The CEO's Dilemma ; Undeniable Passion

by Lindsay Evans

  Rita’s mother’s words sounded in her ear as clearly as if she were in the room. Suddenly, the spoonful of rice in her mouth had no taste.

  “I think that’s a bit of a simplistic view,” Rita said.

  Keith’s eyes registered mild surprise. “Simplistic?”

  Rita took a sip of her cooler. “I understand that tragedies happen, and they’re crushing. But you can process it, move on. However, what if someone has gone through something for years? Pain that is constant for years on end. It’s not really how you decide to feel about the situation then, is it? It’s the reason some people turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. The pain is too much to bear.”

  “I still think that your attitude determines how that affects your life. You can choose to hold on to the pain or let it go.”

  “Is that so?” Rita’s voice sounded testy even to her own ears. Her chest was getting tight. She couldn’t have this conversation with a man who didn’t understand what she’d gone through.

  “Definitely,” Keith said.

  “That’s easy to say,” Rita told him. “But you haven’t lived through every scenario, have you?”

  “Of course n—”

  “Have you had someone disappoint you for your entire life?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then you really can’t speak for those who’ve gone through that kind of pain.”

  His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Hey.” He placed a hand on hers. “I didn’t say I could. Why are you getting so upset?”

  “People judge others when they really shouldn’t.”

  “You think I’m judging you?”

  Rita pushed her chair back and stood. “You know, I’m feeling really tired.”

  Keith’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you asking me to leave?”

  “I really need to get a good night’s rest,” Rita said. “Let me pack up some of this food for you.”

  “If I said something to offend you...”

  Rita closed the container with the chicken and placed it in the bag.

  “I don’t want any of the food,” Keith said. “You keep it.”

  Rita covered the noodles. She needed to keep her hands busy.

  “I don’t want the food,” Keith reiterated. Then, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just tired.” She stopped fiddling with the food and ran a hand through her hair. “It’s hitting me all of a sudden.”

  “You’re sure?” Keith asked.

  “Yes. I need to go to bed.” She didn’t quite meet Keith’s eyes. “You want the coolers?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Rita started for the door, making it clear she was ready for him to leave. She opened it, and a few seconds later, he exited.

  “Rita—”

  “Good night,” she said. “Thanks for the food.”

  And then she closed the door.

  Chapter 5

  Should he call her?

  That was the thought dominating most of Keith’s thoughts two days later at work. He’d thought of her quite often the day before, but had decided that calling her was not the smart thing to do. She was a tenant. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn’t need her to be nice to him.

  That’s what he’d told himself yesterday, and yet today he’d woken up thinking about her. About those dark eyes filled with mystery.

  He didn’t like how things had abruptly ended between them, and he simultaneously felt the urge to reach out to her, and to completely leave her alone.

  “Keith?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you hear what I said?” Barbara, his real estate broker, asked on the other end of the line.

  “Sorry. I was checking out the floor plan.”

  “The units are in good shape,” Barbara said, “but the location is a little farther west than you’d like.”

  “How much farther?”

  “Twenty miles.”

  “Too far,” Keith said.

  “However, I think this is still workable,” Barbara quickly said. “It’s close to the University of Buffalo, so you’ll always be able to rent to students.”

  “Keep looking,” Keith said abruptly.

  “You don’t want to even come to town and see it?”

  “I know there’s a better deal to be found. I want you to find it.”

  “Right now, this is the best deal.”

  “I’ve got time,” Keith said. “I’m not going to jump on a deal unless it’s one I want.”

  Barbara sighed softly. “Okay.”

  “Talk to you later.” Keith ended the call, and looked at the photo of the building Barbara had sent him on his computer screen. It wasn’t half as appealing as the one he’d lost. Students were not his desired clientele. Too much turnover. Too little investment in the upkeep of the property.

  His eyes went downward to his cell phone. He strummed his fingers on the desk. Should he call her?

  He was in a funk this morning, more than usual. And though he had tried to tell himself it was about business, he knew there was another reason. The beautiful yet serious woman who was renting apartment number six.

  She went from hot to cold without batting an eye. What had he said to set her off? And why was it still bothering him a day and a half later?

  Keith had been talking about his own experience, about how moving forward with a positive attitude made all the difference, and she practically lost it on him.

  It was obvious that something was bothering her. The wedding? Was her mother’s upcoming nuptials really that upsetting to her? Or had somebody broken her heart and left her hateful of all men?

  She was hot to handle, no doubt about it, but Keith couldn’t help thinking that a man who would break her heart was foolish. She had a lot of passion—that was clear. Keith could only imagine that when she was using that passion for loving as opposed to arguing, the man in her life would be very happy.

  “Um, Mr. Burke.”

  Keith looked up from his desk toward the open office door. “What is it, Dana?”

  “There’s a problem with the plumbing at one of your units.”

  Keith groaned. For goodness’ sakes. Why today? He didn’t need the added stress.

  “Call Jake.” He was the plumber Keith used. “Have him go over there and fix it.”

  “It’s a little more complicated. I thought you might want to talk to the tenant.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s Rita Osgood, the woman who rented the unit a couple of days ago. She said she didn’t want to disturb you, but she’s asking me if I could possibly move her to a new unit. She said if there isn’t another unit, she’ll need to break her rental agreement.”

  Keith was out of his seat in a flash. “Is she on the line now?”

  “No. Your line was busy when she called, so I told her I would try to solve the situation and get back to her.”

  “I’ll deal with it,” Keith said, grabbing his car keys. And then he headed out of the office.

  * * *

  When Rita heard the urgent knocking on her door, she ran to answer it. Thank God, the plumber had arrived.

  She swung the door open without hesitation. And gasped when she saw Keith standing there.

  One of his arms was raised above his head and resting on her doorframe. He looked down at her with dark eyes, and an unclear expression on his face. “You have a problem with the plumbing?” he asked, getting to the point.

  “I... I thought the plumber was coming.”

  “Why didn’t you call my cell?”

  “I called your office.”

  “And when my line was busy, you should have called my cell.” Keith stepped forward, and Rita moved backward to let him pass. Was he angry? She couldn’t tell.

  “What exactly is the problem?” he asked.

&n
bsp; “All of the water is cold. I went into the shower, turned it on and I’m sure my bloodcurdling screams terrified some people. I’m not a wimp or anything, but I’d really like to have a hot shower. How long do you think it will take for the plumber to get here?”

  Keith looked her up and down, taking in her damp hair and then her T-shirt and shorts. “I called the plumber on the way over here. He’s busy right now and can’t get here until the end of the day.”

  “Are you serious? Then you need to call someone else.”

  “Let me have a look.” Keith went into her kitchen and turned on the hot water faucet. He let it run. He placed his hand under the water, and after a good minute, he frowned and shut the water off. As he did, his phone rang. “Dana, hi. Damn, okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

  “The water’s still cold, right?” Rita said.

  “Yes, and apparently it’s more than one unit. So it’s got to be the water heater for this sector of the building.”

  “This is a huge inconvenience,” Rita said.

  “I know. I understand you requested a possible new unit, but I’d have to move you to another building altogether. Let me see what Jake can do first, all right?”

  “How long is that going to take? I really need to shower now and get on with my day.”

  “What about going to your mother’s place?”

  Rita’s jaw flinched. “Not an option.”

  Nodding, Keith placed his hands on his hips. “Why don’t we do this? I can take you to my place and you can shower there.”

  Rita’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “I can drop you off, let you use the shower and then hopefully by the end of the day this situation will be resolved. Sooner. I’ll get right on it.”

  Rita bit down on her bottom lip. Go to Keith’s place? Use his shower? “I don’t know...”

  “It’s the best solution I have for the immediate time being.”

  Rita needed a hot shower. Cold water just wouldn’t cut it.

  “I guess I could be quick about it,” she found herself saying.

  “Get what you need. I’ll be downstairs. You can follow me to my place.”

  Keith spoke in a commanding way, all but giving her no choice. There was something off about him today, and Rita was pretty sure she knew what it was. Their interaction the night before last had gone from pleasant to negative in seconds.

  “All right,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Let me call my plumber again.”

  As Keith made his call, Rita went to her room and got fresh clothes, a towel and her shower gel. She would be quick at Keith’s place.

  When she exited the bathroom, Keith said without preamble, “Jake says he’ll be able to get here in a couple of hours. Hopefully he can resolve the situation quickly. It might be several hours before you have hot water, though. Do you want to wait, or do you still want to come to my place?”

  Rita hesitated only a beat. “I’ll go to your place.”

  * * *

  Keith’s house was a large two-story home on a quiet tree-lined street. It looked modern, yet quaint. The exterior was a combination of gray and pale blue. The white trim around the windows provided the perfect contrast to the color scheme. The lawn was lush and well manicured. There was a white wooden swing that could accommodate two hanging on the porch. The only thing that was missing was the white picket fence.

  Rita pulled into the cobblestone driveway beside Keith and parked her car. Was there a Mrs. Burke around? Or had there been one? Rita hadn’t seen a ring on Keith’s finger.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t married, though. Did he have any children? This wasn’t the kind of home she pictured a bachelor inhabiting.

  “Is there someone who’s going to wonder why I’m coming home with you?” Rita asked when she got out of the car and met Keith on the driveway.

  Keith looked down at her. “You mean like a wife?”

  “Yes.” Rita paused. “Are you married?”

  “No.” Keith shook his head. “I’m not. No kids. Only some goldfish.”

  That’s right. He’d mentioned the goldfish two days ago. How had she forgotten?

  Keith strolled up the stone walkway and up the steps to the front door. Rita glanced around at the flower boxes hanging from the porch railing and the wind chimes near the door. They sang as Keith and Rita walked past.

  “Welcome to my home,” Keith said, and opened the door. Rita followed him into the house. Her eyes volleyed back and forth, taking the place in. Like outside, the walls were painted a pale blue. A strip of white-painted wood stretched across the wall about three and a half feet up, separating the blue from the white wainscoting below. The polished dark wood floor provided a contrast to the bright colors.

  An open archway to the left led to the living room. A staircase on the right wall led to the upper level. Directly at the back of the house, there was a kitchen.

  “The basement’s finished, and I have a full bathroom down there,” Keith said. “Let me show you.”

  Keith made the way to the basement steps, where he hit the light and began to descend. The walls were the same pale blue, but instead of the hardwood floor, there was a beige carpet.

  “That’s the bathroom on the left,” Keith said, pointing to a door as he rounded the corner. “The linen closet is right inside, so you’ll have access to towels, if you need any.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “I don’t have a hair dryer, sorry.”

  “I don’t need one.”

  Keith nodded. “I’ll leave you to it then. I’ll be gone when you’re finished. Let yourself out.”

  “I will, thanks.”

  Rita stood and watched Keith begin to ascend the stairs. Then she went into the bathroom and closed the door, and released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  Keith was being so...businesslike. He was upset with her, and Rita didn’t feel good about that. Especially not when she was here in his private home to take a shower.

  She’d been unfair to him the other night, and she felt the weight of guilt on her shoulders. Her own issues had had her snapping at him and she needed to give him an explanation.

  She swung the door open, calling, “Keith!”

  His name morphed into a scream on her lips.

  Because there he was, standing before her. His eyes widened in surprise. Then darkened with a look that had her heart fluttering.

  Rita exhaled heavily. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry. I just...” He extended a robe. “I brought you this. In case you need it.”

  She took the robe from his arms, her fingers brushing his hand. And just that simple touch caused heat to spread across her skin. She glanced away, swallowing.

  Keith took a step backward. “I’ll just be... You know how to reach me.”

  “Okay,” Rita said softly.

  He turned and took a few steps, and Rita was going to retreat into the bathroom. But instead she said, “Wait.”

  Halting, Keith glanced over his shoulder. And Lord help her, there was that look again.

  He fully turned. “Do you not want me to leave?”

  “Uh...”

  One step, two. He headed back toward her. Slowly. Like a jaguar stalking its prey.

  “I just...um...” Suddenly Rita couldn’t think. She couldn’t form the words she had wanted to say.

  “Because if you don’t want me to leave...”

  Keith was right in front of her now, his gaze holding hers. She could see it now, as clear as day. His desire for her.

  The same desire she was feeling.

  He tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear, then let his fingers graze her face. More heat filled her body. “Is this what the tension between us is about?” he asked, his voice husky. “Are we fighting something?”
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  Rita swallowed. And dang it, why couldn’t she form a word? This wasn’t why she’d called out to Keith. And yet her body was so alive with excitement that she didn’t want to stop what was happening.

  Keith slipped his fingers around her neck, and she uttered a soft mewling sound. As he urged her toward him, she tipped up on her toes and tilted her chin.

  Slowly, his mouth came down on hers. Soft. Warm. And so utterly delectable.

  His lips brushed across hers. Once. Twice. And then he softly suckled her bottom lip. Rita leaned into him, placing a palm against his chest. The feel of his muscles beneath his shirt caused her heart to flutter. Lord, this man was sexy.

  Rita felt and heard Keith’s heavy intake of breath. He snaked a hand around her waist and as he pulled her forcefully against his body, he deepened the kiss. His tongue swept across hers, and Rita gripped his shirt now, needing to hold on to him in order to steady herself.

  Keith’s cell phone ringing was like a bomb going off, that’s how unexpected and intrusive it was. He broke the kiss and stepped backward. He looked flummoxed as he reached into his jacket pocket for it.

  “Sorry,” he said. He glanced at the phone’s screen, then back at her. “I have to take this.”

  Rita was too shaken to do anything other than nod.

  “Keith Burke,” he said. “Yes, hi. Oh. Right now? Okay. I’m on my way.”

  He ended the call and faced her. “I have to go.”

  Rita nodded. “Right. Of course.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Rita forced a smile. “I’ll see you later.”

  * * *

  Rita stood under the spray of hot water, wondering what on earth had just happened between her and Keith. Kissing him had not been part of the plan.

  There had been no plan, except to shower and apologize to him for her up-and-down behavior the other night. But somehow he’d looked at her with those smoky eyes and she’d been lost.

  Honestly she hadn’t recognized herself. Keith was not the kind of man she dated.

  And yet... The kiss had excited her in a way she hadn’t been for so long. A gorgeous man had looked at her as though he’d wanted no other woman but her... How could she not be affected?