Heart in the Field (7 page)

           
“Yes.”

           
“Great. Now we can get down to
business.”

           
“Yes. We can.”

           
“Thanks for letting me know. See you
tomorrow.”

           
Serena hung up the phone and closed
her eyes for a moment. She had to get over this breathless reaction she had to
Nick.

Chapter Five

Nick
couldn’t relax again after Serena’s call, so he put on cotton shorts, and
poured himself a large glass of orange juice from his new supplies. He’d spent
the afternoon shopping.
A new TV, computer, printer, mobile
phone, all the goodies.
He hadn’t been to visit his parents yet. Though
he did call to say he was home and promised he would be there tomorrow after
work. He knew he was putting off something that would be disagreeable to him.
No.
More than disagreeable.
Downright
painful.

           
After he’d set up the TV and
computer he picked up the book
Heart in the
Field,
sat down and opened the cover. Like
the first time, he couldn’t stop reading Stuart Redding Brown’s story, but
behind all the words now were visions of Serena.

           
The Brown
family
were
still very much with him the next day when, dressed in a black
suit, he took a cab to the Steel
Tower. He found the door
to the seventh floor suite open and Paul
Kryker
lounging
on one of the sofas in the central meeting area. Paul returned a magazine to
the round coffee table and stood up.

           
“Hi, Nick,” Paul said.

           
As the two men shook hands Nick felt
the tension in the other man’s handshake. He knew it was because of his sister.
They’d only dated a few times, but
Lise
had taken the
dates more seriously than he had. When Nick had moved on to another assignment,
Lise
had spread the word that he’d treated her badly.
Someone had warned him Paul was furious at him.

           
Nick pushed his hands into his
pockets. “So how’s it going, Paul? Given up on the rest of the world and come
home for a bit?”

           
“I’ve been home for nearly two
years. I’m getting married.”

           
“Congratulations. Anyone I know?”

           
Wrong thing to say, Nick decided, as
Paul frowned.

           
“No one you know. You’ll meet her at
the party on Saturday, if you’re going.”

           
“I’ll look forward to it.” Nick
nearly asked how
Lise
was,
then
thought better of it. He glanced around him. “Not a bad space.”

           
“It’s great. You and Serena have the
end two offices.” Paul indicated the location of the offices with a head
movement. “Then there’s a boardroom. Don mentioned I could use the third office
when I need one. Cam’s staying put on five.”

           
Paul was forcing friendliness. To
ease the tense atmosphere, Nick walked around the suite. He saw one office was
full of belongings that he recognized as Serena’s. The office next door to hers
had a computer, phone and a phone directory on the desk.

           
“This mine?” he asked Paul.

           
Paul nodded.
“Yep.
Serena’s next door. I helped her move in yesterday. I’m only here for a few
minutes. I came in hoping to see her again to make sure everything was fine.
Now you’re here you can help her if you have to. I have to run.”

           
“Don’t both of you run,” a female
voice said from the door.

           
Dressed in a short-skirted mauve
suit, the woman held the doorpost with one hand. Her hair was a lush, deep
brown, and eyes of the same color settled on Nick. “I know who you are, Nick
Fraser. I’m Juliette Marshall.
Serena’s replacement on the
afternoon news.”

           
Juliette strolled forward, shook
Nick’s hand, and turned to Paul.
“Hi, Paul.”

           
“Hi, Juliette,” Paul said. “But I
really do have to run. I have to meet someone.” He picked up his large leather
camera bag and made himself scarce.

           
Juliette had a mouthful of perfect
teeth and flipped her hair from her face with a practiced shake of her head.
“I’ve heard so much about you, Nick. I knew Cara quite well when she was
freelancing here in the city.”

           
Cara had been the woman who’d given
him Redding Brown’s book. “Where is she now?”

           
Juliette fluttered her hand. “Last I
heard she was married and was living in Mexico. Writing, I believe.”

           
“That’s great. Any writing from her
will benefit society.”

           
Juliette smiled. “Anyway, I must be
off. I just stopped to say hi. Welcome to Steel. I’m on air in ten minutes.
Have a good day.”

           
She swung around and Nick watched
her mauve hips and long legs glide from view. She was sexy but that was about
all. She didn’t hit his gut hard the way Serena did.

           
He knew exactly why this should be
when Serena came into the office a few minutes later wearing pants and jacket
in a light oatmeal with nothing but a coffee silk and lace chemise peeking from
beneath the wide satin lapels. The
outfit made her look
very tall and slim. She was stunning, Nick thought.

           
She tossed briefcase and handbag on
to a leather couch. “Hi. I just saw Juliette, so I presume you’ve met her.”

           
“Yes. She flew in to tell me she
knew who I was.”

           
To Nick’s astonishment, Serena
laughed with real humor. “She eats men for lunch and spits them out for
dinner.”

           
“I figured that.”

           
“Your type?”

           
“Could be.”

           
She put her head to one side and her
sleek hair fell in a smooth wing. “Well, then, you’re in luck. She’s very free.
Hates the thought of being tied down.
Likes hot, flaming affairs that burn but leave no scars.”

           
“No more to be said.
Absolutely my type.”
But even as he spoke Nick felt his
words were mere rhetoric. Serena was his type, and he couldn’t see beyond her
at the moment.

•

           
Serena had met Juliette in the corridor.
“Nick’s here,” Juliette had told her. “Be prepared.”

           
Juliette didn’t stay around to say
what she should be prepared for, but as soon as Serena saw Nick she thought it
might be that Nick looked so broad-shouldered and gorgeous in his black suit,
crisp white shirt and black tie. His hair was sleek, his skin smooth and tan,
his smile so white. Instead of being speechless Serena had found herself being
smart, and she’d learned a few truths in the process that made all the gossip
about Nick true. The Juliette Marshalls of the world were his type of women.

           
“Have you seen your office?” she
asked.

           
“Yep.
But I
haven’t been in it yet. I’ll try the chair.”

           
Serena thought he seemed cautious of
her as he walked into the office and sat down behind the desk. He swung around
in the chair, tilted the back, and then moved forward to turn on the computer.

           
Serena stood at the door. “I think
everything’s set up. We have a guy named Mark who works on the computers. He’s
a whiz. All you’ll need is a password at the prompt. There’s a spot to
register.” She glanced around at the empty bookshelves. “You’ll be able to make
this place feel like yours with some personal stuff.”

           
“I’ll be fine, Serena.”

           
She was savoring the way he said her
name when his phone rang in his pocket. They both jumped in surprise.

           
Nick took the phone out. “Nick
Fraser.”

           
Unable to keep her eyes off him
Serena watched him listen for a moment. “Yeah, it’s a problem.” He sounded
annoyed, but listened some more. “I understand. Okay. Monday’s fine. Let me
know.” He disconnected and looked at her. “My car is a Jaguar. It’s been in
storage and it needs some parts. It won’t be ready until Monday.”

           
“Ah.” She thought about the party.
“I guess you’ll be walking for the weekend.” She knew she sounded flippant and
uncaring.

           
“I don’t think I can walk to Don’s
place, can I?”

           
Trying to avoid his gaze, she ran
one neatly manicured fingernail up the doorpost. What was he asking? She had no
wish to be in a car with him. She didn’t want to go to the soirée with him. But
she had to be truthful. “No. It’s out my way.”

           
“Which you told me was quite a
distance.”

           
She nodded. “Yes.”

           
He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess
I’ll rent a car, then.”

           
“That sounds reasonable.” Perfect.
She wouldn’t have to worry about him. She could briefly show her face at the
party and leave before the do got going. Don’s parties usually ended up going
on most if not all of the night. Affairs between staff members had begun at
some of Don’s parties. For that very reason Serena never stayed very long.

           
“I’d better get moving on renting a
car, then.”

           
Serena picked up her briefcase and
purse from the sofa and took them into her office. There was half an hour
before the commercial taping, so she began to fix up this office the same way
she’d fixed up the other one. She hated her life disorganized. Nick was
disorganizing her life.

           
He came in a few moments later when
she was in the midst of sliding a book on to one of the shelves. Her gaze
wandered from his sharp black leather shoes all the way to his handsome face.
All the heat she’d ever felt for him over the past hours blasted her body, and
she experienced a moment of sheer weakness and anxiety that she wasn’t going to
hold up against his magnetism for an entire season. “Did you get a car?”

           
“Yes. I got one. I’ll go and pick it
up later.” He put his hand out toward her. “Should we go down to the studio
now?”

           
Serena removed her fingers from the
now sticky book cover and pushed the book on to the shelf. “I guess we should.”

           
She would get used to all this: The
elevator rides, the brush of his arm against hers, the aroma of his aftershave,
the heat in her veins from his hand on her elbow. She would get used to working
beside him, seeing their legs almost touching, his smile. She would. Oh, yes,
she would. Even when they watched the unedited commercial he was far too close.
The scent of his aftershave gave her visions of sub-tropical islands where
there was nothing to do but make mad, passionate love.

           
“The show will need more besides
clever cutting,” Nick said. “It needs music.”

           
“You’re right,” Don told him.
“Any suggestions?”

           
“How about a local group we could
give some exposure to.”

           
Don glanced at Serena. “What about
Seth?”

           
“Possibly.”
She thought this might be a great chance for her brother’s band,
Lite
, even if their music was anything but light. It would
certainly give the band some solid exposure, and urge people to buy their
music. “Although,” She had to be truthful. “They are pretty way out. They’re
what you would call alternative with a capital A.”

           
“That’s my type of music. I’d like
to hear them,” Nick told her.

           
“All right.
I’ll talk to him. When do you want to run this commercial Don?”

           
“ASAP.
Can
you bring him in this evening?”

           
“I’ll try.”

           
“Phone him,” Nick urged.

           
Serena felt as if she were being
shoved into a corner. What if Seth didn’t want to do this? He walked his own
path. Drummed to
his own
beat. He rarely appeared at
family gatherings. She very rarely saw him. He was another man who reminded her
of her father. Naturally he would. He was her father’s son. “They might have a
gig.”

           
Nick’s gaze penetrated hers. “Check
anyway. We’re running out of time.”

           
She didn’t have much choice. She had
two powerful men pushing their instructions down her throat. Of course, if she
went against their ideas she might be doing her brother out of a great deal of
publicity. Her reluctance to call her brother was because of her own
insecurities, not because she didn’t want him to succeed.