Campaign for Love (35 page)

Authors: Annabelle Stevens,Sorcha MacMurrough

BOOK: Campaign for Love

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"It's absolutely gorgeous!" she breathed.

"As are you, my love. Hand on heart, my darling Suzanna, I've wanted
to
ask you to marry me ever since that first kiss. But the truth is,
well,
I was afraid your career would always come first."

She shook her head and laughed. "And here I was worried that you
wanted
the business more than me, or just wanted me in your life as a
business
partner and not a life partner. I know a lot of women are married to
their careers, but I'm a bit more old-fashioned that that. I've been
praying you'd want to marry me, but had just got, well, used to the
status quo between us."

He shook his head emphatically. "Never. I would never take what we
share for granted in a million years. It would be too easy for
someone
to snatch you away from me. So now that you've said yes, when will
you
marry me?"

She pulled him up off his knees into the bed to kiss him until their
toes tingled.

At last she replied, "Will two weeks from now be time enough? I'll
have
to give Elder and Rubin two weeks' notice, and I'll take a keen
delight
in telling that obnoxious ass Elder that I'm leaving. We can use
this
apartment as our office, and live at yours, or vice versa, or live
and
work here if you like. It doesn't matter to me. But the truth is,
well,
I, er, the truth is, Quentin, I don't just live in this apartment, I
own it."

He stared at her in surprise. "Oh?"

She blushed. "Well, actually, I own it, and the whole building too.
So
we can always find more space here if we ever need it, and keep our
overheads low. And have more than enough space for, well, increasing
our family when we both think the time is right."

He was staring at her as though seeing her for the first time."Own
the
building. Oh my! Well, we will start here, if that's all right.
Then,
as our family grows, we can spread out. But I warn you, I insist
upon
at least two children just like their wonderful mother."

"That sounds perfect to me," she said with a giggled as he nuzzled
her
neck. "When would you like to start?"

He gave her a bold look that made her bones melt. "Any time you
like.
You just name the time and place. Once the business is up and
running,
there's nothing stopping us, is there?"

She blushed. "Er, well, no, now that you mention it. I mean, most
couples have money worries, and it is important, but, well--"

He stroked her hair back from her cheek. "What is it, darling? Tell
me.
It's not like you to get so tongue-tied."

"There's only one more thing I have to tell you, and I hope it won't
make a difference?"

"Uh-oh! What other deep, dark secret have you been keeping?" he
teased.

"Will it bother you that I'm pretty wealthy? I mean, even apart from
this building. We don't have to take any of Cyrus Reed's money to
start
up if you don't want to. In fact, we never have to work in our lives
if
we don't want to."

He gaped at her once more.

"Grandma, you know," she said with a shrug of one shoulder.

"I see," he said dryly. "No, I don't mind. Actually, I rather like
money. You can do so many things with it. Besides, I was meaning to
tell you, well, I've got enough myself to fund our enterprise, with
plenty to spare, so we never have to touch yours unless you want
to."

She slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "You sneak! You never
told
me."

"Look who's calling the kettle black!"

"It's just that I hated being popular at school for my money and
started to hide it when I was old enough to realize being one
hundred
percent honest is not always the best policy."

He nodded. "I admit it, I had the same problem growing up. Plus, I
had
trust issues after a few sour experiences with some not very nice
women. I'm just so glad that our little falling out made me realize
just how much I was holding back from you, unfairly as it turned
out."

Suzanna frowned slightly."Holding back? You mean at the start, when
we
first met?"

He shrugged slightly. "But afterwards also. You just seemed too good
to
be true. Then finally one day I told myself that you couldn't want
me
for my money, because you never had any clue that I had any. You
just
treated me like your boss and an important man in your life without
making any unreasonable demands for material things.

"I also saw your work ethic, love, and it's impressive. You're
telling
me now that you're well off, but from where I'm sitting, I can see
that
you've got where you are today through your hard work and talent,
not
by cashing in on your wealth or good looks the way a ton of other
people might."

"Thank you, it means a lot to hear you say that. I always wanted to
be
good enough." She kissed him on the cheek.

He stroked down her bare back lovingly. "More than good enough,
honey,
for all the trouble you've had in the past. You're the best thing
that's ever walking in through the door of any agency I've ever
worked
in. Those two have been the best and smoothest campaigns I've ever
worked on. Everything you touch seems to turn to gold, and yet you
aren't a gold-digger. In fact, looking at the way you treat people,
you
have a pure heart of gold. Every day I worked with you, I saw more
about you to love."

She smiled at him tenderly. "I love what I do. But more important, I
love you."

"Me too. It was not just a campaign of love, it was a campaign FOR
love. More fool Elder for going after you just for your looks, when
he
should be completely smitten with your creative mind, and the heart
and
passion that burns within you. It's even more smoldering than your
beauty."

She snuggled against his long lean frame, and felt truly at home at
last. "I'm certainly passionate about you, and I love seeing my
clients
succeed. I'm just glad I can have everything I've ever wished for
now.
And best of all, I won't have to worry about that sleazy old man
Rubin
any longer."

"And what about that other old man in your past?" he asked quietly.

She considered this for a moment in silence for a time. At length
she
said, "What he did to me was terrible and certainly let a huge
impact
on my life. But if I stay stuck in the past, I'll always be his
victim.
The one good thing that came out of it was being able to wait for
the
right man, and know, really know in my heart, that making love was
the
right decision for me, not just something I was getting railroaded
into
by a player, as the phrase goes, or through being dazzled by
hormones.

"So the answer is yes, Quentin, it's in the past too. The physical
side
of the love we share can't ever be compared to what that sneaky old
man
tried to do to me. The past is over. He's already spoiled too much
for
both of us. I just want to put it behind me, and look forward to the
most amazing future for both of us."

He grinned as she began stroking down his chest with an all too
obvious
intent. "Me too. But just to remind you, pet, I'm going to be an old
man myself some day. And you do tend to make me very, very naughty."

"That's true, darling, but by the time that happens, I'll be an old
lady. A very, very naughty lady."

"Mmmmm, I can see that," he said with a sigh, more than getting her
point as he felt her lips and tongue follow the path that her
fingers
were taking. "I never thought of that. I'm not sure I'll like
sleeping
with an old lady."

Her gaze met his boldly. "Not to worry. There's many a fine tune
played
on an old fiddle."

Quentin roared with laughter. "Another of granny's sayings, no
doubt."

"So long as the old fiddle is played by a talented musician,"
Suzanna
said with a grin.

"I can see how nimble your fingers are from playing the piano for so
many years. So if I'm to be the fiddle player, I'll have to practice
my
stroke."

"You can also get some pretty fine music when you pluck," she
teased,
lightly raking the goose pimpled flesh on his thigh with her nails,
causing him to spring even further to attention.

He practically purred with pleasure and began to roll her onto her
back. "Well, they do say that practice makes perfect. Let me know
what
you think of my technique, then."

"If you don't know by now, then I think I'll spend the next few
decades
reminding you."

"Yes, please, my love."

"Yes, darling, yesss…."

AUTHORS' AFTERWORD

It's hard to believe this book was originally published in 1999. It
was
Annabelle's first, which she had worked on with various other
helpers,
including her grandmother and several friends, until she and her
friend
finally dared to submit it to several publishers, and to a writing
competition, in which it took one of the top prizes.

Over the years, Annabelle has fallen in love more with the whole
publishing process than with writing novels, and has been a great
help
with promotion, web work and more. She still has a ton of idea just
dying to get out. As for Sorcha, she has continued to write and edit
prolifically, despite a very busy couple of additional careers, but
she
is never too busy to help promising new authors and give them a
helping
hand.

For the fourth edition, which Annabelle wanted to modernize with
references to the now ubiquitous cell phones, computers and modern
life
in a bustling city like New York, she also wanted to add Sorcha as
co-author, to acknowledge the huge help she gave in polishing this
book
past all Belle could ever have hoped for.

As for Sorcha, there is nothing better than seeing writers perfect
their craft, and try to capture the essence of what it's like to
meet
and fall in love.

MORE TITLES BY AUTHORS

If you enjoyed this novel, then I am sure you will enjoy other
novels by Sorcha MacMurrough and Annabelle Stevens.

Guardian of the Heart

The Mistaken Miss

The Model Master

The Model Mistress