“He wants to take Courtney off the campaign?” her father said when Kayla came home after work instead of going to Ethan’s home in Tuxedo Park.
“Yes.” Kayla nodded as the family sat down and shared a cocktail before dinner. She couldn’t bear to go home and sit down to a meal with Ethan. Not when she was still so furious with him.
“Why would he want to do that?” Shane asked. “Courtney is gorgeous.”
“He said he wants to separate the two lines and make them more distinct,” Kayla answered.
“But Courtney has always been the Adams spokeswoman. How can he do this?” her mother asked. “Courtney will not be happy.”
“What will I not be happy with?” Courtney stood with her hand on her hip from the doorway. She was jetlagged after having returned from a trip to a fashion show in Paris. She always kept the Adams Cosmetics name fresh in people’s minds. She’d even procured herself a walk in one of the designer’s shows while she was there.
“Who’s going to tell her?” Her mother looked at Byron, then Shane.
“Don’t look at me.” Shane shrugged his shoulders and looked at Kayla.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Courtney said, dropping her overnight bag on the floor with a thud and throwing herself in the oversize leather love seat across from Kayla. “Can someone fix me a cocktail? I’m parched.”
“What no one wants to say,” Kayla began slowly, heading to the wet bar to fix her sister a drink—which she would need, “is that Ethan has made his presence known at AC.”
That information piqued Courtney and she sat straight up. “Oh, really? What has he done?”
Kayla fixed Courtney a cranberry and vodka and handed her the drink. Courtney took a quick sip and said, “Well, I’m waiting.”
Kayla inhaled deeply and then just spit it out. “Ethan has informed me that all major decisions for AC have to be run past him and he has the final say. One of those decisions is he will be hiring a new spokesmodel for the perfume line.”
“He can’t do that!” Courtney said. “That’s my area of the company.” She had been the spokeswoman for nearly a decade, since she’d turned sixteen.
“He can and he will,” Kayla stated.
“Why would he do this?” Courtney asked. “Does he think I’m not pretty enough?” She rushed over to mirror above the mantel to check her makeup. She turned from side to side, trying to find a flaw or a wrinkle, but she saw none. Even though she had brains to go along with her beauty, her face had always been the one way she could make a valuable contribution to the company. Hell, Shane had the lab and Kayla was the CEO. Where did that leave her?
Kayla rose from the couch and came over to stand behind Courtney. “You are stunning. This is Ethan’s way of asserting his power of us, over me. This has nothing to do with you.”
“How are you going to handle this, Kayla?” her father asked. He’d been surprisingly quiet about the whole scenario. She would have thought he would have been jumping up and down. Perhaps he knew it was a moot point.
“Honestly, I don’t know, Daddy.” Kayla turned around to face her family. “Ethan and I are at impasse on this. Because I will never agree with him and turn my back on my family.” She reached over to squeeze Courtney’s hand.
Kayla was quiet when she walked into the master bedroom hours later and found Ethan awake and perched against the headboard reading a book.
“Hello,” Ethan said, but Kayla walked past him into her closet and began removing her clothes.
The more she’d thought about it on the drive home, the more she realized he must have had the idea for weeks, which is why he’d asked her to have his back with her family. But if this was his way of earning favor with them, he would be waiting a long time for their respect, much less their affection.
When she’d changed into her negligee, she went into the bathroom and began washing off her makeup. She was startled when she looked up in the mirror to find Ethan standing behind her.
“Is it your intention to give me the silent treatment, because you may have noticed I don’t respond well to being ignored.”
“That’s too bad,” Kayla returned, reaching for a hand towel and wiping her face, “because I’m not in the mood to fight with you, Ethan. It’s been a long day.”
“Neither am I, but I would like to know where you were this evening,” Ethan replied. “You never called me.”
“I didn’t realize I had to tell you my whereabouts at every hour and every second of the day.” Kayla reached for her moisturizer, poured a generous amount in her hands and began rubbing it into her face.
“God darn it, Kayla,” Ethan hissed, slamming the book he’d been reading onto the counter. “Must you be so obtuse? It is common courtesy to let your husband know where you are so I don’t have to worry.”
Kayla turned to face him, her eyes clouded with fury. “I am not one of your acquisitions, Ethan. You don’t rule me.” She stalked out of the bathroom and headed toward the bed, but Ethan blocked her path.
“Are you purposely trying to rile me up?”
“I am not trying to do anything to you. Now move”
Ethan reluctantly stepped aside. “Listen, I’m sorry you’re upset, but you must agree that we need to hash this out. We shouldn’t go to bed angry.” He didn’t want to lose the closeness they’d shared during their honeymoon. It had the meant the world to him that she’d opened her heart to him in Bora Bora. It meant they were finally making progress toward having a real marriage. And now he was seeing it go up in flames, just as Daniel had warned.
“It will not be tonight,” Kayla said, turning her back to him and walking to the bed. She hopped inside, pulled the covers up to her shoulders and leaned across to turn the lamp out over the nightstand. “Good night.” Seconds later, her head hit the pillow, effectively ending their conversation.
Knock. Knock. “Come in,” Shane said from the other end of the laboratory door. “Kayla, what are you doing here?”
“I needed to get away from my office,” Kayla replied, pulling up a chair to watch Shane work.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Have you seen the new mock-ups for the ad campaign for Hypnotic, the new fragrance?”
“I have,” Shane replied, stopping what he was doing. “They’re good.”
“Yes.” Kayla was quietly contemplative.
“So I take it things are no better on the home front?” Shane inquired, trying to read his sister.
“If you call being polite to each other better, then yes, we’re doing great,” Kayla replied sarcastically. She and Ethan had shared the same bed every night as per the terms of their marriage, but they had barely spoken over the past week.
Kayla had long since come to the realization that the decision of who was the spokeswoman was out of her hands. Adams Cosmetics was a subsidiary of Graham International now, and she had to answer to Ethan no matter how much she might dislike that fact. She’d had sacrificed her autonomy to keep the company solvent and she had to live with the consequences of her decision. She just didn’t know how to mend fences with Ethan and she wasn’t sure she should.
Yes, she loved him, but if things continued as they were, he would have to see that their marriage was a farce and let her out. Sure, AC would still be his, but she could still save face. It was much too hard to sleep next to him night after night knowing there would be nothing between them other than sex.
“One of you has to make the first move,” Shane said, knocking her out of her reverie.
“Why should it be me?” Kayla asked.
“Because Ethan had a point,” Shane offered. “Graham International did acquire us and we should have informed him. I guess we both were so used to running things our way that we left him out.”
“You agree with him?” Kayla asked.
“I see both sides. I don’t agree with him not allowing Courtney to continue as spokeswoman. Her face is synonymous with the brand, but yet we have to include him.”
Kayla smiled. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
“I just can’t imagine what it’s like with the two of you at war. Both of you are so stubborn neither one of you wants to give in. That house must be cold as ice.”
“It hasn’t been a walk in the park,” Kayla admitted.
“So tell him you’ll agree to disagree and call it a day.”
Kayla hated that Shane made so much sense. She knew he was right, but she hated to give in first. Ethan should apologize. “Thank you, brother dear.” She slid off the stool to give Shane a kiss on the cheek and he pinched her nose.
“I only want the best for you,” he said. “Go make up with your husband.” He patted her on the butt and nudged her out the door.
“Mrs. Graham is here to see you.” Ethan’s assistant buzzed his intercom later that afternoon.
Ethan’s dropped the pen he’d been writing with and his heart suddenly began pounding loudly in his chest. Kayla was here? He was surprised as hell. She’d been mad at him for well over a week and he had to admit it had taken its toll. He’d been snappy more than a few times at Daniel the last week, causing him to give him a wide berth. And he’d most definitely felt it in the bedroom, as they hadn’t made love since that second morning back from their honeymoon.
The boardroom hadn’t been any fun, either. Kayla had sat across from him at the advertising meeting earlier in the week to discuss the campaign and Noelle’s involvement and she’d stared daggers at him the whole time. Ethan was sure everyone else in the room had felt her resentment, because he sure had. Now he wasn’t sure what to make of her surprise visit. She’d come to him on his turf. What did it mean? Was she ready to let bygones be bygones?
Several minutes went by and his assistant rang him again. “Would you like me to send her in?”
Ethan pushed down the answer button. “Yes, of course. My wife is always welcome.”
Kayla came strolling in, looking stunningly beautiful with her hair swept up in a French roll, wearing a sleek ruffled cardigan that began at the waist and reached all the way to her neck along with a pencil skirt that showed her impressive curvy figure but barely reached her knee. It made Ethan instantly want to ravish her right there, to pull every pin out of her hair until it hung in waves down her shoulders and to unzip that cardigan to reveal the soft swell of her breasts that he knew were lying underneath.
When Kayla reached his desk, Ethan exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until she was standing in front of him. What was wrong with him? He hadn’t had this kind of strong physical reaction to a woman since…since…well, never.
“Kayla.” Ethan nodded his head.
“Ethan.” Kayla smiled hesitantly.
They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Ethan spoke first. “What brings you here?”
Kayla swallowed. “Well, I…” She’d come here for a truce per Shane’s advice, but she wasn’t necessarily sure of how to go about it. She looked down, twisting her hands.
Before she could utter another sentence, Ethan jumped out of his seat and pulled her into his arms. Without preamble, he plunged his hand into herhair, tilted her head to the right angle and plundered her mouth with a kiss. He pressed his hips into hers until they were chest to chest, belly to belly.
Kayla strained against him. He lifted her to meet his growing arousal, wanting her to be tight against him. Blood pulsed through Ethan and his temples pounded as fiery need coursed through him. Kayla smelled so good and tasted so right. Kissing Kayla supercharged all of his senses, and Ethan couldn’t get enough.
The soft sounds she made made him want to reach down under the hem of her skirt and feel the hot core of her at his fingertips, but he realized where he was and slowly eased away from Kayla. Her eyes were still closed and her mouth was still slightly open.
“I’ve missed you,” Ethan whispered, brushing his lips over hers again.
Kayla’s eyes popped open just then and she murmured, “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kayla asked Courtney when her sister came down late one afternoon to watch Noelle Warner take some test shots for the new advertising campaign. They hadn’t spoken much in the past couple of weeks, and Kayla suspected why. Courtney must blame her for Ethan choosing Noelle.
“Of course,” Courtney returned testily.
“I know how difficult this is. And I’m sorry for any part I played in Ethan’s decision,” Kayla said with her arms folded across her chest.
“It’s not your fault.”
Kayla didn’t think so. It was a hard transition for her to have to run her decisions by Ethan. She’d run Adams Cosmetics for nearly five years since her father had retired and wasn’t used to having to answer to anyone.
She and Ethan had settled on having a once-a-week meeting to discuss any vital AC business. It was her compromise on keeping him informed on day-to-day operations.
Hiring Noelle was Ethan’s decision. She was a beautiful woman, Kayla was sure, but she wasn’t Courtney. She knew her sister was putting on a stiff upper lip, but it had to hurt having the one area where she made an impact on the company suddenly minimized by an outsider.
“She is stunning,” Courtney admitted, looking at the actress. “I mean look at her bone structure. I could never have her figure unless I starved myself.”
“Stop it, Courtney.” Kayla circled her arms around her sister’s waist. “I would kill for your size-four figure.” At a size ten, Kayla was certainly considered curvy by industry standards. “You’re gorgeous, and don’t you ever forget it.”
“If you’ll excuse me.” Courtney pulled away just as Ethan walked into the room. She gave him the evil eye on her way out.
“Hey, babe.” Ethan kissed Kayla on the cheek.
“Hi.”
“Your sister isn’t too happy with me, is she?”
Kayla gave him a sideward glance. “Can you blame her?”
Ethan looked forward and watched Noelle sashay across the floor with ease. She was moving like a cougar. “Noelle is doing a great job.”
“She’s okay,” Kayla commented. She didn’t want to admit that she was uneasy around a woman as beautiful as Noelle. Noelle carried herself with an air of entitlement that frustrated Kayla because she probably was used to men falling at her feet. Even Ethan, standing beside her, seemed entranced by the actress.
“She’ll do a fine job launching the fragrance line.”
“If you say so.”
Ethan stared down at Kayla. “You just refuse to admit that I could be right about this.”
“The decision has been made and I’ve accepted it. What more do you want?” Kayla asked, peering at him.
“Nothing, I guess,” Ethan returned. It was clear they were never going to agree on the subject. “Well, I have to get out of here. I will see you later for dinner?” He asked it as more of a question because he wasn’t sure what mood Kayla would be in after the photo shoot.
“Yes.”
“Great.” Ethan bent down and kissed her soft lips. “I’ll see you at home.”
Even when she felt cross toward him, the barest brush of his lips on hers always evoked a response from deep within her belly. Kayla hated that her body was so traitorous when her mind wanted to keep him at bay.
Once Ethan walked away, Kayla noticed that Noelle was staring at them. She quickly looked away once she realized she’d been caught and returned to the task at hand, showing off her beautiful face.
When the photo shoot was done, Kayla thanked the photographer for a job well done. “It’s always a joy to work for Adams Cosmetics,” he said. “You’re one of my favorite customers.”
“And we love you, Jacques,” Kayla replied. “I can’t wait to see the films.”
Jacques turned and glanced at Noelle, who was behind a screen getting undressed. “She was a natural.”
Kayla signed off on some paperwork and was about to head back upstairs to her office when Noelle stopped her. “You’re Kayla Adams, right?”
Kayla glanced up at the statuesque actress who towered over her by several inches. Up close, Noelle was even more stunningly beautiful. Her beautiful café-au-lait skin was flawless, and makeup only added to her natural beauty. And she was as thin as Courtney said, because she made Kayla feel uneasy at size ten. “I am. May I help you?”
“I just wanted to thank you and Ethan in person for this great opportunity.”
“You’re welcome.” Kayla stepped away to leave, but Noelle’s next words stopped her in her tracks.
“You will give Ethan my regards?”
Kayla spun around on her heels to face Noelle. “Excuse me?”
Noelle smiled. She’d hit her target. “Ethan and I go waaay back.”
The inference left little doubt in Kayla’s mind that Ethan and Noelle were not strangers. They’d been lovers.
“It’s just so wonderful of him to use me to launch this new fragrance,” Noelle gushed. “It will be a big boost to my career. So you absolutely must give him a big kiss for me.”
Kayla’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I absolutely will.”
When Ethan arrived home, Kayla was in the living room with her legs tucked underneath her and a drink in hand. “Started without me?” He asked, heading to the wet bar to pour himself a scotch.
“Something like that,” Kayla answered curtly.
Ethan’s head popped up when he heard a distinct tone of derision in Kayla’s voice. “Is something wrong, my dear?” he asked, pouring a generous sum of scotch in the glass. He took a sip and headed over to the couch where Kayla was sitting and sat down beside her.
Kayla gave him a cursory glance. “Why would you say that?”
“Hmm…I don’t know. Something in your tone perhaps?”
Kayla sipped on her drink. “I had a very interesting conversation today.”
“Oh, yeah? With whom?”
“Noelle,” Kayla answered.
Instantly, Ethan knew the direction this conversation was about to turn. “Kayla…”
Kayla turned to glare at him and put up her hand to stop him from speaking. “She wanted me to give you her regards and a big kiss, seeing as how you two go waaay back.”
“I know you’re upset.”
“Upset?” Kayla laughed. “Upset that you didn’t want my sister as the spokeswoman for Hypnotic, but you wanted your ex-girlfriend? Now why would I be upset about something like that?”
“When you say it like that it sounds sinister, like she’s my mistress or something,” Ethan responded. “And that’s far from true.”
“Oh, really?” Kayla raised a brow. “You could have fooled me.”
“Kayla, listen.” Ethan reached for her hand, but Kayla moved away farther on the couch.
“Why?” She hissed.
Ethan would try his best to explain. He and Kayla had finally found a happy medium and he didn’t want to lose ground. They’d settled in like normal newlyweds and he had been enjoying wedded bliss. “Noelle and I haven’t seen each other in five years, okay? I have no romantic interest in her, but she is a well-known actress who just won an Oscar. The exposure she can give us is off the charts.”
“And why do you suppose she accepted this offer?” Kayla inquired, and then pointed at him. “You!”
“Noelle is dating an NFL player.”
“So says the rumor mill,” Kayla replied. She’d taken the liberty of going online and reading the gossip magazines on Noelle. She had quite the reputation for switching mates. She’d also come across images of her and Ethan together as a couple, which had only infuriated her further. “How could you not tell me this? Why did you let me get blindsided like that?”
“I’m sorry, Kayla, really I am, but Noelle and I were over long ago.”
Kayla rolled her eyes upward. “I can accept that,” she responded. “What I can’t accept is you keeping secrets from me. I thought we promised to be honest with each other.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t my intention to be deceptive, and I’m sorry that you consider that I was.”
Kayla eyed him suspiciously. She couldn’t bear another argument between them. The last one had taken its toll. “Okay. I’m going to take what you’re saying at face value.”
“So I’m not in the doghouse?”
“Oh, you’re still in the doghouse,” Kayla replied. “So how do you intend to get yourself out?”
“Hmm…” Ethan rubbed his square jaw. “I can think of several ways.” His eyes went to the V-neck sweater she was wearing in which he could see the swell of her breasts. “But how about this?” He pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to Kayla.
“When did you get this?” Kayla asked.
“On my way home. I knew you were upset about Courtney and I wanted to give you a little something to let you know that I was thinking about you.”
Tears sprung to Kayla’s eyes. “That was very thoughtful of you.” Ethan was surprising her more and more. Could they possibly have a real marriage, despite how it had begun?
“So are you going to open it?” Ethan inquired. He was happy that he’d finally done something right.
Kayla smiled and flipped open the lid. Inside was a beautiful three-pendant diamond necklace. “It’s gorgeous.” Kayla pulled it out of the box and laid it in her palm.
“Let me put it on you.” Ethan reached over and took it out of her hand. Kayla turned around and lifted her head so Ethan could close the clasp around her neck.
When Kayla turned around, Ethan sat back to admire his handiwork. “It suits you.”
“Thank you.” Kayla leaned across the couch and kissed Ethan full on the lips.
Ethan lifted her off the couch with muscled ease. Kayla’s soft luscious body slid against his and she got the full contact of how much he wanted her. Her mouth brushed his gently at first, but then she slowly deepened the kiss and he opened his mouth to her eager awaiting tongue. Her tongue stroked his with aching delight that awakened every fiber of his being. Their tongues dueled and Kayla gripped at his shirt as the onslaught of the kiss took her over.
Heat flooded through Ethan. He wanted her naked. When he reached for her breasts and began molding them over her sweater, Kayla whispered, “Let’s take this to bedroom.”
“What’s wrong with right here?” Ethan said devilishly.
“Ethan, we have staff!” Kayla murmured. “Anyone could walk in.”
And they would most definitely get an eyeful. Reluctantly, Ethan released her and sat them both up. “Spoilsport!”
“C’mon.” Kayla pulled him off the couch. “Let’s go upstairs.”