by Lucy Monroe
Focusing on her work was impossible with the gorgeous bouquet of yellow blooms distracting her. Even more distracting than their heady fragrance was the dinner invitation that had accompanied them and the quandary it represented.
Common courtesy dictated she thank Alex for the flowers, but she didn't know how she wanted to respond to the invitation. Even if Alex's motives were pure, she knew with feminine intuition that he would demand all that she had to give. In her previous relationships, Isabel had always been able to hold something back, to protect her emotions. She had never fallen head over heels in love.
She'd never fallen in love, period.
That had been important to her. Her father had taught her something important, along with Nanny Number One through Nanny Number Three.
Loving someone made you vulnerable to pain.
By the time Nanny Number Three left, Isabel had figured out that she couldn't allow herself to get too attached to the people in her life. It hurt too much when they went away.
Sometimes even when they stayed. She'd tried to tell herself that she didn't need her dad's attention, that he loved her but just didn't know how to show it. It didn't work. His emotional distance and neglect had hurt, still hurt when she let herself think about it.
She had studied the photos of her family when she was a baby. Her mother and father had gazed at each other and at her with undisguised love in too many of the photos for it to be anything but real.
She hadn't seen that look on her dad's face for as long as she could remember, not for his daughter or anyone else. Not that she hadn't tried, but eventually even a child realizes when a person is beyond reach and gives up. At least she had.
She clung to one special memory from when she was very small. Her mother had been reading her a bedtime story, and her dad came in to kiss her good night. She'd gone to sleep feeling safe. She had no other memories of him tucking her in. Nanny Number Two had read bedtime stories. By the time Nanny Number Three came along, Isabel had learned to read to herself.
The phone rang and Isabel picked it up, grateful for the interruption of her tumultuous thoughts. "This is Isabel."
"Miss Harrison? This is Marcus Danvers. We spoke a couple of days ago."
Sometimes employees would call her to reconsider after an initial negative response, but Isabel truly hadn't expected Marcus Danvers to be one of them. "Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Mr. Danvers?"
"I think I responded too hastily to your offer."
"Technically, no offer was extended," she reminded him.
"Right, but you did call me because you have a client interested in hiring me. Isn't that true?"
"Yes, but you made it clear that you are very happy in your position at CIS."
Sometimes the knowledge that other employers were interested in the employee made a manager react strangely. They took out their frustration or fear on the employee, making their own situation more precarious, in as much as they wanted to keep their employee.
However, she had not expected such a reaction from Alex. "Has something happened to change that?"
"No, I won't lie to you, Isabel. I like my job, but I want to explore all my options."
Marcus's reply made sense, but she couldn't help feeling guilty. If he liked his job, she didn't want to counsel him toward a position that would take him away from Alex.
Squelching the overpersonalized reaction, she said, "Would you like to come in and discuss the position with me?"
"I'd rather talk directly to the person who wants to hire me. The fit depends on a lot more than the job description."
How right he was. Isabel had seen far too many clients unhappy in what should have been ideal jobs because of who they had to work under. However, she couldn't help wondering if Mr. Danvers's insistence on speaking to the potential employer was just another ploy by Alex to find out who it was.
She was a little dismayed by the prospect. She'd been approached by irate employers before, but none quite as determined to find out who else wanted to hire their employee.
On the chance that Marcus's interest was genuine, Isabel felt the need to respond to him as if Alex had never stormed into her office demanding answers.
"You're very wise to realize that," she said in response to his assertion that the employer was the ultimate decider, "but my policy is to interview the employee first and then refer him or her to the employer if there appears to be a match. I try to provide both employer and employee with the best possible customer service."
"I appreciate that. When would you like me to come in?"
They set up a time for the interview and Isabel hung up.
Her attention swung back and forth between the phone and the yellow roses. How could she go out with Alex now?
This was why she kept a firm demarcation between business associates and her personal life. She didn't like the feeling that she might be betraying someone. It didn't affect her rapport with her father, but then she wouldn't call their association all that personal, either. To Dad, business was business. He would never hold the fact against her that she hired one of his employees away from him.
She didn't think Alex would be quite so sanguine.
* * *
Alex stared at the thank you note in his hand with a mixture of irritation and disbelief.
She had said no.
After waiting all day yesterday for Isabel to call, the pithy little note thanking him for the flowers but declining the invitation dissolved the last remnants of Alex's patience. He picked up the phone and dialed Isabel's office number.
When she picked up at the other end, he didn't waste time with pleasantries. "What do you mean that you don't think it's a good idea to see each other again due to our business association?"
"Alex?" Isabel's voice was breathless and a little wary.
"Yes." Who the hell did she think it was? "Do you turn down so many men when they ask you out that you have a hard time keeping track when one of them calls?" He knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't make himself care. She had said no, damn it
"No. Of course not. Alex, are you okay?"
Her concern only annoyed him more. "Explain."
There was a pause on the other end of the line and then she spoke. "I explained my policy about not mixing my business and my personal life to you the first time you asked me out."
He gripped the phone receiver more tightly in his hand. "We agreed that we don't have a business association."
"Actually, you made that assertion and I made the mistake of agreeing. I was wrong though, wasn't I? Business was the primary reason for our date."
Was she ever going to forgive him for that? "I thought we worked through this. What's going on, Isabel?"
"Nothing's going on. It's simply a matter of business ethics." Her words came out in an unconvincing rush.
She was lying to him. Why? Then it hit him. Marcus had called her. Marcus's appointment to interview with Isabel was set for that very afternoon. She probably thought her relationship with Marcus would be compromised if she went out with Alex.
He should have anticipated this complication, but when it came to her, he hadn't been operating with his customary clearheadedness.
He couldn't tell her that there was no conflict of interest. She would probably think he was trying to use her again if she found out that he had encouraged Marcus to call her to set up the interview. They could wait to see each other again until after Marcus had interviewed with her client and turned down the job. That would solve her problem with her perceived conflict of interest. It would even give her some time to get over her anger about their disastrous first date.
Looking at things logically, waiting to see Isabel was the most rational course of action.
"Alex, are you there?"
"I'm here."
"You got silent all of a sudden." She sounded nervous.
"I'm glad you liked the flowers, sweetheart."
"Oh, I did. They're beautiful, but Alex…" she hesitat
ed, "I don't think you should call me 'sweetheart.'"
"I'll be at your condo to pick you up at seven tonight." The words shocked him, but they tasted right on his tongue.
"I've explained that I can't see you."
She didn't sound happy about it and that pleased him. "Our relationship has nothing to do with your business."
"We don't have a relationship," she insisted. "We had one date, a date which was very much about business, when all was said and done."
"We've had more than one date, sweetheart."
"That breakfast doesn't count. I was coerced."
Irritated that she refused to acknowledge the personal attraction between them, he said, "Do you make it a habit to kiss your business associates until it's all they can do not to make love to you standing against your front door?"
She gasped and her indignation shimmered across the phone line. "We were never in danger of making love on my porch."
"That's not the way it felt to me. I barely had enough self-control left after your kiss to get the front door open. From where I stood," which had been darn close to her, "you were in pretty much the same condition, if not worse."
"I … that's ridiculous," she stammered out.
"In fact, when all was said and done, that date had a hell of a lot more to do with mutual attraction than any small attempt on my part to get information."
"E…even if we are attracted to each other, I can't date you right now, Alex. I just can't."
Alex stifled his retort. He reminded himself that it wasn't Isabel's fault that she was in a difficult position. It was his. He swore.
Isabel's sharp intake of breath let him know that she had heard. "I'm sorry," she said and he knew she meant it
He wanted this woman. The fact that she was John Harrison's daughter was complicating the hell out of Alex's life, but it didn't alter the facts. Alex needed Isabel on a level that had nothing to do with logic, nothing to do with his desire for vengeance. His need for her was elemental and primitive.
He had always scoffed at the concept of love at first sight. He still did, but something had happened the day he met her, something he refused to ignore.
He would have to find another way to get the information he needed. He wasn't going to use Isabel, even indirectly. He would not allow her to be part of his revenge. He had to keep the two separate, even if it meant taking some risks.
"I told Marcus to call you."
"What?"
"Marcus set up an interview with you because it seemed like the most expedient means of finding the information I wanted."
"You had Mr. Danvers call me just so that he could find out my client's name?" she demanded.
"Yes." He waited uneasily for Isabel's reaction. She hadn't gotten past her initial anger over finding out that he had planned to get the information himself on their date. Would she go ballistic again now?
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, sounding a little dazed.
"Because I want to see you."
"You're arrogant, but I hadn't thought you were stupid."
Here was the explosion he'd been waiting for.
"You cannot possibly expect that telling me you planned to use me again would change my mind about going out with you." Incredulity and temper laced her voice, but at least she hadn't hung up on him.
"Isabel—"
The phone clicked in his ear.
* * *
Slamming the phone in its cradle, Isabel almost choked on her frustration.
How could a man be so incredibly compelling and idiotic at the same time? Did Alex have any idea what she had gone through knowing that she could not both see him again and give Marcus Danvers the kind of service as a career guidance specialist that he deserved? Finding out that it was all part of one of Alex's plots to gather information was enough to make her want to scream. Or go shoe shopping.
Okay, so she'd suspected something of the sort when Marcus had called, but that didn't make it any more pleasant to have her suspicions confirmed.
She pushed back from her desk and walked rapidly to Bettina's office across the hall. Yes. Bettina's door stood ajar, indicating that she was not with a client. Isabel rapped a quick tattoo on the door before walking inside.
Bettina put down her phone and smiled at Isabel. "Hi, girlfriend. You look like you want to shoot someone. Been talking to your dad?"
"I wish." Isabel flopped down onto a red love seat.
As Isabel had allowed the romantic side of her nature to exhibit itself in her office's floral décor, so had Bettina's flamboyant personality come out in hers. Startlingly bright watercolors graced the walls while her furniture was glass, chrome, and vibrant primary colors.
Bettina leaned down and opened one of the drawers in her glass-and-chrome desk. When she stood up, she had a bag of plain MMs in her hand.
Sitting down in a cobalt blue chair positioned kitty-corner to the love seat, she tossed the candy into Isabel's lap. "Talk."
Isabel opened the bag but didn't eat any. "Alex just called."
Bettina's eyes rounded in understanding. "He didn't like the fact that you won't see him again."
"No, but I didn't like what he had to say even more." The smell of chocolate finally broke through her irritation and she popped a small handful of MMs into her mouth. "You aren't going to believe this, I swear."
Bettina took a handful of the candy as well. Her eyes gleamed with interest. "Try me."
"Alex told his assistant to contact me so that he could find out the name of my client."
Bettina almost choked on her candy. She coughed and Isabel leaned over to pat her back.
Bettina took a deep breath, let it out, and then asked, "He told you that?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He wanted the information. He assumed Mr. Danvers's contacting me would be a surefire way of getting it. The man is very focused."
Bettina rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you weren't already wondering about that possibility. I know I was. What I want to know is why Alex told you what he'd done. He must have realized it would mess up his plans."
"You knew Alex was behind his assistant's calling me?" Outrage at her friend's secretiveness poured over Isabel. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Don't be dumb. I didn't know anything. I had a hunch."
"You didn't share your hunch with me."
Bettina shrugged. "I guess I should have. I forget sometimes how trusting you are of your clients. You always assume the best."
"Well, actually I suspected something along those lines, too, but suspecting something and knowing it are two very different animals." One caused worry, the other pain.
"So, Alex is a little ruthless. Don't tell me you didn't already know that, not after your first date. And let's be honest here, you still let him kiss you. You still went to breakfast with him. You like him. Ruthlessness and all." Leaning back in her chair, Bettina tapped her long, hot pink nails against the blue armrest. "The real issue is why Alex would tell you his plans."
"That's easy. He wants to see me again." Isabel didn't want to go into her friend's other assertions.
Bettina put her hand out and Isabel poured a pile of chocolate pieces into it. Bettina popped the candy into her mouth and chewed, her eyes indicating she was deep in thought.
After several more MMs, Bettina finally spoke. "Why didn't he just wait until Mr. Danvers got the information? He must have realized that once you no longer were conducting business with his assistant, you'd be willing to see him again."
Isabel hadn't thought of that. "Maybe. Then again, I might not have."
Bettina laughed. "Girlfriend, you can lie to Alex. You can even lie to yourself, but you can't lie to Aunt Betty. You would have seen Alex again and I'm betting he knew it."
While considering Bettina's words, a small tendril of hope entered Isabel's heart. Hope that he had told her because he really wanted to see her again. She didn't like the feeling of hope. It meant that she cared much more than was
safe about Alex's reasons for doing what he did.
"Then why tell me now?"
"Alex obviously wants to see you more than he wants the name of your client." Bettina smiled expectantly.
Isabel frowned in return. "That, or he has some deep reason that I can't begin to guess at."
"Do you think Alex is lying to you? Maybe he overheard Mr. Danvers calling you to make an appointment and decided to circumvent his leaving the company by making it appear that he wasn't truly interested in changing jobs."
Instinct told Isabel that Bettina's reasoning was flawed. "I don't think so. He was pretty brutal in his honesty the night we went out. I can't see him lying now."
Bettina's teeth flashed white against her dark skin in a big smile. "Then I guess that leaves the obvious. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous wants you … bad."
"Believe it or not, that does not set my mind at ease."
"Come on, Isabel. You aren't going to tell me that having a guy like that after you isn't turning your insides to melted Godiva chocolate."
That was the problem. Isabel was afraid that not only were her insides turning into melted chocolate but her brain was having a meltdown as well. What else could explain the fact that she was entertaining thoughts of seeing Alex again?
"Bettina, I've got a huge favor to ask you."
* * *
Alex hadn't expected this turn of events. After Isabel had hung up on him, he'd assumed that she would cancel her appointment with Marcus. She hadn't. In fact, according to Marcus, she had called him to confirm that he still intended to come in for the interview.
What was she planning? Alex had been sitting at his desk for the past twenty minutes trying to figure it out. He didn't like mysteries, particularly when they surrounded something he wanted as much as he wanted Isabel. Had she figured out who he was? Did she plan to help her father?
Neither of those scenarios made sense. She had been apologetic and genuinely disappointed that she could not see him again until he told her that he was responsible for Marcus's contacting her. Then she had been angry. It made no sense that she would still want to see Marcus.
Unless she was so angry with Alex that she was trying to perpetrate a little vengeance of her own by luring away his right-hand man to another position. Somehow, he couldn't see Isabel plotting revenge of any kind. He reminded himself that he didn't know her that well, and that there was only one way to find out. He needed to see her eyes when they talked.