Ship of Dreams (Dreams Come True Series Book 2) (19 page)

A chorus of disappointed
no’s
followed.

“Well. Looks like a threesome, then,” Jack said with a smile.

“Super,” came Nathan’s lackluster reply.

Laura grinned.
Check.

Chapter 16

Stepping out onto the Manhattan Woods Clubhouse terrace, Laura took in the view of the New York City skyline. Laura’s parents had been members of the private club since it opened in 1998. In fact, it had been the scene of Laura’s futile flirtations with Jack. It had also been the scene of the golf lessons she and Darcy took. That is before Darcy got bored and ditched her for riding lessons.

Her mother had rarely played golf, if at all, preferring to sit on the terrace and gossip with the other country club wives. But she remembered her father bringing current and potential customers to the club to both impress and intimidate.

She hadn’t been at the club in ages, choosing to avoid her parents and their haunts if at all possible. Besides, other than golf, the country club environment held little appeal for her.

She heard the sound of footsteps and the unmistakable click of golf cleats. Turning, she let out a reluctant sigh. Nathan stood wearing a green golf shirt and navy slacks, a cap pulled down low over his face, looking like he could conquer anything the golf course threw at him.

“Jack’s on his way. He ran into someone in the locker room,” Nathan said through tight lips.

Laura could see the muscles working in his jaw. Well, even though she’d agreed to participate in this little outing, it wasn’t high on her list of where she’d rather be today either. She’d come out of self-preservation and a need to protect her territory. Nodding, she turned back to the view.

She felt more than heard his presence close behind her. He leaned in, and she smelled his cologne. Flashes of naked bodies, hot kisses, and even hotter sex darted through her brain. Why did the sense of smell have to trigger such strong memories? Her stomach clenched and she closed her eyes.

“You think you’ll win the Imperial account by playing the sex card?” he said
sotto voce
.

She stiffened. That was rich. So he thought she was sleeping with Jack? And to get the Imperial account, no less. As if she’d need to sleep with him to get the business. If she weren’t so insulted she’d laugh at the absurdity.

She could tell him he was wrong, but he wouldn’t believe it. She could tell him about Jack, but he probably wouldn’t believe that either. Who would, really? Even so, it wasn’t her place to open that closet door.

She was grateful now that Jack had stopped her that night,
er
, well, that him being gay stopped her, because now that’d she’d seen Nathan again, she realized she probably couldn’t have done the deed with Jack even if he wasn’t gay. Nathan had apparently spoiled her for all other men.

Dammit.

Well, let him
think
she and Jack were doing the deed. What did she care?

Except that she did.

A little.

Okay, a lot. She cared a lot. And way more than she should.

“Yes.” She faced him, pasting a brilliant smile on her lips. “I’ve been told that once men have sex with me they can’t deny me anything,” throwing what he’d once said to her back in his face. “Even multi-million dollar advertising accounts.”

Before he could respond, Jack joined them on the terrace. “Good morning, Laura.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she glared directly into Nathan’s judging eyes.

“Good morning, Jack.”

“Let’s hit the driving range. I could use a warm up.”

Nathan seethed as he fol
lowed Jack and Laura out to the driving range. He couldn’t help asking himself whether he resented her sly machinations to win the account or if he was just jealous.

There was no denying his blood boiled to think of the two of them in bed. Of Jack’s hands on her. His mouth.

Jealousy. Plain and simple.

Then he thought about the bonus drifting out of reach, and with it, the loss of his grandmother’s farm. And the only stable home his sister had ever known. No. Definitely resentment.

Okay. Both.

If she’d had a penis, he wouldn’t even be having this internal monologue. Of course, if she’d had a penis he wouldn’t have experienced some of the best sex he’d ever had.

In his life.

Ever.

His hands fisted at his side. He liked Jack. Looked forward to working with him if—when—Hawk got the account—and he didn’t want any tension between them.

Laura stepped up to the practice tee and addressed the ball, her long legs and taut ass displayed to perfection in the white shorts she wore. The sound of her club hitting the ball made a satisfying
whisk
. She had a beautiful swing, he had to give her that. And not too shabby on the distance, either.

Her hair, pulled back in her standard tail, draped across one shoulder. He remembered the silky feel of that hair, loose and tousled, as it draped across his face, his chest . . . and regions further south. He held back a groan.

“Nathan?” Jack interrupted his thoughts. “You going to hit some balls?”

“Yeah.” Nathan shifted uncomfortably before dropping a few balls at his feet. He felt stiff, not having played in several months. Relaxing his shoulders, he assumed his stance, and tried to put Laura and her little games—and her hair—out of his head.

Like riding a bicycle, he thought as he found his swing. He watched as the ball flew past the three hundred yard marker.

Jack emitted a sharp whistle. “Damn, Nathan. I thought you said you hadn’t played in a while. Even Tiger would envy that drive.”

Jack stepped up to the tee and took a swing. The ball flew straight and true, landing just short of the three hundred yard marker.

The three hit a few more balls, switching from woods to irons. Nathan kept his head down. Focusing on nothing but his swing. And sometimes Laura’s ass when she bent over to retrieve another ball. He was a man, after all.

“It’s about tee time,” Jack said as he dropped his eight iron back in his bag.

“I hear you’re looking for a fourth.”

Nathan heard Laura gasp and he glanced up into her ashen face.

“Father! What are you doing here?”

Ah, the venerable Milton Armstrong.

“I believe I’m a member of this club. I could ask the same of you.” He leveled her with a glare as if she’d been caught red-handed stealing from the cookie jar. “Your grandmother sends her regards, by the way.”

“Yes. I received her . . . regards on the ship.”

Milt pointed at her. “That mouth is why she disinherited you.”

“No. She disinherited me because she couldn’t control me.”

Jack stepped up and held out his hand to the tall, heavyset man with graying hair and a slight paunch. Good to see you, Milt.” The two men shook hands. “I invited Laura to play.”

“I’d like to introduce you to Nathan Maxwell,” Jack continued. “Nathan recently moved to New York from Atlanta to join Hawk Media.” Jack turned to Nathan.

Nathan shook Milton’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.” He shot a glance at Laura. At least she had some color in her face now. And that color was beet red. If looks could kill, her father would be six feet under about now.

Milton clapped Nathan on the shoulder as if they were old friends. “McCutcheon’s told me about you. So you’re the man who’ll be handling the Imperial account.”

Nathan pasted a smile on his face, uncomfortable with Milton’s presumptuousness. “Well, first I have to convince both the Jeffries and Imperial’s board that Hawk Media is the agency for them.”

Milton led Nathan away. “Oh, you’ll win the account. You can take that to the bank.” Nathan slid another glance at Laura. Her lips were pressed into a straight line, and her jaw looked like it would shatter if she clenched it any harder.

What the hell was going on here?

Laura stood frozen to the spot. She’d seen her father
do some pretty underhanded things, but this topped them all.

“Laura, I’m really sorry.” Jack stepped close, keeping his voice down. “I mentioned something to my father about our tee time and he must have told Milt. I had no idea he was going to be here.”

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.” It was so like her father to insert himself into the group. He had no shame. At least
she’d
been invited.

“I could tell him you have a headache.”

“No. Absolutely not.” She’d been shocked at first, but pissed and then some had taken its place. She’d be damned if she’d let him have his way and run her off.

“All right, then.” He slung his arm over her shoulder. “Let’s go kick some golf course ass.”

Nathan and her father were already at the first tee, and from her perspective looked to be yukking it up like two long-lost friends.

“How about we make this interesting?” her father said as she and Jack approached. “Four person best ball, Nathan and me against you two. Losers buy lunch.”

Laura rolled her eyes.
Gee. Competitive much? Who could I possibly have gotten that from?

“Unless you’re afraid of losing.” Her father directed this at her.

She shrugged. “I’ve always been the better golfer.”

Her father turned to Nathan, a smug smile on his lips. “Who wouldn’t be better if they hit the ball from the girlie tees?” He followed up with a chuckle.

“All right, fine. I’ll hit from the big-boy tees.”

“And no handicap,” her father added. “If you can’t run with the big dogs, you’d better stay on the porch. Right, Nathan?”

Nathan didn’t know what the deal was between father and daughter, bu
t he didn’t like Milton’s treatment of Laura, regardless of what she’d done. As far as he could tell, Milton was shaping up to be a first-class asshole.

“Ladies first,” Nathan said with as warm a smile as he could muster.

Laura grabbed a ball, a tee, and her driver out of her bag for the four hundred and twenty-six yard par four. After taking a couple of practice swings, she stepped up to the ball. She swung and drove the ball down the middle of the fairway about a hundred ninety yards from the tee.

“Looking a little rusty, there,” Milt said as he took his position in the tee box without waiting for an invitation.

Jack walked over and squeezed her arm. “Good job.”

Milt’s tee shot sliced and landed just off the right fairway two hundred thirty yards out.

“Now who’s looking a little rusty,” Laura said with a smirk, drawing a glower from Milton. “He always had a problem with his slice.”

Jack took his place and drove the ball down the middle several yards past Laura’s.

Nathan slapped Jack on the shoulder. “Nice,” he said then stepped into the tee box. He out-drove them all with a clean shot two hundred eighty-five yards down the fairway.

“Ha, ha. I knew I’d picked you for a reason,” Milton said as he climbed into his golf cart, inviting Nathan to join him.

Laura breezed past and climbed into the cart with Jack, her nose in the air.

At the eleventh hole, Jack two-putted, giving Laura the hole, and putting th
em up by one over Nathan and Milton. She and Jack gave each other high fives, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from sticking it out at her father like an insolent twelve-year old.

Jack stepped up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Way to go, Laura, ‘Jack Nicholas’ Armstrong.”

She laughed and smacked him on the arm. Thank God for Jack’s soothing influence. Of course he was the one who’d gotten her into this golf game from hell in the first place. When this was over, there was a martini, or three, with her name all over it, or them.

Nathan had been quiet the last few holes, only interacting when directly engaged. Probably wishing he’d stayed home and avoided the whole dysfunctional Armstrong father-daughter experience.

The twelfth hole was a relatively short, straight-forward par three, except for the moat-like sand traps that surrounded the green. Selecting her four wood, she placed her tee and ball, took some practice swings, and drawing the club back, swung smooth and even, making contact with the ball. All eyes watched as the ball arced, hit the flagstick, and . . . landed in the cup.

“Holy shit!” Jack yelled. “Did you see that?” He whooped. “You just made a hole-in-one!”

Laura jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist as he swung her around. “Oh my God! I’ve never made a hole-in-one!” Her laughter rang out.

“I’ve never
witnessed
a hole-in-one!” Jack flashed an irresistible broad grin.

Laura grabbed the sides of his head and hauled him in for a kiss right on the mouth.

“Damned pure luck, nothing more,” Milt grumbled. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Nathan couldn’t hold back his smile, even while watching Laura kiss the man who coul
d be a key decision-maker about his future. And his sister’s. But dammit. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t often that you witnessed a hole-in-one. In fact, he’d never seen an ace first-hand, and it was damned impressive. No matter who made it.

He’d also never seen the reserved Laura so exuberant. Well, other than in bed, pressed up against the shower wall, oh, and in the bathtub. That Jack was the recipient of all that exuberance rankled a bit, but there was no denying her joy was infectious. And that she’d done it in front of her asshole father only added to the sweetness for her, he was sure.

Nathan’s gaze slid to Milt, who sat in the golf cart going over his scorecard and pouting.

Jack set her on her feet, but Nathan doubted her feet actually touched the ground. He walked over and awkwardly patted her on the back. “Congratulations, Laura. I guess that means drinks are on you.”

She released a throaty laugh that socked him in his gut. God how he missed that.

“I’ll buy all the rounds you like.”

Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She looked beautiful. And he’d give just about anything to kiss that mouth and the tantalizing dimple that formed there.

He settled for teeing off instead.

Milt’s cockiness ebbed following Laura’s ace, and even though the game ended with him and Nathan the victors by two, he didn’t stick around for lunch. Or celebratory drinks. Guess he didn’t want to celebrate his daughter’s ace. He’d simply shaken Nathan’s and Jack’s hands and left, without a word to Laura.