The Elliotts: Mixing Business with Pleasure: Billionaire's Proposition / Taking Care of Business / Cause for Scandal

Sighing, she opened her eyes and pulled a sheet of paper from the wooden file she kept for mail. She glanced at the medical report again and sighed. Endometriosis. That was why she’d had such terrible cramps. That was why her fertility was headed into the toilet. That was why she would consider having a baby without a husband.

Two

At precisely five thirty-one in the afternoon, Erika heard a knock at her office door. Her stomach dipped, but she ignored the sensation. Today she hadn’t kicked off her shoes below her desk. Nope, today she wore high-heel boots that brashly flaunted her five-foot-nine-inch height and a black suit with a crisp white blouse. Today she was prepared.

She strode to her door and opened it, spotting Gannon lifting his hand for another knock. He was still too damn tall. She would need stilts to meet him eye to eye. Dressed in a black wool suit with a faint blue stripe, he would leave quivering females in his wake wherever he went—the elevator, his office, the street. Erika imagined women all over the office melting into the carpet.

His green gaze flicked over her, then he looked into her eyes for an assessing second. When he’d taken the time, he’d always been able to read her. Better not to let him see too much, she thought.

“Come in,” she said and returned to stand behind her desk. She liked having a large wooden object between her and Gannon. At that moment she wished her desk was a little bigger, perhaps boat-sized. “How are you?”

“Fine, and you?” he asked, moving the folder he held into his other hand.

“Good, thank you.” Pleasantries over. “I’ve thought about your offer. I loved working at Pulse. It was the most challenging and creative job I’ve ever had. I loved the fast pace. I loved working with such sharp minds.” She paused and took a quick breath and reminded herself she was doing this for her sanity. “But I’m very happy and productive where I am right now. I have an excellent rapport with everyone who works for me. It’s a warm atmosphere and it works for me.”

He remained silent.

Poo. He was going to force her to say the words. She would have much preferred doing this via e-mail or fax. “So thank you very much for your wonderful offer. While I’m tempted, I’m going to decline.”

He looked at her for a long moment and gave a slow nod. He moved closer to the desk and picked up her half-full mug. “The job you have at HomeStyle is like hot chocolate with marshmallows. It’s nice. It’s comfortable. A few challenges every now and then. You have to choose whether to feature needlepoint or knitting, find new crafts for Valentine’s Day, a decor for spring.”

Erika felt defensive. “You’re right. Making marsh-mallow bunnies isn’t going to rock the world. It’s just going to make it a little nicer, a little more comforting.”

“As I said, this job is hot chocolate. The problem, Erika, is you had the best whiskey in the world at Pulse. You know what it’s like to come to work knowing you’ll get an adrenaline rush. That the story you tell and the way you tell it could rock the world. Underneath the hot chocolate with marshmallows and bunny slippers is a world-rocker. You can fight it all you want, but you and I both know it’s in you.”

The challenge in his eyes made something inside her sizzle and pop. She hated that he knew her so well. She hated that he’d known her so well and left her so completely, but she wouldn’t tell him that was the reason she wouldn’t return to Pulse.

“I want you to reconsider,” he said.

She swallowed a groan. She’d really had to pump herself up for this. “I’ve given your offer a lot of consideration. You have my answer.”

His lips turned up slightly in a grin she’d seen before. A grin that signaled Gannon was in for a battle, determined to win. A grin that scared the life out of her. “Your answer isn’t acceptable to me. I want you to reconsider. My father does, too.”

Oh great, she thought wryly. Two Elliotts teaming up against her. “I’m very happy here.”

“We’ll make sure you’re happy at Pulse.” He laid the folder he’d held during their discussion on the desk and flipped it open. “How would you like to do this story?”

Erika saw photos of babies and her heart stopped.

She bent down to look at the copy. “Making the Perfect Baby: The New World of Genetic Manipulation,” she read and looked at him.

He smiled. “I knew that would get your attention. You always loved the combination of science and human interest. Cover story with your name on the front. That’s the kind of story that could win awards. Rock the world.”

Gazing at the photos of the beautiful sweet faces of the babies, she swallowed over the lump in her throat. Did he know how much she wanted a baby? How could he know? They’d never discussed it.

She took a shallow breath and forced herself to smile. “Very tempting, but I’ve given you my answer.”

He paused just a second, as if she’d surprised him. “Okay. You don’t mind looking over the story and giving me your thoughts, do you? Think about it and I’ll drop by on Wednesday.”

The trendy new cocktail bar, the Randy Martini, was packed with twenty- and thirty-something Manhattanites testing the wild, extensive menu of over a hundred martinis. It took two and a half martinis for Erika’s best friends, Jessica and Paula, to get Erika to confess what had her so distracted. “I want to have a baby and my gynecologist told me I need to do it soon or maybe not at all.”

“That stinks,” Jessica said and patted Erika’s hand.

“Maybe you could get a dog or a cat,” Paula suggested.

Erika shook her head. “I want a baby, not a canine or feline.”

Paula lifted her own martini in salute. “You might change your mind when the kid hits puberty or when you start shelling out the green for college.”

Erika shook her head again. “Even though I’ve been career-oriented, I always knew I wanted to have a child.”

“You could wait until you find Mr. Right and try adopting, although I hear that can take forever,” Jessica said. “Any Mr. Rights on the horizon?”

An image of Gannon slipped into her mind. She immediately stamped it out. “No.”

Jessica made a face. “I guess you could go the insemination route.”

Paula looked horrified. “Get pregnant without being able to blame it on a man for the rest of your life?”

“It could be fun,” Jessica said.

“For whom?” Paula asked. “Erika grows to the size of a beached whale, then gives birth to something that looks like a screaming pink alien.”

“You have no maternal instincts,” Jessica said. “It could be fun for you and me. We could throw her a shower and go to those labor classes with her. We could even go in the delivery room with her.”

“Speak for yourself,” Paula said.

“And we could be aunties,” Jessica said with a smile. “I’m liking this idea. I’ll even go with you to a sperm clinic, Erika.”

“I hadn’t considered anonymous insemination,” Erika said. “I have this fear that they would give me the wrong vial and I’d end up with a crazy man’s sperm.”

“They probably toss the crazy sperm,” Jessica said.

“But how do you know what you’re getting?” Erika mused.

“You don’t,” Paula said. “Unless you do a genetic study or at least get a look at all the guy’s siblings and parents … and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents.”

Erika thought of the Elliotts. Now that was an awesome gene pool. “It would be great if I could choose.”

“Yeah,” Jessica said as she sipped her drink. “We could start with that blond guy by the bar with the buff bod.”

“And what if he’s dumb as a bag of hair?” Paula asked.

“We can put intelligence on the list, but that guy looks good enough that he could make millions by being a model and then retire in leisure.”

“What list?” Erika asked, feeling a little blurry from the alcohol.

“We’re making a list of sperm-donor requirements. Play along,” Jessica said firmly. She pulled a pen from her purse and shook the dampness out of a cocktail napkin. “We’re doing this for the sake of your future child.”

“I would want intelligence,” Erika said, allowing herself to be drawn into the ridiculous discussion. “Good looks aren’t enough.”

“I agree,” Paula said. “And no terrible diseases or addictions.”

“Excellent points,” Erika said.

“You’ve already got the height factor covered,” Jessica said.

“No shrimps,” Paula interjected. “He doesn’t need to be the height of a pro basketball player, but definitely over six feet, right?”

“Right,” Erika agreed. “And a sense of humor. Is that genetic?”

“Lack of it can be,” Paula said and waved for the waiter. “Three death-by-chocolate martinis.”

“Chocolate?” Erika echoed. “I’m on my third.”

“No meal is complete without chocolate,” Paula said.

“I didn’t think martinis constituted a meal,” Erika said.

“Sure they do,” she said, pointing to her glass. “Celery’s a vegetable, isn’t it? Cream cheese inside the olive counts as protein, and appletini provides the fruit.”

“Back to the list,” Jessica prompted. “Do you have a strong preference for hair or eye color?”

“No back hair,” Paula said.

“I’ll second that,” Erika said, amazed at how much this ridiculous conversation was reducing her stress level. “I prefer dark hair.”

“Eye color?”

“Green, if possible.” Why not go for the whole shebang, she thought.

“Okay,” Jessica said and nodded at the waiter as he delivered their chocolate martinis. “We have our assignment now. Each of us is to keep our eyes open for a father for Erika’s baby. A tall, intelligent man with dark hair and green eyes. Healthy, no addictions. He must have a sense of humor.”

“And what are we supposed to do once we find this specimen?” Paula asked.

“That’s easy,” Jessica said with a scoff. “Ask him to donate some sperm to Erika.”

Erika choked on her sip of chocolate martini. “He’ll think you’re crazy.”

Jessica shook her head. “That’s why he needs a sense of humor.”

The following morning Erika awakened late, feeling as if a truck had run over her. Thank goodness she didn’t have any appointments this morning. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a hangover. Oh, wait, yes she could. It was last year when Gannon had broken up with her. The bad thing about having a mad, passionate affair with her boss was that she hadn’t been able to tell a soul, not even Paula or Jessica.

Keeping the secret had intensified everything about her relationship with Gannon. The highs, the lows, the ending. She kept telling herself that if she’d been able to talk with her friends about him, he wouldn’t have affected her so much. Unfortunately part of her remained unconvinced.

Her phone rang, the sound of it reverberating painfully in her brain. She snatched it from the cradle. “Hello.”

“Erika, this is Cammie. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she reassured her. “Since I didn’t have any appointments scheduled this morning, I decided to come in a little later.”

“That’s fine,” Cammie said. “Except Gannon Elliott has called twice asking for you.”

Darn. “Just tell him I’ll get back to him this afternoon.”

“I think he wanted you to sit in on a luncheon meeting.”

“For what?” Erika asked, immediately feeling suspicious.

“He didn’t tell me.”

Erika sighed. “I’ll call him in a few minutes.” Frowning, she turned on her coffeemaker while she jumped in the shower. Skipping the blow-dry, she smoothed on some hair-wax stuff her stylist had given her and pulled her hair into a low ponytail. She applied some makeup, pulled on a don’t-mess-with-me black trouser suit and a pair of boots, grabbed her coffee and coat and walked out her door, glowering as she hailed a cab.

As she scooted into the taxi, she called his office number by rote. One more thing to irritate her. She needed to forget him. “Erika Layven, returning Gannon Elliott’s call,” she said to his assistant.

“I’ll put you right through.”

“Hello, Erika. I wondered where you were,” Gannon said in a deep voice that slid through her like warm whiskey.

“I understand you wanted me to attend a luncheon appointment. My afternoon is crammed. What did you have in mind?”

“We’re having a luncheon meeting at Pulse. The subject for the article I gave you is on the agenda. Love to have you there. I think your input would be invaluable.”

Erika thought again of the article outline he’d left for her. The subject fascinated her. She’d peeked at it at least a half dozen times after he’d left her office. Temptation slid through her like an evil serpent. “I don’t know. Like I said, I’m very busy this afternoon.”

“You could scoot out after the discussion about the article,” he suggested.

He made it too easy. “Okay. As long as you understand that I’m staying at HomeStyle.”

“Great. I’ll see you at noon,” he told her.

Erika walked into the Pulse meeting room a few minutes early. Furnished with a large wooden table set with seven lunch boxes from a local deli-bakery, the room emitted a let’s-get-busy feeling.

“Very nice choice, Lena,” Erika said to Gannon’s assistant.

Lena, a young married woman who was the mother of twins, beamed. “When Gannon told me you were coming, I made sure there was decent food. Inside the box there’s a chicken-salad sandwich, spicy vegetable soup, a fruit cup and a slice of lemon pound cake.”

“You’re a woman after my own heart. Wouldn’t you rather work for me?” Erika joked. “I’m so much easier to please than he is. And I don’t bark.”

“Who says I bark?” Gannon asked from behind Erika.

She cringed at being caught talking about him at the same time she felt a shot of adrenaline at the sound of his voice. His voice had always affected her that way, sent her heart and hormones off to the races. She definitely needed to rein in her response to him. “Coffee, please,” she mouthed to Lena, then turned to face Gannon. “Good morning. Your assistant has arranged a lovely spread for the meeting.”

His killer Irish eyes were a bit too sharp for her taste this morning. And why did she always forget how broad his shoulders were?

He glanced at the table, then returned his gaze to Erika. “Yes, she has. She resisted fast food when I told her you were coming.”

“Bless you, Lena,” Erika said and accepted the piping-hot coffee Gannon’s assistant offered her.

“You weren’t trying to steal her away from me, were you?”

“Just making her aware of her options,” Erika said with a smile.

“Who says I bark?”

“Everyone,” she said without batting an eye.

He glanced at her coffee. “Black?”

She nodded and took a sip.

“Hmm. Black coffee … coming in late this morning … Did you have a late night last night?”

“Nope.” That was true. She’d come home early and fallen into bed as a result of one too many martinis.

“Out with the deadly duo?” he quizzed, speaking of Jessica and Paula.

She’d revealed far too much of her personal life to him during their affair and she didn’t like his reminders. “As a matter of fact, yes. How’s your family?” she asked, turning the personal questions on him.

He paused and shook his head. “Same as ever.”

“That’s about as vague as you can get,” she said, studying him.

He leaned closer to her, making her heart jump. “You’ll learn more if you rejoin the Pulse team,” he told her in a low voice as four more people entered the room.

Michael Elliott, editor in chief of Pulse and Gannon’s father, entered the room and extended his hand to Erika. “Good to have you back. We’ve missed you.”

“It’s good to see you, too, Mr. Elliott,” she said as she shook his hand.

“Erika, glad you’re back,” Jim Hensley, chief copy editor, said as he entered with the rest of the department heads.

“Great to see you,” Barb said.

Howard gave her a thumbs-up.

The greetings felt good. A couple of minutes passed while Lena provided everyone with coffee and a bottle of water.

Michael called the meeting to order. “Let’s get to business. Gannon, you go first.”

“I’d like to start with the baby story since Erika tells me she’ll need to cut out early. Erika, what are your thoughts?”

“I suggest incorporating several points of view. A scientist, a couple who have chosen their baby’s sex, outlining the procedures and costs involved, and a couple who considered choosing their baby’s sex but changed their minds. It would be interesting to learn which sex is chosen most frequently. And at-home techniques that do or don’t work.”

“I like it all,” Michael Elliott said. “And you’re the one to do it.”

Erika blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Since you’re moving back to Pulse,” Gannon’s father said, “you should take the lead on this. It’s going to be a major story with possibilities for awards. You’re perfect for it.”

Erika tossed a questioning glare at Gannon.

“That’s exactly what I thought,” he said. “We have a contact for the scientist, but knowing you, you have your own. You always found the most amazing contacts and got the best quotes.”

“Hey,” Barb said, “if you keep talking about Erika like she walks on water, you’re going to make the rest of us feel like hacks.”

“She does walk on water, doesn’t she?” Howard said, wearing a deadpan expression.

Erika glanced at Gannon and felt a sliver of suspicion. This meeting was way more warm and fuzzy than the meetings she remembered from a year ago, and while Michael Elliott gave the occasional pat on the back, he’d never been one for effusive praise.

If Gannon had pulled his father and three of Pulse’s top power brokers in on seducing her back to the team, something had to be up. Something she hadn’t been told. Something big.

“You guys are too good to me.” She glanced at her watch. “Time for me to go back to HomeStyle land. It was great seeing all of you.”

Gannon stood. “I need a quick word with Erika. How about if everyone starts on lunch?”

“No problem,” his father said. “Don’t take too long.”

Lena handed Erika’s lunch box to her. “Don’t forget your lunch.”

Erika couldn’t prevent a smile. “Spoken like a true mom. Thanks.” She walked out the door, feeling Gannon directly behind her.

He pulled the door closed and she rounded on him. “There seems to be some confusion.”

“What confusion?” he asked, his face revealing nothing.

“Your father, along with other staff members, appears to have the false impression that I’m rejoining Pulse.”

“Admit it, Erika. You can’t resist the baby story. You want to be back on Pulse so bad you can taste it.”

“The baby story interests me, but it’s not enough to bring me back to Pulse.”

“Then what is?” he asked, surprising her again with his wide-open offer. “We need you on the team more than ever. Name your price.”

Three

Gannon allowed Erika thirty hours to think about what he could do to bring her back to Pulse. The negotiation process was turning out to be tougher than he’d planned. In the past, although he’d appreciated Erika’s originality and adventurous attitude on the professional end, he’d always thought of her as cooperative.

Even at the end of their affair, she hadn’t fought him when he’d abruptly broken off with her. He still felt a twinge about it. He’d always been scrupulous in avoiding office affairs. Lord knew his grandfather frowned on anything that bore even a hint of scandal. Gannon knew the reason he’d risen to his present position so quickly was because he’d embraced the Elliott family work ethic by skipping vacation for two years and because he’d built a reputation of integrity.

Erika had been his one slip. Her combination of natural beauty and willingness to take chances and succeed had caught his attention. He’d never met a woman he could talk with more easily. At the same time, he knew about the kick of fire beneath her black suits and businesslike attitude. He’d seen her naked, felt her body against his, felt himself sink inside her, into an oblivion of pleasure.

He felt himself harden at the memory and swore under his breath. He adjusted his tie and opened his office door to find his father on the other side.

His father looked at him quizzically. “Bad time? You headed somewhere?”

“Just wrapping up a little negotiation. What do you need?”

His father gave a short laugh. “Funny. You looked like you were gearing up for battle.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Gannon said and shook off a ripple of discomfort.

“I’m knocking off early to take your mother to dinner.”

Gannon did a quick mental calculation. “Let’s see, it’s not your anniversary, her birthday or your birthday. What’s the occasion?”

His father frowned at him. “No need for a special occasion,” he said but pointed to the slight bulge at his middle. “She’s trying to get me to cut out some of my takeout.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Having a wife wouldn’t be a bad idea for you either.”

Gannon shook his head. “I’m married to my job. I’m married to winning the competition so you’ll be the new CEO of EPH.”

His father smiled and squeezed Gannon’s shoulder.

“You’re a formidable opponent, Gannon. I’m glad you’re on my team.”

Even though Gannon was thirty-three years old, he still appreciated a pat on the back from his father. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Okay. Don’t stay too late or your mother will fuss at me.”

“Enjoy your meal and give Mom a hug from me,” Gannon said and headed toward the elevators. “Good night.” He stepped inside and punched the button for Erika’s floor. Seconds later the doors whooshed open and he walked to her office.

Her assistant had already left, so he knocked lightly on her door.

“Come in,” she called.

Gannon stepped inside her office and watched her hold up one finger as she talked on the phone. He nodded and pulled the door shut behind him. He approved of the comfortable but businesslike room. Erika’s touches of individuality made it interesting without being fussy.

Down deep Gannon felt the drag of fascination with her. She was perfectly groomed, with curves in all the right places. Unashamed of her height, she wore heels without batting an eye. She rarely attempted to tame her riot of long brown curls. Her hair suggested a wild streak, one which he’d experienced intimately.

She hung up the phone and met his gaze. “Sorry. That was the nervous producer of a new decorator makeover show we’re featuring.”

“You reassured him,” Gannon said.

She nodded and lifted her wrist to look pointedly at her watch. “He should be good for fourteen hours. Have a seat.”

Good sign, he thought. At least she was willing to talk this time. Unbuttoning his jacket, he pulled the chair closer to her desk and sat down. “What do you want?”

She met his gaze for a long, level moment that ricocheted through his system. “First, what is behind your determination to get me back at Pulse? I’ve been at HomeStyle for a year. You didn’t make a peep when I left. Why the big rush now?”

“Circumstances have changed. I can tell you why, but I’ll need you to keep it confidential,” he said.

“Of course,” she said.

He knew firsthand that Erika could keep a secret. She’d been as discreet as he had been when they’d been involved. “My grandfather has decided to step down and he has chosen an odd way of determining his successor. The four top magazines of EPH will compete against each other during the next year. The editor in chief of the magazine with the highest increase in sales proportionally will become the new CEO of EPH.”

Erika stared at him speechless for a long moment. “Wow,” she finally managed and nodded. “So you, of course, are determined to see your father be CEO.”