Seduction on the CEO's Terms (12 page)

Ali was on unsure footing here. She could think of a dozen worst-case scenarios, and each of them made her cringe with regret and anguish. But one thought preyed on her sense of optimism and gave her hope.

Maybe Joe would laugh it off and tell her he loved her no matter what.

Somehow, she didn't see that happening.

A tremble coursed through her body, a quick shiver of impending doom. Ali couldn't shake off the feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse.

When Royce returned, she handed him his drink. “Please drink it fast,” she said to him, urgently. “I need to go home.”

A
li tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep. She missed having Joe beside her, listening to the sound of his breathing and waking next to him in the morning. She missed his kisses and the steady way he held her.

She finally managed to get a few hours of sleep, and when sunlight beamed its way into her bedroom, Ali glanced at the clock. It was after six, and Joe would be taking his morning swim soon.

Ali rose slowly, reminded of her restlessness from last night by a headache that throbbed in her skull. She rubbed her temples and padded to the kitchen to set coffee brewing. Her motions were by rote, one step in front of the other, and gradually, after she drank a cup of coffee and ate a piece of buttered toast, the ache in her head subsided.

“Okay, Ali. Be brave. Pick up the phone and call Joe.”

Ali waited ten more minutes, reciting in her head what she'd planned to tell him. Once she was sure he was out of
the pool and dried off, according to his precise timetable, Ali picked up the phone.

She was greeted with a cheerful voice. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Joe,” she said with a sigh. Just the sound of his deep, sexy voice did things to her. “Hello.”

“How was your cooking lesson?”

“It went well. I think I could duplicate the dish for you one night.”

“I'd like that.”

“I, uh, missed you last night.”

“Same here, honey.”

“What did you do?”
Ali, quit stalling. Tell him about last night and then ask to speak with him in person.

“Tony and Rena stopped by. They entertained me for most of the night.”

“That's nice.”

“It was, actually.”

“How is Rena feeling these days?”

“She looked great, healthy. She's a lot of fun. She even makes Tony tolerable.”

Ali didn't respond to his little jibe. Instead, she began her explanation. “Joe, last night after Royce's lesson, he asked me to do him a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“Just to go with him to a club. I think it's called Rock and a Hard Place, if you can believe that. He had a friend playing in the band and so I went with him, and we listened to the band and had a few drinks.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Ali decided the truth was her best option. If she was going to come clean with Joe, now was the best time to start. “The band was pretty good, actually. Great dance music. Yes, it was fun.”

“You danced?”

“I did, Joe.”

She heard Joe take a long, deep pull of air. Then silence ensued for what seemed like an eon. “What are you doing right now?”

“Now? I just finished breakfast. I'm not even dre—”

“Don't go anywhere. I'll be over in less than an hour.”

Joe hung up the phone before Ali could respond. “That went well,” she said, her body shaking. She couldn't tell if Joe was furious or not. She had no idea what he was thinking. Joe didn't wear his heart on his sleeve. He was steady and even and practical minded most of the time.

Ali hopped in the shower and dressed, with her eyes on the clock. If Joe said he'd be over in less than an hour, she knew he wouldn't be late. She had her clothes all picked out for today. It was Saturday, and she'd thought she'd put on her tight stone-washed jeans and something wild and colorful. But Ali changed her mind at the last minute. She donned a brown knit blouse and beige slacks and then put her curly hair back into a tight ponytail. “You're a chicken, Ali Pendrake,” she said, sliding her eyeglasses on.

She paced the room and finally settled down with a
People
magazine. She sat on the edge of her sofa and flipped through the pages until she came upon an article that held her moderate interest. Attempting to concentrate on a blurb about upcoming summer blockbuster movies, the doorbell rang. Ali jumped off her perch and tossed the magazine aside. Her nerves jangling, she strode to the front door.

With one hand on the doorknob, Ali took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said a little prayer. Then she opened the door slowly, afraid of what she might find on the other side.

Joe stood on her doorstep, wearing a grim expression,
yet holding a big bouquet of the most gorgeous white lilies Ali had ever seen. Her mouth gaped open in surprise. Joe strode over her threshold, and after she closed the door, she turned to him in question. Without a second's notice, he pressed his mouth to hers in a long leisurely I-missed-you kind of kiss that would have knocked her socks off had she been wearing any. He backed away after that awesome kiss and handed her the flowers.

“For you, sweetheart.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She didn't understand any of this, but she was grateful she'd been given a slight reprieve. “Thank you. They're beautiful. But what's the occasion?”

“No occasion.” Joe took her hand in his. “I'm not the most romantic soul, Ali,” he confessed, using his other hand to move his eyeglasses up his nose. “But I really care about you, and I don't want to take advantage of our situation. We haven't dated at all. Hell, I've barely fed you dinner this week, much less taken you out.”

“We've had other things to do,” Ali said aloud.

“Yeah, we have. But you deserve more.”

“Joe, if this is about last night, it was completely innocent. Really, I have no interest in Royce. You have to know that.”

“I know it, or I'd be beating down his door right now.”

Apparently, Nick wasn't the only macho Carlino. Ali almost smiled at the image of Superman Joe, taking on Royce, the surfer dude.

“But it was a wake-up call for me, Ali. I've only been in this partway. It's my fault, and I want to make it up to you.”

“It's not your fault. There is no fault.” Ali almost couldn't bear to hear him out.
She
was the one at fault, not Joe. Guilt
ate at her, weakening her knees. She hugged the lilies to her chest.

“Ali, I've got a vacation coming up in a month. I wasn't going to take it, but I've changed my mind. I want you to come with me to our villa in the Bahamas. I think you'd love it.”

Staggered by his offer, and the implications that he wanted to share his vacation with her, Ali needed to sit down. She plopped on the sofa as myriad emotions caught her by surprise. Joy and love burst forth, but then self-loathing and guilt reared its ugly head, destroying her good mood. “Joe, that's so…um, I don't have the words.”

“How about yes? That's the word I want to hear.”

She couldn't refuse Joe anything, much less a chance to be with him at a tropical paradise. “Yes.”

Joe smiled then reached for her, crushing the flowers she held between them, and kissed her again. “Good. I'll make the arrangements. We'll take a week. I'll show you a good time, Ali.”

“Joe, you always do.”

He grinned and stroked her cheek. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”

She thought for a second, then shook her head. “No.”

“Great. I've rescheduled our bike tour. That was our deal, and I'm following through. You still want to see Napa?”

She'd follow him anywhere. “Yes, I look forward to it.”

“Great, well, I've got to get busy. How about dinner tonight?”

Ali smiled at him while a little voice in her head nagged that her inner chicken was hiding in the hen house. “I'd love it.”

He gave her a quick nod and looked deep into her eyes.
“This time, I'm taking you to the nicest restaurant in Napa.”

“But Joe, you don't—”

Joe put a finger to her lips. “Shh, Ali.” He bent his head and brushed a soft kiss to her mouth. “I'll be dusting off my tux, so be ready.”

Ali leaned heavily on the door as soon as Joe left. Her heart in her throat, she felt as though she'd run a marathon without benefit of water. Everything went limp, including the smile she'd shown Joe.

Tears threatened to spill down her face, but she managed to hold her emotions in check and march over to her kitchen phone. She should have done this much sooner.

“Hi, Rena,” she said softly into the phone. “It's Ali, and I need your help.”

 

“It's a good thing I insisted you come over this morning, hon. I could hear by the sound of your voice earlier that you were upset.” Rena set a cup of tea in front of Ali on a charming round table for two in the Purple Fields gift shop. “I hated to bother you,” Ali said quietly.

“No bother. As you can see, we're not busy this time of day. We have the whole place to ourselves.”

“Thanks. But with the baby coming soon and the construction on your house, I didn't want to give you added drama.”

Rena chuckled and gestured wide with her arms. “Give me drama.
Please,
give me drama. My life is so sedate these days that I'm ready to pull my hair out. Tony takes care of the business mostly, and I'm done with picking floor samples and paint colors.” She patted her rotund belly. “Tony tells me to relax now because when the baby comes, I'll be superbusy, but relaxing isn't easy. I've never been one to sit and let the world go by.”

“Right now that sounds good to me,” Ali said.

“So, what's going on? I presume there are problems with Joe?”

“Yes, but it's probably not what you're thinking.” Ali paused to sigh deeply before sharing with Rena her innermost feelings. “I love him very much. I do, and he's been wonderful to me. We have a great time together. That's why I'm so afraid to tell him the truth. I almost did this morning. I almost told him that I've been deceiving him and that the woman he asked to go away with him to the Bahamas is a fake. He thinks I'm someone I'm not. But I chickened out when he brought flowers and asked me to take a vacation with him. How could I refuse that? It's a dream come true.”

“Oh, Ali. Is it really that bad?”

“Yeah, it is.” A self-deprecating laugh followed. “Look at me? Look at what I'm wearing.” Ali pulled at her preppy-looking cotton blouse. “This isn't me. But worse than the clothes, I'm not being true to myself, and I've hit a wall. I can't stand it anymore. I've bitten my tongue so many times around Joe that it's a wonder I can speak at all. I want Joe but not at the expense of fooling him the rest of his life.”

Rena sipped her tea and listened carefully.

“Do you think you and Joe…is it serious?”

“For me, yes. For Joe, I think so. At least I'm hoping so. I know he cares for me.” She smiled when she thought about this past week and how hungry they'd been for each other. The overtures Joe made this week had been so endearing and thrilling that she could only assume that their relationship would move ahead.

Yet, she had one more confession to make. “Even in the bedroom I'm holding back,” she said bluntly. “I'm not the passive sex partner I've portrayed myself to be.” Ali worried that she'd overstepped her bounds sharing that
detail, but Rena hadn't even blinked. “Sorry, but I had to tell someone.”

“It's okay, Ali. You can share anything with me. I'll keep whatever you tell me confidential.”

“I'm such a fraud.” Ali stared out the little window she sat beside, looking into flourishing vines in the distance. “And I've been too cowardly to tell him that I'm not the person he thinks I am. I've tried, but I'm afraid of losing him.”

Rena took her hand and squeezed. “Ali, if you want my advice, I'll give it to you.”

“Please.” Ali desperately needed help in sorting this out. “If you have any suggestions, I'm listening.”

“Don't tell him.”

Ali blinked rapidly a few times. “But that means that I'd have to go on pretending.”

“Show him.” Rena cast her a reassuring smile.

“Show him?” Puzzled, Ali nibbled on her lower lip and shook her head. “I don't get how.”

“Show him who you are. Be yourself, Ali. Dress the way you want. Say what you want, and for goodness' sake, don't hold anything back in the bedroom. If Joe cares enough about you, he'll accept you for you.”

Ali saw the logic in that. “It makes sense when you say it, but it still scares me.”

“Ali, if Joe can't love you for yourself then do you really want him?”

Ali mulled that over for second or two then nodded in agreement with Rena. “Good point.”

“I'm sorry I got you into this, Ali. If I'd known it would have given you so much anguish, I would have never suggested your little makeover in reverse.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. If anything, at least you've given me a chance with Joe.”

“I hope so.”

Ali gained newfound strength. “I'm going to do it, Rena. I'm saying goodbye to Fake Ali for good. Next time you see me, you might not recognize me.” Her mood lightened, and tension released from her body. The cloud she'd been under had lifted. “God, I feel so free, just saying it!” She rose and hugged Rena. “Thank you.”

“Let me know how it goes, hon.”

“I will. I'm taking a gamble. But that's what I always do. I just hope I snatch the brass ring this time.”

 

“Got a hot date?” Nick sauntered into the living room, just as Joe was pouring himself a drink at the bar.

“Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. You don't dress in a monkey suit unless you want to impress the hell out of a woman.”

Joe turned to his brother and grinned. “Yeah, I guess you're right.” The whiskey slid down his throat easily. He glanced at his watch, wishing the time would go by quickly. He had thirty minutes to kill before picking Ali up.

“I am? You mean, you're admitting it?”

“Yeah, I won't deny it.” Joe leaned against the long, polished bar and folded his arms across his middle.

“And you're smiling from ear to ear. Be careful, Joey. You might find yourself—”

“I know all the warnings, Nick. And for once, I don't care. I think Ali is the right woman for me.”