Eclipse of the Heart (2 page)

She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Are you offering
me the job?"

"You’re not the type I usually hire for this
position." His eyes flicked up and down her torso, in another once-over
she thought was fairly crass, all things considered. She wasn’t a heifer he was
planning to purchase.

"But," he continued, "I’m ready for a change,
so let’s give it a try."

A try?
Sweat trickled down her back
like a cool warning. She needed a permanent position.

"You haven’t asked me anything about my background, or
my qualifications." She stuttered to a stop under his sardonic gaze.

"That’s why I employ an agency," he said. "Of
course I wanted to meet you, to make sure we’d suit, but other than that—"
He shrugged. "It’s not a complicated job."

It wasn’t? A job with the rather vague title "Director
of Entrepreneurial Services" seemed fertile ground for complexities in her
mind.

"I assume the salary is satisfactory," he added
coolly.

She nodded, afraid to open her mouth.
Clever
guy, reminding her of what was at stake.
The salary was double what
she’d expected to earn just a few years out of business school. But the
generous amount, especially if combined with insurance benefits, would make all
the difference in the lives of her family. Most importantly, it would give her
mother the financial freedom to leave her job and accompany her sister Julie to
the hospital in Denver that specialized in treating her lung disease.

"Good." Logan caught her gaze and a slight curve
of his lips hinted at amusement. "I think you’ll find that if I’m pleased
with your…abilities, I’ll be more than generous with bonuses and things of that
nature."

Things of that nature?
Weren’t
bonuses always in cash? She bit down on her tongue. No sense looking a gift
horse in the mouth with stupid questions. On the other hand, she absolutely
needed to clarify some things, no matter how dictatorial he was.

"I do have some questions," she said firmly.
Really, it was hard to believe he was the mogul everyone gushed about when he
was so casual about hiring employees.

"Human Resources."
He
waved a hand. "They’ll tell you everything you need to know."

"Fine."
She pursed her
lips over the word, knowing she looked ridiculously prim and proper. But there
was something overly personal in his appraisal of her. Not that he'd said
anything she could complain about. But his relaxed attitude somehow made her
stiffen up, as if she needed to rein him in, as if one of them had to maintain
the formality necessary between
boss
and subordinate.

She touched her hair to be sure it was still in place. For
some reason, he kept glancing at it. "I do need to know," she said,
"who I'll report to."

His black eyebrows rose. Now why did that question surprise
him?

"Why me, of course," he answered.
"Who else?"

She lowered her eyelids, afraid he'd see her distress. It could
only be a good thing, career wise, to report to the Chairman.
Though she’d have to get her heart rate and her nerves under
control if she were going to spend a lot of time in his presence.

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "I do have
one unusual request." In a private company like this one, he’d be the only
person who could grant it.

"You do?" His dark eyes gleamed with sudden
speculation. What in the world did he think she was going to say? She tightened
her hands on her purse, her mom's purse actually, and the soft leather
bolstered her, reminding her of why she would do whatever it took to get and
keep this job. Her mom was counting on her.

"I need my sister and my mother to be included on my
health insurance."

"
Ahhh
."
Somehow, the drawn out phrase said she’d finally explained something he’d been
wondering about. But she couldn’t imagine what it was.

"That is an unusual request." He leaned back in
his chair. "May I ask why this is so important?"

"My sister is ill. She needs some specialized treatment
at a hospital in Denver and, well–" It was hard to continue with what she
knew was an outrageous request. Now he'd start quizzing her about her parents
and other insurance plans and who knows what.
Things that
didn't matter.
She was determined to provide the best private insurance
possible for Julie. If her mother quit her job, their insurance would end and
they'd be thrown into a bare bones plan.

Amanda eyed the man before her. Despite his rather
forbidding appearance, his company offered some of the best benefits available
in New York.

"This is important to you?" he said.

"I'm my sister's legal guardian, and she needs health
insurance. I can’t take the job without this benefit."

He nodded.
"Done then."
He leaned forward and picked up his phone.

She tried not to show her shock. She'd expected to be
grilled mercilessly and then turned down flat. Instead, she'd seen the first
glint of humanity in his eyes when she'd mentioned her sister.

"Letty."
He spoke into
his phone. "Those twins haven't managed to kill you yet?"

Letty must have said something because he laughed suddenly.

Amanda’s heart stuttered. That laugh transformed him from a
tough-looking, no-nonsense businessman into a genuine, grade-A stud. The kind
who could snap his fingers and get any woman he wanted. She had to tell herself
to close her mouth.

"I have a new employee here, Letty." His cool eyes
flicked over her. "I’m going to send her down to do some paperwork. But
I’ve authorized her to add her sister and mother as family for health insurance
purposes."

He stood, the phone held to his ear, and turned around to
look out the window behind his desk. But he made no effort to lower his voice.
"The sister has a preexisting medical condition, a serious one. Be sure
you let them know."

Amanda tensed on her seat while her new boss rubbed the back
of his neck.

"I realize they won't be happy," he snapped.
"But if they’re happy to have my business, they’ll cover it."

He nodded in response to whatever Letty was saying.
"Oh, and listen, Letty, this one goes on my personal account."

He punched a button on his phone to end the conversation.

"Your personal account?"
Amanda spoke up. What did he mean by that?

"Tax stuff."
He turned
around to face her and dropped his phone on the blotter. "I don't mess
with the IRS."

She hadn’t thought of that. Was it against some tax law for
siblings to be given health insurance? That was the reason her mother had
transferred legal guardianship, since Amanda had the better chance of getting a
corporate job.

"You don’t have to pay for my insurance out of your own
pocket, do you?"

"Amanda." His thighs pressed against his desk as
he looked down at her. "I own this company. Everything comes out of my
pocket in one way or another. But I keep things orderly for the tax guys. You
don’t need to worry about that."

"Now—" He stepped around his desk, walking with a
controlled grace. His perfectly tailored wool slacks hinted at muscular thighs
and, well, she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes went straight to his crotch as
he came around the side of the desk.

He caught her.

Just that one fleeting glance, but he saw.

His gaze met hers and she flushed.

He flashed
her the
ghost of a wink.

"Don’t look so worried," he said. "We’ll be
good together."

"Good together?" What did that mean?

His eyes narrowed. 
"Nothing
personal.
This is a job, nothing more. It's important for you to accept
that fact." He gestured toward the door. "Let's go get the paperwork
done."

Annoyed that she'd added a personal element to the
interview, and further annoyed that he thought she might pursue him
romantically, she followed him out to his assistant's desk.

"Rosie," he said, "please
take
Ms. Thompson down to HR. Tell Felipe to be ready to drive her home in about an
hour so she can pack a bag and then come back here to meet me. We’ll ride to
the airport together."

Rosie swiveled toward him in her chair. "Yes, sir, Mr.
Winter, I'll get right on it. But your pilot, Jack, called and said to tell you
a storm is
comin
' in. If you can leave a couple hours
earlier, he thinks that would be good."

Logan paused. "Amanda, is it all right with you to
postpone the visit to HR until Friday? We're only taking an overnight
trip."

"Of course."
The way her
head was spinning, all she really wanted was a few minutes out of his
overwhelming presence so she could collect her thoughts.

"Thank you." He turned back to Rosie. "Ask
Felipe to pick up Ms. Thompson immediately, and take her home to pack a bag.
Then call Jack and tell him we'll be at the airport at three."

"Okay." Rosie had her head down as she concentrated
on taking notes.

"Amanda." Logan nodded at her. "I'll need to
work on the plane, but we can discuss your duties in more detail when we get to
the hotel."

He took two strides toward his office and turned back once
more.

"Oh, and Rosie, call the agency and tell them I’ve
filled the position."

"Your next interview is waiting." Rosie pointed to
a voluptuous redhead sitting in front of the windows. Her long legs were
crossed, and slanted sideways to show off their form and length.  Amanda
understood instantly what Rosie had meant about women dressing provocatively to
get the job. The woman's mini skirt barely covered her butt, and her shirt was
open almost to the navel.

Logan glanced at the woman. "Cancel all the other
interviews," he said to Rosie. But he stopped to watch as the redhead
strutted across the expanse of gray carpet in response to Rosie's summons.

The elevator appeared silently and
swooped
her away. Logan disappeared into his office.

"
Miu
miu
skirt."
Rosie sighed. "Jimmy
Choos."

"Didn't get her the job," Amanda pointed out.

"No," Rosie agreed. "But you saw the way he
was
lookin
' at her. Remember what I said about your
clothes when you go home to pack."

 Amanda laughed. "I really don't think I can play
the femme fatale." But her fingers crept to the button closing her blouse
firmly at her neck. Maybe she could loosen up a little. She didn't date much
because she'd always had to work hard, not only to help her mother financially,
but also to help with the care for her younger sister. When she'd moved to
Philadelphia to get her MBA, she'd also worked part-time in the school library.
Full-time studies and a part-time job kept her too busy to focus on being sexy.
That kind of behavior was for women more interested in a marriage license than
a career. At least, that's what she told herself.

She got asked out enough to keep her ego in relatively good
shape, but she preferred to socialize in small groups of friends. That way, she
didn't have to worry about some individual guy getting too attentive. Even
those group outings had to be limited, as she didn't have the funds for a big
entertainment budget.

Yet here she was, after only a few minutes in the company of
Logan Winter, wondering if she'd missed out on a big part of the fun in life.
Maybe she could take a lesson from that redhead and learn how to be a bit
sexier. Not to attract Logan, of course, because she was going to be working
for him. But there were plenty of other men in the world.

"You want the job?" Rosie pointed a red marker at
her, drawing her back to the here and now.

"I
need
this job,"
Amanda said firmly. She had a sudden urge to confide in this cheerful elf.
Rosie seemed straightforward, friendly, and helpful. "I have a sister
who's really sick," Amanda said, the words slipping out. "I have to
support her and my mother. So this job is really important."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rosie leaned forward, her eyes
going even rounder in sympathy. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Amanda said. Her fingers worried the button,
as if it could attach her firmly to the job. Logan wouldn't renege on the job
offer if she were too uptight for his tastes, would he? That would be
ridiculous. It wasn't like he was marrying her.

"Okay." Rosie interrupted her thoughts. "I'm
here if you ever need a listener."

"Thanks, Rosie. My sister has a lung disease." The
words spilled out of Amanda, without her permission. "She's going to
Denver to stay in a hospital there that specializes in lung issues. My mother
needs to go with her."

"Of course."
Rosie fixed
her gaze on Amanda. "You need to do whatever it takes to help them. I get
it."

"Yes." Amanda's fingers slipped the button out of
its hole. She breathed a little easier. "I'll take any tips you've
got."

Rosie tilted her head. "Keep
goin
'
with those buttons. He likes his women hot and sexy."

Amanda stiffened. "I am not going to be 'his
woman'."

"Course not." Rosie laughed, as if to say that
idea was completely ridiculous. "But you know what I mean. Other women
don't mind
flirtin
' and
showin
'
their sexy side. He likes that."

"Are we
back
to the 'take off
your blouse' line?" Amanda tried to sound amused. But the reality was
,
she'd had a strong urge to start removing her clothes
while in Logan Winter's office. She hated to think she was just like all the
other women who melted in his presence.

Rosie shrugged. "Hey, just
tryin
'
to help. Clothes are my thing,
ya
know?" She
gestured to her outfit.