No Strings__ - By Janelle Denison Page 0,37
be giving the resort a unique and distinctive point of view that would ultimately award him the account. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have to personally believe in Hattie’s intuitive nature in order to pitch a convincing and effective campaign.
A few hours passed to midafternoon, and just when Ricardo called the final session a wrap and his crew began packing up all their equipment, Aiden caught sight of Chloe making her way down the pathway to the beach, clearly intending to enjoy the rest of her day now that her work was done. She was wearing a white cover-up and flip-flops, and was carrying a canvas tote bag. She headed toward the private cabanas set up on the sand, not even noticing him standing beneath a large palm tree with Ricardo, in the opposite direction.
As he waited for Ricardo to finish talking to the models, Aiden’s gaze strayed back to Chloe, who’d found a vacant cabana with two lounge chairs. She was peeling off her white frock. He nearly swallowed his tongue when she revealed the itty-bitty turquoise bikini that showcased her amazing figure. The top drew his attention to her full, pert breasts, and the tiny bottoms accentuated her slim hips and long, slender legs. She bent over to retrieve her suntan lotion from her bag, then began rubbing the silky oil along her shoulders, arms and chest, over her flat stomach, her thighs, her calves—making him wish he was with her to do the deed himself.
Once she was finished, she angled her chaise so it was in the sun, then reclined on the chair, her entire body glistening in the sunlight like a tempting offering to all mankind.
He bit back a groan of appreciation, and noticed a few other guys in the area casting surreptitious, lust-filled glances her way, too. A possessive emotion spiked through him, along with an unwanted urge to head over to Chloe to establish ownership of a woman that wasn’t his—other than sexually, and for only four more days.
You are such an idiot, Landry. Annoyed with himself and his barbaric, antiquated thoughts of claiming Chloe, he scrubbed a hand along his jaw and released a tension-filled breath, which did nothing to ease his internal frustration.
“You’ve got your hands full with that one.”
Ricardo’s comment snapped Aiden out of his silent thoughts and he redirected his attention back to the photographer. “Excuse me?” he asked, unsure what the guy meant.
Ricardo grinned in an all-knowing male way. “She has a lot of drive and ambition, in a way that’s going to keep a guy on his toes.”
Didn’t he know it. Professionally, the competition between them had always pushed him to excel, and now personally, he was beginning to feel challenged, as well. And not in a good way. “I’ve worked with her for two years and she definitely makes me bring my A-game to the table.”
Ricardo chuckled as he removed the long lens from his camera and packed it gently in a padded bag. “I bet she does. She said the two of you are competing for this account.”
“Yep.” He nodded, though it was hard to forget that another ad agency also had a hat in the ring. But for Aiden, his only true competition was Chloe. “The end results should be...interesting.”
“Well, good luck with the campaign. And Chloe,” Ricardo said meaningfully, a man-to-man look in his eyes. “Having an exciting woman in your life to keep you from becoming complacent isn’t a bad thing.”
Obviously the other man had seen the way he’d looked at Chloe just a few minutes ago, but Ricardo didn’t know his history when it came to women. One in particular—the one he’d chosen to marry. A woman who’d been vibrant, exciting and had provided enough challenges to always keep him guessing. A woman who’d completely destroyed a part of him with her selfish decision to put her career aspirations before anything else in her life, including their marriage vows to honor and respect one another.
Paige had completely shattered his trust, and putting that kind of faith in a woman again was a huge issue he’d carried with him since the divorce. While Paige had walked away without looking back and had gone on to climb the corporate ladder with a high-ranking firm in New York, she’d left Aiden questioning his judgment.
“Looks like a vulture is circling,” Ricardo said in amusement, his gaze trained in the direction of Chloe once again.
Aiden turned his head so quickly he came close to