No Strings__ - By Janelle Denison Page 0,44
with their campaign theme and branding message that would complement their PowerPoint presentations. Chloe had yet to nail her slogan for the St. Raphael Resort; she wanted something simple yet nuanced, and while she had a few ideas in mind, nothing had yet to grab her in terms of giving the client that clear message that would resonate with their target audience.
The one thing she was extremely excited about was the flash mob concept she’d come up with that gave the entire campaign a fun, fresh and hip feel, and would showcase all of the resort’s activities and focus on an entertaining matchmaking theme. The ad agency had the means to make the video a viral sensation that would sweep the internet and increase the resort’s visibility, while appealing to singles looking for a fun and unique way to find romance, and ultimately, love.
Love. The one word prompted Chloe’s heart to flutter wildly in her chest as she stared at Aiden, who was still deep in concentration as he typed away on his laptop computer, oblivious to anything but his campaign. Good God, had she done the unthinkable and fallen in love with Aiden? She swallowed hard in denial, but it was getting more and more difficult to dismiss the intense feelings he evoked that indicated she was perilously close to letting their brief island affair mess with her head and her emotions. And that had disaster written all over it for both of them.
They’d always been friends, and the sex between them had been nothing short of amazing, but spending the past week with him as an intimate couple had unlocked something inside of her that made her want...more. More time with Aiden, and not just between the sheets. And that was a huge revelation for her, considering she swore she’d never, ever, allow herself to be that vulnerable with another man again.
But there was no denying that she enjoyed being with Aiden. He made her laugh and he’d even pried some of her darkest memories out of her. She’d shared things with him she’d never intended to, let him into places she’d sealed off after her painful breakup with Neil—and that was something she’d never shared with anyone before.
But the fact remained, they were colleagues, working for a company with a strict no dating policy. She had goals for her future, and the promotion she wanted so badly was within her reach...yet a part of her wondered if she wanted it bad enough to walk away from Aiden after this week together. She gave her head a slight shake at how one-sided her thoughts were. While she and Aiden had had a great time together, he’d never given her any kind of indication that the two of them had a future beyond the resort. And even though she’d opened up about her past with him, he’d remained tight-lipped about his own divorce and what had transpired between him and his ex-wife. But he’d obviously been burned, and she was curious to know what had happened.
With a low groan, Aiden stretched his arms over his head and rolled his neck from side to side, easing the tension that had settled there. “I think I’m just about done.”
“Me, too,” she said, though there were a few things she needed to refine and tweak. But those could easily be done back at the office. “How did your presentation turn out?”
“Honestly, better than I’d anticipated,” he said, a pleased note to his voice. “I just have a few more final touches to add, but I have to admit that Hattie is quite a convincing matchmaker.”
Chloe knew he’d spent the past three days interviewing employees at the resort about the older woman’s reputation, along with perusing dozens upon dozens of letters written from past guests about how accurate Hattie’s predictions had been. Considering how the woman’s skills directly related to the resort’s main purpose of pairing up compatible singles, Hattie’s expertise was hugely overlooked and underutilized. Especially from an advertising perspective.
“It’s a fantastic marketing angle,” she said, then took a long, cool drink from her bottled water.
“So is your flash mob concept.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled indulgently. “It’s very current and trendy.”
“Thanks.” Despite the fact that Perry had instructed them to develop individual campaigns, Chloe appreciated that she and Aiden trusted each other enough to bounce ideas off one another to help refine their own strategies. He was incredibly creative and insightful, and she loved brainstorming with him.
“I guess