Resounding Kisses (2 page)

Ter finally got the receptionist to stop flirting with him long enough to tell him that Ms. Kafando was waiting in her office. She directed him down a hallway to his right and told him to knock on the door, second from the end of the hall.

The décor throughout the building appeared to be the same modern style. He’d go insane if he had to work in such a chaotic looking environment day in and day out.

He might be into rock n’ roll, but for his surroundings, he preferred things more classic and old school. The amount of glass and chrome on this floor made him decidedly uncomfortable.

Terrence rapped his knuckles on the frosted glass door and then turned the door handle when he heard the muffled, “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal a classic looking office, and Terrence sighed in silent relief. Dark gray instead of wood tones brought the classical lines of the furniture into the current century. A deep carpet covered the floor, not a geometric shape in sight.

The office was such a contrast to the hip reception area, he stared around the room in surprise. The person who worked in this office had mature tastes and yet was current enough to deal with clients in today’s volatile market.

A sound from the right brought his eyes to the large desk. A woman was rising from behind the desk and beckoning him to come forward with her eyes and her posture.

“Yvonne Kafando.” She said thin-lipped, her voice hard. “Please, call me Ivy.” She extended her hand. “This is the music industry after all.”

Terrence crossed the distance between them. “Terrence Paxton.” He took her hand and shook it, overwhelmed by the sensations of her nearness. “Nice to meet you, Ivy. Please call me Ter.”

Ter?

What the hell are you doing? Only your family and your best friends call you Ter.

She squeezed his hand way too hard for her slim frame, but released much too soon for his liking and gestured toward a small conference table set off to the side of her office. “Please have a seat, Ter.”

The sound of his nickname from her mouth sent shockwaves of longing through his body and the timber of her melodic voice captured his attention. It swallowed him whole and resounded deep inside his chest.

After recovering from the effect her voice had on him, her appearance finally registered in his brain. Oh my god. She’s so beautiful.

She was absolutely nothing like he’d imagined on his walk here. He guessed her to be close to his own age, and strikingly beautiful. And yet, she exuded strength and an air of efficiency that told him she wasn’t a pushover. Her stance was somewhat masculine and he wondered how she’d clawed her way to the top of this mostly male industry.

His eyes travelled the length of her body, taking in the black business pant suit. The severe line of the suit was softened by the filmy cream blouse she wore beneath. It contrasted nicely with her dark brown skin.

She was tall, standing around five-eight based on his initial assessment compared to his own height. She had a slim frame, tiny waist, and full breasts. But it was even more than her chest, he was mesmerized by her luscious rounded hips. When she turned to walk to the conference table, he got a good view of her bum and found he couldn’t take his eyes off of it.

For a woman who tried to hide her femininity beneath masculine behavior, she was astoundingly sensual.
I wonder if she’s even aware of how gorgeous she is. That ass of hers is…

He swallowed back a groan, this woman was generously endowed enough to make him completely forget his manners. Ter’s eyes followed her, his mouth watering at her graceful glide across the carpet. The way her hips swayed beneath the fabric of her black pants left him craving for more.

When she cleared her throat, he slowly raised his eyes up, widening them when he realized she’d reached the conference table and her mouth had quirked up on one side.

And her eyes – dark chocolate brown, rimmed with long black lashes – concealed a hint of mystery that drew him to her without a prayer to resist. She’d pulled her mahogany brown hair back into a bun so tight it appeared to have been cut close to her head. But rather than detracting from her beauty, it framed her oval face and its high cheekbones perfectly.

When he continued to stand there, frozen, unable to stop staring at her in awe, she cleared her throat once again and presented him with bright white teeth sparkling against her ruby-red, oh so kissable lips.

“You’re staring at me,” she said, raising one of her perfectly rounded black eyebrows.

Terrence felt the blood rushing to his ears and walked towards the table. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually have such bad manners. You took me by surprise.”

“How so?”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to be so young.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could shove them back.

Her face hardened as she said, “You think I’m too young for the job? I can tell you–”

Ter realized she was offended and tried to explain himself. “No. I don’t think that at all. I just imagined you as some old lady who had never even heard of rock music, let alone could appreciate it.”

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
What the heck is going on with me?
It wasn’t his normal mode of operation to speak out his thoughts, especially with a stranger. But he was so mesmerized by her innate beauty, it seemed to shortcut his brain and create the urge to tell her everything.

Though she was doing her best to hide her feminine side with her choice of attire and the downplayed makeup, he could see a temperamental and very sensual woman underneath the boxy suit. It showed in her eyes and in the way she moved.

And when she spoke…pure sex. The huskiness in her voice rolled down his skin like honey and he could easily imagine her low, sexy whisper while they lay in bed together…

Her lips tipped up in something similar to a smile and he saw her brilliant white teeth again. Teeth he wanted to feel love-biting into his skin, marking himself as hers.

She cleared her voice again and her dark eyes sparkled with a hint of impatience – and something else – as she said, “Sorry to disappoint you. I happen to like rock music and”, she grabbed the jewel case from the conference table and waved it at him. “I listened to your demo CD. I liked it. A lot. In fact, I loved it.”

The way she emphasized the word ‘loved’ sent tingles down his spine. He tried to distract himself from those feelings and the first best thing he thought to ask was, “How old are you?”
Oh my god, I’ve turned into a babbling idiot.
“If you don’t mind me asking?”

She smirked, but inclined her head. “Well, since I know everything there is to know about you and your band members, I don’t mind at all. I’m twenty-seven.”

By now, his frustration and anger from earlier had completely dissipated. He could deal with a twenty-seven-year-old awesome chick who owned a smoking hot body and happened to not just like, but love, his music. She’d soon be putty in his hands and this meeting would be over in no time at all.

He put on his well-exercised smile reserved for his female fans, but it froze right on his face when she became all business again.

“I love your music, but your methods leave a lot to be desired. Sit down. We have a lot of work to do and a lot of damage control to figure out.”

Rage roared through his veins and he growled at her without moving, which seemed to amuse her, because she put on a smug smile – one he wanted to wipe off her face with a punishing kiss – and pointed with an impatient gesture to the vacant chair.

“Sit down.”

Ivy issued her command and then sank into one of the fabric covered chairs in an attempt to hide her trembling knees. She had no idea what just happened. The lead singer for Electric Flow had literally knocked her off her socks. His picture had hinted at his handsomeness, but in person…Wowza!

He was around six-three because he towered over her by half a foot, had jet black hair; hair that was cut short to try and hide the waves still showing themselves. But it was his eyes that had her heart racing and her palms sweating. They were the most amazing shade of emerald green she’d ever seen, and deep like a well.

His slightly tanned face was proof he spent at least some time in the outdoors once in a while. The entire package was amazing. She’d seen plenty of good looking musicians in her career, but Ter was a lot more than just another good looking man. He filled her office with his presence and stole the breath from her lungs.

He stood there, in the middle of the room, his strong legs planted firmly into the floor, dressed in black leather pants that hugged his ass and thighs. She tried not to imagine what else they were concealing and let her eyes travel up the rest of his body. His black t-shirt with the logo of Electric Flow stretched across his broad chest and his bulging biceps. At the edge of the t-shirt, she could just see the beginnings of a tattoo.

Ivy stared at the spot for a long moment, resisting the urge to fan her face as he raised the same arm up and squeezed the back of his neck. The sleeve rode up, revealing a band that stretched around his upper arm, accentuating his biceps. Some sort of tribal design and she wondered at its origin. Tattoos were either an instant turn on for her, or a complete turn off. This one was a definite turn on and sent heat right into her core.

She scolded herself.
Ivy stop staring and concentrate on business. He’s a man like any other man.
Who was she kidding?

Him staring at her earlier should have annoyed her, but instead, it had given her a sense of stability. Of control. She shook her head at herself. From everything she’d read about him and his band in her files, he was anything but stable.

He was a fly by the seat of your pants guy.
Not a man for me.

And yet – when he’d grabbed her hand and shaken it, it was as if she’d touched a live wire. Electric tingles had rushed throughout her entire body, the after effects still remaining.

She raised one brow and nodded her chin at the vacant chair. “Sit down.”

She could see the war going on in his brain. He didn’t like following orders, but if they were going to work together, he needed to learn to obey her.

When he still didn’t take the seat on her second command, she sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before meeting his eyes once again. “Ter, I can see you don’t like following orders, but if we’re going to work together, you have to do as I say. Without my approval, there will be no contract for you to sign.”

“Is that so?” he ground out, looking like a stubborn child.

She softened her tone. “Yes, it is. Now please, sit down. I refuse to look up at you or conduct business while standing.”

Ivy breathed a small sigh of relief when he complied and took the empty seat at the table. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, please,” he answered and she could still hear the agitation in his voice.

She pushed the intercom buzzer and waited for the receptionist to answer.

“Tina, I’d like you to bring coffee to my office please. Strong black espresso for myself.” She paused and looked at the man sitting across from her. When he nodded, she hid a smile. “That will be two strong black espressos.”

“I’ll bring a tray up. Will there be anything else?”

Ivy looked at Terrence and asked politely, “Would you like milk for your coffee?”

He shook his head and she told the receptionist that was all. When she disconnected the intercom, she found him staring at her again with a seducing look in his deep wells of emerald green. “I prefer mine black. And strong, with just a hint of sweetness.”

Hot and cold shivers rushed down her spine.
Why do I get the impression he’s no longer talking about coffee?

It was a little unnerving, but an oh-so sexy and a little dangerous feeling. If he was flirting with her, he was doing an excellent job.

Mentally shaking her head at the direction her thoughts kept going, she opened the file on her desk and got down to business. She began to go through the over one hundred page contract he still had to sign.

“So your contract is pretty standard, however, there are a few things, anomalies if you will, that we need to get cleared up before you can sign it.”

“What anomalies?” he asked.

She sat back in her chair and met his gaze. “Well, your YouTube channel for one. I’ve reviewed the material there and several of the songs you want us to produce for your album are on the site. They have to be taken down.”

“What? Why? We released those songs months ago. What does it matter…?” He looked like he wanted to jump up and pace through the room.

“Ter, it is my job to ensure that the record label’s current and future revenues are protected.” She pulled out a list of songs she’d identified from his YouTube channel that matched up with the songs he and his band wanted to include in their first album. Along with several more originals she thought might be included in future albums.

She didn’t want to leave anything to chance, and she definitely wanted no one coming back at her in the coming months and years wanting to know why she’d not been proactive. That was not the way she did business.

She slid the paper across the table to him, careful not to touch him. No more tingling burns on her hand. She needed to concentrate.

He flinched as he scanned the list. With an incredulous look, he murmured, “Get Me Some More.” Then he met her gaze. “You want me to take down my most popular song? Did you see how many times it’s been viewed? Over a million.”

“It has to come down.”

“Why? I don’t understand what’s to be gained from disappointing our followers in such a drastic way. I thought the idea of making an album and doing a tour was to gain new fans, not alienate them.”

She ignored his questions, instead flipping open the contract. “If you’ll look at page thirty-seven, you’ll recall that the record label now owns the rights to every song published under the name of Electric Flow.”

He flipped the contract open to the requisite page, shooting daggers at her while doing so.

Ivy should probably have been alarmed by his attitude, but instead she was even more attracted to him. He was most definitely an alpha male; something that normally turned her off because she put them all into the same category. Assholes.

When she dated, she’d always chosen the soft type. A guy who’d willingly give her the upper hand, not only in the relationship, but also in bed. She imagined rolling in the sheets with Ter would be a lot different. If her burning hand was any indication to go by, he’d incinerate her body in a way she wouldn’t have a prayer to resist.

Terrence Paxton was different. He turned everything she thought she knew upside down.

Ivy dug deep for her self-control and forged ahead, but a few hours later, they’d barely covered half of the contract. She was exhausted. Exhausted from trying to ignore her attraction to him and the way his cologne was making her insides turn to jelly.

“Let’s take a break,” she suggested, closing the contract and placing it back in the folder.

Ter sat back with a nod and stretched his hands above his head, causing her eyes to stray to the firm, sculpted biceps and the enticing tattoo.
God, he’s gorgeous.

“So, let’s go grab a bite to eat,” he suggested with a flirty grin and a wink.

Ivy wished she could agree and say yes, but that would be counterproductive to asserting her authority. “No.”

“Really?” he asked with a shocked expression that left her wondering if it was for real or just another part of the charm he was trying to ply her with.

“Really.”

He leaned forward, invading as much of her space as the table would allow. “Come on. You have to eat and I’m buying. If you’re worried about getting through the rest of the contract, we can bring it with us. Shouldn’t be too many more things to go over. Right?”

Ivy took a steadying breath and shook her head. “I don’t have time for lunch today, or to finish going over the contract with you. We have several hours left, at a minimum.” A devilish plan to punish him for the attempt to flirt with her crossed her mind. “Come back tomorrow morning at seven a.m. sharp and we’ll finish then.”

She ducked her head as she finished her statement, watching his reaction from beneath her lowered lashes. He thought he could charm his way into her letting him sign the contract, but that wouldn’t happen. Not on her watch.

“Ivy, can we make it maybe nine?” he pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but we need to start early to make sure we can finish tomorrow. This is taking a lot longer than planned.”

She saw him flinch before he nodded and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.
I wonder how many times that’s happened to you, Mr. Self Assured.

Ivy kept her gaze lowered until she was sure she had her facial expressions under control and then lifted her head and met his gaze. His disgruntled look was worth a million.

He mumbled something she was sure was less than complimentary on his way to the door. When he turned to say goodbye, the look in his eyes almost undid her. She quickly looked down and studied the file on the table until she heard the door swish shut.

She’d managed to hold her own, but it had required all of her skills to ignore his charms. Terrence Paxton was dangerous and unsettling to her control. But she’d won. And she would continue to do so. It might take a little time, but he’d sooner or later figure out she was the one making the rules.