No Strings... (2 page)

But damned if he wasn’t overwhelmingly attracted to her, despite the many reasons why he shouldn’t want her. He’d be a liar if he said all that confidence and sass of hers didn’t do it for him in a major way. Sexually, he liked a woman a little on the aggressive side, a woman who knew what she liked and wasn’t afraid to challenge him in the bedroom. Judging by their seductive flirtations and Chloe’s determined attitude when it came to getting what she wanted, Aiden highly suspected she was
exactly
that kind of woman.

Not that he’d ever have the pleasure of discovering for himself what kind of lover she was. Resisting Chloe and the tempting awareness between them was paramount, not only because of the no dating policy the company enforced, but because Aiden was fairly certain she was seeing someone—some guy he’d seen her with a few times down at the Executive Bar after work. Besides, even if she wasn’t dating someone else, Aiden wasn’t about to risk a career opportunity that was so close to being within his grasp by having an office affair that ended up damaging his future plans to start up his own ad agency.

Right now, his sole focus was on acquiring the multi-million dollar St. Raphael Resort account, because the substantial bonus that was being dangled as an incentive was exactly what he needed to fund his new venture. It was between himself and Chloe as to who would be assigned to St. Raphael, and considering the exceptional job she was doing on the Organic Kitty campaign today, there was no doubt in Aiden’s mind that the competition for the resort account was going to be fierce. Making the choice between him and his office rival for the job was going to be very difficult indeed.

Chloe wrapped up her PowerPoint spiel, and it was evident that the client loved her ideas and was eager to implement them. Perry, the owner and CEO of the firm, had been present during the sales pitch, and he appeared equally pleased with her campaign. Right on the spot, Organic Kitty agreed to sign on with Perry & Associates, and Chloe’s surprise and delight made Aiden smile. He knew how amazing it felt to close a deal. The adrenaline rush of victory and the high of success was
almost
as good as sex.

With the presentation over, he stood up to leave the conference room, and on his way out he gently grabbed Chloe’s arm to get her attention for a moment. She glanced up at him, her hazel eyes bright with exhilaration, and her face flushed with the sheer joy of success. Her pink, glossy lips were curved into a delightful smile, and damn if he didn’t want to kiss that luscious mouth and discover if she tasted as good as he imagined she would.

He cleared his throat and released his hold on her arm. “Nice job, Reiss,” he told her, meaning it. “I don’t even like cats and you made me want to buy their product.”

She laughed at his attempt at humor. “Then I’ve done my job.”

“Very well, it seems.” He briefly looked over at the happy client who was busy shaking Perry’s hand while gushing about the campaign, then back at Chloe. “Congratulations on the new account.”

Her gaze warmed with appreciation. “Thanks, Aiden.”

That was another thing he liked about Chloe. Despite her creative talent and advertising savvy, she displayed absolutely no conceit or arrogance over her newest triumph, as many of their coworkers did. She didn’t feel the need to flaunt or brag about her acquisitions, and to Aiden, that spoke to her confidence and determination when it came to pleasing her client.

Her success today was a nice feather in her cap and put her another notch closer to a promotion and taking on bigger accounts, but Aiden wasn’t too worried. There was no denying that Chloe was good at her job, but he’d like to think that he was better. The proof would come as soon as he was awarded the St. Rafael account.

“How about I buy you a drink later, after work, to celebrate?” he offered.

She nodded, and smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Knowing she and Perry had contract details to go over with the client, Aiden left the conference room and went to his office to return some phone calls and to work on a few accounts that needed his attention. He skipped going out for lunch, and instead bought a roast beef sandwich from the lunch cart to eat while he answered emails and edited copy for a client’s upcoming media blitz.

At three-fifteen in the afternoon, the phone on his desk buzzed and Perry’s personal secretary, Lena, spoke through the intercom. “Aiden, Mr. Perry would like to see you in his office regarding the St. Raphael account, please.”

A jolt of excitement surged through Aiden.
This was it,
he thought, tamping down the crazy urge to execute an elated fist pump in the air. Despite Chloe’s fantastic campaign today, Perry was going to entrust
him
with one of the firm’s biggest clients—and as soon as he blew away St. Raphael with a kick-ass campaign, that five-figure bonus would be all his.
Yes!

“I’ll be right there, Lena,” he said, his voice much calmer than he felt inside.

After disconnecting the call, he stood and put his suit jacket back on to look as professional as possible, straightened his tie and started toward Perry’s suite of executive offices. On the way, he caught sight of Chloe across the way, heading in the same direction. Her smile faded, as did his, as they both came to a stop at the double glass doors that led to Perry’s domain.

“Wait a second,” he said, unable to stop the unease settling in his stomach like lead. “Where are
you
going?”

“To see Perry.” She looked equally wary, as if seeing him there had taken her by surprise, as well. “And you?”

“The same.”
Shit.
This situation didn’t bode well. Not at all. “Did he want to talk to you about the St. Raphael account, too?”

A slight frown creased her brow. “Yes.”

Aiden had no idea what was up, because they were each qualified and experienced enough to handle the account on their own. Chloe was coming off the high of her Organic Kitty presentation earlier today, which was no doubt fresh in Perry’s mind and could possibly give her an added edge. But honestly, there was no telling what the CEO had planned, or why he’d summoned them both. Unless he intended to give one of them the account, and let the other one down easy, all in one fell swoop.

It wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened in his career—and he hated that he was in that position now.

He exhaled a deep breath, refusing to let Chloe see him sweat because he hadn’t lost the account yet—and wouldn’t let it slip through his fingers if he had his way. Pushing open the glass door, he gave her an easygoing smile and waved a hand inside the executive offices. “After you.”

2

C
HLOE
SAT
DOWN
in one of the plush seats in front of Richard Perry’s large glass-topped desk, and Aiden settled into the chair next to hers, while their boss regarded them both with an unreadable expression.

A nearly tangible tension vibrated in the air between her and Aiden. There was so much at stake, for the both of them, and she reminded herself that confidence, sprinkled with a large dose of fortitude, was the key to getting what she wanted. That way of thinking had served her well for most of her adult life, and certainly during her career as an advertising executive.

If
she didn’t count her horrible lapse in judgment with her ex-fiancé, Neil, four years ago that had nearly cost her everything, personally and professionally, and made her realize that she wasn’t so different from her mother after all. That despite the goals she’d set for herself and her vow to never let a man control her life and decisions, she’d failed miserably. Her screwed-up relationship with Neil made it abundantly clear that her judgment when it came to men sucked.

But
unlike
her mother, she refused to make the same mistake twice. Dropping her guard and allowing herself to get involved with a man on an emotional level was no longer an option for her. Now she put all her time and energy into her career, which fulfilled her in all the ways that mattered—except one. But for those times when she had a sexual itch to scratch, well, that’s where friends with benefits came in handy. It was an arrangement that worked well for all involved, but mostly, for her. No mess, no fuss, and nothing to interfere with her main pursuit of climbing the corporate ladder straight to the top.

And right now, there was only one thing standing in the way of her stepping up another rung and getting the St. Raphael account—Aiden Landry, the man who’d also been called to Perry’s office. But she’d just proven her worth to Perry that morning, and hopefully her ability to completely overhaul a company’s advertising and marketing plan was still fresh in his mind and would provide her an advantage over Aiden.

That was her hope, anyways, but she had to admit it was a bit unsettling to be sitting right next to her biggest competition in the firm, a guy who wanted this account just as badly as she did. Only one of them would get the job, and a quick glance at Aiden told her that he had that confident look about him, too—backed by an impressive amount of determination.

Refusing to be the least bit intimidated, she gathered her composure, crossed her legs, clasped her hands in her lap and waited for their boss, a distinguished-looking man in his early sixties, to address them.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re both here,” Richard Perry said a moment later as he glanced from Aiden, to her, direct and businesslike. “And I’m not going to drag this out any longer than necessary. Bottom line, the partners and I couldn’t decide which one of you deserved the St. Raphael account more. You’re both incredibly innovative and have outstanding success rates with your current accounts. Since there is so much riding on this campaign, in this instance we’ve decided that two creative minds will give the firm a better advantage, than one.”

Chloe was so taken aback by Richard’s announcement that she didn’t know what to say. All the hopes she’d harbored in regards to her career and a big promotion dwindled in that moment.

Aiden didn’t seem thrilled about the new arrangement, either, not when they’d been expecting a solo mission. “So, we’ll be working
together
on the St. Raphael account?” he asked, a cautious note to his voice.

“No, you’ll be working separately, in
lead
positions,” Richard clarified as he reclined in his leather chair, looking completely at ease even though he’d just delivered a one-two punch to her and Aiden. “You’ll each be assigned your own marketing team to help you with your campaign, and you’ll each give the client a full presentation, along with a complete advertising and promotional package geared toward developing the resort’s matchmaking brand. They’re open to restructuring their activities at the resort to make the social interaction between couples more appealing, and they’d like to see ways to increase their profit margin, while still giving their targeted consumer a great overall experience.”

Oh, wow. The project was huge and complex, and clearly Perry wanted to see which one of them could better deal with the stress and mental challenge of such an enormous task—the same kind of pressures that would face a senior executive. Chloe was more than capable of handling the assignment, and although the man sitting next to her was equally qualified, she wasn’t going to let that fact mess with her head.

Richard steepled his fingers in front of him, and continued, “I think it will be interesting to have two separate campaigns for this particular client, one from a female perspective, and one from a male perspective. But you both also need to be aware that there is another ad agency that will be vying for the resort’s account, which makes it all the more important that the two of you come up with some kind of unique marketing twist to your presentations to edge out the rival company. Two separate campaigns from each of you gives our firm twice the advantage, however, only one of you will be awarded the account, based on which, if any, campaign the client chooses.”

So, in essence, she and Aiden were being dealt a double whammy. Not only were they in competition with each other, they also had the added competition of another agency soliciting the account, as well.

Curious to know what Aiden thought of this new twist, Chloe cast him a quick, sidelong glance. The man was good at hiding his emotions. His poker face gave her no indication of how he was feeling about the two of them being directly pitted against one another, and she supposed he was smart not to give her any kind of advantage, just as she had no intention of letting her own frustration show.

“In order to create the best presentation and campaign possible, you’ve both been invited to St. Raphael to experience the resort’s amenities and atmosphere for yourselves,” Richard said as he reached for a butterscotch drop in the crystal bowl on his desk—his favorite type of hard candy he usually grazed on in the afternoon as a sweet treat. He unwrapped the confection and slipped it into his mouth, sucking on the candy for a few seconds before speaking again.

“Fully immersing yourself in the experience will give you a better idea of what works, what doesn’t and what the resort needs to change or elevate in terms of quality, service and overall customer satisfaction.”

Aiden rubbed a hand along his tense jaw. “So, you want us to go through the matchmaking process along with everyone else registered at the resort?” he asked their boss.

“Just go through the motions, Landry,” Perry said with a casual wave of his hand. “You’re not there to find the love of your life, but you can’t create an effective campaign without knowing what you’re up against. In this case, there are millions of dollars on the line. The other firm’s executives will be there, as well, so I trust that you both can handle the situation and what you’re required to do?”

Perry’s request was more of a subtle challenge than a question, and Chloe wasn’t about to voice her own aversion to mingling with other desperate singles and risk being replaced by another hungry ad executive who’d kill to have the opportunity she was being given. This wouldn’t be the first time she’d stepped into the dirty trenches to get the job done, and if she had to endure organized activities, fend off unwanted advances and make small talk with men who’d been deemed compatible for her, well, then, she was willing to suffer for her career.

“Absolutely, Mr. Perry,” she said in a tone as unwavering as her commitment to the firm, and the campaign.

Aiden’s reply was just as resolute. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Richard gave a curt nod, pleased to have them both on board. “You’ll be leaving a week from Monday, so make sure you have all your other accounts covered before you go. Good luck to both of you.”

With that, Perry let them go, and she and Aiden walked in silence back toward the outer offices. As soon as they stepped through the double glass doors, Chloe came to a stop and so did Aiden, both of them still processing everything that had just happened back in Richard’s office.

Aiden gave his head a hard shake. “I didn’t see
that
coming,” he muttered.

“Me, either,” she agreed. She’d anticipated that one of them would have been celebrating right now, preferably her. Instead, there was another firm involved and she and Aiden were now adversaries of sorts, each one of them motivated to do whatever might be necessary to create the winning campaign and outshine the other, while spending a week together at a matchmaking resort.

While they’d always had a great working relationship, they’d never been set against one another, and she hated to think that their drive and ambition to secure this client, and the generous bonus, might ruin their friendly rapport.

She glanced up at Aiden, meeting his vivid gaze, momentarily struck by how mesmerizing those blue orbs could be. “Promise me something?” she blurted out, before she could think better of what she was about to ask. Or why it was so important to her. It just
was.

“Sure,” he said, taking her request very seriously.

Exhaling a deep breath, she put her concerns out in the open before she changed her mind. “Promise me when everything is said and done, if one of us ultimately gets the St. Raphael account, it won’t change our working relationship. Or our friendship,” she added, because she definitely considered him that, too.

He tipped his head, a reassuring smile on his lips. “You should know by now that I don’t operate that way, or hold professional grudges.”

She knew that to be true, but his words relieved her, anyway. “I don’t, either,” she said, and allowed a sassy grin to surface, as well as her competitive nature. “But I hate to see a grown man cry, and I’m sure you’ll be reduced to tears when I’m awarded the campaign.”

Aiden chuckled, clearly amused with her prediction. “Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,” he chided in a deep voice as smooth as aged whiskey, and just as intoxicating. “Just for the record, I have absolutely
no
intention of losing, to the other firm, or to you.”

Now this, a direct challenge, she could handle. “We could spend the rest of the night arguing over that, but let’s make this short and simple. May the best woman win.” She extended her hand toward him.

His much larger hand engulfed hers in a sensual warmth that traveled all the way up her arm, and he leaned in close, his eyes dancing with his own brand of wit and daring. “With the emphasis on
man,
though I’m sure it’ll be a fight to the finish.”

She withdrew her hand from his, doing her best to ignore the heat and awareness his touch had so effortlessly aroused in her. “Oh, yeah, you can count on that.”

Game on.

* * *

“S
O
,
WHAT
BRINGS
YOU
to my neck of the woods?” Sam Landry, Aiden’s younger brother by two years, eyed him curiously across the scarred wooden table where they were seated at McGann’s Pub in downtown Boston. “Don’t you usually spend your Friday evenings at that fancy Executive Bar where you work, schmoozing with colleagues?”

Aiden grinned at Sam’s exaggerated description as he lifted his cold bottle of Guinness to his lips for a drink, enjoying the taste of the dark, rich stout. His brother, a P.I., never missed an opportunity to rib Aiden about his white-collar profession, especially since it was such a departure from the proud family tradition.

Their grandfather had been a decorated cop for the Boston Police Department, then their father, Jack, followed by Sam—until his brother had been shot on the job and the injury had forced him to reevaluate his career and future. Even though Sam no longer worked for BPD, he was still entrenched in the business as a private investigator who often used his past connections with the force to help him in the current cases he worked on.

Everyone had assumed that Aiden would carry the same torch for justice and head off to the police academy once he graduated college. Instead, he’d shocked everyone when he made the decision to major in advertising and marketing over criminal justice his junior year. The big difference between him and Sam was that Aiden loved the creative aspect of his career, while his brother preferred the constant movement of chasing bad guys and the unexpected twists that came with detective work.

While Aiden’s parents had always been supportive about his choice of job and his accomplishments, he knew he’d initially disappointed his father by venturing outside the realm of law enforcement. And being the so-called black sheep who’d strayed from family expectations, it made him an easy target for his brother’s good-natured needling, which he’d grown used to.

Aiden set his bottle of beer back on the table and shot Sam a halfhearted look of irritation. “Do you always have to give me shit because I sometimes prefer a good beer over aged Scotch and want to visit with you?”

“Yeah, I do, because it doesn’t happen often,” his brother answered, his gaze flickering with amusement. “I gotta get my licks in where I can.”

Aiden just shook his head, because despite their differences in personality and profession, and his brother’s penchant for busting his chops, he and Sam had always been close. Aiden, being the firstborn, was far more serious than his carefree, easygoing sibling, but there was no denying that beyond the bond of being brothers, they were also best friends. And now, with their parents retired and living in Florida, he appreciated his relationship with Sam even more.

The truth was, after today’s shake-up at the office, Aiden just wanted to relax and unwind, without the added pressure of smiling and laughing with colleagues when he wasn’t in the mood. He’d even promised Chloe a drink to celebrate her new account with Organic Kitty, but he’d have to make it up to her another time. She was another distraction he didn’t want to deal with tonight, not when he was still trying to process the fact that they’d gone from being coworkers to rivals vying for the same account.