Under His Kilt (15 page)

It took thirty minutes for the line to dwindle to a few, mostly men who had ended up in the back of the line for one reason or another. About to leave her hires to deal with them and give her updates, she gave security the sign to lock the doors and to not let anyone else in. If anyone was this late, she didn’t want to work with them. Period.

Of course, one last straggler came striding to the doors, a mile-wide grin deepening the sun lines that creased the tanned skin around his mouth and eyes. He was about her age, with black hair that was a bit too long but not unkempt. Phoenix was too far away to see the exact color of his eyes, but he exuded charisma. If you had a dead party or event, you’d call this guy and pay him to stay if you had to. He’d smile and convince everyone by proxy this was a goddamn good time.

Instead of trying to hurry through the door, he stopped and put out his hand to the security personnel. Shocked by this move, the guard automatically offered his own. The man said something that had the guard throwing back his head in a laugh and just like an oiled snake the man slithered his way in. He said something else, and again, the security guard laughed, but the man was on the other side of the door. He kept right on talking while the guard locked the door, not even thinking to let the man know no one else could come in.

Smooth. Oh, this would be too good. Phoenix stood up to ensure he’d come to her station, and he breezed his way right up to her. She almost had to sit back down once his gaze fixed on her. Green eyes. The color brought to mind an endless forest right when the needles had finally recovered from a long winter with the gray highlights in them. So rich and dark.

She didn’t have to pretend to stammer. “C-can I take your business card?” She waved to the monitor. “So I can register you.”

She plopped down onto the chair and tried to get a hold on her racing heart. The man was pretty. Chiseled. Rugged. Temptation-dipped smile. No wonder the security guard had waved him in. No one could say no to the way his plump lips curved so easily.

“No problem, Miss…” He dug in his slacks but didn’t break the eye contact.

“Taylor.” She found herself smiling back again and blushing at the ridiculous reaction to him.

He opened his wallet and produced a glossy card with Creed Construction stenciled on the top. Three names were on the card, but before she could ask, he said, “I’m Tony Creed, Miss Taylor. What else will you need from me?”

Phoenix tapped the card on the table. Oh, he was smoother than butter. So much so she finally had to laugh, at herself and at him. “Turn it off.”

The smile didn’t dim a whit. “What?”

“The charm. It’s distracting. Look at the monitor and make sure I’m getting all your information right.”

He didn’t seem perturbed by the observation but chuckled deeply. The sound shimmied down her spine. Checking the clock at the bottom, she had another ten minutes before her speech, and then she would meet the final potential bidders. She made the same mistakes as before, misspelling his name even though the card was right in front of her. She didn’t talk to him. That was trouble, especially since he hadn’t turned
it
off. She wasn’t sure he could. He was very patient and polite when he corrected her, but he split his time between watching the monitor and watching her.

She was so very glad to get to the end of the form and tell him they were done, except he didn’t move.

“So, are you a temp?”

The company that hired her had no intentions of keeping her on their payroll forever. Everything You Need had come across her resume and asked specifically for her through the agency. She’d been working at the time they’d requested her services and had to decline. The job had finished and they sent a headhunter to woo her away from a short break. She had itchy feet by then and hadn’t fought too hard. But it was smart on their part to have kept Angie under wraps until the very end. That would have been a deal breaker for Phoenix. The woman was just too…not what she wanted to work with, and she chose that with great prejudice. Just like everything in her life—picked with lots of care.

“Yes, Mr. Creed. I’m a temp,” she could say with relative honesty.

“Ah, what do you think of your boss so far?”

She knew damn well he meant
her
, but he’d taken the bait of seeing a receptionist of sorts and wanted dirt. “Not a ray of sunshine. Very exacting in what she wants—”

“She? Really?”

Phoenix listened to the tone he used. Nothing condescending or jeering. Her shoulders relaxed. “That’s surprising?”

“Well, yeah. It’s still an anomaly in this business to see a woman in charge of the day-to-day work. How many women did you see come through to put in their bid?”

There were very few women, and even they came with their husbands. She pursed her lips. He wasn’t all charm, but he’d showed up one minute away from being late. He’d used that smile to grease his way through. That could become problematic down the line. He’d believe all he had to do was grin to get what he wanted. If he didn’t get it, a fit would be thrown. People probably didn’t often tell him no. Even when they needed to. Six months would feel like an eternity with someone like that.

She had her sights set on getting the finishing bonus Everything You Need had offered. It would be enough to round off her savings, and then she’d finally fulfill the promise she’d made to herself two years before. Then, she could move on. She could live her life without a cloud hanging over it.

Tony Creed had
delays
written all over him. If that didn’t top it off, she’d studied, and drooled a bit, over Creed Construction’s schematics. They’d even added sketches of how the interior could be designed. Expensive and timely. In another word,
delays
.

And…

Ok
.

Phoenix was attracted to him. A problem, because she didn’t deny herself what she desired. Life was short, and she knew too well how easily it could be snuffed out. Mentally she sighed and brushed the problematic urge aside.

“There weren’t many women,” she finally answered.

Movement caught her gaze. Angie crept out of her dark corner. Phoenix let out a long sigh. The woman was about to break her identity before Phoenix could. She always liked those slack-jawed expressions, especially with the rude ones. Petty, maybe, but Phoenix was no one’s good girl. She’d stopped being one long ago.

“Anyway, you can go right in. The talk should start in a few minutes.”

He reached over the monitor, offered his hand. She hesitated knowing what would happen if she took the calloused hand. She took it and wasn’t disappointed. A rough palm met hers and a spark of attraction jolted up her arm. The smile came back and she had to look at a spot on his chest to not get lost in his eyes.

“It was nice to meet you.”

She made a sound, wrenching back her hand. Thankfully, he took the subtle brush-off without fanfare and went through the double doors as his cell phone rang. She rubbed her palms together, hoping the action would erase the tingle from his hand being cupped in hers. When that didn’t entirely work, she let in the irritation that he hadn’t turned off his phone.

Angie finally made it to the monitor and Phoenix, with all the patience she could muster, smiled up at her boss.

“He’s the one. Get rid of the rest.”

The smile slipped. “Come again?”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I’m supposed to be more subtle.” Angie scrunched up her face and concentrated, really hard, and it looked like it hurt. “I’ve looked at all the bids, just like you did. The, uh, papers for what the cabins will look like. I liked Creed Construction’s the best. I want them for the job. They’re the ones who should do it.”

It was unprofessional to question or to show any signs of insubordination, but Phoenix couldn’t help herself. Tony Creed would be a complication she didn’t need, and it would be best to avoid him at all cost. “Why have me do the whole open bidding?”

“Well, like you, I had to see everyone first.”

Phoenix felt like a balloon with all its air let out. She’d looked forward to haggling, talking shop, interacting with every single construction company, even the assholes, because this was her element. But, Everything You Need wasn’t paying her for that. It would have been the icing on the cake.

And, she’d have to work with Tony Creed. For sure. No questions asked for the next six months, if not more. If she hadn’t already spent a good half of the signing bonus, that would have been a deal breaker. If she hadn’t finally become ready to move on, really move on, leave her past behind completely, the ultimatum would have made her shrug and she’d have walked away.

But she couldn’t. Phoenix needed closure. She needed to wake up in the morning knowing everything on her to-do list had been checked off. She needed to let go of all that still left her heart aching. The finishing bonus would be her out, her means to the end of getting to Italy. Two years was well past a mourning period, and nothing could stand in her way. She couldn’t stand waiting anyway. It just wasn’t her nature. So Phoenix would have to just suck it up and get the job done, despite the hiccup.

Men like
Mr. Creed
were best avoided. Charming, handsome, and unashamed about using everything in their arsenal to get what they needed. She avoided men like him for a reason. Had done for years. Lesson learned and all that jazz.

She glanced back up at Angie and, from the expression, trying to talk the woman out of Creed Construction was a deal breaker. Finishing this job was now or now. Never had been taken off the table.

Shit
. “No problem,” Phoenix replied without an ounce of the turmoil the woman’s words had caused. Shit.

End of Excerpt