“Come on into the office. Jack has a few problems he’d like us all to discuss before he and Sharon settle in to detail the project,” Kane invited, standing back so they could all precede him.
Jack stared at the woman as she walked past him, cool as ice, never looking his way. It couldn’t be her. Surely she would’ve said something…well, maybe not. After all, what happened had been extraordinary and personal. Very personal. So personal that he hadn’t been able to forget it.
He dated, sort of, occasionally. Or maybe he should say he had liaisons. But the women always understood the nature of their relationships. He didn’t lead anyone on. He’d married once, and he didn’t intend to do so again.
Not that he’d led Sharon on in the elevator. She was frightened and panicky, and he’d tried to help her. He hadn’t intended to—no, he didn’t lose control with women anymore.
But he had that time.
And then she’d walked away.
Had it been a trap? Had she known who he was after all? Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as he’d thought her. She couldn’t have predicted that the elevator would stick. But it wouldn’t be the first time that some fast-thinking woman had used unexpected circumstances to trap a man into thinking with something other than his brain.
“Jack?” Kane prodded him with his voice. “You okay? Ready to talk?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” He turned and followed the others into the office. Kane had said the woman had been with his company eight years. If she started just after college, that would make her thirty. She didn’t seem that experienced. In fact, in the elevator, if that was her, he’d thought she was probably twenty. Which left him feeling very guilty. After all, he was thirty-five, considerably older.
He eyed her again as he took a seat across from her. She couldn’t be thirty. Her skin was fresh and…and silky, he remembered, warm to his touch. Her lips were warm, too, luscious, blooming under his, and her body—he shook himself. Many more thoughts like that and he’d have to excuse himself.
In his dreams, he’d made love to her in a soft bed, both of them completely naked, able to take the time to enjoy each other. To repeat the loving, again and again. To—
“Mr. Waterton,” she began, her voice several degrees beyond frozen.
“Jack, please,” he said automatically.
“If you’re uncomfortable working with a woman, there are several men in our department who could handle—”
She didn’t get her offer completed before both Huffman and Kane objected.
“What are you saying, Sharon?” Huffman asked.
“Are you having second thoughts, Sharon?” Kane wanted to know.
“No, but I believe Mr. Waterton is.”
Oho. So she thought she could read his mind? Not likely, or she’d be beet-red from embarrassment. “Forgive me, Sharon. I was momentarily distracted. I have no problem working with you. And my men will be ecstatic when you visit the job.”
“I beg your pardon?” she returned, in even icier tones.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Am I being politically incorrect by noticing how beautiful you are? Don’t worry, my men won’t embarrass either you or me.” At least not if he threatened them. He cleared his throat. “Shall we get down to business?”
He picked up some papers he’d left nearby that Huffman had prepared. He had a few adjustments to make. He noted that Sharon, woman-in-the-elevator Sharon, had her pen ready and made careful notes as he talked. Andy, as he had asked to be called, made several suggestions, but Sharon amended one of those, improving it. She wasn’t afraid to put forth her ideas.
Good for her. Good for him. She’d do a good job…if she didn’t drive him crazy.
When they’d covered all the problems he could foresee right now, Kane wished them all luck and escorted them out of his office.
Jack looked at the other two. “How about I buy both of you a cup of coffee? My throat’s kind of dry.”
“That’s a good idea,” Andy agreed.
Andy wasn’t the one he wanted to talk to. He looked at Sharon for her agreement.
“I really need to get back to the office but you two go right ahead,” she said with a small smile directed to her boss.
“Nonsense,” Andy corrected. “You work too hard and it’s important to get to know a client. We’ll both join you, Jack.”
Jack was impressed with how quickly she recovered, but he’d caught the frustration and distaste in those remarkable eyes.
“Of course. Go ahead. I’ll stop by the office and leave this material. Then I’ll meet you there.”
Without waiting for a reply, she circled him and Andy and walked out of the office.
Jack led the way to the elevator.
“I’m glad we’ve got a minute alone,” Andy said as the two of them entered an empty elevator.
“Oh, why?”
“You worried me with your remark about her beauty. It’s not going to be a problem, is it? I mean, you’re aware of the sexual harassment laws, aren’t you?”
Jack gave the man a rueful, lopsided grin. “Yeah, I’m aware of them. I was momentarily overcome, she’s so damned beautiful, but I’ll be careful. You don’t have to worry about your baby.”
Andy chuckled. “I guess I was pretty transparent,” he admitted as the elevator door opened on fifteen and they got out. “But she’s worked for me since she got out of high school, and I’m protective of her.”
“High school? I thought she had a degree.” She might be beautiful, she might fill his dreams, but he expected a certain level of competence.
“She has her degree. She earned it at night while she worked here during the day. She has both experience and training, Jack. She’s the best I’ve got.”
Jack nodded. “With an endorsement like that, Andy, how can I go wrong?”
The man nodded in satisfaction as Jack opened the door to the cafeteria so Andy could roll in.
“You can’t, Jack. She’ll do a good job. Very detail-oriented.”
“You’ve convinced me. By the way, your prep work was quite impressive, too. If things turn out the way I think, I may turn over all my accounting work to Kane Haley, Inc.”
“Your suspicions are confirmed?”
“Not yet, but, unfortunately, I believe they will be. I guess the temptation was too great for Roger. I pay him a good salary, but he wanted more. I believe he’s falsifying the amounts and skimming. I just can’t prove it yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. How about here? There’s room for your chair at this table. I’ll go get the coffee.”
He brought two cups back and was turning to go back for a third when Sharon appeared. It startled him when his heart seemed to leap with pleasure. It was those dreams, nothing more. “Sit down, Sharon. I’ll go get the third cup.”
“No, thank you. I’ll have fruit juice.” As he turned to discover the location of juice, she added, “I’ll get it myself. Go ahead and drink your coffee before it gets cold.”
She left before he could argue with her. “Is she always this independent?”
“Yes,