She would be fired up too, but his aura and the scent of his cologne was irresistible to her and lulled her senses. Oh, heavens.
Were all the Romero men hot, sexy and this bad?
There was an electrical current between them. Maxine didn’t know if she was coming or going. She really wanted to be going…away with him, into his burly arms. She wanted him to carry her away but she could never let on to that.
Maxine hugged herself feeling so self-conscious.
Here was Lucas Romero and she should be thinking about that darned letter. Instead she was fretting about how awful she must look since she barely slept a wink while tending to her mother at the nursing home and at the same time figuring out how to balance the books late into the night so that she wasn’t the one responsible for running the company into the ground.
Man, she really needed to get a life. Her thoughts were all over the place. Was this the effect this Romero man had over her? So it was true what her friend Lucy said. Lucy mentioned about how Antonio made her feel and she recalled how dazed and giddy Lucy had been since dating Antonio. This thing the Romero men had was hereditary for sure and it wasn’t just their charm, aura and hotness.
Maxine was all over herself. She was a nervous wreck. She didn’t know what got into her but she turned to go into her office not caring if Lucas followed or not. She needed to grab a seat fast.
She sat down, placed her elbows on her desk and pressed her hands to her head. “No. I’m not okay, Lucas. But I’ll be fine. I think we should probably reschedule our meeting for another day.”
Lucas stood rigid at the doorway to her office. “I’m afraid you’re not going to get rid of me that easy,” he said in a low, controlled voice.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucas didn’t know what got into him at that moment. He stepped inside Maxine’s office and gently closed the door behind him to give them some privacy.
Maxine. Maxine. Maxine.
He didn’t think he would be seeing her so soon. Here he was in the midst of a public relations scandal whilst reporters camped outside his family’s estate and currently his only sole focus was on Maxine Summers and her safety.
Damn, she looked finer than he’d remembered. Her dark, shiny locks cascaded down her back. She was simple beauty personified. A natural. No caked-on makeup. Her lips were full and red as a ripe pomegranate. He wondered if they’d taste as sweet as they looked.
Lucas, that’s what’s gotten you into trouble in the beginning. Enough already.
He was there to do business not poke his nose into her personal life. But he couldn’t help himself. He was a man who acted on impulse and followed his gut instincts. Everything else that occurred as a result, he would just deal with.
This girl had some sort of hold over him. He honestly didn't know how or why. She wasn't wild or flashy. Not his type really, but the way she dressed, the way she swayed her rounded hips when she walked into her office, obviously unaware of the view he was left with of her behind when she turned her back on him. She wore a dark fitted pencil skirt, low heeled pumps and knitted light purple vest with matching cardigan with what appeared to be custom jewelry. Lucas always took note of his surroundings and people. He often studied them and within seconds could sum up a lot of things. It was an old habit of his he’d learned from his cousin Dion who owned a private detective agency. At family gatherings Dion would entertain them with tips from his trade. Maxine was simple and elegant without even trying. Not like those women he’d been unfortunate to cross paths with during his weekend rendezvous at the hottest clubs in the downtown core. They had their place and time, but the scene was getting old.
He realized this ever since he’d danced with her at his cousin’s wedding. And even before that she’d captured his interest while he was surreptitiously checking her out. She was a fine young woman. That was for sure. But there was something else about her.
“Now. Are you going to tell me what’s really going on or am I going to have to drag it out of you?” Lucas looked directly into Maxine’s beautiful dark eyes. He could tell she was anxious. Was she nervous because of his presence or because of what just happened to her—whatever that was?
Now he’d like to get hold of the creep who did this to her. She was much too fine to be going through this sort of hell. Was somebody threatening her? Was that why Officer Lindle dropped by the office?
Lucas was no fool and he happened to be an acquaintance of Lindle since his foundation hosted various events and donated to the Police Community Relations Initiative to help troubled youth.
“I…I’m fine really,” she stammered, dropping her gaze to the desk.
Lucas moved in closer and casually pulled up a chair opposite her. “No. You’re not. Don’t lie to me, Maxine.” His tone was more curt than he intended.
“You’re here for a business arrangement, I gather.” Maxine looked up to meet his gaze once again.
Lucas noted the dark circles under her eyes yet he could still see beauty beyond the fatigue. She looked weary, no doubt, yet so innocent and harmless.
“Are you trying to brush me off, Miss Summers?” Lucas arched a brow.
“Yes.” Maxine cocked a brow and a grin touched the corner of her lips.
He liked that. Oh, those lips of hers. When would he get his chance to taste them? he wondered. Was she trying to be brave all of a sudden? Well, this was certainly a charmer. Often women flocked to him, played at his feet and sucked up to him. But no, not this one. She couldn’t care less about his name or who he was or what he had. She treated him like any ordinary Joe on the street.
Good.
Maxine was a breath of fresh air. His grandfather was right about sending him personally to help her with her software program. It would take his mind off his own troubles and he would enjoy her heartwarming company. She could try to be as mean to him all she wanted but he could see something in her eyes, hear it in her tone of voice. She wasn’t about to admit it, he gathered, but he knew when a woman was interested in him. But he knew she had other pressing matters on her mind.
“We’ll talk business in a moment,” Lucas stated. He tried to avoid grinning in amusement. She was a feisty one, wasn’t she? God, this woman was causing a sexual reaction inside him right now. If only she’d known how much he wanted to take her, right across her desk.
“If you know anything about me,” he continued, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, “people come first with me, not business. And right now, Maxine, your well-being is my business.” His tone was cool and to the point.
Maxine trembled inside. Butterflies exploded in her belly and there was that weak, giddy feeling again. Oh, his voice resonated through her body. Maxine had to get a hold of herself. After all, Lucas was in the midst of a scandal that highlighted his womanizing ways.
Wait a minute. Did he just say my well-being was his business? Oh, my God! The thought both thrilled and terrified Maxine simultaneously. Lucas Romero was interested in her personally? In her well-being? Maxine had never really had any man want to stand up for her like that. Especially not a man so important and larger than life like Lucas Romero.
What had she done to deserve the honor of his…honor?
She had better watch out, though. The last thing she needed was more trouble. And Lucas Romero was the epitome of trouble with a capital T. But oh, he was so irresistible. How could she not want to be around him? Oh, why did things have to be so complicated?
Her eyes drank in his magnificent form. Lucas was very tall. He must've been way over six feet maybe six-four she guessed. And he had the most beautiful dark, smooth skin she’d ever seen on a man. He filled out nicely in his suit with his broad shoulders.
She could tell he was muscular and heard that he worked out at the gym quite often as much as his cousin and brothers. Okay, so she admitted to herself that at times she would stalk him online by simply reading the news articles about him, admiring his photos.
The man was photogenic, yes.
But oh, he was so much better looking in person. He was GQ or Sports Illustrated cover material. And that lovely boyish grin on his face and the dimpled impression in his cheek when he smiled. He was quite a charmer. He sure knew how to ring her magic bell. He made her want to scream out, “Seduce me.”
His lips looked so kissable. Man, she could really use the touch of his lips on her right now. She wondered what his strong arms would feel like around her body. Heck, she wondered what he would be like in bed.
Okay, her thoughts were all over the place. She really had to round them up and get them out of the naughty gutter soon or she would say something that could make this morning’s debacle in the papers seem like a quiet day at the press.
“I…It’s nothing really,” she hesitated as she rung her hands in her lap. She sighed deeply and decided she could not hide it from him. What was the point? Clearly this man was not going to let up any time soon. And neither of them would get anything done. The sooner she came out with it, the better. Then he’d realize that it was all a silly situation not worthy of additional attention.
Maxine spent the next few minutes explaining everything to Lucas. She noticed his poker face and then later his grim expression.
“But it’s nothing really. Detective Lindle is going to look after everything and that’s that. Probably some hoax. Maybe one of our competitors got my address somehow and simply wanted to scare me off.”
Lucas said nothing for a moment then stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m going to look into this myself. I know people who can check this out. In the meanwhile, I don’t think you should be alone.”
“Alone?” Maxine was offended. “What makes you think I’m alone?” Which she was, but how dare he insinuate that she was frail and vulnerable and had nobody else in her life who was capable of supporting her.
“Don’t you live alone?”
“How did you…?”
“You just told me.”
“Okay. So I live alone. Doesn’t mean I’m vulnerable. I live in an apartment complex. We do have security. It's not like anyone will try to break in to the building and come up to the eleventh floor and try to abduct me or anything.”
"Do you realize what you are saying? This is a little bit dangerous for you, don't you think?"
“Maybe, but it's up to me to make that decision. Thank you so much for your interest, Mr. Romero.” Maxine was tormented by conflicting emotions. What was with this guy? Her emotions were out of control. Strange and disquieting thoughts raced through her mind. A part of her wanted to beg him for help. But she was way too independent for that. She was no damsel in distress, that was for sure. Oh, it was tempting all right. A sexy, rich guy like Lucas Romero wanting to help her out. He didn't actually say it, but she knew what he was implying. She'd heard about his reputation. And that was something she wasn't going to touch with a ten-foot pole.
He looked intently into her eyes and her heart flipped in response. She could feel the sexual magnetism between them; it was undeniable. The same way he'd made her feel at Lucy's wedding only six months earlier.
Besides, she also had her mother to think about. Her home may be modest but it was her place and the place where she and her mother stayed for so many years.
"So you're just going to go back to your apartment knowing that someone knows where you live?"
“I'll be fine ... really,” Maxine stuttered. Gosh, the man was making her nervous as hell. Her mind was drawing a blank. She was about to say something else but then she was completely distracted by his refined assets.
“I don't think you'll be fine. I want to help you, Maxine. Let me help you," he ordered.
Maxine was attracted to this gorgeous hunk in front of her, but man, he seemed as if he wanted to control her. No, thank you, sir. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.
“Thank you so much, Lucas. I really do appreciate it, but really, I'm good,” Maxine murmured. “Now, about this new software program,” Maxine shifted the topic. “Your grandfather mentioned you would be able to help Dream Weddings, Inc. revamp into a more digital-friendly service?"
Lucas looked more annoyed than anything else. Did she just offend him?
Maxine surveyed Lucas’s sexy, dark eyes. There appeared to be a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. It was delicious but seemingly dangerous. She hoped he wasn't going to do anything behind her back.
Lucas moved behind the desk and he leaned over Maxine. His palms were spread out on the desk as he bent over her laptop. Oh, that sexually charged scent of his heady cologne. It was tantalizing Maxine's nose. She wanted to ask him what cologne it was. But she stopped herself. The last thing she wanted him to feel was that she was flirting with him. Rumor had it he had enough women throwing themselves at his feet. She did not want to be one of them.
She was inches from Lucas. This was crazy. She didn't know if she could actually contain herself How would she be able to focus with Mr. Sexy so close to her, inches from her? His voice was husky when he spoke to give her instructions on which webpage to log on to.
“I already had my men set up things for you on this unique Web server,” Lucas instructed.
“Great. Do I go from here?”
“Click on that link where it says download,” he advised in a velvet-deep voice.
“Okay. Done.”
“Now. Once it's done downloading, save to a location on your desktop.”
Maxine did as he advised. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly but she knew this was only the beginning of the setup.
Lucas surveyed the screen to ensure that everything was downloading as intended. “Good. Let me take over from here.” He rolled Maxine's chair out of the way so he could hover over her keyboard.
Maxine was blown away by the speed of his fingers. It was rare to see a man who could type so fast. She'd read somewhere that he was some sort of a hacker but then again those were probably just rumors. She didn't believe everything she read in the tabloids.
When Lucas was done he leaned back and surveyed the screen. “Now, over the next few weeks we'll be working closely with you to develop the program fully. I'll send my tech guy over to spend some time with you going through the interface.”
Maxine's heart sank to the ground. “Tech guy? I thought…” she broke off.
“You thought what?” Lucas’s voice was commanding.
She was about to say that she thought…or hoped, Lucas would be the one to be spending time with her over the next few weeks to go over the software program with her but she stopped herself.
You don't want him, remember? So why do you care if he's going to be around you for the next few weeks are not?
“What was the name of that bungee jumping couple?” Lucas fired up the question so quickly she didn't really have time to think about it.
Her answer just flew out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“I shouldn’t have told you that,” Maxine said flatly after she revealed the couple’s surname.
"You don't have to worry about me breaking your confidence, Maxine.” Lucas's tone was brittle yet a smug grin touched his lips.
What was he going to do now? She hoped to God that Lucas was not about to interfere with the investigation. What was she doing talking to a Romero like that? She should've kept her mouth shut. This was her private business, not his.
"Oh, God, look at the time. It’s so late,” Maxine commented.
Lucas glanced at his expensive watch. He then reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to her so smoothly as if he was James Bond. A grin touched his lips.
“Be sure to call me if anything comes up.” His tone of voice was hard. If. Anything. Comes. Up. He had spoken the words so deliberately that it caused a chill to slither down Maxine’s spine. She’d read about his dangerous ways, too. He could be a real friend but woe be it if anyone messed around with his family…or his friends, she guessed.
Lucas Romero had connections everywhere.
She took the card from him. "Th-thank you. I…I don’t think I’ll be needing it, though.”
“Don’t count on that, Ms. Summers.” With those words, he extended his hand to shake hers. Their meeting was officially over, she supposed.
He gave her a firm handshake. So firm that she felt a surge of power shoot through her body.
Have mercy! This man had a lot of strength. He caught her by surprise by lifting her hand slowly and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. This well-dressed human deity was not only sexy but so charming as well. Electricity jolted through her body at his sexual touch. Oh, what a soft kiss. Was he teasing her with a sample of what he could offer?
It was a wonder that he wasn’t accused of getting more women pregnant, she humored.
Maxine was melting inside. How was she to respond? "Thank you,” she said softly. She felt a surge of heat rush to her cheeks. She hoped she wasn't blushing. She wished she had access to a mirror to be sure.
He eyed her salaciously before making his way out of her office. “I’ll see myself out.”
Maxine was beside herself. Lucas had caused so many emotions to stir within her over the past couple hours they'd just spent together. She wanted more of him. She needed to see more of him. What had she done? She should've asked him to stay longer. But no, she had work to do, a lot of work to do. And she knew he was busy and had lots of things to attend to himself. She was honored to be given a few hours of his time today of all days.
Just then Betty came back into the office with a couple of coffees in her hand. “Are you all right?” Betty placed the cups on the desk.
“I’m good, thanks,” Maxine said absently. “Well, the good news is that we'll be getting a new system in place over the next few weeks.”
“Yay,” Betty chimed in. “It’s about time. And what's the bad news?”
“Oh nothing. It's just that…” If I don’t get Lucas Romero inside me soon, I think I’m going to explode.
A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) Page 4
