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Propositioned by the Tycoon
Mr. Strictly Business
Day LeClaire
Bought: His Temporary Fiancée
Yvonne Lindsay
A Win-Win Proposition
Cat Schield
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Mr. Strictly Business
Excerpt
About The Author
Dear Reader
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Bought: His Temporary Fiancée
Excerpt
Dear Reader
About the Author
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Preview
A Win-Win Proposition
Excerpt
Dear Reader
About the Author
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Copyright
Mr. Strictly Business
Mr. Strictly Business by Day LeClaire
“If it makes you feel better,” Gabe said, “I’ll simply explain that you and I are an item again.”
Alarm flared to life in Catherine’s eyes. “Excuse me?”
“After all, it won’t be a complete fabrication. In fact, it won’t be a fabrication at all.”
She tensed. “What are you talking about?”
“You never asked my price for helping you.”
She inhaled sharply before lifting her chin. “How foolish of me. I’d forgotten what a pirate you are, Gabe.”
“That’s me,” he agreed lazily. “A pirate to the bone.”
“So what’s your price? What do you want?”
He gave it to her hard and straight. “You. I want you, Catherine. Back in my life. Back in my apartment. And back in my bed.”
USA TODAY bestselling author DAY LECLAIRE lives and works on a remote barrier island off the North Carolina coast—a perfect setting for writing passionate books that offer a unique combination of humour, emotion and unforgettable characters. Described as “one of our most popular writers ever!”, Day is a three-time winner of both the Colorado Award of Excellence and the Golden Quill Award. She’s won a Romantic Times BOOKreviews Career Achievement Award and a Love and Laughter award the Holt Medallion, a Booksellers’ Best Award, and has received an impressive ten nominations for the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award.
Day’s romances touch the heart and make you care about her characters as much as she does. In Day’s own words, “I adore writing romances and can’t think of a better way to spend each day.” For more information, visit Day on her website at www.dayleclaire.com.
Dear Reader,
I had a lot of fun writing this book. It is a lighter story than some of mine, full of emotion and humourand of course, conflict.
The setting for this book is Seattle, Washington, my old stomping grounds. My son was born here and my experiences while living in this marvellous city gave birth to more than one book. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to visit my Totton cousins, who live in Seattle, and my mother and I had a marvellous day with them on Lake Washington. We had such a lovely day it actually provided inspiration for one of the scenes in this book.
I hope you enjoy the story, one with a tad more humour, tons of warmth, a strong, powerful hero and a heroine with a secret…
Enjoy!
Day LeClaire
To Jon, Louise and Samantha Totton, with my love and gratitude, particularly for one amazing summer day on Lake Washington.
Chapter One
“I need your help.”
Gabe Piretti struggled to conceal the intense wave of satisfaction those four simple words gave him, spoken by the only woman he’d ever loved. After twenty-three months he thought he’d be able to see Catherine Haile without experiencing any lingering emotions. Foolish of him to think such a thing was even remotely possible. After all, they’d worked together. Lived together. Tangled hearts and minds and bodies into what he’d once believed an inseparable knot. The passion that erupted between them had been an inferno that even eighteen months together had done nothing to lessen. If anything, it had grown stronger with each day they’d shared.
And then she’d left. He knew the excuses she’d offered, what she’d said or—even more damning—hadn’t said. For the first time in his life, Gabe “the Pirate” Piretti had been unable to solve the problem. Not by hook or crook. Not by demand, nor wit, nor full frontal attack, nor carefully crafted stealth. When Catherine had left him, he’d lost his anchor. And as much as he hated to admit it, he’d been adrift ever since.
If she hadn’t chosen to come to him today, he’d have seen to it that their worlds collided in the very near future. Over the endless months they’d been apart, he’d given her the space she’d requested. And he had watched from a distance while she set up her business and professional life on her terms. Keeping that distance had been the hardest thing Gabe had ever done, harder even than when he’d swooped in and taken the helm of Piretti’s away from his mother in order to snatch the business from the teeth of bankruptcy.
Well, now Catherine was back, and he’d find a way to keep her. She wanted his help? So be it. He’d give it to her. But the price would be high. The question was…would she pay it, or would she run again?
Aware that he’d kept her standing, Gabe waved her toward the sitting area that occupied a large corner of his office. Liquid sunlight, still damp from a recent shower, spilled in through tinted glass windows that overlooked a broad sweep of Seattle, as well as Puget Sound. The brilliant rays caught in Catherine’s upswept hair, picking out the streaks of gold buried in the honey warmth.
“Coffee?” he offered.
After taking a seat, Catherine set her briefcase at her feet and shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks.”
He took the chair across from her and tilted his head to one side as he studied her. She wore a chocolate-brown silk suit that shimmered richly over subtle curves, revealing that she’d recently lost weight, weight she could ill-afford to lose. The fitted jacket nipped in at a miniscule waist and ended just shy of a feminine pair of hips. She’d chosen sandals that were little more than a knot of sexy straps with the prerequisite three-inch heels, which she invariably wore to give the illusion of height. The heels also performed double duty by showcasing a stunning pair of legs. Clearly, she’d dressed to impress…or distract.
“It’s been a while,” he commented. “You’ve changed.”
“Stop it.”
He lifted an eyebrow and offered a bland smile. “Stop what?”
“You’re mentally undressing me.”
It was true, though not the way she thought. He couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the recent weight loss, but was careful to hide his concern beneath gentle banter. “Only because I figured you’d object if I undressed you any other way.”
A reluctant smile came and went. “What happened to your motto of strictly business?”
“When it comes to work, I am all business.” He paused deliberately. “But you don’t work for me, do you?”
“And haven’t for three and a half years.”
His humor faded. “Do you regret your choices, Catherine?”
He caught a flicker of distress before she rearranged her expression into a mask of casual indifference. “Some of them. But that’s not what you’re asking, is it? You want to know if I had the opportunity to do it over again, would I choose differently?” She gave it serious consideration. “I doubt it. Some things you simply have to experience in order to learn how to live your life…or how not to.”
“Some things? Or some people?”
She met his gaze, dead-on. “Both, of course. But I’m not here to discuss our past.”
“Straight to business, then.”
She continued to study him. He remembered how disconcerting he’d found those amber-gold eyes when they’d first met. Nothing had changed. They were still as intense as they were unusual, seeing far more than he felt comfortable revealing. “Isn’t business first how you prefer it?” she asked. “I seem to recall that’s practically a cardinal rule at Piretti’s. Whenever you buy and sell companies, put them together or dismantle them, it’s never personal. It’s just business.”
“Normally, that would be true. But with you…” He shrugged, conceding the unfathomable. “You were always the exception.”
“Funny. I’d have said just the opposite.”
Her mouth compressed, a habitual gesture when the spontaneous part of her nature ran up against the bone-deep kindness that kept her more wayward thoughts in check. In the past, he’d taken great delight in kissing those wide, full lips apart and teasing the truth from her. Somehow he didn’t think she’d respond well to that particular tack. Not now. Not yet.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “Water under the bridge.”
“Quite a bit of water. But not quite enough to break the dam. I’ll have to see what I can do about that.”
A hint of confusion drifted across her expression, but he moved on before she could question what he meant. In time, he’d find out why she’d left. In time, he’d break through that calm, polite facade and force the fury and passion to the surface. He’d poke and prod until the dam finally broke and the truth spilled out.
“How have you been?” he asked, hoping the mundane question would help her relax.
A hint of strain blossomed across her elegant features. When he’d first met her—and hired her on the spot—he’d thought her delicate. And though her fine-boned appearance gave that impression, he’d quickly learned she possessed a backbone of steel. But right now she seemed more than delicate. She looked undone.
“I’m a little stressed right now,” she confessed. “Which is why I’m here.”
“Tell me about it,” he prompted.
She hesitated, gathering her self-control and wrapping dispassion around herself like a protective cloak. “About eighteen months ago, I started my own business.”
“Elegant Events.”
He’d surprised her. “How did—” She waved the question aside. “Never mind. You would have made it your business to know what I did after we went our separate ways.”
“You mean…after you left me.”
The correction escaped without thought or intent, the words whisper-soft and carrying an underlying edge. An edge she caught. The strain she fought so hard to conceal deepened, melded with an old anger and an even older hurt. Her hands curled tight, her knuckles bleached white. This time when she compressed her mouth he suspected it was to control the betraying tremble. Time stretched taut.
“Do you really want to go there?” she asked at last. She pinned him with a single look. “Do we need to deal with the past now? Is that the only way you’re willing to help me?”
“It’s not the only way.”
“Just the way you prefer.” She didn’t wait for the confirmation. “Fine. I’ll make this as straightforward as I know how. You, with your unrelenting need to keep business and personal in separate compartments, gave me a choice. I could work for you or love you, but not both. I, foolishly, chose love. What I didn’t realize is that you were already in love. And that love would always come first with you.”
“You were the only woman in my life,” he bit back.
She lifted a shoulder and smiled in a way that threatened to tear his heart right out of his chest. “Perhaps the only woman, but not the only thing. Piretti’s was always your first love. And because of that, it will always be the love you put first.”
“You left me because I worked late on occasion?” he demanded in disbelief. “Because sometimes I was forced to put work ahead of you or our social life?”
She didn’t bother arguing, though he could see part of her yearned to. The anger and disillusionment could be read in her expression, the bitter words trembling on the tip of her tongue. She waited until both faded away before speaking.
“Yes,” she said with painful simplicity. “Yes, I left you for all those reasons.”
“And a host of others?” he guessed shrewdly.
She inclined her head. “And a host of others.” Before he could demand more information, she held out a hand in supplication. “Please, Gabe. It’s been nearly two years. There’s no point in beating this issue to death after all this time. Can’t we move on?” She paused a beat, a hint of wry humor catching him by surprise. “Or am I wasting my time coming here today?”
He had no intention of moving on, but he could be patient. Maybe. If he tried really hard. “You aren’t wasting your time. If it’s in my power to help, I will. Why don’t you start by explaining the problem to me?”
She took a deep, steadying breath. “Okay, let’s see if I can’t keep this short and straightforward, the way you like it. In a nutshell, Elegant Events is an event-staging business geared toward upper-echelon corporations and large-budget clientele.”
“Of which there are plenty in the Seattle area.”
She nodded. “Exactly. My goal was—and is—to plan and stage every aspect of the event in order to spare clients any and all worry and headaches. They tell me what they want, and I provide it. If they’re willing to pay for it, I’ll find a way of fulfilling their every desire, and if possible, to exceed their expectations.”
“And you do it with grace and elegance and panache.”
Pleasure gave her cheeks a hint of much-needed color. “You should write my PR releases. That’s precisely our goal. We strive to bring something unique to every event, to set the perfect stage, whether it’s to high-light the release of a new product or to create the perfect memory for a special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”
“Like the Marconi affair tonight.”
She shook her head in amused disbelief. “Is there anything you don’t know? Yes, like the Marconi affair tonight. You’re only ninety once, and Natalie is under tremendous pressure to make her father-in-law’s birthday celebration an unforgettable occasion.”
Gabe couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Catherine so happy, and that fact filled him with regret. She’d suffered at his hands. It hadn’t been deliberate on his part, but that didn’t alter the facts. “I don’t doubt you’ll pull the party off in grand style,” he stated with absolute conviction.
“During my years at Piretti’s, as well as during the time we were together, I learned a lot about what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t. And though I didn’t expect the business to take off right away, to my surprise and delight, it did.” Energy and enthusiasm rippled through her voice. “We’ve scored some impressive clients and they seemed pleased with the various events. At least, I thought they were.”
Her excitement dimmed and he frowned in concern. “Obviously, something’s gone wrong. What’s happened to change all that?”
The last of her vivaciousness drained away, leaving behind the tension. “Two things. First, we’re losing clients. It’s nothing overt. Just contracts I thought were a sure thing have suddenly gone away without any explanation. Everyone’s polite and makes encouraging noises, but when it’s all said and done, they choose another company.”
“And the second problem?”
“Is the most serious.” Worry darkened her eyes and turned her voice husky with nerves. “We’re on the verge of bankruptcy, Gabe. And I don’t know why. I thought we’d been careful with our profit margin, but maybe there’s been more waste than I realized. I can’t quite get a handle on it. It’s not my area of expertise. I can tell something’s off, but I can’t seem to pinpoint what. I’m hoping you can figure it out and suggest changes to correct the problem before we go under.”
He keyed in on one very pertinent word that he hadn’t noticed until then. “We?” he repeated.
She hesitated. “I have a partner, someone who prefers to remain anonymous,” she hastened to add.
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Why?”
Catherine lifted a shoulder. “She just does. Since half the startup money was hers, I respect her desire for privacy.”
She. Gabe refused to allow his relief to show that the partner was female rather than a male. It was petty of him, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Not when it came to Catherine. Still, it seemed odd that this partner would want to keep her identity a secret. Maybe he’d do a little digging and see if he couldn’t find out what the mystery was all about. “Depending on what I find, that may need to change,” he warned. “There’s an excellent chance I’ll want to meet her.”
“I did discuss that possibility with her. She’s agreed that if it means the difference between salvaging the business and having Elegant Events go bankrupt, she’s willing to meet with you.”
“Good decision,” he said dryly.
“Agreed.” A quick smile flashed. He didn’t realize how much he missed it until it was there, reawakening an ache that had been tamped down, but never fully excised.“ Tell me what you require in order to get started,” she requested.
He forced himself to switch gears. “All bank and accounting records since you opened your doors.” He ran through a mental list. “Debts, creditors, cost of goods purchased, billables, write-offs. Your prospectus, past and current contracts, a list of services offered and what you charge for them.”
“In other words, you want a copy of everything.” She reached for her briefcase. Pulling out a thick folder, she handed it to him. “I have most of that information with me.”
He nodded. “Excellent. I’ll go over what you brought and have Roxanne prepare a list of anything more I might need.”
A shadow swept across Catherine’s face, evaporating so swiftly that he’d have missed it if he hadn’t been looking straight at her. “I’d hoped to keep my problem strictly between the two of us. Would you mind if we leave your assistant out of this? Is that possible?”
“Possible, but not probable. Roxanne is privy to most of what goes on around here.”
“And what she isn’t privy to, I’m certain she makes it her business to find out,” Catherine commented blandly. “How else can she provide you with everything you need?”
Okay, he knew a minefield when he saw one. “I’ll leave Roxanne out of the loop.”
“And if she asks?”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you questioning how I run my business? Considering why you’re here…”
“No, I—”
“I didn’t think so.” He relented. “But if it will make you feel better, should the subject come up in conversation, I’ll simply explain that you and I are an item again.”
Alarm flared to life in Catherine’s eyes. “Excuse me?”
“After all, it won’t be a complete fabrication.” He smiled in anticipation. “In fact, it won’t be a fabrication at all.”
She tensed, like a mouse finally noticing the trap. She’d been so busy nibbling at the tasty hunk of cheese that she’d been oblivious of it. Until now. “What are you talking about?”
“You never asked my price for helping you.”
She inhaled sharply before lifting her chin. “How foolish of me. I’d forgotten what a pirate you are, Gabe.”
“That’s me,” he agreed lazily. “A pirate to the bone.”
“So what’s your price? What do you want?”
He gave it to her hard and straight. “You. I want you, Catherine. Back in my life. Back in my apartment. And back in my bed.”
She shot to her feet. “You’ve lost your mind. You can’t possibly think I’d agree to such a thing.”
He regarded her in silence for a long moment before responding. “I guess that depends on how badly you want to save your business.”
“Not that badly.”
He stood and closed the distance between them. “Liar.”
“Whatever there was between us is over, Gabe. Dead.”
She was so small compared to him. So delicately put together. And yet she vibrated with sheer feminine outrage, with a strength and power he found irresistible. It was one of the qualities he’d always admired about her. Where most women looked for ways to make themselves as appealing to him as possible, Catherine had never played those types of games. He’d always known where he stood with her. Those gloriously unique eyes of hers could slay him with a single look, or melt him with the fire of her passion. Right now she was busy slicing and dicing him in every imaginable way.
“I know you’d like to think that what we shared is dead and buried.” He allowed his amusement to show. “But you’ve forgotten one small detail.”
“What detail?” she demanded.
“This…”
He slid his arms around her and locked her close against him. He remembered the feel of her, the perfect way her body fit his. She had a pixie-lean figure with delicious curves her trim business suit only hinted at. But they were there, and they never failed to arouse him. Unable to resist, he cupped her face and drew her up for a kiss. She didn’t fight as he expected, but neither did she respond. Not that he expected instant capitulation. That would take time.
For now, her full, generous mouth did no more than accept the teasing pressure of his. Gently, oh so gently, he teased his way past that sweet barrier, knowing just how she liked to be touched. Caressed. Taken. He’d missed the taste of her, the feel of her, the subtle scent of her. He missed the sharpness of her mind, and yes, even the sharpness of her tongue when she felt wronged.
He missed the quiet evenings when they’d sit together on his balcony sipping a glass of local merlot while day slid into night and Puget Sound came alive with the twinkling lights from the boat and ferry traffic. How they would slip from soft, sweet conversation to a soft, sweet tangle of arms and legs and lips. How their clothes would form a silken pathway from the balcony to the bedroom. And then the night would go from that softness, that sweetness, to something fiery and demanding. Something that branded their connection on every fiber of his being.
No matter how hard he tried to cut off that part of himself, that part indelibly linked to her, it would have been easier to rip out his heart and soul. He couldn’t live without her. And he wouldn’t. He’d been one of the living dead for long enough. He refused to spend another minute without Catherine in his life. And if it meant that he had to use blackmail to get her there, then that’s what he’d do. Because once he had her back, he’d do whatever necessary to keep her.
With a soft moan, her lips parted and he slid inward. For a split second she surrendered to him, taking all he had to give. Her body flowed against his and her lips moved with familiar certainty, nibbling hungrily. Her fingers slid into his hair and gripped, anchoring them together. And her heeled foot inched upward, hooking around his calf in a practiced maneuver. He recognized the signal and responded without thought. Cupping her bottom, he lifted her so she could wrap those incredible legs around his waist. The instant he did, she began to fight free.
“No!” She wriggled from his hold and took several stumbling steps backward. “This isn’t happening.”
“It’s too late, Catherine. It already happened.”
He saw comprehension burn in her eyes. He also caught an infuriated acknowledgment that their feelings for each other weren’t anywhere near as dead as she claimed, though if he didn’t miss his guess, that fury was aimed more at herself than at him. She closed her eyes, effectively shutting him out.
“Damn,” she whispered.
“Does that kiss prove my point, or is another demonstration necessary?”
She yanked at the hem of her suit jacket and with an exclamation of annoyance, shoved button through hole where it had come undone. Then she tugged at her skirt and smoothed her hair. What he’d ruffled, she swiftly unruffled. Then she regarded him with undisguised irritation. “You’ve made your point,” she retorted. He could only imagine the amount of effort it took to look at him. “You do realize that I believed it was over between us, or I’d never have approached you.”
“That’s rather naive of you since there’s not a chance in hell this will ever be over between us, sweetheart.”
Her chin shot up. “There shouldn’t have been anything left. I figured at most we’d have to kick over some of the ashes just to satisfy our morbid curiosity. I didn’t expect to find any lingering embers.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute.”
“This—” She waved an all-encompassing hand to indicate him, herself, and the kiss that still heated their lips. “None of it changes my mind about our relationship. I’m not coming back home.”
Home. The slip hung in the air for a timeless instant. He didn’t reply. He simply smiled knowingly.
Swearing beneath her breath, she shot toward the couch and gathered up the file she’d given him and stuffed it inside her briefcase. Tossing the strap of her purse over one shoulder, she spun around to face him. He deliberately stood between her and the door. Not that that stopped her.
“I’m leaving,” she warned. “And I’m going around you, through you or over your dead body. But I am going.”
“And I’m going to make certain that doesn’t happen. Oh, not today,” he reassured her at her unmistakable flare of alarm. “But very soon I’m going to be around you, through you and—trust me—your body will be far from dead when I’m over it.” He stepped to one side. “When you change your mind about needing my help with Elegant Events, you know where to find me.”
She crossed the room, circling just out of reach as she headed for the door. Her hand closed over the knob, and then she hesitated. “Why, Gabe?” she asked quietly, throwing the question over her shoulder. “Why the conditions?”
“The truth?”
“If you don’t mind.”
The words escaped in a harsh undertone, the brutal honesty making them all the more devastating in their delivery. “Not a night passes that I don’t ache for you, Cate. Not a morning dawns that I don’t reach for you. I want the pain to end. The next time I reach out, I want you there.”
Chapter Two
It took every ounce of self-possession for Catherine to exit Gabe’s office without it looking as though she were attempting to escape the fiery pits of hell. Worse, she’d completely forgotten about Roxanne Bodine, aka Satan’s handmaiden, whose sharp black eyes made note of the distress Catherine wasn’t quick enough to conceal. A mocking smile slid across sharply flamboyant features.
“Not the reunion you were hoping for?” Roxanne asked in a honeyed voice that contained just a whiff of a southern drawl. “If you’d bothered to ask, I could have warned that you were wasting your time. You let that fish slip off your hook nearly two years ago, and he’s none too eager to slip back on again.”
“Maybe you should tell him that,” Catherine retorted, then wanted to kick herself for revealing so much.
Roxanne could deliver taunts with needle-sharp precision. But she wasn’t the type of woman who took them well. Nor did she appreciate the implication that Gabe might be interested in getting back together with the rival she’d worked so hard to rid herself of.
“Some women don’t understand the concept of making a graceful exit.” Roxanne stood and stretched a figure as full and lush as Catherine’s was petite and fine-boned. She settled on the corner of her desk with all the lazy grace of a true feline. Then she proceeded to sharpen her claws on the nearest available target, in this case, Catherine. “Seems to me you’d have more pride than to come crawling back. You’re just asking to get kicked to the curb again.”
All her life Catherine had chosen discretion over a more overt approach. She’d been the good girl. Quiet. Polite. Turning the other cheek when required. But enough was enough. She didn’t have anything to lose anymore. “I don’t know how I’d survive without you looking out for my welfare, Roxanne,” Catherine said with a sunny smile. “Maybe that’s your problem. Maybe instead of looking out for me, you should be looking out for yourself.”
“Oh, don’t trouble yourself on my account. I’m like a cat,” she said, stating the all-too obvious. “I’ve been blessed with nine lives and I have a knack for landing on my feet.”
Catherine planted a hand on a trim hip. “And yet here you are still sitting behind a desk…like an alley cat meowing at the back door waiting to be let in. I’d have thought with me out of the way, you’d have found a way in by now. I guess that’s one door you can’t quite slink through.”
Fury turned Roxanne’s face a deadly shade of white while two patches of harsh red streaked across her sharp cheekbones. “You think I made your life a misery before? Try me now. This is my turf, and I’ll do whatever necessary to defend it.”
Catherine made a sweeping gesture. “Go right ahead. But while you’re so busy staking out your territory, maybe you should consider one small detail that you seem to have overlooked.”
That stopped her. “I haven’t overlooked a thing,” Roxanne insisted, just a shade too late.
“No? How about this. You know your boss. When he wants something, he doesn’t let anything stand in his way. Gabe wants, Gabe takes.” Catherine allowed that to sink in before continuing. “You’ve worked for him for…what? Two and a half years? Three? And yet you’ve never been taken. I’m willing to bet you can’t even get him to sample the goods. If he hasn’t been tempted in all that time, what makes you think he ever will?”
She didn’t wait for a response. If there was one thing she’d learned since opening Elegant Events, it was when to pack up your knives and leave. Without another word, she swung around and headed for the elevators. The instant she stepped into the car, she checked her back. To her relief she didn’t find any of those knives sticking out of it.
Yet.
“So, fill me in on every detail. How did it go?” Dina Piretti asked eagerly. “You didn’t have to tell him about me, did you?”
Catherine set down her briefcase just inside the front door and shot Gabe’s mother an uneasy glance. “No, he still hasn’t discovered that you’re my partner,” she reassured her.
Dina released a sigh. “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
“But it didn’t go well,” Catherine confessed. “I’m afraid we’re on our own. We’ll either have to figure out where the problem is ourselves, or we’ll have to hire an outside consultant to advise us. A consultant other than your son.”
Dina stared in patent disbelief. “No,” she stammered. “You must have misunderstood. I can’t believe Gabriel refused to help you. Not you.”
Catherine hesitated. She had two choices. She could lie, something she not only hated, but didn’t do well. Or she could tell Gabe’s mother what her precious firstborn had demanded in exchange for his help. Neither option held any appeal.
“I need a drink,” she announced. Maybe while they fixed a pot of coffee, some stroke of brilliance would come to her and she’d figure out a third option.“ And then we’d better get to work. The Marconi birthday party is tonight and I have a dozen phone calls I need you to make while I head over there and supervise the setup.”
Dina led the way to her kitchen, though she hardly needed to considering the two women spent a good deal of their workday together in its comfortable confines. When they’d first conceived Elegant Events it had been right here, in Dina’s Queen Anne home, sitting at her generously sized bleached oak kitchen table. Since then, they’d filled the emptiness of the huge house by converting several of the rooms into an office suite, one that had so far escaped Gabe’s notice. The division of labor worked to each of their strengths. Catherine manned the front lines, while Dina ran the business end of things. Right now the older woman wore her shrewdest and most businesslike expression.
“You’re being evasive, Catherine. That’s not like you. Tell me what went wrong. Oh, wait. I’ll bet I can guess.” A broad smile flashed, one identical to Gabe’s. When they’d first started working together that smile had caused Catherine untold pain. Even now it stirred a twinge that wouldn’t be denied. “Gabriel put those patented Piretti moves on you, didn’t he?”
Catherine deliberately turned her back on her partner. “One or two,” she admitted. Dumping fresh coffee beans into the grinder, she switched it on, relieved that the noise of the machine made conversation impossible.
The instant the machine shut off, Dina jumped in. “It was just the same with his father. I never could resist him.” A hint of sorrow appeared in her eyes and cut faint grooves beside her mouth. Not that it detracted from her startling beauty, a beauty she’d managed to pass on to her son, if in a slightly more masculine form. “Funny how much I can still miss him after all this time.”
Catherine abandoned the coffee and wrapped her arms around Dina. “From everything you and Gabe have told me, he was an incredible man. I only wish I could have met him.”
“He’d have adored you.” Dina pulled back and forced a smile. “You’ve evaded answering me long enough. What happened? Why did Gabriel refuse to help?”
“He didn’t refuse,” Catherine told her. “He just put a price on his help that I’m unwilling to pay.”
“Ah.” Understanding dawned. “He wanted to get back together with you, didn’t he?”
“How did you…?” Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “Did you speak to him before I went over there?”
“I haven’t spoken to Gabriel about you in months. I haven’t spoken to him at all in the past three days,” Dina insisted. She crossed to the coffee machine and made short work of starting the brewing process before turning to face Catherine. “I am, however, a woman, and I know my son. He’s still in love with you.”
No, not love, Catherine almost said. Lust, maybe. But he’d never truly been in love with her. Not that she could explain any of that to Dina. “He said that he’d only help if I moved back in with him.”
“Naturally, you refused.”
“Naturally.”
“Because you don’t have feelings for him anymore, either.”
Catherine didn’t dare answer that one. Instead, she regarded Dina with troubled eyes. “I know you’ve always hoped that we’d work out our differences, but that’s not going to happen. You understand that, don’t you?”
It was Dina’s turn to look troubled. “I’ve never wanted to push for answers you weren’t ready to give. I gather something went horribly wrong between you. You were so ill during those early weeks after the two of you broke up that I didn’t have the heart to ask. But I always thought that you and Gabriel would work it out. You were so right together. So in love.” She swept that aside with a wave of her hand. “Never mind. You were absolutely right to refuse him. It was quite rude of Gabriel to put conditions on his help.”
Catherine smiled in relief. “You’re not upset?”
“I’m disappointed.” She poured them both a cup of freshly brewed coffee, putting an end to the subject. “Why don’t we forget about all that for now and get down to business? I suggest we double—and triple-check that everything’s in place for tonight’s affair. We can’t afford any errors.”
No question about that. Between their financial woes and the contracts they’d lost, there was added urgency on getting every event perfect. The next several hours flew by. Much to Catherine’s relief, the intensity of the work didn’t allow for thoughts of Gabe to intrude. Every ounce of concentration and effort went into putting the finishing touches on the Marconi event. More than ever she needed tonight to be a stunning success, for Natalie Marconi to rave about Elegant Events to all of her closest friends—and more importantly, her husband’s business contacts.
By nine that night the party was in full swing, and Catherine worked behind the scenes, keeping everything running with smooth efficiency, while remaining as unobtrusive as possible. Having a half dozen walkie-talkies that kept all the various stations in touch with each other certainly helped with speed and communication, not to mention coordinating the progress of the party. But she always faced last-minute glitches, and tonight proved no exception.
This time around the band showed up late and the caterers underestimated the amount of champagne necessary to fill the flutes of the several hundred people who’d come to toast the Marconi patriarch. Both problems were corrected before anyone noticed, but it took some fast maneuvering, a flurry of phone calls and an exhausting combination of threats and pleas.
Catherine paused by the doorway leading outside to the staging area and, for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night, examined the checklist she’d posted there. Every aspect of the evening was listed and carefully initialed by the responsible party once it had been dealt with. She’d found the list a lifesaver on more than one occasion since it kept everyone up to date on the progress of the event, and ensured accountability. Only a few boxes remained blank. The birthday cake. A few catering chores. And, of course, the post-party cleanup.
Satisfied, she had started toward the kitchen to speak with the caterers about the cake when she felt a telltale prickle along her spine. She turned, not the least surprised to discover Gabe lounging in the doorway behind her.
For a split second, all she could do was stand and stare. That’s how it had been the first time she’d seen him, too. One look stole every last ounce of sense and sensibility. He stood a full six feet two inches, with mile-wide shoulders, topping a powerful, toned body. He’d encased all that potent masculinity in formal wear, which turned his body into a lethal weapon that no woman had a chance of resisting. But it was far worse than that. Gabe Piretti also possessed the striking features of an angel coupled with the burning cobalt-blue eyes of a devil. And right now he had those predatory eyes fixed on her.
It wasn’t just the raw, physical impact of the man, Catherine was forced to admit. Perhaps for some women that would be sufficient. Maybe his looks, along with the embarrassing number of digits that graced his bank account, would satisfy. But she’d always wanted something else in the man she chose as her own. She wanted a heart and a mind that worked in sync with hers. For a brief time, she’d found that with Gabe. At least, she had until he made it clear that money was his god, and what she had to offer was only icing to fill in the cracks of his multilayered cake.
Maybe he hadn’t caught her helpless reaction to his appearance, though why she even bothered to indulge in such pointless speculation, she didn’t know. One glimpse of the amusement gleaming in his eyes put paid to that forlorn hope. How could she have forgotten? Gabe could read people at a single glance. It was part of what made him such a good deal-broker. No one pulled anything over on him.
Except Roxanne.
“Should I even bother to ask what you’re doing here?” she asked.
A half smile eased across his mouth. “I was invited.”
“Of course.” She didn’t doubt that for a minute. “You neglected to mention it when I saw you this morning.”
He lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “Must have slipped my mind.” His attention switched to her mouth. “I believe I was preoccupied with more important matters at the time.”
“Speaking of more important matters, I have to work right now. So if you’ll excuse me…” She started to press past him, but he shifted just enough to make it awkward. “Gabe, please,” she whispered. “This is a really bad idea.”
“I’m afraid I have to disagree with you about that.” When she made another move to pass him, he pressed her against the wall, locking her in place. Tucking a loosened curl of hair behind her ear, he allowed his fingers to drift from the curve of her cheek to her mouth. And there, he lingered. “Just give me one more minute.”
“Forget it, Gabe. I can’t be caught necking with the guests.”
“I just want to talk to you. You can spare a minute to talk, can’t you?”
One minute. Sixty seconds of sheer heaven. She couldn’t resist the temptation, not when those devil’s eyes promised such decadent delight. “You can have thirty seconds. But no kissing the help,” she warned.
His smile came slow and potent. “You look stunning tonight. That shade of bronze turns your eyes to pure gold.”
It took her precious seconds to find her voice and respond with anything approaching normalcy. “I look quietly elegant,” she corrected in far too husky a voice. “I work hard at looking quietly elegant so that I fit in with my surroundings without standing out.”
He regarded her in amusement. “I gather standing out would be inappropriate.”
“It would,” she assured him.
Just another few seconds and then she’d step away from him. She’d step away and force her mind back to business. Just another moment to feel the powerful press of his body against hers. Togather up his unique scent and allow it to seep into her lungs. To lower her guard just this one time and surrender to the stir of memories, memories of what once was and what could have been, if only…
She snatched a deep breath, forcing herself to address the mundane and irreverent. With luck it would help her regain her sanity, something she’d clearly lost. “I don’t want to wear something too flashy, any more than I want to wear clothing too casual for the occasion. I want the attention on the event and the participants, not on me.”
“I can see your dilemma.” He continued to stand close, so close that she could feel the softness of his breath against her skin. “There’s only one small problem with your scenario.”
“Which is?” she managed to ask.
“You could be in a burlap sack and you’d still outshine every woman here.”
She shouldn’t allow his flattery to affect her. And maybe she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t witnessed the flare of passion in his eyes and heard the ring of sincerity in his voice. She weakened, just for an instant, her body and heart softening. Yielding.
It was all the invitation he needed. He leaned into her, pressing her against the wall. And then he consumed her. If she thought the kiss they’d shared earlier had threatened to overwhelm her, it was nothing compared to this one. He knew just how to touch her to decimate every last ounce of control. He breached her defenses and slipped inside with an ease that shook her to the core.
And in that moment, he turned her world upside down.
She heard a harsh groan and couldn’t tell if it emanated from his throat or hers. All she knew was that it sounded primal and desperate. She’d gone without this for too long, she was forced to concede. She’d been stripped of something she hadn’t even realized she needed. He was her air. Her heartbeat. Her sustenance and her reason for being. How had she survived all this time without him?
Unable to help herself, she wrapped herself around him and gave. And then she gave more, putting all the longing and hope and despair into that one single kiss. She had no idea how long they stood there, their breath coming in urgent pants, hands groping, bodies pressing.
Perhaps she’d never have surfaced if she hadn’t suddenly felt a tingling awareness that they were being watched. Shoving at his shoulders, she pushed him back, or tried to, for all the good it did her. The man was as immovable as an oak, and because of his height, he blocked her view of whomever had witnessed their embrace. All she caught was a fleeting glimpse of red.
“Playtime’s over,” she managed to say.
It took him a minute to release her and another one after that for her to recover her equilibrium and attempt to walk down the hallway. Thank God she’d worn sensible shoes. If she’d tried to maneuver on her usual heels, her shaky legs would have pitched her straight onto her backside. He must have picked up on the results of his handiwork because his rumble of laughter followed her down the hallway, as did he.
“Seriously, I need to work, Gabe,” she said, attempting to dismiss him. She gave her walkie-talkie a cursory check to make sure she hadn’t accidentally bumped the volume knob. To her relief, she saw that it was on and working just fine.
“I won’t get in your way. I have a legitimate reason for following you.”
“Which is?”
“I need to watch how your run your business. Just in case.”
“Just in case…what?” she asked distractedly.
“Just in case you change your mind and ask for my help.”
She stopped dead in her tracks and faced him. “That isn’t going to happen. I can’t meet your price.” She shook her head. “Correction. I won’t meet it.”
He only had to lift a single eyebrow for her to consider what had happened just moments ago, and realize that her claim rang a little hollow. “Time will tell,” he limited himself to saying.
She waved him aside with an impatient hand and looked around, not sure where she was or how she’d gotten there. What the hell had she been going to do when he’d interrupted her? She was utterly clueless. With an irritated sigh, she turned on her heel and headed back the way she’d come. Giving the checklist another cursory glance, she stepped outside. She’d do a quick walk-through and inspect each of the various stations. Then she’d touch bases with the caterers—She snapped her fingers. The caterers. That’s where she’d intended to go. She needed to coordinate the presentation of the cake.
She spared Gabe a brief glance. If she turned around yet again, she’d confirm how thoroughly he’d rattled her, which would never do. No point in giving him that much of an advantage. Instead, she’d keep moving forward and circle back once she’d ditched him. She crossed the beautifully manicured lawn toward Lake Washington, pausing at the demarcation between grass and imported white sand. She took a moment to gaze out across the dark water. And all the while a painful awareness surged through her.
“You’ve done an incredible job, Catherine,” Gabe said quietly. “The gondolas are a particularly special touch. I’m sure it reminds Alessandro of his home in Italy.”
Catherine smiled at the sight of the distinctive boats and the gondoliers manning them, all of whom were decked out in their traditional garb of black slacks, black-and-white-striped shirts and beribboned straw hats. Some were even singing as they rowed, maneuvering the distinctive single oar with impressive skill and dexterity as they ferried passengers around the section of the lake cordoned off for their use. Channel markers fashioned to look like floating fairy lights turned the scene into a romantic wonderland.
“It was something Natalie said that made me think of it,” Catherine explained. “I was a bit concerned about lake traffic, but we were able to get permission to use this small section for a few hours tonight. I even stationed security personnel in private craft directing boaters away from the area.”
“Smart, though there’s a no-wake zone through here, isn’t there?”
“There’s supposed to be.” She shrugged. “But you know how that can go.”
Satisfied that the guests were thoroughly enjoying their small taste of Venice, she turned her attention to the buffet station set up on one side of the sweeping lawn. The caterers she’d chosen specialized in authentic Italian cuisine and had gone all out for the evening’s festivities. Graceful tents of silk and tulle surrounded the groaning tables. With a stiff breeze blowing from off the lake, the tents served the duel function of protecting the food and keeping the fuel canisters beneath the hot dishes from blowing out. Adjacent to the tents, linen draped tables dotted the area, the silver cutlery and crystal glassware gleaming softly beneath the lighting.
Catherine gave the area one final check, and was on the verge of returning to the kitchen when she caught sight of Roxanne. The woman stood chatting with Natalie, while her gaze roamed the crowds, clearly searching for someone. Catherine could make three big, fat guesses who that someone might be and they would all center on the man standing beside her.
“I didn’t realize you brought your assistant with you,” she said to Gabe.
He followed her gaze and shrugged. “I didn’t. I believe she’s a friend of Natalie’s daughter.”
As though aware of the scrutiny, Roxanne homed in on Catherine…and Gabe. And then her lips curved in a killer smile, a horribly familiar one that, in the past, warned of coming trouble. Offering her hostess a quick air kiss, she excused herself and made her way toward them, undulating across the grass with her distinctive catwalk stride.
She looked fabulous, Catherine reluctantly conceded, dressed in traffic-stopping red. The bodice of her skintight dress bared a path of bronzed skin straight to her equator while her skirt barely covered the assets composing her southern hemispheres. She shot Catherine a challenging look, before wrapping herself around Gabe.
“Since we’re not on duty…” She moistened her lips before planting a lingering kiss on his mouth. Then she pulled back and laughed up at him. “See what you’ve been missing? I did tell you.”
He regarded his assistant with indulgent amusement. “A shame I have that rule about not mixing business with pleasure,” he replied easily. “Otherwise, you’d be in serious trouble.”
“Some rules are made to be broken. And in case you didn’t notice, I excel at trouble.” Her dark eyes sparkled. “Don’t you agree?”
“That you excel at trouble?” He inclined his head. “Absolutely. Unfortunately, my rules are written in concrete. I never break them, no matter how tempting the offer.”
It was a gently administered rebuff and maybe if they’d been alone, Roxanne would have taken it better. Unfortunately, Catherine’s presence heaped humiliation on top of embarrassment. Deciding it was time to make a tactful retreat, Catherine offered the two her most professional smile.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she murmured, “I’ll leave you to enjoy the party while I get back to work. If there’s anything I can do to make your evening more pleasant, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
With that, she made a beeline for the kitchen. Damn it. Roxanne would not appreciate her witnessing that little scene with Gabe. She could only hope that by making a swift departure, she dodged any sort of bullet fired off as retribution. She couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong tonight. If Gabe’s precious assistant decided to even the score a little, it could cause serious trouble for Elegant Events. Catherine managed a full dozen steps before she was caught by the arm and swung around.
“You don’t want to leave now,” Roxanne insisted in an undertone, anchoring her in place. “The party’s just about to get interesting.”
Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
Roxanne simply smiled. “Wait for it…Ah, right on cue.”
The roar of multiple engines echoed from across the lake and a pair of bullet-shaped motorboats bore down on the area reserved for the gondolas.
Chapter Three
Catherine stared in horror. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”
“Now, that doesn’t look good,” Roxanne observed with a well satisfied smile. “Maybe this part of the lake wasn’t the best place to put your little boats.”
At the last possible instant, the invading crafts cut their engines, sending huge swells careening among the gondolas, overturning three of them and swamping most of the others. Shrieks of panic echoed across the lake as guests, dressed in their party finery, tumbled into water that still clung to its springtime chill.
While Roxanne sauntered back toward the house, Catherine yanked her walkie-talkie from a holster clipped to the belt at her waist and depressed the mike. “I need everyone out to the lake. Now.” She ran toward the shoreline, even as she barked orders. Off to her left, she saw Gabe flying across the lawn toward the water, as well as several of the other men present. “There’s been an accident with the gondolas. There are guests in the water. Everyone drop what you’re doing and help. Davis…call marine patrol and have them dispatch emergency vehicles immediately.”
Within minutes, guests and staff alike were pulling people from the water. “I want the gondoliers locating those guests who were in their individual boat,” Catherine called out. Comprehension was instantaneous and the gondoliers immediately started rounding up and organizing their passengers to confirm that everyone who went into the lake had come safely out of it. “Make sure every guest is accounted for. Report to me as soon as you’ve counted heads.”
Natalie appeared at her side. A combination of tears and fury burned in her eyes. “How could you let this happen?” she demanded. “My father-in-law is out there. My grandchildren are out there.”
“Try and stay calm, Natalie. I’ll have everyone accounted for in just a few minutes,” Catherine attempted to reassure her.
“Calm! Don’t tell me to be calm.” She hovered along the edge of the grass, desperately scanning the crowd of soaked guests for family members. Tears fell as she spotted them. “If anything happens to my family or friends as a result of this, I will sue you six ways to Sunday!”
“I’m sorry, Natalie. Truly, I am. We’ve called the King County Marine Unit. They’re on their way. The area is posted. I had boats anchored just outside the warning buoys to help direct lake traffic away from this section, but they simply drove straight through.” She gestured toward the motorboats responsible. “If the marine unit catches these guys before they disappear, they’ll take the appropriate action. In the meantime, all my staff is down there helping people ashore. We’re going to need towels, if you have them.”
“Of course I have towels,” she snapped. “But that doesn’t change what’s happened. This is an unmitigated disaster. I was warned not to hire you, Catherine. But I liked you. You told me you could do the job and do it perfectly. You knew how important this was to me—”
Catherine never heard the rest of Natalie’s comment, perhaps because it ended in a shriek as water seemed to explode around them. Sprinkler heads popped up across the lawn and shot drenching sprays over the guests, the tables and the food. Within seconds, those who hadn’t been thrown in the lake were as thoroughly soaked as those who had been.
People fled in all directions. Natalie’s daughter tripped over a peg anchoring one of the tents and knocked a billowing section into the hot dishes. The flame from the fuel canisters leapt onto the material and raced hungrily across the silk and tulle. If it hadn’t been for the sprinklers, the entire area would have turned into an inferno.
Catherine ran to the tent, yanking at the burning section in an attempt to pull it to the grass and extinguish what flames the sprinklers weren’t reaching. She felt the scorching heat lick at her hands. She’d barely managed to knock the awning to the ground, where the flames subsided with a smoky hiss, when an arm locked around her waist and swept her clear of the area. The next thing she knew she was tumbled to the grass and rolled repeatedly. She struggled against her attacker, even managing to connect with a fist to an iron-hard jaw before his hold loosened. Shoving her sopping hair from her face, she found herself pinned to the ground, nose-to-nose with Gabe.
Catherine fought for air while tears of outrage welled up in her eyes. “What the hell are you doing? Why did you tackle me?” She couldn’t seem to make sense of what was happening. “I was trying to put out the flames.”
“So was I. You were on fire, Catherine.” He snagged the sleeve of her dress and showed her the scorch marks. Then he ripped the seam of her sleeve from wrist to shoulder and checked her skin for burns. He didn’t find any, and an expression of undisguised relief flashed across his face. “Looks like I caught it in time. Another minute and you’d have been on your way to the hospital.”
“I…I thought I was being attacked.”
“So I gathered.” He waggled his jaw from side to side. “That’s one hell of a right hook you have, by the way.”
She buried her head against his shoulder and fought for control. Everything had happened so fast, she couldn’t make sense of it all. “I don’t understand any of this, Gabe. The fire…Dear God, the tent went up so fast. If anyone had been nearby—”
He wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Easy, honey. Everyone’s safe. And everyone made it out of the water without injury. Best of all, the marine unit has the boaters corralled.”
She could feel her emotions slipping and struggled to hang on. Hysterics wouldn’t help. Not here. Not now. She needed to keep a level head until she could get home and crawl into some dark hole. “Who were they?” She forced herself to pull free of Gabe’s protective hold even though it would have been so much easier to cling. She fought her way to her knees. “And how did the sprinklers turn on? I checked them myself. They’re not scheduled to start up until morning.”
“I don’t know.” He soothed with both voice and touch. “Let’s take everything one step at a time, sweetheart. I know it looks bad, but we’ll figure out what happened and why.”
She knelt there, soaked and shivering, as she scanned the area. Tables were overturned, chairs upended. Shards of shattered crystal and china glittered under the outdoor lights. The other tents had also been knocked askew by fleeing guests, though miracle of miracles, they hadn’t caught fire as this one had. But the buffet tables had all tipped. Food littered the grass in soggy heaps. Along the outskirts of the property, people were milling, looking shell-shocked.
Dear heaven. Catherine bowed her head, defeat weighing heavy. “I guess I won’t need your help saving my business, considering that my career is now officially over.”
“Not necessarily.” Compassion rippled through his voice. “I’ve turned around companies in worse predicaments.”
For a split second she felt a resurgence of hope. She lifted her head to look at him. “Do you really think Elegant Events can recover from this?”
“We’ll never know until we try.”
Catherine took a deep breath. “In that case…” It would seem she only had one remaining option. “I don’t suppose your offer from this morning is still on the table?”
Not a scrap of triumph showed in his voice or expression. “It was never off.”
Early morning sunshine flooded Dina’s kitchen and turned the glass insets of her cabinets into polished mirrors. “You don’t have to do this, Catherine,” Dina protested. “You don’t have to acquiesce to whatever terms Gabriel foisted on you during a critical moment. Considering the circumstances—”
“Considering the circumstances, yes, I do,” Catherine insisted. “I’ve always been a woman of my word, and that’s not going to change just because I was under pressure last night. If anyone can salvage something from the Marconi disaster, it’s Gabe. Trust me, we need someone of his caliber if we’re going to keep Elegant Events from becoming known as Deadly Disasters.”
Catherine leaned a hip against the countertop and tried not to think about the previous evening. It was bad enough that she’d spent the entire night with various highlights rampaging through her head. It was time to focus on solutions for the future, instead of dwelling on unalterable past events. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. In the wee hours of the morning she’d reached a few unpleasant conclusions. Though she refused to accept blame for the boaters—that she could lay firmly at Roxanne’s doorstep—the other incidents were the ones that troubled her the most.
It had been her initials on the checklist beside the detail that read “change the time on the automated sprinklers.” She distinctly remembered doing so. In fact, she’d checked the digital read-out a second time before the party started, just to be certain. She tapped her fingers on the countertop. Maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe she’d pushed p.m. instead of a.m., even though at the time she’d been very careful to avoid just such a mistake.
And then there’d been the tent peg. She couldn’t blame that one on Roxanne, either. She’d seen Natalie’s daughter trip over the anchor rope and uproot the peg. Granted, the wet ground might have loosened it. But it was her responsibility to make certain such incidents didn’t happen. Period. That was the entire premise behind her business.
“I know what you’re doing, and you have to stop it, Catherine.” Dina crossed to her side and gave her a swift hug. “You’re going to drive yourself into exhaustion over something that wasn’t your fault, and that’s not going to help. Let’s deal with one issue at a time, starting with…” She pulled back. “What, exactly, did you promise Gabriel, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“That I’d move in with him.” Just saying the words was hard enough. She had no idea how she’d be able to handle the reality of living with him again. “I promised I’d stay with him until he figured a way to turn Elegant Events around. Though after last night—”
“As you said yourself, if anyone can do it, it’s Gabriel.”
“I don’t doubt he’ll be able to figure out why the business is losing money.”
“It is his specialty,” his mother admitted. “When he took over Piretti’s he nailed the financial end of our problems and plugged the leaks within a month. He’s only gotten better since. He can take apart a company and put it together again better than anyone I’ve ever seen. He’s even better at it than his father.”
“That’s what I’m counting on. It’s our other problems that he’s going to find a bit more difficult. If we can’t figure out why we’re unable to nail certain key contracts, how can he? And now, after the Marconi incident, that may not even matter. Somehow we’re going to have to come up with a dynamite scheme to rebuild our reputation.” She eyed Dina grimly. “I’m expecting a slew of cancelations the minute word gets out. And I doubt our contract is sufficiently bulletproof to keep them from walking.”
“Gabriel might be able to talk them around.”
“Someone better be able to.”
“So what’s the next step?” Dina asked. “Where do we go from here.”
Catherine rubbed at the headache pounding against her temples. “I have a meeting with Gabe in just under an hour. We’re supposed to discuss strategy. I’d like you to continue to man the office, if you don’t mind. You’ve always been incredible at sweet-talking the customers when they call.”
Dina’s smile flashed. “I give great phone.”
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Catherine laughed. It felt wonderful, almost a purging. “Yes, you do,” she agreed. “If you would do your best to give unbelievable phone today, I’d be grateful.”
“Anything I can do to help. You know that.”
“Yes, I do.” She caught Dina’s hand in hers. “How can I thank you for all you’ve done? Not just for today, but for every day over these past two years.”
The older woman shook her head. “There’s nothing to thank me for.”
“Please. Let me say this.” Tears filled Catherine’s eyes, as unexpected as they were unwanted, no doubt the result of exhaustion. “You took me in at a time I desperately needed someone. And you took me in despite the fact that I was leaving your son. You let me live here and took care of me during those first couple of months until I felt well enough to find my own place. Not only have you been a friend, but you’ve been the mother I never had.”
“Oh, sweetheart, now you’re going to make me cry. No one should lose their mother, especially not at such a young, impressionable age. If I’ve been able to fill in for her, even in the smallest capacity, I’m more than happy to do it. I just wish…” She caught her lip between her teeth, her expression one of intense guilt. “I have a confession to make.”
“Let me guess. You weren’t being altruistic when you took me in all those months ago? You did it because you were hoping Gabe and I would eventually patch things up?”
“You knew?”
“Let’s say I suspected.”
“I hope you’re not offended.”
Catherine shook her head. “Not at all.” With a small exclamation, she wrapped her arms around the woman she’d once thought would be her mother-in-law and gave her a fierce hug. “Thank you for everything. Just don’t get your hopes up about me and Gabe. It’s only temporary. After a few months he’ll realize that my leaving two years ago was inevitable. We simply aren’t right for each other.”
“I’m sure that’s precisely what you’ll discover. And I’m so sorry you’ve been forced into this predicament.”
“Dina?”
“Yes, dear?”
“You do realize that your kitchen cabinets have glass insets, don’t you?”
“Yes. I chose them myself.”
“And you also realize that in this light, the glass acts like a mirror?”
“Does it?”
“I’m afraid it does. I’d have an easier time believing you felt badly about my moving back in with Gabriel if I couldn’t see you pumping your fist in the air.”
“I’m not pumping my fist,” Dina instantly denied. “I’m giving you a totally sympathetic, albeit enthusiastic, air pat.”
“I can still see you. Now you’re grinning like a maniac.”
“I’m just trying to put a happy face on your moving back in with Gabriel. Inside, I’m crying for you.”
Catherine pulled back. “It’s temporary, Dina. We’re not back together again.”
Dina’s smile grew wicked. “Try and tell Gabriel that and see how far it gets you.”
Forty-five minutes later, Catherine swept off the elevator at Piretti’s and headed for Gabe’s office. She’d dressed carefully in a forest-green silk suit jacket and matching A-line skirt, completing the ensemble with a pair of mile-high heels. It was one of her favorite outfits, mainly because it served as a complementary foil to her hair and eyes. The formfitting style also made the most of her subtle curves.
She’d spent the drive into the city planning how best to handle the upcoming encounter with Roxanne in the hopes it would take her mind off a far more serious issue—her upcoming encounter with Gabe. Though she’d agreed to move in with him, she hadn’t agreed to anything beyond that. Before she packed a single bag, she intended to set a few ground rules, which put her at a disadvantage right off the bat. Gabe, she reluctantly conceded, was one of the best negotiators she’d ever met and if she had any hope at all in gaining the upper hand, she’d need some leverage.
To her surprise, Roxanne was nowhere in sight. Considering how hard Gabe’s assistant had worked at turning the Marconi party into a grade-A disaster, perhaps she’d taken the day off to get some much-needed rest and restock on what must be a dwindling supply of venom and spite. Well, they’d have their little chat soon enough, Catherine decided. She’d make certain of that. It wouldn’t matter all that much if it waited a day or two.
The door to Gabe’s office was open, and Catherine paused on the threshold. He stood in profile to her in front of a bank of windows overlooking Puget Sound and she drank in the sight while heat exploded low in her belly and fanned outward to the most inconvenient places. For a split second her vision tilted and she saw, not a captain of high finance and industry, but the captain of a pirate ship.
At some point, he’d shed his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his snowy shirt, exposing the bronzed skin of his forearms. His tie had long ago been ripped from its anchor around his neck and discarded, and he’d unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the broad, powerful chest she’d so often rested her head against. With his feet planted wide and his hands fisted on his hips, all he needed was a cutlass strapped to his side to complete the image. As it was, he barked out orders with all the arrogance of a pirate. But instead of it being to a crew of scallywags, he had a wireless headset hooked over his ear.
“Tell Felder the offer is good for precisely twenty-four hours.” Gabe checked his watch, which told her that those hours would be timed to the minute. “After that, I won’t be interested in restructuring, let alone a buyout, regardless of how he sweetens the pot.” He disconnected the call and turned to face her, not appearing the least surprised to find her standing there. “Right on time. I’ve always appreciated that about you, Catherine.”
She waded deeper into his office. “I have a lot to do today, so I didn’t see any point in wasting either of our time.”
“We have a lot to do,” he corrected. “I’ve rescheduled my appointments today so we can formulate a tentative game plan for Elegant Events.”
She made a swift recalibration, mentally rearranging a few appointments of her own. “Thank you. I appreciate your taking the time.”
“It’s what we agreed to, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head to one side and the sunlight made his eyes burn a blue so brilliant and iridescent, it scattered every thought but one. She was moving back in with this man. Soon she’d share his life in the most private and personal ways possible. Share his home. Share space he’d marked as his. And though he’d never come right out and said it, she didn’t have a single doubt that he also expected her to share his bed.
It had seemed so natural before. Hasty breakfasts that combined food and coffee and brief, passionate kisses that would—barely—get them through the day before they were able to fall on each other again in the waning hours of the evening. Long, romantic dinners, though those became more and more rare as work intruded with increasing frequency. The heady, desperate, mind-blowing lovemaking. The simple intimacy of living with someone day in and day out. She’d experienced all that with him. Wanted it. Wanted, even more, to take their relationship to the next level. Instead, they’d been unable to sustain even that much of a connection.
How could she go back to what hadn’t worked before? How could she pretend that their relationship had a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding when she knew that it didn’t. What had happened in the past colored too much of the present for them to ever go back. She bit down on her lip. They couldn’t even forge a new, different sort of bond. It simply had no future, only a very brief, very finite now.
“Catherine?” He stepped closer. “It is what we agreed, isn’t it? My help in return for your moving back in with me?”
“Gabe—” she began.
His expression hardened. “Reneging already?”
“No. I made a promise, and I’ll keep it.” She met his gaze, silently willing him to change his mind, to see the impossibility of his plan ever succeeding. “But you need to understand something before we take this any further. Whatever you have planned, whatever you hope to accomplish by forcing us together again, isn’t going to work. You can’t force a relationship.”
He smiled his angel’s smile while the devil gleamed in his eyes. “And you need to understand something as well. It won’t take any force. All I have to do is touch you, just as all you have to do is touch me. That’s all it will take, Cate. One touch and neither of us will be able to help ourselves.”
She shuddered. “Then I’ll have to make certain that one touch doesn’t happen.”
“It’s already happened. It happened the minute you set foot in my office yesterday. It happened again last night during the party. You’re just not willing to admit it.” He reached out and tucked a loosened lock of hair behind her ear before trailing his thumb along the curve of cheek. He’d done that last night. And just as it had last night, a shaft of fire followed in the wake of his caress, forcing her to lock her knees in place in order to remain standing. “At least, you’re not willing to admit it…yet.”
His touch numbed her brain, making logical thought an impossibility. It had always been that way. Even so, she fought to remember what she’d planned to say to him. “We haven’t set up ground rules,” she managed to protest. “We need to negotiate terms.”
“The terms are already set. We live together, fully and completely, with all that suggests and implies,” he stated. “Now stop delaying the inevitable and let’s get to work.”
She lifted an eyebrow and stepped clear of his reach. It was like stepping from the deck of a ship riding turbulent seas to the calm and safety of dry land. It only took a moment to regain her balance. “Strictly business?”
He regarded her in open amusement. “Here and now, yes.” He leaned in. “But what happens tonight will have nothing to do with business.”
The breath stuttered in her lungs as an image of them flashed through her mind. Naked limbs entwined. Mouths fused. Male and female melding into the most intimate of bonds. How the hell did he expect her to work with that stuck in her brain?
He must have known what she was thinking because he laughed. “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one.”
“Not the only one…what?”
“Who’s going to find it difficult to concentrate on business today.”
“That’s a first,” she muttered.
His amusement faded. “Not really. It just hasn’t happened for a while. Not in about twenty-three months.” He took a deep breath and shoved his fingers through his hair. “If your situation weren’t so serious, I’d say to hell with it and have us both blow off work.”
Interesting. “What would that accomplish?”
“It would give us an opportunity to get our priorities straight,” he explained. “Because this time I intend to fix what went wrong.”
A deep yearning filled her at the thought, one that shocked her with its intensity. Pain followed fast on its heels. He’d waited too long to compromise. Now, when it didn’t matter any longer, when regaining what they’d lost had become an impossibility, he was willing to change. “We can’t afford to blow off work and you know it.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t, no. At least, not today. And since we can’t…” And just like that he switched from lover to businessman. “Let’s see what we can do to salvage Elegant Events.”
It took her a moment longer to switch gears. “After last night’s fiasco, I expect cancelations,” she warned. “A lot of them.”
“You have contracts with your clients?”
“Of course. I’m not an idiot, Gabe.” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Blame it on exhaustion.”
He let it slide without comment. “Set up appointments with those who want to cancel. Tell them that if they’ll meet with you and give you a full thirty minutes of their time, and you still can’t reach an amicable agreement, then you’ll happily refund their deposit.”
Catherine paled. “You realize what that’ll mean? We’ll go under if I can’t salvage more than seventy-five percent of our current bookings.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “And even that number might be wishful thinking. It could be closer to ninety.”
“I can give you a more accurate figure once I examine the accounts. Who’s in charge of them?”
“My partner.”
His eyes narrowed. “Ah, the mysterious co-owner. You realize you can’t keep her identity hidden after last night. Schedule a meeting with her. If we’re going to turn your business around, I’ll need to know everything about it from the ground up. And that includes whatever you can tell me about your partner.”
Catherine reluctantly nodded. “I’ll arrange it. What’s next?”
“Next, I called Natalie Marconi, and she agreed to see us in…” He checked his watch. “An hour and a quarter. You’ll be expected to tender an abject apology.” He held up a hand before she could interrupt. “I know you took care of that last night, but it needs to be done again in the cold light of day. I doubt anything we do or say will help, but—”
“But we need to try.”
He picked up his tie from where he’d draped it over his desk chair. “Exactly.”
She shot Gabe a keen-eyed look. “Somehow I suspect she would have refused to see me if you hadn’t placed the call.” She didn’t wait for him to confirm what she already knew. “Just so you’re aware, I plan to give her a full refund.”
Snagging his suit jacket, he shrugged it on. “How bad a bite is that going to take out of your reserves?”
She didn’t want to think about it. “A big one,” she admitted. “Not that it matters. It has to be done.”
“Agreed.” A hint of sympathy colored the word. He guided her from his office out into the foyer and paused beside Roxanne’s vacant desk. “Let’s see if meeting with her won’t help you retain a small portion of goodwill.”
“Where’s your assistant?” Catherine asked casually while he scribbled Roxanne a quick note. At least, she hoped the question came across as casual. Considering what she’d like to do to his precious assistant, she was lucky it didn’t sound as though she was chewing nails.
“In the field. I’ve spent the past six months negotiating a takeover of a plant that manufactures boat engines. It’ll dovetail nicely with another company I own that custom-designs yachts. Right now we outsource quite a number of components. I’d like to change that.”
“So you’re busily acquiring businesses that manufacture those outsourced components.”
“Exactly.” He propped the note on Roxanne’s computer keyboard before walking with Catherine to the bank of elevators. “Roxanne is working to set up a meeting to hammer out the final details. For some reason the owner, Jack LaRue, has been dragging his feet, and I need to find out why and resolve whatever issues remain. Roxanne has a way of…” He shrugged. “Let’s just say, she can motivate people to stop dragging their feet.”
“Got it.”
The elevator doors parted and they stepped inside. “You’ve never cared for her, have you?” he asked.
What was the point in lying after all this time? “No.”
“Is it because she took over your job? Or is it a woman thing?”
Catherine stared straight ahead and counted to ten before responding. “Call it a clash of personalities.”
“Sorry. I don’t buy that. What’s the real reason?”
She faced him. “The truth?”
“No, I want you to lie to me.”
Catherine released her breath in a frustrated sigh. “I resented having to go through her to speak to you. I resented that she had the power to decide which of those messages she’d deliver and when she’d deliver them. I also resented the fact that she didn’t just want to take over my job, she wanted to take over my place in your life. Is that reason enough?”
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