“Now we have all night to get to know each other…outside of the office that is,” he said with a leering gaze. “You really do look beautiful in that dress, Madison.”
Uncomfortable with the clamminess of his hand, she tried to shake it off. “Thank you, Adam.”
He tightened his grip on her. “I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I really would like to be friends, good friends.”
“We work together, Adam. We don’t need to be friends.”
He moved closer to her. “I think we do.”
“Madison,” a sultry voice called over her right shoulder.
When she turned, Hayden was standing behind her. Her body tensed when his eyes peered down at Adam’s hand in hers. “I need to speak with you.”
Instantly, she let go of Adam’s hand. “Of course.”
“Is this about the designs?” Adam butted in. “Because I have a few more things I would like to—”
“No,” Hayden barked, cutting the young man off, “this is about something else entirely.”
Seeming relieved, Adam gave a slight shrug and then nodded. Letting Hayden take her elbow, Madison allowed him to pull her away. When they went to a corner of the dining room, Hayden let go of her arm, and his eyes surveyed the room before he finally spoke.
“I’m sure you already know the Martins are very interested in your design.” He lowered his head. “They were very impressed with you. I have to say, so was I.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“However, they have some changes they want to make, quite a few changes actually. I want to find out if you’re all right with that.”
Madison nodded. “It’s their house. I’ll do whatever they suggest…as long as it’s structurally possible.”
“Good answer.” He slowly grinned, appearing pleased. “We need to speak more about this tonight, but not here.” He glanced over at Adam standing by the buffet tables, taking in their every word. “How did you get here? Did you drive?”
“A friend brought me. She’s going to pick me up later.”
He hesitated, his lips smashing together in an unflattering scowl. “I’ll take you home. We can talk in my car.”
Her stomach tangled into a huge knot. “You really don’t have—”
“I said I would take you home.”
The hint of anger in his voice disturbed her. Great, the last thing she needed to do was piss off her boss. “All right. Thank you,” she added, hoping to appease him.
He peered over her shoulder to Adam. “Anyway, you looked like you needed rescuing.”
She followed his eyes to see Adam hovering over the buffet tables, inspecting the food and trying to strike up a conversation with an older couple next to him. The way his tuxedo hung on his lanky frame reminded Madison of a something she would see at a prom and not a fancy party. “Adam is harmless,” she declared, as she swung her eyes back to him.
The first thing that struck her was how the cut of Hayden’s tuxedo was nothing like Adam’s; he looked dark and tempting in the precisely pressed fabric. Adam’s high school attempt at formal men’s fashion only amplified Hayden’s magnetism.
“Don’t say anything to him. I’ll give him the bad news on Monday. I don’t need him causing a scene or bothering the Martins.”
“Yes, Mr. Parr.”
Hayden inched closer to her, and the smell of his musky cologne overtook her senses. “What did I tell you about that?”
Madison gazed boldly into his eyes. “This is business…Mr. Parr.”
The scowl on his face twisted into an intrigued grin. “I can see you’re going to be very difficult to handle, aren’t you?”
Feeling that tingle of electricity at the nearness of him gave Madison a rush of courage. “I was being assertive and not difficult. If I were being difficult, I would have refused your offer to take me home.”
His grin became a full-on smile. “And which one are you most often, assertive or difficult?”
She returned his smile. “That would depend.”
“On your mood?”
Madison kept him waiting before finally answering, “No, on the man.”
The laughter of a group of men by the patio doors distracted him. “Let me see to the Martins, grab your design, and I will meet you out front. Give me about ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Her eyes took in the half-full dining room. “What about the party?”
“I didn’t come here for the party.” He abruptly headed toward the patio doors. His lean figure cutting across the room reminded Madison of a hero in a Greek play. Strong, smart, and with a dash of hubris in his step, he looked irresistible. As Madison watched his sleek body maneuver through the light scattering of guests, she felt that white heat rise up from her gut, obliterating all other thoughts.
Oh, I’m in trouble.
“What did he say?” Adam excitedly asked, coming up to her.
Madison pushed the smoldering desire that Hayden had awakened back down into her gut. “Nothing. He just had a question or two about something related to my design.”
Adam peeked out the patio door. “Does he have any questions for me? Maybe I should go and ask him.”
He had taken a step forward when she held his arm, stopping him. “No, Adam. Mr. Parr only had questions for me because…I didn’t do as thorough a presentation as you. That’s all,” she elaborated, amazed by her quick thinking.
“I guess you’re right.” Adam’s attention shifted to Madison and his eyes dropped to her hand on his sleeve. “Hey, why don’t we get some food, grab a table, and we can talk?” He placed his hand over hers. “I want to know all about you…every interesting detail.”
She slipped her hand out from under his. “Actually, Adam, I’m feeling rather tired. I was up late last night finishing my plans.” She swiped her hand along her brow. “I guess the excitement and the cranberry martini has gotten to me. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go home.”
“You can’t go,” he objected, his voice cracking with distress. “We have so much to discuss.”
She gave him an apologetic pout. “I’m sorry, but I really should go.”
“I’ll show you to your car.”
She rested her hand on the lapel of his tuxedo jacket, smiling flirtatiously. “There’s no need, Adam. You enjoy the party; get something to eat.” She waved to the buffet. “I’ll see you Monday.”
Leaving Adam behind, Madison made a hasty retreat from the dining room, anxious to meet Hayden. Dodging guests, she pulled the gold purse from under her arm and retrieved her cell phone. When she reached the lobby, she stopped, taking a moment to send a quick text to Charlie.
No need to pick me up. Got ride home.
Very quickly Charlie texted back. With who?
Hottie boss.
Hottie boss sex?
Not like that, Madison typed into her phone.
I’ll sleep at Nelson’s. Jump his bones.
It’s business, Charlie.
Yeah, right. Details in morning.
Madison shook her head at her roommate’s suggestion, not wanting to admit that she had secretly hoped for such an ending to the night. She was pretty much convinced that Hayden was her Harry, but was also painfully aware that their one night together had meant nothing to him. After her conversation with Hayden’s sister, Mike, she had a good idea of the kind of man Hayden had been when they had met up in that bar: a campus playboy. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was still the same Lothario he used to be, or if his failed marriage had scared him further away from commitment. Common sense told her that another night with her boss would be a huge mistake, but despite all the dire warnings from her head, her heart was slowly caving to him. Her head spinning with questions while her stomach twitched with nerves, Madison rested her hand against her forehead as a slight pounding—the after effects of the strong drink, no doubt—began to add to her discomfort.
Leaving the warmth of the lobby behind, she exited t
he thick wooden doors at the entrance and stood beneath the white canopy that stretched over a row of steps to the bricked drive. A brisk breeze blew past, making her rub her hands up and down her bare arms, regretting not bringing some sort of wrap. Slowly descending the cascade of cement steps to the valet podium, Madison’s mind leapt ahead to the events to come with Hayden. Those persistent butterflies zoomed to life at the thought of being alone with him. Again her practical mind jumped in, tempering her excitement.
Straighten up, Madison. You have to work with the man, she silently berated.
Suddenly, something wrapped around her, and when Madison looked down, she saw a man’s black tuxedo jacket enveloping her.
“You’re cold,” Hayden’s voice purred in her ear.
When he came around in front of her, adjusting the jacket about her shoulders, she spied his muscular torso through his sheer white dress shirt. His eyes searched hers as he held up her cardboard tube.
“Adam cornered me as I was leaving.” He pulled a valet ticket from his trouser pocket. “I had to almost threaten him with bodily harm not to harass the Martins after I left.”
The valet came up to Hayden and took his ticket.
“Do you think that will work?” Madison tucked the tube under her arm. “He seems pretty relentless.”
“He’ll listen. I set Mike on him before I left. I told her to keep an eye on him and trust me, she will.”
“I liked your sister.”
Hayden raised his dark brows, making his eyes appear slightly sinister. “Really? I find that surprising. Mike usually offends everyone.”
“She’s honest, not offensive,” Madison reflected. “Only people who are hiding from the truth will be offended by it.”
He snickered while placing his hands in his trouser pockets. “Yeah, well, my sister is a master at pissing everyone off. My parents, her ex, even my ex.”
“I got the impression she didn’t like your ex-wife.”
“No one liked Ellen.” His handsome face sobered. “My mother begged me not to marry her. She said I was going to regret it, and she was right.”
“So why did you marry her?”
He took in a deep breath of the cool night air. “When we met I was…looking for something, and I thought I’d found it in her.”
The lights from outside the mansion cast a tempting glow, drawing Madison’s attention to every fleck of gray in his eyes. “What were you looking for?”
The left side of his mouth curved into a half-grin. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Get me to talk, open up, and…I can’t seem to keep my thoughts to myself when I’m with you.”
“Surely there are some thoughts you’re holding back, Hayden.”
Then she saw it; that irrefutable flash of desire in his eyes.
The bright beam of headlights made her turn away. A black Range Rover with tinted windows pulled up to the podium, and the young valet attendant jumped from the front driver’s side of the car. He came around and opened the passenger door for Madison.
Hayden rested his hand against her back and gently ushered her toward the car. The sensation made Madison close her eyes for a second, relishing the feel of his hand.
After slipping into the front seat, she watched as Hayden tipped the valet and then went around to the driver’s side of the car.
“Where do you live?” he inquired, pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder.
“Behind the SMU campus on Rosedale. It’s a big blue apartment building.” She set the cardboard tube in the backseat.
“How long have you lived there?”
She watched his smooth hands glide over the wood and leather steering wheel as they pulled out of the fancy bricked driveway. “A little over a year. I moved in with my roommate, Charlie, after I finished my degree at UT. It was close to where I was doing my internship.”
“And where was that?”
“It was on my resume.”
“Madison, do you know how many resumes I saw? I had thirty people apply for the jobs you and Adam got. Forgive me if I can’t remember every detail on your application.”
“I interned at Pellerin, Everly, and Walters.”
“I know Curtis Pellerin,” he told her. “We’ve shared some clients. How did you like working for him?”
“He was very nice to me. He even wanted me to stay on, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.”
“And Parr and Associates was?” he snickered. “I find that hard to believe.”
She took in a deep breath, debating if she should lie her butt off or tell him the truth about her high-rise aspirations. “Actually, no. I wanted to get on with MA Architects. My dream is to build skyscrapers…buildings that touch the sky.”
“I understand. I was just like that when I was in school. I didn’t want to take over my father’s firm, but by the time I graduated with a master’s degree in architecture I was warming up to the idea. However, if given the chance, I would love to build skyscrapers, too.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because Parr and Associates has a great reputation with home design. It’s taken a long time to build up that reputation, and after being in this business for a while, I discovered I like the simplicity of designing homes. I know some big building architects, like over at MA, and the headaches associated with designing and building those steel and glass beasts are enormous.” He paused as he turned to her. “Besides, pleasing homeowners has its rewards. When you see the finished product and know people are going to be living inside of something you created, building a life and raising a family, it makes it all worthwhile. You’ll see when Pat and Stevie build your design. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.”
“You told me that they wanted to make some changes to my plans. What kinds of changes?”
Arching back slightly, he appeared uncomfortable with the question. “They love it as is, but that could change as we get down the road. Homes are an ever-evolving process during construction.”
Confused by his comment, Madison cautiously studied his profile. “I thought we needed to talk about the changes to my design. That’s why you offered to take me home, isn’t it?”
His gaze locked on hers. “I lied.”
“Why did you do that?”
He diverted his eyes to the road ahead. “You know why.”
A zap of dread mixed with excitement tore through her. The statement could have meant a number of things, but instead of pursuing questions about his intentions, she kept quiet and eased back in her seat. She had the answer she had been hoping for. Hayden Parr was interested in her…very interested.
***
When his black Range Rover parked in front of her blue five-story apartment building, the recessed entrance of glass doors and dim lights loomed ahead. As she debated between inviting him up or dashing for the entrance, Hayden spoke out.
“I’ll see you to your apartment.” He turned off the engine and climbed out before she could protest.
As he came around and opened her door, a flutter of panic seized her. The sensation reminded her of their first night together. He had brought her back to his apartment, and had opened the car door of his Porsche for her. When he had reached for her hand, his touch had instantly calmed her, giving her the courage to forge ahead.
“Give me your hand,” he urged, snapping her back from the past.
Hesitantly, Madison took his outstretched hand, and when their fingers met, a burst of electricity passed through her. She considered if he had felt it too, but his frosty eyes were impossible to decipher.
Pulling her to him, Hayden shut her door, and still holding her hand, led her toward the building entrance.
“Oh, my plans,” she glanced back at the car, “I left them in the backseat.”
“Leave them. I’ll bring them to the office on Monday.”
Neither of them spoke as they walked the rest of the way to the glass doors, and when he opened one of them for her, she let go o
f his hand, disappointed to lose the warmth of his touch.
Inside, they slowly made their way to the pair of silver elevator doors in the lobby as Madison’s mind clamored for something to say.
“You really don’t need to see me up. I’ll be fine.” She eased his jacket from around her shoulders and held it out to him. “Thank you for this.”
Ignoring the jacket, he pushed the elevator call button. “There is something we need to settle between us.”
“There is?”
He took the jacket and slung it over his arm. “Yes, we have unfinished business.”
The silver doors slowly cranked open, and he held them as she stepped inside. Once he had followed her in, he motioned to the console.
“What floor?”
“Five.”
He punched the button, and while the doors were slowly closing he moved next to her.
“What ‘unfinished business’?” she asked, clutching her purse to her chest.
With an amused grin, he noted the apprehension in her green eyes. “You’re keeping secrets from me.”
She swallowed hard. I’m keeping a hell of a lot more than that from you, she thought, but insisted, “I’m not keeping anything from you, Hayden.”
“Are you sure about that?”
She stood beside him as the car climbed upward, hunting for things to say to him; witty comments or alluring statements to offset the torment he was creating in her.
“I don’t keep secrets,” she finally offered, figuring it was close to the truth.
Once they arrived on the fifth floor, she moved toward her apartment as she searched her purse for her keys. Hayden followed her, and she was acutely aware of his presence.
“I think you keep a great deal to yourself, Madison. You don’t say much, but your eyes give you away.”
She found her keys and spotted her apartment just ahead. Quickening her step, she moved to work the lock on her door. “I think most people are like that.”
“Perhaps, but none of them are like you.”
That Night with You Page 9