A Gentleman's Agreement (4 page)

Eunice swallowed hard, attempting to snooze
the alarm that’d gone off in her head. “I guess we will never know.”

Without even glancing
behind him, Blake knew Eunice had entered the room. The sweet scent of her
perfume—floral and sweet—greeted him before she did. He willed himself not to
stare as she brushed past him, but the sway of her hips held him captive.

Colin Pope—a gangly
young man with curly red hair and freckles—released Blake as he clumsily made
his way into the conference room. A thank you was in order because Blake’s body
did troublesome things when he eyed Eunice too long.

He’d hired Colin a
month ago as his company’s in-house IT guru. Word on the street, the kid was a
computer genius. Genius is what he needed. When the uncoordinated man nearly
tripped over his own feet, Blake shook his head. Good thing he was better at
computers than he was at walking.

“You’re late,” Blake
said, stopping Colin dead in his tracks.

“I… I thought the
meeting was at 9:30,” he said, glancing up at the wall clock, which read 9:30
on the dot.

“Class,” Blake said,
holding his arms like a choir director.

Like a uniform chorus, everyone
in the room sang out, “
When you’re early, you’re on time; when you’re on
time, you’re late
.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Colin
choked out, his face beet red. “It won’t happen again, sir.” He pushed his wire
framed glasses farther up his nose.

“You’re a newbie. You
get one.” Blake held up his index finger. “Just one.”

Colin stumbled into an
empty chair. “Yes, sir.”

“Okay, ladies and
gentlemen. I’m going to make this meeting as quick and painless as possible, so
I’ll get right down to business. If I find out that anyone on my staff has been
leaking information from this office, you will be fired on the spot, no
questions asked. Each one of you is responsible for sharing this information
with your respective departments.”

Blake wasn’t hard on
his staff. Many might even say he was a great boss. But he did run a tight
ship. When people got lax, they tended to get sloppy at their job. Sloppy
wasn’t tolerated.

“Is there a problem?”
someone asked.

“Is there a problem?” Blake
echoed, locking his fingers and resting them on top of the table. “Yes, there
is a problem.” He stood and began to pace around the room, his hands now interlocked
behind his back. “The people in this room are the only individuals who knew
Fredrick Bass, aka Freddie Fingers, was severing ties with his current management
team. Not even they knew this. So, I’m asking myself how Palmer Elliot found
out.

Palmer Elliot was
everything Blake despised: callous, arrogant, and greedy. He cared little about
ethics and less about his clients. He was also Blake’s most viable competition.

Blake continued, “In
fact, over the past six months Palmer Elliot seems to know all the goings on inside
this organization.” He sighed. “That leads me to one conclusion.” He paused for
effect. “We possibly have a rat—or rats—in our midst.” His gaze skimmed over quizzical
faces.

“Maybe Palmer found out
about Fredrick the same way you found out,” Austin, one of the junior agents on
staff said.

Blake flashed a cryptic
smile. “Yeah, maybe.” He started to pace again. “I’m not implying anyone in
this room is guilty, but I deem it necessary to remind you that each of you
signed a confidentiality agreement when you started.”

By the dismayed facial
expressions in the room, most of them thought they were being accused. He hadn’t
meant to come off like judge and jury, but there was no place for disloyalty in
his company.

“With that said, I give
the floor to Mr. Pope, who will tell you about changes to our electronic
communications policy. But—”

“The changes are
simple—” Colin began.

“Hold on, eager beaver,”
Blake said.

The room burst into
laughter.

“Sorry, sir,” Colin
said with a timid grin.

“Since I will be out of
the office starting Friday and through the holiday, I wanted to wish everyone a
very happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys their days off. Keep your
phones on.” He witnessed the stunned faces. “Just kidding. Have a safe holiday.”
He waved his arm toward Colin. “Now, Mr. Pope, the floor is all yours.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Blake stood in the
background and listened as Colin explained new email protocol. He studied the
glazed over faces of his staff and chuckled to himself. Most appeared just as
uninterested in the information as he was, with the exception of one person. Eunice.
She appeared to be so intrigued by the presentation that it was amusing. But
that was Eunice. Always giving her undivided attention despite how dull the conversation.
Like the time she’d listened to him go on and on for close to an hour about his
niece’s ballet recital.

Her co-workers loved
her. His clients loved her. Hell, even he loved her. On a professional level,
of course. She treated everyone with the utmost respect, and he admired that
about her. He also admired her strength and resilience. She’d experience more hurt
than any one person should. But so had he. One of the things they had in common.
They both knew severe pain.

Eunice pushed a lock of
dark hair behind one ear. For some reason, the motion made him smile. He loved
the new hairdo she sported. The tiny curls framed her face and highlighted her
delicate features. When she tapped a pen against her bottom lip, he found
himself fantasizing about how her lips would feel against his. A flicker of
desire traveled through him.

It yielded when he
reminded himself that she was off limits. He forced his thoughts away from
Eunice and diverted them to Norfolk. Man, he couldn’t wait to go hunting with
his father and brothers. They never shot anything as they trekked through the
woods, but that was okay. The excursion was more about male bonding than
anything else. The time he spent with them was one of the highlights of his
trip home during Thanksgiving. Well, that, and the spread his mother always
prepared. Yep, he looked forward to going home.

The idea of home bought
his eyes back to Eunice. She’d peaked his curiosity earlier when she was so
adamantly against sharing a bedroom with him. Did he make her uncomfortable? No
way. They’d been alone on countless occasions. And he’d been nothing but a
complete gentleman.

To be honest, he’d been
surprised by her agreeing to do this. Especially without him having to entice
her with something costly and extravagant.
The office next to his
. That’s
all she wanted? Why did the thought of her being so close to him bring a smile
to his face?

Eunice snatched him back
to reality when he realized she was staring back at him. When she mouthed “What?”
he shook his head. Doe-eyed, she smiled at him as she’d done plenty of times
before. Only this time, the smile lacked its usual glow. Was she having second
thoughts about Norfolk?

He hoped not. Mainly
because he was looking forward to her taking the trip with him. The admission
gave him a moment of pause. Shaking it off, he reminded himself that this was
simply business, nothing more.

***

After the meeting,
Eunice returned to her office to tie up a few things before she left for
Norfolk. Sitting in the meeting, a thought occurred to her. What would the
others say when they realized she and Blake where out of the office at the
exact same time? It wouldn’t take a genius to deduce that they were together.

She hated rumors.
Especially when she was the target of them. Maybe they would just assume that
she’d decided to snatch a bit of vacation while Blake would be out of the
office. It made since, right?

Had Blake even
contemplated any of this?

When her office phone
buzzed, she jolted from the unexpected disturbance. The screen flashed Trevor’s
extension. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

Trevor always knew how
to put a smile on her face. The man meant the world to her. They had started at
the Farrington Sports Management roughly the same time and both in the human
resources department, where they’d become close friends.

“How’d the meeting go?”

“Can you visit me? I
need to talk to you.”

“Uh-oh. I’m on the way.”

“Thank you.”

Eunice drummed her
fingers against her desk as she waited for Trevor to come from his third floor
office to hers on the fifth floor. This time she hoped he would take the
elevator instead of climbing the stairs as he normally did. Three light taps
sounded at her door.

“Come in.”

Dapper in a severe
black suit, Trevor beckoned admiration. Tall and solid with muscles, hair close
cut, and a perfectly trimmed goatee, he also commanded it. The man glided
across the floor like a stealth panther.

“I stopped by the café.
Thought you might need this.”

He held up a large cup,
no doubt it contained her favorite pumpkin spiced latte. “You are too good to
me.”

Trevor took a seat on
the edge of her desk, pushing the beverage to her. “What’s up?”

She took a swig of the
steaming liquid and moaned. “Mmm. That’s so good. I don’t know how they get
this so perfect.”

“Uh-oh. You’re
evading.”

He knew her too damn
well. Eunice bit at the corner of her lip. “What would you say if I told you
I’d just agreed to go with Blake to his parent’s house in Norfolk as his new
love interest?”

Trevor casually folded
his arms across his chest. “I’d first say take a breath, then I’d probably say what
the hell.”

“I know what you’re
going to say.”

Trevor chuckled. “I
highly doubt it.” He shook his head. “You are truly the only woman I know who
sprints toward awkward situations, instead of dashing away from them.”

“I don’t sprint—”

“Caleb Martin.”

Enough said
.

Okay, maybe he had a
point. If given enough time, she could rattle off a list of ridiculous
situation she’d found her way into. But this, by far, had to be the most
preposterous. But even though she wouldn’t admit it—especially out loud—the
idea of spending time with Blake and his family was growing on her. Maybe it
was the thought of celebrating the holidays with a large family. Something
she’d longed for, but knew she’d probably never experienced.

“If you want, I can
help you out of it.”

Out of curiosity, she
asked, “How?”

He shrugged. “Simple. I
can fake a stroke. You can tell Blake you have to tend to me.”

Eunice laughed. “You’re
the only person I know who would fake a stroke for me. I love you, you know
that?”

Trevor glided a bent
finger across her cheek. “Yes, I do, kiddo. And I love you just as much.”

Eunice thought about Trevor’s
offer for a moment. And in that moment, she imagined sitting at her table set
for one enjoying her turkey and dressing all alone. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry
so much.” She jabbed him in the side playfully.

Trevor’s face contorted
into a ball of confusion. “Here’s a question. Where is Sasha Ferocious while
you and Blake are playing house?”

Eunice laughed at the
name most everyone in the office called Sasha behind her back. “They’re taking
a break, is how Blake put it.”

Trevor chortled. “That’s
cause for celebration. That is one crazy woman. I don’t know what Blake saw in
her in the first place.”

Eunice tilted her head
to the side and pursed her lips.

Trevor laughed. “Right.
Some men go insane over big breasts and a plump rear-end.”

“Anyway. We leave Friday.
I need your help.”

“Anything.”

“If the fact Blake and
I are out of the office at the same time comes up, do you mind laying a cover
story? All I need is a bunch of rumors floating around about me sleeping with
the boss.”

“But you do want to
sleep with the boss.”

They both laughed.

“I sleep with him every
night in my dreams.”

The room filled with more
laughter.

Trevor popped her on
the tip of the nose. “I got you covered. You know that. No one’s going to toss
any shade on you around me.” He pushed away from the desk. “Give me a hug. I
have to get back to work.”

Eunice came to her feet
and wrapped her arms around him. “I could just tell Blake that you and I are
madly in love, and that you are extremely jealous and have forbidden me to go
with him.”

Trevor held her at
arm’s length. “Let’s not tell him that. I actually like being gainfully
employed. In fact, let me hurry out of here before the boss wonders why I’m
spending so much time with his woman.”

“Ha, ha,” Eunice said,
straightening his tie. “Get back to work. You can’t get that promotion to HR
manager by goofing off all morning.”

Trevor kissed her forehead,
then moved toward the door. “We’ll talk later.”

When her office door
clicked shut, Eunice dropped into her chair. The sight of the notepad she’d
carried into the meeting caught her eye. Lifting it, she stared down at the
multiple hearts littering the page. Hearts she’d drawn when she’d unwittingly
been daydreaming about Blake.

Growling, she ripped the yellow sheet
away and crumbled it into a tight ball. Tossing it into the trash, she convinced
herself that it meant absolutely nothing. Nothing at all.

Eunice flashed a
half-smile when Blake squeezed her hand. If the fact that he’d intertwined his
fingers with hers on the jet hadn’t been enough to rattle every bone in her
body, the fact that he’d done the same when they settled inside the limo that
would take them to his parents’ was.

She understood the move
inside the jet. The man had to be the only person in America who owned an
aircraft, but was petrified of flying. But they were no longer thirty thousand
feet in the air with the threat of “
plummeting to their deaths
,” as
Blake had put it. So why had he grabbed her hand a second time?

For show, she told
herself, eyeing Tucker and his wife Vivian. They’d been in town on business and
had flown down with them from New York. Blake confessed he’d shared everything
with Tucker, but Vivian was oblivious. This show of affection had to be for her.
That was the only logical explanation, right? At least, the only one that made
sense.

The limo pulled up a
circle drive and came to a stop in front of a sprawling palace of a house. The
waterfront property had to be close to ten thousand square feet. Hard to
believe Blake’s parents and his great aunt were the only ones who resided in
the massive space.

Passed the large
structure a mini yacht bobbed in the water. She recalled Blake mentioning he’d
purchased his father a boat for his birthday last year. He hadn’t described the
vessel as being so grand. Hopefully they could take it out at some point.

The second she stepped
out of the limo, the biting cold took a plug out of her. The crisp air burned
her nostrils as she drew in a deep breath. A wave of something she refused to
call fear rushed over her. Now was not the time to panic. That should have
happen before boarding the flight to Virginia. She could do this. Heck, she
dealt with spoiled athletes and ruthless media on a daily basis. But this was
Blake’s parents. And she was “dating” their baby boy. She swallowed hard.

“You two coming?” Tucker
asked brushing past them.

“We’ll be in shortly,”
Blake said, clearly getting a hint that something was wrong.

Tucker gave them a
reassuring nod and continued along the paved path.

Blake’s questioning
eyes settled on her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded absently,
her eyes pinned straight ahead. “Yeah, fine.”

Was she really seconds
away from meeting Blake’s parents? And not as his employee, but as his lover.
His
lover.
She couldn’t snatch her eyes away from the massive front door. It
haunted her as if it would open up and swallow her whole.

When Tucker and Vivian
disappeared through the door, Eunice had a notion to sprint back to the limo,
dive inside, and yell “Floor it, driver.” Unfortunately, she’d have to be a
track star to catch the departing vehicle.

“What was I thinking,”
she mumbled to herself. Facing Blake, she shook her head. “I can’t do this,
Blake. I can’t. Your mom will see right through this.”

Blake laughed and cradled
her face between his hands. “You can do this.” He paused briefly. “But if you really
want to leave, we can go right now.”

Eunice stared into his
eyes. The warmth she witnessed in them settled her frazzled nerves. How could
he sooth her with such a generic look? Before she could respond to his offer,
the front door swung open.

A petite woman with
platinum hair hurried toward them. Judging by Blake’s admiration, this had to
be his mother. She was beautiful with a flawless pecan complexion and a smile
that could melt an iceberg.

“Prat,” his mother
called out.

“
Prat
?” Eunice
whispered out the side of her mouth.

“Long story,” Blake
said in a similar tone. “Hey, gorgeous.” He extended his arms and his mother
rushed into them. He bent and kissed her on the cheek as he rocked her in his
arms. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”
His mother pushed away after a moment and scrutinized her son from head to toe.
“You’re too thin, Prat. Are you eating enough?” She rested a delicate hand on
his cheek.

Eunice laughed to
herself. It is exactly what he said his mother would say.

“I am.” He turned
toward Eunice. “Thanks to this lovely lady.”

Eunice flashed a shaky
smile when their eyes settled on her.

“You must be Eunice,”
his mother said.

Eunice extended her
hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Farrington. You have a beautiful home.”

The woman ignored
Eunice’s outstretched hand. “Come here, honey. Shaking hands is too formal.
You’re family.” She took Eunice into her arms and embraced her as if they’d
known each other for decades. “I’m so glad you could join us. I certainly wish
you could stay through Thanksgiving, but I understand you wanting to be with
your own family.”

“Ah, good news, Mom.
Eunice will be with us through Thanksgiving.”

Mrs. Farrington’s eyes
widened. “That is wonderful news. She grabbed Eunice into another tight hug. “Just
wonderful.”

Mrs. Farrington had
made her feel like family instantaneously. God, she’d missed the warmth of a
mother’s embrace.

Mrs. Farrington draped
her arm through Eunice’s. “My son’s told me so much about you that I feel I
already know you, so I won’t interrogate you with a million questions.”

In her head, Eunice
dragged the back of her hand across her forehead.
Whew
. But what was the
so much
Blake had told his mother about her?

Mrs. Farrington led
Eunice toward the house. “Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.” She held her
hand out for her son to take. “Are you sure you’re eating enough?”

Eunice and Blake
laughed in unison.

Inside, Eunice was just
as impressed with the interior of the home as she was with the exterior. An
elegant crystal chandelier hung in the foyer. Lavish furnishings in cream and
gold decorated a massive living room. A mammoth-sized fireplace crackled and
gave the space comforting warmth.

Eunice spent the next
twenty minutes meeting various family members and friends, all of whom welcomed
her warmly. Blake’s father Solemn—a handsome man with salt and pepper hair,
dark brown skin, and extremely entertaining—told her she was as pretty as a
Georgia peach.

Some of the
introductions were eventful. Like meeting Blake’s senile aunt, Belle, who’d mistaken
Eunice for her college professor and complained about the failing grade she’d
received on her essay. Blake’s oldest brother, Ian, and daughter, Casey,
arrived a short time later. His wife Gabby was to join them in a couple of
days.

After all of the
introductions, Eunice and Blake followed his mother to a third level of the home.
From the outside, you wouldn’t have guessed there were three stories. Oil
paintings lined the staircase wall and lengthy hallway. She recognized a few of
the artists.

Mrs. Farrington glanced
over her shoulder. “I know how you like your quiet time, son. That’s why I’m
putting you two up here. It should be a lot calmer.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Under normal
circumstances, you two would have separate rooms. But we’re a little cramped
for space since your cousins made an unexpected appearance.”

Wait. Eunice perked. Had
she just heard Mrs. Farrington correctly? She and Blake would be sharing a room?
She shot him a questioning scowl. He appeared just as stunned as she.

Thinking fast, Eunice
said, “Mrs. Farrington, Blake and I are more than happy to check into a hotel. It
would free up another room.”

“A hotel? Nonsense. I
haven’t had all my boys under the same roof since last year. But thank you for
your thoughtfulness.”

Eunice shot Blake
another tight look. He shrugged and excused himself to the restroom.

“If you hear pitter-patter
of tiny feet in the middle of the night, it’s Casey. That little girl is just
like her father at that age. She loves to sneak out of bed and up here to her
playroom next door. Just pop her behind and send her back to bed. I’m not sure
who’s more rambunctious, Casey or Belle.”

Eunice hugged one arm
around her waist and gnawed at her thumbnail, tuning Mrs. Farrington out as she
rambled on about food or something. Why was she so nervous? There was nothing
to be alarmed about. Blake would take the floor. She scrutinized the space
under her feet. With the thick carpet, it looked comfy enough. Scanning the
room, Eunice paused at the painting of a country setting in winter. A
dilapidated shack, a battered three-wheeled wagon, an iced-over pond, and trees
covered in snow. “Onslow?”

“Why, yes. You’re
familiar with his work?”

“Absolutely. Onslow
Behsure,” she said. “He was my mother’s favorite artist.” Eunice moved closer
to the painting and outlined the frame with her index finger. “This was her
favorite.
Lonesome Road
.”

“That’s correct.”

Eunice believed in
signs, and this had to be a good one. Had to be her mother saying, “
I’m
right here with you
.”

“Is your mother an
artist?” Mrs. Farrington asked, moving next to her.

Eunice smiled. “No. But
she could have been. She was a curator at an art museum. I used to love when
she’d take me to work with her. She would—” Emotions swelled inside her, and
she attempted to fight them down. Too late. A tear slid down her cheek. “I’m
sorry,” she said, swiping at the wetness.

Mrs. Farrington took
her hand and patted it gently. “Don’t apologize. Memories can elicit intense emotions.”

More tears escaped. “I
miss her so much.”

“My mother’s been gone near
forty years and I still find myself missing her every single day. There’s no
love like a mother’s love.”

Eunice finally gathered
herself. “Look at me. Crying all over the place. You probably think I’m
insane.”

“That’s hardly what I’m
thinking. I’m thinking you’ve experienced a great loss.”

Yeah, she had. Changing
the subject, Eunice said, “Are you a collector, Mrs. Farrington?”

“Please. Call me
Thelma. And no, not exactly. Onslow Behsure was my great-great-grandfather.”

What were the odds?
Eunice refocused on the painting. “His work is amazing. He was extremely
talented.”

“Mom?” Blake said, finally
exiting the bathroom.

“Yes, son.”

“I love family and all,
but will they be here the
entire
weekend?”

Mrs. Farrington laughed.
“They’re leaving on Sunday.”

Blake wiped imaginary
sweat from his brow. “Whew.”

“Son, did you tell
Eunice about the gift exchange?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Blake had explained to
her about the family tradition, and she was looking forward to being a part of
it. Each
couple
had to purchase a gift for their significant other. But
not just any gift. The gift needed to be something meaningful. Staying in
character, she’d gotten Blake the perfect gift. It seemed odd to exchange gifts
at Thanksgiving, but the concept was interesting.

Mrs. Farrington gave
them both a kiss and a hug before departing. When the door clicked shut, Eunice
darted across the room and stood toe-to-toe with Blake. His scent nearly
rendered her useless. Quickly rebounding, she folded her arms across her chest
and narrowed her eyes. “You said we would be in separate rooms.”

He lifted his hands
defensively. “You heard mom. Unexpected guests.”

“Yeah, I heard her. But
for some reason, I think you were already privy to that information.”

Blake released a sexy
sound of humor. A sound much too tantalizing to be called a simple laugh. “I
swear I didn’t know.”

If he wasn’t so cute,
with those sparkling dark eyes, luscious lips, and hypnotic smile, she could
almost be angry at him. Almost. Eunice bounced her foot against the carpeted floor.
“Well,
Prat
, at least it’s soft.”

Blake brushed her words
off with a chuckled, but sobered quickly. “Wait. You’re
serious
?”

“As a heart attack.”

He tossed his head back
and roared in laughter, but didn’t protest. “Okay. But this is cold, cruel, and
unusual punishment. When I’m unable to walk in the morning, I’ll let you
explain to my mother why.”

Eunice weighed her
options silently. Sleeping next to Blake’s warm, hard body all night long and
not being able to touch him or crafting an explanation for his mother?
Well,
this was a no-brainer
. Floor for one hundred.

Cruel, yes. But what
would have been crueler...her in the bed next to him, scorched by his heat,
spellbound by his scent, aroused by every inch of his brawny body, and being
unable to do anything about it.

Now that was the true cruel and unusual
punishment.