by Gina Drayer
And even though she didn’t mean it to sound sexual, when his eyes grazed down her body and bit back a grin, showing off dimples, the statement was true in every possible way. This was exactly why she never got personal with her clients. She didn’t need to deal with his family problems tonight. What she needed to do was get rid of Mike and hit the hotel bar. It had been far too long since she’d gotten laid. Sure, it had been on her to-do list for a while now, but there never seemed time. And by her reaction to a simple glance, she knew it was well past time.
As Mike walked past her, she caught his masculine smell, spicy with a hint of peppermint, and licked her lips. Then again, he was handy and already in her room.
Mind out of the gutter, Holly. He’s a seller—an uncooperative one at that.
Sleeping with him was the last complication she needed on this job. She needed to find out what he wanted, send him home, and then find a nice anonymous guy at the hotel bar to take the edge off.
He followed her into the little sitting room of her suite, but instead of offering him a seat, she crossed her arms over the robe.
“So, Mr. Brighton, you wanted to talk.” It felt ridiculous trying to put on her game face on while in a robe, but she had to try. “Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re here?”
Somehow, she still managed to keep that professional tone, even though her mind was thinking about all the dirty things she wanted to do to him.
“I’m sorry about this afternoon,” he said, sounding deflated. “You were angry, and I don’t want you to think I didn’t appreciate the personal effort you put in.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said as much to herself as him.
He hesitated and looked at her again, shifting back and forth. His eyes drifted down to her breasts, where the robe had inched open, and he swallowed.
“If you want to get dressed, I’ll wait,” he said.
She watched his tongue peek out of his tense lips and imagined it on her skin. No. She wasn’t going there. Holly pulled the robe snug and tightened the terry cloth tie. She watched with increased interest as he chewed his lips nervously.
But then again, this whole deal had already gone to hell, a little voice in the back of her head reminded her. She didn’t have to sleep with him. She could just hit a couple of the bases and finish off later with her trusty vibe.
That little voice was a slut. Still, maybe it was right.
There may have been something earlier, but now they were on opposite sides of this deal. There was no way he’d be interested.
“There’s no need to apologize, Mr. Brighton, but if that’s all you wanted to say, then I guess we’re all done.”
“Wait,” he said and grabbed her arm. We looked at each other, caught in a strange stasis. He was the first to break contact. Mike stepped away and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Taking a step forward, Holly decided to test the waters. “You see, Mike,” she said, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. “I’m fine if we’re done with business. I have a very strict policy. I never mix business and my personal life. And this is my personal time.”
“I didn’t mean… You left the card to the hotel, and I thought… I should have called.” Mike took a step back, running into the wall. Despite his retreat, she noticed he was breathing a little faster now.
She was tired of playing this game with him. She wanted more. But first, they had to agree that this had nothing to do with their deal.
“I’m glad you came by. Let me get dressed. If you want to stay, we can talk.” She turned and headed toward the bathroom, picking up her clothes on the way. But before she closed the door, she issued the invitation. “But if you do plan on staying, know this doesn’t involve our business. This,” she waved between them, “this is just two people enjoying their time off together.”
She’d made the offer, now it was up to him. He was either going to get the hint or leave. Holly turned her back on him and strolled to the bathroom with as much bravado as she could muster. She even put a little extra sway in her walk to drive home her point.
But once the bathroom door shut with a loud click, she slumped onto the edge of the tub and let out a shaky breath. What the hell had gotten into her? There were even odds this whole thing was going to blow up in her face. Especially since their deal was likely to get ugly in a few days. Holly missed that easy relationship they’d developed while negotiating, and she wanted to get it back.
If only for the night.
3
Use everything to your advantage.
When negotiating with men, just being a woman can be advantageous. But understand that if you use your sexuality, you create an expectation that the flirtation will continue.
Mike had shown up at Holly’s door to ask for a little more time. He knew that he’d be able to talk some sense into his step-mother. Once he had the papers signed, he might still be able to end this negotiation on friendly terms.
But after that gauntlet Holly had thrown down, friendly was the farthest thing from his mind.
He didn't imagine the sexual tension between them—did he? First, she’d shown up at his office in the naughty librarian get-up with those killer heels and peek-a-boo stockings. And then tonight, she’d answered the door clad only in a robe. Holly was definitely ticking off all his boyhood porn fantasies. The only thing missing from this little scenario was him dressed as the pizza delivery man.
But he could be wrong. He was probably wrong. There was still time to leave. It was probably the safest choice. He already had enough problems with the business. Coming to her hotel room had been an impulsive decision, and it was going to make things worse.
But there had been an unmistakable look in her eyes. Longing. Desire. Need.
A loud knock on the hotel door shattered the silence, and he pulled back from that slippery path his mind had been wandering down. Fuck. He hadn’t considered that she might have other plans.
The knock came again, and Mike didn’t know what to do. The bathroom door was still shut, so with no other options, he answered the door. He hoped to hell he didn’t have to explain to some guy what he was doing in his date’s hotel room.
“Room service,” a bored looking teen said after he opened the door. “Where do you want the cart?”
Thank God it wasn’t some guy picking her up for a date.
Mike looked over his shoulder to the empty suite and shrugged. “Over there, I guess.”
“Sure thing,” the kid said flatly and wheeled the metallic cart into the room. “Do you need anything else?”
“I think we’re good,” Mike said. “If not, we’ll call down to the desk.”
“Just sign here,” he said and produced a bill, “and you can leave the cart outside your room when you’re done.”
Mike nodded and signed for the meal. But even after the waiter left, there was still no word from Holly. He was tempted to knock on the door to make sure she was okay. Her dinner was getting cold—or at least he thought it was her dinner. It looked more like a feast for a small family.
He peeked under the metal cover and had to bite back a laugh. Holly was either expecting company or had quite the appetite. There was a huge burger, grilled cheese, a mountain of fries, and a side of onion rings. And under the final dome was a carrot cake. Having missed dinner, he couldn’t help himself. He swiped a couple onion rings.
“Hey! Who invited you to dinner?” Holly asked, closing the distance between them. She reached around him to grab the metal dome. In the process, she put her hand on his chest.
At the moment of contact, she stilled, eyes widening, and she looked down to where her hand rested. He didn’t look it under that bulky suit jacket, but it was clear that Mike took good care of his body. During the week, he regularly hit the gym, and on the weekends, he worked at a construction site for one of his friends.
Lingering a little too long, Holly removed her hand and grinned. “If you want something to eat, you ne
ed to ask nicely.”
He noticed she had changed into a black pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Seeing her in something other than business clothes was a bit shocking, but he liked the way she looked in the casual outfit. The jeans hugged the curve of her ass, and the shirt showed the outline of her generous breasts.
“Ms. Carver. May I join you for dinner?” he asked, not even trying to keep the smirk off his face.
The grin from earlier bloomed into a full smile. But she bit it back, putting on a serious face. Her eyes narrowed, head tilting to the side as if this were about to start a high-powered negotiation. “Well, since you asked so nicely, I think we can come to a reasonable compromise.” A smile teased her lips again, and she lifted the dome of the other plate. “If you agree to have a casual dinner with me—jacket off.” She eyed him, giving him a good once over and nodded to his feet. “And lose the shoes. Then you can have the fries and half of the grilled cheese.”
“What? Half?” he said, laughing.
He slipped off the jacket and then kicked off the shoes. It was an odd request for him to eat with her in socked feet, but he was still in the suit he’d been wearing this afternoon. She was in jeans and a t-shirt. Perhaps that had something to do with it. She could be trying to even the playing field. He decided to go with it and see where things headed.
“I’ve agreed to the clothing terms, but I want to renegotiate the food. How about half the burger?”
“Nope. The burger and onion rings are mine. You’re lucky you get part of the grilled cheese.”
He examined the food and caught sight of the dessert plate. “How about half the carrot cake, then?”
“Agreed,” she said, holding out her hand as if they’d just concluded a high-pressure negotiation.
“One more thing …” He didn’t want to bring up their business and ruin the lighter mood they’d seem to have found, but it was the reason why he came. “Give me a few days to fix this. No interference.”
She dropped her hand and narrowed her eyes, that hawkish expression he’d noticed before coming back. Maybe he’d made a mistake.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, flatly, and then the corner of her lip lifted into a half-grin. “But you’ll have to give up half the fries.”
Jesus, the way she could turn on and off that ruthless streak was a little scary—and turned him on. He looked down at the plate and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m afraid you have me backed into a corner, Ms. Carver. I’ll settle for what I can get,” he said.
“Good, because I’m starving.” She handed him the top of the metal cover as a makeshift plate and dished out the sandwich and fries. She even snuck in a few onion rings when he left to get cups from the bar.
She took a seat on the small couch and folded her legs under her. Mike sat next to her on the other end, even though he could have chosen the chair on the other side of the small room. He didn’t think that’s what she wanted and he couldn’t ignore his own urge to be close to her.
“Since you’re here, we might as well talk over dinner,” Holly said.
“I thought you said we weren’t going to discuss business,” he said before tossing a fry in his mouth.
“I don’t want to talk about our deal, per se, but there are a few things that I’d like to know,” she said between bites. “Like why did you take over the business for your father? No offense, but you don’t seem to like your job. You’re not a big business kind of guy. At least, you’re not like the men I’m used to dealing with. I just can’t see you working behind a desk and worrying about quarterly income statements as your dream job.”
“It isn’t,” he said, truthfully. “I’m more of a builder than a business tycoon.”
She bit into an onion ring and then proceeded to lick the salt and grease from her fingers. The way she ate was sensual without trying to be, and he couldn’t help but wonder what her lips would feel like doing that to his cock. “A builder? Like houses and stuff?”
“Not exactly,” he said with a laugh. “I studied urban planning and architecture in college. I like designing things. Big things.”
A curious eyebrow shot up. “So, if not houses, what do you want to design?”
“You mean if I wasn’t running my father’s security business?”
“Yes. I’m sure you have a dream project or something. What would it be?”
He wasn’t expecting her question. Although he used to live and breathe architecture, all that changed when he became the head of the security business. Those dreams had to be put on hold. He had responsibilities and obligations to the people his father oversaw and the company his father had built from the ground up.
That didn’t mean he completely forgot about his passion. It’s just, no one had asked him about it in a while.
“Before taking over the company, I was working on a high-rise building on the outskirts of town. That’s what I want to build. The kind of places people remember; a landmark. Something that will change the landscape and be there a hundred years after I’m gone.”
“That sounds like a feat,” she said.
“It would be. But I’m not talking about boxy office building. I want to design a structure that reminds people of beauty, as well as being functional. That’s the challenge. It’s all about finding the perfect balance, you know? Any person can throw plans together and start building, but true architecture is in the heart of the thing from beginning to the end.”
She stared at him as if trying to solve a complicated puzzle. “You sound passionate about it.”
“I am. Or at least I was,” he said with a sigh. “That was before I had to run the family business.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. Selling would be a good thing. Then you’d have nothing to hold you back from building your landmark.”
He arched a brow and stared right into those eyes that always had him entranced by her. “I thought we weren’t going to talk business tonight.”
She shook her head. “That is not talking business. When I do, you’ll know it.” She winked at him then took a bite of her burger, her pink tongue darting out to catch the juice.
Damn it. Why did he find her eating so erotic? He was starting to enjoy everything about her, but he had to remind himself that despite this flirty banter they had going on she was off limits. The fate of his father’s company—his fate—rested on her shoulders.
“I read up on you,” he said after a few minutes of silence. “You’ve got quite the reputation.”
She finished her bite of food before answering. “I work in a competitive industry. If you’re not willing to make the hard choices, people sense it and use it against you.”
“That sounds awful. Cutthroat.”
“It is,” she said straight-faced. “Not everyone’s cut out for it. I’ve seen a lot of people, that didn’t have the right skills, crash and burn. That’s why you need to follow your passion. There’s nothing worse than working in a job you hate.”
“But you don’t? Hate it, I mean?”
“I haven’t always enjoyed my job,” she said, looking at him with that steady gaze. “But it has its moments. I love a lot of things about the job. But still, there are times I wish it wasn’t so… I don’t know, cut and dry.”
“Have you ever thought about doing something else?” he asked, leaning back into the sofa.
She considered his question. “I’m not sure I could. There’s a thrill I get in closing a deal. I’m not sure I could get that anywhere else. Either way, I’m very good at what I do.”
He could tell she meant it. There was something in her words that drew him in. She wore her confidence like a second skin, but he saw a tender part buried underneath. She hid it well, but he could see, there was an edge of unhappiness.
The woman was a mystery. He would bet good money she didn’t let people in. That made him wonder what it would take to get her to let her guard down. He wanted to dive in and find out what she was made of—decipher all those hidden secrets. But
that wasn’t really his purpose here, and he needed to remind himself of that.
His fries and grilled cheese were gone before he knew it. There wasn’t really anything left keeping him here.
“I’ll let you get back to your night off,” he said. He stood up and put the metal top back on the room service tray. “I hope I didn’t ruin your personal time too much.”
“Not at all,” she said. “This was actually,” she paused and smiled at him, “nice. I enjoyed talking with you.”
“Well,” he said, “I guess I’ll see you at the office Monday.”
“Monday.”
She stood up and met his gaze, neither one moving toward the door. He wanted to kiss her. He had the distinct feeling she wanted to as well. He took a tentative step forward. This was crazy. Stupid. But that longing look in her eyes was back, and it drew him in like a siren's call.
The moment stretched on, full of anticipation. Before Mike could talk himself out of it, his mouth was against hers. Holly tensed, and for a heartbeat, he thought he’d completely misread her signals. But then she softened under his touch. She reached up and pulled him closer. Her lips moved against his, returning the kiss, and he got lost in the feel of them. Her free hand was suddenly on his waist, her fingers sliding under the hem of his shirt, teasing the bare skin beneath. Her hands moved from simple exploration to something more demanding as she worked at the buttons of his shirt.
Things had progressed well past a simple goodnight kiss, and warning bells were going off in the back of his head. Mike pulled back, and Holly’s eyes flew open. She looked thoroughly debauched standing there with her chest heaving, trying to catch her breath. Several dark curls had fallen out of her the twist, and her lips were swollen and pink from their kiss. He reached out and twisted the rebellious lock around his finger.