Читать книгу The Rogue's Fortune - Cat Schield - Страница 9

Elizabeth barely noticed the exuberant buzz filling the offices of Josie Summers’s Event Planning as she navigated the halls. A large coffee clutched in her hand, she thanked the coworkers who congratulated her on the success of the previous night’s wine auction. Normally, the well wishes perked her up. She’d worked hard to become Josie’s top earner and enjoyed the prestige it brought her.

Success had come easily since she had started immersing herself in her work a year ago, to keep despair at bay after her sister’s death. If she was busy, she had no time to fall prey to the depression that lurked in the shadows. It wasn’t long before she discovered that running herself into a state of exhaustion wasn’t something she could do forever.

She needed a personal life, but thanks to her rotten taste in men, dating brought her more heartache than happiness.

What had struck her hard after losing her sister, brother-in-law and niece in a car accident was how alone she was. Her parents had moved from upstate New York to Oregon right as Elizabeth started her freshman year of college. In the seven years they’d been gone, they’d never returned to the East coast. It was as if with both their children grown, they’d started this whole new life for themselves.

When they’d first announced that they were moving Elizabeth had been bothered by their abandonment. But after she moved to New York City and started college, she’d fallen in love. Not with a man, but with the city. The excitement and the possibilities of living in such a wonderful place. And she’d never once felt lonely.

It had helped that her sister was a couple hours away by train. But with Stephanie’s death, a hole had appeared in her heart. What she wanted was a family. That’s when she decided to make a family of her own. Unfortunately, as fabulously as her career was progressing, things on the baby front weren’t going so well. Two rounds of in vitro had failed.

She was all out of money. Her dreams of motherhood wouldn’t be coming true this year.

Elizabeth’s heart wrenched in dismay.

She should be flying high. Last night’s triumph was yet another step upward professionally. She was crossing career goals off her list ahead of schedule. But what good did all her success do her when the reason she was working so hard was to provide for the child her body refused to conceive?

Maybe if she’d been more positive during the second in vitro try. Kept her hopes up. Spent her days and nights visualizing a baby in her arms rather than bracing herself for disappointment. Maybe then things would have turned out better.

If her sister could hear her thoughts, she’d agree. Stephanie had been an advocate for positive thinking since she was a freshman in high school. Top of her class. Head cheerleader. Captain of the women’s volleyball team the year they won state. Whatever Stephanie visualized, she made happen.

And what would her sister say about Elizabeth’s pity party for one? Stephanie would tell her to pull out a piece of paper and write her goal at the top, then list all the things she could do to move forward.

Elizabeth settled her purse in a drawer and hung up her coat. Flopping into her desk chair, she set a yellow legal pad in front of her and wrote Motherhood at the top. Below that she doodled dollar signs.

How to afford more in vitro treatments? Save money until she could afford to try again. Economizing wasn’t the answer. She already lived in the smallest apartment she could stand, a tiny studio in Chelsea with a view of the neighboring building’s wall. What she needed to do was increase her income. And the fastest way to do that? Demand that Josie make her a partner. She was already bringing in more money than all of Josie’s other planners combined. It was time she reaped some of the benefits of all her hard work.

Feeling more determined than when she’d left her apartment an hour ago, Elizabeth headed for her boss’s office. With each step she took, she gained confidence in her plan.

It was the perfect opportunity to make her pitch. Last night’s party had been a huge success. She’d made a dozen contacts and fielded interest from at least eight people who wanted her to help with their holiday parties. Her career was about to go from fast track to supersonic.

“Josie, do you have a second?”

The fifty-eight-year-old head of Josie Summers’s Event Planning sat like a queen on a cream damask sofa in her enormous corner office. A silver tray with an elegant coffeepot sat on the low table before her. On the round table that stood halfway between the door and her boss’s ornate cherry desk was a vase overflowing with the most gorgeous long-stemmed red roses Elizabeth had ever seen. Things must be going better between Josie and her boyfriend of twelve years.

Her boss waved Elizabeth in. “Darling, we’re a triumph.”

“Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves,” Elizabeth said. “The auction raised three million for children’s cancer research.” She sat beside Josie and accepted the cup of coffee her boss handed her. “Kendra called me this morning and said her boss was pleased with our handling of the event.”

Even though Josie hadn’t been involved with any aspect of the planning, she claimed credit for every success.

“Well, I should say so.” Josie crossed her legs and leaned forward to pour coffee into a second china cup. She sipped and eyed Elizabeth over the rim. “Josie Summers’s Event Planning offers nothing but sublime perfection.”

“Absolutely.” Having her boss take credit for her successes didn’t sit well with Elizabeth, but she needed her job and wanted to keep it.

Until coming to work for Josie, she’d never been one to tout her accomplishments. She’d always done her best without expecting anyone to praise her. But it hadn’t taken more than six months in the cutthroat world of event planning for her to realize that if she wanted to get ahead, she not only needed to be the best, she had to make sure everyone knew it.

“I’ve already received a half dozen calls this morning about upcoming events thanks to the work we did last night.” The diamonds in Josie’s ears winked. “Josie Summers’s Event Planning is the best in New York. It’s about time everyone recognized that.”

Thanks to all Elizabeth’s hard work. She forced a smile. “That’s great. And part of what I wanted to talk to you about this morning…”

“Oh, and those came for you.” Josie indicated the roses. “They were delivered to me by mistake.”

Elizabeth regarded the extravagant bouquet. She felt oddly light-headed. It was the sort of thing a man sent the woman he loved. “For me?”

Josie picked up a small white card and handed it to Elizabeth. “Another admirer, from the looks of it.”

Stifling her resentment that her boss had already read the card, Elizabeth slid it out of the envelope and stared at the bold script.

I have a proposal I’d like to discuss with you. RB

She had no trouble imagining the sort of proposal Roark Black had in mind. Proposition was more like it. Remembering the way his gaze had slipped over her last night, heat rushed into her cheeks. Conscious of her boss’s avid curiosity, she mastered her expression and held very still. Difficult when she wanted to run from the room and the implications of that message. But fleeing would do her no good when the danger lay inside her. The searing curiosity about the enigmatic treasure hunter. What would it be like to have those mobile lips capture hers? His hands gliding over her skin as if she was a priceless artifact he’d been searching for all his life?

“Elizabeth?”

“Hmm?”

Josie’s voice held amusement. “Who is RB?”

She dug her nails into her palm to disperse the sensual fog that she’d gotten lost in. Lying would do her no good. Josie’s curiosity was fully engaged. She would dig until she was satisfied she knew everything that was going on with Elizabeth.

“Roark Black.”

“Really?” Interest flared in Josie’s brown eyes. “I didn’t realize you knew him.”

“He was at the wine auction last night.” Elizabeth could see her boss jump to the wrong conclusion. “He was impressed with the work I’d done for the party. Perhaps he wants to hire me.”

“This is a first,” Josie purred, her opinion about the true reason for the bouquet already formed. “I’ve never seen two dozen red roses accompany a job offer before.”

“Mr. Black is a unique individual.”

“With unique tastes, I imagine.”

Elizabeth responded with a tight smile. “I’d better go give him a call.” She stood, eager to escape her boss’s keen gaze. She was halfway to the door when Josie stopped her.

“Don’t forget your roses.”

“Silly me,” Elizabeth said, her teeth gritted together.

“And let me know what he has in mind. This is the opening I’ve been waiting for. A chance to move Josie Summers’s Event Planning into a whole new level. Event planner to the rich and famous.”

“Thanks to me,” Elizabeth muttered into the sumptuous roses.

It wasn’t until she returned to her office that she realized Roark Black’s proposal had distracted her from her plan to ask Josie about making her a partner. How much longer was she going to build Josie’s business without getting the rewards she deserved?

Setting the roses on her desk, Elizabeth perched on one of her guest chairs and dialed the number on the back of Roark’s card.

“Hello, Elizabeth.”

His deep voice, rich with amusement, sent a tingle up her spine. With two words he’d sparked a chain reaction inside her. She flopped back in the chair and closed her eyes to better concentrate on his seductive voice.

“Hello, Mr. Black,” she responded, her tone less professional than she wanted. “Thank you for the roses.”

“Roark,” he corrected, his tone somewhere between a command and a request. “I’m glad you like them.”

She hadn’t said that. “They’re beautiful.”

“Beautiful roses for a beautiful lady.”

His smooth compliments were having a detrimental effect on her professionalism. Flutters attacked her stomach. Warmth flooded her as delight scampered along her nerve endings. Her body appeared to have a mind of its own, wanting to curl up in the chair and cradle the phone like some smitten teenager.

“The card mentioned you had a job for me?”

“A proposal,” he corrected, caressing the word.

“What sort of proposal?”

“I’d like to discuss it in person.”

And she’d prefer to arrange everything over the phone so his enticing sex appeal wouldn’t prove her undoing. “Would you like to come to my office this afternoon?”

“I was thinking perhaps you could meet me at my apartment. Say in an hour?”

“Your apartment…” She trailed off, at a loss for words since she didn’t dare accuse him of hitting on her when she wasn’t completely sure what was going on.

“Don’t you visit a client’s apartment when you’re planning a party for them?”

“You want me to plan a party?” Her relief came through loud and clear.

“Of course.” He sounded amused. “What did you think I wanted?”

The arrogance of the man.

Elizabeth fumed for about five seconds and then reminded herself that this was business and she was a businesswoman. She’d worked with demanding clients before. Just because Roark Black was sinfully handsome and dangerously exciting was no reason to let her baser instincts get the better of her. He was a client. Nothing more.

“An hour and a half,” she countered, feeling ridiculous the second the words were out of her mouth. It was silly to try to play power games with this man when all he had to do was hit her with his crooked grin and every sensible thought fled her mind.

“I’ll text you my address.”

At one minute to ten, she stood outside Roark’s loft in Soho. She recognized her nerves had gotten the better of her when she’d gone home to change into a sweater dress in a silvery blue. She loved the color. It intensified the gold tones of her hair and drew out the flecks of cobalt in her eyes. But most important, the outfit gave her confidence.

Briefcase clutched before her, weight on the balls of her feet, she awaited the appearance of the first man in a year who’d imperiled her no-bad-boys edict. Pulse hammering, she dredged up every hurt and disappointment caused by the men she’d chosen over the years. Remembering past injuries took the edge off her unwelcome excitement at seeing Roark again.

And then, the door opened, revealing him in all his male splendor. He was dressed casually in worn denim and a long-sleeved gray shirt that intensified the smoky tones in his eyes.

“Elizabeth.” Her name sighed out of him like a lover’s exhalation. “You are even more beautiful than I remembered.”

Crap. Her heart fluttered like some idiotic debutant at her first cotillion.

“And you are more charming than ever.” Her voice snapped like a whip, snatching the compliment right out of the words.

He grinned at her, unfazed by her tartness. “Come in.”

The loft was as incredible as she’d expected. Sixteen-foot ceilings, enormous arched windows, exposed brick everywhere she looked. Wood floors gleamed beneath couches slip-covered in white. The living space was so huge he was able to have three separate sitting areas. One flanked the stone fireplace at the far end. One clustered in front of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves near an opening that she guessed led to the bedrooms. A third near the open kitchen with its dark granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

“This is nice,” Elizabeth murmured, reflecting on the shoebox she lived in. “Perfect for entertaining. How many people are you inviting?”

“I was thinking about a hundred or so.”

Elizabeth pulled out an electronic tablet and began jotting notes. “Did you have a date picked out?”

“I was thinking next Saturday.”

“That is short notice.”

Mentally running through her bookings, she keyed up her schedule, already knowing she had the Hendersons’ tenth wedding anniversary on that evening. The arrangements were all made. It was the sort of party Brenda could handle on her own.

“I’m happy to compensate you for any inconvenience it might cause.”

Elizabeth offered him a bright smile as she mentally calculated her commission. “What sort of party did you have in mind?”

“It’s an engagement party.”

“How nice.” And how surprising. She’d never pictured Roark Black hosting something like that. The man had commitment issues written all over him. “Who’s the lucky couple?”

“We are.”

Incomprehension fogged her indigo-blue eyes as she looked up at him. “We are what?”

“The happy engaged couple I’m throwing the party for.”

Her crisp professionalism wrinkled beneath the weight of her confusion. “We’re not engaged.”

“Not yet.”

The expression in her eyes went from shell-shocked to resolute. “Not ever.”

“I’m crushed.” He shouldn’t enjoy teasing her so much, but it seemed the only way to get past her guards and reach the woman behind the event planner.

“I doubt it.” She’d recovered her equilibrium and now regarded him with open skepticism. “Perhaps you should explain what’s going on.”

“Last night you jumped all over me about how I was going to be the downfall of Waverly’s.”

“I merely suggested you might be a contributing factor.”

“You weren’t the only one thinking that way.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not surprising. But what does that have to do with why I’m here?”

“A certain member of the Waverly’s board mentioned that he’s been approached by Dalton Rothschild about selling his shares and has been asked to persuade others on the board to follow suit. He doesn’t want Rothschild to take over Waverly’s, but needs a good reason to continue to support the current leadership at Waverly’s.”

She nodded, but remained silent while her steady gaze encouraged him to proceed.

“He thinks that leadership needs to include me, but recent events have raised questions about my activities. He indicated if I could demonstrate that I’m leaving behind my proclivity for trouble, the board would feel more confident about the stability of Waverly’s.”

“And you think an engagement will make you more respectable.”

“It was suggested a stable personal life would inspire confidence in my upstanding behavior.”

“Why me?”

While his address book was bursting with women who would jump at the chance to play his fiancée, Elizabeth was unaffected by his money or his charm. She intrigued him.

“After last night’s passionate denouncement of me and your concern for the future of Waverly’s, I thought you would be the perfect choice for a pretend engagement.”

His last two words caused a profound reaction. Her muscles relaxed and she almost smiled. “Find someone else.”

“I’ve already decided on you.”

“Surely there are more suitable women in the circles you frequent that would be happy to perpetrate this ruse with you.”

“None more suitable than you.” And he meant it.

The concern she’d shown for Waverly’s had inspired him to make her his co-conspirator in his scheme to improve his image. And the active dislike she was struggling so hard to maintain intrigued him. Winning her over presented an enchanting challenge. And if he was going to be stuck in New York for the uncertain future, he would need something exciting to occupy himself. Elizabeth Minerva fit the bill.

“Does it strike you at all counterproductive that you’re trying to inspire confidence in your upstanding behavior by presenting a fake fiancée to your friends and family?”

“See, this is why I need you. Not one other woman I know dives straight to the heart of my shortcomings the way you do.”

Her full lips twitched. “And somehow you perceive this as a good thing?”

Despite her skepticism, Elizabeth hadn’t slammed the door on his proposition. Or at least, she hadn’t stormed out of his loft and put an end to the conversation. If he could keep her around for a few more minutes, he knew he could convince her how much he needed her help.

“Last night you were right. Waverly’s is in trouble. Dalton Rothschild is after the board members to sell. I’m in a perfect position to stop him.” He hit her with all the seriousness in his arsenal. “And you are in a perfect position to help me do so. Think of what will happen to all the employees who’ve been with Waverly’s for years. If Rothschild takes over, what do you think he’s going to do with them?”

“You aren’t playing fair.” Her gaze skidded away from his.

At that moment, he knew he had her. “We’ll make this a business arrangement. Consider it a contract job. Six months and you’re free of me. In the meantime, think of all the contacts you’ll make as my fiancée. Manhattan’s elite will be vying to have you as their event planner.”

“A business arrangement,” she echoed, eyes narrowing as she searched his expression. “Nothing more?”

“Well, of course there will be public appearances and equally public displays of affection.”

She chewed on her lower lip, attention fixed on the far side of the room where floating shelves housed some of the less valuable artifacts he’d brought back from around the world.

“But just public displays of affection. Don’t expect to reap any benefits of our engagement in private.”

Keeping her in the dark about all his intentions was completely necessary if he hoped to secure her agreement. There would be plenty of time later to demonstrate all the ways their arrangement could be mutually beneficial.

“I promise not to do anything you don’t want me to.”

Her brows came together. “That didn’t answer my question.”

“I assure you, anytime I’m involved in a relationship it’s the women who have expectations, not me.”

“No wonder people find you untrustworthy.” Elizabeth shook her head. “You couldn’t give a straight answer if your life depended on it.”

“And I assure you, from time to time, it has.”

“Let me be blunt. I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“Who said anything about sleeping.” He knew he should stop teasing her, but she was so damned adorable when she got riled up.

“If you think I’m some sort of weak-minded bimbo who will tumble into your bed at the first snap of your fingers, you’ve picked the wrong girl.”

“Easy, sweetheart, I think you’re no such thing. I fully expect you to resist me at every turn.”

With her blue eyes snapping in ire, color flooding her cheeks and her soft lips parted to deliver scathing retorts, it took all his significant willpower not to draw her into his arms and take advantage of that simmering passion.

His facial muscles twitched as smiling became irresistible. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”

Most single New York women would be flattered that Roark Black had chosen them to play the part of his fiancée. Elizabeth suspected a whistle launched from his loft window would bring a dozen or so running. They’d scoff at her reluctance to get cozy with a handsome, eligible bachelor of Roark’s financial and social standing even as they trampled her in their rush to vie for his attention.

Was she crazy to hesitate?

There’d been an intense light in his eye as he said he expected her to resist him at every turn that told her she was smart to be wary. Her heart hadn’t stopped its distressed thumping the entire distance to Chinatown where her best friend lived. Allison and Elizabeth had been roommates freshman year and had bonded over their pathological need for organization and their mutual dislike of the girl across the hall, Honey Willingham.

“Elizabeth.” The leggy woman with dark blond hair and dark circles under her eyes looked at her with delight. “Your timing is perfect. I just got Prince Gregory down for his nap.”

“Sorry to stop by without calling.” Since Allison had given birth five months ago, Elizabeth hadn’t seen her friend more than once a month. To Elizabeth’s shame, it stung that Allison was so happy being a mom when Elizabeth struggled to conceive.

“No. It’s fine. I’m happy to take any time you can spare.”

Her friend didn’t mean anything by the remark, but Elizabeth flinched anyway. “I’m a terrible friend.”

“No. You’re just busy.”

So was Allison. She had her hands full with a colicky baby, but she managed to call three times a week. Elizabeth felt even worse.

“How’s Greg?”

“Getting better.” Allison led Elizabeth into the tiny kitchen and fetched a couple diet sodas out of the refrigerator. “He sleeps almost four hours a night now.”

“Yikes.”

Elizabeth tried to imagine how she was going to make things work on her own with a baby and no help. She glanced around the kitchen. Dishes were piled in the sink and baby bottles sat upside down in a drying rack. Beyond the breakfast bar, where once there had been a pristine living room with glass tables, expensive accent pieces and tons of plants, only the black leather couch remained and it was piled with a basket of unfolded baby clothes. Colorful toys and a baby swing competed for space on the hardwood floors.

“Can I babysit for you and Keith one night? Maybe you could go out for a nice dinner?”

Allison looked so hopeful, Elizabeth’s heart clenched.

“That would be great. Get you ready for your own bundle of joy.” This last was said with such weariness that Elizabeth wondered if her envy over her friend’s perfect life had been a tad off base. Gasping, Allison leaned forward and grabbed Elizabeth’s hands. Her eyes burned with hope. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me you’re pregnant?”

“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “The last round didn’t take.”

“Damn.” Allison’s mouth turned down at the corners. “I’m so sorry. What are you going to do?”

“Try again.”

“But I thought you didn’t have enough money.”

“I’m going to ask Josie to make me a partner.”

Allison blew out a breath. “Good luck with that.” She looked immediately contrite. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t what you needed to hear. How are you going to approach it?”

In the face of Allison’s doubt, Elizabeth pushed aside her frustration and squared her shoulders. “I just handled my first A-list party and it was a huge success. All sorts of bookings are coming in and they all want me.”

“How wonderful. Does Josie know they all want you?”

On the topic of Elizabeth’s career, Allison had all sorts of strong opinions about Josie Summers. All of them negative.

“In her own way, she knows.” But that didn’t mean Josie would ever admit it.

“You could quit,” Allison suggested with a far too innocent expression. “Start your own event planning company.”

“You know I can’t do that.” It was a conversation she and Allison had engaged in often in the past three years.

“I know you’re afraid to do that.”

“I like the security of a job with a steady paycheck.”

Allison didn’t appear convinced by Elizabeth’s determined tone. “You could put off having a baby for a couple years while you get your business going.”

Elizabeth rejected her friend’s suggestion with a firm shake of her head. “I’d rather put up with Josie for the next five years than wait to have a baby.”

“You’re so sensible.” The baby monitor on the counter next to the sink erupted with cries. Allison stared at the device and held her breath as if even that small noise would further disturb the restless child.

“Do you need to go check on him?”

“No. He should settle down.” But the cries became more insistent and Allison heaved a weary sigh. “I guess fifteen minutes is going to be all he can handle today. I don’t know why he doesn’t collapse with exhaustion. I’m tired and he gets less sleep than I do. I’ll be right back.”

Elizabeth expected to have to finish her conversation with Allison over the wails of the baby, but almost as soon as she vanished into her son’s room, the monitor stopped emitting noise. She returned with her son in her arms.

“Can you hold this momma’s boy for a second?” Without waiting for Elizabeth to answer, Allison handed her the baby. “I swear he lives to drive me crazy. Just like his father.” The last she muttered, the words almost intelligible, but Elizabeth heard.

And grinned.

She buried her nose in the baby’s neck and inhaled his scent. This is what she was working toward. Why she’d accept Roark’s offer to pretend to be his fiancée. She needed to bring in more clients and strengthen her position as Josie’s top producer. Becoming a partner would assure her financial security and she could afford to try in vitro again.

Her phone vibrated, reminding Elizabeth that she had work to do. As much as she wished she could linger for the rest of the afternoon, there were clients to contact and arrangements to oversee. If she was gone too long from the office, Brenda might take it upon herself to organize something and that would be extremely bad.

The sun fell across Elizabeth’s shoulders as she made her way to the nearest subway station. Visiting Allison’s domestic haven had done her good. The parts of her psyche that had seemed frantic and out of control were calmer. She was thinking clearly instead of freaking out. Before she headed down the stairs to catch her train, she pulled out her cell phone.

Almost as if he’d been expecting her call, Roark picked up before the second ring.

“Okay, Mr. Black, we have a deal.”

“Just like that?” Despite his words, he almost purred with satisfaction. “We haven’t even discussed what you want in return.”

“All I want is the chance to make the sort of connections that will further my career.”

“And you’ll meet plenty of people who will want to hire you. But I’m going to take up a significant amount of your time and I intend to compensate you for it.”

“How much time?”

“To be credible we need to be seen together four hours a night, twice maybe three times a week for six months. Twenty thousand dollars is a nice round number, don’t you think?”

She stared at the sky and blinked back a sudden rush of tears. Her relief was so profound, for a moment she couldn’t breathe. With that much money she could afford to try in vitro again almost immediately. A twinge of conscience returned her to reality.

“That’s too much. I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

“The money is for your time, nothing more.”

And although every one of her brain cells told her she was crazy, in her heart, she believed him. “It’s still too much.”

“Very well.” A hint of exasperation entered his tone. “What sort of number did you have in mind?”

“Thirteen thousand, four hundred twenty-eight dollars and ninety-seven cents.”

A long hesitation followed her words. When he spoke, his voice was rich with laughter. “Are you sure you don’t want that rounded up to twenty-nine dollars?”

“No, thank you.”

“Care to share what you’re going to do with that particular sum?”

She smiled as she imagined the look on his face as she said, “I’m going to use it to get pregnant.”