Late in the day and with the security lights not yet on, the parking garage was cloaked in shadows. Keeping pace beside Zach, Allison felt like she’d stepped into a spy thriller. Any moment, bad guys would jump out and spray the surrounding cars with a volley of bullets. Despite the slightly dangerous air and her own overactive imagination, they reached his car unscathed.
Almost unscathed, Allison amended, feeling the imprint of his palm branding hers. That slow burn inched up her arm, across her torso, tightening her breasts and centering in her heart.
“Emergency? People have medical emergencies, mechanical emergencies, plumbing emergencies. They don’t have receptionist emergencies! There’s no such thing—”
“I’ll pay you overtime. Double time…triple time. Whatever you want.”
“It’s after five-thirty. I want to go home.” Of course, going home meant hanging out alone because, despite the message she left, her sister wouldn’t call back. But she was not a workaholic. Not anymore. She refused to sacrifice everything for money or success or whatever demons drove Zach.
He halted beside a black BMW and turned to face her. “Please.”
That single word, one she sensed Zach didn’t say often, swayed her. A razor-sharp determination always ran beneath his polished surface, but today that edge was slicing through the façade, revealing the real man inside. That was the man who caught her attention. The real man she sensed was buried so deep few people ever saw a hint of him. And this might be Allison’s last and only chance to see more…
Ignoring the warning in her head, she conceded, “Okay, I’ll help. What do you need?”
“I’ll explain on the way.”
“On the way where?”
“Where we’re going,” he said cryptically as he opened the passenger door.
She should be at least a little annoyed by his arrogance. After all, she was the one helping him, not the other way around. But a quick check of the emotions ping-ponging through her body as she slid into the leather seat, and nope, not an annoyed ball in the mix. Just curiosity and attraction bouncing back and forth, jumping through her stomach and along her nerve endings.
Zach didn’t speak as he drove, the traffic-filled streets slowly taking them toward Scottsdale. Now that she’d agreed to help, he seemed willing to keep her completely in the dark when it came to how she was supposed to do that. Fidgeting with the beads on her purse, she kept quiet as long as she could before bursting out. “If I’m going to help you, you’ll have to tell me what you need.”
Stopped at a red light, he glanced over at her. Their eyes met, and questions about what Zach needed to break through the stress and tension constantly pulling at him tempted Allison. She knew it had to be a trick of the setting sun that a spark of desire in his blue eyes seemed to answer those questions…
The honk of a horn behind them jerked Zach’s attention forward once more, freeing her from the intensity of his gaze. Allison exhaled a sigh of relief as she practically wilted against the seat. She didn’t know what the rest of the night had in store, but she’d never survive it if she kept letting her imagination run away with her.
“I have a dinner meeting in half an hour,” he said, his grim tone a sharp contrast to the simple statement.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “That watch of yours tells me you’re usually a little more excited about meeting with clients.”
Everything she knew about Zach Wilder told Allison he was a man who lived for the hunt, that victory—and conquest—could never live up to the chase. All the more reason to stay out of his sights, but she sensed his desperation, a chink in Zach’s normally impenetrable armor. And not that she was searching for a weakness, but somehow, she couldn’t let this opportunity go.
“You’ve had tough clients before. What about this dinner has you so stressed?”
Zach winced. “I’m not supposed to be so easy to read.”
“Oh, don’t worry. You’re a total mystery,” she said wryly. On one hand, Zach was an open book. Or, more like an open business journal—focused on one thing and one thing only. As for the reasons why…Allison was completely in the dark. “But why aren’t you more excited?”
“I am excited,” Zach protested, his shoulders straightening against the padded leather seat in a defensive stance. “This was supposed to be my second meeting with James and Riana Collins of Collins Jewelers. James recently moved to Scottsdale, planning to hand over the reins of his company, but his retirement only lasted a few months. Now, instead of taking a step back, he’s decided to expand his stores to the Southwest, starting in Scottsdale and Las Vegas, and I’ve got a good shot at winning the security contract for Knox.”
“Sounds great. What’s the catch?”
His hands tightened on the wheel as if he thought the car might be the next thing to spin out of his control. “Riana left a message that James can’t make it.”
“But you can still meet with her.”
With a dark and emphatic scowl, he muttered, “Exactly.”
A burst of understanding hit her. “So it’s like that, is it?” Allison couldn’t blame any woman for finding Zach attractive, but she had little respect for anyone who would cheat on a spouse. Her parents’ marriage had shown her what a union built on love and trust could be like, and she clung to that ideal even if her own relationship with Kevin had fallen woefully short. He might not have cheated on her, but he was still a cheat.
Shoving thoughts of her ex aside, Allison said to Zach, “I’m sure Mrs. Collins—”
“Ms. Collins,” Zach interrupted. “Riana is James’s daughter.”
“Oh,” Allison said, as her mental image of James Collins as an outraged husband altered to overprotective father, and Riana from cougar to kitten. “Still, Ms. Collins can’t be the first admirer you’ve had. You must know how to let a girl down easy.”
Even as she said the words, she wondered if they were true. Was Zach the type to send flowers along with an “it’s not you, it’s me” note? Or was he more the kind of guy who simply stopped calling?
Not that it mattered; she wasn’t considering a relationship with Zach. At least, not seriously considering one.
“That’s different. Riana Collins isn’t someone I met in a bar. This is business.” He underscored the word with such emphasis, words like HUGE, IMPORTANT or EVERYTHING could have been used in its place. “Turning her down could offend her. If I so much as hurt her feelings, it could end this deal. And I will not let that happen.”
“Well…” Allison pretended to think for a minute. “I suppose you could always sleep with her.”
“That’s something else I won’t let happen,” he said.
Because sleeping with the client’s daughter could do more professional harm in the long run? Or because using a woman went against his morals? She wanted to believe his resistance to Riana Collins showed his true character, that as important as business was to him, he had boundaries. That he was determined to succeed, but not at all costs. That was what Allison wanted to believe, but truthfully, she didn’t know.
The wanting should have worried her as well as the reason behind it. She would never make the mistake of falling for a man like Kevin Hodges again, but if she was wrong about Zach, if he proved himself different from her avaricious, scheming ex, would that be a green light to the attraction she felt? An okay to ignore the warning signs telling her to stay far, far away and to listen to the pulse of desire that urged her closer anytime Zach came near?
If he was different…maybe tonight would be her chance to safely find out. After all, Zach had already set the ground rules.
“Okay, so no mixing business with pleasure,” Allison stated.
It would be a reminder to herself as well as the on-the-prowl Ms. Collins. Because sitting in Zach’s car, the scent of the leather seats and his aftershave riding on the warm breeze blowing through his open window, Allison could too easily imagine this was a date. That Zach was taking her to some romantic, elegant restaurant. A sedu
ctive shiver ran through her as she imagined him focusing that driven, intense gaze on wooing and winning her instead of yet another business deal…
“No.”
Zach’s abrupt denial slapped the daydream right out of her head. “What?” she asked defensively.
He slanted her a questioning look. “I was agreeing with you. No mixing business with pleasure.”
“Right. Of course not. Strictly professional.” As professional as she could be with her mental pants on fire. “So I’m here to…what? Chaperone?”
“Something like that,” he muttered, giving Allison the idea that he might have another plan in mind.
Still, she had agreed, and it was only one night… “You know the old saying, two’s company, three’s a crowd?”
“Yeah,” he said, slowly dragging out the word.
Allison smiled. “I’m your crowd.”
Chapter Two
Zach had known Allison Warner was trouble the first time he saw her. Problem was, the first time he saw her, he had no idea she was the temp hired to fill in for the company’s hospitalized receptionist.
How could he have known? She certainly hadn’t looked anything like a replacement for matronly Martha Scanlon. He supposed Allison had dressed professionally enough—she’d been wearing a cotton candy-soft, pale blue sweater and matching geometric print skirt—but she’d immediately caught his eye as she cut in front of his car in the parking garage with a wink and a wave. Even in the dim light of the underground garage, her short hair boasted every shade of blond under the sun. From dark to caramel to platinum, the strands blended together in tousled perfection, a gorgeous compliment to her golden skin and elegant features.
It would have been easy to label her cute or sweet, but something in that wink told Zach this was one angel with a devil on her shoulder.
He’d spun into the closest parking space, mentally insisting he was hurrying back to the office, yet knowing it was a lie. He caught up with her at the elevator. Glancing over her shoulder, her smile seemed to say she’d been waiting for him. “Going up?” she teased, hitting the only button available.
His thoughts took a turn in the opposite direction as he caught sight of the dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. That single dimple, rather than the typical matched pair, seemed to hint at the woman’s unique take on life, and Zach sensed she was someone who could always find the humor in a situation even if it meant laughing at herself.
He opened his mouth, ready to respond with a clever, sophisticated remark, only to catch another glimpse of her smile and find himself completely tongue-tied. “I, um, yeah.”
Of course you’re going up. You’re in an underground parking garage, idiot!
The woman’s eyes sparkled, telling Zach she certainly had no problem laughing at him.
Accompanied by the ping of the bell, the elevator doors swung open, and Zach gestured for her to precede him, determined to use the short ride as an opportunity to recover his masculine pride. His mother Caroline was always telling him he needed to get a life. To her, that meant a wife and kids, which wasn’t going to happen—no way, no how—but clearly he had been focused on work too long if he’d forgotten how to talk to a beautiful woman.
He stepped into the elevator, tempted by her strawberry scent. He leaned forward at the same time she did, their fingers connecting as they hit the keypad, and Zach swore the spark of attraction lit up the plastic number and shot the elevator car off the ground.
An answering spark flared in her green eyes, revealing she felt it, too. And that might have been enough. Enough for him to consider pursuing the fascinating woman in front of him despite the half a dozen presentations he was working on, not to mention the promotion he was up for.
But then he noticed the floor she’d selected, that the meeting of their hands hadn’t been due to fate but because they’d both reached for the same button. A bad feeling seemed to slow the elevator, pulling Zach back down to earth. “You’re going to the fourth floor?” he asked. “To Knox Security?”
“Yeah, today’s my first day on the job.” Her green eyes brightened even more. “Hey, does this mean we’ll be working together?”
That was, in fact, what it meant and should have been the end of his attraction. Zach never had and never would enter into a relationship at work. Too many pitfalls, too many complications, too big of a chance that management would think he had his mind on something other than the job.
Unfortunately, Zach hadn’t forgotten that first smile, that first touch…
She’s never let me forget, he thought with an accusing glance at the woman sitting in his passenger seat.
Not that Allison had gone out of her way to remind him of their first meeting or that instant spark of attraction. She didn’t have to. Just the sound of her laughter drifting down the hall made his gut clench and sent another electric rush of the energy he’d felt at that first touch charging through his veins.
And every time she smiled at him, the flash of that dimple reminded him of his weakness where she was concerned, reminded him she was a woman who could do what no other woman had ever done—take his mind off his career.
He couldn’t let that happen. His own childhood was a harsh reminder of what happened to a man who let a woman—who let love—break his focus. Zach would not repeat his father’s mistakes.
So why on earth had he asked for Allison’s help?
Because she’s the only one who can do the job. And as long as he kept thinking of the dinner as part of the job, he just might make it through the night.
“When is Martha coming back anyway?” The sooner Allison left, the better as far as Zach was concerned. He’d forget all about her the moment she moved on to some other temp job.
“Monday. I’m coming in for another day or two just to catch her up.”
“Good. That she’s feeling better and ready to come back to work, I mean.”
“Yeah.” Something in Allison’s agreement had Zach wondering if she wasn’t as glad to be moving on. If there was some reason she wanted to stay…
“Have you ever thought of staying on some place? Not at Knox—” please, not at Knox “—but at some other company? A permanent position might give you the opportunity to work your way up—”
“No,” Allison cut him off abruptly. As if realizing she might have given too much away, she flashed a smile and said, “Corporate ladders aren’t for me. Afraid of heights. And I like the temp jobs. Moving from place to place, meeting new people… It’s a good way to make sure I don’t get bored.”
Everything Allison said sounded legitimate, but Zach wasn’t buying it. Who wouldn’t want the chance to move up? To succeed? For Zach that need was a relentless drive that fueled him, pounding through his veins. Like the footfalls of another sprinter pulling away, Zach lived with the fear of not keeping pace, of falling behind, of failing…
But he was going to close the distance this time. He’d seal the Collins deal, if not tonight, then in another few days. Winning the bid would give him the edge over Bob Henderson when it came to the VP of Sales position both men were up for. Zach was sure of it, and he wouldn’t let a complication like the flirtatious Riana Collins get in his way.
But as Allison shifted in the passenger seat, crossing her legs beneath the hint of lace at the hem of her skirt and drawing his attention to her slender calf and smooth skin, Zach feared his solution might prove far more dangerous than the problem.
“You’re having your meeting here?”
Zach couldn’t blame Allison for sounding more than a little incredulous as he pulled into the jazz club parking lot. “The location changed when James couldn’t make it,” he said wryly.
Later that evening, the place would be packed with people sipping martinis and listening to the blues. But six o’clock was too early for that crowd and perfect for an intimate dinner for two.
Maybe that was why his brain short-circuited as he climbed out of the car and circled around to open Allison’s door. S
urprise lit her eyes, and he swore silently. What did he think he was doing? He’d brought Allison along to remind Riana their relationship was strictly business, but who was going to remind Zach of that fact when it came to Allison?
I don’t need any reminders. It was a momentary slip, he insisted even as her strawberry scent enticed him to fall even farther.
Taking his eye off the ball.
That was how his father would have phrased it, and Nathan Wilder knew how costly even a momentary slip could be. Nathan had been a high school star, starting quarterback with a promising college career ahead of him when he took his eye off the ball. When he made the mistake of getting his girlfriend pregnant. The echo of Nathan Wilder’s voice, jagged and sharp thanks to those broken dreams, sliced through Zach’s thoughts.
Could’ve had it all…
Nathan might not have been much of a father, but he had taught Zach lessons he refused to forget. He didn’t make mistakes. He wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of the goals he’d set for himself—not Riana Collins’s unwanted attention and certainly not his own equally unwanted interest in Allison Warner.
Hoping to cover the too-personal act, Zach immediately launched into a history of Collins Jewelers—the high-end stores in Chicago and New York. The A-list celebrities who wore the designs to red carpet events. The attention handling the account would garner Knox Security.
He didn’t mention his own goal for winning the account—gaining the edge he would need to convince the board he was the right man for the VP of Sales position.
In his hurry to get his thoughts back on track, he hadn’t realized he was half a step ahead of Allison until she mumbled something he didn’t quite catch. Slowing until she fell in step beside him, he asked, “What was that?”
“Everyone at Knox has been talking about this deal so…” Her voice trailed off, and she shrugged as if making an embarrassed confession. “I went online and did some research.”
Temporary Boss...Forever Husband Page 2