Deception
Something wasn’t right. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that Mark was jealous. Immediately she discarded the notion. She and Mark had worked side by side for nearly a year. She trusted him. She just couldn’t imagine—
“You look lost.”
She stopped short, a breath away from running into hard, muscular chest. Her heart thumped when she looked up into those eyes and down to the smile that spilled sunshine across her face.
“Clint…I mean…”
“You got it right the first time.” His eyes roamed slowly over her. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Her eyes briefly focused on her beige suede shoes, and her only wish at that moment was that the tiny crack in the sidewalk would open and swallow her.
“I was on my way to grab a bite and decided to take a stroll,” he said. “Are you out to lunch or just doing the window-shopping thing?”
Her eyes flashed at the last comment until she saw the laughter in his eyes. She couldn’t stop the smile that matched his.
“That’s better,” he said, his voice enveloping her like a cocoon. “I’m not into the shopping part, but could I interest you in something from—” he quickly scanned the busy avenue “—Original Ray’s?”
Her eyes followed his to the famous pizzeria across the street and her stomach gave a hungry twist at the mention of her favorite treat.
“Now don’t tell me you don’t eat pizza. That’s almost un-African-American.”
This time she laughed outright, and he memorized the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed and the high sculpted cheekbones that gave credence to her Caribbean heritage.
Hesitating a moment, she sucked in her bottom lip, looking at him then across at the pizzeria.
“Okay.” She held up a slender manicured finger tipped with soft orange. “But just one slice. I have to get back to the office.”
“And,” he said intimately, “I wouldn’t want you to ruin your appetite for dinner.” Then, like a conjurer, he took her proffered hand and it magically disappeared in his. Before she had the presence of mind to react, he was walking her across the street. As much as she hated to admit it, her hand felt fantastic in his.
“I guess you’ve heard all of the ugly rumors about me?” he asked, tearing off a piece of the steamy pizza and looking at her questioningly.
Terri took a deep breath. “Maybe. The question is, are they true?”
He smiled without humor. “That all depends. If you’ve heard that I’m a tough businessman, then it’s true. If you’ve heard that I make it my business to take what I want in life, then that’s also true.” He shot her a penetrating look that made her avert her gaze.
“Beyond that—” he shrugged his broad shoulders “—I’m just your regular guy.” He took a napkin and wiped his full lips, waiting for her response.
“You make it sound so matter-of-fact.”
“I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Terri noticed the momentary flash of pain that hovered behind those dark eyes. Then it was gone. Briefly she wondered who or what had pierced the impenetrable armor.
“You’re a very complex man, Clint.”
He laughed a deep soul-stirring rumble. “I’ve been called worse. Coming from you, however, I take it as a compliment.”
She took a nibble at her pizza and returned it to the paper plate.
“So have you changed your mind about me? My offer still stands.” Hope filled his dark eyes.
Instead of a direct answer, she toyed with him. “I very rarely change my mind once it’s made up. But I’m always open for discussion. If I have reason to listen.”
His voice lowered to a deep whisper, his response rattling her feigned poise. “Then we have a lot more than business to talk about.”
For several breathtaking seconds, their eyes held. “I’ve got to be getting back to the office,” she said, smoothly disguising her shredded composure. “I’ll see you later.”
Without another word, he rose from his seat, rounded the table and helped her on with her coat. The nearness of him set her heart racing and she knew she had to get away—fast.
“Thank you.” She looked up at him one last time. “I’ve got to go,” she breathed.
With that she made a hasty exit, darting in and out of the flow of traffic, the sensation of Clint nipping at her heels as eagerly as the fall breeze.
Terri massaged her temples. The figures just didn’t seem to make sense. She shook her head. Maybe she was just tired. It was past six-thirty and she had been going over the books and comparing dates for hours. Clint would be downstairs waiting. Her pulse quickened at the thought.
Closing the huge ledger, she reached into her desk drawer for her purse just as Andrea, her secretary, tapped on the door and entered.
“Present for the boss,” Andrea said, her face hidden behind long-stemmed flowers.
Terri eyed her secretary with skepticism. Andrea’s arm was laden with what looked to be more than two dozen Casablanca lilies. Quickly she got up from her desk to help with the burden.
“Where on earth did these come from?” Terri asked.
“They just arrived.”
Terri gently searched through the huge bouquet.
“There’s no card, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
Terri frowned. “Are you sure? How did they get here?” She placed the flowers on the desk and selected a vase from the credenza large enough to accommodate them.
“A messenger just brought them up. All I did was sign for them. They were addressed to you.”
Terri was puzzled. “I don’t understand. These are my favorite flowers,” she said in a wispy voice. She pressed her face against the bouquet and inhaled the heady aroma. “But who knows that?”
“Obviously someone does.” Andrea smiled. “I’ll put these in water and bring them right back.” She picked up the lilies and the vase and left the office.
“Thanks,” Terri answered absently.
For several moments she paced the room, trying to figure out who could have sent the flowers. The only people who knew of her passion for lilies were her adoptive parents, and she was sure that they hadn’t sent them. They were hundreds of miles away and weren’t the type of people who sent gifts just to be thoughtful. If it wasn’t an act that would get them a blurb in the society column, they didn’t bother. She’d probably mentioned it to several people, but to no one who would have gone to this extravagance. Clint?
She shook her head and smiled. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” she whispered, remembering her nana’s favorite line. Then she chuckled to herself, wondering for the zillionth time what in the world was a gift horse anyway?
Moments later, Andrea returned with the lilies safely deposited in the crystal vase.
“Where should I put these, Ms. Powers?”
“On the small table by the window. That should give them just enough light.”
“I’m all finished out front. If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to go home.”
“Of course, Andrea. I didn’t mean to keep you here so late. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Good night, Ms. Powers.”
“Good night.”
Left alone in the room Terri took one last look at her beautiful bouquet. It had been a long time since someone had sent her flowers. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it. She closed the door gently behind her.
Terri exited the building and was greeted by a cold burst of wind. October was a mysterious month. There was no telling what Mother Nature would send. The temperature had already dropped considerably since the afternoon, and she was thankful that she had decided to wear her trench coat. Her only wish was that she’d put in the lining.
Pulling the trench tightly around her trim body, she took a quick look up at the cloud-filled sky and wondered how far off was the first snowfall.
She checked her watch, noting that it was seven on the dot, and approached the curb to wait for Clint. Just as she neared the curb, a black Mercedes-Benz pulled up in front of her. Annoyed that the car had stopped and blocked her view of traffic, she started to walk to the corner just as the driver got out.
Leaning over the hood of the car, a look of pure mischief on his face, Clint held out one Casablanca lily between his fingers. “Can I take a few dozen lilies off your hands in exchange for dinner?”
Chapter 3
Terri tried to keep the conversation light and impersonal throughout dinner, but the mellow atmosphere and soft music at B. Smith’s Restaurant lent itself to intimacy. Within a short space of time she found herself laughing at Clint’s wry sense of humor and actually forgetting all of the things she’d heard and read about him.
He was animatedly recounting an incident that had occurred in the health club. “My friend Steve really had me just where he wanted me,” he laughed. “There I was, spread-eagled on the bench with a hundred-pound weight hanging over my head.”
“What did you do?”
“Cried uncle, what else?”
Terri shook her head in laughter, visualizing Clint’s precarious plight.
“What do you do in your spare time?” he asked, loving the way her crimson dress hugged her curves.
“Read mostly. I play tennis in the summer, dance all year long and I love riding through the park. But it’s gotten so dangerous lately, I’ve cut back.”
His voice lowered and raked over her. “I’d be more than happy to be your protector.”
She looked at him coyly. “Maybe.” Now why did I say that?
“That’s the best answer you’ve given me to date. My faith in humanity is restored.”
She lowered her thick lashes, her heart beating wildly. Then she looked up. “How did you know about the lilies?” she asked softly.
“I always make it my business to find out all I can about anything or anyone that interests me. In other words, I ask questions. I had my secretary dig up an article that was written about you in Black Enterprise. You mentioned your passion for the lilies in the article.”
Her stomach lurched at the pointed look that he threw her way, but she kept her expression unreadable, which enticed Clint all the more.
“I believe I’ll have to follow that philosophy,” she replied.
“So, you’ve found something that has piqued your curiosity,” he tossed back, enjoying the game.
“Perhaps. If there’s anything of interest, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Her smile was a taunt, and Clint’s insides tightened.
“Would you like anything else?” His voice was thick with the emotions that he struggled to control. Terri unwittingly brought out the passion in him that he hadn’t felt for anyone in years. Every time he heard her voice or saw her face, he thought of what it would be like to unleash that cool control that she displayed so well.
“No. I’m stuffed. The red snapper was delicious.” She finished the last of her spring water, secretly enjoying the heat that blazed in Clint’s eyes and shook his voice.
“I’m glad you liked it. I haven’t been here in a while, but the food is still the way I remember it.”
“Do you come here often?”
“From time to time. Usually on business meetings.”
The mention of business brought her back to reality.
“From the look on your face, you’d think I said a bad word.” He stared at her.
“It just makes me wonder what you want with me. After all, you’re in a very nasty business.”
“Let me set the record straight.” He took a deep breath. “I involve myself in businesses that are on the brink of folding, or businesses that I feel can be better managed by me. Where is the crime in that?”
“That’s putting it delicately.” She crumpled the linen napkin into a ball, her temper flaring.
“Delicate but true.”
“You make what you do sound like a humanitarian gesture. How can you sleep at night knowing what you’ve done to so many people?”
He clenched his jaw. “I don’t do anything that I’m not allowed to do within the law.” Exasperation filled his voice. “If I make an offer to a company and they accept, what’s the harm?”
“The harm is that they give you everything they’ve worked for, and you reap the benefits. You’ve built your fortune on the backs of other people. Our people!” Her voice rose in anger. “What gives you that right?”
Their eyes locked in a battle of wills.
Clint glared at her. How dare she make him feel guilty? He was never one to blow his own horn, and he’d be damned if he’d start now. If she really wanted to know about him, let her do her own homework.
Clint was the first to break the icy contact. “If you’re ready, I’ll drive you home,” he said in a tight voice.
“I can catch a cab, thank you,” she answered, annoyed with herself for letting her emotions get out of control.
Clint signaled for the waiter and paid the check. Terri rose to slip on her coat, but not before Clint rounded the table and took it from her.
Slowly, deliberately, he helped her into her coat, the nearness of him sending her pulse on a wild gallop. He pressed his lips close to her ear, inhaling her scent, his warm breath tingling her neck.
“I don’t want the evening to end like this, Terri. I’m not interested in the campaign with your company. I can get another agency to do it. I want you and I to be friends—more than friends.”
The suggestiveness of his words forced her to look up at him.
Was it sincerity that she saw brimming in those pools of midnight or was it something else?
“I—I don’t know how that could be possible. We come from two different worlds.”
“Not two different worlds, Terri. Two different points of view. But that’s what makes a relationship interesting.”
She stepped out of his grasp, her body on fire. She reached for her purse. Her voice shuddered. “I’ve got to be going.”
“I’ll get you a cab.”
A cold wind blew viciously around them, and a shiver ran up Terri’s spine. Clint instinctively put his arm around her shoulder, easing her next to his body.
Before she could protest, a yellow cab pulled up to the corner and she thankfully stepped out of his embrace.
Clint reached around her and opened the car door. With her nerves strung to near popping, she threw out her address in a gush.
“Get the lady home safely,” Clint instructed the driver. He looked down at Terri’s upturned face. “Until we meet again,” he said softly, “and we will.” He smiled and closed the car door.
It seemed an eternity before she finally reached her apartment on Twenty-eighth Street. Her head was pounding, and she massaged her temples hoping to relieve the nervous pressure.
Taking the short elevator ride up to the third floor, she put her key in the door and stepped into the cozy comfort of her apartment.
Mechanically she hung her coat on the brass coatrack and deposited her shoes in the foyer. Then she headed straight for the fireplace, and within moments the finely decorated rooms were filled with the warmth from the crackling flames.
Crossing the gleaming wood floors, she sank down into the cottony soft comfort of her bronze-colored couch, closing her eyes against the events of the evening. Instantly a vision of Clint bloomed before her, and she involuntarily trembled, remembering all too well the feel of him, the richness of his scent, the timbre of his voice.
She jumped back up from the couch, afraid of where her feelings were taking her, and turned on the stereo, hoping to muffle the rapid beating of her heart, just as the doorbell rang.
She frowned, wondering who could be ringing her bell. Then she remembered that Stacy had said she might stop by.
Without thinking further, she padded across the room and flung open the door, a small smile of expectation lighting her face.
Clint’s lips swept down on hers. His arms enfolded her in a powerful grip. Terri’s heart slammed against her breasts as she was helplessly carried away by the sensation of his lips.
Her mind commanded her to pull away, but her body succumbed to the temptation of his tongue toying with her lips, separating them as he entered her mouth. He tasted of wine and a touch of mint. How good the two were together, she thought dizzily.
How long had it been since she’d been held, been kissed, been made to feel like a woman by just a look? Suddenly the emptiness began to slowly fill and like one ravaged by thirst, she drank of the waters.
He never knew a simple kiss could be like this. He stroked her back, delving into her mouth, wanting to seek out all of the hidden places. She was soft and strong all at once, a candy sweetness that demanded that he take more and more. He moaned against her mouth as arousal overtook him, hardening him to near bursting. His body demanded release, but his mind took control.
He released her, and she was sure that if it wasn’t for the hand that still gripped the doorknob, she would have crumpled.
“I knew I’d forgotten something,” he stated in a ragged voice, his eyes stripping her bare. With that he turned and strode down the corridor, leaving her trembling.
As she drifted off to sleep that night, her last conscious thought was that she’d have to do some serious checking on the devastating Mr. Steele.
Chapter 4
Rising early Monday morning, Terri completed her half hour of meditation, prepared her usual glass of carrot juice and took a quick shower.
Searching through her closet she selected a brilliant green silk dress with fiery splashes of red and bold gold throughout. As an added accessory, she chose an oblong gold silk scarf that draped dramatically across her right shoulder. A small gold pin in the shape of Queen Nefertiti held the scarf in place. To take away from her girlish looks, she twisted her shoulder-length locks into an intricate twist on the top of her head, accentuating her sculpted features.
Satisfied with her look, she completed her outfit by selecting a pair of green suede pumps. With shoes and purse in hand, she padded to the door in stockinged feet before slipping into her shoes.
She checked her watch. It was almost ten o’clock. She wasn’t due in the office until after twelve. That would give her at least an hour of research time in the business library. She was going to dig up every article, news item and gossip clipping that she could find on Clinton Steele and Hightower Enterprises.
Nearly two hours later, armed with a dossier full of information, Terri left the library, hailed a cab and headed for her office. She was stunned to discover the volumes of information that had been written about Clint over the past ten years. It would take days, maybe even weeks, to sort through it all. But she would—of that she was sure.
She leaned back in the cab and considered her next step. As soon as she arrived at work, she’d give her friend Lisa Barrett a call. Lisa had worked as the head of proposals for the Gateway Foundation for fifteen years. Gateway solicited help from all of the major corporations in the United States to support charitable causes and community services. Any company worth its salt had contributed at some point. Powers, Inc., had made sizable contributions over the years, and Terri was sure that if anyone knew about the inner workings of the businesses in New York it would be Lisa.
Arriving at her office, Terri quickly placed a call to Lisa.
“Lis, hi, it’s Terri.”
“Hey, hon, how are you? I haven’t heard from you in days. Are you back at work?”
“In answer to your first question, I’m okay. And yes, I’m back at work, but I need a favor.”
“Doesn’t everybody,” Lisa commented drolly. “What might yours be?”
“I need you to check out Clinton Steele. He owns—”
“Believe me, I know what he owns.” Her voice was filled with amazement. “You’re really moving into the big time. What do you want to know?”
“Anything that you can find. He made a bid for us to do an ad campaign, but I don’t like what I’ve heard about him. Still, I’d like to give the man the benefit of the doubt.”
“I’d like to give the man a lot of things, but doubt isn’t one of them,” Lisa quipped wistfully.
“Lisa,” Terri moaned, “come on, this is serious.”
“All right—all right. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, Lis. Call me when you do.”
With that out of the way, Terri diligently tried to focus on the meeting with McPhearson ahead of her. She’d prepared her notes, gone over Stacy’s campaign strategy and had dressed the part of the executive to the hilt.
Yet even with all of her preparation, she could not shake thoughts of Clint from her mind. Every free second for the past two days, visions of him assaulted her. She couldn’t count how many times she’d relived his kiss. Just the thought of it sent jolts of electricity whistling through her veins. Damn you, Clinton Steele! she thought. Why now, when my whole life is in a tailspin? And why you?
Sighing deeply, she got up from her desk and smoothed her dress. She hadn’t heard from him since that night, and maybe it was just as well. Things were getting too complicated too fast.
She checked the antique grandfather clock that stood against the wall. The representatives from McPhearson were due in her office any minute.
Where was Mark? she wondered, her agitation building. He should have been here an hour ago. She crossed the room in long-legged strides and pressed the intercom.
“Andrea?”
“Yes, Ms. Powers?”
“Has Mark arrived yet?”
“He just walked in.”
“As soon as he’s ready, would the two of you come in? You’ll need to bring your Dictaphone, Andrea. I want every word recorded. And buzz Stacy also.”
“Yes, Ms. Powers.”
Terri returned to her desk just as her private line rang. “Terri Powers,” she answered.
“Ms. Powers, this is Mr. McPhearson’s secretary.”
“Oh, yes. I wasn’t expecting a call. Is there a delay in the meeting time?” She immediately flipped open her plan book, hugging the phone between her shoulder and her ear, pen poised and waiting.
“Uh, Ms. Powers—Mr. McPhearson wants me to inform you that he’s changed his mind about the campaign.”
“What?” She dropped the pen between the ivory pages. “I don’t understand. Everything was set.”
“That’s all the information I have, Ms. Powers.”
“Let me speak with Mr. McPhearson.” Her pulse pounded in her ears.
“He’s in a meeting.”
Terri would have laughed at the practiced line if she wasn’t so furious. “Would you have him call me as soon as he’s through?”
“He’s leaving directly for the airport when the meeting concludes.”
“I see.” Terri swallowed, her back stiffening. “Thank you.”
Blindly she hung up the phone, a sinking feeling taking over. This deal was critical. She couldn’t believe that McPhearson would pull out, just like that. There had to be some explanation, and she was damn sure going to find out what it was.
She paced the floor, her teeth biting her bottom lip, trying to contemplate a course of action.
There was a light tap at the door.
“Come in,” Terri said offhandedly.
Stacy stepped in.
“All ready for the big boys?” Stacy asked. She took a seat at the round conference table on the far side of the office.
Terri blew out an exasperated breath. “McPhearson’s secretary called.”
“About what?” Stacy took a sip of black coffee and tossed her blond hair behind her ears.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. They reneged.”
“What?”
“You heard right. They pulled out,” Terri said.
“But why? They couldn’t have gotten a better deal if they’d whipped it up themselves.”
“Apparently they did.”
“I don’t believe it.” She ran a hand through her hair.
“Neither do I.”
“So now what?”
Terri raised her eyebrows. “I’ll have to think it through and explore some other options. We’ll really have to push for a confirmation with Viatek Studios. I want you to work on that right away.”
Stacy nodded and jotted down some hasty notes. “Does Mark know about McPhearson?”
“I haven’t seen Mark yet.”