Running From Fate (25 page)

Turning around, he walked back to his car.
It was time to plan his strategy.
The beautiful Miss Anders didn’t stand a chance.

It had been a busy
and frustrating week for Mira, but i
t was finally Th
ursday so the end was in sight.  It had only been a measly four days since she had returned from London,
but it felt like months had
crawled by
. 
She
kept expecting something to happen.  Before the trip she had a difficult time even getting in to talk to James, now he seemed to be everywhere she went.  H
e came in at the same time
that she did
, parked next to her so that they walked to their cars together, and randomly showed up at her desk to ‘check
’ the progress of her work. 
If he accidentally brushed up against her one more time she was going to go crazy.

When she had started this job she would have probably killed for that kind of attention from Jam
es but, now, it was just interfering with
her work. 
She was constantly on alert for the tread of his footsteps or the sound of his voice.
The sad part of it was that if she thought he had any
actual feelings
for her she would have probably melted in a puddle at his feet already.
As it was, she thought as she
pressed down too hard and broke another pencil, she felt like
this was all some kind of sick g
ame that he was playing on her.

From the gossip around the office she had discovered how much of a playboy that he actually was.
Apparently, Kimberly was the last in a long string of vapid, beautiful, socially prominent women that he had dated or, rather, had short, meaningless affairs with.
It was rumored that
all the
women had ended up with were a selection of expensive jewels and a titillating story to tell at the country club.
Even if he weren’t still seeing Kim, sh
e angrily told herself, there was
no way that she would willingly become just another notch on James Kelly’s bedpost.

Mira was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the footsteps until they had stopped right behind her.

“Is there something I can help you with?” James asked in amusement as he stared down at Mira’s mutilated sketch.

She
jumped
up
at the sound of his voice and swung around.
He was standing so close that she
actually
bumped into him.
She knew that she shouldn’t let him
affect
her this way, but a
s his heady, masculine scent assau
lted her over stimulated senses
,
her
heart rate picked
up and her palms turned sweaty
. 
It
was all she could do to keep breathing.
A little distance
might
help, but the worktable was right behind her so she couldn’t
even move, but
s
he
certainly
wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how
strongly he pulled at
her. 
There was only one thing to do
.  B
razen it out.

She thought back to her very proper mother and the icy disdain that she had
projected when the
occasion
warranted. 
With her nose raised in the air she adopted the snootiest tone that she could.
“Is there something that I can
do for you Mr. Kelly,” she said
. 
“O
r do you just like interrupting me while I’m trying to work?”
She turned her back dismissively
, trying to ignore the jolt as her body rubbed against him
.
“If you’ll excuse me I have to get back
to the work that you pay me to do
.”

James closed his eyes and tried to breath past the pleasure that pulsed through his already heated body as her hips brushed against him
.
If he couldn’t
manage to reign in
his reactions
he might have to change his strategy.
There was no way that he could control the situation if he couldn’t think straight.
And if he didn’t move soon, the game would be up before it even started
.  T
here was no way he could hide his body’s reaction
.

Suiting action to thought he stepped back and tried to remember what it was that he had come in here to talk to her about.
S
omething about a party.
Ah, yes, Friday was the annual charity ball for the Triangle’s architectural and urban development c
ommunity and he liked the idea of having her on his arm
.
He wouldn’t ask here,
though,
there was too much of an audience.
“
I’d like you to c
ome and see me be
fore you leave today,” he said. 
He turned and walked away
before she could reply
.

Mira
waited until she heard his footsteps head out the door and tried to shake off the episode.  It was time that she got some work done.

When 5 o’clock rolled around
she
was still buried in her project.
After James had left she had finally managed to find some focus and her ideas for Mr. Ashton’s conference center and resort were finally starting to gel.
As she put away her material and picked up her purse,
she
seriously consider
ed avoiding James all together.  She could do with a stress
-
free evening.  He was her boss, though, so she didn’t have much choice.  With a sigh she turned her feet from the freedom of the parking lot and walked
down
the hall.

The door to Mary’s office was open when
she reached it and, w
ith a little thrill of trepidation,
she
realized
it was empty
.
Everyone else had
already left
so it appeared that
they were
completely alone.

James looked up from a contract that he was going over and noticed Mira standing in Mary’s office
.
S
he looked
worried
.
He had been planning on inviting her to the party as a date but, in her current state, that probably wouldn’t go over well.
He would have to convince her that
the function was strictly a business matter
and he
could rework his strategy once they got there
. 
He
cleared his throat.

Mira jolted and shook herself.
She could do better than this.
Pulling
a cloak of control around herself
, she
walked forward and stood in front of James’ desk.
“What did you want to see me about?” she asked.

“Have a seat please.”

“I’m fine standing,” she replied.
“I’ve got a lot to do
tonight,” she added, “
so I can’t stay long.”
Hopefully, that would keep him from stretching out the conversation.

“If you insist.”
He had been planning on easing into the matter, but he might as well get straight to the point. 
“There’s an annual benefit coming up for the architectural and urban planning community.
Attendance is almost mandatory for any company that hopes to compete in this area.
It’s not only a great networking opportunity
, but proceeds go directly to the Wake County Habitat for Humanity.”

“It
all sounds very admirable,” Mira said, “but what does this have to do with me?”

Here came the tricky part.
“I attend every year but, through some unforeseen circumstances, I find myself without a date.”

“What about Kimberly?”

“We are no longer seeing each other.”

Mira felt her legs start to weaken with something that felt terribly like relief.
“Since when?”

“Immediately after we got back from London.”

Was
James
Kelly actually asking her for a date?  After all this time.  It seemed like a dream come true.  Wait a second, she scolded herse
lf harshly,
she was no longer a
besotted
teen and he certainly
wasn’t the shining example of manhood that she had seen him as.  In fact, he often
acted like a cynical bastard.  S
he should definitely say no.  If he had actually asked her out. 
“You want me to go with you?”
she
clarified.

It had taken her too long to respond and James had a feeling that she was about to turn him down.
Her answer shouldn’t have mattered so much, but he needed her to say yes.
“This would be strictly business,” he added.

Her stomach fell
.
It was safer that way
, she told herself philosophically, and it was a good opportunity for n
etworking within the community. 
“When is this party?”

He
f
elt something loosen inside him and
couldn’t control the gr
in that spread across his face. 
“It’s this Friday.
I’ll pick you at 6 o’clock.”

Mira was so dazzled by his smile that she was already out the door before she understood
his answer. 
This Friday, she thought with horror.
She had absolutely nothing to wear!

Five minutes after getting home,
she
was on the phone.
She had two very important phone calls to make.
The first person that she called was Amy
Fairchild
, computer guru and
her
newest friend.
Her type of style may not be what Mira would choose, but she could be counted on to give an honest opinion.
Hopefully, she would be up for a desperate shopping trip.