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He had found relationships with people in general to be confusing at times, which was why, when he’d had to complete hours for community service in order to graduate from high school, he’d volunteered to work with animals. They didn’t need him to be anything other than himself. When he said “sit,” they understood, unlike the Mrs. Armstrongs of the world who lived by their own rules.
Jason stepped off the elevator and walked to the office directly in front of him and entered, then stopped when he saw the woman sitting there. He hoped she wasn’t the one. He didn’t like her smile; he didn’t trust her. He’d learned early that there were few women he could—or would—trust.
“Hello,” she said, stretching out her hand. “You must be Jason Ward.”
“Yes,” he said, seeing her wince when he shook her hand, even as her smile remained. He found it too wide; her body was too close. He could see her sizing him up—calculating the price of his clothes. She’d be disappointed. If this was Abby Baylor, he’d do the initial consultation and then find someone else.
“Would you like some coffee?” she asked, gesturing to a seat.
He sat. “No, I’m fine. Thanks, Ms. Baylor.”
“Oh, no, that’s not me.”
Before she could explain further, the other office door opened and another woman walked out. Now, she was a vision. She was tall, brown-skinned, with shoulder-length black hair, and elegantly dressed in a fitted sheath dress that showed off all her curves. She didn’t smile at him or step close. He liked her immediately.
“Jason Ward?” she asked in a curt manner.
He stood. “Yes.”
She held out her hand. “I’m Abby Baylor.”
He shook her hand. “A pleasure.”
She winced and rubbed her hand. “Not with a handshake like that. Are you trying to break my fingers? Never mind, we’ll work on that later.” She turned to her office. “Please, follow me.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He’d have no problem following her anywhere. He liked the view from the back of her as much as from the front.
* * *
Abby walked into her room, trying to get her heart to stop racing. She’d tried to imagine what Jason Ward would be like, but nothing had prepared her for the man she met up close. A man who was both terrifying and mesmerizing. She knew him by reputation. He made news for his ruthless dealings and temper. But strangely, he didn’t frighten her, although he should have. She was struck by his dark, cutting gaze. He topped six-four, had a remarkable build and looked like a man who could carry tree trunks—or better yet, a helpless woman over his shoulder. She’d wanted a challenge, and she knew he would be one.
“We have a lot of work to do. I can already list three things we need to work on. Take a seat.”
“Is this how you greet all your new clients?” he said, still standing.
“Why? Should I be a little gentler?”
He lifted a brow but didn’t reply.
Score one for her, Abby thought with a small thrill of delight. She’d put on her cool demeanor on purpose and wanted to see how he would react. To her amazement he didn’t, but she wouldn’t underestimate him. She could imagine his mind working on another strategy, so she had to take control first. She held out her hand. “Let’s start again. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Abby Baylor.”
Jason shook her hand, his grip strong. “A pleasure.”
She flexed her fingers. “Yes, we’ll definitely have to work on that.” She sat down. “Now tell me what you want, specifically.”
Jason smiled at her as if she’d asked him something more intimate, making her skin grow warm. Although her insides trembled, she held his gaze. She would not let him intimidate her in spite of the fact he was suddenly making her very curious about what he wanted and if she could oblige him. In his dreams, she thought, quickly brushing the idea aside.
“I want to play well with others,” he said in a sarcastic tone, taking a seat across from her.
“And not be the bully in the sandbox?”
“Something like that.”
“May I give you a brief assessment?”
He shrugged. “You say that as if I have an option, but somehow I doubt it. Please, proceed. Tell me what’s wrong with me.”
Abby pointed to his hands. “The handshake is too hard.” She nodded at him. “And the stare too long. You haven’t blinked or moved your gaze once since I started talking. To someone else, that’s an aggressive move. Is that what you’re trying for?”
“I thought I was being attentive.”
She smiled. “No, you don’t. You don’t want to be here.”
Jason lifted a brow, but again, didn’t respond.
“How long have you been doing this?” he asked.
“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know, you tell me. You’re a meticulous man. I don’t think you’d hire someone you knew little about. My website and brochure say plenty about me, as do client testimonials, so, please, don’t waste our time.”
“I wanted to see if you’d lie.”
“You’ll have to ask me another question. Later. Right now I’m here to help you.” She stood. “We’ll start with your handshake.”
He reluctantly stood. “I see you don’t believe in chitchat.”
“Time is money.”
“I have a lot to spend.”
“The sooner we start, the sooner you’ll succeed.”
He shook his head, amused. “Do you always talk like that?”
“Like what?”
“In platitudes?”
“Doesn’t matter. Now, the handshake is important. It says a lot about you. You don’t want one that is too strong or too weak. You want a firm, assured, but quick connection. Let’s try it again.” She held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Abby Baylor.”
He took her hand in his. This time his grip was not too strong; instead it was amazingly gentle but firm. “Jason Ward.”
“That was great! Perfect. Now, look down at our hands. Do you see how nice the grip is?” She glanced up at him. “You’re not looking.”
“I prefer looking at you.”
Abby’s heart picked up its pace, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn’t afford to be attracted to him. He was a client; he couldn’t be anything more. She had to stay in control. “You have a hard time when you’re not the leader, don’t you?”
“I don’t mind you being the leader, but that doesn’t mean I have to follow all your directions.”
She pulled her hand away. “Yes, it does. Listening to me means that you trust me.”
“I don’t give away my trust easily.”
“If you want me to help you, you’ll have to learn fast.”
“I have no trouble learning fast,” he said in a low voice. “But when it comes to trust, I always take my time.”
Abby swallowed, wishing her heart would return to its normal pace. “Fine.”
“I’d like to practice the handshake again.” He moved in closer to her.
“You don’t need to. I told you, you were perfect.”
Jason flashed a wolfish grin. “I’m far from that.” He held out his hand.
“Okay, one last time. This time you do the introductions.”
He extended his hand. She took it.
“Hello, Ms. Baylor, I’m Jason Ward, and I look forward to working with you over the next several weeks.”
She knew the words to say, but they wouldn’t escape her mouth. Her throat felt dry; her face felt warm. She was in trouble. He was not only both terrifying and magnificent, he was sexy as hell. He softened his grip, making it restraining but also tender—staying on the side of decency, so she couldn’t scold him, but eliciting very indecent thoughts in her mind. Unsettling her. He made her realize how large his hand was, how hot his palm felt against hers. Abby pulled her hand away and folded her arms. He was more devious than she thought. Maybe he was getting her back for her cold greeting—whatever the reason, she couldn’t fight him on equal terms. He clearly had the advantage. But she couldn’t let him have an emotional advantage; she had to stay distant and professional.
“That was perfect,” she said in a bright voice, hoping he couldn’t see his effect on her. “You really are a fast learner.” She had learned that stroking a man’s ego always worked in her favor. She just needed him as a client, nothing else. She took a step backward.
“I am a fast learner, but you’re also a good teacher.”
“Yes, and I also know when I’m being tested. That bone-crushing handshake before was a test, wasn’t it? What were you trying to find out? Whether I’d run away or not? Whether you could frighten me? Did I pass?”
He folded his arms, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Yes.” He shrugged. “I wanted to see how desperate you were.”
“I’m not desperate.” She moved to go behind her desk, but he blocked her path.
“Eager, then,” he smoothly corrected.
“What do you mean by eager?”
He took out his cell phone and typed in a few things, then held the screen out to her. “Finishing Touches isn’t doing as well as it used to. You were right. I am meticulous and did my homework. I know a lot about you, Ms. Baylor.”
“And I obviously don’t know enough about you. I knew you were a jerk, I just didn’t realize how big.” Abby stared at the screen in humiliation, feeling exposed and ashamed. She didn’t care if he did or didn’t want to be there, but she’d at least thought he respected her. “I see,” she said coldly. She pushed past him and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?”
As far away from you as I can get. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re the one who’s leaving,” she said, although she hated the thought of failing before she’d even begun. She’d been so hopeful about this meeting. She’d imagined succeeding with him and seeing her business soar—instead he’d shown her how close to the brink she was. “You’ve made it very clear that this won’t work, and I agree with you,” she said, opening the door wider, a signal for him to leave.
“I had to do it,” Jason said in a flat, grim tone, walking toward her.
Abby stepped backward but found herself with nowhere to go and her back against the door.
Jason shoved his hands in his pockets. “I hate needing anyone. Especially for something like learning how to ‘work with people.’ I don’t see why I should have to use someone like you. I’m good at what I do. I like my life, but for some reason people seem to have a problem with the way I do things. I don’t like to depend on anyone. Finding your weak spot makes me feel fine about you knowing mine. You need me as much as I need you.”
She didn’t want it to be true, but he was right. “I demand respect,” she said. “No more tests.”
He held up his hand as though stating an oath. “Agreed.”
“I can help you learn business etiquette.” When he didn’t look convinced, she continued. “I know it may sound strange, but in the corporate world, knowing the rules is what really counts, not just making money. You need to change your business approach, because you are your business. I’m going to show you how to be strong but not rude, kind but not weak and bold but not a bully.”
“How?”
“You’ll see.” She sniffed the air. “My goodness, do you always smell this good?”
He blinked. “What?”
She leaned in closer and sniffed again. “Hmm.” She leaned back and nodded. “I can already tell right away what some of your problems are. First of all, you smell amazing, but a little too much so—it’s distracting. Is it cologne or aftershave? We may have to change it. Also, I know that you don’t like wearing suits, but this present look—” she studied his khakis and the sweater he was wearing “—may be too casual for you. You’re sexy, but your clothes work against you because you’re projecting an aggressive sexiness that both attracts and repels at the same time. You have a very intimidating build and you’re very smart, brilliant in fact, but you don’t look it.”
She held up her hand. “I’m not saying you look stupid, it’s just that your mind isn’t the first thing people think about when they look at you.” It certainly wasn’t for me. “Your build and your face work against you in the business environment where they no doubt worked for you on the streets. You’ll need the right armor. You don’t hide your feelings well either. Right now I know I said something that’s made you angry. I’ll find out what later, but I shouldn’t know that. I’ll teach you how to guard your feelings.” She shoved his shoulder backward. “I’m going to remove this big chip from your shoulder and help you get the respect you want. I can see that’s what you’re hungry for. You want to prove yourself. That’s a bad thing.”
Jason lifted a brow in a silent question.
“When you want to prove something to someone else, you make that person important. By making them important, you make them matter. And if you make them matter, they own you.” She walked back to her desk and sat. “We’ll have three rules. One, you will learn to look away. It will be brief, but necessary. Two, you’ll alter your appearance, not radically but enough, and three, you will not swear. Every time you swear, you’ll give me one hundred dollars.”
He swore. “A hundred?”
She held out her hand. “You can afford it.”
He bit his lip, reached into his pocket and handed her a hundred dollar bill.
Abby carefully folded the bill and put it away. “Now, humility—”
“Is a trait I prefer not to fake.”
“Do you really want my help?”
“No, I already told you that. I really don’t want to be here. Take dogs and cats, for example. I have no problem with them. During high school I volunteered at a local veterinary clinic. I loved it. I never had to worry about hurting their feelings.”
“We’re not talking about cats and dogs. We’re talking about you being able to interact well with human beings so that you make the kind of connections you need to have a successful business.
“You mean, learn how to engage in small talk and suck up to people to get what you want and—”
“What have you heard?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re talking in vague statements—‘sucking up to people’ and ‘hurting people’s feelings.’ You don’t strike me as the kind of person who cares what people think, but when it comes to business, I’m sure you know it’s important. Something must have happened for you to be here. What’s one opinion or something someone has said that you want to change?”
