Backfire

by Metsy Hingle

  “It seems to me the hotel would have to get some pretty heavy bookings to make up for a donation of this size. Five thousand dollars is a lot of money.”

  “Five thousand dollars,” Madeline repeated, her shock obvious. “It was supposed to be for five hundred.”

  “Not according to your budget.”

  She came around the desk in a flash. “Let me see that report.” Madeline snatched the document from his hand.

  “Help yourself.” Chase stepped back slightly to give her access and watched as she began flipping through the pages. Taking advantage of the moment, he breathed in the delicate floral scent that she wore. Sunshine and roses, he decided and wondered when he had begun to find the smell of sunshine and roses so sexy.

  Since it came wrapped in the package of Madeline Charbonnet. A package equipped with thorns, he reminded himself.

  “I was right. It is only five hundred dollars. Look, it says so right here,” she told him, pointing to the entry.

  Chase leaned closer and made a show of studying the report. “So it is. My mistake.”

  Madeline looked up from the report and found Chase’s face scant inches from her own. She stared at the scar along his chin, then moved her gaze to his mouth. Her heart thrummed in her chest as she remembered the feel of his mouth against her own. His eyes darkened. He drew his finger along the line of her jaw and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering in response to his touch.

  “Madeline,” he whispered.

  The sound of her name broke the spell and Madeline jerked away. What had she been thinking of? She swallowed hard, praying Chase hadn’t noted her reaction. “Well, I guess I’d better get back to work.”

  She waited for Chase to step back so she could pass. When he didn’t, she was forced to look at him again. Amusement flickered in his eyes, turning them to a rich shade of blue that reminded her of the sky on a clear spring day. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  Damn him. Madeline looked away. Despite her attempts to treat him with cool professionalism and indifference, he had known she was anything but indifferent to him. She cursed him again and then herself. Evidently she had masochistic tendencies, Madeline decided. Why else would she find that wicked smile of his so attractive?

  “What about the tickets?”

  “The tickets?” Madeline repeated, his question pulling her from her thoughts.

  “For the Preservation Society Gala. Your report indicated the donation purchased tickets to the gala. Five hundred dollars per couple.” He tapped his finger on the entry. “Since the hotel donated the five hundred dollars, I’m assuming you got the tickets.”

  “Actually, it’s only one ticket that admits two people.”

  “And were you planning to use it?” Chase asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I was,” Madeline told him. “Is that a problem?”

  “No. No problem. What time do we have to be there?”

  Madeline’s head shot up. Her eyes darted to his. “We?”

  “Yes. As in you and me. I thought this would be a good opportunity to let you introduce me to some of the hotel’s more discriminating clientele.”

  “Suppose I already have a date?” she challenged.

  Leaning a fraction closer, Chase slid his finger down the lapel of her jacket. “Do you?”

  Her stomach dipped at his nearness and the seductive tenor of his voice. Madeline clenched her hands into fists at her side to keep them from reaching out to touch him. She tipped up her chin. “No.”

  “Then there shouldn’t be any problem. In your own words, it’s for the benefit of the hotel.” He continued to finger the lapel of her jacket. “And since it’s a business expense paid for by the hotel and you and I both want to see the hotel succeed, it only makes sense that I be the one to go with you. Besides, this will be a good time for you to smooth the way for me in that elite little circle we discussed earlier.”

  Unnerved by his nearness, Madeline wanted to retreat from the contact. But one look at the amused gleam in his eyes and she dug in her heels. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “Chin up, Princess. Just consider it part of your job.”

  “The hotel doesn’t offer combat pay,” she tossed back.

  Chase laughed. “No. I guess you’ll just have to settle for me as your date Saturday evening instead.”

  “My date,” she repeated, her temper escalating by the second.

  “That’s right.”

  She flicked a pointed glance at his fingers on her lapel and Chase dropped his hand. She waited. When he finally stepped back, Madeline brushed past him. After stalking across the room, she whirled around to face him. “I suppose you think I should be flattered by this pathetic attempt of yours to get me to go out with you?”

  “You thought it was pathetic? I didn’t think it was pathetic. Transparent maybe. But then, I’ve already told you subtlety’s not one of my virtues.”

  He grinned and Madeline hardened her heart to his rakish charm. “No, subtlety is not one of your virtues, Chase McAllister. Neither is fair play. I should have refused to justify those promotional expenses to you.”

  The smile on his lips faded. “You didn’t have any choice, and you won’t have one in the future either—not as long as I’m responsible for this hotel. Get used to it, Princess. Maybe you and your father didn’t have to justify personal expenses charged to the hotel in the past, but you do now. In case you’ve forgotten, this is no longer your family’s hotel.”

  Madeline glared at him. “How could I forget, when you keep reminding me every chance you get.”

  “Then let me also remind you that I’m the one in charge of this hotel.”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  “And I’m going to continue to tell you until I’m sure you understand exactly what that means.”

  “Oh, I understand what it means all right,” she snapped, no longer able to control her temper. “It means you get to play lord of the manor. Is that the secret to your success with Majestic, McAllister? Flash your sexy little grin, kiss the females until they’re dizzy, then bark out your orders and everyone obeys. Or maybe that’s just the way you get your kicks. Either way, it’s not going to work on me.”

  Chase flashed her that infernal grin. “I didn’t know you found my grin sexy.”

  “I don’t,” she said and cursed herself for giving him this new ammunition.

  “Do my kisses really make you dizzy, Princess?”

  “No.”

  “Guess I’ll have to work on that.”

  “Not with me you won’t.”

  “Is that a dare? If it is, I should let you know, I’ve never been a fellow who could resist a dare. Sort of like waving a red flag in front of a bull kind of thing.”

  “Now why doesn’t that surprise me? The idea of you and barnyard animals having something in common.” If the jab bothered him, he certainly didn’t show it.

  “Nope, never could resist a dare,” he continued, amusement lighting his eyes. “Back when I was in the boys’ home, if one of the other guys dared me to climb the highest branch in the tree, I did it—no matter how scared I was.”

  “Sounds to me like you had a big ego even as a child.” But her words no longer held any heat. The image of Chase as a lonely little boy took the zip out of her anger as nothing else could have.

  “I did,” he agreed, smiling. “Got me in lots of trouble, too. Why I remember the time one of the older kids dared me to drop a cherry bomb down the letter chute of the rectory.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “I did. And caught hell for it, too. But I couldn’t walk away from the challenge. I still can’t.”

  Madeline stiffened her spine. Challenge? Here she was feeling all sad and teary-eyed over him, and he was thinking of her as a challenge. “I’m not one of your juvenile challenges, McAllister.”

  “No, you’re not.’’ Chase moved his gaze over her slowly. Laughter danced in his eyes. “There’s not anything remo
tely juvenile about you.”

  Madeline simmered. “You can save the smoldering looks for the poor females who find your brand of charm appealing.”

  “Which you don’t.”

  “That’s right. I don’t.”

  “Another dare, Princess?” Chase asked softly. “I told you I’m not a man who can resist a dare.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, McAllister. I’m simply not interested.”

  “Not interested? Or could it be that you’re simply afraid?”

  Madeline rolled her eyes heavenward. “That ego of yours really is incredible. Evidently it’s affected your hearing. So I’ll repeat myself. I am not interested.”

  “You know, I think I’m going to enjoy changing your mind.”

  Madeline started towards the door. “There’s little chance of that.”

  “Why? Because you’re immune to my sexy smile and, what did you call it? Oh, yeah. My smoldering looks?”

  “Repulsed is more like it,” she tossed over her shoulder before reaching for the doorknob.

  Chase smacked his hand flat against the door, preventing her from opening it.

  Madeline spun around, her heart pounding at the swiftness of his movements. She hadn’t even heard him come up behind her, and now he was standing dangerously close, so close she could see the flecks of indigo in his eyes.

  “Prove it,” he whispered. “Go with me to the gala Saturday night.”

  Madeline hesitated.

  “Going out with me shouldn’t be a problem—unless, of course, you’re not as immune to me as you claim.”

  “All right, McAllister,” Madeline returned, taking up the gauntlet he had tossed at her feet. The man really did need to be taken down a peg or two, she reasoned. “It’s black tie.” She made a point of flicking her gaze over his rolled-up sleeves and tieless shirt. “I assume you can come up with a tux.”

  His lips twitched. “I think I can scrounge one up.”

  “Fine. Cocktails start at seven.”

  “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

  “No, I’ll pick you up,” she told him, flashing him a smug smile of her own. At the arch of his brow, she added, “It’s the nineties, McAllister. I’d suggest you get with it.”

  “I’ve never had a date pick me up before,” he replied, amusement coloring his voice.

  “Sorry, but I’m not going to be the one to introduce you to dating in this century. Because this isn’t a date. It’s business.”

  Five

  It’s not a date. It’s business. Madeline repeated the chant that she had invoked incessantly while dressing for this evening. Turning the wheel of her car, she aimed it in the direction of the hotel. So what if she had taken extra care in getting ready for tonight? It had nothing to do with Chase.

  In a pig’s eye it didn’t.

  For the past week she had been like a twittering schoolgirl getting ready for her first prom. The fact that she had gone out and bought a new dress, fussed over her makeup and even put her hair up were proof enough. Sighing, she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel and waited for the light to turn green. Face it, Madeline. The man may have maneuvered you into going out with him tonight, but you allowed yourself to be maneuvered.

  There was no way of getting around it. Honesty compelled her to admit the truth—at least to herself. Deep down inside she was attracted to Chase McAllister on both a physical and an emotional level. She didn’t like it. She certainly hadn’t planned on this complication when she had decided to stay on at the hotel and try to win the assistant GM position. She had been determined to hate him, to find fault with the way he operated the hotel. After all, he and his firm had in essence snatched her dream from her. But in all fairness, she couldn’t hate him. He worked just as hard as she did, and with the exception of her father, he had managed to charm the entire hotel staff.

  Including her.

  Maybe it was that brief glimpse he had given her into his childhood. The tender way he had spoken of his mother had stirred something inside her and made it impossible to hate him. Whatever the reason, and despite his cocksure attitude, she liked Chase McAllister.

  And what was worse, she wanted him. His kisses left her light-headed. His touch made her ache for things she had no business thinking of. Remembering the feel of his mouth hot and hungry against her own, Madeline clenched the steering wheel and drew a deep breath. The fact that Chase made no secret of his desire for her made resisting him even more difficult. For the first time in her life she found herself tempted to engage in what would surely be a casual affair. Besides, even if it weren’t for his imminent departure in a few months, Chase wasn’t the sort of man to put down roots physically or emotionally. Now that she thought of it, that was probably why he was so successful at his job. Working for a company like Majestic suited him. The constant shifting from property to property catered to his gypsy life-style.

  And smacked of no commitments, no strings—something she deemed essential to any relationship. She had no choice but to continue to keep him at arm’s length. But, recalling the heat in his eyes, the husky timbre of his voice when he told her he would see her tonight, Madeline’s pulse skittered.

  Disgusted with her reaction, she hit the gas pedal as the light turned green and sent the car forward with a jerk. Moments later when she pulled the car up in front of the hotel, she buoyed herself with the knowledge that she was the one who would set the tone for the evening. After all, she was the one in the driver’s seat. Hence, she was the one in charge.

  “Evening, Ms. Charbonnet.” The valet opened her car door.

  “Good evening, Simon. Don’t park it. I’ll only be a minute,” she informed him as she exited the car.

  Taking another deep breath, Madeline unclenched her fingers and strode into the hotel. Quickly she scanned the lobby where she had instructed Chase to meet her, but there was no sign of him. Suddenly her victory at being the one to pick him up tonight lost some of its flavor. Given the gossip-prone nature of the hotel, she didn’t want the employees to misconstrue the two of them going out together. Going to his room to find him would only be grist for the gossip mill. So would having the desk clerk call to announce her arrival. Silently Madeline cursed Chase.

  “Madeline, is that you?”

  Madeline bit back a groan before turning her attention to the night manager behind the front desk. “Hi, Janet. And yes, it’s me.”

  “That’s some dress,” the other woman told her.

  Flushing, Madeline chastised herself for giving in to temptation and buying the dress. Made of soft crepe, the design had been deceptively simple on the hanger with its long sleeves and off-the-shoulder neckline. But when she had slipped it on, she had fallen in love with it. Baring the tops of her shoulders and back, the fabric gently cupped her curves and skimmed dangerously high along her thighs. The deep green color had done wonderful things for her eyes and skin. It didn’t matter that every ounce she ate would probably be visible in the clinging little number. She had felt wickedly feminine and sexy in the outfit and had been unable to resist it.

  “I take it you’re not here to work.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m here to pick up…to meet Chase. Mr. McAllister,” she amended. “We have a business engagement.” But from the other woman’s expression, Madeline doubted she believed her. Blast the man. She had told him to meet her in the lobby. The last thing she wanted or needed was speculation among the staff about them.

  “Want me to ring his room?”

  Just then the elevator gave a little ping and the doors slid open. Out walked Chase.

  “Wow,” Janet said.

  Wow was right, Madeline thought. Her stomach did another flutter kick as he walked toward her. She had found him attractive in a suit. Even in a wrinkled shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and his tie mangled he had been attractive. But Chase McAllister in black tie and tux was devastating.

  “Looks like I owe that guy in the men’s store an apology. Judging from the
way that sassy little mouth of yours is hanging open, the price of this getup was worth every penny he charged me.”

  Madeline clamped her mouth shut. “You were supposed to be down here for six-forty,” she told him, irritated with herself for allowing him to catch her drooling over him like a lovesick adolescent. “You’re late.”

  “You know, Princess, you’re the only woman I know who’s such a stickler about time. Are you always so punctual?”

  “Always.”

  He laughed. “What do you know? A woman after my own heart.”

  Ignoring him, Madeline started for the lobby doors. “I’m parked out front.”

  “Wait a minute.” Chase caught her arm, halting her progression. She turned to look at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “Like what?” she asked, frowning.

  “My flowers.”

  “Your flowers,” she repeated dumbfounded. “Why on earth would I bring you flowers?”

  Laughter danced in his blue eyes. “Because I’m your date, and when I take a woman out for a fancy evening I generally bring her flowers.”

  Madeline glared at him. “Funny, McAllister. Real funny.”

  “Hey, I’m a nineties guy,” he told her as he followed her outside to the car.

  The valet held open the passenger door for Madeline, clearly expecting her to allow Chase to drive. She ignored the gesture and walked around to the driver’s seat. Chase’s chuckle when she slid behind the wheel and buckled her seat belt only added to her irritation.

  With Chase seated beside her, her sleek, red MercedesBenz seemed suddenly much smaller. His scent, an appealing blend of spice and soap, lingered in the confining space, making her keenly aware of his presence.

  “Nice dress,” Chase told her, breaking the tense silence.

  “Thanks.” She had no intention of telling him how good he looked, not when her open-mouthed gawking had done so already.

  “I half expected you to show up in another one of those suits you always wear. I’m glad you didn’t.”