by Beth Mikell
Hexon was CEO of MK Steel Co., yet he led a different lifestyle compared to his executive counterparts, preferring a more hands on approach to business. He worked the field as he liked to call it, by pursuing a job as a metal subcontractor for all manner of construction. Plus, he recommended MK Steel in the deal, thereby furthering his company too. Not that he needed to work like a normal laborer, but he hated his cooped-up, high-rise office for more than a couple of days at a time. He loved working with his hands, instead of making all the deals. Of course he made deals too, when needed…he wasn’t a total CEO slacker or blow off his position and responsibility, but he didn't clamor after office air for long stretches of time. The children’s fundraiser was coming up and he would don a tuxedo and make the rounds like the dutiful CEO for a cause close to his heart--abortion awareness and pregnant mother education.
Two years ago, Hexon met a beautiful woman, Jessica, who was only twenty at the time, but a knockout model with long blonde hair and legs up to her…well long, anyway. He fell hard and thought she had too. Inside six months of hot and heavy romance, Jessica found herself pregnant. Hexon could not have been happier. They had a month of bliss planning their upcoming wedding and baby in utter excitement, but a dark cloud settled over him after their first trip to the doctor. After the usual sonogram, receiving every known picture and video of their unborn child available to man, Jessica went out to meet her mother for lunch.
She never came home.
He tried to call…no answer. He tried to find her…she simply vanished. The next day, Hexon received a crass note from Jessica on her abortion bill stating, I’m sorry. On the wings of her exit, she left for a modeling gig to South America without a care or thought for him or their unborn child.
Hell now had a name: Hex.
He never knew such pain existed until he found himself locked into a pit of heartache for his child so carelessly cast aside. If he had only known…if only…if only played a battle of wills inside him daily. Distrust ate his insides like a plague with no known cure, festering hot until his basic credo against women revolved around one sentence: never trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn’t kick the bucket! Ouch, but true. He'd been burned and burned bad so his estimation on women and their motivations sank along with the ship, which was fine by him. No mess, no fuss and everything in between was simple pleasure. Life would rue the day it pissed in his cornflakes and called him a loser to his face. He was content with his life and damn the rest.
Hex didn’t bother shaving, preferring the grunge shadow instead for the simple fact he was running late for his first day on the job…downstairs at the new renovation. No one knew he was actually the CEO of MK Steel, so he needed to get a move on. Plus, no one knew he and Sean Merrick were college buddies from way back…some things were best left unsaid.
After dressing in scruffy jeans and a black t-shirt, Hexon grabbed his tool belt and hardhat along with his black duffel bag in preparation to head out. He gave the room one last glance from his reckless evening the night before and shut the door. He smirked at the memory of his morning after, yet he pushed it from his mind as he did with every woman who crossed his path.
Women in general…were highly overrated...and most certainly untrustworthy.
~~~
With her sunglasses still in place and her headache thumping time with her heartbeat, Savannah crossed the threshold of her construction site within Sherrod Towers Hotel, having spent the last two hours haggling with a flooring vendor over pricing. Her nerves were gone and she needed more coffee.
Tony, her lapdog assistant appeared in front of her with a clipboard and hardhat. He was a freak of nerd nature, from the top of his wispy brown hair, glasses and GQ suits. He was good with numbers and coffee delivery, so Savannah overlooked his eager to please personality, which tended to annoy her. Frankly, he listened to her and that was prime in her opinion.
“Hi boss.”
Savannah tipped her sunglasses down the end of her nose eyeing the pink hardhat Tony offered and she looked back up at him, appalled. “What the hell is that? Why is it pink and…what…bedazzled? Oh come on!” She exclaimed. A distinct bellow of male laughter echoed from the other side of the room. “Guys, what’s up with the joke?”
Pete, her in-house electric manager walked over, flashing a wide smile. He was about medium height with dark hair and carried a Bronx accent. “Yo SD, we thought you needed something more stylish than the standard yellow hardhat. This one's classier.” He pointed to the ‘SD’ in multicolored rhinestones.
She could only shake her head in amazement as Pete continued on, “And we’re trying to figure out a cool nickname for SD.”
“Well, this ought to be good,” she said in a dry tone.
Pete ticked his fingers one by one as he named them off, “Sweet Delight, Shut up and Drive, Sugar Download and my personal favorite, Sexy Debbie Does—”
She grimaced and threw up a hand in disgust, “Whoa! Stop right there Pete. You’ll get no Debbie Does out of me. I’m strictly PG-13.”
He pulled off his yellow hardhat, wiping his sweaty face with the back of his hand, “Damn, I’m more of a XXX man myself!”
She smiled and tilted her head with a coy expression, “Did I say I minded?” He nodded his dark head beaming from ear to ear, “Now we’re talking.”
“But, I didn’t say yes.”
“Ah, come on, SD, don’t be a tease.”
She flashed him an innocent, playful glance, “Me? Never. I’m just a reminder of what you can’t have.” “Damn, harsh SD.” He shook his head in mock disappointment, grinning all the same. His 'Don't You Think I'm Sexy' t-shirt defying the moment.
Xavier, Savannah’s lighting and plumbing manager along with Angelo her foreman walked up laughing. “Come on SD, its cute!” Angelo jabbed Xavier in the side with a hearty laugh.
“Yeah, South Down, now we’ll always be able to spot you on site and that’s s-i-g-h-t.” Xavier called her South Down instead of SD (particularly after her replant from Philadelphia to Atlanta). He was a black African-American ex-gang member turned respectable, as he was fond of saying…and a single dad of two boys, having lost his wife to breast cancer three years prior.
Savannah rolled her eyes, grabbing the ugly hat because she didn’t have the heart to hurt her guys. They were, after all, very thoughtful and hard working…even like family to her, especially Angelo, her foreman who was a Mexican immigrant along with his wife, Marissa and twelve-year-old daughter, Maria. She became good friends with his family after spending time at their house for meals and together time. All her guys were special, even if they enjoyed making a joke or two at her expense; she took it all in stride. There wasn’t anything in the world they wouldn’t do for her and the feeling ran likewise.
She jammed the god-awful, pink hardhat on her head, posing in a vogue kind of way. “Well, will it do?” With purpose, she pulled off her sunglasses, looping them on the front of her shirt, while the men whooped and hollered, air pumping with enthusiasm.
“More than boss,” Tony piped in with chipper excitement before anyone else could.
Savannah turned to look at Tony, her smile fading and she grabbed the clipboard from his waiting hands, “Coffee--Tony.” She flipped through the pages laid out in front of her as he scrambled off to get her a mug of needed caffeine.
The schedule was looking good, even better than she expected, and the financials were…where were they? They were incomplete. “Uh…Tony?”
He handed her a cup of piping hot sanity, “Yes boss?”
“Where are the recent financials? How many times do I need to remind you to prepare new estimates each morning with cost updates?"
Tony paled, “But—but I did!”
She shook her head, “We are subbing out the metal work, but it isn’t listed in this morning’s report. How much are we paying for that? While we are under budget, we can’t afford any surprises. The damned flooring alone may bend our ass backwards as it is.”
>
Tony reddened until she thought his glasses might fly off and hit her in the face. Savannah knew she was as always a bit hard on him, but he had a good mind with figures and she didn’t want him to lose that edge with the strange infatuation he carried for her. Besides, his nerdy and lapdog ways creeped her out.
He slapped his forehead, “Oh god, I forgot to tell you…” Tony trailed off, pushing his glasses up his nose until he nearly embedded them in his skull.
Savannah arched a brow and waited, taking a sip of her treasured coffee, the decadent aroma smothering her senses with happiness.
“Um…MK Steel called yesterday afternoon and they are sending over one of their contractors…free of charge.” He beamed as if he handed her the sun, moon and stars on a silver platter.
Yet, Savannah remained suspicious, “And they would do that because…?” Tony opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn’t the one to answer.
“Because, I’m good at my job and MK Steel has a soft spot for unborn kids.”
Chapter Two
Out of my mind. Back in five minutes. ~ J. B. Morton
That voice.
His distinctive sound penetrated Savannah’s mind, seconds before she turned around and her stomach sank into a pit of fire, somewhere between damned and toasted-heated bliss. She closed her eyes against a wave of dread welling in her belly. It really couldn’t be him, could it? Hell hadn’t arrived and swallowed her whole, had it?
Sure enough, Savannah opened her eyes and found her morning biker god standing before her…more beautiful than ever, yet clothed instead of all muscle-bound naked. An amused quirk tilted his mouth as if he knew something she didn’t which really irked her. However, she gave him props, the man did ratty jeans and t-shirts well and if anything, he looked more sinful. God, the room shrank in an explosion of desire, which leaped through her veins at the sight of him.
The man before her was rough and savory all at once and one better…she knew what lie underneath all the layers and hardhat. Her insides shuddered and her inner hussy leaped in fast response for another taste, the bitch!
Savannah cleared her throat of the pseudo frog lodged within her larynx with an instant reconnaissance mission for her voice. “And you are…?”
He swaggered close to stand beside Angelo, the intensity of his blue eyes never wavered from her face, “Hex James, metal subcontractor from MK Steel.”
“Well, what were the odds,” she muttered under her breath and he saluted two fingers off his forehead in response. Her heart rammed against her chest and she looked away from him, handing her coffee mug to Tony. She pulled her pen out from her clipboard, tapping it loosely against the back of the board, nervously. She gave her biker god a tight smile. “I’m Savannah Deason, construction manager.”
“VP of Merrick In-House Construction to be exact,” Tony chimed in.
“Can it, Tony.” Not sparing a glance at her assistant, but rather kept her focus on the hot man before her. “Angelo is my foreman and he’ll get you set up.” Enough said, Savannah turned away striding towards her make shift office to hide with Tony tagging along behind, but stopped mid-glide, glancing back at her biker god, “Oh and Mr. James, we begin work at eight o’clock sharp. Try not to be late next time.”
He only flashed a sinful smile in response, daring her to comment further on his tardiness without giving away her role in the illicit affair.
God…what a morning she thought, not only for a rattled night of forgettable sex with her metal subcontractor, but he unnerved her. Something about him shook the cage of her feelings and she didn’t want to analyze it…at all. Turning her attention to work, she plopped down at her desk and prepared to set in to business. She had enough on her mind with her three-week deadline staring her in the face without dwelling on how hot biker god made her feel.
A few hours later, Savannah sat at her desk keying in figures into her spreadsheets--more or less oblivious to everything or trying to appear so when Tony stuck his head around the corner of boards that made up the walls of her so-called temp office.
“Boss, I’m headed out to lunch, would you like to join me?” he asked his expression hopeful.
She glanced up briefly, returning her eyes back to her entry. “No thanks, you go ahead.” A few moments later, Savannah heard someone enter her office, but she didn’t bother to look up, believing it to be Tony offering another chance at lunch, cringe. “Tony, I said I wasn’t interested in lunch. Please leave me in peace.”
“Ah, that’s too bad, princess. He seems to really have a thing for you too. You should throw him a bone.”
Stunned, Savannah looked up into the azure blue depths of Hex James. The man appeared more beautiful every time she saw him, but wisely skirted his comment. “Did you need something, Mr. James?”
His full lips smirked and he strolled into her makeshift office without an invitation until he came around the desk and sat on the corner. He eyed her with lazy assessment. “Now that would be a loaded question.”
She gave him a tight smile, “If you’re not here for legit business, I would politely ask you to leave.”
“And…not so politely?”
“Well, that would fall under get-the-hell-out-of-my-office category. Of course, it’s just whatever is most effective upon removing you from my presence.”
He laughed, enjoying her quickness, “You certainly have a designer flare for eloquent speech, princess.”
“It’s a natural gift I’m afraid.” She handled him with her usual smart assed flippancy, though a pang of regret hit her, which was beyond her understanding. Hell’s credence where did that come from? Remorse…really? “Look, I really am under the gun here, so if you don’t mind…I have word to do.”
Savannah glanced back at the computer screen and hit the print button before standing to retrieve her report--which happened to be on the other side of…Mr. Gorgeous. She mentally decided to upgrade him from biker god to Mr. Gorgeous since he tripled a few notches up the ladder from an extreme low life to just low. Still, she tried to ignore him as she walked around his large body to gather her papers from the printer.
“You know,” he whispered, “had I known last night what I know now, I could have persuaded you to stay this morning.”
She drew a sharp breath, thrown off-balance by his closeness and his sexy male scent filling more than the office. “Um…excuse me?”
He chuckled, his hand reaching out to smooth over her hip, “You heard me princess--nothing like schmoozing the boss lady to get ahead...or at least a late slip excusing my tardiness.”
Savannah turned her dark eyes on him, attempting her death glare, but only succeeded in drowning in his playful blue eyes. The warmth of his hand on her body made her heart skip, traitor. “I know you did not just go there. You must either be incredibly arrogant or completely stupid, Mr. James. Besides, last night was a mistake, plain and simple. It’s best left forgotten, know what I mean?”
She heard herself say the words, but somehow her body wasn’t listening to the facts. Her pulse leaped through her chest and up her into throat until her parched mouth felt dryer than the Sahara Desert. Worse still, her two-timing body wanted to jump into his arms. The verdict was in…she was definitely a hussy where he was concerned.
He stood, towering over her, his hand sliding around her waist, hauling her up against his body.
Again…she fit perfectly.
He leaned his head just inches from her lips, “Tell me something, princess, if I make a liar out of you…will you forgive me?”
She swallowed hard and brought her hands up with intent to push against him, but only succeeded in twisting her fingers into his t-shirt. “I’m not in the habit of being a liar or shelling out forgiveness, Mr. James. I am, however, multi-talented…I can talk and piss you off at the same time.”
Hex made a tsk, tsk sound with his tongue, “Such naughty words for one so beautiful.”
He didn’t give her time to protest, sealing off any frisky replies from he
r lips with the touch of his, slanting over her mouth in perfected unison, burning her with his taste and wicked tongue. Her hands slid up around his neck and burrowed into his hair, pulling him closer…wanting to be snugger to his incredible heat that flared through her body at each stroke and moist offering. A small moan of pleasure vibrated in Savannah’s throat, lost within in 2.2 seconds without a care of whom, what, or where.
He slid one hand up between them, cupping her breast, fitting his large hand flawlessly over the globe. He thumbed her nipple expertly through the thin barrier of her shirt and bra as liquid heat pooled at the core of her body until she wanted nothing more than his hands over her naked flesh. Never in her life had she experienced the level of passion offered up within a man’s arms so quickly. It was no wonder she woke up in his bed this morning…he carried the power of sexual potency off like beau ideal…the perfect lover. And honestly, she wanted more of him, tattoos and all.
Savannah broke free of his kiss, panting ragged gulps of air, “We shouldn’t do this here,” she finally managed, leaning back to look at his face. She was smacked with the fast conclusion of how far out of control he appeared to be and she was happy he lost some of his cool restraint. From the flushed passion riding high on his cheeks to the evident hard arousal shimmed up against her stomach.
Hex blinked--nearly ready to explode within the power of her touch, yet he swallowed hard, returning to reality, his blue eyes refocusing from the plain of passion back to earth. “I know you are right, princess, but it wouldn’t be hard to have a little ninja sex,” he offered, winking as he pulled back from her embrace to set her away from him.
