An Impossible Attraction

by Elsa Winckler

  With a relieved smiled, she walked up to the receptionist.

  “I’m here to see Dale Cavallo,” she said to the smiling woman behind the counter.

  “Yes, he’s expecting you. Please come with me, their offices are separate from the rest of the hotel.” She motioned Zoe towards the lifts.

  Zoe looked around her as she followed the woman into the lift. So this was where the Cavallo brothers dreamed up plans for where their next boutique hotel would be built.

  The lift doors opened on the upper floor and in front of them was a lovely room, exquisitely decorated. Here too, greys and whites were used. The whole place whispered money. Lots and lots of money. Nothing was over the top, but Zoe’s experienced eye could see the curtains, chairs, paintings, and decorations were of top quality, carefully selected to create an opulent yet welcoming ambiance.

  “Beautiful,” she murmured.

  The receptionist looked back at her and smiled. “It is, isn’t it? Mr. Dale Cavallo is also a well-known architect. He draws up the plans of all the hotels and does most of the interior designs himself as well.”

  “Oh.” Zoe couldn’t manage more.

  Dale also did the interior decorating himself. That particular piece of information had simply never come up in any conversation with her sister. But why, if he did the interior designing himself, would he need her firm?

  “Mr. Cavallo said he’d meet you here in the conference room,” the receptionist said and pointed towards an open door.

  “Thanks,” Zoe said and walked into the room.

  She put her bag down on the first chair and took off her jacket. It was May but still warm during the day—and just thinking about seeing Dale again in a few minutes had made her hot all over.

  “Hi, Zoe,” Dale said right behind her and she turned around quickly.

  And there he was. Deep inside her something sighed. Resigned, she acknowledged two simple facts. One, he was drop-dead gorgeous, and two, he turned her on like no one else had ever done. Was she over her silly crush? The answer was obvious.

  These were the facts and there seemed to be nothing she could do about her reaction. But she didn’t have to like it.

  “Dale,” she said as coolly as she could and pulled out the chair. “Shall we begin?”

  Chapter Five

  Dale put his hands in his trouser pockets. Much better to have them there. Otherwise they might just decide to do things without listening to his brain. Like touching her cheek to make sure it really was as soft as he remembered.

  He took a seat at the table across from her. The width of the table should keep her scent from reaching him. She still smelled like rain. Her scent was killing him and made him want things he’d never thought of before. Suddenly, the idea of a steady relationship didn’t sound so horrifying anymore. What the hell?

  He opened the file. “I understood from Susan you want to cancel the contract, but—”

  “No, I’ve actually decided that we’ll do the job,” she interrupted, and he looked up.

  “But Susan said you don’t want the job.”

  “I know, but I’ve had time to think about it and I’ve realized that it’s a great opportunity for the firm. And I can work with just about anyone if I put my mind to it. Although, I’m curious,” she said and took two pages from the file she had in front of her. She shoved them across the table to him. “There is the email I sent to you, confirming our telephone conversation and there is your answer. Your letter makes it clear that you accepted the fact that I didn’t want to do the job. In fact, I know the only reason you asked me in the first place was because Don asked you to. But then, a few weeks later, you contacted Susan about it again without talking to me. Why?”

  Dale leaned back in his chair and stared at her. She looked calm and very collected. Her dark hair was swept up, leaving just a few tendrils curled softly against her face. His fingers itched to touch them; he remembered the silkiness.

  And then she swallowed. He bit the insides of his cheeks to prevent him from smiling. So, the lady wasn’t as cool as she pretended to be.

  “I tried to contact you after Don and Caitlin’s wedding but you never answered any of my messages.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You know perfectly well why I ignored those messages,” she said primly.

  He leaned forward, enjoying her obvious discomfort. “You see, that’s just it. I don’t know. You kissed me, stormed away, and ignored all the messages I sent you.”

  Her lips trembled slightly. “You were the one who kissed me,” she said, her eyes stormy.

  “You didn’t kiss me back?” he asked, not quite understanding why he couldn’t stop baiting her.

  She inhaled audibly, bent her head for a few seconds before she opened the file. “We can go ahead with the contract. That is, if you still want me to.”

  “Oh, I still want you…” he said solemnly, waiting a millisecond before he added, “to.”

  Her flared nostrils were the only indication she’d caught his meaning.

  “Good.” She got up. “I’ll ask Susan to contact you for the next meeting. Please make sure whoever you send has all the information available—budget, timeline, and of course, if—”

  He also got up slowly. “Seeing that my brother suggested we make use of your firm, I will be working with you. Directly.” He emphasized the last word. “I don’t mind doing favors, but when money is involved, I have to protect the investment we’ll be making. I have to make sure you’re not just a pretty face but can actually do the job. You obviously don’t really want to work for me, but you’ve realized it’s good for business. Therefore, I have to make sure our business doesn’t suffer because of yours.”

  Her eyes narrowed but met his for the first time. “You are under no obligation to work with me. Just say the word—”

  “And be the bad guy in this? No way. But you’ll be working closely with me.”

  “If that’s what you want. I assumed you’d prefer I work with someone else.”

  He shook his head and she stopped talking. “I want you to visit the ten boutique hotels we own in and around Cape Town. To get an idea of what I like, a feel for the kind of atmosphere we like to create in our hotels. I’ll ask our secretary to arrange visits for you.” He pulled out his cell phone and flicked to his calendar. “Then we can fly out to Mahé next Friday. That gives you about ten days to have a look at what we have here before we leave for the Seychelles.”

  *

  Zoe stared at him, trying to assimilate what he’d said. “Mahé? Why do I have to fly out to Mahé? I’ve been to your hotel there, I’ve seen it, there is no need to visit it again.”

  While she’d been talking, he had walked around the huge table and was now standing close to her.

  “Oh, but I don’t agree. There is every need. You were there during a wedding. And only for two days, if I remember correctly. You will need to stay for at least a week. I’m afraid I have to insist,” he said when she tried to interrupt, still smiling his I’m-a-cat-and-you’re-the-mouse-I-can-play-with smile he’d been using all afternoon.

  The whole conversation was ridiculous. It was now even more of a mystery why he’d insisted she do the job. He’d shamelessly confessed he was only using her firm because Don asked him to.

  And she’d lost whatever advantage she thought she had when he mentioned the kiss. The obvious thing she should have done was to ignore him. But now he knew he’d rattled her. All she could do at this point was to retreat with as much dignity as was possible and to make sure the next time they met she’d be ready for him.

  “I’ll have to check with Susan. I’ve just returned from a three-month stay in London, I don’t think I could leave again so soon.” Without looking in his direction, she bent to pick up her handbag. When she turned around, he was standing nearly on top of her.

  “Make it happen, Zoe. That’s how I work. You can’t do what we want if you haven’t seen all the hotels. Besides, there is also a hotel on Praslin, one of th
e other islands of the Seychelles I would like you to see. And after that, we’ll fly out to the hotel near the Kruger. It should be finished in about four months’ time. Then you’ll have three months to do your magic before the first guests arrive.”

  “Three months! You’re being ridiculous—”

  “And by the time we get there, we’d have agreed on exactly what I want, and I can introduce you to the suppliers, so the orders can go out.”

  “I’d like to use the people I normally work with—”

  “Out of the question,” Dale interrupted her immediately. “We use the suppliers I know.”

  Zoe dug her nails deep into her hands and counted silently to ten. Her head was reeling. He was talking about taking over seven months of her life. Seven months of working with him, talking to him—or rather, listening to him because he obviously didn’t ever really listen himself—were going to drive her insane. A more bossy and overbearing man she had yet to meet. Add to the mess the ridiculous attraction she couldn’t shake, and it was going to be a very trying time.

  “Dale, why on earth do you want to use my firm if, one, you’re only doing this because you feel obligated, and two, you normally do this yourself, are obviously well-organized, and know what you want?”

  “Trying to back out now? I thought this was a good opportunity for you,” he said.

  He had moved and stood so close she could see his eyes weren’t simply brown. There were golden flecks in them too, flecks which fascinated her at the moment, making it difficult to look away.

  She forced herself to step past him. Damn it, what was she doing, drooling over his eyes, for crying out loud?

  “Please, excuse me,” she said, hoping he’d step aside to let her pass. His scent surrounded her, clouding her already befuddled brain.

  “In a minute,” he murmured and put his hand out.

  “Dale,” she whispered. Damn it, she was supposed to sound annoyed, not turned-on.

  His hand froze and he dropped it. He put both hands back into his trouser pockets before he turned away.

  “I’ll let the secretary contact you about visits to the hotels,” he said over his shoulder and left.

  *

  When Dale entered the huge open-space office he shared with his brothers, he was still cursing under his breath. What was it with this woman? Around her, he did irrational things. Like just now. He’d made the mistake of walking closer to her at the end of their conversation.

  Up until that moment he’d felt as if he was in charge, as if he was calling the shots. She’d been flustered, and he wanted to use the advantage to make sure she’d go with him to the Seychelles.

  But then things changed. Up close to her, he simply forgot to think, to breathe, to speak. He only wanted. He would never be able to look at that big table in the middle of the conference room again and not picture Zoe as he’d pictured her all afternoon—leaning back on her elbows on the dark wood with an invitation in her eyes for him.

  One thing at least was perfectly clear—he was still lusting after Zoe. After three months, his desire to touch her, to cart her off to the nearest room, to make love to her until she sobbed out his name, hadn’t changed one bit. On the contrary. If he wasn’t mistaken, it had only intensified. And he was afraid working closely with her was not going to help him feel any differently about her.

  “Meeting not to your satisfaction?” Don inquired with a smile.

  “No… yes…” Dale sat down quickly and opened his computer.

  “So, is that a no or a yes?” David asked.

  “She’s agreed to do the job because she knows it’s good for business. I have to protect ours, so I’ll be working directly with her. She’ll have to familiarize herself with the interior of all our hotels. After I’ve shown her around the hotels here, we’re flying to the Seychelles next Friday so that she can also visit the two hotels on Mahé and Praslin.”

  He started typing an email to their secretary, asking her to arrange visits for Zoe. It was a while before he realized his brothers were very quiet. When he looked up, they all stared at him.

  “You’re taking Zoe to the Seychelles?” Don asked. “Why?”

  “I told you, I—”

  Darryn swore and got up from behind his desk. “You have the hots for this woman, don’t you?” he barked out. “I can’t believe you’re also falling for a Sutherland. I’ll tell you what I’ve told Don, although he hasn’t listened—stay away from them. They mess with your head and your… Just stay away.”

  Fed up with his brothers, Dale went back to his emails. “I don’t have the hots for anybody, this is how I work. You’ve never questioned my judgment before, what the hell is wrong with you now?”

  “You’ve never behaved crazily before,” Darryn snapped.

  Dale looked up again. “Oh, now I’m behaving crazily. What about last year when you and Don had me jumping through hoops to help Hannah and Zoe when Hannah had her accident on Mahé? That wasn’t crazy behavior? At least we know why Don was half out of his mind, he was in love. But you? I still can’t figure out what got into you.”

  Swearing, Darryn stormed out of the office.

  Don sauntered over to Dale’s desk. “You mess with Zoe, you mess with me, is that clear?” he said with a big smile, but Dale knew the tone.

  “For the last time, we’re going to work together. That’s it. Get off my back,” he growled and turned his attention to his computer. Damn it to hell. What was he doing before his brothers started interrogating him?

  Chapter Six

  By the time Zoe left the hotel, her heart had finally resumed its normal pace, but she was so angry with herself for letting Dale unsettle her the way he had. She hadn’t expected him to bring up the kiss, damn it. And after that, she’d been a complete mess. She hadn’t been able to think straight, let alone string words together to make a coherent sentence.

  “Zoe!” she heard someone call and looked up. Caitlin walked towards her all smiles and sparkling eyes.

  “What a nice surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Caitlin hugged her.

  “I… um… I had a meeting with Dale,” Zoe said. “You look gorgeous.” She smiled and touched her sister’s belly. “This little one is growing by the second.” She laughed, hoping to draw Caitlin’s attention away from the topic of Dale. But, of course, no such luck.

  “Oh no, you don’t.” Caitlin pulled her to the side. “What did you have to discuss with him?”

  Zoe sighed. “He… I’m going to do the interior decorating for their hotel near the Kruger Park.”

  Caitlin stared at her for a few minutes. “Come with me,” she ordered. “We are going to have tea.” She motioned towards the hotel Zoe had just left. “There is a lovely tea room with lots of decadent cake and pastries. We are going to sit down and you can tell me all about Dale.”

  “I don’t have time—” she began, but Caitlin was already steering her back into the hotel.

  “I’ve only seen you briefly since your return, you can spare another fifteen minutes for your pregnant sister to explain what is going on,” Caitlin insisted, and before Zoe knew it, they were sitting in the tea room.

  Caitlin ordered for them while Zoe looked around her. Here were the same greys and whites she’d seen throughout the hotel so far. Elegant but comfortable chairs lent a relaxed feel to the place.

  “Before you try to waste time, I’m fine, baby is fine, Daddy is overprotective and driving me crazy, but we’re both so excited about the little one. I’m happy. So that’s my news. Now I want to know why you look upset.” Caitlin smiled and sat back in her chair.

  “I’m not really upset, it’s just…” She didn’t know how to continue.

  “Yes?” Caitlin urged her.

  Exasperated, Zoe flipped her hair back. “Dale wants me to do the decorating of their new hotel.”

  “But didn’t you already tell him no last year?”

  “I did. But then he contacted Susan during the time I was in London and the
y’ve signed a contract. One I’m told I can’t really get out of. Also, you know Don asked him to consider my firm, and I think he feels obligated somehow. Anyway, I’ve come to realize working for the Cavallos is good for business and I’ve agreed to do the job.”

  Caitlin frowned. “Then why are you upset?”

  “I’m not upset—” she began, but Caitlin lifted an eyebrow.

  “You’re forgetting I’m your sister and I know you,” Caitlin said.

  She sighed. “Okay, you’re right. I’m upset. He wants me to visit all their hotels, including the ones in the Seychelles.”

  Caitlin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  Zoe nodded. “And I don’t see the point. If I look at their hotels here in Cape Town, I can come up with ideas. Damn it, after only seeing this place, I can show him what I have in mind.”

  The waiter brought their tea, Caitlin poured and handed Zoe her cup. “I can see that leaving so soon again would be inconvenient, but it’s not as if you haven’t done this kind of thing before. I’m still not sure why you are upset.”

  “Because…” Zoe began and then just shook her head.

  They drank their tea in silence for a few minutes.

  “He’s very attractive,” Caitlin said. “They all are.”

  Zoe looked up quickly. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  A sly smile played around Caitlin’s mouth. “Just sayin’.”

  Zoe put her cup down. “Okay, yes, he’s attractive.”

  “And? Has anything happened between the two of you?”

  “Why would you think that?” Zoe picked up her cup again.

  “Because you’re blushing.” Caitlin giggled.

  “I’m not—” Zoe began hotly, but Caitlin giggled more. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Yes, he kissed me. On your wedding day. That’s it. We both had too much to drink and… That’s all.”

  “And why haven’t you told me before? Does Hannah know?” Caitlin was obviously tickled pink about the news.