CHAPTER 6

DAVID DRUMMED his fingers on the base of his keyboard as he reread the light e-mail, with its interest in how his move was progressing and its playful teasing. Serena had indicated he not only needed to find an apartment, he needed to find someone to help him “break it in.” He’d heard it was good luck to make love in every room of a new place…but the woman he wanted wasn’t volunteering. In fact, in her opening, she’d mentioned Natalie asking after him and wrote, “the two of you really seemed to hit it off.”

Even if she was using the e-mail as an excuse to tell him to look elsewhere for sex, at least she was comfortable enough to bring it up. By the time he’d said goodbye to her a week and a half ago before returning to Boston, she’d been uncharacteristically quiet and had barely met his gaze.

When he’d first learned he was moving to Atlanta, David had been confident he could win Serena over. But that only worked if she was around to be won. She’s not going to provide you the opportunity. Given the way she’d been “too busy” to see him at Christmas and how she’d gradually withdrawn from him over the weekend—bringing Natalie to that last lunch and only at ease again when he was eight states away—he realized that just being in the same city didn’t necessarily give him the chance he needed.

What he really needed was a strategy for thwarting her avoidance.

A knock sounded against the doorjamb, and David minimized his e-mail as he glanced up at Lou Innes. Wearing a polo shirt, casual slacks and an embroidered golf visor, Lou obviously planned to take advantage of the warm weather this week and hit the greens.

“What can I do for you?” David asked.

“Just dropped by to see how things were going. Your last week with us here in Beantown, huh?”

David nodded. His place was packed and ready for the movers, and his parents had been thrilled when he’d called a couple of nights ago to announce the move. “I’m ready to get the new office up and running and take Atlanta by storm.”

“Good, good. You’ve seemed rather…intense since your return. We wanted to make sure we weren’t putting too much on you with this transfer. You’ve got quite a future with this company, and we don’t want you burning out on us.” The words were of the just-looking-out-for-you variety, but behind his wire-rimmed glasses, Lou’s eyes were calculating.

Damn. Was Lou having doubts about the decision? “Oh, no. No burnout here. I’ve just been concentrating on everything I can do for AGI with this relocation.” In the following weeks, David just needed to make sure his determination was clear to Lou all the way from Georgia.

“Glad to hear it. The job will be demanding, especially the first few months. We want to make our presence in Atlanta known quickly and effectively.” Lou grinned. “But maybe in a few years, you’ll be able to take the afternoon off for business golf and leave the company in some capable up-and-comer’s hands.”

David laughed. “That’s all right, I don’t have a decent swing anyway. What I do have are appointments for lunch next week with several important businessmen in Atlanta and ideas for civic projects that will help announce our arrival to the community in a positive light.”

“Well, then.” Lou looked pleased with the information. “You just forget I even dropped by and carry on with your work.”

Easier said than done, David admitted to himself once he was alone again.

In the past, he’d always enjoyed the demanding challenges of his job. Maybe at some point, his efforts had been about male pride or proving he wasn’t like some of his more odious relatives, content to live on trust funds or cushy jobs they’d been given because of who they were, but David had genuinely become a dedicated executive determined to reach the top. Yet after all the work he’d done to reach this point, not even his excitement for heading up the corporate relocation was enough to distract him from Serena for long.

Get your head back in the game, man. Too bad there wasn’t a way to combine his two biggest passions—his job and Serena. Unless…He sat back in his leather chair suddenly, knowing there must be an invisible light bulb over his head right now. Maybe there was a way to combine the two.

* * *

A WEEK. Serena paused while jotting notes on her day planner Monday morning, realizing that David had now been in Atlanta for an entire week. And she’d yet to see him.

Oh, he’d called to tell her about the corporate hotel efficiency suite he was staying in while he continued to search for a permanent place. He’d asked her if business had picked up, groused about traffic and told her to tell Natalie hello. He’d let her vent about the strained phone call from her future stepmother and Meredith’s apologetic explanation that with both of her children doing readings at the wedding, as well as James’s brother, they’d decided four would be overkill and had changed their minds about Serena doing one. But talking aside, David hadn’t visited her or even mentioned their seeing each other in the near future.

Serena honestly couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or relieved.

What did you think was going to happen?

She’d made her feelings to him clear, and he was respecting them. Plus, he was swamped right now. She only ran an office for two and had encountered the occasional snafu with things like computer lines being installed or the right phone number not working. David was responsible for hiring new Atlanta personnel and getting the office ready for the few dozen employees that would be transferred from the four AGI locations around the country. He’d admitted to possibly losing an apartment to someone else because he’d missed his appointed walk-through in favor of meeting with the CEO of some cell-phone conglomerate to discuss how AGI technology could improve cellular communications. If not even finding a place to live was a priority, he certainly didn’t have time for Serena.

The thought gave her a twinge of painful déjà vu, and she blinked. She wasn’t a kid anymore, wishing someone would pay her more attention. She was self-sufficient and had plenty of her own concerns to keep her busy, such as the promotional efforts she’d been coordinating to grow her company and the surprise party she was supposed to be planning for Alyson’s twenty-seventh birthday. So why the restless annoyance and confusion because David had given up?

Not that she wanted him to try to change her mind—no, the safe distance was much, um, safer—but she didn’t think she’d ever seen him concede defeat so easily. Come to think of it, she’d never seen him concede defeat. Then again, why would a man who could have his choice of women much better suited to him continue pursuing one who claimed not to want him?

Claimed being the key word. Because just the sound of his voice on the other end of the phone was enough to spark tremors inside her.

Funny, when Meredith had once proposed introducing Serena to some “nice young businessmen,” James had interrupted with a disappointed, “I think you’ll find the young men we know aren’t Serena’s type.”

That was probably true, although she wondered just exactly what her father deemed her “type.” He’d be stunned to learn David Grant, consummate businessman and grandson of a congressman, was the one who dominated her thoughts. Thoughts, fantasies…

Could she really turn David away if he suggested their going to bed again? Her eager body quivered at the thought of making love to him. No, no, no. You are not going to sleep with him. If she was smart, she wouldn’t even get within twenty feet of him. So it was good that he was too busy at work for them to see each other. Besides, she had her own job to do.

“Hey, boss?” Natalie’s voice came through the speaker-intercom on Serena’s phone.

Serena sighed, grateful for the interruption. “Yes?”

“You have time for an appointment at ten-thirty?”

“Depends on whether or not it would take longer than about twenty minutes.” Serena glanced at her day planner. “I should get out of here by eleven if I’m going to get to that caterer’s on time.”

The intercom line went dead, as Natalie presumably returned to her phone call and relayed news of Serena’s schedule. Serena exhaled, thinking that a meeting with a new client would be a very good thing.

She’d recently sunk a large chunk of change into advertising, knowing that in business you had to spend money to make it, but now she was waiting nervously to see if the investment would pay off. She couldn’t afford to be thinking about David instead of her customers and what she could do to make each of their events memorable and flawless. With that reminder, she got back to work, making calls to a local deejay, a small airport—for a couple who wanted a sky-diving wedding—and a hotel with an outdoor patio she’d reserved for a client’s “Midsummer’s Night” bash.

Ten-thirty arrived before she knew it, and she was just pulling out her compact and some lip-gloss when someone knocked on her door. Natalie. The receptionist wasn’t at her desk and hadn’t announced anyone’s arrival. Surely she wouldn’t have ducked out when they were expecting a client.

“Come on in,” Serena called, pursing her lips in front of the small handheld mirror.

“Hope you’re not applying makeup for my benefit.”

At the sound of David’s voice, she jumped. Her tube of Really Rum Raisin rolled beneath the desk.

“Because I’ve always thought you looked just as beautiful without it,” he added as he walked toward her.

“Hey. Y-you startled me.” But her accelerated pulse had as much to do with the way his pale-blue shirt made his eyes glow as it did with her surprise at seeing him.

He bent down for a moment, then straightened. “I believe this is yours?”

“Thanks.” Serena reached out to take the gloss, trying not to brush his fingers with her own but failing. Waves of warmth coursed through her, and she was grateful for the piece of furniture separating their bodies. “I’m glad you dropped by, but I’m afraid I have an app—”

“I’m the appointment, Serena. Meet your ten-thirty.”

Serena narrowed her eyes. Natalie was a dead woman. “By any chance, did you pass my receptionist on your way in?”

He nodded, taking a seat in one of the visitor’s chairs. “She said she was running down the hall to fill the coffeepot with water.”

Serena sat, too, wishing she was depressed over the lost business instead of so happy to see him. “She led me to believe I’d be meeting with a new client.”

“You are.” He grinned. “I have a proposition for you.”

“I’ll just bet.” What was the man up to now?

“A business proposition. On behalf of AGI, I’d like to hire you for a large charity fund-raiser three weeks from this Saturday.”

Three weeks? Was he insane?

He gave her a moment to let his offer sink in, but the pause only confused her, allowing time for conflicting thoughts and emotions. How often had she thrown business Craig’s way, buying an extra painting to help fund his groceries—primarily canned soups and produce on sale because the sell-by date was approaching? Was that what David was doing, friendly charity? She’d told him profit had been low recently, which sounded better than nonexistent. She was partly relieved, partly flattered by his offer. Still…

“This is, um, unexpected. It’s nice of you to consider Inventive Events, of course, but—”

“It’s not a personal decision. A lot of the bigger services would have required my booking them months ago, or, if they squeezed us in, they wouldn’t have the time I’d like devoted to this. I was hoping, if things have been slow for you, that you’d fit us in. I know that’s a hefty favor to ask, but a job this size could get the word out about your company. And I know I can work with you, which is important, because I intend to be very hands-on.”

Her undisciplined gaze fluttered down to his fingers, and she easily recalled the way they’d played over her skin, the way he’d known exactly when to touch her softly, teasing, and when to be more forceful. Business, Serena. Focus.

Her mind was too blank to add anything professional, so he continued his pitch.

“I have a lot on my plate right now, and one of the things AGI wants is for me to announce our presence with a splash and network within the business community. A coalition of local technology companies has been sponsoring an annual fund-raiser to fight breast cancer, with all of them contributing cash but one group acting as the ‘host.’ They rotate the bulk of responsibilities, but this year’s scheduled host company sank its money into a huge software project that flopped. They’re pretty busy just trying to avoid bankruptcy and only recently bothered to let the partner sponsors know the ball had been dropped. No one else was excited about trying to take it on last-minute, but the timing of the event is exactly the networking opportunity I want for AGI, if I can put together something smashing in time.”

David spoke with a rapid, almost breathless enthusiasm, and she could see how much this opportunity meant to him, how determined he was to make the most of it.

Then he grinned at her, his expression becoming more personal. “Naturally, when I thought ‘smashing,’ I thought of you.”

She laughed at the unnecessary compliment. “Isn’t the flattery-will-get-you-everywhere approach a bit clichéd?”

“I prefer to think of it as tried and true.”

“My dad’s wedding is the weekend before,” she hedged, wondering what her stress threshold was for early June. “This really isn’t great timing.”

“I know. But it won’t be for anyone else I try to get last-minute, either. And this will help you out. In return, you get to help me wow Atlanta and raise money for a good cause. So how ’bout it? Say you’ll do this, Serena.”

She pressed her fingers to her temples, knowing she’d be nine kinds of idiot to turn down the potential word-of-mouth, which would do more than any advertising she bought. “Don’t your bosses need to see some kind of proposal first, my ideas or estimated costs?”

“Normally, yes. But there’s barely time as it is.”

True. “What kind of event did you have in mind?”

“A dinner. The theme is Time to Find a Cure.”

Her heart sank. Certainly the cause was a worthy one, but her forte wasn’t exactly black-tie charity banquets where people paid three hundred a plate for chicken kiev in a hotel ballroom and schmoozed for a few hours. He was offering her a unique chance to spread the word about her company, but if she was going to build a reputation, she wanted it to be an accurate one. “David, I know this is important to you, and I want to help. But I specialize in events a little different from the norm.”

He frowned. “How different did you have in mind?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not sure yet. But if you wanted to go the traditional route, an arts-and-antiques auction or—”

“Serena, I don’t want traditional. I want you.”

Her gaze flew to his, and her heart pounded at the warm assurance in his voice. The lust she’d been fighting reflected back at her from his eyes. But there was more than just desire there. There was understanding. Affection. Acceptance.

The giddy rush it gave her was so potent her eyes actually welled with tears she rapidly blinked away.

“Obviously I have to be able to sell everyone on it,” he added quickly, “but I want it to have your personal touch. To be fun.”

“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll do you.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“Do this job for you, I meant.” Brilliant. Just the Freudian slip she’d needed to keep things professional and platonic.

“It doesn’t have to be an either-or situation,” he said with a broad grin. “I’d be happy to let you do both.”

She cleared her throat. “You know what, an auction might be good, now that I think about it. I’m picturing…men.” Actually, she’d been picturing him. Naked. But she tried to use that to springboard to something more productive.

His wary expression reminded her of someone who’d stepped off the high-dive and had only just noticed the drop. “Men? I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“A bachelor auction!” Why not? That wasn’t even far out in left field. “A gladiator, a cowboy, a firefighter—”

“I’m picturing the Village People,” he interrupted, his scowl having gone past caution straight to discreet panic.

She glared. Sure, he said he trusted her, but he’d have a completely different tone of voice right now if she’d just suggested the chicken kiev and a silent art auction. Disappointment cramped her belly, and the skeptical expression in his eyes reminded her unpleasantly of her father. And that one well-meaning business professor who’d kept insisting she had the brains to succeed if she’d just change her approach.

But this is David. He knows you, and he asked for your personal touch. If he was serious about giving her a chance, then she owed him the same.

She took a deep breath, exhaling away the negativity and the initial excitement that had kept her from articulating the idea better. “You said the theme is Time to Find a Cure, right? And there are a coalition of companies that will be listed as sponsors? Then we should have a decent pool of eligible men to use from the different businesses. The evening’s host—you?—can start with a prepared statement about all of the things mankind has managed to do since time began. The invention of fire, going to the moon. And, soon, we hope, with the generous donations of people like yourselves, a cure for cancer.”

David crossed his arms. “Not bad so far. Go on.”

“Admission will be one way to raise money, but after the dinner, we’ll auction off dates for charity. Each bachelor can be in costume, representing a different period. Vikings, knights, swashbucklers, cowboys…all the basic female fantasies.”

“Hmm. Might take some cajoling, but in the end, I think most of the guys will be won over by the chance to be a woman’s living fantasy.” His blue eyes took on a speculative gleam as he sat forward. “So, what’s yours? Fantasy, I mean.”

“I, uh…” She tried to come up with something that was David’s total opposite, something that would thwart his advances, discourage him from coming around the desk, leaning her back in her chair and laying siege to her willpower with hot breathless kisses. Right. Because that would be bad. “Bikers. Yeah, that’s it. Leather-clad bad boys.”

His eyes widened, then he laughed. “So you’re a Hell’s Angels kind of gal?”

“All the way.” Sheesh. “Can’t resist a guy with a pig.”

“It’s possible the word you were looking for there was hog.”

“That’s not what I said?” She glanced pointedly at the day planner on her desk. “Did I mention I have to be going soon?”

“Natalie warned me when I set up the appointment.” He sighed, then resumed his no-nonsense demeanor. “Actually, you gave me an idea with the motorcycles. Maybe we should auction off something macho and high-dollar. Let’s assume that most of the men attending won’t be bidding on the bachelors.”

Serena nodded thoughtfully. “We could have an ongoing silent auction throughout the evening, where prospective buyers, men and women, could write down bids on props.”

“What kind of props?”

“Something that corresponds loosely to each of our themed bachelors. A collector’s edition pistol for the cowboy, state-of-the-art fishing equipment for a buccaneer. I did say loosely. This is all off the top of my head.”

He laughed. “No, I like it. Let me present this to the investors. Damn, I wish we had more time. The good news is, the venue’s already booked, so we don’t have to worry about where we’re going to have this thing. But the details are all up in the air, thanks to the jokers who let it slide. I’m doing final interviews tomorrow morning for my receptionist, but how about I pick you up for lunch? That gives us both tonight to jot down thoughts and you time to outline what might need to be done.”

Good to be back on steady, impersonal ground. “It would have to be a late lunch, but that sounds perfect. Let’s nail down specifics as soon as possible, and I’ll take it from there.”

“We’ll take it from there,” he corrected. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of getting in your way, but I do plan to be very closely involved in the decisions on everything. I’m being entrusted with funds from a number of people, and after the way this was disastrously mismanaged the first time, I want to be able to report back to everyone with concrete explanations of what’s being done.”

He flashed her a wolfish grin. “So you and I will be spending a great deal of time together.”