Winner Takes All (13 page)

Mark flushed from pleasure. “I’m honored that you remembered my name, Mr. Hammond.”

“Cole, please. And I make it a point to remember the names of excellent journalists who write for the competitor’s magazine. How do you know Eva?”

“We went to college together,” Eva said, coming out of her trance. There was nothing for her to do with this new information but to deal with it and move on. At least now she would stop building dream castles around Reed. Reed didn’t exist. “I’ve known Mark for more than ten years.”

“And how do you know Eva?” Mark asked.

“We’re discussing a business deal,” Cole explained. “In fact, there’s something we need to talk about right now. Will you excuse us for a moment?”

Eva wasn’t having it. She didn’t want to talk to him. “Actually, cocktail hour is almost over, and I fear we’re monopolizing our host. I couldn’t in all good conscience take up any more of your time. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Hammond.”

Mark echoed her words and led her away. The second they were out of earshot, he said, “Are you okay?”

She took a deep breath. “I think I’m all right, considering I just ruined my career. Wyndham’s will never get the Hammond collection after this and you know what? I don’t care. It’ll probably bug the hell out of me tomorrow, but tonight, I’m too angry and disappointed. Oh, my God, Mark.” They were in a deserted corner now, and she felt comfortable laying her head against his shoulder. “Cole Hammond. I have a crush on Cole Hammond. How self-destructive can a girl get?”

He didn’t have an answer for that. “Do you want to leave?”

“Yes,” she said without thinking. Of course she wanted to go home and lick her wounds in private. But she reconsidered. “No, we’ll stay. My foolishness needs to be punished. And I’m feeling remarkably calm. Maybe because Cole Hammond is so unbelievably ridiculous. It’s the things that are right outside our grasp that taunt and hurt us the most. Cole Hammond is so far away he and I aren’t even on the same planet. This is good. Reed whatever-his-name, if he existed, probably would have really broken my heart. Now it’s just bruised.”

Mark listened to this speech and then enveloped her in a hug. “You’re going to be okay. We both are.”

Eva pulled back. “What are you worrying about? I tell you I saw lust in Ruth’s eyes today. You, my friend, are home-free.”

He smiled sadly. “Well, I’ll believe it when I see it and not a moment before.”

***

From across the room Cole watched Eva disappear into Mark’s arms, and he felt a knot of jealousy coil in his gut. They were just friends. Knowing that they had met in college ten years before convinced him of that. But still it tore at him to see her in another man’s arms. That was a problem. He had never felt this way before and wasn’t particularly sure he liked it. Perhaps things had worked out for the best. If Eva could make him feel like this on such short acquaintance, it unsettled him to think what she would be able to do to him when he knew her better. Maybe he wouldn’t pursue it further. He’d let his mother deal with Wyndham’s and he’d stay out of it.

The hell he would.

Cole was walking over to the quiet corner where Eva had sought solace when his mother intercepted him.

“Cole dear, I was just telling the Mercers about your new project,” she said, after he introduced her to a well-groomed couple in their fifties. “They own luxury resorts in the Caribbean and all over, and since your new site is dedicated to travel, I thought you could all discuss a promotion for the launch.”

Although he thought the idea had merit, Cole couldn’t help but wish the Mercers to the devil and his mother along with them. Loretta Hammond was the consummate hostess, and she didn’t only arrange introductions to further her or her son’s business. She genuinely enjoyed bringing people together.

Cole spoke with the Mercers for several minutes, deciding in the end that he’d have Philip get in touch with them about a promotion. It was a very good idea indeed, and he made a note to thank his mother later. Just as soon as he strangled her for thwarting his chance to talk with Eva. She was no longer hiding in the corner. Cole was afraid that she was no longer hiding at all. What if she’d left? He wanted to follow her but had responsibilities to his mother and Hammond Communications that he couldn’t abandon no matter how much he wanted to. That was why he was relieved to spot her ten minutes later at the bar, refreshing her drink.

This time he made no progress at all. As soon as he changed directions, he was accosted by Lucy’s parents. Cole wanted to be rude but this evening meant a lot to his mother, so he restrained himself and watched Eva walk away.

Cocktail hour ended soon after, and they were called into the dining area amid the famous Frank Lloyd Wright spiral. Cole considered approaching her table but hosting duties prevented him from taking a moment for himself. He knew exactly where she was seated—it was only when he had found her place card earlier that he had known for sure she was coming—and he kept one eye trained on her at all times.

At some point during the three-course meal, his mother leaned over his shoulder and said, “Your Ms. Butler is here. I haven’t had a chance to say hello, but I’m looking forward to it. You must introduce me.” Then she moved along to the next table, sparing him the need to reply.

During the half-hour fashion show-auction, Eva hung back from the crowd. He could tell that she was intrigued by the event. Lacking the austerity of an auction hall, it differed greatly from anything Wyndham’s had ever mounted. Her interest was almost exclusively professional. The clothing, though some of it quite gorgeous, didn’t hold her attention. Despite her very beautiful, very sexy red dress, she wasn’t consumed by fashion. He’d noticed that right away and had found it appealing. He had dated too many clotheshorses.

After the auction, the DJ was sent home and a twenty-piece orchestra played classic tunes. Now, thought Cole, was finally the time to talk to Eva, and nothing, not even his mother, who was rapidly approaching him, would stop him.

“Mother, I don’t have the time to—”

“Would now be a good time to introduce me to Ms. Butler?”

Smiling brightly, he offered his mother his arm. “I’d be delighted.”

Eva saw them walking toward her table, and Cole noticed the moment she realized she was trapped. There was no running away this time. Not from the Hammond matriarch. Cole was prepared to press his advantage to a shameful degree.

“Ms. Butler,” he said, approaching her. She backed up awkwardly and only stopped when her legs hit Mark’s chair. “I want you to meet my mother, Loretta Hammond. It’s she you’ll have to convince if you want the Hammond collection to be a feather in your cap. And this is her escort, Mark Roberts.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hammond,” said Eva, determined to be professional, even though she believed Wyndham’s didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. “Thank you very much for inviting me. It’s a lovely affair and from what I saw of that auction, a very successful one as well. The Hammond Foundation is a very worthy cause. You must be very proud to have done such a wonderful job.”

This was a lovely speech and one that Eva had practiced several times the night before. Loretta took her hand and held it for a moment. “Considering that you’re the auction expert, I take that compliment very seriously. Thank you. And thank you for your generous donation to the foundation.”

“It’s the least Wyndham’s can do.”

“Yes, Wyndham’s. My son says you have put together an impressive proposal.”

Eva’s eyes flew to Cole. He was staring at her with his intense blue gaze, giving away nothing. “I’m relieved that he thinks so,” she said demurely.

“We’ll have to set something up for next week.”

“I’d like that.”

Cole smiled. “Mother, since business is done, perhaps you can persuade this very beautiful woman in the stunning red dress to dance with me? For some inexplicable reason, she seems wary of me.”

Loretta laughed. “It’s hardly inexplicable. But I don’t think one dance would do her any harm.”

Eva could think of no graceful way out, so with a desperate look at Mark, she accepted Cole’s arm and let him escort her onto the dance floor. The orchestra was playing something slow and sexy that Eva didn’t recognize. As he pulled her into his arms, she cautioned herself to be strong. This was Cole Hammond. Not the almost-within-her-grasp Reed.

“Finally,” he said softly in her ear, “a moment alone. I’ve been trying for this all evening.”

“Have you, Mr. Hammond?” she said coolly, fighting the wonderful feelings that were coursing through her body.

He tightened his grip. “Can you doubt it? That red dress has been driving me crazy for hours.”

Eva’s body responded to the warmth and strength of his, but she resisted. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hammond, if my presence here this evening has been a problem for you.”

He laughed in her ear, a low husky sound that sent shivers down her spine. “Yes, Mr. Hammond me to death. I know you’re very cross about that. And I suppose I deserve it.”

“On the contrary, Mr. Hammond,” she said, striving to remain indifferent, “it is what I deserve for not extensively googling a potential client.”

He smiled, amused. “You don’t sound as if you believe that.”

“I do, Mr. Hammond. I should never have behaved so foolishly, and I learned a valuable lesson. It will never happen again.”

“That’s a shame. I had a wonderful time with you at lunch the other day.” He pulled her closer. “I was hoping we could repeat the experience soon.”

Eva closed her eyes and willed herself to stay strong. He certainly knew what he was doing. No wonder women fell all over themselves to be with him. She would not. “It was just a business meeting, Mr. Hammond. I daresay you have at least a dozen a day.”

It irked him that she could be so dismissive of an experience that had stayed with him for hours and days afterward. “It was not just a business meeting,” he insisted, his voice no longer quite as smooth. “It was more than that and you know it. If had just been a business meeting you wouldn’t have looked at me as though you wanted to devour me in the cab. And if it had been just a business meeting, you wouldn’t have looked so disappointed when I hopped back into the cab without making further plans.”

Eva had no idea that she was so easy to read. She knew, of course, that she was no mystery lady, but she never imagined that she was as clear as glass. “Thank you, Mr. Hammond, for pointing out just how foolish my behavior was. I had thought that I knew the whole of it, but I see now there was even more. Is there anything else, Mr. Hammond, that you want to embarrass me with?”

“Damn it,” he growled in her ear. “Call me Cole. And it’s not my intention to embarrass you. Trust me—he slide his hands down her back and pressed her body impossibly closer—“that’s the last thing I want to do to you.”

He was good. She hadn’t quite realized how good he was, but she wouldn’t be swayed or seduced and she wouldn’t succumb or surrender. Her sense of self-preservation was too strong. She considered struggling free from his grasp, but pride kept her still in his arms. He would not know how much he disconcerted her. “Mr. Hammond, in light of the circumstances, I think it would be best for all involved if we keep our relationship on a professional level.” She was pleased with how cool and dispassionate she sounded.

Since he knew she Mr. Hammonded him again just to be irksome, he bit back his annoyance. “It’s a little late for that.”

She very much feared the truth of this statement. Her feelings for him were stronger than anything she had ever experienced before, but that would not get in the way of the Wyndham deal. She would not risk her future on a fling that would sizzle and wither within a month or two. Neither her career nor her heart could stand it. She looked him in the eye and blinked innocently. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Her attempt at disinterest only amused him. “Yes, you do. You know exactly what I mean. Do you think you can fool me?” he asked, his words a seductive breath on her cheek. “I can feel your heart pounding against your rib cage as clearly as I can feel my own. I could make you admit it right here on the dance floor with my mother and the museum trustees and half the fashion world looking on. One kiss and you’d be quivering. One kiss and you’d dissolve into a senseless pool of desire. One kiss and you’d be begging for me to take you somewhere private.”

Eva knew it was true. She knew and almost hated him for making her realize it. Almost.

“But I won’t,” he said, his voice suddenly cool. “As I much as I want to taste you, as much as I want to feel you tremble in my arms, as much as I want to hear you moan Cole in that sexy voice, I won’t. I’ll wait. I’ll give you time to think about all the things I want to do to you, with you. I’ll let you imagine how I’ll touch you and feel you and stroke you. I want you wound so tightly that the very act of breathing hurts. Only then will I prove it. It will be a pleasure, for both of us.”

Fighting the urge to run away, she kept her eyes fixed on a distant point across the dance floor and struggled to regain control of her body. She wanted him. She was already a senseless pool of desire, and all they had done was dance. How could he do this to her? For God’s sake, they were words, only words.

They were both silent for the rest of the dance, and they clapped politely when the song ended. Then he lead her back to the table, where Mark was standing with a cup of coffee.

“Think about what I said, Ms. Butler,” Cole ordered with the sort of calm professionalism she had practically been pleading for earlier. “We should get together soon to discuss it.”

She nodded curtly but made no other response.

“Call my office. Mark”—he held out his hand—“it was a pleasure meeting you. Congratulations again on your series from Afghanistan. It really is excellent work.”

He strolled away and Eva sat down. She resisted the urge to lay her head on the table. That would be a little too undignified.

Mark gently ran his hand up her back. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little off my game.” A little? she scoffed. How was that for understatement?