Executive Desires (The Blake Boys Book 10)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Mom, I love you and I accepted a long time ago that you don’t like to be alone. Just like I know dad will probably never get married again. I can see why you got divorced. The two of you are so different it’s frightening.”

  “So you don’t think he’ll get married again?” She scrunched her nose. “I’m going to make you something to take back to your dad. Maybe that will cheer him up.”

  Bo couldn’t help but laugh. The only thing she’d heard was that his father was against remarrying. Somehow he had the feeling it wasn’t over between the two of them, no matter how much time had passed. Meanwhile, his pottery project was looking so pathetic he attracted the attention of the young lady behind the register. Actually, she’d been watching him ever since they’d arrived. She was pretty, polite, and was extremely helpful, but she was way too young for him. She slapped on an apron and came over.

  “I don’t know what you were planning on making, but you have a fine doorstop there.” She smiled.

  “I give up. Clearly I didn’t get my mother’s artistic flare.” He motioned to his mom getting ready to mold her clay gesture to his dad.

  “I’m Stephanie.”

  “Bo.” He focused on her face. The top button on her shirt, which was concealing very generous cleavage, was dangerously close to popping off and hitting him in the eye.

  “I may have a solution for you. I give private instruction to exceptionally good-looking customers after hours if you’re interested.”

  Bo blinked. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m visiting my mom and she won’t be happy if I find something else to do with my time.”

  “Too bad. If you change your mind, here’s my number.” She tucked her business card into Bo’s top shirt pocket and sashayed back to the counter to ring up a customer.

  Evangeline shook her head. “You are just like your damn daddy.”

  “What? I did not instigate that.” Bo held up his hands.

  “Exactly.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Bo had to admit the week turned out better than he’d hoped. He was happy to see that his mom was doing well and she was content being single. She brought up the online dating site again and he made her promise that if she found anyone she wanted to date, she’d let his friend Sam do a background check on the guy. He was skeptical about whether she’d go through with it. After getting an update on his father’s love life, she seemed to have a renewed interest in getting back out there and mingling.

  Bo found the perfect engagement gift for Corbett and Courtney, matching Omega watches, which Courtney loved. Corbett didn’t like the thank-you hug and kiss on the cheek she gave Bo and was never too far away when his fiancée struck up a conversation with him. He hoped Corbett was paying attention to her enthusiasm for expensive things like the Mercedes she drove and her perfectly coiffed appearance. Everything screamed high maintenance. The night before Bo left, Corbett apologized for being so abrasive when he’d arrived. He had a feeling their mother had been working on him to make peace, but it was a start.

  He went out to dinner with Wyatt, and it was clear the young man was a chick magnet—and enjoyed it. Bo had to fend off a few women too, opting to set a good example for his little brother in being discriminating. His reconnection with Wyatt was refreshing. He was young, driven, and wanted to conquer the world, but he wanted some time to find himself before he delved into a career.

  All the same, it was good to be back home. Bo had talked to J.J. while he was driving back, and although he refused to talk business, they’d prattled on like teenagers about other things. Jack was always up to some new hijinks, and J.J. enjoyed every minute of it. The guys were all itching for a night out, so a night at the Bright Star was proposed for when he got back.

  The ding of the elevator brought him out of his daydream. Bags in hand, Bo walked out of the elevator looking forward to a hot shower and ten hours of sleep. That was until he tripped on a box and toppled onto a couch that was blocking the hallway. He scrambled up, trying to get a sense of what was happening, when a woman in jeans overalls leaned in to get a better look at him. Whoever she was, she was gorgeous. She wore her dark hair in a braid, with the tip of it sloping over her shoulders. She had amazing hazel-colored eyes that gave her a mysterious look, and a plump lower lip that made him think of biting into a juicy apple. From where he lay, he got a bird’s-eye view of her ample cleavage. The pink lace bra she was wearing held two perfect globes in place. His once-over concluded, he knew the most important thing about her: she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

  “Do you mind giving me a hand, or are you going to take a nap on my couch?” she breathed.

  He got to his feet. “Give you a hand with what?”

  “A resolution for world peace.” She rolled her eyes and motioned to the open door. “Getting my couch into my apartment.”

  Ah. He’d heard the unit had been sold last month, but the owner was taking their sweet time about moving in.

  “Don’t you have movers?”

  “Of course I have movers. They’re on a break.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be back any moment.”

  “The government could fall in the time it will take them to eat their lunch.” She put her hand on her hip.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Patience isn’t your strong suit?”

  “I like to get things done. I have a mercurial mind, as my dad would say.”

  He laughed. “Isn’t that a parent’s nice way of saying their child is hyper?”

  She gave him a once-over. “What’s the matter? Scared you’ll get a wrinkle in those designer jeans?”

  “I’m cautious about heavy lifting.”

  “Let me guess. You don’t lift anything heavier than your cell phone.”

  “I have a rule. I don’t exhaust myself unless there’s a really satisfying pay off in the end.” He winked at her.

  “You’ll get to your destination faster if you help.”

  “That’s the best you can do?” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m Bo Jamison, your new neighbor.”

  “Don’t tell me you live across the hall?” She sighed.

  “Yes. I’m a good neighbor. I keep to myself. I don’t throw rowdy parties and I adhere to the noise level restrictions in the association by-laws.”

  “Aren’t you the grown-up boy scout? Do you mind helping a new neighbor?”

  “If you tell me your name. I bet it’s something pretty.” He leaned against the wall.

  “You flirt with all the women in the building?”

  “Only the ones who aren’t married.”

  “What makes you think I’m not married?”

  “Because no man on this planet would let a wife as beautiful as you move a sofa by herself.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Good grief. My burly boyfriend could be in the apartment.”

  “Burly Dude would never leave couch-lifting to his woman.” Bo sat his bags against the opposite wall to avoid someone else suffering the same fate as he did exiting the elevator. He couldn’t believe half the things that had come out of his mouth. He owed Tyler a beer or possibly a consulting fee for half the flirtatious things that came out of his mouth these days.

  “Before we do this, I have to add the verbal disclaimer that I don’t think you should be helping me. For one, I’m bigger than you. Two, it may sound chauvinistic, but you are a woman and shouldn’t be lifting things this heavy.”

  “No worries, I have help.” She gave him a devious smile. “Hey, sis, our new neighbor’s going to help us move the couch.”

  Bo’s eyes widened when a woman came out of the apartment, dressed much sexier than her sister did in a tight, V-neck sweater that left nothing to the imagination. She had her hair up in a bun, immaculately manicured nails, and looked like the heaviest thing she picked up daily was a carrot. The kicker was that she was the identical twin of the first woman.

  “Hello there, handsome.” She rounded the couch to get a better look at him. “I’m Autumn Waverly.”

>   “Autumn. My favorite time of year. I’m Bo.” He grinned.

  “And this is my sister, Summer.”

  Bo laughed to himself. His day just kept getting better. “Ladies, let’s get this couch into your new home. When you’re finished moving in I would be honored if you let me cook you a welcome-to-the-building dinner.”

  “That sounds delectable,” Autumn cooed.

  “But we’re pretty busy. Thanks for the invite,” Summer said.

  “We don’t want to be rude to Bo,” Autumn countered. “It’s a nice gesture, and he can give us all the dirt on everyone in the building.”

  “I’m a good cook, and I promise I have intimate knowledge of the goings on in the building.”

  “It better be good. I’d hate to get food poisoning my first night in our new place.” Summer shot him a look.

  Bo stroked his chin. “I promise. It will be a culinary party in your mouth.”

  They managed to wrangle the couch inside their apartment, and after five changes of location, it was finally placed where Summer wanted it. Autumn was more interested in chatting. The contrasts between the two women amazed him. His experience with twins were the Martin sisters in high school and the most recent twins in his life: Connor and Colby. Colby was the angel. Everyone prayed Connor wouldn’t set any of the houses on fire.

  The movers came back from their break and resumed their duties, so Bo excused himself so he could get ready to entertain. So much for sacking out, but this definitely made for a much better evening.

  His cell phone pinged. It was Amber returning his call from the Executive Desires resort. He’d left a message that he was ready to book his trip, but now he wasn’t so sure. He might have a better time trying to figure out his gorgeous, and unusual, new neighbors.

  * * *

  Summer Waverly fiddled with the hem of her jean dress, trying to get it to cover her knees. After a grueling day of moving they should have been ordering a pizza and pigging out on the couch, not going to a dinner party at the hunk across the hall’s apartment. And he was a hunk. When he’d stood up from the couch, she hadn’t expected him to be six-foot-two and all muscle.

  Although hectic, moving into a new home was the least of her troubles. Her company, NuWave Gaming, had just relocated their company headquarters to Dallas. It was a bold move, and she was fortunate that most of her employees were able to make the transition. The new location was a chance for the company to stretch its wings while it went through a huge expansion. The little company that had started out in her study was now a multi-million dollar juggernaut that was taking the electronics world by storm.

  For seven years she’d nurtured her dream of creating innovative software, apps, and kick-ass video games. She worked the conventions and practically went door-to-door to every video game reseller she knew, looking to get her foot in the door of a male-dominated and competitive arena. Now she was in the spotlight as an up-and-coming businesswoman in a big way, and it frightened her. Thank goodness she had an identical twin sister who loved being the center of attention. Summer was the brain, while Autumn happily played the part of company spokesperson. Her sister was beautiful and articulate and commanded attention wherever she went, which offset Summer’s reserved nature. They’d been doing it their whole lives.

  She didn’t have any proper dinner party attire unpacked, but leave it to her sister to have every bit of her super model wardrobe put away in her new spacious closet. Not that what she wore would matter anyway. The new neighbor would probably spend the evening staring at Autumn. She was used to men being drawn to her sister while she sat on the sidelines and watched the show. Summer had been having fun flirting with him, something she didn’t normally do, until Autumn came out into the hall. He’d barely looked at her after that.

  Besides, he wasn’t her type. He looked a little too rugged for her. He’d taken her jab about how he didn’t lift very much, but it was obvious by his definition in his biceps that he kept in shape. So what if he had sparkling, playful eyes and a dazzling, shy smile. He’s obviously too good-looking to have a brain. She liked a guy who didn’t fall asleep when she talked about programming code.

  Autumn leaned against the door frame. “You look pretty snazzy. You have on earrings and dare I say it, perfume?”

  “Shut up. I do make an effort to look presentable from time to time.” Summer put her hairbrush down.

  “True, but you usually make the effort for business. Visiting that luscious specimen across the hall is not work. You were kind of mean to him today.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “You browbeat him into helping us with the couch.”

  “It worked.” She laughed.

  “Still, it wouldn’t hurt to apologize. We don’t want any bad vibes between our neighbors.”

  “You just want an open stage for your shameless flirting.”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to flirt with a man like that? He’s gorgeous, single, and chivalrous. That’s three of the things on Mom’s ‘good man’ checklist.”

  “I told you about getting caught up with people’s looks. He could be a serial killer for all you know. The good looks is a distraction from the fact he’s going to carve us up after dinner.”

  Autumn rolled her eyes. “I told you to lay off watching those true crime documentaries. Bo’s not like that. I intend to get to know him, so lay off in case he becomes your brother-in-law.”

  Summer looked at her sister. “I see you’re wearing your traffic-stopping halter dress.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being playful and sexy. One of these days you’re going to unclench and have some fun.”

  “I don’t have time for games. I make them for a living.” Summer clipped a barrette on her hair.

  “I know you’re nervous about the company announcement next month, but everything’s going to be fine.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “I know so. We’ve worked hard, and it’s about to pay off.” Autumn hugged her. “It’s been a hectic month. Why don’t we go and enjoy what I’m sure will be a good meal with a hot guy.”

  “What makes you so sure he’s a good cook?”

  “He looks like he’s good with his hands.” Autumn waggled her eyebrows. “I think a little fling with a Texas cowboy is just what I need to clear out the cobwebs.”

  “It’s not good to date neighbors. Especially ones that live directly across the hall. If it doesn’t go well you’ll spend all your time avoiding him.”

  “Or if it does, it’s really convenient.” Autumn laughed.

  Summer followed her sister into the living room and stopped when she passed a box labeled promo items. Maybe there was a way to make up for the cold reception she’d given him. She pulled out a gaming console and ten of the latest games.

  * * *

  Bo decided on an artichoke dip with crostini and a veggie platter for the appetizers. He forgot to ask the sisters if they ate meat, so he settled on lamb chops with a salad on the ready if one of them was a vegetarian or vegan. He entertained often; he didn’t know why he felt so nervous tonight. The doorbell rang. He opened it to find a double vision of beauty. Each of the ladies clearly had their own style, but both looked fantastic. Too bad he couldn’t remember which sister was which.

  “We brought wine.” The sister in the stunning red halter dress held up the bottle.

  “Thank you. Come in ladies.”

  “Summer has something to say.”

  Ah. Red halter dress, Autumn. Chic and reserved jean dress just hitting the knee, Summer.

  “I’m sorry I was abrasive earlier. My sister inherited the social skills and diplomacy. Thank you for inviting us to dinner. Everything looks so delicious. This is for you.” She thrust the bag at him.

  Bo reached into the bag to see what kind of peace offering the feisty Summer had conjured up. It was the N-Genius III, the latest version of the hottest gaming console on the market. Luke, Seth, and Tyler’s manager had been able to snag one for each of them
, but it wasn’t due out to the public for another six months.

  “Thank you.” He perused the game titles.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You usually give out gaming consoles that aren’t on the market yet as an apology?”

  “I work for the company,” Summer blurted out.

  “My sister is being very modest. We own NuWave Gaming.” Autumn beamed.

  “Cool.” Bo smiled.

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “Three years in July. It’s a lovely building. The staff is nice. Some of the neighbors are a little eccentric, but not completely crazy. There’s a scientist on the second floor who will only leave his place on the half hour. There’s a couple on the sixth floor who keep getting reprimanded for having sex on the rooftop lounge. Word of caution, just knock on the door real loud before you go outside. It usually startles them. Mrs. Wilson on the ninth floor likes to go swimming in the pool naked.”

  “She sounds like a free spirit,” Summer replied.

  “She’s also eighty-six,” he added. “I hope you’re hungry. I made grilled lamb chops, sautéed Brussels sprouts, and a beet salad.”

  “Wow. It sounds good, but I hope you didn’t go through a lot of trouble,” Autumn replied.

  “No trouble at all. Let’s eat, ladies.”

  Bo enjoyed hearing more about NuWave Gaming during dinner; unfortunately the wrong sister was telling him all about it. Autumn went on about the company while Summer nibbled on the food. He totally got the geeky vibe coming from her because he’d been there himself. Autumn dazzled and shined while Summer was shy and only talked when necessary.

  “So Bo, what do you do for a living?” Summer asked.

  “I’m CFO of Blake Enterprises. It’s—”

  “We’ve heard of it.” Autumn dabbed the corner of her lips with her napkin. “The Blake family owns most of Texas.”

  “It was voted best company to work for in Dallas five years in a row,” Summer chimed in. “Which is no surprise since your business model focuses on the value of strengthening core relationships between business partners, customers, and staff. Not to mention the rate of return on the expenditure of training and aggressive tuition reimbursement for employees to allow them advancement opportunities.”