Stepbrother Bastard (22 page)

I
stuff my cell back into my desk drawer, a tiny twinge of guilt tugging at my
conscience. Allie has been a saint all through my moping/moving on efforts.
From the moment she showed up at my apartment that first Sunday with three
kinds of Oreos, a gigantic bottle of
Sauvignon
Blanc,
and a very absorbent shoulder to cry on, she
’
s
been my savior. I told her almost everything about the situation with Cash
while we binge-watched about a season and a half of
Gilmore Girls
.
Emphasis on the
almost
. I filled her in on every aspect of our
relationship apart from the whole almost-kinda-related thing. I
’
m
still wrapping my head around how I feel about that
—
I
didn
’
t
want to spring it on her out of nowhere. I couldn't bear it if she thought my
feelings for him were strange, perverted even. But
not
telling her is
wearing on me, too.

“
I
don
’
t
want to make things any worse,
”
I tell her, snapping my laptop shut.
“
Besides,
I still need to figure out what I actually want.
”

“
You
want
him
,
”
Allie replies bluntly,
“
That
much is abundantly apparent. I don
’
t
see why you
’
re not willing to give long distance
a shot. Skype sex is actually kind of fun!
”

“
You
never cease to amaze me, Miss McCain,
”
I cut the conversation
short as we set off for the conference room together.
God
. If only the
single obstacle standing in my and Cash
’
s
way was a little distance.

Carol
and Brian are already sitting at opposite heads of the conference table when
Allie and I arrive. She and I will be tag-teaming this next campaign for
Asphalt denim, an undertaking that totally slipped my mind
while I was in Cash
’
s
orbit this past week. Another reason to keep my distance from him for the time
being
—
I
’
ve
got some serious work ahead of me. My job
’
s
been the most important thing in my life for years. It
’
s
baffling to have found something that even remotely challenges its hold on me.
But then again, plenty of things about Cash baffle the hell out of me.

“
OK!
”
Brian says, clapping his
hands together as Allie and I sit down at the table,
“
Let
’
s
talk denim, ladies! This campaign is going to be a big one for us. We
’
ve
never had a client in fashion before, and Asphalt wants the full ReImaged
treatment. If everything goes well, this will be quite the feather in both your
caps.
”

“
Well,
you know how I love to accessorize,
”
Allie smiles back at him.
“
I
’
ll
take an extra feather any day.
”

“
Right,
”
Carol says dryly, tapping
a few keys on her laptop. At her command, a projection screen lowers down from
the ceiling, a presentation about our next client all queued up.
“
Asphalt
has been very specific about their needs for this campaign,
”
she goes on.
“
We
’
re
going to help them plan several live events that underscore the more rugged
side of their profile. Their new men
’
s
line is less high-fashion, more rough-and-tumble.
”

“
So
…
Live hard rock bands,
industrial spaces, partnering with some liquor companies
…”
I spitball, imagining
possible angles for Asphalt
’
s rebranding efforts.

“
That
’
s
exactly right. Great instincts, Maddie,
”
Brian says, bobbing his
head,
“
As
you know, the client
’
s current reputation
skews a bit elite. They want us to help bring them down to earth. Let the
consumers know that
‘
real men rock Asphalt
’
.
”

“
Oof.
I hope that
’
s not the final tagline,
”
Carol winces.

“
Real
men, huh?
”
Allie
echoes, her voice taking on a strange, agitated tone. She makes a show of
tapping her fingertips on the table, playing at thinking hard. I know her well
enough to know when she
’
s up to something.
“
Why
don
’
t
we lean into that angle?
”
she continues.

“
Go
on,
”
Carol allows, sitting back
in her leather chair.

“
What
if we could find ways to incorporate some brand ambassadors into the events?
Maybe even some in the general marketing campaign if the client is into it,
”
Allie goes on.
“
Asphalt
is a west coast brand. What if we found local guys
—
small
business owners, working men, cowboy types
—
to
feature in the ad campaign for the new line?
”

“
Huh
…
Guys
you could meet on the street, instead of professional models,
”
Carol says, picking up on
her wavelength.

“
Or
guys you could meet at a bar,
”
she shoots back, a mischievous glint in
her eye.

My
stomach flips over as a grin spreads across my best friend
’
s
face.

“
Uh.
Yeah. I think I see where you
’
re going with this
…”
I say, shooting her a
look that clearly asks,
What the hell are you up to, lady?

“
I
’
m
liking this direction,
”
Brian says,
“
Very
intriguing.
”

“
How
do you see this playing out in the Asphalt campaign?
”
Carol quizzes Allie.

“
A
lot of video content, mostly,
”
Allie goes on without missing a beat,
“
We
can produce short documentary-style spots of all the men we find, show them in
their places of work wearing the new Asphalt line, have some interview footage
where they talk about their super-manly jobs and whatnot. We can have the
videos running all throughout the event spaces, give guests and investors
something to interact with.
”

“
So
more atmospheric
…
I see
…”
Carol says, nodding
slowly as she processes.

“
What
kind of man are we imagining here, exactly?
”
Brian piles on, hands
clasped on the table,
“
Who can we use as a point
of reference?
”

“
Actually,
”
Allie replies, swinging
her green eyes my way,
“
I think Maddie has a
great lead on this one.
”

Brian
and Carol turn to face me as I feel the color drain out of my face. What the
hell kind of scheme does Allie have up her sleeve? Before I can diffuse the
situation, Allie
’
s made her way around to
Carol
’
s
laptop and pulled up a new screen. I swallow a gasp as Cash Hawthorne
’
s
sculpted, wryly grinning face appears right there on the projection screen. A
real, painful pang of longing twists my core at the sight of him, and for a
long moment I
’
m rendered speechless.

“
An
acquaintance of yours?
”
Carol asks me, her own gaze lingering hard
on Cash
’
s
gorgeous face.

“
In
a sense,
”
I say faintly, shooting
Allie a helpless look.

“
This
is Cash Hawthorne,
”
my friend continues,
“
Maddie
met him while she was in Montana. I pulled this photo from his business
’
s
website. He fixes motorcycles at a shop he owns near the state line. He
’
s
an Army vet, a tattoo and MMA enthusiast, and an outdoorsman. I think he could
be
exactly
the kind of guy we
’
re
looking for, here.
”

“
You
forgot to mention the fact that he
’
s
sexy as hell,
”
Carol
says appreciatively.

You have no idea
, I think to
myself, blushing as the image of Cash standing in the altogether on the lake that
morning of our sunrise fuck springs to mind.

“
I
say we move on nailing this guy down,
”
Brian says,
“
He
’
d
be perfect for this campaign. Tough, authentic, utterly intriguing. How soon
can we make this happen?
”

“
Whoa,
whoa
…”
I cut in, laying my hands
on the table,
“
No need to be hasty, here. We can at
least discuss some other candidates
—”

“
Why
bother?
”
Carol says bluntly,
“
This
Cash person is a great fit. We can
’
t
afford to dawdle here, Maddie. Asphalt has us on a tight deadline. You know
this business is about creating a ballsy campaign, not a perfect one. Besides,
Allie says you know this guy. We already have an in!
”

Allie
smiles at me across the table, shooting me a wink behind our bosses
’
back. I can
’
t
believe she managed to pull this off. More than that
—
I
can
’
t
believe she
’
d go through all this trouble just to
get me back on speaking terms with Cash. On the one hand, she
’
s
gone above and beyond best friend duty, here. On the other, she
’
s
also seriously crossed the line by taking the reins on this. She doesn
’
t
even know the full story, all the troubling complications, all the ways in
which this relationship could ruin Cash and I both.

But
I can
’
t
think about that now. Right now, my bosses are both looking at me expectantly,
pleased as punch that I just happen to know the exact hunk they want to hire. I
have no legitimate excuse not to follow through, no recourse to back down or
pawn the campaign off on someone else. Allie
’
s
plan was flawless. I have no choice but to go with it.

“
I
guess you
’
re right,
”
I smile through gritted
teeth,
“
Mr.
Hawthorne would be an excellent fit for our campaign.
”

“
I
knew you
’
d
think so,
”
Allie
replies across the table, folding her hands contentedly behind her back,
“
That
’
s
why I took the liberty of reaching out to see if he
’
d
be available for a meeting this afternoon.
”

The
conference room spins madly around me as panic and excitement battle for
control of my mind and heart. Good god, this woman works fast.

“
Love
the initiative Allie,
”
Brian says.

“
Is
he available, then?
”
Carol asks.