by Leslie Kelly
Chase nodded as he watched her flip between screens. He asked a few questions, and seemed very impressed with what she’d done so far. Finally feeling comfortable enough to broach a touchy topic, Claudia said, “Listen, Chase, I know you’ve been having problems with the courthouse project, and Sylvia has told me the company’s facing some serious fines if we get any further behind.”
He sat back in his chair and eyed her warily. She didn't let that dissuade her and continued quickly.
“Just for fun, I plugged in some numbers and figured out how many man hours it would take to get back on track.”
“It doesn’t make much difference how many man hours it takes,” he interrupted. “There are no more men to work them.”
She nodded, holding up her hand to interrupt. “I know that. I do. But I was just thinking...I mean, most of the guys are hurt when winter rolls around and the work’s not so steady. I’m sure you can’t keep every person on staff throughout January and February. And I’m sure everyone’s starting to think about Christmas right around the corner.”
“So?”
“So...what if instead of paying them time and a half after forty hours, you offer them double time.”
Chase’s jaw dropped and he sat back heavily in his chair. “You must be joking.”
Quickly, Claudia punched up the program she’d designed to calculate the cost of her idea.
“Look,” she insisted, “you’re facing a $10,000 a day penalty for being late on the project. Pay every employee and contractor double-time, offer them all bonuses just before Christmas, promise them a paid break after the job's back on schedule, and you still come out far ahead.”
At first he looked as though he didn’t believe her, but Claudia quickly printed out a few screens to prove her point. Chase used her calculator to double-check what she’d done, as if he’d catch the computer in a mathematical error, then sat back in his chair.
“You might be right," he finally admitted. "It could work.”
Claudia looked down so he wouldn’t see her smile at his wondering tone, and said softly, “It’s better than doing nothing.”
They continued hammering out a plan. Claudia ended up typing notes as Chase stood and began pacing around her office tossing out ideas as they came to him.
“You’ve done a great job, Claude,” he said as he finally stopped pacing. He moved to stand behind her, staring at the computer screen.
“Well,” she replied, glancing up at him, “I’d like to say yes you’re right, but this little program wasn’t exactly challenging. When you have time I’ll show you some of the other stuff I’m working on.”
She smiled impishly and he grinned in return.
“I appreciate you letting me use my own judgment on my work,” Claudia continued. “It’s nice not having someone standing over my shoulder telling me I can’t use this shortcut, or I’ve got too many lines of code in a program.”
“I remember. ‘Don’t rein you in.’”
She laughed aloud, remembering their first business lunch. “Right. And I’m not giving you any reason to, am I?”
Chase studied her laughing face and was struck by Claudia's sheer beauty. He had become so involved in their conversation that for a few minutes he'd forgotten to be physically affected by the woman. Her bright smile and laughter hit him with nearly enough strength to knock the breath out of him.
"No, Claudia, no reason at all," he finally said.
Chase forced himself to smile lightly in return, determined to maintain the friendly balance they'd achieved. He resisted the strong urge to wrap his arms around her, lift her onto her desk and kiss her endlessly. Chase told himself he was thankful for his will power. He and Claudia had somehow managed to reach a friendly balance in their rather erratic relationship. Sometime between that night when they’d stood outside her cottage, stuck to each other like two pieces of hard Christmas candy, and today when they’d worked together to solve a problem, they’d become friends. He intended to keep it that way. Though the temptation had been very strong to give in to the desire he felt for her after he learned the truth about Claudia's marriage, one thing remained clear. Claudia was still grieving the loss of her husband, even if he’d been more of a companion than lover. And Chase was not about to take advantage of her grief and loneliness. More than anything, she needed a friend, and that’s exactly what he would be to her.
"Let me print some of this out for you," she said as she saved the notes she'd typed. The printer stood on a stand to the right of her desk.
Claudia scooted her chair toward it, as if she did it a dozen times a day, but this time Chase was in the way and he caught a front-full of chair.
"Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry! I'm just so used to sliding over here as soon as I send a job to the printer. I totally forgot you were standing right behind me."
Claudia quickly stood and pushed her chair out of the way with the back of her legs. There wasn't much space behind her desk, almost none, and they found themselves practically nose to nose.
He nodded once and waved a dismissing hand. "It's okay. I'm just very thankful your chair wasn't two inches taller," he muttered, wincing at the thought of a direct hit on the groin.
Claudia glanced down, obviously realizing what he’d been referring to, and color poured into her cheeks. His words danced around her, their physical nearness making things that much more intimate. Only inches separated their bodies. Staring down at her mouth, he suddenly thought about how she tasted, how it felt to kiss her, hold her in his arms.
He closed his eyes and cleared his throat, forcing the mental images away. Once he’d regained control, he looked down at her again. “Claudia?”
“Humh?”
“Uh...I can't get past you."
Stammering an apology as he reminded her she was blocking his way, she ducked her head and took a few steps away.
“Thanks,” he replied as he watched her eyes fall and her hands clench nervously in front of her. “I’ll see you later.”
Chase took a deep breath, ignoring the physical sensations dancing around them like sparks around a campfire. Not saying another word, he quickly walked out of her office. Pausing in the hall, he tried to slow his ragged breathing. What had started as a little amusing accident had very nearly ended with her in his arms.
Chase had been intently aware of Claudia’s distracted air, of the way her full lips separated as her eyes traveled down him, then back up to get stuck somewhere between his throat and his jaw, then resting for a long moment on his mouth. Her thin, ivory blouse hadn’t concealed the deep breaths she’d taken as she became aware of their close proximity, nor had it hidden her body’s very obvious—very sexy response.
“It sure as hell isn’t that cold in here,” he muttered.
Then he went back to his office, certain he’d be thinking about those perfect breasts and pebbled nipples for the rest of the damn day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
For the next few days, Chase did his best to avoid Claudia. He'd always considered himself a very controlled man, somewhat unemotional, never distracted for long by an attractive woman. But Claudia Warren was proving to be one hell of a distraction. He figured it was just safer to stay away from her. That didn't, unfortunately, stop him from thinking about her.
"Boss, you got a minute?" Ryan asked as he poked his head in Chase's office Friday morning.
"Sure, come on in."
Ryan carefully wiped his feet before entering the office, and Chase chuckled as he imagined Sylvia glaring at the foreman from her desk. Chase gestured toward the chair across from his, and reached out to take a folder Ryan held out to him.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's the bid specifications on the new County office building and 911 center," Ryan explained.
Chase glanced quickly at the folder.
"I thought they weren't being released yet. I've been told the bids don't go up until February. No one can get a look at these specs before then...the architects h
aven't even put a final approval on them, from what I hear."
"I didn't think so either," Ryan relied.
"Then where did you get them?" Chase asked.
"I found them in my truck at the Walker Realty site. I'd gone in to meet with Abernathy from the painting company. I was in there for an hour, came back out, and found this on the passenger seat."
Chase frowned deeply.
"Ryan, this could mean serious trouble for us. The County government bidding system is very particular...any hint of impropriety, and we'll be barred from bidding altogether. Hell, it could cause major problems with the courthouse project, too."
Chase took a legal sized envelope from a desk drawer and slid the entire folder and its contents inside. Ryan didn't say a word as he watched Chase seal it.
"You have someone you can approach about this?" Ryan asked.
Chase nodded grimly. "You bet I do. Either someone thinks he's doing us a favor by getting us these documents months before anyone else will get a chance to look at them, or someone's trying to set us up for a fall. I feel damned uncomfortable with either option, and I'm going straight to the County Architect's office to deal with it."
Ryan smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I figured you'd react that way," Ryan said. "There are some who wouldn't be quite so scrupulous. I'm glad you're not one of them."
Chase heard the note of admiration in Ryan's voice. Extending his hand toward the younger man, he said, "Thanks Ryan, for bringing this in right away."
After shaking the other man's hand, Chase grabbed his briefcase, and the envelope, and strode out of his office.
Several exhausting hours later, Chase pulled his car up to the front of his office and turned off the ignition. It had been a long day, one he never wanted to repeat, full of questions and explanations, and an unexpected meeting with the County Executive. Chase was very, very thankful for his reputation as an honest man. In the end, the County Architect and the head of the Lands and Development Office had agreed that Chase had done nothing improper.
Chase exited the car and walked to the door just as a delivery van pulled up outside. A young man carrying a small flower arrangement followed Chase into the building. Chase offered Annie a weary smile as he entered. Glancing toward the delivery man, then at the receptionist, he asked, “Something we should know?”
Annie accepted the flowers, read the card and sighed, “I have no idea. They’re not for me.”
Assuming they were for one of the staff members upstairs, Chase shrugged and walked toward his office. Annie stopped him, saying, “Claudia asked me to tell you she'd like to see you, if you have a moment."
Chase nodded briefly. "Anything else?"
"Well, if you're going to Claudia's office, would you take these to her?"
Chase glanced at the flower arrangement she held toward him. Taking it from her, he hid his frown then proceeded to Claudia's office.
Claudia looked up as she heard Chase enter, and said, “I talked to Jennifer upstairs in purchasing, and she said she has some input on the new bid system we discussed the other day."
“That's great," he replied shortly. "Here.”
Glancing at the flowers in his hands, a mix of wild-flowers and baby’s breath, she smiled at Chase. Flowers were the last thing she would have expected from her enigmatic employer.
He shook his head and set them down on her desk. “No, they’re not from me.”
Embarrassed at her error, Claudia bit her lip lightly.
“Aren’t you going to read the card?”
Claudia reached for the small white card and retrieved it, wondering who the flowers could be from. She wasn’t too surprised when she read they were from Andrew.
“Well?” Chase asked after she put the card down.
“They’re from Andrew Worthington.”
She didn’t say anything else, and Chase didn’t ask. She could see by his deep frown, however, that he was not pleased. She somehow suspected there was bad blood between the two men.
"Melanie tells me you two knew each other in high school?" he finally asked.
"Andrew and I? Yes, we did."
Claudia watched as Chase nodded grimly. His frown didn't hide the lines of fatigue and the worried look in his eyes, and she realized something else was bothering him.
"Is something wrong?"
"Some unpleasantness," he admitted. "It's not worth talking about right now."
Claudia didn't press. She waited for him to say something, or leave, but he did neither. Finally, she broke the silence and asked, "Chase, look, if you have something to say, just say it. It's not like you to keep your opinions to yourself."
"You've got lot of room to talk," he retorted.
"Touché. Now what is it?"
"How well do you know Andrew Worthington?" he finally asked.
"Not really well," she replied slowly. "He was very popular in high school, average student, funny and charming. I take it you're not his biggest fan.
Chase gave her an unamused smile and said, "You got that right. Just be careful of him, all right?"
"Why?"
"Let's just say he's a bit of a sore loser."
"I wasn't aware you knew him that well," she said.
Chase wearily put his head to one side and rubbed at the side of his neck. Claudia watched his tanned fingers moving over his own skin and her mouth went dry.
"I know the whole family very well," he finally replied. "When I was first starting out, and his father was running Monarch Construction, they threw a lot of small jobs my way. I am very much indebted to Jack Worthington."
Claudia nodded, remembering Andrew's father from her high school days. He'd always been very kind when she'd come to their house to tutor Jenny. "But not Andrew?" she prodded.
"Andrew isn't quite as much of a gentleman as his father is," Chase explained. "In business, at least."
"Speaking from experience?"
Chase nodded. "When we beat out his company on the Milltown courthouse project, Andrew didn't take it gracefully. In fact, he protested the bid and tied up the project for a month and a half."
"I see."
Claudia sensed there was much more he wasn't saying. Chase seemed uncomfortable with bringing it up at all, and shrugged. She wondered how he'd react if he knew she was going out with Andrew the very next night. She didn't really want to find out. Suddenly Claudia found herself feeling more than a little concerned about the next evening, but she'd already said she'd go to Jenny's wedding.
Chase seemed to regret saying anything and turned abruptly to leave her office. Claudia's eyes shifted toward the bouquet of flowers on the desk. Before she even realized she planned to speak, Claudia said wistfully, "Funny, for a moment, I thought the bouquet was from you...but I couldn’t for the life of me think why you’d be bringing me flowers.”
He didn’t answer as he reached toward the doorknob. Claudia assumed he would just leave in silence. Finally, however, he turned around.
“Claudia?”
Chase stared intently at her for a moment before continuing, his dark eyes flashing with some suppressed emotion she couldn’t identify. Whatever it was, it made her tingle all over.
“When I send you flowers, they sure as hell won’t be daisies. They’ll be red roses. And you’ll know damn well why I’m sending them.”
He turned abruptly and walked out of the room. Claudia leaned back against her desk, willing her heart to stop pounding.
It took a very long time.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"She's on a date?"
Chase felt his spine stiffen and his teeth clench as he clutched the phone tighter. He hoped he’d misheard his grandmother, who he’d just called to check on.
"Yes, dear," his grandmother answered. "With that Andrew Worthington fellow. He's taken her to a family wedding"
The pulse-points in his temples began pounding.
"Chase, is that the same Andrew Worthington from that other firm you told me about a
few months ago?"
"Yes, Dorien," Chase said tightly.
"Oh, dear," his grandmother replied. "He's the one who caused such a ruckus when you were awarded the courthouse project, right?
"One and the same."
Chase heard Dorien's worried sigh, and hurried to reassure her. "Look, just because Worthington's a shark in business doesn't mean Claudia's not safe with him. He is reputed to have quite a way with women."
"That's what worries me, dear," she replied softly.
Chase grimaced. He made an excuse to cut the call short, and hung up the phone. Pouring himself a drink, he carried it from the oak paneled bar in his living room into his office. One thought kept bouncing in his head: Claudia is on a date with Andrew Worthington. Andrew whose blond good looks concealed the instincts of a piranha. Chase wished he’d pitched the guy’s pitiful flowers into the trash the day before.
He wondered why she hadn't told him about their date. Then again, he conceded, it was none of his business. She had no way of knowing why he was so suspicious of Worthington.
There had been rumors of Monarch Construction's decline in quality since Andrew Worthington took over. Some had complained of shoddy workmanship and dishonest dealings. There had also been a few incidents when Paxton and Monarch had been competing on the same projects when Chase was sure Andrew had pulled something underhanded to win the work. The first true indication he'd had of the real Andrew Worthington, however, was when Chase's company won the bid on the Milltown Courthouse. Worthington had been completely furious. The man had stalked out of the bid opening, slamming doors and cursing.
Chase had wondered at the other man's fury. It didn't seem like just the typical reaction of a spoiled boy not getting what he wanted. It was almost as if Andrew had fully expected Monarch's bid to come in lowest...as if he knew what the other bids would be, what Chase's bid would have been if he hadn't cut it a few days before the bid presentation date. Chase had arranged with his sub-contractors to cut all their profits in order to gain the exposure the job would bring. If they hadn't come in with lower estimates, and Chase hadn't cut his own profit margin, Monarch's bid would have come in lower than Paxton's. Exactly five percent lower.