Lacey barely had a chance to settle at her desk the next morning when she received a text summoning—not inviting—her to Jack’s office. Already attempting to show her who was in charge? She grabbed her tablet and set off to meet with the great man.
Jack’s office, along with those of three other senior architects, was located down the hall from Cam’s quarters. Unlike Lacey and several other junior architects who had to fend for themselves, Jack’s group shared a secretary. Lacey tried to recall her name as she breezed past the woman. She couldn’t, so a wave had to suffice.
She was about to knock on Jack’s door when the woman showed up at her side, slightly breathless. “You can’t go in there without an appointment.”
“Watch me.” She knocked and opened the door in one movement and swooped into the room. “Here I am, as ordered.”
He looked up from something he was sketching, a comma of hair punctuating his forehead. “It’s okay, Jean.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Dalton.” The woman clasped her hand to her chest. “She charged right by me.”
“This is Lacey Rogers. She works on the second floor.”
“Oh?” The older woman actually sniffed. Turning to Lacey, she raised heavy, dark eyebrows and said, “I didn’t realize.”
Lacey started to say something conciliatory when she was cut off.
“Next time, please check in with me first.” The secretary exited as quickly as she’d arrived.
Lacey could have sworn the woman clicked her heels before leaving.
“Do we need to discuss protocol?” Jack asked.
“What century is she from?” The firm operated on an open-door policy.
“Jean, Miss Sarducci, is a little more formal than we’re used to, but she makes a mean cup of coffee.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t realize she was so great. A thousand pardons.”
“What can I do for you?”
“What can you do?” She flounced into one of the leather chairs facing his desk.
“Have a seat.” He extended a belated hand.
“I received a text to come here as soon as I arrived. To discuss Project Veronica, I assume.”
“Pretty late arrival time for a newbie, Rogers. Especially with our priority project looming. I’ve been here for hours. In fact, I just finished some preliminary sketches.”
Finished? “You’ve been working on it already?”
“Do I need to remind you this project is on the fast track?”
Lacey shot from her chair. She would have rushed around the desk to check what he’d been working on but caught herself at the last second. “We’re supposed to team up on this assignment. That means work together. Like in, not by ourselves.”
The man barely moved. He let her stand there tapping her foot for what seemed like an eon before he spoke. He even favored her with a condescending smile, a gash under his nose. “Lacey, Lacey. Calm down. It’s not like I’ve finished the concept piece. I wanted to experiment with a couple ideas before showing you.”
“Fine, but before we go any further, let’s get this straight. I haven’t signed on as your assistant or your intern. I do, however, realize I can learn from you, which is important to me. I want to be the next superstar.”
“Duly noted.”
She sensed the color inching up her neck. “What I meant was…”
“I know what you meant. Look, I’m all for ambition. Hell, I invented the notion around here. But I’m used to working at my own speed, using my own techniques. I’m not about to stop myself every time something creative strikes and wait for you to catch up.”
“Then I expect the same understanding from you.”
He blinked, like he wasn’t accustomed to co-workers standing up to him. Good. She’d caught him off guard. Time to press harder. “As for your guard dog, I want free access to your office.” Brilliant thought. Sure to make her point. “In fact, why don’t I move in here for the duration of this project? Then, whenever something creative strikes you, I’ll be here to start the applause.” She widened her eyes, conveying the epitome of cooperation.
“Share my office?”
She made a show of taking in her surroundings. “Sure. You’ve got an actual office. With a door. Triple the space of my little cubicle. Why, you even have a separate conference table over there in the corner just waiting for me.”
He blinked twice before he scuttled over to the table, his arms splayed wide, like he was blocking her tackle. “I told you, I have my own work style, which doesn’t include letting someone else into my space.”
“’Fraid I’ll discover you’re a fraud who gets all his ideas from the Internet?”
Triple blink this time. Had she gone too far? She was just trying to establish herself as strong enough to trade jabs with him. But having voiced the idea, she wasn’t so crazy about it. Being in such constant close proximity to him the next several weeks would prove too tempting. She could only resist her attraction to the man so far. Why ask for trouble?
Her new partner didn’t respond to her putdown. He appeared to be having difficulty breathing. Biting down anger. Had she struck a nerve?
“I’m definitely not a fraud. But, as you’ll discover, I’m no computer geek. My ideas are organic.” He touched the area around his heart. “They come from here. I listen to my clients. Get them talking about themselves. Then I translate those impressions to my plans.”
Boy, he was even smoother than she thought. Hypnotic. Inspirational. She didn’t need his smarter-than-thou attitude challenging her confidence every minute of every day of the next month.
****
“Hello, sunshine. Word has it you wanted to see me. Did I screw up my expense report again?” Jack draped himself in the doorway of Celia Fairchild’s office. Though the office manager had a bit of a rep as a straight shooter, he liked her. She called things as she saw them and rarely let him snow her. Word had it she’d been going with some accountant for months, so Jack didn’t worry about Celia being out to snare him.
“Nothing so mundane. Have a seat.”
He kept his smile intact, but a one-on-one with Celia, other than to hear how his latest attempt at creative expense reporting wasn’t going to work, was rare. He settled his lanky self into the guest chair facing her desk. When she rose and closed the door, his foreboding meter kicked in.
“Don’t look so panicked.” She returned to her desk. “I have a proposition for you. You’re the only person I know who can pull this off.”
Interesting turn of phrase coming from her. “Pull what off?”
Celia fixed him with what appeared to be a sincere, self-assured smile. “I’ve been seeing Brian Rogers exclusively for almost two years. He’s Lacey Rogers’ brother?”
No kidding. Interesting connection. But then, until yesterday, he hadn’t paid Lacey Rogers much attention period. “Yeah?” Blank face.
“He broke things off the other day. Didn’t want to get too serious.”
Nice going, guy. “Sorry.”
“I want him back, but I need your help.”
“Me? How?”
“I need a new man in my life to make Brian jealous. To make him realize what he’s given up.” Pause. “You fit the bill.”
It took all of two seconds to react. He shot out of his chair, no longer in lounging mode. “Me? And you? No offense, Celia, but I thought you realized our little daily exchanges were pure banter. I never meant to lead you on.”
She chuckled. “I know. But you’re the best man I can think of to make Brian sweat.”
He relaxed his shoulders and leaned against the chair he’d formerly occupied. Of course, he could make any man jealous, if he set his mind to it. But his mind was a fickle animal. Needed incentive. “You want me to act like I’m the new man in your life?”
“Exactly. Brian has to see us together a few times. I’ll pay for whatever dinners, plays, etc. we take in. But you have to make it look real. Brian is slow to be convinced of anything.”
Jack fingered a front button on his shirt and grimaced. “I’m no good at playacting.”
“You deliver the charming playboy act every day, which makes you the perfect person to do this. It won’t take Brian long to scout out my new man, and once he hears about your so-called reputation, I’m counting on his protective instincts to come save me.”
“You really know how to stoke a guy’s ego.”
Her forehead crinkled. “Sorry. I was a little too candid.”
“I appreciate how you don’t mince words. But I’m not your guy.” He headed for the door.
“What will it take, Jack?” she asked his retreating back. “Surely we can make a deal.”
A deal? He knew her well enough to know she wasn’t talking sexual favors. He stopped but continued to stare at the door for several moments. “What kind of deal?”
“I could put in a good word for you with the boss.” Her faltering voice indicated she wasn’t a particularly adept negotiator.
Did she know why he hadn’t been named principal yet? He turned, faced her, one eyebrow raised. “You think I need it?
“No, of course, not. You’re top of the heap around here.”
Whew! In other words, though, an empty promise. “What else do you have to offer?”
“The graphic art for your next project? I’m the one who picks the vendor. I’ll get you the best around.”
Was she deliberately trying to talk him out of it? “I’m already getting the best.”
She bit a lip, rose. “C’mon, Jack. Just for a few weeks.”
He started to decline, but the time frame she proposed caught his attention. His parents were coming back to town soon. Their first question would be if he was seeing someone. A pretend girlfriend might be the answer. Besides, if his gut instincts about Lacey Rogers were on target, another love interest, even a fake one, might help keep his hormones in check. “A few weeks?”
“Six.”
“Four.”
“Okay, four.”
They shook on it. “One more thing,” he added. “This is just between the two of us. Everyone has to think this is the real thing.” Especially their boss, who was sure to leak this to his parents once he heard Jack was seeing Celia. And Lacey. He wanted her to think his relationship with Celia was genuine, so she wouldn’t encourage him otherwise.
Celia started to say something then merely smiled. “I won’t tell another soul. We’ll start at noon by lunching at Brian’s favorite spot.”
He opened the door and noted one of the other women in the business office coming toward Celia’s office. Might as well get this show underway now. “It’s a date, then. See you at noon.”
****
Around one, Lacey’s cell phone rang. With Jack out socializing, she was using her time to get ahead of him researching their project. With regret, she put her hamburger aside and answered the call.
“Who is Celia lunching with today?” Brian. A somewhat flustered Brian. Her plan seemed to be working.
“You must be talking about Jack Dalton, the company star. I heard through the grapevine they left together.”
“A business lunch?” The curiosity coming through the wire was palpable.
She almost felt sorry for her brother. Almost. But he needed this wake-up call. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a business lunch. My sources say he took hold of her hand as they left.”
The other end of the line went silent.
“Brian? You still there?”
He returned a begrudging “Yeah.”
Slang? From Brian? “Aren’t you pleased to hear she’s doing exactly what you told her to do? Getting out and enjoying herself.”
“Not with a hotshot architect. Celia’s talked about him before. Said he stopped by and chatted on occasion. Said his ego only slightly outdistanced his charisma with the ladies. I had no idea there was more to their acquaintance. Celia is a very trusting woman. He’d better not take advantage of her.”
“Although his first name is Jack, his last name isn’t The Ripper.” Brian’s comment dispelled any doubts about his still loving Celia. “I’m sure she’d be pleased to know you still care about her, in a protective, brotherly way, of course. But she’s also a grown woman, Brian. Nothing gets by her as office manager. She’ll be on to Jack Dalton quite soon, if not already.”
“Weeell…”
“How’s this? I’ll keep an eye on the two of them, at least around the office. If it looks like things are getting out of hand—” She paused for effect. “What do you want me to do then, Brian? Call you, so you can come charging in on your white horse? You gave up the role. Willingly.”
“Just let me know. Okay?”
“Yes, brother dear. Anything else?”
“Keep me posted.”
Lacey hung up, shaking her head at her brother’s idiocy. Her idea had caught fire. She’d be maid of honor at Celia and Brian’s wedding before the year was out.