Fusions of awareness at the differences rushed through her. Someone had clearly removed her grandmother’s mementos from her desk and her credenza.
Her feet dragged as she walked in and around the desk. The only picture that sat on the edge of the massive oak surface was of her, sent from Italy. The close-up showed her smiling widely and hugging her first attempt at leather-making—her red leather sketchbook.
Shaky legs forced her to yank out the chair and plop down into it. Where were the other pictures, lining up in perfect precision? Her grandfather, her parents, hers of when she was just a baby?
Grammy didn’t like change. If her routine was upset, it rattled her to no end. Nothing could get done until things were set right again. It was actually a running joke in the family and with Logan’s family.
Odd things caught her attention now. The calendar was gone, her favorite pens missing, and she realized so was her grandmother’s industry awards on the credenza.
“What is going on around here?” She slipped her tote off her shoulder and dropped it down under the desk, nudging it out of harm’s way at her feet.
Her heart thundered as she flicked on the desk light, and then eased open the drawers on each side of the desk. Nearly empty? Her grandmother usually kept her supplies in here.
She found the files in the bottom drawer and began to search through them, reading and spreading each one out on the flat desktop.
“Contracts?” Her voice squeaked, faced with language and complexities she normally shied away from.
Diving in, she waded through the first few, skimming to find the words that jumped out, and then going back and rereading sections.
“Not all contracts. Lawsuits! For missed deadlines? Not paying the employees?! Grammy, what’s going on?”
A lump formed in her parched throat and she couldn’t even swallow it away. She grabbed for more, hoping there was something here that would explain it all away.
There was only more of the same. “Suppliers, gone. You lost the warehouse?” Words would not come.
Everything blurred, but she kept searching through each and every one of them. The stunning news piled up right before her very eyes. Sales of equipment fell out of the folders, one after the other in a cascade of creamy white parchment. Deals to take over production of the most expensive and exquisite gowns in the Darling Enterprises’s lines followed. Each division sold! Hefty sums jumped off the page she held.
The last file proved the worst. “Power of attorney.” Her lips were numb, her body icy now. The shivering began. “Logan Wolfe.” The dagger to her heart came next.
“I knew I should have locked that drawer before I left yesterday,” Logan said from the doorway.
She jerked up to find him lounging against the frame. “You’re tearing Darling Enterprises apart piece by piece?”
He flicked on the overhead light, nearly blinding them both. “In a nutshell? Yes.”
Waves of shock and nausea swept through her. “How could you, Logan? To my family. To me!”
***
How could he explain? Logan wondered.
“That contract with King’s yesterday. Is it even legal?”
“Guaranteed.”
“Why? How? I don’t understand,” she said, waving her hand over the stacks of opened files on the desktop.
“RED is yours. You, as rightful owner, entered into a binding contract with the illustrious King’s Department Store. Your name, your designs, your reputation, remains intact.”
The Dame’s not the same. It was only a matter of time before the news hit the papers. The media would have a field day with it.
He ached for the wounded look chasing over Rach’s beautiful features and the haunted, betrayed look in her piercing blue eyes. He’d known this was coming, yet still wasn’t fully prepared for the impact.
Searching through the paperwork, she found what she was looking for. “This one.” She cleared her throat. “Is where Grammy signs over RED to me. Did you make her do this?”
“That would be another yes.”
“And the sudden vacation out of the blue?”
“Thank the Duchess for mentioning her friend couldn’t make it at the last minute.” He shrugged. Actually he did engineer it, convincing her grandmother to escape in the midst of the brewing scandal. “In light of everything, your grandmother was the perfect choice.”
“You twisted her arm.”
“Hardly. I presented the facts. She, like the intelligent businesswoman she used to be, saw the writing on the wall and agreed.”
“You clean up the mess you created.”
“If that’s how you want to see it.”
“I saw the dates on these, Logan. They’re all within the timeframe you’ve been so-called ‘assisting’ Grammy.”
“Then it must be true.”
A hard rock dropped into his gut.
How many lies was he going to have to tell and how much was he going to have to cover up? Either way, she hated him; he saw it plain as day.
He was losing her.
Now a sharp dagger of pain sliced open his chest.
***
Numbly, Rach gathered up the documents and shoved them back in the files.
His hands brushed hers and she jerked back.
“You may not believe it; however, I didn’t want you or RED to go down with the sinking ship.”
She jerked back her head, blinking hard to stop the tide of tears and to focus on him. “Oh, so you’re the hero here? The guy who rescues me?” That’s rich!
“I’m not the bad guy, Rach. Never have been. Not with you.”
A whisper of common sense rushed through her mind. He hadn’t. Ever. So why now? “This isn’t about me?! How can it not be?”
Logan blew out a breath. “It’s not revenge. That’s all I can answer at the moment.”
“You’re shutting me down when it’s just getting interesting.”
He tugged out the file and waved it in front of her. “This says I conduct business for your grandmother, acting in her best interests. It also states, I am not to discuss the terms, conditions, and agreements I make on behalf of your grandmother.”
“I’ll call her then and ask her myself.” Reaching for her tote, she lugged it to her lap and fished in it for her barely used cell phone.
“She’s on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Connections are nearly impossible. And she doesn’t have a phone.”
“The Duchess does. We’ll call her.”
He sighed, and then grabbed his phone and pushed buttons. The clicks and rings began and he held it up for her to see that indeed he was calling his grandmother.
“You list her as the Duchess?” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. How silly to point out that amusing fact when she should be berating him.
A prerecorded female voice came on the line. “We’re sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed.”
No Service blared in bright letters on the screen.
“Satisfied?”
“No. Not in the least, as far as Darling Enterprises goes.” Nothing made sense. The business seemed fine before she left. It’s busy, frantic pace whirled around Grammy as she kept an iron grip on it. Or so Rach had assumed.
When had it started going downhill and what did Logan Wolfe have to do with it? Before all was said and done, she was going to get to the bottom of things.
Chapter 8
Sitting across from her at King’s Cafe, Logan wondered how long it would take Rach to find out the entire truth.
He had nine days before the Grans returned and all hell broke loose. So nine days it is then!
“Don’t you like the food here?”
She glanced up from pushing her strawberry and crème stuffed crepes around on her white, gold-edged plate and pinned him with her laser-like stare.
Swallowing hard, he braced himself for more of those mind-blowing looks that sent his breath scattering.
“I’m numb. There’s so many questions. So
few answers.”
And it all comes back to me. “I get it.” It all hinged on what he said next. “When push comes to shove, when we were kids, after our folks and your grandfather died in that horrible accident, we stuck up for one another, had one another’s backs. That hasn’t changed. Trust me.”
Her long, hard stare picked him apart. Nerves tingled. But something else emerged—his admiration for her. She had grown up. She had found her own two feet, just as he had hoped. In doing so, had he pushed her so far away from him that they’d never get back what they had again? Would she believe and trust in him? That was the billion-dollar question right now.
Emotions flittered across her expressive eyes.
Something indescribable tumbled inside him. His chest clenched.
“Logan Wolfe, I swear to you, if I find out you’re trying to blindside me, you and I will be finished. Forget our history together. Forget the Grans. This is you and me. Understand?”
He sucked in a sharp, painful breath. His heart pounded; he heard the blood whoosh in his ears. “I hear you.”
It was just a matter of time.
This was the beginning of the end for him.
***
“Ad campaign? With me in it?” Rach’s voice squeaked.
The three people staring back at her across the conference room table made her gulp hard. Griffin’s stern look could make a grown woman break down in tears. Charlie and Peg turned to each other and frowned.
“It’s in the contract,” Charlie pointed out, looking at her now. “Didn’t Logan explain this to you?”
“It must have slipped his mind,” she said sweetly, turning slightly to Logan as he sat beside her.
He stared at her and winked. “You’re gorgeous. They’d be remiss if they hadn’t have put that in. And why not? You’ve modeled for Darling Enterprises your whole life. You know, those cute little frilly dresses to skinny jeans and beyond.” Leaning close, he asked, “What’s the big deal here?”
The warmth from him washed over her, taking her breath away. Or was that the cologne he wore? Fresh. Tantalizing. All male.
“It’s not like before.” Her voice wobbled. Clearing her throat, she tried again, “Discreet. Age appropriate. Only here and there.”
“It’s not porn, for crying out loud!” Peg burst out laughing. “Holy cow, if that what’s bugging you.”
“Ah…the ads hanging in the Charmings Beauty Bar?” They were lush and sexy, featuring the incredible chemistry between the couple.
“Paige and Jay?” Griff asked. “They’re engaged.”
“Hot stuff, too.” Peg nodded, fanning herself. “Criminy, you should have been at the photo shoot.”
“Peg, you’re not helping here,” Charlie said with a smile. Addressing Rach again, she continued, “I get it. Truly, I do. I put on a wedding dress and diamonds for my first one and the pictures still hang over the jewelry counters.” She shivered. “It’s a little strange to see myself in nine-foot images every day.”
“However, it’s the nature of the beast,” Griff chimed in. “Customers want to see who you are and connect with you. You are your brand, Miss Darling.”
“One and the same, is that it?” As much as she didn’t want to admit it, the reality hit her in the face.
“You stand for hip, young, trendy, yet there’s a classic element with the designs and materials you use,” Logan said softly. “What’s that saying? Women want to be you and men just want you.”
The last came out with a husky edge and made her quiver. She didn’t dare face him; she’d surely melt right here and now. But she felt the heat of his gaze on her profile.
“How many pictures involved? And I want final approval. Sexy, yes. Sensual, even. But nothing overt. And no nudity.”
“Agreed. We’re a family store.” Charlie nodded.
“Holy crabcakes! Why not get the two of them in an ad together?” Peg scribbled notes on the top page attached to her clipboard. “You know, Logan, in or half out of a tux. Rach here, in or half out of one of her designs.”
“Like a couple?!” Rach squeaked out.
“A series of ads where they meet, keep bumping into one another, go on a few dates… A storyline ad.” Charlie leaned over Peg’s shoulder. “Did you get all that?”
“Shorthand. I’m a whiz.” Peg grinned at her boss.
“I like it,” Griff agreed. “You in, Wolfe?”
“The Billionaire Big Bad Wolfe?! Geez Louise, that’s it!”
Rach sucked in a sharp breath, clutching the arms of the chair. Do not look! His silence unnerved her, so she shot him a quick glance. But his gaze captured hers. Hypnotic. Spellbinding. She could not pull away. “Lo…Logan?”
Those eyes, the flare of desire in the depths, tugged at her insides, like an invisible chord. “All or nothing, Rach.” He seemed to have weighed and made his decision in all of ten seconds.
How could she pretend in the ads? How could she keep her feelings in check while being so damn intimate with him in such close quarters with the lens on them? There were some things that you just couldn’t hide. Like now. Her heart jumped into her throat.
“Holy Batman and Robin, you can feel the chemistry all the way over here!” Peg cried out. “Winner!”
“You’d do this, Logan? For me?” She frowned, but didn’t break her stare. “Why?”
“It’s a way for you to trust me.”
A flicker of doubt flashed across his face.
That set off warning bells in Rach. He’d systemically derailed sections of her family business and extracted RED from Darling Enterprises. He was the power of attorney for her grandmother’s beloved firm. He called the shots and had been for months now. What was he up to? Maybe joining forces would get her closer to the truth.
Lingering over his features and then meeting his stare again, she said, “Griffin, Charlie, and Peg, you’ve got a deal.”
Relief shot through his eyes. Doubts cropped up in her belly.
What had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 9
“They don’t waste time, do they?” Rach whispered, having officially signed her contract and watched, in less than half an hour tops, Logan being presented with one of his own and scribbling his John Hancock on it.
Along with the official documents, Peg presented them with a callback sheet. “Andre squeezed you in his schedule. Tomorrow morning.”
“So fast?” Dread filled her. She thought she’d have a couple days, maybe a week, to get used to the idea.
“What can I say—we move heaven and earth around here. You know, poachers.”
“Poachers?”
“Spies!” Peg shivered in disgust. “Crawling around the store trying to find out what’s next so they can steal ideas.”
“There’s many who wanted Darling Enterprises and RED secrets,” Logan agreed, surprising her.
Why hadn’t she known?
“Hazards in our business,” Charlie explained. “The sign of success.” Her smile widened. “My father would have loved it.”
Charles King’s legacy lived on through his daughter and the store he created. Rach knew that much by growing up in Dallas and being a witness to the troubled store’s rebirth and revitalization under Charlie’s smart, suave guidance at the helm these last few years.
“And I know you’ve made him proud,” Rach whispered with tears clogging her throat. Making a name for herself wasn’t only about her, but about carrying on a piece of that legacy alongside her grandmother. If Grammy was losing the company, at least Rach could hang on to a thread and weave it into a proud heritage for her kids to come.
That was what it was all about. The dreams you lived for yourself and the family who could never fulfill their own dreams, and the mark you could leave in the world for your loved ones who followed.
Logan reached out, cupping her hand in his.
Warmth spread. Warmth and something more touched her heart. He knew. He might be the only one who truly knew her.
An
d with that knowledge, he was the only one who could end up hurting her where she loved deepest of all.
***
She barely spoke to him.
Standing in the lobby of King’s Department Store, Logan faced Rach. She nibbled on her lip. That pulled him up short. How could she be so damn sexy and not even know it? Like now.
“You’ll be fine in your new digs.” Was he trying to soothe her or himself? He wanted her to fit in, to make friends, to focus on her new life. In the meantime, he’d dismantle Darling Enterprises.
The clock was ticking. Could he get it all done in time? Before the press jumped on it and hampered his deals while ripping the Darling name to shreds?
“They seem nice.”
“Me, not so much.” He grinned.
Her gaze latched onto his. His middle did a flip-flop. “Why?” She shook her head. “Just tell me why.”
This went deeper and wider than he may ever be able to explain to her. It’s for your own good? “She slipped up.” At least that much was accurate. “Called me in when it was too late.”
“You’re the fix-it guy and even you couldn’t fix it?”
“Usually, I just put deals together, companies with the same ideology and interests that need to merge or collaborate in order to survive and then thrive.”
Her mischievous smile did the oddest things to his heart rate. “Oh, a sort of business matchmaker. That could be your new slogan. Or, better yet, you could do one of those cheesy commercials.”
Logan chuckled and rubbed his forehead. “The visual!” He groaned.
“Online mating?”
“You went there.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?”
Friends? Yeah, this felt right and comfortable and, in a strange way, filled with heady anticipation. He wanted more of this with her. “To torture me?” It came out a little too soft and husky.
Pointing a finger at him and backing up, she said, “Yes, that’s it! My job is done here. Now, off you go so I can dream up more ways to indulge my devilish ways.”
once upon a romance 09 - hoodwinked by a wolfe Page 5
