The Relationship Coach (12 page)

“I…I went in and stood around and then I left.”

He needed a few yeses under his belt, and then he would feel the confidence women loved and gravitated towards.

“So, you left the social without speaking to anyone?” Lacey confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Did you contact anyone online?”

“No, I looked around, but I didn’t contact anyone.”

The hum of the camera filled the room. Tension gripped Reed and he hoped his future film audience, as he waited to see how Lacey would deal with her client.

“James,” she said softly, her voice firm. “I’m not here to do the work for you. This is the second time I’ve given you an assignment I don’t think you’ve put your full effort into. You’re paying me a lot of money to help you get into the dating pool, and you’re not making much of an effort to help yourself.”

“It’s hard,” he whined.

Damn straight it was hard, but this was a life lesson the man should have learned in high school…at the latest college.
Grow a spine, man
.

“I understand it’s difficult. But, I don’t have time to waste on someone who is not serious about what we’re doing. You fail another assignment, and we’re done. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I want to date, but I don’t know how.”

“I’m trying to teach you, but I can’t do the work for you.” She paused a moment and stared at him like a mother reprimanding a child. “Are we clear?”

“Okay. What is my next assignment?”

“You are to go to the Friday night special and meet three women. When I say meet them, I need to know their names. Out of the three, I want you to ask one on for a date. You are to play the games and dine with the group. I also want you to bring me emails showing you’ve contacted two women online.”

He took a deep breath. “Women aren’t attracted to me.”

Women were attracted to men who were in control and were confident. This poor soul didn’t have the confidence, and Reed wanted to grab him by the shirt collar and say, “Buck up man. You can do this.”

Lacey gazed at James and shook her head, her voice turned consoling. “James, you’re an attractive man. But you’re shy. Women like a man who is confident and has a take-charge kind of attitude. I want you to go into that social Friday night tall, with your shoulders pulled back. Smile at every woman you meet and say hello. A smile will get a woman’s attention almost every time. I know this isn’t easy for you, but you came to me wanting to change.”

“Okay,” he said and started to rise.

“James?”

“Yes,” he asked, standing before her.

“How are you going into that room Friday night?

He pulled his shoulders back and smiled at her.

“Perfect. You’re a good-looking man, and a woman would be lucky to be with you. Now go out there and conquer the world. I know you can do it.”
Reed drew his shoulders back, smiled and resisted the urge to beat on his chest. He wanted to go out and conquer the world, and he knew what a crock this business was.

Lacey stood. “You worked hard today. Give me a hug.”

James gave her a quick hug and walked out the door, giving the camera a quick, shy glance.

Lacey sank into a chair and seemed to melt. She made some quick notes in the computer and turned to Reed.

She was good, damn good, and this man did need some confidence to meet women. Reed wanted to go to a bar, smile at all the women he met, and try out her techniques. And he knew he’d be successful because he’d used those techniques before.

“Did you get what you needed?”
Reed sat down across from her and gave her his best come-and-get-it-smile. “That was great. I’m ready to go trolling and try your techniques.”

She shot him an exasperated glance, clearly not affected by his moves. “Please, promise me you will not make him look like a fool. He’s a sweet, shy man who needs confidence and some help in learning how to date.”

Reed shook his head. “I’m not here to make your clients look like fools. I’m here to show how your business works. But that was good, and you were right.”

A twinge of guilt poked him at the lie he’d just told. He reminded himself he was doing it to help people see how relationship coaches were not legitimate. Yet, what she’d done with James didn’t really show that. In fact, nothing he’d filmed so far showed her doing anything, but being helpful.

“My next client does not want to be filmed, so you guys need to disappear.”

He sighed, still searching for that one piece of evidence that would show her as a fraud. “Our next shoot with a client is not until tomorrow. I think I’ll hang around and talk to some of your staff.”

God, she looked gorgeous sitting there. A frown creased her forehead, and he had the most insistent urge to reach over and kiss her full on the lips. He wondered what she’d taste like. He wondered how she’d feel in his arms.

“All right, but don’t film any of my clients that come in the door. I don’t need anyone to sue me because they were filmed when they didn’t sign a release,” she warned.

“You worry too much. People love to be on camera.”

“No, not everyone loves to be on camera,” she said. “And make sure my staff has signed a written release to appear in your documentary.”

“Okay.”

He shook his head to clear his mind and his body of the image of the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms, breathing heavy, bodies glistening with sweat. She was dating someone, and he was making a documentary about her business that would be less than flattering and expose her as a fraud.

Naked thoughts of the two of them didn’t belong in his brain, even if his body did like the idea and the reaction.

***

Amanda gazed at the cameraman Ty. He was kind of cute, with his jeans, sandals and t-shirt. He wasn’t the kind of guy she was normally attracted to, but then again, the men she seemed to date never worked out, except for Jason. And even with him, there were times she wondered what she was doing.

Ty pointed the camera, and Reed took a seat across from her. She flipped her hair off her shoulder and tried to calm her nerves.

“Action,” Ty called.

“Amanda, how long have you known and worked for Lacey Morgan?” Reed asked, his expression all business.

“We went to college together. Five years ago she decided to form Mate Incorporated and asked me to join her as the marketing director.” Those had been the days they struggled to make enough money to pay their salaries.

“What do you do for her business?” Reed asked, his professional voice silky smooth.

“I schedule her speaking engagements, try to get us new speaking venues, and do all the promotional materials for the company.”

“You attend all her engagements?”

Amanda smiled at him. “Yes, I’m the one behind the scenes, setting everything up, making sure we have all the necessary handouts, the refreshments, selling tapes and videos.”

A nervous buzzing began in her stomach. This felt stilted and not at all natural like she’d imagined the interview would go.

“Her business has grown in the last two years.”

She crossed her legs and tried to relax, easing her tense shoulders. “Yes, people are tired of dating the same old way or even online. At least, by using our service, we screen who they meet.”

“Are there ever any problems? Stalkers? People who dislike each other at first sight?”

The question felt odd, and for a moment, she wondered why he wanted to know. “Every business has problems. As for stalkers, our clientele are thoroughly screened. We’ve had clients who disliked each other, but the files are marked, and we reevaluate their needs and what they’re looking for in a mate.”

His face was devoid of emotion, no excitement, no displeasure, just a blank expression, like she was talking to a robot.

“Any angry boyfriends or girlfriends come after Lacey for breaking them up?”

She frowned and wondered at his questions. Why wasn’t he asking about the business side of what they did? “Lacey is not the reason behind a couple breaking up. Our clients are taught to look inward and recognize the type of person they’re searching for. Our clients make all their own decisions. Lacey only helps them discover more about themselves and what they want. When a person knows what he wants in a mate or companion, then he makes better choices.”

Reed glanced down at his notes, like he was searching for a magical question. This interview was stranger than any she’d ever given before. She kept waiting for him to ask how they’d gotten started or how they’d grown the business, but instead he was focused on the negative.

“Even at her speaking engagements, there have never been any angry spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, looking to get back at Lacey for ending their relationship?” he asked, gazing intently at her like she was withholding information.

Amanda stopped, took a deep breath, and carefully considered her response. She didn’t understand why he was focusing on possible problems. Didn’t he want to know how they’d built this business from nothing to being prosperous?

“Never.”

He’d asked this same type of question over and over, each time from a new angle like he was trying to confuse her into revealing something terrible. It wasn’t going to work.Leaning toward her, he smiled. “Surely, there have been dissatisfied clients.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “There are always people you can’t help or who refuse to be helped. Our goal is to help the people we can. If we can’t help them, we refund their money and wish them well.”

“You refund their money?” Reed asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Of course,” Amanda responded, straightening in her seat. “We want satisfied clients.” She enunciated every single word and watched his mouth purse with displeasure.

She liked seeing him a little unsettled. His questions were creating doubts in her mind about how he intended to portray their business and that disturbed her. Lacey was her best friend, her business partner, and Reed Hunter was crazy if he thought she’d be unprofessional and spill company secrets in this interview.

Reed motioned for Ty to cut the camera. Then he stared at her. “Would you mind if I continued this interview at another time?”

Her mouth opened in surprise as unease gripped her insides like moss to wet concrete. That was it? It was over? “But we haven’t talked about the business model or our mission statement. I thought you’d want to discuss those.”

Reed smiled at her in a condescending way. “Sure. But let’s do it another time.”

Ty laid the camera down and began to pack away the equipment. Amanda watched as Reed rose from his chair and began to help the cameraman.

“What about the other employees? Do you want to talk to any of them?”

Reed glanced back at her, his brows raised. “I’ll let you know.”

Bewildered, Amanda sat there. All the questions he’d asked pointed toward the negative. He hadn’t been interested in learning about the positive aspects of their business. Maybe she’d misinterpreted something that wasn’t there, but her inner voice warned her maybe things weren’t as they appeared.

To have a documentary expose their business in a negative way would be devastating. Lacey needed to know Amanda’s suspicions about Reed Hunter.

***

Tired, Lacey rode the elevator down to the parking garage, her briefcase full of notes on clients she needed to match and ideas to research for the television show. There was always something to do, and she usually worked each night at home for several hours.

But she loved her work. She loved helping people find the connection that lasted a lifetime. She loved helping people get out of a dating rut, especially clients like James, who were shy, loveable, and lonely.

All in all, her life was good. The days of her mother’s bohemian lifestyle and being dragged from one home to the next were long gone. Sharing rooms with step-sisters, the ugly break-ups, and packing on the sly were in the past.

Now her life was stable, content and her job fulfilling. Dean and his less than perfect credit score was the only blip on the radar at the moment. They had yet to discuss the matter, and her intuition told her he was putting off the discussion.

Coach Lacey would tell a client to step back and take a serious look at this man. Make certain there were no other hidden surprises lurking before you took that next step. Yet, she felt uncertain. She loved Dean.

The elevator door dinged and opened into the depths of the garage, the smell of exhaust fumes smacking her in the face. Her heels clicked across the concrete as she hurried to her Prius.

Two cars down from hers, a man was bent over, deep into the bowels of his Mustang engine, cursing. His rear end was round, firm and… Oh, my God.

“Reed?” she asked.

He rose and turned to gaze at her, his face red from being bent over. “Hi.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, seeing the frustration etched on his scowling face.

“My car won’t start.”

Lacey set her briefcase down, glanced under the hood, and wiggled a few wires.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

Why did men always assume a woman knew nothing about cars?
Big mistake
. “Step-father number four was a mechanic and insisted my sister and I learn the basics of auto care, in case we ever stalled somewhere,” she said, not rising up from examining his engine.

“Oh,” he said, surprised.

She rose and glanced at him. “Your problem is pretty easy. You have a dead battery.” She pointed to the poles. “See that corrosion? That’s acid and you don’t have any juice left in it.”

“Damn! You can see I haven’t spent much time under the hood of a car,” he said, peering inside at the ugly white chemical goo. “I could call the auto club, but they’ll take forever. I’m expected at Skyline High School in twenty minutes.”

“I think you’re going to be late.” She gazed at him. “Can I give you a ride?” She had no plans tonight other than to work at home, so she didn’t mind helping him.

“Would you? That would be a big help. I’ll find a ride back from the school afterwards.”

“Not at all. My Prius is over here.”

“You drive a Prius?”

“Yeah, I love it,” she said, as he slammed the hood of his car and manually locked the doors.