Seduction on the CEO's Terms

by Charlene Sands

  “This is Ali Pendrake.” Joe felt obligated to introduce the women. “Ali, this is Sheila Maxwell.”

  “Sheila Desmond now,” she corrected. “It’s nice to meet you, Ali. What are you both doing here? Are you vacationing like I am?”

  Ali hesitated, looking to Joe before answering. “No, we’re here on business. There’s a convention in town.”

  “Oh, right, the Annual Grapegrowers Convention. I’d heard it was at this hotel. Sorry, I didn’t put two and two together. So, you work with Joe in Napa?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Ali works for Carlino Wines, and we’re lucky to have her,” Joe added.

  Sheila pursed her lips briefly, looking intently at Ali before focusing her attention back to him. Genuine sympathy softened her eyes, “I’m sorry about your father, Joe. I sent you a note of condolence. Did you ever get it?”

  Bumping into Sheila after all this time confirmed Joe’s suspicions that he was one hundred percent over her. He decided to put the past behind him. “Yes, I did. Thank you for that.”

  “So now, you’re settled in Napa?”

  “For the time being, I am. My brothers and I are running Carlino Wines now.” He didn’t give her an in-depth explanation. At one time, he’d shared everything with her.

  The valet approached Joe, signaling to him. “Well, looks like my car is ready. It was nice talking to you.”

  “Uh, Joe. If I could have a minute of your time?” She searched his eyes, and he couldn’t fathom what she wanted to say to him.

  He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. “We really have to get going.”

  “It’ll just take a minute. Would you excuse us, Ali?”

  “No,” Joe said immediately, glancing at Ali. “You don’t have to—”

  Ali put her hand on his arm briefly, a gesture Sheila didn’t miss. “It’s okay, Joe.” She reassured him with a smile. “I’ll wait in the car.”

  Joe furrowed his brows and watched her walk off. Then he turned his attention to his ex-fiancée, his annoyance barely hidden. He exhaled and waited. “She’s pretty.”

  “You didn’t ask for privacy to tell me how pretty my assistant is.”

  “Is that all she is to you? Your assistant?”

  “That’s none of your business, is it?”

  Sheila picked up on his brisk tone. “Listen, Joe, I’m not trying to cause any trouble for you. But as soon as I recognized her—”

  “Who, Ali?” Puzzled, Joe frowned. “You know her?”

  “Not personally, no. But I know the name, and I’ve met her mother, Justine. She’s known in social circles as the beauty queen, and Ali is the spitting image of her.”

  Joe jammed his hands in his pockets. “Is there a point to all this?”

  “I’m trying to warn you, Joe. Look, I don’t want to dredge up past history or anything, but I know I hurt you. I’m deeply sorry about that.”

  Again, Sheila seemed contrite, which in itself, baffled him. “It’s over and done with, Sheila.”

  “My point is that I don’t want you to get hurt again. Ali’s mother has dumped more men than a dog’s got fleas. Did you know she’s on husband number five?”

  Joe didn’t know that. In fact, every time he tried to ask Ali about her family and her childhood, she evaded the question. He’d figured she didn’t like to talk too much about herself.

  He remained passive, yet his curiosity was piqued.

  “Not to mention how many boyfriends she’s had in between her marriages. Each time she married, it was to a wealthier, more powerful man. She’s married to Harold Holcomb now. His brother is a senator,” Sheila added.

  “I know that.”

  “Okay, just so you know. Justine Holcomb is a social climber. Some have been bold enough to call her a gold digger. Consider yourself warned. You know what they say—the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Joe almost laughed. If he wanted to use a cliché, something Sheila was famous for, he’d say her comment was like the pot calling the kettle black. “I’ve never met Ali’s mother, and I’m not going to judge her behavior. But if you’re insinuating that Ali Pendrake is going to hurt me, then I’d say you’re wrong.”

  “Okay, Joe,” Sheila said on a sigh. “I get it. I’m sorry for intruding. But just remember what I told you. Be careful.”

  “I’m always careful now. You taught me that.”

  Sheila blinked.

  “Sorry,” he said immediately. He’d never been one to retaliate, and oddly enough, he really believed that Sheila had no ill intentions toward him. She was way off base about Ali, though. He surmised that Sheila felt compelled to warn him, out of guilt.

  She shook her head amiably. “No, it’s probably the truth. I can’t fault you for that. But I truly never intended to hurt you, Joe. And if it’s any consolation, I’m happy. I’d like to see you happy, too.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Look, I’ve got to run, Sheila.”

  “It was nice seeing you, Joe. Take care.”

  “Same to you,” he said, backing away and turning toward the hotel doors. As much as he hated to admit it, Sheila had given him a good deal to think about on the ride back to Napa.

  Ali should have been on cloud nine as they drove home from San Francisco. As far as weekends went, she’d never had a better one. The only flaw in her perfect adventure happened at the end of the day, as they were leaving the hotel. What were the chances that they’d come face-to-face with Joe’s ex? Yet, there she’d been, holding his attention, looking beautiful.

  Sheila had flair. She wore expensive clothes, had perfect hair and makeup and held herself with self-assurance. The twinge of jealousy that Ali felt when Joe introduced them couldn’t be helped. Joe had been in love with her once. He’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But it was more than that.

  Sheila reminded her of someone. She seemed so familiar. And when it dawned on her, Ali bit down on her lower lip, squeezing her eyes shut. A sense of dread coursed through her system.

  She’s you, Ali. The Real Ali. The one Joe Carlino had refused to notice.

  He’d wanted no part of someone who reminded him of the woman who’d broken his heart. Though Rena had spoken of it, Ali hadn’t been quite sure, until she’d seen the woman for herself. It wasn’t only that Joe shied away from office romances but it was because Ali had seemed too much like Sheila for him to give her a chance.

  Ali snapped her eyes open and glanced at Joe. He was driving his hybrid car down the highway, deep in thought.

  A million thoughts flooded her head as Joe remained overly quiet for the rest of the trip home. Had seeing his ex jarred him? Was he still in love with her?

  Oh, my gosh, Ali thought. I’m the rebound woman and a fake one at that.

  Joe caught her staring at him. He cast her a thoughtful look, then reached for her hand. Entwining his fingers with hers, she felt somewhat better.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Everything’s fine.”

  No. No. No, she wanted to scream. I need to know what Sheila really said to you. I need to know if you still love her. Joe’s explanation when he got into the car at the hotel hadn’t seemed plausible.

  “She just wanted to make sure I wasn’t holding a grudge,” he’d said.

  And Fake Ali hadn’t probed him for more. She’d merely sat back in her seat and accepted his explanation. The whole way home Ali held her tongue, refraining from asking the questions she had every right to ask.

  When they reached her apartment, Joe got out of the car and opened the door for her. He helped her out and then grabbed her bag from the trunk. He took her hand and led her up the path to her front door.

  “Here we are,” she said, needlessly. She turned to face him.

  Joe looked deep into her eyes, removed his glasses, then removed hers and planted a kiss on her to end all kisses. Ali had barely come up for air when Joe kissed her again. Wow.

  Maybe she’d misread him before.

/>   He held her close and nuzzled her neck. “I’m leaving. If I don’t, I’d want to stay.”

  “And I’d want you to,” she whispered.

  He inhaled sharply and backed away. “It was a great weekend.”

  “It was,” she agreed.

  He stared at her mouth, then backed up some more. “I’m going now. I’ll have all night to figure out how I’m going to keep my hands off you tomorrow at work.”

  Ali smiled. “Joe.”

  “Gonna be a long night.” He scanned her body up and down. “A long night,” he repeated.

  Stay, she wanted to say. Stay and make love to me until the sheets catch fire. But Ali knew they’d have to get back to reality. They’d have to come to grips with their relationship—whatever it was.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Joe. I had a wonderful time.”

  She turned and entered her home, part of her wanting to jump for joy and part of her ready to shed worrisome tears.

  Joe started work early on Monday morning. He’d had a poor night’s sleep and figured why not put his energy into something productive. He had Ali on the brain and wondered about Sheila’s accusations about her mother. It would be easy to find out more by looking her up on the Internet. He was certain Google wouldn’t fail him, but Joe held off. He’d already decided to put no credence in Sheila’s comments.

  Ali wasn’t like her mother, just like Joe wasn’t like his father.

  Sometimes the apple did fall far from the tree.

  Joe dug into his work with added ambition, trying hard to concentrate on the task at hand. But the fresh scent of flowers drifted by his nose, and he knew the exact moment Ali had entered the office.

  She popped her head inside his doorway, just like she’d done every other day. “Morning, Joe.”

  Joe sat back in his chair, glad to see her. “Good morning,” he said, unable to hide a big smile, but before he could summon her inside, Ali was gone.

  “Good thing,” he muttered. He’d missed her soft, supple body next to his last night. It had been fantastic waking up with her in the morning and holding her in his arms while in San Francisco. He fought the urge to spend last night with her, because he wasn’t sure where it would all lead. An open office romance could spell disaster if it didn’t work out. He and Ali had such a fabulous work relationship, and he wanted to keep it that way.

  He’d have to be content seeing her after hours, but that didn’t stop his imagination from flashing images of hot office sex with Ali that would put his other sexual fantasies to shame.

  This morning, he’d lost count during his swim somewhere after twenty-seven laps from thinking of Ali. For a man who banked on his analytical mind, that wasn’t a good thing.

  Joe ran figures of monthly sales on his computer, getting lost in numbers, but every once in a while, he’d hear Ali’s voice as she spoke with a coworker and he’d look up. He found himself staring at her, his heart doing crazy little flips and his body growing tight.

  She looked so studious in her glasses, with her hair pulled back with a tortoise-shell clip, wearing a pin-striped skirt and a conservative white blouse.

  Ali was beautiful no matter what she wore. Any man with eyes in his head was bound to notice.

  And Joe wanted her.

  The lust he felt startled him. He wasn’t going to make it through the day without touching her. He glanced around his office, cursing the modern decor and glass walls—so much for privacy. The decor had never bothered him before now. Would it be too obvious to lower all the shades in his office and call Ali in?

  Hell, why should he care? He was the boss. But he had Ali’s reputation to worry about.

  He pressed his intercom button. “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi, Joe.” Ali glanced at him from her desk and gave a little wave with her fingers. She was only fifteen feet away in her office, but the distance seemed insurmountable. Employees came in and out of her office almost constantly. Again, he damned the glass walls that allowed them no privacy.

  “What are you doing for lunch?”

  “I wasn’t going to take lunch. I’m swamped with—”

  “You’re taking a lunch, Ali,” Joe rasped. “I am?”

  “Yes, you have to take a lunch break. It’s the law, and you wouldn’t want me to get in trouble for overworking my employees, would you?”

  Before she could answer the rhetorical question, he continued. “Have lunch with me today.”

  “Yes,” she breathed into the intercom softly. “I’d like that.”

  “Meet me in a half hour.”

  “Where?”

  “At Alberto’s.”

  And a short while later, Joe sat across from Ali in a circular corner booth in the Tuscany-style restaurant the Carlino family had half ownership in. It was just the place for two people who wanted a quiet, candlelit lunch.

  “This is nice,” Ali said, glancing at the stone fountain that obscured them from view from a good part of the restaurant.

  Joe watched her intently as she took a look around. When she finally gazed into his eyes, Joe reached for her hand. “I’m going crazy not touching you.” He stroked her fingers, rubbing his thumb over them. “Come closer.”

  Ali scooted closer to him, and Joe’s groin tightened. He leaned over to give her a little kiss, but the minute their lips brushed, his heart rate accelerated, and one chaste kiss wasn’t enough.

  He took her into his arms and dragged her up against him, driving his tongue into her mouth, taking her in a long, drawn out kiss. He reached down to caress her leg, his hand inching up the hem of her skirt, feeling the soft flesh that had driven him wild over the weekend. He moved his hand farther up her thigh, grazing her skin and inching closer to indecency.

  Ali pulled back. “Joe.” She glanced around. The waiter was heading their way.

  “Hell, I usually don’t act like a hormone-crazed teenager, Ali.” Joe straightened in his seat and lowered his voice. “I told you yesterday that it’d be hard to keep my hands off you.”

  The waiter approached their table with menus and offered up the day’s specials. “Or anything else, you’d like, Mr. Carlino.”

  “Thank you, Henry. Give us a few minutes to decide.”

  “Of course. Would you care for a drink?” he asked Ali first.

  “A soda for me, please.”

  Joe needed something stronger. “Scotch on the rocks.”

  The waiter left, and Ali peered at him, her eyes soft. “You don’t usually drink this early in the afternoon.”

  “There’s a lot of things I don’t usually do in the afternoon, like grope my—”

  “Your?” Ali appeared curious.

  “I was going to say, grope my assistant. But you’re more than that to me, Ali. I think the weekend proved that.”

  Ali put her head down. She sighed deeply and hesitated before lifting up to look at him. “I feel the same way, Joe, but there’s something I should tell you about my past.”

  Joe waited, wondering if she’d tell him about her childhood and what it was like for her having so many stepfathers to contend with and having a mother who bounced in and out of relationships. He wanted Ali to explain to him her mother’s motives. He hoped the seeds of doubt that Sheila had planted would be washed away with her explanation.

  “I was involved with a man once, at work. He hired me under false pretenses. I thought he’d been sincere, but it turned out he wanted a sexual relationship with me. When I wouldn’t comply, he made my life very difficult.”

  “You’re not comparing me to him?” Joe blurted.

  “No, of course not. But I’m trying to give you an understanding of why I’m cautious. When I told you I don’t do one-night stands, I meant it.”

  Surprised, Joe frowned. It wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. Maybe that’s why he’d seen changes in Ali. Had she been scarred emotionally from that incident? Ali took pride in her efficiency and competence in the workplace. He couldn’t imagine how much that episode in her life might h
ave hurt her. He had to reassure her that he really wasn’t an unscrupulous boss out for a brief fling.

  “That’s not what this is, Ali. I care about you.”

  His admission made her smile. He should have made that clearer over the weekend. Maybe that’s why he’d sensed her holding back. As good as the sex was between them, Joe knew Ali had more to give.

  “I care about you, too, Joe.”

  “I’m not going to pretend I don’t want you every minute of the day. I’m having a hard time staying focused on work with you just a few feet away.”

  Ali’s lips curled up in a sensual smile. “I know the feeling, Joe.”

  “Invite me over tonight, and I’ll be knocking at your door right after work. Hell, I’ll even spring for dinner.”

  Ali’s eyes softened, and his hunger for her grew even more powerful. “You’re invited.”

  Joe nodded, imagining mismatched furniture, soft yellow hues and the scent of lavender drifting by as he made love to her in her bedroom.

  That’s if they’d even make it that far.

  Ten

  Anticipation coursed through Ali’s body the rest of the day. She hadn’t been able to concentrate because she was too focused on the idea of Joe coming over after work. She’d lost her focus countless times during the day, going even as far as forgetting who she’d called three seconds after dialing the phone number. She’d stumbled with her greeting until her mind cleared and she finally remembered. After that first episode, Ali decided it wise to jot down the name of the client she’d called and keep it in front of her before she’d made a fool of herself again.

  She lived in a haze of desire and tried to avoid making eye contact with Joe in his office for fear of melting into a puddle of lust. At certain times of the day, she knew he watched her, but she held firm and didn’t return his gaze. The clock ticked off the minutes at a snail’s pace, and she thought the day would never end.

  Finally at six o’clock, Ali straightened some papers on her desk, filed away the rest then grabbed her purse and stood up. She finally braved a glance in Joe’s direction. Thankfully, he had his back toward her as he spoke on the phone.