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“Two feet?” he echoed, staring at her in surprise.
“Minimum,” she said crisply. “I’m glad you find it easy to keep business and emotion—or in this case perhaps I should say hormones—separate. But unlike you, I’m mere mortal, carbon-based, and boundaries help me immensely.”
“And what about when the time comes for me to make my contribution to your little personal project?”
“I thought we agreed you would do that in a lab.”
“If you don’t change your mind,” he said, his mouth stretching upward in a sexual grin that unfairly threatened her knees. And her spine.
“That’s pretty arrogant,” she told him.
“We’ll see. Since you’re busy now, I’ll stop by tomorrow night,” he said and strolled out of the room.
Erika bared her teeth and gave a low growl. The man was so aggravating. What made it worse was that he was right. She hated that. He tempted her, always had. She wished she possessed the magic antidote for his effect on her.
The following day she dropped Gannon a quick e-mail telling him she couldn’t meet him due to a mentor meeting, which was the truth. Tia had asked to rearrange their meeting because of a conflicting basketball game.
Erika arranged for a taxi to pick Tia up and met her for a quick bite to eat. Afterward she brought Tia upstairs to the nearly deserted office to show her some of the inner workings of HomeStyle magazine.
“It’s cool and pretty, but it’s kinda boring. I’d rather write an article about something more important than arranging flowers,” Tia said.
Erika secretly agreed, but she knew she needed to provide perspective. “Yes, but I’ve gained new skills by taking this job. I’ve been one of the top people, so I’ve learned to make decisions quickly when necessary. It’s also given me a better appreciation of how our surroundings or environment can affect our attitudes and emotions.”
“Like a cold, rainy day makes you want to skip school,” Tia said, skimming her hand over Erika’s desk and smiling at the frog clock.
“Not you, of course,” Erika said. “You’ve got the idea. Another example is how a drab room can make you feel tired.”
Tia nodded. “My math room needs to be painted. It’s dirty beige. I want to go to sleep every time I go to that class.”
“Nothing to do with the subject,” Erika teased.
Tia shook her head. “No, I’m serious. It’s peeling and blah. Everybody skips classes in that room more than any other,” she said.
“Then maybe HomeStyle could sponsor a classroom makeover,” Gannon said from the open doorway. “I couldn’t help overhearing you.”
Tia looked Gannon over from head to toe, then glanced at Erika with raised eyebrows. “Who’s he?”
“Tia Rogers, this is Mr. Gannon Elliott, executive editor of Pulse magazine,” Erika said. “Mr. Elliott, Tia is teaching me how to be a mentor.”
“She’s doing pretty good for a new chick,” Tia said, accepting Gannon’s outstretched hand. “I thought the head dude for EPH was some old guy. You ain’t that old.”
Erika chuckled. “Patrick Elliott is the CEO of Elliott Publication Holdings. Patrick is Gannon’s grandfather.”
“Oh,” Tia said. “Not to upset Miss Layven, but Pulse is way better than HomeStyle.”
Gannon smiled. “Thank you. I’m partial to it. And Miss Layven will be moving permanently to the Pulse team as soon as we can arrange it.”
Tia gaped at Erika. “That is just so cool.”
“If you want to get a makeover for your math classroom, better start asking now,” Gannon said.
Erika looked at him. “You’re serious.”
“Sure. Decorating, human interest and community service. I may even lift a brush in contribution.”
Erika did a double take. “I didn’t know you could paint.”
He tossed her a dark look. “It’s not that difficult.”
“But do you have actual personal experience?” she asked in disbelief. After all, Gannon was a billionaire. Why would he need to paint?
Gannon nodded. “Yes. Teagan, Liam, Cullen and I painted the boathouse one weekend when we were teenagers. My grandfather thought it would build character.”
“Did it?” Erika couldn’t resist asking.
“It increased my desire to make good grades so I wouldn’t have to paint for a living,” he said.
A new story about Gannon’s past. Delighted, Erika smiled, feeling as if she’d been given jewelry.
“Grades again,” Tia said. “You sound like Miss Layven.”
“Good to know we agree on a couple of things,” he muttered. “How long are you two planning to be here?”
“We’re actually leaving,” Erika said. “Hot chocolate, then I’ll put Tia in a cab. School night.”
Tia wrinkled her nose.
“Mind if I join you?” Gannon asked. “I can offer the use of my car.”
“Cool,” Tia said. “Is it a limo?”
Gannon’s lips twitched in humor. “Sorry, just a chauffeured Town Car.”
“That’s okay,” Tia said. “It might look too pimpin’ if we showed up in a limo in my neighborhood.”
“You really don’t need to do this,” Erika said, thinking about the return ride in his hired car, alone with him. How was she going to stick to her two-foot rule in the backseat of his car?
“No problem. We can discuss the classroom makeover and then you and I can talk some Pulse possibilities on the return drive.”
Erika grudgingly had to admit that Gannon was on his best behavior with Tia. He answered her questions, gently teased her and encouraged her about her studies. He picked up the tab for the hot chocolate and during the drive to Tia’s apartment he asked her how she would like to see the room decorated.
“It needs to be a bright color so we’ll stay awake,” Tia said. “Yellow …”
“Research indicates that babies cry more in rooms painted yellow and people tend to become more emotional,” Erika said.
Gannon threw her a questioning glance. “How do you know that about babies?”
Erika shrugged. “Just one of those things I picked up through HomeStyle. Red is a stimulating color, but some studies indicate an association with aggression.”
Tia rolled her eyes. “We don’t need no more aggression. There’s fights every day.”
“Any more aggression,” Erika automatically corrected. “And there are fights every day.”
“That’s what I said,” Tia said.
Gannon made an amused choking sound.
“Don’t say no right away. But I’d like you to consider pink,” Erika said.
“Pink?” Gannon echoed in a combination of disbelief and distaste.
“Put your macho attitude aside for a moment if you can,” Erika said.
Tia shook her head. “I can’t do pink. The guys would never stop making fun of me. And they would be impossible in the classroom.”
“Studies indicate that students perform better in a classroom painted pink. Not only do they perform better but they’re happier.”
Silence followed.
Gannon gave Erika a considering glance and rubbed his finger over his mouth. Erika told herself to look away from his mouth. Away.
He looked at Tia. “I think you should do some research on how color affects mood and write a very short article. With Miss Layven’s approval, Home-Style can print your short article within the classroom redo feature. You choose the redo, within reason, based on your research and you get a writing credit.”
Tia dropped her jaw. “Me? Write an article for HomeStyle? Have my name in the magazine? I can’t wait to tell my friends.”
Erika couldn’t help smiling at Tia’s excitement.
“Omigod,” Tia said. “I mean, it would be much more sweet to be in Pulse or Snap or Charisma,” she said, listing EPH’s most successful magazines. “But this is cool, too.” She shook her head in disbelief. “My name in a national magazine.”
“You’ll need to do your research,” Erika said.
“I will,” Tia agreed.
“And Miss Layven will edit your article. You need to be prepared for rewrites,” Gannon said.
“That’s okay. I can do that,” she said, nodding as the car pulled in front of her apartment building. She looked from Gannon to Erika, then back at Gannon. She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Thank you so much, Mr. Elliott! I won’t disappoint you.”
She turned to Erika and threw her arms around her. “Miss Layven, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Surprised at Tia’s emotional display, Erika hesitated a half second before she returned the teen’s embrace. Her heart twisted with an odd emotion. “I know you’re going to do an awesome job, Tia.”
“Yes, I will,” Tia said and pulled back, pointing her index finger at Erika. “You can count on me.”
Gannon opened the car door and slid out so Tia could climb out of the car. “Bye!” she said and darted for the front door of the apartment.
Erika and Gannon waited until she was safely inside, then Gannon got back into the car and gave Erika’s address to the driver.
Her emotions swinging in several different directions at once, Erika didn’t say anything for a long moment. A big part of her wished Gannon hadn’t been so charming, so generous tonight. It would have been easier for her to not like him. His suggestion to allow Tia to write an article, however, felt like an arrow to her Achilles’ heel. In an effort to keep from throwing herself at him, she put her purse on the bench seat between them. She needed a barrier. A steel wall would be best.
She swallowed over a knot of emotion in her throat. “That was brilliant and generous. Thank you. For Tia. For me. For HomeStyle …”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Now you owe me.”
Five
You owe me.
Erika’s heart stuttered and she felt her mouth go bone-dry. “Uh, owe you?”
“Yep,” he said with a sexy grin playing around the edges of his mouth. “Payback’s hell. I want you to play volleyball on Saturday afternoon.”
The lascivious thought racing through Erika’s mind came to a dead stop. “Volleyball? Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “I know you have athletic ability and you’re tall. The family holds a friendly little game where employees from the magazines play each other. We need another woman on the Pulse team. We’re only allowed one nonfamily stand-in and I have a hard time finding a female with the right height.”
Erika didn’t know whether to be amused, insulted or peeved. “Is this why you took Tia and me for hot chocolate and promised her that story? That was pretty low.”
“Two minutes ago it was brilliant and generous.”
“That was before I found out you wanted payment.”
“It’s not that bad a payment. Think about it. What’s the worst that can happen? You sit on a bench for the afternoon.”
“Why would I be sitting on a bench?”
“Well, you’d be an alternate, of course,” he said.
“Excuse me? I played volleyball in college.”
“That’s why I chose you.”
“To sit on the bench?”
“The guys get a little bloodthirsty,” he explained. “It’s all in fun, but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
She shook her head. “So I’m supposed to be the token nonplaying female? If the rest of the female members of your family knew this, they would fry you,” Erika said. “Can you imagine what Finola and Bridget would say?”
“Bridget’s on Finola’s team, so I can’t ask her. It puts me in a bad spot. Besides it’s Snap against Pulse this time.” He sighed. “Do you remember Athena Wain-right?”
Erika vaguely remembered the extremely tall, middle-aged copy editor for Pulse. “Yes, why?”
“She moved to Idaho. I need a backup player and I’m surrounded by pygmies.”
She studied him, seeing the exasperation mar his handsome face. “I don’t remember your being this competitive with your family.”
His green gaze turned dark with an edge of sensuality. “When you and I were involved, I didn’t want to waste time talking about volleyball games with my family.”
Erika felt a quick rush of heat and resisted the urge to lower her window for a cold breeze. “One condition,” she told him.
