“Cleveland beat you to it.”
“A staff?” Jack continued. “An unlimited budget.”
“No.”
“Do you have any idea what an unlimited budget means in my world?”
“You mean the world where you own private jets and rent helicopters?”
He nodded. “That world.”
She wasn’t sure if it was his apology, the expression in his eyes or the thought of an unlimited budget. But, she hesitated.
“Do you want to win the contest?” asked Jack.
Sure, she wanted to win. Her life would change overnight if she won.
His voice dropped to a conspiratorial level. “I can make that happen.”
“You can’t bribe the judges.” What kind of a victory would that be?
Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m not bribing anybody. I can get you silk from the Orient, wool from Kashmir, lace from France, and I can fly you to the corners of the earth to pick it all out.”
Kristy was human enough to be tempted.
And Jack was smart enough to seize the moment. He held out his hand.
She narrowed her eyes, wanting to make sure their cards were on the table. “And I’d have to …?”
“Smile at parties, sip champagne, wrap a few gifts and skate on the pond.” Then his gaze went dark and his voice turned husky. “And sleep in my bed, of course.”
A rush of heat burst in her chest.
“Purely platonic, I promise,” he quickly added.
“You’ve lied to me before,” she pointed out.
“True enough.” He inched closer. “But I’m not lying this time. I’ll keep my hands off, and the world is yours for the taking.”
Kristy’s instincts screamed at her to say yes. She was probably crazy. In fact, she was sure she was crazy. But he’d apologized, and he didn’t really seem like a bad guy. And the things she could do with an unlimited budget….
Fate was smiling on her.
In fact, fate was flat-out grinning at her.
“Deal,” she said, before she could change her mind. Then she reached out to shake his hand.
LATER THAT evening, Jack stopped in the open door of Cleveland’s study. “You,” he said to his grandfather, “are a scheming and manipulative old man.”
Cleveland glanced up from where he was cooing at the goofy little dog. “Unlike you?”
“You brought her here on purpose.”
“I brought her here to design clothing.”
Jack shook his head, advancing into the room, past the leather sofa, the grandfather clock and the stone fireplace, to get to the mahogany bar, which jutted out from an oak-paneled wall. “You did not. And this fashion contest is going to be a total embarrassment for Sierra Sanchez.”
“Not necessarily,” said Cleveland.
“Yes, necessarily,” Jack countered. Plucking a gorgeous woman out of obscurity and throwing her onto the world fashion stage had about a million-to-one chance of being successful.
“Well, I really like her,” said Cleveland.
“You really like all hot women under the age of thirty-five.”
Cleveland smiled. “At least I don’t marry them.”
Jack poured himself a snifter of brandy. “Actually, Gramps, you do.”
“As usual, you’re exaggerating. All Nanette got was a sports car, a mink coat and a diamond ring.” Cleveland ruffled the fur between the dog’s ears. “Wasn’t that all she got, Pookie?”
Jack took a seat in a leather armchair, frowning at the dog. His grandfather had always had a soft spot for animals. Though Jack had never seen him quite this attached to one before.
“You should make a go of it with Kristy,” said Cleveland. “She’s a great girl.”
Jack coughed out a laugh. “That’s a perfect idea. Because we’ve obviously set such a good foundation for a long-term relationship.”
A telltale twinkle came into Cleveland’s eyes. “So, have you decided what you’re going to tell your mother?”
Jack gave him a smug smirk in return. “That it was a whirlwind romance. Kristy’s agreed to play along.”
“Really.” Cleveland looked surprised.
Jack nodded his answer, swirling the amber liquid against his warm palm.
“And what did that cost you?”
Jack paused. “More than Nanette’s sports car. Less than the condo you bought for Opal.”
“I knew I liked that girl.”
“Irene Compton says she’s mediocre.”
Cleveland shrugged. “What does Irene know? I have a feel for these things.”
“No you do not have a feel for these things.” What Cleveland had a feel for was his libido. He might not have been dating Kristy, but he couldn’t have missed the fact that she was a knockout. “Irene, on the other hand, has been in the fashion business for thirty years.”
“Everybody’s wrong sometime,” said Cleveland.
While that might be true, Jack knew experts were right a whole lot more often than they were wrong. That’s why he hired them, and that’s why he paid them so well.
Irene was an expert. And since Kristy was, by Irene’s account, a mediocre designer, there was a good chance she’d crash and burn at the Breakout Designer Contest.
Bad for Sierra Sanchez, and bad for Kristy. Jack frowned at both of those thoughts and took a swig of his brandy.
Hunter appeared in the doorway. “You two kids playing nice?”
“Jack’s a bit snippy,” said Cleveland.
“Gramps is busy playing God.”
“Not God,” said Gramps. Then he paused. “Yeah, okay. God it is.”
Hunter chuckled and shook his head, sauntering over to the bar. “You know there are three huge vans out in the driveway?”
“I called earlier to express a few things over for Kristy,” said Jack.
“Ahh,
