by J. K. Coi
Most of the other men in the bar looked stiff and stuffy in their suits and ties as if it was cocktail hour in the city on a Friday night. Ben seemed relaxed and comfortable. He’d adopted the less formal dress code of the islands, pairing tan pants with a fitted black shirt that he’d left open at the collar.
The casual look should have made him appear average, like a normal guy on holiday. But whether Ben was in nothing but swimming trunks, or covered up from head to toe, his presence outshone everyone else. No doubt he could wear denim, walk into a boardroom filled to the rafters with expensive suits, and still make everyone jump to attention.
When he reached across the bar to grab his Heineken from the server, his shirt sleeve rode up to flash a watch that looked more expensive than her car.
“So, it looks like you’re doing well. Your new company must be a success?” she blurted, then blushed.
Liz felt the full impact of his piercing, assessing gaze as he turned back to her. “I thought we weren’t going to talk business tonight?”
She nodded. “You’re right. I just meant…you look good.” Having raised her voice to be heard above the background noise, that last part coincided with an unexpected lull in the overall din and came out sounding extra loud, practically echoing between them.
She snorted and smacked a hand over her mouth while Ben chuckled.
She was still smiling as he leaned into her again, probably so he wouldn’t have to speak over the crowd that had quickly escalated to its previous, deafening level of noise.
Her heart pounded as she faced him, drowning out everything but the rumble of his voice, a physical thing against her skin. “You look fantastic,” he said.
His hand came to rest on the small of her back. The touch was electric.
She froze. Ben froze. His gaze seemed to have locked onto her mouth, making her want to pull her lip between her teeth, making her head spin. Their nearness suddenly seemed too intimate, too close, taking her off guard. The solid weight of his arm was warm against hers, but neither of them moved.
She forced herself to look away and cleared her throat. “How is your mother?” she asked, cowardly retreating to safer ground.
“You mean, you haven’t talked to her this week?” He lifted an eyebrow, but the way he looked at her hadn’t changed, sending tingles racing up and down her spine. “She told me that you came to see her after I left for New York.”
She blushed and focused on a water ring staining the wood grain of the bar in front of her. “Just once or twice, to make sure she wasn’t going all empty nest syndrome or anything.”
When Liz’s father died, she was just starting her first year of college. Daniel stayed with their aunt’s family for two years until he finished high school and they didn’t have a lot of extra room in their house, so she rarely went “home for the holidays.” After she met Ben, he invited her to his mother’s place for dinner every once in a while. Even though her and Ben’s friendship hadn’t been able to survive his move to New York, Liz had given in to the impulse to go see his mother a few times since then, and she could even admit—to herself—that part of the reason she went over there was to hear the news about Ben’s successes.
“Well, I appreciate it,” he said in a low voice. “And she’s doing great. I only wish you had decided to come over during the times I was back home to visit.”
She shook her head. “That wouldn’t have been a good idea.”
“Because you didn’t want to see me.”
She pressed her lips together, refusing to look up at him. “Because we didn’t have anything to say to each other.”
A bright and cheerful voice on the other side of her startled both of them, and they jerked from each other like teenagers who’d been caught making out.
If only.
“Hello there! I’m Laura Dunham.”
The woman stepped up to the bar between her and Ben with a bright smile. She wore a loosely flowing, floral-print dress with a delicate lace shawl over her shoulders. She would have looked like she belonged in the laid-back heat of Antigua if not for the super smooth, blunt hair style, cut diagonal to her chin, that was more corporate vogue than relaxed island style.
Liz was certain she’d never met Laura Denham, so she was confused as to why the woman had interrupted them. Maybe it was a Caribbean thing. People were friendlier when they were on vacation, right?
With a quick glance at a bemused-looking Ben, she held out her hand with an answering smile. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Elizabeth.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Carlson.” She turned to Ben with a nod. “And Mr. Harrison.”
Ben smiled and shook Laura’s hand as well. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember where we’ve met.”
“No, we don’t know each other, although I’ve seen your pictures. Especially yours, Mr. Harrison.” The woman chuckled, obviously referring to the recent write-up that had been in Prestige Magazine.
Liz was surprised to see an actual blush in Ben’s cheeks as he grimaced and said, “I hope you didn’t actually read that horrible interview.”
“You mean the one that called you the new Playboy CEO of the industry?” Liz said with a teasing laugh.
His lips twisted in a light-hearted grin. “You’ve been reading about me?”
“I might have skimmed it,” she admitted with a delicate cough. “You know…for the other articles.”
It was a strange moment. The sexual tension between them was still high even with the other woman’s presence, but their easy back-and-forth ribbing was just like old times.
Finally, Ben dropped his gaze and turned back to Ms. Denham. “So are you here for the convention, Ms. Denham?”
“Oh, please just call me Laura.” She waved off the formality like they were already all close friends. “In fact, I’m this year’s convention chair. I was going to speak to each of you tomorrow before registration, but since I noticed you both here tonight, this works just as well. I hope you don’t mind the interruption.”
“Of course not. What can we do for you?” said Liz.
“Well, I have a bit of a favor to ask.”
“Of course, anything you need.” She was a little relieved to have a distraction. It gave her a moment to take a step back and breathe. She might have been thinking about Ben constantly since seeing him that afternoon, but it still hadn’t prepared her for the way she would feel to spend the evening with him.
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that.” Laura clapped her hands together. “Unfortunately, one of our speakers has pulled out of the event. Tyson Wallace of SynServ Technologies has had a scheduling conflict and won’t be able to attend.”
“That’s such a shame,” Liz said. “I was especially looking forward to sitting in on his seminar about large-scale distributed deep networks.”
Laura nodded. “Yes, he’s such a knowledgeable man. His absence will certainly be noted by the attendees. He was supposed to present for us, as well as give the closing luncheon speech.” She looked back and forth between Ben and Liz. “But we’ve come up with a solution, and I hope you’ll both be up for it.”
“Do you want us to take on the holes this leaves in your seminar schedule?” Ben asked, a gleam in his eyes.
“Oh yes, that would be wonderful.” Laura beamed at them both.
Liz would have liked more notice for something like this, to make sure she could prepare properly. But there was no way she could turn it down, because Ben certainly wouldn’t.
A little thrill shot through her as it occurred to her that this could be a massive opportunity. Presenting a seminar at this convention was a really big deal, usually reserved for the industry leaders. Mentally, she started flipping through program ideas.
“We also had something else in mind,” said Laura. “Something bold and different.”
“Oh, what would that be?” Liz asked, curious and excited.
“The convention committee would like to feature you both in a lit
tle friendly competition.”
Her hand tightened on the sweaty glass. “Competition?” The word got stuck in her throat.
“Mr. Wallace actually made the suggestion. Based on his knowledge of the ground-breaking developments each of your companies has been making, he suggested that we give you a special opportunity to showcase your talent to the rest of the industry.”
Liz’s jaw dropped. “How does someone like Tyson Wallace know about our work? Or even know our names?”
With a friendly laugh, Laura patted her on the shoulder and said, “I have it on good authority that Tyson Wallace knows everyone’s name and their business.”
“What would the competition entail?”
“Oh, nothing too bloodthirsty, I assure you.” She chuckled. “You’ll both have a few added opportunities to showcase your work during the convention, including special pitch sessions for each of you. But you’ll also have to get together to fill the empty lecture spot as a team, as well as prepare something special for the speech at the gala luncheon. I was a little worried about that part, I have to admit. But after seeing you here this evening and realizing that you already know each other, I have no doubt that you’ll cooperate nicely.”
Liz didn’t know what to say.
“Before the end of the convention,” Laura continued, “there’ll be a vote of the attendees, and one of you will win the opportunity to meet with Mr. Wallace personally.”
“Do you mean that he wants to see our portfolios?”
She lifted a hand. “As I’m sure you’re already both aware, Tyson Wallace considers one new company per year to promote, based on innovation and value to the industry. The good news is that this year he’s apparently already narrowed it down to one of the two of your companies. He’s going to let the rest of us decide which one it will be.”
The personal stamp of approval of Tyson Wallace would guarantee she’d be able to get the investment contribution she needed from Diego Vargas. How could he possibly resist investing then?
Ben hadn’t said much, but he watched her, his gaze shuttered and heavy.
“What do you think?” she asked, biting her lip. It was quickly coming back to her, the familiar feeling of being in competition with Ben. Was he already planning how to steal the show and one-up her in order to get Tyson Wallace’s attention? She wouldn’t put it past him, especially after his year in New York. From what she’d read, he’d been an absolute shark, ruthless in doing anything it took to get his company off the ground, and she shuddered to think that he might have eventually stepped over her too, whether she’d agreed to work with him or not.
Not that she could blame him. A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and she’d learned back in college just what kind of spots Ben had. He’d never hidden how driven he was to succeed. She considered herself just as driven—although maybe less manic about it—but they definitely had very different methods for achieving their goals. It wasn’t that he was unethical in any way—just that he wouldn’t think twice about taking the super hard-line approach to get what he wanted.
His expression never changed, but finally, he nodded.
“We’ll do it,” she said to Laura, projecting confidence and trying not to think about the many ways this could backfire if she wasn’t careful.
“Good! I think this is going to be a wonderful inclusion in the program. I like the idea of bringing some new faces to the convention and encouraging a little bit of healthy competition. Maybe we’ll make it an annual event!” She clapped her hands together and let out a happy sigh.
“We appreciate the opportunity,” Liz said politely, feeling like a guinea pig. Ben nodded.
“It’s my pleasure. Oh, and because you are both being so wonderful about stepping up to the plate at the last minute like this, the committee would like to thank you with a surprise outing. Since you’re here a little early I’m thinking it will work out nicely.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve chartered a boat and hired a snorkeling instructor to take you both out for the day tomorrow. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Chapter Five
Liz awakened the next morning knowing that she’d dreamed of Ben Harrison. His business card was on her dresser. His scent was on the dress she’d draped over the chair before collapsing into bed last night. But more importantly, his image was burned into her brain. A hot flush was still all over her body, the tight edginess of need unfulfilled.
With a stretch, she fought the urge to turn over and pull the pillow over her head. Greeting the morning was like having an overly exuberant toddler you’d been cuddling with just a minute ago suddenly jumping up and down on the mattress beside you. She’d never liked getting up early, but she also hated wasting the day away, so she pulled herself out of bed and opened the heavy drapes to let in the beautiful morning sunshine.
It was late enough that she felt she could function, and she should be able to get some work done, even if she went out snorkeling with Ben later. She just hadn’t quite decided if she was going to do that. It felt like a decidedly selfish and reckless thing to do.
The two of them on a boat together in the middle of the Atlantic wearing nothing but bathing suits?
No, she should use the time to get started on her presentations. Then again, she’d have to spend time with Ben to do that too, at least partly. And she had intended to have at least one day on the island for relaxation and fun.
Daniel was at the door as she was coming out of the shower.
“Hi, how was your night?” He asked her with a hug and a smile, brushing past her into the room with a paper bag in his hand. She’d expected him to harass her about Ben Harrison, but he actually looked cheerful.
“Good morning,” she answered with a smile, happy to see him. “I have something to tell you.”
He crossed the room and put the bag on her side table, then picked up the coffee pot from the little machine that had been provided for guest use. “Is it about you taking Tyson Wallace’s spot as a presenter?” He asked, moving into the bathroom and filling the pot with water.
“How did you know about that?”
“The committee woman, Ms. Denham, called this morning. I think she had our room numbers mixed up.”
“So, what do you think about their idea?” Liz bit her lip.
He came back into the room and stopped in front of her. There was a sparkle in his eyes and he grinned. “I think it’s great. This is going to be huge for our visibility.”
“You realize that we’re sharing the spotlight with Ben Harrison, right?”
He shrugged. “Sure, but it’s like you said last night. We have confidence in our work and our vision, and we’ve busted our asses. Everyone else will have no choice but to see that, too. If we’re ready, then we’re ready.”
“I agree,” she said with a nod, a little surprised he was taking it so well after his tirade about Ben last night. “So we should get to work. We have to come up with some presentation ideas.”
He picked up the bag and opened it up under her nose. She breathed in the delicious, fresh scent of croissants and groaned. “First thing’s first,” he said.
By the time she finished breakfast and coffee, Liz had convinced herself there wasn’t time for the outing with Ben because they had too much work to do, but when he called up to say the car was waiting for them outside, Daniel wouldn’t let her refuse and practically pushed her out the door. “Go on. I’ll take care of everything here, and it’ll give you a chance to share our presentation ideas with Harrison. Not to mention, if he’s out with you, that’s one less thing for me to worry about.”
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head and thrust her beach bag into her arms. He turned her around and pushed her toward the door. “Nothing. Have a good time, today.”
She gave him a look of warning over her shoulder. “Daniel.”
“I’m serious. More and more conference attendees are arriving today, and if I’m going to start talking us
up, it’ll go better if Ben Harrison isn’t around trying to muddy the waters. Besides, you deserve a break. If all goes well this morning, I may even take the afternoon off too. That is what we came here early for, isn’t it?”
That was true, so she finally made her decision. She would throw caution to the wind for a few hours. “But I’ll be back early,” she promised. “In plenty of time to do some work.”
Halfway to the lobby, she was already waffling, telling herself she could just go to the pool for the morning instead. But when the elevator door slid open and she saw Ben waiting for her across the hall, dressed in tan pants and a crisp white golf shirt, looking like he’d stepped right out of a magazine, she finally admitted she was excited to spend the day with him.
The heat must already be getting to her.
“Good morning.” He smiled and stopped in front of her, his gaze travelling down the length of her in a quick, sharp slide.
There was certainly appreciation in that look, but there was also something more intense. She just couldn’t quite figure out what it meant.
“You look great,” he said. “Have you eaten yet? We could grab something on the way out.” Had he doubted that she would show up? Well, then that made two of them.
“I had coffee and croissants in my room,” she answered, and his palm went straight to the small of her back as they started walking, sliding against the smooth cotton of her sundress.
They passed the front desk to the hotel entrance where a porter was holding one of the large glass doors open for them.
“This is us.” Ben pointed to a sparkling, clean, gun-metal gray Jeep waiting curbside in the circular driveway.
“Of course it is,” she said with a wry smile. It was the kind of Jeep that had no roof and no doors, with big chunky wheels that would eat up any type of terrain. It was a total man car.
There was no one in the driver’s seat. “I guess we have to wait for our guide.”
Ben grinned and took her bag to toss it in the back. “Nope. You’re looking at the guide.”
