Winner Takes All by Jacqui Moreau Read Free Book Online Page A

thought, as she considered this excellent reason not to proceed with the plan, he makes a valid point. “But the core idea is good, isn’t it? Let’s make her jealous.”
    Mark stared at his jicama salad thoughtfully. “How?”
    Although the suggestion hadn’t been more than something tossed off casually, the more she thought about it the more it appealed to her. “We’ll let her think there’s something up between you and me.” This idea appealed to him. She could see it in the way he looked at her. “We’ll flirt. We’ll hold hands. Compliment me on my outfits. Say to Ruth, ‘Doesn’t Eva look beautiful tonight,’” she said, warming up to her subject. “Act distracted. When she calls and asks you to do something, tell her you have plans with me. Don’t be at her beck and call. Let her know what it’s like to share. It’ll drive her wild. Trust me. The only reason Ruth isn’t in love with you is she doesn’t have to be. She has you all to herself without the paranoia and insecurity of a relationship. It’s safer, of course, which is nice, but considerably less satisfying. It’s time we made her aware of that. What do you say?”
    Eva was almost positive Mark would say no. He was impervious to madcap schemes.
    “All right,” he said, surprising her. “Let’s do it.”
    She threw her arms around him. “You are so not going to regret this. Just wait and see. Ruth will be putty in your hands before the end of the year.”
    He laughed. “I don’t know about that, but it’s worth a try.”
    “Excellent. We’ll get started right away.”
    “But what about you?” he asked.
    Eva looked at him over her spoon. The consommé was wonderful. “What about me?”
    “Is there anybody who might get upset with our flirting?”
    Reed’s face flashed through Eva’s mind. She knew it was stupid—he wasn’t anything to her—and she refused to think about it. “Nope,” she said, with a superbright smile.
    Mark wasn’t fooled. “Tell me about him.”
    He eyes were wide and innocent. “About whom?”
    “Butler, I’m a reporter, for God’s sake. It’s my job to notice when heads of state are lying. You’re amateur city.”
    She paused for a moment, and deciding it would feel good to tell someone about her day, she said, “Do you know Coleman Hammond Jr.?”
    “Of course. The media mogul. Hammond Communications publishes World Events, the best newsmagazine out there.”
    “I had a meeting with him today.”
    “Uh-oh.”
    This was not the response Eva was expecting. “Uh-oh?”
    “Stay away from him. He’s a player. If there is indeed a broken heart for every light on Broadway, then half of them are thanks to Hammond.”
    Eva laughed. “I appreciate the warning, my friend, but it’s completely unnecessary. My meeting with the great Hammond never happened. I couldn’t get past the gatekeeper.” The look of relief on Mark’s face was almost comical. “Relax, even if I were interested in the media mogul himself, I could handle it. Trust me, I’m a big girl now.”
    Mark didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. “So if not Hammond, then who?”
    “One of his underlings. From the cut of his suit, I’d say an executive vice president something or other. We had lunch to discuss Wyndham’s bid for the Hammond art collection. It was just lunch, but I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s been a long time since I’ve met a man who interests me this much. He’s seems too perfect to be real: handsome, intelligent, great sense of humor, knows how to listen.” Eva closed her eyes and sighed. “God, listen to me. I sound like a besotted schoolgirl.”
    He smiled wryly. “Join the club. So what are you going to do about it?”
    Fearing that her friend was about to break into a lecture about taking risks and seizing the moment, she held up her hand. “Don’t even think it. Our situations are completely different. If I’m still pining for this guy in ten years, then we can talk about what