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“The sex does bother me a little, to be honest.” Unwilling to elaborate on the reason why, she quickly added, “I’ll have to be close to spy on this guy and you said everyone in the company has sex on the brain…shouldn’t you send a man?”
“I told you, I checked him out. He’s okay. This is a baby-sitting job, April, plain and simple. All you have to do is make sure Rex Holt doesn’t make contact with any rival manufacturers. This is not difficult stuff.”
“A baby-sitting job?” She tried not to sound panicked or resentful and didn’t think she succeeded on either count. “Since when have you had baby-sitters on your payroll?”
John steepled his hands before him and looked at her over his fingertips. “This is the perfect job for you. Wilhemina needs a professional in place and she trusts you. She asked me to send you specifically, if that makes you feel any better. If anything unusual catches your attention, you report it. Should any questions be raised about this guy’s integrity, you’ll be able to testify that he conducted good business on the road.”
Both Wilhemina and John had lost their minds, April decided. It wasn’t that she wasn’t well trained or competent, but just the thought of heading into the field made her adrenaline pump so hard she could barely hear past the rush of blood in her ears.
“I know you’ve said Wilhemina’s people exhausted the computer angle, but give me a crack at it. They’re not as good as I am. I can track those posts. I’m sure of it.”
“We’re not being hired to investigate. We’re being hired to baby-sit. Wilhemina wants you. Besides, who else in this firm will be able to hold his own with nibbies, piles and pills?”
“Nibbies, piles and pills, oh my!” She pushed off her perch on the chair arm and started pacing again. Babbling was not a good sign, it usually indicated another step toward panic. If John had been paying attention, he’d have noticed.
He wasn’t. Or perhaps he was just ignoring the symptoms.
April could have appealed to him to send someone else. If she was pathetic enough, she might just wear him down and she wouldn’t have to make excuses to Wilhemina until Easter. But that would mean standing up for herself and she wasn’t so hot at standing up for what she wanted on the best of days. And especially not with John.
So she scowled instead.
He scowled right back.
Whoever lasted the longest would win.
Unfortunately, John had the edge. If he was determined to send her to the Luxurious Bedding Company how could she possibly refuse him? Besides being her boss, John Patrick Mooney was also the closest thing she had to a father. He’d come into her life at a time when she’d desperately needed a friend, after her adoptive parents had died tragically in a ski-lift accident during a long-anticipated second honeymoon.
Learning of her situation through their church, John and Paula, whose own daughters had been either married or attending college at the time, had opened their home to April so she could avoid toughing out four years of foster care until reaching eighteen and adulthood.
A very decent thing to do, considering the circumstances of their first meeting.
She certainly hadn’t meant to trip John as he welcomed her into his home, but she’d nearly sent him sprawling right through the decorative glass door. The poor man had still been sporting the goose egg a week later when she’d moved in.
Fortunately, he hadn’t held the accident against her. He’d taken her under wing through the ups and down of her high school years, including her decision to pursue her birth parents.
Though she’d been unable to locate her birth parents, April had found a family with the Mooneys. They’d become her family-by-love, as she liked to call them. She’d become a friend to John’s daughters and Auntie April to the grand-kiddies. Aside from occasional bouts of too much concern for her well-being, they were perfect. She honestly didn’t know what she would do without them.
No, she wasn’t going to practice her standing-up-for-herself skills with John. And he knew it.
Leaning back in his chair, he stared at her with dark eyes that saw right through her.
“Why are you so worked up about this job? What’s the real problem? I can’t help unless you tell me.”
Busted. April clasped her hands behind her back and stared hard at the Mooney family portrait. The last thing she needed was a case that would put her in direct contact with sheets—which would invariably lead to thoughts about what couples did between them.
But she couldn’t tell John that now, could she? Telling the truth would mean admitting she’d sworn off relationships that involved sex for the rest of her life because she was a disaster in bed. Bonafide hopeless. Evidenced by the fact that Jeff had nearly aspirated during their last sexual encounter, in the very whirlpool tub he’d sworn would help her relax.
In all fairness, April couldn’t have known he was going to lick her there. He’d been underwater, after all, and if she’d known he’d been perched so precariously on the bench, she would never had jumped, no matter how ticklish she might be.
But she hadn’t known, so she had jumped and Jeff had lost his balance, cracked his head and almost drowned.
Bum luck? Not exactly.
She’d had three lovers in the space of six years and enough near-misses to come to the conclusion that April Accidentally was simply too high-strung to have sex. She could barely stay in one place long enough to run a background check on a suspect.
She worked in front of a computer all day, true, but she didn’t sit, she stood, with the keyboard taped to a treadmill no less. The only time she ever got horizontal was while sleeping.
She simply couldn’t handle another romantic encounter that wound up with some form of CPR, or worse yet, a body. Jeff had claimed she was being ridiculous, accidents happened—especially to her, she’d silently agreed—and had refused to let her break up with him.
But that was a refusal more easily made than kept. April had broken off with him and sworn off men—for their protection and her peace of mind. After serious soul-searching, she’d made the decision to give up the one thing that she’d wanted all her life—her very own family. She’d never have a husband or children. She’d never even have an orgasm, for goodness’ sake.
But this was all need-to-know information that John didn’t need to know. Not only didn’t he need to know, she was fairly certain he wouldn’t want to know. The idea of his own daughters having sex had him waxing poetic about storks flying around with pink and blue bundles. She had no intention of admitting any of this. Not even to get out of this case.
April had handled losing her beloved adoptive parents to tragedy. She’d handled the defeat of sealed state records after an exhaustive search for her birth parents. She’d handled accepting that her future didn’t include her own family or happily-ever-after or mind-blowing orgasms.
She could handle going undercover to spy on Rex Holt. Even surrounded by sexy bedding and a slew of raunchy e-mail posts.
All things considered, life could be a lot worse.
She met John’s searching gaze and forced a smile. “I don’t have a problem with the sex. No problem at all. I’ll go undercover as the in-house marketing assistant.”
And try not to get nervous, cause accidents or think about the family she’d never have and all the sex she was missing.
2
To: Rex Holt (mailto:consultant@luxuriousbedding.com)
Date: 7 Mar 2003 08:55:41-0000
Subject: Interoffice Relations
Weekly group sex sessions will promote teamwork between departments!
Studies prove that sex promotes closeness and cooperation; group sex will offer a budget-friendly method of improving interoffice relations. The confidentiality clause of the P&P manual will protect all parties from personal repercussions.
Rex Holt frowned at his computer screen, right-clicked his mouse button and forwarded this and the accompanying 162 e-mail posts to the Luxurious Bedding Company’s president, Wilhemina Knox. Contemplating group sex as a viable support skill wasn’t exactly how he’d planned to start off his Monday morning. While he could live with the thought of two women pleasuring a male co-worker, the flip scenario made him cringe.
He found the effects of the sexy Sensuous Collection and these suggestive posts far too distracting for his taste. Trying to concentrate on work when his blood was maintaining a constant temperature somewhere between simmer and boil was proving damned difficult.
Reaching for his coffee mug, Rex took a healthy swig. Maybe caffeine would help. Then again, maybe not. At least not with a dozen promotional photos of the Kama Sutra Sports Set littering his desk. Bedding the company classified as “gaming sheets,” the 720-thread-count Egyptian cotton set was imprinted with adventurous sexual positions and included a game piece for consumers to spin and add variety to their erotic lives.
A variation of Twister, he supposed.
Averting his gaze from the zoomed images of couples with twining legs and thrusting parts, Rex gulped more coffee. At this rate he’d show up for his ten o’clock marketing strategy session with a hard-on.
Again, not exactly how he’d planned to start off his week. But then, this job at the Luxurious Bedding Company wasn’t turning out to be what he’d expected either.
The titillating sheet sets in the Sensuous Collection were the topic of every marketing strategy session, budget meeting and operational planning review. But Rex hadn’t felt any threat to his professionalism until some clown had started sending these suggestive posts through the company network, lending the whole project a decidedly raunchy edge.
Fetishes, fantasy role-playing, bondage, glory holes…the posts ran the gamut. Sex had become the topic of conversation among employees in corporate headquarters—over the water coolers, in the copy room and even on the lunch line in the cafeteria.
Sex on the brain, Wilhemina had called the phenomenon, which begged the question: who needed group sex in the conference rooms to improve interoffice relations?
No one, as far as Rex could tell. Everyone appeared to be relating fine. The warehouse supervisor had caught two employees testing out the stock in a shipping truck, and a petition urging executive management to implement the glory hole proposal had circulated through the departments. While no one had actually been bold enough to sign it, the petition had left more buzz in its wake that had spurred the sexy talk even hotter.
Unfortunately, Rex was no better than the rest of this bunch. Though he’d had no lapses in professionalism to his credit, he’d been thoroughly preoccupied with all the sexy distractions. Had he known that sex would start occupying a top slot in his thoughts when he’d contracted this project, he might have reconsidered accepting the job, even though it had meant a chance to work with Wilhemina again.
His gaze slid back to the Kama Sutra Sports Set. Most companies wouldn’t have taken so much risk, which is exactly what had made this project appealing. Rex understood and agreed with Wilhemina’s position—capitalize on their image and turn a negative into a positive. It was a bold move, one the company needed at this stage of the game. And Wilhemina Knox was just the woman to make it. Rex planned to make sure she had all the statistical ammunition she needed to make her new company gain big.
Gathering up the photos of the Kama Sutra Sports Set, Rex made the trip between his office and the conference rooms, wishing San Francisco rather than Atlanta was the number one stop on his itinerary. At least in the Golden Gate City a lovely flight attendant named Susan would be ready to help him satisfy his overactive libido.
It was the only city with such a distinction.
The migratory nature of his life precluded long-term relationships. He stayed in a place only long enough to get a new project underway. Then he headed out on the road to conduct marketing studies that provided him with the demographics he needed to offer the cutting-edge marketing strategies that had earned him a name in the industry.
Mobility suited him. He scheduled holidays in his Chicago hometown to visit his family—including four younger sisters and their broods—and managed somewhat of a social life despite his global geographic workplace. He had annual skiing buddies in Aspen, fishing chums in Miami and hunting pals in Albany. His social circles even included an occasional female acquaintance.
But his rather single-minded focus on work had been interfering with his social life recently, not leaving him much time to cultivate any new relationships with the fairer sex. He didn’t have one potential date in his black book for Atlanta and not much time to meet anyone while in town.
Rex had been so distracted by spending every waking moment surrounded by sexy sheet sets and suggestive e-mail posts that he’d even considered breaking his rule and mixing business with pleasure. Unfortunately not one woman at the Luxurious Bedding Company had even piqued his interest. Maybe his sisters were right—he was so wrapped up in his work that he forgot to live.
With these sobering thoughts in mind, Rex arrived in the conference area in time to meet Wilhemina before she made her entrance.
Wilhemina Knox was the reigning corporate queen of the Luxurious Bedding Company. A formidable-looking woman somewhere in her late fifties, she favored designer suits that sat well on her statuesque shoulders and exuded a no-nonsense competence that had earned her staff’s respect.
Flagging him in the hallway outside the conference room, she motioned him to hang back while the vice president of sales and the marketing director continued inside.
“I’m glad I caught you before you went in.” She met his gaze, an action that barely required she tip her head back, though he stood well over six feet.
“You got the posts I forwarded?”
“I put Jacqui to work on them.”
He nodded. “I know the drill.”
“Unfortunately,” Wilhemina said with a frown, “I’m discouraged that between her and security they haven’t been able to find anything, but trust me, Rex, we’ll get this sorted out.”
“I have no doubt.”
And he didn’t. Wilhemina ran a tight ship. Even with a rat running loose on board.
Inclining her head in acknowledgment of his compliment, she said, “I imagine you’re looking forward to a break from this madhouse.”
“I’m always glad to get out on the road. Traveling is one of the job perks.”
“Very diplomatic. But you’ll be missed, I promise. You’ve been a smooth fit again. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks. Smooth transitions facilitate my work and as always your staff has been top-notch.” The sex on the brain issue aside, of course.
“Good. And speaking of, I’m providing you with a support person for the marketing studies.”
That got Rex’s attention. “We agreed that given the nature of the Sensuous Collection and the current climate around here I should work alone.”
“After reviewing the launch schedule, I reevaluated. We’re running close here. Decisions need to be made and I don’t want to risk running behind. Everything depends on the success of this launch. You know that.”
He nodded. Contractually Wilhemina had the right to insist on in-house representation for the upcoming marketing studies, which didn’t give him much room for an argument. But the last thing he wanted to tackle right now was the vast amount of work in front of him with an assistant who had sex on the brain.
The logistics of the marketing studies and focus groups he’d be conducting shortly not only meant traveling to various cities to interview respondents but also recording their reactions to the Sensuous Collection products.
By the time he’d concluded this project, he would know whether men and women had more orgasms on red satin sheets or fewer, more powerful orgasms on gray jersey. He’d know what percentage of single women between the ages of 21 and 35 slept naked. He’d be able to estimate how many children were conceived every twenty-three seconds on a Luxurious Bedding mattress.
This abundance of information would have to be compiled after each study, which translated into hotel suites with two bedrooms, a shared office and lots of conversations about sex.
“I understand your position, Wilhemina, and your caution,” he said. “But I thought you understood my concerns about distractions. I appreciate that we are on a close schedule and I don’t want the chaos happening around here to follow me out on the road.”
“You’re absolutely right. So I brought in someone from our West Coast operation. Someone familiar with the Sensuous Collection but unaffected by our current network dilemma. That should solve the problem, don’t you think?”
“You’re providing me with an assistant focused on work rather than sex, right?” He smiled to segue them through the moment. “Are you willing to put that in writing?”
“Only after I run it through the legal department.”
“You’re not inspiring my confidence.”
“I promise she’s very competent.” Wilhemina motioned to the conference room. “Go meet her. She’s already inside. I need a word with Leah first.”
Wilhemina glanced in the direction of the approaching human resources manager, but Rex didn’t move because her statement had just registered.
She?
Tossing a glance back over her shoulder, Wilhemina asked, “Is there a problem?”
Maybe. Maybe not. The answer to that question all depended on his new assistant.
Turned out today was his lucky day.
He knew both men sitting at the conference table, flanking a wisp of a woman with light brown hair, translucent skin and wide eyes so deep a shade of blue they seemed almost violet.
Growing up with four younger sisters had given Rex a unique perspective on the fairer sex—of their temperaments, their quirks and their differences. As the odd men out, he and his father had developed a sense of humor to cope and their standing joke had been that all women were flowers. His sisters ranged from the high-maintenance hothouse variety to a sturdy weed that thrived in the toughest conditions.
Given that take, his new assistant was a wildflower, or maybe a wild violet with her unusual eyes. He could only see her from the waist up, but in a glance, he took in the slender body and slightly too-erect posture, pegged her in her mid-twenties, right about the same age as his youngest sister.
“Hey, Rex,” Dalton Tucker, the VP of sales, said, before turning his attention back to the woman beside him.
Rex inclined his head in greeting, his curiosity piqued by his new assistant. He’d made a career out of evaluating people and translating observations into marketing strategies. Everything about this fresh-faced woman told him she was a fish out of water.
“The man of the hour. Wilhemina brought this lovely lady into corporate to assist you,” the marketing director, Charles Blackstone, said, smiling down at the lovely lady in question. “April Stevens, this is Rex Holt, our independent consultant.”
Charles reached for April’s hand and damned if he didn’t bring it to his lips in a move reminiscent of some silver-screen movie star.
Not to be outdone, Dalton reached over the table to pour a glass of water, which he offered to her. “Here you go, April. You’ll need this. Trust me. These marketing strategy sessions tend to get steamy ever since we started gearing up for the Sensuous Collection launch.”
Squaring off in one corner was Charles, the heavyweight champion trying to hang on to his belt. In the other corner was Dalton the challenger, the hotshot VP of sales—ten years younger, better-looking and a well-liked guy who was a serious threat to the title without any effort.
But Dalton typically went above and beyond the call of duty, which upped the level of competition between these men to include every interaction Rex had ever witnessed. Who was the most competent at his job? Who made the brightest light shine on the company? Who had the most impressive conquest of the previous evening? These two were a regular half-time show.
They’d made every effort to include him in their testosterone war, but Rex had declined the invitation. He did wonder what April thought of all the attention, though. Her smile was in place but she looked breathless.
“Hello,” Rex said, pouring a cup of coffee from the sidebar. More caffeine was definitely in order. “A pleasure.”
She gave him a high-beam smile and he was surprised at just how much that smile did to relieve the tension radiating from her. She was a very beautiful woman. And one who should have had eyes in the back of her head because she slid her chair out just as he circled the table and walked behind her.
He’d meant to put his cup down and then shake her hand, but he wound up scuttling backward instead to avoid a collision, barely avoiding the hot coffee that spilled over the rim.
She shot to her feet in a fluid motion that made him do a double take at all the long slim curves her blue silk suit didn’t hide. She wasn’t so much wispy, as willowy…and embarrassed, he decided, as his gaze settled back on her face.
She obviously realized that she’d almost taken him down, because a blush stole into her cheeks. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
He shook his head and extended his hand, aware that all eyes were on them. “Welcome to the team.”
That high-beam smile returned, despite the blush that didn’t look as if it would be fading anytime soon. “I’m looking forward to working together. Wilhemina told me about you.”
Their hands met and sparks flew literally. Static electricity snapped. April turned to pull away.
Rex didn’t let her go.
She was one jumpy lady but the shock of the moment quickly passed as he guided her slim fingers into his and squeezed reassuringly. “Good things, I hope. I wouldn’t want you to regret becoming my assistant.” He certainly wasn’t.
“Oh, no. I’m counting on learning a lot.”
“We both will, I’m sure.”
He’d already learned a lot today, starting with just how much he’d been ignoring his sex life lately. One look at April Stevens and his mood improved big-time.
Strands of fine hair had escaped from the clip at her nape and she blew them from her eyes before tucking them behind her ear. Rex dragged his gaze from that manicured pink fingertip as it threaded through her hair.
Now if his luck just held, April would be single.
Forcing himself into motion, he set his cup on the table and took his seat just as Jacqui Scott appeared in the doorway. “Good morning, everyone.”
She moved into the office with confident strides that encouraged the notice of every man in the room. An attractive woman with an abundance of curly hair she wore loose around her shoulders, she wasn’t too far behind him in age, probably around thirty.
“What are you doing here, Jacqui?” Charles asked.
“Kaye asked me to sit in for her. She’s on a conference call with the L.A. office. Some crisis with an order.”
Rex had dealt chiefly with executive management during his time in-house at the Luxurious Bedding Company, but Jacqui Scott had been the exception. As the network administrator, she’d crossed his path every time he’d been the unlucky recipient of a suggestive post. And the one he’d received this morning would guarantee him yet another visit.
Her gaze rested briefly on April, but she dismissed his new assistant with the barest smile of greeting before sliding into the seat beside Charles. Her gaze skimmed across the product display boards at the front of the room that depicted the lovemaking couples of the Kama Sutra Sports Set.
“Wilhemina told me you received another post, Rex,” she said. “I’ll need to check out your system after the meeting.”
“Drop by my office.” Drinking his coffee, he affected a slightly bored mien. As usual, the Sensuous Collection and the suggestive posts placed sex front and center.