Once Upon a Dare

by Jennifer Bonds

  No, their problem wasn’t sex; it was his partnership with Pritchard. She was never going to forgive him for that, despite the fact that it was entirely out of his control. And maybe he had been a bit tough on her team today, but he stood by the message. Nothing says lovin’ like Mama’s Muffins? He couldn’t have come up with a more cliché tag line if he tried. No way in hell were they pitching that garbage as long as his name was on the door.

  Shit.

  Cole rubbed his hands across his face and groaned. He’d completely screwed up again, leading with his ego instead of his brain. Instead of showing Olivia she was a valuable asset to PBA, he’d managed to completely alienate her in front of her team, like the self-involved asshat she accused him of being. So much for earning her trust.

  Truth was, hearing her say they should forget that first night together had really burned, and he’d let that frustration affect his behavior. Cole, who’d built a reputation for being cool and collected, had lost his temper and let his personal feelings bleed over to his professional life. Olivia was right. Instead of tearing the group down¸ he should have helped her build them up. And today’s screw-up had probably put him another two steps back with her and the team.

  He headed to Pritchard’s office. Halfway there, his cell vibrated, demanding his attention. He reached into his pocket to retrieve the phone and glanced at the caller ID. He didn’t particularly feel like chatting with Brody, but the guy usually only called when he had information, and his connections were one of the assets Cole had brought to PBA. Now wasn’t the time to start ignoring them, no matter how black his mood. He swiped to accept the call.

  “Cole Bennett.”

  “Hey, man,” Brody practically shouted through the phone. Probably to ensure he’d be heard over the background noise. Cole would’ve bet his paycheck Brody was at happy hour. “Long time no talk.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been a little busy with the move,” Cole confirmed, not bothering to elaborate.

  “No worries,” Brody returned. “I won’t keep you long, but I heard something interesting today and I thought you’d want to hear it sooner rather than later.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “McKenzie lost one of their top clients today, Vixen Enterprises.”

  “The lingerie company?” Cole asked.

  “Yeah, man. Can you believe it? Talk about a golden goose.”

  “How reliable is this information?”

  “Let’s just say I’m sitting across the table from a very drunk, very unemployed young woman from McKenzie who used to work on the account. I hear there will be a formal announcement tomorrow, but Vixen is going to be in the market for a new agency.”

  Cole rolled his eyes. Leave it to Brody to try and take advantage of the situation in more ways than one. As usual, the guy oozed class. Tamping down his disgust, he thanked Brody for the tip and disconnected.

  He did a quick search on Vixen Enterprises as he walked to Pritchard’s office. The results confirmed what he suspected. Vixen was a giant, holding a majority share of the U.S.’s more than thirteen-billion dollars in annual lingerie sales. Landing the account would be huge not only for the agency that landed the account, but also for the individual who made the pitch. It would be a career-maker for some lucky bastard. As he processed this information, an idea began to take shape. He knocked on Pritchard’s door, determined to see it through.

  He found his partner hunched behind his desk, poring over the latest edition of Ad Week.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yeah,” Pritchard confirmed, checking his watch. “But I need to make this quick. The wife made dinner plans at some posh new restaurant in Midtown and she’ll have my balls if I’m late.”

  Cole shook his head and laughed. “Fair enough.”

  Pritchard’s face shifted, a frown tugging at his thin mouth. “What the hell happened in the Mama’s Muffins meeting today?”

  Shit. Apparently news travelled fast at PBA. Stalling for time, he gave his partner a placating smile. “Jonathan—”

  “Don’t you Jonathan me,” Pritchard returned. “I don’t know how they did things in England, but here we’re a team! You ever pull a stunt like that again, you’ll be out on your ass faster than you can say ‘null and void’. You may have brought an impressive client list, but I guarantee you my lawyers are better.”

  Cole fought to keep his face blank, not wanting Pritchard to see how affected he was by the threat. Another failed business venture? Not an option. He’d busted his ass to get where he was, and he was going to make damn sure his time at PBA was a success. Still, there was no denying he’d fucked up with Olivia. “Understood. I pushed the team a little too hard today. I was trying to feel them out and it backfired. Lesson learned. You can rest assured it won’t happen again.”

  Pritchard gave a curt nod, seemingly satisfied. “Good.”

  Cole studied his partner, assessing his mood and determining the right approach. He’d need to tread lightly, using the power of suggestion to steer him in the desired direction. “Before you go, there is something else we need to discuss.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’ll get right to the point. McKenzie lost their bread and butter. Vixen Enterprises is going to be in the market for a new agency.”

  “You’re sure?” Pritchard asked, his brows furrowed.

  “They’ll be making a formal announcement tomorrow.”

  Pritchard drummed his fingers on the desk. “Vixen is a cash cow. And securing that contract would bring a lot of other lucrative projects to the agency. We’ll need our best on this.”

  “Agreed, which is why I want Olivia on this project. She’s sharp, driven, and let’s be honest, you and I don’t know shit about lingerie.” Plus, if they landed the Vixen account, Olivia’s career would skyrocket. Cole couldn’t give her back the partnership he’d taken, but this would be the next best thing, and maybe, just maybe, it would make up for everything that had happened between them.

  “This is too big for an associate to pitch alone, even one as experienced as Olivia.” Pritchard tented his fingers, a sure sign he was thinking through the implications of the project. “I want you on this pitch with her, so you’d damn well better figure out how to get along without killing one another. I don’t want a repeat of today’s little show.”

  Cole nodded but said nothing. Jonathan didn’t need more platitudes. He needed results. Results Cole and Olivia would deliver.

  “Pull whatever resources you need. Vixen is now our top priority.”

  Cole returned to his office, prepared to pull an all-nighter and unable to shake thoughts of Olivia. Working the Vixen pitch with her over the next couple of weeks was going to be a blessing and a curse, not to mention the ultimate test of his self-control. The long hours would afford him the opportunity to get closer to her, and, if he was lucky, circumvent some of those walls she’d built around herself. On the other hand, he had no doubt she’d be resistant and would fight their chemistry as long as they were working together. And since neither of them was going anywhere any time soon, maybe that was for the best.

  He had too much invested in the partnership with Pritchard to let things go south. He was committed to New York. Hell, he’d even made an offer on an apartment with a view of Central Park. Common sense told him he needed to put his cock on probation when it came to Olivia, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. They were consenting adults with off-the-charts chemistry and he was determined to find a way to mix business and pleasure, if only he could convince her to give him the chance.

  …

  A message blinked on Olivia’s screen, and for the second time that morning, she broke out in a cold sweat. Shit. Cole wanted to see her in his office. Now. She’d hoped to avoid him for the next couple of days, so she could…what? Wallow in private all weekend and face him again on Monday? Olivia silently cursed her pseudo self-control. She knew the hot/cold thing between her and Cole was getting old, and she felt doubly guilty for sending him mixed
messages.

  Still, the idea of facing him after the night before was excruciating. Despite her cold words, he’d have to be an idiot not to sense her desire. The tension between them was tangible and it didn’t look like it would be dissipating any time soon. If anything, their mutual frustration seemed to be fueling the fire. If they could just separate the sex from work it would be fine, she reasoned, but that wasn’t an option.

  Add the fact the office was abuzz with rumors of their fight and, according to Chloe, the words “sexual tension” had been mentioned once or twice, and yeah, she’d never been so desperate to see a weekend in her life. Only two more days to go. At least no one knew what had really happened behind that closed door. Pritchard would have her ass if he found out.

  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed her. Whatever Cole wanted, it didn’t sound good, but hiding in her office like a coward wasn’t going to make it any better.

  Olivia trudged to Cole’s office, bypassing his admin entirely. It wasn’t like she needed to be announced. Cole had called for her and she could see him waiting behind his monstrous desk even before setting foot in the office. Fear blossomed in her stomach as she padded across the plush carpet. Halfway there, she realized he was on the phone.

  “Have a seat,” he mouthed, motioning to the empty chairs before returning his attention the person on the other end of the line.

  Typical. Had he called her in here just to remind her who was in charge? She cut her eyes at him, red-hot anger bubbling up from her belly. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself into the seat across from him and crossed her arms. Getting angry with Cole usually ended with blistering hot kisses, and while she didn’t know what she was doing in his office, she did know those lips were off limits. For her, anyway.

  “Anna, we’ve been through this,” he said, shaking his head, a wide grin on his face. “It’s not a big deal. The closing is next week.” He laughed. “You’re relentless, you know that, right?

  Who the hell was Anna? Olivia had never seen Cole so relaxed. Whoever she was, they must be close. Not that she cared.

  “Look, I’ve got to go. I have someone in my office. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  He hung up the phone and turned that panty-melting smile on her, causing her blood pressure to creep up. Olivia wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs.

  “Sorry about that. My sister,” he explained. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you into my office.”

  Olivia nodded, still processing the idea that Cole had a sister. One he was apparently pretty close to. Who’d have guessed? She didn’t have long to dwell on it.

  “I have a special project for you.” He folded his hands on the desk, dragging the moment out endlessly. Masochist. “We just received word that Vixen Enterprises is in the market for a new agency.”

  “They fired McKenzie?” She didn’t believe it. The two companies had been in bed together for, well, forever. If it was true, every agency in town would be vying for the Vixen account. It was a multi-million dollar contract. “Are you sure?”

  “We have it on good authority that it will be a sudden death scenario. Each agency will get one shot, and one shot only, at the account. Winner takes all. We have three weeks to prepare.”

  “Three weeks?” Olivia scoffed. Impossible. Three weeks wasn’t nearly enough time to come up with a worthy campaign. It couldn’t be done.

  “Three weeks, for three years,” he confirmed. “I don’t care what it takes, we are going to land that account. We need our best on this pitch, which is why I want you to lead the team with me. We’ll be working together closely on this one.”

  She was too stunned to reply. Leading a team with Cole? No way. The very idea was ridiculous. It had all the makings of a disaster. Hell, they’d probably kill each other.

  On the other hand, it was an opportunity. A big one. One she couldn’t turn down. And he knew it.

  “Reassign everything you can to the junior associates. I don’t care what else you’re working on. Dump it,” Cole ordered, pounding the desk to drive his point home. “It’s time some of these people started pulling their weight around here. You can’t do everything.”

  “Consider it done. I’ll send out the new assignments today.” Rising to her feet, Olivia retreated to the door. She might be a control freak, but she wasn’t stupid. If they could secure the Vixen account, it would give her tremendous leverage with Pritchard and maybe another shot at a partnership. For that, she’d offload her other clients, but it didn’t mean she was going to be led around by the nose while Cole pressed his advantage. “I just hope your idea of working together closely doesn’t include fucking, because that’s still off the table as far as I’m concerned.”

  She turned on her heel and left.

  Chapter Ten

  Cole followed Olivia back to her office. They didn’t speak, but he was okay with that. There was plenty to occupy his mind, and the view from behind wasn’t so bad. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of looking at her backside. She hurried down the hall, her tight ass wiggling all the way as she typed on her phone. It was no surprise when she crashed into the mail cart turning the corner, sending letters skittering to the floor. She stumbled back and Cole caught her by the elbow, preventing any serious damage.

  “So sorry,” she apologized to the kid pushing the cart. Tucking her phone into the pocket of her blazer, she stooped to help pick up the mess. She shot Cole a dark look. Now it was his fault she couldn’t walk and type?

  Standing, she deposited the mail on the cart. “Thanks,” she finally grumbled, stepping into her office and doing her best to dismiss him.

  Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Not after that little gem she’d delivered on her way out the door.

  “My pleasure.” He smiled and followed her into the tiny office, closing the door behind them. It was time to clear the air once and for all. The world was un-fucking-fair, a fact he knew as well as anyone, but if she couldn’t put her anger aside, they’d never be able to work together, let alone secure the Vixen account. They needed to be in sync moving forward, which meant less attitude and more collaboration. “Do you have a few minutes? There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”

  “What did you want to discuss?” she asked, straightening her back and smoothing her hair. With only inches separating them, it was impossible to ignore the intoxicating scent of her perfume, or the unspoken arousal that filled the space between them. “Was it your three-step plan to ruin my career? Is Pritchard going to fire me if we can’t play nice? Is that what’s next, Cole? No doubt you have something really special planned for the grand finale.”

  “I think you’re being a bit dramatic, don’t you?” He tucked his hands in his pockets. Did she really think her job was on the line? Pritchard was a total softy under that crotchety exterior. No one was getting fired. Mama’s would end up with a better campaign than they expected and even if PBA didn’t land the Vixen account, they’d make a hell of a bid for it with him and Olivia leading the team.

  “Dramatic? You haven’t seen dramatic yet.” She cocked her hip and raised her chin defiantly. “Look, I get it. You’ve got loads of money and this is all one big friggin’ laugh to you, but what we do here is important to me. I will not let one night of poor judgment ruin five years of hard work.”

  He wasn’t sure what bugged him more, her assumption that he wasn’t serious about his business, or her determination to downplay their night together. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me on this one. We need to find a way to work together. Preferably without killing one another.”

  “You’re right,” she responded, through clenched teeth. “I don’t like it, but I’ll do my job without berating the people around me because I’m a team player. Think you can do the same?”

  Cole fought to keep his face impassive. While her words stung, she wasn’t wrong. Hell, he deserved everything she threw at him and more. He rubbed the back of his neck. �
��This isn’t easy for me to say, but I fucked up with your team yesterday. I am sorry and it won’t happen again.”

  Olivia pursed her lips. Of course she wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

  “I asked Pritchard to put you on this bid because you’re the best we’ve got.” Her cheeks reddened at the compliment. He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or guilt, but whatever it was, it seemed to soften her mood. “I fully expect us to work on this campaign as equals.”

  “Equals?” She studied his face as if seeing him for the first time. What did she see when she looked at him? He shoved the thought aside. It didn’t matter. He knew what he saw when he looked at her, and just then he saw a woman on the edge, ready to lose control. Only a blind man would have missed the way her bottom lip quivered, or the way she swallowed, as if fortifying her resolve.

  Ignoring his better judgment, he leaned into her, stopping only when the peaks of her breasts brushed his chest. His balls tightened at the contact, anxious to finish what they’d started the day before. He brushed his fingers over her jawline, tipping her mouth to his. It had only been a day, but it felt like an eternity since he’d tasted those sweet lips.

  And like an addict, he needed that fix. Craved it. Couldn’t think straight without it.

  His eyes locked on Olivia, confirming her need matched his own. Her breath hitched, but for once she didn’t resist. He moved slowly, skimming his lips over the corners of her mouth, teasing her and savoring the scent of peppermint that clung to her breath.

  The whimper that followed stroked more than his ego, bringing them closer, her body melting against him. When her mouth found his, it was a languid kiss, unhurried and unlike any they’d shared before. She sucked on his bottom lip, nearly driving him mad, before delving into his mouth and caressing his tongue with her own. When she finally pulled away, he was hard as a rock.

  If her intention had been to leave him wanting more, she’d succeeded. He adjusted his cock, knowing full well his erection would be visible to anyone who dared look.