A private car drove Laura Blake back to her hotel. The Westin Excelsior was situated on one of Rome’s most famous avenues, the Via Veneto, immortalized by Fellini’s classic “La Dolce Vita.”
By the time she made her way through the lobby and up the elevators to her room and hopped into the shower it was past midnight. And she was too tired, she thought, to be pissed or angry with Eric for his behavior. It was obvious that Eric Clayton had lost his mind today.
As the hot water sprayed over her, she couldn’t help but recall the day’s events and the crazy circumstances that had brought them both to Rome. It was hardly the ideal situation, in fact, far from it. But she had to go with the flow. Complaining or acting displeased wasn’t going to change anything. It would be petty and futile. After all, she was a professional, and despite every attempt by Eric to turn it personal, she’d contained herself throughout their meeting.
It had run late, longer than she’d anticipated, but thank god it had finally ended. He’d been difficult at every turn, arguing every point, dismissing every idea, all in an attempt to provoke her. On purpose, she knew. All because she’d repeatedly rebuked his advances. It irked him that she didn’t cave, fall at his feet, or reciprocate his interest. It was driving him crazy, crazy enough to push for a reaction – but she wouldn’t give him one.
Playing it cool had been the name of the game. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin, of making her succumb to her emotions. Yes, calm and collected was exactly how she’d dealt with him. Any display of fire would’ve perhaps given the impression or signaled a mutual attraction. At this point, she wasn’t interested in giving him the green light.
As far as she was concerned, they were professional colleagues only, working for one of the most respected public relations firm in the country, and would remain as such for the interim. Besides, crossing professional boundaries was never a good idea anyway. A bad career move. She valued her reputation too much to do otherwise.
However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t flattered or didn’t find him attractive. On the contrary, she found him very attractive. Working with him, being in close proximity to him day in and day out had tested her resolve in a big way. What with his six foot frame, movie star looks, a cross between Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, the man was a walking temptation if there ever was one. To compound that, he’d been mercilessly vocal about wanting her, but as usual, she’d resisted. To her dismay, that didn’t stop him, not in the least.
There was nothing Eric loved more than a good challenge. In fact, he thrived on it. So being true to his nature, he continued to pursue, and she’d retreat. He persisted, and she’d rebuffed. The cat and mouse game had been going on for a while, and she didn’t know how much longer she could dodge his advances before she broke.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, she now had to work even closer with him on the latest celebrity debacle. One of his high profile clients was in the midst of a publicity nightmare.
Helena St. Andrews, a young Hollywood starlet was caught by the paparazzi with a married Italian politician frolicking on a yacht on the French Riviera. By the time the couple returned to Rome, news of their escapades had become headline news from coast to coast. The media had gone into a frenzy by reporting every salacious detail they could find to feed a hungry public on both sides of the Atlantic.
Laura knew the repercussions were going to be huge, so did Eric. A scandal of this magnitude required a public relations/crisis management expert with a proven track record in saving careers and reputations before it turned into ashes. She was that person.
The firm had decided that combining their skills on behalf of Helena St. Andrews would be the best course of action. A collective strategy stood a better
By the time she made her way through the lobby and up the elevators to her room and hopped into the shower it was past midnight. And she was too tired, she thought, to be pissed or angry with Eric for his behavior. It was obvious that Eric Clayton had lost his mind today.
As the hot water sprayed over her, she couldn’t help but recall the day’s events and the crazy circumstances that had brought them both to Rome. It was hardly the ideal situation, in fact, far from it. But she had to go with the flow. Complaining or acting displeased wasn’t going to change anything. It would be petty and futile. After all, she was a professional, and despite every attempt by Eric to turn it personal, she’d contained herself throughout their meeting.
It had run late, longer than she’d anticipated, but thank god it had finally ended. He’d been difficult at every turn, arguing every point, dismissing every idea, all in an attempt to provoke her. On purpose, she knew. All because she’d repeatedly rebuked his advances. It irked him that she didn’t cave, fall at his feet, or reciprocate his interest. It was driving him crazy, crazy enough to push for a reaction – but she wouldn’t give him one.
Playing it cool had been the name of the game. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin, of making her succumb to her emotions. Yes, calm and collected was exactly how she’d dealt with him. Any display of fire would’ve perhaps given the impression or signaled a mutual attraction. At this point, she wasn’t interested in giving him the green light.
As far as she was concerned, they were professional colleagues only, working for one of the most respected public relations firm in the country, and would remain as such for the interim. Besides, crossing professional boundaries was never a good idea anyway. A bad career move. She valued her reputation too much to do otherwise.
However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t flattered or didn’t find him attractive. On the contrary, she found him very attractive. Working with him, being in close proximity to him day in and day out had tested her resolve in a big way. What with his six foot frame, movie star looks, a cross between Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, the man was a walking temptation if there ever was one. To compound that, he’d been mercilessly vocal about wanting her, but as usual, she’d resisted. To her dismay, that didn’t stop him, not in the least.
There was nothing Eric loved more than a good challenge. In fact, he thrived on it. So being true to his nature, he continued to pursue, and she’d retreat. He persisted, and she’d rebuffed. The cat and mouse game had been going on for a while, and she didn’t know how much longer she could dodge his advances before she broke.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, she now had to work even closer with him on the latest celebrity debacle. One of his high profile clients was in the midst of a publicity nightmare.
Helena St. Andrews, a young Hollywood starlet was caught by the paparazzi with a married Italian politician frolicking on a yacht on the French Riviera. By the time the couple returned to Rome, news of their escapades had become headline news from coast to coast. The media had gone into a frenzy by reporting every salacious detail they could find to feed a hungry public on both sides of the Atlantic.
Laura knew the repercussions were going to be huge, so did Eric. A scandal of this magnitude required a public relations/crisis management expert with a proven track record in saving careers and reputations before it turned into ashes. She was that person.
The firm had decided that combining their skills on behalf of Helena St. Andrews would be the best course of action. A collective strategy stood a better
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