Pure Satisfaction
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Rebecca Hunter
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20
CHAPTER ONE
THERE WERE PLENTY of reasons why the CEO might call her into a private meeting an hour before her official Christmas vacation began, and Ruby Bisset couldn’t think of a single one that boded well for her. She scanned the uncharacteristically quiet marketing department of NY Creatives Media. Everyone else had left after the trays of Christmas cookies, blintzes and bottles of champagne had disappeared from the holiday party. Ruby would have ducked out, too, if Cristina hadn’t taken her aside at the fig, goat cheese and honey appetizer tray and quietly asked her to meet. She also would have drunk a hell of a lot more champagne.
But the fizzy effect of her single glass of bubbly had long since worn off as Ruby headed through the maze of cubicles, sidestepping stray bits of holiday wrapping, two lost pens and a ripped envelope on the way. With each step closer to Cristina’s corner office, Ruby’s heart rate ticked up a notch. In preparation, she’d brought the social media calendar she had perfected for Cristina, even though she was pretty sure this was way too late for a chat about strategy. So what was this last-minute, off-the-calendar meeting about?
Some less-than-desirable possibilities came to mind, like the chance that those topless pictures from spring break during Mardi Gras had finally resurfaced. Even after four years, that possibility still lingered in her mind. Jimmy had promised he’d deleted them, but that was only after she’d caught her ex-fiancé sharing them with three of his friends. There were a lot of lessons embedded in that stupid mistake, one of which was never do anything you wouldn’t want your whole office to know about.
As the company’s social media manager, she should have learned that lesson the first time around with Jimmy. But, apparently she hadn’t, which was how she’d ended up getting caught four years later in the hallway of a Hell’s Kitchen bar during a company after-hours gathering making out with Raj, the cute, sweet guy from finance. And, of course, in her typical go-big-or-go-home fashion, she hadn’t been subtle, which was why they’d been caught by hothole CFO, Adrian Wentworth. Who happened to be Raj’s boss.
Raj hadn’t so much as looked her way since, and Ruby had gotten the sense that this wasn’t his personal choice. Adrian hadn’t said a word to her either, though he seemed to be putting a little extra effort into his scowls at her since then. This secret meeting couldn’t be about that incident, could it?
Probably not. More likely: a social media emergency had emerged, and Cristina was going to ask Ruby to work over the holidays.
It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been given a hush-hush assignment like that, and the truth was she was having some doubts about her decision to spend Christmas alone. NY Creatives Media was closed for two weeks, and Ruby had made the mistake of telling most of the marketing department that she was locking herself into her apartment to get her photography portfolio in shape. Alone. Which had earned an outpouring of sympathy, despite Ruby’s insistence that this was her choice.
Anyway... The point was she could handle trading a few of those days alone for top-secret emergency triage meetings with some high-profile celebrity trying to avoid a scandal. Not exactly what she got into this business for, but she’d get a much-needed lump of cash in the bargain, which was another reason not to say no.
If that was even what this meeting was about.
The executive hallway felt more deserted than Marketing, which didn’t help the foreboding feeling. Please don’t let this be about the Mardi Gras photos. It was probably bad luck to even think about them right now.
Ruby sucked in a breath as she passed the door marked Adrian Wentworth, CFO. Three years ago, despite the doubts he’d expressed very publicly, she had earned her place at NY Creatives Media by giving a stellar crash course in personal branding, the subject of her senior thesis. She’d spent good portions of her time since then helping the higher-ups build their social media platforms.
Well, almost all of them. Adrian had made it clear that even setting aside thirty minutes to brainstorm personal brand ideas was beneath him. She was beneath him, and not in the fun, sexy way which, unfortunately, she’d had graphic dreams about—dreams she now couldn’t unthink.
Adrian was thirteen years older than she was—yes, she’d looked it up—and that, plus his condescending attitude, should have taken away his sex appeal. Sadly, it hadn’t, at least not in the darker recesses of her mind. After that first fateful dream, she couldn’t stop noticing him. It was as if he’d spent every one of those thirteen years between them sculpting himself into ridiculous hotness, just to taunt her.
The light in Adrian’s office was still on, though that wasn’t a surprise. He had more than earned his reputation as a hard-ass workaholic, and Raj had let it slip that he expected the same of everyone else. What the hell would he do with himself during the two weeks the office was closed? Reorganize his spreadsheets? Color code his perfectly tailored shirt collection?
Ruby hurried past his door and stopped in front of the corner office, her heart thumping harder.
Cristina Santos was her idol. She had started NY Creatives Media with her husband James, and together, they had built it into the top firm in its niche in ultra-luxury brand publicity. Thanks to Ruby’s group, they were getting more innovative with social media marketing, too. Cristina’s marriage was enviable, and their happily-ever-after life was made for social media success, right down to their two adorable and camera-ready shih tzus.
Ruby took a deep breath and reached for the handle, but Adrian’s office door clicked, putting her into alert mode. Curiosity got the better of her and she glanced his way.
He had one foot out of his office, frozen in the middle of his doorway, staring at her. His usual look of brusque condescension was missing. Instead, he was staring at her in open surprise. Then his gaze dipped down her body. Her skin prickled, and her hands went instinctively to the hem of her short, playful holiday dress. But he wasn’t scowling. His gray eyes lit up with unfiltered heat. Her own body went on high alert, and she sucked in an audible breath. The moment the sound left her mouth, all signs of desire on his face disappeared.
What was that? It happened so fast that Ruby wondered if she’d imagined it. Before she could decide, Adrian was heading straight for her. Each step kicked up her pulse another notch until he stopped in front of her.
What did he want? To make a crack about her outfit? On Halloween, he hadn’t hesitated to comment that they were a professional workplace, not a Midwestern high school. Okay, maybe that cheerleader skirt was a little on the short side, but everyone in the creative department had gotten into the teen zombie horror movie theme, and plenty of the costumes were more outrageous than hers. He hadn’t made a remark like that to anyone else—she had asked around—so the critique was personal. There was probably something in there she could report to HR, but the truth was she had made her share of snarky comments to his face. So it was pretty much par for their course.
“Can I help you?” Ruby flashed what her roommate called her trademark Midwestern smile—which she knew got on his nerves.
He frowned. “You’re welcome to open that door anytime. Or I can help if you need assistance.”
If heat had been in his gaze, it was definitely gone now. In its place was his usual stony expression, paired with the dry sarcasm that seemed to be his default. But now she was a little suspicious. The secret meeting with Cristina involved him, too?
“I can open my own doors, thank you,” she said, giving him another smile, “though I know offering to do it is tradition for a man of your age.”
He scowled, and she knew that comment had hit its mark. He didn’t strike her as particularly vain, but his age seemed to be a point of sensitivity with her, so of course she took every opportunity to bring it up.
“Just open the door, Ruby.”
She kept her smile in place. “Sure thing, Mr. Wentworth.”
His scowl deepened. No one went by last names here, but she tried to fit his in as often as she could. Ruby shrugged innocently and opened the door.
Cristina’s office was sleek and modern, with her degrees and accolades neatly framed across one wall. She was organized and together and all the things Ruby hoped to be in ten years. Everything in Cristina’s office was in its place, the way it always was, except for one detail: her husband James was sitting next to her on the couch.
“Ruby, Adrian, thanks for staying late,” Cristina said.
She gestured to the chairs, where Ruby and Adrian were apparently supposed to sit. Ruby sank into the plush leather, next to Adrian. His gaze darted down to her thighs, where her dress had ridden up, exposing the tops of her thigh-high stockings. He swallowed, frowned, and looked away in clear disapproval. Ruby’s cheeks warmed. Why the hell did she find this man attractive?
She blocked that out and focused on the tone of Cristina’s voice, filled with the same hint of nervousness that Ruby had heard earlier over the lunch canapés. Cristina crossed her legs one way and then the other. James took her hand and squeezed it. Ruby searched for something that would make cool, confident Cristina fidgety and came up with... Nothing. This was definitely not about Christmas bonuses.
“Ruby, you’re probably wondering why you were called in here, right before the office closes,” James said. “I’ll get right to the point. We have an enormous favor to ask of you and Adrian, and we’re truly hoping that you’ll consider it.”
Ruby let out a sigh of relief. No Mardi Gras photos. This was about working over the holidays. She could handle that. But wait—with Adrian?
Cristina looked from Ruby to Adrian and back again. “Before we present this, I need you both to understand that this topic requires discretion, whether you take up our offer or not.”
“You know I have no problem with discretion,” Adrian said, then turned to Ruby, his eyebrows arching slightly.
“Nor do I,” Ruby said, staring right back at him.
“Of course. We wouldn’t have approached you two if we thought otherwise,” Cristina said.
Adrian leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. A short lock of his hair curled rebelliously over his forehead, the only part of him that he didn’t seem to keep in line. He looked like a grumpy ancient Greek statue in a well-tailored suit.
“What’s going on?” Ruby asked.
James rubbed the back of his neck, the universal symbol for you might not like this. He looked at her. “We need you to take Cristina’s place at the Kalani Resort for the next week, and we need Adrian to take mine. Discreetly. We’d like no one to know about it, if possible.”
Ruby blinked. Did she hear him right? They weren’t going on their high-profile Christmas vacation to Hawaii? Instead, they wanted her to spend a week at an ultra-luxury resort with...
“With Adrian?”
“Yes.”
And no one could know about it? “Like...decoys?”
James furrowed his brow. “Um...yes. Like decoys. Both in real life and on social media.”
“I see.” The social media campaign. The one Ruby had set up to showcase NY Creatives’ growing social media department. It would demonstrate their strength with personal branding by featuring Cristina and James enjoying the luxuries of the Kalani Resort over the holidays...as a couple in love. One glance at Adrian told her that he wasn’t happy with this.
“With Ruby?” Adrian’s voice was laced with incredulity.
Ruby rolled her eyes.
“Yes, with Ruby,” Cristina said dryly. She sighed. “What we’re asking of you is rather...unconventional. But we really need your help. It would be paid time, of course.”
Adrian frowned. “I don’t give a fuck about the money.”
That was easy for him to say. Living in New York City with college debt, Ruby couldn’t afford to be so highly principled. Nor could she afford to mouth off to her boss.
James’s forehead creased with more worry lines. “It’s just a week of stepping in for us. You’d still have the second week of the holiday back home.”
“Why aren’t you going?” Ruby asked, still a little stunned. This was an elite resort and Cristina had been planning this trip—and the campaign that surrounded it—for months. “We have a lot of clients watching this campaign to see what kind of engagement we can get. And it’s your personal brand that’s at the center of it.”
“I know this isn’t ideal,” Cristina said. “I’m really sorry, but we can’t tell you why. Not at this point.”
Adrian opened his mouth, then closed it without replying. The office was quiet, and Cristina shifted in her seat.
Ruby had never seen her look this uncomfortable. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that something big was at stake...but Ruby couldn’t imagine what the heck it could be. She also couldn’t imagine how a week playing this couple would even be possible.
“I’m not sure I understand how this would work,” Ruby said slowly. “I’m pretty sure people can tell us apart.”
Cristina waved away her comment. “I know we don’t look the same up close. My skin’s darker, not the same body type...”
Ruby nodded, then made the mistake of hazarding a glance at Adrian. For an instant, she caught that same look he’d had in the hallway, the look of raw sexual interest. Ruby was well-endowed and usually not self-conscious about it, but Adrian’s gaze moving down her body conjured scenes from her sordid dreams. Scenes she really shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
“Ruby, you created this campaign for me, and you know how many clients are watching to see how well it works, how much potential business is riding on it. I think you know we wouldn’t back out if there wasn’t a really, really good reason.” Cristina cleared her throat. “I understand that close up, we’re not similar, but if you get creative with the photos, I think you’ll be able to pull off the social media campaign you planned. And there’s a very good chance that no one you’ll meet in person in Hawaii will know who we are.”
“We’re similar enough, too,” James said, tilting his chin at Adrian.
Ruby had to agree with this assessment. Both were tall with dark hair and broad shoulders. When she first started with the company, she had thought they were very much alike...until Adrian opened his mouth.
But Adrian didn’t look encouraged. He scrubbed his hands over his face. “And you’re not going to tell us why we’re doing this?”
Cristina shook her head, and for a moment Ruby could have sworn that there was a look of true sorrow on her face. “Maybe after the week is over, but that’s not a guarantee.”
Ruby still wasn’t getting how they’d pull off this identity switch. “Okay...and I suppose you figured out how we’ll work this with the airlines and the resort?”
James nodded. “We’re taking a private jet, so you’ll ride with us. We’ll drop you off and go on from there, hopefully without notice. The Kalani is very discreet, so it shouldn’t be impossible to lie low in the cabin we’ve reserved. We can just let the resort know we’ll need privacy. They’re used to high-profile guests, so they probably won’t think twice about it.”
A week in a cabin with Adrian? The one person at NY Creatives Media who answered every one of Ruby’s smiles with a scowl? One glance in his direction told her that he wasn’t liking this idea any better than she was.
But either James didn’t notice or he was trying not to. “It’s a private residence on the beach, with a swimming pool and unlimited food service to your door. We have a few excursions planned, but we can figure out how to work with that, too.”
Ruby knew exactly what their vacation looked like because she and Cristina had spent time putting together three fun, romantic posts per day about it. Creating more buzz around Cristina’s personal brand made a perfect case study in social media brand management. If it worked and clients took note of what they had done, Ruby was pretty sure she’d get a raise, and maybe also a promotion. But that required the campaign to actually happen.
“So...you want us to spend the week publishing all the posts Cristina and I worked on and taking photos to go with them, like we’re a married couple?”
James hesitated. “Yes, that’s the gist of it.”
“The campaign is ready to go,” Cristina added. “We just need you two on the ground to execute it.”
Adrian was silent, and Ruby had no idea what to say. Her plans for a quiet Christmas had just turned into a week in a cabin with the grumpy CFO...pretending to be a happily married couple. Right. This was getting wackier by the minute.
James leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I know it’s a big ask, but we really need to disappear for a week. The Kalani is a niche luxury resort, so I’m hoping you’ll be able to enjoy it, even under these circumstances.” He looked from Ruby to Adrian. “We’d be so grateful.”
So grateful. Those were the words she had used when Cristina and James had hired her straight out of college, based on her internship and senior thesis. Now at the ripe old age of twenty-five, she could see how she had probably sounded unprofessional and extra-young. But for a company looking to appeal to a younger generation, she had more than earned her keep. Now, Cristina and James were asking for a favor. James almost certainly hadn’t intentionally used the same phrase, but the point wasn’t lost on Ruby.
The room was quiet. She took a deep breath, trying to make sense of what Cristina and James were asking. Almost everything about this offer was appealing—spending the holidays in Hawaii instead of alone in her apartment, the much-needed financial bonus, while still getting time to work on her photography portfolio—everything except the other half of her new fake relationship.
Adrian’s expression looked pained, but he hadn’t said a word to protest. He was a big boy, and he could deal with whatever his problem was. She could put up with him for a week...and ignore any future sex-fueled thoughts. And hopefully he could keep his mouth shut.
“Just let us know what you decide,” Cristina said to her. “I hope this goes without saying, but if you can’t do this, we’d understand. This isn’t in any way an obligation. But you worked hard on this campaign, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to follow through with it.”
Ruby nodded. “I’ll get back to you soon with my answer. Send me the details of when we’re leaving and anything else you’d like me to consider.”
She started to stand up, slowing as she caught Adrian’s gaze. His eyes narrowed, and the tension in the room tightened in the silence, ready to snap. Yes, she knew he didn’t like her much, but James and Adrian had been close forever—everyone in the company knew that. Was Adrian contemplating turning down his friend’s request? After all the times Adrian had implied that she was young and immature, was he going to pull that middle-school attitude right in front of her boss?
She gave the CFO a sweet smile. “Do you have any questions for me before you decide?”
“No.”
She had no idea how that word slipped from his tightly drawn lips, but it came out, clipped and definitive.
“Good,” she said, scooping up her belongings. “Because I’m pretty sure I’m a yes. Just send me the details.”
