Scandal (Tainted #1) (3 page)

Alicia hiked her bag onto her lap and he frowned at the top of her head. What was with this woman? It was like she’d been born without the humour gene.

The waitress came back, handing over a menu and eyeing him like she wanted to say something else. He was too intent on the blonde fussing around in a bag taller than her midriff to do more than give the girl a dismissive ‘thanks’.

Alicia’s hair was pulled back tight and twisted into some kind of coil at the back. How long did those pale locks fall when let loose? Down to her shoulders, or long enough to cover her breasts?

His heart pounded at the thought and he shoved the image aside. She wasn’t his type; too highly strung and clearly not even interested in him enough to pretend to laugh at his jokes like most women did.

Not that he should consider her anything other than his publicist. This lunch might have been a spur of the moment decision – probably due to the fact he liked the way she’d checked him out – but he did need to know more about this plan of hers. After all, there were a lot of rumours going around about him lately. Most were ugly. Some were downright insulting, the worst coming from Mai.

‘Lost something?’ he asked, because she was still fumbling around in her handbag.

‘My pen,’ she mumbled.

‘Blondie, stop worrying. You don’t need to take notes, and I’ll go by the office tomorrow to sign. Right now, I want to eat and hear more about how you’re going to try to straighten me up.’

She looked at him, the fire in her eyes reminding him he should ditch the nickname and use Alicia. Such a pretty name too, but he liked the way she glowered when he didn’t.

‘Of course,’ she said, then clenched her teeth.

He pressed his lips together to keep from grinning. A bit of teasing never hurt anyone, and it was about time Miss Prim and Proper learned that.

Alicia should have known better than to believe a man like Collins. The promise not to tease was broken before they’d been served a drink.

Not to mention the flirting. Would she have to keep an eye on him twenty-four seven to make sure he kept what he was packing in his boxers? She couldn’t do that, not with her other clients and the way he riled her up. It would be
her
headlining the news next. She could imagine the headline –
Earl of Cumbria’s daughter slung up for murder
, or worse,
Playboy of the Year Screwing for the Title
.

Alicia shuddered.

Sebastian looked at the menu and she had to force herself not to tap the table and give away her impatience. Her stomach was on the verge of growling but she couldn’t have that. She needed this to be over and done with so she could get back to work. Away from him. Maybe he ate quickly. She could only hope.

He placed the menu down and asked, ‘What’s good here?’

She was about to say ‘everything’ just so he’d pick something until she remembered what he did for a living. ‘I thought you’d be on a special diet.’

Sebastian shrugged.

She thought he gave a damn about his career. More than likely his management company had forced him to come to Maine. That at least explained the way he had looked like he couldn’t care less in the boardroom.

Well, it was her job to make him look good in the public eye, which meant he had to appear focused – if he ever signed. What would a sportsman need? She wished she’d looked into that. Surely protein. Probably refined carbs, too.

‘The salmon is nice, with brown rice and steamed veg.’

‘Good to know,’ he said and waved over the pretty brunette waitress.

The woman subtly slid her hands down her stomach, then tucked her shirt in tighter so it emphasised her breasts. A burning sensation flared in Alicia’s temples. She did her best to ignore it – after all, what did she care if a woman flirted with him? If he signed, she’d have to put up with that sort of thing daily. It was better she got used to it now.

‘I’ll have the salmon with brown rice and steamed vegetables, please. Oh, and the grilled chicken without seasoning if you can, with salad?’

Her eyes narrowed at Collins. Surely he didn’t need all that.

‘What would you like, miss?’ the girl asked.

‘Just the lime and soda.’ Her voice dripped with her growing irritation.

Before the waitress left, Alicia asked for a loan of her pen. The other woman obliged and she turned to Collins, her suspicion rising. ‘Hungry?’

Collins shook his head. ‘I can’t eat all that. The salmon’s for you.’

‘I’m not –’ but her traitorous stomach grumbled.

He laughed. ‘Figured as much.’

Without thinking, she snapped, ‘Why are we here, anyway? We could have discussed my pitch at the office.’

Collins relaxed back into the chair with that easy grin and hint of amusement in his eyes that drove her bonkers. Her blood simmered at the thought he was laughing at her again and she considered getting up and walking out the door. But that would just put her back on desk duty, coming up with new campaigns for small, going-nowhere businesses, wouldn’t it?

Combined with her late entrance earlier, her bottom would bounce off the pavement on her way out of Maine for letting Collins slip through her fingers.

She shuddered as she imagined the heavy disapproval in her father’s glare when she was forced to go crawling back. One he used only on her. Time and time again.

She never wanted to return permanently to the cold brick and stone building she’d grown up in, with parents who were cooler than the concrete. An overnight visit once every other month was more than enough.

‘We’re here because we’re hungry and there’s more I need to know before I sign,’ he answered, snapping her focus back to the conversation.

His voice, low and rich, did
not
make her heart pound faster. No, that was the thought of losing the first job she’d ever had and having to go running home to her father’s country mansion.

‘What do you need to know?’ she asked, putting her irritation aside. Or trying hard to. It bubbled under her skin, making her want to say things she shouldn’t.

‘Why did you get into the PR business?’ he asked.

‘I don’t see why that’s relevant.’

Leaning forward on his elbows, he grinned in a way that made her heart flutter and skin tingle. He shouldn’t be allowed loose on the female population. She scowled to hide her reaction.

‘It is. I need to know that you love your job, that you have the drive to do it right. Otherwise, what’s the point hiring you?’

Collins was seriously testing her patience. She’d worked hard to win the right to prove she could salvage his reputation. She wasn’t going to let his cocky attitude or flirting or whatever he was trying to do ruin this for her.

Humouring him was the only option she had.

‘I’ve always wanted to help people get out of trouble, and I’m very good at bringing out the best in my clients.’ Alicia unclipped papers from her board. ‘This is Maine’s standard contract. After you’ve read it over you can sign on the last page.’

She placed the document in front of him with the borrowed pen on top. Collins didn’t even glance at it.

‘And you think you can bring out the best in me?’ he asked with a smirk.

She had to take a deep breath so she could speak calmly. ‘Yes, although I admit it will be challenging. All you need to know is what I’m going to do for you and how. The whys are irrelevant. Understand?’

‘I don’t know … the whys say a lot about people.’

Was he playing her for his own amusement? It seemed so, the way his eyes lit up and his lips pressed together as if to hold back a laugh. The thought of having to go into work this afternoon and tell her boss he’d walked away from the deal filled her empty stomach with dread.

She had a sinking feeling that it was inevitable. Hadn’t she already been over this, with a man who made her crazy with lust, passion, fear, anger, and worst of all, love? He’d strung her along until she actually needed him. What had he done then? He’d walked out on her when something shinier came along.

Collins wasn’t trying to take her virtue or flatter her with pretty words and irresistible promises, but she knew he was not going to sign. He’d probably invited her to lunch because he thought she was easy, or he was looking for a way out of his responsibilities with his management company.

Alicia picked up the contract and pen, determined to leave Baxter’s with a shred of pride. After all, she was a Simpson and if her father had taught her anything, it was that no one played her family for fools. ‘This is pointless.’

She made to get up, but he caught her wrist. His rough palm made her skin tingle and she met his eyes on reflex. They weren’t laughing now. Determination made him look more serious, like he did when he was on the court.

‘Relax. There’s no rush. Sit down.’

The teasing tone slipped and though he spoke softly, the words were laced with command. Temptation to pull her arm free and storm out of the restaurant was strong, but then she’d lose everything – not just her pride. What was that worth when the alternative meant moving back to Cumbria?

She settled back into her chair. ‘I don’t appreciate being strung along.’

He released her and held up both his palms, the serious expression making him look older than his twenty-eight years. It was odd, she’d never thought of him as someone who could be what he needed to be, only someone who might be able to fool his fans and sponsors for short intervals. Now …

‘Blondie, if I was leading you on it wouldn’t be to sign a deal, if you catch my drift.’

The wink, followed by a decadent grin, stole her hope. At least Darrell had pretended to be a decent man. He even took the time to make promises he would never keep. Sebastian couldn’t even use her name!

But she shouldn’t be comparing him to her ex, and she certainly shouldn’t let him affect her mood this much. After their meals were served, she decided to ignore the teasing and get back to business, giving him a more in-depth rundown of what she had planned, all the while he shovelled his chicken and salad between lips she couldn’t stop peeking at.

Halfway through his lunch, he interrupted her plan of attack. ‘You’re hungry, you should eat.’

Alicia looked down at the healthy, unappetising fish and boring rice with a wrinkled nose. ‘I don’t really like this. I just guessed what a sportsman might need.’

He grinned. ‘I thought you didn’t care about me?’

‘I care about your image – something
you
don’t seem to have much interest in – because that’s my job.’

The easy-going smile slipped and he skewered another slice of chicken with his fork. ‘I care.’

His shoulders seemed rigid and the teasing glint had disappeared from his eyes. Fearing she’d offended him, Alicia scrambled for something to say. ‘Why don’t you show it?’

She bit her tongue. Crap, she was just making this worse.

But his smile reappeared and he wiped the corners with a napkin, then left it on his empty plate. ‘I’m not about to disclose the whys when you won’t.’

Frowning, she said, ‘Fair enough. I’ll get the bill.’

Collins caught her wrist again before she turned to wave over the waitress. His thumb rubbed lazy circles, making her tingle in places she shouldn’t. She was about to tell him off, but got caught up in his eyes. His concern was highlighted by the slight line between his brows.

‘We should get you something else if you didn’t like it,’ he said.

She snapped out of whatever spell he had her under and gently wrestled her hand back, instantly missing the connection. This was bad, she had to get out of there.

‘I have a sandwich in my drawer and a client to see soon,’ she lied.

Collins didn’t call her out or push for anything else. Instead, he picked up the contract.

She’d done it.

She’d gotten him to sign.

Excitement zipped through her, making her even more jittery.

Until he folded the papers in half.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

Collins grinned. ‘You didn’t think I’d sign before having it looked over properly, did you, Blondie?’

The disappointment clogging her throat was so great she didn’t take offense at the nickname. He could still say no. Alicia pushed the thought away. He would
not
say no. She hadn’t gone through a week of sleepless nights and two hours of torture for nothing. If he didn’t appear at Maine with a signed contract soon, she’d just have to track him down.

‘Of course.’ Alicia left the pen on the table. ‘It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Collins. I hope we’ll get to work together soon.’

He laughed, probably at the false sweetness she’d forced into her voice, then rose too, throwing a few notes onto the table. After swiping up the mints, he led her out of Baxter’s with one hand on the small of her back, resurrecting those inappropriate tingles.

Outside, Collins handed her a mint. Then, in a move too quick she didn’t see it coming, he kissed her cheek – so close to her lips she could inhale his breath. Her skin sizzled, and her stomach melted. All she needed was for her knees to get all wobbly and she’d be a walking cliché.

‘I’ll come by tomorrow with the contract. It was lovely having lunch with you too, Ms Simpson.’

Alicia couldn’t help but smile at the formal way he addressed her, and felt hopeful that she’d scored the client of her career, so much so that she let the inappropriate kiss slide for the moment. After all, it was chaste. Not his fault that she reacted the way she did. ‘See you tomorrow,
Sebastian
.’

His eyes darkened when she said his name for the first time. Alicia knew her voice was a bit too suggestive for a business deal. It resembled the tone her little sister, Sylvia, used to get more wine in her glass.

As long as it got him to sign on the dotted line, that was the main thing. It had nothing to do with how his lips felt against her skin.

Before he could say anything else, she turned and headed toward the Maine building, with a grin she couldn’t seem to wipe off her face.

Chapter Three

So close, so bloody close,
was Alicia’s thoughts when Mr Maine called the next day demanding an immediate meeting. The rage in his voice had her stumbling on shaky legs all the way down the long, grey corridor. It felt like more like walking on death row, not the building she’d known for years. The sides seemed to close in around her.