by Karen Booth
“Why would anyone close up a window?”
“It’s a bar, and it was Prohibition. The entire thing was closed up, at least from the outside. In fact, the Grand Staircase led to nothing but the third floor elevators at that time. As far as the outside world knew, this didn’t exist. But if you were in the know, it was the busiest place in the entire hotel.”
“A speakeasy?”
He smiled with a hint of mischief. “You know, my great-grandfather bought the hotel with money he earned from bootlegging. The speakeasy is how he found out about it in the first place.”
“So that’s true? The Locke family fortune came from running liquor?”
“My family comes from very humble beginnings. But my great-grandfather had big ideas.” There was a fondness in his voice that warmed her heart. She hadn’t expected him to be sentimental. “It makes my father crazy. He’d prefer to think of the Lockes as upper crust through and through, but that’s just not the case.”
“You can’t change family history.”
“Exactly. And isn’t that the American dream? Make your way however you can? So much of what I have is because my great-grandfather was determined to make a better life for himself. Starting with this hotel.”
The fire in his eyes and the way color rose in his cheeks said how much this meant to him. She’d learned in Maine exactly how passionate he could be. “I’m sensing the hotel is more than another piece of your real estate portfolio.”
He turned to her, scanning her face. It was much more difficult to stay trained on the task at hand when they were alone like this. Another time or in another set of circumstances, it wouldn’t take much to convince her to kiss him, to see how much of his fire he might be willing to unleash on her.
But she was stuck with the here and now. Her lips and his were never to meet again.
“The Grand Legacy is my baby. I’ve been in love with this hotel since I was a kid. It’s a tie to my true family history, not the version of it my dad wishes were true.”
The Locke family tree was starting to come together now. “Is that why your great-grandfather left it to you? Instead of keeping it as part of Locke Hotels?” Kendall pulled out a notepad, wanting to take notes. As soon as she got back to the office, she was going to pen her first press release and start setting up the key interviews.
Sawyer shrugged. “Care to sit for a minute?”
“Oh, sure.” They slid into the closest booth.
He reached across the table and took the construction helmet off her head. It was such a simple gesture, but it all happened in slow motion as it brought back a memory from the wedding. “I think you can lose this. You’re safe.”
She smoothed her hair, wishing she had a mirror and a moment to collect herself. She saw him in the elevator at the wedding, the moment he’d brushed the side of her face with the back of his hand, telling her she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It had probably been a line. She’d suspected it at the time. But part of her wanted so desperately to believe it, even now, when she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him like this. That was how good Sawyer was at getting what he wanted. He made her want to give him everything.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked, steadying her voice. “Do you think your dad could be behind the story in the paper?”
Sawyer didn’t say a thing, he merely melted her resolve with his warm brown eyes. They were so soulful, so deep, so sad. “I don’t have proof, but yes, there’s more than a chance. Is it that obvious?” His voice was low and rough.
Kendall felt no sense of victory from having made this deduction. “Things all seemed to point to him. Is he really that vindictive? You’d think he would be happy you have this project. It means so much to you. He doesn’t even like the hotel, so why not just let you have it? Why would he want to hurt you like that?” She was surprised at the way her voice cracked, the way her emotions had bubbled to the surface. She was normally much more even-keeled, but her heart went out to Sawyer. She and her mom had butted heads over the years, but it was only ever out of love. They had both wanted the best for the other person. That did not appear to be the case for Sawyer.
He nodded and sat back, draping his arms across the back of the booth. “As far as he’s concerned, I’m guilty of far more than inheriting the hotel. I’m guilty of defying him. He does not like it when he doesn’t get what he wants.” Everything in his tone was dead serious. The problems between Sawyer and his dad were much more than family squabbles.
“I see.”
“Which is precisely why he’s not going to stop me.”
And that made Kendall want to give Sawyer every last thing she could.
* * *
Sawyer hated having to admit to Kendall that his father was his biggest problem. She might not be his to impress, but he didn’t want her to see him as vulnerable. He didn’t play that game. Not being able to stop or control his dad made him feel powerless, and he despised that more than anything. He knew, deep down, that it wasn’t true weakness—he merely wasn’t willing to stoop to his dad’s level. Sawyer fought with fists up, out in the open. His dad not only wasn’t afraid to deliver a sucker punch, it was his specialty.
“I’m so sorry, Sawyer. That’s terrible.” She reached across the table, her eyes brimming with sympathy.
At first, he took it as a sweet gesture, until he saw the ring on her finger and the air was sucked out of the room. “Pretty sad, isn’t it? All of this money on the line and I’m fighting my own dad? And it’s not just the newspaper story. There have been countless problems with the construction. Problems that all point to him.”
“Can’t you call a truce? Reason with him?”
Sawyer laughed quietly. She had this edge of hopefulness that was so appealing. Damn the guy who had to go and put that rock on her finger. If it wasn’t there, he could at least take her out for a drink and apologize for not calling her. He could feel like less of an ass. “It’s impossible to reason with someone when they won’t own up to doing anything wrong.”
She gnawed on her lip, seeming deep in thought. “Do you want to do something about that? Go on the offensive?”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“The PR campaign. We can put a new twist on it. Show your dad not only that you won’t be stopped, but maybe thumb your nose at him a little. I mean, if you’re up for that.”
“I don’t want to get sneaky. It’s not my style.”
“Oh, this won’t be sneaky. At all. There will be no doubt what we’re up to.”
Sawyer had been really turned on yesterday by Kendall’s talk of the slow burn, but this was taking things to a whole new level. A woman with a plan to get back at his dad? If she wasn’t engaged, the temptation to cross every professional boundary between them would be too much. “Please. Go on.”
“Let’s flaunt the history of this hotel that you love, everything your great-grandfather wasn’t ashamed of, but your dad hates.”
Sawyer was dying to know where she was going with this. “How, exactly?”
“We’ll still show the care and time you’ve put into restoration. We’ll show off the Grand Legacy’s beauty and luxury, just as we planned, but we talk about it in the context of the scandalous things that went on. We sell the Grand Legacy as the most notorious hotel in the city.”
The words rang in his head. The most notorious hotel in the city.
“You know how people are.” Kendall furiously scribbled notes as her voice became even more animated. “They love things that are naughty. Wrap that up in a sexy, beautiful package? It’s irresistible.”
Sawyer had to stem the tide of blood flowing in his body right now...the sexy, beautiful woman in front of him was too much to take. Every inch of him grew taut. If he could have done anything at that moment, it would’ve been to kiss her, a
nd take her—right there in that booth. He couldn’t have been more attracted to her if he tried. “I love it. It’s fantastic. Absolutely incredible.” You’re incredible. And I’m an idiot.
She wrote down a few more things, then flipped her notebook closed and tucked it inside her purse. “Great. Well, I think this has been very productive. I should head into the office. I want to finish fleshing out my publicity plan, start setting up interviews. We’ll start right away. Jillian is going to want an update and I know you’re busy.”
“I can show you more the next time you’re here. The restaurant is close to completion and we’re opening a second bar.”
“Sure. Next time.”
He was going to have to fight his anticipation of next time. “Let me call a car for you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll hop in a cab.”
He was still struggling with the distance she was so determined to keep between them. Sure, this was just business, but they did have a rapport. There was a spark between them—and frankly, it wasn’t that unlike their dynamic at the wedding. Did she have a spark like that with her fiancé? If so, it was no wonder the guy had been smart enough to pop the question. Sawyer was once again asking himself how smart it was to be the guy who won’t keep a woman around. “At least let me walk you outside and hail you a cab.”
She nodded, her eyes softening. “Okay. But do I have to wear this thing?” She grabbed the yellow construction helmet from the table.
He took it, their fingers brushing. Touching her was the final blow—he was going to need some alone time after this. “Just stay close to me.”
Once outside, they stopped at the curb, both of them eyeing the street for a cab.
“I really do love your plan.” He didn’t want their talk to end. He was already disappointed she was leaving.
“Call my cell if you need to reach me.” She cleared her throat and looked off in the distance down the street, avoiding eye contact. “You still have my number? From the wedding?”
He’d wondered when this would come up. “I do.” A moment of choking silence played out.
“So you chose not to call me,” she said matter-of-factly.
He didn’t enjoy being the way he was with women, unable to take things beyond the very beginning; he’d merely learned to accept this as one of his shortcomings. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t call any women.”
“Ever?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Then why ask for her number at all? That’s just classic jerky guy behavior. I would expect better of you.”
Sawyer wasn’t a big fan of her characterization, but he’d had a few drinks thrown in his face. Kendall wasn’t the only woman with this opinion. “I suppose it is. But it’s not like you called me either.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I wait for a man to call.”
Yeah, Sawyer wasn’t buying that. Kendall was too strong, too independent, too bullheaded. “And call me old-fashioned, but you’re engaged now, so you must be happy I didn’t call you.” That ring on her finger was the real reason she hadn’t called him. And she had no right to get angry with him for something that had worked out in her favor. “Your fiancé is probably happy about it, too.”
Kendall didn’t say a thing. She didn’t even look at him.
“Lucky guy.” Sawyer wanted to punch himself for his inability to let this go, but there was this curiosity building up inside him that refused to go away. Call it competitiveness—he had to know what the guy who landed Kendall was like. What made him so special?
“Hmm?” She cast her sights back at him for only an instant.
“Your fiancé. He’s a lucky guy.”
“Unless you’re guessing someone’s phone number, it doesn’t take luck to make a call.”
Ouch. “There’s a cab coming.” He stepped into the street and raised his hand. She was only a few feet away, not looking at him, her shoulders tense. He’d upset her. Her hair fell across her cheek, and she quickly tucked it back behind her ear. He didn’t want to stare, but it was impossible to tear his vision away—she was too beautiful. Too gorgeous. Too frustrating.
The taxi stopped. He opened the door and watched as she climbed in, catching a glimpse of her long and shapely leg as her skirt hitched up. He would’ve done anything to climb into the backseat with her and take her to his place—make up for being the guy who hadn’t called. For the first time in a really long time, he was second-guessing his well-honed talent for avoiding romance. He hadn’t always been that guy. Only hurt had made him into that, hurt that could never be undone.
“Thanks for the tour.” She peered up at him with her deep blue eyes.
“Thank you for your amazing ideas. I can’t wait to get started. I can’t wait to tell my brother.”
She smiled, her face lighting up as it should have. She’d done an incredible job. “I’m glad our professional relationship works so well. Since the other never would have.”
Well then. “Right. Me, too.” Sawyer reluctantly said goodbye and closed the car door, wandering back to the curb, trying to shake the effects of Kendall’s words—all of them. Only work would get him back on track. He dialed Noah’s number.
“How’d it go with the tour?” his brother asked.
Sawyer watched as the cab turned and drove out of sight. “I think the woman might be a genius. And that means we’re changing everything. We’re turning the whole thing upside down.”
Four
“What time is Locke coming in?” Kendall’s work nemesis, Wes, sauntered into the conference room and snatched a cookie from the tray she’d set out for Sawyer.
Kendall smacked his hand. “It’s Mr. Locke. And those cookies aren’t for you.”
Wes shrugged and plopped down in one of the conference room chairs. Everything about him screamed arrogance—his unmoving hair, the shine of his shoes, even the way he rocked in the chair. “I still don’t understand why Jillian gave you first shot at this account. She’s going to end up regretting it.”
Kendall fought the urge to scream at him to leave her alone. Some day he would be her subordinate. Then she could yell if she wanted to. For now, best behavior. “I’m standing right here.”
“And your point would be what?”
“I swear to God, you are the only person on the planet who bad-mouths someone to their face. Can’t you be civilized and go gossip about me in the break room like a normal person?”
He wagged a finger at her. “I do not sugarcoat. You should know that by now.”
“We’re in PR. The whole job is sugarcoating and creating illusions.”
“Is that what you’re doing with that ring? Creating illusions?”
When Wes had first asked about the ring, she’d simply told him to butt out of her personal life. The next twenty times he’d asked, she’d ignored him. Apparently that wasn’t a strong enough signal. “I told you before. It’s none of your business.”
“You’re only saying that because you don’t want to tell the truth. You aren’t engaged. You’re only letting people think that you are. I can’t decide if it’s smart or incredibly sad. Care to weigh in on it?”
The blood drained from Kendall’s face, but she did her best to overlook her body’s traitorous response. She wasn’t going to dignify his question with an answer.
“Look. I get it,” he continued. “We work for a woman who is very clear about where the lines are. I’ve seen clients flirt with you. So you want to send everyone a polite warning to stay away. With the VP job in play, it might be genius. If it helps you stay out of trouble and get the job.”
It was one thing to have her close friends at work know the truth. She couldn’t lie to them. Wes? His personality, and his agenda, made it easy to keep everything from him. “It’s a lovely theory, Wes. Truly lovely.
Now please leave. I have to finish preparing. You’re distracting me.”
“Let me stay for a few minutes. I think you should introduce me to Locke. He’s our newest and biggest client. I should at least be up to speed on this project. You’re not the only one with a shot at VP.”
“No. You are not meeting Sawyer Locke.”
“Why not?”
Kendall had had enough. “Because you’re annoying the hell out of me and I have work to do.” She marched over to Wes’s chair and began pushing him out of the conference room, but he was much heavier than she’d guessed. She only got a few inches before he stopped her by digging his heels into the carpet.
He stood and turned, jabbing a finger at her face. “You are ridiculously territorial, Ross. I won’t forget this.”
Kendall shook her head. “Of course you won’t. I expect nothing less of you.”
Wes took a cookie, stuck it in his mouth, holding it in his teeth while he grabbed another and left.
Kendall blew out a long breath. She wasn’t about to let Wes get to her any more than he already had. She took her seat and reviewed her notes. She had to focus. Everything was perfect right now. Sawyer was a very happy client, she had a brilliant PR plan and her ring had done its job. Wes wasn’t going to mess that up.
Today’s schedule included three different phone interviews for Sawyer to do over the next two hours. Normally, she might have a client do them on their own, but Kendall wanted to be in the room. With his dad doing suspect things and with so little time until the grand reopening of the hotel—they couldn’t afford mistakes. This way, if Sawyer was unsure of something or someone asked him a leading question, Kendall could slip him a note and keep them on message.
She glanced at her watch. But where was he? Five minutes late. Not enough to make her truly nervous, but he didn’t strike her as the guy who’d be anything less than punctual.
A few minutes later, Sawyer walked through the door. She looked up, noting how her immunity to his appearance still hadn’t kicked in. Perhaps there was a vaccine somewhere in the world, something to prevent the shortness of breath and palpitations that came from merely looking at him. She popped up out of her seat and shook his hand, unable to ignore his steely demeanor. He was often serious, but this was something different.
