Erected (Erector Set, Book One)

by Holt, Desiree

“Yes, Carolyn. What is it?”

  “Mr. Prater buzzed and wants to know when he can expect the rough outline of the public relations plan.” Carolyn’s voice held a hint of amusement. “He’s probably in a hurry because it’s been twenty whole minutes since the meeting broke.”

  “Ha ha. Tell him I’m working on it.”

  “I did.” Carolyn laughed. “And you have a gentleman caller on hold.”

  Ness’ eyebrows lifted. “A gentleman caller? I thought that title went out with The Glass Menagerie and Tennessee Williams.”

  “Well, he doesn’t sound like it’s a business call and he sure is a gentleman. Drawl and all.”

  Drawl? Oh shit.

  She shoved her folders aside. “Take a message. No, wait. Did he give his name?”

  “He said you’d know it. He’s the local taxi service, whatever that means.”

  She deliberately hadn’t called in order to avoid just this. “Tell him our appointment is at seven and we’ll talk then. Do not put him through.”

  “Uh huh. If you don’t want him can I have him?”

  “Carolyn,” she warned.

  “Okay, okay. Just kidding, but it never hurts to ask.”

  Ness looked at her watch. “And order me a sandwich and soft drink from the cafeteria, will you? Prater will be all over my ass if I don’t give him something before the end of the week.”

  Deliberately putting Josh McCann out of her mind she buried herself for the rest of the day reviewing last year’s plans and setting up outlines for the new ones. Then she surfed the internet to see what their competitors were doing and how she could plan to top them. She barely looked up from her work until she heard a knock on her door and saw Carolyn standing there.

  “I’m leaving,” her secretary said, “and you should, too. It’s after six o’clock.”

  “You’re kidding.” She checked the time. “What are you still doing here?”

  “Clearing up our other projects so I can work on the budget with you. Don’t you have an appointment?” She stressed the last word deliberately.

  “Damn. Yes, and I want to get it over with as fast as I can.”

  She shut down her computer, grabbed her purse and levered herself out of the chair. She had just enough time to touch up her makeup—not too much, this wasn’t a date—and get to the restaurant downtown.

  “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

  Carolyn was gone by the time Ness headed out to the hallway and the elevator. Climbing into her car, hauling the leg with the cast in carefully, she wondered how the hell she’d talked herself into doing this.

  Because my brain had taken a vacation but my mouth hadn’t.

  She hoped she didn’t run into too much traffic on the way, then realized what a dumb thought that was. She was right in the middle of rush hour. It was probably the preoccupation with Josh McCann the made her concentration a little fuzzy. As the traffic light changed and she pulled into the intersection, she never saw the car coming that ran the red light—and barreled right into her on the passenger side.

  Oh, shit!

  She had time for two thoughts—he killed my brand-new car, and I hope I didn’t break the other ankle.

  * * * * *

  Josh was unusually distracted throughout the day, a rare occurrence for him. Normally when he walked in the door in the morning whatever else was on his mind got shoved easily to the back burner so he cold focus on work. But today he frequently found himself staring into space, his vision filled with the image of a petite yet lusciously curved figure with masses of brown hair and snapping hazel eyes. His shit detector told him she was a hundred and some pounds of trouble and a distraction he didn’t need. Ever since the disaster with Jiliane five years ago women were nicely compartmentalized in his life. Nonintrusive. Here today and gone tomorrow. The future belonged to…the future.

  Once he actually had real plans, looked for the right woman. Then McMann Brothers Development became successful beyond anything the three of them expected and suddenly his wallet became the main attraction for the women he met. Now he had a hard time trusting any female.

  So why couldn’t he get this bumblebee out of his mind? Why did the image of her haunt him, disrupting his thought processes?

  “I hope that preoccupied stare has something to do with the next contract you’re working on.”

  Josh looked up to see his brother Tyler lounging in the doorway. He was dressed in faded jeans, t-shirt and work boots, a good indication he’d just come from one of their job sites.

  “I brought in a fat contract this morning,” Josh defended himself. “And did a damn fine job, as a matter of fact. In fact, I texted you both about it as soon as Chuck Barnes signed on the dotted line.”

  Tyler uncoiled his muscular body and dropped into the chair across from Josh. “Next you’ll be wanting to get paid double for doing two jobs.”

  “Very funny.” Josh looked at the pad in front of him, filled with the scribbled notes from his meeting with Barnes. They formed the basis of the plans he would draw up, making Barnes’s ideas come to life.

  “So what’s got that ‘shorts-in-a-bunch’ look on your face? Not another woman. Please.”

  Josh grimaced. “You make me sound like some man-whore.”

  Tyler held up his hands. “You’re the one with hot and cold running females. What’s your longest relationship these days? Three weeks?” He shook his head. “If Mom were still living here she’d have a fit.”

  “Don’t you think I’m a little old to worry about how my mother sees my dates?” he asked through gritted teeth. His brother’s comment upset him more because he really wanted to find a woman he could settle down with, but one who didn’t see dollar signs every time she looked at him.

  “So then what’s the deal?” Ty persisted.

  Josh glared at him. “No deal. Now get out of here so I can get some work done. Don’t you have any crews to harass?”

  “Actually had to pick up some paperwork here and wondered if you wanted to catch a bite later. Maybe around seven?”

  “Sorry. I have an appointment for dinner.”

  Josh looked down at the pad again, knowing he was being rude and at the moment not caring. The last thing he needed right this minute was for one of his brothers to dig information out of him about his late night rescue of Ness Bowen and their dinner date for tonight.

  Oh, wait. It wasn’t a date. A business arrangement.

  Her and her smart mouth.

  At least a dozen times he opened his email program to send her a note he was canceling. But each time he clicked off without doing it. He didn’t remember the last time a woman had his mind twisted this way.

  And your dick, Josh. Don’t forget that.

  As if he could. He’d driven home from her place with the hard-on from hell. And what was up with that? Not that he was any slouch in the sack but lately his cock wasn’t showing a lot of interest in the women he dated. Maybe it was because he’d become so jaded, and suspicious of their motives. They were interested in something below his belt all right but more often than not it was his wallet. Being worth a lot of money had drawbacks he’d never figured on. Now he seemed to have lost the ability to tell when a woman wanted him or his bank account. Was Ness Bowen different? She drove an expensive car and lived in a pretty high rent condo but appearances could also be deceiving.

  Maybe I should become a monk.

  Yeah, right.

  He forced himself back to work but the day crawled by with irritating slowness. Not even the start of a new project was enough to distract him. He kept seeing Ness with her silken hair and her heavy cast, clumping along with him, smart mouth running a mile a minute but still stirring up his hormones. He sighed with relief when the clock on his desk showed six o’clock and he could close up for the day. Calling himself ten kinds of fool he took time for a quick shave and a splash of cologne.

  Business dinner. Business dinner.

  He repeated it over and over to himself.

 
He made it to Hannigans with six minutes to spare, gave his car to the valet and went inside to wait for Ness. He was barely in the small entryway of the restaurant when his cell phone rang. He looked at the display, frowning as he saw an unfamiliar number. He didn’t need a crisis tonight.

  “Josh McMann,” he answered.

  “Hey, Josh.”

  He recognized Ness’ voice although it sounded a little shaky. Was she calling to cancel dinner?

  “What’s going on?”

  There was an extended silent.

  “Ness?” he prompted.

  “Um, I don’t think I’m going to make it to the restaurant.”

  Shit! Just what he was afraid of.

  “Yeah? Something come up?” A sour taste lodged in his mouth. “A big date?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Again he heard the tremor in her voice. “Ness, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

  “I, um, had a little fender bender.”

  Double shit.

  “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you bang your bad leg again?” Visions of disaster crowded in his mind.

  “My leg is fine. Both of them, in fact. But my brand-new car is a mess and it looks like I’ll be tied up here for a while.”

  Josh made an instant decision. “Tell me where you are. I’ll come and wait for you.”

  “It’s okay,” she protested. “I can handle things.”

  “At the very least you’ll need a ride home. Now tell me where you are.” He was out the door and heading toward his truck. “I’m on my way.”

  She gave him her location and he cranked the engine, pulling out into the tag end of rush hour traffic. He made pretty good time until he was about two blocks from the accident. Then there were vehicles stalled all over the place, drivers leaning on open doors and shouting at each other and the cops. Passersby stopping to stare curiously. Josh noticed he happened to be stopped at the entrance to a hotel so he gave his truck to the valet and hoofed it the rest of the way, his pulse ratcheting up as he got closer. The only thing that kept him from full panic mode was the fact Ness had been able to call him and speak coherently.

  Damn! What was it with this woman and accidents?

  The best thing he could say about the scene when he got there was Ness really did seem to be unhurt. She was leaning against the fender of a patrol car, her weight on the leg without the cast, and looking mad enough to demolish someone. The entire intersection was blocked. The cops on the scene were trying to set up some kind of crowd control and get traffic untangled so a wrecker could get through. Two cars still sat in a tangled mass of steel, a red sports car embedded firmly in Ness’ BMW. Josh gave thanks it was on the passenger side, at least.

  He pushed his way through the mob to Ness, who was talking to one of the cops, her face set in rigid lines of anger. Josh automatically put his arm around her. She jerked and started to shake it off, then turned and realized it was him and actually leaned into him a little. Was that gratitude on her face? Relief?

  Wow! Miss I’m-Very-Independent must be really shaken up.

  He tightened his fingers on her shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be sitting down?”

  She blew out a breath. “I figured if I sat in one of the patrol cars people would think I was being arrested.” She tilted her head toward one of the vehicles. “Like him.”

  Josh glanced at a patrol car parked at an angle some feet away. In the back seat a man sat with his head leaned against the window and his eyes closed. He frowned.

  “Is he asleep or passed out?”

  “Passed out is my guess.” Ness leaned into him a little. “I could smell him the minute he got out of his little penis extender.”

  Josh swallowed a smile. “Excuse me?”

  “That’s what I call all those outrageously expensive sports cars. It makes men with little penises feel a lot bigger.”

  “I’ll have to remember that if I’m ever tempted to buy one. Are you okay? Are you hurt anyplace? Shouldn’t you be getting checked out at the hospital?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll probably have some bruises by tomorrow but I think I’m shaken up more than anything else. Really. All my parts are in working order.”

  I’d like to check out some of those parts.

  Down, boy! She’s just been in an accident.

  “You sure?’ He took in every part of her from head to toe.

  “I’m sure.” Her lips curved in a weak smile. “Thanks for coming. I’m turning out to be quite a burden for you.”

  He chuckled. “I needed more white knight merit points, anyway.”

  He kept his tone light but he was really thinking, Holy shit! If she’s not giving me lip or arguing with me she must really be shaken up.

  Her body stiffened. “I don’t like to lean on people.”

  “No kidding. What a shock. But maybe right now you could make an exception.”

  “I won’t—”

  “Did you talk to the police yet?” he interrupted, not about to let her go off on him when what she really needed was to get the hell out of here.

  “One of them took down all the information.” Ness let out a shuddering breath. “He blew right through the red light and plowed into the side of my car.” She looked up at him. “My brand-new car. My insurance company is probably going to cancel me.”

  “On the strength of this I’d say the asshole’s insurance will wind up paying for it. Can you get out of here now?”

  “I think so. I’ll find out.”

  “Hold on. Much as it pains you, let me see what’s what. You wait right here.”

  Josh checked with one of the cops to make sure Ness was all clear then led her carefully away from the scene. He walked slowly, mindful of Ness’ cast and her increasingly shaky condition. The first pump of adrenaline had receded and now the shock of the situation was obviously setting in.

  In short order he retrieved his truck, lifted her into it and was headed away from the accident. He glanced over at her, saw her hands fisted tightly in her lap and her face unnaturally pale. Oh yeah. Full-out shock would be setting in if he didn’t ward it off. And that wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Since dinner out is obviously off the schedule, how about I pick up some takeout on the way back to your place.”

  “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

  Yup. Not easy.

  “I’m sure you will be but I’d feel a lot better if I got some food into you. It helps counteract the aftermath of the accident.”

  “So I should eat my way to relaxation?”

  Josh laughed. “Something like that. At best it counteracts the effects of the sudden ebb of adrenaline.” He wanted to reach over and place his palm reassuringly over her clenched hands but he was afraid she might snarl at him. “Come on, Ness. We were going to have dinner together, anyway.”

  “A thank you for helping me last night,” she reminded him.

  “This will be a different kind of thank you. You like Chinese?”

  “What?” She looked out the window. “Where are we? What are you doing?”

  “I’m getting Chinese takeout, unless you tell me you hate it. Try not to fight me on this.” When she said nothing he asked, “So what’s your favorite?”

  “Okay, okay, okay.” The words were said grudgingly. “Kung Pao chicken and pot stickers.”

  “See? Wasn’t that easy?” He unfastened his seat belt. “I’ll be right back.” Impulsively he leaned over and kissed her cheek, then hopped out of the truck before she could react.

  It took longer than he liked and he checked frequently on Ness, still sitting rigidly in the truck, staring ahead at nothing. The impact of everything was really hitting her now and the sooner he got her home the better.

  Fifteen minutes later he was parking in a guest slot at her condo. He helped her down from the truck, balancing the bag with the food in his other hand, and grinned to himself when she insisted on clumping to the elevator on her own.

  “I’m not dead,” she insisted. “I
n fact, barely incapacitated.”

  But in a very short time you’re going to crash and it won’t be pretty.

  “Whatever you say.” He winked.

  He watched her fume silently as they rode up to her floor and had to swallow a chuckle. At least she wasn’t sobbing all over the place tonight, an episode he was sure she’d like to forget.

  “We’ll eat and then you’ll leave,” she insisted as she unlocked her door.

  “Really?” He couldn’t resist teasing her as he followed her into the kitchen. “I don’t call this much of a thank you. Do you?”

  She slammed her purse down on the counter and turned to face him. Gritting her teeth she said in a flat voice, “Thank you very much, Mr. McCann. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. That satisfy you?”

  He put the sack of food down and rested his hands on her shoulders. Despite her attitude her body shook beneath his touch. She wasn’t as nearly okay as she wanted him to believe. “For now. Why don’t you go change, maybe take a shower to help those muscles that have to be getting sore.” He looked at her foot. “You shower okay with that thing on your leg?”

  “Every day,” she snapped. “I wrap it in plastic.”

  “Need some help?” he grinned.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  He was sure if she was a dog she’d bite him. Feisty didn’t begin to describe her.

  “Then go ahead. I’ll have the food ready when you are.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  He turned her around and gave her a gentle push. “I do and I’m going to. Just accept it and get comfortable.”

  She stormed off, or as much as she could with the cast and the shakes she was trying to control. Josh just shook his head. She was so completely different from any of the women he dated. Not clingy, not impressed by him, not catering to his ego. He wondered if it was all an act or if she was really like that. One thing he knew for sure—being near her made his dick hard and his balls ache. He wanted to strip her naked and pull her nipples into his mouth while he stroked her hot, damp pussy. Bury himself deep inside her and not come up for air for a long time. And at the moment he figured he had about as much chance of that as he did of winning the lottery.