Caught by Surprise
By Marissa Archer
Date: June 18, 2018
Ch. 55


“You shouldn’t be such an eligible catch,” Allen joked.
“I can’t change who I am,” Tyler said grumpily.
“You need a lady who would see the date as business only,” Allen mused.
“And where would I find such a paragon of a woman?”
“Right before your eyes. You just need to open them,” Allen said as he sat on the corner of his desk. And folded his arms across his muscular chest.
“Who?” Tyler frowned. He couldn’t imagine who Allen was referring to.
Allen rolled his eyes.
“Lacy Bagby.”
“Lacy?”
“Yes! She would be perfect for the occasion,” Allen responded. “She’s intelligent and could answer any questions about our projects as well as you or me. And most importantly, she wouldn’t think your engagement as anything more than a business event.”
Tyler considered Allen’s suggestion. It could work. He would just have to do a little playacting to keep the women at bay.
“You may be onto something, Al. We would have to act as though we were a couple to ward off the man-eaters but that shouldn’t be a problem,” Tyler warmed to his subject. “I will just give Lacy a little coaching.”
“Are you sure about the playacting? Lacy is pretty shy and inexperienced. She would be more comfortable without the role playing,” Allen said in concern.
“Having her as my escort would not be enough without the role playing,” Tyler said. “If the ladies thought that she was a business associate only, they would pounce on me like a hungry tiger.”
“Be careful, Tyler. Lacy is vulnerable and I will not see her hurt,” Allen said sternly.
“I will not hurt her. I promise,” Tyler swore.
“Make damn sure you don’t,” Allen said flatly.
Tyler looked at Allen’s face and saw the protectiveness etched all over it. He felt sure that Allen would tear him apart, limb by limb, if he caused Lacy any pain. He saw her sweet face in his mind and realized that he would do the same if another man wounded her. She had a susceptibility about her that made you want to shield her from all harm. And he recognized the fact that he would do just that.

*****

Lacy was busy from the moment she entered the office the next day. She selected two women and one man to assume administration of her projects. The women were a bit sulky about having to finish her work; probably because they’d be forced to meet her high standards of work. Jaylen was given the new project and he was thrilled as Lacy had expected him to be. He was a go-getter with lots of enthusiasm and drive. Lacy knew he would supervise the project beautifully. After that she’d been in meetings with both Allen and Tyler until mid-afternoon. She then went into the staff kitchen and removed her sack lunch from the fridge when Tyler entered the room.
“Another sack lunch?” he quirked an eyebrow.
“Yes. I happen to enjoy chicken salad,” she smiled.
“Well, you can have chicken salad at Ribeiro’s. Let’s go,” he said.
He took the brown bag from her and tossed it back into the refrigerator. Then he caught her hand and pulled her from the kitchen and through the office. Once again Lacy felt the eyes of the employees boring through her back as Tyler towed her to the elevator. There were a lot of people waiting for the elevator and Tyler was impatient.
“Let’s take the stairs,” he said.
“All twenty-three flights of them?” Lacy asked incredulously.
He grinned.
“Out of shape?” he challenged.
Lacy was not one to turn down a challenge.
“I’ll be waiting for you on the first floor,” she boasted.
“Not if I get there first,” he said as he sped through the staircase door.
Lacy took off after him. As she always wore flats it was easy to keep up with him. But she knew she had to get ahead of him if she were to beat him. She got her chance on the twelfth floor when talkative group of people entered the stairwell and halted his flight. Lacy slipped past them and gained a full flight of steps ahead of him. She reached the first floor almost a minute before him. She snatched a magazine from the rack and sat in a lobby chair pretending to read. He found her thus when he arrived. He approached her and she glanced up at him.
“Oh! You’ve finally arrived. I nearly had taken root in this chair,” she said innocently.
“Smart-ass!” he snapped as he yanked her from the chair. “You wouldn’t have won had those people not gotten in my way.”
“My goodness! You are a sore loser,” she teased.
He grinned.
“There’s always the next.”
“Why bother? The result will be the same,” she giggled.
He looked into her glittering hazel eyes and had to laugh with her.
“We’ll see about that. Come on,” he urged.
They we back to Ribeiro’s and sat at the same table by the window as before. He ordered her a chicken salad that was a lot fancier than what she had brought for lunch and a monster bacon and cheese burger with fries and fresh fruit for him.
“Why have you shanghaied me?” she teased.
“I haven’t abducted you,” he objected. “I just wanted to talk with you.”
“About what? A new project?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he replied.
She wrinkled her forehead in confusion.
“I don’t understand.”
“The Brentwood Developers Reception is being held on Saturday and I need to attend,” he said.
“Yes, I am aware of it. Usually Mister Larson attends,” she said.
“Well, I want to invite you to go along with me. Your knowledge would be invaluable at the event. Will you accompany me?” he asked.
Lacy paused. She was actually excited to be asked. She had longed to go for the past three years but never had the courage to ask Mister Larson if she could attend. Now Tyler was inviting her. How lucky could she get?
“I would love to go. Thank you for asking me. And I promise I won’t let you down. I will review all of Larson projects and be fully up to date on them,” she said hurriedly.
“I have no doubt that you will be better versed on them than me,” he smiled wanly. “But there is one other thing that I want to discuss with you.”
“Yes?’
“I would like us to go as a couple; not just as employer-employee but as a man and woman who are involved,” he blurted.
“What?” Lacy was taken aback. She’d thought they were becoming friends but this was a huge jump.
“Let me explain,” he said hastily. “When I attend these functions I am besieged by women wanting my attention—romantic attention. It can be a bit overwhelming.”
Lacy smiled slyly.
“More than you can handle?’ she asked cheekily.
His eyes narrowed.
“No, it’s not more than I can handle. I just prefer not to have to,” he retorted.
“And here I thought that you were a gentleman of the world and thrived on such blatant devotion,” she smirked.
“Don’t get sassy. I can take back my offer.”
“You wouldn’t! I’ve wanted to attend this party for two years,” she cried.
He had guessed right. Attending the event was important to her. He had leverage. He cocked his eyebrow and waited.
“Alright,” she conceded. “I will stop teasing you.”
“But will you agree to our playacting?” he asked.



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