Her Sexy Valentine

by Stephanie Bond

  “I have,” Carol said. “But I can’t take credit for any of this. Luke Chancellor pulled strings and had unused machines from sales transferred over to our department. We owe him a huge debt of thanks.”

  Tracy blinked. “I thought you hated Luke Chancellor.”

  Carol pulsed with shame—what a bitter person she’d become over the years. James wasn’t to blame—she’d allowed herself to get that way. “I’m sorry if I’ve given you or anyone else that impression. Of everything I know about Luke Chancellor, he’s a decent and good man, and he’s brought a lot of prosperity to our company.”

  Tracy angled her head. “Ms. Snow, are you okay?”

  Carol gave a little laugh. “I’m a little tired and headachey, but overall, yeah, I’m good.”

  Tracy winced. “Uh…that would be my fault.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her assistant pointed to the coffeemaker in the corner. “I accidentally bought decaf coffee. So for the last week—no caffeine…which is probably why you’ve been tired and getting headaches.” She gestured to the bullpen. “In fact, I think it’s why everyone around here has been so cranky lately. I’m sorry if anyone has been rude.” She cleared her throat. “Including me.” She handed Carol a full steaming cup of coffee. “This should give you a boost and get rid of your headache.”

  Carol reached up to touch her forehead. “Thanks, but there’s another reason—” She stopped when she couldn’t find the lump that had been there before…many times. “Never mind,” she murmured, perplexed anew.

  “You’re late for the directors’ meeting,” Tracy said. “Oh, and I revised the memo. You’ll have a clean copy on your desk when you get back.”

  “Great—and thanks for the coffee.”

  Carol hurried to the room where the directors’ meeting was held, but still took time to speak to coworkers along the way. Each time puzzled looks turned to genuine smiles, her mood buoyed higher.

  Being the good guy felt…pretty darn good.

  When she walked into the room, her fellow directors looked up and even though she sensed not all of them were happy to see her, she offered an apologetic smile to the room, then settled into an empty chair.

  Her gaze swung to Luke, who sat at the head of the table. The sight of his handsome face took the breath from her lungs…she was head over heels in love with him. But she had to keep herself in check because as far as he was concerned, the only physical contact they’d had was a near-miss kiss in the storage room.

  Luke offered her a friendly smile. “We were just getting ready to send out a search party for you, Carol.”

  “Sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t hold up the meeting.”

  “We heard a Good Samaritan delivered new computer equipment to your department this morning,” Janet, the art director, said with a smile.

  All gazes slid toward Luke. He held up his hands. “It was Carol’s idea—I just…facilitated.”

  “Not true,” Carol said. “It was Luke’s idea, and he took care of everything. Everyone in my department is very happy, so I’d like to thank Luke publicly.”

  He seemed surprised by her speech, but pleased. “Okay, moving right along…we were about to take another vote on the issue of bonuses.” He looked back to her. “I think it’s pretty clear that anyone dissenting is following your lead, Carol, so I guess we can cut to the chase by asking if you’ve changed your mind about paying out a one-time employee bonus of one thousand dollars?”

  The weight of a roomful of stares shifted to her. Luke looked hopeful, and Carol knew he was thinking of her comment in the storage room last night that she might reconsider her position.

  So many things had happened since last night…where to start?

  Carol took a deep breath. “As a matter of fact…yes, I have changed my mind. I’ve had a chance to talk to a small sample of employees and I realize now what a one-time payment of a thousand dollars can do for a family and for employee morale. If we can’t afford to reward everyone when we’ve had a good year, then when can we? I recommend that we approve bonuses immediately.”

  Luke’s eyes widened in surprise, then a smile broke over his face. “All in favor?” It was a unanimous vote. Luke could barely contain his enthusiasm—it endeared him to her that much more. He gave her a little nod of thanks that made her heart squeeze…and scared her a little. How could she feel so close to him in such a short period of time? And would his feelings ever “catch up” with hers?

  Carol left the meeting and when she reached her department, everyone was in a celebratory mood—apparently word of the approval of the bonuses had leaked out and maybe the coffee change had helped, too. Her own headache had vanished and her energy level had returned. Carol circulated with her employees as they inspected their new computers. When she made it into her office, she decided to leave the door open to draw on the infectious creative energy of the group.

  Carol had another reason to be happy—the red skies were gone. Meaning, there would be no blizzard…which didn’t matter anyway because she was eager to go to the company party this time and have fun.

  And see Luke.

  She had a hard time concentrating on the mountain of paperwork on her desk, even though she had it memorized by now. She was antsy waiting for Luke to knock on her door and ask her to walk down with him to the party. If they got together at the party, he would ask her to Valentine’s Day dinner tomorrow night—like all the times before—instead of the blonde she’d seen in her vision. And this time, she’d say yes. Carol kept checking her lipstick in the tiny mirror in her desk drawer, reminding herself she needed to play it a little cool.

  While she had a free minute, though, she pulled out her phone and sent Gabrielle a happy update via text message.

  Forget seduction—I’ve surrendered to love.

  A couple of minutes later, Gabrielle replied.

  Glad you found a way to break the continuous loop.

  Carol squinted. “What the?” It was almost as if the real Gabrielle had been privy to…

  No, that couldn’t be.

  A knock sounded at her door.

  Her heart surged when she saw Luke standing there, looking gorgeous in his brown slacks and pale blue dress shirt, minus a tie. “Come in.”

  “Hey, I like your new open-door policy. Wish more directors thought like us.”

  She warmed under his praise and reminded herself she wasn’t supposed to know why he’d dropped by. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  He crossed to her desk and picked up a ball of rubber bands. “I just wanted to stop by and thank you for reconsidering your position on the employee bonuses. You made a lot of people happy today.”

  “The credit is yours, Luke. Not only was it your idea, but it’s under your leadership that sales has thrived.” She gave him a warm smile. “We’re lucky to have you.”

  He stared at her, but his eyes were unreadable. “Thank you.”

  Suddenly he replaced the ball on her desk and stepped back. “I’d better get going.”

  “Wait,” she said, reaching for her briefcase and coat. “I’ll walk down to the party with you.”

  “Uh, actually…I’m not going to the party.”

  Disappointment zigzagged through her. “But…the party was your idea.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  She desperately cast around for more excuses to get him to the party. “And…the bonus checks will be given out. I thought you’d want to be there for that.”

  “I do, but…something came up. I was invited to a Steeplechase and since the weather is so nice this afternoon I decided to go.”

  Carol swallowed hard. “Steeplechase, huh?”

  She had a clear memory of a leggy, busty blonde smiling up at him. I guess it was my lucky day when I decided to go with my friend to the Steeplechase…I never dreamed I’d meet someone like you, Luke.

  And just like that, Carol remembered the icicle card that Luke had planted in her book club tote bag. That was wha
t he truly thought of her…the Ice Princess who wouldn’t thaw. All of this flirtation…all of this buttering up was really to get her support for his bonus program. And now that he had what he wanted, he was pulling back. She could sense it…could see it in his eyes…in the way he avoided her.

  “Uh, yeah,” he said, then shrugged awkwardly. “You know—horses jumping and…stuff. Sounds…interesting.” He couldn’t seem to make eye contact.

  Carol smiled and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. How ironic that she’d finally opened her heart to a man—and to others because of him—and he didn’t want her.

  She was two for two. First James, now Luke.

  But underneath the hurt and disappointment, there was gratitude. Because without Luke’s merciless teasing and prodding, she never would’ve tried to enact revenge on him…and never would’ve come to realize how she’d been sporting a Back Off sign on her forehead. That by closing herself off to the hurtful things in life, like loss and rejection, she’d also closed herself off to the good things in life, like love and sensuality.

  And even friendship.

  So…tomorrow night while Luke was taking Blondie out on the town, Carol would be on the phone, going down a list of old friends that she’d lost touch with and trying to reconnect.

  With jerky body language, Luke pointed to the door. “So…we could share an elevator down.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, with the nicest smile she could manage considering her heart was breaking. She’d have to get used to working with him and hiding her feelings. She draped her coat over her arm and picked up her briefcase. They walked to the elevator. Her mind raced to concoct small talk, but she couldn’t seem to come up with anything.

  Luke pushed the call button, then whistled under his breath, obviously wanting to be anywhere else. Carol felt foolish for suggesting they ride down together. When the car finally came, they walked on, instantly going to opposite sides. He pushed Lobby and she pushed Basement. The doors closed and they started their downward descent.

  “So…” Luke alternated looking at the ceiling and at his feet. “I guess the rumor is true.”

  Carol lifted her eyebrows. “What rumor?”

  Luke shrugged. “The reason you’re in such a good mood all of a sudden.”

  She froze. “What reason would that be?”

  “Because of a man.”

  Carol wanted to die on the spot. The only thing worse than pining for a man is him knowing you’re pining for him. Her mind sprinted ahead—what would the women in the book club advise her to do?

  And the answer came to her instantly: Lie.

  “There is a man,” Carol admitted, but she was unable to look at Luke—she was afraid he’d see in her eyes that it was him she was crazy about.

  “Oh,” he nodded. “That’s good. Anyone I would know?”

  “No,” she said emphatically. “You and he would never cross paths.” Not a lie, actually.

  The doors dinged open to the lobby and not a second too soon. Luke stepped off then turned around. “I’m glad you found someone, Snow. Hope you and your boyfriend have a nice Valentine’s dinner.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “Enjoy Richardson’s.”

  As the doors closed, he was squinting and mouthing, “Richardson’s?”

  15

  After her humiliating exchange with Luke about the rumor that a man accounted for her new good mood, Carol was tempted to skip the company party and go home to watch TV shows on her DVR. The only thing that stopped her was the memory of the Red Tote Book Club members as seniors describing her as a recluse. In time the rumor mill would die down. In the meantime, she meant to adhere to her new philosophy of extending herself to coworkers.

  She could hear the noise of the party even before the elevator stopped. When the doors opened, the full force of music, laughter and voices blasted her. Her stomach churned, both at the known and the unknown, but with an underlying excitement about the new outlook she had on people and relationships in general. A few heads turned in her direction and Carol extended a smile. When they reciprocated, she moved forward to properly introduce herself.

  The party was fun, and a great place to practice her newfound skills. When she spotted her assistant Tracy, she walked over to say hello.

  “I didn’t get to tell you before you left,” Carol said with a smile, “but the memo is topnotch.”

  Tracy dimpled. “Really?”

  “Really. Perfect grammar, spelling, and just a well-written piece of documentation.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Snow.”

  Carol touched the young woman’s hand. “No, thank you, Tracy, for all the things you do for me and for helping to keep the department running.”

  Tracy stared at her, then burst into tears.

  Carol blinked and patted her shoulder. “What on earth? What’s wrong, Tracy?”

  “I did something really mean.”

  Carol shook her head. “I can’t imagine you would do something that mean.”

  Tracy nodded her head like a little girl. “I did it, and I’m sorry.”

  “What did you do?”

  The young woman pressed her lips together, then blurted, “I put a card comparing you to an icicle in one of your bags.”

  Carol’s eyebrows went up. “That was you?”

  “I’m so sorry, Ms. Snow. It was a very mean, immature thing to do. I wouldn’t blame you if you fired me.”

  Carol thought back to all the times she’d had nothing but criticism and harsh words for her assistant, and squeezed the redhead’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t dream of firing you. But thank you for telling me.”

  Tracy excused herself to repair her makeup, which left Carol alone with a new revelation.

  So Luke Chancellor hadn’t planted the unflattering card in her tote bag after all. She shook her head. And yet she’d been determined to make that man suffer for something he hadn’t even done.

  And yes, she was glad to know that he hadn’t thought so poorly of her.

  She looked in the direction of the storage room, half afraid to go near it, but conceding that one loose end begged to be tied up: her lost earring.

  Carol’s heart began to thump and she found her feet moving toward the room that still represented so many secrets and mysticisms that she wasn’t sure she should go back inside. On the other hand, what kind of nut believed in a time travel portal in the storage room of a greeting card company?

  Carol pursed her mouth.

  A company named “Mystic Touch.”

  The hallway leading to the storage room was dark and quiet. The closer she got to the door, the more she felt drawn to the room—compelled to go inside. She punched in the access code and waited for the click, then pushed open the door, walked inside, and flipped on all the lights. Her pulse pounded, on alert for any falling equipment that might take her back to the beginning of this day. Today had been the best version so far, and she wouldn’t want to try to top it. Even if Luke had decided not to come to the party.

  The door to the storage room clicked, then opened…and Luke stepped inside.

  Carol felt her jaw loosen and wondered for a split second if her mind was playing tricks on her again.

  “I thought I might find you here,” he said.

  “I came in to look for an earring I lost last night,” she murmured.

  “Last night seems…like a long time ago,” Luke ventured.

  Carol could only nod. “You changed your mind about the party?”

  He walked toward her. “Yes. I came back to make a fool out of myself.”

  Her heart tripped harder against her breastbone. “What do you mean?”

  “I know you’ve met someone,” he said, stepping closer. “But…why not me?”

  Carol’s heart soared. She covered her mouth and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

  Luke stood in front of her with an anguished expression on his face as he retrieved a handkerchief from his back pocket. “You have to interpret tears for me. Ha
ppy? Sad? Toothache?”

  “Happy,” she said, laughing and dabbing at her tears. “The man I met, the one who’s put me in such a good mood?”

  “Yeah,” he said warily.

  “It’s you.”

  “Me?” His eyebrows drew together and he got a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was trying hard to remember something elusive. “Me,” he said, nodding, then pulled his hand over his mouth. “Look, if I’ve seemed different lately, it’s because after that night here in the storage room where I almost kissed you, I started having these very…vivid fantasies and…feelings…”

  Carol stepped close to him and lifted her arms to loop around his neck. “I think I know what you mean.”

  Luke kissed her, moaning into her mouth until the vibration echoed through her body. He pulled her against him and their hands became frenzied, roaming over each other’s bodies. He smoothed his palms down her back, over her buttocks, and pulled her sex against the hardened ridge of his erection. The physical proof of what they were going to do…again…and again…and again…made her dizzy with lust.

  “Let’s find your earring,” he whispered, “so we can get out of here.”

  “Never mind,” she said, urging him toward the door.

  “It must be important to you. Let’s do at least one quick pass. If we don’t see it, we’ll take off.”

  Since he was determined, she relented. “I have the other earring so you’ll know what it looks like.”

  When she pulled the mismatched one from her briefcase, Luke frowned slightly at her briefcase, as if it seemed familiar to him, then took the earring. As Carol followed Luke up and down the aisles, her nerves jangled. She just wanted to leave. Things were good the way they were…things were perfect, in fact. Why mess with it?

  “Is that it?” Luke asked, pointing to the base of a shelving unit. “I think it is.” He crouched, down, but Carol couldn’t watch. She held her breath, waiting for a crashing noise. “Carol?”

  She opened her eyes to see him dangling the earring in front of her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, although it bodes well for me, too,” he offered. “Emeralds are the symbol of a successful love.”