Читать книгу The Prescription Playboy - Grayson Reyes-Cole - Страница 5

Chapter 2

Arthur put Hunny on the first plane out of the airport. This time was no different. She, unfortunately, accepted his offer to drive her to the airport knowing it was his last opportunity to debrief her before she got going. Hunny didn’t mind, the account could prove to be the biggest fish G&A had seen in several months. Arthur gave her an inch-thick file on any press he could find associated with the company. Light reading for the two-hour flight. When he let her out with some bland words of encouragement, Hunny headed into the airport, praying all would be well.

At the counter, she discovered that the direct flight to Tampa was cancelled due to mechanical problems with the plane. The patient airline attendant’s fingers flew over her keyboard as a crease appeared across her brow. After two more ladies joined her for a discussion in rapid airline-ese, Huntington was given new boarding passes that had her flying to Birmingham first. Upon seeing the ticket, she stifled a brief pang of guilt and headed to security. She could never tell her mother she’d been so close to home and not come by, even if it was only for an hour layover.

During that layover, she found her stomach grumbling as she waited at the terminal.

“If you want to get something to snack on, Honey, I’ll watch your bag,” the woman across from her offered. Hunny smiled awkwardly, embarrassed by the racket she was making. Hunny noted that the woman’s wrinkled flesh did not match the alert chocolate brown gaze. Those were the eyes of a woman who had never aged inside.

Hunny bit her lower lip. Leaving her bag with a stranger definitely went against the grain. She flashed a glance over at her bag—the wheel had broken off after she retrieved it from the baggage claim—and swallowed. Her throat was still dry and her stomach was making even ruder noises.

“If you don’t mind… Thank you.” Hunny smiled at the woman and headed toward the newsstand. She didn’t know if her constitution would be able to take an entire meal if the next flight was as bumpy as the first, but she could get some bottled water and some crackers.

Standing in the lengthy line, Hunny surveyed the covers of the magazines on the rack beside her, making a mental note of every headline and cover story. She also made a note of the clothing and set of each cover photo. Designing cover concepts had been the newest effort in her career. Yeah sure, there were set directors who didn’t like being told what to do, but she had clients who trusted her, and every time they faced the public as she worked on their image, they needed her insight.

A hip hop mogul and his actress fiancée faced off on the cover of her favorite music magazine. The magazine didn’t hold a lot of merit as far as her professional life went, but she read the gossip inside as if it were candy. She’d read that one already, but, as she watched, a shop employee opened a large cardboard box and began putting out the new copy. With an entreating smile, she grabbed the new one. She might as well buy it, since she wouldn’t be home to get her mailed copy for at least a week. After making her purchase, Hunny couldn’t wait to thumb through it, though at that very moment she juggled the magazine, her change, water, and sandwich crackers.

Huntington grimaced when her cellphone started to ring Rule Britannia! She had full hands and a zipped purse but wrestled the phone out of the handbag just in time. “This is Huntington,” she answered with more enthusiasm than she felt.

“Good evening again, Ms. Lewis. It’s Arthur.” Huntington rolled her eyes. Of course, her ringtone had indicated who it was.

Huntington made her way back to the seat proud that she only dropped her crackers once. “I called the hotel to see if you had made it since your cell was off at the time. They said you hadn’t, so I had Joy to track you down. She said you got re-routed through Birmingham and wouldn’t be getting in until after midnight tonight. I figured I’d keep trying you until you picked up.”

“Yes,” Hunny responded. Of course he would keep trying. She could read his voice as well as she could the magazine in her lap. Something had him tense and whatever it was, he felt compelled to share with her. “It’s already been planes, trains, and automobiles, but it’s all right. I’m sure I’ll make it into the office for the meeting on time tomorrow. You know I don’t sleep much anyway.”

“Well, did you have an opportunity to peruse the file?” he prompted.

“Peruse? Yes.” When the other end remained silent, she continued. “I think I’m ready to do mock ups for the television and magazine campaign. I’ve also got some ideas for the web design. I know you like to wait until after my meeting, but I’m pretty sure what I want to do. The only sticking point I have so far is the CEO. Normally not a big deal with a pharmaceutical company as long as he plays golf, gets his wife to head up a charity, and stays discreet with lobbying, but this guy…” And, as Hunny took up her seat next to the older woman and thanked her with a quick winning smile, she set her drink and crackers down and started to thumb through the magazine as she talked. Arthur had a habit of wanting to talk to her non-stop when she was on large projects. She wondered absently if he did this to everyone else. Yes, probably. But, she would wait patiently until he came around to telling her what he really wanted.

She lost her train of thought as what she was seeing began to register. She stopped speaking though she was sure her mouth remained open in a horrifying silent scream. A heartbeat passed, then two as she desperately skimmed the article. “You have got to be kidding me.” Well, that’s what she meant to say, although she was pretty sure there had been some other not-so-nice words spliced into the sentence. Then, she clapped her hand over her mouth and shot an apologetic look at the older woman who had watched her suitcase. Bad habit, that. Something about being away from the office gave her a foul sailor’s mouth. Her mama would have a heart attack if she knew.

Hunny, realizing that Arthur, who normally asked a lot of questions and gave a lot of needless direction, had said next to nothing since he called her, got his attention “Arthur?”

“Well...” he hedged. It was unlike Arthur to hesitate, but Hunny already knew she was not going to like whatever it was he had to say. “I can only assume by your outburst that you’ve discovered our slight situation.”

“Slight?” Her tone was dry, incredulous. Arthur was uncharacteristically stalling. “Arthur Adam Gentry.”

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

“Did you call to discuss our slight situation?” For a moment he was silent. Her heart started to race in anticipation.

“I was hoping to get in touch with you before you found out,” he began. “However, you are—as usual—advanced in your information.”

“Not as advanced as I’d like to be, I assure you,” Huntington answered. “For example, I don’t care that he’s featured in four photos with four different women. But, I’d like to have been there to tell that jackass to keep it in his pants before he got involved with someone who worked for the Food and Drug Administration and was, at the time of the indiscretion, the girlfriend of the hottest running back of the century, Devon McAteer.”

So much for keeping a low profile, golfing, giving to charity, showing a staid, conservative image. Hunny couldn’t stop staring at the picture of the gorgeous man with brilliant white smile and the elegant beauty pictured beside him. She was tall and rail thin with thin lips, brows, nose and brown eyes. She wore a champagne-colored dress that melted against her cinnamon kissed peaches and cream complexion. She wore her straight black hair in a fashionable, tidy French roll making her look like Lena Horne in her prime. The woman was looking at him with such longing in her eyes.

He, all bulky and charismatic, was looking at the camera. Hunny almost felt like his eyes were right on her. He was dark-skinned, clean cut in his fastidious black tuxedo. That he was tall and his body thick and muscled was undeniable even in print. And that smile, that face. His jaw was square to frame full, soft-looking lips parted over strong white teeth. His black eyes were large and expressive. She breathed once, twice. She would stay quiet until she trusted herself to speak again. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen.

She reread the caption beneath the picture of him and Nicole Davidson. Two weeks ago, this picture was taken only two weeks ago. “What was he thinking?”

“Well…” Arthur started. Hunny had almost forgotten him on the other end of the line. “We’ve seen this before Huntington. In some industries, executives don’t always understand their own celebrity. And even when they are in the limelight, in many instances, people like to think of CEOs as, well, bon vivants.”

“In this industry, this CEO does not have to be a celebrity. He’s turning himself into one, and not—might I add—in a good way. And as far as being a CEO who’s a black James Bond type playboy—not a bon vivant as you so tactfully put it—I’m sure we can get him to sell tons of birth control and male enhancement gel—”

“Ms. Lewis.” Arthur gasped.

“But, I don’t see the—”

“Ms. Lewis,” Arthur repeated. Hunny clamped her mouth shut. For a moment, Arthur said nothing as if testing whether his audience was truly captive. “Let’s not forget that this multi-million dollar company wants us to help it become a multi-billion dollar company. Let’s also not forget this is your career. Your job is to either tuck this CEO away or clean up his image.”

Hunny nodded, though Arthur could not see it. “Yes,” she agreed vocally. She had to pull it together. She’d had harder assignments. Besides, it was only a little part of a little column. Though, she didn’t subscribe to the theory that any publicity was good publicity, she had to admit this was the only place she’d seen the article.

“Besides, the ended relationship isn’t the big problem.”

With those words, the hair stood up on the back of Hunny’s neck.

* * * *

The next morning, Huntington, who never slept past seven, woke up around nine. She hadn’t received her wakeup call and hadn’t managed to get up on her own. Her heart raced as she got dressed in a slate blue, silk suit with a soft cream shirt beneath. The blouse was a little tight across her bust, but as long as she had her jacket, she figured it would be fine. She slipped on her trouser socks and a pair of navy pumps, clipping pearl earrings on at the same time. Hunny checked herself quickly in the mirror. She looked presentable, conservative, not like she was likely to be swayed by a velvety chocolate hunk.

She gave herself a curt, satisfied nod, grabbed her briefcase and rushed out. When she finally got in the car, carrying the cup of coffee she made from the continental breakfast bar in the lobby, she was in a very, very bad mood.

Her scowl only deepened when she pulled into the Med Sol parking lot and had to slam on the brakes to avoid a car backing haphazardly out of a parking spot. Her silk jacket was summarily destroyed by that same cup of coffee. She let out a distinctively unladylike curse then parked the car. She slammed the door and walked toward the building. Then, somewhere, in the distance, she heard it. Rule Britannia!

Hunny interrupted him. “Arthur, in the building now, gotta go.” Then she hung up and put her phone on silent. She wasn’t going to answer it anymore, but she did want to know if she missed any calls, which she most assuredly would as long as Arthur was on her back.

She walked up to the front desk nodding a greeting at the security guard.

“Huntington Lewis?” the slim man with silver hair asked with a genial smile.

Hunny nodded and smiled back.

“This is your first time here, yes?”

“Yes,” Hunny answered.

“Why that’s fine. We don’t bite. I’ll just need to get some identification to get you a guest badge made up. Then I’ll call Miss Gina to come down for you.” As she rifled through her purse, he asked. “How long will you be staying?”

Hunny swallowed. Her return flight was in a week. She knew when she was supposed to be going back, but she already knew that nothing was simple with this account. “A week.”

“A week, eh?” the guard said. “Well, we ought to get you a contractor badge made up. The guest badges won’t get you into any badged areas, you have to have an escort, but if you’re going to be here for a few days, you need one.”

Hunny nodded even though what she really wanted to do was tell him she wasn’t going to need any long-term badge access. But she knew better than to open her mouth on that subject. The sad fact of the matter was that Huntington knew in all probability she would need it. As she leaned over to sign for her pass, she felt a tap on the shoulder.

“Hey, Huntington.”

Hunny warmed immediately to the smooth and sugary sweet voice. She turned around to the pretty blonde and was tempted to hug the woman facing her. Gina Morrow, Public Relations Director for Med Solutions had been her saving grace since this terror of an account came along. Gina never met a stranger in her life, and Huntington was no exception. Gina made her feel comfortable. She was one of the few people Hunny knew who said exactly what was on her mind and in her heart, a rare trait.

“Hey, Gina.” Hunny squeaked as the larger woman pulled her in for a strong embrace.

“Is she done, Henry?”

The guard slid the badge across the counter. The tiny picture of Hunny on the front didn’t do her justice. He also handed Gina a small key with a round marker on it. Gina took Huntington on a quick tour of the important spots—bathroom, cafeteria, the labs and boardroom—including the tiny temporary office that had been set aside for her. Ah… so that’s what the key was for. Upon seeing the tidy little spot, Hunny’s spirits dropped. It looked so cozy... She didn’t want to get cozy.

Gina stayed and chatted as Huntington settled in. Excellent at her job, Gina Morrow still acted more like a social butterfly than a corporate exec which probably explained her success, that and her incredible connections. She had the luck of being born into a very influential, very old Southern family. She’d had the even better luck of marrying someone just as established right out of college.

Twenty-two years later, Gina had made use of all the connections that came with her social status. She’d been in the field, it seemed, for her entire life, and she loved the job. She knew everybody in every industry, including the pharmaceutical business. Additionally, she knew everyone who was anyone within a thousand-mile radius. She could gain entry into just about any social event she desired, and she hoarded favors like Leprechauns hoard gold. If you needed something, Gina Morrow could get it so long as you were specific. Huntington had dubbed her the High Priestess of Networking.

“So, Ms. Morrow,” Huntington crooned when there was a lull in the conversation.

“Yes, Ms. Lewis,” Gina crooned back.

“I have one or two things I’d like your insight on.”

Gina chuckled as if she knew what Huntington was about to say. “Are you positive you want my insight?”

“Positive,” Hunny replied with an arch look. “We need to talk about your boss.”

Gina stood up and closed Huntington’s door.

“That’s a defensive stance if I’ve ever seen one,” Hunny observed.

“I already know I’ll need it.”

“Where in the hell were you when your boss was traipsing around Europe committing heinous acts of conflicts of interest?”

“Oh,” Gina stated with wide eyes. “You heard about Nicky, huh?”

“Nicky?”

“Yes. Nicky Davidson. Short for Nicole.”

“Nicole, Nicky, Peaches, does it really matter?”

“Hey, hey, before you get all bent out of shape, you need to know she started it.”

“Oh, come on, Gina.” Huntington puffed out her cheeks in a dragged-out sigh. “This is not the Playboy Mansion. Can’t the man keep it in his pants and exhibit some professionalism?”

“Huntington.” Gina coughed. “That’s just unfair. You don’t even know Kevin. If he had had any idea she was getting so attached, he wouldn’t have let it go so far. As it stands, he tried to let her down easy. She just didn’t take it well.”

“It wouldn’t have been a problem at all if he had never gotten involved with her. Poor girl.”

“Poor girl?” Gina scoffed. “Nicky Davidson? Are we even talking about the same woman? She’s the one who cheated on Devon McAteer. She’s the one who—” Uncharacteristically, she cut herself short. “Huntington, you’ve got it all wrong.”

Hunny dismissed that statement with a wave of her hand. At this stage, it didn’t matter whether Nicky Davidson shared the blame or not. The woman had been played with, and she was taking her revenge in a big way. Pushing stray, curling locks behind her ears, Hunny said, “This is going to set us back months. Arthur called to tell me about the FDA investigation while I was in the airport last night. That was ahead of the papers today, and it’s in every business section. I was already floored when I saw the magazine article. How could he not know this whole situation was going to blow up in his face?”

Gina argued, “How could he know? We are strict about adherence to federal guidelines. Our labs are tops in the country. I’ve seen the reports. Hell, we all did, in a special board meeting. We passed our inspections. They are calling this a random audit. Wonder how we got picked for a ‘random’ audit.” Gina patted her hair and sighed deeply. “We’ll pass the secondary inspection just fine. There will be an audit then a panel, and Nicky will be nowhere around. It’s just a pain in the butt.”

“It’s more than a pain in the butt. What about the image I’m trying to help you build and maintain. I’m talking about the conservative, controlled, charitable perception the public needs to have of this company. Ads don’t mean anything if the public doesn’t trust you. I don’t want all of my hard work frittered away by some philandering ladies’ man who—”

“Huntington.” Gina chirped in genuine surprise.

“You never mix business with pleasure.” Huntington was instantly contrite for snapping. She hadn’t intended to be curt with Gina, but this sort of behavior was her pet peeve. She was one hundred percent against people at work dating.

“You don’t know him,” Gina mumbled.

“I don’t need to.”

“Okay, Hunny. I don’t want to fight with you about this. I realize it’s a problem, and I’m going to do all I can to help you fix it.”

“I do feel like we have a fantastic opportunity to do something for this company. And even if he doesn’t know it, Kevin Carter may endanger the company he’s worked very hard for by failing to give it the right image.”

“I know, sweetie,” Gina offered. “But, this is not the end of the world. It’s only an industrial hygiene inspection, there’s nothing sexy about industrial hygiene. A very brief write up on it dealt mostly with Nicky. No one’s interested in the story for more than entertainment. The media isn’t holding this against the company. For that matter, no one’s holding it against Kevin either. Nicky is the one who is now scholar-come-stalker. As long as we are clean—and we are—there’s no problem. It will be fine.”

Huntington opted to let it go for the time being. “So do you think we’ll settle this thing this week or not?” she asked in a decidedly lighter tone.

“I should hope so, Hunny. It’s wearin’ me out.” Gina used one hand to shake Huntington’s and put the other to her chest in a marvelously affected gesture.

“Then let’s get to it. We have some phone calls to make and some interviews to script.”

* * * *

Gina left Hunny in her temporary office. Though she knew it was a mistake of mammoth proportions, Huntington called Arthur to give him the direct phone number. At least she would have a brief respite from Rule Britannia! She put her phone on mute as she printed documents for her meeting with Carter. Arthur, it seemed, was trying to give her pointers on how to conduct her first encounter the man who was fast becoming her nemesis.

Huntington half-listened. She’d been doing her job for years, and she’d heard this pep talk from Arthur more times than she could count.

After she got off the phone, she stood and stretched looking around the office. Yep, about the size of a tidy, self-contained cell. She checked her watch. Arthur had managed to talk her through another hour. Honestly, what did he do with his day besides dog her every step?

With a deep breath to bolster her courage, Hunny ventured out in search of the enigmatic Kevin Carter. It was time for their first meeting.

She’d been told at the desk that his office was off one of the laboratories. She checked the light above the door of Lab Two. Green. She pressed on the door, squaring her shoulders as if she were about to do battle.

At first, she didn’t think anyone was there. The lab seemed absent of any organism not growing in a Petrie dish or beaker. It smelled clean, sterile even, the counters were neatly organized with their trays and vials and tubes and fascinating machines all in order. She heard a squeak as the door opened behind her. The hairs rose on the nape of her neck. Huntington recognized him right away. Oh, this was cruel.

This chemist was like none she’d ever met. He was tall and big, much more so than she’d thought from the pictures. She watched with fascination as he shrugged out of his white lab coat. His black golf shirt—hanging the right way off his body—showed off thick, sinewy muscles in his wide back bunching with each smooth motion. Shoulders as broad as they come led to arms that were thick and defined and strong. He possessed a narrow waist and hips. Hunny could see the curve of a healthy bottom leading down to strong thighs and calves she could sense even in his loose-fitting pants. He turned toward her, sensing her presence, and she could see the power in his chest. Just a quick, unconscious contracting of the muscles there that drew her eyes and dried her throat.

Hunny swallowed. She hadn’t seen a body like that in a long, long time. She hadn’t had such a powerful physical reaction to a man in…well, never. The body was perfect, but she hesitated before looking at a face she’d only seen in pictures. However, Hunny had never been a coward. Slowly, her eyes traveled up and up until she absently pressed a hand to her chest.

Huntington didn’t know if she had ever seen someone so delicious looking and so…so… damn. His skin was dark chocolate, smooth, and shining with a young, healthy glow. He had high, proud cheekbones and a straight, firm nose. His jaw was strong and square. His chin was just as adamant. His lips were full and seemed soft and warm and ready to kiss. And his eyes—Good Lord, they had not left her since he came in—his eyes were the deepest brown, black even, and mesmerizing with their almond shape. They were warm eyes that held amusement and intelligence and just a hint of something else that was more than a little intimidating. They were talking to her, and Hunny didn’t know if she was ready for what they were saying. She took a step back. The amusement in those brown orbs kicked up a notch, and Hunny swallowed.

Hunny had to look away for a moment. Her throat was dry and her insides felt like they were all stirred up. She needed to clear her head so she took a deep breath then—pure accident—cast her gaze back his way. His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the counter. He smiled a brief, appraising smile that gave Hunny a glimpse of incredibly straight, white teeth, with the barest hint of a gap between the front two. Goodness, even that was sexy. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the chemist started to speak. His voice was heavy and hot like a caress. It was familiar and… She realized what he’d said and her eyes widened. “Hello, Honeybee.”

She knew immediately why he’d chosen that silly moniker. Her butter-colored skin, sand-colored hair, and light brown eyes were frequently enough commented on. But, only her mother ever called Honeybee. Most people shortened Huntington to Hunny, not Honeybee. She didn’t like the name or the liquid warmth that had pooled inside her at the sound of it rolling off his tongue.

It was going to be pretty damn hard to get through this first meeting if he was going to keep heating her up with those scandalous gazes. And she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Why was this gorgeous man so obviously attracted to her? Sure she looked all right enough—she’d have to be slow not to know that—but this guy dated models. Unless it was the chase? Or perhaps he was one of the guys who was just into quantity. Huntington found herself frowning. She was not looking forward to the next couple of days working in close quarters with this coffee-complected Adonis.

For a moment, she considered running. Maybe her best bet would be to leave the laboratory, find Gina, and tell her she could present the work they’d done earlier that day. She would call Arthur and tell him…tell him… Well, she didn’t know what she would tell him. All she knew was, she couldn’t work with Kevin Carter. She had to be realistic. This man was dangerous to every part of her person. He held her career in the balance, and he was making her body go haywire while she needed all of her mental energy to land this troublesome contract.

Quickly, with as much composure as she could muster, she explained, “I’m sorry, were you expecting me?” She pushed out her hand and stepped forward. “I’m—”

“Huntington Lewis, of course.”

“Yes,” Hunny answered nearly embarrassed by the breathy sound of her own voice. “Huntington Lewis.”

“I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you,” he stated, clasping her hand. For a moment, she couldn’t look away from his face. He was so masculine and beautiful… That’s when she realized she should be shaking his hand back.

“Shall we go to my office?”

Huntington nodded. She started toward the door and turned to leave. However, when she hazarded a glance behind her, she found that Adonis—Carter—hadn’t budged. He was still standing by the counter and now he was sporting a full-on, devastating grin with one eyebrow cocked up at her. That couldn’t bode well.

Hunny frowned, and he motioned her toward another door she hadn’t noticed earlier. She changed her direction and went through the door as held it for her.

Once inside, she paused. It was the most sumptuous office she’d ever seen. She’d expected something dark, gray, or black. Something cold and uninviting. Something industrial and manly. She couldn’t have been more surprised. It was bright and cheery with beautiful hardwood flooring—Was that redwood? Wasn’t it endangered or something?—shined to perfection. There were large red, gold, and copper paintings on three walls. There were two over-large sofas, both covered in durable, crisp white canvas with bright yellow leather cushions artfully arranged on them. A polished wood inlay coffee table tied the sitting area together and coordinated with Kevin’s desk. Huge and hulking, it was situated in the corner between two windows. A large flat monitor occupied the center of the desk. Somewhere, there was probably a keyboard and mouse; however, she certainly couldn’t see them. The desk, a beautiful polished wood creation was nearly buried under an uncontested mess.

Kevin Carter went around and sat down. Huntington watched as he started to stack loose papers, pamphlet galleys, and folders together to sit them on the floor behind him. Thankfully, this encounter seemed to be moving toward a less provocative path.

“Drawers,” he said to her almost apologetically. “I wanted a desk with drawers, but this one doesn’t have any. I had to decide which I wanted more.”