Boardroom Seduction. Anita Bunkley

halter top has Lucite squares on the ends of the ties, and two smaller pieces at the bustline. Maybe if we use one larger piece, you’d get the same effect and spend less on trim.”

      Kacey made a subtle nod, knowing his solution made sense. Eliminating one piece of Lucite detail wouldn’t detract from the overall look, and if this was what she had to do to make this line happen, she was willing to give it a try.

      “Okay,” she agreed with Leon, her earlier irritation beginning to ease. “I’ll review each style and see where I can make similar adjustments.”

      “Great,” Leon replied, pausing to review the last page of the production schedule before he spoke again. “Once you’ve done that, I’ll revise the manufacturing estimate and email it to you so that you can send it over to Hadley for his approval.”

      “Fantastic,” Kacey replied, ready to tackle the numbers, and pleased that Leon was onboard. The more energy he focused on her swimsuit line, the more quickly she’d be able to return to New York, even though her earlier determination to get out of Rockport as fast as she could didn’t seem quite so pressing anymore.

      “One thing I guess you’ve learned about me,” Leon said after their revision session wound down. “I’m committed one hundred percent to making sure you are happy.”

      “What more could I ask for?” Kacey replied, buzzed by the sense of partnership that was rapidly developing between them. On this project, which was so special for Kacey, working with a talented African-American man who had the power, the insight and the creative drive to deliver on her vision was a drastic, and wonderful, development.

      While doing promotional work for Leeman’s, her vision and taste had been challenged many times. How ever, to stay on track and not become distracted by exaggerated promises from suppliers and vendors, she’d adopted a three-point approach that worked for her: Always be clear and upfront about her expectations, never sacrifice quality for quantity and steer clear of obvious over-the-top trends with limited appeal. Now she had to add one more point to her list: Never fantasize about making love with the manufacturer!

      Finished with their meeting, Leon stood and motioned for Kacey to come with him. “I’ve set up a workspace for you to use while you’re here. It’s not very big, I’m afraid,” he said, leading her down the hall to a small cubicle not far from his office. It was private, quiet and had a phone, a computer and a drafting table. All the equipment she needed to do her job.

      Kacey followed him into the space, very aware of his closeness, his scent and especially the silent electricity crackling in the air. His presence sucked her in, tingled her imagination and made her want to do things she hadn’t thought of before. Like make the first move and kiss the hell out of this guy who was pushing her most intimate buttons.

      “And you do have a window,” Leon offered with a wave of one hand, moving to open the blinds and reveal a clear view of the parking lot.

      Kacey moved toward the window, her shoulder brushing Leon’s as she stepped past him, certain she’d felt him tense when their bodies touched. “That’s the road that leads to the Coast, isn’t it?” she asked, recognizing the highway that she’d taken on her way to Rockport.

      “Right. If you hang a left out of the parking lot and go four miles, you’ll hit Aransas Bay.” He moved up behind her, so near that his breath warmed her neck and sent delightful shivers down Kacey’s spine. “I live out that way, too. On the beach.”

      “You do?” she commented, turning around, her face stopping only inches from his, so near their lips could have easily met. And held. In a long, delicious kiss. The subtle sensuousness that shimmered between them was like an invisible thread, drawing them together. Neither took a backward step, yet a message of caution flashed into Kacey’s brain, warning her to move—steer clear of temptation and concentrate on something other than his arresting grin, which was rattling her composure and provoking a ruffle of a smile on her lips. “Must be nice, living near the water,” she said, her voice breathy and low. She enunciated her words slowly, as if carefully calibrating her reply to lead him into more personal revelations.

      “It is nice,” he agreed. “It’s quiet out on the beach. Very private. I live alone, so it’s a welcome escape from all the noise and hectic hours I put in here at the factory.”

      He lives alone, Kacey quickly registered, certain he’d deliberately dropped that nugget of private information to disarm any resistance she might have had about entering into a more intimate level of conversation. Deciding to play the game she knew he’d started, she lobbed the comeback she hoped he was expecting. “I hear you. My job at Leeman’s can get pretty crazy, too, so going home to a quiet place…with no one around, is heaven.”

      “Do you live in Manhattan?” Leon quickly probed.

      “No, in Harlem. But I’m planning on moving into the city when I return.”

      “I’ll bet it’s expensive, living in New York. Any roommates?”

      “No, just me.”

      “So you like big-city life?”

      “I love it. Born and raised in Harlem. Wouldn’t give up New York for anything.”

      “Well, it’s all about how you want to live your life,” he replied laughingly, now stepping back to put more space between them. “Small town Texas is where I come from and Rockport has always been home. It’s really a great place to live and work.”

      “Especially if you’re an Archer, I’ll bet,” Kacey finished with a chuckle.

      “Oh, yeah,” he sheepishly acknowledged. “Guess you got me there.”

      With a duck of her head Kacey stepped even further away from Leon and put both of her hands on the back of the stool in front of her drafting table. Holding on to it, she watched Leon carefully, her heart racing in her chest. If he didn’t leave soon, she knew she might embarrass herself by revealing more than she should, or asking too many questions. But she wasn’t going to be in Rockport for long, and time would fly by. Would there be enough time to get to know Leon Archer better? And why did she feel so compelled to get answers to the questions that were crowding her mind?

      “Think I’d better get busy on those revisions,” she told him, slipping onto the stool. She picked up a pencil and pointed it at him. “I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”

      “Good idea. Just push the red button on your phone and that’ll buzz me in my office. When you’re ready, I’d like to show you around the plant.”

      “Will do,” Kacey replied. As she watched Leon leave her cubicle, she couldn’t resist a shake of her head. Whew! That man was yanking all her chains and she didn’t plan to stop him.

      Chapter 6

      Once Kacey had reviewed the revised production budget, she sent it to Steve Hadley, proud of herself, and Leon, for accomplishing their mission. Within fifteen minutes, Hadley replied to her email, congratulating her on reducing overall costs by seven percent and assuring her that he’d work out a contractor’s agreement for her and that she would receive a nice bonus once the product had been received. Pleased with her achievement, as well as her boss’s reply, she buzzed Leon, who quickly returned to her cubicle.