“I can’t talk right now,” I hiss into the phone, keeping my voice low in case anyone can hear me outside the door.
“You can’t send me a text like that and not expect me to call. You are the Ice Queen - you never make a fool out of yourself in front of a guy. I need details!” she whines, making me roll my eyes at how dramatic she’s being.
“I’ve been in the bathroom long enough, I’ve got to get back out there before they start to wonder what I’m exactly doing in here. I will call you later.”
“Wait, why are you in the bathroom? Did you just have sex with the hot biker dude in there? You can’t blue ball me like this!”
“No, I didn’t have sex with a guy I just met! I came into the bathroom to cool off. I’ve got to go! I promise to call you later with the details.”
“You better, Valerie, or I’ll stalk you until you pick up.” I have zero doubt about her stalking intentions, because she has done it to me before when I didn’t return her call within a twenty-four hour period after I went on a date with someone new a couple of months ago. Once those twenty-four hours were up, she called my sister, my parents, and even my boss looking for me. It was extreme, but I probably would have done the same if the roles were reversed. Except with less hysterics.
I say goodbye and hang up with her. I take a couple of deep breaths and remind myself of what I’m doing here.
You’re here because of your job.
Your performance here will reflect on your future and the promotion you want at work.
What I’m feeling is just extreme lust, especially since I haven’t been in a physical relationship for a long time.
There’s no such thing as that stupid shazam Aly talks about.
No, I totally just didn’t have that shazam feeling over Rowan.
Nope, not at all.
It’s just lust.
I can totally ignore Rowan Pryor.
Get your shit together, Valerie, and focus on getting this audit complete.
I nod my head at myself in the mirror, square my shoulders back, and hold my head up high as I exit the bathroom. All that matters to me right now is my career and I refuse to let a hot man in a small town derail me from my career path.
Chapter Seven
ROWAN
What Z said stays with me, repeating over and over again in my head as I make my way to the conference room. It’s true that I have never reacted so strongly to another woman before, but is what I’m feeling really the boom?
Nah.
He said he saw that possessed look in my eyes when I was watching her leave. That look of possessiveness that screams “Hands off, she’s mine!”
“I’m telling you, Row, you’ve got it. Trust me, I have it with Kayan, Wes has it with July, Harlen has it with Harmony. We know what it feels like and we sure know how to recognize it.” How could I have that look after only meeting her for less than five minutes? I’m having serious doubts about Z and his sanity right about now.
But once Kyle comes into the room, I feel like a jealous monster for the way he acted toward her. We’re going to nip this shit in the bud right here, right now, as I won’t tolerate him disrespecting her.
“Kyle, I didn’t appreciate you cutting me off and jumping in front of me earlier.” I point my finger at him, my eyes holding his attention so he knows I mean business. “I also didn’t appreciate how you got up into Valerie’s personal space. It was unnecessary and it made her feel uncomfortable. Don’t ever do that shit again.”
“Or what? I can’t believe you’re getting this worked up over a chick you just met,” he says to me in disbelief. “Chill the fuck out, Bro. I have every right to be interested in her too. She’s not yours.”
“Kyle…” I slowly warn, hoping he’s going to accept my warning and be respectful. We’ve never fought over a woman, but if he’s going to be a douchebag to Valerie, I’ll have no problems throwing the first punch.
“For fuck’s sake, do I have to request a new auditor already?” Wes asks as he walks into the conference room and slams his notebook down on the table. He looks annoyed and disgusted with us. “You guys are acting like dogs in heat. She’s not a toy, gentlemen. You both will be respectful and stay the fuck away from her. You got me?” Kyle nods his head at Wes, but I just raise my eyebrow at him, daring him to prevent me from staying away from her. If I want something, I go after it.
And I want Valerie Dawson.
We wait in silence for her to join us. After ten minutes go by and still no sign of her, I’m beginning to think that maybe she snuck out the back door and high tailed it back to Nashville to tell her boss to find someone else to deal with us crazy lunatics.
“Maybe she got lost? I can go find her.” Kyle starts to stand, but Wes grabs his arm to stop him.
“The hell you will,“ I growl as I shoot out of my seat and look at him from across the table. I don’t want Kyle anywhere near Valerie. He gives me a questioning look before Wes intervenes.
“Both of you sit your asses down!” he yells and waits for us to sit. Kyle and I stare each other down before obeying. Wes is about to continue his reprimanding when the door opens and Valerie walks in. We stand up as she walks to her chair and I notice she’s blushing slightly from our chivalry. I’m surprised she’s not used to that being from the South, but then again, maybe the boys of her firm don’t show her the respect she deserves. She sits down at the head of the table, opens her notebook, and goes straight into business.
For the next two hours, I watch in awe while she navigates us through how we’re going to respond to the IRS and the specific details she’ll need us to provide to her in order to complete the audit. I’m amused that she refuses to look in my direction with Wes being the only one she’ll look directly at. Her actions confirm to me that she felt our chemistry back in the shop as well and I can’t help but mentally beat my chest in victory. It’s probably good that she hasn’t looked in my direction because if she did, she would see my eyes hooded in desire from watching the movement of her lips that I ache to taste. Visions of those lips wrapped around my dick occupy my thoughts and I have to shift in my seat from the uncomfortableness of my erection.
“Rowan, you gonna answer her question?”
I blink out of my daydream to the sound of my name and notice Wes and Kyle staring at me impatiently. Valerie continues to look down at the piece of paper she’s writing notes on.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?” I clear my throat and try to act nonchalantly, willing my dick to go down in case whatever they were asking requires me to stand up and leave the room.
“Miss Dawson asked what day of the week do you order bulk inventory and how many times a year do you do inventory control?” Kyle says with narrowed eyes at me. Both him and Wes are looking at me as if I’ve gone mad and with the way my body is reacting to her, I think I have. I nod my thanks at Kyle and answer the question. Valerie writes down my answers and continues on with her questioning, which is mostly answered by Kyle and Wes. She looks over her notes in silence after Kyle answers her last question. God, she’s so sexy with those glasses. I can’t even imagine how much more beautiful she is without them.
“I think that’s all the questions I have for now,” she says, tapping her pen against her paper. “I will start to look over your last two tax returns and write down any discrepancies that I find. I’m hoping we’ll be able to turn something back into them within the week, but two weeks sounds more realistic.” I pray we can push this to two weeks so I can break down her walls of resistance that I already see are in place.
“Wes, I do have some human resource questions that I will need you to privately answer for me.” She gives Wes the I-prefer-to-talk-to-you-now look and he nods his head.
“Gentlemen, you can go back to work. Miss Dawson will let you know if she needs you when the time comes.” Valerie nods and her eyes flash briefly to mine before focusing on her hands. Kyle and I stand up and leave the room in silence. Before we get back to our w
ork stations, he grabs my arm to stop me from going in.
“Bro, I don’t want to fight with you over a woman. You’re part of my family and I’ll never let anyone come between us.” He rakes his hand through his hair, sighing. “If you want her that badly, I won’t stand in your way.”
I look him in the eyes to see if he’s lying, but all I see is sincerity. “I don’t want anyone to come between us either, so I appreciate you stepping back. To be quite honest, I don’t know what’s come over me. From the moment I saw her, I’ve had this overwhelming feeling that she’s supposed to be mine.” I shake my head, not believing the words that are coming out of my mouth right now. “No woman has ever made me feel this fucking crazy.”
“You sound fucking crazy, Row! You just met this chick! I think you need to get laid, Bro, because Valerie seems to uppity for your tastes. No offense - not that you couldn’t land her. I just don’t think she’s going to give you the time of day, despite your pretty boy looks.” Kyle doesn’t know the type of world I used to belong to. No one but Wes knows my family dynamics and the wealth that comes with it. That’s one aspect of my private life I still want to keep private. But he does have a point - I don’t know Valerie at all. I don’t know what she likes, what she doesn’t like, her idiosyncrasies or her past. It’s time to start doing some investigative work.
“Maybe you’re right. We’ll see, but I’m looking forward to the chase.” He laughs at my words, but I’m speaking the truth. Valerie Dawson is going to give me a run for my money and I can’t wait to win the prize at the end.
Her.
Chapter Eight
VALERIE
I take my glasses off and toss them down onto my notepad. I rub my eyes, exhaustion setting in from concentrating on spreadsheets and paperwork. I put my glasses back on and look at my watch to see that I haven’t moved since my last restroom break, which was hours ago. Not only am I tired, but starving from working through lunch. In my haste this morning, I forgot to pack something to eat and was too engrossed in work to take a break to find something around here. Not that I would even know where to go since Murfreesboro is as foreign to me as cooking is. I was never taught how to cook since we grew up with a chef and I never bothered to teach myself due to my long hours at work. Takeout is super convenient for my current lifestyle. Maybe someday I’ll learn.
Sighing, I reach for my bag to grab the protein bar that I keep stashed in there for days exactly like today. I have a long first night ahead of me and don’t want to stop now to try to find food. This protein bar will have to tie me over for a little bit longer. As I take a bite out of my snack, my thoughts turn to Rowan, wondering if he ate lunch today and if so, what kind of food does he like to eat. Does he like girls with a hearty appetite or girls who try to watch what they eat?
Why does it matter? Stop thinking about him!
I throw away the rest of the bar in disgust - at myself for caring what Rowan eats and for the lack of taste. I go back to reviewing their returns when I’m interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Come in!” I call out and hold my breath, praying it isn’t Rowan. I can’t ignore him if it’s only him and I in the room together. I slowly release my breath when Wes walks in.
“It’s quitting time, Miss Dawson. Time to pack up your stuff and head home.”
I glance at my cell phone’s clock to see that it’s only 5:15 p.m. “You’re joking, right? I don’t usually leave my office until at least 7 p.m., not to mention I have a lot of work to do tonight if I want to finish this audit in a week.”
“It’s called work/life balance, Miss Dawson. We close up at 5:30 every night during the week. You will be leaving every night the same time we do,” Wes says firmly, leaving me no room to negotiate. Still, doesn’t hurt to try.
“What about 5:45 for tonight at least? I can’t just stop what I’m doing and tidy everything up in fifteen minutes, Wes.”
He looks around the table with a frown at the stacks of papers I have lined up. From what I saw of Wes’ office, he likes things clean and tidy. I wouldn’t be surprised if his eye starts to twitch from how messy his once clean conference room now is. The room is in organized chaos, but it’s still messy.
“Fine, Miss Dawson. I’ll give you until 5:45 to clean up, but tonight only. Please set an alarm on your phone for 5 p.m. every day, giving you ample time to finish up.”
“Will do and I think it’s only fair that you call me Valerie since I’m not calling you Mr. Silver,” I say with a smile that he returns back. So far, I like Wes. He’s very respectful, nice and professional. His shop is not our normal type of clientele, but according to my boss, Wes is the son-in-law of Asher Mayson, owner of Mayson Construction and one of our larger clients. My boss took on Broken Eagles Motorcycle Repair Shop as a favor to Asher for all the business he has brought to our firm.
“Have a good evening, Valerie. I’ll tell Rowan you will be ready at 5:45 so he can make sure to lock up and walk you out.” Wes turns on his heel to leave, completely missing the stunned look on my face.
I scramble around the table, shuffling papers and throwing them in piles, hoping that if I hurry, I’ll be out of here by the time Rowan comes to find me. I write down reminders for myself for tomorrow, save the working spreadsheet on my laptop, and shut it down. I throw my computer and notebook in my bag, grab my cell phone and keys, and turn around to head to the door only to stop in my tracks as a smiling Rowan leans inside the door way. His amused smile makes me believe that he’s been standing there for a while, watching me.
“Wes said you needed until 5:45, but it looks like you’re done early. How convenient that I was coming to ask if you needed help to clean up. You ready to go?” The brightness in his eyes and eagerness in his tone tells me he knew what I was up to. I nod my head at him, not trusting that my voice won’t come out as a mouse squeak with how handsome he looks. Somewhere around here there is a shower because his semi-long hair is wet and pulled behind his ears. His face is clean shaven and he has changed into clean clothes. I will myself to stop thinking about what Rowan might look like naked in the shower.
He moves aside and holds out his arm for me to pass him by. “Ladies first,” he says and I can feel his eyes boring into me as I walk up to him. I look down when I get near, but almost stumble over my feet when I catch a whiff of his heavenly scent. The combination of his cologne and what smells like Irish Spring soap needs to be bottled up and sold worldwide as all I want to do is drop my belongings and attack him.
Go straight to your car, Valerie.
Do. Not. Engage!
I keep my head down and walk straight to the front door. I can hear Rowan’s footsteps right behind me. “Have a good evening!” I yell over my shoulder as I walk out the front door, not bothering to look back at him. I increase my footsteps to my car and am halfway there when I trip over a rock and stumble, my cell phone and keys flying out of my grasp. I catch myself and take a breath to calm my racing heart from almost face planting in front of him. I reach down for my keys, but he retrieves my cell phone before I can get to it. My misstep gave him enough time to catch up with me after locking the front door. I stare at my cell phone in his hands, mentally cursing myself for being so clumsy.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. I nod my head and look up at him, which was a huge mistake, because now I can’t look away from his captivating eyes. I swallow a groan, not understanding these newfound feelings when I look at him or even think about him.
“Your blood sugar is probably low from skipping lunch. I think we should get some food in you. There’s a really great Mexican restaurant down the road.”
My eyes widen in disbelief. How does he know I didn’t eat today?
He’s asking me out on a date!
There’s no way I’ll be able to eat in front of a man like Rowan.
Not to mention, I have a strict policy against mixing business with pleasure.
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” As soon as the words le
ave my mouth, my stomach growls loud enough for Rowan to hear. He raises an eyebrow at my lie, a sexy smirk playing on his lips.
“Since we just met, I’ll let that lie go. Instead, you just lost any say in the matter. I’ll take good care of your cell phone while you follow me to the restaurant.” My mouth drops open at his brazenness. He gives me a heart stopping smile, turns around, and walks away.
“Hey! Come back here with my phone!” I yell out as I chase after him. I try to grab the phone out of his hand, but miss. He stops and I watch in horror as he slides the phone into the front pocket of his jeans. I see the bulge of my phone nestling right next to the bulge in his pants. I gulp hard and look up at him in shock.
“You’ve got to eat at some point, Angel. Don’t worry, I won’t bite… this time.” He winks and I’m rendered speechless as visions of him biting me in all kind of naughty ways enters my mind.
“I don’t go out with clients, Mr. Pryor. Please give me my phone back.” I pray I sound professional as I hold out my hand for my phone. Now I’m feeling agitated with him and myself, because if he continues to be so persistent, I won’t be able to say no to him. I’m hungry, horny and feeling vulnerable right now. Not a good combination when trying to be strong and act indifferent to a man you’re insanely attracted too.
“Damn, my name sounds sexy coming from you.” His voice is husky, his eyes turning serious as his gaze travels up and down my body in appreciation. I shiver, my body feeling like he just saw through me with x-ray vision.
“Rowan…” I groan out in frustration. Frustration from his stubbornness and the sexual chemistry that I feel radiating between us.
“Technically, I’m not your client. Wes is. And it’s just a meal between two people getting to know each other.”
“You’re a stranger,” I mutter, the thread of self-control at staying away from him about to snap.
Until Valerie: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 4
