Winning Her Rival's Heart

By Elle Fielding

Love thy rival...

 

Winning the promotion she's up for at work is all Abby Gillis cares about. Well, it is until she's forced to move in with her rival, Justin D'Marco. Suddenly she's falling for Justin. Big time! And now Abby has two competitions on her hands - the one at work, and the one for Justin's heart. If she wins one will she lose the other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elle Fielding
• Release date: Nov 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645585827

Elle Fielding

Elle Fielding is a true-blue Aussie who's as passionate about romance as Melbourne is about its four-seasons-in-one-day weather. Her love affair with romance novels started in her teens, fuelled by a steady diet of Dolly Fiction, Love Stories, Loveswept, and those irresistible Harlequin Mills & Boon tales. With a diary full of her own unrequited crushes, Elle figured it was high time to start creating some love stories of her own. Elle's first crack at writing romance was, let's just say, a learning curve. But she's been honing her skills, swapping out personal misadventures for the sweeping world of fiction. She's now living the dream, writing her own romance novels and loving every minute of it. When she's not busy writing or getting lost in a good book (or audiobook), Elle's living her own fairy tale on the Mornington Peninsula with her very own Mr. Perfect. For Elle, life's all about capturing those happily-ever-afters, both in her stories and beyond the pages.

Book preview

One: Stranded

Abby Gillis glared at the red Subaru Impreza that had just pulled off the Nepean Highway and parked behind her. Could her day get any worse? Not bloody likely. Not when the only person who’d bothered to stop to help this morning was Justin D’Marco. Come to think of it, there was no way Justin had pulled over to help her. The only reason her long-time rival would pull off the highway on his way to the office would be to gloat over her misfortune before leaving her in the dust!

He had a smirk on his lips as he exited his car. Morning, Gillis.

Abby was tempted to tell him to get back in his car and keep on driving, but she was already late for work. The nearest petrol station was kilometres away and it was too early for any of the other businesses along the highway to be open yet. And since she’d forgotten her mobile phone for the first time in her life, she couldn’t call roadside assist. Which left her stranded on the side of the road and at the mercy of her work rival.

It was a horrible way to start off the week, but she was just going to have to swallow her pride and ask Justin for a lift. It was Monday morning. Like her, he was on his way to Kale & Wells, the marketing firm they both worked for. It wouldn’t cost him anything to help her. Not that he’d let her off that easy. She would just have to owe him one. Ugh. Was that acid she could taste at the back of her throat?

Flat tyre? he asked.

She curbed the urge to respond with sarcasm. I think I ran over a nail.

No spare?

It was punctured a while ago and I forgot to get it patched. And I left my mobile at home.

His expression was far too smug. Sounds like you need a ride.

Yes. Then she added through gritted teeth, Please.

It’s going to cost you.

She closed her eyes briefly and prayed for strength. She had an idea of what he was going to ask for, but he had to know the answer would be no. She would rather sit here on the side of the road and rot than give him the Clover Girls’ underwear campaign.

Not that.

Come on, Gillis. You know I’m amazing at selling underwear.

Yes, she did know that. Which was precisely why she had to make sure he never got his hands on it. She’d had to work her arse off to land that account. He had rocks in his head if he thought she was just going to hand it over.

That’s probably because you have too much experience in taking it off, she said. Or maybe you have other inclinations...

Remind me which one of us needs the other’s help right now.

She knew she needed to play nice to secure a ride into work, but Justin always made her feel so...off balance.

Forget it, she said, chin raised. I’ll walk.

It was better than spending the entire ride trying to bite her tongue. So what if she got to work a few hours late?

Except she absolutely loathed to be late.

Justin looked down at her shoes. Have fun with that.

She followed his gaze down to her red suede high-heels. The diamante buckles on them sparkled in the sunlight. They were wholly unpractical, but she loved them. Walking the few kilometres to the nearest petrol station would surely ruin them.

Oh, who was she kidding? There was no way she was walking along the highway or rotting on the side of the road. Not when there was work to be done.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Justin’s smirk returned. And this was why she had to snag the promotion to Creative Director in the new Sydney office. Justin D’Marco had been driving her crazy on a daily basis ever since she’d joined Kale & Wells six years ago. If one of them didn’t leave the state soon, she would probably end up killing him.

I won’t give up Clover’s.

I wasn’t going to ask you to hand it over. I was thinking more along the lines of sharing it.

The idea was so absurd she actually laughed. She’d rather make a deal with the devil than work on a project with Justin.

Is that a no?

You are so not sharing the credit with me.

Fine. His blue eyes danced with mischief as his gaze caught and held hers. What will you give me instead?

The suggestive tone, the wicked grin, the way he was leaning forward ever so slightly so she could smell the sporty scent of his aftershave, it all made her feel as if she’d just had the wind knocked out of her. She felt herself blush all the way from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, his close proximity flipping the dial on her internal thermostat from cool to boiling.

She should have been immune. She wanted to be immune. So what if he was attractive? Okay, very attractive. That didn’t change the fact that he was her biggest competition for the promotion she wanted, and a thorn in her side any given day of the week.

I won’t put my hand up for the Spencer’s catalogue next month. How’s that? she asked, struggling to keep a lid on her exasperation.

Weak, Gillis. I’m your ticket out of here and you’re offering me crumbs.

She sighed. What do you want then? I mean, aside from taking the credit for all my hard work on the Clover’s campaign?

Hmm, what do I want?

He tapped a finger against his chin as if he was carefully contemplating the question. She wasn’t fooled, though. He’d probably known what he wanted from her the moment he saw her car on the side of the road and realised she needed a ride.

I hear Tom Welcock is looking at us to advertise his new restaurant.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

He grinned again, making her feel off balance once more.

They’d both worked with Tom Welcock in the past, and one thing they could actually agree on was that the man was a giant pain in the butt. He wasn’t their biggest client by any means, but he expected to be treated as such. Because Abby and Justin were considered the cream of the crop at Kale & Wells, Welcock would ask to work with one of them on his next project. It was a toss-up between them unless Abby volunteered to take it on, and she really, really didn’t want to work with Welcock again.

I can’t take on a new account, Justin. I have too much work on my plate already.

He stepped backwards and shrugged. I guess I’ll be on my way, then.

If it had been anyone else from their office stranded on the side of the road, Justin wouldn’t have hesitated to help them. But she’d made it clear to him from the get-go that she didn’t want anything from him. He was too good looking, too charming, too popular - too everything - for Abby’s peace of mind, and she didn’t want to be another one of his groupies. She didn’t want to belong to his crowd. She’d rejected him and his offer of friendship on multiple occasions. Now she was paying the price.

She was the one person at Kale & Wells who Justin didn’t care about keeping happy. She was his rival, someone to beat for the spot in Sydney. Reminding herself of that made it far easier to ignore the unsettling feelings he stirred in her. But just this once she couldn’t help wishing they were on slightly better terms so he would give her a ride without asking for something in return.

Wait. She grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away, but let go just as quickly when she felt her hand tingle and burn where she’d touched him.

His eyes locked with hers as he waited for her answer.

Fine, I’ll... put my hand up for it. Okay?

Working with Welcock would mean many, many more hours of work for her. She’d just have to hope that if she kicked butt on her other projects, and made Welcock happy, she’d have an even better shot at securing the promotion.

What are we standing here for, then? Justin asked, looking pleased. I don’t have all day.

Ignoring the urge to hit him, she walked towards his car and opened the passenger door.

Do you think we could pop by my place and get my phone? she asked as she climbed into his car.

If she was saving Justin from Welcock, he owed her a lot more than a ride to work. The least he could do was drive her back for her phone.

We’ll be late for work, he said, manoeuvring his car into a gap in the traffic.

Since when do you care about being late?

I didn’t realise you paid such careful attention to what time I turn up at work, Gillis.

I don’t, I...

She stopped talking when she realised he was goading her. She wouldn’t play this game with him. Yes, she noticed when he walked into work, but it was impossible not to. There was always a racket when he finally showed up, high-fiving all the guys, flirting with the girls, and talking loudly about who was currently ahead in the footy tipping. If she happened to look at the clock when his presence disturbed her every morning, well, that was to be expected, wasn’t it?

I’ll make up the time tonight, she said.

I was kidding. It doesn’t bother me if we’re late. I know you always stay back.

I don’t always stay back, she said defensively.

Whatever, Justin said. You’re still in Cheltenham, right?

Yes.

Once he’d turned the car in the right direction, she gave him the directions to her house. He’d offered her his phone to call someone about her car, but she’d declined since she didn’t want to owe him anything else.

They spent the next few minutes arguing over whose presentation for Black Forrest winery was better – a presentation they’d made over a year ago – before Justin pulled up in front of her little unit.

She got out of the car the moment he turned the engine off, only to look behind her when she heard his car door open.

What are you doing? she asked as he stepped out of the car.

Coming in. What does it look like?

He shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe how stupid her question was. Abby fished her keys out of her handbag as she reached the front door, her heart pounding. She didn’t want Justin D’Marco in her house. This was her private space, her refuge.

It’s a bit of a mess... she said, immediately kicking herself for apologising.

All her free time was spent at work and she was exhausted by the time the weekends rolled around. No matter how many excuses she had for why her place was a mess, she couldn’t help seeing her home through Justin’s eyes as they walked through the front door: clean clothes piled over the furniture, books and magazines stacked on the floor, a dirty cup and bowl sitting on the coffee table.

I won’t be long, Abby said as she rushed off to find her phone.

By which she meant ‘don’t get comfortable’.

Her phone – which she’d been using as her alarm clock for the past month – was still sitting on her bedside table, exactly where she’d left it. She picked it up and, realising it needed to be charged, rifled through the clothes on her bedroom floor for the charger. Once found, she put her phone and charger into her bag and went back out into the lounge. Which was now empty. 

Justin?

He walked out of the kitchen holding her eviction notice. The moment she saw it, she barrelled towards him, snatching the paper out of his hands.

How dare-

Cool it, Gillis. I went to grab a glass of water and it fell off the table on my way to the sink.

Fell off the table her arse! You should have asked before helping yourself-

To water? You’re even more uptight than I thought, Gillis.

Abby felt the blood drain from her face. Of course she’d heard her co-workers refer to her as uptight before, but hearing it from Justin made her feel ten times worse for some stupid reason.

Can we just go, please?

This notice says you have to be out in two weeks’ time.

Thank you, I’m aware of exactly how much time I have.

The rental market wasn’t great at the moment. She’d spent the past three weekends looking for something else, but every place she’d been shown through was a dump. Moreover, she was only going to be in Melbourne for another five months, tops – providing she was offered the position in Sydney.

She’d finished her year-long lease on her unit a while back and had been happy with the month-to-month arrangement she’d had with the agent. It would have worked out perfectly had the landlord not decided she wanted to move into the unit herself. Now, chances were high Abby was going to have to sign a year-long lease again and then try to find someone to take over the lease when she moved out.

So where are you moving to? Justin asked her.

I’m still figuring it out, she said, opening the front door and ushering him out.

You don’t know?

I haven’t found anything decent yet.

She could feel Justin watching her as she pulled the front door closed behind them and checked that it was locked. Would he just drop it already?

I’ve heard the rental market is a bit of a bust at the moment.

It is, she confirmed, walking towards his car.

My housemate’s girlfriend has bought a place and she keeps pleading with him to move in with her. I told him he has to wait until March. I don’t want to pay both our shares of the rent and the idea of having to advertise for a new housemate and interview them is a pain. Not to mention I’d have to explain I’ll be moving to Sydney in a few months.

Her hand slipped off the door handle. He was grinning at her over the top of his car and she realised he was goading her again.

Dream on, D’Marco, she said, opening the car door and sliding into the passenger seat. You know that promotion is mine.

Au contraire, Gillis, I have it in the bag. I was talking to James Kale on Friday night-

James Kale was at O’Reilly’s on Friday night?

Every Friday night most of the staff of Kale & Wells went to O’Reilly’s, the pub opposite the agency. However, it was rare for the partners themselves to go.

Growing up with a mother who had issues with alcohol had put Abby off from spending time with people who were drinking. So she’d avoided going out with the others on Friday nights, feeling her time would be better spent working. Besides, she had nothing to say to her co-workers outside of hello and goodbye.

He was there, Justin confirmed. And he was talking about how they want the role of Creative Director to go to someone who can fit in with a wide variety of people. The Sydney office is an eclectic group, and they’re looking for someone to step in and be the glue that brings them all together.

The inference she couldn’t do that rankled. Are you saying I can’t?

Come on, Gillis, you know you’re not exactly known for being... social, or a team player for that matter. You don’t like having to work with others.

Her face heated. Justin’s accurate assessment of her... inadequacies quickly popped the bubble of assurance she’d felt just moments ago. She’d hoped to conceal the fact she didn’t enjoy working with other people. Obviously she hadn’t succeeded. She wanted to defend herself, but there was no way she would open up to Justin D’Marco about her issues. He didn’t need to know that relying on anyone but herself made her feel helpless and out of control, or that she’d felt that way too many times during her childhood to let it happen as an adult.

Her difficulty working with others hadn’t gone unnoticed by James Kale, either. During her yearly review he’d pointed out that she should make more of an effort to build relationships with the other team members – that climbing the corporate ladder was as much about relating to other people as it was about the work she did.

It hadn’t sat well with her. She was good at her job. She could take a concept and communicate it in a way that appealed to the general public. The firm’s clients often asked for her specifically, and she had no problem building relationships with them. Why couldn’t that be enough? Why did it matter if she didn’t indulge in small talk and drinking nights with her peers?

Friendship was overrated. The shattering betrayal she’d experienced years ago had taught her how quickly friends could turn when they were hurt, how they could go straight for the jugular. The people she’d once trusted implicitly had set out to hurt her, and they’d succeeded so well it had taken years for her to move past it.

Even now, the memory caused tears to prick at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, willing them away. She would not cry in front of Justin D’Marco. And she wouldn’t give up on the promotion, either. She’d worked too damn hard to just walk away and let Justin have it.

Did Kale give you his word? she asked, her voice croaky as she tried to conceal the fact that she was on the verge of tears.

What?

Did James tell you the promotion was yours?

He hinted at it, but no, he didn’t give me his word.

She nodded. Good.

It wasn’t over. Not yet.

James had told her she should make an effort to build relationships if she wanted to advance. She’d hoped that her excellent work ethic would be enough to make him forget that conversation. Clearly, it hadn’t been. Now she was in danger of Justin snagging the promotion and she needed to change that. Fast. She was going to have to show James that she could grow and change, at least a little.

She was never going to become buddy-buddy with her peers. Not in the way Justin was. But she had to do better than the superficial and stilted conversations she’d been having with her co-workers for the past six years. She could see that now. She had to develop some kind of rapport with her colleagues, even if that meant stepping outside her comfort zone and going to O’Reilly’s on Fridays.

Her confidence stalled as she pictured trying to make conversation with the people she worked with while they got drunk. She was going to have to push through her discomfort. She needed to prove she could be the one to bring some cohesiveness to the Sydney office.

Still think you’re in with a chance? Justin asked.

Don’t count me out yet, D’Marco.

Justin grinned. I wouldn’t dream of it, Gillis.

Two: Truce

W hat. The. Hell?

Justin looked towards the entrance of O’Reilly’s to see what had attracted Jane Diego’s attention. What he saw there made him pause with his beer halfway to his mouth. His tightly wound co-worker, Abby Gillis, was standing there uncertainly, wearing a pair of skin tight black jeans, a skin-tight red T-shirt, and a pair of three inch, red high heels. Her glasses were gone and her light brown hair fell in soft waves down to her shoulders instead of being tied back in its usual bun.

What is she wearing? Jane asked.

She looks good, Justin heard himself say.

His gaze snagged on the breasts showcased by the tight T-shirt she wore. He felt his blood start to pump faster and his body heat up and tighten as he realised just how much of a body her gender-neutral suits had been hiding all these years. Admittedly, he’d always thought Abby was cute. Certainly he’d noticed she was attractive, but he’d missed the obvious. Abby Gillis was...hot. As in smoking hot. As in, so hot she was in danger of fogging up all the windows in the place. One look around O’Reilly’s told Justin he wasn’t the only man who’d noticed, either.

What is she doing here? Renee Williams asked.

After the conversation he’d had with Abby on Monday, Justin wasn’t all that surprised to see her at O’Reilly’s. She had clearly been upset to hear about the talk he’d had with James Kale last week. Now she’d come out swinging, more determined than ever to improve her chances of being promoted. Even if her personality was as prickly as a cactus, Justin couldn’t help but admire the way she never backed down from a challenge. It made him work harder, and he’d probably miss their rivalry when he won the promotion and moved to Sydney.

She looks like she’s here to get laid, Jane observed.

I could help her with that, Chris Bradshaw said.

I’ll bet she’s as cold in bed as she is in the office, Renee remarked cattily.

Yeah, you’re probably right, Chris agreed. On second thought, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole.

If Abby fit in with the rest of the Melbourne team, Justin would have been worried about his chances of being promoted to Creative Director. But the other employees at Kale & Wells didn’t like her. Abby had made it clear to everyone that she didn’t want to get to know the people she worked with. She’d rejected all of the social invitations extended to her when she’d started at the company, giving most people the impression that she thought she was above them.

It had been a bad, bad move.

Now it looked as if she was trying to rectify it. Unfortunately for her, everyone would probably see her presence here tonight for what it was – a strategic move fuelled by desperation to climb the corporate ladder rather than a genuine attempt to make amends and make friends.

I’ll bet she’s here because she heard James was here last Friday night, Jane said.

Who would she have heard that from? Renee frowned.

That would be me, Justin said.

Nice one, D’Marco. Renee shook her head. Now she’s going to be here every Friday, looking for some one-on-one time with the boss.

Maybe she’s planning to try to seduce him? Jane said, looking Abby’s outfit over again.

Renee laughed loudly, causing Abby to turn her head in their direction. Normally, the employees of Kale & Wells hung out by the three pool tables in the other corner of the bar, but tonight they’d been beaten there by a buck’s night in progress. They’d left the groom and his already merry men to it and settled into the next best spot – the tables next to the jukebox in the farthest corner from the door.

Justin watched Abby’s gaze sweep over her co-workers. She bit her lip as she took a small, tentative step in their direction. Then her gaze locked with his. It wasn’t just nerves, he realised; she was absolutely terrified. Probably because she knew she was hardly going to be welcomed with open arms this evening. Abby had joined Kale & Wells just months after Justin had begun working there, and this was the first time he’d seen her put in an appearance at one of their social gatherings. 

In the beginning, Abby’s complete lack of interest in getting to know her co-workers had annoyed and bewildered him. Who in their right mind turned down the opportunity to have good working relationships with their colleagues? Thinking she might be shy, he’d gone out of his way to try to draw Abby out of her shell.

He’d walked by her desk and offered to help her when he could see she was struggling with something, he’d tried to engage her in conversation in the lunch room, and he’d invited her to O’Reilly’s on numerous occasions. She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything he had to offer. Not his friendship. Not his help. Nothing.

Now that they were competing for the job in Sydney, he was relieved she’d kept him at a distance. It was difficult to compete with a friend for a promotion, but with Abby he didn’t have to worry about pulling his punches. If anything, she inspired him to work harder and fight smarter. She was exceptional at her job and she was extremely competitive, which pretty much made her the perfect opponent. She was also a hell of a lot of fun to annoy. He loved getting under her skin and rattling her cage. It seemed to be the only kind of relationship she would allow.

Abby closed her eyes and said something to herself, and Justin imagined she was giving herself some kind of pep talk before she opened her eyes, put one foot in front of the other and started walking towards them.

By the time she was close enough to be heard over the noisy patrons of O’Reilly, everyone from Kale & Wells was engrossed in a conversation about the AFL grand final that would take place in a few weeks.

Hello everyone, Abby greeted them in a loud voice.

Aside from one or two murmured hellos, the group ignored her and continued on with the debate over whether Hawthorn Football Club would win the cup yet again.

Justin watched and waited to see what Abby was going to do next. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before dragging a chair over from a vacant table.

Thanks, she said stiffly as he shuffled his chair to the side so she could be part of the circle around the tables the group had pushed together.

Football, he thought he heard her mutter under her breath. Great.

Not a football lover? he asked her, intrigued.

Ah...

I’m going to take that as a no. Don’t tell these guys that. They’ll think you’re an alien.

It’s in all Melbournians’ DNA to love football, Chris piped up, hearing Justin’s comment.

Abby shook her head. Not mine.

Chris looked poleaxed for a moment before he nodded as if he understood. What team do you go for?

Um, Melbourne. Go Dees.

Abby’s unenthusiastic fist pump and look of discomfort indicated she’d probably just picked a team randomly.

Well, that explains it, Chris said. They suck.

They do?

Justin laughed. They were almost bottom of the ladder this year.

Oh.

You didn’t know? Chris asked.

She shook her head. I’m too busy working to watch the games.

Renee and Jane both