Hammered (4 page)

“I will.” She hoped her face hadn’t turned red again.

As soon as Frank was gone Livy reached into her purse and
took out her small mirror, scrutinizing her face. She was thankful that at least
she didn’t look disheveled. She
never
had erotic dreams in the office.
She seldom had them at home. If she had an itch to scratch and no man was handy
she had plenty of toys to keep her satisfied. After all, as she’d always told
herself, sex was just another physical activity. Right?

Only she had a feeling with Alex McMann it might be a lot
more than that. Maybe more than she wanted to handle. That scared feeling
bubbled to the surface again, the one that warned her against opening herself
up to anyone. The one that told her she’d only end up with pain. Again.

“Napping in the middle of the day?”

Jo’s amused tone snapped her back to reality again. Shit,
she was doing it again.

“Good lord!” She fluffed her hair and ran her hands lightly
over her face. “I guess I dozed off without realizing it.

“Must have been some dream,” Jo teased. “Good thing you
weren’t making those little moaning sounds when Frank walked in.”

Now Livy knew for sure she was blushing. “Holy shit! I
mean…” She caught herself. She always watched her language in the office.

Her assistant laughed. “It’s okay, Livy. At least I know
you’re human. Sometimes I wonder.”

“What? Wait! Tell me what you meant by that?”

“It’s nothing.” Jo started to leave. “Just a little joke.
You’re fine the way you are.”

The way I am? What’s wrong with the way I am? What’s
wrong with being professional and in control of your life?

“Have goals,” her father always preached. “Stick to them.
Focus on attaining them.”

Maybe she should remind herself more often that her father
had lived most of his life chasing the happiness he’d lost while focusing on
his goals.

Stop it, Olivia. You have a great life. Top-notch career.
The respect of your peers. And no one to screw up your schedule or interfere
with your goals. There’ll be time enough for the rest later.

She hoped.

* * * * *

“You haven’t got your head screwed on wrong about this
woman, have you?” Tyler asked.

He and Alex were splitting a pizza and a pitcher of beer at
Gus’ early Sunday evening. Josh, of course, was home with Vanessa but they’d
all spent the day at the office going over their presentation one last time.

“There are no do-overs here,” they kept reminding each other
as they checked over each point.

Now Alex stared at his brother over his pizza slice. “What
woman?”

“Come on, don’t pull that on me. I’m not stupid, Alex. The
one your mind keeps drifting into space about. You think I don’t know about
those little coffee dates the two of you have had?”

“Those were business meetings,” Alex defended himself. “Pure
and simple.”

“Yeah?” Tyler took a swig of his beer. “Tell it to someone
who believes it.”

“We were discussing the project. Really.” Alex took a bite
of his food.

“Then maybe you should discuss your
project
in places
where people I know aren’t likely to see you and ask me who the woman is you’re
all but licking in public?”

“What?” Alex dropped his slice. “What the hell? I was
not
all but—what did you say?—licking her? We were talking business. Who have you
been talking to, anyway? Don’t your friends have work to do?”

“Of course they do.” Tyler grinned. “They just happened to
mention seeing you out in public with a hot babe.”

“Hot babe?” Alex snorted. “I was having a business meeting
with Concordia’s CFO.”

“Let’s just say the word came back to me from inquiring
minds.” Tyler tilted his head. “They also said there seemed to be a little
tension between the two of you. Got troubles there, bro?”

“No, I don’t have troubles.” Alex wiped some sauce from his
mouth. “No tension, no troubles, no licking. Period.”

But that wasn’t exactly true. There
was
tension
between him and the very sexy Olivia D’Angelo. And he was working on easing
that a little at a time. She tried so hard to give the appearance of a
predator, a shark, although she never lost her femininity. She kept a tight
rein on her emotions, as if she’d let them out once and been scared to death.
He was doing his damnedest to show her that he’d meant what he said when he
told her she was special. That one night out with her he’d seen something else.
Beneath that tough layer hid a strong yet vulnerable woman. That was the person
he really wanted to get to know. He kept trying but she kept hiding behind that
wall.

He desperately wanted to take her to bed. If she didn’t hear
his words maybe his actions would express how he felt. Teach her that it was
all right to give up control sometimes, as long as it was with the right
person. In return he’d hand it back to her, just for variety. He just knew sex
with her would be electrifying once he peeled back the outer layer. Behind whatever
it was she was hiding, he detected the heat of a very sensuous woman if she’d
just let go. All the way. He wanted her to let go emotionally, too. Show her it
was nothing to be afraid of. That she was safe with him. And maybe just not
interested in a brief affair.

Whoa! Where is that coming from?

“Alex?” Tyler snapped his finger in front of his brother’s
nose. “Can you come back from wherever you just mentally wandered again? You’re
beginning to worry me.”

“I’m good. No sweat.” He reached for another piece of pizza,
ignoring the strange look Tyler was giving him.

But even as he chewed his mind was still on Livy and the
strangely complex woman she was. He wanted her, no doubt about it. One way or
another he was going to make that happen. And without damaging the project.

* * * * *

“I’m worried about Alex,” Josh told his wife.

They had finished dinner and were sitting on the couch
enjoying coffee with a shot of brandy.

“Really?” Ness gave him a quizzical look. “I can’t imagine
Alex would give anyone anything to worry about. He seems so solid and settled.”

“Yeah, and maybe that’s the problem.”

Vanessa laughed. “I’d never think of that as a problem. Now
you
,
my former player husband, were what I’d call a problem.”

Josh’s face heated and not from the brandy. He remembered
all too well his days as a major player on the social scene, changing women
like he changed his clothes. Until Vanessa Bowen had come along and shown him
what he could have if he’d just look inside himself. He’d given thanks for that
every day since then.

“Okay, okay.” He grinned. “But it was fun working our way
through it, wasn’t it?”

Heat sparkled in her eyes and she took sip of her coffee.
“More fun since then.” She lowered her mug. “All that aside, what’s the deal
with Alex?”

Josh sighed. “I’m sure he can take care of himself. He is,
after all, the oldest. But he’s working with this woman on the Concordia
project—”

“Did you get it?” Ness interrupted, excitement in her voice.
“I thought the meeting wasn’t until tomorrow. That’s why you guys were at the
office all day today.”

“Right. It is tomorrow. But Alex has been working with their
CFO, Olivia D’Angelo, who also seems to be Frank Vincent’s point person. I’ve
asked around and the word is he trusts her judgment more than anyone else’s.
Believes she has an inherent ability to get a good read on people.”

Ness frowned. “Surely you don’t think she’s getting a bad
vibe from Alex.”

“My point is I think the vibes between them have to do with
more than business.”

“Hmm. Are you worried that he’s being unprofessional?”

Josh shook his head. “Of course not. And if something were
to develop between them he’d handle it appropriately. It’s just that…” He
shrugged and took another swallow of coffee.

“Just that what?” Ness prodded.

“I asked around about her when I found out she’d be the key
person on this,” Josh said slowly. “Word on the street is she’s sharp, can spot
a phony a mile away, and is a barracuda both in the boardroom and in bed. She
chews men up and spits them out.”

“Are you worried your brother can’t hold his own with her?”

“No. I’m worried that what he’s feeling for her goes beyond
the bedroom.”

Ness arched her eyebrows in surprised. “Already? They hardly
know each other.”

“It didn’t take us long,” he reminded her.

“I remember.” Her lips curved in a knowing smile. “But we
had kind of an accelerated relationship. Has he even been on a date with her?”

“One business dinner and four what he calls business
meetings over coffee. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“Alex is a big boy,” she reminded him. “You can’t protect
him from the big bad world.” She laughed. “Or the big bad woman.”

“I know, I know. But worrying about him—or Tyler—just comes
naturally to me.” He winked. “Now that I’m an old married man.”

Ness uncurled her legs, stood up and took both of their
coffee mugs. “Let me put these in the dishwasher. Then I’ll take you upstairs
and show you just how exciting life can be for an old married man.”

His laugh was low and filled with sexual heat. “It will be
my pleasure.”

Chapter Four

When the McMann brothers stepped off the elevator in the
Concordia building Livy was waiting at the reception desk for them. She came
forward with a smile, shook hands with Josh and Tyler as they introduced
themselves and gave Alex’s hand a little extra squeeze. He tried to hold her
gaze a little longer than the brief eye contact she allowed but she’d already
turned away to lead them down the hall.

“Everyone’s waiting, gentleman. We’re all looking forward to
seeing what you’ve come up with.”

Josh and Tyler murmured something in response. Alex had no
idea what since he couldn’t take his eyes off the sway of Livy’s ass. He was
jolted when Tyler dug and elbow into his ribs and he moved away, slanting a
dirty look at his brother.

Then they were at the boardroom, Livy opened the doors and
ushered them in to face what Josh later called the Death Squad. Unlike the
first time Alex had been here, this time the faces were unsmiling, completely
businesslike. They all wore their best
show-me-what-you’ve-got-and-I-can-see-right-through-you looks. This was dollars
and cents and if the McManns didn’t cut the mustard they’d be gone.

Frank Vincent rose from the head of his table and shook
hands with Alex.

“These are my brothers, Tyler and Josh,” Alex told him by
way of introduction. “Each of us will be part of the presentation today.”

“Good, good. I’m looking forward to it. Well. Would you like
some coffee? Pastries?”

Alex looked in the direction the man nodded and saw a coffee
service and trays of pastries set out on a sideboard.

“No. Thank you just the same. I think we’ll get right to
it.”

They walked to the end of the table where empty seats had
been left for them. Alex moved the seats aside while Josh took his drawings
from the tube he carried them in and Tyler pulled his basic construction
outline from his briefcase.

Alex took the lead.

“What we’re going to show you today is what we’ve done with
the concept you gave us. Everything is of course subject to change. Josh will
explain how he’s translated what you told me into his drawings and Tyler will
give you an overview of a proposed construction schedule. Nothing can be
definitive, of course, until we have a contract.”

One of the men partway down table on the right side, with
sandy blond hair and a deep tan and wearing an open-necked sport shirt, leaned
forward.

“Clark Mitchell,” he said, identifying himself. “Site
manager for Concordia. It’s my job to oversee all ongoing projects.”

Tyler nodded at him. “I do the same for McMann Brothers.
Nice to meet you. I hope we have the chance to work together.”

“I have two questions before you begin. One, how can you
create anything if you haven’t see the land? And two, if you get this contract,
how will you manage with your other jobs? I guarantee if you get this one it
will take all your attention.”

Tyler nodded. “Good questions. To reassure you, Josh—who is
the architect—and I flew out to Wyoming and walked the land. We also took a lot
of pictures as well as video to refer to as we began to plan. I also had a long
chat with county officials about the permitting process. As to the other, we
have someone lined up to take over for me on our other contracts should you
decide to go with us on this.”

Mitchell nodded, apparently satisfied.

Livy raised her hand to get their attention. “I assume you
have no objection to working with me on the cost estimations, should we decide
to hire you?”

Alex took the question. “Not at all. We welcome it. You’ve
been in this business a long time and know what you’re doing. We’ll be glad for
the input.”

“Let’s hear what they have to say,” Vincent broke in. “Then
you can ask your question. Everyone all right with that?”

The people sitting around the table nodded and Alex launched
into his introduction before turning it over to Josh then Tyler.

Alex was surprised when they began to wind down and he
looked at his watch. Two hours had passed as if they were minutes. Josh had
taken them through all his drawings, explaining how and why he came up with
each design and concept. Tyler walked them through what he’d do to prepare the site
and what kind of permits they’d need. He explained that the proposed figures he
gave them were based on prior projects. He couldn’t be more specific until they
actually got right into it. Alex finished up, explaining that he’d be working
with their CFO on the final budget.

For another half hour they were bombarded with questions.
Finally Frank Vincent brought the meeting to a close.

“You’ve given us a lot to think about, gentlemen,” he told
them. “I’m sure you know we’ll need to discuss this. Could I possibly ask you
to leave the sketches and other information with us temporarily? We’ll be sure
to return it to you when we’ve made our decision.”

Alex looked at his brothers and nodded. “Of course.”

The brothers gathered up whatever they weren’t leaving and
made it a point to shake hands with everyone at the table. If Alex’s lingered a
little longer on Livy’s no one seemed to notice.

Finally he said to Vincent, “We look forward to hearing from
you.”

The man nodded. “I promise you it won’t be long. We need to
make a decision and get started on the project as soon as possible. We have
investors who are getting itchy.”

The three of them walked silently from the room to the
elevator and rode in the same silence down to the garage. It wasn’t until they
reached Josh’s SUV that they released a collective breath.

“Jesus,” Tyler whistled. “I felt as if we were in a session
with the old Russian KGB.”

“No shit,” Josh commented. “But it’s for damn sure these
people know their business.” He looked at Alex. “How long do you think it will
be before we hear anything?”

Alex shrugged. “I’m hoping no more than a week. When we do
an open bid process we know the schedule. Usually a month for bids to be
submitted and then we know the day the bids are open. When people hire us directly,
it can take up to two weeks for them to make up their minds if they like what
we’ve offered them.”

“I sure hope it doesn’t take that long this time,” Tyler
said. “If we get this contract we’ll be right at the top of the ladder.”

“Well, no sense driving ourselves crazy.” Alex climbed into
the passenger seat. “We have other projects and other clients to attend to.
Let’s pick up some sandwiches at the deli, go back to the office and get to
work.”

Alex was sitting at his desk putting the finishing touches on
another proposal when his computer dinged, announcing another email. Absently
he clicked Open, his mind still on the file in front of him. Then he had to
read the email twice.

From: Olivia D’Angelo, Concordia

To: Alex McMann, McMann Brothers Development

Subject: Dinner

Seven o’clock. Walker’s Steak House. See you then.

Alex frowned. Not even a signature. Not a “Looking forward
to seeing you there.” No hint of the topic to be discussed.

Tyler was out at a job site but he went to Josh’s office,
holding a printout of the email. He handed it to his brother.

“What do you think?”

Josh shrugged. “I can’t tell if it’s good news or bad.” He
looked at his watch. “But in two hours you’ll find out.”

Two hours to worry and figuratively chew his nails.

The time seemed to drag by, each minute the length of an
hour. Finally, at six thirty he shut everything down, pulled on his suit jacket
and left. If he got there early he’d have a drink at the bar to fortify
himself.

That’s where he was sitting, nursing a Jack Black, when he
saw her come in. And nearly swallowed his tongue. She’d changed from her power
suit to a dark blue dress that clung to every curve as if it had been painted
on. Her graceful feet were encased in strappy sandals with stiletto heels. Big
golden hoops dangled from her ears, almost brushing her shoulders. If that
wasn’t pure and blatant sex he didn’t know what was.

She spotted him and smiled, giving him a little wave as she
made her way toward him. Maybe she was going to give him the bad news then take
him to bed to make him feel better. Well, he sure didn’t want pity sex. And
certainly not with Olivia D’Angelo.

He tossed back to rest of his drink and rose from the bar
stool to greet her.

* * * * *

Livy clutched her thin purse a little tighter than necessary.
The sight of Alex in his navy suit, light blue shirt and patterned tie,
skillfully cut dark hair framing his face, took her breath away, just as it had
that morning. She’d stopped at home to freshen up and decided in a moment of
insanity to ditch the power outfit and dress like a female. Now she wondered if
she’d made a big mistake.

But when she read the short letter she had for him she
figured this would be the key. He’d want to celebrate, so how hard would it be
to carry that celebration to bed, take the edge off this insane hunger for him
and get on with business. If only the needy, emotion-starved child in her would
stay buried the way it was supposed to.

His eyes raked over her, appreciation burning in them. “You
look…amazing. Truly amazing.”

“Thanks.” She wet her lower lip with her tongue, a nervous
habit she kept trying to break. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“The hostess said you’d reserved a table. It’s ready
whenever we are.” He glanced at the bar. “Would you like a drink first?”

“Maybe when we’re seated, if that’s okay.”

“Sure.” He grinned at her. “Your show, so you get to call
the shots.”

“Okay.” She smiled back at him and followed along as the
hostess led them to their table. She’d requested one with a window view that
overlooked the river. As they sat down they could see the lights along the
walkway and on the boats out on the quiet waters. She hoped the ambience and
the good food would put him in a pleasant mood.

They each ordered a drink from the waiter and exchanged
pleasantries for a few moments. Finally Alex set his glass down and gave her a
hard look.

“Okay. The dinner invitation is nice. The place is great. I
appreciate the hospitality. But if y’all have made a decision this quickly it
can’t be good news. I don’t need softening up. I’m a big boy, so just let me
have it.”

“Are you always this direct?”

“It helps to get right to the point. Then we can at least
enjoy dinner. So?”

Instead of answering him she reached into the slim purse,
drew out an envelope with the Concordia logo in the upper left-hand corner and
handed to him. She had to give him credit. His hand didn’t even shake as he
lifted the flap and pulled out the single sheet. She already knew what it said.
Frank had written it when the long meeting after the presentation had finally
ended.

Gentlemen:

It is my great pleasure to inform you that the executives
at Concordia have reached a unanimous decision to employ McMann Brothers to
develop and build our new project, as yet unnamed, in Wyoming. We have planned
for a completion date five years from the first shovel in the ground and look
forward to having the McMann stamp of perfection on this.

Please contact our office to schedule appointments with
Olivia D’Angelo and Dan Tuturo and let them know when we can expect the
finished drawings. Dan will give you a complete list of what will comprise the
village and Olivia will discuss preliminary figures with you. She will also be
your contact person as you go through the process.

Your sketches and professionalism impressed us all. We
look forward to working with you.

Cordially, Frank Vincent

President and CEO

Concordia

Alex stared at her over the top of the letter, stunned. “I
can’t believe they made the decision this quickly.”

Livy couldn’t help smiling. “You wowed them, you and your
brothers. Your concept is fresh and original, which is what we were looking
for, and your realistic estimates were right on target.”

“You know those figures might change,” he warned her. “They
were only a guess. We took smaller projects that had similar components and
tripled them.”

She nodded. “We’re not stupid. But you have an excellent
reputation for quality and honesty.”

“I need to call my brothers.” He pulled his cell phone from
is pocket. “I don’t want to leave them hanging.”

“I take it they’re pleased,” she guessed when he
disconnected the last call.

“You could definitely say so.”

She reached her hand across the table. “Welcome aboard.”

He gripped her hand, holding it in the warmth of his palm.
Heat sizzled along her arm and through her body, making her breasts tingle and
her pussy ache. Ever since that daydream in her office she’d had plans for Alex
McMann. Tonight was the night she intended to put them in play. She hoped she
wouldn’t regret what she decided, but she was so turned on by him she wondered if
they’d make it all the way through dinner.

“Should we celebrate with champagne?” she asked. “On
Concordia, of course.”

“In that case I’ll take you up on your offer.”

She linked her fingers through his on the tablecloth. “And
if I have another offer for you? Will you take me up on that, too?”

He studied her for a long moment, heat blazing in his eyes.
“You know,” he drawled, “I just might.”

She had no idea how they made it through the meal, including
dessert. The sexual tension between them vibrated across the table like a
living thing. They shared a rich chocolate cake for dessert, Alex feeding it to
her bit by bit and wiping a speck of chocolate from her mouth. Her pussy was so
wet and her nipples so hard when they were finished at last she hoped she’d be
able to walk out of the place without disgracing herself.