Texas Temptation

by Kathryn Brocato

  “That’s possible.”

  Tyler didn’t sound as though he thought it was possible. To her horror, he looked as though he suspected her of covering up something. His wide, sensual mouth tightened, but he didn’t press her.

  “Each of the three Farley Brothers presides over two of the six stores in the chain,” Tyler added. “Felix’s two stores are outperforming the other four stores two to one.”

  “Really? How interesting. What do you think it means?” Berry was unused to feeling totally ignorant about a subject, considering the wide range of her education, but this was why she’d come to Tyler.

  “Without more data, I can’t be sure.” He glanced down, realized what he was doing with his thumb, and smiled. It was a purely male smile that affected Berry almost as much as if he’d directed it at her. “It could mean a lot of things.” He gathered the scattered bits of pastel nylon and held the pile out to her. “It could simply mean Felix is a better manager than the other two brothers.”

  Berry swiftly tucked the underwear beneath her robe in the suitcase and ignored her own racing heart. “Daniel was technically working for Walter. Walter’s the CEO.”

  “He’s also the oldest, and the one who founded the company.”

  He rose smoothly and stood watching her with the mistrustful frown she’d come to recognize as a shuttered look. Wondering what lay behind the shutters was beginning to drive her crazy. She just hoped she was right in assuming he wasn’t attracted to her. Otherwise, the complications of sharing his apartment could become horrendous.

  She hastened back to the drawers, chiefly to have an excuse not to face him. “I told you I don’t understand much about business. But Daniel told me when he first got the job that Felix was bucking for top dog. That might mean Felix is up to a lot of things that might be dishonest. That’s why I picked him to investigate first. Also,” she added, “my research shows he’s the one most likely to hire a sexy new secretary.”

  Tyler nodded. “My informant also adds that Walter is long past official retirement age, and Felix is complaining aloud about his senility. Thurlow Farley retires next year. He’s the middle brother.”

  “Do you think Walter Farley is going senile?” The drawers were mostly empty. Berry scrabbled through them again to look busy.

  “Walter Farley is still the main force behind the company,” Tyler said. “He and Thurlow founded it as young men, when Felix was in his early teens. Felix is lucky he was allowed in on the deal.”

  Berry turned toward the suitcase with a pair of jeans and two T-shirts in her arms. Behind Tyler, the dust motes danced in the sunbeam. Berry caught her breath and ignored them.

  “Daniel said Felix was a complete jerk.”

  Tyler laughed and moved to adjust the blinds. The sunbeam glanced off his hair, turning it to golden-red fire.

  “Felix was probably scared Daniel would outperform him and take his job.” He turned toward her. “Daniel was brilliant.”

  “So I was told, by Daniel himself,” Berry said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to learn Felix Farley killed him in a moment of supreme annoyance with Daniel’s natural arrogance.”

  Without his mistrustful frown, Tyler’s face took on the look of a mischievous boy. He grinned at her. “Daniel believed in tooting his own horn, didn’t he?”

  She smiled and looked away, blinking back sudden tears. “I used to wonder how he kept any friends.”

  “Are you through packing?” He studied her. “Let’s get you out of here. You could probably use a good nap.”

  She didn’t argue, knowing he’d discerned her tears. Within five minutes, she had scooped her razor and toothbrush off the bathroom counter and had bundled everything willy-nilly into the suitcase. Tyler carried it outside for her and she popped the trunk of Daniel’s car.

  “Good Lord.” Tyler peered into the trunk of Daniel’s still new jade-green Mustang. “Did you buy the entire boutique?”

  “Just about,” Berry said. Tyler had to place her suitcase on the passenger side of the front seat because the back seat of the car was also stuffed full of new purchases. “Felix Farley is going to take one look at me and start panting.”

  “Is that right?” Tyler stared at the stack of plastic covered dresses lying full length across the trunk. Then he transferred his enigmatic, shuttered gaze to Berry’s face. “Why do you need a new wardrobe to accomplish that?”

  Berry refused to let herself ponder the meaning behind those words. Reading meaning into a man’s words nearly always got a woman into trouble.

  “Tomorrow, I’m having a complete makeover.” She smiled with anticipation. “I’ll be a raving beauty when I walk into his office Monday morning.”

  Tyler’s gaze wandered over her meaningfully. “There are those who would say you’re a raving beauty now.”

  Fortunately, she knew better than to believe that. “Felix Farley probably wouldn’t be one of them, and he’s the man I’ve got to impress. According to Daniel, Felix has a beautiful young wife and a beautiful young mistress.”

  “Daniel was right, except that the beautiful young mistress has recently dumped Felix for an unmarried man.”

  “I’m hoping Felix will take a fancy to me. If I can interest him for a couple of weeks, he’ll probably give me access to anything I want in the office.”

  Tyler scowled at that but only said, “Actually, you may get your first chance to make old Felix eat his heart out even sooner. I just learned he’s attending the Pin Oaks Ball tomorrow night. Would you like to come along and meet him?”

  Chapter 3

  Tyler came home the following afternoon filled with anticipation. Berry was getting what she called a “complete makeover.” The prospect of watching her charm Felix Farley at the Pin Oaks Ball that night made him actually look forward to the event.

  Debra had been resigned when he’d told her he was bringing a friend. Tyler grinned, wondering what Debra would think of a made-over Berry Challoner as opposed to his usual blonde.

  He unlocked the door of his apartment, halfway expecting to find Berry watching television. Instead, the small living room was as usual, except for a fist-sized chunk of rock, four fashion magazines, and a book on how to format business letters on his coffee table. He regarded the coffee table with resignation and wondered why women felt clean, bare surfaces begged to be covered with knickknacks.

  He looked around for further evidence of a feminine presence. Sure enough, a few branches off one of the oleander bushes lining the parking lot now graced his entertainment center. Every woman in his family loved to stick green stuff in a glass, plant it on a bare surface, and call it an “arrangement.”

  Somehow satisfied by these observations, Tyler went to his bedroom. The door to Berry’s bedroom was closed, but Daniel’s green Mustang had been parked in the slot beside his. The sporty jade car filled him with a peculiar sense of déjà vu. He half expected to find Daniel lounging on his sofa.

  Tyler showered hastily and dressed in the evening clothes the ball required then returned to the living room, checking the time on his cell phone. He looked up, startled, when a woman in pink unfolded slowly from the dark leather sofa.

  “Who—?” He broke off and stared.

  Berry stared back. She seemed to find him as interesting as he found her, but he barely noted her fascinated gaze. He was too busy wondering what she’d done to her eyes. His mouth felt as if he’d eaten dust and his heart pounded in his ears.

  He’d swear he had never seen this woman before in his life.

  Her long, deep-pink gown was made of some material that almost begged him to touch it. The soft, prim lines emphasized her figure and her long elegant neck. Tyler wanted suddenly to stroke his fingers over the smooth golden skin of her exposed throat.

  Her shoulder-length hair had been cut short and styled into clusters of Betty Boop curls that hugged her head. The new hairdo gave her an entirely different, highly sophisticated look. Added to the sophistication were overtones of another, more s
ubtle quality—one that invited male interest. Tyler couldn’t pinpoint the precise items creating the invitation, but his body recognized it and responded.

  As for her eyes … He studied her face again, uncertain of what to think about her eyes, other than that they had radically changed color.

  “Is that one of the outfits designed to enslave Felix Farley?” he managed to ask.

  “How did you guess?” She turned for his inspection. “My research indicates bosses enjoy seeing a woman in slinky, fitted dresses. When you invited me to the ball, I thought I’d give the theory a serious field test.”

  He received this information in frowning silence and observed the way the dress hugged her derriere when she turned.

  “My research also indicates that many men have fixations on high heels.” Berry held out a slender foot shod in a fragile pink pump with a three-inch, stiletto heel. “The higher the heel, the more sexually available they think the woman wearing the shoe must be.”

  Tyler cleared his throat with difficulty. Berry’s legs were a connoisseur’s dream. The leg that peeked tantalizingly from a slit in the side of the pink dress looked long, golden, and perfectly tapered to a slender ankle.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “Well, what?”

  She brimmed with effervescent enjoyment, Tyler realized, and practically overflowed with eagerness to get her investigation into gear. He felt relieved to rediscover the woman he’d met yesterday beneath the sophisticated facade.

  Berry posed like a model. “As a typical professional man who employs a secretary and who works in an office, what do you think? Am I on target?”

  He couldn’t resist smiling. “Honey, I don’t know what kind of research you’re reading, but I do know I like long, slinky dresses and high-heeled shoes. If a secretary wore an outfit like that in my office, I wouldn’t get a bit of work done.”

  Instantly, her air of enthusiastic enjoyment deepened. “Great. That’s the idea. Would you mind telling me why you couldn’t get any work done?”

  Tyler decided to let her have the truth. As a scholarly researcher, she no doubt appreciated truth.

  “Maybe it’s because that dress is designed to emphasize a woman’s differences from a man,” he said. “It shows off every female curve you have and calls my attention to them. If a woman wore clothes like that in my office, I’d be thinking about having sex with her instead of working.”

  Berry’s eyes widened. Tyler stared again. He still didn’t know what to think, or say, about those eyes.

  “That’s brilliant, Tyler. None of the research I read said it that clearly. You’ve just summarized the idea behind every single item of clothing I bought for my investigation.”

  Tyler cleared his throat. She thought he was brilliant. No wonder she kept getting engaged. Most men spent their entire lives in search of such a discerning woman.

  He reminded himself Daniel’s little sister was notoriously mercurial. He’d be safer dating expensive blondes. He knew where he stood with them.

  “This could be the beginning of a major study of female clothing in the office and its effect on male executives. I can see it now,” Berry said enthusiastically. “Do you think the emphasis on bright colors is more of the same reasoning?”

  “Do you mean designed to call a man’s attention to the fact that he’s looking at a woman instead of a man?” Tyler couldn’t believe he stood there discussing the differences in male and female clothing with a woman who had no idea that he yearned to show her graphically what her dress made him think of. “Probably. Men’s business wear is so drab we long to look at something feminine and colorful.”

  Berry grimaced. “Maybe it isn’t your wardrobe that needs perking up. Maybe it’s your attitude toward your work. I probably shouldn’t say anything, but you look like you could use a vacation. If you want my opinion—”

  “I don’t have time for a vacation,” Tyler interrupted, not eager to hear more along those lines. He remembered his frown. “Besides, I’m counting on you to refresh my outlook on my work. By this time next week, I want to be deep into the sinister accounting methods used at Farley Brothers.”

  She bobbed her head, pleased. Obviously, she fully expected that to be the case. “Before we’re through, you’ll be thanking me for letting you in on my investigation.”

  “Believe me, I already am.” He sought a neutral subject. “Would you mind telling me what that rock is doing on my coffee table?”

  “It’s a special rock.” She touched it lovingly. “It’s a limestone conglomerate I found on a geology field trip.”

  “It looks like something you dug out of a driveway.” He frowned at it. “It’s shedding dirt on my coffee table.”

  “There’s a story behind this rock,” she said, with dignity. “Where I go, it goes.”

  “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. Are you ready? Debra is going to meet us in the hotel foyer.”

  Tyler tried not to stare at the vision on his arm as he walked her down the metal staircase toward the parking lot. Then she turned her face up to him. The flash of color from her formerly gray eyes distracted him so much, he stumbled.

  Berry stumbled with him. “I’m not used to these heels,” she confided, “but for a few weeks, I figure I can stand anything.”

  “I’m not sure I can. What have you done to your eyes?”

  “My eyes? What’s wrong with them?”

  The innocent expression on her sparkling face didn’t fool Tyler. “They’re purple. That’s what’s wrong with them. If you’re thinking that color looks natural, you’d better think again.”

  “They’re violet,” Berry corrected. “Just look at me, Tyler. Not even Daniel would recognize me now.”

  “Don’t kid yourself.” Tyler felt his frown came back in full force. Who but Berry Challoner would be crazy enough to think purple contact lenses constituted some sort of impenetrable disguise? “No one has purple eyes. If you want a new eye color, what’s wrong with brown or blue?”

  “I want to be eye-catchingly different,” she said and gurgled with laughter at his expression.

  He had to admit she was definitely different. What was more, she was right. Daniel probably wouldn’t know her. For some reason, her deeply purple eyes added to the disguise. She looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor—someone who wouldn’t mind tumbling into bed with a man on the first date.

  Tyler handed her into his Porsche, staring down at the silky length of her legs as she drew them in. The slit in the pink dress showed the lace edge of a pale pink slip. No doubt the slip was another concession to a male boss’s love of color.

  “Lord help us.” He sucked in his breath. “I’ll be lucky to survive this investigation of yours.”

  “I won’t be in your way,” she assured him eagerly. “Everything depends on what information I’m able to find.”

  He let his breath out. Although he didn’t expect much from her efforts, he did hope she had enough success to keep at it a couple of weeks. He needed the diversion.

  He balanced his palms on the car roof and leaned in to watch Berry stroke her fingers appreciatively over the leather upholstery of his Porsche.

  “When you bought this Porsche, Daniel didn’t waste a minute,” she said. “He ran right out and bought that Mustang.”

  Tyler’s jaw dropped. “He what?”

  “You heard me.” She turned her head to study the dashboard, but Tyler suspected she was deliberately avoiding his gaze. “He couldn’t stand it that you could afford a better car than he had, so he sunk every penny he’d saved into that Mustang.”

  Tyler found his tongue. “Daniel knew I bought this car because I inherited money from my grandfather that should have gone to my dad. When Dad wouldn’t take the money, what could I do but use it on the car he’s secretly wanted all his life but refuses to buy? Dad loves cars.”

  “Daniel didn’t believe you.” Berry touched the stick shift reverently. Her formerly short, sensible fingernails, now almost half an
inch long, were painted bright pink.

  “My dad drives this car more than I do,” he protested, mentally reeling.

  Her purple gaze met his. “Daniel couldn’t outspend you, so he tried to out-sport you.”

  Hearing that Daniel Challoner of all people had been jealous of his Porsche gave Tyler the feeling that he’d been punched in the chin. He shook his head, dazed, and straightened to stare at Daniel’s jade Mustang.

  The fancy mag wheels caught his eye and he remembered twitting Daniel about buying a car with wheels that were almost certain to be stolen. Daniel had scowled and pointed out a nick in one of the wheels that he demanded the dealership replace. Daniel had died before the matter was settled.

  “I see you kept the car, sporty wheels and all,” he said, through stiff lips.

  “I needed a car, and he’d already paid a lot down on it. Besides, that car reminds me of Daniel and what I’ve got to do.”

  Tyler changed the subject. “As a matter of interest, what sort of information are you searching for at Farley Brothers?”

  “I won’t know it until I see it.” When she saw his expression, she added, “The truth is, I’ve been so worried about getting myself hired, I haven’t had much time to lay out a methodical search plan.”

  Tyler came around and got in beside her. “Have you ever worked in an office before?”

  He leaned on his steering wheel, the better to watch her expressive face. The pink dress made her skin resemble golden satin. He wanted to run his finger over her cheek.

  “Not exactly,” she said.

  “What does that mean?”

  She looked embarrassed. “It means that although I’m fair at typing letters and taking dictation, I’ve never actually worked as a secretary.”

  Tyler blinked. “Frankly, I’m surprised to know you can type and take dictation.”

  “Well, it’s been a few years. In high school, I thought I’d be a secretary, so I studied office technology. Daniel said I’m better than most secretaries they hire these days.”

  “Daniel had reason to know,” Tyler said. “He went through three secretaries inside of six months when he started at Farley Brothers.”