by Kwan, Coleen
“Yeah. We go up on Saturday morning—won’t take us long in the helicopter. Other relatives will be arriving as well on Saturday. It’s family only that day. Sunday is the main event, a garden party, and then we return home on Monday.”
“So I’d have to take that day off, then.”
“A half day, at least. Is that a problem?”
There’d be no problem taking time off work. That wasn’t the reason for her shortened breathing. She glanced around them, but there was too much chatter in the gallery for them to be overheard.
She dropped her voice. “Would we have to share a bedroom?”
His eyelids lowered, hiding the expression in his eyes. “Yeah. So?”
“I’m not sharing a bedroom with you.” She hated how jittery she sounded. Hated what the idea of sharing a bedroom with Lex was doing to her—sending her blood spiraling, her imagination freewheeling.
“My grandmother has a big place, but there’ll be a whole crowd of relatives spending Saturday night, so there won’t be any spare rooms. And besides, no one would ever believe we’re a couple if we don’t share a room.”
“We could stay somewhere else, a hotel nearby.”
“Nana would feel insulted.”
The trapped feeling intensified. She tried to step back, but the crowd behind hemmed her in. “I—I can’t come, then. You don’t need me at this party, do you?”
Lex scrutinized her for a few moments, then, hooking his hand around her elbow, he pushed a way clear for them through the throngs. They left the gallery and descended the stone steps before he spoke.
“I do need you,” he said earnestly. “Apart from establishing our relationship as genuine, I have another reason. I’ve organized a family meeting for Monday morning. My grandmother has trouble traveling to San Francisco, so since we’ll all be gathered in Napa, I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss some business. You can help me. By spending time with my relatives, you might get some idea of who’s responsible. The trouble is, I’m too close to everything. I don’t have the proper perspective, but you might pick up things I wouldn’t.”
Everything he said made sense, but it wasn’t logic that had her insides knotted in panic. She was still vulnerable to Lex’s sensuality; just look at how she’d crumbled at his touch at Carl’s party. Spending an entire weekend with him would test her resistance to the hilt. On the other hand, if she had a chance to find out who the mole was, then she’d be a fool not to take it, because then she’d fulfill her part of the bargain, she’d be done with Lex forever, and Kevin would at long last get a job. Wasn’t that worth the risk?
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to look so grumpy,” Lex said as they began to walk back to the car. “It’s not all bad news. You’ll be giving my credit card a workout, remember?”
“I can buy my own clothes, thanks very much.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t want you to spend too much on my account. You’re my girlfriend. Why wouldn’t I want to splurge on you to look good for my nana’s birthday party?”
“Fine.” She exhaled softly. “What kind of clothes will I need?”
“Designer ones.”
“That won’t come cheap. I might give you a heart attack when you see your credit card bill.”
“You can try.” He looked her up and down as though calculating her measurements. “We’ll go on a shopping spree this week.”
“We?”
“Yes. Isn’t that the sign of a devoted boyfriend, schlepping from one boutique to the next, giving you helpful fashion advice?”
“Are you sure you can spare the time from your busy schedule?”
“For you, always.” His teeth gleamed in a mocking smile. “Besides, if you show up at my office, it’ll reinforce the girlfriend impression, plus you’ll have a chance to look at the other security logs you requested. Come over Tuesday at lunchtime. I’ll clear my schedule for the afternoon.”
She nodded and rubbed her upper arms in an effort to get rid of a weird goose bumpy feeling. Lex was going shopping with her, and he was taking her to meet his grandmother and the rest of his family. Things he’d never done when they were together. Things he was only doing now because he wasn’t her boyfriend. She had to remember that.
Chapter Six
Tuesday afternoon, Jacinta arrived at Lex’s office. There were two desks in his reception area, one for each of his personal assistants. At the desk closest to Lex’s door sat a middle-aged woman, her plain, unadorned features matching her matronly gray suit.
“Hi, Nancy,” Jacinta said, feeling as always that using the woman’s first name was being too forward. According to Lex, Nancy Bird had been with the company for longer than anyone could remember. “Uh, nice to see you again.”
The assistant eyed Jacinta over her steel-rimmed spectacles, her lips stretching into a polite smile. “Hello, Ms. Greene.”
The woman had never been less than civil to her, but now Jacinta wondered if there was a hint of skepticism in the assistant’s manner. More than anyone else she would be aware of Lex’s movements, would know if he suddenly started acting out of character. Maybe she wasn’t completely convinced of Jacinta and Lex’s sudden reconciliation.
“I’m here to see Lex,” Jacinta said in a voice that felt unnecessarily loud.
“Of course,” the woman replied blandly. “Go right in. He’s expecting you.”
Jacinta pushed through the door to Lex’s office.
“I don’t think Nancy completely buys that we’re back together,” she said as Lex rose from his desk. “She seemed a bit stiff.”
“Don’t mind her. She’s only peeved because I’ve canceled so many appointments today and caused her a lot of reshuffling.” He walked around his desk toward her. “Did you get the flowers I sent you?”
“Yes, thank you.” She flushed. The four dozen long-stemmed roses had caused a stir at the office. “You made quite a statement with those roses. Everyone at work wanted to know who’d sent them. I’ve told some of my other friends about you, and they’re all kinda surprised we’re back together.”
“Tell them I’m taking you to Rawlins tonight. I managed to wrangle a table.”
Rawlins was an upscale restaurant more famous for its clientele than its food. “Rawlins? Why there?”
“To show everyone I’m serious, especially your friends.”
Jacinta sighed. She hated lying to them, but this was her choice, so she’d have to put up with the pretense. Oh yes, what a hardship it was receiving beautiful roses and going to dinner with a handsome man!
“Should I go through the logs now or after the shopping?” she asked.
“Let’s do it now.” He gestured toward his high-backed leather chair. “Do you want to take my seat?”
She sat down, unsettled by the familiarity of his office and the residual warmth in the chair left from Lex’s body. She peered at the desk. This was where she’d ended up naked with Lex on top of her on more than one occasion after hours. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the very stapler that had left a dent in her ass. She cut off the memories before she forgot why she was there.
“Are you sure no one’s going to barge in unexpectedly? It would look a bit strange for me to be sitting here behind your desk.”
Lex sat in a visitor’s chair. “With Nancy standing guard outside, no one’s going to come in without plenty of warning. She’s a great sentry.”
Jacinta logged on, still mulling over Nancy. “So she’s on your side?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Of course. Nancy was my father’s assistant for more than twenty-five years. She’s devoted to the company.”
“And to you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘devoted,’ but she’s completely loyal.” He gave her a sharp stare. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason except it’s good to know you can count on someone.” She examined the screen, but even as she analyzed the stats in front of her, part of her was still preoc
cupied with the people in Lex’s life. “I can’t help noticing the underlying tensions between you and your uncle and Holly, the people you should be able to trust. I know you think it’s none of my business, but it would help me to know the reason behind it. Is it money, ambition, bad blood, what?”
Instead of answering, he picked up his ballpoint pen and began to spin it in his fingers until she thought he was going to ignore her question, but finally he said, “With Holly it’s a pretty straightforward case. She’s always been ambivalent about the family wealth. She claims being a Rochester has screwed up a lot of her relationships. In college, she joined a protest group that wanted to halt one of our projects, a project my father had put me in charge of. She and her friends broke into the site, wrecked a lot of expensive equipment, then chained themselves to some heavy machinery. She flaunted her Rochester connection to the media, wanted to cause me maximum embarrassment. Well, I didn’t negotiate with her. I called in the police, got them all charged, and insisted she pay all costs.”
Jacinta stared at him. “That was a little heavy-handed, don’t you think?”
He spun the pen faster, his chin jutting out. “She abused her privileges, thought I’d treat her differently because she was family. She was wrong. In the end she still traded on her name and landed a job here. She’s one of our environmental officers, which means she’s constantly finding ways to needle me.”
She recalled Holly’s prickly attitude at the art exhibition, the way she’d squared her jaw exactly as Lex was doing now. “She hasn’t totally forgiven you.”
“I’ll say,” he grunted. “Although she’s good at her job, I’ll give her that.”
Jacinta tapped a few commands into the computer, scanned the results, then said, “And your uncle? What’s his story?”
Leaning back in his chair, Lex balanced the pen between his two forefingers. “That goes back a little further. He was supposed to run the company together with my father, but basically he was no match for my dad. He was sidelined, outmaneuvered, and eventually pushed out of any meaningful role. As a concession, he was made a vice president of branding and later he got the foundation.”
“Wow, that sounds so ruthless.”
“That was my dad—ruthless, charming, arrogant.” He paused, his expression brooding. His memories of his father didn’t seem to be happy ones.
A sudden shiver ran down Jacinta’s back. Not once had Lex ever discussed his father with her, even though Philip Rochester had died not long ago and Lex had taken over his job. On the bookcase beside the desk were several framed photos, but they were all of Lex with his friends, none that seemed like family pictures except one that showed Lex with a white-haired, sweet-faced woman who could only be his grandmother.
“Ralph doesn’t have a head for business anyway,” Lex continued. “He was always more interested in the arts.”
“And he resents you because of what your father did to him?”
He tossed the pen up and grabbed it in his fist. “No, he resents me because after I became CEO, I found out he’d been blowing his budget for years and my father had been covering for him all this time. He assumed I’d do the same thing. He assumed wrong.” Lex’s knuckles whitened around the pen. “I insisted he stick to his budget. He thinks I’m just a soulless bean counter.”
His taut face made her stretch her hand out toward him. Just in time, she realized what she was doing and let her hand sink to the desk. “Well,” she began tentatively, “perhaps your dad felt guilty about ousting his brother, and that was his way of making amends.”
“I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” He lifted his head. “I never thought of that. My dad was never known for his softness, especially not toward any family members.”
“Was he hard on you?” The question tumbled from her lips before she could think. She hesitated, his narrowing eyes making her uncomfortable. “I mean, when you were growing up.”
“He wanted me to succeed, not just do well but exceed all expectations. Sometimes, it was difficult to please him.” He folded his arms on the desk, nodding toward the computer. “Found anything there?”
She pulled her focus back to the screen. “Nothing to report.”
“Then it’s time to hit the stores.” He stood and moved away to retrieve his jacket from the coat stand.
How quickly he’d cut off all discussion about his dad. Clearly he wasn’t going to confide his issues to her, but at least he’d told her about his problems with Holly and his uncle Ralph.
She logged off his computer, picked up her purse, and followed him out of the office. Just outside the elevators, they ran into Carl.
“Going out for a nice long lunch date?” he said, grinning.
“I’m saving that for tonight,” Lex said. “Got a table booked at Rawlins.”
Carl whistled. “Rawlins. Brooke will be green with envy.”
Lex ran his hand lightly down Jacinta’s back. “Right now I’m taking Jacy shopping for something to wear to my grandmother’s party.”
A tremor snaked down Jacinta’s spine. Not just because of his intimate touch, but because of what he’d called her. Jacy. His special nickname for her. No one else called her that.
“Oh yes, Nana Alice’s party,” Carl said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
“Carl and Brooke are coming to the party,” Lex explained to Jacinta.
She nodded, still flustered as the elevator arrived and they stepped in.
Carl called after them. “Jacinta, this is the first time I’ve seen Lex give up an afternoon at the office to go shopping with a woman. You’ve really turned him around.” He gave them the thumbs-up.
The doors slid shut. They stood alone in the elevator as it sped downward. Lex kept his gaze on the panel of lights.
“Well?” Jacinta said when it was obvious Lex wasn’t going to talk. “I can’t believe you’re letting Carl tease you like that.”
He shrugged and curled the corner of his mouth. “What man wouldn’t be turned around when he’s got such a gorgeous girlfriend?”
He was only trying to bait her, but it didn’t stop a tide of attraction buzzing through her. She’d have to watch herself or she might start believing his made-up compliments.
…
As Lex sat on the comfy little sofa, he wondered why he’d never taken Jacinta clothes shopping in the past. He hadn’t known what he was missing. The private changing room of the exclusive boutique they’d entered resembled an eighteenth-century French boudoir. There was plush carpet, soft music, gilt mirrors, a chandelier. A few feet away from the sofa, beneath a velvet curtain, he could make out Jacinta’s bare feet as she tried on another dress.
She pushed aside the curtains and stepped out. Lex stared, swallowing down his drool. The silky, burnt orange dress she wore clung like a whisper to her figure, teasing his senses, firing his imagination. Its flowing lines, which only showed a hint of cleavage and a glimpse of thigh through the semitransparent chiffon, was more provocative than any plunging neckline or short hemline.
Oblivious to his attention, she twisted her head as she inspected herself in the mirror. “What do you think?”
He rose to his feet. “We’ll take it.”
“Are you sure? Is it suitable for your nana’s party?”
“Take it from me, that dress is hot.”
She shook her head, her expression uncertain. “Lex, you’re not listening. I need a dress that will help me fit in with all your high society relatives.”
“Of course you’ll fit in. I don’t understand why you’re worried.”
“Isn’t it obvious? You and I, we come from such different worlds. I don’t want to look out of place at this weekend party.”
She was genuinely concerned, he realized with a jolt of surprise. He moved behind and touched her shoulder, trying to suppress his libido in order to reassure her. “Jacinta, stop worrying. To me, you’ve always had a natural grace and style that money can’t buy.”
She lif
ted her head, meeting his gaze in the mirror as a smile illuminated her face. “You mean that?”
“Of course. Haven’t I ever told you that?”
Her eyes warmed. “No, never.”
“You’re a natural. You’ll fit in anywhere.”
“When we were dating, you never took me to any ritzy parties.”
“Not because I didn’t think you’d fit in, but because we were having too much fun on our own.”
Her lips edged up. “I guess that’s true.”
Stepping closer, he folded his arms around her waist and murmured into her hair, “Look how much fun we’re having right now.”
She inhaled quickly. “What—what are you doing?”
The citrusy scent of her hair was going to work on him. He could feel her body taut and vibrating in his arms, her fingers on his wrists, but she didn’t pull away. He stroked her waist, blood surging through his veins.
“What do you think?” The gruff need in his voice surprised him; he hadn’t realized until then how much he’d been lusting after her. “You’ve been prancing in front of me half naked for the past hour. There’s only so much temptation a man can handle.”
She plucked at his hands but made no attempt to free herself. “You’re the one who insisted on coming into the changing room,” she answered breathily.
“Hm. I never realized what a turn-on it could be.” He drew circles over her torso, his leisurely pace at odds with the hammering inside him. He trailed his hands upward over her tight rib cage until they were almost cupping her breasts. Almost, but not quite.
“You shouldn’t be doing this,” she murmured, sounding agonized.
He felt her shiver, heard the tiniest moan escape her lips. “Look at yourself in the mirror, Jacy, and tell me I shouldn’t be doing this.”
Their gazes met in the reflection. Her eyes were dark and bright, her cheeks rosy, her breathing unsteady. The need she couldn’t hide filled him with a sense of power and restraint. If he spun her around and kissed her, she would say he’d forced it on her, and she’d be able to deny her own desire. But if he tantalized her enough, he could make her admit that she wanted this just as much as he did, and then there’d be no argument about breaking their agreement.
