Sea of Love(21)

“Wha…” she managed.

“Lacy, this is Dane Braden. He’s the founder of the Brave Foundation, and he’s hired us to handle his marketing campaign for the upcoming year.” Fred was a diminutive man with narrow shoulders and a thick waist. He motioned toward Dane with a smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you time to prepare. Mr. Braden called the service last night and had me paged. It was too late by the time we wrapped things up to call, and we’ve been working all morning to coordinate a plan.”

“Uh…hello?” she said.

“Lacy.” Dane stood and shook her hand as if he’d never met her, much less ravaged her body a few nights earlier. He’d take his lead from Lacy, play the game her way…sort of. Her hand trembled within his, and Dane put his other hand over it, hoping she’d take comfort in the small embrace and maybe even ease the darts she was casting his way.

Lacy lowered herself into the chair beside Dane with a confused gaze.

Dane breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn’t call me out right away. He knew he shouldn’t smile, because she might think he was gloating, but he couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from his face. Just seeing her again made his heart sing. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch the soft skin of her cheek.

“As I explained, the Brave Foundation has hired World Geographic to develop their marketing program, promote the brand, and get their name into new media channels. Lacy, Mr. Braden has—”

“Dane, please,” Dane said.

Fred smiled. “Dane, thank you. Dane has requested that you head up the efforts.”

Dane saw her flinch, and the light that her smile brought to the room was sucked away with the confusion and hurt in her eyes.

“But…I’m on an assignment already. And I’ve got—” she said in a thin voice.

“Already taken care of,” Fred interrupted. “Tasha is going to take over your other accounts for the foreseeable future while you immerse yourself in the Brave Foundation activities and get to know their focus and marketplace.”

Lacy drew her eyes to Dane and pursed her lips.

“I heard you were the best,” Dane explained.

“You did?”

He heard the annoyance in her voice.

“From whom?” she asked.

Dane had spent the morning researching Lacy’s previous clients and had come away even more impressed with her abilities than he’d already been. “Oceanic Research, and a good friend at the Boots for Boys Foundation said I couldn’t find a more qualified person for the job.”

Lacy clenched her jaw, but beyond the tension in her face and behind the angry stare, he recognized sadness. The redness beneath her lashes told him that she, too, had had a difficult evening. I’m doing the right thing.

“Dan—”

“Dane,” Dane corrected her, smiling to himself at her attempt to rile him. That’s the Lacy I know and love. Dane loved Lacy’s femininity, but her strength was equally as appealing.

Fred interrupted. “Lacy, Dane is currently on assignment in Chatham, and as of this afternoon, so are you.”

“Excuse me?” Lacy asked.

“It’s exciting, I know,” Fred began. “This is a brilliant idea. Immerse yourself in their work for a week or two. Strategize. See who they talk to, how they present themselves—really get involved. Become one of the team.” Fred looked at Dane. “She’s incredibly talented. Our best account manager.”

“One of the team? Sorry, Dane, but doesn’t your company handle shark research? Unfortunately, I’m afraid of sharks, so this is probably not the best match.” Lacy pushed to her feet with a gloating smile.

Dane had anticipated such a reaction. “Yes, we do, and that shouldn’t be an issue. I will ensure that you are not put in any uncomfortable situations,” he said.

Lacy narrowed her eyes. “But being near that activity is uncomfortable for me.”

“In that case, I will ensure that you will not be near any of that type of activity.” Dane felt the burn of Lacy’s stare. As much as he cared and as much as it sent a pain through his gut to see her squirming in her chair and to know her brain was working to figure out a way to disengage from the assignment, he had to believe that they deserved this chance to see if that one night was a precursor to a fulfilling and happy life together, or if he’d been altogether wrong about them.

Dane stood and extended his hand across Fred’s desk. “It’s been a pleasure, thank you. I look forward to a mutually beneficial business relationship.” And so much more with Lacy. He turned to leave and extended the same handshake toward Lacy with just as professional of a tone in his voice. “I’m driving to Chatham this afternoon. Would you like to ride with me?” Dane couldn’t imagine his life without Lacy in it, and he wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He knew that Lacy would worry about being pressured into being intimate with him, and he’d already come up with a plan to help her feel more at ease. He would assure her that he would not fall any deeper in love with her. She didn’t need to know that he already felt as though he’d fallen to the center of the earth.

“I have a car, thank you,” she answered with an icy stare.





Chapter Twelve


“I’M THE WRONG person. I’m afraid of sharks. I have too much other work to do. Please give it to Tasha.” Lacy had been trying to convince Fred that she was the wrong person for the job for five minutes, and she felt like she was banging her head against the wall. I’ll kill Dane. Why was he doing this? He could have any woman he wanted. Why her? I’m not anything special. Even as she thought the words, she knew it wasn’t about her being special. It was about how what they had together was special. She knew that because she felt it, too. It was too powerful to deny, which was why she bolstered her resolve to ignore it.

“I have faith in you, Lacy,” Fred said. “This is a major account for World Geographic, and I expect you to treat it with the same diligence and professionalism as you would any other assignment. Your job depends on it.”

Fred had supported her vehemently in the five years since she’d worked under his supervision. He’d pushed her to work harder and reach her potential at times when she thought she already had done just that. He urged her down the right path to secure the promotion she’d been working so hard toward. Was he really going to pull that out from under her? He had to believe this stupid ruse was what would seal the deal for the promotion, or he wouldn’t threaten her. Damn it. “My job depends on it? Are you telling me that you’ll fire me if I don’t take this assignment?” Lacy broke out in a sweat. Lose my job?

“No. You’re a valuable employee, Lacy. But we both know you have higher aspirations than account manager, and you’ve proven that you have the skills and the dedication. If I give this to Tasha, you could be swept under the rug for that senior account rep promotion you’ve been vying for.”

“This account is that important?” Lacy asked.

“This account will bring in an enormous amount of revenue for us. Lacy, senior account rep will mean that you call the shots. You decide who you take on as a client and when. You’ll have underlings to do your research and administrative work. This is big, Lacy. Besides, going to Chatham for a week or two? Not a rough way to earn a living. Dane Braden seems nice and professional. He’s agreed to an excessive travel budget for you, too. You’ll be well taken care of,” Fred assured her.

I bet I will. That’s what I’m afraid of. She couldn’t afford to lose her chance at the promotion. She’d worked too hard to maintain a lead in the running—and she’d missed out on seeing Dane for all those months. She silently groaned inside. As much as the idea sent her heart and her head into fits of confusion over working with Dane, she reluctantly relented.

“Fine,” she said. “Thank you for the opportunity.” The opportunity to fight my freaking urges to smack Dane upside his head and follow it up with a kiss on those luscious lips. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

Lacy grabbed her cell phone and stormed out of the building. She dialed Danica’s number, pacing the parking lot, feeling as though fumes were coming out her ears.

After Danica’s voicemail picked up, she left a message. “He was here, Danica. He showed up at my work and hired my company, and now I have to go to Chatham and work with him or I’ll lose my chance at the promotion. Damn it. Where are you?” She lowered the phone and then quickly put it back to her ear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rant. I’m just so frustrated. Call me? Please?” Lacy ended the call and stared at the building. Too angry to return to work, she stalked to the edge of the parking lot and continued pacing off her frustration. She stepped to the side to let a car pass, and when it stopped beside her, she spun around.

Damn it, Dane.

He sat in the car with a smile on his lips. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug.

“Sorry? You come into my office and demand that I follow you to Chatham, and all you can say is sorry? What do you think is going to happen, Dane? That I’ll be swept off my feet? Nothing’s changed. This was a big mistake.” She planted her legs in a determined stance and crossed her arms, willing the tears in her eyes not to fall.