Billionaire's Contract Engagement(4)

"I need to talk to you about something. I have a favor to ask, and I'd rather not get into it in front of everyone."

He frowned now. "Is everything okay, Cece? You in some kind of trouble? Do I need to kill anyone?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're too valuable to go to prison. You'd have Dalton do it anyway."

Noah smirked. "The pretty boy would be popular in prison."

"You're a sick puppy. And no, nothing's wrong. Promise. Just want to run something by you that could be beneficial to us both."

"Okay, if you're going to be all mysterious on me. I guess I can wait  until later. You want to go back to your place for a while? I'd invite  you to mine but the maid quit on me last week and it's not a pretty  sight. You do have food, right?"         

     



 

She shook her head. "Yes, I have food, and yes, we can go back to my  place. For God's sake, Noah, how hard is it to pick up after yourself?  Or if you can't do that, at least pick up the phone and get another maid  service?"

"I've sort of been blackballed," he mumbled. "I have to find an agency where my reputation hasn't preceded me."

"I feel so sorry for the woman you marry. She'll be in ten kinds of hell."

"You don't have to worry because that's not going to happen."

"Sure. Okay. I believe you."

They both looked up when the others spilled into the living room. Noah gave her arm a light squeeze and mouthed "later."

"Food'll be on the table in fifteen minutes," her father announced.

Her mouth watered. She didn't even know what her dad had cooked. It didn't matter. The man was a culinary genius.

Lunch was a rambunctious affair. Her brothers bickered and joked  endlessly while her father looked on indulgently. She'd missed all of  this during her years in New York. Though she loathed the circumstances  that brought her home, she was glad to be back in the comforting circle  of her family. Even if they were all just a generation from  knuckles-dragging-on-the-ground cavemen.

After the table had been cleared, the argument started over what channel  the television landed on. Noah didn't know anything but ESPN or the  Food Network existed, Dalton liked anything that was mindless,  particularly if explosions were involved, and Adam liked to torment his  brothers by forcing them to watch gardening shows.

Celia settled back to enjoy the sights and sounds of home. Her father  sat on the couch next to her and shook his head over his sons' antics.

It was the truth, she'd fled the hovering overprotectiveness of her  family. She'd been determined to make her mark on the world while they  wanted her to stay home, where they could support her and look out for  her.

She wasn't a vain woman, but she knew men found her attractive. She was  probably considered beautiful by most, but her looks had been the cause  of a lot of problems in her life.

Because of her delicate looks, her brothers and even her father thought  her job was just to look pretty and let them provide for her. She hadn't  been encouraged to go to college-she'd done all of that on her own-and  they certainly hadn't wanted her to have a career in something as  demanding as advertising.

She'd ignored their objections. She'd gotten her degree and after  graduation, she'd taken a job in New York City. After a couple of years,  she'd taken a position with a large, prestigious firm. She was on her  way up. A promotion had just cemented her triumph. And then it had all  come crashing down like a bridge in an earthquake.

Adam rising from his chair shook her from her angry thoughts. She forced  her fingers to relax and winced at the marks she'd left on her palms.

"Leaving already?" she asked.

Adam pulled her up into a bear hug. "Yeah. I need to check on a job. I'll see you at the season opener, though."

She kissed his cheek and patted his shoulder affectionately. "Of course."

She turned to Dalton. "I guess you'll be going, too, since you brought him over."

"Yep. I have a date I've got to get ready for anyway."

No one seemed surprised by that announcement.

"I'll walk you guys out. I need to run, too. I have a pitch to prepare for."

Her father grimaced, and she steeled herself for another gruff lecture  about how she worked too hard. An interesting statement since Adam  worked harder than all of them, and no one ever lectured him.

To her surprise, he remained silent. She regarded him with a raised  eyebrow and wondered if he'd burst at the seams, but his lips remained  in a firm line. He rose from the couch to hug her and then gruffly  reminded her to be sure and get enough rest.

They all walked out together, and her father reminded them all of lunch  next Sunday. Celia waved to Adam and Dalton before climbing into her  car. Noah stood, saying his goodbyes to their father, and she drove down  the driveway. Noah would be along shortly and she needed to make sure  her pantry would survive the assault.

Celia had just done a cursory examination of her stock of food-cursing  the fact she hadn't been to the market in far too long-when the door  buzzer sounded.

She strode across to the call box and mashed the button. "That you, Noah?"

"Yep, buzz me in?"

A few seconds later, Noah walked in, and she smiled her welcome.

"I know that smile," he said suspiciously. "That's a smile that says you  lured me here under false pretenses. You don't have any food, do you?"         

     



 

"Weeeell, no. But I did just order pizza."

"You're forgiven, but I refuse to have a reasonable discussion until it gets here."

She laughed and punched him on the arm when he flopped on the sofa next  to her. "If I didn't need a favor from you, I'd make you pay for it."

His expression grew serious. "So what is this favor, anyway?"

"Oh, no. I'm not asking you for anything until you have a full stomach. Again, since you ate not even three hours ago."

He grunted but didn't offer any argument. His stomach was too important.

He reached for the remote and flipped on the TV. A few seconds later,  the sports recap was on, and he settled back against the couch.

The pizza didn't take long-thanks to the bistro right around the corner  offering delivery service. Soon the decadent smells of a completely  loaded pizza filled her apartment. Despite all she'd eaten at lunch, her  stomach growled in anticipation. She eyed the gooey dripping cheese and  grimaced. It might taste good, but it would go straight to her hips.  Then again, that's what the treadmill was for.

She dropped the box on the coffee table in front of Noah, not bothering  with plates. He eyed the mountain of toppings with something akin to  bliss.

She waited until he'd grabbed the first piece before she carefully took a  slice and nibbled on the end. It was, in a word, sheer heaven. She  leaned back and waited for Noah to down the first slice. When he was on  his second, he turned and said around a mouthful of pizza, "So what's  this favor you need?"

She sat forward, putting half the slice down on a napkin.

"I have this client  …  well he's a client I want to land. Evan Reese."

Noah stopped chewing. "The guy who sells athletic wear?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He fired his last agency and has yet to sign with a new one. I want him. Maddox Communications wants him."

"Okay. So where do I fit into the picture?"

For a moment her nerve deserted her, and then she mentally slapped  herself upside the head. In her profession there was no room for the  spineless. She hadn't worked her way into the confidence of Brock Maddox  acting like a jellyfish.

"I want you to agree to front his new line of athletic wear."

Noah blinked then he frowned, and finally he put down his half-eaten  slice. For a moment he was quiet. She waited, fully expecting him to say  no or to launch into all the reasons why he didn't take endorsement  deals. She knew them all. But he did none of those things. Instead he  studied her carefully, his gaze sliding over her features as though he  was reaching right into her head and pulling out her every thought.

He wouldn't ask why him. He was a huge name in baseball, and he was more  sought after than any other professional athlete mainly because of his  refusal to take endorsement deals. Instead of deterring companies, it  made them all the more determined to be the first to lure Noah Hart to  their brand.

She could beg. She could hurry through a prepared explanation as to why  she needed him, but she wasn't going to wheedle and cajole.

Noah was still frowning as he studied her. "This is important to you."

She nodded. "Evan is a big client. My boss is trusting me to land the  account. Don't get me wrong, I'll get him with or without you, but you'd  be the nail in his coffin. Plus it would be huge for you. Reese will  pay a lot to have you be the spokesman for his sportswear."

Noah sighed. "I wish you'd just quit this job. You don't have to work,  and you know it. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, Cece.  Certainly not to your family. Adam, Dalton and I make more than enough  money to support you. It would make Dad happy if you didn't have such a  stressful job. He's convinced you'll have an ulcer before you're  thirty."