Blueprint for Love (8 page)

“
He ain’t got no women,”
Lenny accused, shaking his head. “Muthafucka just be
lyin’.”

Some of the guys chuckled. Sergei scowled
and then turned red.

“
I was a sharp shooter,”
he argued back. “My commander wanted me to take out innocent women
and children. I refused.”

“
I call bullshit,” Craig
needled him. “What do you think, Vic?”

Vic shrugged as he watched Craig adjust the
heavy, leather tool belt on his scrawny frame. “I think I’m minding
my own business and all you knuckleheads need to get back to
work.”

“
What happened?” Craig
kept picking at Sergei. “You got one of those
dishonors?”

Craig shouldn’t screw with Sergei. Vic
didn’t know whether the big Russian had been in the Special Forces
or not, but he was about two hundred pounds of solid muscle
compared to Craig’s buck and a quarter soaking wet. Sergei could
crush that kid with his pinky toe.

Sergei glared at the boy. “It’s called a
dishonorable discharge, you idiot.”

Craig puffed his chest out. “Who you calling
an idiot?”

The two men were standing face-to-face,
squaring off for a fight. Vic shook his head. He couldn’t believe
these assholes were arguing over military terminology. That was
what happened when testosterone mixed with sunstroke.

A loud catcall pierced the air, breaking up
round one of what was sure to be a smack down in Sergei’s
favor.

Vic’s wasn’t the only head
that turned to look. Several of the men began whistling at a woman
Vic recognized as the lady who’d greeted him at his
interview.
Olivia
. He’d since learned she was Ronnie’s secretary. She’d
visited the site last week too, switching to her own beat.
Strutting those long legs in super high heels. If he didn’t know
better, he would have thought Olivia was trying to pick up a
man.

He looked around to see if Ronnie was with
her.

Nope.

Vic wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t seen hide
nor hair of Ronnie Jones since he’d started this job. He’d
convinced himself that he liked it that way. It was too hard to
concentrate with her around. Jeez, it was bad enough he thought
about that uptight woman more than he should. He got a woody every
time he remembered how he’d brushed up against her ass that night
her dress ripped. The kiss she gave him probably didn’t mean
anything to her. She was just being nice.

Suddenly, Sergei pivoted and leaned over to
get a better look at Ronnie’s secretary. Vic watched as the man
ogled Olivia as she sauntered past. Not watching where he was
going, Sergei tripped over a pile of rubble and fell headfirst
toward the concrete slab below. Fortunately, he missed the slab.
Unfortunately, a nearby wheel barrel of dirt broke his fall. He
cracked his jaw on the metal edge of the wheel barrel. Vic winced
at the bone crushing sound that filled the air.

Shit! That had to hurt.

Olivia turned to look at the commotion.

“
Man down!” one of the
guys yelled.

Olivia giggled and batted her long and
obviously fake eyelashes. “I’ve never had anybody fall that hard
for me,” she said. “Are you okay?”

When Sergei opened his mouth to say
something, he spit out two bloody teeth instead.

# # #

“
I hope you can see how
your behavior was threatening.”

“
Olivia threatened the
safety of my men out there.”

“
Your men? You are not the
foreman, Vic.”

“
Thank God for that. Your
foreman is doing a lousy job. He’s hardly ever on the site, and
when he is, he reeks of liquor! The men deserve better. This
project deserves better.”

Ronnie stared at Vic as he leaned over her
desk, knuckles pressed firmly into the cherry wood. She remained
seated, trying to stay calm. How different he was from three weeks
ago when he’d sat in the chair across from hers. Then, he was a
cocky man looking for a job. Today, he was still cocky, but he was
standing up for not only his rights, but the rights of the men on
the crew as well.

She’d had no hand in hiring the foreman,
Kent Sanders. She’d needed someone on quick notice, and Allen had
recommended the man. She folded her arms over her white, silk
blouse. “Mr. Sanders comes highly recommended,” she said. “I was
told he has thirty years of experience.”

“
Well, maybe he’s grown
complacent. Although if he saw Olivia strutting back and forth,
he’d probably make a point of coming to work more
often.”

Ronnie scoffed. “You are unbelievable. You
go around talking about giving people a second chance, yet you
judged Olivia by one incident of bad judgment.”

“
She’s too much of a
distraction, prancing around in her skimpy clothes and getting the
men riled up.”

“
What would you have her
do? Cover up in a hijab!”

“
No need to go to those
lengths. She should just say off the site.”

“
You act like those men
are a pack of ravenous dogs not in control of their own
libidos.”

Vic leaned forward, invading Ronnie’s
personal space. “Some women can drive a man to that sort of
behavior.”

Her heart lodged in her throat as Vic’s
verdant eyes met hers. She squeezed her legs tight. The word
‘drive’ made her think of him driving into her over and over
again.

Goodness, why am I torturing myself like
this? Maybe I’m the one who needs a vibrator full of fresh
batteries.

She forced herself to break contact and look
away. Then, she stood and walked toward her office door. “What
happened was an accident, Vic. I’ll speak to Olivia about it, but
as far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over.”

“
Was it an accident when
she laughed too?” Vic demanded. “Blood was dripping down Sergei’s
chin, and your secretary had the nerve to laugh.”

“
That’s just Olivia. She’s
fun-loving.”

“
That woman has a lot of
growing up to do.”

Okay, she’d had just about enough of him
forcing his opinions on her. “Listen, Mr. Romano, if you
think—”

He backed her into a nearby wall, catching
her totally off-guard. “Let’s dispense with all the pleasantries,
shall we? I’m just plain old Vic. No need to call me Mister.”

Ronnie’s jaw dropped in shock. Not from the
bold way Vic pressed his body against hers, but from the sparks of
heat turning the space between her legs into liquid fire. She
ignored the feeling. She had to keep her wits about her. “Don’t
think I owe you some coochie just because you saved me from being
stranded on a dark road!”

“
And don’t think I owe you
a night of pleasure just for giving me a job, ‘cause I
don’t.”

She tried and failed miserably to control
her rapid-fire breathing. Vic’s lips were dangerously close to
hers. She could smell his minty breath mingling with his natural
odor. He was virile. Confident. All-consuming. She couldn’t even
step back, he had her practically sandwiched between himself and
the wall. How she itched to have him press those lips to hers.
Grind his pelvis against hers. Slide his fingers beneath the skirt
she wore. Was he really contemplating giving her a night of
pleasure? Her nipples tightened in response.

No! No! No!

Just because you haven’t had a decent lay in
years, doesn’t mean you can lose focus, girl.

Ronnie turned her sexual frustration on Vic.
“What is wrong with you?” she fumed.

His eyes flashed as they scanned her face
and settled on her quivering lips. “Oh, I can assure you, there’s
not a single thing wrong with me. You’re welcome to find out, if
you dare.” His gaze stayed fixated on her mouth. “But if I were
you, I’d steer clear of me.”

Her heart slammed against her ribcage. “It’s
my job site! How dare you tell me to stay away?” She pummeled his
solid chest with her tiny fists—an action akin to punching a brick
wall. “You can take your male chauvinist pig ways and leave!”

He caught her wrists in his steely grip.
“Are you firing me?”

Her chest heaved. Raw, sexual energy flooded
her veins. Her coochie throbbed. Her nipples tingled. She should be
pissed that he was making demands on her. If any other man had
dared to pin her to the wall, she would have called security and
had the jerk put out on his ass.

Ronnie took a deep breath and exhaled it
slowly. The thought of Vic leaving didn’t sit well with her for
some reason. “I’m not firing you,” she said. “I’m trying to talk
some sense into your thick skull. Most women don’t like men who
order them around. As I said, they find it threatening.”

He devoured her with his gaze. “Most women?
What about you? You like it when a man comes on strong? Tells you
what to do?”

He leaned in, trapping her on either side.
His arms were a muscular vice surrounding her. He stroked her cheek
with the rough pad of his thumb. Her knees buckled.

“
What about you, Ronnie?”
he taunted. “Do you want a man who takes charge?”

God, yes! I like a man who takes
command.

She gulped. “No,” her voice barely squeaked
out.

He tossed her a sarcastic grin. “Liar.”

His head bent low. His mouth was mere inches
from hers. The space between her legs flared like a furnace turned
on high. Her pulse raced.

Vic licked his lips.

Ronnie parted hers, waiting.

A few heartbeats later, he pulled back. His
eyes narrowed and then returned to their natural almond shape.

“
Fine.” He held up his
hands. “Since you prefer a docile man, I have no place here. That
ain’t my style.”

Disappointment gathered in Ronnie’s mouth
and slid down the back of her throat like an unappetizing
drink.

What’s wrong with me? First, I practically
bite his head off. Now, I’m dying for him to kiss me!

Wordlessly, Vic left her office without so
much as a goodbye glance.

Ronnie adjusted her creased blouse and
walked back to her desk on shaky legs. She sagged with relief when
she made it to her chair.

When she sat down, she felt a pool of
moisture between her legs. It was the first time she could recall
being wet at work. If Vic Romano was anywhere around, she was sure
it wouldn’t be the last.

“
What do women
want?”

Ronnie turned to the alto voice that was
decidedly getting deeper each day. With cocoa bean skin and dark,
brooding eyes, her son, Jovan, was the spitting image of his
father, Frank. She scanned his outfit.

Sneakers with the laces loose.

Skinny jeans.

Shirt too tight.

When she was a teenager, guys wore baggy
pants and shirts. Today, the trend was the opposite.

She stood in front of the stove of her
modest kitchen preparing his Saturday breakfast. “Why are you
asking me that?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.”

“
Okay, who is
she?”

“
Who?”

“
The little girl who has
you trippin’, wondering what women want.”

Jovan shot her a lop-sided grin. “Nobody,
Mama. I told you, I was just curious.”

“
Well, I can’t tell you
what women want. If I did, you’d know all of our secrets. It would
upset the balance of life if men knew what we wanted. Societal
norms would be grossly disrupted and the world would be tilted on
its axis, causing everything to come to a grinding
halt.”

“
Wow! And to think I
almost asked you for the definition of grassroots instead. This is
so much more impactful.”

Her first impulse was to pat him on the head
like she used to do when he was a toddler. But her pre-adolescent
was almost the same height as her. The only way she could see the
top of his head was to get on a stepladder. “Don’t you know us
women get a secret thrill keeping the male species in the dark?”
she teased.

“
Aw, c’mon.”

Ronnie laughed. “Seriously, Jovan, don’t
worry about what women want. We don’t even know what we want half
of the time. Just be yourself. If the girl likes you, it’s all
good. If she doesn’t, then she’s not the one for you.”

“
Is that how it was with
you and Dad?”

“
Yes, exactly,” she
lied.

Too bad Jovan’s late father couldn’t be here
to see his son growing into a fine young man. The way things were
going, if Frank hadn’t died in the line of duty in Afghanistan,
they probably wouldn’t even be together anyway. Ronnie didn’t have
the heart to serve him divorce papers while he was fighting on
another continent. She thought she was being kind by waiting for
him to return. Then, when she got the letter telling her he was
dead, she felt even guiltier.

Her son was oblivious to what had gone on in
their marriage. Jovan was six when his father passed away. He had
only good memories of the man. As well he should. Ronnie didn’t
want her child to be exposed to any of her drama. Even when Frank
was alive, he was never there for her emotionally. He treated her
more like an inconvenience. His death had left a void in her. As a
result, she wasn’t ready to jump into any relationships anytime
soon. She didn’t think a man could handle her demands anyway. She
wanted someone to pay attention to her. Lavish her with affection.
Treat her like a queen.

She wanted a man like her sister, Candace,
had. Gabe was so attentive and giving. And to think, Candace had
almost passed him up. When they met, her sister didn’t think Gabe
was good enough for her. Ronnie had to admit, Gabe was rough on the
exterior, but he had a heart of platinum.