A Second Chance (The Publicist, Book Four) (3 page)

Chapter 6

Mac walked into the CIA building and was more than slightly impressed. He handed his ID to the guard, after a quick check to make sure he was who he said he was, he was given a temporary badge. At that point, he was asked to wait in the lobby until his appointment came to get him. He was early, so he decided to go the restroom and look himself over before his appointment time. This was a key meeting, he needed this book, and even more, his is publishing house needed this book.

Mac looked in the mirror and smoothed his hair back. He’d decided against wearing a tie, just an expensive, crisp white shirt, open at the neck, revealing his always slightly tanned skin. Mac had wanted to portray a less formal image. Publishers were stuffy, and he knew that was often off-putting, especially to a CIA agent who clearly wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

He emerged a few minutes later and sat in one of the non-descript government chairs, Mac heard clicking heels and turned to see a tall, stunning woman, with long blond hair walking towards him. For a split second he could feel his heartbeat speed up. She walked with a confidence he’d never seen before, and when he looked at her beautiful face he could feel his breath hitch. Whoever this woman was, she most definitely had the eyes of every man who stood in the lobby. She walked towards him, stuck out her hand and said,

“You must be Mac Ellis.”

Mac stood for a moment, “Yes, I have an appointment with...”

“With me,” Sydney smiled, “I’m Anne Sullivan.” She said, using her middle name. She’d told her agent that until she decided whom she was going to be signing with, it was best to not disclose her actual first name.

When Mac didn’t respond, she leaned in, her lips just inches from his ear and said, “Wonder Woman, although please don’t ever call me that or I might have to kill you.” She stepped back and threw him a broad grin.

Mac smiled.
This was Wonder Woman?
He’d expected someone less, well, less feminine. Assuming she’d spent a lot of time on the road; in the desert, hunting terrorists in caves, and whatnot, that she’d be, well, a little more rugged. He was not expecting someone who looked like this; she could easily be a model.

“Come this way,” Sydney walked ahead of him, through the metal detectors as Mac set down his coat and briefcase on the conveyer belt and walked through. He followed Sydney to a bank of elevators and she hit the button.

“Did you have a nice trip down?” Sydney said as the doors whisked open. She stepped inside and Mac followed. She was five-foot-nine, but Mac still towered over her.

She caught him looking at her curiously. “I’m not what you expected, am I?” She smiled.

“Not really,” Mac admitted.

“You assumed I’d be rough, maybe more manly looking?” She smiled and tilted her head.

Wow, this woman could be disarming,
he thought. Mac instantly saw why she was so good at her job. No one would expect her to be one of the top CIA agents in the world.

“Stereotypes.” Mac began, “The world is full of them, but yes, I expected someone much more rugged.”

“Not being rugged,” she smiled, “has paid off for me. Especially given the work I do, as I often go undercover.”

The doors slid open and she walked out, “My office is right down this corridor. Delia says you’re the best. You must be, since she hasn’t asked me to meet with any other publishers yet.”

She stepped inside her office, “Have a seat.” Her voice was guarded and slightly clipped. She pointed to a round conference table, tucked in one corner of the largish room. There was something oddly familiar about this woman, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Mac did his best to shake it off:

“We are the best,” Mac smiled, “And I’d like to show you what I have planned for the book.”

Sydney sat down, “I did some digging about you,” she leaned toward him again, which he was beginning to find slightly unnerving, “You know, I can find out anything on anyone, which I don’t do randomly.” She smiled, leaned back and said, “You have an interesting history, Mac Ellis.”

Mac narrowed his eyes, “I do, I’ve won a lot of awards, and a lot of accolades for the work I’ve edited. I can assure you that your book will be in great hands.”

Sydney eyed him for a moment, yes, she’d done her research and yes, she’d seen pictures of him, but nothing could have prepared her for meeting this man who filled up her office with his presence. He was, in a word, stunning, and certainly a force of nature. She needed to keep him on edge, even ever so slightly, because she was certain when he got too comfortable, he’d get cocky.

“I want to be clear about something. I’m not doing this because I want to; I’m doing this for my husband. My late husband.” She corrected herself. “None of the money I get from this will go to me; it’s all going to Joe’s charity that I set up after he was killed.”

Mac watched her carefully and then said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sullivan, I didn’t know.”

Sydney got up out of her chair and walked over to the window and looked out, “Joseph Sullivan was his name, we were married for five years before he was killed.”

Mac turned his chair toward her and leaned back, she read the curious expression on his face. He wanted to know more, but she resisted the urge to tell him.

Mac stood up and walked over to the window, “You wear his wedding ring around your neck.”

She turned to him, holding the chain, “You’re very observant, Mr. Ellis.”

“Call me Mac,” he offered, “And I truly am sorry for your loss.”

There was something wickedly disarming about Mac, and though she’d often been in tricky situations, there was something about him that didn’t leave her entirely unfazed. Her eyes skittered away from him and focused on the parking lot below. She crossed her arms, as if shielding herself from the memory of it, “He was Army Intelligence and on a mission in Kabul. It would be his last one for a while and then we were going to start a family.” She paused for a long moment and then said, “He was killed in an explosion. All they found of him was his wedding ring.” She took a long breath and continued, “It was a long time ago, but Joe told me that it would someday be important to write my story, as a CIA agent and to remind the world that there are people they don’t even know who are fighting for their freedom every single day.” Sydney paused, let the chain drop and turned to him.

Mac wasn’t sure what to say, Sydney was remarkable. He’d never seen such intelligence and steely bravery in one woman. He fought the urge to reach out and touch her, not in a sexual way, but just to make sure she was real.

He caught himself staring and said, “Mrs. Sullivan, I’m sorry, but you remind me so much of someone I used to know.”

Something shifted inside her. No, this was not at all good.

“So,
Mac
,” she said ignoring his statement. The slight emphasis on his name was a clear mood shifter. This was not the direction she wanted the meeting to go. “I am determined to find the best house for this book. I want someone who will take good care of this project.”

“I can assure you, we will.”

Sydney shrugged and walked back over to the table, “Everyone says that, Mac.” She turned to him with a smile and sat back down, “Even your ex-fiancé.”

She was taunting him, he knew that. Quickly, he shook it off and smiled, “Yes, Lavigne House does great work, too.”
“But there is only one Mac Ellis, is that what you’re telling me?”

Mac smiled, “You know, Ms. Sullivan, normally I’d lead these discussions by telling you that we’ll create a book that’s designed to be a bestseller, and that we’ll get you on every show imaginable, but that’s not what you’re after.” Mac leaned into her and continued, “You obviously can’t do interviews for security reasons, and you certainly don’t care about the fame or the money.”

He watched as she straightened herself in her chair, she really was one tough cookie, not a single flicker of emotion on her face.

“So, the only thing I can offer you is a promise that this book will live up to what you and your late husband envisioned. That, I can promise you.”

“Thanks, Mac. I’m glad you came by. I have another meeting I need to get to now.”

Mac’s brow furrowed, “I understand, but I was hoping to go over a few more things with you. This project is very important to us.”

“And
national security
is very important to me.” She smiled and stood up. Mac felt the slap. If he worked with her, he might have to constantly fight the urge to either choke or kiss that attitude right out of her.

What the hell?
He thought.
No.
That wouldn’t work at all. Although, arguably Mac’s rules were sometimes fuzzy, one of them was certain: never, ever, ever get involved with an author.
Especially
, someone like Anne Sullivan.

“I’ll have someone walk you out,” she stood up, smoothed her dress and reached out her hand. When he grasped hers, she felt an electrical jolt. Sydney held his eyes for a moment, she could read them and knew he was annoyed that the meeting was cut short, but she didn’t care. She had work to do.

She signaled to her assistant, who then approached Mac and led him to the exit. Sydney watched Mac walk down the hall.

He was different from the MacDermott Ellis she remembered. Of course he’d gotten older, but his age only added to his allure. The man was sex on a stick. She could see why most women dropped their panties the minute he came into view, but there was something else that was appealing about him, his confidence maybe? Yes, that was different, too. He’d become considerably more confident, and she wasn’t the least bit surprised that he didn’t remember her.

Chapter 7

“Wait, you saw Mac Ellis again?” It was her sister Jenny, the one who lived in Wisconsin. Sydney called her right after her meeting.

“Yes, he was here with an offer for the book.”

She could hear her sister gasp through the phone, “God, Syd, are you going to work with him?”

Sydney shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll see. He’s a good editor but he’s also a bit of a male whore, so there’s that.”

“Oh come on, he’s not that bad. I mean he’s had some relationships, so what.”

“I don’t care. Really, I don’t.”

“That’s right, you’re Sydney Sullivan, Wonder Woman.”

“Stop calling me that.” She sat down at her desk and hit the power button on her laptop. The screen sprang to life.

“You’re still a woman, Syd, and there was a time when you wanted to marry this guy.”

“High school, the musings of a confused teenage girl, that’s all.”

“He was your first love, Sydney, and remember how devastated you were when he broke up with you and married Carolyn?”

Even thought it was almost thirty years ago, Sydney could still remember what it felt like to be rejected by Mac Ellis. She decided to ignore her sister’s question.

“Syd, look, you should tell him who you are. He knew you under your maiden name back then so it’s no wonder he didn’t piece this together. Also, you know, you were pretty different back then.”

Indeed, she was very tall and rail thin, she hadn’t started really filling out till she was eighteen, and by then, Mac Ellis was long gone and engaged to Carolyn.

Sydney opened her email, she really needed to get to work and stop focusing on some guy she’d dated a million years ago. What the hell was wrong with her, anyway?

“Look, Jen, I gotta go.”

“No,” her sister said firmly. “I want you to stop for a minute and just think about this.

Look, I know you loved Joe, but you loved Mac first and you weren’t just in love with Mac, he was your world.”

That was true, it had taken her years to get over Mac and since Joe died, she’d had a few relationships here and there, but Sydney would cut them off before they got serious or go out on a mission or something. Getting the bad guys always came first.

“And the other thing is, Syd, Mac wasn’t just your first love, he was the first man you slept with. That’s big. Women never forget that.”

Sydney blinked, she never really thought about it, because once she met Joe everyone else faded into the background, but now, here, with the presence of Mac still lingering in her office, she remembered what it was like to be loved by him. He was impossibly gentle with her. She was scared and excited and scared again. Mac went slow and backed off when she seemed uncertain. When they finally made love, it was the most incredible moment of her life.

The memory washed over her and she felt her heart speed up. She shook it off, but it still lingered. His touch, his kiss, his words of, “I love you,” whispered in her ear as she climaxed for the first time.

The memory of it shook her to her core.

Chapter 8

Three days later, Mac could not shake the meeting he had with Anne. She was complex and intelligent and beautiful and entirely lethal. There was also something else about her, a memory of something that tugged at him. Something so familiar he almost felt he knew her, but that couldn’t be. Mac was no stranger to high profile people but he was certain he would have remembered meeting someone like Wonder Woman.

He’d heard from Delia only once and the decision for the book should be coming down shortly. As far as he could tell, it was between his firm and Lavigne House.

Kate.

He wished he could have stayed there and kept working, I mean couples do it all the time right? They break up, remain friends.

Oh, who was he kidding?

He would have hated every day of watching her with Nick, carrying his baby. He didn’t begrudge her happiness; he just didn’t need to be in the front row to watch it unfold.

Mac was walking back to his office after meeting with another agent for lunch. Everyone was abuzz over the Wonder Woman book, as it had been dubbed, and every agent was giving Delia the evil eye for signing this once-in-a-lifetime client.

By the time he returned to the office, it was crackling with activity, it was fall, which is a big season for book releases. As he approached his assistant Beth, she looked up at him and flashed him a nervous smile. “There’s someone waiting for you in your office.”

Mac frowned, “I don’t have an appointment scheduled. Who is it?”

“She insisted,” Beth said, he could hear the slight shake in her voice, “I-I think it’s important.”

Mac turned the corner and the first thing he saw were a pair of long, shapely legs. Crossed of course. The owner of them was clearly making herself at home. Then she turned as Mac entered the room.

“Hello, Mac,” Sydney greeted as she stood up.

Mac wasn’t sure what to say. It took him a few seconds to gather himself and shake off the surprise of seeing her again.

“Mrs. Sullivan,” he held out his hand, “good to see you again.”

Sydney took his hand and smiled, “Don’t blame your assistant for letting me in. I have my ways.”

“Did you flash your badge at her?” Mac grinned.

Sydney shrugged, “A good spy never reveals all of her secrets, but here’s one I’m willing to share with you. I’ve decided on your publishing house for my book.”

Mac was floored. The initial meeting hadn’t been great, as he’d certainly had better ones. It was because she had dismissed him so abruptly. Boy, this woman was hard to read. He walked behind his desk and sat down. He needed to take the position of power in this meeting and sitting at his desk would help, but not much. Anne was clearly in charge and Mac didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Mac narrowed his eyes, “Shouldn’t you tell your agent first?”

“I did.” Following his lead, she sat down, “I told her I was coming over here to tell you myself, and to discuss the conditions of us working together.”

Conditions,
Mac thought,
great.
It was just what this book needed, an author who wouldn’t do interviews and a boatload of conditions
.
This whole thing made Mac nervous. Something he wasn’t at all used to.

“The book is with someone right now who is making it sound more coherent, but from what I understand, you want to work on that process, yes?”

“I’d be better at it,” he said simply.

“Then I want to work with you directly, to make sure it’s right and accurate. We’ll work on it for a week at my farm in Vermont. It’s quiet there and we can get a lot done.”

Mac sat up a little straighter.

A week in Vermont with Wonder Woman? He wasn’t sure if either of them would survive it, but if they did, they’d probably end up hating each other or ripping each other’s clothes off. Neither of these prospects sounded appealing, even the naked one. There was no guaranteeing that she wouldn’t kill after she mated.

“I promise I don’t bite.” She added with a slight smile, “Much.”

Mac needed something to do with his hands, so he stood up, jammed them into his pockets and faced the window behind his desk, “Ms. Sullivan, I’d love to accommodate that, but I do have other projects I need to work on and a company to run, so being out of the office, even for a week, is tough right now.”

Sydney didn’t blink, “I have internet, it’s not like you’re in a cave in the middle of nowhere and I have you tied up.”

There was a slight smile, “I’m due a week’s vacation, actually more, but I’ve been told that if I don’t willingly take the time off they will change the locks on my office till I do, so I figured this was as good a time as any.”

Mac should be jumping for joy, or something. He’d just landed the biggest project he’d had in a while, maybe even ever, and now this impossibly beautiful woman wanted to spend a week with him at her farm in Vermont, just the two of them. In the past, he would have jumped on that without hesitation, but there was something that bothered him about this whole thing. Maybe it was that he was going away with a woman who could kill him with her bare hands. Hell, probably one bare hand while holding a martini in the other. Or maybe it was his growing attraction to her, which was not something he could or should pursue, and being alone with her was not at all advisable.

“What else?” Mac asked.

Sydney cocked her head, “I’m not some demanding, spoiled bitch, Mac. I just want one thing, that’s all.”

“When?”

“My vacation starts in two days.”

Mac turned back to the window. Working on the book directly would definitely have some benefits, including controlling the narrative the way he wanted to. The way he knew would ultimately sell better. Often, the difference between thousands of book sales and hundreds of thousands of book sales was how it was written, and if it was done right, it would be well worth a week out of the office. Finally he said, “I’ll send the contracts over to Delia today for her approval and if you can send me the address to the farm, I’ll meet you up there.”

Sydney stood up, “Excellent. We have a deal.” As she stood up and started walking toward the door, Mac tried to tear his gaze off of her perfect ass. He wasn’t entirely successful, but she didn’t give any kind of indication that she noticed.

As she walked out she said, “I think this will be enjoyable for both of us, Mac.” There was a glint of something in her eye. Mac felt like she was toying with him.

“Oh, and please call me Anne—you’re about to get to know me better than anyone has in a long time.”

Mac swallowed hard, for a split second he wanted to grab her, push her against the wall and kiss her. Hard. Instead he nodded and said, “I look forward to working with you, Anne. See you in Vermont.”

After she left, he dropped himself in his chair and thought:

Vermont.

Worst. Idea. Ever.