That Night with You

by Alexandrea Weis

  Her hands shaking, she unlocked the deadbolt and glanced back at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Good night.”

  She was about to open the door when he placed his arm in front of her, barring her way. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  Staring into his eyes, she knew she couldn’t resist him…and if he entered her apartment, she’d be his for the taking. “Why?” she defiantly questioned.

  His face inched closer to hers. “Invite me in, Madison.”

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea. You’re my boss.”

  He leaned back slightly, as if the challenge of her answer had been unexpected. “Is this your assertive side or difficult side?”

  “This is my needing to keep my job side, Mr. Parr.”

  He lowered his arm and took a step closer to her, placing his face right in front of hers. The nearness of his lips caused every molecule in her being to scream with protest.

  “I would never use my authority as your employer to make you do my bidding. I don’t want that kind of control over you. I would prefer a very different arrangement.”

  She was at a crossroads; if she let him in, their relationship would invariably change, and she would be vulnerable. Yet feeling his eyes on her at that moment, she wanted to be vulnerable to him, wanted to be so much more than his employee. Despite the loud remonstrations in her head, she pushed her door all the way open and stepped inside.

  Flipping on the overhead lights, she set her purse on a table by the door, dropping her keys next to it. Madison listened as he came in behind her and quietly closed the door.

  “Where’s your roommate?”

  “Out,” she curtly replied.

  The sound of her deadbolt being secured behind her made her tremble. Determined not to show him any fear, she turned and faced him. Jarred by a memory, she was transported back to their night together. She had stood before him, in almost the same way, filled with all the trepidation, excitement, and lust that was now coursing through her veins. Only then she had not known what to expect. Tonight, she hungered for it.

  He inched closer, his eyes riveted on her. “Will she be out for the entire evening?”

  She backed away, bumping into a pile of Charlie’s boxes, and one tumbled over. After retrieving the box, he came to her side and took it from her hands.

  “Are you moving?”

  She avoided his eyes. “No, my roommate is. She’s getting married in two weeks.”

  Lifting the container, he replaced it on the pile by the door. Then, after tossing his tuxedo jacket to the sofa, he made his way deeper into her living room. Glancing about, he spotted the CD player.

  Madison followed his movements as he perused her music selection in the storage towers on either side of the CD player. He stopped when he saw a CD cover still out next to the player. Switching on the CD player, he waited as the sound of a man’s soft voice filled the living room.

  “Michael Bublé. You like the classics?”

  She nervously rubbed her hands together. Why did the room suddenly feel so small? “Not usually, but there is this one particular song.”

  Hayden pointed in the air as the bluesy rendition of “Feelin’ Good” began. “This song?”

  She nodded as he slowly approached. “It reminds me…of someone.”

  He stopped before her. “Who does it remind you of?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  He held out his hand to her. “Dance with me?”

  The way he said the words, the tone of his voice, was just as it had been when he had taken her home from the bar that night. Madison wondered if this was his move; the way he seduced women into bed. Perhaps what she had thought was special, was merely his tried and true method of seduction. Shaking her head, she went to walk past him.

  He held her arm, and whispered, “Dance with me.” The need in his voice was hypnotic, and more desperate than she had ever heard him sound.

  “All right, one dance.” She ran her hand up and rested it on his shoulder.

  When his arm came around her waist, pulling her to him, she let out a little gasp of surprise. He held her close, and slowly swayed side to side as the music swirled about them.

  “There is something I’ve wanted to ask you since the moment we met.”

  His hot breath teased the nape of her neck. “What is that, Hayden?”

  He gazed into her eyes. “Why did you leave me that night, Mary?”

  All the emotion she had been holding back since first realizing who he was came crashing down around her. “You’re Harry!”

  Jerking away from him, she slapped her hand over her mouth. Madison went to the breakfast bar by the kitchen and punched her fists into the bar, taking in several deep gulps of air.

  “You had to know it was me,” he commented, coming up behind her. “Or did you forget about me…forget about what we shared?”

  “I thought you were the one who had forgotten, the way you acted. When I asked you about Nina Simone…I figured I had just been a one-night stand that had meant nothing.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you would run out on me again if I told you who I was, so I decided not to say anything.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “When I woke in the morning and found you gone…Christ, you should have told me you were a virgin.”

  She spun around. “How did you know that?”

  “I saw the sheets, Madison. You need to give a guy some warning that he’s going to be the first, especially a stranger. I wanted to find you and see if you were all right, but I didn’t know where to begin. You could have at least told me your real name.”

  Her back smacked into the bar behind her. “What difference does it make if I gave you a fake name? You told me your name was Harry.”

  “It is Harry.” He leaned closer, resting his hands on the countertop behind her and pinning her between his arms.

  “That’s not your real name, Hayden, so don’t jump all over me for not telling you my name, all right?” She paused, catching her breath. “How long have you known it was me?”

  His lips hovered above hers. “From the moment I saw you in the elevator.”

  She angrily broke free of his arms. “Did you know it was me when I applied to your firm?”

  “Of course not. I didn’t hire you, Don did. I saw your application, but I never knew your name, Madison. How could I’ve known it was you?”

  “You should have said something that first day in the conference room.”

  He grabbed her arms. “If I had, would we be standing here now? Would you have opened up to me, talked to me like you have?”

  His body was inches from hers. The heat coming through his shirt felt like summer and his hands were strong, forceful, and utterly compelling. She wanted to push him away, but the longer she stared into his eyes, the more Madison felt her resistance floundering.

  “Please tell me you haven’t made a habit of picking up strangers in bars since me.” He let her go and stood back. “I could never pick up another girl in a bar after you, do you know that?” He turned away and went to the CD player.

  “Why not?”

  He turned off the music. “Because you left a hell of an impression on me, that’s why.”

  “No less of an impression than you left with me,” she shouted.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  She waved her hand in the air, getting ahold of her anger. “So what do we do about this situation?”

  “Do?” He went to the sofa and picked up his jacket. “Nothing. This changes nothing between us.”

  She waited as he eased the tuxedo jacket around his shoulders. “I think it changes everything.” She looked down at her hands. “Do you want me to quit?”

  He came up to her. “No, you have talent, Madison. I want you to stay with Parr and Associates.”

  “Even knowing what happened between us, you think we can still work together?”

  “Why not? I need a good architect…not a girlfriend.” He paused, an
d for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but then he simply nodded his head. “I’ll see you Monday morning.”

  When he quietly closed the front door behind him, Madison shuddered. They had cleared the air, discussed the past, and he had made his intentions known for their future. It was going to be all about business from now on.

  Securing the deadbolt on the door, she thought ahead to the coming days and weeks they would be working together. How would she be able to look him in the eye without thinking of that night? Wondering if every time he looked at her, if he was thinking about that night, too.

  Making her way through her living room to her bedroom, she envisioned her life with Hayden Parr, and the constant burn of desire the man elicited from her every time he drew near.

  “How am I going to survive this?”

  Chapter 8

  Monday morning, Madison arrived at the entrance to the Renaissance Tower buzzing with a blend of excitement for her coming design for the Martins, and trepidation over seeing Hayden again. The entire weekend she had gone over and over his disclosure, wondering how to proceed. Madison knew she should put the incident behind her and move on with her new job and her life just like he had suggested, but there was something about the man that ate at her.

  “There is no way you two are going to be able to work together,” Charlie had advised that Sunday morning when Madison had stood in the kitchen and told her the news. “Admit it, Mads, you’re attracted to him and he’s attracted to you.”

  “I thought he was attracted to me, but maybe I was wrong,” Madison had proposed. “He said he wanted me as an architect and not a girlfriend.”

  “You don’t actually buy that crap, do you?” Charlie had laughed and then rolled her big blue eyes. “Lord, if this is just your first week at this job, I can only imagine what next week will bring.”

  Now riding in the elevator to her office on the thirty-third floor, Madison had already decided that she could not afford to get involved with her boss. After all, he was the kind of man she had always steered clear of; the sexy, successful kind that would dump her in the end for someone far more sophisticated and prettier.

  By the time she reached her office door, she was convinced that she could work for Hayden. Sure it would be difficult, but she knew with time the awkward feelings would fade, and then their relationship would be “strictly business.”

  Opening the door to her office, she was relieved to see that Adam had not arrived yet. She knew the obstinate man would be asking a thousand questions about the party, questions she still was not sure how to answer.

  Having just put her purse down on her desk, Madison was removing her blue pantsuit jacket when she heard a knock on her door.

  “Madison,” Emma called as she came into the office, “Mr. Parr wants to see you first thing.”

  Madison quickly slipped her jacket back on. “Is there a problem?”

  Emma shrugged. “He just told me to come and get you.”

  Shoving her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk, she hurriedly followed Emma out of the office. Just as the two women were turning down the hallway that led to the elevators, Adam came tearing around the corner, carrying his blue backpack.

  “Hey, where are you two headed?”

  “Mr. Parr asked to speak to Madison,” Emma informed him without stopping.

  Adam turned and began to follow them down the hall. “Is this about the designs for the Martins? Does he want to see me, too?”

  “Just Madison,” Emma clarified.

  “He’ll probably want to speak to you next.” Madison tried to sound hopeful.

  “Right,” he mumbled as he stopped walking. “I’ll be in my office, Emma.”

  When they reached the elevators, Emma turned to Madison. “How are you getting along with him? Has he hit on you yet?” She snorted. “I’ve heard he’s hit on every unmarried woman in the office.”

  “He’s not that bad, Emma. Just a bit overzealous.”

  “Mr. Parr was never keen on hiring him.”

  The elevator doors opened and when Emma stepped inside, Madison quickly came alongside her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Emma hit the console button for the thirty-second floor. “I overheard him telling Garrett Hughes and Don Worthy to keep an eye on him. Said he didn’t trust the little weasel.” Emma waited until the doors closed and then grinned at Madison. “I think he only hired him because he’s a friend of the family or something like that.”

  Madison stood gaping at the petite woman. “How do you know all of this?”

  Emma tipped her head to the side. “I’m his secretary. I overhear everything that goes on in his office.”

  The short ride ended and the doors opened on the reception area of the administrative offices. Emma walked from the car on her sturdy black heels, headed past the double doors, and moved quickly down a hallway until they came to Hayden’s office. Smiling at Madison, Emma knocked once and waited until Hayden’s voice called, “Yes, come in.”

  Madison scooted in the doors and her stomach sank when she saw Hayden sitting behind his wide black desk in front of the massive picture window. His unnerving eyes were all over her, and her thoughts immediately went back to the last time they had seen each other. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes to the dark blue carpet.

  The doors behind her closed and a soft whoosh of air tickled against her back.

  “Madison, come in.”

  Glancing up, the first thing she noticed was the way his tailored black pinstripe suit accentuated his firm body, and how his dark brown wavy hair was still damp from his morning shower. Thinking of artic winters to cool the inferno in her belly, she approached his desk.

  “I want to discuss your design for the Martin house.” He came up to her while waving to a computer table shoved against a bookcase in the corner of the room. “We have a lot of work to do to get these plans ready before I can send them on to the engineers.” He placed his hand behind her back and guided her to the corner of his modest office.

  “Yes, Mr. Parr.”

  “I know the Martins loved your design, but I spent the day yesterday going over some changes I think we need to make.” Pulling out the chair before the table, he waited as she took a seat.

  On the computer screen her design was already up, with twenty yellow Post-It notes attached to the border of the screen. She was reading the scrawled handwriting on the notes when Hayden came up behind her and rubbed against her shoulder as he leaned over the table.

  The swell of molten lava that shot up from between her legs was devastating. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk as she closed her eyes.

  “Here,” he said, his mouth inches from her right ear. “I think you need to expand that center beam in the atrium.”

  She opened her eyes to see his finger pointing at the large atrium she had designed as the focal point of the home.

  “You’re also going to have to thicken up those walls to take the weight of that wide ceiling you have drawn,” he added, teasing her ear with his breath.

  “Yes, Mr. Parr.” The smell of his cologne was making her dizzy.

  “Then there is the whole issue with the second story. We’re going to have to fix it.”

  Her mind woke up, and she glared over her shoulder at him. “What’s wrong with it?”

  His face was inches from hers. She could smell the hint of coffee on his breath and see the slight ridge of his thick brow shadowing his eyes. Up close, he appeared less overwhelming and for an instant he was almost…tender.

  “The second story needs to be balanced with the lower floor of the home.” Hayden veered his gaze to the computer screen. “You drew it shorter and we’re going to have to figure out the dimensions of these second-story rooms so they don’t end up being tiny bedrooms.” He stood back from her, and the rush of cold air that took his place made her shiver. He paused, observing her. “You all right?”

  She glanced over her plans. “Just ch
illy.”

  He patted her shoulder. “I’ll get you some coffee. I’m in need of another cup myself.” He strolled to the office doors. “How do you take it?”

  A memory of standing in his kitchen as he made her coffee during their first night together came back to her. “Black,” she answered, blotting out the pictures from the past. “I always take it black.”

  At the office doors, he stuck his head outside. “Emma, can you get us two coffees? Black, please.”

  When he came back to the table, he stood to the side and pinched one of the yellow notes from the computer screen. “This is something we have to address…this wall of windows.” He motioned to the long row of high windows she had covering the back of the home. “You’re going to have a real structural problem with the support of the second story here. Those beams running across the top of the windows are going to have to be at least eight inches to take the weight.”

  She sat back slightly in her chair. “My calculations are six.”

  After he crumpled up the yellow note in his hand, he threw it into the black wastepaper basket beside the table. “Your calculations are wrong.”

  “You do realize I put several additional cross sections in the joists to offset the additional weight, right?”

  He stared at her design on the computer screen. It was several seconds before he spoke again. “So you did. Do you think it’s enough?”

  She could sense that he was testing her. The first lesson she had learned in design class was always stand behind your design, no matter what. “Yes,” she confidently expressed. “It’ll support the weight.”

  The smile he gave her was absolutely enchanting. “Glad to hear you remember rule 101 of design.”

  “I remember a lot of things.”

  His smile fell a little and she waited to see what his response would be, but he said nothing. Frustrated, she focused her attention on another note stuck to the corner of the computer screen. After reading his almost illegible handwriting, she pulled the yellow paper from the computer.

  “You should have been a doctor; you write like one.”

  That made him laugh. “How would you know what a doctor’s handwriting is like?”