The Sparkling One

They shook hands, then parted. Zach headed for the elevators that would take him to the underground car park. He would bet money that they were both remarried within two years and divorced the following year. He’d seen it happen a thousand times. On one hand, it kept him in business…on the other hand, it was a hell of a way to run the world.



Katie walked into the waiting area three minutes before her appointment with Zach. She’d crammed her briefcase as full as possible, but all her notes weren’t going to ease the fluttering panic in her stomach.



There weren’t enough words in the universe to describe how much she didn’t want to be here. Not after what had happened nearly a week ago at the hacienda. She still cringed whenever she thought of it, which was about forty-seven times a day.



The thing was, she couldn’t tell Zach the truth. If she explained why she’d mentioned him to her family, he would think she was lying, trying to downplay her attraction to him. Saying she wasn’t attracted to him would mean lying, and she wasn’t about to risk more cosmic interference. Saying she was attracted, but not sure she liked him, was just plain tacky.



“Deep, cleansing breaths,” she murmured to herself. “I am confident, professional, and more than ready to take on this challenge.”



After squaring her shoulders, she reminded herself of her greater purpose. This fund-raiser would put her company onto the A-list of party planners. Once there she would be able to expand, pick and choose her jobs, and start saving to buy a house. All that was more than worth a few awkward moments with a client. Besides, rather than focusing on what she’d done, she should think about what she had to do. Putting together a charity event of this magnitude in an impossibly short period of time would tax her and her staff to the point of insanity. If she wanted to sweat something, worrying about the party was a whole lot more productive.



Feeling completely calm and centered, not to mention attractive yet professional in a forest green suit and another pair of killer heels, Katie crossed to the receptionist and gave her name. The young woman there told her to go right back. Mr. Stryker was expecting her.



Zach’s assistant sat outside his office. She stood up as Katie approached and eyed her bulging suitcase.



“I can’t believe he volunteered to be in charge of the annual fund-raiser,” Dora Preston said cheerfully. “If he starts to glaze over when you talk about the details, slam something hard against the coffee table. Loud noises help keep him awake.”



“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”



Katie really appreciated the other woman’s friendly nature, but didn’t think she would be using the advice. If Zach fell asleep during her presentation, she would take it as a sign that she was supposed to run for the hills and never be heard from again.



“Go right in,” Dora said.



Katie nodded once, took a deep breath, sucked in her stomach, and opened the door to Zach’s office.



He sat behind his desk, engrossed in paperwork.



“Knock, knock,” she said as she entered.



He glanced up, then rose. He was even better looking than she remembered. When he smiled, she nearly stumbled, what with all her blood rushing around her body like so many lost bumper cars.



Just perfect, she thought, more annoyed than embarrassed. Couldn’t the horror of their previous encounter have chased away her visceral and inappropriate hormonal response to him? Was this fair?



“Katie.” He sounded delighted to see her.



“Hi.”



“Thanks for coming by.” He walked around the desk and moved close to her.



“Ah, no problem.”



She was about to point out that the meeting had been her idea when he put his hand on her upper arm and guided her toward the leather sofas in the corner.



“Coffee, tea, soda?” he asked as she settled onto the slick seat.



“I’m fine,” she said as she set her briefcase next to her.



“Let me know if you change your mind.”



Zach sank onto the sofa next to hers. As they were both sitting on the side closest to the corner table, they were actually fairly near each other. Knees had the potential for bumping. Which, of course, she noticed.



For about three or four seconds she thought about pretending the other night had never happened. But there wasn’t just the party to consider. After David and Mia were married, Zach would be her brother-in-law’s father. She didn’t need to deal with undercurrents for the next fifty years.



“I have to explain something,” she said.



He leaned toward her, his forearms resting on his thighs. His expression was attentive, his dark blue eyes fixed on her face. “Yes?”



Her throat went dry. “I, um. I need to apologize for what happened. You know. At my folks’ house.”



One corner of his mouth twitched. Then the other. Then his whole mouth curved in a smile. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead in a sexy, mussed look that tempted her to push it back into place.



“You mean when you told your entire family you were hot for me?”



She winced. “That wasn’t exactly what I said, but yes. It was completely unprofessional of me.”



“I thought it was charming.”



“Really? I would have thought a man like you would get tired of women saying things like that. They practically line up to be taken advantage of. Doesn’t it get old?”



As soon as the words were out, she wanted to call them back. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but it wasn’t enough. Oh, God, she hadn’t really said that, had she?



Horror and humiliation blended into what was becoming a familiar feeling. Zach leaned back in the sofa and shook his head.



“I see you’ve been doing your research,” he said evenly.



She couldn’t tell if he was just annoyed or completely furious. “Sort of. A little. I do like to know about the people I’ll be working with, and you have something of a reputation.” She shook her head. “But I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’m sorry. I can’t seem to engage my brain and mouth together.”



He looked at her. “Is it circumstances or me?”



“I don’t know. Maybe both.”



Humor brightened his eyes. “Want to start over? Clean slate on both sides.”



In this case she wanted more than a fresh start; she wanted to travel back in time and do the whole thing over. But as that wasn’t available, she would accept what he offered.



“Absolutely.”



He held out his hand. “Then we’ll ignore the fact that you think I’m irresistibly sexy, and I’ll do my best not to come on to you. Deal?”



She’d been about to put her hand in his when his words sank in. Come on to her? As in he thought she was…well, attractive?



It wasn’t that she had a low opinion of herself. Men found her appealing. She had dates, boyfriends. But Zach wasn’t just any guy. He was a world-class player. His women were starlets and models. In the smorgasbord of women available to him, she was little more than an appetizer.



“Deal,” she said and slid her hand against his.



The heat that flared, along with the sparks arcing up her arm, nearly made her laugh. Okay, one problem solved, but the issue of the wayward hormones needed more work.



She pulled her hand free and reached for her briefcase. “Ready to talk about the party?”



“Sure. It’ll distract me from the hell of my day.”



“Stressful case?”



“Mediation.” He dropped his hands to his lap. “The couple had been married for over twenty years. The wife stayed home to take care of the kids. He hit his forties and decided he wanted a new-and-improved spouse. Fairly typical.”



Katie wasn’t sure what to do with the information. “Who were you representing?”



“Her. She got a decent settlement. I guess the real question is why she married the guy in the first place.”



“Probably because she loved him.”



Zach looked at her. His dark blue eyes seemed to flash with anger, and there was a cynical twist to his mouth. “I don’t see a whole lot of that in my line of work. In my world, relationships don’t work, and the kids nearly always pay the price for that.”



He shook his head. “Sorry. I’ll step off my soapbox for now.”



“No, it’s okay. You’re obviously concerned about the people you deal with. I think that’s good.”



He smiled. “Katie, I’m a mean, hard-assed, son-of-a-bitch lawyer. I don’t do ‘concerned.’”



He was right—she’d heard he was a tough opponent. Word had it he was smart, ruthless, and never gave away any advantage. Between that and his reputation with the ladies, she’d assumed he was self-absorbed and someone she really wouldn’t like. But he’d surprised her twice in less than five minutes. First with his gracious offer to forget what had happened at the hacienda, and just now with his comments about kids getting caught in their parents’ problems.



Maybe she’d judged him too quickly. Maybe there was a real person under the sharkskin. Maybe she liked him.



“Okay. Enough about the law. I have a very large charity event to plan.” She pulled several folders from her briefcase. “I looked over the notes you gave me and went to see the hotel that had been reserved. Apparently no one had arranged for a contract, so nothing was firm.”



A tickle of nerves swept across her chest, but she ignored it. She was the professional here. Zach had hired her to make the fund-raiser a success. That’s what she intended to do.



“I want to change venues,” she told him. “The original hotel is older, and while the architecture is lovely, the ballroom isn’t very big. With a crowd of over two thousand people to consider, space is important. We need spillover rooms. Also, I thought it would be fun to make the locale more of an integral part of the party, rather than just the background.”



She glanced at Zach to check for some kind of a reaction, but his expression was unreadable. Assuming silence meant agreement, she passed him a brochure.



“The West Side Royale Hotel?” he asked. “It’s new, right?”



“Refurbished. What I like best about it are the gardens. They start by the ballroom and flow throughout the property. The man in charge is a botanist. He’s done amazing work. A cancellation cleared the weekend we’re interested in. They’ve got a big hole in their schedule, and they’re willing to deal to get it filled. They’re offering a great price to give us the rooms we need.”



Zach flipped through the brochure. The hotel had been done Art Deco style.



“What do you mean rooms?” he asked. “Isn’t there one ballroom?”



Okay, now came the selling part. This is where she proved she was worth what he was paying her. “There can be. That’s more traditional. I’ve pulled articles on different fund-raisers held in Los Angeles. They’ve ranged from funky with organic food and barefoot guests to elegant black-tie. I wanted something different, something special. Something successful. To that end, I’m thinking of a two-tiered system.”



Zach raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”



“The cost of a ticket is a thousand dollars per couple, right?”



“Yes. The partners set the price.”



“So that can stay the same. The cost of the party is about two hundred dollars a person, leaving a good chunk of money for the charity. But out of the two thousand to twenty five hundred people who will attend, at least three hundred and as many as five hundred are serious players in the charity game. They give away millions of dollars every year. Why not to your charity?”



“We’re not going to invite them to the party and then go begging for additional donations.”



“Agreed. But you could charge them more up front.”



“What?”



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