an outstanding job for us. Their professionalism and creativity has been beyond our expectations. It was their proposal that outdid all other bids by far. It was not about their company’s size or growing client list.”
That shut Meredith up.
He didn’t want to be in the middle of an escalating territorial war between these two businesswomen.
The screech from the microphone saved him, diverting everyone’s attention as the MC announced that the evening’s function was about to begin, and requesting the guests to please take their seats.
“I’ll see you after dinner.” Nate placed his arm on Jessica’s to offer a friendly show of support.
“Maybe.” Jessica turned away from him without so much as another glance and returned to her chair. Meredith, still looking like she’d won a prize, bustled him off through the crowd to find their table.
* * *
“Well that was boring as all fuck.” Max said as they had a drink at the bar after the function. “You really need to talk to these guys about doing a much better event for them. Seriously, I was digging my fingernails into my thigh just to try and stay awake.”
Jessica giggled. “You crack me up.” But she’d hardly focused on the speeches; her attention certainly lay elsewhere in the room.
“No, wait. The ice-cold glares you kept giving Meredith and Nate were entertaining. I think you scared half the people at our table. “
“I’m sorry. But Meredith rubs me the wrong way.”
Seeing Meredith—her arch-enemy—next to Nate made Jessica want to draw her talons and scream “Back off bitch, he’s mine”. In more ways than one! She didn’t like Meredith’s approach to business and gossipy tactics. She didn’t like their campaigns and didn’t want Meredith’s hands on any more of her clients.
“Thanks for the evening out, but next time I think locking myself in a room full of geriatric lawyers would be loads more fun.” Max finished off her drink.
“Sorry, I didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” said Jessica. “The food was nice though!”
“True. I’m going to head off and catch a cab home. You stay here and have some fun. Find that Mr Somers, and stay out of Meredith’s firing line.” Max said as she hugged her goodbye.
Jessica finished her drink and placed her glass on the counter. She was in no mood to network with the mob of suits that lingered around after the event. She gathered up her coat and scarf, hitched her bag on her shoulder and made her way out of the bar to the bathroom for a quick visit before heading home.
She toweled off her hands and opened the door back out into the hallway only to run into a wall. A wall made of man. She knew that scent. She knew the shape of that chest. She looked up, straight into Nate’s eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Meredith?” he asked.
Jessica gasped. “Tell you what?” Oh crap. Did blabbermouth Meredith tell him all about their history. Even when she tried to take them over? It seemed so. “Excuse me.” She tried to side step around him but he blocked her path.
“She wanted to buy you out to avoid being your competition. That’s a smart business tactic, but I for one am glad that didn’t happen. We may have never met otherwise,” he said. “But I think she’d still want to take Kick if you gave her the thumbs up.”
She couldn’t hide how crushed she felt inside at the thought of selling, “I know she would, but my company is not for sale.” Would Nate think that Kick was unstable and unable to carry off the launch?
“So why the tension between you two?”
This was not the conversation they should be having in the bathroom hallway, but Jessica couldn’t help herself from babbling.
“It’s so much more than that.” She lowered her chin and looked away. “She’s like an annoying woodpecker pecking continuously. Or a vulture trying to eat you. She has her eyes set on us and is willing to do anything to steal, win or chisel our clients away. I just don’t like the way she conducts business and she won’t accept no for an answer.”
“If it’s any consolation, I know where you’re coming from,” Nate lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “We’ve been the target of several ruthless takeover attempts in our time. Look, we wouldn’t have selected your agency for our launch if we didn’t believe that you had the financial capability, the unique creativity, and that you operated in a manner that suited our style. We did our research. Besides, I personally prefer to deal with smaller organizations like yourselves rather than massive multinationals like EyeOn.”
Nate put his hand on her arm and rubbed it to comfort her. Heat started to flare inside her from his touch. She heard his breath shorten. His close proximity to her was altering her train of thought.
“Want to get out of here?” Nate asked as he looked at her with pleading eyes.
“I can’t be seen leaving with you from here. Meredith? Cameras? Gossip?”
He stepped closer. “You make me want to throw discretion out the door.”
Jessica closed her eyes as his breath feathered in her ear. Warmth spread down the right side of her body and her knees went weak.
But no … not in front of everyone. She still had her dignity. Her eyes shot open and she looked around nervously. She stepped back against the wall, away from Nate.
She blushed at his suggestion. His cheeky smile and the hunger in his eyes made her falter. Her earlier battle with her confused feelings had been worse than relying on the outcome from a coin toss. It had been heads—stay away, tails—stay with. Every time she thought she’d decided not to be with him, something came up and it flipped back the other way. What was with that? But now, seeing him before her, the coin had definitely landed on tails. She inhaled deeply as the scent of him filled her senses. The idea of being whisked away sounded kind of fun.
She met his waiting gaze. “Let’s get out of here.”
He placed his warm hand on her cheek and was about to step in to kiss her, when she froze at the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. Nate quickly stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. Jessica struggled to breathe as she saw Meredith walking toward them.
* * *
“There you are, Nathan.” Her eyes rudely shot daggers at Jessica. “Discussing business, are we?” She raised a penciled-on eyebrow at him.
Guilt washed over Nate. What was he doing trying to seduce Jessica in the hallway? He had to be careful with the likes of Meredith Bowen about. “Just ran into each other in the hallway. That’s all.”
“I’m heading off to catch a cab. Night, all.” Jessica turned and headed out to the foyer.
“I’m heading off as well. Good evening, Meredith.” He went to walk around her but she stepped in front of him.
“Would you like my limo driver to give you a lift? You’re staying in the Tower, aren’t you?” Meredith said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’m heading past there and could drop you off.”
He shuddered at the evocative tone in her voice. “No, thank you. My driver is waiting for me. Goodnight.”
Before she could utter another word, he rushed out into the foyer, through the revolving door, and glanced frantically up and down the street looking for Jessica. Where had she gone? Had she really left for the night? He started down the street for the taxi rank, and relief washed over him when found her toward the end of the line. She looked cold and out of sorts.
“Jessica, would you like a lift?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine. I’ll just get a taxi.”
Meredith had obviously unnerved her. Oh, he wanted to throttle that woman. Jessica’s notion of calling her a woodpecker certainly rang true.
“You look cold,” Nate persisted. “My car’s waiting just up the street there.” He thumbed in the direction of his limousine.
He saw her shoulders relax as she smiled at him and nodded. “Okay. That would be nice. This line looks like it’s going to take ages.”
Jessica walked next to him as they made their way down the street. As they were about to pass the entrance, Meredith barreled out in front of them. Her eyes snapped from him to Jessica. “Where are you two off to now?”
“Just giving Jessica a lift, because she looks freezing.”
“How gentlemanly of you.” The suspicion on Meredith’s face stretched Nate’s tolerance to the limits. He could see the headlines in tomorrow’s news: Nate follows in his father’s footsteps—sleeping with women around the world.
God, the thought made him shudder. He hadn’t slept with a string of women; he couldn’t be more different from his father. But the tabloids wouldn’t care about the truth. Yes, this was a short-term fling, but no one was going to get hurt as a result of it. There was something different about Jessica; he just couldn’t put his finger on it yet. But damn it if someone like Meredith was going to be the one to put him in the headlines.
Nate ushered Jessica away to the string of limousines and drivers waiting in the cold night air for their clients. His driver opened the door on his approach. As Nate placed his hand on the small of Jessica’s back to aid her into the car, a shiver ran down his spine. It felt good to finally touch her. He’d being struggling to resist the temptation all night.
Without thinking, he glanced back toward the doorway. There was Meredith. Watching his every move. Shit! He turned away and slipped into the back seat after Jessica.
It was welcoming and warm inside the car after standing out in the brisk air. The driver took off down the street. Nate leaned against the back corner of the car seat. Everything was going to be fine. Nothing he could do about it now.
The feel of Jessica next to him drew his attention.
“I know it’s been a rough night. Do you want me to take you home or … do you want to come back to the hotel?”
Her eyes glowed warmly and a smile curled on her lips. “Hotel,” she whispered.
It took all his willpower not to take her then and there in the car. He couldn’t wait to run his hands up and down along the smooth skin of her thighs. Kiss her red lips. Taste her skin. And embed himself inside her. He swallowed hard trying to get his thoughts under control and loosened his neck tie in an attempt to lower his body temperature.
“How was Melbourne?” Jessica asked him suddenly, in a businesslike tone.
Yes! Distraction conversation for a moment would be good.“We should get the video edits back in the next few weeks. We have two weeks to make any changes before the programs start running on various channels in Australia and Asia, and at our next meeting, we need to discuss …”
Nate couldn’t help but grin as she rattled on. He’d noticed she did that when she was nervous. “I’m amazed you pulled all those meetings together for me at short notice,” he said, when she took a breath. “You’re doing a fantastic job.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Her passion for her job and her company excited and rejuvenated him. It made him realize that he loved what he did too. He’d been running flat for months. Just working day to day. But Jessica’s enthusiasm was contagious and had reignited his drive to oversee the growth of the Somers organization.
“I’ve worked with heaps of agencies around the world and your flair is a rarity,” Nate said. “You’d do well in Europe.”
“Europe? I’d have an uphill battle convincing Alex on that one.” She smiled, but he could see sadness in her eyes. “Alex is driven by money, making it, not spending it.”
Nate remembered the many times he’d been excited about ideas for growing their business and ha
d continually been blocked by his narrow-minded father. Yet again, he noted that he had more in common with Jessica than he could have ever imagined.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she turned her head to see the city pass by outside her window. Silence hung in the air as he watched the night lights dance across her skin. She was simply beautiful.
As the car got nearer to the hotel, Nate looked down at Jessica’s hand resting on her lap. Within the short drive, their bodies had slowly edged closer together. Their legs were now barely an inch from touching. They were drawn toward each other like magnets. He’d never found anyone who seemed to be the whole package—elegant, sexy, intelligent. Snapshots flashed through his mind of all the crazy places in the world he would like to make love to her. Places where she could wrap those long legs around him. Places where he could look at her and drown in her gorgeous brown eyes forever.
Don’t be stupid! That’s not going to happen.
Nate pulled himself up short, clenching his jaw. He closed his eyes to refocus on what was truly happening here. Just sex. This little get-together is just for sex! Nothing more. Nothing less.
* * *
Nate called out to the driver. “Can you go down through the carpark to the elevators, please?” He turned back to Jessica. “Away from too many prying eyes.”
Jessica managed a few calming breaths. “Thank you.” Yes, keeping their encounters private was necessary. She didn’t want to be a headline scandal.
The chauffeur pulled up by the elevator bay, hopped out and opened the door for them. Nate collected his luggage from the trunk of the car and bid the driver goodnight. As they entered the elevator, Nate pointed out the security camera as the doors closed behind them. Did he seriously think she was going to jump him in the elevator?
Jessica sighed. Probably would have if he didn’t point them out.
As they stood like statues facing the doors, Jessica could hear Nate’s heavy breathing. In. Out. In. Out. The thought of that warmth rushing all over her body made it a struggle to remain standing still as the elevator sped toward the thirty-second floor.
She followed Nate down the short hall to his apartment. He swiped his door key in the card reader and stood aside for her to enter. The door closed behind them with a click. With a flick of a few switches, Nate turned on the downlights before he abandoned his suitcase and flung his arms around her. His lips took instant possession of hers. His body finally pressed against hers, making her skin tingle from her head down to her toes. All her senses were finally aligned and focused on him.
