Chapter 7

CHAPTERSEVEN

“Well?”Lucy demanded from the other end of the phone. “How was dinner with Alek last night? Please tell me you at least let him kiss you goodnight. Or even better, kiss you good morning?”

London slumped back against her desk chair with an exasperated sigh. “There was no good morning kiss.”

Lucy groaned. “Don’t tell me you missed a chance to test drive that gorgeous mouth of his.”

“I didn’t say that.”

There had been a very nice goodnight kiss when Alek dropped her off at her place last night. Better than nice, actually. Not that London had a catalog of men to compare it to. Her scorecard was less than a dozen. But the goalie definitely knew how to use his lips and tongue with the same finesse with which he played hockey.

“That’s what I want to hear,” Lucy squeaked. “Tell me all about it.”

“Dinner was fun. We went to Oliveti’s and sat at one of the more secluded tables.”’

“I knew it!” Lucy practically purred. “He wanted to focus all his attention on you and not on being seen. So romantic.”

London chuckled. “I think it’s more like the guy would prefer to eat his meal in peace rather than have fans constantly interrupt him. I told you, last night’s dinner was a thank you for my help with the social media campaigns I developed for him.”

“Social media campaigns that he paid Westbrook PR for,” Lucy pointed out. “Stop selling yourself short. He took you out to dinner because he wanted a date. He wouldn’t have kissed you otherwise. Now tell me what his kisses are like.”

“You’re more nosy than usual this morning.”

“I know. I’m just trying to live vicariously through you. No one tells you pregnancy makes you horny.”

“You do realize you have a very fine husband who is willing and able to satisfy all your needs?”

Lucy sighed. “He’s afraid to touch me. He’s worried about another miscarriage. Luckily, I have you around to help keep me sane. So don’t leave me hanging. The kiss. Give me the deets.”

London took pity on her friend. “It was very satisfying.”

And it had been. But like every other man she kissed, it didn’t leave her breathless with want like Trey’s once did. She tried to chalk it up to the fact that she’d been young back then. Still discovering things about herself and her sexuality. About her desires. Very likely, if she kissed Trey Van Horn today, she wouldn’t experience the same feelings.

At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

For some reason, she didn’t share with her friend about her third run-in with Trey this weekend. Given Lucy’s thirst for gossip, it was probably a wise decision. Mostly because London was at odds with the feelings the man stirred up in her.

Seeing him standing on the dock chatting with Kyle had done something to her equilibrium and she still hadn’t quite recovered. He’d looked almost . . . vulnerable. He’d clearly been stunned to discover her mom and his dad were still in contact, not to mention that London and her family had a relationship with Lars. But there was palpable pain in his eyes when his grandfather introduced Olivia as his new wife. She couldn’t help but wonder why.

Why do I care?she asked herself for the millionth time. He’s not my problem.

“That’s it?” Lucy thankfully interrupted her wandering mind. “Alek Bergeron’s kiss ‘was very satisfying?’”

London could practically hear Lucy’s eyeroll.

She decided to placate her friend. “It was a nine out of ten, okay. He probably would have knocked my panties off if he didn’t have to catch an early flight to Canada this morning. Hockey camp starts this afternoon.”

“That makes sense.” Lucy snickered. “And just think of all the extra attention Kyle will get because Alek wants to ‘knock’ those panties off his big sister.”

“I hope not.” The coffee London drank earlier sloshed around in her stomach. “I want Kyle to be noticed because he works hard at the game. Not because of any interest Alek might have in me. Besides, Kyle’s really good.”

“Not to mention absolutely adorable,” Lucy added. “Alek won’t be able to resist either one of you.”

“You’re forgetting that I’ve sworn off relationships right now.”

“Who’s saying anything about a serious relationship? You don’t need one for a booty call. You’ve been in the middle of this dry spell forever. And trust me when I say a real man beats a vibrator every time. And who better to get back on that horse with than Alek. Have you seen the naked photos of him from the bodyissue of that sports magazine? Yum.”

London rubbed her fingers along her aching forehead. “Luce, please call your OB and get a note for Mike because you’re starting to freak me out.”

The sound of Bennie wishing everyone good Monday morning gave London an out to this uncomfortable conversation. Her boss’s tone wasn’t as jovial as usual which likely meant he hadn’t made any headway with Seth.

“Gotta go, Luce,” she said. “I’ve still got the mess with the Gunther account to resolve.”

“You’ll figure it out. Don’t forget spa night tonight.”

London wasn’t likely to forget. It was her favorite night of the month. Lucy’s mom opened up her salon to family and friends for manicures/pedicures, wine and lots of laughter. She’d miss those evenings when she moved to Chicago. Even if her move was still a big “if” right now, no way was she missing out on spa night.

“Ow.”

The stitch in her side squeezed when she stood. The stress of the past week was really doing a number on her body. Between seeing Trey three times in as many days and the mess of the Gunther account, sleep was hard to come by. Added to that was the quick trip up to the lake to say goodbye to her family before they went “off grid” for two weeks. Then her dinner with Alek. There had been no time for her barre class in days and her body was letting her know it.

“My joints should not be this cranky at twenty-eight,” she announced when she joined Bennie in the conference room.

Her boss managed a wan smile. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, kiddo.”

The dark circles under his eyes told her that he, too, had been stressing about the account all weekend.

“Seth?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I tell ya, the guy has got his heels dug in and he won’t budge. He’s not the same guy since his divorce. I suspect the new chippie he’s involved with might be egging him on. She’s got serious dollar signs in her eyes, that’s for sure.”

There was no mistaking the disgust in Bennie’s tone.

She slumped her shoulders. “I sent the proposal off to Trey’s agent. I’m sure we’ll hear something back within a few days. Then maybe when the ‘no’ is coming from them, Seth will see the light.” She tried to infuse enough optimism into her voice that maybe it would come true.

“Let’s hope so.” Bennie lowered his voice. “In the meantime, I have a call into Nolan and Hemphill. I’m going to ask Evan to take you on no matter what comes from this account.”

“What? No!”

Bennie held up his palm. “Listen to me, kiddo. I’m closing the doors to this place at the end of the year, no matter what. Everyone else here will either retire or land with one of our clients.” He pointed a finger at her. “You, though, are far too talented for this market. And you’re young, despite your damn complaints about aches and pains. I want to see you take those gifts of yours to the next level. Evan has made no secret that he thinks very highly of your work. Hell, the guy will be happy to get you and not have to deal with the excess baggage of the staff.” He sighed heavily. “I won’t let damn Seth torpedo your career.”

London’s stomach had gone from gentle rolls to a tidal wave. Was Bennie even being serious right now? Or was there a bigger piece to the puzzle she was missing?

“Bennie, is there something you’re not telling me?” She blinked a few times to ward off the tears stinging the back of her eyes. The idea of not seeing him every day made her sad, but he’d still always be a phone call away. Wouldn’t he? “Are you—is everything okay?”

Please don’t let there be something wrong with Bennie.

He waved her off. “I’m fine. But life is short. Losing the love of my life showed me that. There are things we talked about doing and seeing. I wanna honor her by actually accomplishing them.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Robyn was so proud of you. She’d want this for you, too.”

As guilt trips went, Bennie had just laid a pretty good one on London’s shoulders.

She didn’t know what to think. It was her dream to move on to bigger, national projects. To work with a company like Nolan and Hemphill would be the ultimate. But it was all happening so fast. It was a lot easier to swallow when her “future” was months away.

“I think we should stay the course for a few days longer,” she insisted. “I floated the idea of a big national ad campaign by Alek Bergeron last night. He said he’d be thrilled to work with any client of ours.”

He’d really said he’d be delighted to “couple” with London and her team, but Bennie was a lot like Lucy about reading into things. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about her and Alek. Even though he had winked at her when he mentioned “couple.”

She was relieved to see Bennie’s face break out into a wide smile. It was all the foolishness about the account that had him talking nonsense about sending her off to Chicago early, that’s all. If she could get Alek to save the day, they could progress at the planned pace.

Then she noticed Bennie wasn’t exactly smiling at her. His grin was directed somewhere over her shoulder. A throat cleared behind her. Bennie got to his feet.

“I hope I’m not interrupting. The woman up front said to come right in.”

The sound of Trey Van Horn’s voice had London launching from her chair, the twitch in her side be damned. She turned to find the object of her anxiety standing in the doorway, looking like he was there to pose for a cover shot for a men’s magazine. He was wearing charcoal slacks that hugged his thighs smartly and an ecru golf shirt, perfect for showing off his buff chest and perpetual tan. Unlike the other players on the Growlers, there wasn’t a hint of gold on him except for within his eyes. Eyes that were presently trained on London.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, sounding just as rude as he did on the dock the past weekend.

“London,” Bennie chastised her.

The room seemed to spin.

Damn this man.

She pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “My apologies. I just didn’t expect to see you at my place of work.” Or anywhere.

He grinned suavely making the room tilt even further. Through the conference room’s glass windows, she could see Brenda fanning herself as she looked on. It was all London could do not to gag.

Trey moved deeper into the room. “You know what they say, bad things come in threes.”

Was he making a joke?

“We’re up to four now.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

His smile grew more predatory. “You’re keeping score, then?”

The expletive she was holding back threatened to escape. Fortunately, Bennie was quicker.

“Mr. Van Horn. How nice of you to stop by.” Bennie ushered Trey into the conference room. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Trey held up several folded white sheets of paper. “You sent me an offer. I thought since I’m in town we could discuss it in person.”

London rocked back on her heels, resisting the urge to pinch herself because surely this was some sort of stress-induced nightmare. Beside her, Bennie was nearly busting out of his buttons with renewed energy.

“Of course.” He pulled out a chair. “Have a seat. Can I get you a coffee? Cheese Danish?”

“Nothing for me,” Trey said as he settled into the chair across from her.

“That’s because he doesn’t consume either one.” London plopped back down into her chair. “Which makes me wonder why you’d want to promote cheese products.”

“How about I get our guest a bottled water.” There was no mistaking the “be nice” Bennie mouthed to her behind Trey’s back before hurrying from the room.

Great.Now her head was pounding as much as her side.

Trey eyed her speculatively. “If you didn’t think I’d do the campaign, why did you send it?”

She’d forgotten the man had a brain beneath his helmet. Of course he would wonder that. But he wasn’t supposed to find out about the offer. His agent should have already vetted it and sent it to the slush pile.

“Because the client, Seth Gunther, wants you. He saw us at the diner the other day and misinterpreted our relationship.”

He flinched ever so slightly. “You’re saying he’s not serious?”

“Oh, he’s serious.”

“Just not you.”

Now she was the one squirming beneath his golden gaze. “He can’t afford you.”

“You don’t know that.”

She slapped a palm on the table. “What kind of game are you playing here, Trey?”

He was quiet for a long moment. London tried not to fidget beneath his gaze.

“I’d like to hear a little more about this campaign. How about we grab dinner tonight and discuss it.”

It was all she could do to keep her jaw from dropping to her chest. No way was she having dinner with this man to discuss anything. Tonight or any night. It was spa night, dammit.

Too bad Bennie had other ideas.

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” her boss chirped when he reentered the room.

“But—”

Bennie held up a hand. “It can be just between us and Trey, here. We don’t need to alert Seth or anyone else.” He clapped Trey on the shoulder. “I appreciate you giving this some thought. Even if it doesn’t work out, this is a classy way to handle things.”

Trey shot her another man-eating grin before standing and shaking hands with Bennie. “Thank you, sir. London, Pops’ assistant gave me your address. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

He was out of the door before London could react.

“Well.” Bennie rubbed his hands together. “Maybe this isn’t over after all.”

London leaned her forehead into her palm. “He’s not going to do it. He’s just jerking our chain.”

Bennie’s enthusiasm waned. “Now I’m the one who wants to know if I’m missing anything. He’s got the reputation in the business for being a straight shooter. I don’t always agree with his opinions, but he’s a winner.” He sat down next to London. “But I get the feeling there’s more to this story. Is there something going on between you two?”

She groaned softly as she tried to adjust her body to a more comfortable position. “My mom was briefly married to his dad. Just unfinished sibling rivalry, that’s all.”

Evidently that’s what she was calling it these days.

Her boss whistled. “Holy smokes. Look, if dinner is too much, I can go in your place. Try and appeal to his Everyman side.”

She laughed. “I don’t think he has one of those.” Once, she believed he did, but not anymore. “No, it’s me he wants to hash things out with. I’ll go.”

But she wasn’t going unprepared. If she had to break bread with Trey Van Horn, she was going to show him what he walked away from. And to do that, she needed an afternoon of primping.

* * *

London’s placewas located in the Third Ward in an early 1900’s Art Deco office building that had been converted to condos some years ago. It had all the character and charm he’d expect of the artistic woman he used to know. It also had an annoying intercom system that didn’t seem to be working.

Either that or London was blowing him off.

Trey was acting like a colossal asshole. Multiple times throughout the day, he’d tried to force himself to call and cancel this nonsense dinner. He knew better than to use London to get information about his grandfather’s new wife. And he wasn’t that much of a dick that he’d string some company along only to turn down a deal. Not only was that bad for his image, it was bad manners, period.

Yet, something was still tugging him toward London. Something he couldn’t seem to shrug off. And when he entered that conference room this morning and heard her mention Alek fucking Bergeron, the pull became more intense.

Not to mention his pride being a bit stung when she admitted she never thought he’d consider taking on the campaign. She was right, of course. But that didn’t mean he had to like that she knew him so well.

Now he was standing outside her building, buzzing her unit like a lunatic. He was going to cancel on her. No way was he letting her ghost him.

A guy dressed in gym clothes emerged from the lobby. Trey thrust his shoulder in to keep the door from closing. The other man shot him a look before recognition dawned.

“Oh, hey,” the guy said.

“Hey, man. I think my date must still be in the shower,” he improvised. “She’s not answering.”

The dude gave him a conspiring smile. “You’ll need the elevator code then.”

He led Trey to the elevator bank and punched in a series of numbers.

“Thanks.”

The guy held up his phone in the universal “can-I-get-a-picture-with-you” gesture.

Trey nodded sanguinely. Selfies had replaced autographs as the main way for fans to document meeting him. As weird as it was to know his mug was on the camera rolls of perfect strangers, likely somewhere between pictures of their dog and their dinner, he always put up with the intrusion.

Photo complete, Trey stepped into the thankfully empty elevator and traveled up to the seventh floor. London’s condo was at the end of the hallway. With a corner unit, he imagined she’d have some great views of the lake. The image suited her. She always loved to look out over the water at Lake Geneva.

He knocked on the door brusquely. If she was hiding in there, he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. Something that sounded like a moan greeted him from the other side of the door.

Trey was instantly on alert. “London?”

“Oh, God, of course it has to be you,” he thought he heard her say.

Trey tried the door handle, but it was locked. Another groan, this one a lot more urgent sounding, came from inside. An unfamiliar lick of panic ran up his spine.

“London, dammit, open up.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do,” she cried.

The door handle clicked. Trey was leaning on the door so hard he nearly fell into the entry hall. His heart skipped several beats when he saw London crumpled against the wall.

“Are you okay?” he demanded stupidly as he crouched down beside her.

“Does it look like I’m okay?” she huffed.

She was wearing a little black dress that was currently riding nearly all the way up her sleek thighs. He swallowed roughly, trying to ignore the glorious skin his fingers itched to reacquaint themselves with.

“Enjoying the show?” she asked through labored breaths.

He jerked his eyes up to hers. Even laid out by whatever this was, she looked sexy as hell. Her hair hung past her shoulders in silky strands. He brushed a piece of it back off her face, only to discover that her skin was hot to the touch.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” He spoke softly, gently tracing his finger along her cheek.

“I have to cancel our dinner.” She swallowed roughly. “I’m afraid I’m under the weather.”

Trey nearly laughed. He’d forgotten how fierce she could be. “You don’t say?”

She winced again, grabbing at her side with a cry. Trey scooped her up and lifted her to his chest. He peeked into the living room, looking for what he wasn’t sure. He took in the gorgeous, framed photos on the walls, knowing instantly they were hers.

“How long has this been going on?”

“All day,” she said, dropping her head down on his shoulder. “But I’ll be okay. We can talk about the Gunther account another time. I just need a good night’s sleep and I’ll be better in the morning.”

“Uh, huh.”

He spied her purse and grabbed it with his free hand, fishing inside it for her keys.

“Hey, get out of there.” Her complaint was half-hearted given her lack of strength.

“We’re going to need this where we are going.” He looped the strap of her purse over his shoulder.

“No! I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” she whispered.

The truth in her tone had his chest constricting painfully. Still, he wasn’t leaving her alone. Fortunately, she didn’t have the energy in her to put up much of a fight.