Outrageously Yours (13 page)

Jason clenched his teeth. Ramon was training to become a sommelier and was passionate about wine. He wanted to defend his employee but he doubted Max would listen to what he had to say. “We usually recommend the Riesling with that appetizer because the sweetness of the wine holds up well to the spicy Asian flavors. You should try it the next time you’re here.”

“Perhaps.” He patted his mouth with a napkin before he continued. “I’m not sure if I will return. It depends on Claire. What do you know about her? How would you describe her?”

Intense. Wild. Serious. Beautiful. Strong. Wonderful. Loving. Determined. Sexy. The list went on. He would sing Claire’s praises but there were many things he didn’t want to share with Max. Max would not appreciate her strengths and vulnerabilities. He would search for her flaws, real and unimagined.

“What is it you want to know?” Jason asked.

“She works on your social media.” Max said before he quaffed the wine. “What does that entail?”

“We had no social media presence until we hired Claire. She built our strategy.” Jason quickly ran down the list of Claire’s duties and realized it was a lot. Somehow Claire managed to put all of the pieces together and create excitement for his business.

“Have you seen any results?” Max asked as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m sure you can’t directly link it to Claire’s work.”

“What makes you so sure?” Claire was all about data and results but he couldn’t remember any of the hard numbers. She was very enthusiastic about targets and reach but Jason’s eyes usually glazed over and he would just watch her animated expressions and gestures.

“She’s told me about some of her projects and...well...” Max gave a shrug and turned his hands up, “She’s young. Raw. She needs a mentor to help shape her if she wants to get any big-name clients.”

“Mentors like who?” Though he already suspected just what Max wanted from Claire. “You?”

Max nodded. “I’m thinking about hiring her as my personal assistant.”

The guy made it sound as if he was doing Claire a huge favor. Jason was sure Max had no interest in developing Claire’s skills. He was looking for employees who would come up with the ideas and do the work while he wined and dined Hollywood.

“Why would she give up her business to work for you?” he asked as dread seeped into his bones.

“Why wouldn’t she choose a big city over this farm town?” Max gestured at the windows.

“She has a life here,” Jason reminded him.

Max chuckled at Jason’s statement. “I know women like Claire. She wants to experience the Hollywood lifestyle she’s always dreamed of. It’s always the quiet girl-next-door types.”

Jason shook his head. This guy hadn’t made any attempt to understand Claire. She might avoid the spotlight but she had a tight circle of friends and she had him. She fought hard to be a successful and independent businesswoman. Would she give up all of that for glitz and glamour? Would she walk away from him and what they had just created?

“Girls like Claire want to work with celebrities but they don’t have the connections,” Max confided as he leaned forward. “At first they think all it takes is hard work but after a few years they discover that they’re stuck. Then they start dreaming about being plucked out of obscurity by experts like me.”

“Claire wants to put
her clients
in the spotlight. She’s savvy and she has good instincts for what works. She doesn’t need gimmicks or to artificially inflate her numbers.”

The corner of Max’s eyes twitched. “That’s the image she likes to create but we both know she’s not clever,” he declared. “She can’t rely on her brains.”

Jason went very still and he watched Max closely. “What do you mean?”

“She is a packhorse who wants to be a racehorse. All the other girls who have worked for me have been the same. Claire wants to work with the famous people and hope some of the stardust rubs off on her. She can get that with me.”

“You’re wrong.” Or was he wrong about Claire? What if she’d tired of living in the shadows and wanted a taste of the glittery life?

“We’ll see. She knows I’m interested in hiring her and she wanted me to see the party she promoted last night. I might have to sweeten the deal,” Max said with a grimace. “If I could get her to promote events like that for one of my reality TV stars...”

Jason felt the edges of panic curling inside him. That was one thing Max could give Claire. Her work was very important to her. She always had something to prove. To herself, her parents and to those who didn’t believe in her. Would she take this job as a way to prove them wrong? Didn’t Claire realize that Max would siphon off her creativity and energy until she burned out?

Jason had to protect her from that. He had to save Claire from making the biggest mistake of her life. Jason forced a grin on his lips as he considered his options. He had to think fast.

He could prove Claire was much better at social media than Max. The narcissistic man wouldn’t want his clients anywhere near her. But then again, Max was too arrogant to believe anyone was better than him.

What if he suggested Max couldn’t trust Claire? No, he didn’t think that would bother Max. The guy seemed like the type who expected backstabbing and betrayal as part of everyday life.

The only thing that would make Max hesitate was if he discovered Claire wasn’t the efficient workaholic he wanted.

“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” Max asked as Jason smiled.

Jason shook his head and started to chuckle. “Her strategy skills are even better than I thought. She had no plan and very little time to put it together but it worked.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You fell for her image.” Jason dragged his hands over his face. “Don’t feel bad. Everyone does. Claire played you and you have no idea.”

Max scowled at him. “I know all about the party-girl image. That was the project she had to do in order to apply for the job.”

“No, not that one.” Jason knew he had to lie convincingly for this to work. “Claire Miller is a hot mess,” he announced. He never thought he would say those words.

“No, she’s not,” Max said with a big smile. “The only reason people hire her is because she meets her deadlines and is consistent. She’s a dull girl who lives and breathes work. Those are perfect qualities for my assistant.”

“You believe that?” Jason asked as the anger swelled in his chest. He didn’t like how Max had just described Claire. She was intense and passionate. Opinionated and driven. But dull? Never. “The workaholic image, that she’s professional and is good at what she does, is only what she projects. The party-girl image? That’s the real her.”

“What?” Max’s eyes bugged out. “I don’t believe you.”

“She keeps the outrageous pictures and gossip off-line because it doesn’t match her professional image.” Jason clenched his teeth before he embellished the lie. He worried that he would get tripped up with his stories and ruin everything.

Max gave an irritated sigh. “Let me see if I get this straight. The party-girl image is the real Claire Miller and the hardworking woman is the fake?” He asked as he retrieved his phone and swiped the screen as he searched for a picture. “How is that possible?”

Jason shrugged. “She’s really great at what she does.”

Max turned his phone around and showed the picture on the screen. “So this shot of her at the Roller Derby...?”

Jason winced. The action shot explained a few of the bruises he had found on Claire. “That is not edited,” he explained. “She’s actually doing that. Her Roller Derby name is Claire Carnage.”

Max squinted at the small screen as if it would reveal Claire’s trickery. “How do you know all this?”

“I’m a client and I’m...hooking up with her.” He hated that term to describe what he shared with Claire and immediately regretted using it for Max’s benefit.

Max’s eyebrows shot up. “Does she sleep with all her clients?”

“No.” Jason curled his hands into fists. “But I have discussed taking business away from her. I can’t imagine working with her after the fling fizzles out. She made a scene here earlier this week with one of her former clients. Something about a costly mistake. I didn’t get all the details.”

“I assumed she avoided drama.” Max’s voice rose. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it? So you two are hooking up. Is she worth the trouble?”

“She’s not the hot and sexy woman you think she is.” Jason said. She was definitely worth the trouble but he wasn’t going to tell Max that. He also wouldn’t mention that Claire had a rare feminine beauty and sensual grace. Many didn’t see it compared to the in-your-face brash sexuality that surrounded them all the time.

“I should have known,” Max muttered to himself.

“You will lose interest in her very quickly,” Jason predicted. “I suggest you cut ties and leave before you get stuck with her.”

“I’ve been wrong about her?” Max asked. “It’s been a well-constructed image this whole time?”

“That’s right, Max.” Jason heard Claire say. He turned and saw Claire standing at the end of their table. Her blond hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. She wore a blazer over a red button-down shirt, dark jeans and boots. He recognized that look. It meant she was all business.

“You were tricked,” Claire announced. She didn’t smile or gloat as she kept her eyes on Max. “It was easier than I thought. Be thankful I didn’t do it in front of your colleagues.”

“You can’t trick me. I knew it all along,” Max said, puffing out his chest. “I just couldn’t figure out why.”

“Because you didn’t believe my methods were any good. That
I
was any good. In fact, you announced it loudly at the bar during the last conference. You had the gall to say I didn’t have what it takes and would be out of business soon. So I made...how did you describe it, Jason?” Claire tilted her head in Jason’s direction without breaking eye contact with Max. “A fake profile for the real world.”

Max’s eyes were round as he glanced at his phone screen and then back at Claire. “Do you think this proves you are better than me?”

“Oh, please, don’t even try. I fooled you on and off-line. You came to visit me just to see it all in person. And you’re supposed to be the expert to the stars. Bow down, Max. I just outplayed you.” She turned on her heel and stalked out of the wine bar.

Jason stared at Claire’s retreating figure, his mouth gaping open. That was the first time he had seen her exude that kind of attitude. She had been brazen and angry. She’d spoken her mind with no apology.

“I don’t believe it,” Max said in wonder as he watched Claire stride out of the door. “She’s better than I thought. I have to hire her.”

Jason rolled his eyes. His plan had backfired and now Max wanted Claire more than ever. But he no longer had to worry that she would accept the job offer.

“That’s not going to happen,” Jason said as he rose from his seat. “But cheer up, Max. Your luck may change. One day you might get the opportunity to work for
her
.”

13

C
LAIRE
’
S
HANDS
SHOOK
as she tried to unlock her car door. A howling pain
raged inside her, ready to tear free. She had to lock down the bitterness and
the dark, swirling emotions. She wasn’t going to show how much Jason’s words had
hurt her or how she thought she had meant something to him. Giving no reaction
had been her only defense for years and it came automatically to her.

“Claire! Where are you going?”

She glanced over the car roof and saw Jason jogging toward her.
Her heart banged hard against her chest. She had fallen in love with this man
and he had been ready to discard her. “I’m going home,” she replied, hating how
her voice wavered.

“You were great.” Jason said with a big smile. “Max didn’t know
what hit him.”

“I sympathize,” she muttered. She couldn’t believe Jason would
have divulged anything about her fake reputation. She’d believed he was her
backup. He had been reluctant at first but she never thought he would try to
sabotage her work.

Claire knew the tears burning in the back of her eyes or the
tightening of her throat wasn’t about the wasted efforts. She was still reeling
from Jason’s advice to Max.
Cut her lose. She’s not the hot and sexy woman
you think she is. You will lose interest in her quickly.

Was that how Jason felt? Claire blinked rapidly to hold back
the tears. Was that why he hadn’t accepted her invitation to extend the fling?
Did he hope the relationship would just fade away?

Jason stopped at the other side of the car and motioned for her
to return to the wine bar. “Come inside and have a drink. My treat. I’ll go find
one of the tasting room exclusives.”

Claire wrenched open the car door and paused. “I don’t feel
like celebrating.”

His smile dipped. “What’s wrong?”

She glared at him and she knew she couldn’t keep quiet any
longer. “How can you ask me that? You ruined everything with Max.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed as his features grew harsh. “You still
want to work for him? After everything that happened?” His voice took on an
angry edge.

“I have no interest in working with Max anymore. Ugh.” She gave
a shudder. “All he cares about is meeting the next celebrity and getting into
the VIP lounge at the airport. He is not someone I’ll ever look up to again. And
I just found out this week that he wanted me to be his lackey. He assumed I
would give up everything I’d worked for to be his errand girl.”

Jason spread his arms out, ignoring the people walking past him
on the sidewalk. “Then what was all this for?”

“This was my chance to prove, once and for all, that I was just
as good as my peers. I’d managed to catch Max’s attention and I had to make the
most out of it. I wanted to work with the best. Sure, he tried to build himself
up by tearing me down, but I’ve dealt with that before. Guys like him always
make fun of the quiet and shy ones. They think we’re easy targets.”

She had been so afraid to show herself until Jason had helped
her. She had shown her true self to Jason. But it hadn’t been good enough for
him. It wasn’t good enough for anyone. She would always be lacking
something.

Claire rolled her shoulders back. “But instead of walking away
at the conference and hiding in my hotel room, I stood my ground. I showed him
what I knew about my field. I was determined to dazzle him with my expertise. I
put myself out there and I didn’t care how many tests he gave me. I was going to
pass every one of them.”

Jason thrust his hands in his hair and gave a growl of
frustration. “He knew it, too. He was going to use that determination so you
would work for his approval. And I’m familiar with his type—he would have
seduced you into his bed.”

“I have no interest in sleeping with Max. I only want you. Why
did you have a fling with me?” she asked. He didn’t think she was hot or sexy.
What was in it for him? “Why did you make it real?”

“Because I wanted to.”

“Really?” She crossed her arms and leaned against the car.
“It’s not because you were feeling restless and you decided to change things up.
Go against type. Because as you told Max, I’m not a hot and sexy woman.”

He jerked his head up and their gazes clashed. Jason’s eyes
widened with alarm. He hadn’t realized that she had overheard that part. “That’s
not what I meant.”

“Apparently, everything we shared was fake,” she said with a
brittle smile. “Maybe you should be the one crafting images and brand messages.
I would fall for it every time.”

“I only said that because I didn’t want Max to go after you,”
Jason insisted. “I didn’t want him to know that you are the woman of my
dreams.”

She wished she had been the star of his fantasies but deep down
she’d always feared his interest wouldn’t last. “I felt desirable and special
when I was with you. I forgot that you were pretending. I was daring and sensual
because I felt safe with you.” Her breath caught in her throat. “But that was
another false image.”

He crossed his arms. “No, it’s not.”

“You’ve already lost interest, haven’t you? You didn’t want to
extend the fling and were ready call it off. Isn’t that what you told Max? What
else did you say to him?”

“I was trying to warn him off, to protect you. Usually if I
have competition for a girl I walk away, but not this time. Yeah, I played dirty
and I’m not proud of it.”

“No, Jason.” She took a deep breath as the anxiety built up
inside her. She felt as though she was going to crumple from the weight of it.
“What other
secrets
did you tell him about me?”

“What other—” His light blue eyes glittered with fury as his
expression turned grim. “What are you suggesting?”

“I opened up to you because I trusted you. I never dreamed you
would tell Max about the fake reputation. And there you were comparing notes
about me. I thought we were partners.”

“We are. I wouldn’t betray your secrets or your—” he wildly
motioned with his hands as he tried to come up with the words “—privacy.”

“And I’m supposed to take your word on that?” Her stomach
churned as she imagined the fallout if anyone discovered she had a disability.
She had to get out of here before she became physically ill. Claire got into her
car and slammed the door.

“Where are you going?” he yelled over the sound the ignition
starting. “We are not finished here.”

“We are, Jason,” Claire argued as she rolled down the window.
“Whatever we had is over. The fake fling and the real one. Our work relationship
and our friendship.” She winced when she said that out loud. The friendship may
have been one-sided. He saw her as his sister’s best friend. “It’s all
gone.”

“I refuse to accept that.”

She reversed her car from the parking spot and stopped when he
called her name. “Jason, you’re so good at giving advice. Let me offer you some
instead. This is a breakup. It could get messy and emotional. Do what you do
best and walk away.”

* * *

E
VERYTHING
WE
SHARED
was fake
. Claire’s words still
haunted him two weeks later. She had said some other things that had stung but
that statement bothered him the most. If what they’d had was fake, he wouldn’t
feel this depressed and alone. He would sleep at night and function through the
day. If what they had wasn’t real, then why did he feel as if he’d lost
something special?

Jason slowly got out of his car and bent his head to ward off
the cold and misty rain. The gold-and-crimson leaves were now a sodden mess on
the ground and the dreary sky matched his mood. He strode to the small coffee
shop where he knew Claire was waiting for her friend Deanna.

He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to confront her in public.
Claire didn’t like surprises and she withdrew into herself when she was
cornered. She was going to hate what he was about to do but he had tried to
reach her for weeks. She’d avoided his calls, didn’t answer her door and only
responded to his business emails when she knew he was busy at work.

She was hiding. Jason’s stomach turned at the thought. Hiding
because of him. Claire had just begun to step off the sidelines and now she was
running back into the shadows. He couldn’t let that happen.

Jason opened the door and gazed around the small coffee shop.
The scent of roasted coffee beans wafted over him. He noticed a line of
customers forming at the register and all of the tables were taken. His heart
gave a hard kick when he saw Claire sitting near the window.

She hadn’t changed. Claire didn’t look as weary as he felt.
There were some shadows under her eyes but she was acting as if it was business
as usual.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected but she was hunched over
her computer, just like he had seen her do a million times. Her blond hair was
twisted into a messy knot and she wore no makeup. The gray hoodie, black yoga
pants and sneakers were part of her everyday uniform when she wasn’t meeting
clients.

Jason took a deep breath and strode to Claire. He grabbed the
back of a chair and pulled it out from the table as she looked up. Claire’s eyes
widened as if she’d been struck and her mouth sagged open.

“Deanna isn’t coming,” Jason said as he sat down. His heart was
pumping as if he had been running flat out. “I asked her to set up this
meeting.”

Claire cast a glance around the coffee shop and realized she
was trapped. There was no way she could walk out the door without getting by
him. She pressed her lips together and slammed her computer closed. “I don’t
want to talk to you.”

He gave a nod. “Fine. I’ll do the talking. I said those things
to Max because I wanted to keep him away from you. I knew that if he had any
interest in you, it would end quickly and badly. Not because of you, but because
of Max. He wouldn’t appreciate you.”

“You told him a lot about me,” she said as she glanced around
the coffee shop.

“He believed you were a woman who gave yourself freely and
you’re not. But it’s more than that.” Jason leaned forward. “You are something
rare and he wanted something mass-produced. He’s the kind of guy who would toss
out gold for dross because the fake stuff was shinier.”

Claire rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know, Jason.”

He felt a glimmer of hope. She hadn’t immediately rejected his
words. “If you take a minute to remember how I treated you when no one was
around, you would realize that I find you exciting. I jumped at your invitation
to start a real fling and I couldn’t keep my hands off you. That wasn’t pretend,
Claire.”

Claire’s cheeks turned pink and she quickly looked out the
window as she considered her words. “It was a shock to hear you say those
things,” she admitted.

“I was trying to speak Max’s language. I was betting on the
fact that he wouldn’t hire you if he suspected you weren’t the efficient
personal assistant he needed. And I couldn’t stand the idea that he would try to
force his attentions onto you. I couldn’t let that happen.”

She slowly faced him. Her face was curiously blank. “Why did
you think you had to warn Max off?” she asked.

Jason waved his hands around as he tried to put his thoughts
together. “Because he was going to offer you a job and it was a bad deal.”

“How can you be sure?” She spoke with no inflection.

“He said he was going to mentor you but I knew he was going to
trap you in a contract.” He splayed his hands out in the air. “You would be
stuck doing slave labor while he took all of your ideas.”

She watched him closely. “And what made you believe that?”

He flattened his hands on the table and it shook underneath his
palms. “It’s common sense.”

Claire tilted her head. “And I don’t have common sense?”

Jason drew his head back as if he sensed a trap. “No, I knew
you would figure it out but it may have been too late.”

“And you wanted to save me from making a bad decision. Or
making any decision.” She leaned back in her chair. “Did you consider that I
might come to the right conclusion? Or that I understood Max’s motives as well
as you did?”

Her questions flustered him. “I was trying to protect you.”

“For my own good?”

“Yes.” He winced. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I have lived independently for years, Jason. I have to make
decisions every day. Not all of my decisions have been right and I have had
people try to take advantage of me, but I can protect myself.”

“There is nothing wrong with me taking care of you,” he said in
a low growl.

She crossed her arms. “There is something wrong when you are
taking choices out of my hands and making the decisions for me.”

That wasn’t what he’d been doing. He’d been helping her. “How
is this different than the culinary school?” he asked. “You were pushing me to
go in that direction.”

“I gave you information about the school. I wasn’t going to
hide alternatives the way you were trying to make Max’s job offer disappear. And
I didn’t make the decision for you to apply. That was all you.”

Jason exhaled sharply. He closed his eyes and dragged his hands
over his face. He understood what Claire was saying but he didn’t like it. He
didn’t think he had questioned her common sense or decision-making, but maybe he
had.

“I’m sensitive about people questioning my intelligence,”
Claire said. “But if you presume you can make these choices for me, then any
relationship we have is doomed.”

“What do you want from me?” Jason asked as he saw sadness
flicker in her dark blue eyes. “I want us to get back together.”

“I need you to trust that I can make my own decisions. Why have
you been so persistent these past few weeks? Is it because you thought I didn’t
know what I was doing?”

“No,” he said through clenched teeth. “I keep at it because I’m
in love with you and I don’t want to go another day without you.”