Sinfully Sexy (15 page)
Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Romance, #Sex in the workplace, #Fiction
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To: [email protected]
From: MD20/[email protected]
Subject: Hottie
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From: [email protected]
Subject: Dinner
Dear Chloe:
Albert Cummings
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From: [email protected]
Subject: Sin
To Whom It May Concern:
From: [email protected] (Jennie Bean)
Subject: Love Chloe
Professor Jennie Bean
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From: [email protected]
Subject: Wow
Dear KTEXTV:
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From: [email protected]
Subject: A fan
Rocket
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From: [email protected]
Subject: Surprise
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From: Sterling Prescott
Subject: E-mail Attachments
«attachment»
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From: Ben Prescott
Subject: re: E-mail Attachments
He wanted Chloe with a driving need that pulsed through his body. And
she eluded him at every turn.
It had been three days since they had taped and then aired the first
segment of
The Catch
, and he
still could no more believe that he was obsessed with a woman who
wanted nothing to do with him than he could believe he actually was a
bachelor on a dating show. Hell, he couldn't believe he was on a
reality show at all. He was a highly respected corporate CEO, not some
pathetic guy desperate for television exposure and a date.
He hated the situation, hated having to be someone else, hated every
single time Chloe looked at him
with those innocent blue eyes and called him Trey.
He wanted out. But he was caught in his own trap.
After he had made coffee in the lunchroom that day, he nearly told
Chloe everything. He still couldn't believe the way she made him do
things he shouldn't. Thankfully the whole missing bachelor and Rose
debacle had gotten in the way. Not that he was at all thankful that
becoming the Catch had saved him from ruining the deal he had made with
his brother. But he had promised his family he would bring
Ben homeâhis brother whose dark eyes now darkened with something more
than color. Ben Prescott was haunted by something he didn't want to
talk about.
Sterling swore and knew that he would do whatever it took to help his
brotherâand if a reality show
was what he had to do to accomplish the feat, so be it.
But hell, he couldn't believe he was wasting his time having to deal
with other women when all he
wanted was one.
He saw now that despite Chloe's wildness in the hotel bathroom, she was
far from experienced. She had wanted him, but it was a desire that had
burst out like a dam giving way. She had given in to something beyond
her control and reason.
Chloe wasn't easyâin more ways than one, he conceded with a wry smile.
But that wasn't what surprised him. He was surprised by the fact that
every time he was near her, he, Sterling Prescottâalways in control,
always reservedâfelt a nearly foreign need to tease, play, and
have fun.
Fun, him.
It had taken him days to even understand what he was feeling.
Desire? No question.
Intrigue? Without a doubt.
But there had been more than desire and intrigue since the day she
pretended not to know him when she walked into the conference room
looking like a squeaky-clean librarian. He couldn't imagine why she
would go to such effort to hide such sultry sexiness beneath a
determined plainness.
He had never known a woman who exerted so much effort not to be sexy.
He wanted to uncover her secrets . . . and he wanted to laugh and play
and have fun.
He wanted to kiss her, make love to her ... and damn if he didn't want
to chase her around the room, swing her over his shoulder, and tickle
her until she cried uncle.
What was he thinking?
Running his hand over his face with a frustrated groan, he didn't
understand it. And quite frankly, he didn't like it. Sterling Prescott
didn't do things like that. He didn't chase women in any fashion. Not
in sexual pursuit, and certainly not in play.
It was past midnight when Sterling pulled up to the small, squat bar
brightened by multiple lights in the dark. A multicolored fish was
painted across the Easter egg blue front, a wooden door placed in just
a way that made it seem like you were walking into the guts of the fish
when you entered. Not the sort
of establishment that Sterling Prescott generally frequented, reminding
him of something else he wasn't used to feeling toward any woman not a
part of his family. A need to protect.
If Chloe was in any danger, he wasn't going to sit back and let
something happen. All of a sudden
having a cop in the family wasn't so bad.
Sterling entered the bar wearing the only kind of clothes he had with
him here in the westernmost
reaches of Texas. None of which were appropriate for a fish hangout, he
decided when he looked
around. The men wore jeans, boots, and simple shirtsâwestern shirts,
T-shirts, even short sleeve
shirts despite the fifty degree temperature. No one wore a tie.
The women wore jeans as well, for the most part, though some had on
short skirts and lots of makeup. Though he decided that had nothing to
do with Texas and everything to do with being in a bar and
looking over every man who walked through the door.
Through the dim haze, Sterling saw Ben sitting at the bar, wearing his
usual T-shirt, jeans, and black boots. He had a nearly full glass of
beer in front of him.
"Nice place," Sterling commented as he sat down next to his brother.
Ben grinned. "The El Paso Country Club was already closed. Besides, I
don't think 'Trey' could have gotten a membership."
"You're not going to let up, are you?"
Ben took a pull on his glass, then he smiled as he set it down. "Not if
I can help it. I love seeing you
twist in the wind every time Chloe calls you Trey. It's priceless."
Something inside him did twist every time she called him Trey. He hated
it. But it was about more
than the lieâ which was bad enough. It was that after a lifetime of
being private, he wanted to share
with her who he really was.
When she had asked about having friends, he had wanted to tell her
about growing up in the Prescott house, where they were never allowed
to do normal kid-type thingsâno ordinary fun. No digging in dirt, no
blasting off rockets. He had thrown himself into studying. Diana had
thrived on the petted world of frilly dresses and society teas. Ben had
been the one who strained against it.
But Sterling couldn't tell Chloe about any of that since it didn't mesh
with the man he was pretending
to be.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. For the first time in
his life, he felt like he could let his defenses down around a
womanâonly he couldn't because he was living a lie.
A bartender came forward. "What'll you have?"
Sterling glanced over at what Ben was drinking. "I'll have a beer."
"What kind?" the man asked.
"Whatever he's having."
"One Coors on tap coming up."
The brothers didn't say another word until Sterling's tall, frosted
glass sat in front of him and the bartender was busy with another
customer.
"So what do you think of the e-mails?" Sterling asked without preamble.
Ben considered a moment before he answered. "Hard to say. But they seem
pretty harmless. A Holy Roller, a man hater, and a bunch of guys who
have it bad for Chloe." He looked over at Sterling.
"Are you Albert Cummings?"
"Funny."
"Just asking." He went back to his beer with a wry grin. I'll see if I
can find anything on the e-mail addresses. They're probably nothing.
But better safe than sorry."
"Good," Sterling said in his autocratic way.
The men stared at the bar backsplash for a while in silence.
"So," Ben began, "how's it going other than the e-mails? Are the
numbers working out so the station
will survive?" He swiveled his head and grinned. "Am I on the verge of
having to go to work for
Prescott Media?"
Sterling glanced over at him. "Would that really be such a bad thing?"
The grin disappeared, replaced by that haunted darkness that was never
far away. "Sometimes I think
it might even be the best thing I could do. Then other times I can't
imagine dealing with the world you
live in."
"What's wrong with that world? It's your world, too."
"No, it's not. It never has been. You know that. Not everyone is meant
to be a part of the world he is born into. That's why I became a cop.
I'm good at it, and I like it." He took a long swallow of his draft.
"At least I did." Ben stopped abruptly and cursed.
"Ben, tell meâ"
Ben cut him off. "I can't," he stated forcefully.
Sterling didn't know what else to say. In business, in his world, he
had so much control. But he had virtually no control over his brother.
After a second, Ben called out for another beer.
The bartender took the empty glass and napkin, wiping down the space
with an expert swipe. Then he
set the new beer down.
"Thanks."
The bartender merely nodded, then went on to the next customer.
"Look, Sterlingâ"
Sterling realized that this was the first time Ben had called him by
his real name since that first day.
"âI'm fine," Ben continued. "I just need some space. We can talk about
all of this after
The Catch
is over. We'll both know where we stand then."
Having a drink of his own beer, Sterling studied Ben in the mirrored
backsplash and decided that he wouldn't press.
"So tell me about the show," Ben said finally. "You never did answer my
question. Is it working?"
Sterling shrugged. "At this point," he confessed, "I'd like nothing
more than to toss in the towel to be
done with the farce."
"Are you saying you want to call the deal off?"
Sterling set his beer down with a thud. "Will you come home to St.
Louis?"
"No," Ben said shortly. Then he grimaced. "Hell, I appreciate that you
care, Sterling. I really do. And
I get that you've had to make some hard choices over the years. But
your back's not against the wall anymore. So I can't figure out why you
can't stop."
This time it was Sterling who didn't want to talk, and the awkward
silence flared.
"Hey, sorry." Ben looked at him like he really meant it. "You're not
going to throw in the towel. You never have. That's something I've
always admired about you. Regardless of how difficult something
gets, you never give up." Ben placed his hand on his brother's shoulder
for a second before he dropped
it away. "Tell me what it is about the show that's making you crazy."
Sterling grumbled, awkward when the conversation turned to him. As the
head of his family, he didn't share his problems or concerns. His job
was to solve everyone else's. Talking about the specifics of
the show, however, was another matter.
"The Roses and their tactics are enough to put a man off dating for a
lifetime, and Chloeâ"
He cut himself off, having no idea what he wanted to say.
"What about Chloe?"
"Let's just say I've never met a more difficult woman in all my life."
Ben laughed out loud. "She's not difficult, Sterling. She's as normal
as most every red-blooded
American woman I've met."
"She's not acting like the other red-blooded women on the show. They
have no idea who I really am. They think I'm 'Trey,' some guy crazy
enough to actually consent to finding a wife or girlfriend on a
television show. And they are acting like every other woman I've ever
encountered."
"It's the competitive spirit. What woman wants to get tossed off TV?"
"Chloe," they said at the same time.
They laughed out loud, then each took another long drink of beer.
"She really wants me to kick her off," Sterling said after the laughter
had trailed off. "I mean, really."
"Can you blame her? I'm not sure what's up between the two of you, but
she hasn't liked you since
she first set eyes on you during that meeting in the KTEX conference
room."
Sterling had to clamp his mouth shut over the near admission that it
hadn't been their first meeting.
But he was not a man to kiss and tell.
"If you're trying to win her heartâ"
"I am not trying to win her heart, Ben. I just have to get her
approval, remember? And frankly, for
about five minutes, I had it."
The younger Prescott held his hands up in surrender, though the knowing
smile that curved on his face was far from agreement. "I find that hard
to believe. Regardless, I should rephrase. If you want to get
her to stop making a fool of you on televisionâ"
Sterling groaned.
"âthen you better start doing things different."
"Like what?"
Ben made a face as if the answer was obvious. "Seduce her with your
charm."
Sterling felt uncomfortable underneath his brother's amused gaze.
"You understand what I'm talking about, don't you?" Ben persisted.
He didn't. "Charm?"
Ben rolled his eyes heavenward. "Hell, Sterling."
Truth to tell, Sterling wasn't altogether sure what charm entailed.
He'd never consciously thought about winning a woman in his life. It
just happened.
One of the women in El Pescado's came up to Ben, leaning close, rubbing
up against him, making him laugh. Clearly he knew her, since he slapped
her butt and said he'd see her later.
"You call that charm?" Sterling asked as he raised an ominous brow.
"I'm not sure that taking charm advice from you is going to get me
anywhere. A bit like the blind leading the blind."
"Hey," Ben said with a laugh, "she wants me, doesn't she?"
"I suppose, but I really don't think a slap on the butt is going to get
me far with Chloe Sinclair."
"You're probably right."
A long swallow of beer by both men ensued, each of them lost in thought.
"Okay," Ben announced, "go with that sensitive crap."
"What?"
"Women are always saying they want a sensitive guy. Maybe you should
cry."
Sterling almost choked on his beer. "I am not going to cry."
Ben conceded defeat with an expression that said clearer than words
that Sterling shouldn't come
whining to him when he failed. "Then just look sad," Ben instructed.
"Tell her some sad sack story
about losing your teddy bear when you were five."
"I never had a teddy bear in my life."
"That's not the point."
"You're advocating that I lie."
Ben looked at him. "I'm not sure you should get all righteous over
lying just now, given your situation. But that isn't what I was
suggesting. Just think about something sensitive, then tell her about
it. Women love that shit."
"I take it you've used this ploy?"
"Never." He smiled devilishly. "But I hear it works like a charm."
Sterling swore.
"Sorry, just trying to be helpful." Then Ben grimaced. "Did you really
say that sex was a game and the goal was to score?"
"I didn't say that," Sterling bit out, then he sighed. "Okay, maybe I
did, but I was making a point that
that was what she thought I thought, not what I really thought. I wasâ"
"Look, just be nice to her. Smile, look at her like you really see her,
not her body. Rather, that you see her, see inside her. Don't act like
you want to get her into bed. She doesn't strike me as someone who
would be after your money. And I'd swear she's someone you could trust."
To: [email protected]
From: MD20/[email protected]
Subject: Hottie
Wow,
man, the Catch is cool. Love the hot bod babe, Leticia. But Chloe is
the best. She's a trip
and a half. I wouldn't mind getting into her pants.
Mad Dogman, the Catch is cool. Love the hot bod babe, Leticia. But Chloe is
the best. She's a trip
and a half. I wouldn't mind getting into her pants.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: [email protected]
Subject: Dinner
Dear Chloe:
I
write to you as an ardent admirer. The minute the camera took in your
lovely face, I was mesmerized. You are a breath of fresh air in an
otherwise sterile world of stale and stagnant television. I would be
honored if you would allow me to take you to dinner.
Yours sincerely,write to you as an ardent admirer. The minute the camera took in your
lovely face, I was mesmerized. You are a breath of fresh air in an
otherwise sterile world of stale and stagnant television. I would be
honored if you would allow me to take you to dinner.
Albert Cummings
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Â
From: [email protected]
Subject: Sin
To Whom It May Concern:
I
am writing to tell you that I find your new show,
The Catch and His
Dozen Texas Roses
, to be
a despicable excuse for television. Do you really think that programs
such as
The Catch
will open
the pearly gates to heaven for you? I think
not.                                                     Â
am writing to tell you that I find your new show,
The Catch and His
Dozen Texas Roses
, to be
a despicable excuse for television. Do you really think that programs
such as
The Catch
will open
the pearly gates to heaven for you? I think
not.                                                     Â
Please
reconsider airing what surely has been a temporary loss ofÂ
judgment.
                                                                                   Â
reconsider airing what surely has been a temporary loss ofÂ
judgment.
                                                                                   Â
Sincerely,
Pastor Hartwell Lerner
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pastor Hartwell Lerner
Â
Â
From: [email protected] (Jennie Bean)
Subject: Love Chloe
Chloe
is awesome! I teach three sections of women's lit at the University of
Texas, and Chloe is
just the sort of role model I like to present to my students. She tells
it like it is, and a stuffed shirt like Trey would be the luckiest guy
in the world if he ended up with her.
You go, Chloe!
Best,is awesome! I teach three sections of women's lit at the University of
Texas, and Chloe is
just the sort of role model I like to present to my students. She tells
it like it is, and a stuffed shirt like Trey would be the luckiest guy
in the world if he ended up with her.
You go, Chloe!
Professor Jennie Bean
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: [email protected]
Subject: Wow
Dear KTEXTV:
Love
your new show,
The Catch
.
Really love the wow factor of Leticia. She is one fine hottie.
And Mindy, well, she could charm the socks off a cat. Keep the shows
coming.
B. Hawkingsyour new show,
The Catch
.
Really love the wow factor of Leticia. She is one fine hottie.
And Mindy, well, she could charm the socks off a cat. Keep the shows
coming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: [email protected]
Subject: A fan
Dear
Chloe, Just a short note to tell you that you're hot and great and you
have an instant fan
in me. Keep up the good work.
Love ya,Chloe, Just a short note to tell you that you're hot and great and you
have an instant fan
in me. Keep up the good work.
Rocket
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: [email protected]
Subject: Surprise
I'm
sending you a surprise. I hope you'll think of me fondly.
Albert Cummingssending you a surprise. I hope you'll think of me fondly.
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Â
From: Sterling Prescott
Subject: E-mail Attachments
Ben,
I've attached some of the e-mails we are getting about the show. A lot
of guys are taking
an interest in Chloe. Does this look like anything we should be
concerned about?
SHPI've attached some of the e-mails we are getting about the show. A lot
of guys are taking
an interest in Chloe. Does this look like anything we should be
concerned about?
«attachment»
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Ben Prescott
Subject: re: E-mail Attachments
Meet
me for a beer at a place called El Pescado, on Doniphan. Can't miss it.
The blue building
with
the fish on it. We'll discuss the e-mails.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------me for a beer at a place called El Pescado, on Doniphan. Can't miss it.
The blue building
with
the fish on it. We'll discuss the e-mails.
Â
TWELVE
Sterling felt raw.He wanted Chloe with a driving need that pulsed through his body. And
she eluded him at every turn.
It had been three days since they had taped and then aired the first
segment of
The Catch
, and he
still could no more believe that he was obsessed with a woman who
wanted nothing to do with him than he could believe he actually was a
bachelor on a dating show. Hell, he couldn't believe he was on a
reality show at all. He was a highly respected corporate CEO, not some
pathetic guy desperate for television exposure and a date.
He hated the situation, hated having to be someone else, hated every
single time Chloe looked at him
with those innocent blue eyes and called him Trey.
He wanted out. But he was caught in his own trap.
After he had made coffee in the lunchroom that day, he nearly told
Chloe everything. He still couldn't believe the way she made him do
things he shouldn't. Thankfully the whole missing bachelor and Rose
debacle had gotten in the way. Not that he was at all thankful that
becoming the Catch had saved him from ruining the deal he had made with
his brother. But he had promised his family he would bring
Ben homeâhis brother whose dark eyes now darkened with something more
than color. Ben Prescott was haunted by something he didn't want to
talk about.
Sterling swore and knew that he would do whatever it took to help his
brotherâand if a reality show
was what he had to do to accomplish the feat, so be it.
But hell, he couldn't believe he was wasting his time having to deal
with other women when all he
wanted was one.
He saw now that despite Chloe's wildness in the hotel bathroom, she was
far from experienced. She had wanted him, but it was a desire that had
burst out like a dam giving way. She had given in to something beyond
her control and reason.
Chloe wasn't easyâin more ways than one, he conceded with a wry smile.
But that wasn't what surprised him. He was surprised by the fact that
every time he was near her, he, Sterling Prescottâalways in control,
always reservedâfelt a nearly foreign need to tease, play, and
have fun.
Fun, him.
It had taken him days to even understand what he was feeling.
Desire? No question.
Intrigue? Without a doubt.
But there had been more than desire and intrigue since the day she
pretended not to know him when she walked into the conference room
looking like a squeaky-clean librarian. He couldn't imagine why she
would go to such effort to hide such sultry sexiness beneath a
determined plainness.
He had never known a woman who exerted so much effort not to be sexy.
He wanted to uncover her secrets . . . and he wanted to laugh and play
and have fun.
He wanted to kiss her, make love to her ... and damn if he didn't want
to chase her around the room, swing her over his shoulder, and tickle
her until she cried uncle.
What was he thinking?
Running his hand over his face with a frustrated groan, he didn't
understand it. And quite frankly, he didn't like it. Sterling Prescott
didn't do things like that. He didn't chase women in any fashion. Not
in sexual pursuit, and certainly not in play.
It was past midnight when Sterling pulled up to the small, squat bar
brightened by multiple lights in the dark. A multicolored fish was
painted across the Easter egg blue front, a wooden door placed in just
a way that made it seem like you were walking into the guts of the fish
when you entered. Not the sort
of establishment that Sterling Prescott generally frequented, reminding
him of something else he wasn't used to feeling toward any woman not a
part of his family. A need to protect.
If Chloe was in any danger, he wasn't going to sit back and let
something happen. All of a sudden
having a cop in the family wasn't so bad.
Sterling entered the bar wearing the only kind of clothes he had with
him here in the westernmost
reaches of Texas. None of which were appropriate for a fish hangout, he
decided when he looked
around. The men wore jeans, boots, and simple shirtsâwestern shirts,
T-shirts, even short sleeve
shirts despite the fifty degree temperature. No one wore a tie.
The women wore jeans as well, for the most part, though some had on
short skirts and lots of makeup. Though he decided that had nothing to
do with Texas and everything to do with being in a bar and
looking over every man who walked through the door.
Through the dim haze, Sterling saw Ben sitting at the bar, wearing his
usual T-shirt, jeans, and black boots. He had a nearly full glass of
beer in front of him.
"Nice place," Sterling commented as he sat down next to his brother.
Ben grinned. "The El Paso Country Club was already closed. Besides, I
don't think 'Trey' could have gotten a membership."
"You're not going to let up, are you?"
Ben took a pull on his glass, then he smiled as he set it down. "Not if
I can help it. I love seeing you
twist in the wind every time Chloe calls you Trey. It's priceless."
Something inside him did twist every time she called him Trey. He hated
it. But it was about more
than the lieâ which was bad enough. It was that after a lifetime of
being private, he wanted to share
with her who he really was.
When she had asked about having friends, he had wanted to tell her
about growing up in the Prescott house, where they were never allowed
to do normal kid-type thingsâno ordinary fun. No digging in dirt, no
blasting off rockets. He had thrown himself into studying. Diana had
thrived on the petted world of frilly dresses and society teas. Ben had
been the one who strained against it.
But Sterling couldn't tell Chloe about any of that since it didn't mesh
with the man he was pretending
to be.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. For the first time in
his life, he felt like he could let his defenses down around a
womanâonly he couldn't because he was living a lie.
A bartender came forward. "What'll you have?"
Sterling glanced over at what Ben was drinking. "I'll have a beer."
"What kind?" the man asked.
"Whatever he's having."
"One Coors on tap coming up."
The brothers didn't say another word until Sterling's tall, frosted
glass sat in front of him and the bartender was busy with another
customer.
"So what do you think of the e-mails?" Sterling asked without preamble.
Ben considered a moment before he answered. "Hard to say. But they seem
pretty harmless. A Holy Roller, a man hater, and a bunch of guys who
have it bad for Chloe." He looked over at Sterling.
"Are you Albert Cummings?"
"Funny."
"Just asking." He went back to his beer with a wry grin. I'll see if I
can find anything on the e-mail addresses. They're probably nothing.
But better safe than sorry."
"Good," Sterling said in his autocratic way.
The men stared at the bar backsplash for a while in silence.
"So," Ben began, "how's it going other than the e-mails? Are the
numbers working out so the station
will survive?" He swiveled his head and grinned. "Am I on the verge of
having to go to work for
Prescott Media?"
Sterling glanced over at him. "Would that really be such a bad thing?"
The grin disappeared, replaced by that haunted darkness that was never
far away. "Sometimes I think
it might even be the best thing I could do. Then other times I can't
imagine dealing with the world you
live in."
"What's wrong with that world? It's your world, too."
"No, it's not. It never has been. You know that. Not everyone is meant
to be a part of the world he is born into. That's why I became a cop.
I'm good at it, and I like it." He took a long swallow of his draft.
"At least I did." Ben stopped abruptly and cursed.
"Ben, tell meâ"
Ben cut him off. "I can't," he stated forcefully.
Sterling didn't know what else to say. In business, in his world, he
had so much control. But he had virtually no control over his brother.
After a second, Ben called out for another beer.
The bartender took the empty glass and napkin, wiping down the space
with an expert swipe. Then he
set the new beer down.
"Thanks."
The bartender merely nodded, then went on to the next customer.
"Look, Sterlingâ"
Sterling realized that this was the first time Ben had called him by
his real name since that first day.
"âI'm fine," Ben continued. "I just need some space. We can talk about
all of this after
The Catch
is over. We'll both know where we stand then."
Having a drink of his own beer, Sterling studied Ben in the mirrored
backsplash and decided that he wouldn't press.
"So tell me about the show," Ben said finally. "You never did answer my
question. Is it working?"
Sterling shrugged. "At this point," he confessed, "I'd like nothing
more than to toss in the towel to be
done with the farce."
"Are you saying you want to call the deal off?"
Sterling set his beer down with a thud. "Will you come home to St.
Louis?"
"No," Ben said shortly. Then he grimaced. "Hell, I appreciate that you
care, Sterling. I really do. And
I get that you've had to make some hard choices over the years. But
your back's not against the wall anymore. So I can't figure out why you
can't stop."
This time it was Sterling who didn't want to talk, and the awkward
silence flared.
"Hey, sorry." Ben looked at him like he really meant it. "You're not
going to throw in the towel. You never have. That's something I've
always admired about you. Regardless of how difficult something
gets, you never give up." Ben placed his hand on his brother's shoulder
for a second before he dropped
it away. "Tell me what it is about the show that's making you crazy."
Sterling grumbled, awkward when the conversation turned to him. As the
head of his family, he didn't share his problems or concerns. His job
was to solve everyone else's. Talking about the specifics of
the show, however, was another matter.
"The Roses and their tactics are enough to put a man off dating for a
lifetime, and Chloeâ"
He cut himself off, having no idea what he wanted to say.
"What about Chloe?"
"Let's just say I've never met a more difficult woman in all my life."
Ben laughed out loud. "She's not difficult, Sterling. She's as normal
as most every red-blooded
American woman I've met."
"She's not acting like the other red-blooded women on the show. They
have no idea who I really am. They think I'm 'Trey,' some guy crazy
enough to actually consent to finding a wife or girlfriend on a
television show. And they are acting like every other woman I've ever
encountered."
"It's the competitive spirit. What woman wants to get tossed off TV?"
"Chloe," they said at the same time.
They laughed out loud, then each took another long drink of beer.
"She really wants me to kick her off," Sterling said after the laughter
had trailed off. "I mean, really."
"Can you blame her? I'm not sure what's up between the two of you, but
she hasn't liked you since
she first set eyes on you during that meeting in the KTEX conference
room."
Sterling had to clamp his mouth shut over the near admission that it
hadn't been their first meeting.
But he was not a man to kiss and tell.
"If you're trying to win her heartâ"
"I am not trying to win her heart, Ben. I just have to get her
approval, remember? And frankly, for
about five minutes, I had it."
The younger Prescott held his hands up in surrender, though the knowing
smile that curved on his face was far from agreement. "I find that hard
to believe. Regardless, I should rephrase. If you want to get
her to stop making a fool of you on televisionâ"
Sterling groaned.
"âthen you better start doing things different."
"Like what?"
Ben made a face as if the answer was obvious. "Seduce her with your
charm."
Sterling felt uncomfortable underneath his brother's amused gaze.
"You understand what I'm talking about, don't you?" Ben persisted.
He didn't. "Charm?"
Ben rolled his eyes heavenward. "Hell, Sterling."
Truth to tell, Sterling wasn't altogether sure what charm entailed.
He'd never consciously thought about winning a woman in his life. It
just happened.
One of the women in El Pescado's came up to Ben, leaning close, rubbing
up against him, making him laugh. Clearly he knew her, since he slapped
her butt and said he'd see her later.
"You call that charm?" Sterling asked as he raised an ominous brow.
"I'm not sure that taking charm advice from you is going to get me
anywhere. A bit like the blind leading the blind."
"Hey," Ben said with a laugh, "she wants me, doesn't she?"
"I suppose, but I really don't think a slap on the butt is going to get
me far with Chloe Sinclair."
"You're probably right."
A long swallow of beer by both men ensued, each of them lost in thought.
"Okay," Ben announced, "go with that sensitive crap."
"What?"
"Women are always saying they want a sensitive guy. Maybe you should
cry."
Sterling almost choked on his beer. "I am not going to cry."
Ben conceded defeat with an expression that said clearer than words
that Sterling shouldn't come
whining to him when he failed. "Then just look sad," Ben instructed.
"Tell her some sad sack story
about losing your teddy bear when you were five."
"I never had a teddy bear in my life."
"That's not the point."
"You're advocating that I lie."
Ben looked at him. "I'm not sure you should get all righteous over
lying just now, given your situation. But that isn't what I was
suggesting. Just think about something sensitive, then tell her about
it. Women love that shit."
"I take it you've used this ploy?"
"Never." He smiled devilishly. "But I hear it works like a charm."
Sterling swore.
"Sorry, just trying to be helpful." Then Ben grimaced. "Did you really
say that sex was a game and the goal was to score?"
"I didn't say that," Sterling bit out, then he sighed. "Okay, maybe I
did, but I was making a point that
that was what she thought I thought, not what I really thought. I wasâ"
"Look, just be nice to her. Smile, look at her like you really see her,
not her body. Rather, that you see her, see inside her. Don't act like
you want to get her into bed. She doesn't strike me as someone who
would be after your money. And I'd swear she's someone you could trust."
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