It was difficult for him to sit back and watch. He was a hands-on kind of guy and liked controlling his own fate, but he also trusted Olivia. She knew what she was doing. He watched with pride as she made the biggest pitch of her life.
Olivia was a force unto herself. Ditching the glasses and letting her hair down, she’d finally embraced the feminine part of herself that she’d worked so damn hard to bury. She exuded confidence, making her even more dynamic than usual. He realized he felt fortunate he’d found her in that bar, lucky to share even a tiny corner of her life. Olivia was right: they were a good team. They worked damn well together, in bed and at work, and it looked like just maybe they might be able keep a good thing going. There were still so many things he didn’t know, so much more to Olivia than the frigid Ice Queen who was all work and no play. Underneath that tough, businesslike exterior she hid a gentle, well-intentioned heart. That was part of what made her who she was.
Cole studied the faces of the Vixen executives. They were enamored by Olivia. Setting the scene for them masterfully, she discussed the need to connect with real, working women, empowering them in their sexuality while also recognizing their societal contributions and familial obligations. She wove in details of the market research, laying the foundation for the daring conclusion.
As the pitch wound down, one of the women sitting at the table strode to the front of the room. The woman was rather average looking, nothing special. She could have been anyone: an executive, an admin, the girl who delivered the mail. Standing next to Olivia, she unzipped her jacket and revealed a racy Vixen bra. She flung the jacket over her shoulder, resting a hand on her hip and striking a traditional model’s pose. When she addressed the Vixen executives, her tone was commanding.
“From the boardroom to the bedroom…be a vixen.”
Another woman rose, following the lead of the first, and stripped off her shirt. “I’m a vixen.”
And then a third. “Are you?”
Cole smiled. They’d pulled out all the stops, planting average models in the room in hopes of really driving the message home. Olivia had resisted at first, but he’d convinced her that seeing the models make the transformation from working women to sexual beings live and in person would be more impactful than watching it on a screen. He just hoped it would pay off. And that Pritchard didn’t have a heart attack. The old man looked like he was struggling for breath as he loosened his tie. It had probably been a while since he’d seen a half-naked woman who wasn’t his wife. Maybe they should’ve warned him, but it was much more fun this way.
“Genius,” Natalia praised, clapping her hands together. “Well done, Ms. Masterson. This is the best pitch we’ve seen yet, and I don’t know that we’ll see one better. This is exactly what we’re looking for at Vixen Enterprises. You really got at the heart of what the Vixen brand is all about.”
“Thank you,” Olivia beamed, “but I can’t take all the credit. Cole Bennett played a huge role in developing this campaign, as did many other associates at PBA. It really was a team effort. I’m so glad you’re pleased with the result.”
“Savvy and humble? A rare combination.” Natalia swung a calculating gaze to Pritchard. “Watch out, Jonathan, I might have to steal this one away from you. I’m always looking for new talent.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Jonathan waggled a finger at her. “The only way you’re going to tap into Olivia is by signing a contract with PBA.” He winked at Olivia.
“We still have two more agency meetings,” Natalia informed him. “But I daresay we’ll be back. I like what I saw today.”
“We look forward to partnering with Vixen Enterprises,” Cole told Natalia as he rose to shake her hand. The woman had a firm grip, but he’d expected nothing less. She hadn’t earned a reputation for being a shrewd business woman by being soft.
“That’s right,” Jonathan cut in. “You just let us know when you’re ready to sign the paperwork and we’ll have it drafted immediately.”
When the meeting broke up, Cole signaled to Pritchard to walk with him. He’d catch up with Olivia later to congratulate her on an amazing performance. He couldn’t have done it better himself.
Pritchard was his partner, but the man was a fool if he thought Olivia would be content with her current position for long. Natalia might have been smiling, but she was serious when she hinted at wooing Olivia away from the agency. And once word hit the street she had landed the Vixen account, Natalia wouldn’t be the only one looking to wine and dine her. Jonathan’s best kept secret was about to become one of the city’s most sought after creative minds.
Cole had first-hand experience with colleagues he liked being wooed away by job offers too tempting to resist. After all, that was had happened with Jacqueline in London. It hadn’t really been her fault that a multi-million dollar partnership offer trumped what he could offer. People liked to talk about love and loyalty triumphing over all, but the real world didn’t work that way.
However, if Olivia were to be offered a partnership at PBA, well, she’d have the job security she needed and could stop focusing so much on office gossip. The way he saw it, it was a win for everyone. Pritchard locked down an insanely talented employee, Olivia got the recognition she deserved, and he got to be the hero for once. He’d swept in and taken over the job she’d worked so hard for. It was only fair he set things right.
And if it also meant Olivia would finally have no excuses to reject their chemistry?
That was just icing on the cake.
Chapter Nineteen
Olivia skimmed through her email, jotting down notes on her “To do” list, which was growing at an alarming pace with every scratch of the pen. A week had passed and there had been no word on the Vixen account, which meant she couldn’t start any new projects. She’d be in limbo until the contract was awarded, one way or the other. And while she hated waiting for client feedback on a pitch, this lull was truly the calm before the storm. If PBA got the Vixen contract, there would be a flurry of activity to get the campaign off the ground. Knowing that, she was using her down time to catch up on other projects and help out where the team needed her.
She was in the zone, reading story boards for the new Mama’s Muffins commercial for the zillionth time and daydreaming about a nice long soak in the tub, when her phone rang. She scribbled a note to Jack and grabbed the handset.
“Olivia Masterson.”
“Ms. Masterson? It’s Gabby. Mr. Pritchard wants to see you as soon as possible.”
Olivia’s heart hammered in her chest. She hadn’t heard anything from Jonathan since the Vixen pitch. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard anything from Cole in a couple of days either. This was very good news, or very, very bad news.
She let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Sure, Gabby. Tell him I’ll be right there.”
Olivia hung up the phone and sank into her chair. Her limbs felt like Jell-O. She wondered if she should swing by Cole’s office for a quick check-in. Maybe he knew what this was about.
No, she told herself firmly. If Jonathan had asked for her, then he wanted to see her. She’d take her licks on her own like a grown-up.
She rose from her desk and smoothed her gray skirt. She’d bought this suit specifically for the Vixen pitch; it had just the right combination of sexy and sophisticated. That’s what Cole had said, anyway. She took one more deep breath and walked purposefully toward Jonathan’s office. Gabby waved her right in with a smile.
That was a good sign, right? Gabby wouldn’t be smiling if she knew Olivia was about to get fired. Olivia stopped to steel herself once more, staring at the heavy door. Somehow, meetings in Jonathan’s office just never went quite the way she was hoping.
Squaring her shoulders, she straightened her back and strode into his office.
She felt herself relax when she saw it was just Jonathan waiting for her. She’d kind of expected Cole would be there too, but she was oddly relieved that he wasn’t. Jonathan
rose from his desk chair and came around from behind the huge cherry desk.
“Have a seat.” Jonathan waved her toward the overstuffed leather chair. Olivia’s pulse was racing, her heartbeat thumping in her ears like a too-loud disco. She sat down, perched right at the edge of the chair.
“I have some news for you, Olivia,” he began. He was positively beaming. That had to be good. “We’ve signed the Vixen account. Natalia Rodriguez told me herself that it was due to your excellent pitch.”
Olivia felt every muscle in her body relax at once. The tension she’d been storing up all week literally melted away. She sank back a little into the deep, soft chair. “That’s fantastic news, Jonathan. Have you told Cole? He should be here. He was a big part of our team.”
Jonathan smiled at her. He was really looking pleased with himself today, but Olivia couldn’t blame him. Vixen was a huge account.
“Cole knows. And that actually brings me to the real reason I’ve asked you here.” He folded his incredibly well-manicured hands in his lap, resting them on the soft gray silk of the suit that Olivia didn’t doubt had cost more than her first car. He was now positively grinning. “I’d like to make you a partner in PBA.”
Olivia’s stomach lurched. “I’m sorry, what?”
Jonathan continued, smiling as nonchalantly, as if he were describing what he’d eaten for breakfast that day. “Cole pointed out to me that I had been unfair to you by making him partner when I’d essentially promised it to you. He also pointed out that—”
“Excuse me, did you say Cole talked to you about this?” Olivia could hear herself slip into Ice Queen mode. She sat straight up in the chair, any thought of relaxation pushed out of her mind by what Jonathan was saying.
“Well, yes,” Jonathan said. He hadn’t caught on to Olivia’s growing outrage, apparently, because he was still perched on the edge of his desk, beaming like he’d had the best idea ever instead of, once again, ripping her damn dreams apart. “The Vixen pitch really emphasized the quality of your work, Olivia, and Cole argued that we’d be stupid not to secure your skills for our agency rather than let you be poached by the competition.” He paused and looked at her. “Are you feeling well?”
Olivia was not feeling well. She could feel the sweat seeping through her expensive silk blouse and plastering her hair to her neck. Her pulse roared in her ears. She was confused. She was nauseated. And more than that, she was angry.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, struggling to maintain her composure. She was damn well not going to run out of his office and throw up in the bathroom again, thank you very much. One time was more than enough. “It’s just all rather unexpected. But I still don’t understand what Cole Bennett has to do with this.”
Jonathan nodded as a look of understanding spread across his face. “Ahh, I see. He didn’t tell you. After the Vixen pitch, he lobbied quite hard for me to offer you this position. He seemed to think he owed it to you. If I didn’t know your history better, I would think it was because he wanted to keep you around.” He winked at her.
Jonathan Pritchard had winked at her.
Shit.
This wasn’t good.
This wasn’t fair.
“I guess those late nights of teamwork had quite the effect on him,” Jonathan said, still smiling like a perversely well-groomed Santa Claus. “He seems pretty taken with you. Not that I can blame him.”
That was the last straw. Olivia rose from the chair, her lips pressed into a tight imitation of a smile, and extended her hand to Jonathan. “Thank you for the offer, Jonathan. Really. I just need to think about it. It’s been a big week for me.”
Olivia turned on her heel and fled.
…
Cole was contemplating a stack of carryout menus his realtor had left when there was a sharp knock at the door. He tossed the menus in the drawer and glanced at the clock. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Maybe this was one of those old-fashioned buildings where people actually believed in being neighborly. As he made his way to the door, he was surprised to discover he didn’t hate the idea. After all, this was home now.
The last thing he expected to find when he opened the door was Olivia standing there, wearing that little blue jacket that brought out her baby blue eyes.
The baby blue eyes that were currently sparkling with what appeared to be either intense arousal or rage. He really hoped it was the former.
“This is a surprise,” he began, draping his arm over the door jamb. “I thought we were going ou—”
Olivia held up a hand. “Shut. Up.”
Cole bristled. What was going on? Had she not heard about the Vixen deal yet?
Olivia tapped her foot. Her cheeks were flushed bright pink. Yeah, this was definitely looking more like rage. “Are you going to let me in? We need to talk.”
He hesitated, wondering what could have possibly brought her to his door uninvited and unannounced. The silence between them as he studied her was deafening, the only sound was the soft jazz floating down the hall from his living room.
Only one way to find out. He stepped back and swung the door open for her. Without another word, he led her down the narrow hall, his bare feet moving silently over the rich mahogany floor. She was his first guest, and he wondered what she would think of the place as they emerged in the open concept loft space. On his first tour, he’d been shocked by the modern layout. The building itself was ancient and had beautiful turn of the century character, but inside it was a completely different story. It was chic, modern, and surprisingly cozy.
Or had been, until Olivia had shown up royally pissed off about something.
He stopped at the couch and motioned for her to take a seat. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Olivia sat, looking anything but comfortable.
“So how’d you find me, anyway? I just bought this place.”
“I have my ways.” Her voice was deadly quiet. He’d never seen her quite like this before. When Olivia was angry, she was usually all spitfire and brimstone. God, it turned him on just thinking about the fiery encounters they’d had at work. This, however, looked very different.
Cole sat down at the opposite end of the couch. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? I thought we were going out later to celebrate the Vixen deal.”
Olivia’s entire body stiffened. “I don’t think I have a lot to celebrate right now,” she said, her words hardened like her body. “Would you mind explaining to me why Jonathan Pritchard offered me a partnership today?”
Cole relaxed a little. He’d thought she’d had some bad news, but this was just a little matter of misunderstanding. He gave a little shrug and smiled at her. “I talked to him about it.”
She stared at him, the wild fire in her eyes like nothing he’d ever seen there before. And wild as she looked in that moment, he suspected she was just getting warmed up. Surely she couldn’t actually be angry about this? She’d reminded him that the partnership should have been hers often enough for him to know she’d wanted it.
A heavy silence hung in the air before she spoke, enunciating the words too calmly for his comfort. “You told Jonathan Pritchard to give me a partnership. After I told you I don’t want people interfering in my career. After I have told you how many fucking times that I need to earn my own way?”
Cole dropped his gaze, unable to look her in the eye. How could he explain it? She was angry and maybe she had a right to be. Hell, she probably did. He tried to imagine how he’d feel if their positions were reversed.
Olivia shook her head. Her hands were pressed firmly in her lap, her knuckles white. “Why? Why did you it, Cole?”
Cole couldn’t think of anything to say, so he sat and said nothing.
“Was it so you could keep screwing me?” she spat, glaring daggers at him “It was, wasn’t it? Make me partner so you get to have sex with me, let me see, what were your words? Whenever I want, without giving a damn?”
“No!” he argued. She didn’t really believe that, did
she? After all the time they’d spent together, didn’t she know him better than that? “I mean, I thought about that, too, but it wasn’t the only reason, Olivia. I swear it wasn’t.”
“Was it because of Alex? You were such an asshole to him at the fundraiser, I knew you’d try and pull some sort of power play. I don’t get you, Cole, I just don’t.” She slouched down into the couch cushions, her face now pale instead of flushed. “You don’t want me to be with anyone else and you don’t want to be with me, either. What do you want?”
What did he want? Cole didn’t even know himself. How could he tell her something he hadn’t figured out even in his own fucked-up head? He knew better than to commit to expressing his feelings before he understood the whole situation. That had only led to serious damage in the past.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know.”
Olivia shook her head. “How selfish can you be?” she asked, tears suddenly breaking free and streaking black streams of mascara down her cheeks with them. “Did you even think about what was best for me? Or was it all about what was best for you?”
Cole wanted to go to her, to comfort her, to take her in his arms and make her forget about all of this, but he didn’t know what to say. What could he possibly say to make her understand?
“Forget it. Your silence says it all,” she said, sinking into the couch cushions again and covering her face with her hands.
“I felt bad,” Cole said quietly, desperate to ease her pain and fix what he’d broken. Again. “I had no idea when I came to PBA that Pritchard was giving me your partnership. You earned it. I just wanted to make it up to you. Just calm down and listen to me for a second.”
Shit. That was the wrong thing to say. Olivia jerked her gaze to his, her blue eyes hotter than a gas flame, her cheeks blazing red again. “Calm down? Are you fucking kidding me? How many times have I told you that people already think I’m some sort of corporate-ladder-climbing office bimbo who sleeps her way into promotions?” she yelled, each of her words like an angry blow to his chest. “And now you go and confirm that, again, by talking Jonathan into this hare-brained bullshit? How could you possibly think I could take it? That I would want it?”
Once Upon a Dare Page 15
