by Ella Jade
“I can keep my job separate from my personal life.” Spencer glanced at his watch. “Don’t worry about the company. I have everything under control. I always do.”
“I pushed Ava in your direction because I knew she would understand your work ethic. As long as she had pretty things and expensive toys she’d let you be. I thought it was a good match for both of you. I was wrong, and I apologize.”
“I appreciate that.” Spencer nodded. “I have to get going. I have a call I need to take in the car on the drive back. I want to be packed and ready to leave soon.”
“That’s my boy.” Pierce patted his back. “The Bradfords will be at the agency tomorrow morning. Let’s make sure the ink is dry before they leave.”
“It will be.”
If Spencer could deal with this account by tomorrow, maybe he could convince Coda to take a few days and go away with him. Just the two of them. No contracts or negotiations. Perhaps she’d let him help her find a job too. She’d never allow him to step in on her behalf at Cannon and Carrington, and he respected that, but he had other contacts in the industry. He could help her find something, even if it wasn’t at his agency.
CODA RESTED HER HEAD on Spencer’s shoulder as they drove home. So many things had changed since the ride to the wedding. When he picked her up from the boutique on Wednesday afternoon she never imagined things would go down the way they had.
“I was thinking,” Spencer said. “I never take any time off.”
“You had a long weekend.” She cuddled closer to him. “Are you getting lazy?”
“Hardly.” The way he played with the ends of her hair relaxed her. “I may have been away from the office, but I really didn’t stop working.”
“No, you didn’t.” She felt bad for him. He carried such a heavy burden when it came to the agency. She saw the way Jack and Pierce rode him every chance they got. They depended on Spencer to fix everything. “Do you want to take a vacation? Can you?”
“The last time I was away for pleasure was the month after my college graduation. I went to Italy with a few friends. It was a wonderful trip.”
“That was almost eight years ago.”
“I started working full-time at the agency that summer. My grandfather taught me everything I needed to know about every aspect of the business. I put everything I had into becoming CEO, and when they finally gave me the job a few years ago, the learning didn’t stop. Before long I found myself putting in twelve hour days. I’ve landed eight national accounts in two years. That was unprecedented for us.”
“You deserve a vacation.” She closed her eyes and imagined sitting on an exotic beach with him—just the two of them. “Where would you go?”
“Anywhere you want.”
“What?” She looked up at him. “You want me to pick your vacation destination for you? I’ve been to New Jersey and Connecticut. I’m not very worldly.”
“If you could pick any place in the world, where would you go?”
The world? How about the United States?
“I don’t know. There are so many places I want to see.”
Coda had pictures and links saved on her computer. She’d listened to stories every year while in college about her friends who had gone to Mexico or Florida on spring break. She’d always wanted to go with them, but she’d never had the money. She’d hoped she could go to California after graduation for a week with some friends, but her internship at Sage had been unpaid. The hours she’d spent interning forced her to take a leave from the diner for a few months. That put a strain on their household income.
“I want to take you away.” He continued to play with her hair. “I need a break and I want get to know you better.”
“When?”
“I have to secure this account but then I’d like to go. Maybe in a week?”
“I thought you didn’t do anything on impulse.”
“A week ago that was true, but then I met you.”
“I have two jobs.” She bit her lip. “I don’t think I could go on such short notice.”
“Maybe I could help you find a new job. One that you could use your education for.”
“I go on interviews. I’ll find something eventually.” She’d only been out of school five months. She’d land a job in her field soon.
“I’m sure you will but I know people. I understand if you don’t want to work at Cannon and Carrington.”
That’s my dream.
“Let me help you.”
“You don’t even know if I’m any good.” She laughed.
“I know you’re good.” He shot her his signature grin. The one that made her want to drop to her knees and take care of him.
“You’re so dirty.” She shoved his arm.
“You like it when I’m dirty.” He pulled her to him and nipped at her bottom lip. “And rough.”
“Hmm.” She closed her eyes and let him take control of the kiss. Before long his tongue explored her mouth and his hands played with the hem of her shirt.
“Let me take you away,” he mumbled against her mouth. “Let me show you things you’ve only dreamed of.”
“You already have.”
When Andrew pulled up in front of Coda’s house and stopped the car, her heart sped up. Somehow she’d managed to put the inevitable out of her head. The weekend was over but the conditions had changed, hadn’t they? He wanted to take her on vacation. Maybe he’d want to pursue something with her now that they were back in New York. Only one way to find out.
Ask him.
“Hey.” She turned in his arms. “I was wondering if—” She stopped when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a check.
“What were you wondering?” He stroked her cheek. “Did you pick a place? Where would you like to go?”
“What’s that?”
“This?” He waved the check in front of her. “It’s the other half of the money I owe you.”
“Oh.” Her smile faded.
“Don’t look so disappointed. It was part of the agreement. This is yours.” He handed it to her. “You earned it.”
“Right, I guess I did.” She removed her arms from him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” She took the check, feeling much more awkward than she had when she’d accepted the first payment. A few days ago their arrangement had been a business transaction, but now things were different. At least she thought they were. “We had a deal.”
“I wanted to give it to you earlier, but we had a hectic morning and then it didn’t feel right to bring it up during the car ride home.”
“Maybe there’s a reason it didn’t feel right.” She opened the door and climbed out of the car.
Andrew quickly got out but Spencer halted him with his hand. “Give us a minute, please.”
“Sure.” Andrew got back in the car.
“Dakota, wait.” He followed her up the porch steps that led to her apartment. “What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes before turning to face him. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. I can see it in your expression. I hurt you and I didn’t mean to do that. What was I supposed to do? Forget about our agreement? Say nothing?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “We did a good job of forgetting about it the past two days. I guess I thought... Never mind.”
“What did you think?”
“I’m not sure.” She hadn’t realized she’d feel so cheap. “I thought I meant more to you than the money. I guess I was wrong.”
“What I feel for you has nothing to do with that money. We discussed this.” He paced the small porch, getting more agitated with each step. “I told you sex would complicate things.”
“You weren’t complaining when you took me to bed.”
Her defense mechanisms were up. Instincts always kicked in when she felt the need to protect herself. Her mother had been burned by her father. Coda knew how her mom felt about men. She’d grown up learning n
ot to trust them. Spencer was different. He had to be.
“Why are you doing this? I thought we had separated the two.” He looked confused.
“Is it so easy for you?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I made a deal with you. I don’t take my contracts lightly. I’m a businessman. That’s what I do.”
“I’m more than some proposal.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He yelled. “You fucking told me some nights you don’t have enough to eat. Do you think that sat well with me? Did you think I would ever let that happen again?”
“I’m not your responsibility. I’m not one of those charity auction recipients you seem to be so fond of.” She allowed her pride to get in the way. When he’d approached her with this proposition it seemed like a means to an end. Now that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“I don’t see you as a charity case.” He softened his tone. “I thought you understood.”
“You did a few days ago.” She tried to hold back the tears. On Tuesday it was easy for her to take his money. She didn’t know him. She wouldn’t dare hope to know a man like him. Now, standing on her stoop in Brooklyn, she realized how foolish she had been. They were miles apart. He would go back to the penthouse and she would be a waitress and a cleaning woman.
“I upheld my end of the bargain. I had hoped we’d be able to move past that but—”
“Dakota.” Her mother stepped out onto the porch. “Is everything okay? I heard yelling.”
“Hey, Ma. We’re fine.” She looked at Spencer. “I was just coming inside.”
“Mrs. Vercelli.” Spencer walked toward her and extended his hand. “I’m Spencer Cannon, a friend of your daughter’s. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Please, call me Deb.” Her mother took his hand. “Is that your car, Mr. Cannon?”
“Yes.” He smiled, turning on all of the Cannon charm Coda had become so fond of. “Call me Spencer, Deb.”
“Coda, where did you meet Spencer?” her mother asked.
“Spencer is the CEO of Cannon and Carrington. That ad agency I clean for at night.”
“Was this the interview you told me about? Did you see her work, Spencer? She’s amazing.”
“I’d have to agree.” Spencer looked at Coda.
“No, Ma, the CEO doesn’t look at the portfolio of cleaning people. Spencer needed help with something and I agreed to do it. It was no big deal.”
“Oh, well, I’m sure if you showed him your portfolio... Would you like to come inside for a cup of coffee, Spencer?”
“No!” Coda had to put a stop to this. “Mr. Cannon is a busy man.”
“Yes, but since he’s here you should take advantage of that.” Her mother nodded toward Spencer. “Don’t you agree?”
“Ma, please stop embarrassing me. I need to get my things from the car and I’ll be in.”
“Okay.” She beamed at Coda. “I can’t wait to hear all about this mysterious weekend.”
“It was nice meeting you, Deb,” Spencer said. “I hope we see one another again.”
“Have a nice afternoon, Spencer.”
When she went back into the house, Spencer said, “You look like her.”
“Can you have Andrew get my things?” Coda headed toward the car. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk. “I need to get inside before my mother starts bringing out my art work from fourth grade.”
“Coda, please.” He grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I only meant that an intimate relationship would cloud the agreement. I don’t regret sleeping with you, but it didn’t change the terms of our contract. You fulfilled your commitment and I owed you the rest of the money.”
“I get that.” Why was it so easy for him to treat her as a business transaction? “I think you could have used some finesse, that’s all.”
“I don’t understand.” He looked down at his feet. “After everything, after last night, how could you think I don’t feel something?”
“It’s because of last night that I thought you would have treated me differently.” She unclasped the bracelet and placed it in his hand. “Everything else—the clothes, the shoes, and the money—was part of the agreement.”
“No.” He tried to give it back to her but she wouldn’t take it. “This was a gift.”
“I can’t accept it.” She let go of his hand and tapped on the glass. Andrew looked at Spencer for direction. Spencer nodded to him, indicating he could step out of the car.
“Thank you, Andrew. You could put my stuff on the porch if you don’t mind.”
“No problem, Ms. Vercelli.” Andrew went to the trunk and quickly retrieved the bags. He placed them on the porch. “Will that be everything?”
“I believe so,” Spencer said as he gazed into his hand before clasping it over the bracelet. “I’m ready to leave.”
Andrew opened the door as Spencer moved toward the car.
What should I do? The panic had set in over the realization that everything could end so fast.
“Sir?” Andrew waited for him to get in.
“Spencer,” Coda called.
He placed his arm over the open door and turned to face her.
“Thank you for this weekend.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“It was my pleasure.” He didn’t smile, just stared at her with a straight, impassive face before getting into the car and pulling out his phone. He never looked in her direction. Did she really expect him to?
Andrew shut the door and nodded at Coda. She could tell from his expression that he knew she and Spencer were arguing.
She waved goodbye and watched as they pulled away. Her heart felt heavy and her stomach nauseous. All because of the stupid little piece of paper she held in her hand. The money she had agreed to take in the first place. The same money that led her to Spencer.
Chapter 12
Spencer punched the bag with everything he had, causing Tyler to stumble back from the force.
“Are you going to hold it still?” he yelled. “Or do I need someone else to train with me this morning?”
“What the hell is your problem?” His brother held the bag steady. “It’s bad enough you pulled me out of bed while it was still dark outside to meet you here. Now you’re beating the shit out of me through this bag.”
“I don’t have a problem.” He set up for a round kick, spun around, and slammed his foot into the bag.
Tyler let go and fell back. “Christ!”
Spencer shrugged. “What?”
“I’ve had enough.” He held up his hands.
“Do you want to spar instead?” Spencer pointed to the ring.
“No fuckin’ way.” Tyler got up off the gym floor. “You’ll probably end up breaking my ribs with the mood you’re in.”
“I’m not in a mood.” Spencer chugged his water. He hadn’t slept all night. Coda had been on his mind. He replayed every minute of the time they had spent together, including their unpleasant goodbye.
“What happened with Coda?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
“What? I paid her for her services and we left it at that.”
“Ah, man. That’s cold.” His brother shot him a disgusted glance. “You don’t mean that.”
“You don’t know anything,” Spencer hissed. “Mind your business.”
“I know you like her more than you thought you would. I know she was more than a decoy. I know she likes you. She told me.”
Spencer didn’t want to hear about the weekend. He had enough reminders.
“See, I know a lot. I also know you screwed up.”
“Yeah, I did.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know how to fix it.”
“That’s what you do, you fix things. You find a solution for every problem. That’s why you’re in charge.” Tyler rubbed his elbow. “I went down hard.”
“Don’t be such a girl.” Spen
cer noted the time. “It’s too early to call her.”
He should have called her last night, but he let his stupid ego get in the way. When she gave him that bracelet, she’d hurt him. That had never happened before. No woman ever had the power to render him speechless or make him feel so much emotional pain that he couldn’t function.
“But it wasn’t too early to call me?”
“Let’s hit the showers. Pierce and Grandfather will be looking for us soon. Have you heard from Vince?” They walked to the locker room. “I’m getting worried.”
“He’s been pretty quiet. I’m hoping that means he’s figure out that logo. He should have it on your desk this morning. He said he was trying to contact someone about the design.”
“What does that mean?” All the artists were in-house. They had no freelance designers he knew of. “Who did the design?”
“I don’t know. He told me to leave him alone and let him work.”
“I want this resolved today or I’m cutting this client loose. I’m not jumping through any more hoops. We have other campaigns that need my attention.”
As they walked to the locker room, Tyler stopped and picked up a local rag sheet someone had left on the lounge table. His family did their best to stay out of the tabloids but sometimes it couldn’t be avoided.
“Ah, shit,” Tyler said as he read the article.
“What? Pictures from the wedding in there?”
“Yeah.”
“Big deal.” He shrugged as he finished his water. “It goes with the territory.”
“I don’t think you’re going to like this.” He held the paper up for Spencer to see. Under the pictures of Spencer and Coda arriving to the hotel read the headline,
Cannon and Carrington’s CEO slums with Brooklyn waitress. Exclusive pictures of the two and an interview with Spencer Cannon’s disgraced fiancée.
“Ava,” he mumbled. “Fuck!”
