Ask Adam (9 page)

“Mr. Riley,” she bit out, “why don’t you take your money and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine?” She grabbed her briefcase and marched off. Before she’d taken three strides, she whirled back and glared at him. “If you should mistakenly believe that the sun does shine down there, trust me, you’re wrong. And I should know, I’ve seen it.”

Chapter Six

Lexi slammed her purse on her desk and sat. She switched on her computer and tried to take a deep, calming breath. She’d wrongly assumed a good night’s sleep would put a little distance between her and her rage. Fifteen hours later, she was every bit as pissed off as she had been yesterday afternoon.

Riley wasn’t just a cold, callous bastard. He was a complete prick. She despised him. His drop-dead-gorgeous looks and sexy-as-sin body only made her despise him more.

How dare he make such insinuations? Did the asshole really believe she’d have slept with him if she knew who he was? Professionalism would have stopped her long before it ever got to that point. Besides, she would have been way too busy running the intricate details of her project by him to even consider sex.

Okay—she would have considered it. No way in hell she could look at the man and not think about sex. He was sex personified. Sex oozed from every pore. Even if the meeting in his office had been their first, Lexi would have fantasized her way through the entire appointment. Hardcore fantasies, no doubt. Dammit, she would never have carried through on the thoughts. She was a social worker at the hospital, for God’s sake, a professional seeking out his financial assistance. What kind of a woman did he think she was?

Stupid question. She knew exactly what kind of woman he thought she was.

Now where the hell would she find the money? Even if Riley offered it to her, accepting it would make her look like the proverbial whore. How else could she raise the necessary funds? Riley had been her last and best bet.

While she’d waited the six weeks for her appointment to see him, she’d spoken to dozens of other potential backers and pitched her best line to them. All had liked it. Some had been very impressed. A few had even offered to help out with small amounts. None had been able or willing to foot the entire bill. Riley had honestly been her last hope.

Shit.

Her enthusiasm slipped slowly away. If she couldn’t get the money from Riley, where would it come from? Fifty thousand dollars wasn’t just going to materialize before her eyes. Her shoulder began to twinge annoyingly as she contemplated her options.

Another fundraiser? Daniel’s photographic exhibition was just a few months behind them. It wasn’t feasible to think of a second huge event so soon. Sure, the general public wanted to help where they could, but their pockets weren’t bottomless. Everyone had a cap, and two major fundraisers in under six months was over the top. Even Lexi could see that.

The twinge tightened into a small knot on her shoulder, and she kneaded it. There was a very real possibility she might not be able to start up her support program. Would she have to shelve the idea? That was the last thing she’d considered. She couldn’t give up on the program. What about all those kids who hadn’t been reached? All those kids who wouldn’t get support in the future?

The knot replicated itself on her other shoulder.

She considered going back to the hospital board and throwing herself at their mercy. Maybe if she asked
very
nicely, they’d foot the bill.

It wouldn’t happen. The hospital was strapped for cash. Whatever extra they had, they siphoned straight into POWS and targeted it at medical treatment. Psychological intervention aimed at healthy siblings, while important, was simply not considered primary medical care. Not when lives where at stake and money was limited.

Hot pinpricks of tension ran up her neck. All her hard work and plans unravelled at her feet. Her project was falling apart and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Where could she get the money?

Her dream had just come to a careening halt. Lexi blinked back tears. Her vision lay in tatters.

Her neck stiffened into a pressure board of tension. She’d have massaged the vicious knots, but by now the simple task of lifting her hands to her neck was too painful.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Her plan had failed. The bottom had dropped out.

It had all been so clear. With a little money and the right people, the program would have been brilliant. In her mind’s eye she could hear the voices of the kids as they sat together, chatting and laughing. She could feel the hope and the optimism that reverberated through the centre.

For the first time, Lexi had failed at something she’d set her mind to. She tapped on the desk. Failure—the word did not sit well with her. She tapped a little faster. All because of AJ “Asshole” Riley. No money. No program. Failure. All because of him.

She had to acknowledge it was all over. The project had just died a quick and unexpected death. All thanks to Riley.

Bullshit
.

Where that little voice had come from, Lexi had no idea. Nevertheless, it stopped her musings short. Bullshit?

Yes, damn it. Bullshit. If her plan had failed, it had nothing to do with Riley. Pinning all her hopes on one person was just plain dumb. It wasn’t his responsibility to make sure the project worked. It was Lexi’s. Why should he care what happened to the siblings? He’d never had a sibling with cancer. It had nothing to do with him. This was her baby. Not his. If she wanted it to work, she had to make it work. Had to come up with another plan. She had to go back to the drawing board and start again.

She’d known all along he might not make the donation. So what if he was the most likely source of money? He wasn’t the only source. She could do this. She could make this program work. She’d just have to work harder than she’d ever expected to. A lot harder. The project wasn’t going to bum out because AJ bloody Riley thought she was nothing better than a common hooker.

No way. She’d succeed despite the asshole. She’d do it for all those children out there. All the little Daniels and Lexis whose siblings had cancer. Dammit, if she could make it easier for them, she would. She didn’t need his help. She could do this without him.

For the kids. It was all for the kids.

Her shoulders relaxed a little and she hit the enter key on her keyboard. She typed feverishly and then hit enter again. The screen blinked and there it was—the file she’d been searching for.

The list of potential donors to POWS.

She’d started the list years before, when she’d first joined the hospital staff. Each year she’d added a couple of names as she learned who the big players in the fundraising game were. The list had grown substantially. After Daniel’s exhibition, its numbers were at an all-time high.

She’d find someone on that list to donate money, or she’d die trying. No way Riley was stopping her plans. She’d do it without the bastard. She scanned down the screen, waiting for a name to jump out at her, someone she hadn’t already contacted. Who would it be?

The Cancer Research Foundation? Their priority was research, not psychosocial support. What about Ronald McDonald House Charity? Nope. They ran their own similar programs. Any money they had, they’d plough back into their own projects. In fact, most of the other foundations on her list worked the same way. They used their cash to fund their own programs.

She considered private companies and scrolled down a couple of pages to the list of buyers from her brother’s exhibition. Some of the names were meaningless—she’d never heard of them. Several of them she gave careful consideration and then discarded with a simple shake of her head. Four names sounded familiar and she jotted down their details, considering them viable possibilities.

She’d compiled the list alphabetically, and her pulse quickened as she reached the Rs. Yes, Riley Corporation had been there. They’d bought four photos—and donated them straight back to the hospital, where they now hung at the entry to POWS. With the hefty price tag attached to each picture, the generosity of the company had, by no means, been small.

She drummed the desk and wondered who’d represented Riley’s at the exhibition. At the time, she’d been so wrapped up in the success of the evening she hadn’t taken note. Could Adam have been there?

Surely not. She would have noticed him. Hell, she would have sensed his presence across that cavernous gallery, pulling her like a magnet.

Maybe not. She’d hardly had a minute to herself that night. By the time the hive of activity had slowed to a gentle buzz, most of the crowd had left. The only people remaining behind so late into the night had been the core group involved in the exhibition set up, POWS staff members and close family and friends.

If Adam had been there, he’d have left by the time she’d had a chance to notice him. It was immaterial. She didn’t have time to ponder the matter. She needed to secure funds for the project.

Half an hour later, she rang through to the department secretary.

“Penny, I need your help,” she said when the petite blonde appeared in her office. She was on a mission and time was wasting. “This is a list of companies I’m thinking of approaching for money for the sibling program. Can you please do a little more research on them? Find out who the right people are to contact and when would be the best time to contact them. Also, please make up six more files of the proposal and send them off to those people. By the time I phone them, I want them to know who I am and why I’m trying to get in touch with them.”

Penny looked confused as she took the sheet of paper from her. “You’re still trying to raise funds?”

“Yes,” she said, trying to keep the bitterness from her voice. “I’m afraid I had no luck at Riley Corporation yesterday.” There was the understatement of the century. “I have to look elsewhere.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Let’s just say, um, AJ Riley and I didn’t get off to a great start. He’s somewhat less enthralled with the project than I’d hoped.”

Penny shook her head, looking no less puzzled for Lexi’s explanation. “Well, if that’s the case, why did Mr. Riley just phone to say he’d approved your request?”

“What?”

“AJ Riley phoned not five minutes ago. He was in a hurry and didn’t speak for long, just told me to tell you that you had the go-ahead. The funds were yours.”

Lexi gaped at Penny.

“I was on my way to your office to tell you when you buzzed,” the secretary said.

“What the fuck is he up to?” Lexi muttered to herself.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.” Lexi shook her head. “Just thinking out loud.”

What the hell kind of a game was Riley playing? He’d made his expectations quite clear. If she wanted the money, she’d have to sleep with him again. She’d told him where to shove his offer, yet he’d gone and approved the donation anyway. Just what exactly did the conniving bastard want in return?

More importantly, would she accept the money? How could she and still look him in the eye? She knew what he thought of her. Far as he was concerned, she’d earned it. A good night’s sex for a healthy little donation.

Good work, Tanner.

Now what? Would he expect her to sleep with him again? A small “thank you” for his generous gift? Would she want to sleep with him again?
Bugger.
She hadn’t meant to think about that.

The bastard had her in a no-win situation. If she accepted the donation, she looked like a hooker. If she didn’t, the program suffered.

The bastard. The cold, callous, heartless, cruel, vindictive bastard.

“He must be a nice man,” Penny said thoughtfully.

“Oh, yes.” Lexi snorted. “He’s a real charmer. Tell me, did he say anything else to you?”

“Just that he’d be in touch and you should wait for his call so you could iron out all the little details.”

“I should wait for his call?” Lexi asked, suddenly livid.

“That’s what he said.”

Lexi grabbed her keys and bag. “Arrogant asshole,” she snarled. “How dare he assume I would sit around waiting for his call?”

It was Penny’s turn to gape. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to have a chat with that nice man. If he wants to iron out the little details, believe me, I’m more than willing to press a couple of facts home.”