‘Your tax forms are ready for signature,’ she said proudly. She had everything sitting in a neat pile on the corner of his desk. Since he’d stopped her momentum, they might as well get things taken care of now. She was going to have to screw up her courage all over again before she went after Hawk. She plucked a pen off the desk and passed it to Jake along with the forms. ‘Sign here and here,’ she instructed, pointing with her finger.
‘Now who’s cold-hearted?’ He leant across the desk towards her. ‘Come on. Give me another kiss.’
The way he said it, all low and seductive, made her waver. He just looked so delectable. His hair was tussled, his eyes were sparkling, and that dimple in his chin wouldn’t stop. Roma could feel herself succumbing. What would one little kiss hurt?
Her plans! If she let him kiss her again, she’d never go after Hawk. With Jake, one kiss always led to two. Two led to three. Three led to fondling. Fondling led to groping. Etcetera, etcetera…
Oh, Missy was going to owe her big time.
‘Hey!’ she said, slapping her hand on the table. She was behind the desk. Ergo, she was the one in charge. ‘No vo-di-o-do until we finish this. I’ve already had to file for one extension. Come on, Jake.’
He jumped at the loud whap! ‘Spoilsport.’
She sighed. ‘I did this for you. I thought you’d be happy to get it finished.’
His hands dropped limply to his sides. ‘I am. I just didn’t get to see you all weekend.’
‘I’m not going anywhere.’ She tilted her head, letting her blonde hair sway. She was wearing her killer boots, sexy jeans and a rather tight knit top. She emphasised the fact by pulling her shoulder blades together and thrusting out her boobs. For good measure, she wiggled her shoulders. ‘Help me get these loose ends tied up, and we can go make out all you want.’
His eyes lit up, and he started towards her. She held up her hand, though, and his shoulders slumped. He dropped into the chair, looking like an uncomfortable fourth grader who’d been called into the principal’s office. He didn’t like being on that side of the desk, she knew. Numbers and finances were as painful to him as lunges, dips and running were to her.
Just the thought of it made her devilish side laugh. Weren’t paybacks a bitch?
That doesn’t mean you have to be one, her angel chastised.
Roma sat down in her chair, refusing to waver. He never did.
‘This is what you owe for state,’ she said, using the pen as a pointer this time. ‘And this is for federal.’
He finally looked.
And he turned a little green.
‘That can’t be right.’
She bristled. ‘Excuse me?’
His gaze quickly lifted.
‘I’m not saying it’s wrong.’ He held up his hands defensively in case she came across the desk at him. He’d made that mistake once before.
Just once.
‘I guess I’m a little surprised,’ he admitted.
‘You wouldn’t be if you’d listened to what I’ve been telling you.’ Feeling bad, she started to unfold and flatten the receipts he’d given her. She hated this part of her job. ‘I’ve been trying to warn you.’
‘I know.’ He raked a hand through his hair, tussling it even further. He scowled as if looking at the numbers hurt. ‘I didn’t realise it was that bad, though. That’s…That’s downright ugly.’
‘I know,’ she said, commiserating. She rubbed her palm over a crumpled gas receipt.
She truly didn’t like being the messenger of bad news. She much preferred to be the hero. There was nothing like telling people they were in for a refund. Refunds brought flowers, kisses and sometimes chocolate. A balance due, however, could bring weeping, teeth gnashing and sometimes puking. She had a trash can at the ready, just in case.
She tried to ease the shock. ‘It’s pretty steep, but I’ve come up with some tax strategies to stop you from getting “surprised” in the future.’
He turned a woeful look on her. ‘Let’s use them now.’
‘Sorry. Too late.’ She cautiously slid the company chequebook across the desk. ‘Don’t dwell on it. Just write the cheques. Do it fast – like pulling off a bandage.’
She remembered all too well how that tactic had worked for her.
Jake winced as he signed his name, and she couldn’t watch. Busying herself, she began unfolding the hotel receipt. He’d folded it into nearly a little ball in order to fit it into his wallet. It formed a little tent on her desk when she finally got it opened. He cursed, and she knew he was through. Reaching over, she plucked the cheques away before the ink could dry. Quickly, she tucked them into their respective envelopes.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
‘I need that kiss now.’
That sad, puppy-dog look made him even harder to resist – and he was such a good kisser. She felt herself weakening.
‘Just one more thing,’ she said, less forceful this time.
‘But that hurt,’ he said, honing in on her weakness. ‘I’m in need of comfort.’
‘I know. You’ll probably need it even more after this.’ She settled her elbows on the desk and folded her hands. As company owner, it was his job to manage the business. As his accountant, it was her responsibility to let him know when things weren’t working. She took a deep breath. ‘We need to talk about your cash flow. It’s getting a bit tight.’
She braced herself for a response.
One never came.
There was no sharp intake of breath, no whiplash of the neck and no protests that it couldn’t be true. There wasn’t even an admission that he was aware of the fact.
Her brow furrowed. ‘Jake. I just told you that it’s getting hard to pay your bills. Don’t you think you should do something about that?’
He let one eyebrow lift and smiled like the cat who’d caught the canary. ‘Now who hasn’t been listening?’
Roma blinked. ‘What? Who me?’
‘Yes, you. I’m working on a marketing strategy. I’ve told you about it several times.’
She quickly searched her memory banks. She prided herself on her nearly photographic recall, but this so-called marketing strategy rang no bells. ‘You’ve told me of no such thing.’
Proud as punch, he relaxed back in his chair. This time, there was no discomfort in his slouch. It was more like a king settling into his throne – even if he was sitting on the wrong side of the desk. ‘Liz,’ he said simply.
‘Liz?’
The Lizard struck again. Irritation seeped into Roma’s system. She’d had just about enough of that woman. Liz this…Liz that…‘I don’t see how she’s going to help with your company’s finances unless she’s got an MBA tucked inside her athletic bra.’
He shook his head and made a tsking sound. ‘Think outside the square box, accounting queen.’
‘Jake,’ she growled in warning.
‘OK, OK.’ He bounded out of his chair, obviously excited about his master plan. ‘We’ve been drawing fewer new members since the big chain gyms have come to town. They advertise like gangbusters, and sheer volume allows them to undercut our membership rates.’
‘I know,’ Roma said succinctly. She’d seen half a dozen commercials for their competitors last night as she’d been watching her favourite evening soap opera. Loyalty had made her stick her tongue out at every one of them. She’d become quite attached to their little gym.
‘One on one, we can’t compete,’ he conceded.
‘But the all-powerful Liz can?’ Roma squashed the propped-up receipt under her palm, trying to get it to lie flat. ‘What do you expect her to do, Jake? Beat them up?’
‘In a way.’ He folded his arms across his chest and leant back against his filing cabinet. ‘Liz is our marketing tool.’
Roma scowled. She’d known that woman was hot. ‘You’re going to use her as a spokeswoman.’
He shook his head. ‘Not quite. The plan isn’t to target the whole consumer market, just the most profitable niche. W
e’ll start at the Midwest Fitness Show. When Liz competes, all her gear is going to be stamped with the Jake’s Gym logo. When she’s out there doing backflips, handsprings and one-armed push-ups, she’ll be wearing Jake’s Gym clothes.’
So Liz was going to sell out. The publicity slut.
‘You’re going to try word of mouth.’ Roma couldn’t help it if she didn’t sound all that excited. She’d seen that technique used before. It rarely worked. Irritated, she grabbed the phone book and dropped it on the crinkly piece of paper. It landed with a satisfying thud.
Jake wiggled his finger at her as he approached the desk once again. ‘You don’t understand the fitness world, Goldie. Hard-core fitness freaks and bodybuilders like to talk. Got any idea what they like to talk about the most?’
Uh, let her think. Could it possibly be…Liz? God, she’d heard just about as much about that woman as she could stand. Roma’s gaze slid down to the receipt she’d been fighting. The corner had gotten folded under. With a growl, she slid her finger under it to straighten it out.
Jake planted his hands on the desk and leaned over her, looking cocky as hell. ‘They want to know who’s getting results, how they’re doing it, and where. It’s the perfect set-up for us.’
Roma hardly heard him – because she suddenly felt set-up herself. Distressed, she stared at what she’d just uncovered. Someone had scribbled on the corner of the hotel receipt.
In pink ink.
Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe. She recognised that ink. She’d seen it on this desk enough times before – but always on notes.
Intimate, lovey-dovey notes.
Oh, God. How stupid could she have been?
Jake was too wrapped up in his grand plans to notice her change in mood. ‘That’s when we strike. We sell ourselves as a small, exclusive, intimate gym. We’ll hype our training programme and our ability to give individualised attention. Believe me, the word will get out fast once we have some credibility behind us. The high-end market is going to want us bad.’
Roma’s eyes were going dry as she stared at the pink loop-de-loops. Apparently somebody else wanted him bad, too. Liz’s handwriting was on his hotel receipt. He’d taken her to Chicago with him.
‘So what do you think?’
She thought she could go over this desk to strangle him.
‘Roma?’ He looked at her expectantly.
She turned a hard look up at him. ‘Individualised attention,’ she said numbly.
It was the only thing she remembered of what he’d said.
‘That was why you came here. Right?’
She felt so used. So that was his modus operandi with his female clients.
‘You wanted personal attention.’
She had. She’d just thought it was an exclusive arrangement.
‘You wanted a competent trainer.’
She’d wanted him.
He rapped his knuckles against the wood, jolting her. ‘Well, that’s the plan. We hit the high-paying, elite training market, and we hit them hard. It just all keys off of Liz.’
Liz, Liz, Liz.
Roma’s head hurt. Liz and Jake were a team – in every sense of the word. And why not? They were both prime, fit athletes. What had he even been doing with her? Slumming? ‘That’s why she needs to do well at the show,’ Roma said flatly.
He smiled. ‘I knew you were listening.’
She’d listened to the parts she wanted to.
He leant forwards. ‘Come on, give me that kiss now.’
Was he crazy? She felt more like grabbing that trash can.
Reflexively, she jumped out of her chair. ‘I need to find Hawk.’
Jake stopped short. ‘Now?’ he said in surprise.
‘Right now.’
Roma’s legs felt weak, but she stormed by him.
Seeing the look on her face, he automatically stepped back. ‘Roma?’ he called as she yanked open the door.
She kept right on going. She needed to think, and she couldn’t do that when he was hovering over her. In her fevered mind, all she could see was red.
Make that pink.
The thoughts and emotions were overwhelming, but one thing was clear. She was spoiling for a fight.
She began her search in the weights room. Hawk wasn’t there, which was unusual. The muscle-head. Where was he? She had more than enough courage to face him right now. She needed to blow off some steam.
She walked down the hallway to the aerobics room and saw Missy. ‘Hey, Miss!’ she called. ‘Have you seen…’
Her question died on her lips when her friend brushed right on by as if she hadn’t even seen her. She darted into the women’s locker room, and the door shut with a bang. Roma’s eyes narrowed. It looked as if she wasn’t the only one having a bad day. She started to follow her friend, but instinct made her turn towards the janitor’s closet instead.
Missy’s hair had been mussed.
That Neanderthal!
With her hands clenched into fists, Roma marched up to the door. She caught the handle and gave it a turn. She’d barely opened it a crack when, suddenly, she was caught. The world went dark as she was pulled inside. She stumbled and landed against a hot wall of muscle. Thick arms of steel wrapped around her waist, and she found herself sealed against a male body.
‘I knew you’d come back.’
Before she could utter a peep, a hand fisted into her hair and a hot mouth found hers in the darkness. At that point, Roma could have sworn the world turned upside down. The body against hers was hot and urgent, and so was the kiss. A tongue swept deep into her mouth and, with her emotions so raw, her senses came alive. In the darkness, there was nothing but touch.
And she was surrounded by it. She felt tiny and feminine as a male hand caught her bottom and tilted her hips. She let out a soft sound as a huge, excited erection ground against her.
‘I’m sorry for whatever I did.’
She started to say something, but then he was kissing her again. As kisses went, this one about knocked her socks off. A sizzle shot through her belly, and she shivered violently.
A growl erupted from the man holding her, and the hand on her bottom squeezed tighter. Roma went right up onto her tiptoes at the sensation. Suddenly, the world spun again and she found herself pressed up against the wall. The big male body leaned into her, letting her take its weight. She found herself clutching his back as his mouth ate at hers avariciously.
Oh, Lordy. It was like a whirlwind she just couldn’t hold back.
And he wasn’t slowing down.
She flinched when a big hand came up to catch her breast. It covered her possessively and ground her in a slow circle. Roma couldn’t stop her body’s instinctive reaction. Her nipple pressed into his palm, and a fire erupted in the pit of her belly. The embrace was so carnal, she couldn’t stay immune. Unable to help herself, she raked her fingers down his back. ‘Hawk,’ she moaned.
He went still. Slowly, his tongue dipped to evaluate her taste. The hand at her butt squeezed tentatively, and the one at her breast measured her size.
Like a flash, he backed off. She heard him scrambling around, and then the light was suddenly on. Its glare made her eyes clamp shut.
‘Roma!’ he barked.
She winced as she forced her eyes open a slit. The poor guy looked poleaxed.
‘Yeah, it’s me,’ she said as she wiped the back of her hand across her lips. ‘Maybe you should check the next time you yank someone in here to maul them.’
‘Oh, fuck!’ He backed away from her as far as he could get, but the space was limited. ‘Jake’s going to kill me.’
Wide-eyed, they stared at each other.
‘What are you doing in here?’ he finally asked.
‘Looking for you – but not for that,’ she quickly clarified.
Silence permeated the tiny room. Roma, for one, was trying to get her thoughts centred. She’d been in a lather when she’d stormed in here, but that kiss had been a rather effective ‘get-yourse
lf-together’ slap across the face. She ran her tongue across her lips. They still tingled. Say what she would about the man, he certainly could kiss. From the other limited moves he’d made, he had quite the talent in other arenas, too.
‘Don’t do that,’ he said, tearing his gaze away from her mouth. He ran a hand across his bald pate. He looked as green as she felt. ‘I thought you were Missy.’
She grimaced. ‘I noticed.’
‘Why didn’t you say something?’
‘I couldn’t. Your tongue was halfway down my throat.’
He swallowed hard, and she took a quick peek below his waistband. He really had thought she was Missy.
‘Hey!’ he snapped, catching her. ‘Eyes up.’
Her gaze popped up to meet his. She found slashes of red colour lighting his chiselled cheekbones.
‘This never happened,’ he declared.
‘Never,’ she agreed. She wiped her damp palms on her thighs. Nobody could ever find out that they’d been necking in the closet – even if it had been a mistake.
Although, she had to admit it was an intriguing mistake. Her legs felt like spaghetti, and the fire in her belly still smouldered. Whew! No wonder her young friend hadn’t been able to resist.
Hawk pointed towards the door. ‘You leave first. I’ll wait a few minutes so nobody sees us together.’
Roma nearly bolted, but thoughts of Missy made her remember her mission. Besides, she had no desire to go back and face Jake. The traitor. The cheating two-timer. Feeling her ire return, she crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I need a few answers out of you first, Barney.’
‘We can talk later,’ he said, catching her by the shoulder. He started to usher her out when he realised what she’d called him. The double take he did was so emphatic, he nearly gave himself whiplash. ‘What did you call me?’
‘Barney,’ Roma said, feeling feistier than she should. ‘That is your name, isn’t it? Or is it Herman?’
He looked at her strangely.
‘I figure it must be something embarrassing, otherwise you’d tell Missy.’ She cocked her head and let her hair swing forwards. ‘So what is it? Archibald? Fred? Harvey?’
‘You’re crazy.’
‘Oh, come on. You can tell me. Kisser to kissee.’
High School Reunion Page 16
