Recipe for Attraction (14 page)

They what? What did they call the time they spent together? Hooking up? Dating? Fooling around?

He looked up and she tensed in his arms. In that moment every feeling that she had ever hoped to see from Neil stared back at her. But it was all an illusion. It had been an emotional morning. “You might be ashamed of your past, but I hope you finally realize that it’s your past that urged you to help me. To keep me safe from myself. In a way, I’m your very own Cooking for the Future program. Well, minus the cooking.”

Carson choked back tears. He had no idea how much his words meant. That in a way, he had absolved her from her past. And Neil Harrison was the last person she expected to do such a thing.

“What do we do now?” she asked, looking around the barren cabin.

“We both have too much to lose. We both have careers to think about.”

She nodded. Damn her for getting involved with a man who was exactly what she wanted yet exactly what she hated at the same time. Work would always come first for Neil Harrison and she wanted a man that would put her first.

“Good thing we don’t need to end anything because it never really started in the first place, right?”

She was not going to be the one to make this “relationship” more than it was. Last night, Neil had had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in opening himself up for more than just friendly, hot sex. She wouldn’t allow herself to be rejected again.

“Right.” He nodded. “We’re just having fun.”

“So, you got what I need, huh?”

The sneer that had monopolized his face had turned into a slight grin. His smile hit her right between the legs. He was feeling a little better.

But she was torn between fear and desire and her strong physical connection with Neil was winning. “I said I
know
what you need. Don’t twist my words.”

“My apologies, Ms. Kelly. And what is it that I need?”

She had no idea. She had just buying time in the hopes that maybe he would simmer down.

And she could simmer down.

He squeezed her tighter. “But maybe we can hide out here, just for today.”

He looked up and smiled just as her phone vibrated again.

She liked the sound of that.

She look down at him. He winked. And she melted. Were her daddy issues that severe that she’d fall prey to a player like Neil Harrison? A man who was no stranger to having women fawn all over him. Which is exactly the reason why she didn’t go out of her way to make him feel special. Which was exactly why she could never let him in.

But you’ve already let him in.
She sighed. She’d let him in a long time ago.

Chapter Nine

Carson walked behind an administrative assistant who led her to the boardroom at Bower Industries.

Today was the day. The day when she proved that she didn’t need her father to secure a deal.

She had finally returned his call once she had settled in with Neil at her place. To say he was less than enthusiastic about his daughter being part of a sex tape scandal was putting it mildly, but she had managed to clear the air. For the time being.

It was hard for her father to argue when she turned his attention away from his embarrassment to the fact that she had been the victim of a crime. It was still an invasion of privacy and she didn’t need her father to be embarrassed. She had enough of that to deal with on her own.

She had even negotiated his silence during the meeting this morning. She couldn’t stop him from showing up, or from bringing Martin the toad, but at least she’d have time to dazzle the client all on her own.

When she entered the boardroom, her father and Martin were already seated at the large conference table with the President and CEO of Bower Industries. She wasn’t late by any means, but she should have anticipated the attempt at a one-up.

“Good morning.”

“Carson, dear. Nice of you to join us,” her father said.

Nice? Because she wasn’t the one who scheduled the meeting? Because she wasn’t the one who spent countless sleepless nights completing the project proposal?

“Mr. Bower. It’s wonderful to see you again.” She approached the front of the room and extended her hand.

Liam Bower, like Carson, was a second generation business person. He had taken over the multi-million dollar steel company from his father and had doubled the business in less than two years. No doubt he had achieved this with the full support of his family. It was easier to succeed when you had someone behind you.

“Likewise Ms. Kelly. I’m anxious to see what you’ve come up with.”

Carson had been tasked with recreating their head office space. She opted not for a complete demolition, but rather a gutting of the existing building to serve as both a warehouse and office. The goal was to bring together the two things Liam Bower preached—family and employee engagement. Carson had picked up on these two themes during their conversations and, combined with the list of wants and needs he had faxed over a month ago, she knew she had hit this one out of the park.

She plugged her USB into the laptop and fired up her presentation.

Taking a deep breath, she began, “Mr. Bower, during our consultations you came up with a list of the items you wanted to see incorporated into your new office building and warehousing facility. I’ve included every item on that list into my design and two items that might not be on your list, but are definitely part how you run this company.”

Bower glanced at his colleague that sat to his right, his eyebrow lifting in curiosity. Let the dazzle begin.

Carson went through her presentation, slide after slide, detailing her vision for a green office space since Mr. Bower had mentioned many times in their meetings. She detailed her vision of family by designing a first floor that resembled a home. The building would have a double front door with a reception area in the foyer. A round staircase sat off to the left leading up to the second floor where the President and his immediate staff would be situated. To the right of the front door was the kitchen and cafeteria, In the very back of the building were the elevators that serviced all four floors. To the left of the staircase was the day care which was an optional item, but given the many times he’d mentioned the importance of a work-life balance for his staff, Carson didn’t think he would mind. In the back was an outdoor eating facility and basketball courts. Each floor of offices utilized the outside walls for cubicle space, giving each staff member access to natural light with the conference rooms, bathroom facilities, and communal administrative spaces in the middle.

With each slide, Martin squirmed a little more in his seat. At one point, he even pulled at the collar of his dress shirt. That made Carson smile.

Mr. Bower sat at the head of the table stoic. He failed to give away any indication that he either loved or despised her ideas.

“So that, Mr. Bower, is my vision for your new office facility. It’s modern, inviting, utilitarian, and gives back to the environment.”

The room sat quiet for a moment, giving Carson time to fear the worst. She needed this deal. She needed this to prove, that regardless of who her father picked as lead designer, she was capable of designing with the best.

“Ms. Kelly…” Liam Bower fidgeted in his seat. He sighed, and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. “I was hoping that your design was going to be mediocre at best.”

Mediocre? He was hoping for it to suck?

“This is absolutely beyond anything I could have imagined and I love that you picked up on the philosophies of this company without even being told.”

Carson smiled despite Martin’s tiny scoff from his seat to her left, but it was a half-smile. He was complimenting her work, but bad news was coming. It was written all over his face.

“And that is why it pains me to tell you that despite the fact I love everything about your design, Bower Industries just can’t do business with Kelly Designs.”

The nervousness she had been keeping at bay during her presentation burst front and center and overwhelming heat broke out across her body.

“I’m sorry, I… I don’t understand.”

Bower looked over at his colleague who nodded, as if giving him the go-ahead to provide further explanation.

“Ms. Kelly, I’ve seen the video on the internet.”

Fucking internet!

And it was the worst possible reason in the world he could have given her with her father sitting off to the side.

“Mr. Bower, I don’t see how a tiny mix-up in my personal life has anything to do with my job as an architect.”

“It’s more than a little mix-up, Ms. Kelly. I have no doubt this will bring a lot of unwanted attention to your father’s company…”

Again, the worst possible thing he could have said.

“…and I don’t want to get caught up in that. And to be honest…” He paused. This couldn’t be good. “My wife wasn’t too pleased about the news and already made it known that she would be very uncomfortable with you working for me, given the fact that you have a history of personal involvement with your clients.”

Carson recoiled. She had never—would never—sleep with one of her clients. Neil was different. Neil wasn’t any different. She tried to make him different, tried to tell herself that this was a one-time deal that possibly saved him from destruction. But in reality, the bottom line was she slept with her client. She was unprofessional. Just like her father accused.

“With all due respect Mr. Bower, if you knew you weren’t going to take this contract, why did you allow me to present? You could have cancelled the meeting all together.”

“The thought crossed my mind, but I wanted to have one more interaction with you. I told myself that if all I could think about while you were giving your presentation was your personal life, I knew I wouldn’t be able to work with you.”

He had given her a second chance. He was a fair and honest man. And she hated that.

“I’m sorry you feel that way. And I apologize for the added tension for your wife.”

“Mr. Bower.” her father spoke. “Is there not something we can do to change your mind?”

Bower sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“What if I transferred the project to my colleague, Martin?”

Abso-fucking-lutely not!

She would rather never pick up a pencil again than give her ideas to the enemy.

“If Kelly Design was your choice for your project, Martin would take over as lead designer and you would be able to keep everything Carson has just offered.”

Bower looked over at his colleague. Again, no indication as to what was going on in his head.

“This wouldn’t solve the fact that my company does have a blemish…” Her father gave her an evil stare. “But it would solve the problem of your working relationships and remove any doubt of selfish motivation from the equation.”

She had done this to herself. She had slept with her client and ruined her chance of impressing her father.

She wished it didn’t matter to her so much.

Right now she just had to figure out which was the lesser of two evils. Having Martin in charge of a project that was near and dear to her heart or risk Bower taking her ideas to another architect who would take the credit. At least if Martin took over, at the end of the day, both she and Kelly Design would get the credit. And maybe the success of this project would somehow lessen the black cloud she had pulled over the company.

She also noticed that her father wasn’t asking permission. He would simply cast her aside to save face. But in this room, she wasn’t his daughter. In this room, she was his employee who’d majorly fucked up.

She couldn’t blame him. Not for that.

“I’m going to have to think about it. I did contact another firm for a consultation when all of this transpired, so I’d like to see what they have to offer.”

“I understand.”

Her father nodded and stood from his seat at the end of the table. Martin followed his lead. While pleasantries were exchanged at the front of the room, Carson packed up her things.

She had some soul-searching to do. Some major decisions to make.

But the one she didn’t have to contemplate was her relationship with Neil Harrison. Good thing they had already called it quits. There could be no real relationship—if there ever was one in the first place. That she would guarantee.

…

Neil placed his license in his wallet and walked out of the government office, a little more pep in his step.

He was free to ride all on his own. He didn’t need Carson Kelly to drive his sorry ass around anymore. Not that she’d done so in the last few days. She had completely fallen off the grid and hadn’t returned one of his phone calls. Did he expect differently? They had both agreed to end their agreement that day at the cottage. But he wanted to keep her abreast of the search for invader of their privacy. They still hadn’t found out who posted the sex tape. He had called the security company and was waiting for copies of the sign in list for the date of the incident. The company was dragging their feet. No doubt trying to figure out the best way to run damage control for their company’s violation of a client’s privacy. But Neil was getting fed up.

He walked out of the building into the sunlight where his brother Finn waited for him outside. He had only been gone fifteen minutes and the man was already stuffing his face with street meat. He was always eating. Neil had no idea where he put it all.

“That shit will kill you.”

“S’why it’s so good.” Finn mumbled through the wad of food in his mouth.

Neil shook his head. “You’re an executive chef with years of training and you eat processed cow parts, possibly even hooves. I don’t understand it.”

Finn swallowed audibly. “Sometimes the taste of something outweighs the fact that it’s not gourmet. Not everything has to be about perfection.”

He took another huge bite of his hot dog. Ketchup dripped from the end of the dog narrowly missing his black graphic T-shirt.

“Says the man who won’t even allow his sous chef to make simple stock.”

“That is not the same thing.” He wiped his mouth. “There is no sense messing with a system once you have it down to a science. It’s not that I don’t trust him.”

Neil nodded and hummed in acknowledgement.

They started toward the underground parking lot.

“Is it the same feeling as when you’re a teenager?” Finn asked. “Getting your license again?”

“Surprisingly, yes.” He’d experienced enough nervous anticipation over the last seven days to rival the excitement that led up to him being able to drive a car by himself for the very first time.

Finn held out the keys “Do you want to drive home?”

Neil laughed. “I think I might.” He grabbed the keys out of his hand.

“Mr. Harrison.” A voice interrupted the pure joy that had taken over at the opportunity to drive.

Neil turned his attention to the man that sidled along beside them. “Excuse me? Do I know you.”

“I’m Martin Connelly.” Carson Kelly Senior’s right hand but
his
Carson’s nemesis. He shook his head at the thought. When did this sense of ownership come into play?

“Mr. Connelly. It’s a surprise meeting you here.” Neil stopped. He told himself he’d only give Martin one minute of his precious driving time.

“I was just in the neighborhood for a consultation. I saw you from across the street and couldn’t resist saying hello.”

Neil and Finn just stood there. Neither had anything to say. More likely, neither of them knew what to say to the weasel. Unfortunately, Martin didn’t have a problem making conversation.

“Have you spoken with Carson lately?” he asked. “It’s a shame about the deal falling through.”

“What deal?”

“The Bower deal. The executives decided to pass because of her little mix-up on the internet.”

Shit! He’d ruined someone else’s life.

“Well,
your
little mix-up. You were there, too.” He smiled viciously.

“It’s my fault,” he mumbled. “I did this to her.”

Finn rested his hand on his shoulder. “This is not your fault. It’s some asshole who thinks it’s funny to expose the private lives of consenting adults.”