Texas Temptation

by Kathryn Brocato

  “Thanks, Mom, but I’d better do it myself,” Tyler said. “A man doesn’t like to renege on a promise to a beautiful woman.”

  Berry restrained herself from thrusting her elbow into his ribs. Had she really thought Tyler Reid was the handsomest man in the room? Obviously, she had been viewing him through gratitude-tinted glasses.

  “Maybe I’d better introduce her,” Mason Reid said. “He’ll probably be more likely to—er—see her as a competent secretary.”

  “Consider Mom’s feelings, Dad.” Tyler drew Berry against his side. “Should you be showing this much interest in beautiful young secretaries?”

  Celia’s face betrayed no sign of fear or antagonism. “Nonsense, Tyler. As if I’d mind Mason doing a simple kindness for Miss MacGregor.”

  Berry elbowed Tyler under the cover of his dinner jacket. He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

  Debra pretended not to notice, but Berry saw the tightening of her every facial feature. Mason eyed their clasped hands and raised his brows. Celia looked frozen.

  Tyler’s wicked enjoyment of the situation was plain to Berry. She couldn’t understand why his family didn’t realize he was taking great pleasure in teasing them with his latest bimbo.

  “Come on, B—Mary,” Tyler said. “Let’s meet your future employer.”

  Debra made a great and obvious effort. “Good luck, Miss MacGregor. It’s really too bad the Houston job market started shrinking before you moved to town.”

  Berry smiled brightly. “I’ll just have to rely on my excellent training. After all, it’s my major asset.”

  Tyler choked back a laugh. “Mary has a truly spectacular resume.”

  “I’ll just bet,” Debra muttered.

  “Felix will hire her,” Tyler predicted, grinning. “Heck, even Dad’s dying to hire her.”

  “Yeah,” Debra said, aside to her mother. “He’d like to find out just how much you’ve spent on her so far.”

  Berry bit her lip. She put one hand on her hip and struck a pose then fixed a predatory stare on Felix Farley.

  “It’s a good thing I’ve lived such a quiet life so far,” Tyler said. “I’ve got plenty saved, enough to give Mary quite a fling for the next few weeks. How about it, Mary?”

  Berry couldn’t resist tossing him an ostensibly adoring look that smoldered with promise.

  Debra’s eyes narrowed. “Since when have you traded in blondes for brunettes?”

  “Since I met Mary, of course,” Tyler said.

  “Debra, kindly remember your manners.” Celia Reid’s blue gaze studied Berry from the top of her curly head to her ridiculously high-heeled pink sandals.

  Mason regarded Berry with a gaze of fascinated horror.

  “Oh, look, Tyler,” Berry said. “Here comes Mr. Farley. Do hurry up and introduce me. I can’t stand the suspense another minute.”

  “Your wish is my command, angel.”

  Tyler kept her tucked against his side as he led her across the big ballroom. Berry thought she felt the collective stares of the Reid family boring into the center of her back.

  “Do you have to pretend I’m taking you for every cent you’ve saved since you left college?” she asked in low tones.

  “Why not? It’s what they expect, and God forbid that I not behave as they expect.”

  Berry noted the annoyance in his voice. “The only thing they expect is that your women be blonde instead of brunette.”

  “It’s never too late to sample something different,” Tyler returned. “Where’d you learn to talk like a bimbo?”

  Berry was inordinately pleased. “I’ve worked on my diction, of course.”

  “I’d say you’ve succeeded,” Tyler said grimly. “There must be six old gents who’d like to murder me and take you home with them.”

  “Then let’s hope Felix falls for me, too.” Berry realized he was getting immense pleasure out of teasing his family with a brunette bimbo instead of making an effort to meet one of the beautiful women present. “Do you know what’s interesting? Since the time I met you, you’ve done nothing but frown—until you realized your family thinks you’re being led down the primrose path.”

  Tyler grinned. Berry had to admit when he smiled, he was extraordinarily attractive.

  “It’s good for them,” he said. “Look at it this way. You’re paying me back for all the trouble I’m going through on your behalf.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Tensing, she directed a blindly brilliant smile in Felix Farley’s general direction. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s see if my research was on target with regard to potential bosses.”

  Felix Farley turned politely when Tyler tapped his shoulder, looking bored. Berry’s heart raced with the awareness that everything depended upon the next few minutes and her stomach jittered. Now she just needed to manage not to throw up on him, or faint, or anything else that might hint that she didn’t find him totally desirable.

  Felix Farley was a well-preserved man in his late fifties, with iron-gray hair, jaded hazel eyes, and a deep tan derived from expensive vacations in places like Acapulco. When his gaze fell upon Berry, his eyes widened then narrowed with speculation.

  Berry fluttered and bent forward slightly as if bowing.

  Felix gazed fixedly at the front of her dress. Blushing fierily in spite of herself, Berry straightened her shoulders and held out one exquisitely manicured hand. Her hands were cold with anxiety, but maybe Felix wouldn’t notice that.

  Felix took her hand, glancing at the useless, decorative nails approvingly. Wild triumph roared through her veins. Felix liked her already. She was going to get inside Farley Brothers, the first major step toward clearing Daniel’s reputation.

  Energized, she smiled sweetly at Felix and kept her mind focused on Tyler Reid. His thick, chestnut hair looked like burnished mahogany in the muted lighting. How could any woman look twice at Felix when Tyler was in the room?

  In the middle of performing introductions, Tyler’s voice almost choked off, but he managed to finish the sentence. When he resumed, he sounded like a man who was speaking through gritted teeth. Berry realized he must have noticed her effort to allow Felix a glance down the front of her dress.

  “Miss MacGregor tells me she has a job interview with you first thing Monday morning,” Tyler said. “She’s been dying to meet you and Mrs. Farley.”

  He was wasting his time drawing Jennifer Farley into the conversation. Felix noticed no one but her. If that hadn’t been precisely her objective, she’d have felt thoroughly ashamed of herself.

  Jennifer Farley, a coldly precise, pale-blonde beauty, didn’t seem to care what her husband did. Instead, she gazed speculatively at Tyler. Berry squelched an astonishing surge of jealousy and concentrated harder on Felix.

  Felix held Berry’s perfectly manicured hand in his for a moment longer than was necessary. “I’ll look forward to Monday morning, Miss MacGregor. You may be just the person my office needs.”

  “Moving to Houston and searching for just the right position is so exciting.” Berry glowed with ardent interest in Felix’s office. “An executive assistant at my level looks for challenge as well as worthy surroundings, and most of all, a gentleman she can be proud of and look up to. A successful man who can teach her new things about the art of business. I want to devote all my skills and heart to that man.”

  Felix’s tongue was all but hanging out. Berry hoped she’d hit on every sentiment dear to Felix’s heart, based on the few things Daniel had said.

  “I can see you’re a true professional, Miss MacGregor.” Felix’s leering smile grew. “Something tells me you’ll suit my office perfectly.” Others claimed Felix’s attention then, but he turned to her and said, “Until Monday morning.”

  Berry gratefully let Tyler lead her toward the dance floor at the far end of the enormous room. Dizzy with her own success, she contemplated snagging a glass of pure Kentucky bourbon from the nearest waiter’s tray.

  “If you dare let that old goa
t look down your dress again, I’ll strangle you,” Tyler said, almost snarling. “On Daniel’s behalf.”

  Berry caught Felix’s gaze on her as she pivoted gracefully. Probably watching her bottom, she thought, more satisfied than ever with the dress. She tilted her head back to smile up at Tyler, exposing her slender, vulnerable throat. Across the room, Felix Farley’s eyes widened hungrily.

  “Don’t worry, Tyler.” The research she had done with regard to sex and the office had paid off in spades. She felt herself glowing with triumph. “The idea is to make him think he’s about to see something. There’s nothing actually visible but the top edge of my bra.”

  “That’s too damned much,” Tyler snapped.

  His broad brows were drawn together and he sounded almost jealous, but she knew that was unlikely. He probably had gone into big-brother mode, reacting the same way he would if one of his sisters had worn such a dress.

  “My first priority is to get hired,” she offered, in placating tones. “The idea is to create desire, and that’s what the neckline is all about. On Monday—”

  “Monday you’re wearing a turtleneck and a skirt down to your ankles.”

  Tyler spoke through gritted teeth. Definitely, he had taken on the role of big brother to Daniel’s little sister.

  “Maybe you’re right.” She nodded seriously, and her dark curls brushed his arm. “We don’t want to give him too much all at once. The important thing is to keep him guessing.”

  “Getting hired is the least of your worries,” he said dryly. “Felix hasn’t taken his eyes off you yet.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Tyler. You’ve made my investigation a lot easier.”

  She smiled warmly at him. Tyler had come through for her in an unbelievable way. When her investigation was done, she’d have to buy him a suitable gift that would adequately express her appreciation. Perhaps she’d give him a colorful painting for that sterile living room of his.

  Tyler drew her into his arms on the tiny excuse for a dance floor. Berry’s thoughts went on hold abruptly. Tyler arranged her body against his and guided her in a slow waltz. She stiffened automatically, unsure how she felt about being embraced like this by Tyler Reid.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered. They could barely move in the crowded space.

  “I’m giving old Felix a chance to admire your beautiful rear end, what else?”

  Tyler sounded a bit sour. Berry relaxed into his hold, reflecting that Tyler made a much more satisfactory big brother than Daniel ever had.

  “In that case,” she said, “how about maneuvering us around so he can?”

  “Are you kidding? The man’s got X-ray vision where you’re concerned.” He guided them past a swaying couple. “Seriously, Berry, don’t you think you’re taking things a little too far? You’ll be lucky if Felix doesn’t chase you around his desk the minute you’re officially employed. You’ve given him every reason to think you’re amenable to what he obviously has in mind.”

  “I couldn’t take the chance of not being hired,” Berry said simply. “It’s better to experience a little sexual harassment rather than risk not getting in.”

  Tyler drew in a quick breath. “Do you have any idea how big a risk you’re taking?”

  “Oh, I don’t think the murderer is going to be interested in me.” She smiled sunnily at him. “I’m going to put on an act of skilled secretarial stupidity, if you can imagine such a contradiction in terms.”

  “I’m not talking about whatever danger you’re in from the murderer. Assuming there is a murderer at that company,” he added, exasperated. “I’m talking about Felix Farley. Do you think for one minute he’s going to let you lead him around by a ring in his nose? That man is accustomed to getting what he wants from women. And if you don’t know what he wants from you, I’ll be happy to explain it.”

  “Lighten up, Tyler. Of course I know what he wants from me. Any woman would. He’s careful to make it very clear.”

  She smiled encouragingly. It was nice having a man around who cared enough to look out for her.

  “Felix won’t ever get caught on a sexual harassment charge,” she went on. “One thing he’s got is enough sense not to make passes at women who don’t give him the proper encouragement.”

  “No one can say you didn’t give him the proper encouragement,” Tyler grumbled. “Did you learn those moves in one of your science labs?”

  Berry chuckled appreciatively. “I read a lot. And I’ve been watching a lot of daytime television shows and paying special attention to the home wreckers.”

  “I’d have said you were channeling a professional mistress,” Tyler said in acerbic tones. “I never thought a woman could actually walk like that in real life.”

  “It’s these shoes,” Berry said, choking with delighted laughter. “That’s why I forced myself to buy them. You can’t help but walk like a vamp in three-inch heels.”

  She glanced idly over Tyler’s shoulder and caught a glimpse of a blond man who vanished instantly behind a dancing couple. Her breath left her body in one giant gasp of shock.

  “Berry?” Tyler leaned back slightly so he could look into her face. “Are you all right? What is it?”

  She jerked her attention back to Tyler and reached for her common sense. She’d been mistaken, of course. Why would Grady Craig be in Houston?

  “I’m fine. I thought I saw someone I knew.” She took several deep breaths in hopes of calming her pounding heart. “It was such a surprise, I reacted without thinking.”

  Tyler looked over his shoulder. “Who was it?”

  “The person I saw looked like a man I dated a few months ago,” she said. “His name was Grady Craig.”

  “Was? Is he dead?” Tyler frowned and scanned the glittering crowd behind him.

  “He’s still alive. At least, I suppose he is.” She was definitely losing it. Of all the subjects she’d like to hide from Tyler, Grady Craig led the list. She still couldn’t believe she had been credulous enough to fall for Grady’s lies. The whole Grady Craig fiasco made her question her own good sense.

  “One of your ex-fiancés, right?” Tyler frowned heavily. “Where is he?”

  “I was mistaken,” Berry said firmly. “I don’t know why I reacted so strongly. It was a shock to see him here, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure?” He turned them so he could scan the crowd suspiciously.

  “Of course, I’m sure.” Berry deliberately calmed herself and changed the subject. “It’s a trick your mind plays on you … ”

  Her voice faded as she realized abruptly what construction Tyler was likely to place on this in regard to her relationship with Grady Craig.

  Tyler relented. A small smile broke the frowning gravity of his face. “In that case, let’s give this place the old raspberry. I don’t want you to faint in here.”

  “You mean leave?”

  “It’s ten o’clock. We wasted two hours waiting for Felix to show. Now that he’s seen you, how about letting absence make his heart grow fonder?”

  “And his memory more explicit.” Berry knew she ought to remain in case Felix wanted to dance with her, but she’d seen enough of Felix—and Houston’s elite—for one night. “Let’s go. What about your sister?”

  “She’s got Dad and Mom to look out for her.” Tyler’s face took on a mischievous look. “We might as well give their imaginations a little more fuel.”

  Berry considered that while Tyler guided her toward his parents. She could just imagine what they were going to think when she and Tyler disappeared just as the main event of the evening, a charity auction, was about to begin.

  Tyler’s parents were gracious, but Berry noted Debra’s expression of surprise, then of worried suspicion.

  “She’s surprised to find you still with me,” Tyler commented, handing Berry into his Porsche.

  “Stop looking down the front of my dress, you pervert.” She placed a hand protectively over her neckline. “I suppose she thought I’d pick up
some rich old man and leave with him. What a mind your sister has.”

  Tyler chuckled warmly. “Keep it up, Challoner. You’re doing wonders for my image.”

  “Careful, Tyler. Your dad’s probably going to have your bank account attached on the grounds that you’ve obviously lost your mind.”

  For some reason, Tyler found that exquisitely funny. Berry eyed him curiously while he almost doubled over with laughter.

  “I’m serious,” she said. “If it looks as though I find you more fascinating than all those rich old guys we met tonight, there’s got to be a reason, right? They probably think you’ve tricked me into believing you’re rich.”

  Tyler straightened at last and came around to climb in beside her, still laughing. “I never knew I had it in me.”

  “Your horizons are expanding exponentially. Besides, I might see something more in you than your alleged money.” She thought on it a moment. “I hope I run into your sister again during the next few weeks. I’ll tell her I’m thinking about ditching the high life and marrying you because you have such a cute frown.”

  Tyler groaned. “Please. Don’t do me any favors. Dad will audit all my clients’ books for sure.”

  Berry chuckled, enchanted at the thought. “Did he say he was going to do that? How do you audit books, anyway?”

  Tyler guided the Porsche expertly into traffic. “That’s a question best answered over a good meal. What do you say?”

  “Is this where I coax you into spending a huge sum on a genuine Maine lobster and a bottle of rare old wine?”

  Tyler laughed. “You can try.”

  “Lucky for you, I’m allergic to seafood.” She eased the pink sandals off her feet, sighing with pleasure. “If this is what a mistress has to put up with, she deserves every dollar spent on her.”

  “Next time, buy a pair of shoes an inch or two shorter in the heels,” Tyler said with a remarkable lack of sympathy.

  “Thanks so much for introducing me tonight. You’ve made my job easy Monday morning. Felix can’t wait to hire me.”

  “That’s for sure.” Tyler lapsed into brooding silence and turned down a street lined with restaurants and neon signs.