Then her eyes shot open. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers! Oh no!
“Oh dear, turn around.”
“O que?”
“Oh, please.” She mimed. “Turn around. Go back. I forgot something.”
The driver eyed her with raised eyebrows. “Go back?”
“Sim, por favor.” She whipped her head around, searching the road for him, but it was empty. The car turned and headed back in the direction she’d come. He had to be there. He had to be close. But as much as she hoped he would be there, everything inside told her he’d be gone.
As the driver drove up one street and down another with no Tyler in sight, another thought crept in. What if he hadn’t forgotten? What if he left without his number on purpose? And then the awful feelings of a one-sided one-night stand started to strangle her happiness. Until she shook her head. “No.”
The driver raised his eyebrows.
“You can go to the hotel now.”
“Go to hotel?”
“Sim, por favor.”
He nodded.
Tyler had never promised more than one night; that was their agreement. She couldn’t let its end tarnish a perfect night. She sighed and leaned back on the seat again, but her satisfaction was disrupted by the tiniest tickle of unease, the suspicion that perhaps she was more into him than he was into her. Perhaps he hadn’t been all he seemed.
Well, no matter. Now that the car was pulling into the circular front driveway of her hotel, her mind was on other things. She had to hurry; she had so much to prepare and double-check.
Rushing through the lobby, she tapped the elevator button ten times before it opened. When she finally arrived in her room, she turned on the shower and got out her laptop. Five A.M.. She had three hours to review her presentation and study the stats, shower, and make herself look like a professional bottler. It was always a challenge to bid for new companies. She was a mid-sized bottler who promised better quality inspections and better productivity than many, but when it came down to the conference room and the actual bid, she was a woman, and everyone else in that room would be a man. And she was short. Again, she cursed her height and her thick dark hair.
For some reason, being a short woman gave her less credibility. She set out her highest spiky heels and her power suit blazer, shirt, and skirt. Rotating her arms forward and backward and clicking her neck, she practiced her power phrases. “I am strong. I am assertive. I am charming. I am important. I listen. I care. I watch. I serve. And no one gets in my way.” Over and over she repeated the words as she reached for the ceiling with one arm and then the other, stretching her body into alignment. She did this until the room started to steam up from the hot water of her shower.
She turned on her meditative music and got in, trying to wake up. What kind of fool was she to stay out all night before one of the most important bids of her life? If her company could gain this client, the biggest soft drink provider in all of Brazil, they could expand down here, and what was now only a mid-size company could become one of the largest bottling companies in the world. And once it was stable and successful, she could pass off running it to the board and start thinking about having a life...with someone special even.
Tyler’s face came into her mind. It obviously wouldn’t be with him, since he hadn’t even asked for her number. But someone like him.
However, she believed in karma, and something told her she would see Tyler again.
She used every minute of her three hours to her best advantage, drank her morning caffeine, and met the car down on the circular drive. When he opened her door to the same cab driver who had dropped her off a few hours ago, she laughed. “It’s you.”
He eyed her as though he didn’t recognize her.
She laughed it off and waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it.” Perhaps business-suit Kayla gave off a completely different vibe than sleepy-party-girl Kayla. She scoffed at herself. Party-girl Kayla indeed. She only wished she was as spontaneous and fun as Tyler thought she was. The truth was that life was stressful and busy, and who had time to behave like they were still in college every day?
The car pulled up in front of the tallest building in downtown Rio.
“You see Antar?” The driver pointed up.
“Sim.”
“Best drink. I like.” He smiled, and she nodded, handing him payment before stepping out onto the sidewalk.
“Here we go. I am strong. I am charming…” She walked into the building, mumbling her morning mantra. A curly haired woman with bright-pink nails welcomed her.
“Yes, I’m here to see Rogerio Soares.” Kayla carried herself tall, confident.
“Oh, I’m sorry. His secretarial positions have all been filled.”
Kayla turned pink and then swallowed. She was used to this. “No, I’m here with Finley Bottlers. I have an appointment.”
The woman sat forward. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She checked her papers. “Are you Kayla Finley?”
Relieved, Kayla exhaled slowly. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Okay, they’re already up there waiting for you.”
Her heart ratcheted inside her throat. “Wh-what?”
“The other bottler, he got here early. They said to send you up as soon as you arrived.”
Kayla hurried toward the elevator. “Oh no, oh dear, okay, which floor?”
The woman pointed in the opposite direction. “Other elevators. Top floor. Go right.”
“Thank you.” Kayla switched directions, immediately uneasy. “Oh dear, oh no.” So they were hearing bids from two bottlers at once? Or one after the other? She knew there had to be other competitors, but she found it highly irregular that they would be asked to come do a presentation at the same time, or during the same window. The elevator rose slowly, inching its way to the top.
When it opened, laughter echoed down the hall. The receptionist on this floor was obviously listening in and laughing with them. When she saw Kayla, she raised her eyebrows. “Are you here from Finley Bottlers?”
Kayla nodded. “Yes, I’m Miss Finley.”
“They’re right down this hall. Follow the laughter.”
Kayla cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
Making her way down the hallway, she took a moment to appreciate the floor-to-ceiling windows, the light space, the white floors and grey walls. This place was stunning. The laughter grew louder as she kept walking, and she started to make out sentences.
A male voice was talking. “And then it was classic. Such a perfect night. They chanted. ‘Agora. Agora.’”
She knew that voice. Tyler. Her heart shuttered to a stop and her ears strained to hear more. Was he talking about last night?
“And so I did it!”
“You didn’t!” The men in the room burst out laughing again.
“I’m telling you, this was incredible. I got down on one knee and asked her on the spot.”
“Were you drunk?”
“No, never touch the stuff.”
“And what did she say?”
“She said yes, of course.” Arrogance seeped from his words. Arrogance she hadn’t noticed last night. She picked up her pace. What was he even doing here?
At last she turned the corner and the conference room came into view, its walls clear glass. Three men relaxed around a table, red from laughter. Tyler’s blond curls sat on his head exactly as if they’d been sculpted. His face looked tanned, relaxed, happy.
She waited for him to notice her as the others had. When his gaze followed theirs, he stopped, mid-sentence. For an instant, it looked as if his eyes lit with relief, but then he finished what he’d been saying.
She nodded. “Gentlemen.”
All three of the men stood as Kayla entered the conference room. The broadest of them stepped forward and held out his hand. “Rogerio Soares. You must be Miss Finley.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tyler’s eyes widen, and then he checked his notes.
“Yes. I’m so happy to finally
meet you, Mr. Soares.”
He led her to the table. “Please call me Rogerio and allow me to introduce my vice president, Mr. De Santos. And this is Tyler Sperring.”
“With Sperring Bottlers.” She nodded her head slowly. What were the odds? And how would they play this?
She shook hands with Mr. De Santos, and then Tyler reached his hand forward with a slight wink. “Good to meet you, Miss Finley.” The slight emphasis on Finley made her smile.
“And you too, Mr. Sperring.” Her hand tingled long after she let go of his. She turned to Rogerio. “Did the meeting start earlier than planned?”
He waved his hand. “Oh, no. Tyler and I were just catching up. Come in. Have a seat and we can talk about how this is going to go.”
How this was going to go. Kayla didn’t like surprises, and she wasn’t at all spontaneous when it came to her work. She had been told what to expect. She would come, present her company’s bid, and then leave. Now she’d arrived to discover that her competitor was here too? Nothing about this was going according to her expectation. And Tyler himself? Her skin already felt warm just being in the same room.
She took the chair that was held out for her and tried to be professional. But one problem with being professional right now was that her brain was foggy from being out all night. The other problem being Tyler watched her. His gaze tingled her skin even more. She refused to meet his eyes. Thinking on her toes might be impossible as long as she was in the same room as him.
Tyler lifted his cup. “Have you had coffee?” The gesture was kind. She knew he meant it as a subtle reference to their time together, and she warmed toward him, knowing he was in the same boat as she. Then she eyed him and the other men. They’d been sitting here for who knows how long, and they clearly already had a relationship. What kind of chance did she have with this bid, really? Suddenly feeling off her game and left out, she narrowed her eyes. “No, thank you.”
He raised his eyebrows and eyed her speculatively. Then he replaced his cup and turned to Rogerio. “The way I see it, there is one clear choice here in whom to choose for your new bottler, but I’m glad you’re giving others their shot.” He indicated Kayla, and she stiffened. “How’s this going to work today?”
She wasn’t about to let him have the only say in the room. “I believe the history of our businesses here in Brazil speaks for itself. Where some bottlers have a stronger presence internationally,” Kayla nodded her head toward Tyler, “we are loyal to this country and are determined to increase our footing here.” She cleared her throat. “While some may cut costs, consolidate, and people will lose jobs, we are also committed to helping Brazil’s infrastructure, job security, and your overall reception as a soft-drink provider as a result.”
Tyler’s face twitched. That’s when she realized that as much as she thought she knew him, she couldn’t read anything about this side of him and had no idea what to expect.
Mr. Rogerio laughed and held up his hands. “Already we are talking business. It’s too early for these kinds of heavy conversations. First, I thought we could do a little exploring of our city. I bet neither of you has had time to see our beautiful city?”
They shared a look, both deceptively blank. Then Tyler said, “That would be wonderful. It’s not often I have an inside tour from the experts.”
When the men stood, she did as well. “I’d love that. But to be clear, do we know what our schedule will be going forward?” She pulled up her phone as if to make notes.
Rogerio shook his head. “You Americans and your schedules. We’ll have some meetings, get to know each other, meet some more, and then we will get back to you with our decision.”
She nodded, and Tyler eyed her curiously. She really should have expected this informality. With the Brazilians, they were more about people and relationships than numbers and charts. And she valued that quality. Even though it made her uncomfortable, she let a little bit of her tightness go and smiled. “I can work with that. Let’s see one of the most remarkable cities in the world.”
“Isso. Mesmo.” (that’s right) Rogerio indicated the door, “Shall we?”
She nodded and was offered the space to pass through the door first. Head reeling, heart flipping all over the place, she felt Tyler’s eyes on her back and wondered, how was she going to make a successful bid in competition with Tyler? She had been shaken in more than one way in the last half hour, and if her company didn’t so desperately need this client, she might have rescheduled right then.
Chapter 6
Tyler followed Kayla out into the hall, joking with Rogerio but only half listening to his friend’s recounts of the local marketing success they’d been having. He had never been more shocked to see a person walk into a meeting. She’d left last night, driven away in the car, and only then did he realize he didn’t have her number, or even her last name, the name of her hotel, anything. He’d actually run down the sidewalk, hoping she’d realize and stop the car, but then her taxi had turned the corner and she was gone.
Mr. De Santos walked with Kayla as Rogerio still regaled Tyler with his stories. When he stopped for a breath and they reached the elevator, Tyler moved so he stood next to Kayla. He sensed her reaction to him more than saw it. He reached out a pinky finger and ran it along the side of her hand, asking “So, gentlemen, where shall we go first? I admit I’m looking forward to this.”
She stepped away, just enough that he couldn’t reach her. Hmm. He wished he could read her mind. What a situation to be in. Despite the complications, he was just relieved to have her back in his life. At least he could get her phone number, if she wanted to share. The elevator dinged open.
“Where are we going, you ask? Where is your sense of adventure? Spontaneity?” Rogerio chided.
Kayla snorted quietly beside him, and he winked.
Rogerio held his arms out. “It will be a surprise.”
Kayla smiled. “I love surprises.” She gritted her teeth after she said it, clenching her jaw, and Tyler wondered just how uncomfortable she found this whole situation. When he had to think about how he was going to win this bid without losing her forever, he might be doing his own jaw clenching, but for now, he figured they could play tourist a little bit longer.
They climbed into a waiting limo, and the car pulled out.
Rogerio gave instructions to the driver and then sat back. “Let’s drive along the ocean. I bet you haven’t seen Ipanema or Copacabana.” Then he broke out in song, “The copa, copa cabana, music and laughter—” He paused, watching them. “You don’t know Barry Manilow. All Americans, they come here and sing this song.”
Kayla laughed. “It has been going through my mind. But honestly, Rogerio, I prefer Brazilian music. I heard the loveliest bossa nova. And the samba…” She didn’t even look at Tyler when she said it.
He smirked anyway.
Rogerio grinned. “Ah, you love our customs, our people.”
“I do.” She cleared her throat. “I have cousins who live here. And I care deeply about Brazil as a country.”
Ah, so she would be Brazil’s sweetheart. Well, nothing spoke stronger than the bottom line. When it came down to it, he could save Antar money. He would win this bid. Especially now that he knew the competition so well.
But at what cost?
They drove along the coast, and he bit his tongue to hold back a laugh when the car passed by Madame Rosario’s wedding-dress shop.
Kayla twisted in her seat to watch it go by.
“Ah, you know our famous designer, Madame Rosario?” Rogerio’s eyes sparkled in pride.
Kayla nodded. “I do. Very well. She is famous all over the world. My friend is going to use one of her dresses in her wedding this spring.”
Rogerio sat back in his seat, a self-satisfied smile filling his face. “We have much here to interest the Americans.”
She nodded. “Absolutely.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she avoided Tyler’s face. He couldn’t wait until they could talk about this and get rid o
f this strange awkwardness between them.
They turned up the next street and drove for many minutes. Tyler knew where they were going, but he didn’t ruin Rogerio’s surprise.
As the car began an incline, Rogerio made his announcement “And now we will visit Rio’s jewel, the beauty of our landscape, Cristo Redentor on O Corcovado.”
Kayla’s soft gasp couldn’t have been orchestrated. She was too open for that. “I have never been.”
Mr. De Santos, who was usually so quiet that Tyler wondered what role he played in the business, responded. “Many view it as Rio’s biggest blessing.”
“Wrapped in His Arms.” Kayla nodded. “Can you see it from where you live?”
Mr. De Santos nodded and crossed himself. “Every morning I look up to see Him watching over our city.”
“It is an iconic image for Rio. Most here love it, atheists included.” Rogerio grinned. “I use it for directions.” He smiled, and his driver slowed. A man approached, a wad of cash in his hands. The driver paid him, and they continued.
“We are entering the Tijuca Forest National Park. Not many drive in their own vehicles up here. But we wanted you to have the full experience. Once we park, we can walk the rest of the way.”
Mr. De Santos nodded. “And tomorrow we go to Sugarloaf.”
“This will be very special.” Kayla touched her heart. “Thank you. I know how much this means to some of your people. To all of Brazil. It’s famous around the world.”
“One of the seven new wonders of the world now, yes.” Rogerio sat up in his seat.
Obviously, Kayla had a love for this country, these people. But she hadn’t looked at him hardly at all, as if he wasn’t there.
Tyler cleared his throat. “So, Miss Finley.”
She lifted her eyes to his, and he was struck again by their brilliance. Moments from their evening together, her lips on his, in front of the wedding dress shop flashed before his eyes.
Her cheeks turned pink, and he wondered if she read his mind. “I was wondering if you’ve been able to see much of Rio since you’ve arrived?” He raised his eyebrow just a little bit. He couldn’t resist. Something about her in business attire did things to him, even more than her in the little white dress he’d bought for her. He wanted to shake fate and ask, “What are you thinking?” But for now, he had to play it cool and somehow nail this deal without losing her. Could he close the deal if she didn’t matter? Hands down, certainly, no problem. But as he studied her face, he had to ask himself, did she matter? And even though he’d known her but a few hours, he had to suspect the answer might end up being yes.
The Bride's Billionaire Page 4
