All's Fair in Lust & War Read online

  “Do you mind?” he said. “I can’t work with all that glare.”

  “Well, I can’t write if I can’t see the keys,” she said,

  “Come sit by the window,” he said.

  “Go work in a cave,” she retorted.

  He sighed. “Fine. Have it your way. It’s not worth fighting about.”

  She huffed and put her headphones back on.

  Mark turned to his computer to get started, but his mind refused to cooperate.

  Maybe looking at the existing boards would help. He grabbed the pile from where it lay by the office door and spread the boards out on the plush red carpet, laying the two campaigns side by side.

  Then he began to pace back and forth down the line, looking for common ground.

  They both featured strong women. And used humor. Maybe...

  Becky sighed angrily. “Really? Are you going to pace all day? Because it’s really distracting.”

  He turned to look at her. She was standing with her hands on her hips, completely unaware of how ridiculously her angry expression contrasted with the giant happy face emblazoned on her oversize T-shirt.

  Unbidden, the image of her standing in exactly that position, laughing and naked except for a pair of cheetah-print heels, rose to the front of his brain. How could that free spirit belong to this completely aggravating woman? There had to be a way to get past her anger.

  Suddenly he had an idea. Grabbing his jacket, he turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Out,” he said. “See you later.”

  “But what about—?”

  “We can’t work together like this. So I’m leaving,” he said, shutting the door before she could see the smile on his face.

  That would give her something to stew about.

  * * *

  Becky stared openmouthed at the shut door.

  Her so-called partner had bailed on her. Now what was she supposed to do? True, she hadn’t exactly been welcoming, but that didn’t give him the right to just quit.

  Of course if he didn’t come back the promotion would be hers by default. At least it would if she could find the brilliant idea that would allow her to win the competition.

  And she had to win this. She didn’t even care about the promotion so much anymore. She just wanted to kick Pence’s pompous ass.

  Sighing, she collapsed into her chair and put her head in her hands.

  If only Mark wasn’t so damn hot. Just being in the same room with him made her think inappropriate thoughts. Thoughts of unbuttoning the faded blue shirt he’d been wearing and licking his chest. Of sliding her hand down the front of his jeans. Of letting him roll down her leggings and take her—right on top of the desk.

  She was sorely tempted to do just that. To scratch the itch and move on. After all, she was an empowered, independent woman. Why shouldn’t she take what she wanted when he obviously wanted it, too?

  Because once would never be enough, that was why. And she knew better than to get involved with a coworker— even a temporary one—ever again.

  If sex was out, there was only one thing to do. Work.

  An hour later she was still typing indecipherable garbage when the door opened. Mark walked in, carrying a giant F.A.O. Schwartz bag. Trying hard not to feel relieved, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “You went to the toy store?”

  “Yep.”

  He waltzed over to his desk and turned his back on her. She heard a great deal of rustling, then boxes being ripped. Unable to hide her curiosity, she walked up behind him and stood on her tiptoes, trying to see what he was working on.

  He turned and she quickly stepped back, nearly falling in the process.

  When she caught her balance she saw that he was holding two...plastic swords?

  Mark looked at her, a serious expression on his face.

  “I would like to challenge you to a duel,” he said.

  “A what?”

  “A duel. To settle the problems we seem to be having this morning. If I win you have to give up the attitude. If you win I’ll...well, I’ll do whatever you want. Leave. Stay. Draw pictures of monkeys. Whatever.”

  Becky wanted to laugh, but he didn’t seem to think what he was proposing was funny.

  “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  She licked her lips. “All right.”

  “Good,” he said, a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. “Do you want to be red or blue?”

  “Um...red.”

  She reached out to take it. “This is actually kind of cool,” she said, taking a few test swings.

  He nodded, and brought his sword up into fighting position.

  “Ready?”

  “Sure,” she said, imitating his stance.

  He started to advance and they circled each other warily.

  Suddenly he struck, aiming for her stomach. She moved her sword into position just in time, batting his out of the way before striking back.

  He parried her blow and the fight was on. Soon they were whirling around the room, their swords crashing and crackling. Mark kept his expression serious, but Becky felt herself grinning.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun with a guy. Or at all.

  Mark lunged forward and she backpedaled before stepping on something sharp and cold. The award she’d thrown last night. She cursed at the sudden pain, then grabbed Mark’s arm to try and keep herself from falling. Instead she overbalanced, and they fell into a heap, Mark’s big body pinning hers to the ground. He pulled one arm free and lightly tapped her forehead with his saber.

  “You’re dead,” he said.

  Becky gave in to the laughter frothing in her throat.

  “I guess you won, fair and square,” she said between giggles.

  He grinned down at her.

  “Yep. No more attitude from you, Sir knight.”

  “I don’t think I could frown if I tried right now,” she said.

  “Good. I like you better when you’re laughing.” His dark eyes took on a liquid sheen. “In fact, there’s only one expression I’d rather see,” he said.

  And without warning he took her lips with his.

  His lips crushed down on hers with an urgent demand that she give in to the heat that had been building between them—not just today, but every day since she’d returned from Vegas. And, God help her, but she couldn’t ignore it. Couldn’t say no.

  She let her mouth fall open in silent surrender, giving in to the hunger his searing kisses awakened in her. His tongue plundered her mouth, claiming every inch of it for his own.

  She twined her hands in his dark hair and pulled him closer, wanting all that he had to give. She gave up on thought, letting instinct drive her as she arched her body upward, wanting still more.

  He took that as the invitation it was, sliding one hand down her body to cup her through her panties.

  “Mmm...” he rumbled. “You’re already hot for me.”

  Becky heard herself moan as he slid his hand back up, leaving the sensitive nub of nerves that she wanted him to touch so badly. She grabbed it and put it back, whimpering.

  “Wait. Not yet,” he said. “I want you naked first.”

  “Then help me get my clothes off,” she growled, starting to squirm out of her shirt.

  He pulled it quickly over her head, then whipped her leggings off.

  “Yours, too,” she said, and within seconds his clothes had joined hers on the floor.

  Clothes gone, he lowered himself on top of her and kissed her lips again. She let him in, losing herself in the feel of the intoxicating hardness of his body. She pressed upward, moving her hips against his, almos
t delirious in her need to connect with him in the most primal way.

  “Mark, now,” she begged. “I need...”

  “Hold on, baby,” he said. “I want to taste you first.”

  In seconds his mouth was on her, licking and nipping at her most sensitive parts.

  “Damn, Becky, you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” he growled, from somewhere at her center.

  She wanted to ask him how long, but the ability to form words left her as he began to suck. She could think of nothing other than the waves of pleasure he was creating. At that moment she would have given anything to keep him right where he was for as long as possible.

  Seconds later she peaked, crashing into an abyss of pure sensation.

  Mark kissed her as she came down, his mouth even more urgent than it had been before. Knowing what he needed, what they both needed, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Mark...now,” she whimpered against his mouth.

  “Yes, now,” he said, and sheathed himself inside her with a quick flex of his hips.

  She groaned and clenched her body around him, wanting to keep him there forever.

  She let her eyes drift closed as he started moving, losing herself in the sensation.

  “No, don’t,” he whispered. “I want you to look at me.”

  When she opened them he was looking at her fiercely.

  “I want you to see. To know it’s me that’s doing this to you,” he said as he thrusted, pressing against all the right spots.

  “Only you,” she gasped as he moved inside her. “You’re the only one that’s ever done this to me.”

  “God, Becky,” he rumbled, heat flooding his gaze as his pace quickened. “You’re amazing. Where have you been all my life?”

  “I’m. Right. Here. Now,” she said.

  The heat stabbing through her from his thrusts and the weight of his gaze melded together into a hot haze of perfection, and she felt her world beginning to splinter.

  “Mark, I’m going to...”

  “Come for me, Gorgeous Girl,” he said, smiling down at her.

  And she did, waves and waves of sensation swamping her psyche and blurring his face in front of her.

  His expression turned fierce and with a guttural moan he followed her over the cliff.

  Afterward they lay twined together, their hearts beating in time. Becky lost herself in the perfection of the moment, unwilling to move and let the real world in again. If she knew the sex would always be like that she’d never let this man go...

  When she could put words together again, she said, “You know, until very recently I thought I was bad at that.”

  “Why on earth would you think that?” Mark said, genuinely shocked. “Becky, you’re amazing.”

  He watched as she flushed, the rosiness reaching all the way down her chest.

  “Oh, I...uh...shouldn’t have said that out loud. My internal filter must be busted.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “But you did. Must’ve been on your mind. Why?” He was surprised at how much he wanted to know.

  She looked down at her hands and picked at her fingernails. “Oh, you know. Heard from an ex. Stirred up bad memories.”

  Judging by the way she was closing in on herself, they must have been spectacularly awful memories. Then he remembered a snippet from the night he’d found her asleep in the kitchen.

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that Pence guy, would it?”

  She looked at him sharply. “How would you know that?”

  “You were talking in your sleep. That night in the kitchen.”

  Realization dawned on her face. “Oh. Right. Well, yeah, that’s the one. But you know... Every girl’s got one.”

  “Got one what?”

  “A voice. One that points out her flaws and harps on her inadequacies. Mine sounds like him.”

  Mark felt a wave of anger roll across his brain. “If I ever meet this guy I’m going to have a thing or two to say to him. He sounds like a piece of work.”

  Becky looked at him, a wry smile on her lips.

  “Well, you might get your chance.”

  “Chance to what?”

  “Talk to Pence.” Her lips twisted, the smile turning into an unconscious snarl. “His agency is pitching to Eden, too.”

  Mark sat up straighter, surprised.

  “How long have you known?”

  “Oh...” Becky said, looking up at the clock. “About fifteen hours or so. He emailed last night.”

  Suddenly her earlier behavior made a lot more sense. Wishing he could save her from her obvious pain, he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “We’ll beat him, you know,” he said. “Together. That jerk doesn’t stand a chance against us.”

  She murmured her assent, but when he looked at her he could tell her brain was busily working on another problem. Pulling her shirt over her head, she paced over to the whiteboard on the wall.

  “We’ve been going about this all wrong,” she said. “Women aren’t going to buy our yogurt just because we recognize their awesomeness. That doesn’t do anything for them. They’re going to buy it if it solves a problem for them. So if the problem is insecurity, we need to position ourselves as a solution.”

  He watched as she scratched silently on the board with a red marker. Her butt jiggled ever so slightly with the movement, and he found himself wanting to feel the weight of it in his palms again.

  She turned to look at him, triumph lighting her eyes.

  “I’ve got it. Check this out. It could be something like, ‘Working mom guilt weighing you down? Take an Eden moment and believe.’”

  Mark’s brain kicked into gear. “Maybe. Or what about, ‘Eden. Your shortcut to a more perfect you.’”

  Becky wrote it down.

  “Good thought. But what about...?”

  And they were off and running.

  * * *

  The next time Mark looked up, the sun was setting.

  “Wow. We’ve been at this all day,” he said. “You hungry?”

  Her stomach growled loudly in response. Laughing, she said, “I guess so!”

  “How about I take you out somewhere? My treat.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve got laundry and stuff to do tonight.”

  “Oh, come on. Laundry on a Saturday night? You’re not fifty. I’ll take you back to my place for dessert,” he said, winking suggestively.

  She smiled sadly. “Mark, what happened before...it can’t happen again. The situation’s too complicated. Besides, I don’t date people—”

  “You don’t date people you work with. I know. You keep saying that. But who said anything about dating?”

  She flushed. “I don’t do what we did this afternoon with coworkers either.”

  “We were enjoying each other. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “You say that now. But if we keep it up before long there will be feelings, then hurt feelings, and eventually heartbreak. I don’t do heartbreak,” she answered.

  Mark felt himself getting frustrated. “You don’t do heartbreak. I don’t do relationships. So we should be well matched.”

  “I don’t think so...” she said, looking everywhere except at him.

  Mark gently turned her to face him.

  “Listen to me. This situation is complicated. We don’t need to add sexual frustration to the mix. After all, we didn’t get anywhere today until after we let that go. Right?”

  She gave a slight nod.

  “And you have to agree the sex is amazing. Probably some of the best I’ve ever had.”

  She looked up sharply. “Really?” she said.

>   “Really.”

  “I thought it was just... I mean you’ve been with so many... And I...um...haven’t...”

  “Becky?”

  “What?”

  “You’re amazing. Period.”

  She smiled, her cheeks flushing pink. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. So let’s just agree to enjoy each other until this—whatever this is—is over and decided. Then we’ll go our separate ways. No harm, no foul.”

  She looked at him. “Do you really think it can be that easy?”

  “I know it can,” he said. “I won’t let it be any other way.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  He nodded, knowing that was probably the best answer he could hope for at the moment.

  “Don’t think too long,” he growled.

  She just smiled in response, blowing him a kiss as she walked out through the door.

  He knew she’d eventually agree to his proposition. The chemistry they had was too incredible for either of them to walk away. And as long as they kept it to the physical realm no one would get hurt.

  Heck, he didn’t have enough cash to make her want anything more permanent anyway. She might not seem interested in his wallet, but he knew from experience that even the sweetest girls were ultimately moved by money.

  For the first time he found himself wishing they weren’t.

  FIVE

  “This is good. Really good,” David said after Becky and Mark had pitched their concept to him. “Which one of you came up with it?”

  Nice try, Becky thought. She wasn’t going to let him knock one of them out of the competition that easily.

  “It was pretty organic,” she said out loud. “I couldn’t tell you which one of us nailed the final line. Could you, Mark?”

  “No, not really,” he said. “We make a surprisingly great team.”

  “Good, good—glad to hear it,” David said, leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head. “Now we just have to decide how to proceed.”

  “When is the presentation?” Becky asked.

  “October thirtieth at ten a.m.”

  “Oh. Good. We’ve got some time, then,” she said. More than three weeks, as a matter of fact.