It had taken nearly an hour of apologizing, then explaining and then promising to get Julia to leave her alone and let her get back to work. Fatigued by the whole interrogation, Lucy had gotten to the point of agreeing to things she hadn’t even heard or understood properly to begin with.
Julia had needed constant reassurance of where Lucy’s loyalty lay and had wanted to know whether or not she wished to see the destruction of a job she’d loved so dearly for a decade. As well as forcing her to be the direct liaison to Cal during all related business dealings and having her promise to agree to all his demands during the process, Julia expected her to do all she could to pique Cal’s interest in Insight Marketing and encourage him to look into future business deals with them.
Just thinking about all the things she’d conceded made Lucy shudder. If Julia got her way, Lucy would never be rid of Cal—ever.
With her forehead resting on the cold, hard surface of her desk and her arms wrapped around her ears to silence all external noise, Lucy tried to get her breathing steady in preparation for the day. Although, for the time being, she felt reasonably safe in her office, it had to be almost nine o’clock, nearly time for Cal to arrive—and she knew what that meant.
After sleeping in the guest room at her place last night, Steph and Mia had all but frog-marched Lucy into the office before eight in the morning. They had demanded that she sort out the situation with Julia first before facing the rest of the day with Cal.
When she’d asked them both why they’d had to escort her, Steph had nearly snorted with laughter and disbelief. Apparently, they’d both been certain that if they hadn’t accompanied her in that morning, she would never have made it past the threshold of her front door. Although on the outside Lucy had scoffed at them and their act of kind assistance, internally she knew that they were probably right. Without the happiness her friends had added to her morning routine, laughing while cooking breakfast and then cracking jokes on the tram, temporarily removing all thoughts of fear and despair from her mind, Lucy wasn’t sure how she would have even made it through the glass doors of the building.
Dread had gripped her as soon as she’d walked toward the internal elevators, even though she’d known that Cal’s appointment wasn’t for another hour. She might have convinced herself that she had formulated a decent game plan last night, a way in which to deal with Cal should things become too intimate and toxic, but that hadn’t stopped her from worrying anyway. What if she couldn’t remain emotionally distant in his presence? What if she let him capture her heart like she had once before and she lost herself to him? What if telling him that she loved him became all too true again and his rejection, instead of freeing her, hurt her much worse and deeper than before? Had Steph and Mia not been there literally to hold her hands and steer her into the elevator, Lucy knew she would have sprinted back home right there and then.
But here I am, she reminded herself as she tried to let the coolness of the varnished, wooden desk calm her.
She’d made it in, had managed to smooth things over with Julia and was now awaiting the most difficult task of her life—keeping Cal happy until his business with them had concluded.
A tapping sound like the light rapping of knuckles against the door frame had Lucy lifting her head reluctantly to see Steph waiting outside her office. Upon seeing the movement, Steph opened the glass door and entered, closing it carefully behind her.
“How are we doing?” Steph’s smile was hopeful as she moved to sit in one of the pair of black leather chairs in front of Lucy’s desk.
Lucy groaned tiredly. “Alive.”
As Lucy straightened in her seat, her gaze fell to Steph’s outfit. No longer in the crumpled t-shirt and jeans from the night before, she was dressed very professionally in black slacks and a white business shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up to her elbows. She had told Lucy as they’d left her in front of Julia’s office that morning that she and Mia would be heading home to their flat in East Melbourne to change. Yet, seeing it just seemed to further confirm the coming difficulties of the day.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Steph struggled with a smile and then leaned forward in the chair. “’Cause our precious new client is currently on his way up in the lift with Julia and you’ll have to start liaising at any moment.”
Lucy choked in a breath. “Break it to me mildly, why don’t you?”
Steph winced. “I had to do it fast like a sticky bandage and hope for the best.”
“Well,” Lucy breathed deeply, then placed her hands on the desk to help her stand, “I guess I can’t just sit here waiting for the beast of the problem to find me. I’ll never survive this if I don’t jump into the fight.”
“You make it sound like you’re about to go to war, Luce.”
At Steph’s criticism, Lucy scowled.
“It is war,” she told her. War of the heart, Lucy thought. Then she frowned. “Sorry.” She shook her head as though trying to clear her thoughts. “I’m already defensive.”
Steph breathed in a harsh, audible breath and stood up. “Boy, am I glad that it’s him you’re at odds with and not me. I don’t think I’d like to be on your bad side.”
At that, Lucy found herself smiling. She could do this. She could be tough enough to keep things cold and formal between her and Cal. Sure, it didn’t come to her naturally, but she could try—and she’d seen plenty of reality television, enough to help her perfect a bitchy persona if she needed it.
As Lucy rounded the table, she saw Mia appear outside, the hem of her pleated, mauve mini-dress swaying with the swiftness of her movement. With a concerned expression and without knocking, Mia opened the office door.
“Cal’s here.”
She’d barely gotten the words out and stepped inside before Cal appeared in the doorway.
Looking prepared for business in his slate grey suit, white shirt and green tie, Cal strode confidently into Lucy’s office.
“Ladies,” he said offering Mia and Steph a charming, white smile. “Would you mind giving Miss Spencer and me a moment alone?”
Even though Mia was clearly besotted by the charisma radiating off him, she still took a minute, as did Steph, to glance over at Lucy for approval.
Lucy’s eyes were wide, her neck tense and her insides quivered as she stood, frozen to the spot and staring at Cal. How had she ever thought she could be strong enough to do this? Just the suggestion of being alone in a room with him was enough to set her heart racing and her nerves on edge. Who had she been kidding? She wasn’t tough and she definitely couldn’t pretend to be cold enough to hide the flame for him which still burned ardently in her heart.
Swallowing, she shook her head slowly at Steph.
Seeing her friend struggling to keep her composure and certainly in no state to be alone with a man who clearly terrified her, Steph offered Cal a firm, but amiable expression.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hawthorne, but we prefer to have an open working relationship and don’t like to keep any of our executive managers out of the loop. Perhaps you would like to wait and talk to us together as a group in the boardroom?”
Cal’s charming gaze faltered slightly at Steph’s words. He opened his mouth to speak just as Julia, all classy and conservative in a crisp, ivory skirt suit, entered the room behind him.
“Steph. Mia.” Julia’s voice was sharp and authoritative. “Let’s give Lucy and Mr. Hawthorne a moment alone together to get reacquainted before we discuss things further as a team.”
When Steph opened her mouth to protest, Julia silenced her with an elegant wave of her hand.
“Come, ladies. I’d like to go over a few things before we proceed with the day.”
Refusing to wait for a response, Julia turned in her white high heels and disappeared down the aisle.
Mia shared a look of concern with Steph and then both women glanced at Lucy. Biting her lower lip nervously, Lucy’s tight, furrowed brows and wide eyes pleaded with them to stay. Yet, she knew they couldn’t, not without receiving Julia’s wrath.
Her expression solemn, Steph grabbed Lucy’s hand, caressing it reassuringly before releasing her and heading closer to Mia.
After eyeing Cal carefully, Mia offered Lucy a small, supportive smile. “We’ll be just down the hall if you need us.”
“Yes,” Steph concurred, her expression stern as she watched Cal. “Scream if you need help.”
Lucy caught the look of surprise on Cal’s face as he quirked a sandy-colored eyebrow at the two women as they exited the room, shutting the door slowly behind them. They remained outside for a little longer, staring in as Cal and Lucy stared back, then finally they headed after Julia.
“That was intense.” Cal breathed a sigh and then glanced over at Lucy.
When his dark blue-grey gaze met hers, Lucy forced herself to hold it and then swallowed anxiously. “Yeah, I have…um decent friends now.” She had hoped the remark would be cutting, bitchy even, but her voice was so soft and unsteady that the intention behind it was little more than weak.
“You mean, guard dogs.” Cal smirked, narrowing his gaze as he stalked slowly toward her.
The predatory movement was enough to send Lucy scurrying back around behind the desk for protection. “So, what do you want?” Her fingers gripped the back of her chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “You might want to make it quick. We’ve got a meeting to attend.”
His full lips pulled back in a shark-like grin and he plopped himself into one of the chairs in front of her. “Since that meeting largely depends on my attendance, I don’t think we have any need to hurry.”
Lucy glared down at him, her irritation at his cockiness beginning to override her trepidation. “I’m pretty sure whatever you need to speak to me about regarding the work you’d like us to do for you can be said at the meeting with everyone else. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Cal casually crossed his legs, left ankle on right knee, and lounged back into the leather chair as though he felt quite at home in Lucy’s office. “Why are you making this harder than it has to be, Luce? You know exactly why I need to talk to you and you know exactly why I don’t want it said in front of the others.”
“They already know anyway,” she spat back, her hands releasing the death grip on her chair to rest in an aggressive manner on her hips.
He chuckled quietly. “I’d noticed.”
“No thanks to you.” Lucy was glad her tone had outgrown its mousey meekness and had finally reflected the anger that was beginning to boil inside her. “Did you really have to go and tell my boss about our history?”
Cal shrugged. “I only explained what I had to. We had a falling out, which explained your reaction, but now that I have an opportunity to work alongside you, I want to be able to make amends. That’s all.”
Lucy narrowed her gaze suspiciously. “And what? You promised to pay double our usual fee or something to smooth it all over?”
His lips quirked in a playful smirk. “Triple.”
Her eyes grew wide at his insanity. That was an unholy amount of money, an incredible sum that could’ve easily bought him a nice two-story house in the suburbs.
“That includes acquiring you as my personal liaison.”
Lucy suddenly felt faint and she had never been the type of woman who fainted. “You haven’t bought me, Cal. You don’t own me just because you paid a fee.”
With a confident sigh, he glanced around the immaculate office before his dark gaze settled on hers once more. “Buying your time is good enough—and knowing that you have to be at my beck and call whenever I need you, well that’s utterly priceless in the circumstances.” His lips pulled back into a smug grin. “And just so you know,” he told her as he uncrossed his legs and leant forward. “You just called me Cal.”
Lucy had never wanted to scream at someone so much in her life, but she just knew it wouldn’t do any good. Besides bringing in the cavalry, she would also infuriate Julia and further endanger her position at the firm.
She couldn’t believe she’d let herself slip. Calling him Callum would’ve been bad enough, would have sought to break the platonic working relationship she was trying hard to stick to by calling him only Mr. Hawthorne at best and nothing at all at worst. But, Cal.
How could she have been so stupid?
“Mr. Hawthorne.” Her snide tone was breathy as she tried to control her severe frustration.
Cal waved a hand to dismiss her correction. “No, I prefer Cal and I’ll be telling Julia as much. Everyone else can call me Mr. Hawthorne, Callum—but you, Luce, you’ll have to call me Cal.”
Lucy glared at him. “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
Cal just smiled up at her contentedly as he relaxed back into the black leather chair. “I’ve missed you too, Luce.”
***
Cal had finally gotten his way. Although Lucy had said no repeatedly, when he had threatened to tell her boss that she wasn’t cooperating with his demands, she’d finally caved. While the Insight Marketing team looked over the information he’d brought for them regarding the Gold Coast property, he and Lucy would be discussing the same thing—and a little more—over lunch on the Mornington Peninsula.
Even though the director of the firm had been fine with the arrangement, having already been told of his terms as they rode in the elevator together, the other staff he’d met more formally before leaving had definitely not seemed to approve. He hadn’t been surprised to see the look of distrust in the eyes of the two women he’d seen in Lucy’s office that morning or, for that fact, a similar look of concern on a number of other employees’ faces including a short woman with blonde curls who appeared to scrutinize his expression to the nth degree. Yet, the one that worried him the most was definitely the tall, rangy, dark-haired man whose insanely perfect appearance and whose dangerous glint in the eye were enough to have Cal questioning Lucy’s relationship with this man and whether or not he had a reason to be jealous.
Glancing across the inside of the black stretch limousine to the adjacent seat, Cal slowly raked his gaze over Lucy and her luscious body. Though she’d chosen to wear less make-up than she’d donned yesterday, the soft, natural shades and dusty rose covering her full lips only added to her exquisite natural beauty. He preferred her this way or with nothing at all. She was stunningly beautiful in her own right, his Lucy, and would look gorgeous in every moment—waking up, after going to the gym or after exercise of another kind in bed together with him.
Cal felt a sly smile spread his lips at the thought as his gaze continued to devour her.
Emulating her furious expression, her slender arms were crossed with fierce indignation, but this only served to push her pert breasts even further together forcing him to imagine what it might be like to place his face in that delicately soft Eden. His dark gaze roamed over her tight indigo, knee-length dress, which clung to her curvy body in all the most alluring places, making his groin ache with lust and his mouth water. Even the matching strappy stilettos that wrapped around her creamy skin, bared to reveal just the slightest peek of sexy, red, nail-polished toes, were enough to make him crave to touch her further.
Upon entry to the limo, Cal had offered her a seat beside him, but she’d refused with a non-verbal huff and sat opposite. Though he would have appreciated the closeness, having her body strapped in beside him, he couldn’t deny that from this angle he had a much better view of her—and there was plenty of time in the future for them to get closer. Right now, he was just savoring the fact that he’d found her and that she was finally back in his life.
“Are you going to keep staring at me like that the whole way?” Her sharp growl dragged him free of his mischievous thoughts. “Because it’s creeping me out.”
Cal had to chuckle at that. He was almost certain it was doing nothing of the sort and if anything, seeing the way a light blush had pinkened her cheeks, she’d obviously been enjoying his gaze as much as he was relishing looking at her.
He shrugged. “I haven’t seen you in a long time, Luce. What did you expect me to do?”
She threw up a hand. “Well, not look at me as though you want to eat me for one.”
Cal had to laugh at that. He’d known he’d been watching her hungrily, there was no denying it. “Maybe if you’d come sit closer to me”—he rubbed a hand over the bare, black leather of the cushioned seat beside him—“I wouldn’t have to stare at you so much.”
She quirked a brow as though in accusation and then gave him a curt, sardonic smile. “I’m fine here, thanks. Really.”
Cal struggled not to laugh again. He’d really missed their play fights, her stubbornness and his going head-to-head. He’d always enjoyed a good challenge, but this time he knew it was a little different. This time they weren’t playing for fun, he was playing for keeps.
“Are we nearly there yet?” Lucy’s arms tightened across her chest as she glanced back out the window.
“My, aren’t we impatient?” he teased her. “I thought you might prefer the scenic route.”
Though she’d scoffed at him in annoyance, she was sure to know what he’d told her was a lie. They’d been travelling on the freeway for just over an hour and were about to turn off toward Red Hill. The Cardinal Winery was booked for lunch at noon, so the scenic route would just have to wait.
Having had his epiphany earlier that morning, Cal had called Jonathan—his P.A.—and asked him to hire out the entire winery for the afternoon, no matter the cost. Securing alone time with Lucy was precious, a least until she had the desire to initiate that alone time with him herself. While he hoped that might happen sooner, he was sure it would probably be later. He had a lot of sucking up, a lot of wooing, a lot of breaking down her towering walls, before she would want to spend time with him naturally. Like a child thrilled about the coming Christmas, Cal could barely breathe thinking about the elation he’d feel when Lucy finally saw him as she once had, craving to be with him as much as he craved to be with her. But this time he wouldn’t put their friendship first. No matter what, she would finally be his, just as he had always been hers.