Play Date Read online

  Yet another talent that made her the perfect EA specifically for him. Keene knew he sometimes came across as rigid and brusque, although he preferred to think of himself as firm and straightforward. Sabrina’s warmth tempered his aloofness.

  “Anything I need to know beforehand?” He opened the Pan-Pacific folder and began skimming the contents.

  The retreat was low priority. It would be enough to show up and let the organizer put him through his paces. It was a small price to pay to strengthen his team and keep his employees happy.

  “Good work,” he said. “I like a woman who isn’t afraid to take initiative.”

  He also liked a woman who filled out a skirt like Sabrina did, but that would never, ever go on her eval.

  3

  “Sooo. Tomorrow’s the big day.” Francine Carisi, one of Sabrina’s two besties, dangled a glass of white wine in front of her.

  Sabrina grabbed it and chugged a healthy swallow before dropping onto the sofa where the three sprawled when they got together at Francine’s place to binge on Kardashians or Real Housewives.

  “Are you nervous?” Melody Didion, a tiny, soft-spoken blonde, eased down next to her.

  Francine and Melody were complete opposites in every way, but the three of them fit together like puzzle pieces. They had started out as roommates, renting an apartment in Huntington Beach a few years ago but had quickly become close friends.

  Melody was a resource development coordinator for a program dedicated to getting homeless teens off the street. Sabrina had dubbed her “Bulldog” for the tenacious personality hidden beneath her waiflike appearance. She’d doubled funding for the organization in just nine months because donors underestimated her persistence when it came to fighting for young people going through the same difficult circumstances she’d endured.

  Francine was biracial. She had untamable corkscrew curls, striking green eyes and fawn-colored skin. At five-ten, her enviable curves were mostly muscle because of her kickboxing routine and her job rehabbing houses. She’d inherited her mother’s passionate Italian spirit, which meant she never did anything halfway.

  Sabrina considered Melody’s question. “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this will either exceed my wildest expectations or cost me everything.”

  “Go big or go home.” Francine nodded sagely, her shoulder-length coils bouncing.

  “What do think his response will be?” Melody wiggled deeper into the cushions and pulled her legs up under her.

  “Disbelief.”

  The three laughed simultaneously, easing some of Sabrina’s anxiety. She’d played out different scenarios in her head, trying to imagine Keene reacting with amazement or pleasure, but she always came back to disbelief.

  First, he was going to discover the executive team building retreat on his calendar was actually an overnight stay at an ultra-exclusive, ultra-private coastal resort near Santa Barbara.

  Then he was going to find out the reservation was for two.

  Him.

  And her.

  All of the arrangements had been made by Single Status, an event-planning agency that catered to singles. Their specialty was crafting Valentine’s Day adventures that could be enjoyed solo or with a friend but without the pressure or expectations of a romantic escapade.

  She’d requested that Single Status create an experience that removed them from the demands of the job for twenty-four hours. They could drop their job titles at the door and just be themselves.

  Hopefully, Keene would elect to share the timeout from reality with her instead of alone.

  “Once he arrives at the resort, an anonymous letter detailing the day’s activities will be delivered to him.” Sabrina crossed her fingers on both hands and raised them into the air. “If I’m lucky, he’ll freak out…and then take me up on my offer.”

  “Any idea what Single Status has planned?” Melody asked.

  “It’s a resort so probably hot stone massage, a gourmet meal, chocolates on the pillow.” Sabrina shrugged. “The usual.”

  “She’s not going for the amenities.” Francine refilled the wine glasses then joined them on the sofa. “If you don’t show for brunch on Sunday, may we assume you extended your stay with Boss Hottie?”

  “If I don’t show up, I’ll probably be headed back to Podunk, Indiana, because I’m too humiliated to show my face in this town and I’ve been fired.”

  “All the signs point to a mutual attraction,” Melody said. “If he refuses the overture, it might be for another reason than him not wanting you.”

  “Like maybe he has a stick up his—”

  “Francine!” Melody had a thing about profanity. She didn’t tolerate it from Francine or the teens she worked with.

  “You know what I mean.” She scowled.

  “I need all the positivity I can get right now. Let’s not even consider the possibility that Keene will say no.” Sabrina reached into her purse for her phone and opened her task minder app.

  “Let’s go over the list one more time. I don’t want to forget anything.”

  “Go.” Francine crossed her legs and leaned toward Sabrina.

  Melody did the same on the other side of her.

  “Bathing suit

  “The white one you got in Mexico or the pink one I got you for your birthday.”

  “The pink one, of course,” Melody chimed in. “It’s much sexier than the white one.”

  Sabrina raised her eyebrows and gave each of them an arch look. “I packed the pink one and the black one-piece.”

  “Just in case,” Melody stage-whispered to Francine.

  Sabrina cleared her throat and continued running down the list. She had daywear, evening wear, formal, casual, workout clothes, coordinating La Perla lingerie for each outfit and eleven pairs of shoes. Tomorrow morning she would swing by the office and pick up the overnight bag Keene kept on-hand for last-minute trips.

  “I thought the plan was to get him naked,” Francine said.

  “That would be the icing on the cake,” Sabrina admitted.

  “Do you want him naked for one night,” Melody asked, “or interested enough to take your relationship to the next level?”

  The room echoed with silence for a beat before Francine and Sabrina yelled, “Both!” Melody joined in on the laughter and soon they were caught up in a group hug.

  Sabrina felt the anxiety drain away. No matter what happened, she knew she’d have a soft place to land with her amazing friends.

  4

  Keene was not prepared for a two-hour drive to an unknown destination. When Sabrina said executive team building retreat, he assumed the location would be L.A., not Santa Barbara. As much as he’d enjoyed the scenic drive—indigo ocean to the west and dusty Santa Ynez mountains to the east—the unanticipated trip left him feeling unsettled.

  He should have asked for more details.

  Not that he wanted to micromanage his EA, but the incident drove home a fact he’d been unaware of.

  He was giving away his power. He was losing control.

  He’d begun entrusting an employee—albeit a highly capable and extremely competent employee—with the authority to make decisions that could wreak havoc with his carefully ordered life.

  Not knowing what to expect was a form of ambiguity, and Keene did not like being out of the loop.

  As the driver eased the Lexus SUV under the portico of a Spanish Mission style resort with a brick-red terracotta roof, he tried Sabrina’s number. Again. He’d been dialing every ten minutes for the past hour.

  An odd emotion weighed heavy in his chest. It wasn’t anger or frustration or annoyance but something more elusive. It was better to not examine it too closely because there was something familiar about it. The sensation was akin to recognizing a face but not remembering the person’s name. Or catching wind of a scent that triggers part of a memory but not the full context.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” Keene scanned the building a
nd grounds. There were no signs, nothing to identify where he was being dropped off. It had to be a resort or maybe a country club.

  “Yes, sir,” said the driver as he hopped out to open the back door “They are expecting you. Just check in with Elena.”

  Eager for answers and anxious to locate Sabrina, Keene strode into the building. He looked around, expecting to see other members of his executive management team. He noted bright white walls, heavy wooden timbers supporting a peaked wooden ceiling above a tile floor the same burnt-orange as the terracotta roof—classic Spanish Mission architecture. Across the spacious lobby, a young woman in a flattering pantsuit with dark hair and a wide smile waited for him to approach.

  “Good morning, Mr. Wesley.” A lyrical accent confirmed her Hispanic ethnicity. A small gold nametag identified her as Elena Sanchez.

  “Hello, Elena. I’m supposed to meet my assistant, Sabrina Davenport. Can you tell me where she is? And have the rest of my staff members arrived yet?”

  The woman’s brows dipped in confusion before the friendly smile returned. “I’m not sure about the others, but Miss Davenport checked in about thirty minutes ago.

  Checked in? How long was this retreat scheduled to last? Keene wasn’t a tightwad, but corporate events didn’t usually include extended stays at resorts so exclusive they didn’t bother with signage.

  What was going on? What was Sabrina up to? His fingers curled into loose fists and he forced himself to relax. He’d have answers soon enough.

  Elena handed him a plain white keycard. “You’re in the Azul Bungalow. It’s across the courtyard and down the path to the left. Would you like someone to accompany you?”

  “No, I sure I can find it.” He started to leave then turned back. “Where is Miss Davenport staying?”

  “She’s in the Amarillo Bungalow, a short distance beyond yours. Just stay on the main path”

  “Thanks.”

  Keene barely registered the graceful palm trees, splashing fountains and colorful bougainvillea draped over arches and decorative wrought-iron fences. To the right, sunshine created spangles atop the crystalline waters of an Olympic-size pool. Straight ahead, he caught sight of smaller terracotta roofs marking the location of private bungalows hidden behind lushly landscaped greenery. Beyond that, the Pacific ocean stretched toward the horizon.

  He suddenly felt jittery. His heart raced and his breathing sped up. Thoughts raced through his head too fast to register, until one realization shocked him so severely he froze.

  Somewhere in the uneasiness caused by the surprise of the morning’s events was an element of excitement. Exhilaration and adrenaline were fueling his body’s reaction, not anxiety.

  His gut told him something was up and it was something B.I.G.

  He passed his bungalow and continued on to find Sabrina and get some answers.

  Sabrina paced back and forth across the tiled floor of the bungalow’s sitting area, her apprehension mounting as the seconds ticked past. Keene should have arrived by now and would be demanding an explanation.

  She’d rehearsed a pretty little speech, but now her mind was a big, black, empty space. Had someone asked her name, she’d be hard pressed to answer correctly.

  Why was she doing this? Whatever had made her think luring her boss—her BOSS!—to an upscale resort for the express purpose of seducing him was a good idea? There was no possible way this scheme could work. She might as well pen her resignation notice, pin it to the bungalow’s front door and slink off before he A) fired her, B) rejected her or C) laughed in her face.

  “Calm down,” she told herself. Positive self-talk worked better when she spoke out loud. “Take a deep breath. Let’s remind our self what the intentions here were.”

  Sabrina laid her hands over her abdomen and drew in a deep breath then gradually released it. A couple more calmed her racing thoughts and jumpy pulse.

  “I’m in love with my boss, but the workplace is the wrong place to express those feelings.” She pronounced the words slowly and intentionally. “I’m allowed to own my feelings. I’m entitled to act on my feelings. I trust the instincts telling me Keene Wesley is aware of and shares this mutual attraction.

  “I have created a time and place appropriate for expressing these feelings. If Keene Wesley does not share these feelings or chooses not to acknowledge the sexual tension between us”—she caught her reflection in the mirror over the kiva fireplace and made a face at herself—“then he’s an idiot and schmuck.”

  Resigned to her decision and whatever came of it, she rolled her shoulders to release the vestiges of tension. The worst that could happen would be losing her job and dealing with heartbreak. Finding another job wouldn’t be a problem, but getting over Keene would be tough. She’d grown attached to him in more ways than just physical. She thrived on the challenge of keeping pace with a dynamic, driven entrepreneur and derived tremendous satisfaction solving the unique problems that accompanied the personal and professional lifestyle of an industry leader.

  Sabrina sighed and her heart flip-flopped. It all boiled down to knowing she made Keene’s life easier. Would he give her a chance to make it sweeter?

  A firm knock sounded at the door.

  Time to find out.

  5

  Keene had never seen Sabrina nervous before. She’d confronted some daunting situations, like the time an accounting department typo on a contract would have cost his company $37 million or the time a caterer thought he was serving dinner for forty instead of four hundred at a corporate fundraiser. Potentially disastrous circumstances she seemed to fix with a wave of her EA magic wand, never once breaking a sweat, panicking or freaking out.

  At the moment, she looked like she was on the verge of all three.

  Dressed in wide-legged, pale green linen trousers and a sleeveless white blouse, dark hair pulled back, the woman in front of him looked like his executive assistant but sure wasn’t acting like her.

  “I hope the ride up wasn’t too long.” She perched on the edge of a chair for a few seconds, then stood. She wrung her hands and continued rambling. “I suppose you were a bit surprised. I probably should have said something. Would you like something to drink?”

  He wanted to say something reassuring, but without knowing the cause of her nervousness, it didn’t make sense to say anything. The longer she fretted and paced, the edgier he became.

  The exhilaration that propelled him to her bungalow drained away, replaced by the urge to take charge, to eliminate the unknown element making the air in the room heavy with dread. He enjoyed the sexual friction that arose between them on occasion, but this, whatever this was, made his skin crawl in a decidedly unpleasant manner.

  He sensed Sabrina’s revelation was going to be life-changing—for at least one, maybe both, of them. Was it possible she felt as out of control as he did, even though this situation was of her making?

  Time to do what he did best. Time to leverage the strategy that never failed.

  “Sit down.” Keene leaned forward on the loveseat and propped his forearms on his thighs. “Then tell me about this is all about.”

  Sabrina smoothed a fluttery hand over her hair and sank onto the chair across from him. “Did you get the letter?”

  “No. No letter. Who is it from and who was supposed to deliver it?”

  She ignored the question, gaze everywhere but on him. “The letter explains everything. Well, most everything.”

  “Why don’t you fill me in?”

  When her eyes finally met his, the raw vulnerability swirling in the blue depths stole his breath.

  “There is no staff retreat. I wanted to surprise you for Valentine’s Day, but I was afraid you wouldn’t come if I told you my true intentions beforehand.”

  Valentine’s Day? Surprise? True intentions? Whatever Sabrina was trying to say wasn’t registering.

  “You work harder than anyone else I know. Seven days a week, ten or twelve hours each day. All of your energy goes into making the compan
y bigger, like it’s the only thing that matters.” Her mouth trembled. “It’s hard to find a moment when you aren’t working, a moment to have a…personal conversation. To not be the CEO and the EA. I thought a break from everything would help.”

  “You tricked me, to get me here—why?” He spoke slowly, as if the delay would allow the words to penetrate his thick head. This was the most incongruous encounter he’d ever had with a subordinate, especially one as savvy as Sabrina.

  She seemed to be waiting for a response, but Keene didn’t have a clue what she expected.

  She’d booked two private bungalows.

  For Valentine’s Day.

  The lightbulb finally went on. Keene burst out laughing. So, she subscribed to the adage, What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

  She was planning a romantic rendezvous…and had set one up for him, as well.

  Odd, but thoughtful.

  All this time, he’d assumed something was developing between the two of them when she was getting her groove on with someone else. He must be a hell of a guy if he’d unleashed Sabrina’s wild side to the extent it carried over into work. Luxurious hair, short skirts, strappy stilettoes, and clever, playful innuendos that hinted at, but never promised, a bit of titillation.

  He wondered if he would have a chance to meet the mystery man. Not likely. They’d probably be holed up in their bungalow the entire time. That’s what he would do if—

  “Wow.” He chuckled, astonished by the gesture. Too bad he didn’t have someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with. The thought of a lovers’ getaway had never occurred to him, but he was suddenly envious that Sabrina would be enjoying the indulgence and he’d be all alone.

  “You aren’t mad?” she asked tentatively.

  “Surprised, yes. Angry, no.” He stood up, needing space before jealousy and regret got the better of him.

  Sabrina rose and stepped toward him. “I’m so glad. I never—”