by Maya Banks
The pizza didn’t take long—thanks to the bistro right around the corner offering delivery service. Soon the decadent smells of a completely loaded pizza filled her apartment. Despite all she’d eaten at lunch, her stomach growled in anticipation. She eyed the gooey dripping cheese and grimaced. It might taste good, but it would go straight to her hips. Then again, that’s what the treadmill was for.
She dropped the box on the coffee table in front of Noah, not bothering with plates. He eyed the mountain of toppings with something akin to bliss.
She waited until he’d grabbed the first piece before she carefully took a slice and nibbled on the end. It was, in a word, sheer heaven. She leaned back and waited for Noah to down the first slice. When he was on his second, he turned and said around a mouthful of pizza, “So what’s this favor you need?”
She sat forward, putting half the slice down on a napkin.
“I have this client … well he’s a client I want to land. Evan Reese.”
Noah stopped chewing. “The guy who sells athletic wear?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He fired his last agency and has yet to sign with a new one. I want him. Maddox Communications wants him.”
“Okay. So where do I fit into the picture?”
For a moment her nerve deserted her, and then she mentally slapped herself upside the head. In her profession there was no room for the spineless. She hadn’t worked her way into the confidence of Brock Maddox acting like a jellyfish.
“I want you to agree to front his new line of athletic wear.”
Noah blinked then he frowned, and finally he put down his half-eaten slice. For a moment he was quiet. She waited, fully expecting him to say no or to launch into all the reasons why he didn’t take endorsement deals. She knew them all. But he did none of those things. Instead he studied her carefully, his gaze sliding over her features as though he was reaching right into her head and pulling out her every thought.
He wouldn’t ask why him. He was a huge name in baseball, and he was more sought after than any other professional athlete mainly because of his refusal to take endorsement deals. Instead of deterring companies, it made them all the more determined to be the first to lure Noah Hart to their brand.
She could beg. She could hurry through a prepared explanation as to why she needed him, but she wasn’t going to wheedle and cajole.
Noah was still frowning as he studied her. “This is important to you.”
She nodded. “Evan is a big client. My boss is trusting me to land the account. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll get him with or without you, but you’d be the nail in his coffin. Plus it would be huge for you. Reese will pay a lot to have you be the spokesman for his sportswear.”
Noah sighed. “I wish you’d just quit this job. You don’t have to work, and you know it. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, Cece. Certainly not to your family. Adam, Dalton and I make more than enough money to support you. It would make Dad happy if you didn’t have such a stressful job. He’s convinced you’ll have an ulcer before you’re thirty.”
She smiled faintly. “I am thirty.”
He shot her an impatient look.
“Look, Noah, would you quit baseball just because your brothers make enough money to support you? They do, you know.”
A derisive, strangling sound rose from his throat. He licked his lips as if to rid himself of a really bad taste.
“It’s different.”
“I know, I know. You’re a man, and I’m a woman.” Her lips curled in disgust. “Noah, I love you dearly. You’re the best brother a girl could ask for. But you’re a chauvinist to your toes.”
He huffed but didn’t dispute her accusation. Then his expression grew thoughtful again. “I assume you’ve done your research on this man and his company.”
Celia nodded before he’d even finished. On the surface, Noah looked and acted laissez-faire. He had all the appearances of a golden-boy jock whose only concern might be fast cars and faster women. But beneath that illusion lay a man who had a deep social conscience.
His refusal of endorsement deals had gained him a reputation of eccentricity from some. Others regarded him incredulously as a fool to pass on the opportunity to make millions by doing nothing more than lend his name to countless companies willing to part with their dollars for his endorsement. But the simple fact was that Noah did meticulous research on all the corporations that approached him, and so far none had passed muster with him.
“E-mail it all to me. I’ll take a look. If it checks out, I’m willing to listen to his offer.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Noah. You’re the best.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll be so grateful that you’ll volunteer to clean my apartment?”
She snorted and picked up her slice of pizza again. “Put it this way. I’d rather quit my job and let you and Adam support me than clean your place.”
He winced. “Well, damn. No need to be so mean about it.”
“Poor baby. Oh, hey, I need one more favor.”
His eyes narrowed, and he glared at her. “You just turn down my request for you to play cleaning lady and you insult me in the process and then have the cheek to want another favor?”
“How about I find you a replacement cleaning service? Then both of us are happy.”
He got a hopeful puppy dog look that would probably make mush of most women. Thankfully she was his sister and completely immune to any adorableness on his part.
“Okay, you find me someone to clear a path in my apartment and whatever this other favor of yours is I’ll do it.”
“Wow—and you don’t even know what it is.”
“Should tell you how desperate I am,” he muttered.
She laughed and punched him in the arm. “All I need are two very cushy seats behind home plate for the season opener. I’ll be taking Evan. Hopefully.”
“Anyone ever tell you how expensive you are?”
“Hey, wait a second. A minute ago, you were trying to convince me to quit my job so you could support me.”
His expression went from teasing to serious with one blink. “I just worry about you, Cece. That’s all. What happened in New York would have never occurred if—”
She stiffened and held her hand, halting him in mid-sentence. “I don’t want to talk about New York.”
Regret flashed in his eyes. “Sorry. Consider it dropped.”
She waited for her pulse to settle and then she forced a smile. “So you’ll take a look at the research I’ve compiled? You’ll like Reese. He’s a veritable Boy Scout. His employees love him. He has a cracking health-insurance plan. He’s had no layoffs since his business started and he’s not shipping jobs or production overseas. Let’s see. What else? He’s a regular contributor to a half dozen pet charities—”
Noah held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, he’s a saint. I get it. How do other men ever measure up?”
“Cut the sarcasm.”
He checked his watch and let out a sigh. “Sorry to break this up so early, especially since I haven’t finished the pizza. Somebody talked too much. Very distracting. E-mail me the stuff. I’ll take a look. And the tickets will be waiting for you at the box office.”
“You always were my favorite sibling,” she said affectionately.
He dropped a kiss on top of her head then stood and stretched lazily.
“I’ll give you a call when I’m through reading everything.”
Three
Evan walked into the suite of offices he leased for the times he was in San Francisco. It wasn’t home, and though Union Square was a sumptuous neighborhood that catered to upscale businesses, he preferred the funky modern feel of Seattle.
He nodded a good morning to his receptionist but halted when she came out of her seat, a concerned expression on her face.
“You shouldn’t go in there,” Tanya said in a hushed whisper.
He raised an eyebrow when he realized she was gesturing toward his office.
“Why the devil not?” he demanded.
She put one hand up to shield her mouth and then she tapped her finger against her palm—in the direction of his office.
“Because she’s in there.”
Evan turned to stare down the hall toward his office, but the door was closed. Damn, but he didn’t have time for this. He looked back at Tanya and tried to stifle his growing impatience. The girl was highly efficient if a little eccentric. But he liked unconventional, and while she’d probably fit in better with his Seattle staff with her colored hair, multiple piercings and vintage 1930s clothing, he found she brought a sort of vibrancy to an otherwise stuffy office here.
“Okay, Tanya. First of all, who the hell is ’she’ and where is Vickie?”
It wasn’t like Vickie not to meet him as he got off the elevator. His longtime assistant traveled with him everywhere. She had an apartment here and in Seattle. She had an uncanny knack for knowing precisely when he’d show up, and as a result she was always there, ready to pelt him with the day’s obligations.
Tanya’s face fell. “Oh, sir, did you not get your message? I left you two. Vickie’s granddaughter was rushed to the hospital early this morning. They suspect appendicitis. She’s in surgery now.”
Evan frowned. “No, I didn’t get any such message. Keep me updated. I want to know the minute she’s out of surgery. Send flowers and make sure Vickie has everything she might need. On second thought, send over food for the family. Hospital food is terrible. And arrange for a hospitality suite. If there is a hotel close to the hospital, have a block of rooms set aside for any of the family members.”
Tanya blinked then hurriedly picked up a notepad and began scribbling.
Evan waited a moment then sighed. “Tanya?”
She looked up, blinking, as if surprised to still see him standing there.
“Who is the ’she’ waiting in my office?”
Tanya’s nose curled in distaste. “It’s Miss Hammond, sir. I couldn’t stop her. She was quite imperious. Told me she’d wait for you.”
It was all Evan could do not to look heavenward and ask “why me?” He glanced down the hall and briefly considered leaving. He had no patience for Bettina today, and after his mother had extracted his promise to attend this weekend’s debacle, he couldn’t imagine anything Bettina could have to say to him.
“Keep me posted on Vickie’s granddaughter,” he said as he turned to go down to his office.
He opened the door and swept in, his gaze immediately finding Bettina. She was sitting on one of the sofas lining the window that overlooked the outdoor cafés lining the sidewalk below.
“Bettina,” he said as he tossed his briefcase onto his desk. “What brings you here?”
Bettina rose, her hands going down to smooth her dress. The motion directed attention to her legs—her self-admitted favorite personal attribute. The dress stopped almost at mid-thigh, which meant quite a lot of those legs were on display.
Evan wouldn’t lie. He’d enjoyed those legs. It was just too bad they were attached to the rest of her.
Her expression creased into one of fake pain. She crossed the room, holding her hands dramatically in front of her to grasp his.
“I wanted to thank you for agreeing to come to the wedding. It means the world to Mitchell and your mom and dad. I know how painful it must be. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you to agree to go after I broke your heart.”
Evan just stared at her. Part of him wanted to ask her what planet she existed on, but he already knew the answer to that. It was planet Bettina, where everything revolved around her. Did she honestly believe he was still pining for her?
“Cut the theatrics, Bettina. Why are you really here? You don’t care if I show up or not, so why pretend otherwise? In fact, I’d be willing to admit you hoped I wouldn’t.”
She blinked, and for a moment he saw bitterness in her eyes.
“Lucy said you were bringing a … date. It was clever of you, really. But you don’t fool me, Evan. Everyone knows you haven’t been serious about anyone since me. Who is she? Someone you’ve met socially? Do you know anything about her? Does she know she’s going as an accessory? God knows that’s all I ever was to you.”
“You can’t have it both ways, Bettina. Either I was serious about you or you were an accessory,” he drawled. “Which is it?”
She flushed angrily. “I only meant that you haven’t dated any woman more than once since I broke things off with you.”
He made an exaggerated expression of surprise. “You flatter me. I had no idea you were so interested in who I date. I would have thought my brother kept you too occupied to monitor my love life.”
“Bring your date, Evan. But you know and I know she isn’t me. She’ll never be me. Don’t think you’ll take anything away from my wedding day.”
With that she stalked out of his office, leaving Evan to shake his head. He really ought to call his brother and thank him profusely.
He sank into his chair and opened his day planner. Vickie kept meticulous records of all appointments for just such rare occasions that she was out of pocket. He frowned when he saw his calendar was full. Except for one forty-five-minute window for lunch.
His mind immediately went to Celia. Celia, whose office was just two blocks from his. He’d planned to call her, but a proposition such as he had in mind was really better delivered in person. He wouldn’t have a lot of time, and he doubted she had much free time, either, but he knew without arrogance that if he asked her to lunch, she wouldn’t refuse. She wanted his business too badly.
He hit the button to call Vickie then quickly remembered she wasn’t there. He connected to Tanya instead.
“Yes, sir?”
“Tanya, I need Celia Taylor of Maddox Communications on the phone.”
Celia stepped out of the elevator and was met with a cheerful hello from Shelby, the receptionist for Maddox Communications. Shelby was young and friendly. She also had superb organization skills and a memory like a steel trap. Which made her a perfect asset. But more importantly, she knew everything about everyone at Maddox. There wasn’t a piece of juicy gossip floating around that Shelby didn’t know, and she didn’t mind sharing it. Celia found it useful to keep in the know. Never again would she be caught off guard like she’d been in her last job.
“Good morning, Shelby,” Celia returned as she paused in front of Shelby’s desk. “Any messages for me?”
Shelby’s eyes twinkled and she leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially. “Latest rumors that have surfaced are about the boss man and his assistant.”
Celia frowned. “You mean, him and Elle?”
Elle didn’t seem like the type to indulge in a torrid office affair and definitely not with her boss. Celia felt compelled to warn Elle about the potential pitfalls of even having such a rumor circulate, but it was just a rumor, and Elle might not appreciate Celia broaching the subject.
Shelby shrugged. “Well, they do seem to spend a lot of time together.”
“Of course they do. She’s his assistant,” Celia pointed out.
“I just repeat what others are saying.”
Celia gripped her briefcase a little tighter. It wouldn’t do her any good to get involved. Brock and Elle were adults. She just hoped Elle wasn’t hurt by the idle gossip.
“Hey, Shelby,” Celia began as she remembered why she’d stopped to begin with. “I need you to look up a cleaning service.” She dug around in her briefcase then pulled out a sheet of paper that had all the names of the agencies Noah had already contacted. She handed it over the counter to Shelby. “These are the ones marked off the list of possibilities. I need you to make it clear this is a demanding client and that he’s a slob through and through. Money is no object but whoever the poor soul is who takes the job will definitely earn their paycheck.”
Shelby’s eyes widened. “Noah Hart. The Noah Hart? He needs a housekeeper? I’m available. I mean, I can totally quit here, right?”
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Celia shot her a “get real” look. “Let me know if you find someone. Oh, and I’m expecting a call from Evan Reese’s assistant. I don’t care what I’m doing or who I’m with, make sure I get that call.”
As she walked away, Shelby called out to her. “Hey, wait. How do you know Noah Hart? He’s not a client of Maddox.”
Celia smiled and kept walking toward her office. Normally she’d stop in on some of her coworkers, say hello, get a feel for what the day’s events were, but she was already running late, thanks to a breakfast meeting going well into the brunch hour. She needed to play catch-up on phone messages and e-mails before a full afternoon of client calls and a staff meeting to close out the day.
She’d made a sizeable dent in the backlog of messages when her interoffice intercom buzzed.
“Celia, Mr. Reese is on line two.”
Celia frowned. “Mr. Reese himself or Mr. Reese’s assistant?”
“Mr. Reese.”
“Put him through,” she said crisply.
She wiped her hand on her skirt then shook her head. What did she have to be nervous about? As soon as the phone rang, she picked it up.
“Celia Taylor.”
“Celia, how are you?”
Even his voice sent a bolt of awareness through her body. When would she stop acting like a teenage girl in the throes of her first sexual awakening? It was ridiculous. It wasn’t professional.
“I’m good, Evan. And you?”
“I don’t have a lot of time. I wanted to meet for lunch today. That is, if your schedule permits?”
There was a note of confidence in his voice. He knew damn well she wouldn’t say no. Hastily, she checked the clock.
“What time?”
“Now.”
Panic scuttled around her stomach. Now? She wasn’t prepared to meet him now. Surely he didn’t want to reschedule their informal pitch session from Friday to now?
“I thought we had a lunch date on Friday?”
She was stalling as her brain scrambled to catch up.
“I want to discuss Friday today. There’s been a change of plans.”
