by Rita Sawyer
The first meeting had gone well. It was a conference call and he’d given her the files to go over last night. This morning she had a few questions. They were damn good ones too. Dade answered them and then they went over what he wanted to ask the group. He told her to jump in at any point.
Once the conference started he’d introduced her to everyone and it went by pretty quick. In the end they decided to invest a small amount, but if the company grew at the rate Dade expected they’d recoup that and much more. More than once Dade had gotten distracted by Rosie’s smile as she talked.
The next meeting hadn’t gone as well. It was with a company they had already invested in. Dade knew ahead of time he was going to be turning the request for more money down, unless they were given more control of the direction and staffing of the company. On the upside they wouldn’t be pulling out like some others who had lost faith in the management had.
It was why he had chosen to do this as a video conference instead of just an audio call. He figured it would be good for her to see that his job wasn’t always easy. This time though he told her not to say anything. Rosie was nervous. He could tell by the way she kept fidgeting in her chair she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs.
He couldn’t have her doing that during the call or he’d never make it through it. To make her stop he reached over and laid his hand, palm flat, on her thigh. She gasped and covered his hand with hers. Their gazes locked, but neither of them spoke. A deep chuckle came from the speaker on the desk beside his computer. He turned his attention from her to the screen. He didn’t take his hand away and she didn’t push it off her leg either.
Dade had made a quick switch from besotted fool back to business magnate if the blink of an eye. Or at least he tried to. Seeing the owner of the company flirt with Rosie —even though it had been totally innocent, and maybe all in Dade’s head— Dade had briefly reconsidered pulling their funding. He told himself he wouldn’t have done it, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Lucky for the guy he’d jumped on Dade’s offer to help him find better management options, so he had one more chance with TC Corporation.
Dade and Rosie had a two hour break between meetings and she insisted on making them lunch and quickly fled the room. Dade gave her a few minutes then joined her in the kitchen. She was wearing another of the frilly aprons she liked. This one was black with a colorful cupcake and the words EAT ME embroidered on the bib. While she made turkey and bacon club sandwiches she asked why he’d offered to help the struggling company, when he’d been dead set against giving them money.
Dade explained that in his experience when some people saw a problem and they didn’t know how to fix it their basic instinct was to throw money at it and hope it got better. The thing was Dade knew this was one of those cases where money wouldn’t work. Truthfully in general he never thought it did. At best it usually turned out to be a temporary bandage. Rosie seemed to agree.
“This next meeting should go pretty smoothly.” He helped her clean their plates from the table.
She leaned her hip against the counter and waited for him to wash his hands. “From what I understood of the file you gave me it’s just a routine check in.”
He nodded. “The company sends me quarterly reports and they’ve been growing steadily, which is a good sign. We’re going to go over their plans for another small expansion. They’re not asking for anything.”
“You’re smiling,” she said.
He hadn’t realized it. “Was I?”
“Yup.” She put her hands and on the counter behind her and hopped up onto it. “You should do it more often.”
“Really?” He asked and she nodded.
“It makes you look a little less intimidating.”
“Maybe I like looking tough.” He hung the towel on the rack and walked over stopping in front of her knees. “Besides you and your friends don’t seem to be scared of me.”
She slid down from her perch. His body instantly reacted to her nearness, which was just inches apart. For him it was a little too close for comfort in some areas, because one glance down and she’d see exactly what she did to him. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. One of them had to be the strong one and it turned out that whenever she got near him it wasn’t going to be him.
“I have no reason to be afraid of you. Neither do my friends.” She tilted her head and gave him one of her sexy little smiles.
She was right about her friends, but he wasn’t so sure about her. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.”
“Not mine,” Dade watched her hair sway from side to side as she shook her head. “Teddy’s. He wouldn’t have gotten me mixed up in anything with you if he didn’t think I could trust you.”
God! She truly had no idea what her uncle was up too. Dade knew he should tell her, but the selfish part deep inside him begged him not to. Though he’d been against Teddy’s plan in the beginning he’d quickly come around to, at least, entertaining the idea. It didn’t hurt that Rosie was more amazing than he could have wished. And now all he wished was that he could get her into his bed, or keep her in the kitchen until the six months was up.
He wasn’t ready to tell her that yet either. “We should head back to the office.”
This meeting was going to let Rosie in on a little known secret. He had purposefully held back what the small manufacturer made, but only because he wanted it to be a surprise. Dade hoped it would explain a little about him at the same time. Alaina Derringer and her husband Chuck came on the screen with big happy smiles. Dade made the introductions and as he hoped Rosie was stunned when she found out her uncle owned a big stake in a company that made cowboy boots. She claimed it answered a few questions she’d had.
Alaina gave them both her condolences on losing Teddy and surprised them with a small tribute. She had designed a pair of red and black boots called TC’s. They had the flash and style her uncle had always strived for. Dade could tell Rosie was touched from the tears that glistened in her eyes.
Still it took about twenty minutes for Rosie to slip back into her habits. The smiles and leg crossing were so damn distracting he kept losing his train of thought. Dade started to wonder if Rosie knew just what she was doing to him. He wouldn’t be able to prove it, but why else would she do things to irk him the way she did.
* * * *
Spending the entire day with Dade had been exhausting. Rosie had gotten a much better understanding of her uncle’s respect for him. She actually had her own now, but he definitely had a commanding presence. He came off as a man who liked to be in control, and yet Rosie was getting to the point where she wanted to see what would happen when he lost it. She’d never felt the urge to push someone to their breaking point before. Well, other than Sophia, and that felt totally different from what Dade was making her feel.
Dade was making her feel a lot more than she’d expected to. Rosie wasn’t going to be the only one dealing with her feelings. If Dade brought emotions out in her she was going to do her best to bring something out in him too. The way he smiled over lunch she thought she might already be on the right track. She hadn’t been lying when she told him he needed to smile more, but it wasn’t because it made him look less intimidating.
When he smiled he got a kind of sexy vibe she wanted to explore more. She knew it was damn dangerous to play games with a man like him, but Rosie was finding it irresistible not too.
Just like teasing him had been. At first she was just doing it to have fun and try and loosen him up. Dade kept glancing at her legs —which she always thought were way too short— so she couldn’t help but move them more. Every time he looked at her she wondered if he was attracted to her, or just distracted by her. Sadly she didn’t know which one she wanted it to be. The only thing she knew was that she really liked the way he kept looking at her.
Chapter Six
Rosie knew once her parents heard about her and Dade living together they’d show up to find out what the hell was going on. Since they had been
out of the country on business when the news went public it took them two weeks. It had given Rosie time to plan what she was going to say, but there had also been enough time for the story to get fully blown out of proportion. Society and tabloid bloggers alike had taken the original story and ran with it.
Speculation about an upcoming wedding had been bandied about for days. Some wondered if there was possibly an announcement of a pregnancy on the horizon. Mostly everyone wanted to know how long the relationship had been going on. Many asked how they managed to keep it under wraps. Rosie knew better than to respond, and she’d made it perfectly clear to Dade that he wasn’t to comment on anything either. She could tell he was frustrated by her restraints, but Rosie needed him to trust her on this.
They were standing in the living room arguing over whether or not they should attend Nicolette’s upcoming fundraiser for the children’s hospital when her parent’s gold SUV pulled up in front of the house. Rosie was a bit shocked to see it, because she had expected to get a call demanding she come to them when they were ready to confront her. From the way Dade moved to her side she could tell he noticed her surprise. She didn’t know if his closeness was meant to protect her or himself.
If he knew what she did, it would have been for himself. Her father had never liked Dade. He’d never given a reason for it, but Rosie thought it was because through him her uncle had gotten the son neither of them had. Pure jealousy drove her father at times when it came to her uncle, and try as he might he just couldn’t hide it.
She reached down slid her hand into Dade’s and gave his a squeeze. “Let me handle this.”
“No promises.” Dade’s retort was a mere whisper as her parents entered the house.
“Rosalind what on earth is going on?” her mother exclaimed as they stormed into the room.
Rosie knew better than to try and answer before her father said his piece. “We know exactly what’s going on Lillian. It’s all over those trash rags.”
“Joel, we agreed to get Rosalind’s side of things before we pass any judgment.” It was nice of her mother to try, but Rosie knew her father had already formed an opinion.
Her father ignored her mother. “This behavior is totally unacceptable.”
“I agree.” Rosie took a fortifying deep breath, because what she was about to say needed to be done quickly. “If you want to stay here and discuss what has been happening you’ll do it civilly or you can leave.”
“Rosie, I’m sure your parents are just surprised by what they’ve been reading.” It was sweet of Dade to try and be the peacemaker, but it was useless.
Her mother nodded. “He’s right dear.”
Rosie ignored them both and waited for her father to make his decision. He gave her a short and snappy nod agreeing to her demand. Her father took her mother’s hand and led her to the couch. Rosie waited for them to sit down and get comfortable.
“Dade and I attended a charity function together and it seems a reporter got wind of the fact that Dade and I are living here together. Nothing more or less.” Rosie knew it was a lot more, but admitting that to her parents would only make things worse.
“Did you at least try to stop the story before it got out?” Her father’s tone was more even, but still full of anger.
“It spread way too fast. Rumors are fiercest when you give the fuel. This will die down if we ignore it.” Rosie knew there was nothing to do but ride it out.
“Or you could just move back to your apartment.” Her father groused. “Better yet come back to live at home for a little while until this blows over.”
“I’m staying here.” Rosie knew they weren’t going to agree with her right away.
“I’m afraid the longer you are together the more people will talk.” Her mother might be right, but Rosie had committed herself to six months and she wasn’t backing out no matter how hard things got.
“Mom, I’ve never let the media push me around before and I’m not going to let them now.” Rosie hoped she could get her mom on her side, because Rosie knew no matter what she decided there’d be no changing her father’s mind.
Her mother was so quiet Rosie was about to give up, then she said, “I guess we’re going to have to trust that you know what you’re doing.”
“It’s not Rosalind I’m worried about.” Her father turned to Dade. “Whatever you have going through your mind where my daughter is concerned I want you to know even if you do manage to seduce her you’ll never get your hand on even the slightest piece of Crestmont Hotels.”
Dade laughed. “If I decide to seduce your daughter getting my hands on your hotels will be the last thing on my mind.”
Her mother’s cheeks grew red, and so did her father’s whole face, well before it turned a purple-ish color. His dislike for Dade had never been subtle, but now he was just being rude. Not many people stood up to him though. Most people held their tongues and kept their notions to themselves most likely to avoid having to argue with him. Not Dade though, he hadn’t thought twice about speaking his mind. She liked that about him.
That Dade had actually laughed at him surprised her, but Rosie didn’t think her father’s behavior was funny in any way. Even her mother, who always went along with her father, looked stunned. She couldn’t let her father get away with acting like this. Then again she shouldn’t let Dade talk about seducing her like it was some type of game.
“Dad you owe Dade and apology. And you,” She turned to Dade and stabbed her index finger at his chest. “Owe me one.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I don’t plan to debauch you.” He flattened her hand against him and leaned in so only she could hear him. “Unless you want me to.”
Flustered she pulled her hand away and turned her attention back to her father. “Damn it! I haven’t done anything I need to apologize for.”
“You accused him of trying to use me to get Crestmont.”
“Crestmont is a family company. He might have thought marrying you would make him family, unlike being Teddy’s ward.” It didn’t come as any surprise that her father’s first concern was for Crestmont Hotels and not his daughter’s heart.
“Not that we’re getting married,” Rosie wanted to make that perfectly clear. “But that would make him family. I would think that you’d want me to settle down and have kids so there’s someone for the company to go to. Or do you want it to end with me?”
“Rosalind,” Her mother tsked like she’d spilled something. “Of course your father and I want you to settle down and give us grandchildren. He just wants you to have the best.”
“In case you missed it I’m not what your mother and father considers the best.” Dade’s warm breath brushed her cheek as he whispered. “I hope you at least give me a shot before you make up your mind.”
Rosie jabbed her elbow into his side. He would choose now to flirt with her. She felt the heat bloom on her cheeks and hoped her parents didn’t notice.
“I’m sorry,” her mother said with a shake of her head. “But yes Dade is not the kind of man we had in mind for you.”
Rosie dreaded the answer, but she had to ask. “What kind of man would that be?”
Her father snorted. “Rosalind, you’ve dated millionaires, minor royalty, and high powered businessmen. We are not going to stand by and let settle for your uncle’s personal assistant.”
Settle? She was about to tell them how wrong they were when Dade’s hand closed around her wrist. Rosie looked over at him and he shook his head. Could her parents really not know Teddy had his own company? She knew it wasn’t public knowledge and her uncle had done his best to keep his name from being linked with it, but she assumed her father would have at least figured out something was going on over the past twelve years. Boy, were they in for a big surprise when Mr. Grest read the will.
“I think everyone is overreacting. Mom you and Dad should go home. I’m not going to defend my choices, and Dad’s not going to admit he was wrong and apologize to both me and D
ade.” She was mad, but not enough to ban them forever. “I’ll call you in a few days after we’ve all had time to calm down and we can have lunch or something.”
“Joel we’re leaving.” There was no heat in her mother’s tone as Lillian got her feet and walked over to Rosie and kissed her cheek. “You’re such a smart girl.”
“Then you should try to trust me enough to know what's best for me.” Rosie walked them to the door.
* * * *
Dade stood in front of the window and watched Rosie’s father walk to his car. Her mother lingered on the porch probably making a last ditch attempt to warn Rosie away from him. The old bastard glanced at him and Dade smiled and waved. It must be killing Joel that Rosie had stuck up for him. Dade’s smile got broader, not because he was enjoying getting between her and her father —that was just a little bonus. He was smiling, because Teddy had always said her father was never going to accept any guy unless he could completely control him and he was right.
Dade was the farthest thing from that and it seemed that they both knew it. So had Teddy, which had to be a contributing factor in his request. Maybe Teddy had wanted to stick it to his brother one final time. At the same time Dade knew he was trying to take care of Rosie even though he wasn’t there.
Rosie waved goodbye and Dade figured he had about three minutes before they were out of sight and she came in the house. Not much time to decide on what his next move should be. Oh, he knew what he wanted to do. She stepped inside and slammed the door behind her.
Her gaze landed on him and Dade held his hands up in the air, the standard sign of surrender. “I was an idiot. I’m sorry.”
She narrowed her glare and shook her head. Her heels clicked on the hard wood floor as she headed for the staircase. Dade followed not ready to let her go without thanking her for sticking up for him. He reached out and grabbed onto the back of her jeans. Either she hadn’t been expecting it, or her shoes were as dangerous as he thought. She stumbled and he lunged forward wrapping his arms around her waist. With a twist of her hips she turned to face him.