Page 15 of The Problem with Playboys

Five

“Mr. Sullivan says you’re the best at what you do, Ms. Burnett,” Marcus said as they all took a seat in his sprawling living room.

Chloe shot Marcus an inquisitive look. “He does?”

Parker didn’t get embarrassed, but something about Chloe made his cheeks flush with heat. “I did. I told him that I would only hire the best.”

“Hmm,” she said, still appraising him with those big brown eyes of hers. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

You can thank me later.He definitely had Chloe, the pool and the lack of a bathing suit on the brain. Would she be open if he made a move? He gauged his chances at 50/50, which weren’t great odds. He felt as though most women he met were an open book, but Chloe? She was toying with him...warm one minute and chilly the next.

“I’d like to go ahead and do your interview prep,” Chloe said to Marcus.

“You mean like feed me the answers?” Marcus asked.

“Actually, I’ll feed you what I think will be the questions. And only the worst of them. It will give you a chance to practice your answers in front of Parker and me. We’ll give you some feedback and you’ll be that much more relaxed for these interviews.”

Marcus nodded. “That sounds good.”

“We don’t want you caught off guard,” Chloe added.

Parker’s phone buzzed in his pocket several times. He needed to let Chloe get to work, but he also needed to check on what was so urgent. “Excuse me for a moment.” He wandered into the kitchen while Chloe and Marcus got started in the living room. He dug his phone out of his pocket and saw two text messages. The first was from Jessica, the woman who did investigative work for Parker’s agency. She was the younger sister of one of his clients and unbelievably talented at tracking down the most obscure dirt and information.

Getting closer with @LittleBlackBook. I’ll keep digging.

Thank you,Parker responded. Chloe had told him to not do this, but Parker needed this Marcus story to not only die a quick death, but a complete one. He didn’t want to deal with this more than once. Although the interviews and positive publicity would help, it only made sense that shutting down the source of the gossip would really buy him some peace of mind.

The second message was from his dad.Have you straightened things out with Oscar Bratt? He and I are in the same golf tournament in two weeks. I’d like to know I can talk to him without embarrassment.

How Parker hated the complete lack of faith his father had in him. It had been like this for as long as he could remember, and Parker had no idea how to fix it. All he could do was keep trying.He’ll be happy with Marcus’s next steps. I promise.

Are you meeting with him while you’re there?

No. He’s on vacation with his family.

That didn’t seem to warrant another message from his dad, so Parker tucked his phone into his pocket. He was about to join Marcus and Chloe, but they were already deep in conversation and it was clear that he would only be interrupting. He pulled up a barstool at the kitchen island to watch their prep session. Marcus was clearly enamored of Chloe. Charmed by her, even. And as Parker studied her, the way she was so focused and earnest, it only made him that much hotter for her. He was still reeling from the neck rub on the airplane. He’d started it innocently enough, but the instant his hands touched her shoulders and he saw the luscious view down the front of her silky blouse, he continued out of pure selfish desire. He’d imagined her breasts in his hands, his tongue on her nipples, her perfect manicure raking through his hair. He was going to have to make at least a cursory attempt at getting her into the pool that night. Miami was his one chance at Chloe. Once they returned to New York, it would be game over.

After about an hour of prep, the crew from the men’s fitness magazine arrived at the house. They started with a short interview, which Chloe and Parker observed from a distance. She watched it all like a hawk, acting as Marcus’s protector, silently mouthing the answers to questions and smiling and nodding when he did well. Parker appreciated just how seriously she took her job. He also admired the view as her face lit up and she remained laser focused. She was more than sexy. She was flat-out adorable. His desire for this day to be over was growing by the moment. He only wanted to be alone with her. See if there was something there, even if it was only for one night.

The interview complete, the team embarked on the photo shoot, which included a weight session in his home gym, then things like stretches and yoga poses out on the picturesque patio near his pool. Chloe was busy during this part as well, working with the photographer and making sure they were only capturing Marcus’s best angles and features. That was done by five o’clock, leaving little time for Marcus to shower and change into proper clothes for his interview with the architectural magazine. That one was a bit more of a walk in the park as they focused on Marcus’s marvel of a home and not on the controversy. They were set to send a full camera team in a few days to gather the rest of the material for the feature.

By 7:30, it was back to being just the three of them. “I’m starving,” Marcus said. “It was probably dumb of me to give my personal chef the day off, huh?”

“Should we order a pizza?” Parker asked as his stomach rumbled.

“I had my assistant order some Thai food. It should be here shortly,” Chloe said.

“Thank you, Ms. Burnett,” Marcus said. “That was really thoughtful of you.”

“Please. Marcus. Call me Chloe,” she replied.

Parker pulled her aside, gently gripping her arm and wishing he could touch more of her. “You really don’t miss a beat, do you?”

She smiled and shrugged. “I’m just as hungry as you two. And I knew I wouldn’t want to wait once the second writer left.”

“Don’t play it off, Chloe. You were amazing today. You didn’t have to think twice about what you were doing. Marcus clearly adores you. You handled everything with both writers perfectly. They had nothing but the utmost respect for you.”

“Careful, Parker. It almost sounds like you’re impressed.”