Sweet Persuasion

“The debauched ones have more fun,” Faith said with an evil twinkle in her eye.

“So says the voice of experience.”

Faith walked over to one of the drawers and took out a note-pad and pen. As she returned, she scribbled on a sheet of paper and then tore it out.

She slid it across the bar toward Serena. “Go home and call him.”

CHAPTER 2

Serena walked into her office and paused by the window to stare over the Houston skyline. She was dressed smartly. Business suit, moderate heels. She knew she looked good. Efficient.

With a sigh, she turned around to face her desk. And the phone. The piece of paper with Damon Roche’s number was crumpled damply in her hand. She unfolded it and smoothed the edges as she sat down in the executive chair.

No, she couldn’t call from home the day before. She needed to do it here, where she could pretend it was just business. Here in her comfortable environment, she wasn’t nervous. It didn’t have to be about her. She could play it cool and pretend she was acting on the behalf of a client.

She picked up the phone and glanced down at the number again before punching it in. For several tense moments, she listened to the ring. About the time she decided no one was going to answer, a distracted voice muttered a terse hello.

She swallowed quickly. “Am I speaking with Mr. Roche?”

There was a distinct pause. “Who is this and how the hell did you get my private number?”

Shit. Damn Faith for not telling her this was his private line and apparently one he guarded closely. She’d managed to piss him off before she ever got to the hard part.

“Faith Malone gave me your number,” she said as calmly as her pounding heart would allow.

“Faith? Is she all right?” he demanded.

She hastened to assure him. “She’s fine. She gave me your number about a . . . business matter. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I hadn’t realized this was a private number.”

Before he could answer, she gently replaced the receiver and backed away from the desk.

Bad idea. Definitely a bad idea.

Her pulse raced, and she struggled to get her nerves back under control. She certainly wasn’t the assertive businesswoman today. With a rueful shake of her head, she turned her attention to her list of tasks for the day.

Her office door opened, and she looked up to see her personal assistant, Carrie Johnson, walk in, a warm smile on her face.

“Serena, I just got a call from Mr. Gallows. He was very satisfied with the work you did on his job.”

Serena sat back in her chair and smiled back at Carrie. “Oh, thank goodness. He was such a hard sale.”

Carried worked to keep a straight face. “It doesn’t help that his fantasy involved being head chef at Riganti’s.”

“Don’t remind me,” Serena said with a groan. “I may have lost my favored patron status with Carlos forever. He’s probably ba

“I have it on good authority that the staff at Riganti’s loves you, and that Mr. Gallows’s short employment there actually went quite well. Mr. Gallows hinted that he was applying to culinary school in Paris, as a result of his experience.”

Serena sighed. “Oh, that’s lovely. It’s so nice when there’s a happy outcome. About half the time, the client figures out that some dreams are better left in the realm of fantasy and not ever brought to light. Reality is harsh, unfortunately.”

Carrie’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. “That doesn’t sound like you, Serena. Something going on that I need to know about?”

“No, not at all.” Liar. “I can’t be Pollya

Carrie shrugged. “Sometimes a healthy dose of reality is needed. You can’t live in fantasy land indefinitely. I’d say you’ve done a lot of people a favor by making that clear.”

Serena shook her head. “That’s not my job. People don’t pay me to give them a wake-up call. They pay me to fulfill a fantasy. To give them something no one else can.”

“And you do it very well.”

“Maybe.”

Carrie cocked her head. “You’re in a strange mood, Serena. Maybe you should take the day off. Come back when you’re not so . . . morose. Or at least let me talk to clients today.”

A smile cracked the corners of Serena’s mouth. “I’m fine, Carrie. Really. I promise not to scare away potential clients with my dose of reality. Besides, today we have to outline the details for Michelle Tasco’s fantasy.”

Carrie’s expression softened, and Serena smiled in satisfaction. Carrie really was the perfect assistant. She had a heart of gold and an undying commitment to making people happy.

“Her parents called a few minutes ago to thank you,” Carrie said softly. “This means the world to them. I think it was wonderful for you to make the arrangements at no charge.”

Serena shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks tightening under Carrie’s scrutiny. “Yeah, well, it’ll make a nice tax write-off.”

Amusement glinted in Carrie’s eyes. “You can’t fool me, Serena. You’re a big ole softie, even if you won’t admit it.”

“Did you arrange the tour?” Serena asked impatiently.

Still gri

“Okay, I’ll do that now,” Serena said. “Then we can mark one more fantasy off our list.”

“And don’t forget to eat lunch,” Carrie called over her shoulder as she walked out of Serena’s office.

“Yes, Mother,” Serena muttered.

She glanced down at the file that Carrie had dropped on her desk. Michelle stared back at her, a waiflike little girl who’d seen way too much horror in her young life. If Serena could make her smile, even for a short while, it was worth every pe

She picked up the phone and dialed her contact at the cruise line. A few minutes later, she rang off, satisfied that all the arrangements had been made for Michelle’s once-in-a-lifetime trip. She hesitated as she started to dial Michelle’s parents’ number then changed her mind and buzzed for Carrie instead.

“Can you call Michelle’s folks and let them know that everything has been taken care of? I’m going to go grab lunch.”

A light chuckle worked over the intercom. “Chicken. Yeah, I’ll call them. You can’t avoid them forever, Serena. They’ll want to thank you in person.”

Serena grimaced and broke the co

Stretching her feet to feel around for her shoes, she snagged them with her toe and then slid them on. After grabbing her handbag, she tossed her cell phone inside and headed for the door. As she walked by Carrie’s office, she heard her assistant’s cheerful voice as she passed on the information to Michelle’s parents.

A smile crept over her mouth despite her attempt not to become involved in the more personal details of Michelle’s trip. She stepped into the hot summer air and closed her eyes as the sun brushed across her face.

It was muggy and hot, but she loved the weather in Houston. Even the perpetual haze that hung over the city in the summertime didn’t bother her.

As she reached for her car keys, her cell phone rang. With a sigh, she fumbled for it and looked at the LCD. She frowned when she didn’t recognize the number. It could be a client.

“This is Serena James,” she said by way of greeting as she continued on to her car.

“Miss James, this is Damon Roche.”

His deep voice crawled up her spine and hit her right at the base of her skull. She hadn’t expected to hear back from him.