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He kept looking at her now and she knew he was waiting for her response, so she said, “All right, Jonas, I’m curious to hear your plan.”
He smiled, winked and went back to studying his menu. Nikki drew in a deep breath as she turned her attention to her own. But she couldn’t ignore the play of emotions that spread through her. As usual, he was having that sort of effect on her and there was nothing she could do about it but sit there and suffer through it.
She wished there was a way after hearing him out that she could just thank him for considering her for the project and then graciously turn him down. But whether she wanted to admit it or not, she wanted the job.
She needed the job.
But what she needed even more was the use of her common sense when it came to Jonas. And she wasn’t sure that was possible.
Chapter 2
Being around Nikki was doing a number on him, Jonas thought, taking another sip of his wine. Wasn’t it just a short while ago he’d given himself a pep talk, confident that he would be the one in control during this meeting? But that was before he’d had to sit across from her for the past half hour or so. More than once he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from telling her how good she looked or how sweet she smelled. And her hair, that riotous mass of curls that she tossed about, made her features even more attractive.
Crap. When would this intense attraction for her end? And why was he feeling as if he was about to come out of his skin? And to make matters worse, he had a hard-on that was about to burst his zipper. Why was the thought of doing intimate things to Nikki so much in the forefront of his mind? Why hadn’t time away from her eradicated her from his thoughts? And why did he remember that kiss as if it were just yesterday?
He shifted in his seat again, feeling edgy. Horny. Lusty. Those were physical states he usually never found himself in. Never had a reason to. As a rule, he got laid whenever he wanted, which was usually all the time. But at the moment, he felt sexually deprived. Overheated.
Where was a Tootsie Pop when he needed one? Sucking on one of those usually took his mind off his problems. Eight years ago when he’d quit smoking, his brothers had given him a huge bag of the lollipops as a joke. They had told him to lick one every time he got the urge to smoke, and pretend he was licking a woman’s breast instead. It worked.
Now if he wouldn’t feel so friggin’ hot…
If there was any way he could remove his shirt and just sit there bare-chested, he would. His attraction to Nikki was overpowering his senses and he didn’t like it at all. No woman was supposed to have this sort of effect on him. But he knew no way to stop it. He took another drink and felt a bit queasy. Why was he drinking the stuff? He knew why, and the main reason was sitting across from him.
He glanced at Nikki again. She wasn’t what he would consider drop-dead gorgeous, but her beauty seemed to emit some sort of hypnotic appeal. Her eyes were dark, her nose the perfect size and shape for her face, and her lips were sensually full…and tasty, he remembered. Combined, the features on her medium-brown face were arresting, striking and expressive. For him a total turn-on.
He just didn’t know what there was about her that tempted him to clear the table and spread her out on it and take her for the entrée as well as for dessert. Then he would proceed to lick and lap a body he had yet to see or touch underneath those jeans and shirt she normally wore. But he had a feeling she was hiding a body that was ultra sexy. Her curves hinted as much. What color bra was she wearing? What color panties? Bikini cut, hip huggers or thong? He had a thing for sexy underwear on a woman.
He shifted in his chair, thinking he needed a Tootsie Pop and bad.
He put down his wineglass to cut into his steak. But each and every time he would glance up and stare at her lips, he would remember that kiss. And the memories were filling his head with more foolish thoughts…as well as questions he didn’t have any answers to.
One question that stood out in the forefront was that if he’d been so attracted to her when they’d first met, why hadn’t he hit on her long before that kiss? It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d broken his strictly business rule by making a professional relationship personal. Hell, he was one who believed in taking advantage of any opportunity, business or personal. Then why hadn’t he placed her on his “to-do” list long before their kiss that day?
He knew the answer without thinking hard about it. From the first, there had been something about his desire for Nikki Cartwright that wasn’t normal. He’d sensed it. Felt it. And it had scared him. He had never reacted so viscerally to a woman before. She had a seductive air about her that had come across as effortless as breathing, and he was sure it was something she wasn’t even aware she possessed.
Thoughts of her had begun taking up too much of his time, and he couldn’t shake them off like he did with other women. It was as if they occupied the deep recesses of his mind and intended to stay forever. And Jonas Steele didn’t do forever with any woman.
And there was also the fact that around her his active imagination was worse than ever. Some were so downright erotic they had startled even him. That much desire made him feel vulnerable, and it was a vulnerability he could and would not tolerate.
Things had gotten worse after the kiss. He had started comparing every single kiss after that with hers, and so far none could compare. And then at night, he would wake up in a sweat, alone in his bed, after dreaming of making love to her in positions that were probably outlawed in the United States and their territories.
At one time he’d thought the best thing to do was just to work her out of his system by sleeping with her. He figured that one good night of sex ought to do the trick. But then there was this inner fear that an all-nighter might not do anything but make him want some more. Then he would start begging.
And the thought of a Steele begging was unheard of. Totally out of the question. A damn mortal sin. Definitely something that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Never.
Then why was he freaking out about a kiss that happened eighteen months ago?
He figured one of the main reasons was that he had tasted something in that kiss he’d never tasted before—the type of passion that could ultimately be his downfall, his final hold on the world that he wanted for himself. The only world he could live in. A world filled with women, women and more women. He refused to let his body’s reaction to one particular woman end what he considered the good life.
He needed a Tootsie Pop.
“So what’s your marketing strategy for this project, Jonas?”
Her voice was low and seductive. He knew it wasn’t intentional. That’s the way it was. He glanced over at her. Was she wearing makeup? He couldn’t tell. She had what most women would call natural beauty. And this wasn’t the first time he’d noticed just how long her eyelashes were. Most women wore the fake ones to get that length, but he knew hers were the real deal.
His fingers tightened around the glass, and he took another sip before saying, “Fulton wants me to capitalize on the fact there hasn’t been an airship of this kind since the Hindenburg…while at the same time minimizing the similarities.” He breathed in her scent again, liking it even more, and getting more and more aroused by it.
Nikki nodded. She understood the reason Mr. Fulton would want that. It had been decades since the luxury airship exploded while attempting to dock. Of the ninety-seven passengers and crew on board, thirty-five people had lost their lives. If Fulton had built a similar airship, the last thing he would want people to remember was the fate of the original one.
“That tragedy was seventy-five years ago,” she said. “I’m surprised no one has attempted to build another luxury airship of that kind before now.”
“People have long memories,” he said, pushing his plate aside and leaning back in his chair since he’d finished his meal. “Fortunately, the ones who do remember are no longer around to tell the story of that fateful day in May 1937.”
He paused a moment and then added, “I remember reading about it in school. I had a history teacher who ranked the Hindenburg explosion right up there with the sinking of the Titanic.”
Nikki could believe that. Both had been major catastrophes. She had studied the Hindenburg in school as well, and was well aware that the disaster had effectively destroyed the public’s confidence in any type of giant, passenger-carrying air transportation of its kind, abruptly ending the era of the airship. But at the time they didn’t have the technological advances of today. She’d heard the airship that Fulton had built was in a class all by itself, definitely a breakthrough in the world of air travel.
“My ultimate plan is to rebuild people’s confidence in this type of air travel.” Jonas interrupted her thoughts. “After the Titanic, people were leery of cruise ships, but now they don’t give a thought to what happened with the Titanic years ago. I want the same mind-set in getting the public back interested in luxury air travel. Especially on the airship Velocity.”
She arched her brows. “Velocity?”
“Yes, that’s the name of Fulton’s airship, and when you think of the meaning I believe it will fit.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Velocity is being billed as the wave of the future in air travel, and is capable of moving at four times the speed of sound and uses biofuel made from seaweed with minimum emissions.”
“Seaweed?”
He chuckled. “Yes. Amazing, isn’t it? Fulton will bring a hypersonic zeppelin-design aircraft into the present age. It guarantees a smooth flight and will trim the time getting from one place to another by fifty percent. Ideas of Steele’s job is to tie everything together and present a package the public would want to buy into. When the Velocity is ready for its first series of air voyages in April, we want a sold-out airship. Fulton’s designers have created a beauty that will be unveiled at a red-carpeted launch party in a few weeks.”
Jonas paused a moment when the waiter returned to clear their table and give them a dessert menu. Jonas looked over at her and said, “Fulton is well aware the only people who will be passengers on his supersonic airship are the well-to-do, since a ticket won’t be cheap. My job is to pique everyone’s interest, restore their confidence in the safety of hypersonic travel and make sure those who can afford a ticket buy one. I will emphasize all the Velocity has to offer as a fun and exciting party airship.”
He paused a moment, then continued, “I’ll need photographs for the brochures, website, all the social networks I’ll be using, as well as the mass media. The launch party will be held in Las Vegas. Then the next day the Velocity will take a trial flight, leaving Los Angeles, traveling to China, Australia, Dubai and Paris on a fourteen-day excursion. That’s four continents. Fulton has invited certain members of the media, and a few celebrities. You will need to be on board for that too, to take as many marketing photos as you can.”
Jonas met her gaze. “As my photographer I’d like you to attend all events as well as travel with me. We’ll want to highlight the airship to its full advantage, to give it the best exposure.”
Nikki breathed in deeply in an attempt to downplay the racing of her heart at the thought of all the time they would spend together. Here he was, sitting across from her, all business. She drew in a deep breath. Evidently he had put the kiss they’d shared out of his mind and was not still dwelling on it like she was. Had she really thought he would?
Get real, girl. Do you honestly think that kiss had any sort of lasting effect on him like it had on you? You’re talking about a man who’s kissed countless women. In his book, one is probably just as good as another. No big deal. So why are you letting it be a big deal for you? If he can feel total indifference then why can’t you?
She knew the answer to that without much thought. As much as she boasted about no longer believing in fairy tales of love and forever-after, and as much as she told herself that she could play with the big boys, she knew she could not compete with the likes of Jonas Steele. Nor did she want to.
She had deep apprehensions when it came to him and they were apprehensions she couldn’t shake off. What if her attraction to him intensified? What if it moved to another level, one that could cause her heartbreak in the end? Could she handle being a Jonas Steele castoff?
“Um, this dessert menu looks delicious. What would you like?” he asked.
What would I like? Having him wasn’t such a bad idea. Deep, dark chocolate. The kind of delectable sweetness that you could wrap around your tongue, feast on for hours and still hunger for more. She wondered about those tattoos she’d heard he had. Where were they? How did they look? How would they taste under her tongue?
Suddenly she felt breathless and her heart was thumping like crazy in her chest. She should feel outright ashamed at the path her thoughts were taking. She needed to get a grip.
She took another sip of wine thinking any time spent around Jonas would drive her over the edge. Already she was imagining things she shouldn’t. Like how his lower lip would taste being sucked into her mouth. She shifted in her seat and forced the thoughts away. And he thought they could work closely together again. Boy, he was wrong.
At that moment, considering everything, she knew what her answer regarding his job offer would be. She would be giving up a golden opportunity, one any photographer would love to have. But she had to think about her sanity.
“Nikki?”
She met his gaze. “Yes?”
“Dessert?”
It was hard to keep her mind on anything but Jonas, and that wasn’t good. “Yes, the apple pie sounds delicious, but the slice is huge. That’s more than I can eat.”
He closed his menu. “No problem. We can share it.”
She swallowed deeply. He wanted to share a slice of pie with her? To him that might be no big deal, but to her that was the beginning of trouble. It was so sad that he didn’t see anything wrong with it.
“Nikki?”
If she kept skipping out on their conversations he would begin questioning her attention span. “Okay, we can share it,” she said and regretted the words the moment they left her lips. Sharing a slice of pie seemed too personal, and this was a business meeting. Wasn’t doing something like that considered unprofessional? Evidently he didn’t think so.
The waiter returned to take their dessert order. After he left, Jonas said, “I need to be up front with you. If you do take the job it will require long workdays, but I don’t see it as being as exhausting as the last project we worked on together.”
In a way Nikki wished that it would be. Then she would be too tired to do anything but collapse in bed each night. Too tired to replay over in her mind every nuance of feelings she’d encountered around him. And too tired to remember that one darn kiss that he’d already forgotten.
Jonas made it through dinner—barely. His gut had tightened each and every time he’d glanced up to see her mouth work while chewing her food. He imagined that same mouth working on him.
And sharing that slice of apple pie with her hadn’t helped matters. They’d had their own utensils, but more than once he had been tempted to feed her from his fork, hoping that she licked it so he could cop her taste again.
He’d meant what he said about doubling whatever salary Joseph’s campaign was offering her. One thing she didn’t know was that Jonas had kept up with her over the past few months. He knew no big accounts had been knocking on her door.
Like he’d told her more than once, she was the best and could handle a camera like nobody’s business. And from the way she was acting she probably didn’t even remember that kiss. She hadn’t even brought it up. In fact she was acting like it had never happened. He didn’t know whether he should be relieved or insulted. He wasn’t conceited, but to think one of his kisses hadn’t left a lasting effect on any woman was pretty damn annoying.
His thoughts drifted to what he’d told her about the job and the time they would spend together. She’d nodded and asked a few questions. Otherwise, she’d mainly listened while he had explained the marketing strategy to her. It was something he knew she could handle.
He only hoped and prayed he could handle it as well. That he would be able to keep his libido in check and his hands to himself. He had a voracious sexual appetite, and considering the fact he was already strongly attracted to Nikki, that meant he had to do whatever was necessary to stay in control at all times.
Control suddenly took a backseat when he looked at her chest. He really liked the shape of her breasts, which were pressing against her blouse. The tips of her nipples seemed like little hardened buds, as if she was aroused. That couldn’t be the case when she was sitting over there eating the last of her pie and not paying him any attention.
His stomach tightened when she finished it off by licking the fork. He again imagined all the things he’d like her to do with that tongue. And since he already knew how it tasted, he could feel sensations stirring in his gut.
Knowing he had to stop thinking such racy thoughts, he cleared his throat. “So, now that you know what the project will entail, do you have an answer for me now or do you need to sleep on it?” And how about sleeping with me in the process? He had to tighten his lips to keep from adding such a suggestion.
Before she could respond, the waiter came again to remove the last of their dishes and to leave him with the check.
It was then that she said, “Thanks for your consideration of me for the job, and I appreciate the offer. But I won’t be able to take it, Jonas.”
He blinked. Had he heard her right? Had she just turned him down? Shocked, he fought to keep the frown off his face. No woman had ever turned him down for anything. Business or pleasure.
There was a long pause and he knew she was waiting for him to say something, so he did. “Uh, all right. Would you like to order another cup of coffee?”
Hell, what else was he going to say? Tell her that it wasn’t all right?
“No, I’ll pass on the coffee. One cup was plenty for me. And thanks for being understanding about me not taking the job,” she said.
Was he being understanding? He doubted it but decided to let her think whatever she wanted. Shouldn’t he at least ask her why she had refused his offer? He quickly figured it wouldn’t matter. There was nothing left for him to do but to move to the number-two person on the list, George Keller. George was a good photographer but could get on his last nerve at times. The thought of spending two weeks with the man had his teeth grinding.
“Well, thanks for dinner. I need to leave now.”
And now on top of everything else, she was running out on him. Automatically, he stood as well. “You’re welcome. If not this time, then maybe we can work together again on another project in the future.”
She shrugged. “Possibly.”
Possibly? Was she for real? Just what was with this possibly crap? His lips curved into a forced smile. “I’m glad you’re willing to keep your options open,” he said, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice.
At that moment she moved around the table getting ready to leave, and he felt a sucker punch deep in his gut. Nikki Cartwright was wearing something other than jeans. She had on a very short dress that showed all of her curves and legs he was seeing for the very first time. Long, gorgeous legs.
His gaze ran up and down her body and his breath caught in his throat when he realized that she was the same woman whose legs he’d seen in the parking lot earlier. Damn. Holy, hot damn.
Before he could stop himself, he looked up, met her gaze and said in an incredulous voice, “You’re wearing a dress.”
There was something about the look in Jonas’s eyes that gave Nikki pause. Was that heated lust in the dark depths staring at her like she was a slice of strawberry cheesecake with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream on top? He had never looked at her like this before. Not even after the time they’d kissed. She was more than certain that she would have remembered if he had.
She was definitely confused. Did seeing her in a dress finally make him aware that she was a woman in a way that kiss hadn’t? She would have worn a dress around him a long time ago if she’d known it would grab this much attention.
She drew in a deep breath, feeling sexy and seductive for the first time in years. “Yes, I usually wear jeans or slacks because they’re more comfortable for the work I do. But I decided to wear a dress tonight since I’m going to spend some time upstairs.”
He lifted his brow. “Upstairs?”
“Yes, at Mavericks. Tonight is jazz night.”
Jonas nodded. Mavericks was an upscale nightclub on the thirty-fifth floor that had a rooftop bar and a wraparound terrace that provided a panoramic view of the mountains and Phoenix’s skyline.
He stared at her and her outfit for a moment, wondering if perhaps she had a date. Of course if she did it was none of his business. But still, for some reason, he wanted to know.
“Sorry, I hope I didn’t detain you unnecessarily. I wouldn’t want you to be late for your date,” he heard himself saying.
She smiled. “I don’t have a date. I like jazz and thought I’d spend my evening doing something other than watching television.”
He lifted a brow. “You aren’t meeting anyone?”
She frowned. “No. I don’t need someone to take me out if I want to enjoy good music.”
He was well aware of that. However, a woman who was alone and looked like her would be inviting male attention whether she wanted it or not. There was no way he wouldn’t hit on her if he saw her sitting alone. Men made plays for attractive women with only one thing in mind. It was the way of life. He of all people should know.
Imagining her sitting alone in a club while listening to jazz didn’t sit well with him. He met her gaze. “I don’t have anything else to do tonight and I love jazz as well. Mind if I join you?”
Chapter 3
Nikki struggled to retain an expressionless face as she walked into Mavericks with Jonas by her side. She was determined that nothing would make her come unglued, even the feel of his hand in the center of her back as he led her toward an empty table.
