High-Powered, Hot-Blooded

Seven

Duncan stood by the coffeemaker. He’d already showered and dressed. On a normal morning, he would have left for work by now. But nothing about this morning was normal.

Annie had spent the night.

There were several problems with that statement. Usually he preferred to be at the woman’s place so he could control when he left. But between the twins, Kami and what he would guess was a small, girly bedroom, his place made more sense. There was also the fact that last night hadn’t exactly been planned. When he and Annie had set up their deal, he’d promised her he wasn’t interested in sex. Apparently he’d been lying.

While making love with her had been pretty damned great, he was concerned about what happened next. Annie wasn’t like his usual women, nor was she the affair type. Would she read too much into what had happened between them? Would she expect things? He also didn’t want her to get hurt.

He heard footsteps in the hall. She walked into the kitchen, wearing the same cocktail dress she’d had on the night before. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her face free of makeup. She looked pretty and innocent and not at all the woman who had surrendered so passionately just a few hours before.

“You’re looking tense,” she said as she picked up one of the mugs he’d left on the counter and poured coffee. “Afraid I’m expecting a proposal?”

Shocked, he quickly said, “No.” Proposal? As in…

She smiled. “I was thinking that a simple ceremony would be best, under the circumstances. The twins and Kami will want to be bridesmaids, of course.”

He’d thought she might be confused or upset or even embarrassed. He’d been wrong on all three counts. It had been a long time since a woman had surprised him in a good way.

He crossed to her and took her free hand in his. “Will you wear white, my darling?”

She sighed. “I was trying to make you nervous.”

“I was playing along.”

“You were supposed to be scared.”

He kissed her. “Maybe next time.” He released her hand.

“You’re too in control of every situation,” she complained, then sipped her coffee. “While you were snoring away, I had to stumble through a conversation with Jenny, trying to explain why I wasn’t coming home without mentioning the fact that we’d had sex.”

He looked at her. “Why would she have to know anything?”

“Because everyone would have noticed my empty bed and been worried.”

“Life is easier without family.”

“You’re too cynical. One phone call is a small price to pay for having the girls in my life and don’t pretend you don’t understand that.”

He did understand but didn’t agree the price was worth it.

She smiled. “Now you have the thrill of them knowing about your sex life.”

Something he could have lived without. Not that he didn’t like the girls, but didn’t this fall under the category of too much information? “Tell me they didn’t ask any questions,” he muttered.

“Only if you’d used a condom.”

Annie kept her chin high as she spoke, but he saw the flush on her cheeks. She was an interesting combination of shy and determined, bossy and yielding.

“What did you say?”

She cleared her throat. “I said you had… All three times.”

He held in a grin. “And?”

“Jenny hung up.”

They laughed together.

Annie looked good in the morning light. The riot of still-damp curls seemed to glow, like a halo. Her mouth was full, her cheeks still pink. Hers was a quiet beauty, he thought. One that would age well. She would be even more striking in her fifties. If he’d met her before he’d met Valentina, he would have been intrigued by the possibilities. Or maybe not. Maybe the appeal of the bad girl would have been too strong. Maybe he’d needed to be burned to learn his lesson.

And learn it he had. Trust no one. Don’t give away anything for free and never, under any circumstances, risk his heart.

“You know this can’t be more than it is,” he said flatly.

Annie sipped her coffee, then drew in a breath. “Is that your way of saying not to get my hopes up? That this is simply a business arrangement with benefits?”

“Something like that.” Too late he remembered he’d promised that sex had no part in their bargain. “When the holiday season ends, so do we.”

“I’ve never had a relationship with an expiration date,” she said, staring into his eyes, a faint smile on her lips. “It’s okay, Duncan. I know the rules and I won’t try to change them.”

“I’m not sure I believe you. You’re a happy-ending kind of woman.”

“It’s what I want,” she admitted. “I want to find someone I can love and respect. A man who wants desperately to be with me. I want kids and a dog and some hamsters. But that’s not you, is it?”

“No.”

Years ago, maybe. Now, the price was too high. Getting involved meant putting too much on the line. He only played to win and in marriage, there was no guarantee. Valentina had taught him that, as well.

“You weren’t supposed to sleep with me,” she said.

“I know.” He couldn’t figure out her mood. Was she teasing or pissed? “Do you want me to apologize?”

She drew in a breath. “No. I want you to promise that when this is over, you won’t tell me you want to be friends. It will just be over. You have to promise.”

“We won’t be friends,” he said, and then felt an odd sense of loss at the words. Annie was one of the few people he liked. He would miss her. But he would let her go.

Annie spent the day trying not to grin like an idiot. She wasn’t worried her students would notice, but her fellow teachers certainly would. Then they would start to ask questions and she wasn’t that good a liar. Probably a good quality, she told herself as she drove into her driveway and got out of the car. Under normal circumstances.

As she walked to the mailbox, she felt the lingering soreness in her legs and hips. Muscles not used to being stretched and used complained a little. Not that she minded. It was a good kind of ache-one that reminded her what had happened the night before. In Duncan’s bed.

No regrets, she’d promised herself and that was how she felt. No regrets. Being with him had been spectacular. Her body had done things she hadn’t known were possible. The time in his arms had shown her what she wanted in her life. Not just a great love, but also great passion. With the two other men, she’d been settling. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but it was true. She would never settle again.

“Big words for someone who isn’t even dating,” she murmured, picking up the envelopes and flipping through them. “Well, not real dating.” No matter how much she wanted him to, Duncan didn’t count.

She reached the last envelope and winced. It was from the college, probably reminding her that tuition had to be paid. As she opened the envelope, she thought about her sad little bank account and wondered where she was going to find the money. Everything was so expensive. Maybe after the holidays she should get serious about finding a second job. One that…

Annie stared at the single sheet of paper. The one that said the tuition had been paid for for the rest of the year. Not just the quarter but the year. Paid in full.

Just looking at the total made her feel queasy. But the big “Paid” next to it wasn’t possible. She hadn’t and it wasn’t as if Jenny had suddenly come into a bunch of money.

Annie walked into the house and looked through the mail again. There was also an envelope from Julie’s college. The letter said the same thing. Tuition was paid for for the rest of the year. In full.

The shock made sense. The information, not to mention the action required, was unexpected. Before last night she might have been a little upset but more grateful. Now she felt all twisted up inside. Confused and slightly tarnished.

Dropping the rest of the mail, she returned to her car. The drive to Duncan’s office wasn’t far. His shipping empire was run out of a huge complex of buildings close to the Port of Los Angeles. She gave her name to the guard at the gate and had to wait while a series of calls were made. Finally she was given a visitor’s parking permit and directions to where she should park.

She passed large warehouses and eighteen-wheelers waiting to be loaded. There were dozens of people walking and driving in every direction. Following the signs that pointed to the corporate offices, she managed to find the visitors’ parking spaces and make her way into the six-story building.

It was an empire and a half, she thought as she stood in the lobby of Patrick Industries. A huge lit board showed a world map. Thousands of lights indicated the location of various company vehicles. Little icons indicated trucks, railcars and ships.

Annie had always known Duncan was a rich, powerful man. But those were just words. They hadn’t been real. An intellectual understanding wasn’t the same as looking at that map and seeing how incredibly successful he was.

She tugged at the sleeve of her oversize sweater, aware that the Christmas elves dancing across the front and back of it were great for a kindergarten classroom but a little out of place in corporate America. There was a big paint stain on her skirt and the back was wrinkled from the time she’d spent sitting on the floor while reading to her students.

“Ms. McCoy?”

Annie turned toward the speaker. A well-dressed woman in her thirties smiled.

“Mr. Patrick is expecting you. If you’ll follow me, please.”

Annie nodded.

They took the elevator to the sixth floor and stepped out onto a quiet floor of conference rooms and offices. People in suits moved purposefully, barely glancing at her. She followed the woman to an open double door. Inside, a middle-aged woman nodded.

“You can go right in.”

Annie stared at the tall, wood door in front of her. It looked heavy and impressive. Unexpected nerves danced in her stomach.

Still clutching the letters from the colleges, she opened the door and walked into Duncan’s office.

The space was even larger than his condo. Big windows overlooked the shipping yard on one side and the lobby on the other. Apparently this particular king enjoyed looking at his empire.

His desk was practically big enough for a plane to land on. There was a grouping of sofas in one corner and a conference table in another.

The man himself sat looking at a computer screen. He tapped a few keys, then glanced at her and raised his eyebrows.

“An unexpected pleasure,” he said as he stood and walked around the desk.

He looked good. Too good. She’d seen him in his tailored suits before, so that wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. Maybe the problem was less than twelve hours ago, she’d been in his bed and they’d both been naked. They’d slept in a tangle of legs and arms, only to awaken and make love again.

He stopped in front of her. “Everything all right?” he asked. “You look pale. Don’t you feel well?”

Apparently unable to speak, she thrust the letters at him, then managed to find her voice. “You did this, didn’t you? I won’t even ask how you got the information to make the payments. It was the twins, wasn’t it? You talked to them.”

One corner of his mouth curved up. “I thought you weren’t going to ask.”

She shook the papers. “This isn’t funny. You can’t go around doing this.”

“Helping people? I would have thought you would approve. Aren’t you the one who told me it would be easier to actually be nice than to hire you and pretend?”

“What?” She dropped her arm to her side. “Duncan, why did you do this?”

“Because I could. Are you the only one who gets to be nice?”

“Don’t be reasonable.” She was tired from lack of sleep and felt the beginnings of a headache. “It makes me uncomfortable.”

His smile faded. “That’s not what I wanted. It’s just a check, Annie. Don’t make it into anything else.”

“A big check. Two big checks.” She glanced around to make sure they were alone, then lowered her voice. “We had sex. You can’t buy me stuff.”

The humor returned. “Most women would tell you the opposite. That after sex is when the buying begins.”

“Maybe. If we were dating. But we’re not. We have an arrangement. A deal. This isn’t part of the deal.”

“You’re complaining because I’m giving you more?”

No. She was worried that if he was nice, if he was approachable and kind, she wouldn’t have a chance of getting out of this with her heart in one piece.

The truth slammed into her and it was all she could do to stay standing. Of course. Why hadn’t she realized it before? Duncan was a force of nature and she was just a regular person. He was rich and strong and powerful and unlike anyone she’d ever known. She’d been in trouble from the second they’d met.

“I…” She swallowed. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to.”

“It will make things a lot easier. Thank you.”

He moved close and cupped her face in his large hands. “Was that so hard?”

“No.”

He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him. It was already too late to try to protect herself. The best she could do was see this to the end and pray she wasn’t totally devastated when it was over. A test of strength, she thought. A trial by fire.

His mouth moved against hers in a way that had become familiar. There was always the taking, but it was tempered somehow. Maybe by her own hunger, her need for him.

She released the papers and let them fall to the floor so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He drew her against him and she went willingly. The kiss deepened. Passion swept through her. Now, she thought, burning with hunger. She wanted him now.

She squirmed to get closer and felt his arousal, thick and hard against her belly. It would be so easy, right here on his big desk. The one in the room with all the windows. Where anyone could see or walk in.

He drew back and looked into her eyes. “Reality check.”

She nodded. “There are a lot of people all around.”

“At the time, the windows seemed like a good idea.”

Now it was her turn to smile. “And today?”

“Not so good.”

He kissed her again, more lightly this time. Then he released her.

She stepped away reluctantly. He picked up the papers she’d dropped and handed them to her.

She folded them and put them in her purse. “Thank you for doing this. It really helps.”

“You’re welcome.” He put his arm around her and guided her to the door. “My uncle Lawrence wants to meet you.”

“I’d like to meet him, too.” she said. Maybe find a moment to ask what Duncan had been like when he’d been younger.

“How about Sunday for dinner? My place?”

“I’d like that.”

She’d like a lot more, she thought as she made her way back to her car. A chance to make this all real. A foolish wish, she reminded herself. Duncan had been clear about what he wanted from the beginning. From all that she knew, he wasn’t the kind of man who changed his mind about anything.

After Annie left, Duncan found it difficult to refocus on work. The report on his computer was a lot less interesting than it had been before she’d stopped by. He found himself wanting to go after her. Maybe take her to his place for the rest of the afternoon…and the evening. But he had meetings and something inside him warned him that he would have to be careful. He didn’t want her reading too much into their relationship. He appreciated all that Annie had done and didn’t want her getting hurt.

At four, his assistant buzzed to tell him a Ms. Morgan had arrived for their meeting. Duncan glanced at his calendar, then frowned as he couldn’t place the name. Someone from accounting, the note said.

“Send her in.”

Seconds later a short, fifty-something woman walked in and smiled shyly. She wore her hair short and had on a drab suit and sensible shoes.

“Ms. Morgan,” he said, pointing to the chair on the other side of his desk.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Patrick.”

The woman had a folder in her hands. She looked both determined and nervous.

When she was seated, he offered her coffee, which she refused. She cleared her throat.

“I talked to Annie at the Christmas party,” she began. “She’s very nice and when I mentioned I had some ideas about making a few changes, she encouraged me to come talk to you.”

Typical, he thought, both annoyed and unsurprised. “Annie is a big believer in communication,” he said shortly.

Ms. Morgan swallowed. “Yes, well, I thought about what she said and decided to make the appointment. I’m a CPA, Mr. Patrick. I wasn’t sure if you knew that. I’m required to take continuing education every year. I recently attended a class on depreciation.”

“Rather you than me,” he murmured.

She flashed him a smile. “It was more interesting than it sounds. There have been several changes in the tax code that could have a big impact on the bottom line. If I could just show you.”

She opened the folder and passed over several pages. They went over them, line by line, as she explained how they weren’t taking advantage of new classifications and schedules. The small changes were significant when applied to his large fleet of trucks.

“The tax savings alone is well into the high six figures,” she said twenty minutes later.

“Impressive. Thank you, Ms. Morgan. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I’ll speak to the vice president of finance and make sure these changes are implemented.”

His employee beamed. “I’m happy to help.”

She was. He could see it in her pleased expression. He’d always been one to manage through fear and intimidation. He’d never nurtured anyone, preferring to do it himself rather than be part of a team. Growing the company had required him to change his style. Entrepreneurs either learned how to work in a large organization or their companies stayed small.

But while Duncan had learned the lesson, he’d never liked it. Now, watching Ms. Morgan gather up her papers, he saw the benefit of encouragement. Maybe Annie was right. Maybe he should talk to his employees more. Trust them to do the right thing. Reward good behavior. What was it she’d told him? Set limits and reinforce them often.

“You’ll be getting a check for ten percent of the savings,” he said.

Ms. Morgan blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“You’re saving the company a lot of money. I appreciate that. You’ll share in the benefit. It’s a new policy. I want to encourage people to offer suggestions that either grow the business or save us money. If we implement the idea, that employee gets ten percent of the increase in sales or the savings.”

The color drained from her face. “But ten percent of that amount is nearly my year’s salary.”

He shrugged. “That makes it a good day.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. “You’re sure?”

He nodded.

“Thank you, Mr. Patrick. I’m-I don’t know what to say. Thank you. Thank you.”

She rose and hurried out. By the time she got to the door, he was pretty sure she was crying.

When he was alone, Duncan leaned back in his chair. He felt good-like he’d done the right thing. Maybe it was possible to find the occasional win-win scenario, he thought as he turned back to his computer. He began to type an e-mail to his chief operating officer, explaining the new policy of giving employees ten percent of saving or sales increases. Maybe someone in PR could leak the memo to the press. That should go a long way to getting him off the meanest CEO list.

After that, he would move forward with his plan to buy out his board and run the company himself. The way he liked-answering to no one. Although he would keep the new policy. Not for Annie, he told himself. He’d keep it because it made business sense.