by Kwan, Coleen
Lex rose to make way for her. “You know how deep my pockets are. Name your price.”
“Don’t you ever give up?”
The corner of his mouth lifted an inch. “You know me.”
A shiver ran down her spine at his confidence. “And you know me,” she retorted.
She moved into the aisle, and he stepped back to let her through, but not much. “If you change your mind,” he murmured as she squeezed past him, “give me a ring on my cell phone.”
“I deleted your number,” she lied.
“Here it is, then.”
Before she could move, he slipped a business card into her shopping bag. Maybe it was the sudden slowing of the streetcar, or maybe it was the brush of his fingers across her wrist, or maybe it was a combination of both that made her stumble forward and bump against him.
She thought he let out a soft hiss, but she could barely make out anything over the rapid thumping of blood in her ears. The sensation of Lex’s solid chest pressed up against hers scrambled her already fractured wits. All she could focus on was the warmth of his body radiating beneath the soft cotton of his shirt, and the responding tremor flowing through her muscles. She put out a hand, intent on pushing away from him, but when her palm brushed against his shirt and felt the wall of his chest, she stilled, transfixed by the lure of Lex’s overt masculinity.
Her mind and heart had fought so hard to distance him, but her body remembered him instinctively, and the heat he’d always triggered so easily in her leaped up, an instant conflagration. Her nose was inches away from his shirt. The urge to nuzzle and suck in the smell of him made her weak at the knees.
A firm finger slid under her chin as Lex lifted her face to his. She wobbled in disbelief. His head lowered, his mouth tantalizingly close to hers. Was he going to...? Surely she couldn’t let him... But she was paralyzed as his lips hovered an inch over hers.
“Jacinta?”
Almost drugged by his proximity, she raised her dazed eyes to his. “Yes?”
“Judging by how you’re looking at me right now, I’d say you’d make a pretty good pretend girlfriend.”
Reality snapped back. Dammit, she was practically drooling over him like he was a powdered doughnut. Without a word, she pushed past him and hurried away, not daring to look back in case she saw Lex smiling after her.
Pretend girlfriend. Her near swoon hadn’t been pretending at all, and they both knew it.
…
Lex looked on as Jacinta practically leaped from the streetcar in her rush to get away from him. Did she really hate him that much? Once upon a time she hadn’t been able to keep her hands off him, and the feeling had been mutual.
Had? It was still there, that urge to pull her into his arms and make her his. A second ago he’d been this close to kissing her. God, the temptation! He still hadn’t recovered. He stared after her as she hurried down the sidewalk. Her legs flashed, long and shapely, as she tossed back her thick, dark brown hair. She was more breathtaking than he’d remembered.
A guy turned to check her out, and Lex’s fingers curled into a fist. Jackass. He shook his head. Damn, was he jealous of Jacinta? What about the date she had tonight? Was it serious? A weird tightness formed in his chest. Swiping the back of his hand across his brow, he forced himself to sit back as the streetcar rumbled on.
He never rehashed old history, and Jacinta belonged in the past. When they’d broken up, he’d sworn never to contact her again. Only the unfolding crisis in his company had forced his hand. He’d identified the most efficient course of action, which meant contacting Jacinta again, and so he’d done it. But he’d underestimated the impact of old memories, and seeing her in person had punched the air from his lungs. Luckily, the overcrowded streetcar meant he’d had to wait a while before approaching her, but even then, the sight of her startled, toffee-brown eyes fixing on him had sent a subterranean jolt right through him.
It was nothing, though. Just a little sexual frustration. Being so close to her had reminded him how sexually compatible they were. She was, simply and crudely, the best lay he’d ever had. Not because she was experienced or kinky, but the opposite—because of the way she gave herself to him with such abandon and trust, her delight fueling his desire.
He wouldn’t say no to revisiting their bedroom sessions. And maybe neither would she, judging by the way she’d felt up his chest a minute ago. His body pulsed at the memory. Christ, he was a sucker for the way she fondled him in that adorably dazed way of hers—
He quashed that train of thought. Seducing Jacinta might be a fun diversion, but he had to concentrate on the main game. He didn’t have time to spare. She was his best chance of saving his company, and after all the hard work he’d put in to get to the top position, he wasn’t going to let it all collapse in his hands. Jacinta would help him. He’d convince her, no matter how much she hated his guts.
Chapter Two
Kevin buried his head in his hands. “I was such a tool at my interview. I knew the answers, but I couldn’t find the right words.”
Jacinta deposited her bags on the kitchen counter and summoned up an encouraging smile. “You can’t give up hope. It’s just one interview.”
“But it’s hard enough to score an interview. I’m never going to get a job.”
“You’ve got to maintain your self-confidence.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
As she studied her dejected twenty-one-year-old brother, resentment spiked in her. This was all Lex’s fault. He’d smashed Kevin’s confidence to smithereens. Yes, Kevin had definitely been in the wrong. In his final year of college, Kevin had landed an IT internship at Jubilee Holdings. He’d been excited at the opportunity, but a few months into the internship, he’d done something incredibly stupid. He’d hacked into the company’s client database and sent off a stream of prank emails.
By that time, Jacinta had been seeing Lex for four months. She’d pleaded with Lex on her brother’s behalf. She didn’t expect special treatment just because they were together, but at the back of her mind, she’d hoped that their relationship would have some influence on him. She was crazy about Lex, and he seemed equally taken with her.
So had it been so out of line for her to ask him to show a little mercy toward her brother? He’d reacted as if she’d tried to bribe him. And then he’d gone out of his way to punish Kevin to the hilt. Not satisfied with a severe reprimand, he’d contacted the dean of the faculty, and Kevin had been expelled, just one semester away from graduation.
Her brother had moved in with her and sunk into a depression that grew deeper with every passing day. Lex had kicked her little brother to the curb, and she would never forgive him for that.
Jacinta picked up the Nordstrom shopping bag and handed it to Kevin. “Hey, look what I bought for you today.”
His face lightened a little as he examined the new headphones. “Oh, cool. I need a good pair for when I’m playing Grand Theft Auto.”
Jacinta blinked. Why hadn’t she bought him a stylish new tie instead? The headphones would only make it easier for him to shut out reality, whereas a new tie might have helped him in his interview today.
“Maybe you shouldn’t play computer games so much,” she mildly suggested.
“I guess.” He shrugged. “I made a spinach quiche for dinner. It’s in the oven right now.”
“Oh.” She watched as Kevin tried on the headphones. “The thing is I have—”
“And afterward I was hoping you’d help me jazz up my résumé.”
Well, that was better than playing Grand Theft Auto. She’d have to cancel her date with Calvin. Funny, she could barely recall what Calvin looked like. She frowned. Was she using Kevin as an excuse to cancel the date? Maybe, but in all honesty she wasn’t interested in Calvin anyway, so canceling the date would do them both a favor.
“Sure, that sounds like a good idea,” she said.
“What would I do without you?”
She laughed. “I can’t imagine.”<
br />
But beneath her attempted cheeriness, she knew Kevin was her responsibility. She’d been looking after him practically all his life. She was six when he was born, their dad had taken off seven months before, and there’d been no relatives or friends to help their single mom. As soon as Kevin was old enough, their mom had worked two jobs, often taking night shifts because the pay was better. Jacinta had been put in charge of her younger brother. He was a skinny, pale boy with behavior problems that sometimes made him impulsive, but his disadvantages had brought out all her protective instincts.
But in the past year, she’d let him down. Her tumultuous affair with Lex had consumed all her attention, and she’d neglected Kevin. Now, despite all her help and encouragement, he was sliding into an even deeper funk.
She couldn’t let that happen. She had to do something more concrete this time. And Lex was the answer. He needed something from her, and he was in a position to help her brother.
She’d almost let him kiss her today even though she couldn’t stand him. Shame on her. It was degrading to lust after a man she didn’t respect. She needed to cut the cord that still shackled her to him, or she’d never be free.
The realization braced her like a cool sea breeze. She would use Lex to help her brother. She’d ignore his charms, and when she was done, she’d walk away from him, head held high.
…
The Maritime Museum Visitor Center was usually quiet on Friday mornings, which was why Lex had chosen it as his meeting spot with Jacinta. He adjusted his wristwatch and smoothed down his tie as he approached the museum. The faint fluttering in his stomach surprised and dismayed him. He couldn’t be anxious about seeing Jacinta again? Okay, hearing her voice on the phone earlier today had given him a jolt. He’d expected her to call, just not so soon. She’d sounded businesslike as she said they should meet, and when he’d suggested an early time, she’d hesitated only a couple of seconds before agreeing. Everything was falling into place, so why did he feel antsy about meeting Jacinta? Christ, he wasn’t a teenager anymore.
He stopped dead when he caught sight of her in the entrance lobby. She stood in front of a huge wooden anchor, appearing absorbed by the exhibit. Her crisp white shirt and tailored navy skirt showed off her curves and long legs. She still looked like dynamite. Her thick chestnut hair was achingly familiar, and the sight of the shining mass falling down her back caused his chest to constrict. From her glossy hair down to the tips of her polished navy pumps, Jacinta looked competent and professional, but he knew from experience she wasn’t always so poised, knew the kind of untamed passion that could come flaring out of her.
Unbidden, a memory flashed through his brain. A memory of bending her over his office desk, of unzipping that tailored skirt and unbuttoning that crisp shirt, of her hair all tossed and wild as she wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him on in that husky, excited tone of hers...
His trousers tightened as blood throbbed in inconvenient places. Hell, get a grip, man. Think of something else. Think of her face when she’d called him a mean, vindictive bastard. Yeah, that would do it. He clenched his jaw and strode forward.
“Jacinta.” He gave her a brief nod. “Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
She raised her eyebrows at his tone. He hadn’t meant to sound so abrupt, but he had to get his balls under control. Without speaking, she allowed him to usher her further into the museum. When he got a sideways glimpse of her, he couldn’t help noticing the faint shadows beneath her eyes, the telltale signs of insufficient sleep.
He frowned. “How was your date?”
She started, then gave him a Mona Lisa smile. “Great. Really great.”
He forced the scowl away from his brow. “Tapas must agree with you.”
“Oh...tapas. Yes, very yummy.”
“I hope you didn’t have any gambas.”
“Gambas?”
“You’re allergic to shrimp, remember? Makes you break out in a rash.”
Her face flushed with annoyance. “No, no gambas,” she muttered.
“Late night then?” he couldn’t help asking.
“Must have been. I can’t even remember what time I got back.”
Did you sleep with the guy? The question pounded against his skull, but he’d be damned if he’d show such weakness. Too bad he hadn’t slept with anyone else since Jacinta. There’d been plenty of opportunity, but every time his body had failed him before he’d reached first base. Only Jacinta did it for him.
“You know you’ll have to break it off with this guy,” he said. “I don’t allow my girlfriends to have lovers on the side.”
The flush spread to the roots of her hair, and he felt a perverse satisfaction that he still had the power to get her worked up.
“You just assumed I’ve agreed to your plan?” Her voice dripped with ice.
“I don’t assume anything with you.” That was the truth. She was different from every other woman he’d ever met. “But why else did you agree to meet me here?”
“You haven’t heard what I want. You said I could name my price.”
“So how much do you want?” He narrowed his eyes at her. Jacinta had never struck him as greedy. She hadn’t been impressed by his wealth, despite the expensive baubles he’d showered on her, every last one scrupulously returned to him after their breakup. But things were different now. If she was going to help him, then she’d make him pay a fair price, maybe even an exorbitant one just to punish him. The question was—how much?
“I don’t want money.” She took a deep breath. “I want you to hire Kevin. Give him a job in your IT department. A proper job, not some made-up role.”
“No.” The answer came out before he’d even had time to think about it.
She blinked. “What—”
“No, I won’t do that. Never.”
“Don’t you want to think about this? After all, it won’t cost you much.”
“I’ll pay you two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Two hundred and fifty thousand? That’s crazy.”
“No, I’ll tell you what’s crazy. Expecting me to take back your brother as if he did nothing wrong, that’s what’s crazy.”
“You’re so unreasonable!” Her eyes were flashing. Usually they were a soft honey caramel color, but now they were spitting. “What do you have against Kevin, huh?”
“Come on,” he scoffed, his temper rising. “He sent out hundreds of fake emails saying we were going to build a five-star hotel on Alcatraz, and when those emails went viral, we were hammered on social media. It took weeks before our reservations recovered. And you don’t understand why I’m against him?”
“If he managed to hack into a supposedly secure database, doesn’t that show he has talent?”
“I don’t need that kind of talent.”
“But it’s not just the hacking.” Her chest heaved up and down. “Even before that happened, you never liked him. Admit it.”
The movement of her breasts was mesmerizing. Realizing he was staring at the top button of her shirt, he forced his eyes elsewhere. Damn, why did her breasts have such a devastating effect on his concentration? He focused his thoughts on her brother. Kevin Greene. A mousy kind of guy. Not someone he’d seek out or remember easily. But if it weren’t for Kevin, Lex would never have met Jacinta. So was that a plus or a minus?
“Okay, I never liked him,” he said. “But that has nothing to do with why I won’t hire him back. He deliberately abused his position. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and yet he still did it. He can’t be trusted, and I won’t hire anyone I can’t trust. Period.”
“But you want to hire me. Does that mean you trust me?”
“I trust your professional reputation.”
Her hands clamped around her purse. “Everything is so black-and-white with you, isn’t it? It must be such a comfort, knowing exactly what’s right and wrong, never doubting your judgment, never wondering if perhaps you might have done
something questionable. Well, let me tell you, most people aren’t like you. Most people can at least acknowledge there are different sides to most arguments.”
Her words prickled his conscience, but he shrugged off the irritation. “Is there a point you’re trying to make, or do you just want to rehash the same old arguments?”
“Kevin hasn’t been able to find a job since you got him expelled from school.”
“I’ve just offered you a quarter of a million dollars. Give the money to him if you want.”
“No.” She shook her head. “This is something money can’t fix.”
Why couldn’t she just take the money like most people? But Jacinta wasn’t most people. She was independent and fiercely loyal, and maybe he even respected her for that. He forced his shoulders to relax in an effort to appear less combative.
“Let’s not argue. Isn’t there something else I can do for you?” God, he was almost pleading with her. Did she realize how difficult this was for him? To ask her for help while his pride battled her attraction?
“Jacinta?” His voice lowered of its own accord, and he glimpsed a flash of something in her wide eyes—something soft and yearning—before she pressed her lips together.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to butter me up?”
He lavished her with a dimpled smile. “Is it working?”
“Oh, you’ll have to come up with more than just ‘Ja-cin-ta.’” She mimicked his husky voice.
Her throaty tone had the blood coursing thick through his veins. “How much more?”
“A lot more. You’ll have to stifle your ego and find Kevin a job.”
Lex sighed. “So you agree it’s a lot to ask.”
“That depends. How bad do you want me?” She flushed then, as her double entendre sunk in.
They were both breathing hard, he realized, but he wasn’t about to admit how much he really wanted her. He scratched his chin. “We-ell...I’m thinking about it.”
Jacinta huffed in exasperation. “Okay, then. Looks like it’s been a waste of time. I’ll be on my way.” She spun on her heel and marched off.