His arms tightened around her, so she was firmly wedged against him. So close she could feel the evidence of his arousal.
“Really?” she teased. “Here? Now?”
He leaned in so their lips were tantalizingly close. “I can’t help it. You’re so hot when you’re giving motivational speeches.”
She laughed and as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Easy tiger, now is not the time. Monday night, remember?”
He groaned in mock misery. “Fine. A few more long lonely nights. I suppose I can wait.”
“How noble of you,” she teased as she disentangled herself from his embrace. “I better get going and you should too. You need a nap and a shower if you’re going to be presentable at the party tonight.”
He dropped his head with a moan. “I almost forgot. I’ve got to make nice tonight, don’t I?”
“Just be your wonderful, loveable self and you’ll do fine.”
“You’ll be there tonight, right? I need you by my side.”
Lacey smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
She turned to leave, but he caught her hand and pulled her back. His expression was unusually serious. “Lacey, I—”
“What is it?”
“Thank you for being here. Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Her heart was lodged in her throat. “Alex,” she sighed. Before she could say more, he leaned in and slowly, tenderly captured her lips with his for a heartbreakingly sweet kiss.
Hours later, Lacey was putting the final touches on her makeup when there was a knock on her hotel room door. She hurried to open it and when she did, she nearly melted into a puddle on the hotel room floor.
Alex leaned against the doorframe, tall and lanky in a perfectly fitted suit. His hair was unusually tame and for the first time since she met him, he was completely clean shaven and looked as though he’d stepped directly off the cover of a magazine ad for an obscenely expensive cologne.
The lopsided grin was the icing on the cake. Lacey lifted a hand to the corner of her mouth to make sure she wasn’t drooling. She wasn’t, thank God.
He was staring at her with unabashed admiration and Lacey could feel the jolt of desire right down to her toes.
Or was that the narrowed toes of her stiletto heels making her scream in pain? Nope, definitely desire.
“You look gorgeous,” he said.
She resisted the urge to fall into his arms. Three more days. She could wait two more days. “What are you doing here?” She glanced down the hallway as though spies were hiding behind the potted plants before pulling him into her room.
He reached out for her, but she slapped his hand away.
“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” she repeated as though speaking to a child.
He gave her a weary look. “Escorting you to the party?”
She narrowed her eyes at his charmingly boyish look. It was his company they were trying to save here. His career. One would think he could manage to think with his brain for a little while longer.
“No,” she drawled. “You are most definitely not escorting me anywhere.”
She pointed toward the door. “We’re trying not to rock the boat, remember? We’re trying to keep everyone happy until the election is over. Or have you forgotten?”
He rolled his eyes, but his sheepish grin gave him away. “Fine, I’m not here to escort you, I’m here to give you a lift.”
She raised one brow in response.
“We’re carpooling?”
She scowled.
“Oh, come on. We’re saving money. It’s the frugal thing to do.”
She gave an unladylike snort.
“We’re saving the environment?”
Lacey shook her head in disbelief. She grabbed his arm and started leading him toward the door.
“Oh, come on. This is ridiculous. We’re coworkers and friends. I think we can manage to split a cab without offending anybody.”
Lacey caved—partly because he’d made a semi-decent point but mostly because, despite her urgent shoving, she hadn’t managed to move him an inch toward the door.
“Fine. Wait here.”
When she walked into the bathroom to put away her makeup bag, her hands were shaking with nervous energy. You’d think this was her first date.
This was not a date. She widened her eyes and made a face in the mirror. For the love of God, somebody had to remember that tonight. It had damn well better be her.
The taxi rolled to a stop in front of a luxury apartment building on the Upper East Side. “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” he said.
Lacey checked her lipstick in the cab’s rearview mirror. “You’re the one who insisted on splitting a cab.”
He rolled his eyes. “So now I’m stuck sitting in a cab by myself all night?”
The cab driver cast them a look over his shoulder. “No offense, man,” Alex added. The driver gave a curt nod.
“Not all night, just for fifteen minutes. That will give me plenty of time to say hello to everyone before you arrive. No one will ever know.”
“That we split a cab,” Alex finished. He threw his hands up in mock horror. “Scandalous.”
“We can’t take any chances. Not tonight. Not until—”
“Monday. Yeah, I remember.”
She leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek before sliding out into the cold, misty night. The doorman let her in, and she found herself in a cavernous, marble-lined foyer that smelled like old money. “This way, ma’am.”
If the foyer was impressive, the Wingates’ penthouse suite was mind-blowing. Lacey had met her fair share of rich people, but she’d never seen wealth like this. The collection of art on the wall was better than any gallery she’d ever seen and every piece of furniture looked as though it belonged in a museum.
“There you are,” Jess greeted her with a magnanimous smile before air kissing her cheeks. “We were all beginning to wonder where you were.”
She made a point of looking behind Lacey as though expecting to see someone else walk through the door. “Where’s Alex?”
Lacey shrugged and said a silent prayer that she’d insisted on making him wait in the cab. Jess was all smiles as she led her further into the apartment where crowds of Newsom Industries employees and board members were already gathered. But Lacey saw through Jess all too well by this point. She was no more fooled by her smiles than Jess was fooled by the fake pearls around Lacey’s neck.
Jess was out for blood.
Lacey knew the exact moment that Alex walked through the door. The entire atmosphere in the penthouse shifted as he made his way through the crowd. He made everyone happier, lighter, more confident and relaxed. He was just so naturally charismatic. Lacey smiled as she sipped her drink and listened to Heather and Raj debate the merits of living in a penthouse versus owning a mansion in the suburbs.
He was a born leader. And he was hers.
For the next hour, she and Alex circled one another in the room as they made the rounds. They studiously avoided speaking to one another, but every time their eyes met, they spoke volumes.
They were so close. Once he won the election—and there was no doubt in Lacey’s mind that he would—they would be free to be together. They would be free to explore their feelings and to make a real go of it. Lacey shivered at the thought. She’d never felt this way before—not even about her ex-boyfriend.
That had been kids’ stuff. That had been an infatuation, a hint of what was to come. She cast a quick glance across the room and watched Alex listening intently to a woman from accounting who was talking his ear off.
Her heart did a flip flop at the sight of his kindness. This was so much more than an infatuation. This was the real deal.
Lacey started at the sound of Jess’s voice behind her. “May I have a word?”
When Lacey turned around, Jess was still all smiles—for the sake of the people around them, no doubt—but her tone was crisp and businesslike.
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This could not be good.
“Of course,” Lacey said, and she followed the other woman through the crowd and into a darkened hallway where the party ended and the private residence began. They walked past several closed doors before Jess ushered her into a dimly lit office with dark wood furniture and the stuffy feel of an Ivy League library.
Jess gestured for Lacey to take a seat but she remained where she was, close to the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. She was in no mood to play along with Jess’s charade.
“What is it, Jess?”
The other woman dropped the smiling hostess routine and turned to face her with a cold, hard glare. “I was so sorry to hear about Alex’s grandfather this morning.”
Lacey blinked in surprise. She hadn’t realized the other woman knew about Mr. Newsom’s trip to the hospital. Alex had done everything in his power to keep it under wraps.
She waited warily for the other woman to make her point.
“I felt so sorry for Alex. I mean, it can’t be easy for him to see his grandfather like that, especially after everything he’s been through this year with his father’s death.”
Jess toyed with a paperweight on the desk, and Lacey had the sinking feeling that she was being toyed with as well. Get to the point already, she wanted to shout. But she remained quiet.
“I wanted to be there for him,” she continued. “After all, Alex is one of my oldest friends and I’d like to think we’re well on our way to recapturing the relationship we once had.”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed. Talk about melodramatic. Jess was performing a one-woman play for an audience of one. She was losing patience fast. “So?”
Jess’s head snapped up, and she shot her a look of annoyance at the interruption. “So,” she drawled. “Imagine my surprise when I showed up at the hospital to comfort the man I love and there you were … in his arms.”
Lacey’s stomach sank. “Jess—”
“Don’t.” Jess had been leaning against the desk, but now she stood straight, hurt and anger evident in her gorgeous features. “I don’t want to hear it.”
She moved to stand in front of the desk, directly opposite Lacey. For a brief moment, Lacey felt a flicker of guilt. Jess was clearly angry but more than that, she was hurt. She was disappointed. She was in love with Alex and he didn’t love her back. Lacey hated to even imagine how that would feel.
“He didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said. Her voice was soft and for a moment, she thought she saw Jess’s anger fade. “We didn’t mean to hurt you,” she added.
At that, any sign of softness flew out the window, and Jess’s expression hardened. “Of course you didn’t mean to,” she snapped. “Because I made it very clear what would happen if you interfered.”
Lacey sucked in a deep breath. She was sick and tired of Jess’s threats. She was officially over it. “I don’t care.”
Jess’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I don’t,” Lacey continued. “It’s sad and pathetic that the only way you think you can get Alex to love you is to threaten my career.”
She saw Jess’s eyes narrow dangerously, but she didn’t care. Anger had replaced any feelings of sympathy she might have had.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as selfish as you,” she said. “You say you care about Alex? Well then do what’s best for him. Wish him well. Support him and his choices. That’s what love is. What you feel? That’s not love, it’s not even friendship. You just want to control him and have everything you want just the way you want it.”
Jess raised one brow. “Are you finished?”
“No. You are a spoiled brat, and you don’t deserve Alex.” There was a pregnant pause as the two women faced off. Lacey let out a huff of air. “Okay, now I’m finished.”
Jess stood there considering her, a pitying look on her face. “It’s hard to believe you can’t see what a hypocrite you are.”
Lacey’s head snapped back as though she’d been slapped.
“You say I’m selfish, but I’m not the one standing between Alex and his dreams for the future. I’m not the one messing with his family legacy.”
“Neither am I,” Lacey bit out between gritted teeth. “I’m helping him get everything he wants and deserves. I’m helping him get it all on his own merit. He’ll get it all his way and on his terms. Not yours or your father’s. Not even his grandfather’s.”
Jess shook her head in disbelief. “Are you deluded or are you really that naïve?”
Lacey dropped her arms and turned to walk to the doorway. She’d had enough. Turning to face the other woman, she said, “You know what, Jess? I don’t care anymore. You want to trash my career out of some bizarre sense of vengeance? Go for it. I’ll take my chances that my work speaks for itself. But it won’t make any difference in the long run. You still won’t have a chance in hell with Alex.”
Jess’s eyes widened in surprise, but Lacey wasn’t through. “So stop with your threats already. If you’re going to rat me out to my employers, just go ahead and do it.”
Jess studied her for a moment, and a slow, wicked smile spread across her face. “I already did.”
Lacey’s stomach dropped as the wind went out of her sails. “What?”
“What’s the matter, Lacey? Not so sure that your ‘work’, as you call it, will be enough to save your job?”
Lacey couldn’t think of a response. Her mind was too busy racing through her options. What had Jess said? Maybe she could call Rick and explain the situation. He would believe her word over a stranger’s, wouldn’t he? And when Alex won, it wouldn’t matter.
“What did you tell them?” she demanded.
Jess’s eyes widened in mock innocence. “Just the truth, sweetie. That I was concerned your relationship with Alex was…inappropriate. From what I gather, Ackland does not look kindly on romances in the workplace—particularly between consultants and clients.”
“But it’s not true,” Lacey said. “We’ve kept it professional.”
“For now,” Jess finished. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know there’s something between you. Whether you’re sleeping together now or waiting until the election is over, it’s all the same.
“Even if Alex wins the election, it won’t make a difference,” Jess continued. “I’ve been assured that your contract with Ackland has been terminated. Effective immediately.”
Lacey thought she might throw up. She had worked so hard. She’d been given this one shot and she’d screwed it up. She shut her eyes at the thought. It wasn’t over yet. She would call Rick, she would explain the situation. She would beg if she had to.
For now, she just had to get away from Jess without losing her lunch.
“Fine,” she managed to say despite the roiling pit in her stomach. “I hope you’re happy. You do realize, however, that now you won’t stand a chance with Alex. You may have hurt me but you’re no closer to winning Alex’s love.”
She didn’t stick around to see how her words affected the other woman. She spun around on her heel and stumbled down the darkened hallway toward the loud, cheerful sound of a successful party in progress.
She saw him across the room chatting with Arthur and two of his buddies who Lacey assumed were on the board. He looked comfortable and in his element as he chatted up the older men. She’d done her job.
She was headed toward the door, hoping to escape unnoticed. She could talk to Alex tomorrow when they were alone. If Jess was right and she was out of a job, the only consolation would be that she and Alex no longer had to hide their relationship. That was something.
She had almost reached the door when she heard Alex call her name. “Hey, where are you going? The party just got started.”
He looked so happy and energetic, she didn’t have the heart to let him down. “I’m just not feeling all that well,” she said.
He studied her with concern before taking her by the arm and leading her outside to a terrace that sported an amazing view of the city. Th
e night air was balmy and promised rain but for now, it was perfect. The city lights were a romantic backdrop and the sounds of music from inside just added to the ambiance.
He turned to face her and she was suddenly very aware that they were alone. The distance between them was nothing. His eyes darkened with desire and he leaned down to kiss her. Only a potted palm stood between them and the curious eyes of their colleagues. They shouldn’t do this.
But when his lips touched hers, she forgot all about what they should or shouldn’t do. For one heavenly moment she forgot all about Jess and her job and the fate of the company. For one deliriously delicious moment, she let herself savor the feel of his warm, strong lips against hers. She breathed in his scent and let her hands rest against his hard chest.
For one moment, everything was perfect in the world.
The sound of a particularly loud laugh inside broke them apart. Alex heaved a heavy sigh and took one step to the side. She offered a wry grin. “Monday night, remember?”
He groaned and tilted his head. “Why does that sound like an eternity right now?”
“Because it is,” she said. “But on the bright side, it looks like you’re wowing the bigwigs in there. Not that I expected anything less.”
He pretended to straighten his tie and gave a cocky sniff. “I’ve been told I can be quite the charmer.”
“Oh yeah? Who told you that?”
His lopsided grin made her smile in return. She could have stood there grinning like a doofus all night long with her guy, but she was becoming all too aware that the longer they remained outside, the more suspicious Alex’s absence would seem. Her job might be in the Dumpster, but that didn’t mean he should throw his out the window.
He caught her worried glance toward the terrace door and took another step. “I guess that’s my cue to go back to being the life of the party.”
She shook her head in mock exasperation. “Always so humble.”
He stopped just before the door and turned to fix her with a look that made her heart stop. “Have I mentioned that you are breathtakingly gorgeous tonight?”
She pretended to consider the question. “You know, I don’t believe you did.”
Less Than Three: A Romantic Comedy Page 13
