Catching The Corporate Playboy

“Work the counter, Darci,” Val said walking by. She gave Cameron a wink, and taking her hint he settled onto an empty stool.

Darci brought him an aged white porcelain cup and saucer and slopped black coffee into it. One of the first things he would have to teach her was how to pour correctly. Coffee hit the bottom of the cup, bounced back out and slopped over the edge before making a ring on the saucer. Definitely not the best way to serve it.

“Cream and sugar are on the counter.”

“Thanks,” he told her, “but I take it black.”

“Suit yourself.” She scrunched up her face into an irritated smile and walked away. He watched her move, studying her figure and everything about her. Darci had a basic grace to her, he decided as he sipped the strong black brew. She could be molded. He’d have to watch that movie. Maybe it had some ideas for him to try.

“Darci,” he called. “Do you like musicals?”

“No,” she replied, and poured another customer some coffee. Cameron noted that this time she managed not to spill one drop.

“What about boating?”

“Water makes me sick.”

Well, he’d gone from a one-word answer to a four-word answer. He could tell progress with Darci would be measured in little steps.

“What about the symphony or the theater?”

“Closed for the summer,” she shot back.

“What about the Muny, the outdoor theater in Forest Park?”

“The Muny gets hot. Any other questions? I’m sorry I didn’t bring my bio for you. Let me know before you come in next time and I’ll be sure to have it prepared for your arrival.”

She walked by and splashed more coffee into his cup. He jerked away to avoid the stray cascading droplets. “Darci.” He said her name slowly, cajoling it off his tongue. “Darci, why do you hate me so much? What have I done?”

Her nostrils flared slightly, and those gorgeous blue eyes narrowed. Her full lips thinned. “Hate you? I don’t even know you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

Ah, he thought. More reaction, more words. A little more cajoling and she’d start to cave in and realize her outbursts were actually the opposite of what she wanted. Something had ticked her off, and she wanted to let him know it. She just wasn’t going to come right out and say it, whatever it happened to be.

“Darci,” he tried again. He had to convince her to trust him or he’d have no chance of winning the bet. “You don’t know me. You’ve judged me unfairly. Could we change that? Once you get to know me you’ll discover that I’m really a nice guy.”

She looked like a high-strung filly he’d purchased a stake in once. Spirited and oh, so beautiful. “Your money can’t buy me, Mr. O’Brien. I’m not for sale.”

Cameron leaned back. So she knew who he was. That was it. Being poor herself, she probably had a dislike and distrust for the infinitely wealthy. “Ah. I understand now. You think the tip was just a calling card. You think I’m trying to offer you more.”

“I’m not for sale,” she repeated, the tone of her voice a bit more forceful this time.

He began to chuckle. Whenever he knew the enemy, the enemy never stood a chance. “No, my dear misguided Darci, let’s clear up this misunderstanding. Val told me to leave you a nice tip. That’s all I did. I have no need to buy female services, believe me. Finding a female companion has always been the least of my problems.”

She glared at him for that brazen assertion, and she pushed wayward blond hair up under her pink cap. “You’re a pig.”

Suddenly he had an urge to free her hair from the tight confines of the cap and see what those blond locks really looked like. “Darci, Darci. You’ve prejudged me. Give me a chance to prove you wrong. Come see the sunrise with me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I really am a nice guy.” Well, at least he thought he was.

As she planted her hands on her hips, he leaned forward and pulled one of her hands away. As he did, a wanton shock coursed through him, burning him. Despite his internal signals suddenly going haywire, he managed to maintain his composure. It wasn’t easy. “Come with me,” he repeated.

Like a doe caught in the headlights, Darci stared at him wide-eyed. “Why? Why me?” she whispered, and he wondered if she was as affected as he was by the oh-so-sexy skin-on-skin contact of their hands.

“Because you’ve intrigued me, Darci.” He massaged her fingers with his. “I want to get to know you, and by that I don’t mean let’s just hop into bed.”

“Oh.” She gently detached her hand from his and dropped it to her side. “I’m off in fifteen minutes, but really you shouldn’t—”

“Perfect. I’ll wait.” He planted himself firmly onto the ratty old stool. As she moved off he smiled to himself and sipped his coffee. When it really came down to it, who could resist him?

AS DARCI MOVED out of earshot of Cameron, Val pulled her into the kitchen. “Well?”

“I gave a pretty good performance, didn’t I? I had him eating out of my hand. All I forgot was the quivering lip of submission.”

“If that was acting, girl, then you get an Oscar.”

Darci laughed. Then, for a moment, uncertainty crept in. When Cameron O’Brien had grabbed her hand a sensation had ricocheted through her, and it wasn’t one she was familiar with. But Cameron’s type was one she’d learned to handle, so at that thought her confidence bolstered again.

“So,” Val said, “what’s the scoop?”

“I’m leaving with him to go watch the sunrise.”

“Ooh-ee.”

Darci bristled. “Stop saying that. It’s not like that at all. I’ve got to convince him I’m an uncultured hick, and then pretend I don’t know he’s trying to culture me. And I have to do it all without him figuring it out. So forgive me if I pretend to fall at his feet just a little bit. He’d find it strange if I didn’t. He thinks he’s irresistible, as if he’s God’s gift to women. My actions are only for show, believe me.”

“Oh, I do, girl. I’m glad you’re not going after me. You’re a mean one. Anyway, your shift’s over. Enjoy the sunrise.”

Darci nodded. “That’ll be the best part of all this I’m sure.” She reached into her apron and handed all of her tips to Val. “Leave this where Wanda won’t suspect.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Good.” With that Darci strode out to face her new nemesis. She dropped her eyes to her feet and then looked up at him, her smile wary. “Look, this isn’t really necessary.”

He glanced up from his coffee. “Yes, it is.” When he smiled at her Darci had to calm her fluttering heart. Boy, he could probably charm snakes out of the grass. She bit back her anger at that thought. She could control this. He was using her to win a bet, and he didn’t know that she knew. Piece of cake.

“Really.” Darci made her voice shake with uncertainty. “I should just go home.”

“Not an option.” Cameron stood suddenly, topping her five-foot-six figure by only four inches. No, definitely not her type. She liked them tall, dark, and handsome. Cameron didn’t fit the bill. Not at less than six feet with sandy-blond hair and the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen.

At obvious ease in his polo shirt and khaki shorts, he brushed some lint off his shoulder. “Do you need to change clothes?”

“This is all I have with me.” She smoothed the food-covered apron. “I had planned on going home. Look, Mr. O’Brien, I’m not dressed to be seen with you. This is a bad idea.”

“It’s a good idea, and please call me Cameron. Mr. O’Brien makes me sound like my father.” He gestured toward the restaurant door, and with a slight bow of her head she acknowledged his gesture and led the way.

Surprisingly, Cameron didn’t say anything about her unsightly appearance as he followed her from the restaurant. “Val told me you’d only been working three days. How’s it been getting accustomed to the graveyard shift?”

“Fine.” Being a night owl she actually preferred to sleep longer during the day and work longer at night. Of course, that would change when she moved back to the corporate office in some position much higher than a clerk in the mailroom.

“Great,” he replied. “Would it sound presumptuous if I asked you back to my hotel? It’s a suite, complete with a living area that has a fantastic balcony. I’ve got a great view of not only the Arch, but also the river.”

Play along, Darci, she told herself. “Um, I don’t know about that.” The hesitation in her voice added a bit of a breathless quality to it. Boy, was she good.

“It’ll be innocent. Trust me. If not, the press would hang me out to dry.”

“You get a lot of press?”

“Nah.” He sounded so innocent, but Darci knew he’d just lied outright. One of America’s most eligible bachelors didn’t get any press. Yeah, right. Mr. I’m-Really-a-Nice-Guy probably graced the New York tabloids on a daily basis.

“So, my suite?” One of his blond eyebrows arched up with his query.

Boy, was he smooth. At least she knew he didn’t want to take her to bed, unlike those popular boys in her senior year of high school. That made it slightly better, but despite that, it hurt to know that he was using her because he did want something. He wanted to win his bet.

“Okay, but just for the sunrise,” she told him. “If you even attempt anything else I’m going to knee you in the groin and have you arrested. Comprende?”

His eyes widened at her vicious verbal assault. “Got it.”

“Good.” Darci paused and scanned the restaurant’s parking lot. “Where’s your car?”

“Over here.” He led her to a jet-black convertible. “Do you have one?”

“A Mercedes? No.”

She had to admit he was handsome when he laughed. Dimples formed and his eyes twinkled. “I meant a car. Parked somewhere near here.”

“Oh.” She fought for control and smiled vaguely. He didn’t know that her Porsche Boxter was safely ensconced behind Grandpa Joe’s in the private lot. Being that Grandpa Joe’s remained open twenty-four hours a day, her one indulgence wouldn’t be bothered behind the locked security gate.

“No. I don’t have a car,” she lied brightly. Two could play the lying game. “I usually take the bus. They start running pretty early. I never have to wait too long.”

“Well, I’m old-fashioned enough to see my dates to their door so I’ll take you directly home afterward. No bus for you today.”

He didn’t add “and won’t that be a rare treat” although Darci knew it had to have crossed his mind. The man infuriated her. In order to control her temper, she clenched her fist. “Okay,” she gave him a bright smile as she began the next lie. “I’ll let you drive me home.”

She slid into his car and waited while he closed her door. As he got in she ventured brightly, “Does the top go down?”

Somehow she managed to suppress her laughter when a look of sheer panic and disbelief crossed his face before he masked it. “You want the top down? I’m at the Adam’s Mark. It’s only a few blocks away.”

“I’ve never been in a Mercedes before. Put the top down and let’s go for a drive! I’ll take you to the best place to watch the sunrise. It’s a park on the south side. Take 55 South. Besides, I’d feel much safer if we went there. I’m not dressed for the Adam’s Mark. Is it nice? I’ve never been inside.”

“It’s great, as is your idea to go to a park.” The car roared to life and Darci leaned back against the seat and bit back another grin. She’d always been one to figure out the solutions to problems, and right now the solution was to play Cameron O’Brien like a piano concerto. Given his ego, it was turning out to be easier than she’d ever have thought.

He now had her pegged as a stereotypical blond bimbo. Dumber than a stump, nothing but fluff upstairs, and too idiotic to do much else besides wait tables in a diner.

She chuckled. “Oh, how wrong you are.”

“Did you say something?”

“No.” She shrugged and smiled.

He put the top down and began backing up. Darci stuck her hands straight up and waved at a passerby. The man waved back. “Wow! This is great. I’ve never been in a convertible.”

“Really?” he asked, keeping his gaze on the road.

“Really. Ma always had junk heaps, if her car ran at all.”

His voice sounded noncommittal. “I see.”

They were passing the domed football stadium and Darci studied the billboards circling the top in order to hide her grin. She hoped she wasn’t laying it on too thick. She didn’t want to overdo her story too much. They passed the exit for the Adam’s Mark, and drove past the hotel itself.

“Ma wasn’t big on knowing about cars. One time the man at the garage told her she’d ruined the engine by not changing her oil for over two years. She told him she didn’t know you were supposed to do that.”

“Really,” he replied, concentrating on maneuvering through where Highway 55 divided from Highway 44.

“Yeah. She said she should have kept Dave around. He at least knew how to fix cars. He only lived with us a few months though. I don’t know what happened to him.”

“So, do you still live at home?”

“No. I’ve got my own place. Ma moved to Cape, and as I got older she couldn’t entertain her boyfriends. I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen.”

Oh the webs we weave, Darci thought as she took in Cameron’s horrified reaction. She’d have to remember this story. Personally, she thought it pretty good. She silently said a little prayer asking her mother’s forgiveness. A former vice president of the Junior League, her mother would die of mortification if she’d just heard her daughter’s outrageous lies.

He slanted a gaze at her. “So how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five.” That much was true. “Oops! It’s this exit. Sorry, I never drive, you know.”

Cameron, driving over the speed limit in the fast lane, jerked the wheel quickly. Much to the annoyance of the other drivers that he cut off, he made it to the exit. Darci waved at a man who flipped them off.

“Boy, you’re a great driver. You know, I think you might be an okay guy after all.”

“Thanks. As for the driving, I’m from New York. The stories about the cab drivers are true.”

“The big apple?”

Cameron cringed. “Native New Yorkers don’t call it that.”

“Really? Why do people call it that? Does it look like an apple?” Darci bit her lip to check her laughter when he refused to answer her.

Instead, she pointed out where to turn by flinging her hand in front of his face. Using gestures she directed him to the riverside park, and its parking lot. “We’ll need to walk,” she told him.

“Walk?” Cameron looked shocked. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the Adam’s Mark?”

“Yeah.” Darci hiked her skirt up and hopped over the car door. She giggled as she righted herself. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

He looked absolutely aghast. “Well, you just did.”

“Yep.” She flashed him a childish smile to cover her internal satisfaction. Poor Cameron. You thought this bet would be easy, didn’t you? Still, she had to admit he was being a sport for being such a fish out of water.

“Come on, slowpoke. I think the path’s over here. Oh, here it is. It’s a bit overgrown, but not too bad.” She turned and studied his shoes. Custom-made loafers. Too bad it had rained yesterday. She gave him a beguiling smile.

What was a little mud between friends?

Chapter Three

Cameron followed Darci down the overgrown dirt—no, make that mud—path. Brown goo clung to his shoes. At least it hadn’t eased up onto his socks.

Remember to take pleasure in small things, his mother had said.

He didn’t think mud ruining a custom-made pair of shoes counted.

“Hey, slow down!” He shouted, but Darci just ignored him and kept walking. Mud splattered her legs, but she didn’t care.

In the two hours or so that he’d known her, Darci had become something of an enigma. If he’d known a ride in his car would loosen her up, he’d have told her a lot earlier that he’d rented a Mercedes.

Cameron wondered what Lee’s reaction would be when he told him the progress he was making. While the bet would only be for one thousand dollars and a very expensive baby stroller, it was the principle of the thing. No matter how much it cost Cameron to win, he would win. He wasn’t going to let Lee have the satisfaction of besting him on this challenge.

“Not much farther,” she yelled. The branch she’d just moved out of her way snapped back and he had to duck to avoid getting a mouthful of leaves. Instead some remaining droplets of water showered him.

“Watch it with the branches,” he called.

“Huh?” She’d stopped walking and turned around.

As Cameron caught up with her, he realized she’d stopped in a small open area. He stepped beside her, and saw that just ten feet past Darci the earth disappeared.

“We’re on the leftovers of an ancient mound. The rest is gone,” Darci told him. “Have a seat. The ground’s dry here. It gets full sun almost all day.”

Cameron did what he was told and discovered Darci was right. The sun began to sliver and shine in the July morning sky. “So how did you discover this place?”

“A group of friends live near here and they found it.”

Her face became suddenly unreadable.

And now she’s quiet again. He made a wistful smile and decided to simply let the silence extend between them.

He hadn’t watched a sunrise in a long time. It remained one of his favorite activities, watching the sun burst over the horizon. He liked sunsets as well, especially the way the sky blazed a shower of colors.

As the morning sun crept higher, all around him the earth seemed to stir. Bugs began to crawl, birds began to chirp, and from somewhere below the ledge he heard what he assumed was a tugboat’s horn.

“This has been nice,” he said, meaning every word. “I haven’t done this in a while. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

She reacted to the genuineness in his words and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“I like doing these kinds of things.”

“I would have pegged you for thinking it was too basic.”

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know. I like basic things. Unfortunately, I never have time to enjoy them.”

“You should make time.”

Easier said than done, Cameron thought. Plus, none of the women he associated with would ever consider tromping through the muddy woods in quest of a sunrise.

But then, these women weren’t Darci, were they? She still had her waitress uniform on, and the cap had shifted to let more of her blond hair fall out. A few loose ringlets curled around her face.

He squinted slightly, and focused on her eyebrows. For the first time he noticed how pale they were. Well, what do you know? Her hair was naturally blond. He’d bet his life on it.

“You’re staring again.” Her words were quiet, wary.

“This time I’ll admit it. I was looking at your hair color. It’s natural, isn’t it?”

“Do I look like I can afford to have someone do it? You’re darn right it’s natural,” she scoffed. With a swoop of her hands she pulled the cap off her head. Although her hair shone with a layer of grease from Grandpa Joe’s, it still cascaded into a waterfall of natural spiral ringlets.

His breath caught in his throat as her hair fell to just above her breasts. Beautiful. What would it be like to run his hands through those golden tresses? He controlled his libido. This was not the time, and she was not the girl.

He found his voice. “Mine’s natural blond, too, and I’m sure people have told you how lucky you are.”

“Oh, all the time. I hated my hair when I was a kid, although now it’s not much better. Guys always want to check and be sure that I’m really a natural blonde, you know? And I just don’t go for that.”

He suppressed the groan at the image her comment evoked. But then a fierce band of possessiveness swept over him. It felt foreign, and he attributed it to the bet. He needed to win, and she was his ticket to success. The last thing he needed was for her to run off with some lowlife scumbag before he was finished with her transformation into a society darling.

“Well,” he said as the sun burst across the sky, “that’s that.”

“It was good,” Darci said, her manner again aloof. “Today’s my day off, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home now.”

So soon? He shoved that comment in the trashcan of his mind and stood. “Sure.”

He reached to help her up, but she’d already risen to her feet.

As she moved to brush past him, her mud-covered white shoes caught on a rock. She stumbled slightly, and instinctively he reached forward and caught her.

Although they were standing far enough away from the cliff’s edge, not one to miss any such opportunity, he pulled her toward him and wrapped her possessively in his arms.

“Safe and sound,” he whispered, but as he held her and felt the fire again flow through his veins, he wondered how safe he really was. Whatever was going on between them was an absolutely alien experience to him.

She sighed, and he knew she felt the intense energy zinging like electrons between them. “Darci.” He murmured her name, and then, bending his head just so, he brought his lips gently to hers.

He hadn’t intended to kiss her, and then a moment ago when he’d realized it was inevitable, he’d intended a soft, simple kiss. Instead, unknown sensations were shooting all the way down to his muddy shoes, and he had to investigate them. No way he could continue to kiss her chastely.

As her lips parted under his, he deepened his exploration of her mouth, sending his tongue to mate with hers. She tasted of Grandpa Joe’s, of sugar, no, it was honey, no—she tasted completely unique. She tasted divine. He brought his hands into her hair, threading the golden ringlets through his fingers as if the strands were the finest silk. He tipped her head back, sliding his lips down her throat before he kissed her mouth again. The kiss seemed endless, like light itself.

And then she was pushing him away.

“What?” he asked, reaching out like a newborn kitten whose mother had left.

“Someone’s coming,” she hissed. Her gaze shot to the bulge in his shorts. “Can’t you hide that?”

The absurdity of her question made her divine. “No, not easily I can’t.” He stood, unabashed. “This is what kissing you did to me.”

“Well, undo it. Think of your grandmother.” Her words were like a bucket of ice water over his head, and Cameron sobered quickly.

He followed Darci back to the path just as a uniformed policeman came through the opening.

“Why, hi folks.”

“Hello, officer,” Cameron replied. “Can we help you?”

“Well, maybe. We’ve been having some problems with prostitutes frequenting this park after hours.” The officer moved farther into the small open area. “Why, Darci! Is that you?”

NO. DARCI KNEW her face blazed crimson. She could literally feel the flush creeping up her neck, staining across her cheekbones. She turned away, shielding her face from the officer’s view.

Never had she known such mortification. She’d been caught making out with Cameron O’Brien! Even worse, now he thought she was a prostitute. Great.

“Darci?” The semi-familiar voice didn’t belong to Cameron, and the sinking feeling in her stomach plummeted faster than the Titanic.

“Why I’ll be. It is you! Darci Sanders!”

Slowly she turned, seeing the source of her current humiliation. “Hello, Chad.”

Chad’s gaze roved over her, taking in her puffy lips, her mussed hair, and worse, her pink waitress uniform covered with splotches of mud. God knows what he thought she’d been doing. Her face flamed red again.

“You two know each other?” Cameron spoke, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the small clearing. A blue-eyed gaze that had iced over held Darci’s.

“We went to high school together,” Darci replied. She focused on studying an ant that was walking across the ground carrying a leaf fragment. “Chad was a class ahead of mine.”

“But that didn’t mean I didn’t know Darci. Everyone knew Darci.”

“Really now,” Cameron drawled, his New York accent extremely clear. “It seems everyone still does.”