Her Unexpected Admirer (6 page)

She walked down the hallway towards her father’s office, her head held high and her shoulders back.  If he fired her, she’d simply walk out of the building with whatever pride she had left.  She could do this, she encouraged.  She had money now, thinking of that check.  She would survive.  If she had to move to a different city to find a job, she would.  She could even move somewhere cheaper so she could work on her art and never have to look at another spreadsheet again!  Yes, that’s what she’d do! 

Or maybe she’d just…

She’d just turned the corner that led to her father’s office when she saw him.  A face she’d thought never to see again!  Was she seeing things?  She blinked her eyes, trying to make sure she wasn’t just picturing him.  Was he real? 

A smile started to creep onto her face and excitement pulsed through her body.  Surely it wasn’t…

Impossible!  She’d left him over an hour ago!  How could he be here, looking so marvelously virile in a dark suit and red, silk tie that made him look even more powerful?  As if he needed any help! 

But yes!  It was him! Davis was here! 

He stood there in her father’s office, watching her with those dark, mysterious eyes.  Had she said something about her father last night?  The serious, almost angry look shocked her.  Why was he angry?  And more importantly, why was he here? 

Was Davis telling her father about something she’d said last night?  Goodness, what had she said?  What had she done? 

Her father stepped into her line of vision, blocking Davis’ marvelous physique from her hungry eyes.  “Kate, we don’t have all day.  Mr. Alfieri is a very important person.”  Her father’s impatience was barely controlled.  She could tell that he was trying to look kind and concerned in front of Davis, but she didn’t understand why.  It was so unlike her father that she actually stepped back, worried even more now.  Her father simply wasn’t a kind person.  He was direct and succinct, especially when clients were around.  He told all of his accountants to be quick about delivering information since their clients had limited time. 

Davis watched Kate walk down the hallway and nervously enter the old man’s office.  He could tell that she wasn’t in a hurry to get here but he didn’t mind.  He enjoyed watching her come towards him, his mind thinking back to all the things they’d done last night, all the things he still wanted to do with her.  Or more specifically, to her.  His body started to react to just the sight of her in yet another horrible suit. 

Why had she left him this morning?  He knew she’d enjoyed their night together just as much as he had.  Never had a woman felt as soft and amazing as his slender Kate.  He wanted her right now.  Would her father mind if he swept her up into his arms and carried her back to her office?  He had a good imagination and an office desk could be a great way to experiment. 

She stepped into her father’s office but went no further.  The door slammed shut and she jerked, looking back, then nervously up at Davis. 

“Mr. Alfieri has hired this firm to do some accounting work,” her father was explaining as he walked back around his desk, sitting down in his enormous leather chair.  He was completely unaware of the tension between the two other occupants as they continued to stare into each other’s eyes. 

Kate finally tore hers away from Davis, feeling strange.  When she looked at the irritated expression on her father’s face, the idea that she was about to be terminated rushed right back to her.  Gone was the excitement over seeing Dylan again and her hand lifted as she started to feel slightly sick once more.  Or was that something else?  She wasn’t really sure what she was feeling.  Everything was more than a little crazy with her father glaring at her on her right and Dylan looking down at her strangely from the left.  Just two minutes ago, she’d been walking down the hallway, bracing herself for a termination.  And now, Davis was here and things were definitely not what she was expecting.  What did all of this mean? 

Her father’s words suddenly broke through her anxiety.  Mr. Alfieri wanted to hire this firm?  For accounting work?  Who was “Mr. Alfieri”?  And where had she heard that name before?  She looked back up at Davis and suspected that he must be the “Mr. Alfieri” in question. 

Her father’s abrupt voice broke into her mind’s confusion.  “Why don’t you sit down Kate?  And we can get started.”

Kate looked again between Davis and her father.  “Get started?” she asked, still not clear on what was happening. 

Her father’s eyes narrowed.  “Have you been paying attention?” He turned to Davis, his smile looking rather stiff.  “You’ll have to excuse her,” he said with a patronizing chuckle.  “She’s a little overwhelmed by being in the presence of such an illustrious personage.” 

Kate was taken aback.  “Illustrious?” she questioned.  Looking at Davis, she almost laughed when he rolled his eyes.  Her father missed that but she caught it and tried to stifle her amusement.  “This is Davis, Dad.  What’s going on?”

Her father’s eyes went between the two people.  “Kate, please be more respectful.  This is Mr. Alfieri.  He’s one of the wealthiest men in the world.  It would behoove you to show him a bit more deference.”

Kate’s face, already pale because of her lack of sleep and confusion this morning, paled even more.  “I’m not really sure…” she started to say but her father interrupted her. 

“Mr. Alfieri has a challenge for us,” he said succinctly, breaking off whatever Kate might have said.  “He needs an experienced accountant to work with him on this project.”

Davis’ eyes snapped over to Marcus Evans.  “I think I mentioned my requirements quite clearly, Marcus.”

Kate’s father looked nervous with that look.  Clearing his throat, he nodded.  “Yes.  Yes, of course.”

Kate had no idea what was going on right now, but she felt somehow comforted by Davis’ last comment.  Her father couldn’t intimidate him!  What a revelation!  Her father’s general operating procedures was to put the fear of the Internal Revenue Service into his clients, telling them that he, and only he, could fix whatever accounting problems they had and save them from an IRS audit.  If that didn’t work he would patronize them to the point where they signed on with him.  It was an odd process that she’d watched over and over again. 

But Davis was the exception and she reveled in the oddness of it all. 

Shouldn’t it be the other way around though?  Shouldn’t she be a good daughter and be angry that her father was being put into a position of being intimated? 

It didn’t matter and she didn’t have time to figure it out at the moment.  Because her father was puffing up, trying to look bigger.  It didn’t work.  The man was scrawny on the best of days but standing in the same room as Davis, who was large and muscular and overwhelmingly virile, Marcus Evans only looked like the bony, mean kid on the playground trying to play tough and failing miserably. 

Kate almost cheered, forcing her hands behind her back so she couldn’t clap at her father’s comeuppance. 

“So here’s the deal, Kate,” her father turned to face her.  “Mr. Alfieri wants an accountant to dig through his company data.  You’re to find the source of his problem which he will only tell to you.”

Kate looked up at Davis suspiciously.  “What kind of problem?” she demanded.  She’d told him repeatedly last night that she wasn’t a good accountant!  Why was he doing this?  Why wouldn’t he take her father’s help?  Her father was a much better accountant.  What’s more, he actually liked numbers! 

Davis looked at Marcus, then back down at the slender beauty that obviously was nervous and distrustful.  He wanted her alone.  He wanted to know why she’d left his bed last night.  And he wanted her in his arms.  Damn, she looked tired.  And beautiful.  And enticing. 

“Perhaps we could discuss this alone,” he said, trying to put her at ease but still get her into her own office. 

He watched as Kate looked to her father for direction.  When he nodded, Kate took a deep breath and turned back to him.  There was something going on between the two of them that he didn’t understand, some silent vibes that were disturbing.  For some reason, he wanted to tuck her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay.  Surely her father’s wasn’t the ogre that he appeared to be right now, was he?  Davis’ own father cheered his kids’ successes and was always there to offer advice and encouragement.  His mother was the soft, gentle type that thought anything her children did, from drawing a purple sun in kindergarten to building their individual business empires, was amazing and inspiring. 

So why was Kate nervous around her father? 

And more importantly, why did he want to whisk her out of here so she wouldn’t be nervous any longer? 

He shifted, never having felt this protective instinct for a woman before. 

“Kate?” he prompted, opening Marcus’ door so she could precede him to her office.

Kate looked at the two men again, wondering if her father knew what she’d done with Davis last night.  Surely her guilt was written all over her face!  But when she looked over at her father, he didn’t appear to be aware of anything other than frustration that he wasn’t to be included in a conversation with what she now suspected was an extremely important client. 

She wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but she squared her shoulders, stiffened her spine and pretended like she was a professional accountant, ready to assist a new client.  “This way, Mr. Alfieri,” she said and saw the anger in her father’s eyes diminish slightly.  At least she was handling this well enough, she thought. 

What would her father do?  She asked herself that with every step as she made her way down the hallway, painfully aware of the giant man right behind her.  She could feel his body, feel the tension that was increasing as they walked down the hallway.  She desperately wanted to turn around and throw herself into his arms, to feel his strength wrap around her as he’d done so many times last night.

But she had to be a professional about this.  She had to be strong, resist the temptation to sleep with the client. 

Okay, so there had been very little sleeping going on last night. 

When she reached her office, she suddenly realized that there wasn’t enough room for her and Davis at the same time.  It was too small. 

Swinging around, she ran into his chest with an audible “oomph”.  Stepping backwards quickly, she almost tripped over her own feet in her effort to put space between the two of them.   Kate took a deep breath, then another, fisting her hands beside her so she wouldn’t reach out and touch him.  Very unprofessional!

“Are you okay?” he asked, moving closer.  He had his hands in his pockets, but his eyes were showing her what was lurking just underneath the surface.  A movement behind him caught her eye.  Her father was watching her from the end of the hallway! 

She jerked back, putting several inches between them.  “Why don’t we go into the conference room?  We’ll be more comfortable there.”

Instead of waiting for an answer, she turned to the right and led him into the more spacious conference room with a plain table and relatively comfortable chairs set up around it.  This was her father’s pride and joy.  It was a nice room with a long window at the end, set up to impress clients.  When she walked in, she received a nod of approval from her father and her heart soared.  She’d done the right thing!  Goodness, she felt thrilled!  So when she turned around and found Davis right behind her, she yelped, pushing backwards. 

“You left me this morning,” Davis said, stepping even closer.  His hands braced behind her against the wall but his nose moved in closer, smelling her floral, feminine scent.  “Your hair is still wet.  Did you rush home and shower before coming here?  You smell delicious.”

Kate closed her eyes, trying very hard to keep a professional demeanor.  It was almost painful because all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and experience that magic once more. 

But her father’s nod of approval came to mind and she gritted her teeth, ducking under his arms and moving to a more open area.  “I’m sorry, Mr. Alfieri, if I gave you the wrong impression about me last night.  I’m not usually like that.”

Davis remembered her pain when he’d entered her for the first time and knew that she was telling him the truth.  She’d never had sex before and the thought that he’d been her first actually made his body react.  It was like a swift blast of lust so strong he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from grabbing her and making love to her right there on the conference room table. 

“I know that, Kate.  I know a lot of things about you.”

Kate shook her head, not wanting him to know so much about her.  She looked up at him, her crystal blue eyes wide with fear and…yes, desire too.  “You don’t know me.  We had sex.”

He smiled, feeling the trembling in her too-thin body.  He wanted to reassure her, to show her again that he would be gentle with her.  “Many times,” he replied with a husky chuckle.  Of course, he hadn’t always been gentle with her.  He remembered several times when she’d incited him with her tender hands, touching him with her mouth and he hadn’t been gentle at all. 

But he swore he would be gentle the next time.  He had to.  She was too sweet and tender.  He could break her if he wasn’t careful. 

She blushed, lowering her head slightly to hide her reaction. Goodness, all she wanted to do was to lift her hands up to his chest, unbutton that stupid shirt so she could run her fingers through the light coating of dark hair sprinkled across his muscles and bury her face in his neck.  She could then kiss her way lower….