Beauty (Fated Encounters)

Beauty

A Fated Encounters Romance

 
Laurie Roma

The Fated Encounters Series

Aftershock

Beauty

Books in the Seduction
at Midnight Anthology

Beautiful
Dreamer by Lacey Thorn

Cinder’s
Rising by Jenika Snow

Rescuing
Red by Susan Hayes

Wonderland
by Catalina Harper

Stardust
by Kali Argent

Goldie
by Erika Reed

and

Beauty
by Laurie Roma

BEAUTY

Tessa Campbell is a woman in an impossible situation. As
the owner of an event planning company, her days are usually filled celebrating
the best moments of people’s lives, but all of that changes when her father
makes a grievous mistake that may cost him the job he loves. He is depending on
her to fix his mistake, but nothing is ever as simple as it seems. In order to
save him, she must find a way to reason with his boss...the man everyone calls
The
Beast
.

Drake Vidal has a dangerous reputation. A ruthless
business man who has taken Vidal Labs and Technology to the top of the
industry, he expects perfection from everyone who works for him. He has never believed
in love, but all it takes is one look at the gentle beauty that comes to him to
plead for her father for him to lose his heart. Can she find a way to see
beyond the savage veneer he portrays to the world to discover the good hidden
beneath, or will she think he isn’t worth taming? For who could ever really
love a beast?

A Romance Novella.

DEDICATION

This story is for all cancer survivors, and
for those brave souls who have lost the fight. You are warriors, and no one is
more deserving of a happily ever after. And for my mother, who is fighting this
battle right now...I love you more than words can say.

***

CHAPTER ONE

They called him
The Beast
.

Tessa Campbell thought the name
was highly appropriate as she waited in the private reception area outside of
Drake Vidal’s office at the corporate headquarters of Vidal Labs and Technology,
located in the heart of downtown Chicago on a cold, windy Monday morning. The
meeting had been set for ten o’clock, and she had arrived fifteen minutes early
to ensure she was on time. It hadn’t mattered, though, since she’d been kept
waiting for over an hour.

If given the choice, she never
would’ve come. Would never have put herself in the position of being anywhere
near Drake Vidal, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d made a promise to her
father, and she would see it through, no matter the cost.

From the research she had done on
the reclusive man, Drake Vidal was a brilliant inventor of medical equipment,
but he was also known as a corporate shark and pretty much an all-round ruthless
bastard. She had found almost nothing about his private life when she had done
her search for him on the Web, except for several pictures of him taken with a
bevy of beauties on his arm. Not that he’d posed for those photos.

Vidal was elusive, which made the
media revere him as the mysterious millionaire of Chicago’s elite society. His
obvious disdain for publicity did nothing to lessen people’s interest, but
somehow, he’d been able to keep anyone from prying into his private life.
Still, speculation about him ran rampant, but he didn’t seem to mind the bad
press about himself as long as the news about his company remained positive.

Tessa liked to do extensive research
when it came to her business. Details were key in her profession as an event
planner who owned her own company with a partner she considered her best friend.
Elegantly Yours had started out as a dream, but hard work and dedication had
made it a reality. For some, throwing parties for a living seemed frivolous,
but Tessa thought it was the perfect job. Whether it be weddings, anniversaries
or a random holiday party, people entrusted her company with the important
events of their lives and depended on them to make those days special. That was
why it was important to know details about the people she was dealing with.

But Drake Vidal was an unknown
variable...and that made him dangerous.

The room where Tessa waited had
stark, white walls, black furniture and a gray, granite floor. On the walls
hung black and white photographs with touches of red accents in plain black frames.
The only other color came from the blood red roses that stood out of a crystal
vase on a large pedestal in the center of the room. For some, the space would
have been streamlined and ultra-modern, but for Tessa, it just showed a lack of
emotional depth—and to be honest—she found it sort of depressing. 

Unlike other high-rises in the
downtown area, the Vidal building was not one that welcomed those who didn’t
belong there. From the moment she walked in, she’d felt like an outsider intruding
in a foreign world where only the elite fit in.

Even dressed in one of her best
suits, Tessa knew she didn’t belong. She had chosen a black suit she’d gotten
on super sale and paired it with her favorite emerald, silk blouse she wore to
give herself an extra boost of courage. She’d tried to hide her exhaustion
under a thin layer of makeup, but knew she looked as weary as she felt. To save
herself time, she’d pulled her long brown hair back with a clip, but the light
flurries outside made wisps of hair escape to frame her face, making her look
less professional than she would have liked.

Tessa’s wool coat had been taken
from her when she had arrived on the top floor by a young woman who had been
sent to lead her back to the private reception area. After the assistant hung
Tessa’s coat up in a small, hidden closet, she sat down at a desk adjacent to a
formidable looking older woman who guarded the gates to Vidal’s office. The
woman introduced herself as Mrs. Potts, Vidal’s personal secretary. Her silver
hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon, and her suit looked like something
that could be worn to have tea with the royal family. She was intimidating, but
her smile had been kind when she’d told Tessa that Mr. Vidal was running a few
minutes behind and to take a seat in the lounge.

Tessa refused the offer of
refreshments as she placed her black bag on the floor near her chair, and
silently hoped the man inside the office would give her the chance to explain
the situation. As she sat there, she noted the way the employees’ voices
lowered reverently when they spoke to the admin that guarded the entrance to
Vidal’s office. There was a hint of fear in their tones when they spoke of him,
and hearing it just made Tessa’s anxiety increase.

But if he thought making her wait
would make her give up and leave, he’d thought wrong.

She was startled when Mrs. Potts
called out, “Ms. Campbell, Mr. Vidal will see you now.”

“Thank you.” Taking a steadying
breath, Tessa picked up her bag. Mrs. Potts nodded to her before leading the
way to Vidal's office door. She softly rapped twice on the closed door, then
pushed it open for Tessa to enter.

And there he was.

Drake Vidal was a man who
commanded attention without saying a word.

The pictures Tessa had seen
online were nothing compared to seeing him in person. He had striking features,
with a hard, chiseled jaw, dark hair, and penetrating, laser blue eyes. His
face looked like it had been carved from stone by a master artisan. Drake was
devastatingly handsome in his dark-gray suit with a stark, white dress shirt.
To some, the absence of a tie would make him seem more approachable, but Tessa
thought it made the power he exuded even more pronounced.

Standing behind his massive desk,
Drake Vidal looked like a man who ruled his world with an iron fist. The quiet
intensity of his gaze reminded her of a beast, ready to strike at the first
sign of weakness, and it made his nickname seem highly appropriate. Saying that
he was intimidating was an understatement, but Tessa was on a mission, and she was
determined to see it through.

“Ms. Campbell. Have a seat.”

His voice was deep and rough as
he gave the command. She heard the sound of the door closing behind her, and
Tessa had to order herself to move forward when all she wanted was to turn
around and run for safety. The sound of her heels clicking on the granite floor
sounded overloud as she crossed the expanse of the large office.

She noticed he waited until she
was settled in one of the plush chairs facing his desk before he sat back down,
surveying her like some king from his throne. She set her bag down so it was
propped against side of the chair, then gripped her shaking hands together in
her lap, hoping to mask the telltale sign of her nervousness.

If he asks me to tell him
about myself, I’m out of here.

Tessa fought back a wave of
nervous laughter as she struggled with how uncomfortable the situation was. It
was now or never. “Mr. Vidal, I know this was a highly unusual request, but I would
like to thank you for seeing me.”

Drake Vidal took his time
studying the dark-haired beauty that sat across from him. He knew she was
nervous. Most people were when they met with him, but he was impressed she met
his gaze head-on without looking away as most usually did.

He had deliberately made her
wait.

At first, he’d been annoyed when
he discovered she had come instead of her father, but he found himself
intrigued enough to take the meeting. He’d looked over the file on Tessa
Campbell his faithful admin had compiled for him while she waited in his
private reception area. There wasn’t much in the file, but he had enough to
know who she was and what she did.

It impressed him even more the
way she bore his silent scrutiny without fidgeting as she patiently waited.
He’d deliberately kept his office dark so he was partially cast in shadows, but
he could see her clearly in the light streaming in from the windows. She had a
stunning face, with delicate features, flawless skin and pretty hazel eyes that
were wary as she gazed at him. When coupled with the dark hair that framed her
face, she looked younger than the twenty-six years he knew she was.

Still, Drake wouldn’t let a
pretty face sway his decision over what must be done.

Patrick Campbell was one of the
most talented biomedical engineers Drake had, but there were consequences for
violating the strict confidentiality clause in the contracts all Vidal
employees had to sign when they started working at the company. It pained Drake
to lose such a brilliant mind, but he couldn’t allow for the breach of the
contract terms to go unpunished. He touched the folder containing the severance
papers that had been prepared for the meeting, but having Patrick’s daughter
show up changed his plans. Pushing the folder aside, Drake leaned back in his
chair.

“Why are you here, Ms. Campbell?”

Drake wanted to sigh as she
flinched at his curt question. He had little tact and barely took the time to
deal with formal niceties, but he hadn’t meant to sound so abrupt. Basically,
his people skills sucked, and he knew it. He was well aware of his reputation
and what most people thought of him. It had taken courage for her to come, and
he didn’t want to make this harder than it already was. He tried to soften his
expression as he waited for her to speak, but could see it did little good to
put her at ease.

Tessa’s throat felt dry as a
desert, and she swallowed, trying to regain her composure. “I know it was
presumptuous of me to come here when you ordered—I mean, when you asked my father
to be here today. I needed to meet with you to tell you the article that was
posted yesterday about your company’s new product wasn’t his fault. Well, it
was, but it wasn’t.”

“That clears it up,” Drake said
dryly. “Patrick has worked for me for years and knows the consequences of his
actions. He violated the confidentiality clause when he spoke to that reporter
about the project he’s been working on.”

“He didn’t know that man was a
reporter, I swear he didn’t. I know what he did was wrong, but he’s dedicated
his life to the work he does for you. It’s the number one priority in his life,
and he would never willingly jeopardized that.”

“But he did,” Drake said with
conviction. “Ms. Campbell—”

“Please, call me Tessa.”

“Fine. Tessa, even if the prototype
for the new scanner is complete, it will be launched under my directive at the
time of my choosing, not of my employee’s and certainly not the media’s.”

“I understand. That man took
advantage of my dad. I’m not trying to excuse what he did, but this is a bad
time of year for my father...for us.” Tessa had no intention of getting
personal when she’d walked in the door, but the words just came spilling out. “Five
years ago, my mother was killed by a drunk driver on New Year’s day. The
anniversary of when we buried her was a few days ago and my father went to that
bar to try and forget. He didn’t know that man sitting next to him was a
reporter, and my father certainly didn’t think he would print anything that was
said.”

“I’m sorry for the loss your mother,
Tessa.”

“Thank you.” Tessa saw Drake’s sharp
blue eyes soften with sympathy and kept going, pushing hard. “My father values
his position with your company. He knew when he read the article that he was
the one who had leaked the information. He emailed you immediately to tell you.
He didn’t try to hide it or cover it up. He knows he shouldn’t have spoken to
anyone about it, but he didn’t do it deliberately. I can guess when you asked
to meet with him this morning that you were going to let him go, but I’m asking
you to please reconsider. Mr. Vidal—”

“Drake.”

She tried to smile, but feared
the trembling of her lips made it look more like a grimace. “Drake—”

“Why didn’t your father come to
the meeting, Tessa? Why send you here to plead for his job if it means so much
to him?”

Tess tried to fight back the
tears that filled her eyes, but she knew he could see them and hated herself
for the telltale sign of weakness. “He would have, but he had a heart attack
last night after...”

“After he got my message,” Drake
finished for her when she took a moment to regain her composure. “Christ, I’m
sorry for that.”

“It’s not your fault. None of
this is, and I’m the one who is sorry about everything. They want to keep him
in the hospital for a few days under observation or else he would have come. Mr.
Vidal—Drake, I know my father screwed up, and I want to make it right.”

He looked skeptical. “And how
exactly would you do that? The leak to the media about our new medical scanner
gives my competitors an opportunity to move up their timetables to try and
match our launch. It also sets a dangerous precedence on how these matters are
dealt with within my corporation. I sympathize with what your father has been
through, but you can’t go back in time and undo what’s been done.”

“No, but we can use this as an opportunity.”
Tessa scooted to the edge of her seat and leaned forward. The time had come for
her pitch. “I read the article after my father told me what happened, and there
really wasn’t much information in it besides anticipation to see what good your
new scanner would do. We can use that. I can help you. If you fire my father,
it makes the article something negative, but why not use it for something
positive instead?”

“Go on.”

“What I propose is for us to throw
an event we can use to highlight the release of your new product. It would be
an elaborate, highly public affair, and we could ask the guests to donate to a
charity of your choice. Since your new imaging system helps detect cancer
earlier, we could pick something that has to do with cancer research or
something that helps families dealing with the illness. This way, your company
will get the goodwill associated with the donation, and it’ll make any of your
competitors look foolish if they tried to undercut your launch. It would also
help your own reputation since, honestly, you could use it.”