Millionaires' Destinies

“Of course,” he said. “We agreed to keep it up until she backs off.”

Melanie was struck by a worrisome thought. “Have you considered what might happen if she discovers this was all a game being played out for her benefit?”

“Believe me, letting her find out is not an option,” Richard said grimly. “That’s why we can’t let down our guard for a second. She’ll be expecting me to bring you tonight.”

At this rate, Melanie concluded that she was going to go broke buying an appropriate wardrobe for black-tie events. “What time?” she asked, resigned.

“I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.”

Melanie nodded. “If there are more formal events like this where I’m going to be expected to show up on your arm, I’ll need more notice. I don’t have a fairy godmother who can magically make me look presentable.”

His lips twitched. “Fair enough,” he said. “But don’t say that around Destiny. I have a hunch she’d be thrilled to be cast in the fairy-godmother role. Dressing three boys did not allow her to utilize her creative flair for fashion. No matter how ingenious the designer, a tux is still basically a tux.”

Melanie laughed. “Yes, I imagine that could prove frustrating to a woman like Destiny.” She tapped the folders in her arms. “I’d better get busy with these.”

Richard nodded. “See you at three, then.”

“Right.”

Melanie backed out of his office and closed the door behind her, then leaned against it. There had been at least three occasions in there when she’d wanted to dive across that massive desk of his and kiss him till his expression brightened. That would have been about as smart as nose-diving off the top of the Washington Monument.

Now she was expected to spend yet another evening with Richard, pretending to be something more than a freelance marketing consultant, and at the end of the evening she was expected to go home—alone—and keep the man out of her dreams. If this kept up, she was going to have to talk to him about hazardous-duty pay. She could not see one single way that this was going to have anything other than a very unhappy ending.

Melanie sifted through the pile of résumés, making notes on those she felt to be the strongest candidates for running Richard’s campaign. She also jotted on sticky notes and put them on each folder for those she considered wrong for the job. She wasn’t sure how much Richard intended to rely on her opinion or whether this was some sort of test he’d devised to see if they were on the same wavelength, but she intended to give him a thoughtful, intelligent response on each applicant.

One or two were so inexperienced they were laughable, but most fell into the middle range, with adequate experience, bright ideas and ambition. There were three whose applications stood out. She put those folders on top, then rubbed her knotted shoulders. She’d been sitting too long. She’d skipped lunch, because she was so determined to do this assignment thoroughly and intelligently. She wanted badly to prove to Richard that he hadn’t made a mistake in hiring her as a consultant, even if his motives for doing so had nothing at all to do with her qualifications for the job.

Becky poked her head into Melanie’s office. “Safe to come in?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Becky came in and sat down. “Tell me again why you’re going through all those résumés.”

“Richard asked for my input.”

“So you immediately dropped everything to handle that?”

“I didn’t drop everything,” Melanie said defensively. “I rescheduled a couple of appointments. No big deal. It happens all the time.”

“Something tells me it’s going to be happening a lot more often now,” Becky said.

“If it does, it’s only because Richard will be paying us big bucks.”

“To dance to his tune,” Becky said. “I don’t like it. Neither will all the people who’ve been paying us regularly for months or even years. They may be little fish, but they’re our little fish.”

“I’m not going to neglect them,” Melanie vowed, then studied Becky’s skeptical expression. “What’s really going on, Becky? I thought you understood how important it was for us to nab this account.”

“I don’t like to see you jumping through hoops for this man. You’re too good for that.”

“It’s not for some man,” Melanie said. “It’s for a client.”

“Then the whole charade for his aunt’s benefit is off?”

“Not exactly,” she admitted.

“Figured as much,” Becky said grimly. “And you don’t see how risky that is? You’re not the least bit attracted to him? This isn’t at all personal?”

Melanie bit back the quick and easy lie that had formed. “Okay, maybe it is a little bit personal,” she admitted. “A part of me does want to impress the daylights out of him. But it’s not going to get out of hand.”

Becky rolled her eyes. “It’s been one day, sweetie, and in my humble opinion, it is already veering wildly out of control.”

“Wildly?” Melanie scoffed. “I canceled a couple of appointments and spent a few hours reading these files. Come on, Becky, that’s not unreasonable when we take on a new client.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” Before she could say more, her private line rang. Melanie picked it up. “Hello.”

“Ms. Hart?” an unfamiliar female voice asked.

“Yes.”

“This is Winifred, Mr. Carlton’s secretary. He asked me to tell you that he has to cancel the three-o’clock meeting, but he’ll still pick you up at seven-thirty this evening.”

“I see,” Melanie said, avoiding Becky’s gaze. “Thanks for calling.”

When she hung up, Becky gave her a knowing look. “Meeting’s off?”

Melanie nodded, feeling exactly like the idiot Becky so clearly thought she was.

“I notice you didn’t jot down another time. Did he reschedule?”

“No. Maybe he intends to go over it tonight.”

“Tonight?”

Melanie winced at Becky’s incredulous tone. “I guess I forgot to mention the fund-raiser we’re going to.”

Her friend merely shook her head. “Yes, I’m sure he’ll want you to share all your notes with him, while he’s shaking hands with all the movers and shakers who’ll be there.”

“We’ll have time on the drive over,” Melanie said with waning confidence. “Or after.”

Becky gave her a pointed look. “Mel, how far are you prepared to go to keep this stupid account?”

Melanie was stunned by her friend’s implication. “What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that you’re about to walk a very fine line here and, frankly, given that sparkle you get in your eye whenever Richard’s name is mentioned, I’m not sure you won’t tumble headfirst across it.”

“That’s an awful thing to say,” Melanie said, genuinely hurt that Becky’s opinion of her was so low.

“It’s an awful thing to think,” Becky said. “You’re my dearest friend and I love you to pieces, but I’m absolutely terrified that you’re about to do something you’ll regret.”

“Are you worried for me or for the business?” Melanie asked cynically.

“You, of course,” Becky said without hesitation. “Though I have to think that your professional reputation could suffer, too, if people perceive that you’re literally in bed with one of your major accounts.”

“I am not sleeping with Richard,” Melanie retorted.

“Yet,” Becky said, not backing down.

“I’ve made it clear that I won’t sleep with him,” she insisted.

Becky sighed. “We’re in a funny business, Mel. We spend a whole lot of time helping people to create a public perception. We’re best at it when perception and reality are the same. We’re both too honest to do a very good job of spinning the truth.”

“In other words, if people suspect I’m sleeping with Richard, it won’t matter if I’m not,” Melanie said, defeated by what was obvious even to her.

“Bingo.”

“How the hell did I get myself mixed up in this mess?” she asked a little plaintively, even though she knew the answer all too well. She’d caved to Destiny’s sneakiness and Richard’s insistence.

“That one’s easy,” Becky told her. “You wanted to do a favor for a friend.” She grinned. “How were you supposed to know you’d fall head over heels in lust at first sight?”

“I’m not in love with Richard,” Melanie said emphatically.

Becky’s grin spread. “I said l-u-s-t,” she corrected. “But I find it very interesting that that’s not what you heard.” She stood up. “My work here is done. I’m going home.”

“It’s not even three o’clock.”

“I know, but you need time to yourself to get all gussied up for tonight.”

“Maybe I should wear sackcloth,” Melanie said.

“I doubt it would help. Something tells me Richard’s too smitten to notice.”

“It’s a charade, dammit!” Melanie shouted, but Becky was already gone. Melanie heard her chuckling as Becky closed the front door behind her.

She scowled at the pile of résumés she’d wasted most of the day studying. It would serve Richard right if she told him to hire some inexperienced, incompetent idiot, but she wouldn’t. She’d make him take her seriously yet. After all, Becky was right about one thing—when their farce of a relationship ended, she needed to make sure that her professional reputation emerged unscathed.

Chapter Ten

Richard knew he’d made a tactical mistake canceling that meeting with Melanie the instant he saw her face. There was no welcome in her expression, no hint of a sparkle in her eyes. She was cool, polite and about as distant as any stranger he’d ever met. If he didn’t fix this fast, it was going to be a long evening.

Fortunately, he’d anticipated something like this and made a couple of quick adjustments to the evening’s schedule. One wouldn’t come into play until later, but for now he pulled an extravagant bouquet from behind his back. “I thought you might like these,” he said, watching her closely for some sign that the gesture was making inroads.

“They’re beautiful,” she said softly, burying her face in the fragrant assortment of lilies and roses. “Let me put them in water.” She fled the room without a backward glance.

Satisfied that at least she hadn’t tossed the flowers right back in his face, Richard took the time to look around her living room, which he’d barely glimpsed on his earlier visit. He supposed it was done in that style they called shabby chic, an assortment of old and new pieces assembled with a certain flair for color. It was not something he would ever have chosen for his own decor, but it was surprisingly inviting. If this evening hadn’t been so important to Destiny, he’d have been content to stay right here, even with Melanie’s gaze shooting daggers at him.

He glanced around when she came back with the flowers in a large crystal vase. She set it in the middle of the low, glass-topped coffee table, then regarded him with another cool glance.

“We should be going,” she said stiffly.

The formality grated. Richard couldn’t seem to stop himself from reaching for her. “Not until I’ve gotten this out of the way,” he murmured right before he kissed her.

She resisted for half a heartbeat, then sighed against his lips. When he finally released her, she stared at him with more heat in her eyes.

“You don’t play fair,” she accused.

“Only as a last resort,” he said. “I couldn’t think of another way to cut through all that ice.”

“You could have said you were sorry about canceling that meeting after I spent the entire day preparing for it,” she said. “It made me wonder if you really cared about my input after all. This deal of ours is only going to work if you take me seriously. Otherwise, I want out now.”

He’d guessed that would be her interpretation. “Of course I do, or I wouldn’t have asked for it,” he reassured her. “If we’re going to work together, you need to understand that my schedule changes all the time. It’s a fact of life. I have to respond to emergencies, react to last-second opportunities. I had two hours to get an offer on the table for a company I’ve been after for years. We really had to scramble once we found out there was a chance the management might look favorably on an offer from us in order to stave off a hostile bid from someone else. I was in with the attorneys right up until the deadline at five o’clock.”

Melanie looked somewhat satisfied with the explanation. “Okay, I overreacted, probably because I saw this as my first big chance to impress you. Plus, you seemed to take it for granted that I’d drop everything to get ready for that meeting, and you didn’t even bother to have your secretary reschedule.”

“Because I was going to see you tonight myself. I was hoping the flowers would get me off the hook,” he said.

“Admittedly, they were a nice touch,” she told him, a smile finally teasing at her lips. “But a few sincere words would have been better.” She gazed into his eyes. “Then, again, I imagine you’re not used to apologizing to anyone for your actions, are you?”

“I do when it’s necessary,” he said, disconcerted by her too-accurate assessment. He wasn’t used to anyone questioning his actions. What was it Destiny had said, that too many people bowed to his every whim? Taking another person’s feelings into consideration was going to be a new—and most likely humbling—experience, at least if tonight was any example.

“Which you deem to be the case how often?” Melanie inquired tartly. “Once a year? Less?”

“Less,” he admitted with a shrug. “I am sorry for canceling the meeting. My schedule was too tight in the first place, even without that unexpected opportunity to bid on the company I want. I should never have scheduled another meeting, but I knew how anxious you were to get started and I wanted you to see that I intend to listen to your advice.”

For the first time since his arrival, her expression brightened. “You do?”

Richard laughed. “Don’t let it go to your head. I said I’d listen, not that I’d act on it.”

She grinned. “That’s a start. I thought you were just dismissing me today because you figured whatever I had to say wasn’t important.”

“Honestly, Melanie, I do want to hear your impressions. You can tell me in the car.”

“How far away is this fund-raiser?”

“Ten minutes.”

She nodded. “I’ll talk fast. There are only a few people worth talking about anyway.”

When they walked outside, she stopped and stared at the limo waiting by the curb. “Very fancy.”

“I find it useful when I hope to get some work done.” He met her gaze as he ushered her into the luxurious car. “Or when I want to devote all of my attention to the person I’m with.”

“Oh, boy,” she murmured. “How am I supposed to concentrate after you say something sweet like that?”

“We could just put aside all these pesky business things till later and go back to kissing,” he suggested slyly. He was fairly certain he’d never get enough of kissing her.

When he started to lean toward her, she held him back. “I don’t think so. You didn’t hire me for my kissing prowess.”

He laughed. “You sure about that? We do have two deals, you know.”

She gave him a look filled with confusion. “Believe me, that has not slipped my mind for a single second. Something tells me it’s going to be keeping me awake at night.”

Richard bit back another laugh. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’ve had the same thought.” He regarded her hopefully. “If we’re going to be awake anyway, we could spend the night doing something interesting.”

She gave him a look clearly meant to freeze his libido in its tracks.

“I don’t think so,” she said icily.

Richard might have taken her at her word if there hadn’t been the tiniest flicker of pure fire in her eyes. He was counting on that flame to defrost all that ice eventually. He just prayed he could manage to control himself till then. Exercising his restraint was getting to be more difficult with every second he spent with her.

Melanie was startled when the first person they ran into as they entered the hotel ballroom was Mack. He seemed to be on the lookout for them, because he instantly latched on to Richard’s arm and pulled them right back into the bustling corridor, where a half-dozen registration tables had been set up so people could pick up their table assignments.

“Brace yourselves,” he said grimly. “Pete For-sythe is here, looking like a cat who was let free in the aviary. One glimpse of you two and he’ll have the lead for tomorrow morning’s column.”

“Won’t that be fun?” Melanie muttered, then brightened. “We could use this, you know.”

Richard and Mack both stared at her.

“How?” Richard asked.

“He wants a juicy tidbit. Let’s give him one. Let’s end the speculation right here and now and tell him that you are definitely considering a run for Alexandria City Council and that you’ve hired me to advise you.”

Richard was already shaking his head. “I’m not ready to announce that yet, not without a campaign manager in place, and we’re at least a couple of weeks away from that. The earliest I intend to announce is mid-January.”

“You’re not announcing it,” Melanie explained patiently. “You’re only conceding what everyone already knows, that you’re thinking about running. Then you acknowledge our business relationship and, poof, we get rid of the speculation about a romance. The truth will be so boring, he might not even print it.”

Mack laughed. “Very clever. Listen to her, Richard. I know this guy. He thrives on scandal and innuendo. This will sound way too tame for his readers.”

Richard finally nodded. “Okay, then, let’s go feed him this dull little tidbit and pray that Destiny hasn’t seen fit to give him an entirely different scoop.”

“Such as?” Melanie asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

“News of our imminent engagement,” Richard said.

“She’s seen us together once,” Melanie pointed out.

“But she has an active imagination,” Mack said. “And she does love to embroider the truth when it suits her purposes. If she has a chance to prod along this budding romance, she’ll grab it. Unfortunately, Richard has a point, too.”

“We could duck out right now, before Forsythe sees us,” Richard suggested.

“No way,” Melanie said, refusing to be daunted by Richard and Mack’s dire predictions. “That’s exactly the wrong thing to do. If Forsythe hears we were here or has caught even a glimpse of us, he’ll go wild wondering why we disappeared during the hors d’oeuvres. He’ll probably run right into the lobby to check the guest register to see if we slipped away upstairs.”

“Our names won’t be there,” Richard reminded her, then grinned. “Unless…”

“Forget that,” she said succinctly as Mack tried to smother a laugh. “Besides, it won’t matter what he finds. He’ll just conclude you bribed the desk clerk. Tomorrow morning we’ll be reading all about how we disappeared to be alone together. I still think my original plan is best. We have to march in there as if we have absolutely nothing to hide, which we don’t. Beyond that, it’s a very crowded room. It’s possible we can meet and greet, make our presence felt and get out without ever crossing paths with Forsythe. He can pick up the word about why we’re here together from other sources.”

Mack nodded his agreement. “I’m with Melanie, bro. I’ll go in first and run interference,” he suggested with a look of pure anticipation.

Richard frowned at him. “I thought you always hid behind those huge offensive linesmen.”

“Very funny,” Mack retorted. “Either way, I’m more experienced at this sort of thing than you are.”

“Running interference or avoiding Pete Forsythe’s speculation?” Richard asked.

“Both,” Mack said succinctly.

“By the way, where’s your date?” Richard asked.

“I came alone,” Mack said. “Less fodder for Destiny. Besides, I didn’t want to steal your limelight.” He grinned. “You know, in case you decided tonight was the night to make your big announcement.”

Richard gave him a dire look. “You are going to be such dead meat when Destiny sets her sights on your love life. I’m going to help her in every way I can.”

Melanie grinned at the brotherly byplay. “Richard, I’m not so sure it’s wise to antagonize the man who’s going to throw himself between us and Pete For-sythe.”

Richard held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Do your thing, little brother. Get us to Destiny unscathed.”

Mack proved to be remarkably adept at maneuvering through the crowd. Apparently all that experience eluding tackles was paying off, Melanie concluded as they made their way toward the head table where Destiny was holding court with several distinguished-looking gentlemen. To Melanie’s astonishment, she realized that two of them were senators and one was a top aide to the president. She suddenly felt as if she’d fallen down the rabbit hole and landed at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. She was definitely out of her usual element in such lofty company.

Destiny welcomed them with a beaming smile, then performed the introductions with a graciousness that made Melanie sound as if she owned a top-flight firm on New York’s Madison Avenue. The men regarded her with an automatic respect she wasn’t used to garnering after an introduction. She was used to having to prove herself and her right to work in such exalted circles. Heck, she still hadn’t proved herself to Richard.

“Richard, you fox,” Senator Furhman said. “Leave it to you to find someone who’s beautiful, smart and talented, while the rest of us are stuck getting advice from balding old fogies.”

Melanie waited to hear what Richard would say to that. It would tell her a lot about his diplomacy and tact, to say nothing of hinting at his opinion of her professional skills. Not that he had much to go on yet.

He met the senator’s gaze. “I’d recommend you hire her yourself,” he said, then grinned. “But not until I’m in office.”

“Then you are definitely running for Council in Alexandria?” the presidential aide asked.

“Definitely considering it,” Richard admitted as he and Melanie had just agreed.

Listening to him, she decided he was going to be a quick study, which would make her job much easier.

“Why not for Congress?” Senator Furhman asked. “Waste of time, a man of your caliber starting at the bottom like that.”

“Public service at any level is never a waste of time,” Richard said, an edge in his voice.

“Well, of course not,” all three men were quick to say.

Melanie grinned at the smooth way Richard had put them in their place without overtly offending them or suggesting that their own ambitions were in any way suspect. He was going to be a good candidate, no question about it. No one would rattle him.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us, Melanie and I have things to discuss tonight.” He leaned down and gave his aunt a kiss. “Sorry. We can’t stay.”

Melanie and Mack both gave him a startled look. Richard merely gave them an enigmatic smile.

“You ready, sweetheart?” he asked her.

The seemingly deliberate use of the endearment caught Melanie off guard. It was impossible to tell if it had been meant for Destiny’s benefit or for that of her friends or maybe even for Pete Forsythe’s ears.

“Darling,” Richard prodded when she remained silent. “Ready?”

Melanie nodded numbly. “Sure.”

Not until they were outside in the cold night air waiting for the limo to reappear did she face him and demand, “What was that about?”

“You mean the hasty exit?”

“That and the hint that we had more fascinating ways to spend the evening? I thought we’d decided that was a bad message to be putting out there.”

“You thought so. I don’t. Besides, this message was specifically for my aunt. We’ve agreed to that,” he said.

Melanie wasn’t appeased. “You said it in front of witnesses, who are even now probably seeking out Forsythe to spill what they heard.”

“I’m tired of worrying about him.”

“You have to worry about him,” Melanie said impatiently. “You have to use the media to get your message across, not feed their appetite for intrigue. I thought you’d promised to listen to my advice.”