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“You, too, Zach.” Smoke turned to ash when Riana looked at Allison. “I didn’t realize you’d be bringing anyone tonight.”
“I’ve mentioned how eager Knox is to do business with you and your father.” Sliding his hand to the small of her back, Zach brought Allison forward. “Naturally, we’ve brought out our best.”
Hoping Riana Collins didn’t ask best what, since she doubted the title of Best Temporary Receptionist would impress the woman, Allison held out her hand. “Allison Warner. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Collins.”
Riana Collins looked less than pleased, an expression that didn’t change as they entered the restaurant and followed the hostess to a secluded table obviously meant for two. A third place was hastily set. Zach kept Allison at his side, pulling out the chair to his right.
She might have expected the other woman to have a better chance of holding his attention, seated directly across from him. But he never failed to meet Allison’s gaze before glancing at Riana, just like he never missed an opportunity to rest his hand on the back of her chair or brush his fingers against hers on the table.
At first, Allison thought Zach had decided to be subtle after all, only to quickly realize how wrong she was. The hand on her shoulder could have been a casual, business-related touch—until his thumb stroked the skin along her collarbone. And while even that small gesture might have seemed subtle, the shiver that raced down her spine like a quake down a fault line was anything but.
Judging by Riana’s narrowed gaze, the woman had picked up on the aftershock.
After the first few minutes of small talk, discussing the menu and giving their orders to the waiter, Zach turned his attention to business. Riana nodded in all the appropriate places as Zach explained the different security options Knox offered; she even asked an informed question or two.
But the other woman still had more than business on her mind, and Allison wasn’t surprised when Riana pegged her with a sharp look and said, “You’ve been quiet, Allison. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.”
For a split second her mind went blank, and she felt Zach stiffen beside her, his tension practically telegraphing an unspoken command straight through her. Do not screw this up. Do not screw this up. The added pressure had panic rising up inside her, but then the information she’d copied, collated, stapled and punched started filtering back. She’d always had a good memory for details—a useful talent when she’d juggled clients for Barton/Mills and one that helped with jumping from temp job to temp job now.
“Knox handles security for some of the top businesses in the Valley.” Names from the client list flashed through her memory—a high-end clothing boutique, a chain of furniture stores, an office complex not far from where the new Collins jewelry store would soon break ground.
“I’ve heard your latest ad campaign,” Allison added. It was an occupational hazard she had yet to break, paying more attention to ads than shows on TV or songs on the radio. “You’ve been promoting Collins Jewelers as the fourth ‘C,’ as important as cut, color and clarity. You have a reputation for accepting only the best, and when it comes to security systems, Knox is the best there is.”
For the first time all evening, Allison felt Zach relax at her side, and the glow of satisfaction burned brighter as she caught his almost imperceptible nod of approval.
Night had fallen by the time they left the restaurant, but Allison’s smile could have lit the sky. Zach waited for Riana to drive off in her Jag before he said, “I owe you, big time.”
Her smile grew wider, bringing out the dimple in her right cheek, but despite the Cheshire grin, she passed on the chance to gloat. “No you don’t. It was fun.”
Judging by the bounce in her step and her smile as they walk toward his car, Allison was telling the truth. She’d had fun. When was the last time—if ever—that he’d thought of work as ‘fun?’ It was a challenge to be met, a range of pinnacles to climb, each higher and harder than the last. But fun? And yet when Allison reached the passenger door and turned to face him, he felt a hint of an answering smile tug at his lips. He couldn’t deny that certain aspects of the evening had been … enjoyable.
It had been way too easy to let his gaze lock on hers, to brush his fingers over the back of her hand in a too casual to be casual gesture, to acknowledge the attraction he’d worked the past two months to ignore. Problem was, he didn’t know how he was supposed to go back to ignoring it, to putting those jolts of lightning back in the bottle. But maybe he didn’t have to.
Allison only had two days left at Knox Security. After that, they’d no longer be coworkers. She’d move on to another temp job, and he—he had way too much on his mind to even think of a serious relationship.
Who says it has to be serious? his libido argued slyly as they climbed into his car. The energy and excitement in her smile worked its way under his skin, buzzing with an awareness of how long it had been since he’d pursued any kind of relationship with a woman. And after all, Allison was all about fun, the kind of woman who might be open to something less than serious.
“I still say I owe you,” Zach said once he’d pulled the car out of the parking lot. “How did you know those details about Knox’s client list?”
“A few days ago, I ran copies of the company’s references for some sales packets. I was pretty sure I remembered most of the names … and well, the numbers were a bit of a guesstimate.”
“A guesstimate?”
“Okay, more of a guess, but hey, it worked, right?”
Zach felt any hint of a smile wiped clean away. No wonder he worked alone. He couldn’t risk his future success on someone else who might have “fun” guessing at facts and figures. What if Riana Collins had figured out that Allison was making up her information? Allison could have blown the whole deal.
And she could have refused to help at all, his conscience goaded. She’d bailed him out when he asked her to, so it was a little late to worry about her methods.
“Do you still think you owe me or have I negated that with my creative sales pitch?”
Zach glanced over, catching glimpses of Allison’s face in the passing streetlights like watching a flickering black-and-white television set. Only there was nothing old-fashioned or quaint about Allison. She was bold, confident, a high-definition type of woman. “The evening was still a success, thanks to you.”
“What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t help you out?”
What kind of girlfriend would she be? The kind to understand when he worked late at night, when he cancelled plans on the weekend, when he overlooked personal milestones for another professional stepping-stone? Or would she expect more—more of his time, more of his attention, more than he could give? Automatically, his hand tightened on the wheel. “Allie …”
“Relax, Zach. I was just kidding. I know you don’t do relationships.”
“Right.”
“You’re all about work.”
“I am …”
“You don’t have time to for play.”
“Well …”
“And you’d make a terrible boyfriend.”
Allison made that statement as he pulled into the underground parking garage at Knox. He found a spot next to her car, a lime-green VW bug, and cut the engine. She sat angled toward him, clearly expecting him to agree with everything she’d just said.
Which, he thought as he climbed from the car, was exactly what a smart man would do. Because everything she said was true. And yet when he met Allison on the other side of the car, he heard himself ask, “Is that another guesstimate?”
A puzzled frown touched her features. “What?”
“You’ve had a lot to say without knowing the facts.”
Allison’s eyes widened as he drew closer. She looked far more worried now than she had when he confronted her about bending the truth at dinner. “Well …”
“After all, we’ve never been on a real date.”
“Of course not.”
“And we’ve never kissed.”
“No, but—”
“Never slept together.”
A soft blush lit her cheeks. “Obviously not.”
She took a step back only to bump up against the car.
“And while I might be a bad boyfriend, there are some things I’m very good at.”
He stepped closer, trapping her against the hood of the car, but Allison didn’t try to escape. He moved slowly, giving her time to protest but not so slowly as to give himself time to wonder what the hell he thought he was doing. He lowered his head, his gaze on her softly parted lips, but there was something else …
That dimple, the one that teased him whenever she smiled. She wasn’t smiling now, but Zach couldn’t resist brushing his lips against the spot as if the heated touch might somehow bring out the tiny indentation. He followed the subtle curve of her cheekbone toward her ear and the tender skin below her jaw.
Allison’s breath caught as her head tilted back. She whispered his name and Zach couldn’t deny the plea in her voice or his own need to really kiss her. Giving in, he slanted his mouth over hers, her lips soft and yielding beneath his own. She tasted like the Cajun barbecue sauce she’d dipped her chicken skewers into at dinner, a mix of spices made hotter by their kiss, and he couldn’t get enough. Allison raised her arms, but instead of pushing him away, she ran one hand through his hair while the other wrapped around his tie, pulling him closer …
Desire pulsed through his veins, and the hands he’d placed on Allison’s hips drifted into more dangerous territory. He didn’t know how far over the line they would have landed if not for the beep of a car alarm several rows away.
The sound rang like a wake-up call to Zach’s common sense. He was in a parking lot with Allison pressed up against his car like a would-be hood ornament. And not just any parking lot, but the parking lot at work where any fellow employee or—worse—his boss could walk by.
Lifting his head, he sucked in a much needed breath. “Allison—”
“We have to stop,” she said, ducking away before he had a chance to protest. Her skin was flushed, her lips swollen from his kiss, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and it took every bit of self-control Zach had not to pull her back into his arms. “I mean, this is crazy. We’re at work! I only have a few days left here and …”
“A few days,” Zach echoed when Allison’s words trailed away.
“Yes. Tuesday is my last day.” The awareness shining in her eyes revealed all they weren’t saying.
In a few days, Allison would no longer be a Knox employee. All the red lights that had him pounding on the brakes a second ago suddenly turned green … “Allison, don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t wait until you’re gone.”
Chapter Three
“You’re here early.”
Zach looked away from his computer screen as his boss, Daryl Evans, walked into his office. “It’s almost seven.”
Not early by Zach’s way of thinking. Maybe it was being born and raised in Phoenix, but he’d always believed morning was the best part of the day. Except during the worst heat of the summer months, dawn offered crisp, refreshing air and the kiss of cool dew on the grass. Brief moments of respite before the scorching afternoons.
That was how he felt about arriving at the office during those early hours, too. He liked the peace and quiet before the chaos of the workday began. Once eight o’clock rolled around, the silence was broken by ringing phones, beeping computers, and the chatter of his fellow employees going about their jobs. He liked that part, too. The energy and the noise and the occasionally hectic atmosphere. But he needed the soothing quiet first. Kind of like enjoying a cup of herbal tea before taking a straight shot of espresso.
Lately, though, Daryl had a habit of dropping in. Not just in the mornings, but at various times throughout the week. And that kind of interruption Zach didn’t like.
Daryl was a good man, but Zach worked best alone. He didn’t need anyone checking up on him any more than he needed weekly status meetings or the slaps on the back so many of his fellow employees craved. He didn’t need anyone to tell him how important a client was or to do his best on an imperative sales proposal. He knew; he had his own ambition and drive to answer to, and they were harder taskmasters than any boss could ever be.
“Obviously, I’m not the only one ready to get a jump-start on the day,” Zach pointed out.
“At least I went home last night.”
“So did I.”
“And stayed there how long before coming back to work? Don’t bother to lie,” Daryl warned. “I’ll check the cameras if I have to—one of the benefits of working for a company that sells security systems.”
Zach was tempted to find out if his boss really would check the security footage, but then he thought about what Daryl might see—Zach leaving the parking garage with Allison or worse, Zach returning to the parking garage and kissing Allison. And while Knox didn’t have a policy against relationships in the work place, Zach had never been tempted to engage in an office romance. It hadn’t been worth running the risk that his boss might think Zach had something other than work on his mind.
The truth definitely seemed like a better option. Or at least a limited version of the truth. “I left around five-thirty for a dinner meeting. Came back at around eight—” kissed Allison for a few minutes that could have easily gone on forever “—to go over the revised blueprints for that new office complex in Peoria. By the time I checked to see what time it was, it was almost midnight. I did go home, but I was too wired to get much sleep, so I came back around six.”
“How did the meeting with James Collins go?”
“He had to cancel,” Zach admitted. “But I met with Riana.”
“I see.”
The words were noncommittal, but Zach heard everything his boss wasn’t saying. Riana might call for a meeting, but James made all the executive decisions. Until Zach could swing another meeting with the man himself, the coveted contract would remain out of reach. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he hurdled his way past Riana’s seductive roadblocks, but he was quickly running out of time and patience.
What were the odds that the biggest contact of his career would be up for bid only two weeks before the board made their decision about the biggest promotion of his career?
If he didn’t get the Collins account …
Zach shook the thought away. When he got the Collins account, he’d be a shoo-in for the promotion.
“The cancer research benefit is tonight. Riana is on the planning committee for the event, and she assured me her father will be there.” He hated black-tie events, and a crowded ballroom wouldn’t be the place to press James Collins for a time and date to present his proposal for the new jewelry stores, but at least Zach would have another chance to meet the man face to face.
Daryl nodded as he glanced around the office.
“So, what’s on your mind?” Zach asked, straight to the point and with the hope the other man would respond in kind.
The slow perusal of his office couldn’t be anything but a stall tactic. The place hadn’t changed since Zach moved in five years ago. The large wooden desk took up most of the space in the middle of the room with a file cabinet in one corner and a trailing philodendron on a plant stand in the other. The plant stayed alive as long as it had only because the cleaning people watered once a week.
No pictures, no mementos, no trophies adorned the beige walls. He kept his personal life—such as it was—separate from work and liked it that way.
Except for last night when the two had combined in an explosive kiss. He had to be crazy to even contemplate dating Allison, and yet he’d done more than think about it, hadn’t he? His final comment the night before intimated he was ready and willing to start … something.
He’d never been one for relationships, at least nothing serious. His career came first, and he preferred women who felt the same drive to succeed as he did. And while Allison was as beautiful, as smart, as clever as any of the women he’d dated in the past, she didn’t fit the “work first” mold. She didn’t fit any mold, he’d come to realize the night before. She was adventurous rather than ambitious, more interested in grabbing hold of the moment than reaching toward the future. A woman who would always keep a man on his toes, always keep him interested—
“It’s about the Collins proposal.”
Daryl’s comment snapped Zach’s attention back where it should have been in the first place. What was wrong with him? He’d never had trouble keeping his mind off a woman when it mattered. Never. And he refused to let it happen now.
Meeting his boss’s gaze, he said, “Riana said Knox is in the running for the contract based on our initial numbers. That’s what got us through the door, but our proposal will be what slams it shut on the rest of the competition.” And the board would have no choice but to offer him the promotion.
Silence followed his statement. Hardly a ringing endorsement from his boss. Not that Zach needed that kind of encouragement, but did Daryl really think he would blow this chance?
“You know how important this presentation is to me.”
“It’s important to the whole company, Zach,” his boss shot back, reminding Zach of criticisms he’d heard before.
Not a team player…. Doesn’t work well with others …
Damn right he didn’t! He worked hard, and he wasn’t about to let anyone else drag him down.
Still, he took a deep breath and said, “I know. But you don’t have to worry. I’ve got this one.”
Zach knew it wouldn’t look good to get too cocky, but if he showed any kind of weakness, Daryl—for all his mild-mannered attitude and scholarly looks—would move in for the kill. He’d pull the Collins account out from beneath Zach before he could say—
“I think you need help this time.”
“What?” Zach stood so quickly his chair rolled back and bounced off the wall behind him. Daryl hadn’t taken the account away, but this was almost as bad. “You can’t—” Zach checked the response when he saw the steely determination behind his boss’s wire-rimmed glasses.
Starting over and trying for a reasonable tone despite the frustration pounding through his veins, he said, “Look, Daryl, this has been my baby from the beginning. I’ve spent months working on this. For another salesman to come in now—”
“I never said it had to be another salesperson. One of the sales assistants can work with you.”
