Naked Attraction
Jule McBride
One smoking-hot look from tycoon Robby and Ellie feels ready to combust. Now that they are business rivals, however, giving in to temptation is the worst thing she could do.Yet smouldering Robby intends to bring her down…
A native West Virginian, JULE McBRIDE had her dream to write romances come true in the nineties with the publication of her debut novel, Wild Card Wedding. It received a Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best First Series Romance. Since then, the author has been nominated for multiple awards, including two lifetime achievement awards. She has written for several series and currently makes her happy home at Blaze
. A prolific writer, she has almost fifty titles to her credit.
Naked Attraction
Jule McBride
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#uda445c41-f89d-53ab-aa64-0360485bd4d1)
About the Author (#u14b471f7-196e-5a0a-8ba8-70606a3105ad)
Title Page (#u87d8450b-e0f0-5823-a548-25fd352472ca)
Chapter One (#u39d21a4c-3ab5-5660-818f-ef30fe82c3e0)
Chapter Two (#u584f4f0f-d017-5657-aab1-1e252d6437ef)
Chapter Three (#u79fbcfe4-9efa-57ef-aed2-293c747c01b4)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
WHEN ELLIE LEE STRETCHED and opened her eyes, she found herself staring straight into Robby Robriquet’s baby blues. They captivated her gaze, warmed her insides, then continued holding her attention as surely as his arms had held her the previous night. “How long have you been watching me?” she croaked sleepily.
“All my life.”
“Impossible. You were born first.”
“All your life,” he corrected.
Shifting her gaze, she let it drift down a hard, muscular bare chest coated with wild, tangled raven hair. She eyed the sheet wound around his torso, then returned her attention to his face, her lips parting in frank appreciation of his heart-stopping good looks.
Damn, she thought. They just didn’t make many studs like Robby, especially not around Banner, Mississippi. He had a strong, Romanesque nose, unusually full lips, a face so sculpted that it could have been crafted from marble. His eyes were as piercing as the rays of a hot sun, as blue as a summer sky, and as deep as an ocean.
She had blue eyes, also, and dark hair, just as he, and if the truth be told, she’d started dreaming years ago about how cute their babies would look. She’d had a crush on Robby since she’d first laid eyes on him, when she was twelve years old, but only in the past year, since he’d finished his M.B.A. and returned to Banner, had he finally realized she’d turned into a woman.
So much for all the heartbreak years ago. Countless times, she’d put on sexy hot pants and halter tops, hoping to wow him if he came to the Lees’ house to visit her middle brother, Cordy, often with J. D. Johnson in tow. Ellie’s best friend, Susannah, had been just as lovesick, but J.D. had been her focus. The two girls had tried everything to get the boys’ attention, whether getting stuck while climbing trees, or shrieking like banshees while practicing gymnastics in the yard.
Nothing had seemed to work. The boys would run off, to hunt or fish, totally oblivious. Everything was different now, though. J.D. and Susannah had been married for six years. And exactly six months ago, Robby had dragged Ellie to bed, acting as proprietary as a caveman. Ever since, they’d managed to meet at every possible moment, despite hectic schedules.
That was the other great thing about Robby, she thought, still eyeing him. He worked even harder than she, a trait she’d never found in another man. In fact, she thought Robby worked too hard, something she’d previously never guessed she could see as a flaw in another human being. But how could she help it? Business was important, but she wanted Robby in bed all the time, too, and because he always said he had to work, it could be downright maddening.
Yes, now she understood all the young men she’d discarded during her own college years. Often they’d complain, calling her a workaholic, but now…
Robby was gazing at her bare breasts, his dazed eyes darkening with lust. “Hey, gorgeous,” she whispered. “I think I’m reading your mind.”
“What? Like Mama Ambrosia?”
Mama Ambrosia was a local fortune-teller. Ellie shook her head. Lifting her hands, she squeezed his shoulders, drawing him closer, enjoying the warmth and smoothness of his skin. “No. What I see in your thoughts is far too suggestive for a stranger’s clairvoyant eyes, even a professional’s.”
He glanced at the clock, his glistening teeth flashing as he smiled. “Well, sweetheart,” he drawled, “I figure we’ve got time for a quickie before we get to work and have to pretend we’re only colleagues.”
“You’ve been a bad boy on the job,” she returned, stroking his pectorals with a fingernail.
He was all innocence. “Bad?”
“A hand up my skirt during a meeting. Pinching my butt at the water cooler. A box of condoms appearing magically in my purse,” she enumerated.
“That wasn’t me,” he defended. “That was the condom fairy.” She smiled. “If we don’t tell my father about our affair soon,” she said, dragging his mouth down for a quick, wet kiss, “he’s going to guess.” Her father, otherwise known as Daddy Eddie, was the owner of Lee Polls, a century-old family-run polling company for which both she and Robby worked.
“Then we’d better hurry and have sex, so you’ll have time to run home, change and do something about your mussed hair.”
She smirked. “You really are a workaholic. It’s Saturday.”
“And I’ve got to work, anyway.”
Frowning, she considered. She loved Robby, she really did, but she was beginning to wonder if he’d ever feel completely comfortable in his own skin. He’d been so young when he’d lost his mother, only three, and he scarcely remembered her. Worse, his dad, Charlie, had seemed to go off the deep end after the loss, taking up drinking and gambling. At least, that was the story around town.
He’d been in prison for years now, for manslaughter. Even before that, Charlie had embarrassed his son. Nightly, he could be found spending his paycheck at a local watering hole called the Night Rider, running up a tab, then going further into debt by placing bets with a man suspected of being the town bookie, Max Sweeney. Sheriff Kemp had often looked the other way, just to spare Robby, who, from an early age, had so often dragged his dad out of the bar and home for the night.
Manslaughter had been too much to overlook, though. And while Ellie was glad her own father, Daddy Eddie, had intervened and offered Robby a job at Lee Polls after high school, her heart had broken when she’d seen just how hard Robby had worked, losing too much sleep, not to mention nights and weekends, always sweating the smallest details.
His determination had earned Daddy Eddie’s trust, and he’d often claimed Robby was more valuable than all his own sons combined. Not that Ellie’s ne’er-do-well brothers had minded, not even when Daddy Eddie had sent Robby to college and graduate school. Robby had worked odd jobs, too, not wanting to take charity and trying to make clear he was pulling himself up by the bootstraps. Now, no matter how successful he became, Robby seemed to think he owed Daddy Eddie something, which he didn’t.
Yes, that was the problem. Robby idolized her dad, since Daddy Eddie was the exact opposite of what Robby’s had been, but it was sure putting a damper on romance. Robby feared Daddy Eddie’s reaction—despite all that he’d achieved, was he good enough for the man’s only daughter?
Robby had turned out to be loyal and hardworking, whereas every one of Daddy Eddie’s sons—Gil, Cordy and Kyle—was worthless when it came to running Lee Polls. They preferred to hunt, fish, play golf and chase women. So, although it was a family business, Ellie and Robby, who reported directly to Daddy Eddie, did most of the work.
“You’re really going into the office?” she asked.
“You’re not?”
“Only after I meet Susannah for breakfast.” Saturday breakfast was usually set aside for her best friend.
Robby’s voice was low, sexy. “Then we’d better get a move on. Kiss me, baby.”
She wiggled her eyebrows as he pushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. “Where?”
“Here.” Leaning, he gingerly toyed with her breast, brushing the gold charm that hung from a chain around her neck. Engraved on the metal were the words Remember the Time. She and Susannah had the matching necklaces made years ago, and both still wore them always.
Robby palmed a breast, bending and roughening the sensitive skin with his chin stubble before flicking a tongue across the nipple, sending a shock of longing to her core. Her hips arched, her chin tilted back and for a moment, she simply got lost in the pleasure. Easy enough, as both hands found her, pushing her breasts upward from beneath. As he squeezed hard, her mind spun dizzily, her nipples tightening further, straining for the touch.
Throatily, she whispered, “I thought I was supposed to kiss you, not the other way around.”
He merely locked his lip to a bud and kept suckling, the silken wetness making her shiver. With a sigh, she pressed her thighs together tightly, as if to hold in the delicious sensations he was soliciting. Soon, he’d be on top of her, she knew. Or she’d be on top of him. And then…
He blew on the flesh he’d just dampened, then caught a nipple and rolled it between his fingers, causing goose bumps of anticipation to rise all over her skin. “Oh, Robby…”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing.” But she wanted to say she could come from nothing more than this kind of sweet teasing. She gasped as his huge, warm hand slid downward, over her ribs, then her belly. Arrowing his fingertips, he urged apart her smooth thighs as his mouth found her neck. He was all tongue now—stroking the column beneath her chin as she shifted her weight and let him untangle her legs.
“Wider,” he drawled softly.
Was this really happening? she wondered vaguely as she gave him increased access. Was she really sharing a bed with the heartthrob of her adolescent years? It had become clear the relationship was headed for so much more. Already, they were in serious terrain. Inseparable and intense, their lives completely intertwined.
A soft senseless murmur escaped her lips as his fingers grasped her curls, toying with them. He tugged playfully, then a slick finger slid open her lower lips completely, and she could only suck another breath through clenched teeth as he circled the nub of her clitoris. “You’re so good…” she whispered. “But it could be better…”
“Better?”
His voice was catching now, and the one word was nearly lost in his throat, since his breath was quickening. Yes, she thought hazily, as he probed where she was growing so slick and damp for him. As he thrust a finger inside, testing the moist heat, preparing her, she arched once more, turning in his arms, her nipples peaking, becoming painfully taut, every fiber of her being craving his mouth once more.
Instinctively, her hand rose, threading in his hair, her heart stuttering as the wild, bed-tossed strands of jet-black ran through her fingers feeling like water. As he pushed another finger inside her, she gasped, her fist tightening, closing around the wisps of his hair, pulling his face closer so her mouth could brush his. Electrifying, she thought. Heavenly.
Then for another moment, she shut her eyes. Sensations cascaded over her like a waterfall. Tension built, climbing, threatening to shatter. When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her, his blue eyes as warm as summer, his smile inviting. “Feels good, huh?”
His hairy chest slowly rising and falling with the pace of his increasing breath. “Yeah,” she whispered as he visibly shuddered, then slid a finger from inside her and moved on top of her.
She loved him. That’s all she could think as she looked into his eyes, her heart racing. But she had to get him to commit. She’d wanted him her whole life, and this past six months had been pure torture. Always, he’d been the only man for her. Sure, she’d fooled around at college, but no one could hold a candle to Robby. She wanted more…
“Honey,” she began, her voice a soft drawl, her heart hammering harder as his legs fell between hers. She could feel the heat and power of his erection now, touching her through the sheet that had tangled between them.
He rested on an elbow, a hand beneath his cheek and flashed a bad-boy grin. “Yes, honey?”
“I want to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“When are we going to tell my dad?”
“Tell him?”
“You know. About us.”
They were at a crossroads. Daddy Eddie was retiring in just one more week, and he’d already told her he was naming her head of the company. President, she thought now, with a sigh of happiness. It was more than she’d dreamed possible. Robby aside, running Lee Polls had always been her dream, too. The venerable company had been housed in Banner since 1898, and a Lee had always been at the helm. Never a woman, of course.
Until now. That was mostly due to the fact that none of Ellie’s brothers had possessed an interest in facts and figures, nor the knack for math that it took to analyze statistics. By contrast, Ellie could eat and breathe mathematics. And so, it had been she, not her male siblings, who had spent hours visiting her dad at work.
By age five, she’d picked out her own office, right next door to Daddy Eddie, and on her tenth birthday, he’d placed a gold plaque on the door, engraved with her name.
“How ‘bout that, Ellie girl,” her dad had said. “One day, all this really will be yours.”
Now that same office was stacked high with statistical manuals and files of client information. Soon, as her father had always promised, that old plaque would come down and the new one would replace it. The one that said, “President.”
“Daddy’s retiring in a week,” she suddenly whispered in a rush. “We don’t have much time, Robby. I want him to know…how things are between us.”
Dammit, why was she so spineless? So closemouthed? Why couldn’t she just say she really wanted to get married? After all, her best friend, Susannah, had been married for six years now, even if her and J.D.’s road had turned a little rocky. And yet…even though she was a modern woman it wasn’t really a woman’s place to ask a man for his hand. Hell, she was going to be the president of a company by this time next week, but there were still some things in life a man had to do.
Besides, there was another uncomfortable fact, in that Robby was going to report to her. As macho as he was, she could only hope he wouldn’t have trouble dealing with that. Certainly, they’d traded a lot of jokes about the possibility. And he didn’t seem to mind…
Why should he? she thought now. The company had been in her family for a century, and she’d grown up under the strict tutelage of her father. Oh, Robby was good, of course. Better than she at some aspects of the job, in fact. Maybe he was even completely on a par. But the bottom line remained. Having a Lee in the top spot was an unbroken tradition. “Really,” she began again. “We need to talk to Daddy.” She started to continue, but something in his eyes stopped her, and instead, she squinted and said, “What?”
“I…I have something to ask you.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs. He was going to ask her to marry him, she realized. Right now. In this very instant of time. Inadvertently, her lips parted and she breathed in deeply, bracing herself. She wanted to savor this moment, so she could remember it always. “Yes?”
“Would you mind terribly if…”
Her cheeks heated, her heart bursting with feeling. He was such a guy. A man’s man. Of course it wasn’t easy for him to ask…“If?” she encouraged.
“If your dad gave me the job?” He paused. “You know, running the company.”
Everything froze. For a second, all thoughts were vanquished from her mind. Surely, she hadn’t heard right. “What?”
“He…pulled me aside last week.”
“Last week!” That was impossible. Daddy Eddie had pulled her aside last week.
“I know you’re going to be mad, but just hear me out. I think he knows, or suspects, or…”
“Suspects what?”
“That we…”
Barely aware of her actions, and working on sheer revulsion, she squirmed out from under him and got up, taking the sheet with her. “That we were sleeping together?” she managed, whirling to face him. Not that she knew why, but just now, he’d become a stranger before her very eyes.
“I think it’s possible,” Robby said, reaching and trying to grab her hand, which she snatched away. “Oh, c’mon, don’t be a spoilsport,” he teased.
“Spoilsport?” she could only echo, turning on him, then leaning to gather her clothes. Quickly, she slipped a knit dress over her head and shoved her feet into ballet flats, not bothering to find her panties as he rose from the bed and closed the distance between them.
Two large hands clamped on her waist, and against her will, she shuddered as he drew her against him. She might hate him at the moment, but his body was hard, hot, male and naked, and he’d left her half aroused. Suddenly, she ached for him.
“Your dad and I talked about it,” he said firmly.
Didn’t he understand that he might as well have slapped her in the face? That this was the ultimate in the loss of trust? “Whatever we’ve done here…” she managed to begin, her voice raspy, altered by the horrible sting of betrayal. “In this bedroom, and at my house…”
“I didn’t tell him anything, Ellie.”
“That’s not the point.”
“And the point is?”
“Look, we never talked about it. But mixing business and pleasure was a really bad idea. I see that now,” she managed.
His grip tightened. “Liar. You know how serious this is,” he muttered, sounding stunned.
“Well,” she defended. “I guess I did feel we had an understanding…that you and I were a couple.”
“We are.”
“But we were going to tell Daddy about us. You and me, Robby. Together.”
Dammit, this was par for the course. Like when her dad and brothers created their own little club. Her mom had tried to turn her into a girly girl, but Ellie had inherited her father’s talent and knack for business. And now…she was nowhere.
Left out in the cold. If the job was really Robby’s…she could never look at him again.
Her words were barely audible. “How could you?”
He knew what the family company meant. It was in her blood and belonged to her.
“You think I sabotaged you?”
“Did you?”
He was starting to look furious. “He came to me, Ellie, not the other way around.” Despite the fire in his blue eyes, which were turning to ice, an uncharacteristic pleading tone had crept into his voice. Not that she cared. He was the one who’d put himself between a rock and a hard place.
He added, “What should I do, Ellie?”
“Take the job, I guess,” she burst out. So what if Daddy Eddie was her father, not his? So what if she’d worked around the clock for years, just as Robby had? Once more, her lips parted in astonishment. Suddenly, she blurted out, “I don’t believe you—”
He was incredulous. “You think I’m lying?”
“Yes. It just can’t be true.” Quickly, she wiggled from his grasp, strode to the bedside table and lifted the phone receiver.
She caught him squinting at her. “What are you doing, Ellie?”
“Calling Daddy Eddie.”
Robby’s face fell. “Don’t.”
“Why?” Her eyes pierced his as Daddy Eddie’s phone rang.
“I’m sure he wanted to tell you.”
“Well, he didn’t, now did he? And I think you’re lying.”
“Why would I?”
She offered a mean shrug. “Spite?”
Robby’s gorgeous blue eyes widened a fraction. “Look, Ellie, I know you’re upset, but we can work through this…”
Ellie didn’t see how. Thankfully, her dad finally picked up. “Daddy?” Before he could respond, she continued. “I…uh, stopped by Robby Robriquet’s place just now, to…uh, pick up some files for work—”
“This early in the morning?”
“Yes. And it’s not that earl—”
“For a Satur—”
Damn her dad for interrupting and trying to distract her. “Daddy,” she said in a rush. “Robby swears—”
“I didn’t swear,” interjected Robby. “I just said—”
“That you’re promoting him over me next week when you retire, and he’s been chosen to run Lee Polls.” Been chosen. The words echoed in her mind. How could her own father deny her? “I told him this was ludicrous. Completely, utterly impossible. And I know you’ll be glad that I stepped in and corrected him.
“Why, you and I have talked about my appointment for years, ever since I was a little girl. Right, Daddy? And you know I have the highest credentials, not to mention more time with the company, overall. I mean, if you count the years I worked there in high school…”
Realizing her dad hadn’t jumped to her defense, she let her voice trail off. A long pause followed. And then her daddy said the impossible, “It’s true, Ellie.”
She barely heard what he said after that. Just a jumble of justifications, really. He suspected she was going to want to get married and have a family someday, he said, and that he didn’t want work to get in her way forever, since he loved her so much. He’d always felt badly that her brothers hadn’t done their share, so thank God for Robby. Besides which, her mother agreed Ellie needed to focus more on other aspects of life.
“Like marriage? Having a family?” Her jaw dropped. Sure, she’d been about to propose to Robby, but that was when she was going to be president of her company, too. But now…
“How far back in time did you have to go,” she finally managed, “to find a speech like that one, Daddy? The Middle Ages? The Dark Ages? Did you go to a museum?” How had her father, who had always been so supportive, morphed into a caveman? “Did Mom talk you into this?” she accused.
“No, Ellie, and this has nothing to do with your qualifications. You know that. When it came down to brass tacks, I just want a man running my ship. And that’s my right.”
“That’s illegal, I think,” she muttered.
“Well, I doubt my own daughter’s going to take me to court.”
“Don’t count on it.”
“You don’t see it now,” he said firmly. “But you’re going to want more out of life down the road.”
“I’ve been running your ship for years,” she ground out, her eyes now fixing on Robby’s. Seconds ago, those gorgeous baby blues had looked so sweet and nonthreatening. They’d turned her knees to water. Now they seemed cold and calculating, vicious and predatory. What had she ever seen in him?
“Yes…I’ve been helping you for years, Dad. My good-for-nothing brothers, your lousy sons made sure of that!”
“Ellie, please hear me out—”
She slammed down the phone, fuming. Lee Polls was hers. It was in her history and her blood. Nobody was taking it away, not even her lover—ex-lover, she mentally amended—Robby Robriquet.
Except he had.
She grabbed her purse and headed for the door and when he grasped her from behind, she shook off his touch. “Bastard,” she muttered, hating that her body still tingled from his touch as she opened the door and stepped outside, into air that was crisp for November in Mississippi. “Get away from me.”
“Ellie,” he called from the porch as she headed for her car. “You didn’t even let me talk. I want to be with you. Always. Forever. You and me. We can work this out.”
“Yeah, right,” she shouted. “You want to get married and have kids and—”
“Yes! Yes, that’s exactly what I want!”
“And I’ll cook and clean for you while you go off to my office.”
“Dammit, Ellie!”
If it had been any other company but Lee Polls, maybe she could have gotten over it. Her heart stretched to breaking. “That company is mine! Mine!”
“Come back, Ellie!”
“No…you go back inside and put on some clothes, Robby,” she called over her shoulder. “Otherwise Sheriff Kemp might arrest you for indecent exposure. And besides, don’t you have to hurry up and put on your suit and tie? Don’t you have a job to go to? My job? In the company that belongs to my family?”
“Dammit, I know this is sensitive.”
“You’re just like your father,” she yelled, striking the lowest blow she could think of. “You wanted my job and you took it, but you’re not getting me, too.”
Maybe he said something else, but she’d never know. She was already in her car. Tears were flowing freely, and she didn’t bother to stop them. By the time she’d become cognizant of her actions, she was sobbing deeply, her shoulders shaking. Through a haze of tears, she just kept moving. She stopped at her house and packed bags that would last her a while. At first, she had no idea where she might go.
Hodges Motor Lodge was an option, but that was too local. Besides, everyone would know to look for her there, since it was the only motel in town. So she made a plane reservation. Yes, she needed a vacation. Screw Lee Polls. Daddy Eddie and Robby had decided they could run the place without her, so let them.
“Just see how far they get!” she declared. They could never find the Thomas files, they didn’t have a clue about how to land that lucrative account with the Clovis family, or the contracts for upcoming national elections. Besides, her own client list was on her laptop, which she would take with her, and they’d play hell trying to decipher her notes.
“Within a week, the whole place will shut down,” she vowed. Once her bags were piled high in her car, she sped toward Delia’s Diner. Thankfully, as soon as she had breakfast, and told her best friend, Susannah, about her plan, she’d be getting far away from Banner, Mississippi.
But Susannah wasn’t at Delia’s yet. So Ellie sat in the car sobbing some more, which felt good, then she finally shoved on her sunglasses to hide her eyes. Delia’s Diner was gossip central.
She waved at a few people inside the restaurant, ordered coffee and noted that Sheriff Kemp was at the counter, flirting with Delia again. Ellie had to concentrate on not crying now; otherwise, everybody in Banner would know something was wrong and start grilling her. So she stared into space, barely noticing when her best friend came in and seated herself in the booth.
Susannah was the sister Ellie had never had. As much as Ellie loved her, though, she was always embroiled in some new drama surrounding her husband, J.D. Ever since he’d become a country star, the marriage had been heading south, and all the arguments about leaving the man had been discussed before today. So, even though Ellie was numb, her mind reeling from her own life-altering circumstances, Susannah didn’t even notice, due to her own difficulties. This made it easy to order breakfast while murmuring all the usual consolations.
Even when Susannah announced she was finally leaving her husband, Ellie merely kept nodding. Susannah threatened this at least once a month, after all. Almost as often as she threatened to kill J.D.
The man was still breathing, however, and Ellie doubted Susannah would ever free herself from the increasingly problematic relationship. Suddenly, Susannah pushed unruly wisps of blond hair from her eyes, and said, “You’ve been crying, Ellie.”
Only then did Ellie notice she’d removed her sunglasses. She guessed she’d removed them when Delia had put down their breakfast plates. Eggs could be a little unappealing seen through dark lenses. “All morning,” she said, although it wasn’t strictly true.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so fixated on J.D. What’s wrong?”
The story came pouring out. When Ellie was finished, Susannah gasped. “And Robby accepted the job?”
Ellie nodded.
“That snake in the grass! What are you going to do?”
In that instant, Ellie knew. “Go to New York and start another polling business to compete with Daddy and Robby.”
She’d been considering a vacation, but why not make it permanent? She’d done business in New York and had contacts there. Maybe such a plan would work. Had Susannah, herself, been sincere about her own plans to leave J.D.? “Come with me, Susannah.”
“To New York?” Susannah said. “To do what?”
Ellie’s mind was racing as she started offering ideas, then she finished by declaring, “To have sex with a lot of men. Every guy I can.”
She could see Susannah’s throat working as she swallowed hard. “That…uh, sounds ambitious.”
Ellie almost smiled. “I’ve always been ambitious,” she agreed.
“Well…okay. Yes. I’ll come with you.”
“Good.” But could Ellie really make this work? Could she build a competitive polling company from the ground up, then maybe even use it to take over Lee Polls? More important, could she find a man sexy enough to replace Robby Robriquet?
Chapter Two
Eleven Months Later
NEWSPAPER BUSINESS REPORTER Derrick Mills wasn’t nearly as good-looking as Robby. He was taller, less stocky, with dark hair and eyes. Still, Ellie assured herself as she took in his tailored gray suit, she would have jumped into the sack with him, if not for one little problem. Derrick was married. So she’d just have to stay on topic and continue answering his questions. Most important, she needed to gauge when it would be best to drop her bombshell.
She’d been planning her strategy for months, and now the moment was near. She had to fight not to grin. Yes, the gimmick she was going to announce would kill a few birds with one stone. She’d generate business, create media buzz for herself and erase the memory of Robby Robriquet from her life forever. And why not? She believed in her skills of statistical analysis, didn’t she? And she wanted to find someone she’d like as much as Robby.
Love as much. When the words entered her consciousness, she tried to ignore them. But she had loved the man. Surely, no one would ever turn her on in the same way. Besides, for so long, she’d just unconsciously assumed she and Robby would have…
A wedding.
A house with a picket fence in Banner, Mississippi.
Babies.
And, of course, share the joy of combined careers. Lastly, the sparks of their passion would never burn out. With one look, Robby had always set her on fire. In the office of Lee Polls, they’d shared so many laughs, too, especially since they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Now, just thinking about her ex-lover, her skin warmed, her heart missed a beat, her palms started to sweat…
“Ms. Lee?”
She snapped to attention, then searched her mind, trying to remember what the interviewer had asked. “Was my decision to start Future Trends influenced by my father’s appointment of Robby Robriquet to run Lee Polls?” she prompted.
“Yes,” Derrick returned. “Was it?”
“Of course not!”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. I’m very happy here. Who wouldn’t be?” She waved a hand to call his attention to the surroundings. She’d revamped a two-bedroom apartment in a brownstone, the same one she’d initially shared with Susannah when they’d first arrived in New York nearly a year ago.
Since then, Susannah had reunited with J.D. and Ellie had retooled the place into an office. New gray carpet, simple black lacquer desks and classic plum window treatments had made the apartment look trendy and upscale.
“But it was assumed you, not Robby Robriquet, would have that position?” Derrick Mills prompted.
Silently, she damned the reporter for rubbing salt in the old wound. “Not really,” she denied. “Or, to whatever extent I assumed that, I’m not sorry.” She offered a wry smile, hoping Derrick would fill in the blanks.
“Not sorry that Lee Polls has trended downward in sales and contracts? Some of its oldest customers have jumped ship since you left, you know.”
“Sometimes it’s either sink or swim.”
“And you’re swimming while Lee Polls is sinking?”
“You said that, Mr. Mills, not I.”
“But where do your ultimate loyalties lie?”
“With myself.” She arched a brow. “I mean, do you think I should retain family loyalties merely because Lee Polls has been run by Lees for so long?”
“I wondered.”
“None whatsoever. Business is business, Mr. Mills. We all know that.”
“Clearly, you do. No wonder you’re so successful. Many might have experienced the Robriquet appointment as a setback, but instead, you opened Future Trends within a week of your father’s decision. There have even been rumors, saying that you now intend to sell your new business already, for a hefty profit, once more proving your lack of sentimentality. ”
“Quite the contrary. I’m looking for acquisitions, although not for sentimental reasons.”
“Lee Polls?” He eyed her. “Are you considering buying your family’s company and merging it with Future Trends?”
“Again, you said it, not I.” She laughed lightly. “Although nothing’s in the works quite yet.” But if she was quoted in the newspaper, Robby might start to sweat, she thought. And after what he’d done to her, she wouldn’t mind making him squirm.
“People might take such a move as vindictive.”
“Well, I’ve never cared what people think of me.”
“Fair enough.”
“But as I said, I’ve got no feelers out right now.” She smiled once more. “I’d need to find more office space first, anyway.”
“Three rooms could be cramped after a merger,” he conceded, glancing from where they were seated to what had been the living room a few months ago.
Following his gaze, Ellie tried not to grimace. Her only employee, Angelina Carrella, had seemed excellent on many levels, at least initially. She was neat, prompt and efficient. However, love had entered her life, and now the girl was ruined. An engagement had followed, and ever since, Angelina was distracted and absentminded. Yes, in only a few short months, she’d transformed from a demure assistant into a brazen spitfire who spent half the day on the phone with her fiancé, Antonio, or the various relatives from whom she was soliciting funds to pay for an absurdly lavish wedding.
Each day, Ellie was treated to the very last thing she needed to see—pictures of gowns, flowers, cakes and bridesmaids’ gifts. One minute, the wedding would be black and white, then pink and blue, then red and green. Plans had begun for Valentine’s day, then Christmas, then Antonio’s birthday. Every step in the direction of finalizing a decision caused lengthy phone fights.
Even worse, despite Ellie’s clear instructions to behave while Derrick Mills was on the premises, at least, Antonio had now arrived to take his sweetheart to lunch. By the looks of it, and the very loud smacking sounds, if the two didn’t leave soon, they might well wind up making love on Angelina’s desk.
Ignoring the trajectory of her interviewer’s gaze, Ellie continued, “Well, most of the analytical work is done by computer here, and I often meet clients in their own offices.”
Derrick Mills was still watching the couple. “Looks like you’ve got lovebirds around.”
So much for ignoring them. “She was an excellent assistant before the engagement,” Ellie quipped with a wry smile.
“A wedding can be so exciting,” Derrick said on a sigh.
Great. He was a romantic. Ellie couldn’t help but notice he began toying with his wedding ring. “A newlywed yourself?” she guessed.
“Almost a year ago.”
About the time Ellie was leaving Robby. “I’m happy for you,” she managed, very much doubting she sounded sincere.
Not that he seemed to notice. When his eyes found hers again, they held that dopey dazed look of the truly loved. “No man in your life at the moment?” he prodded.
She tamped down the images the words conjured…Robby’s hot body slick with soapsuds in the shower, asleep on his back with a sheet draped over his hips like a loincloth, lifting her off her feet and whirling her in a circle. “Afraid I have too little time.”
His eyes were on Angelina and Antonio again, and when she followed his gaze once more, Ellie realized it was no wonder. The Latin lothario had his sweetie nearly backed against the desk now, his hands on her hips, a huge, lusty Cheshire grin on his face. The hem of Angelina’s skirt was rising dangerously high on her thigh. Heat rose in Ellie’s cheeks. The other day, she’d returned from a client meeting and found the couple nearly sprawled across the couch. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but there was definitely a tongue kiss, thus a reminder of the passion she’d once shared with Robby.
“They’re in that beginning phase,” she offered.
Derrick Mills turned his attention to her once more. “It’s amazing how long such a phase can last,” he said cheerfully. “My wife and I hope it will go on forever.”
It won’t, she wanted to ensure. She knew better than these lovesick fools. And between Mr. Hearts-and-Flowers and the two love bunnies in the next room, it was downright hard to conduct this business meeting. “Uh…do you have any more questions to ask?”
Glancing down at the pad on his knee and riffling through the pages, Derrick considered. “Sorry. At any mention of romance, I just…”
Ellie raised a hand and held it up, palm outward. “No need to explain.” Sighing, she prompted, “Your next question?”
“I use the old-fashioned stuff,” he continued absently. “Paper. The electronic devices drive me crazy. So I’ll need just a second to collect my thoughts.”
While she waited, Ellie smoothed her skirt and recrossed her ankles. The rust-orange suit and shoes she’d chosen looked amazing, but weren’t comfortable. Still, a photographer had arrived with Derrick, and she wanted to seem her best. If a picture did make the paper, Robby would see it, since he always read their popular publication.
Robby. Again! Cutting off the thought, she wondered why the damnable man kept invading her mind. The affair was over. Period. And yet she sometimes awakened, more than she wanted to admit, her sleep-hazy mind full of dreams about the raw sexual passion they’d shared.
“Well,” Derrick began. “I believe I’ve got everything I need. I’m struck by your success. So is my boss. That’s why he sent me here. I really wanted to meet you personally, rather than just speak on the phone, and now that I have, I’m truly impressed.”
So the article was going to be a good one. She fought the urge to shout with joy. “Thank you, Mr. Mills.”
“In under a year you’ve built an amazing company. You’ve cut the overhead so much—”
“There’s virtually none.”
“And many of the clients you previously handled at Lee Polls have remained loyal.”
“To me, yes. A lot of…my father’s clients followed me, too.”
“Any idea why? Robby Robriquet is an excellent and talented manager.”
But Robby wasn’t bringing home the bacon. He was best with numbers, she with finding new business. Oh, Lee Polls was doing well enough, but she’d been a third of its lifeblood for years. And as far as she knew, her dad really had retired. Not that she’d spoken to him.
“Mr. Robriquet is skilled,” she admitted. In fact, in her weaker moments, she hated to see him lose business. She knew how hard he worked, what it meant to him. He was every bit as talented as she, too, but…“The stars were with me.”
“Celebrity clients?”
She chuckled. “That, too. On that score, moving to a larger city where I can network more easily has helped. But I meant the stars of fate. I’ve just had a good run lately.”
“You’re too modest. You called a few long-shot elections, one national. In fact, so far this year, your polling data has been more accurate than anyone’s in the political arena, at any level of politics, local or national. Your analysis has constantly exposed glitches in data, where others have missed them. You’ve called new trends, too, and that has allowed you to make particularly accurate assessments.”
“There was the John Lewis campaign,” she agreed, speaking of a senatorial race in the South. “We got lucky there. Then the Wally Willis congressional call. We correctly determined the way Billings Corporation, the pet manufacturer, should drive its new business, as well, which had immediate, positive results for them, and their stock prices soared.”
“Results that were nothing short of amazing,” he agreed. “Do you care to share your secret?”
She laughed. “You want me to divulge the fine print of my pact with the devil?”
“A lot of people would like to know.”
“Just good footwork,” she assured him. “Solid data collection and long hours of analyzing numbers.”
“A lot of people don’t believe that, you know.”
She squinted. “Believe what?”
“That you don’t have a secret. Your predictions can be downright uncanny in their accuracy. People would pay a small fortune to understand how you do it.”
She laughed. “Who? Bookies and weather forecasters?”
“Among others.”
“I could tell you about my crystal ball,” she joked. “Or the cards I throw. Maybe even the special tricks I use with the I Ching. But I’d be lying. And anyway, starting this business hasn’t been a bed of roses.”
“Could have fooled the public.”
She frowned. “I had some difficulty when I was first getting started. New work was coming in, but…” Robby was still a constant distraction. “I was busy then, helping my friend Susannah Banner open a restaurant in this neighborhood, a sweet little country place named Oh, Susannah’s.
“My wife and I eat there all the time, and I knew you and Ms. Banner were friends.”
“You’ve heard of Susannah?”
“In name only. Her husband’s famous, and the restaurant’s had great reviews. It’s wonderful, as I said.”
“So is Susannah.” Ellie absently lifted a hand, touching the charm she wore. Now she just wished Susannah was in New York. A few days ago, she’d returned to Banner and J.D., after flying in to check on the restaurant. During the visit, she hadn’t mentioned Robby, of course, but no doubt, Susannah saw him regularly. Yes…she was treating Ellie with kid gloves, afraid any mention of Robby would send Ellie into a funk. At any rate, Ellie knew Robby and J.D.’s previously shattered relationship had been repaired, so they were pals again, and that meant Susannah was probably often in his company.
So she could have asked about Robby, but somehow she’d refrained. She didn’t want Susannah guessing at her heartbreak and doing the worst possible thing—playing matchmaker.
Derrick Mills was watching her. “Would you like to share anything more, Ms. Lee?”
Ellie thought over the past months, and the mystery surrounding J.D.’s supposed death after an explosive device had been detonated aboard his boat, The Alabama. As it turned out, J.D. escaped the wreckage unscathed, but he’d used the opportunity to walk away from his old life and start fresh. By pretending he’d really died, he’d been able to clean up his hard-living ways and win back his wife.
Due to those incidents, Ellie had been forced to return to Banner, however briefly, to attend J.D.’s funeral. It was the last time she’d seen Robby. Even a couple months later, she still felt raw from the experience. He’d looked as good as ever, dressed in a dark suit, and he’d been incredibly kind to Susannah, too, helping her make arrangements, so Ellie couldn’t help but feel touched.
She, too, had put aside past animosities. In the brief time they’d spent together, they were thankfully never alone. And they hadn’t talked business, nor about their affair, only about Susannah and J.D. Maybe they should have, she thought now. Maybe it would have been better for her and Robby to yell and scream, instead of being civil. Maybe that could have healed the ache that plagued her every time she imagined his face.
The vision of it swam in her mind now. The high forehead, straight nose, full lips. His skin was always glowing from a combination of good health and sun exposure. Swallowing hard, she tried to push away an image of his eyes, but she couldn’t. They were sparkling, arresting, deep with knowledge. She and Robby belonged together, Ellie suddenly thought. Every time she thought of him, she knew she’d made a mistake.
Robby was her fate, her destiny. And yet she was powerless to return to him. This office represented her innermost self, too. Even if her parents would fault her for it, work fulfilled her as nothing else could.
Whatever the case, she thought, returning to the topic at hand, Susannah and J.D. were back together, as happy as peas in a pod. “I don’t think I want to elaborate on J. D. Johnson and Susannah Banner any more than I already have,” Ellie finally decided.
“My only remaining question concerns what you see in your immediate future.”
She smiled, thinking the phrase sounded catchy, and making a mental note of it. “The future of Future Trends?” Before he could respond, she continued. “Funny you should ask. I am about to do something totally unprecedented in the history of the polling industry.”
Derrick took the bait, leaning forward. “And you’re going to let me announce this in my article?”
Astute fellow. “Of course.” She flashed a smile. “I’m going to put my money where my mouth is.”
“How?”
She glanced toward the front room. “As you’ve made clear, you’re no stranger to the necessity of passion. And ever since Angelina and Antonio became engaged, I’ve been inspired…”
Now Derrick was beginning to look a little confused.
“By using my polling skills and talents with statistical analysis,” she said, “I’m going to find a mate.”
Derrick chuckled. “You’re kidding, right?”
Slowly, she shook her head. “As you know, today’s marketing strategies include tricks unimaginable a generation ago. Today, there are databases chock-full of information about everyone. With nothing more than my computer, I can access a world of data about you—where you go, what you earn, where you shop, what you buy, what you do for entertainment, who you know, what you read…”
“I get the point.”
She laughed softly. “Scary thought, isn’t it?”
“If misused.”
“Well,” she assured him, “I’m in the process of putting my data gathering and analytical skills together to demonstrate why everyone should use Future Trends. After this, everyone will understand that we can make any correct prediction, right down to what you’re going to have for dinner tonight.”
“You’re already blowing people out of the water.”
“Maybe. But this will be spectacular. Within two weeks, I expect to finish crunching my numbers. In addition to available data, I’ve requested focus groups and questionnaires, the results to which Angelina is entering into our private database now. And from all the existing information in the country, I expect to find the man with whom I would be the most compatible.”
“Of course you intend to meet him before you marry him?” Derrick teased, looking incredulous.
“I would not have to,” Ellie assured him. “That’s how much I stand behind my methods, but…” Pausing, she shrugged gamely. “I can’t expect anyone else to play by my rules, and so…”
“So?”
“The announcement will be made next week.”
“And what do you expect to come from this?”
She flashed him a grin. “Besides publicity from you for Future Trends? Mr. Mills, I’m not sure you appreciate the full gravity of what I’m saying. This man will be The One. I will be able to do anything with him…and everything. I can bed him, wed him. Make mad, passionate love. He will be my alter ego and very best friend. That’s what I’m looking for, and—”
“My, my,” her interviewer interjected. “This is interesting, indeed. Other papers may want to follow this, watch the story unfold.”
It was what she’d been hoping for. If things went smoothly, she could actually make a mint in new business, and garner the resources for taking over Lee Polls, if she chose to do so. She took a deep breath. “Let me just finish by saying that I know two things. First, and I speak as a statistician.”
“To say?”
“The numbers never lie.”
“And…”
“Second, as a woman, I’d say…”
He leaned even closer. “Yes?”
“I always get my man.”
He would be better than Robby Robriquet in every way. Sexier. Smarter. Richer. Hotter in bed. And the only remaining question was his identity.
Chapter Three
DADDY EDDIE WOULD pick this booth, Robby thought, sighing as he finished off his burger. As he pushed aside his plate, he stared down to where, years ago, he’d carved his and Ellie’s initials into the wood of the table, a practice the proprietor of the Night Rider, Clancy O’Dell, had long encouraged. Blinking, Robby glanced away, adjusting his eyes to the dim interior, the long, ornate bar and mirror, pool table and jukebox.
He paused to survey a photograph signed by his best friend, J. D. Johnson, who was depicted playing his guitar. Ever since he’d become famous as a country-western singer, J.D.’s picture had graced the walls of all the local eateries and businesses, and Robby felt a surge of pride regarding his friend, not to mention relief, since their relationship had gotten back on an even keel. In fact, since J.D. and his wife, Susannah, had reunited, J.D. had come to the Night Rider on weekend nights to play for the locals.
Robby’s gaze returned to Daddy Eddie, and he wished it hadn’t. Some days, it was damn hard to look at the man, since Ellie was his spitting image. Every glance at the man made him think of Ellie. Just like his daughter, he looked as if he’d recently stepped off the boat from merry ole Ireland. He had the same wavy dark hair that was nearly black in most light, and the same pale, pink-toned skin and blue eyes. The only difference was that Daddy Eddie spent more time in the sun and was covered with freckles. Daddy Eddie’s lips were thin and usually pursed, too, while Ellie had been lucky in getting her mama’s mouth; she had luscious bee-stung lips she always glossed in pink. Otherwise, she was her father’s child, all right, in both looks and temperament.
“The future of Future Trends,” spat out Daddy Eddie, his voice exposing a competitive edge as he removed a plaid cap and placed it on the scarred, rough-hewn wood table. Leaning back, he sipped a frothy head off a lager as he continued to study the newspaper article about Ellie.
“‘It’s easy to see why so many clients have followed Ms. Lee from her father’s company. Poised and bristling with intelligence, Ms. Lee is one of those women who has it all. Brains, looks, ambition and a fearless go-getter attitude…’”
Daddy Eddie’s voice trailed off as he continued reading, mouthing the words. “Has it all,” he muttered, his blue eyes, so like Ellie’s, skewering Robby’s. “That girl doesn’t have jack. She’s running an office out of an apartment, for God’s sake, and in that degenerate hellhole that some people call New York City. Why, I could have gone there, myself, years ago. But no. I stayed right here in Banner, Mississippi, hiring local people and taking care of my own community.”
“You’re the biggest employer in the area,” Robby agreed, feeling compelled to acknowledge Daddy Eddie’s accomplishment. At a time when so many businesses had closed shop in the area, the contribution was even more valued.
“That’s right,” Daddy Eddie fumed. “I never outsourced, and I never laid off anyone, not even when times were at their toughest and the payroll was hard to meet. My grandpa somehow kept on everybody during the Great Depression. But Ellie? She’s run off to the big city now. She’d doesn’t give a rat’s behind about heritage. And she’s scarcely even had a boyfriend, which is downright pathetic at her age. Why, even if she found a man fool enough to date her, she can’t so much as boil an egg. Face it, my little girl is ruined.”
Pausing, Daddy Eddie shook his head. “You should have seen what happened the last time her mama asked her to help with a pot roast. A simple pot roast! Let me tell you, we had TV dinners that night! And she nearly burnt them to a crisp.”
“Cooking isn’t her strong point,” Robby couldn’t help but concur. If the truth be told, Ellie wasn’t any better at takeout. During their months of bliss, she preferred to lounge around, naked in bed, while Robby got dressed and drove to the Night Rider or the Pizza Palace to pick up victuals. Not that he could tell her father that.
“Even I can make a pot roast,” muttered Daddy Eddie. “And I’m a man! Why, when she was at college,” Daddy Eddie plunged on, “her mother and I would visit. You know, how parents do?”
Not really, Robby thought, but he nodded dutifully.
“I couldn’t believe the boys she introduced to me! Miserable excuses for men! Pure pansies. All of them into art and music and such. Probably even ballet. Tap dancing. Sewing and home economics. You know what I’m saying, Robby?”
“Well,” Robby ventured diplomatically. “It’s not worth working yourself into a lather about it, Daddy Eddie. You know, you’re supposed to watch your blood pressure.”
“But you know what I’m saying?” Daddy Eddie demanded.
Unfortunately, Robby did. “Uh…yeah.”
“A man can’t get a grandbaby this way!”
About that, Robby wasn’t so sure. He and Ellie had a few scares, mostly because she was so hot and Robby couldn’t wait to find a condom. “Give her time,” Robby soothed.
Daddy Eddie didn’t even hear. “And her brothers are worse! Scoundrels, that’s all they are! They always go for the career women, the feminists. Why, absolutely none of my kids will reproduce, and I’m beginning to think it’s just to spite me. What did I ever do to them?
“Nothing!” he nearly shouted, answering himself. “Only worked my fingers to the bone, feeding and clothing them. I even got Ellie that convertible car on her sixteenth birthday!”
“You did.” She’d looked good in it, too, her hair flying behind her in the wind.
“And for what? To leave my legacy to whom?” Catching Robby’s gaze, he quickly amended. “I’m not talking about you running my company. If it weren’t for you, Robby, I don’t know what I’d do!”
“You know I hang around your sons. It’s no secret that if they were more interested in the family business…”
“Dammit,” Daddy Eddie muttered under his breath in frustration. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Robby let it pass. “Just don’t be hard on Ellie,” he coached, unable to believe he’d gotten boxed into taking up for her. Somehow, he’d wound up playing the role of go-between in the Lees. However, a million years could pass, and he’d still be stinging from Ellie’s parting speech, especially the part when she’d compared him to his father. It was the lowest possible blow and she knew better.
“Why on earth are you defending her?” Daddy Eddie gaped at Robby as if to say he had some nerve. “She’s decimated our business, boy. She’s used everything I taught her against me, every trick in my bag. Only a man like you could have kept her in line. Yes, maybe a man who acts like a man could have saved her. Made her want to do her duties as a woman. Of course, I can’t blame you for never being attracted to my little girl.” He blew out a sigh. “Any man in his right mind would steer clear. She’s a handful, all right. I wouldn’t wish her on any male, no, sir. Certainly not one I respect, such as yourself.”
“C’mon,” Robby put in quickly, hoping to change the direction of the conversation, “I’m about done with lunch. Why don’t you down the rest of that brewski, so we can get out of here? Work calls.”
“Can I please have just one more minute in which to finish my lager?” Daddy Eddie snapped, his eyes pinning Robby again. “And by the way, I’m still the only board member at Lee Polls, so I’ve got a right to speak my mind. I was saying, I suppose there’s no possibility of my little girl landing a real man, and this worries me, Robby. First, this country isn’t making men like it used to. And second, the girl’s too headstrong and selfish, not to mention too damn smart for her own good. And finally, I believe she lacks passion.”
Robby’s lips parted. “Lacks…passion?”
“Yes. Boys would come along, but she always seemed to chew them up and spit them out. Yes, sir, she used men like bubble gum.”
“Who?” Robby was starting to feel testy.
“Well, I don’t know all their names.”
“I didn’t think she was all that serious about guys in college.”
“So maybe she didn’t sleep with them. Even Ellie’s bright enough to know the only point to men is marriage, and the only point to marriage is having babies and carrying on the line.”
“That’s very old-fashioned.”
“Hmm. Believe what you will. And I don’t blame you in the least for not wanting to take a more critical look at Ellie. After all, you’ve had to work with her, and besides—unlike her—you’re nice, so you want to give her the benefit of the doubt, as her coworker. My point is she’s just not soft and womanly like her mama. I think those feminists turned her off men in college.”
Robby winced. “Times have changed, Daddy Eddie.”
“That’s what I keep saying!” Daddy Eddie exploded.
“Ellie’s more modern,” Robby admitted. “I’ll give you that. Still, it doesn’t mean she’s never going to meet somebody special.”
“When?”
“She’s not even thirty.”
“By the time her mama was thirty, she’d had four kids!”
The defense was starting to sound lame. “True, but nowadays, a lot of women wait longer.”
Daddy Eddie squinted, looking wounded and betrayed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d taken a fancy to her, yourself, given the way you come to her defense like some knight in shining armor.”
“I’m not defending her,” Robby vowed. “I admit she’s a little tough.” When he thought about some of Ellie’s more aggressive moments, he wasn’t sure that was necessarily a bad thing, either. “Look, can we talk about something other than Ellie? Let’s not ruin our meal, okay?”
“You’re finished eating, anyway,” countered Daddy Eddie. “And Ellie’s the main problem we have today, so she must be dealt with.” Glancing down, he shook his head, now reading from the paper once more. “‘Showing she can put her money where her mouth is, Ms. Lee is now running the most interesting promotional campaign in the history of the polling business, a move that may well have those at Lee Polls eating their hearts out.’”
Since she’d broken his heart, Robby figured she might as well eat it, too. Again, he said nothing as Daddy Eddie read Ellie’s game plan, saying she meant to use her polling skills to find a man.
“Can you imagine?” Daddy Eddie implored, gasping in astonishment.
“No,” Robby admitted grimly.
“This proves my point. Love is nothing to her. Nothing! Why, she’d actually run a poll to find a mate, when we both know that the decision about a life partner is the most important in the world. Classic Ellie,” Daddy Eddie declared.
More than he knew. Ellie wasn’t just striking at the heart of Lee Polls, but at her ex-lover, too. And ending the affair sure hadn’t crimped her style. Every morning, when he looked in the mirror, Robby knew he was worse for wear. His hair was getting streaked with gray and the fine lines around his eyes had deepened, turning into crevices and lending him a weatherworn appearance.
Without Ellie reminding him to eat, he’d lost a few pounds, too, and he was starting to look gaunt. Since he wasn’t going to see Ellie at the office, he was letting his stubble grow, only shaving every other day. He’d always hated shaving, anyway.
Ellie, by contrast, looked better than ever. In the picture in the paper, she was wearing a beautiful rust-colored suit he didn’t recognize, probably bought for the occasion. Although, no matter what she put on, she looked stunning. Her gray-blue eyes bespoke a strange timelessness, and she had a habit of staring, as if she wasn’t at all inclined to blink. Often, when he looked at her, Robby had to force himself to finally look away.
Her body was just as captivating, communicating something eternal. She was tall and long-waisted, in good health, but never muscular, made of sloping curves. Her face was a near-perfect oval, but with a wide forehead, making her look as brainy as heck. In terms of dress, she had the sexy librarian thing down pat.
“Robby?”
He blinked, then damned himself for drifting once more into what he called “the Ellie zone.” Often, he’d start thinking about her, only to glance up, look at a clock and realize a full hour had passed. “Huh?”
“I said they’re not making men like they used to,” Daddy Eddie continued. “I don’t have to tell you that. Do I, Robby?” Before Robby could respond, the man started in once more. “I mean, these fellows I’m talking about, that my little girl used to date in college…why, they’d never even fished or hiked. I ask you, what kind of a fellow can’t make his own fish flies?”
“I make mine, so I couldn’t say.”
“Exactly.”
Frequently, Daddy Eddie implied Robby would have made a perfect match for Ellie. However, if he suspected the truth, the man would change his tune in a heartbeat. In fact, Robby’s backside would be chock-full of buckshot.
As if reading his mind, Daddy Eddie continued, “And you can sure as hell bet those boys couldn’t shoot a gun. What kind of woman would want a man who can’t shoot straight?”
That was probably a dangling double entendre, but Robby didn’t take the bait. Instead, he abruptly changed the subject. While conversing with Daddy Eddie, one often had to revert to non sequiturs. “I don’t really know how to bring this up,” Robby said, “but I need to take a few days off.”
“Don’t we all,” crooned Daddy Eddie.
“Sorry you’ve felt compelled to come back to work, sir,” Robby managed. “I do feel bad about it.” Suddenly, temper rose inside him. “And dammit,” he added, “I’m sorry about the way business is going, Daddy Eddie. I really am. I know you hoped I’d be able to step up to the plate.”
“Well, Ellie’s got us by the kahunas, son. Mostly because she’s female.”
There was some truth in it. Some clients had left because she was playing the underdog. Otherwise, her leaving had thrown Robby completely off his game, which didn’t help. He felt as deflated as an old birthday balloon. Lee Polls just wasn’t the same without her.
Daddy Eddie heaved a sigh. “That’s the hell of it, isn’t it? Women always have the upper hand. No matter what. And that’s the first thing any red-blooded male has to understand about the fairer sex. They rule the world.”
“But we have to pretend we do,” Robby agreed ruefully, not fully agreeing with Daddy Eddie’s point, but having heard this lecture many times.
“Well, maybe you should go on vacation.”
That was a surprise. “I should?”
Daddy Eddie nodded decisively. “Yes, indeed. You haven’t taken a day off since my witchlike daughter so rudely left town.” He shook his head in consternation. “She didn’t even give two-weeks’ notice. Or clean her desk.” He eyed Robby. “You and I had to do that, and I know, firsthand, she was raised with better manners than that.”
“I just need a couple days.”
“Take all the time you want.”
“Pardon me for saying so, but why are you trying to get rid of me now?”
Daddy Eddie eyed the newspaper article with a malicious glint in the gaze. “I’d like to be left to my own devices for a few days.”
“Great.” Long ago, Robby had learned not to trust Daddy Eddie. “What do you have up your sleeve?”
“My plan is still formulating.”
“I can’t wait to hear.” Daddy Eddie could fight just as hard as Ellie. She’d gotten all the man’s worst genes. Now God only knew what was brewing in the old coot’s devious mind. “Maybe I’d better stick around.”
“Oh, you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Ellie.”
“Not lethally,” Robby agreed. “That being the case, why don’t you share your diabolical plot?”
“Oh, no,” Daddy Eddie said with a sudden, soft chuckle that didn’t bode well in Robby’s humble opinion. “You need to clear your head, so you’d better go on vacation. In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the day off to organize your things?”
Hearing a ruckus behind him, and feeling half glad for the interruption, Robby glanced over his shoulder toward the door, just in time to see Max Sweeney cross the threshold. In a heartbeat, blind fury claimed Robby and pure killer instinct took over.
Daddy Eddie’s attention sharpened, too. “Bastard,” he muttered simply.
“That guy always makes me see red.”
Sweeney was definitely a weasel. Short and slight of build, he was pale-skinned, with a face constructed entirely of points—a sharp chin, beak nose, jutting cheekbones. Everybody knew he collected bets on races, but Sheriff Kemp had never caught him red-handed. Sweeney was no stranger to Robby, either. And now he tried not to think of how, years ago, Max would corner Robby’s old man, Charlie, in the Night Rider and ply him with booze, wearing down his resistance. Once Charlie couldn’t think straight, Max would get him to bet on various sports games. Horses, cars, football, you name it.
Then, when Charlie lost, there was no way to pay Max, since Max had already encouraged Charlie to spend his paycheck on booze. So then Max would turn around and demand exorbitant interest on whatever Charlie owed.
To add insult to injury, Max, himself, had a son only a few years older than Robby on whom Max had doted. Johnny Sweeney had the good grace not to look like his father, too, and some of the stupider girls around the surrounding bayous had fallen for him. The fact that he was always flush with cash helped.
Max had given his only son everything. He’d driven late model, high-end cars since he’d gotten a license, and he’d gone to top-of-the-line schools, both prep and college. He’d experienced a life of travel and privilege, and now he was a lawyer, practicing part-time in a nearby town called Sunset Bayou.
“Damn loan shark,” Daddy Eddie spat out with displeasure, speaking of Max.
Robby merely shrugged. What he wouldn’t do to bring the guy down, though. He wasn’t defending his old man, of course. The instinct was purely selfish. Sweeney belonged behind bars, if only for the nights Robby had gone hungry after he’d gotten Charlie Robriquet to squander the rent and grocery money.
If it hadn’t been for Patricia Lee, Ellie’s mother and Daddy Eddie’s wife, Robby figured he would have starved to death. To this day, he was fairly certain Daddy Eddie had no idea how many times his wife had come calling at the shack Charlie and Robby had called home. Always, she’d drop off leftovers or an “extra” pie she’d made.
Not that Robby had minded taking her charity. He’d once heard Daddy Eddie say that Patricia Lee’s smile could take the sting out of a bumblebee and that was the truth. She was, by far, the nicest, most maternal woman Robby had ever met. Sighing, he acknowledged once again that his ex-lover had gotten Daddy Eddie’s genes, not Patricia’s.
And that’s what drove Robby so crazy. Ellie was unpredictable, fiery and determined in everything she attempted, and Robby could never quite let go of the challenge…
Suddenly, his ears pricked up. At the bar, Clancy was showing Max the article about Ellie. Just the thought of the weasel’s eyes on a picture of Ellie made Robby’s blood boil. When he heard Max’s insinuating voice, his fingers curled into a fist.
“She sure knows how to call ‘em,” Max said, his high-pitched, nasal voice traveling. “Knowledge like hers would sure come in handy at a racetrack.” He chortled. “Not that I’m a gambling man.”
“It’s a good thing my daughter uses her talents for nobler causes,” Daddy Eddie called, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the jukebox, which was now playing one of J. D. Johnson’s songs. The tune was a slow, soul-wrenching love song that only served to remind Robby of Ellie.
“Oh, Eddie,” returned Max. “Hey, there. I didn’t see you.”
“Look before you leap,” Daddy Eddie suggested.
Max arched an eyebrow. “Did I say something to offend you? Why, I figured you’d feel proud to see your daughter in a big-city newspaper like that.”
But Max had said Ellie’s talents might be useful to him. “I’m proud of my daughter,” Daddy Eddie returned, “whether she makes the papers or not.”
Fortunately, Max was only getting a six-pack to go, and as soon as Clancy bagged the brews, Robby figured he’d be out the door. No such luck. Once he’d shoved the bag under his arm, Max sauntered toward them and stopped in front of the table.
“A lot’s going on around here, eh? Ellie’s her daddy’s own competitor now?” he said conversationally. “And last time I was down at Delia’s Diner, listening to the gossip, I heard Robby’s got some exciting news, himself.”
Robby said nothing. All his senses were on heightened alert, and maybe if he was lucky, he would manage not to rise and throttle the man. Already, he was imagining the pleasure of contact when his fist pummeled Max Sweeney’s jaw. He could hear the crack, the ugly split of flesh, feel a trickle of blood. “What do you want, Max?”
“Just starting a conversation,” Max said innocently.
“Well, I think Robby just finished it,” said Daddy Eddie.
“I’m being neighborly,” attested Max. “And I figured he must be feeling good today. In fact, I figured maybe you two were having lunch to celebrate.”
The weasel was referring to Charlie’s homecoming next week. After eight years in jail for manslaughter, Robby’s father was finally being released. “Why do you always try to talk to me about my old man, Max?” Robby found himself challenging, his low voice controlled and scarcely audible over the sound of one of the jukeboxes. “I mean, you never did either of us any favors. So what’s it to you?”
“Just being neighborly, like I said. A man’s got to care about his community.”
What hogwash. Luckily, the door swung open again, and a slice of autumnal light cut across the linoleum floor of the bar. For a second, despite the circumstances, Robby almost smiled, since J. D. Johnson had appeared in the open doorway, backlit by the sun, which threw him into silhouette. He sported a thin white shirt, despite the day being cool for October in Mississippi, and he wore threadbare jeans, boots and a Stetson hat. “Looks like my gunslinger friend just showed up,” Robby said. “So why don’t you get lost, Sweeney.”
Taking the hint, the man turned away, passing J.D. as he came toward Robby and Daddy Eddie’s table, with his wife, Susannah, right behind him. Over his shoulder, Max called, “I’ll be wishing the best for your family, Robby.”
“Bastard,” muttered J.D., standing in front of the booth, exactly where Max had been just a moment before.
“That’s what I said,” returned Daddy Eddie. Then, “Hi, Susannah. Sorry you had to hear the rough language, sweetheart. ”
“Nothing I don’t hear from J.D. at home.”
“Hey, Suze,” said Robby.
She smiled, and when she did, it brought Robby a whole new wave of heartbreak, recalling the good times he and Ellie had hanging around J.D. and Susannah. Why, Ellie and Susannah had been inseparable from birth, and although Ellie was doing well in New York, Robby couldn’t help but imagine she wouldn’t be happier back at home in Banner. Face it, he thought now, she’d be a fish out of water in the city. Successful, but without her family and friends.
Nowadays, Susannah always made things worse for Robby—always talking about how good Ellie looked, how happy she was working for herself, and how she seemed to secretly miss him, something Robby very much doubted.
“Hey, stranger,” Susannah said, ruffling Robby’s hair.
“Careful,” he warned, catching her hand.
“Afraid I’ll make your girlfriends jealous?” she teased.
“That or your husband,” said J.D.
Robby rolled his eyes. He had no girlfriends. Everybody knew that, and most, except Patricia and Daddy Eddie, knew why, too. Ellie had left him in the dirt because he’d ascended the ranks at Lee Polls.
“Hey, there,” he said on a sigh. “Pull up a chair, you two, although I warn you, Daddy Eddie and I are headed back to work soon.”
“We’re only here for takeout,” Susannah explained. “In fact, if you two can occupy J.D., I’ll head to the bar and see if our call-in order is ready.”
Robby grinned, glancing at the friend he’d known since grade school. “Is J.D. bothering you again, Susannah? Maybe I ought to beat him up for you.”
Before she could answer, J.D. had circled his wife’s waist, hauled her against his side, angled his head down and delivered a sloppy kiss. Giggling, she said, “See how he treats me!”
“Always having his way with you,” Robby agreed. “He deserves punishment, no doubt.”
“She loves it,” protested J.D.
“Well, all your lovin’ has left me as hungry as a horse,” Susannah said, whirling and offering her backside as she headed for the bar.
“Helluvu woman,” J.D. complimented his wife, tilting back his Stetson and grinning.
“Don’t rub it in,” Robby complained.
“Yes, Robby works too damn hard,” Daddy Eddie put in. “He needs to find himself a woman.”
“That so,” J.D. said with a wry grin.
Taking a deep breath, Robby met J.D.’s eyes over the head of the older man, reminding him to keep mum. Yeah, Robby figured it would be best if Daddy Eddie never guessed at his private life. Determined not to be the focus, Robby quickly introduced the hot topic around town, the budding relationship between Sheriff Kemp and Delia, which gave the men a few minutes of mileage.
Then, of course, the topic rolled around to Robby again. “Maybe he’ll go somewhere hot and steamy on his vacay,” said Daddy Eddie.
“A desert island?” queried J.D.
“Wherever he can find a woman.”
“Hmm, I could use one of those,” Robby finally offered in a noncommitted tone.
“Wait. You’re going womanizing, and you didn’t invite me?” J.D. joked.
“I heard that,” Susannah called, blowing a lock of blond hair from her eyes as she came up behind J.D. with the bag containing their food order.
“Caught in the act,” said J.D.
Susannah smirked. “You know I’m the only woman fool enough to have you.”
J.D. shot her a bad-boy grin. “So true.”
“We’d better go while the food’s hot,” she added.
“Nope,” he corrected, “we’d better go, since I’m thinking you’re so hot.”
Scoffing, she said goodbye. Then J.D. offered a few parting words. When the couple was gone, Robby realized they’d left nothing but heartache in their wake. Dammit, for a brief while, he and Ellie had shared their closeness. Oh, he’d wanted Ellie all her life, ever since he’d first seen her, but he’d also known how much Daddy Eddie and Patricia had doted on their only girl. Especially Daddy Eddie, who tried to cover up his unstoppable devotion by being hard on her. How, Robby had wondered, could he ever become a worthwhile suitor?
Ellie had deserved so much more. A good-looking college man from a loving home. By contrast, Robby was the son of a man who couldn’t put clothes on his kid’s back, or food on the table, a rowdy town drunk with a gambling problem.
That was why he’d done all he could to steer clear of Ellie. For years, he’d worked his tail off, still did. He’d taken gifts from Daddy Eddie to get through school, but since then, he’d insisted on paying the money back. Daddy Eddie hadn’t wanted to take the money, but he’d done so in the end, after Robby threatened to leave Lee Polls if he didn’t.
Now his throat felt raw and tight. He wasn’t proud of it, but emotion was getting the best of him. Maybe things were better this way, he decided. Maybe Ellie would find a man in New York who’d had all the advantages and grown up without knowing want. A guy like Johnny Sweeney. The thought came from nowhere, and now Robby pushed it away, ashamed of himself for making such comparisons, especially since the other man’s father was even worse than Charlie, in Robby’s humble opinion.
“Why so deep in thought?” Daddy Eddie prompted.
“You should have promoted Ellie, not me,” Robby abruptly said.
Daddy Eddie’s jaw dropped. “Lord, you really do need a vacation. And don’t you ever second-guess me, son,” he said. “The company’s been in my family since the eighteen hundreds, so I figure I know what’s best for it.”
But couldn’t Daddy Eddie see? Without Ellie in his bed, Robby had fallen apart. Sales and contracts were tanking. It wasn’t dire, they weren’t going to lose the business, but…Blowing out a frustrated sigh, he tried not to think about how Ellie’s desertion had thrown him off his game. Worse, she wasn’t the least bit affected.
He just couldn’t think straight. It was as if some necessary hormone inside him had been depleted. Yeah, he thought now, testosterone. “I really do need to take a couple days off,” he said again.
When he glanced up, Daddy Eddie was studying him. “I know what this is all about. Are you going to pick up your dad?”
“From prison?” Robby was stunned at the idea. He’d been thinking about Ellie and hadn’t bothered to give Charlie a second thought, but his father was being released in a few days. “Hell, no,” he exploded. “The man got himself arrested and put in prison, he can leave by himself, too.”
Daddy Eddie considered a long moment, then tilted his head, looking undecided about what he should say. “He may have changed. Eight years is a long time.”
Robby clenched his jaw. Men like his father never changed. He’d learned that a long time ago. So many nights, he’d lain in bed, wondering if he’d awaken to sirens and find Sheriff Kemp on the porch with bad news. No matter what Robby had done—acted out, yelled at Charlie, tried to reason—nothing had worked.
“You don’t know him like I do.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve seen people change,” offered Daddy Eddie.
“Who?”
There was a long pause.
“That’s what I thought,” Robby commented.
Daddy Eddie sighed. “I know you hate it when I tell you this, but your daddy was a good man. He doted on your mama. And when she died, when you were little, he was just brokenhearted. He couldn’t go on.”
Despite having a son? Robby wanted to challenge. Dammit, Charlie had had responsibilities, a boy at home. “Even if he’s changed, somehow, it’s water under the bridge to me.” Robby had grown up a long time ago.
“You can’t give him a chance?”
“What?” Robby scoffed. “Pick him up at the jail? Set him up in an apartment or something?” He shook his head adamantly. “Let the system take care of that. I pay taxes. That’s all I’m doing. I figure he’s got a parole officer to help him. Whatever.”
Even saying the words, he felt a rush of guilt, then hated himself for it, not to mention Max Sweeney, and then Daddy Eddie, for bringing up the topic. Oh, Charlie wasn’t a bad man, particularly. Robby knew what Daddy Eddie was trying to say. He was, however, a weak man, and the weak could be dangerous. Yes…what was that saying? Never underestimate the power of the blind and stupid, Robby thought. Well, that summed up his father to a T.
Recollections suddenly flooded Robby’s mind, of the night his father had killed a beautiful young teenager named Shirley Fey. For some reason that no one had ever discerned, she was out walking late one night, near the cabin Charlie and Robby had shared. She’d been found dead on the road, victim of a hit and run. Charlie hadn’t even bothered to come forward. Later, he claimed he’d been so drunk he barely remembered what he’d done.
Shirley Fey hadn’t deserved it. She’d been from a family that was almost as poor, a thin girl, almost waifish, with waist-long honey hair. It had nearly killed him, but Robby attended all the legal proceedings, not to stand by his father, but to judge him, right along with the Feys.
Now, for the umpteenth time, Robby vowed never to so much as look at his father again. Charlie could rot in hell, along with devils like Max Sweeney. Ellie, too, he suddenly thought. More than anybody, she damn well knew not to compare him to his old man. What had gotten into her that morning?
“You okay, Robby?”
“He didn’t even stop his car that night,” Robby murmured. “Maybe she was still alive after he hit her. Maybe she could have been saved.”
Daddy Eddie shook his head. “That whole series of events never sat right with me. I know you don’t like me saying so, but the trial just moved too fast, and Charlie must have changed his story ten times.”
“Quit trying to make me feel better about having a scumbag for a dad,” Robby warned. Daddy Eddie and Patricia had always insisted on smoothing the edges off Robby’s rough beginnings. By the time they were done discussing Charlie, a stranger would have assumed he was a saint. It was the Lees’ way of trying to help.
“I changed my mind,” Robby said now. “I’m going to stick around and work. No vacay.”
“Why?”
Because he’d just be left with spare time on his hands, and if the past months were any indication, he’d only use it to torture himself with how he’d lost Ellie. “Too much work to do.” And he’d prefer not to dwell on his father.
“All right…” Daddy Eddie picked up the newspaper and tapped the picture of his daughter. “Since you’ve decided to stick around, maybe it’s time we came up with a plan for showing Ellie who’s boss. We’ve got to get our clients back, at least. And it’d be nice to find a way to buy Ellie’s company…maybe make her think it’s another buyer. In fact, since you were talking about taking a trip, maybe you should pay her a visit.”
As if. Robby wasn’t about to get directly involved in Daddy Eddie’s corporate vendetta with his daughter. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. If he succeeded at work, he helped himself and Eddie, but hurt Ellie, and he was starting to feel downright paralyzed.
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