Into the Fire - Leslie Kelly [24]
"Hello, Lacey," J.T. said as he stood and ushered her to the last empty chair in the office.
Nate took a minute to study her, looking for the sprite from the trampoline, the humorous pool rescuer, the woman who'd felt like heaven in his arms. They were obviously hiding today. This Lacey Clark was all business—buttoned up, hair pulled back, dressed in a navy suit and white blouse. At least the skirt was short. From where he sat, Nate was able to appreciate the length of those gorgeous legs.
The memory of the way they'd felt wrapped around his hips soon had him shifting in his seat.
"Well, we're all here," J.T. said.
Lacey finally glanced around the room toward the others. She nodded at Chuck, smiled at the woman, then her eyes met Nate's. He couldn't resist a wink.
"Oh, great," he heard her mutter from a few feet away.
"Chuck, Maureen and I have spent some time this morning discussing a new project," J.T. began.
"It was all J.T.'s idea," Chuck interrupted.
"A brilliant one," Maureen said.
Nate leaned back in his chair just far enough to catch the slight rolling of Lacey's eyes.
J.T. ignored the blatant sucking up. "We've decided to do a first-ever crossover feature between Men's World and For Her Eyes Only."
Crossover feature? Nate didn't like the sound of that.
"It's quite obvious to all of us that your two columns have sparked a great deal of interest in our magazines, which was why we were going to thank each of you with these bonus checks Friday night." J.T. held up two envelopes, but didn't go into any more details about Friday night. "It seems a flirtatious battle of the sexes is raging across the country, thanks to your columns. We get a combined thousand letters a week about them."
Nate wondered which of them got more, percentage wise, of that thousand. He thought it prudent not to ask. Lacey glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. When their gazes met, he saw her eyes narrow and knew she was thinking exactly the same thing. The knowledge brought a chuckle to his lips. So, Ms. Clark had a competitive spirit, did she?
"The point is, we've decided it's time for the two of you to go head to head. Work side by side. Hand in hand."
If he said in and out, Nate was going to lose it.
"Please knock off the metaphors and get to the point, J.T.," Lacey urged. Nate noticed the shocked glance Lacey got from Maureen, her boss. Obviously the other woman did not know about Lacey and J.T.'s relationship.
J.T. chuckled fondly. "I'm getting there, Lacey." It seemed incredibly obvious to Nate, now that he knew what to look for, that J.T. looked on his daughter with affectionate approval.
"What we want is for you and Nate to work together, to prove, once and for all, which of you really has their finger on the pulse of American romance today. Lacey, you prove to Nate, and to the world, that the perfect man really is the sensitive storybook hero you write about."
Nate snorted.
"And Nate, you go out and show Lacey why you're so sure purely physical relationships are the only ones men need."
"I don't quite understand…" Lacey began.
"Well, to put it simply, you two are going undercover. From now on you and Nate Logan think together, work together, write together. You're a duo on a covert mission."
Nate watched the blood drain out of Lacey's face and felt his jaw tense.
J.T. continued as if he hadn't noticed his daughter's sudden, obvious horror. "Lacey Clark and Nate Logan are now officially partners on the battlefields of the sexual revolution."
* * *
Chapter 4
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L acey waited until Chuck and Maureen left J.T.'s office before she made her position clear. Her father had obviously seen the fire in her eyes, because he'd asked the editors to excuse them while he, Lacey and Nate worked out the details. Once the others were gone, Lacey stood and leaned over J.T.'s desk. "No way. There is no way I'm doing this."
"For once we agree about something," Nate murmured from his chair in the corner of the office.
She ignored him. "J.T., the two