A Sweet Deal (Crimson Romance) (3 page)

He frowned, considering. “You have a point, of course, but Morgan Confectioners is more to me than a revenue stream. It’s a family business, something I care for very deeply.”

She smiled. “I certainly understand the importance of family. I love mine, and owe everything I am to them. But didn’t your father ever teach you that business and emotions don’t mix?” Yvette took a chance and sidled closer, laying a hand on his arm and squeezing gently. “We love what you’ve developed so much that we want it for ourselves. You should be flattered,” she added, her voice light and teasing. Any other man
would
be flattered. Why Richard Morgan was immune to her attention was a mystery.

He closed the distance between them and leaned down so that his lips almost touched her ear. His breath was hot against her skin and sent goose bumps erupting down her arms. He was close enough to kiss, and her breath caught in her throat as she waited to see what he would do.

“No. Deal.” His firm words shouldn’t have been arousing, but it was all she could do to resist the urge to find out what his mouth would feel like crushed against hers.

“Richard, this is the best offer you’re likely to get. You should really give it some thought before you dismiss it.” The sad truth was that if Saffron didn’t buy them out, the confections division would continue to suck money from the rest of Morgan Enterprises until they found a way to turn it around.

“I’ve heard enough.”

Yvette felt oddly disappointed by the finality of his words. Her lips wanted to find their way to his, to change his mind about
her
, if not the deal itself, but he turned and walked away.

Watching his broad back as he disappeared into the crowd, Yvette enjoyed the view despite herself. He would come around; they always did. Yvette Cruz didn’t back down from a fight.

She’d come from nothing and had worked her whole life to get to where she was at Saffron Sweets. Everything she had, she had earned, and none of it had come easy what with her past. Nobody had given her a thing in life, ever, except for her parents, who had worked too hard for her to let a little setback like Richard Morgan stop her. Not after what she’d been through in her lifetime. Her hand fluttered subconsciously to her chest, her fingers tracing the ridged skin concealed by the high neckline of her dress.

To have her work belittled so casually, so flippantly, was infuriating. Almost as infuriating as her burning attraction to this man. She refused to accept that this would be their only encounter, and in truth, she couldn’t wait to see what the next meeting would hold. After all, she always enjoyed a challenge.

Across the room, Richard approached a pretty brunette and stopped to chat. The other woman looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes, and as he smiled, laughed, and touched her arm, Yvette finally turned away. She finished her champagne with three long sips, set the empty glass on the nearest table, and strode toward the exit with her shoulders back and her head held high. As she passed Richard, she threw him a mental salute:
Till we meet again
.

• • •

Richard took a slow swallow of his single malt scotch, winced as it burned a trail down his throat, and watched Yvette glide out of the hospitality suite. What an aggravating temptation she was. Her cool, unflappable calm in the face of his disdain had just inflamed his desire more. Nobody stood up to him like that, ever, and part of him was eager to see what giving in to her would feel like—much to his dismay. The young food sciences chemist at his side was chattering excitedly about those effervescent lollipops she had developed for the company, and he knew he should give her his full attention, but his mind was on Yvette. Her obvious agenda irritated him, but her lush curves and impressively quick wit lingered in his mind, making it hard for him to remember why he’d wanted her gone. Beautiful women were easy to come by, but one with brains to match was a rare find, and one of his few weaknesses.

Richard was glad she’d left when she did though, as he’d been dangerously close to finding out if her lips were as soft and lush as they looked. He imagined they would be warm, and sweet with the champagne she’d been drinking. The thought gave rise to an unwelcome stirring deep within his body. What was wrong with him? The woman was after his company, and he had to remember that if he had any hope of protecting it. Focusing on the young brunette standing before him, he forced his mind off Yvette and her delicious curves. Or tried to.

“ … I mean, I was nervous at first, but the session went really well. I think everyone enjoyed it. I mean, they paid attention and asked a lot of questions when I finished.” The young woman paused, apparently waiting for his response, and he snapped back to attention. She was filling him in on the discussion panel she had run that afternoon as a representative of their company, and she was obviously looking for praise.

He smiled down at her, turning on his signature charm. “I’m sure they did. Everybody wants something like your lollipops for their company. It’s nice that you could provide some insight and maybe inspiration, but I’m certainly glad that Morgan Confectioners is the one that has you.”

“You’re so sweet to say so, Mr. Morgan. I’m glad to be a part of the company, and I hope to stay on after the buyout. I know that a lot of things change in these situations, but we’re all praying that the department gets by relatively unscathed.” She took a sip of her drink and watched him expectantly.

“Buyout? Rebecca,” he watched her face to see if he got her name right, “there will be no buyout. Morgan has always been family owned, and we have no intention of changing that.”

Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted around the room. “Oh, Mr. Morgan, I apologize. I suppose we’ve all heard the Saffron rumors and have obviously made more of it than was necessary. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Richard relaxed his grip when he realized he was squeezing his glass almost hard enough to crack it. He hadn’t expected news of his father’s talks with Saffron to get out so quickly when so few people knew about them. Still, it was important for him to know what misinformation was circling, and he couldn’t let his irritation show. “Saffron is looking to expand their product line beyond chocolate, and they’ve expressed interest in buying our confections division. But I’ve let them know in no uncertain terms that we’re not interested. Anything you’ve heard is nothing more than conjecture. You’ve nothing to worry about.”

Rebecca looked like she wanted to say more, but she sipped her champagne and remained silent. She shifted from one foot to the other, looking increasingly agitated, and Richard excused himself. He had obviously made her uncomfortable, and he was too distracted to make polite conversation with an employee. The scientist’s relief was noticeable as he told her to enjoy the evening and wished her goodnight.

Richard finished his scotch in one burning swallow and set the empty tumbler on a table as he strode towards the door, anxious to get out of the room. He didn’t know where he was headed, but it would be easier to think if he escaped the claustrophobic atmosphere of the crowded party. Yvette had invaded his business life and now had somehow managed to wind her way into his personal life, driving him to maddening distraction. She was beautiful—exquisite even—but he wasn’t exactly inexperienced when it came to exceptional women. He never let personal matters interfere with his professional obligations. What was so different about her and how could he get her out of his system?

When she was just a name and face he’d glimpsed only briefly, he’d had a semblance of control. Now she was a three-dimensional threat to his sanity, and Richard needed to do something—anything—to push her off his radar. That would be nearly impossible when all he could think about was how soft her skin must be, how sweet her lips would taste beneath his.

He stormed out of the hospitality suite and punched the elevator button with much more force than necessary. Cursing both the wait and his uncharacteristic impatience, he pressed the button again.

“Will that make the elevator arrive faster?” The sultry voice matched the intoxicating fragrance invading his space and wound its way through his body.

So much for control.

“Ms. Cruz. What a surprise.” He tried to sound casual, unaffected, but her voice alone made his body respond, harden. Richard’s unwelcome physical reaction to the sight of her, to her sweet but sensual fragrance, to the silky sound of her voice, frustrated him to no end. She was the enemy, but all he could think about was what the skin where her neck met her delicate ivory shoulders would taste like. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement, and he hated that looking into them reminded him of melted pools of sweet, dark chocolate.

“It’s nice to see you too. Going down?” She was bold, unruffled, even after he had stonewalled her.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped in. The throaty laugh that escaped her glossy ruby lips pushed him over the edge.

“What’s so funny, Ms. Cruz?”

“If you’re so determined to shut me down, if you want so badly to be rid of me, then why not wait for the next elevator?”

“I’m not one to run from difficult situations. Or people.” The fact that he wanted to kiss her as much as he wanted to tell her where she could shove her buyout offer was infuriating.

Her lips curled into a slow smile. “Now come on, I’m not that bad, am I?”

He jabbed at the floor button, ready to reach the lobby and escape. “No, but your company is certainly making my life miserable lately.”

“That’s the opposite of what—” The elevator stopped with a thud, hard enough to jostle them and throw Richard against Yvette.

Pinned against her, his body covering the yielding softness of hers, he couldn’t think straight. His body responded instantly, broadcasting the thoughts he’d been trying too hard to suppress, and he found himself unable to look away when she gasped and met his gaze. He expected her to wriggle out of his arms, to clear her throat, anything to break the tension of the moment. Instead, she met his gaze, boldly, reflecting his own desire. Would she recoil or respond if he kissed her? With their faces inches apart, he could close the distance between them and satisfy his curiosity.

Her eyelids fluttered, and he inched closer until the elevator binged suddenly. Reluctantly he disengaged, moving back and putting space between them as the doors opened.

Richard took a cleansing breath, scraped a hand across his own jaw, and straightened his clothes. He stepped out of the elevator into the bustling lobby and without looking back, took Yvette by the arm and pulled her along beside him. They navigated their way through the crowd of tourists and employees, the bright lights and noise a jarring change from the hushed tension of the elevator. He could hear the clicking of her stiletto heels on the marble floor as she tried to keep up with him, but he steadfastly refused to meet her eye.

If he wanted the company of a beautiful woman, he should choose one of the many uncomplicated candidates he already knew. What was he doing dragging Yvette Cruz along when he should have left her in the elevator? He should turn his interest to someone more appropriate—someone who wasn’t interested in taking the only thing he truly loved out of his control.

He took her hand, briefly noticed the buttery smoothness of her skin against his, and pulled her close. Tension strummed between them once more, and a hint of her spicy vanilla fragrance drifted towards him as he fought the urge to bury his face in her silky raven hair. “I don’t know what happened in that elevator, but here’s what’s happening next. I’m going to buy you a drink, and then we’re going to figure this out.” He was back in control, dignified and assertive. Good. This was good.

“Nothing happened in there.” She murmured, her voice like honey, though her expression said she was as rattled as he was.

He led Yvette to a busy casino bar and sucked in a breath as she perched on a brass barstool, crossing her legs and giving him an eyeful of creamy skin. She was like an exotic bird, each detail more exquisite than the last. Her dress clung to her curves, the slightly iridescent turquoise fabric standing out exotically in the sea of plain black clothes and frumpy tourists shuffling around them. Even her shoes were unique and beautiful, shaped to look like flowers. He imagined tossing those shoes on the floor and kissing his way from her toes up her legs, losing himself in the soft curves of her body. He shook his head slightly and cleared his throat.

“Mm. There’s something so decadent about a beautiful flute of champagne. Don’t you think?”

She appeared completely at ease, and he wondered if he was the only one who could feel the tension. If he didn’t watch himself, he was liable to just give her the company. Richard had always been able to hold his liquor, but combined with her intoxicating effect, he was starting to worry about his judgment. Prying his eyes from Yvette, he ordered a club soda with lime and the cool bubbles helped clear his head and tame his libido. He had to focus on what was important here.

“So, tell me why my employees think that a deal with Saffron is all but inevitable.”

She feigned innocence, her brows knitted together to form the tiniest crease in her forehead. “Pardon me?”

“Please don’t insult me by pretending that you don’t know what I’m talking about.” He waved a hand up and down the length of her body. “I may have been momentarily distracted by the beautiful package, but now I want answers.” He chewed on an ice cube, not sure if he’d gone too far.

She flinched, and anger flashed across her face, sharpening her features. “Beautiful package? What are you talking about?”

A short, rough laugh escaped him. “Seriously?” He paused and sighed. “Okay, we’ll play it your way. I want to know how, when nothing more than a few private meetings have occurred, some of our employees know enough about your attempt to swipe Morgan Confectioners out from under me to be worried. Employees at the lab, at that, not even from the executive offices.”

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about, and I resent the implication that I’m somehow involved in subterfuge.” She bit out the words, indignation flashing in her eyes.