CardsNeverLie (27 page)

“And what do your feelings have to do with my promotion?”
Melanie asked slowly.

“Nothing.” He smiled. “Absolutely nothing. My grandfather
made a brilliant suggestion with no input from me. I agreed and am now
implementing that suggestion.”

Hopefully no one at the company would think otherwise. “And
no one is going to think my sudden rise to power has anything to do with our
relationship?”

Rob slid his hand up to her shoulder. “First, I’m thrilled
to hear you say we have a relationship. Second, in the end, it’s the quality of
work that counts. No one is going to care what we do as long as we keep their
jobs secure.”

“Maybe,” Melanie said, tapping her foot. “I’m starving, Rob.
I didn’t have anything to eat today. Can we go now?”

Rob held out his arm and after hesitating for a moment, she
took it. Feeling how tentative her grip was, he didn’t push it and wrap his arm
around her. While they walked down the hall, he had a blissful fantasy of them
wrapped in each other’s arms under his sheets only a couple of hours from now.
Luckily, no one walked by and saw the silly grin on his face.

At Masala, they ate spicy food in dim light while
tantalizing Indian music played. Rob watched dreamily while Melanie recounted
her many ideas for reinventing LeatherWorks. He finally had to hold out his
hand.

“Melanie, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack. Calm
down!”

Melanie bounced in her chair. “It’s just so nice to be
believed in again!”

Rob glared at two Indian men dining together who had been
checking Melanie out. They looked away as he remembered he had encouraged
Melanie to wear the sexy outfit that brought their eyes to her. “I believe in
you, Melanie. Thoroughly.”

“So?” She looked at him expectantly.

Rob toyed with his chicken vindaloo. What did she want—a
compliment? “So what?”

“What am I being promoted to?”

Oh that. How could he think business in this heady
environment, the air filled with aromatic spices and with an intoxicating woman
seated across from him at the table? “Design Director,” Rob said, pulling a
title out of thin air. “As we grow, we’ll have to hire more staff, so you’ll
eventually have direct reports.”

“Good,” Melanie said, drawing the last of the garlic naan
through mint sauce. “That basically gives me my old job back.”

“You were only a manager before,” he reminded her, but felt
pleased by her ambition.

Melanie tilted her head. “That’s true.” She swallowed the
last of the aromatic bread and licked her fingers. Rob watched the movements of
her lips, mesmerized. There was no poetry to express how much she meant to him.

Any thought of her bestowing herself upon anyone else
horrified him. He didn’t want to her so much as look at another man. He had to
make his feelings clear now. “Tell me, any thoughts about making this a
personal relationship as well as a professional one?”

“What do you mean?” Melanie fixed his eyes with her baby
blues.

He tried to clarify. Women always wanted details. “I mean
us, forming a partnership.”

“Like marriage?” she said blandly.

Rob couldn’t gauge her interest in reentering that
institution but felt himself breaking into a cold sweat at that solemn word.
“Sure. Someday I’m going to own a big chunk of LeatherWorks. Think of how
motivated you would be as a part owner.”

Melanie raised her eyebrows until her smooth forehead
wrinkled. “That’s what you call a proposal?”

“Well,” Rob cleared his throat, feeling panicked. Even his
palms felt damp now and his heart pounded in his chest. He took a deep breath.
“I’m not prepared. I don’t have a ring with me, but yeah. We could be partners.
We should be. We’re good together. And I can’t take my eyes off you. I think of
you constantly.”

Melanie dropped her fork onto her plate with a clang. “I
don’t think that’s love. You’re expressing a lovely mix of pragmatism and
lust.”

Didn’t she love him back? She wasn’t even trying to meet him
halfway. “Men aren’t good at expressing themselves!”

“Men are supposed to prepare for such an important moment,”
Melanie shot back and placed her napkin on her plate too. Her eyes looked misty
and her beautiful mouth was compressed into a pale line.

Rob knew he had screwed up.

The waiter popped out of nowhere to hand them their check.
Melanie jerked back as he brushed her arm.

Rob tightened his own lips and pulled out some cash, then
stood and motioned for her to leave, waving off the waiter’s offer to box up
their leftovers. This had gone all wrong. Badly wrong. Terminally wrong? What
could he say to make things better? What magic phrase was she looking for?

He opened the car door for Melanie as they went outside. A
cool breeze came down Northgate Way as he rolled down his window. He felt like
sticking his head out like a dog to get some fresh air. But stubbornly, he kept
his eyes off Melanie and drove right to his house.

“Where are we going?” she snapped.

“We should talk,” Rob said, continuing in the path he’d set.
He had to get her alone tonight or all was lost. He couldn’t drop her off at
her place, all steamed up at him. She might quit or something. Thank God her
mortgage woes ought to keep her there no matter how annoyed she might get at
him.

“Rob, this isn’t amusing.”

“Please, Melanie.” Rob said. Didn’t she see how much he
cared?

She must have seen the longing in his eyes because she
stopped talking after that and quietly followed him up the walkway to his door.
He walked straight through the house and out to his rectangular lap pool. In
the protected backyard, hidden from view by a tall fence, all was quiet and
serene, covered by a blanket of stars.

“Have a seat.” He gestured to one of the lounge chairs that
were still out to soak up the last days of sun before the real Seattle
returned, overcast and rainy. Now, under the romantic heavens, it was time for
a rational conversation.

Melanie sat, her hands rigid on the armrests of the
mission-style deck chair. “Rob,” she said, only twisting her head toward him,
the rest of her body stubbornly facing the pool. “I believe you care about me,
I really do.”

“Good,” Rob took her unresponsive hand in his. He tried to project
his warm feelings for her into her cool touch. He had to say the words. “I’ve
never felt like this before. I really want to get engaged.”

Melanie didn’t drop his hand, but she didn’t warm to him, or
smile or flirt or anything that would indicate she wanted him. “Would you be
proposing so soon if it wasn’t for LeatherWorks?”

“What do you mean?” It was kind of a stupid question.

“How much of this quick proposal is about the company and
keeping me around? I don’t want to have a job because I’m married, or to have
to quit a job for the same reason. You’re treading on some scary areas for me.”

“LeatherWorks has always been my life.” Would stating the
obvious help?

“It isn’t mine.” Melanie said. “What’s going to come first?”

“A lot of people depend on me,” Rob reminded her. What did
she want? Some loser who bummed around the house all day waiting for his woman
to bring home the bacon? “And I’ve got a lot of new responsibilities.”

“Wrong answer,” Melanie said, pulling her hand from his
grip. “I won’t be in another relationship where I don’t come first. It’s that
simple.”

“But I love you,” he whispered and cupped his hands around
her face.

She let him kiss her, at least she gave him that. But the
kiss felt bittersweet.

“What do you want from me?” he asked against her lips.

She shook her head, her face moving softly like cream
against his. “Everything, I guess.”

“Then let me give it to you.” He put his arm under her knees
and lifted her up, then took her back into the house.

Their lovemaking deeply moved him. Their touches were slow
and sweet, everything they were supposed to be when the woman was truly right.
But in the morning, when Rob woke, Melanie was already missing from his bed.

“Hey,” he said, following her into the bathroom, “you didn’t
even kiss me good morning.”

Melanie lifted her damp face up from the sink. She wore his
black bathrobe, which had been hanging on the hook behind the door. Facing the
mirror, expressionless, she said, “You have to get to work. I didn’t want to
disturb you.”

A lame excuse if he’d ever heard one. To cover his hurt, Rob
grabbed a glass and shoved it under the tap for some water. “I appreciate your
concern for my schedule, but one kiss won’t break me.”

Her eyes seemed calculating to him. “You called me
irresistible last night. Would one kiss have really been enough?”

He drank some water and handed her the glass. She set it
down without drinking. The night before she’d have turned it to make sure her
lips drank from the same place as his. “That’s evening talk, Melanie. I’m just
looking for some recognition here that I’m the man in your life.”

Melanie laughed, a feeble, rusty sound. “There’s no doubt
about that.”

He’d learned something, she wasn’t a morning person. Giving
her a disgusted look, he went downstairs for coffee, assuming she’d join him
after she’d dressed.

The next thing he heard was the front door closing.

Jogging to the window, he saw Melanie getting into Brisa’s
car. She hadn’t even said goodbye, but she’d apparently found time to make a
call to ensure her escape. And instead of chasing after her like a man should,
he had to get to a full day of meetings with wholesalers that couldn’t possibly
be canceled. Didn’t she realize they had a revolution on their hands? He had to
focus, but if she met him halfway, working would be fun. They would be building
for the future.

He ran his hand over his whisker-roughened face. How could
he feel like he was a one-night stand when the woman he’d been with was
Melanie? Watching the car drive away, he suddenly realized what the problem was.
She didn’t care about LeatherWorks. She wasn’t vested in it. To prove his love,
he would have to sacrifice everything for her, the way she had for her first
husband. The problem of her distant attitude toward him had just been solved.

He leaned his forehead against the window and ran his hands
through his hair. Could he do it? Could he walk away from a multi-generation
family business if he found another buyer? The timing was right. A sale would
give him more time with the two people who mattered most to him, as it cost him
the family he had grown to depend on. But in doing so, he would prove to
Melanie for once and for all that she meant more to him than any job, than
anyone. And the sale would provide plenty of money. He could take care of her,
even if she lost her job in the sale.

If he did this, he’d be lost. As the thought crossed his
mind, Rob thought of Melanie’s rare smile and knew it would be okay as long as
she stayed a part of his life. He wanted to see that smile someday on the face
of their daughters.

Chapter Nineteen

“Will you please take the call, Rob?” Tim said impatiently
from his desk, the phone tucked into his ear as two hold buttons flashed. “Dick
Porter has called five times so far today.”

“So what?” Rob snarled. Tim flushed. “Sorry. I just have a
hard time caring what Professional Massage wants these days.”

“You never cared,” Tim corrected. “Only your grandfather
did.”

“And Jack.” Rob felt a headache coming on from the mere
mention of his former friend’s name.

“CEOs don’t make phone calls like this unless it’s
important, boss. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, it’s just that I want
you to know how important I think it is.”

Despite the spiked dog collar accessory, Rob did take Tim
seriously, so he nodded. “The next time he calls, tell him I’ll call him back
at six o’clock tonight.”

“Why so late?” Tim looked at his black rubber watch. “It’s
only three-thirty and you just finished your last meeting.”

Rob grinned maliciously. “It’s a power play, my man. Pure
and simple.”

A couple of hours later, Rob shut down his email. Forcing
himself to stay late hadn’t helped him catch up with his workload. All that had
been on his mind was Melanie. Of course, she was off fooling around somewhere
and not even thinking about him.

He thought back through last night. Had their lovemaking
been good? Had she liked it? Had she come or was she faking? Nah, he decided,
she had at least enjoyed herself. He hoped the emotion he had felt in their
intimacy was real. Had his demonstration of love been good enough?

He remembered her blonde hair spread over his pillow
afterward, except the pieces glued to her face by their intermingled sweat. He
had touched his fingers to her temple to brush them away and she had held his
hand against her face, not talking, only touching. He could feel the fast pulse
of her wrist slow under his fingers as she drifted into sleep. He had cuddled
against her, smelled the sex and the coconut shampoo in her hair and found true
bliss.

No, she hadn’t left because of the sex. Her problem was
LeatherWorks.

This final stroke would prove how she really felt about
their relationship. It would have to be good enough because it was the last
thing he could do to win her.

He picked up the earpiece of his phone so he could walk and
talk and dialed Dick Porter’s number.

“Porter here.”

“Rob Black.”

“I am so glad you called!” Rob was surprised by Porter’s
friendly tone. He had been condescending in the past.

“I believe you’ve been trying to reach me,” Rob said.

“Yes,” Porter said with palpable enthusiasm. “I wanted to
let you know we’ve completed our internal investigation here and have cleaned
house.”

“What does that mean to me?”

“Your grandfather had a few well-chosen words to say to me
about the type of company he wanted to do business with. He told me he knew
Melanie Vanderpool and he thought we’d made a mistake. And I want to let you
know your grandfather was right.”

“Oh?” Rob shuddered involuntarily. They were going to take
her back. Not now, oh please, not now. He needed to keep her close.

“We’ve fired Tommy Joe Harriman, Al Plowman and Ms.
Vanderpool’s former assistant, who were all involved in unethical activities.
Ms. Vanderpool’s reputation has been cleared.”

“I never thought one misstep was deserving of her fate,” Rob
said.

“No. Certainly we prefer to stay in the center of the
ethical continuum, but we wouldn’t want to lose an employee as valuable as Ms.
Vanderpool. I’ve spoken to her today and offered her job back. She told us she
had been promoted to a higher position at LeatherWorks. I must say,” Porter
said, clearing his throat, “I hadn’t realized she went to work for you after
she left us. But we assured her the promotion would be taken into consideration
and when we did business together, she could direct the creative activities of
both companies.”

“Ah.”

“So there you have it. What is your feeling on reopening the
issue of the sale?”

Rob swallowed. Could he do it? The door opened in front of
him. On this side, a comfortable environment filled with friends and
interesting work. The other held…Melanie? He paced for a moment until he stood
in front of his closet, amazed how this second chance had dropped into his lap.
But it was still hard. He unlocked the door and opened it. The bookshelf at the
back caught his eye, specifically, a photograph of his mother. He shook his
head. If Melanie left they’d be back to sex toys. If he stayed he wouldn’t win
Melanie back. There was only one answer he could give.

“Let’s reopen this issue, Dick.”

“Wonderful.”

“I’ll want full disclosure of your books. There are more
jobs than Ms. Vanderpool’s at stake.”

“Of course. That is reasonable.”

“I’ll speak to my grandfather and we’ll set up a meeting for
sometime next week.”

“Excellent. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

“Of course. Have a good weekend.” Rob disconnected as a wave
of dizziness crashed over him. He was saying goodbye to his life for a woman.

For Melanie. Rob smiled.

* * * * *

On Monday, Melanie looked up from her worktable at the knock
on her door. Annoyed at the distraction, she said, “Come in.”

Tim stuck his head in. “Do you have time for lunch?”

Melanie held up a bag of carrots. She wasn’t in the mood to
socialize, she just wanted to do her job and go back to her lonely, but now
financially secure, home. As it was, she had a hard time holding back the tears
for her lost illusions about Rob, but she made a joke to hide them. “I put on a
bathing suit this weekend and accidentally glanced at my thighs. This is my
lunch.”

Tim rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair across from her.
“Your thighs look fine, Melanie.”

“How would you know?” Melanie pointed out, nibbling on a
carrot. Tim had never seemed to find her attractive. “You haven’t seen my
thighs today.”

“I saw them Thursday. They looked fine on Thursday.”

She shook her head. His opinion didn’t matter even if he
knew what he was talking about. “You didn’t see them Thursday. The purple shift
was floor length.”

Tim threw up his hands. “Rob doesn’t think you have fat
thighs.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?” And why should
it matter to her?

“Ummm…” Tim mumbled. “I mean, he must find you attractive
since you’re dating and all.”

“We are?”

Tim leaned forward. “Assistants know these things. He
mentions your name all the time. I never heard him do that before.”

“Before?”

“Yeah, when he dated. The only reason I’d ever know he was
seeing anyone is if he asked me to send flowers.”

“When would he do that?” He hadn’t sent her flowers.

“Oh you know, after a hot night of sex, when he wanted to
dump them for another woman, stuff like that.” He laughed. “Just kidding.”

Melanie bit off another carrot end. “Humph. I guess I didn’t
impress him.”

“Cheer up, Melanie! Rob is nuts about you. Can’t you talk to
a woman about this kind of stuff? My mom or someone like that? Everyone knows
how Rob feels, okay?” Tim squirmed in his chair.

Melanie rested her chin on her hand, giving up the
unappetizing carrots for the moment and stared at Tim. She didn’t feel any more
comfortable than he did. “Did you have a crush on my cousin?”

“Who, Brisa?” Melanie nodded. Tim shrugged and tugged at his
collar. “Who didn’t? But she never gave me the time of day.”

“You should try,” Melanie suggested. “You never know. Give
her a call. You’re a nice guy.”

“Well, thanks,” Tim said, his eyes wandering. “That’s sweet.
I suppose I’m going to have a lot of free time pretty soon.”

“How come? Vacation time?”

“No. Rob’s decided to sell the company and he’s moving on.
I’m his assistant, so I guess I’ll be out of a job. Need an assistant,
Melanie?” he asked hopefully.

“What?” Melanie stood, holding onto the desk with her
fingers nearly white from the pressure she applied. “He’s selling?”

“Yeah. To Professional Massage. They fired a bunch of people
and Rob agreed to sell.”

“Oh my god,” Melanie sat back down, unable to breathe for a
moment. “I can’t believe he did something so stupid. He adores his job. I wish
he cared about me as much.”

Tim tapped her on the cheek. “Wake up, Melanie, of course he
does. On Friday all he did was push paper around his desk and mutter to
himself. You’re driving him crazy.”

“Really?” Melanie asked. “Crazy good or crazy bad?”

“Crazy in love,” Tim said, hoisting himself to his feet. “Go
after him, for heaven’s sake. The pheromones around here have been a mile thick
since you came here.”

Melanie stood too and grabbed her purse. Could she have been
wrong about him? Would it be safe to love him after all? “Where is he?”

“Up north at a warehouse. I think he’s going straight home
from there.”

“Which warehouse?” She wanted to speak to him now before she
lost her courage.

“Lynnwood.”

Melanie tossed the bag of carrots to him. “Enjoy. I’m
leaving for the day, if anyone wants me.”

“Where are you going?” Tim called.

“To talk some sense into Rob!”

Outside, Melanie jumped into her car and headed for
Interstate 5 heading north. He couldn’t be doing this. Not selling the company.
It was his life. Just when he had everything in the palm of his hand. Didn’t
the silly lug know she wanted the best for him? Because, well, she loved him.

The thought frustrated her, but she couldn’t help it. He was
perfect. Honorable, smart, sexy, really sexy, really really sexy. Melanie
blinked.
Focus on the freeway, Melanie.

Twenty minutes later, she found the exit she was looking for
and pulled off to the right. The warehouse was a few blocks east and as she
entered the driveway, she saw Rob’s car in a parking spot next to the door.

Melanie flashed her company badge at the security guard as
she came through the front door. “Can you tell me where Rob Black is?”

The security guard pointed to a set of white swinging doors
behind him. Melanie smiled at him and pushed one of the doors open. The huge
room was sex toy central. Boxes containing all of the company’s products were
lined up on parallel gray metal shelving units. To the left of the door, an
open container held boxes of the manacles Melanie had played with in Vegas.
That was the first night that they had kissed, the night that had brought her
the third best orgasm of her life, the other two being on the nights she and
Rob had made love. Melanie pulled out a set of manacles, remembering that crazy
night. Then she recalled the Thursday night only a few days ago that she and
Rob had spent together. She hadn’t slept well since. Rob was tearing her apart.
Love and fear warred inside her. Could they be a team in love and business?

Staring at the manacles, Melanie suddenly realized Rob had
already proven himself. She was more important to him than his company. Could
it be true? She stared blankly at the box in front of her. Could there really
be a man who put a woman first?

But what did that make her? She didn’t want to ruin his
life. She had to change his mind so that he didn’t destroy his own professional
dreams.

Melanie skirted around the edge of eight sets of shelves. At
first she couldn’t see anyone or hear any voices, but as she walked down the
second row, she saw him, alone, crouched over a box on the floor.

As she came closer, she saw his jeans were filthy and dust
had darkly streaked his hair. She knelt next to him, not caring that her linen
pants were not going to be white much longer.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Melanie,” Rob said, looking up with a smile. Melanie
touched her hand to his face and accidentally clanked his nose with the
manacles.

“Sorry!” she yelped and jerked her hand back.

“What are you doing with those?” Rob asked with a grin.

“I didn’t realize I was holding them.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Rob said. “I know I’m not your favorite
person right now, but beating on me won’t solve our problems.”

“That’s what you think,” Melanie said, but realized from his
expression that he didn’t grasp that she was teasing him. How could she make
him realize that she finally understood? She looked down at her hands. “Maybe I
do have a use for them.”

“Oh?” He looked wary.

“Yeah.” Melanie closed one end of the cuffs around one of
the shelving unit’s support poles. “How about I chain you to your company until
I can talk some sense into you?”

“I am making sense,” he replied. “I guess you heard I’m
going to sell.” He looked down for a second, his expression clouded, but then
he lit up with a smile as bright as the stars had been the night before. “I
want to make you happy. Come here.”

He pulled her close. Melanie held onto the unattached cuff
with one hand and wrapped the other arm around his neck, kissing him greedily.

“There aren’t any more reasons for us not to be together,
honey. Your reputation is recovered and even if I’m out of work, I’ll be
financially secure. We can do whatever we want.”

“Together?”

“You bet.”

Melanie looked into his eyes, noticing the green flecks in
them for the first time. Green was her favorite color. But it didn’t matter,
she’d love him if he were redheaded and pink-eyed, no matter what any
fortuneteller told her. “I don’t want you to give up LeatherWorks. It makes you
happy.”

“You make me happier,” Rob said, cupping her breast with a
hand. As he ran his thumb across her nipple, Melanie gasped.

“Stop that,” she demanded, rubbing her hand down his jean
placket in retaliation.

Rob swallowed visibly. “Don’t you dare stop.”

Melanie smiled and, letting go of the cuff, she gave her
full attention to unbuttoning the placket of his jeans. “You have to promise to
keep the company,” she demanded.