Terri laughed. “She’s definitely not a troll. Actually, she’s even more beautiful in real life. Tall, elegant. Intimidating.”
“Why?” Carol argued. “You’re very pretty yourself.”
“Thanks, Mom. No bias there.” Still smiling, Terri continued. “She seems very nice...” Her voice trailed off.
“I hear a but coming...?”
“But nothing, really.” Terri recovered quickly. She didn’t want to tell her mother about the romance of the night that Cooper had arranged. About the kiss, about Vega’s interruption and then finding out that Terri had only been one of a crowd of women who’d been given that “special” night.
She flipped open the folder in front of her and idly glanced at the photos of the interior of the London Hayes hotel. Just as she’d assumed. Gorgeous. Old world elegance. Sighing, she said, “I’m trying to find my feet here, Mom, but honestly, I’m a little lost, still. I’m going to make this work, though. This is an incredible chance for me, so I’ll figure it out.”
“Why isn’t your new partner helping you?” Carol’s eyes flashed and her mouth turned down into what Terri recognized as her going into battle scowl.
“He’s a little busy, running the whole company.” Terri got up out of the desk chair, walked to the couch and sat down again, curling her legs beneath her. Across the room there were wide windows giving her an extensive view of a bright blue desert sky.
“Cooper’s got his hands on everything. He’s running this whole company. He can’t really hold my hand and walk me through all of this.” All true, but what she wasn’t adding was that Cooper didn’t seem to really want her to succeed. Oh, he’d never come right out and said it, but he’d made it plain he’d be fine with it if she gave up and went away. And that would be easier, she told herself.
But she wasn’t going to quit. There was a beautiful door open for her and she planned on walking through it.
Taking a breath, she said, “His assistant, Dave Carey, has been helpful, though. He’s the one who showed me around the offices, and he’s offered to help any way he can.”
“I suppose that’s fine, then. At least someone there is helping you. But if everything’s going so nicely, why aren’t you happy?” Before Terri could speak, her mother said, “Don’t bother denying it. I can see it on your face. You’re feeling out of place and useless.”
Terri laughed and pushed one hand through her hair. “Are you psychic?”
“No, just your mother.” Carol turned her head and shouted, “I’ll be there in a minute, Connie!” Shaking her head, she looked at Terri again. “Sorry, sweetie. Your aunt Connie and I are off to play tennis with some friends in a minute and you know how crazed my sister is about punctuality.”
Good to know that at least one of them had their life in order, Terri thought. “I’m not sure what to do here, Mom.”
“Well, of course you don’t. You haven’t even been there a week. Give yourself a chance, honey.”
A chance. But only last night Cooper had pretty much told her that trying was a waste of time. That she couldn’t do it. But that just meant he didn’t know her very well. Terri could do it. Her father had left it to her. Her Dad had taught her to believe in herself and her Mom had taught her to dream. No way was she backing out.
“You’re thinking too much,” her mother said with a dramatic sigh. “You always do this. You question, rethink and reevaluate way too much. Feel your way through instead. You have good instincts, sweetie. Trust them. You’re smart. Capable.” She took a breath and huffed it out. “What was it your dad used to say to you all the time?”
A reluctant smile curved Terri’s mouth as she remembered. She lowered her voice in imitation and said, “Terri, honey, there is nothing you can’t do.”
“Exactly.” Her mother nodded sharply. “Now, stop doubting yourself and get out there and show them what a Ferguson can do when she makes up her mind.”
Her mom had a point. She was sitting here going over and over everything she’d said and done in the past few days and getting exactly nowhere. Time to jump in with both feet, so to speak. “Okay, Mom, I will.”
“I’m going to say it again, just for emphasis. Feel your way through, Terri. Go with your gut. It’s a good one. Trust it.”
A wave of affection rolled over her as she smiled at the woman who had raised her, loved her and taught her to stand up for herself. “I really love you.”
“Of course you do!” Carol blew her a kiss. “I love you, too. Oh, for God’s sake, now your aunt Connie’s in the driveway honking the horn. The neighbors are going to have a fit.”
Terri laughed. “You’d better go, Mom. And thanks. For everything.”
“Love you!”
Once she hung up, Terri walked back to the desk, sat down and picked up the London hotel folder. The pictures were beautiful and reports from hotel managers would be informative. But she really wanted to know what their guests had to say about their stays at a Hayes hotel.
She dropped the folder and booted up the computer on her desk instead. She’d learn everything she could about the Hayes Corporation. She’d read customer reviews, check out travel bloggers and—“Oh, no.”
Headlines covered the web browser page and right at the top she read Shakeup at Hayes Corporation—Jacob Evans’s daughter to take over half the company. How will this affect stock prices? Does Cooper Hayes know how to share?
“Oh, God.” She scanned the brief article, wondering what her mom and everyone she knew would think about it. Her mind raced even as her mother’s advice echoed in the back of her brain.
And of course there were pictures along with the article. Cooper looked fantastic of course—all steely-eyed and tough in a zillion-dollar suit. But it looked as though they’d dug up a picture of Terri from her college years. She was wearing holey jeans, her hair was pulled into a ponytail jutting from the side of her head and the guy beside her—Tom? Micah?—was wearing a kilt.
“Very nice,” she murmured, sinking back into her chair. Great. Even the media doesn’t think she can do this But, look how surprised everyone will be when she did. “Upside? At least only a few million people will see it.”
* * *
Dave looked up at the woman in his office and knew he’d done the right thing in calling her. With Celeste Vega around, no heterosexual male would be able to think of anyone else.
“She’s nothing,” Celeste said, walking the perimeter of Dave’s office like an exotic cat. “I don’t know why you were worried. She’s boring and her breasts are too big.”
Personally, Dave thought Terri had a great body, but that wasn’t what Celeste wanted to hear. Like most incredibly beautiful women, she preferred thinking that only she could snag a man’s attention. And to be honest, he reminded himself, that was usually true. In fact, just looking at Celeste from across the room had Dave’s pulse pounding. Hell, he was no more immune than any other man when it came to this stunning woman.
When Celeste Vega walked into a room, every other female there seemed to fade into the background. Usually. Once upon a time, Cooper had been completely under her spell. All Dave had to do was arrange for that to happen again.
“Terri’s large breasts don’t seem to matter to Cooper,” Dave pointed out and had the satisfaction of seeing a snap of temper spark in those golden eyes. Good. Even if she didn’t actually want Cooper back, her ego would never allow her to lose to another woman.
Celeste took a deep breath, then released it slowly as she nodded. “That’s because I hurt him terribly when I walked away from him. He must have been bereft.”
Dave looked down so he could roll his eyes without being spotted. Celeste might have hurt Cooper but he hadn’t exactly locked himself away to recover. Instead, he’d screwed half of Vegas. But whatever.
“I’m sure that’s it,” Dave soothed. “The point is, we need him to stop w
anting Terri long enough that he’ll remember she doesn’t belong here.”
She waved one hand and sunlight flashed off the gold bangles on her wrist, nearly blinding Dave. “Please. I’ve come back. Cooper won’t be interested in her much longer.”
“You might have to work at it, Celeste.” Dave leaned back in his chair, propped one foot on his knee and folded his hands over his abdomen. “He’s not really fond of you, and Terri’s got his attention now.”
“It’s her homebody appeal, I think,” she mused, unbuttoning one of the buttons on the forest green silk shirt she wore. It hung partially off her shoulders and with yet another button undone, gave a tantalizing glimpse of golden-brown skin.
“Do you know up on the roof last night, she was wearing plain black cotton slacks? Can you imagine?” She shook her head as if still stunned. “Cotton.”
From what Dave had seen, Cooper didn’t much care what Terri was wearing. He seemed to be more interested in getting her out of her clothes altogether.
Celeste set both hands at her hips. “She’s different, that’s all. And I can fix that.”
Intrigued, Dave asked, “How?”
“How all of life’s problems are solved, David. Shopping.” She smiled to herself and it was so cat-like, Dave thought she might purr. “I’ll take her to the Venetian’s shops. We’ll deck her out in silks and then Cooper will see that she still doesn’t fit in.”
“What?” That made zero sense.
She sighed. “Right now he’s overlooking how unsuitable she is, because she’s dressed like a farm girl. So he gives her the benefit of the doubt. But once she has appropriate clothing, he’ll see that the farm girl is still there. Don’t you understand? He excuses the way she doesn’t belong because she doesn’t look as though she should. But once she’s dressed properly, Cooper will acknowledge that she’ll never fit into his world.”
“Sounds convoluted to me.” Shaking his head, he pointed out, “Making her even more attractive isn’t going to make him stop wanting her.”
“Nothing will,” she said. “Until he’s ready. Right now she’s new. She’s a fascination. Even though he knows he doesn’t want her here, in the company, he wants her in his bed.”
“Yeah. I know. That’s the problem.”
“No, that’s the solution. If they have sex, all the better for us.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s sad, really,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “You men think sex solves everything. A woman can tell you that sex only creates different problems.”
“How’s that?” He was not convinced.
“Cooper doesn’t want a partner. But he wants her.” She frowned at that admission. “Once he has her, he has new problems. She’ll dig in. Get stars in her eyes. And that will be enough to convince Cooper to send her packing.”
Dave stood up, pushed the edges of his jacket back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. “You might be onto something.”
“Might be?” Celeste laughed shortly. “Trust me, David. If there is one thing I know, it’s men.”
She stopped walking, set both hands at her hips and gave him a glare that should have coated his body in ice. “You called me here to help you get rid of her, right?”
“Yes.” No matter what, they had to get rid of Terri.
“Then you should probably leave it to me.”
He shook his head. “This is too important, Celeste. For both of us. Your old Count Whoever died before he could marry you and you want Cooper back. I want Terri out of here so I can get the reward I was promised for more than a damn decade. So if you think I’m going to take a step back and give you carte blanche, you’re out of your damn mind.”
“Fine.” She inhaled sharply. “But stay out of my way, David, or I’ll let Cooper know what you’re up to.”
“That’s not a smart play, Celeste, and no matter what, you’ve always been smart.”
“So true.” She smiled at him and Dave felt a slam of pure appreciation hit him. “Very well. We’re on the same side in this.”
Partners. Just like Cooper and Terri.
And with any luck, neither partnership would last very long.
Six
The following day Terri sat in on a meeting and listened to everyone talking. This was the second time she’d attended one of these summits and she was feeling a little better than she had the first time. Maybe it was the pep talk from her mother, or maybe it was simply that she was getting used to the idea of her new life. But either way, Terri was determined to have her say this time. She had an idea that she was sure was a good one and whatever it took, she would be heard.
Ten people sat around a conference table, with Cooper at one end and Terri at the other. She caught him looking at her more than once, but then he would turn that icy focus on one of the others and she could breathe again. Even in a business situation, Cooper stirred something inside her that wouldn’t be ignored. He was obviously the king of the room, with the men and women gathered around the table all jostling for his attention.
With all of the opinions being argued, voices raised to talk over each other, Terri tried to follow it all. But more important, she waited for her chance to speak up herself. This was her chance to get not only Cooper’s attention, but everyone else’s, as well. She’d looked through a lot of the specs on the Hayes hotels all over the world and she knew that expansion was in the works again.
While most of the members of the board were interested in going into new, untested markets, Cooper wanted more than one Hayes hotel in the major cities where they were already a force to be reckoned with. She could see both points of view, but her idea might bridge them. She hadn’t heard anyone else bring up what she was thinking, but for all she knew this idea had been discussed and dismissed in some earlier meeting. So she was taking a risk, but if she was going to make this her new life, then she had to step up and take a stand.
She tapped her fingers against the cover of the file on the Hayes London hotel. She’d gone over it, front to back. Terri knew it was a five-star—she’d expected nothing less—and that the hotel restaurant had two Michelin stars. She knew it was in the center of Hyde Park and that the rich and famous regularly stayed there. What she didn’t know was why Hayes Corporation needed another five-star hotel in the same city.
“I’m saying simply that moving the corporation into an area completely lacking in five-star accommodation puts us at the top of the mountain.” A gray-haired man in a black suit fixed his gaze on the woman in a cherry-red suit sitting opposite him.
This would be so much easier on her, Terri thought, if she could remember their names. But there were so many of them and she hadn’t been there very long.
“My point, that you seem to overlook time and again,” the woman said, “is that if there are no five-star resorts in those areas, then there may be a reason for that.”
“May be?” he countered. “What kind of research did you have to do to come up with that?”
“My research is impeccable as always,” the woman retorted. “When the wealthy go off to play, they expect more than a view to entertain them. And most of these locations you’re suggesting are so isolated, we might as well build a five-star monastery.”
That statement got everyone talking. Agreement, argument, voices erupted around the table and Cooper caught Terri’s gaze. He looked irritated and almost out of patience.
This was a perfect time for her to speak up.
“Excuse me.” When no one quieted, she said it again, louder. “Excuse me.”
Her insides were jumping but her voice was steady as she met the eyes of everyone who turned to look at her in turn. They were all surprised, as if a kitten had suddenly morphed into a tiger. Well, Terri couldn’t blame them for that, could she? The few times she’d met them, she’d bee
n too nervous to talk at all. Too convinced she didn’t have the right to an opinion.
But her mom had been correct. And her dad’s advice echoed in her mind. There’s nothing you can’t do.
Today she was going to prove him right.
“You have something to add, Terri?” Cooper’s gaze locked on her. She read neither encouragement nor condemnation on his face and realized she didn’t need either one to make her point.
“Actually, yes,” she said, “I do.”
A couple of the older men sighed audibly and fell back in their leather chairs as if they’d been shot. Even the women didn’t look happy to hear from her. No doubt because they’d had to work for years to earn a spot at this table and Terri had simply been born into it. Well, that wasn’t her fault, was it? She hadn’t asked for any of this, but now that it was here, she wouldn’t run from it, either. At least, not without trying to make it work.
“I was looking at the Hayes London—”
“We’re talking about a location in Prague,” the older man in black said, not bothering to hide his impatience.
“I realize that.” Terri nodded, ignoring his rudeness.
“We don’t need a hotel in Prague and we’ve already got one in London,” the blonde in red announced.
A rumble of voices began and Terri knew she would lose them all if she didn’t speak up fast. It seemed she would have to fight to be heard. Well, she was ready.
“I’m talking about London,” she said, loud enough that she commanded everyone’s attention. “I agree that we should have a second hotel there—”
“Of course you do,” the older man said with a snort of derision. “You’re going to agree with Cooper because you’re new here and you want to show him he can count on your vote.”
“Eli...” Cooper’s voice was a low-pitched warning.
The man disregarded it and slapped one hand against the table. “Cooper, we’ve been over this already and—”
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