by Jan Freed
“Hats’ll do that sometimes,” Scott solemnly agreed.
Jason stuck one hand in the pocket of his baggy stone-washed jeans, duplicating Scott’s stance. “Are you a real cowboy or a fake one?”
“Depends on what you mean by fake, I guess.” Obviously struggling to keep a straight face, Scott threw Laura a wild glance for help.
She crossed her arms and grinned.
“Fake is when you put on a hat and boots for fun and walk around eatin’ sausage on a stick and lookin’ at the cows and tractors and stuff,” Jason explained. “Dad says we’re fake. He says real cowboys put on a hat and boots for work, not fun.”
“I guess you’d say I’m a real cowboy then.”
As the two continued talking, Laura discreetly searched the room. Where did one order pizza in this madhouse, anyway? Her gaze roved, passing over and discarding a series of harried fathers before landing on a tall broad-shouldered figure with midnight hair.
Her heart banged like sneakers in a dryer.
Alec stood near the back wall, fists on hips. He wore threadbare jeans and a purple-and-white baseball jersey, snug in the shoulders and loose at the waist. The curves and bulges of his wide stance were the stuff of women’s fantasies.
Laura had no time to hide her thoughts before Alec saw her. All movement and noise ceased.
I remember our kiss, her gaze told him. I remember how you felt and tasted.
Alec’s eyes flared. A hot sizzling current leapt between them and held, making it impossible for her to look away.
“Hey, Dad!” Jason yelled. “Look who’s here!”
Suddenly she was being pulled by a small determined hand toward those electric blue eyes. Only when Jason stopped did Laura realize he’d dragged her brother along, too.
“Guess what, Dad? Scott’s a real cowboy, just like in the movies!”
“Just like in the movies, huh?” Alec exchanged an amused look with Scott. The two men shook hands. “Thanks for coming, Scott. I know this is not exactly on your itinerary of fun things to do.” He shot Laura a wry glance. “Or yours, either.”
As Scott picked up the conversational ball, Jason tugged on Laura’s arm. She bent down.
“What’s eye-ten...eye-ten-er...” Jason struggled with the word.
“Itinerary? That means a schedule or plan for the day.”
“Oh.” He frowned and looked away.
“What’s wrong, Jason?”
He shrugged and shook his head.
Laura dropped on one knee, oblivious to the men who’d stopped talking. She smoothed back the silken blond waterfall that had fallen to the tip of his nose. “What is it, sweetie? Tell me.”
Her endearment seemed to break his control. “You don’t wanna be here. I’m not in your plan for the day,” he said in a choked whisper. His crystalline blue eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Horrified, she pulled the boy into her arms for a long fierce hug. He returned it with surprising strength.
“Jason McDonald, there’s no one else on earth I’d rather be with today than you,” she said, completely sincere. “We all want to be here, silly, or we wouldn’t have come. You’re a very special little boy, and we love you. Understand?”
Jason sniffed against her shoulder.
“Understand?” She ran her hands lightly down his ribs, smiling to herself when he flinched. “Better say you understand, Jason, or the tickle monster’s gonna get you.”
As Laura wiggled her fingertips over the squirming child, a single gurgle erupted. Then another. Until finally he became a writhing ball of giggles.
“I un’erstan’!” Jason shouted at last, collapsing on the floor and panting like an exhausted puppy. Amid the general pandemonium, no one even looked twice at the sprawled child.
Laura smiled. “There’s a rumor this place has a band. Is that true?”
Jason lifted his head, his eyes shining. “Yeah. It’s really cool, Laura. There’s bears and dogs and they sing and play music. Only they don’t really sing, ‘cause they’re robots.”
Scrambling to his feet, he reached out his hand. “Wanna go see it?”
“You bet.”
With Jason’s help she lurched to a standing position, then glanced at Alec. His eyes were dark with some powerful emotion.
Self-conscious, she walked toward her brother and slid an arm around his waist. Scott looked down at her in surprise, then back up at Alec. As a slow enigmatic grin spread across his handsome face, Laura pinched him in the ribs.
Scott chuckled and squeezed her close, lowering his head to her ear. “Like I said, Laura,” he whispered. “Just like Mama.”
* * *
ALEC SCANNED the accounting “laundry list” on his desk for the third time. They were halfway through May already, and no matter how he looked at it, the bottom line was the same.
Hayes and McDonald had to bring in more accounts. Fast. Putting all their eggs in the Regency Hotels basket was not only risky, it was damned stupid.
The Regency campaign was going well, but nothing was guaranteed in this business. As long as advertising agencies made an easy scapegoat for poor company performance, the only protection was an ongoing business-development program.
Thumbing through his business-card file, he stopped at the S tab. Sanders Development Corporation. Smiling, he pulled out the foil-embossed card and flicked it absently beneath his chin. Jerry Sanders’s master-planned communities were just the steady advertisers Alec was looking for. Income from collateral materials alone would pay the rent for a year.
And Jerry liked to work with women, Alec remembered. Laura was more than a match for the real-estate mogul’s demanding personality. He’d take her with him on his first call...
Alec threw down the business card in disgust. He had to stop thinking and planning as if Laura was more than a temporary partner. He’d be cutting his professional throat to include her in active solicitation of new accounts. Clients would balk or, worse, defect, when she left in less than a year. But damn it all, she didn’t make it easy to exclude her from his plans.
Laura took their agreement to be equal partners very seriously. Anybody else with a guaranteed buy-out in her contract would have coasted through the year doing as little as possible. But Laura worked harder than any woman, or man, he’d ever known. She was tireless, cheerful, imaginative...
And sexy as hell.
When he’d first spotted her yesterday evening at Chuck E Cheese’s, he’d nearly leapt out of his skin. In tight jeans and a snug T-shirt, her body had drawn the gaze of every father in the place. But her gaze had been on him. Molten gold. If Jason hadn’t broken the moment, Alec would have incinerated where he stood.
It was easy to see why his son adored her. She’d transformed a potentially traumatic moment into one of happy laughter. Seeing them together, he’d thought what a good mother she would make.
Alec swiveled to stare out the window. He felt like throwing his chair through the glass pane. He felt like getting drunk, picking a fight and slamming a few heads together. He felt like burying himself in Laura’s lithe, lovely body.
He groaned, his fingers tightening on the armrest. Lust and anger really were just a heartbeat apart like some people said. And if he couldn’t control the first, how in God’s name could he hope to curb the second?
A small sound in his doorway alerted him to someone’s presence. “What is it?” he barked, his back to the intruder.
“Uh...everyone’s waiting for you out front, Mr. McDonald. Do you want us to begin the staff meeting without you?”
Alec spun around and met Sharon’s worried brown eyes. Old loyalties did die hard, as Harold had said. His former secretary remained attuned to his needs and moods.
He forced himself to soften his expression. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll be right there.”
Sharon nodded in relief and slipped away.
Grabbing the list and a notepad, he headed for the reception area. Laura had been right. Sharon made a da
mn good traffic manager. Few consumers realized how many hands were involved in the production of the simplest ad. If one pair of hands fumbled because of a missed deadline, it jeopardized the quality and timeliness of an entire agency’s work.
Alec entered the reception area and frowned. He was proud of the team at Hayes and McDonald Advertising. They deserved a more professional environment for staff meetings.
Laura looked up from the sofa with a welcoming smile. He crushed his blossoming pleasure.
“How are you coming along with the acquisition of a conference table, Laura?” he asked, sitting in his usual spot.
Idle conversation ceased as six startled faces turned his way. Normally he would have opened the meeting with a recap of last week’s progress.
Laura recovered quickly. “I haven’t spent a lot of time on it lately. With the campaign breaking in three weeks...”
“I seem to remember your promising me, and I quote, an office I could be proud of.” Lifting an eyebrow, he scanned the men and women, several perched on chairs dragged from their own offices. “What if a prospective client walked in right now? How do you think I’d feel?”
Two spots of color appeared in Laura’s cheeks. “Like an arrogant insensitive jackass?”
Someone snorted. Several people chuckled.
He watched her eyes turn the cloudy amber of stirred honey and knew he’d hurt her. And he’d done it on purpose, out of pure sexual frustration.
“I believe ‘pompous bigot’ is the correct term,” Alec said, holding her gaze. I’m sorry. Forgive me?
You were a total jerk, but...okay, her eyes answered.
The room had fallen quiet. Good Lord, they all thought he’d lost his mind. He could see it in their faces.
“How about starting this meeting over?” he addressed the group. “Harold, let’s hear from you first. Were you able to lock in that booth at the convention in San Francisco?”
Harold pushed up his glasses and straightened. “Just barely. The booking agent swore there was no room left on the floor. Then he tried to stick us in an annex reserved for spillover booking. I had to remind him we were sponsoring their general welcome party before he’d thaw out...”
Alec’s mind wandered as Harold reported his success. The meeting was back on track, with everyone jotting notes and asking questions. He glanced at Laura and caught her eye.
Watch yourself, her look said as clearly as if she’d spoken.
He nodded and winked.
Much later, after the meeting adjourned, Alec realized he’d never winked before in his life—and hated people who did.
* * *
LAURA GLANCED at her watch and sighed. No way could she make it until noon without food.
She’d come in early again without eating breakfast. And after the staff meeting, hunger had been the farthest thing from her mind. She’d retreated to her office and tackled the outdoor-board copy due next week. But her brain refused to cooperate.
She couldn’t believe that stunt Alec had pulled! He hadn’t acted so...pompous since her first weeks with the agency.
She hadn’t even had the satisfaction of staying mad. Nothing had prepared her for catching Alec’s hard uncompromising face in a boyish wink. It made him appear years younger and, well, cute. For a moment he’d seemed lighthearted—free of the turmoil she so often sensed beneath the cold businessman.
Propping an elbow on the desk, she leaned her head in her hand. Fool, for wanting to chase away his shadows and make him happy. Especially since the situation was out of her control. He’d made things very clear since their devastating kiss. He didn’t want a personal relationship. And Lord knew she was having a hard enough time with their business one.
An odd gurgling sound erupted from her stomach, so loud she laughed. Brenda Lee usually took an early lunch. Maybe she’d like some company.
Grabbing her purse, Laura walked toward the reception area. Shouting voices eddied down the hall as she approached. What in the world...? She stopped, caught between embarrassment and curiosity. Not that the arguing couple noticed.
“Are you capable of following directions, Miss Wilson, or is that too much to ask?” Harold stood toe-to-toe with Brenda Lee, his neck craned forward and his glasses fogged.
“I followed your damn directions, Mr. Becker, and nearly got my ear chewed off for my trouble.” Brenda Lee’s fluffy blond head barely reached Harold’s chin, but what she lacked in stature, she more than made up for in fight.
“I did not ask you to tell Miss Bowers I was canceling lunch for someone more important,” he said through his teeth. “I asked you to tell her something pressing came up. There’s an enormous difference in semantics, one I assume they didn’t teach you at...what was it you said? Thompson’s Institute of Technology?” His tone oozed contempt.
“Business technology,” Brenda Lee corrected, lifting her pert nose.
“How careless of me to forget such an illustrious institution. And to think I went to Harvard, instead.”
Tie askew and hair rumpled, he seemed halfway human to Laura for the first time. Too bad he was such a jerk.
Brenda Lee narrowed her eyes. “Are you or are you not going to ‘do lunch’ with the publisher of Departure magazine?”
“Yes, but—”
“And would you say he’s a pretty important guy for you to soft-soap?”
“Soft-soap?”
“Brownnose, suck up to, kiss ass—”
“I get the picture, Miss Wilson.” He sniffed. “Although I wouldn’t put it so crudely—”
“Answer the question, damn it!”
Harold blinked down into Brenda Lee’s snapping emerald eyes. For a moment, he appeared to lose his concentration.
She jabbed a finger at his chest. “Well?”
He took a startled step backward. “Yes. He’s an important person for me to know.”
“Then don’t spout off your fancy Harvard college talk as if you’re better than me, big shot.” She jabbed his chest again, stepping forward as he moved back. “Because the fact is, you wanted me to lie to your girlfriend for you—” jab “—and that purely stinks—” jab “—no matter what words you use!”
She’d backed him up against the wall! Laura’s rising laughter died as she noticed Brenda Lee’s expression. After a tense moment, the blonde flung herself away from Harold and walked to her desk. She looked close to tears.
Laura stepped into the room. “Ready to go to lunch now, Brenda Lee?” she asked, pretending not to notice her friend’s dazed confusion. Walking to the reception desk, Laura located Brenda Lee’s purse tucked in a drawer and turned to Harold.
“We might be a while, because we’re running by Office Depot on the way back to check out getting a fax machine for Sharon’s office.” Placing an arm around Brenda Lee’s shoulders, Laura walked to the agency entrance.
“Wait a minute,” Harold protested, glancing at the switchboard. “Who’ll answer the phones?”
Laura opened the door, prodded Brenda Lee through and looked back at the bewildered executive. “How about you? It’s an easy system. Anyone with an ounce of practical common sense could operate—”
She stopped and hit her forehead with the heel of her palm. “Oops, how silly of me. For a minute I forgot. You went to Harvard.”
CHAPTER TEN
“FOR THE LAST TIME, you are not going to get fired.” Laura reached over the basket of tostada chips and patted Brenda Lee’s hand.
“But I screamed at an officer of the company. And I...I...”
“Backed him up against a wall? I know. I saw the whole thing.”
Covering her flushed face with both hands, Brenda Lee moaned. “I’ll never be able to face him again.”
“Snap out of it, Brenda Lee. What’s gotten into you? Harold’s the one who’ll be embarrassed. He acted like a pig, and you put him right in the sty where he belongs. I was s-so p-proud.” Laura dabbed her eyes with a napkin.
Brenda Lee peeked between her fingers and g
rinned. “I did give him hell, didn’t I?”
“Abso-damn-lutely.” Laura raised her frozen margarita and sang the first stanza of “I Am Woman.”
Heads swiveled at nearby tables.
“She missed her medication this morning,” Brenda Lee explained.
“Hail to the new queen of put-downs. I relinquish my crown.”
Sweeping up her matching drink, Brenda Lee clinked Laura’s glass. “I’m not worthy, Your Highness. I’ll never be as bitchy as you.”
Choking on a laugh, Laura lowered her glass and blotted her chin. “You know, Brenda Lee, I actually ate and drank like a civilized person before I met you.”
“But you didn’t have nearly as much fun.”
“You’re right. I didn’t.”
They exchanged a warm understanding look.
Brenda Lee dunked a chip in hot sauce. “I didn’t know you could sing, Laura. You’re really good. Loud, but good. Are you in a choir or something?”
“Nope. Used to sing in a rock band, though. Schizophrenic played the top clubs in Austin while I was in school. Hey, watch that chip! Picante’s hard to wash out.”
“A rock band? No way. Somebody snatched the Laura I know. Did you wake up in a pod this morning by any chance?”
“Surprised? So were a lot of other people when the leader hired me.” Especially her. “It was good money until the group broke up.”
“I can’t get over this. You, in a rock band. God, don’t you miss the excitement?”
Laura sipped her drink. Then sipped again. She’d thought she would die from missing Michael that first year. The pain had eventually dulled, but the scar was deep. She shrugged with studied nonchalance.
“I’ve got all the excitement I can handle trying to pull off the Regency campaign. Now, enough about me. I’ve got to know one thing before it kills me.” Propping her elbows on the table, she leaned forward. “Did you really misunderstand what Harold asked you to tell that woman on the phone?”
Brenda Lee stopped chewing and averted her gaze.
“I didn’t think so,” said Laura. “Want to tell me why you did it?”
“Oh, Laura, I don’t know what came over me. When he asked me to do his dirty work, I should have said no, but I couldn’t. It’s the first time he’s ever asked me a favor, you know? But then, when I heard that woman’s voice...” Brenda Lee’s brows met in a fierce line. “She’s the rudest, most stuck-up person I’ve ever talked to. And she’s all wrong for Harold.”
