On the other side of the door, Shane chuckled. Gabrielle Burton not perfectly in control at all times? Heaven forbid!
When she was satisfied with the results of her impromptu hair fix and quick lip-gloss application, Gabrielle opened the door. She found Shane leaning against a pillar, looking as cool and handsome as he pleased. His hazel eyes were lit from within with a golden glow.
“Sorry for the delay. Please do come in,” Gabrielle said formally.
“If now isn’t a good time I can always come back,” Shane said, smiling as he stood up straight.
“No…no, now is fine.” Gabrielle motioned for him to come inside. “My apologies… I took a nap. I’m still trying to get on East Coast time.”
Once inside the hotel room, Shane’s male energy dominated the small living area, and she found it disconcerting. She watched him assess the suite before turning his eyes back on her.
He had a way of sizing her up that Gabrielle wasn’t quite sure what to make of. “So, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?” Gabrielle folded her arms across her chest as a defense. “I’m sure it’s not to catch up on old times.”
Shane’s eyes pierced hers. “And if it were?”
“Well, we were never really friends in perfumery school, now were we?” she muttered hastily.
“So we were enemies?”
Color flushed Gabrielle’s cheeks. “I…I wouldn’t say enemies, that’s quite indelicate. I would say more like rivals.”
“Hmm…” Shane mulled her comment over in his head. “And do you think you can work under me, your former rival?” He doubted she wanted to be under him for any reason.
“If that’s what the job entails, but I had more hoped it would be a collaborative effort, given my background and experience.”
At this, Shane’s face turned as hard as stone. “Make no mistake, I run the lab.”
Gabrielle sucked in a deep breath, as she’d obviously hit a nerve. She didn’t want ego to get in the way of her getting this position, so she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to infer otherwise. I just assumed we would work very closely on projects together, but ultimately you would have the final say.”
“That’s correct,” Shane said coldly. “An Adams will always run Adams Cosmetics. If you are clear with those terms, then the job is yours.”
A smile spread across Gabrielle’s face. The news was music to her ears. She was ready to come home. “Thank you so much.” She offered her hand to Shane. He stared at her small, delicate hand for several moments, as if he wasn’t quite sure what he’d signed up for, before he finally shook it.
A strange electric sensation pulsed ever so briefly between them at the touch of their palms, but then it was over just as quickly as it had begun, making Gabrielle think she’d imagined the connection.
“Welcome aboard, Gabby Burton,” Shane returned. He offered her a forgiving smile with no trace of his former animosity.
“Will I see you bright and early on Monday at the lab?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter 2
Gabrielle dressed with care on Monday morning as she prepared for her first day at Adams Cosmetics. She pulled her hair into an unsophisticated ponytail and donned a charcoal designer pantsuit. Because the science lab was a male-dominated place, Gabrielle wanted Shane to view her as a serious chemist. If she showed more skin or dressed to gain their attention, they might view her as inferior. But Gabrielle was determined to command Shane’s respect.
She had a few last-minute jitters, but it wasn’t because of her laboratory experience. She was more comfortable there than anyplace else. She was just anxious because Shane Adams had already made it clear that the lab was his domain and that he was merely tolerating her presence, much like a child who should be seen and not heard.
It didn’t help that he was sinfully gorgeous. She’d acted as if she hadn’t noticed with Mariah, but the truth of the matter was that she’d always known Shane Adams was attractive. It was hard not to notice him. He oozed masculinity from his every pore. Add the sexy eyes and a body for lovemaking, and any woman would be powerless to resist his charm. Except her.
Why? Because even though he was attractive, he was still the arrogant, cocky ladies’ man she remembered from school. Back then, Shane had to have a woman on his arm, and even though he didn’t go through women once a week as some playboys would, after several months he always seemed to tire of them, and it was on to the next.
What surprised Gabrielle the most was that after it was over, the women never spoke ill of Shane. They always praised him for respecting them and treating them well. They even said he was the most romantic man they’d ever met. How could they be so naive? Why would they date a man knowing he offered them nothing but a temporary good time? Once he’d gotten what he wanted and had his fill, the door revolved and another woman was in play.
It boggled Gabrielle’s mind, and so as she walked into the laboratory that morning, she resolved that despite Shane’s good looks and obvious charm, she would not be taken in by him.
Gabrielle tore through the double doors of the laboratory with gusto and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Shane leaning over the counter smelling several vials. From her vantage point, she could see he had a well-defined behind. Resisting his charm was going to be easier said than done.
“So glad you could make it, Ms. Burton,” Shane said, standing upright.
Gabrielle glanced down at her watch. Was she late? He did say 8:00 a.m.? “Did I miss something?” But when she looked around, she saw that several employees were already milling about in lab coats.
“No,” Shane replied, walking over to the other vials he’d been working on. “But if you want to hang with this crew, you’re going to have to get here earlier, my dear.”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes upward. She hated the condescending tone in Shane’s voice, but it was her first day and she didn’t want to get on his bad side. “I will be sure to remember that.” She walked closer to him until they were nearly inches apart. Being this close to Shane allowed her to smell his aftershave, which was sharp and kind of spicy. It tantalized her senses and sent shivers up and down her spine. “What are you working on?”
Shane’s body instantly became alert at Gabrielle’s nearness, and he stiffened. “I’m working on a couple of different scents that might work for the new fragrance.”
“Really.” Gabrielle walked around the counter and went to several vials containing essential oils and perfumer’s alcohol. “Hmm…not bad,” she said.
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion,” Shane replied to her lackluster response.
“And I wasn’t giving you one,” Gabrielle responded in turn. “I was merely commenting aloud.” She grasped a sheet of perfume paper and dipped it into one of the vials. She brought the paper to her nose and inhaled deeply. After several moments she smelled it again and was silent before saying, “Seems like you’re going for more of a citrus scent. Have you considered adding some spearmint?”
Shane’s forehead bunched into a frown. “No, I hadn’t thought of that.” And he hated that she had a point, as it would complement the current potion in the vial.
“And what are these?” Gabrielle motioned to several mockups for the skin-care line.
“Some preliminaries for a redesign of the current bottle to go along with a couple of new fragrances for the shower gels and lotions we’re developing.”
“So let me get this straight. You work on cosmetics, skin care and