by Jamie Wesley
“What is she talking about?” A different, familiar voice spoke from behind him.
Malcolm turned. “Val.” She didn’t look happy. Shit. “Tori, bye.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on the sofa.
Val followed the trajectory of the phone, then turned her devastated face back to him. “What was she talking about, Malcolm?”
“Val, you’ve got it wrong.”
Her head tilted to the side. “Do I? Because it sounded like you created a campaign around me and my life. Do I have it wrong?” She shook her head when he didn’t reply right away. “Of course not.”
He pressed his palms together. “Listen. You know how important this contest is. I needed an idea.”
She made a sound of disgust. “So you spent time with me to get one.”
“No. It wasn’t like that.” How to get her to understand his desperation to prove he had what it took to succeed and to make his father proud? The relief he’d experienced when the idea had come to him? How he’d gone with it because it made sense? How she filled his every thought? She wouldn’t take it as a compliment.
She rolled her eyes. “You just said it was.”
“Val.” He took a step toward her. Stopped when she backed away.
“I was wondering where we went after this.” She shook her head. “Now I know. Nowhere. I thought we had something real. I wasn’t expecting anything permanent to happen between us. Never that. But I thought you respected me at least. Instead, you used me.”
The situation was spiraling out of control, as situations did when people followed emotions instead of logic. Goals and logic allowed him to stay on the path to success. That’s what happiness had always been for him. Take this step, then the next, and eventually you’d attain the fulfillment you sought. Emotions didn’t work that way. They were messy and unpredictable and hard to explain.
And at this point, he understood that more than he ever had. Logic wouldn’t help him in this situation. Not when his heart was trying to claw its way out of his chest. Not when he couldn’t find the words to make the anguish on her face disappear. He’d thought there was no greater pain that letting his father down, but he’d been wrong. “I’m sorry.”
Tears shone in her beautiful eyes. “You’re just like every other guy I’ve known. Out for yourself. I should have known better. Men always show their true colors sooner or later, but I thought you were different. My mistake.”
She turned and walked out of his cabin. Out of his life.
TEN
Malcolm’s office door creaked open.
“I’m fine, Tori,” he said a few seconds later. He didn’t look up from his computer.
“How did you know it was me?” she asked.
“Because you hover. Layla and Bianca would have barged in.”
"True.” She crossed the room and perched on the edge of his desk. “I’m worried about you. We all are.”
He shifted his attention to his sister. “No need.”
Tori’s expression remained unconvinced. “You were supposed to come back from camp a more relaxed version of yourself. Instead, you’re spending more time at the office than you did before you went.”
He knew that. It couldn’t be helped. “I’m working on our presentation.”
“I’ve seen what you’ve been working on. It’s fantastic. You’re allowed to take a break.”
Malcolm lifted a shoulder. “Fantastic won’t cut it. It needs to be the best.”
Worry clouded her eyes. “I’ll still love you if we don’t win.”
“Thanks.” He forced himself to smile. “I’m not sure I can say the same about you.”
“Ha ha. You’re so funny, Mayo.” Tori stood and squeezed his shoulder. “Seriously though, I want you to be happy.”
For the millionth time in the past week, an image of Val laughing rose in his mind. Since his return to Boston, he’d had to stop himself from calling her more times than he wanted to count. It wasn’t the right time. Not until they no longer had the contest between them. Maybe not even then if she wanted nothing to do with him. But he would try. He’d hate himself for the rest of his life if he didn’t.
He’d formulated a plan. He could only hope it would work. He wasn’t relying on logic anymore. Logic had let him down. This was all about emotion, a new territory for him, but one he needed to embrace. One he wanted to embrace. Because of Val and everything she meant to him.
“Don’t worry, Tomato. I know what I’m doing.”
***
She was going to see him today. That shouldn’t have been her foremost thought as she paced in the green room of a New York City conference center, but it was. She should be studying her notes for her presentation. Instead, she was obsessing about one Malcolm Turner. Was he here yet? Would they run into each other? Would they speak? What would she say?
So many questions.
Val was prepared to concede that perhaps she’d overreacted. She hadn’t seen his presentation and maybe he hadn’t stolen her whole life story. And if he had, facts were facts. She still loved him anyway. Was she willing to embrace her feelings for him and forgive his betrayal?
Even if she was, she wasn’t the only who had a say in their future. How did Malcolm feel about her? Had he fallen for her or did he want to leave their relationship behind at Camp Firefly Falls?
So many questions. Too bad she didn’t have the answers to any of them.
But first things first. She had a presentation to make.
She was ready. This was going to be her shining moment. The moment she’d waited for her entire life. Every dance class, every twirl around the pole, every late night preparing business plans, every routine she’d choreographed, every class she’d taught. All that work had led to this.
Maybe she wouldn’t win. A few weeks ago, that thought would have devastated her. But now she understood and accepted that her idea was good. Damn good. There were other avenues to success that didn’t involve this contest. She believed in herself and what she had to offer. Others would, too. How could she believe anything else?
Every time she thought about doubting herself, she heard Malcolm’s voice in her head telling her she could do whatever she put her mind to. That, more than anything, gave her hope that what they’d shared was real. There was no reason for him to have encouraged her. In fact, he could have done everything in his power to undermine her. And he hadn’t.
Later. She’d think about it later. Right now, she had a competition to win. She checked her appearance in the mirror one last time. If nothing else, she looked fabulous. Eye-catching makeup. Sleek ponytail. Her black wraparound skirt was simple, but the red sequined top was designed to shine under stage lights.
A knock sounded on the door. A second later, a contest official stuck her head inside the room. “Are you ready?”
Val nodded and followed her down the hall. She stepped on the stage and looked into the crowd. Familiar faces grinned at her. The Tullys and a few other camp staffers. Gabby, ever the supportive friend. The Sex Sells judges, however, only offered polite, noncommittal interest.
Val took a deep breath and stepped up to the podium. Showtime. “Hello, I’m Valerie Shaw. Some of you might know me as Val Vixen. I love being sexy and I believe every woman deserves to feel that way. My goal is to help every woman discover the inner vixen that lives inside of her and be confident in who she is and what she offers to the world.”
Val pressed a button on the remote control she held. A video screen lowered from the ceiling. She hit the play button. One by one, a group of women—all different sizes, ages, and races—appeared on the screen and spoke.
“I wanted to be sexy.”
“I wanted to do something that challenged me. This class exceeded all my expectations.”
“I’ve never had more fun in my life.”
“Every woman should try this.”
“I can’t wait to perform in front of an audience, something I never thought I’d say.”
The screen wen
t dark. With another press of a button, the video screen lifted into the ceiling.
Val stepped to the center of the stage and offered her most confident smile. “Lovely sentiments, but I do believe we can all agree that actions speak louder than words.”
She whipped off her skirt, thanks to the power of Velcro, and braced her legs apart, hands on her hips. Just long enough for the judges to see and appreciate that her shirt was actually a leotard.
Behind her, the curtain lifted. The audience members gasped. Understandable. It wasn’t every day you were confronted with five women, all wearing matching black sequined leotards, draped across stripper poles.
She’d trained these beautiful, amazing women. Two were campers from Camp Firefly Falls. The other three were friends from Vegas, who she’d taught and performed with. They were here for her. Because they believed in her. She shot the women a thumbs-up, then took her place in the center of the formation.
A popular club hit began to play. The women snapped their fingers and swung their hips from side to side. Shelley and Dina, the campers, climbed their respective poles and performed a basic routine of twirls she’d taught them. Her friends from Vegas were next. They did more complicated moves, including some gravity-defying flips.
Then it was her turn to close the show with the routine she’d worked on so diligently during camp. As she danced around the pole, Val concentrated like she’d never done before. On the music, her movement, the audience reaction. Technical skills were great, but her priority was evoking a response from the crowd. As the music soared, she ended the routine in an upside down split, using only the strength of her legs to hold on to the pole. Gasps from the crowd were her reward. She flipped in the air and landed lightly on her feet.
She clasped hands with the other dancers, and they took a group bow. The others pranced off the stage in unison, heads held high, hips swaying. Val beamed, feeling like a proud mama. She turned her attention back to the audience. Time to close the deal.
She returned to the microphone and spoke from her heart. “In case you didn’t recognize them, those were the women from the video. They say I’ve helped them, but they’ll never how much they’ve inspired me. I’ve loved watching them blossom. I want to offer that same experience to other women. I plan to start with one studio and a club where my students and professional dancers and aerialists can learn and perform.”
Val went into more specifics, offering up projected sale numbers and her plan to expand the business in two years. Though her ex had done her wrong, she’d learned a lot from her show in Vegas. She might not have a fancy degree, but she had invaluable business experience. She knew what had worked, what hadn’t, and how to incorporate those successes and failures into her new venture.
“I hope you find my proposal worthy,” she said at the conclusion of her speech. “I know I have something valuable to offer women and would love your help in making that happen. Thank you for your time.”
Elizabeth, the judge who’d visited her at the camp, spoke from the audience. “That was excellent, Val. Thank you for coming and sharing your vision with us. After the second presentation, the judges will confer and announce the winner.”
Val nodded and exited the stage. Her fellow performers were waiting with hugs and quiet squeals. She accepted their congratulations and then excused herself. She needed a moment to decompress. She returned to the empty green room and collapsed against the door, slapping a hand across her chest. She was spent. She’d expended all her energy in preparing and rehearsing for her presentation and now it was all over. She was proud of herself. Others had doubted her in the past, but she’d never given up. No matter what happened, she’d done her best. Her fate was in the judges’ hands now.
Val’s gaze flew to the clock on the wall. Speaking of the judges, Malcolm’s presentation would be starting in a few minutes. She had to see him.
She made her way to the conference center lobby, cracked the auditorium door open, and slipped inside. She took a seat in the last row. Every muscle in her body tensed when Malcolm stepped on stage with three women. His sisters, obviously. They were a good-looking family, their resemblance clear to see in the shapes of their noses and eyes. But Val only had eyes for Malcolm.
He looked gorgeous. Confident. Composed. Every bit the Harvard grad in a tailored navy suit that hugged his wide shoulders.
After Malcolm and his sisters introduced themselves, Tori stepped forward. “When we entered this contest, we did it with the expectation that winning would lead to exposure for our company. What we didn’t anticipate was how much we would have to think about where we want our company to go and what we want it to be. It’s always been easy for us to say we want to make beautiful, sexy lingerie for women, but that’s such a surface-level goal. We needed to dig deeper.”
“So we went to the people we want to serve,” Bianca said, pressing a button on the remote control in her hand. The video screen lowered from the ceiling
Val tensed, waiting for her life story to play out on the screen. A woman appeared on screen. Then a few more.
Val frowned. Wait. What was going on? These weren’t her clones. They certainly weren’t performing aerial routines or giving sensual dances. No, they were a photographer, a teacher, a doctor, and a stay-at-home mom going about their daily lives.
“So often, women take care of everyone else around them and put themselves last,” a voiceover said. “Satisfied Lingerie celebrates women as they are and encourages them to treat themselves.”
“I love my job,” the teacher said. “I love my family. But I want something for myself sometimes. I want to feel special even when I’m grading papers or doing laundry. I found that with Satisfied Lingerie.”
The other women nodded in commiseration and offered similar takes.
“It’s an indulgence. My little secret,” Amanda, the photographer said.
The women laughed, they’re excitement about finding similar-minded comrades evident.
“Yes,” Carly, the stay-at-home mom, said. “The materials are too-die-for. The way the silk flows against my skin is heavenly.”
Val shifted in her seat. She knew firsthand how sexy the lingerie made her feel. How sexy Malcolm made her feel undressing her. She stifled a groan.
The video went dark. The last sister, Layla, took her turn at the microphone. “Our company has experienced success, but we want more. We want to get our lingerie into as many stories as possible and expand our product line. We want women everywhere to be able to indulge themselves with Satisfied Lingerie and enjoy the little secret they’re hiding from the world as they go about their lives. With your help, we can reach our goals much faster.”
Val sat there, speechless. Impressed. Overjoyed. Malcolm hadn’t betrayed her.
James Park, the other judge who’d visited Firefly Falls, spoke. “That’s quite a proposal, but it wasn’t we were expecting. Malcolm, you haven’t spoken. Do you mind if we ask what led to your change of plans?”
Malcolm stepped up to the microphone. “I fell in love with Valerie Shaw.”
A stunned beat of silence followed. “Excuse me?”
He smiled. “You heard me.” His gaze locked on to hers, as though he’d known exactly where she was the entire time. “My old idea was a good idea, but it didn’t get to the heart of what Satisfied Lingerie represents. Val is special. When I fell in love with her, I realized that you have to be honest and brave. You can’t hide behind logic. You have to be open with your emotions to be worthy of your partner, or, in Satisfied’s case, your customer base, so my sisters and I came up with a new, better idea.”
James cleared his throat. “I…see. Thanks.”
“Are we done here?”
“Yes. We’ll announce the winner shortly.”
Malcolm jumped off the stage and strode up the aisle. Toward her. Val stood on shaky legs to greet him. “Hi.”
His mouth landed on hers, hot and hungry, sweeping her along in a tidal wave of feeling.
Until the whistles and cheers became too loud to ignore. She reluctantly pulled away. “That was quite a greeting,” she said, her voice wavering. “And speech.”
His smile dazzled her. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks. I’ve wanted to do that and more.”
She caressed his clean-shaven cheek. “Tell me about it. These were the longest two weeks of my life. I missed you.”
His arms tightened around her. “You did?”
“More than you’ll ever know. I’m sorry I flew off the handle.”
“You had every right to be upset. Can I explain what happened?”
Val nodded. It was clear he needed to get this off his chance. And she wanted to understand.
“I was in a bad place,” he said. “I was worried we wouldn’t win the contest because I couldn’t think of any good ideas, which is why I got fired from my last job. Then I met you and you were the definition of sexy. I latched on to that idea without stopping to think about how it would make you feel. I’m so sorry.”
The contrition on his face and in his voice tugged at her heartstrings. “I know you are, and I accept your apology.”
“I can’t rely on logic. I need passion to live a life worth living and to do my job as best as I can. Career achievements are great, but that’s not the only thing to base a successful life on. When I thought I lost you, it all became crystal clear.”
Val shook her head. “You weren’t going to lose me. You encouraged me every step of the way. You believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself. I’ve never had that kind of unconditional support from anyone. I love you, Malcolm.”
His lips met hers in a tender kiss.
A clearing throat sounded behind them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re ready to announce the winner,” James said.
Val’s stomach dropped to her knees. Oh, God. This was it.
Malcolm squeezed her hands. “Remember, what we have is what’s most important. I love you. Win, lose, or draw, you’re mine.”
She tapped him on the chest. “I know. And you’re mine. Let’s do this.”
