Seducing Chase (7 page)

Val spun to face him. “I’m not
afraid
of anything.”

Nate raised an arrogant brow. Yeah, she wasn’t fooling either one of them. “Sure you’re not. You’re scared as hell, but you still want me.” He backed her into the corner of the elevator and plunged his hands into her hair. His insistent hardness was evident even through their clothing and Val barely bit back a moan. Just as his lips began to descend the elevator dinged and she escaped his arms.

“I have to go.” After she reached her car and got in, she banged her head on the headrest. “Dammit! Why does the first guy who’s interested me in way too long have to be him? He’s leaving.”
He’s gorgeous.
“He’s the cockiest guy I’ve ever seen.”
He makes you feel good.
She growled at her own traitorous thoughts.
Maybe when this was all over I should sign up with one of those Internet dating services.
And her inner voice snorted.
Nate will make those guys pale in comparison.
She liked him. She hated him. But worst of all, she was starting to crave him.

*****

Nate fell onto the bed in his hotel room and pushed speed dial four on his cell phone. His friend Andrew answered. “So you
are
alive.”

Nate snorted. “Of course I’m alive.”

“Where did you disappear to? Lesli’s being very close-lipped about it.”

“It’s not really a secret, I just don’t want to publicize where I am to the world at large.”

“Now I’m intrigued.”

“I came up to Buffalo to help out a friend who’s going through a PR crisis, but if the press gets wind that I’m around it’ll get blown up even bigger than it already is. It would be another headache for my friend, so I’m keeping my head down and staying behind the scenes.”

“Ah, incognito. Got it.”

“Anyway, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Uh-oh, I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Trust me, you’ll be only too happy to do this for me. Lesli reminded me I was supposed to take Marisa McCall to the costume gala at the Met this weekend, and there’s no way I’m going to be home in time to go. Would you call her and tell her I asked you to step in for me? Lesli can give you her number.”

“Marisa McCall? The actress? You, my friend, are wrapped in gold. How do you get these girls to agree to go out with you in the first place?”

“It must be my natural charm. Look—will you do this for me?”

Andrew snorted. “Sure. And you’re right. It’s hardly a difficult thing to escort a gorgeous woman to a party. What were you supposed to go as?”

“That reminds me. Lesli can also let you into my apartment. My costume should’ve been delivered sometime this week. It should fit you.”

“What is it, or do I not want to know?”

Nate laughed. “It’s not that bad. I was going as Anthony to her Cleopatra.”

“Why am I not surprised Marisa would want to be Cleopatra?”

“Because she’s an actress?”

“Probably. So when are you going to grace us with your presence again?”

“I’m not sure.” Nate frowned when he realized he was rubbing his forehead. “It’s kind of a mess up here.”

“So who’s this friend? I didn’t know you
had
any friends who you’d drop your business for.”

“He’s an old friend from my college days who got me through some real rough patches. I owed him.”

“I guess so. I can’t even imagine how much you’re missing out on in billing.”

“I’ll survive. I have enough money.”

“Whatever you say. Personally, there’s never enough money. Or women.”

“Dude, please don’t be a dog on Saturday night. Marisa will throw a hissy fit if you do.”

“I’ll behave. Well, as much as I can.”

Nate barked out a laugh. “Just be nice.”

After hanging up, Nate laced his hands behind his head and studied the ceiling in his lonely, empty hotel room. Nate lived alone, but he’d never felt so disconnected from the world around him. In New York City there were always a wealth of diversions, but he didn’t know the area around here and was loath to call Val to get some suggestions. He certainly wasn’t going to bother Doug with his boredom.

Nate wasn’t sure how to convince Val their being together, even if it was short-term, wasn’t a mistake. Uncertainty was a foreign feeling to him, and he didn’t like it a bit. He wanted her, sure, but it wasn’t just a physical ache at this point. He needed to know what made her tick, what made her laugh, what made her moan, as much as he needed breath. Shifting in the bed, he began to devise a strategy.

Val arrived at work the next morning to a message from a reporter for Oncology Times, the largest cancer-centered magazine out there. She booted up her computer but decided to call the reporter back before she got immersed in other work. Glancing at the number she’d written down on the legal pad in front of her, she dialed. The receptionist answered and rang her through to the reporter’s office.

“Nicole Reagan.”

“Hi Nicole, it’s Val Chase from Cancer Care Center of Buffalo.”

There was a brief pause and then Nicole said, “Yes, Val. Thanks for calling me back.”

“Sure.”

“Listen, I’ve gotten orders from on high to hold CCC’s planned profile until this thing with your doctor is resolved. I’m really sorry, Val. It’s not my decision.”

Val closed her eyes and shook her head, a headache already forming behind her eyes. She’d worked really hard to get that feature. Although she knew she was probably being dramatic, Val couldn’t help the feeling that so much of her work was going down the drain, that the hospital was in real trouble and nothing she could do would change that. Public relations only went so far. They needed to find Dr. Godlowski. “I know. It’s not your fault.”

“I really am sorry. I was excited to see the piece run. It’s some of my best writing.”

“I’m sorry too. Thanks for giving me the warning.”

“No problem. Call us back when you get some sort of resolution and we’ll see what we can do for you then. Unfortunately, things are going to depend on how much space we have at that point.”

“I understand.” After listening to Nicole apologize again, Val hung up. Pillowing her head in her arms, she collapsed onto the desk.

“Bad morning already?”

Her head popped up at the sound of Nate’s voice. “Yeah. Oncology Times is pulling a big spread until further notice.”

“That sucks.”

Val raised an eyebrow. “How eloquent.”

Nate shrugged in response. “Sometimes succinct is best.” He paused for a beat and then said, “So what do you wanna do now?”

“I have a mountain of work. I need to get some projects off my desk. What about you?”

“I’m at your disposal.”
For work, Val. Keep your focus.

She took a deep breath. “Do you know how to use Verde?”

“The press release software? Haven’t used it in a while, but I’m sure I can figure it out.”

“Your assistant probably does all that kind of thing for you, I know, but I need to get a couple of releases scheduled for the next few days. The positive press machine has got to chug again.”

“Agreed. Email me the releases.”

“They’re technically not part of the stuff you’re helping with. Are you sure you want to do it?”

“Val, send me the releases. I’m here. Let me help.”

She considered, but decided she couldn’t turn down someone offering to assist her. “Okay. All the settings that are in it now should be fine as far as who receives the release, and the program should be installed on the computer in your office.”

“No problem. I think we should call another press conference to give an update on the investigation.”

Val blinked. “But there’s no update.”

“That doesn’t matter. You need to say something. You can’t appear to have your head in the sand.”

“We don’t, but we still have a hospital to run. This isn’t our only story.”

“Then tell the press that. Make it sound like you’re going after this guy with everything you have, and then refocus their attention on something else. Is there some other doctor or project we can trot out for them that we didn’t use for the spots?”

Val stretched her neck from side to side. An ache was creeping in to join the pounding in her head.
Wonderful.
“Probably. Let me make a few phone calls. I know some of the people I’d considered weren’t available. Maybe they are now.”

“Send me those releases and I’ll get that off your plate while you’re wrangling someone for the press conference. Shall I ask the department secretary to get a hold of the media outlets?”

“Please. Or find an intern. One of them handled the phone calls last time.” Val turned to her computer and bit her lip when she saw she had over two hundred unread messages in her email. They’d just have to wait. Picking up the phone, she called the head of the breast cancer department. When his secretary put her through, she said, “Dr. Jones. I’m glad I caught you between patients. I know today is your clinic day, but I was wondering if you would be willing to do me a favor.” At his wary assent, she continued. “We’re holding a press conference later today and I was wondering if you’d present the results of that flax seed study.”

“I thought we were holding that for The Cancer Times.”

Val briefly bit her lip. “Yes, well, we think it would be a good idea to get some positive press out there, considering our situation.”

Dr. Jones made a dismissive noise. “You think hearing that flax seed may be able to help prevent breast cancer is going to make the press forget that one of our doctors stole nearly five million dollars from this institute? You’re either naïve or delusional.”

Dr. Jones had always been a tough nut to crack but his research was, from Val’s knowledge, the most promising results to come out of the hospital in a couple of months. “I understand your concern, Dr. Jones, but we’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to allow the press to dwell on the incident. A smokescreen is one way to get them off our backs.”

“If you were the press, what would you focus on? Research results aren’t sexy. Stealing and mysteriously disappearing is. It sells newspapers. It gets ratings.”

“Yes, but we have no idea when or even if we’ll find Dr. Godlowski, and we need to move on and show the world Cancer Care Center is still doing great work.” Val was frustrated Dr. Jones didn’t appear to want to help out the hospital that had employed him for almost twenty years. It wasn’t like she was asking for more than a few hours.

“I’m sorry, Val. I’d like to help you, but I have a reputation to consider. I’m part of the commission making the breast cancer screening guidelines. I can’t associate myself with this scandal any more than I already have just by working here.”

Selfish jerk.
“Thank you for your time.”
Like his precious reputation wouldn’t survive this.
Dr. Jones was one of the leading scientists in the area of breast cancer research worldwide. No matter what he thought, he’d be fine. As she hung up, she blew a loud breath. “Where now?”

“You talking to yourself?”

Val’s head whipped around. Nate stood in the doorway. “No, it would appear I’m talking to you. Did you need something?”

“Just looking for a little assistance posting the first release.” Nate actually looked a little sheepish and Val couldn’t help but relish his discomfort a little. “I guess it’s been longer than I thought since I’ve dealt with this stuff.” Jerking his head toward the phone, he asked, “No luck?”

“No. I’ve only tried one doctor, but he didn’t want to associate himself with the scandal, even if we were publicizing his research.”

Nate nodded. “Can’t say as I blame him, but I hope someone comes through for you. Do you have time for this? I could muddle through but I’d hate to do something wrong.”

“Yeah, it shouldn’t take long.” Rising, she followed Nate down the hall. After helping re-familiarize him with the press release software while at the same time keeping as much personal space as possible so she wasn’t tempted to jump the man, she went back to her office and began to comb through the last two months of releases looking for another marketable story they hadn’t already pounded into the pavement. She came upon one for a doctor who had joined the hospital just six weeks ago.

Bet she’s jumping for joy that she left Harvard Medical Center for this.

Dr. Zhang was a thoracic surgeon who specialized in lung-reduction surgery for lung cancer patients. It had been quite a coup for the hospital to land her, but Val hadn’t done much more than her press release and a short video to add to their thoracic CD for patients. Hopefully with her being new she would be amenable to helping out. Dialing the doctor’s extension, she waited for her to pick up. “Dr. Zhang, this is Val Chase from Public Relations.”

“Hello. How are you? Not so good these days, yes?”

Val laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yes, not so good. Look, I was wondering if I could introduce you to the media during a press conference we’re planning to hold later today.”

“Ah, a diversionary tactic.”

Val sighed. “Yeah. We’ve got to wrench the focus off Dr. Godlowski and back onto the wonderful work we do here. Meeting you and hearing about this state-of-the-art surgical technique might take some of the spotlight off the incident.”

“Do you really think that will work? I mean, I’m willing to help out however I can, I’m just not sure how effective it will be.”

“It’s all we have right now, so we’re going to try.” Val gave Dr. Zhang all the details about the press conference and then hung up. Leaning back in her chair, she put a hand on the back of her neck to rub it. After a few moments, Val forced herself out of her chair and went to check on Nate. “Hey. We’ve got a victim…I mean, a doctor who’s willing to help us out today.”

He grinned. “Glad you’re keeping a sense of humor about this.”

“What else can I do? How are you coming with those?”

“Just about done. Want me to draft the talking points for the press conference?”

“That would be great. It would give me time to get a few other things taken care of, like the two-hundred-plus and counting unread emails in my inbox.”

“Ouch. Well, let me know if you need help with anything else.” Nate rose and walked toward the door and Val took an involuntary step back. His brows rose as he held on to the door jamb. “I was just going to close this so I could concentrate.”

“Yes, of course. Sure.”

Why does he have to look and smell so damn good?

Spinning on her heel, Val went back to her own office and shut the door. “If he can concentrate, so can I.” With that, she sat down to sort through her ever-increasing email load.

*****

Later that afternoon, Val was supervising the setup for the press conference when Nate handed her the talking points. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since he’d agreed to write them, as she’d gotten involved in putting out fire after fire stemming from her email and voicemail boxes. As she read, her eyes widened in shock and a flush spread up her neck to her face. Pointing to the page, she asked, “What is this?”

“Talking points.”

“Like hell.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with them?”

Glancing at the page in her hand, she said, “They’re inflammatory. They’re over the top. And you’re promising things we don’t know if we can deliver.”

“Better than letting them think you’re burying your head in the sand.”

Val faced him square on. “We’re not burying our head in the sand!”

“You aren’t exactly following my advice, either.”

“Oh, so you
are
in charge? I wasn’t aware of that.” She knew her lip had curled into a sneer, but this guy pushed every button she had, especially that niggling little voice in the back of her mind that told her she was losing her grip on things and possibly her job.

He put up his hands in supplication. “Of course not. You and Doug are in charge, but he brought me in to help and so far you’ve argued with nearly everything I’ve suggested.”

“That’s because–”

Any further arguments were cut off by the approach of Doug’s secretary, who told them Doug was stuck with a potential donor and wouldn’t be able to make the press conference. Val looked out at the crowd of reporters and cameramen assembling and sighed.

“You can’t cancel now,” Nate warned. “You’re going to have to do it.”

“What about one of the other executives?”

Nate raised an eyebrow. “You want to trust one of them not to say something inadvisable with no advance preparation?”

Wincing, Val said, “No.”

“Then you’ll do it. You’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Look, I’ll stick around for a bit and make sure everything is going well. If you need a little confidence boost, just look over at me.”

Val regarded him. “What’re you going to do, get out pompoms and start cheering?”

The corner of Nate’s mouth twitched and Val’s gaze was diverted briefly to it before she recovered herself. “I’ll do whatever I have to. I always do.”

“Ah, is that what you tell your slimy clients when a sex tape shows up or they’re caught beating their wives?”

As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, but she couldn’t bring herself to take it back, despite knowing it was a defense mechanism against allowing him into her heart. Nate just gave her one of those sardonic smiles and moved to the back of the room. Val turned to greet Dr. Zhang, who had just stepped into the auditorium. They conferred briefly and Val couldn’t help feeling like pond scum for inferring all his clients were horrible people. Still, she wondered what he saw in the line of work he’d chosen. Was he so focused on money that he didn’t care how he got it? And why did that thought bother her so much?