Secret Crush Seduction, page 4
And she had no right to resent Michael for not wanting to work with her. She’d tried to manipulate him into being part of her project. She owed him an apology for that, but her reasons for seeking Michael’s help had not changed. She needed to publicize the event and make connections with bighearted donors, which meant she needed a PR specialist. Hansol and her family trusted Reynolds PR, and that was who she would go with. Michael had plenty of competent employees who would jump at the chance.
If she closed her eyes, Adelaide could still feel the slide of his mouth against her hot skin and his tightly reined desire shaking to break free. His blue eyes had turned nearly black as they’d roamed down her body, and she’d felt a thousand sparks alight on her skin. She’d wanted to climb him and devour his mouth even before he’d touched her.
Adelaide opened her eyes and released a shuddering sigh. Hell. She could not have feelings for Michael again. He was wise to be weirded out. What they needed was their friendship back. Not this stilted, impersonal “friendship” they had now, but the one they used to share as kids, where they trusted and cared deeply about each other. Where loyalty was never in doubt.
She slid into a seat near the center of the table, and dialed the Reynolds PR main line on the conference speaker phone. This was business. Calling Michael’s cell phone would be unprofessional.
“Reynolds PR. This is Trisha speaking. How may I direct your call?”
“Hi, Trisha. This is Adelaide Song. I need to hire a PR specialist for a charity event I’m organizing for Hansol. This project is independent of Hansol’s general business, so I’d rather not pull anyone from the current Hansol team.”
“Of course, Ms. Song. I’ll connect you to someone who could answer your questions in detail and assign the right specialist for you.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Trisha.”
Lounge music filled her ears as she waited on hold, swinging from left to right on her wheeled leather chair.
“Ms. Song?” A male voice interrupted the bad Muzac, and she released a breath of relief.
“Who am I speaking with?”
“This is Aiden Lewis.”
“Oh... Hello, Aiden.” Great. The very man Michael warned me off of. Well, it wasn’t like she’d asked for him. He was just a point person to assist her for now. “Please call me Adelaide. So has Trisha filled you in on my general needs?”
“Oh, yes.” A spark of life entered Aiden’s bland voice. “It’s fantastic you’re heading a charity project. I have specialized experience in that field, so I hope we get a chance to work together.”
“Well, I’m sure you need to consider all the details before deciding who’s best for the project.” Adelaide pinched the bridge of her nose, irritated by the unwanted complication of dealing with Aiden when Michael had told her not to.
“Yes...well. Of course.” The man flustered easily. She would bet he was nodding furiously on the other end of the call. “When would be a good time for us to meet? I’ll work around your schedule. We could meet for lunch or drinks to discuss the details, if you’d like.”
“Why don’t I come into your office tomorrow afternoon?” she relented, even though she thought this part could be done over the phone. “Does four o’clock work for you?”
“That. Is. Perfection,” Aiden said fervently.
Oh, jeez.
* * *
“Correct me if I’m wrong.” Michael drew a slow breath and fought to dull the murderous edge in his voice. Forcing his fists to unfurl on his desk, he leveled Aiden with a steely gaze. “Are you meeting with one of my longstanding clients without my approval?”
“I thought your client was Hansol Corporation.” Aiden cocked his head, his eyes squinted in confusion. “She specifically requested someone not on the Hansol team.”
“Either way, you should have run it by me. Hansol Corporation is my client, but my authority isn’t confined to one specific team or project. As the head of this company, I oversee every team. Furthermore, I personally represent the Song family when the need arises.”
“Have you ever represented Adelaide?”
Adelaide? Since when had Aiden and she been on a first-name basis?
“No, but Ms. Song comes under the umbrella of the Song family,” Michael said in a low, icy voice. “You stepped over the line when you booked an appointment with her, knowing who she was. And now you are pushing toward insubordination by challenging my authority to decide who represents my clients.”
“I sincerely apologize for not running this by you earlier, but I’m doing so now.” Aiden had switched to a diplomatic, placating tone. “I’m clear on Ms. Song being your client by default, but if you’re not taking her project on yourself then I would like to volunteer my services.”
“Her project entails intimate knowledge of her, her family and Hansol. I’m afraid only I can assist her properly.” Michael made a show of checking his watch and pinned Aiden with an arctic glare. “Get back to work. This conversation is over. I need to prepare for a meeting with my client.”
* * *
Michael paused a few feet from the entrance to the small meeting room where Adelaide was waiting and stared at her. It wasn’t by choice. It was a compulsion. Even though she was Garrett’s little sister, he’d always thought Adelaide was beautiful. From an objective point of view. But there was nothing objective about his appraisal now. He drank her in with selfish greed.
She was even more stunning than usual today. Her shapely legs were crossed at the knees and angled to one side. Her short pencil skirt revealed some skin, but her posture ensured that she didn’t reveal an inch more than she intended. Her long silky hair fell down one side of her shoulders and he wanted to reach out and touch the cool, midnight strands.
Her makeup was immaculate and matched her shimmery gray suit. Her skin was flawless, her long, full eyelashes fanned like a peacock’s tail, and the soft pink stain on her lips looked like what would remain after bloodred lipstick had been kissed off her.
It took Herculean effort to draw in a full breath and clear his face of the lustful expression he knew was there. Michael couldn’t unthink the realization that he wanted Adelaide with a fierce desperation. He yearned to taste every part of her. It was screwed up and wrong, but he had to deal with that later.
Adelaide lifted her eyes from her tablet as Michael strode into the meeting room, closing the door behind him. Her pretty little lips parted in surprise and he nearly groaned. Screwed up or not, he had his hands full controlling his reaction to her.
“I’m supposed to be meeting with Aiden. I called the main line and Trisha transferred me to him, so don’t get your panties in a knot.” Her voice matched the challenge in her expression. “I didn’t come to dig my promiscuous claws into him.”
Michael flinched. “I never implied...” His words trailed off as he noticed all the blinds in the meeting room were closed. Aiden must’ve wanted some privacy. Michael cursed under his breath. “Aiden isn’t suited for your project. Plus, he’s interested in you, which could be a nuisance down the line.”
“I know what you mean. He asked me out for drinks to ‘discuss business.’ I suggested we meet here instead.” Some of the rancor went out of her eyes as she drew her shoulders back. “Michael, I owe you an apology for pulling that childish stunt on you the other night.”
He was too relieved that she had rejected Aiden’s advances to stay angry. But when he opened his mouth to object that she didn’t need to apologize, she pushed on with what sounded like a practiced speech.
“And none of this is about the kitchen incident. I really do need a PR specialist to get the right kind of attention for this project and help with ‘rehabilitating’ my image.” She shrugged her shoulders in a charming, self-deprecating way. “Less party animal, more solid, grounded professional. So will you please find me an amazing specialist?”
Ignoring the sharp twist in his stomach, he forced a half smile. Adelaide wanted to put what had happened behind them. Well, so did he. He wanted nothing more than to forget the troubling moment in the kitchen.
“So you didn’t tell your grandmother I was being a big bully?”
“Oh, please. I don’t tattle.” Her eyes twinkled with mischievous glee when she added, “You could tell her yourself about being a bully and not helping out. She’s going to wonder why you assigned someone else to assist me.”
“I’m not telling her that.”
“Don’t be such a chicken. I’ve come to terms with you not wanting to work with me.” Her teasing tone was almost convincing but a flash of hurt darkened her face before she erased all traces of it. “But I’ll feel a lot better when Hal-muh-nee bites your head off for refusing to help me.”
“Or I could tell her you lied to both of us.” He played along, enjoying the beginnings of her pout.
“Goddammit, Michael. Can’t you just do this one thing for me without rubbing my face in it? We grew up together. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“We didn’t exactly grow up together. I’m eight years older than you. It’s more accurate to say I helped raise you.”
She shifted from being annoyed to pissed off, but he couldn’t stop his teasing. Getting a rise out of her was irresistible. He was enjoying the color surging in her cheeks, the stubborn line of her lips and the flash of temper in her eyes. It was intoxicating because he’d broken through the facade she put up for everyone else. In these rare moments, he saw Adelaide without her masks, and he couldn’t get enough.
God. What would she look like if she fell apart in my arms...crying out my name?
“I...uh...” She blinked rapidly and suddenly seemed unsure. “You’re looking at me strangely. Are you angry? Because I didn’t come here to pick a fight with you. I didn’t even know we were meeting. Just—let’s start over. Hi, I’m Adelaide Song, and I need to hire a PR specialist for my charity event.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Song.” He mentally smacked the side of his head. “My name’s Michael Reynolds and I’ll be assisting you with your event.”
Her face went blank with surprise, then lit up with the most blinding smile he’d ever seen. “Really? You’re forgiving me? You’re going to help?”
“Yes.” He gave in to his chuckle, inexplicably proud of himself for making her happy. “I’ll do everything in my power to make your charity event a success and shape your image to fit who you are now.”
“Thank you, Michael. This means the world to me.” With laughter in her eyes, Adelaide reached across the table and gave his hand a squeeze. “It almost makes me want to forgive you for being an overbearing know-it-all. Almost.”
Fire lit across his skin at her touch, and the soft smile on her face—a real smile just for him—made him ache to kiss her. He linked his fingers through hers and held on to her gaze until the sexual tension squeezed all the air out of his lungs. He dropped her hand, rounded the table and lifted her up by her arms. She squeaked and pressed her hands against his chest, not quite pushing him away.
He was acting like a madman. What was he planning to do? Kiss her until neither of them could breathe. His lustful, out-of-control answer shook him out of his trance. He carefully relaxed his fingers, then dropped his hands to his sides. It was only when he stepped back that he realized Adelaide’s fingers had curled around his lapel. His gaze lowered to her hands and back up to her eyes, and the desire, confusion and hope in them nearly dropped him to his knees.
“Adelaide.” Her name was a hoarse plea on his lips, but he didn’t know what he was begging for.
“Let’s go grab some dinner,” she said brightly, moving away from him.
“Sounds good.” He cleared the gravel from his throat. “We have a life-changing charity event to pull off.”
“You’re damn right we do.” Her smile was an amalgam of regret and determination. She held out her hand and said in a steel-laced voice, “Here’s to our professional relationship.”
He took her hand and shook it firmly, sensing the iron railings crash down around her. In an instant, Adelaide was out of his reach.
Four
Michael would always draw away from her. Seeing her as a woman, as someone he desired, terrified him. Adelaide could see it in his eyes. It probably arose from some misplaced sense of loyalty to Garrett and the rest of the Song clan. Every time his attraction rose to the surface, he drowned himself in guilt and shame. Like he wasn’t worthy. Idiot.
Even so, she couldn’t deny the flash of gratification his attraction brought her. It was small consolation for a decades-long crush, but it was something. She let out a wistful sigh and made another attempt to read over the menu. Finding parking in downtown Los Angeles took more patience than Adelaide possessed at the moment, so they’d strolled to her favorite seafood restaurant a couple blocks from Reynolds PR. One of the small joys of being in DTLA was having incredible eats within walking distance, from food trucks to Michelin-starred restaurants, like the one they were sitting in.
The old-school mahogany decor didn’t encourage a romantic mood. Thank goodness for small mercies. She was already overheated from the reluctant, hot glances Michael shot her way. But indulging in her childish hopes for a happily-ever-after would only hurt them both. It was time to put herself out of misery and forget the brief bursts of desire they’d shared. They were old friends, and business associates now. There couldn’t be anything more between them.
“Are you ready to order?” Their server filled their wineglasses with precision, then straightened. “Or would you like a few more minutes?”
“We’re ready.” Adelaide didn’t want Michael to guess she was too distracted to read through the menu. She hoped her choice was still on this season’s menu. “We’ll start with a dozen Kumamoto oysters and littleneck clams, and I’ll have a Niçoise salad as my main.”
“A lovely choice,” he said, then turned toward Michael. “And for you, sir?”
“Um...” His eyes flickered rapidly across the menu, making her bite her cheek to stop a wicked grin from surfacing. She wasn’t the only one who was having trouble concentrating. “I’ll take the black cod.”
“Excellent.” With a slight bow of his head, the server slipped away.
Silence hung between them as she fiddled with the silverware and he took a sip of wine. Oh, this is ridiculous.
“I’ve been busy the past few weeks,” she blurted a little louder than necessary. Stupid nerves. “I opened a design contest for local college students with a summer internship at Hansol as the grand prize. I already selected ten finalists to be my design team for the charity event.”
“You have been busy.” Michael said, leaning forward in his seat. “How will you choose the winner?”
“The preliminary round was based on their portfolios, but I’ll select the winner based on their design contributions to the sensory-friendly evening collection we’ll debut at the fashion show.”
“You’re raising awareness among future designers, as well as the influential guests and consumers. A masterful move,” he said with open admiration.
Pride filled Adelaide’s heart at his simple praise. He was her friend and his opinion mattered to her. That was all. She gulped down some wine and firmly affixed her business expression. “So when does the PR magic begin?”
“Tonight.” He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll compile a strategic guest list, including the usual fashion icons, philanthropists, lifestyle bloggers and whoever else necessary to peg the fashion show as an A-list event. Then tomorrow...”
When he didn’t continue right away, she prompted him impatiently. “Tomorrow what? What happens tomorrow?”
“Well, starting tomorrow, I need to smile, charm and grovel to get as many of them to attend as possible.”
Adelaide burst out laughing. “You? Groveling? I’ve got to see that.”
“Do you, now?” A sly glint entered his eyes, which sent a frisson of excitement down her spine. “You could witness it firsthand...as you grovel right alongside me.”
“What? That’s your job. I’ve got my hands full planning every last detail of the actual event.”
“I’ll help where I can with the preparations, but I need to grovel in person to convince a few of the big guns to attend, and I need the Hansol heiress there with me. It’ll make them feel extra special.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and mimed a subtle gag, but he was absolutely right. “I’ll go butt kissing with you.”
“Thank you for your gracious consent.” His grin turned a little wicked. “If you need to practice beforehand, I’d be happy to assist you.”
“Are you saying I should kiss your cute behind?” Because she would really, really like to kiss it, grab it, bite it and spank—she put a full stop on the horny train of thought. Michael’s smile slipped a notch, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Gulp. He looked like he wanted to...spank her. Backtrack, backtrack!
She sighed in relief when Michael shook his head as though to clear it. Disaster avoided. Adelaide couldn’t believe herself. She had come to a firm decision not to cross the friendship line, and she’d slipped up five minutes later.
“Tell me what you’re envisioning for the event,” he said, bringing their conversation back on topic.
“The fashion show and auction, where the guests get to bid on their favorite pieces, are the main event. I’m also working on an overall visual theme for the venue that’ll leave a lasting impression.”
“Why does that make me nervous?” He gave her a crooked grin to accompany his half joke.
“Because jolly ol’ Mike becomes a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to me.” Adelaide managed to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Water under the bridge and all that. If she wanted to rid their friendship of any weirdness and work well with him, she had to focus on the here and now. “But, seriously, do yourself a favor and stop with the babysitter role. You don’t have any heightened duty to hover over me. Just treat me like one of your friends. We are friends, right?”
