“Yeah, I usually hit the gym in the morning, but here I like to jog on the beach. Wanna come?”
For a moment she considered it. Just to stay near him, just to watch him move. But the storm had stopped and normalcy would be returning to Nantucket. Along with Reggie, no doubt.
She shook her head. “I’ll pass. But would you run to the kitchen first and make some coffee?”
“If you can wait, I’ll do even better than that and get some designer caffeine for you in town.”
“Yum. Caramel latte with a ton of whipped cream.” A five-dollar extravagance she rarely indulged.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “We could get very creative with whipped cream.”
“Said the creative director.” She grinned at him. “Sorry, but I’m not sharing my whipped cream. I like it too much.”
His lip quirked up and he reached for her, running a warm hand over her hip and along her thigh. “Thank God you’re not a swimsuit model.”
She almost snorted. “Why on earth would you even say that?”
“I thought you were when I saw you in the foyer.” He squeezed her leg. “You’ve got the body for it.”
“Thanks…I guess. But what would make you think Reggie would invite a swimsuit model this weekend?”
He lifted one of his carved-from-stone shoulders. “Hey, I’m never sure what to expect with Reggie.” Then those emerald eyes danced. “But he sure nailed me when he picked you.”
She smiled, warmed by the compliment but certain that when they got into the actual process of polishing him to corporate perfection he wouldn’t be quite so sweet about it. “We’ll see how things go.”
He looked relieved. “What do you do, anyway? What’s your job?”
Her job? “This is my—” A sudden bang and the sound of solid, determined footsteps in the hall stopped her. “Reggie!” she whispered, a hint of panic tightening her chest. She was fine with the situation, but how would Reggie feel?
Someone tapped on the door. “Miss Harper? Are you in there?”
Relief washed through her at the sound of Mrs. Slattery’s voice, but she automatically put her hand over Jack’s mouth and burned him with a warning look. “Just a second,” she called, scrambling up and out of the bed.
He regarded her naked body with a mix of amusement and desire. “Should I hide?”
She put one finger to her lips to shush him. “Please. We just met. I don’t want her to…” She pointed to the en suite bathroom. “Go in there.”
He looked skyward and slowly pushed himself up from the bed. She pulled on her yoga pants and yanked the T-shirt over her head.
When he disappeared into the bathroom, she inched the door open and found Mrs. Slattery waiting patiently.
“Miss Harper, I saw all the glass in your bathroom!” she exclaimed. “You were so smart to come down here to sleep.”
Lily nodded and thanked God she wasn’t forced to lie. “We lost power in the middle of the night and I accidentally broke something.”
“No problem.” She held up a work-worn hand. “I’ve already taken care of it. Were you eating when the electricity went out? The food was left out in the kitchen.”
“Uh, yes. Jack was getting dinner when we had the outage. We didn’t risk going back there in the dark.” Lily kept the door at little more than a crack, half expecting Jack to jump out of the bathroom any minute. “Have you heard from Reggie?”
“He’s on his way, miss. I wanted to tell Mr. Jack, but his bedroom door is still closed.” Her silvery eyes sparked with affection. “He likes to sleep.”
Among other things. “I’ll move back up to the other room now, Mrs. Slattery. Thank you for worrying about me and for taking care of that mess.”
“Oh, that’s fine, dear. Would you like me to make some coffee and biscuits, maybe an omelet? Mr. Wilding said he’d be here in time for breakfast.”
“Yes. To everything. I’m starved.” She reached out and gave the older woman’s hand a squeeze. “Is your father all right?”
“He is, thank you.”
“Great. I’ll be out in a bit.”
Just as she closed the door, Jack came out of the bathroom, wearing jeans that were zipped, but not buttoned. Too bad Mrs. Slattery had arrived before Lily had a chance to thoroughly explore every cut on that six-pack again.
“Think she was fooled?” he asked with a wry smile.
Lily bent to retrieve some underwear from the floor. “Save me a little dignity, okay? I don’t want her thinking I fall into bed with perfect strangers on a regular basis.”
“Do you?”
At the serious tone, she looked up. “No, Jack. I don’t. Do you?”
“Once in a while.” His half-hooded look told her that was the absolute truth. “But we’re not strangers anymore.”
“No, we’re not. And I hope you’ll do me a favor and keep that aspect of our relationship secret in front of Reggie when he gets here today.”
“Here?” He blinked at her. “Today? He’s coming?”
“Of course.” She folded her bra and panties into a tiny pile, deciding to carry them upstairs and get back to the room intended for her.
“Why?”
She frowned at him. “He wanted to get things started, I guess. Formally introduce us and explain what I can do for you.”
“I think we handled the introductions just fine and…” His smile was lusty and sweet at the same time. “And you did a great job showing me what you can do.”
She tucked the undergarments in her arms and lifted her chin toward the bed. “You know, Jack, I got a little carried away last night. Sex wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal. That just…happened.”
He looked at her for a moment, with humor and a little bit of question in his eyes. “I usually like sex to be part of the deal,” he said. “But that’s just me.”
“Well, it’s not going to be part of the deal for me.”
He stepped back. “Okay,” he said softly. “It’s entirely up to you. Although we might get bored walking the beach and watching TV the whole time we’re here.”
“We won’t be bored,” she promised. “I have a lot on the agenda. We’ll have to shop, have several salon appointments, and I like to do at least three meals in a restaurant to—”
“So I get to be dragged to boutiques, beauty shops and buffets, but no sex?” He tsked and shook his head. “That doesn’t seem like a fair deal. I mean, it just happened last night—couldn’t it just happen tonight?”
She’d never encountered this with a client in the two years she’d been in the business. “Maybe, when we’re finished.”
He frowned at her. “What? Like breakup sex?”
“Look, Jack, it’s my business. But sleeping with you doesn’t exactly scream ‘propriety’ now, does it?”
“It is your business, but…” He closed the space between them with a few long strides. “You want to know my personal motto about propriety, Lily?” he asked with a playful smile.
“Let me guess. We don’t need no stinkin’ propriety?”
He laughed. “Close. I usually say screw propriety.” Which is why he would not be the poster boy for corporate image improvement. “But if you want to shop instead of bop, knock yourself out. I’ll be down at the beach.”
Did he think she could dress him for success without actually walking into a store? “I can’t possibly do that without you.”
Dismay darkened his eyes to a bottle green. “You can’t?”
Of course, most men cringed at the idea of clothes shopping. And some men absolutely found it abhorrent.
“It can be fun,” she assured him. “As long as you let me do what I do, and I promise, when we’re done, you’ll like the changes in you.”
His eyebrows knotted and he took one step back. “You won’t be the first to try and fail, you know.”
“Reggie believes in me and I’m pragmatic,” she said. “I see real long-term potential if we’re successful.”
“I better wa
tch you,” he said with a wary smile. “You are…relentless.”
“I am,” she agreed, wiggling out of his grasp. “But don’t worry. It won’t hurt too much.”
He shook his head, his look taking that long, slow journey over her body again. “We’ll take it one day at a time, okay?”
“That works for me.” She stepped toward the door. “And don’t worry about the coffee. Mrs. S. is taking care of me. Have a nice run. I’ll see you when Reggie gets here for breakfast.”
He tapped two fingers over his eyebrow in a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You keep up that attitude and this could really end up to be a pleasurable experience, Jack.” She opened the door and gave a surreptitious glance down the hallway.
“Good. I like pleasure.”
She blew him a kiss and whispered, “I noticed.”
Jack didn’t slow his pace until he’d finished the sixth mile and found his way back to the road that meandered to Reggie’s house. Since Lily had let him off the hook for getting coffee in town, he’d chosen to run the rugged southern shore of the island, along the more aggressive surf of the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to the calmer waters of Nantucket Sound to the north.
He’d sucked in the salty, rain-washed air, reveled in the September sunshine and pounded sand until sweat stung his eyes.
And still he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
And that didn’t make a damn bit of sense. He’d met an extraordinary woman, had fantasy-quality sex with her and could look forward to at least two more days—or nights—of her company. So she wanted to shop and spa a bit. That was cool. In the evenings he knew what would just happen.
He slowed his step, pulled his T-shirt up to wipe his face and squinted up the hill to see the gabled manor silhouetted against the powder-puff clouds. And Reggie’s Beemer parked in the circular drive.
That’s what wasn’t right. If Reggie wanted him to meet this woman and see if they hit it off, fantastic. And he hadn’t said anything because he knew Jack would’ve balked at the idea, yeah, that made sense. Then why would Reg feel the need to fly all the way here from Manhattan and intrude?
He took a deep breath and bent over, putting his hands on his knees to stretch his back before standing straight again.
She never had said what she did for a living, she’d been vague about how she knew Reggie and she’d never even mentioned where she lived, for God’s sake. Come to think of it, he knew basically nothing about her except her name.
And her sexual style. Which he’d classify as excellent.
Shaking his head, he stabbed his fingers through his hair and ambled up to the gate. Just go with it, Jack. What was wrong with him?
Entering through the back kitchen door, he was greeted by the smiling face of Dorothea Slattery, who looked up from the cooktop in the center island.
“Hey there, Dots.” He grinned at her and watched the flush his secret name always produced. “What up, baby?”
“Hello, Mr. Jack.” She gave him a fairly thorough inspection, probably not thrilled with all that perspiration in her kitchen. Or maybe the old meddler hadn’t missed the fact that his bed had remained made all night.
“How’s your pop doin’?” he asked.
“He’s fine. His power was only out for a few hours. But I didn’t want to leave in case I had to go back in the middle of the night.”
“We managed,” he said with wink. “Left a mess for you in here, though.”
She waved it off. “I’m just sorry that Mr. Wilding doesn’t have a generator. I’ve told him and told him, but he’s always so busy.”
He leaned a hip against the counter and watched her sauté some onions, the tangy aroma rising to the copper hood that hung above the cooktop. “Tell me those puppies are going in an omelet with my name on it.”
She beamed at him. “With just a hint of Swiss cheese and chopped tomatoes and thyme from my garden?”
“I love you, Dots.”
Her cheeks nearly purpled. “This particular omelet is for Miss Harper. She’s having breakfast in the dining room with Mr. Wilding right now, but if you take a shower before you sit on those white silk chairs of Mrs. Wilding’s, I’ll make one for you.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
He blew out a disgusted breath. “Just what we need around here. More women telling me what to do.”
“You’ll want to clean up for the meeting, Mr. Jack.”
“The meeting?” He scowled at her and reached over to steal a piping-hot onion strip from the pan. Opening his mouth like a trained dolphin, he slurped it in. “You’re kidding, right? What’s on the agenda? The second date?”
She broke an egg into the pan. “Surely I don’t know the advertising business, Mr. Jack. But Mr. Wilding referred to a meeting that would take most of the day, with Miss Harper.”
What the hell was going on here?
“’Scuse me for a sec, Dots.” He pivoted from the countertop and headed straight for the dining room, hearing Lily’s laugh as he entered the narrow butler’s pantry. Just like the first time, the husky sound of it sent a little frisson of sexual tension through him.
For a split second he was tempted to stop and listen. What was she saying about him? That she liked him? Yeah, well, he’d pretty much sealed that deal with her fourth orgasm. He barreled straight through the short hall and walked into the dining room.
“What’s this BS about a meeting?”
Reggie looked up from the head of his mile-long rosewood table, his brown eyes popping behind rimless glasses. “There you are!”
Next to him, Lily sat with her back stick straight, her slender shoulders square, her gorgeous black hair pulled into some kind of updo and her hands folded on her lap.
The picture of…propriety.
He looked from Lily to Reggie and back to Lily. She lifted her chin at a Mona Lisa-like angle and gave him a cool nod.
What the…? He swiped the T-shirt over his face again, exposing his whole bare stomach to her while he did so.
“Sorry about the sweat, Reg,” he said to the older man. “I just ran six miles.”
“No sweat,” Reggie said, then flashed his high-beam smile at Lily. “See why I’m in advertising?”
Jack didn’t laugh, but scratched his cheek and studied Lily again. Finally, with makeup and styled hair, he could see her dry. She looked…dry.
“Good morning, Miss Harper,” he said with exaggerated formality and a hint of a bow. “And how did you sleep last night?”
Only the quirk in her lips gave her away. “Good morning, Jackson.”
Jackson? What was up with that?
He took a step farther into the room and lifted his chin toward Reggie. “I just heard there’s a meeting and I wanted to know what it’s about.”
“Well, it’s about you, Jack. And the agency.”
A vine of uneasiness wrapped around his gut as he regarded Reggie’s serious expression.
“The agency?” What the hell would Lily have to do with him and Wild Marketing?
With a silent apology to his favorite housekeeper, he pulled out a chair next to Lily and dropped onto the swan-white cushion. “Looks like the lights are on, but I’m still in the dark.”
Lily took her napkin off her lap and pushed her chair back. “Why don’t you two have a private discussion first and—”
Jack grabbed her wrist as she placed the napkin next to her plate. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stay right here, please.”
She looked at him, a silent plea deepening almond-shaped eyes to sapphire. She needn’t worry. He wasn’t about to kiss and tell. But something—just as he’d suspected for the past hour—something wasn’t right. “I have a feeling you know more than you’re telling, sweetheart.”
She looked apologetically at Reggie. “I must have misunderstood. Jack gave me the impression he knew this element of our business.”
Their business? He raked her with a look, taking in the f
ormal blouse, buttoned well over that cleavage he’d gotten so friendly with last night. Who described a hookup as their business?
A woman who wore that shirt, that’s who.
Reggie’s normally stone-smooth forehead bore more creases than Jack had seen in a while, and they were deepening with each passing minute. And behind those signature glasses his merry eyes looked…weary.
“Jack, I wanted to tell you this last night. That’s why I had you come in early, and I absolutely planned to be here to launch this program and talk to you about our success strategy.”
Launch this program? Success strategy? Why was his close friend, boss and personal mentor giving him a bucket of clientspeak?
“Shoot straight, Reg. This is me.”
Reggie leaned back and tunneled his hands through his thick, almost totally gray hair, letting out a deep sigh. He looked every one of his fifty-six years, and then some.
“All right, Jack. Here’s the deal. I’ve decided to sell the agency.”
Jack just stared at him, and blinked twice. “You’re selling Wild Marketing?”
Reggie nodded. “I have a very good reason.”
Suddenly a sickening awareness took hold and he glared at Lily. “To her? You’re selling it to her?”
For the first time, Reggie laughed heartily. “No, no. Is that what you thought?”
“I don’t know what I thought.” He seared Lily with a look. But whatever he’d thought, this had nothing to do with a setup for potential romance. Why hadn’t she told him the truth? Why had she led him on?
“Lily is part of the deal, though, Jack,” Reggie continued. “There’s a slight catch with the contract and I think she can help us around it.”
This time Jack sat back in his seat with a slump of surrender. “I think you better start from the beginning, Reg, because I am the victim of a serious misunderstanding.”
Lily shook her head and held his gaze. “No, Jack. I misunderstood you. When you said you knew why I was here, I thought, well, that you did.”
“Why are you here?”
Lily looked at Reggie, obviously waiting for him to explain.
“Jack, the company buying Wild Marketing is Anderson, Sturgeon and Noble.”