“What?” The sharp hurt in his tone made her chest ache.
“It’s about Aeon, and you, and all of this.” She waved her hand around at the room, grasping the edges of her T-shirt, a thin and flimsy shield as she turned back to face him. “A man blackmailed me to become your image consultant so I could steal the plans for Aeon. He said you’d taken them from him, but in getting to know you I realize that’s not your style. He’s out to destroy you, and if I don’t help him he’ll destroy Connor.”
Josh stood up, the muscles on his body firm and outlined by tension, hands balled up at his sides. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only received phone calls and typed letters in packages. Never any personal contact.”
“And did you give him what he wanted?”
Caroline shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to you. But if I don’t, and soon, he’ll frame Connor for murder.”
Josh cursed, running his hands through his hair, then paced the space between the galley and the door to his cabin berth back and forth before looking out the window. “Then I guess you’ll have to give them to him.”
Caroline gasped. “But what about Aeon?”
He turned his penetrating gaze on her. “We won’t give him, whoever he is, the real plans, but something close enough that we can pinpoint who this guy is and nail him for corporate espionage.”
She nibbled at her bottom lip and nodded. She didn’t need to ask if he was angry; she could see it in the tick of muscles at his jawline and the powerful splay of his shoulders.
“I trusted you, Caroline. I let you in where I’ve never let anyone in before.”
Her throat swelled shut, making it hard to talk. “I know. I’m sorry, Josh. It was just my brother…”
He held up a hand. “Don’t say another word. I get it. He was once my best friend. Doesn’t mean I like it, or that it doesn’t hurt, but I get it.” He stalked back to the berth and pulled out a T-shirt. “Get dressed. We’ve got work to do.”
And like that, without another word, he passed her and climbed to the deck above. A moment later she heard the throb of the engines and the clanking of the anchor being pulled up. As soon as the boat was under way, she hurried back into the back cabin and dressed quickly. Armor for what the day would bring.
Two days later, on the night of the big fundraising gala he was to attend with Aubrey, they both were still pretending.
She that they hadn’t slept together.
He not to care that she’d both rejected his offer of marriage and been planning to betray him. He’d become cold and all business, which was what she’d anticipated.
Caroline was glad the incident hadn’t ruined their professional relationship. It was hard enough to look at him now and know what lay beneath that crisp suit and exactly what Josh felt like in her arms. None of that was beneficial when it came to doing her job and keeping her focus.
The evening with Aubrey at the party had resulted in some great coverage in Variety magazine. But Variety wasn’t People magazine. And the condition of payment for her services rested on getting coverage in People. Just looking at him in the fitted black tux made her mouth dry and her heart squeeze. She’d done everything she could to make Josh ready for the evening despite the yearning looks she caught him sneaking a time or two when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. His proposal replayed in her memory, despite her best efforts to forget it. Every time it made her heart knock hard against her ribs, as if it were trying to break free of her rib cage. Professional. She needed to be professional.
“I can’t do this.”
She brushed an invisible speck of lint from his black tuxedo jacket. “What are you talking about, of course you can. This is what we’ve been training for. You’ll be brilliant.”
Josh wrapped his large, warm hands around her upper arms, waiting for her to look up into his eyes. “No. I mean I can’t let you go. I thought I could just let you go, but now I realize it was probably the stupidest idea I’ve ever had.”
“Why?” The word barely came out a whisper beyond her lips.
“I love you.”
Caroline blinked. She’d been expecting a confession of resurging stage fright, but not this. She hadn’t given herself the luxury of believing he might feel for her the way she’d dreamed about. But it was wrong. All wrong. He was supposed to be walking out arm in arm with a woman who was both a glamorous actress in Hollywood and the daughter of a senator in five minutes.
“You may want me, but you need her. You’re never going to be able to reach the stars without her.”
“I think we discovered a whole other galaxy last night. I don’t need any more than that.”
“True love is sacrifice. I may want to be with you—”
“Do you?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. I know she’s what you need right now to reach your dreams.”
“What if my dreams have changed?”
“You can’t fool me. I know you better than that. Aeon is not just a dream, it’s part of you, who you are at the core.”
“It may be part of me, but I’m still not complete without you.”
She grasped the lapels of his tux in her hands, being extra careful not to rumple them before his big entrance. “We can talk about this later, after tonight. Right now I need you to focus. Can you do that for me? You need to behave as if Aubrey Wymer is the most beautiful thing on the planet. You need to focus on her.”
He looked deeply into her eyes. “There’s only one woman who I believe is the most beautiful woman on the planet, and she’s not Aubrey Wymer.”
“Josh…”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Act. That’s all you need to do. Just like we rehearsed.”
“I know what we rehearsed. I just don’t want it with Aubrey. I want it with you.”
Caroline swallowed hard, her heart beating loud enough that the sound of it filled her ears in a roaring rush. “Focus.” She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but one of them had to be about seeing this through or everything they’d both worked for was going to fall apart at the seams.
“I am focused—on you.”
She touched her finger to his lips and Josh kissed it, making her heart jump. Caroline fought back the sudden rush of heat to her face, to her eyes. “Do this. Just for tonight and we can talk about it later.”
She smoothed out his lapels, making one last check that everything was perfect, before she stepped back from him. He gave her one curt nod, his gaze darting to the door where Aubrey was due to make her entrance any second.
Aubrey arrived in a slinky black number that both glittered and clung to her curves like a second skin, sporting a slit on the side up to the top of her thigh. Josh smiled and took her arm, preparing to escort her into the gala benefit for Homes for Heroes.
A seething red-hot spurt of sensation welled up in Caroline’s stomach. An ulcer? No, she thought uncomfortably. What was it then? Jealousy? That thought stopped her cold. How could she be jealous of Aubrey—that was unless she truly loved Josh.
Damn. That was it. She’d been so busy insisting to herself that this was a job, that she had to maintain her own integrity, that Josh was a means to an end.
She loved Josh. Loved. Him.
It had sneaked up on her from nowhere and yet everywhere. This was no longer about just making a client satisfied so that he’d recommend her services, and she knew it. She wanted to see him happy—whatever or whoever that took.
Caroline watched him walk away, the sultry blonde on his arm, and knew she couldn’t stay and watch him with the woman she’d put in his arms.
A week later following the gala, she hadn’t heard a word from Josh. Caroline didn’t want to think that a man who could profess to love you could put you out of his mind, but perhaps that was exactly what happened. Now that her job of putting him and Aubrey together and getting the media coverage he sought was complete, there wasn’t any reason for them to talk business, and apparently
he wasn’t interested in talking about their other relationship. And, when the phone finally did ring, it wasn’t Josh, but Antonio Carvales telling her she needed to come in to Softech for a meeting.
Caroline walked through the familiar hallway toward Josh’s office, keenly aware of the uncomfortable swishy sensation in her gut that happened every time she thought of this contract being almost over.
“Mr. Martin is waiting to see you.”
Josh’s personal secretary, Deborah, didn’t give her the warm smile she normally did. She wasn’t hostile or rude, but Caroline could definitely feel the chill.
For the first time since she’d entered the doors of Softech, Caroline’s steps faltered. Josh hadn’t said a word to or seen her since the gala. All communications had come through Carvales. Even the clips from People magazine proclaiming “Recluse No More: Mega Billionaire Turns Playboy” hadn’t stirred him enough to email or call her.
And why would he? she asked herself miserably. He’d proposed to her, and she’d rejected him. She’d confessed to intending to steal from him to satisfy her blackmailer. He’d claimed to love her, and in response, she’d given him Aubrey on a silver platter. The only communication they’d had was when Carvales had shown up at her door with the alternative plans she then gave to Mr. X.
Her hand shook as she pushed open the door to Josh’s office.
“Good morning, Ms. Parker. Have a seat.”
Caroline’s knees gave out just as she reached the chair on the other side of Josh’s desk. Ms. Parker? What the hell? Clearly he was over her. How could she have been such a total idiot? He’d wanted to marry her. At least he’d offered. And she’d rejected him. Again. No wonder he didn’t want to speak to her. The minutes slid by in agonizing silence.
“You wanted to see me?”
Josh glanced up; the longer strands of dark hair fell over those piercing blue eyes. Light stubble shaded his chin and she could see the suit jacket he wore was not as crisp as it had once been. Instead of a collared shirt, he wore a black T-shirt beneath it.
“I assumed you’d like to be paid.” He slid a crisp white envelope emblazoned with the blue Softech logo in the corner across the desk.
Caroline stared at it for a moment. Inside was enough to set her finances straight. But it would do nothing to mend her aching heart.
“Josh, I’m sorr—”
He cut her off with a mere lifting of his hand and a hard stare. “You did what you thought was right. I know how that goes.”
A small bubble of hope welled up in Caroline’s chest.
“And Aeon?”
“Senator Wymer is sponsoring it and ensuring we get our contracts approved, since we found out he and his nephew were the ones blackmailing you when the fake plans I had Carvales deliver surfaced. Seems as though the good senator had planned on profiting from the venture as more than a civil servant. Nothing like blackmailing a blackmailer.”
“And Aubrey?”
“Aubrey is thankfully unaware of her father’s dealings on the side and thrilled with how the gala fund-raiser turned out.”
Caroline fiddled with the edge of the envelope. “So everything is right in your world.”
“Not quite. I’d like you to accompany me down to San Diego for the unveiling of Aeon.”
“San Diego?”
He nodded. “What better place to introduce the new world of living in space than to a bunch of people who are already crazy about the idea? We’re going to launch Aeon at Comic-Con International.”
She arched a brow. “You sure you want to go there in person? There’s an awful lot of people there.”
“I’m aware. That’s why I’d like you to help me prep backstage before I go on. I can’t afford a relapse, not at this critical juncture, and I’ve never spoken in front of such a large group of people before.”
So this was just business. Caroline tucked the envelope in her purse and nodded. “Of course I’ll go with you. When will we leave?”
His gaze turned away to the top of his desk, and his fingers moved through the stack of papers there. “You leave tomorrow morning. I’ll send a car for you.”
“What about you?”
He glanced up at her. “I’m taking my plane tonight to get some details with investors nailed down tight before the big reveal. I’ll send it back and it’ll bring you down tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He gave her a brief tilt of the lips, then returned his attention to his paperwork. That was it then? she thought as she walked slowly out of his office and toward the elevator. Maybe he really had moved on. Maybe he’d found it wiser to invest himself in his venture than in a relationship he thought was doomed from the start. Either way, she had some research to do on Comic-Con so she’d understand how to help him tomorrow.
…
True to his word, a long black limo arrived bright and early the next morning to take her to the airport, where she boarded his private jet. The flight to San Diego was comfortable, swift, and damned lonely.
Caroline tried to keep her mind occupied by going over the information she’d amassed the night before. According to what she’d found, this wasn’t just any gathering of geeks and freaks. This was the big one. And it disconcerted her to consider if Josh was truly ready to take on such a massive gathering of people.
She arrived at the convention center with a few hours to spare before Josh was scheduled to speak on stage B, right after the “Star Wars Forever” workshop. Certainly he’d find a receptive audience there. Comic-Con was probably the strangest event she’d ever been to. All around her milled people in costumes that ranged from television series and movie characters to comic book heroes and villains. There were futuristic aliens, monsters, zombies, steampunk characters, classic Star Trek devotees, and more. She even came across an entire family dressed as Stormtroopers from Star Wars. She wove her way through the crowds milling about looking at the vendors offering everything from costumes and fake weapons to food and memorabilia and getting pictures and signatures with celebrities. She had no idea it was so diverse a population, all passionate about alternate realities and fantasy.
After a half hour she found the back door to stage B. She entered the darkened backstage and found Antonio and Josh, heads together, voices on low as they did a run-through of the presentation.
“Good. Then after I’ve got them warmed up and they’ve seen the film segment, I’ll have you take over the stage,” Carvales said.
The men gave each other a fist bump and Antonio headed for the stage entrance just beyond the curtains. Josh turned to face her.
After all her work to get him to look like a billionaire sex god, he was dressed like Han Solo. Inwardly Caroline groaned.
“So what’d you think? Wild event, isn’t it?”
“What are you wearing?”
“I’m glad you’re here.” He smiled at her, then took the edges of his black vest and grasped them lightly. “Looks good, right?”
“You know this is the complete opposite of the image we’ve built for you.”
He nodded and lightly grasped her hand, sending a shiver of awareness shooting right up her arm to her heart. “I know and you did a great job. I wouldn’t be wearing this if Carvales didn’t believe we should play to our audience. They are going to eat it up, especially after they find out that some of our investors who plan to live at the station are some of their favorite stars.”
Caroline nodded. “Then it’s a good marketing strategy, but I wouldn’t get used to wearing it.”
Out on the stage an announcer introduce Carvales and the crowd cheered. Josh glanced out at the audience beyond the bright lights of the stage and blew out a long, steady breath. “That’s a lot of people out there.”
The venue grew dark both out in front of the stage and behind it as the video introducing Aeon and the possibility of living on Mars unfolded in brilliant color for the audience.
“Bet there’s less people out there than the Sea
hawks football game,” Caroline said. “And once you get out there, you won’t even see them because of the spotlights on the stage.”
“You’re sure about that?”
She nodded and Josh gave her hand a squeeze in response. “Thanks for being here today.”
Caroline smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it. You’re introducing the world to your dream today.”
Out on stage Antonio Carvales called out Josh’s name. He stepped forward, then stopped for a second and gave her a heart-melting smile. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ve always made your own luck, but good luck anyway.” Caroline stood at the edge of the stage curtains as he walked out into the spotlights. A tremendous crowd packed the convention ballroom. It was standing room only and she could only hazard a guess at how many costumes out there were just waiting to go up in flames at the slightest provocation. It was a fire marshal’s nightmare.
Caroline watched his broad shoulders as he walked up and took the microphone from Carvales. For a moment there was a silence that stretched and grew. Caroline leaned forward, almost on her toes, anxious to hear Josh begin speaking.
“Thank you! And now that you’ve met Antonio Carvales, I’d like you to meet my other business partner in this venture, the true genius behind making Aeon possible, Dr. Connor Parker.”
Caroline watched in stunned amazement as the curtains shifted on the opposite side of the stage and out walked her brother Connor, waving at the crowd, a huge smile on his face. Josh clapped him on the shoulder. The three amigos were together once again, but now center stage at one of the biggest announcements at Comic-Con.
The Geek Billionaire Makeover Page 15
