“I have some questions.”
“Of course. Whatever you need to know.” She exhaled. She could do this. Her brief history with Sawyer didn’t have to be an insurmountable issue. It didn’t have to be an issue at all. They were both professional people and there was a job to be done.
“I want to hear more about the slow burn.” He trailed his index finger on the conference table in a painfully slow circle. “It sounds promising.”
“Oh. Uh. Sure. Of course.”
“Then I’d like to know when exactly you got engaged.”
Kendall froze. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she scrambled for an answer. It was one thing to come right out with it with her boss, but she had nothing for Sawyer. How was she supposed to have anticipated that he’d waltz back into her life that morning and make Operation Engagement Ring infinitely more complicated?
* * *
Sawyer didn’t like distractions in business meetings, nor did he like surprises. But this was no ordinary meeting, and Kendall Ross was much more than a beguiling bombshell. She was a force to be reckoned with.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get back to the PR plan. Isn’t that the most pressing matter?” She straightened in her seat, composed and determined.
Even with vast amounts of money on the line, Sawyer’s mind couldn’t keep from straying to pressing of another kind—namely the moment at the wedding when she pressed against him, his hand settled in the curve of her back and everything around them faded away. It wasn’t like him at all to be so unfocused in a meeting. But he’d never been tested like this either.
It was one thing to run into a former conquest months or years later and see her with a date or a serious boyfriend. That he could handle. That was the cost of being the guy who not only doesn’t do serious, but doesn’t get within ten miles of it. But engaged? Less than two months later? Who was this guy? Where did she find him? And how had Sawyer managed to sleep with the one woman who could move on even more easily than he did? Not that he’d actually moved on from Kendall. She’d kept wandering into his thoughts, while he kept waiting for the day when she’d simply walk out.
“I suppose,” he said.
“As I said, it’s more effective to release information and images on a specific, carefully planned timetable, all of it leading up to your grand reopening. The only way to control the story is to promise the press you’ll give them everything they want, but on your terms.”
“The slow burn.” He might come to hate that phrase. It was far too sexy, especially coming from Kendall’s tempting lips.
“Yes. You have to realize, most people are terrible at visualizing things. And it might seem counterintuitive, but letting them see glimpses of the hotel now will create demand for more and more until people can’t stand it and they have to see it for themselves.”
She was so convincing right now, she could’ve sold him nearly anything, even the contents of his own wallet. “I have a feeling I should’ve hired you from the beginning.”
“Does that mean you’re hiring me now?”
He laughed quietly. She not only knew how to bury his ideas while selling her own, she knew how to close the deal. He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “I don’t think I have a choice. You’ve made a compelling case. Despite the fact that you don’t seem inclined to agree with me, I appreciate your thought process. Let’s do it your way.” He cleared his throat. Idiot. “The PR. Your way.”
“Well, good. That’s great. Thank you. I’m happy to hear that.” She smiled, bringing a beautiful blush to her cheeks. It made him want to only do things that made her smile. But then she pushed her hair behind her ear with her left hand and he was reminded that he had zero business thinking of Kendall that way.
“So. Engaged, huh? That must’ve happened recently. I mean, I hope it’s a recent thing.” Sawyer gave free passes on most personal choices—he simply wasn’t judgmental. But if she had been unfaithful to someone, with him, that crossed the line. He hoped to hell she could be trusted.
“I’m not discussing my ring, Mr. Locke. We’re having a business meeting. Surely you can appreciate that.”
“First off, please don’t call me Mr. Locke. Considering our history, I think we’re past the point of calling each other by our last names.”
“Okay, then, Sawyer.” Damn, he loved hearing her say his first name. “I’m not discussing the ring. Frankly, it’s none of your business.”
“Ah, but it is my business. I need to know I can trust the person I’ll be working with for the next three months.” He hated the thought that he might come to regret his night with Kendall. He wanted to think it had been a good decision to learn how impossibly soft her skin was, or what it felt like to have her gasp in his ear when he’d brought her to her peak.
“Are you implying that I somehow deceived you?”
“We made love six weeks ago. I’d feel a lot better knowing your fiancé wasn’t in the picture then. I don’t pursue taken women. The thought of it makes me cringe.” That much was true. He’d lived through infidelity. He’d endured that violation of trust, and he didn’t take it lightly.
She pursed her lips. “Fine, then. If you must know, the ring is a very recent development in my life.”
“How recent?”
“Very. But for our purposes, it’s merely a reminder that we are nothing but business associates.”
He’d leave it alone for now. She was putting up walls that said to back off. That was enough. “Got it.”
“So, what’s your timetable?”
“The reopening gala is New Year’s Eve.”
“It’s October 7. We don’t have much time.”
“Indeed.” Brought back to earth, Sawyer again felt the weight of the responsibilities waiting for him—dealing with the contractors, trying to see if there was a way to get through to his dad, and hoping that, somehow, Kendall Ross would ultimately be his savior and help him pull off the impossible—a flawless reopening of the Grand Legacy Hotel.
“Can you give me a tour of the hotel? I need to see it as soon as possible.”
Sawyer had a ridiculous schedule tomorrow, but getting Kendall up to speed was of paramount importance. Plus, the thought of time with her sounded like a vast improvement over what would otherwise simply be more things he didn’t feel like dealing with.
“Can you meet me there at ten tomorrow morning? I’ll send a car to your office.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking a cab or the subway.”
“I have no doubt about that.”
She shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”
“Fine. I’m not about to argue with you.”
She stood and smiled, nearly knocking the breath from his chest.
