In the Dead of the Night (38 page)

“We all get old, Mister…”

“Peter Crawford of Crawford Industries.”

“
Ahhh
.”

He raised his brows at the tone of her voice inferring something, but he wasn’t sure what, though it definitely sounded negative. “What is
that
supposed to mean?”

“
Nothing
, Mr. Crawford. Thank you for helping me with the door.”

“It’s already noon. Would you like to have lunch with me?”

She laughed, her tone haughty. “You know what?” She pointed at the plastic-covered tux he held. “The last time a man asked me that, I ended up saying I will. A year later, I’m stuck with a three thousand dollar wedding gown and no husband. So thank you for the kind invitation, but
no!
I don’t want to do lunch…or anything else with you or any other living man on the whole earth, for that matter. But don’t take it personally.”

She smiled, and though it was one of the most faked happy looks he’d ever seen, she couldn’t have appeared any more beautiful with the way the sun shone on her golden hair, highlighting the lighter streaks, or the way her cheeks were positively rosy. Cocking a brow, she added, “Have a nice day.”

***

Lisa slammed her rear car door shut, then hurried around to the driver’s side. Once she climbed in and closed her door, she turned her New Age music on high, shutting the whole world out.

Still, Mr. Crawford watched her every move, a hint of a smile still curving his lips while the warm Texas breeze tugged at his hair, the same rich color as his eyes.

Bedeviling, that’s how she’d describe him. Peter Crawford…one of Dallas’s most eligible bachelors? Hogwash. He would never in a millennium settle down with one woman, forever. Never. Hell, she’d heard how he’d gotten snookered into an engagement…purely an old girlfriend’s attempt at revenge. And it worked. Poor guy. But then again, maybe he deserved it. What did she know? All she knew for certain was no man would hurt her like that again.

Yet the notion occurred to her…if confirmed bachelor Pembrooke Hastings would commit to her, why not try for confirmed bachelor number two…Peter Crawford?

She considered the notion for a moment or two.

Nah, she was through with men. She pulled out of the parking lot, then drove straight back to her office.

When she walked into the outer office, she knew at once something was the matter the way her secretary silently motioned with her head toward her door.

Now what was wrong?

Samantha whispered, “Your ex-fiancé is sitting in there, waiting for you. And the boss wants to speak to you as soon as you’re finished with this other business.”

Lisa glanced back at the double doors leading to the three-office suite Ben Fox and his two sons worked out of.

Samantha added, “The boss wanted you to straighten this matter out with Mr. Hastings, first.”

“Great.”

“Were you able to return the wedding dress?”

“No.”

“Maybe you can still wear it then.”

“Over Pembrooke’s dead body.”

“Frankly, I believe the boss wishes you to resolve this matter with Mr. Hastings because he
is
one of Fox’s biggest clients.”

Lisa rolled her eyes and headed into her office. Blackmailing her would never work if Ben Fox thought he could force her to marry Pembrooke, now or ever.

She closed the door to her office, folded her arms, kept her distance, and nodded at her ex-fiancé, red-haired and freckle-faced, his green eyes showing a hint of remorse. He wasn’t what you’d call handsome in the standard sense, but had more of a boyish charm. She wouldn’t fall for another guy like that. He was a total fake.

Immediately, he rose to his feet and crossed the floor to greet her, his arms outstretched as if he intended to wrap them around her in a loving embrace.

“Don’t, Pembrooke.” She planted her hand on his chest when he tried to draw close.

“Lisa,” even the way he said her name now, grated on her, “you can’t let a little thing like this get between us. We can reschedule the wedding date for next week. I already checked with the church and it’s a go.”

She dropped into her leather chair behind her desk to put the cherry wood barrier between them before she did something unladylike. “No, and that’s my final word on the matter.”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

She
was being unreasonable? Who was standing nearly upside down, naked in her bed performing sex acts with her stepsister? If her secretary wasn’t listening so hard at the door to their conversation, Lisa would have brought the subject up with Pembrooke…again. But why waste the breath? Besides here, she didn’t have anything hard to throw at him. Well, she did, but nothing that would hurt enough.

Her phone buzzed. She grabbed up the receiver. “Yes, Samantha?”

“The boss wants to see you,
pronto
.”

Fearing the worst, she gritted her teeth. Her boss wanted her to make up to one of his biggest clients. “Now what?”

“I don’t know, but he’s adamant you see him
now
.”

“All right, thanks.” Lisa stood up from her desk. “I have to speak with Mr. Fox. I believe we discussed this matter long enough.”

Pembrooke rose from his seat. His cheeks matched his red hair as he glared at her. “We’ll work this out, or else.”

Or else? The look on her face must have made him change his tune.

“I’ll call you later, honey, when you’ve had a chance to think this over a bit. In the meantime, I’ll make arrangements with the church for a wedding on Saturday.”

He shoved the chair aside, then hurried out of the room, before she could tell him who he could take to the altar.

Lisa straightened her shirt, then headed for Samantha’s office.

Her secretary shook her head. “It didn’t look like he was pleased with what you had to tell him.”

“He’ll have to live with it.”

“You’re not going to tell me what happened?”

“No.” Lisa frowned. “The boss knows I wasn’t supposed to be working today, didn’t he? I only came in to do a few things, but I’m not dressed to do any auditing today.”

“He knows the next two weeks on your schedule are blocked out. Though he might figure since you’re not going on a honeymoon, you’ll want to work instead, knowing that you can’t ever sit still for long.”

“Tomorrow sure, but not today.”

Lisa walked down the hall to the double doors. After entering the waiting area furnished with upscale polished cherry wood tables and butternut leather chairs, she crossed the carpeted floor to Mr. Fox’s office.

She knocked on his doorframe, and he motioned to her to enter. “I hope you’ve reconsidered your situation with Pembrooke. Please take a seat.”

She sat in one of the leather chairs across from his desk. “No, sir.”

He ran his hands over his desk and took a deep breath. “You’ve done a good job for us the past two years.”

This was it. Time for the
thank you very much, but your employment is now terminated.
And time to pick up a voodoo kit sold at the local bookstore to take care of a pain-in-the-butt ex-fiancé.

“You were well aware when you met Pembrooke at one of his dinner parties, my policy concerning my auditors dating our clients.”

“Yes, sir. And you know how many times I said no to him when he asked me out for dates. As I recall, he finally asked
you
to give me permission to date him. You said by all means, go out with him.”

“Yes, well, we have a new problem.”

“He’s going to seek another auditing company for his firm?”

Mr. Fox pulled off his wire-rimmed glasses and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know how you do it.”

She stared back at the graying-haired man. He normally got right to the point and told her what he wanted of her, end of business. He definitely wasn’t the social kind of guy, not with his employees. What the heck was this cat-and-mouse game for anyway?

“I just received a call from Peter Crawford.”

Peter Crawford? Confirmed bachelor number two?

The day hadn’t gone at all well, so what now?