By the end of the night, the mood had relaxed from business to personal, and Elyse even had a bellyache from laughing so hard. But when she looked across the table at Julian and he smiled at her, she knew she had to stop fooling herself. She’d fallen in love with Julian Lockett.
Despite all the warnings she’d given herself to keep him at a distance, she’d been unable to stop from loving him. How could she not love this man she’d given her body to?
And he’d treated her reverently ever since, as if she truly meant something special even though Julian Lockett was known to love ’em and leave ’em. But with her vendetta and his history, it was a recipe for disaster. She’d been skating on the edge for weeks, looking for secrets where there were none. Instead, her relationship with Julian had deepened. Revenge was out of the question now. Elyse couldn’t do it. She loved him too much to ever hurt Julian in that way. If she did, they’d be over for good.
“What’s wrong?” Julian asked on the limo ride home, noting that Elyse was in deep thought. He reached over to grab her hand and squeezed it.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Oh lord.” He rolled his eyes. “When a woman says that, it means I’m in big trouble.”
“You’re not,” Elyse responded. She reached across the short distance and stroked his cheek. “Not in the slightest.” Gripping the back of his neck, she tugged him closer and let her lips find his. The kiss raged as they tasted one another, and Elyse could feel the evidence of his arousal against her thigh.
Elyse pulled away and glanced at the driver in the front seat. “We can’t,” she whispered.
“I’ll roll up the divider.”
“Then he’ll know.” Embarrassed, she pushed Julian’s hand aside when he reached for her even though she wanted his touch more than anything. “This has to be continued at my apartment.”
“If you insist. But I promise you, you’ll pay.”
And pay she did, all night long.
* * *
“Someone is spending an awful lot of time with Elyse,” Giana said when she and Julian decided to take in a game of tennis on one of his rare free Sunday mornings.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” Though he wouldn’t admit it aloud, even to his baby sister, Julian was having a hard time balancing work, family and his time with Elyse. If he had it his way, he’d be with her every waking moment, which was absurd.
“You don’t sound sorry,” Giana said, volleying the ball back at him. “In fact, from the corny expression on your face, I’d say you’re far from sorry.”
“Is it that obvious?” he asked, swinging his racket and sending the ball flying in her direction.
“That you’re smitten? Just a little bit.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He’d never really succeeded in a relationship of any kind. Spending time with Elyse had opened up an entirely new world of emotional intimacy, which in the past he’d steadfastly avoided. He was getting to know Elyse on a deeper level and it made Julian realize what he’d been missing out on.
“Elyse is more than just a casual lover, isn’t she?” Giana inquired.
Julian nodded.
“You’re great at keeping people at a distance. Whenever you get too close, you usually pull up stakes.”
“And you think you know me so well?”
“Of course I do. I’ve had a front-row seat to your exploits with women, but this time is different, and that scares you, doesn’t it?”
Julian gave her a crooked smile. “You have no idea.” He didn’t want to screw this up and ruin a good thing.
“I’ve never been in love myself, but I believe it exists. Look at Mama and Daddy. If I were you, I’d embrace it because sometimes it only comes once in a lifetime.”
Julian had always tried to live his best life and Elyse was destined to be a part of it, so why was he so afraid of that fact?
* * *
Because of Julian, Elyse was realizing there was more to life than work, work, work, but it also meant she’d seen very little of her father except the moments she managed to squeeze in when Julian wasn’t busy. So she was surprised when she looked up from her cubicle on Monday evening to find her father walking toward her because he rarely came to her office.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” Elyse asked, rising to greet him with a hug.
“I took a taxi here, why? Can’t a father stop in to see his daughter?”
“Yes, of course, please sit down.” She motioned to the chair inside her cubicle. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by. It’s just been a busy couple of weeks.”
“Oh, I know you’ve been busy,” Frank said as he sat.
Elyse heard the derision in his tone. “Daddy?”
When he lifted his head to look at her, the scornful expression on his face broke her heart. “You’ve been busy sleeping with the enemy.”
She glanced around her, hoping no one had heard, but most folks had gone home for the evening, save for the janitorial staff. “You don’t know the full story, Daddy.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
“I’m using Julian to get information,” Elyse whispered. “He’s just a means to an end.” She hated lying to her father, but Julian was the man she loved. He was her lover and her friend, but she could never tell her father how conflicted she was about the situation she was in.
“So have you got anything good?” he asked. “Anything to bring down Josiah? Get back my shares?”
“Not here!” she whispered urgently. “Let me take you home and we can talk in the car.” She grabbed her purse and he followed her to the elevator bank.
“I can’t believe you would keep something like this from me,” he said, folding his arms at his chest while they waited for the elevator.
Elyse didn’t respond. She felt terrible for keeping the truth from him. Was that why she’d kept her distance, because he might have guessed her true feelings?
They were quiet on the ride in the elevator to the garage, but once they were inside her car, her father let her have it. “So—” he looked over at Elyse as she started the engine “—are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? Why my daughter is cavorting with my enemy’s son? And why in hell I had to read about it on some damn web site instead of my daughter telling me?”
Elyse scrubbed her hand over her face. She wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but it had to be done. She eased the Toyota out of the parking spot and headed for the exit. “It’s exactly as I told you,” she replied. “I needed a way in with the Locketts. Work wasn’t bringing me any closer, so I found a way to meet Julian.”
“That’s Josiah’s oldest?”
Elyse shook her head but kept her eyes on the road. “No, that’s Roman. He’s married and soon to be a father.”
“Really?” Her father dragged his hand across the dark stubble on his jaw. “I remember that boy always following behind Josiah, desperate to be in the thick of things. And he is now.”
“Yes. He’s General Manager, but Josiah is still on the board. I thought getting close to Julian, who’s second oldest, was the next best thing.” She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced in her father’s direction. “And it worked. We hit it off.”
Her father regarded her. “Yeah, that much was obvious from the photos and gossip columns.”
“I won’t lie to you, Daddy. I like Julian, which has made this difficult. But if there’s a will, there’s a way. And I won’t stop trying to find a crack in the armor.”
He looked. “Are you sure, baby girl? Because I told you to back away and you didn’t, so I assumed you could handle it, but if you can’t... If the pressure is too much...” His voice trailed off.
“It’s not.” Elyse fervently shook her head. She didn’t want to let her father down when everyone else in his life, his so-called friends, had abandoned or taken advantage of him. She had
to do better. “I’ll make this right.”
“If you say so.”
When they arrived at his apartment, Frank didn’t wait for Elyse to walk him inside. Instead, he hopped out of the vehicle without giving her a hug or a kiss goodbye.
She watched his retreating figure as her father rushed inside the building. The man she’d once looked up to and adored was hurting. Tears welled in her eyes, reminding Elyse of how she’d failed him by letting her feelings—no, her love—for Julian blind her to the end goal.
What she and Julian shared wasn’t real. She told herself Julian had been romancing her like every other woman he’d ever been with and she’d been caught up in the fantasy of it all. What woman wouldn’t want to be swept up by Prince Charming? But it was time to put her foolishness on the shelf and get down to business.
* * *
And several days later, fate gave her a push in the right direction when Curtis Jackson, the Atlanta Cougars’ most lauded and heralded player, got caught in a scandal.
Elyse couldn’t have asked for a better outcome than if she’d created it herself. The Jacksons and Locketts would need a publicist and crisis manager. Someone used to managing a celebrity’s public image. Someone skilled enough to handle the job. And since she’d already met with Curtis and his father, the odds looked favorable that that someone was her.
Fourteen
“How in the hell did you let something like this happen?” Josiah railed at Roman early Saturday morning. He’d called an emergency family meeting at the estate in Tuxedo Park. Julian had barely been able to brush his teeth and shower when he’d received the summons in no uncertain terms telling him to hightail it over.
He and Roman had arrived within seconds of each other. Julian wore a tracksuit while Roman was dressed in Dockers and a pullover sweater. Giana and Xavier were already waiting in the great room, since Xavier lived in the main house and Giana in Roman’s old place on the family grounds. They, too, were dressed casually. Xavier in a graphic T-shirt and jeans, Giana in a silk blouse and slacks. How was it his sister still managed to look sophisticated at this hour?
“I didn’t let anything happen,” Roman responded. “I couldn’t have predicted Curtis would slip past his security.”
“Well, you should have,” their father responded. “A young man like him, whose been sheltered by a domineering father, would be anxious to be his own man. You should have expected this.”
Roman rolled his eyes and Julian couldn’t resist letting out a laugh, which Josiah immediately pounced on. “You think something is funny?” he asked. “Tim Jackson is livid that his son is involved in a scandal. He’s concerned about the caliber of people Curtis is hanging out with after we—” he pointed to his children in the room “—assured him his son was in good hands. It makes all of us look like a bunch of idiots.”
“Include yourself on that,” Julian responded, leaning back against the couch. “I look after Curtis’s health and he’s in prime physical condition. This has nothing to do with me.”
“It has everything to do with you.” His father barked, coming toward him and looking down at him. “You’re a member of this family or had you forgotten? Has that pretty girl of yours got you so whipped, you can’t think straight?”
“That pretty girl of mine...” Julian shot to his feet because he hated when Josiah towered over him like some sort of superhero. “That pretty girl of mine is a publicist. She’s good at what she does, and this crisis is right up her alley. We should hire her.”
“I don’t need your help with this, Julian,” Roman interjected. “The PR team we have on retainer is perfectly capable of handling this mess.”
“A mess is exactly what this is,” his father responded. “He was detained by the police after being caught in a hotel room with an exotic dancer. It’s the height of stupidity.”
“It’s my understanding,” Roman replied, “that Curtis didn’t even play a primary role in this. She was there when he arrived at the hotel suite and, when he saw her being mistreated during a fight, he immediately tried to step in. That’s when the police were called.”
“Then why are the press are acting like he’s some sort of sleaze?” Giana inquired.
“Because some aren’t interested in the facts. They just want something salacious and Curtis gave it to them,” Josiah said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Roman asserted.
“And Elyse can help,” Julian proclaimed. “Look at what she did for that politician Mike Ford or that singer Porscha Childs. Their reputations have been redeemed. Furthermore, she already met with Curtis and Tim and they hit it off.”
“Why are you so intent on pushing this woman on us?” his father asked. “I mean, how much do you really know about her and her past?”
“Enough!” Julian responded to his father’s raised brow.
“There’s something about her that’s familiar to me and I just can’t put my finger on it,” Josiah stated. “She’s hiding something.”
“Well, why you’re thinking about it, why not give her a chance, Rome?” Julian inquired, facing his brother.
“Julian does have a point about Elyse,” Giana said, and he could have kissed his sister for standing behind him when their father seemed dead set against his woman. “I thought Porscha’s career was over after the overdose, but she’s rebounded and doing better than ever. She has a brand-new album out. If she’s already met with the Jacksons, I see no reason not to give her a chance.”
“Fine, I’ll hear her out,” Roman said, “but I make no promises.”
“Thank you.” Julian just knew Elyse could help Curtis. All Julian wanted was for his family to see Elyse as an asset because, if their relationship continued the way it was going, she could potentially be one of them in the near future.
* * *
“Elyse, can I see you in my office, please?” Pierre asked over the speakerphone in her cubicle.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be right there.” Elyse left her open work area and headed to her boss’s office. She suspected she knew why she was being summoned.
It was hard not to notice that Curtis Jackson was being vilified in the press for being in the room where an exotic dancer had been assaulted. The Locketts would need someone skilled in damage control and Elyse hoped they were calling her to the rescue.
Pierre rose and met her halfway when she knocked on his door several seconds later. “Elyse, come in.”
They sat across from each other at the breakout table he kept in his office for such occasions where he required a more personal touch.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Your beau has finally come through and offered you the opportunity to meet with his brother Roman Lockett, General Manager of the Atlanta Cougars, on representing Curtis Jackson during this fiasco.”
“Really?” She feigned surprised when she’d known this was coming. “That’s wonderful. I would be happy to speak with Mr. Lockett and hopefully bring their business to this firm.”
“I don’t need to tell you how important a client this is,” Pierre went on to say. “It could open doors for us in the sports market.”
“Then I will make you proud.” She rose and shook his hand. Once she was out of his office, she gave herself a mental high-five and smiled at her coworkers as she made her way back to her cubicle. Curtis’s predicament presented her with a slippery slope. She could move forward with her agenda, but at what cost? She would be risking her career if she betrayed the Locketts. Josiah Lockett would want payback and have her fired. Not to mention, she would lose Julian in the process. Yet, the idea niggled at her that she was finally in a position to dole out her revenge. She was confused as to which way to turn.
Andrea was waiting for her. “Well, what did he say?”
“The firm—or rather, I have a shot at representing Curtis Jackson during his PR crisis.”
“Sounds exciting!” Andrea beamed. “And I suppose your boyfriend had nothing to do with this?”
Elyse laughed and put her thumb and index finger together. “Julian may have a little something to do with it.”
“Go knock ’em dead.”
That’s exactly what Elyse intended to do. Maybe not literately, but figuratively. The Atlanta Cougars had touted Curtis Jackson as their future and, prior to this incident, his reputation had been squeaky-clean thanks to his overbearing father. But this was catastrophic.
Now, Elyse had to figure out how to use the circumstances to her advantage.
* * *
“Are you sure about this, Julian?” Roman asked from behind him as they waited for Elyse to arrive in the conference room where she’d meet with Roman about her résumé and skill set.
Julian spun around to face his brother. “Of course, I am.”
“Really?” Roman eyed him suspiciously. “You sure you’re not using your heart instead of your head?”
“I resent the implication that I don’t know my own mind,” Julian said. “I’m not some dumb jock led around by male anatomy. This is sound business. Elyse has handled some high-profile clients. Her reputation should speak for itself regardless of the fact we’re seeing each other.”
“But that’s precisely why she’s here,” Roman stated. “If it weren’t at your insistence, I wouldn’t even give her a chance. I’m doing this for you.”
He gave his brother a thin-lipped smile. “Well, don’t do me any favors. If you don’t feel like she’s the best person for the job, then don’t choose her. I never asked you to hire Elyse, I asked that you speak with her because I’m certain you’ll see for yourself how talented she is.”
Roman stared at him for several moments, a strange expression on his face.
“What?” Julian asked.
“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Roman said. “You’re speaking so passionately about Elyse.”
Blind Date with the Spare Heir Page 13
