He watched as the guard let her through the gates. Any moment now she would be making her way to the building. But gosh, why was he so captivated by this gorgeous woman with the deep, rich, sultry voice. One that sounded like it could be used on an adult phone line. Her voice always had that seductive touch to it from what Zack recalled.
Women were nothing but trouble, he reminded himself. Sure, it always started off good. The sparks. The seduction. The sex. Then the departure because he let them know up from that he was not a guy who did the commitment thing. And it almost always ended terribly because even though he told them and they consented to his terms, they would change their minds and want more from him. Damn!
Well, right now he had a potential sex tape scandal to deal with that could ruin everything for him. So this good-looking princess was going to have to go.
* * *
Blue sucked in a deep breath as she entered the foyer of the winery building—a converted luxury mansion. It was, completely, utterly intimidating. The office worker let her in and buzzed Zack through the intercom. The woman then handed Blue, as she was probably instructed beforehand, some brochures about the Romero Winery and Vineyard in addition to a map of the grand estate. Blue glanced through the digitally-colored, expensive-looking brochures.
“He’s really nice, Blue. You’ll like working with him,” the young woman told Blue.
“Thank you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Mr. Romero in regards to his winery.” And his women.
“I’m Venus, by the way.” The woman extended her hand over the desk.
“Nice to meet you, Venus.”
“Blue’s a nice name. It’s unusual.”
“Thank you. Right before I was born, my mom had a fascination with Picasso's Blue Period. So, how long have you worked here?” Blue asked genuinely. May as well start her profile of Zack Romero and his roster of employers.
The woman sighed. “Cute story. Inspiration comes from the oddest of sources, doesn't it? Anyway, to answer your question, not long enough. Wish I started out here. I’m doing my masters degree in business with an emphasize on entrepreneurship. I have a two-year-old so it’s really hard to juggle time elsewhere. The Romeros are really sweet about letting my son come by when I can’t find a babysitter. Mr. Romero’s wife, Toni’s wife, she’s so sweet and helps out a lot. I hate to sound cliché, but it's like one big family. Zack is so cool with my little guy. Most employers would try to get rid of you or make it an issue but he tells me I can bring my son any time I need to and they’ll have someone look after him. How cool is that?”
Blue was beyond impressed. Her eyes widened. She’d heard of Zack-the-smooth-operator, lady’s man. But she’d never seen this side to him or read about his compassion towards his employees like this. Wow! Just wow!
“Wonderful. That’s…wow. Just amazing!”
“I know. I’m so grateful to be working here.”
“So you’re starting off as a receptionist? Gaining experience in the winery business?”
“Oh, no. Well, yes and no. I’m one of the vineyard workers. That’s what I applied for. My great-uncle back home where I’m from used to have a small grape garden, we used to call it. He died a while back and the estate was sold but since we moved to the US when I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated by farms and home-grown produce.”
“Good,” Blue nodded her head, equally enrapt.
“Mr. Romero…I mean, Zack is awesome. He gives all of us experience with every facet of the business. I’ve never seen anyone like him before. He’s like mega rich but he's so down-to-earth. Well there’s a lot of rich, self-made businessmen who sort of stay in touch with reality these days. He’s one of them. You’ll love him.”
Oh, I already do.
“Miss Monroe, good of you to come.” The silky, deep voice that interrupted their conversation caused a tingling reaction to course through Blue's blood.
Blue’s mouth fell open for the first time today.
The man approached her was not really the businessman she expected. He appeared to be something else.
Her breath paused.
Zack Romero.
He was more stunning than she remembered. His dark, shiny, thick hair was brushed off his face with a few tendrils loose at the front. He had a sexy groomed stubble framing his luscious lips that caused her belly to flip flop. The man had the most beautiful face she’d ever seen. Could a man be considered beautiful? This man could. His dark, sexually-charged eyes, complemented by his long, dark lashes, gleamed with awesomeness.
He was taller than Blue remembered, seeing him up close now. He was inches from her. His hands were in his pockets. He wore a crisp dark, Italian cut suit. It was an expensive designer inspired suit. She guessed, maybe Armani, or maybe it was tailored only for him. It had to be. Look at that broad, muscular frame. He looked like a pro athlete filled out in the suit. She could see the firmness of his sculpted build under his suit. His arms must be ripped with muscles she could certainly tell by the way he filled out in the expensive fabric. His posture was erect as a drill sergeant. Confident and powerful.
No way in hell could she work under this man and keep herself under control. Maybe she should turn around and leave. He was already causing her brain to freeze up. Too much of that hormone rushing through her frontal lobe.
Breathe, Blue.
Take a deep breath. He’s just a man. Really.
No. He’s a sex god and you know it.
Never had Blue reacted that way over a man. He literally stole her breath away. She forgot who she was or why she was there. She’d almost forgotten that Venus was there, until Venus cleared her throat.
Close your mouth, Blue. Stop drooling.
He’s a Romero. Romero men can do that to a woman.
Yes, she’d heard of the Romero men having that type of magical, sexually potent effect on the feminine gender. It was no wonder they were always in the tabloid for naughty behavior despite their remarkable accomplishments in various industries.
“Th-th-thank you,” Blue managed. Okay, why was she acting like such a love-struck idiot? Snap back to reality, girl. It’s a job. Only a job.
“Would you care to follow me outside?” he commanded more than questioned. His sexy gaze held hers and she felt giddy all of a sudden.
“S-sure.”
Zack escorted her outside of the building. Blue was actually quite grateful. She needed fresh air to level her head. The sweet-smelling fragrance of the vineyard and surrounding land was perfect for her senses. Maybe it would clear the way for her sanity to come back.
She held tightly to her recorder and her notebook, hugging it to her chest. Blue licked her lips, out of nervousness. For heaven’s sake, she was a grown woman. A professional. A business owner. A highly educated journalist. She really needed to get herself together. But how could this man’s aura and presence cause this sort of reaction inside her?
“I was about to fire you, Miss Monroe.”
Blue halted. Zack, who was walking beside her, had a smooth grin on his face as he followed suit and paused. “Something the matter?” he asked casually, looking more amused than anything.
“You were about to fire me? W-why?” Blue could not control the flutter inside her belly. Her heart was beating erratically.
“Because I didn’t think it would be a good idea for us to work together. I didn’t think we’d have the right…working chemistry.”
“And what changed your mind?” Blue asked, as they both continued to walk through the vineyard pathway.
“I overheard your conversation with Venus, one of our finest workers. I was impressed as to your interest in her knowing she was working at reception, before you found out she was working on her masters and working in the vineyard.”
“Oh?” Blue flushed. She felt heat rise to her cheeks, yet it had nothing to do with the summer sun beaming overhead.
“You can tell a lot about a person by not how they treat the wealthy and perceived powerful, but ho
w they treat those who aren't. Some, probably most, people don’t even think of talking to the cleaners or frontline workers with such intrigue and respect. I like that about you, Blue.” His voice was authoritative and sharp. She could not quite read his emotion but he was impressed with her.
“Wow, you really do sum up a person rather quickly.”
“In life, you have to. It’s too short to go through a long haul. I’m a to-the-point, do-it-now person. I’ve no time to waste. I want something, I get it now. Period.”
“Oh.”
“My grandfather always taught us that personality can open many doors, but it is character that will keep those doors open.”
Inwardly, Blue felt relieved. So she wasn’t going to be fired from this job after all. That was a good thing. She would certainly be able to pay for Courtney’s tuition this fall. Oh, thank you, God!
But now she had another matter to deal with. Sexy-as-sin Zack Romero. Officially, her new boss.
“I was also intrigued by what you did what covering that Eli Christopher case.”
Blue felt her heart turn over in her chest. She remembered that case. A young man had gone missing and so had a few thousand dollars. They suspected he had stolen the funds from his employer and left the country. But her gut was telling her otherwise. She dug up a lot of information on Eli's background and realized the man had a hard life and had been in and out of the foster care system, but there was something in his eyes that touched Blue when she interviewed him once before the fiasco. She kept digging for the truth. Even after his arrest, by doing some investigative reporting, what she uncovered was that he was an immigrant who was set up by his employer to take the fall. The poor guy thought he wouldn’t stand a chance and fled. He had been taking care of his disabled mother and little brother on his modest income. Because of what she uncovered, the truth was revealed and Eli's employer went to prison for embezzling funds.
“Well, you know me,” she said, sheepishly. Embarrassed that Zack had taken the time to do his due diligence as to her reporting history and background. But she also felt a pang of longing. Deep, gut wrenching loneliness settled over her heart for far too long. One could be in a relationship as she had been with Elliot and still feel alone. Elliot never really cared for her or cared much about how her day at work went or how she felt. They never truly conversed. But Zack? He was only her boss, yet Blue felt that ease around her heart that he actually, genuinely cared about her work and how she felt. It was odd to think it but she felt a little connection with him. She was comfortable and satisfied in telling him about the things that mattered to her. That meant the world to Blue.
“I try to get to the heart of the story,” she continued.
“And that’s what makes you unique. Most reporters would have just left it at that. Why did you probe further?”
“Because I always believe that news is about people. I care about people, I guess.”
“You guess? You need to sound, no, be more confident in your convictions, Miss Monroe.”
“I care about people,” she grinned, cocking her brow. “A lot. And justice.”
“It shows.”
Blue flushed. This was nice, she thought. Why was it when a man treated her well, she reacted this way? Her ex, Elliot, was nothing like Mr. Romero. Elliot and she had worked at Channel 31 together but instead of commending her on her efforts, he would often try to pick out a fault in the situation. “Oh, you didn’t cover this angle of the story,” or “You should have asked one more question.” Blue wasn’t an approval seeker, but neither did she feel any better when her own boyfriend chastised her every move and never missed an opportunity to berate her.
“We have that in common,” Zack continued as they strolled through the vineyard.
“We do?”
“Yes. I like to see people do well in life” was all he said in a sturdy, richly deep voice.
“It’s good what you do for students and for a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs from the Humanity Program. You help people from all reaches of economic background. That’s wonderful.”
He grinned.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing. I was briefed about your work before you got here, just so that we are clear. I wanted the people at human resources to gather as many clips of your work for me to peruse.”
“Oh?” Blue felt morbid. What else had he seen in those footage? Of course, a man of Zack’s stature would never just trust his grandfather’s preliminary interview to agree to work with her.
“There was a clip of you covering the Anti-Poverty Rally at Queen’s Park.”
“Oh.” Her stomach lurched. She was practically inadvertently tossed around from side to side as the protesters rushed to the picket line—it looked comical at first. Then when she got out of their way, she’d backed away slightly…into the water fountain. She came out dripping wet but continued her story as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. All in a day's work.
When she looked at Zack, she noticed his grin fade. “You were not harmed, so that’s why it was amusing. You are tenacious. A lesser woman would have stormed out or backed down. I love a woman with tenacity. You stuck it out and you made light of it later at the news desk. It takes a strong, confident woman to humor herself in a…difficult situation.”
Strong? Confident? She sure didn’t feel like it that day. She merely got on with the job the best way she knew how. Yes, it was comical and it was the only time that a few of the protesters actually grinned when they learned she was okay.
“Everyone falls some times,” he continued. “But getting back up and back into the game takes courage.” His silky tone rang with seriousness. Blue captured raw hurt glinting in his eyes. What had his heart gone through in the past? Blue wondered. Zack was a mysterious man. But she was somehow in awe of him. She felt connected to him. His very being. She loved the way he took a spin on life. Sure, he had taken some hard knocks according to what she knew about him, but there he was, a true Romero. Those men always seem to get back up fighting. No matter what life dealt them.
Being on the giving end of the camera was one thing, but Blue couldn’t handle being on the receiving end of the news. How awful to be captured at any given time for the world to see…in print and online.
“Thank you,” she responded to his encouragement. Elliot never championed her, come to think of it. Her ex seemed to take great pleasure in belittling at the most insignificant of foibles, disguising it as jest, humor. But many a truth was spoken in jest as the saying went.
Still, she was glad to have been assigned the human interest stories such as the anti-poverty movement.
She was covering the event but she also felt passionate about the way low-income families could not provide for their children. She was all for raising the minimum wage. She took nothing for granted.
The thought caused moistness to sting her eyes. Blue knew how it felt to not have much. But then, she’d learned about Zack’s background, too. He’d been through humbling impoverished times as a youngster before he met his famous grandfather. But she was not about to bring that up. She would allow him to. Since she knew it was a raw spot and it wasn’t something that the Romero brothers flaunted when they worked within the community.
Blue learned the Romero brothers were known for their compassionate work, not for their boastful words.
“You can begin recording,” Zack ordered her, in his commanding, deep voice. He walked so powerfully and dignified with his shoulders squared.
Conscious of her own posture, Blue straightened up. Her eyes scanned the breathtaking scenery at the estate. It was a massive sea of greenery with fresh grapes tinting the verdant view as they dangled from vines. There was a beautiful mini cottage that was the garden shed but it was more like a beautiful home with its own shrubs, stone pathway and a double French door like the main house. How marvellous they designed it that way. It was Zack’s brainchild, apparently.
The scent of his cologne was irresistible to Blue's n
ose. Everything about the man was. She felt her nipples getting hard, straining under her bra and through her knitted summer top. She prayed Zack would not look directly at them. It would be so embarrassing. Her skirt was beginning to ride up again. The fabric was not one she was used to wearing and had a bit of stretching Lycra material in it to complement her curves. She just wished she’d worn it beforehand to understand how it would behave. What a day to wear this outfit. Blue tried to change the direction of her thoughts back to her work.
“Blue’s an intriguing name.”
“Thank you. My mother’s favorite artist was…” Blue almost choked trying to utter the words. It was so painful to think about Mom. Even now. “Picasso, so I'm Blue, after his Blue Period.” She finished her sentence, almost inaudibly.
“Is everything, okay?” Zack asked in a deep, low voice as if he was in tune with her every word, her every tone. Blue really had to be careful around him. She had to keep her emotions in check. She realized that now.
“Yes,” she said softly, trying to bring her confidence up a notch. “Mother always told me that Blue was synonymous energy and it also meant calm and relaxation.”
“You don’t seem relaxed,” Zack observed as he stopped walking after they’d reached the plush garden shed cottage. “If you’re going to work with me, Blue, as much as I like your aura, you’ll need to remain focused on what you’re doing. Is that going to be a problem?”
She shook her head. But tears were beginning to form in her tear ducts. “I just had a really busy morning, sir. But I-"
Zack held up his hand to silence her. “Firstly, we’ll cut the formalities. Around here, we’re on a first name basis.”
A grin of amusement touched his lips. “I’ll be the exception when I deem it necessary, Miss Monroe.” His voice was deep and rich, and so smooth it slid down her spine with a tingle. Was he playing games with her? Was he saying he didn’t want them to be on a first name basis? Or he didn’t want use a first name when addressing her? What was with him?
Whatever it was, Zack caused a reaction in her like she’d never experienced. She was addicted to him with just one taste of his presence and that was going to be a problem. She knew it. She could feel it. But she had to get on with the job and focus. She already had a crazy ex-boyfriend in her personal-life portfolio. She didn’t want or need another one. She knew of Zack Romero’s reputation with women. He was the scream-out-loud sexual pleaser who didn’t do seconds! She was not going to be another notch on his king-sized bedpost. She assumed he would have a giant bed with silky, expensive fabric and a room with naughty seductive adult toys, probably.
The Playboy Billionaire (The Romero Brothers, Book 3) Page 3
