A Gentleman's Agreement Page 3

  “I didn’t actually say I was dating you in particular.”

  Talk about having your bubble busted.

  “I sort of described you when my mother inquired about the kind of woman you were.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Not you, but the phantom woman I described, who I unknowingly fashioned after you.” He appeared exhausted by his own words. “I was in a pinch.”

  The phantom woman he’d unknowingly fashioned after her. The most logical question to ask now was, “What did you say?”

  Blake looked confused by the question. “That…I was in a pinch,” he repeated.

  “Not that. What did you tell your mother about me— Not me, the phantom woman you unknowingly fashioned after me, I mean.” Yes, she was curious as to how Blake described her to his mother. She witnessed the questioning in his eyes and added, “If I decide to go along with your deception—” which she most certainly would not—“I need to know what role I’ll need to play.”

  Blake started to rummage through papers on his desk. “I, ah, told her that I’d never met any woman who exhibited as much compassion as you.” He cleared his throat. “I described you exactly how you are. Thoughtful, kind, compassionate.” His eyes met hers, but only briefly. “Intelligent. Beautiful. Don’t worry. All you have to do is simply be yourself and you’ll do just fine.”

  Wow. He really thought highly of her. For a second, his words almost convinced her to agree to this sham, but the moment quickly faded. He would just have to coach someone else to be all of those things. Coach someone to be her. Because this…she couldn’t do. Play his lover? Nope. Out of the question.

  “Okay. I’ll do it.” Wait. What the…? Did she just…?

  Blake stopped mid-shuffle and met her gaze. “Did you just say okay?”

  Had she just said okay? Jesus. She had. They were so not the words dancing on her tongue. Breathe, Eunice. Then fix this mess. She started to recant her yes, but something dawned on her. If she were in Norfolk with Blake and his family, she wouldn’t be here spending Thanksgiving alone. “Yes, I said okay.”

  When the corner of Blake’s mouth lifted into a sexy smile, a thousand red flags waved in her head. Each signaling the potential for utter disaster. Why was she such a glutton for punishment? Maybe that, too, was hereditary.

  “Just like that?” Blake asked.

  Was she missing something? “Wait, I thought you wanted me to say yes. Now you sound like you’re preparing to talk me out of it.”

  Blake arched a brow. “No, I am definitely not going to talk you out of it. You’re saving me big time. I’m just surprised you said yes so quickly. I had expected to have to offer you diamonds or pearls.”

  Little did he know, he was saving her big time, too. But maybe she should have played a little harder to get. “Diamonds do nothing for me. But…it just might cost you, after all.”

  Blake chuckled. “How much?”

  “Not how much,” she said with a sly grin, “but what.”

  He wagged his finger at her. “Remember, we have a strict no fraternization policy in place.”

  “As if,” she said, slinging a paper clip in his direction. Guess she had to add that damn no fraternization policy to her list of reasons why Blake was off-limits. But weren’t rules meant to be broken? Yeah, right. Blake was strictly by the book.

  “What is it that you want?” he asked, as he bent the metal clip out of shape.

  She readied herself to ask to be admitted into the Agents-in-Training program, but she wanted to be placed there on her own merit, not because of a deal with the boss. “You—”

  Blake slammed his palms against his desk and stood. “I knew it. You won’t be the first. All right. I guess we can bend the rules this one time. Where do you want me? On the desk, the floor, against the door… Where?”

  When he playfully started to unbutton his shirt, her breath hitched in her throat. All three, she said to herself. The thought of making love to Blake right then and there—those luscious lips exploring all regions of her body—caused heat to pool in her stomach, then nestle between her legs.

  There was no denying it; Blake Farrington was a gorgeous man. His deep brown skin was as smooth as whipped chocolate. His close cut hair and precision-groomed beard made him a prize to gaze—gawk—at, as most women in the office often did. Too bad she couldn’t touch. Her eyes glided over his solid, six-three frame. Too, too bad.

  When reality set in, she glanced up to find his eyes pinned to her in a quizzical manner. She masked her embarrassment—and longing—with a shaky laugh. “You are chock full of jokes today, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve seen the way you eye my body.”

  Eunice’s eyes grew wide, but returned to normal when she realized Blake was only kidding. The joke had hit too close to home, because she had eyed his body. A lot. A whole lot. Regaining her senses, she said, “What I want is that empty office next door. The large one with the amazing view of the city skyline.”

  “You mean the one that I’d intended to knock down the wall and expand my office into?”

  “That’s the one. Is it doable?”

  He studied her a moment. “It’s done.”

  “Just like that?”

  “I’m the boss. I can make things happen.”

  “Seems you can.” Something about their exchange shook her senses. She stood and extended her hand in his direction. “Okay, boss. We have a deal. You have yourself a pretend lover.”

  Blake captured her hand. “Seems I do.”

  Heat rushed up her arm, bounced off her clearly dormant brain, and shot through her like a fiery star. “What webs we weave when we conspire to deceive.”

  “You just make sure the web you weave is strong enough to hold.” He winked.

  “I got this,” she said. “You just have my keys ready.”

  “I got you.”

  An awkward silence played between them.

  Finally, Blake spoke. “If you’re uncomfortable with doing this…” He paused. “Don’t think because I’m your boss—the man who holds your professional fate in his hands—you have to do it.”

  No pressure there. “There is something seriously wrong with you,” she said, with a laugh. “I’m fine with doing this for you. You would do the same for me.”

  Blake laughed. “I don’t know. I’m not that good with mothers— Shit. I’m sorry, Eunice. I—”

  She smiled softly. “It’s okay. It’s okay, really.” Blake’s lips parted as if he wanted to say more. She was glad he didn’t. Quickly changing the subject, she said, “Well, I should get ready for the meeting.” She turned and started away.

  “Thank you, Eunice. And don’t worry, you’ll have a ball. Especially at my parents’ anniversary party.”

  Eunice stopped and pivoted toward Blake. “Anniversary party?”

  “Yes. My parents have a small one every year the weekend before Thanksgiving.”

  No need for alarm. She could handle a small anniversary party.

  “But this year will be huge. Everyone will be there. Family I haven’t seen since I was knee high to a grasshopper.”

  Eeerk. Imaginary tires kicked up imaginary smoke in Eunice’s head. “Wait a minute, Blake.” She closed the distance between them. “You didn’t say anything about a party with your entire family being there. I was thinking it would only be your two brothers, their families and your parents, maybe a few friends.”

  “I believe we shook on it. A binding contract, I might add.” Blake gave a clever grin. “You can’t renege.”

  And if she did, what would he sue her for, her stapler? “I should have asked more questions. I forgot who I was dealing with.”

  “Not more questions, better questions.”

  “Don’t make me change my mind.”

  He flashed his palms in surrender. “Okay, okay. I promise you’ll have a good time. The Farrington clan knows how to throw a party.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. By the way, I’m going to need a king-sized bed wi
th a Jacuzzi tub in the suite you will be reserving for me.” The corners of Blake’s mouth curved upward in a sly manner. That signaled trouble. “What is that smile for?”

  “It would break my mother’s heart if I told her we were staying in a hotel and not with them. Do you want to break my dear mother’s heart, Eunice?” He stared at her with puppy dog eyes.

  “I can’t stay in the same room with you, Blake. That’s out of the question.”

  Fine lines creased his forehead as he folded his arms across his chest. “Why?”

  Her eyes took in the cannons that were his biceps. That was why. She blinked dumbly. “W-Why?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

  “Yes, why? Why can’t you share a room with me? I don’t bite.”

  But I might. Of course she couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, she said, “You probably snore. You’ll keep me up all night. I need to be lucid, focused, if this plan of yours is going to work.” What kind of excuse was that?

  His eyes bore a hole into her. “I don’t snore.”

  “It’s a matter of respect for your parents. I’m sure you’ll be okay on the floor.”

  Blake barked a laugh. “You should have seen your face. Relax. My mom is old-fashioned. We will definitely have separate rooms. Don’t worry.” His brows bunched. “But just out of curiosity, you would make me sleep on the hard, cold floor?”

  Eunice swallowed hard, attempting to snooze the alarm that’d gone off in her head. “I guess we will never know.”

  Chapter 4

  Without even glancing behind him, Blake knew Eunice had entered the room. The sweet scent of her perfume—floral and sweet—greeted him before she did. He willed himself not to stare as she brushed past him, but the sway of her hips held him captive.

  Colin Pope—a gangly young man with curly red hair and freckles—released Blake as he clumsily made his way into the conference room. A thank you was in order because Blake’s body did troublesome things when he eyed Eunice too long.

  He’d hired Colin a month ago as his company’s in-house IT guru. Word on the street, the kid was a computer genius. Genius is what he needed. When the uncoordinated man nearly tripped over his own feet, Blake shook his head. Good thing he was better at computers than he was at walking.

  “You’re late,” Blake said, stopping Colin dead in his tracks.

  “I… I thought the meeting was at 9:30,” he said, glancing up at the wall clock, which read 9:30 on the dot.

  “Class,” Blake said, holding his arms like a choir director.

  Like a uniform chorus, everyone in the room sang out, “When you’re early, you’re on time; when you’re on time, you’re late.”

  “I… I’m sorry,” Colin choked out, his face beet red. “It won’t happen again, sir.” He pushed his wire framed glasses farther up his nose.

  “You’re a newbie. You get one.” Blake held up his index finger. “Just one.”

  Colin stumbled into an empty chair. “Yes, sir.”

  “Okay, ladies and gentlemen. I’m going to make this meeting as quick and painless as possible, so I’ll get right down to business. If I find out that anyone on my staff has been leaking information from this office, you will be fired on the spot, no questions asked. Each one of you is responsible for sharing this information with your respective departments.”

  Blake wasn’t hard on his staff. Many might even say he was a great boss. But he did run a tight ship. When people got lax, they tended to get sloppy at their job. Sloppy wasn’t tolerated.

  “Is there a problem?” someone asked.

  “Is there a problem?” Blake echoed, locking his fingers and resting them on top of the table. “Yes, there is a problem.” He stood and began to pace around the room, his hands now interlocked behind his back. “The people in this room are the only individuals who knew Fredrick Bass, aka Freddie Fingers, was severing ties with his current management team. Not even they knew this. So, I’m asking myself how Palmer Elliot found out.

  Palmer Elliot was everything Blake despised: callous, arrogant, and greedy. He cared little about ethics and less about his clients. He was also Blake’s most viable competition.

  Blake continued, “In fact, over the past six months Palmer Elliot seems to know all the goings on inside this organization.” He sighed. “That leads me to one conclusion.” He paused for effect. “We possibly have a rat—or rats—in our midst.” His gaze skimmed over quizzical faces.

  “Maybe Palmer found out about Fredrick the same way you found out,” Austin, one of the junior agents on staff said.

  Blake flashed a cryptic smile. “Yeah, maybe.” He started to pace again. “I’m not implying anyone in this room is guilty, but I deem it necessary to remind you that each of you signed a confidentiality agreement when you started.”

  By the dismayed facial expressions in the room, most of them thought they were being accused. He hadn’t meant to come off like judge and jury, but there was no place for disloyalty in his company.

  “With that said, I give the floor to Mr. Pope, who will tell you about changes to our electronic communications policy. But—”

  “The changes are simple—” Colin began.

  “Hold on, eager beaver,” Blake said.

  The room burst into laughter.

  “Sorry, sir,” Colin said with a timid grin.

  “Since I will be out of the office starting Friday and through the holiday, I wanted to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys their days off. Keep your phones on.” He witnessed the stunned faces. “Just kidding. Have a safe holiday.” He waved his arm toward Colin. “Now, Mr. Pope, the floor is all yours.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Blake stood in the background and listened as Colin explained new email protocol. He studied the glazed over faces of his staff and chuckled to himself. Most appeared just as uninterested in the information as he was, with the exception of one person. Eunice. She appeared to be so intrigued by the presentation that it was amusing. But that was Eunice. Always giving her undivided attention despite how dull the conversation. Like the time she’d listened to him go on and on for close to an hour about his niece’s ballet recital.

  Her co-workers loved her. His clients loved her. Hell, even he loved her. On a professional level, of course. She treated everyone with the utmost respect, and he admired that about her. He also admired her strength and resilience. She’d experience more hurt than any one person should. But so had he. One of the things they had in common. They both knew severe pain.

  Eunice pushed a lock of dark hair behind one ear. For some reason, the motion made him smile. He loved the new hairdo she sported. The tiny curls framed her face and highlighted her delicate features. When she tapped a pen against her bottom lip, he found himself fantasizing about how her lips would feel against his. A flicker of desire traveled through him.

  It yielded when he reminded himself that she was off limits. He forced his thoughts away from Eunice and diverted them to Norfolk. Man, he couldn’t wait to go hunting with his father and brothers. They never shot anything as they trekked through the woods, but that was okay. The excursion was more about male bonding than anything else. The time he spent with them was one of the highlights of his trip home during Thanksgiving. Well, that, and the spread his mother always prepared. Yep, he looked forward to going home.

  The idea of home bought his eyes back to Eunice. She’d peaked his curiosity earlier when she was so adamantly against sharing a bedroom with him. Did he make her uncomfortable? No way. They’d been alone on countless occasions. And he’d been nothing but a complete gentleman.

  To be honest, he’d been surprised by her agreeing to do this. Especially without him having to entice her with something costly and extravagant. The office next to his. That’s all she wanted? Why did the thought of her being so close to him bring a smile to his face?

  Eunice snatched him back to reality when he realized she was staring back at him. When she mouthed “What?” he shook his head. Do
e-eyed, she smiled at him as she’d done plenty of times before. Only this time, the smile lacked its usual glow. Was she having second thoughts about Norfolk?

  He hoped not. Mainly because he was looking forward to her taking the trip with him. The admission gave him a moment of pause. Shaking it off, he reminded himself that this was simply business, nothing more.

  ***

  After the meeting, Eunice returned to her office to tie up a few things before she left for Norfolk. Sitting in the meeting, a thought occurred to her. What would the others say when they realized she and Blake where out of the office at the exact same time? It wouldn’t take a genius to deduce that they were together.

  She hated rumors. Especially when she was the target of them. Maybe they would just assume that she’d decided to snatch a bit of vacation while Blake would be out of the office. It made since, right?

  Had Blake even contemplated any of this?

  When her office phone buzzed, she jolted from the unexpected disturbance. The screen flashed Trevor’s extension. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, gorgeous.”

  Trevor always knew how to put a smile on her face. The man meant the world to her. They had started at the Farrington Sports Management roughly the same time and both in the human resources department, where they’d become close friends.

  “How’d the meeting go?”

  “Can you visit me? I need to talk to you.”

  “Uh-oh. I’m on the way.”

  “Thank you.”

  Eunice drummed her fingers against her desk as she waited for Trevor to come from his third floor office to hers on the fifth floor. This time she hoped he would take the elevator instead of climbing the stairs as he normally did. Three light taps sounded at her door.

  “Come in.”

  Dapper in a severe black suit, Trevor beckoned admiration. Tall and solid with muscles, hair close cut, and a perfectly trimmed goatee, he also commanded it. The man glided across the floor like a stealth panther.