by Jess Dee
If he stayed with Lexi any longer, panic would set in. Anxiety would paralyze him. He had to get away. More than that, he had to make Lexi stay away from him. “Okay. What’s the bottom line here? Give me a figure.”
She blinked in surprise but recovered quickly. “Bottom line? I’m talking one hundred thousand dollars—for the first year. That’s an estimate. The proposal includes a detailed costs analysis.”
He gave the document a cursory glance, struggling to read the words that floated around the page. Later, he’d go over it with a fine-tooth comb, the way he went over any business document. In the meantime, the iron clamp around his chest squeezed tighter.
He gave a harsh laugh and deliberately kept his voice colder than the deadened area in his heart. “That’s quite a bottom line. A lot higher than I expected.”
Confusion flashed across her face but was replaced almost instantly with determination. “It is high. But the expenses are more than justified, as you’ll see from the facts and figures provided.”
“Maybe so, but I’m wondering if our night together was worth a hundred thousand dollars?” He whistled, hating the vitriol spilling from his mouth.
Her eyes sparked, and her face turned scarlet. “We’re back to that?”
He despised himself for humiliating her, for protecting his emotions at the cost of her dignity. Lexi hadn’t prostituted herself on any level. She’d shared an intimate, sexy night with him, one he’d never forget, and he was using it to cheapen a brilliant, charitable cause. “We never really left it.”
She flew out of her seat. Grabbing her almost-empty cup, she threw the dregs in his face.
The cappuccino hit him square in the eyes and dripped down his nose and cheeks. The cool, milky liquid did nothing to ease the burn of shame that stung his face.
“Mr. Riley,” she bit out, “why don’t you take your money and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine?” She grabbed her briefcase and marched off. Before she’d taken three strides, she whirled back and glared at him. “If you should mistakenly believe that the sun does shine down there, trust me, you’re wrong. And I should know. I’ve seen it.”
Chapter Six
Lexi slammed her purse on her desk and sat. She switched on her computer and tried to take a deep, calming breath. She’d wrongly assumed a good night’s sleep would put some distance between herself and her rage. Fifteen hours later, she was every bit as pissed off as she had been yesterday afternoon.
Riley wasn’t just a cold, callous bastard. He was a complete prick. She despised him. His drop-dead-gorgeous looks and sexy-as-sin body only made her detest him more.
How dare he make such insinuations? Did the asshole really believe she’d have slept with him for the money? Professionalism would have stopped her long before it ever got to that point. Besides, she would have been way too busy running the intricate details of her project by him to even consider sex.
Okay—she would have considered it. No way in hell she could look at the man and not think about sex. He was sex personified. Sex oozed from every pore. Even if the meeting in his office had been their first, Lexi would have fantasized her way through the entire appointment. Hardcore fantasies, no doubt.
But dammit, she would never have carried through on the thoughts. She was a social worker at the hospital, for God’s sake, a professional seeking out his financial assistance. What kind of a woman did he think she was?
Stupid question. She knew exactly what kind of woman he thought she was.
Now where the hell would she find sponsorship? Even if Riley did offer it to her, accepting it would make her look like the proverbial whore. How else could she raise the necessary funds? Riley had been her last and best bet.
While she’d waited the six weeks for her appointment to see him, she’d spoken to dozens of other potential backers and pitched her best line to them. All had liked it. Some had been very impressed. A few had even offered to help out with small amounts. None had been able or willing to foot the entire bill. Riley had honestly been her last hope.
Her enthusiasm slipped slowly away. If she couldn’t get the money from Riley, where would it come from? One hundred thousand dollars wasn’t going to materialize before her eyes.
Another fundraiser? Daniel’s photographic exhibition was a few months behind them. It wasn’t feasible to think of a second huge event so soon. Sure, the general public wanted to help where they could, but their pockets weren’t bottomless. Everyone had a cap, and two major fundraisers in six months was over the top. Even Lexi could see that.
There was a very real possibility she might not be able to start up her support program. Would she have to shelve the idea? That was the last thing she’d considered. She couldn’t give up on the program. What about all those kids who hadn’t been reached? All those kids who wouldn’t get support in the future?
She considered going back to the hospital board and throwing herself at their mercy. Maybe if she asked very nicely, they’d foot the bill.
It wouldn’t happen. The hospital was strapped for cash. Whatever extra they had, they siphoned straight into the pediatric ward or targeted at medical treatment. Psychological intervention aimed at healthy siblings, while important, wasn’t considered primary medical care. Not when lives were at stake and money limited.
Hot pinpricks of tension ran up her neck. All her hard work and plans unraveled at her feet. Her project was falling apart, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Lexi blinked back tears. Her vision lay in tatters.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
With a little money and the right people, the program would have been brilliant. In her mind’s eye she could hear the voices of the kids as they sat together, chatting and laughing. She could feel the hope and the optimism that reverberated through the center.
Failure.
The word did not sit well with her. She tapped a little faster. All because of AJ “Asshole” Riley. No money. No program. Failure.
Bullshit.
If her plan had failed, it had nothing to do with Riley. Pinning all her hopes on one person was dumb. It wasn’t his responsibility to make sure the project worked. Why should he care what happened to the siblings? He’d never had a sibling with cancer. If Lexi wanted it to work, she had to make it work. She had to go back to the drawing board and start again.
She’d known all along he might not make the donation. So what if he was the most likely source of money? He wasn’t the only source. The project wasn’t going to fall apart because AJ bloody Riley thought she was nothing better than a hooker.
She’d succeed despite him. She’d do it for all those children out there. All the little Daniels and Lexis whose siblings had cancer. If she could make it easier for them, she would. It was all for the kids.
She typed feverishly on her keyboard, opening the file of potential donors.
She’d started the list years before, when she’d first joined the hospital staff. Each year she’d added a couple of names as she learned who the big players in the fundraising game were. After Daniel’s exhibition, its numbers were at an all-time high.
She scanned down the screen, waiting for a name to jump out at her, someone she hadn’t already contacted. Who would it be?
The Cancer Research Foundation? Their priority was research, not psychosocial support. What about Ronald McDonald House Charity? Nope. They ran their own similar programs. Any money they had, they’d plough back into their own projects. In fact, most of the other foundations on her list worked the same way. They used their cash to fund their own programs.
She considered private companies and scrolled down a couple of pages to the list of buyers from her brother’s exhibition. Some of the names were meaningless—she’d never heard of them. Several of them she gave careful consideration and then discarded with a simple shake of her head. Four names sounded familiar, and she jotted down their details, considering them viable possibilities.
She’d compiled the list alpha
betically, and her pulse quickened as she reached the Rs. Yes, Riley Corporation had been at the exhibition. They’d bought four photos—and donated them straight back to the hospital, where they now hung at the entry to the ward. With the hefty price tag attached to each picture, the generosity of the company had, by no means, been small.
She drummed the desk and wondered who’d represented Riley’s at the exhibition. She’d been so wrapped up in the success of the evening she hadn’t taken note. Could Adam have been there?
Surely not. She would have noticed him. Hell, she would have sensed his presence across that cavernous gallery, pulling her like a magnet.
Maybe not. She’d hardly had a minute to herself that night. By the time the hive of activity had slowed to a gentle buzz, most of the crowd had left. The only people remaining behind so late into the night had been the core group involved in the exhibition setup, ward staff members and close family and friends.
Lexi rang through to the department secretary.
“Penny, I need your help,” she said when the petite blonde appeared in her office. “This is a list of companies I’m thinking of approaching for money for the sibling program. Can you please do a little more research on them? Find out who the right people are to contact and when would be the best time to contact them. Also, please make up six more files of the proposal and send them off to those people. By the time I phone them, I want them to know who I am and why I’m trying to get in touch with them.”
Penny looked confused as she took the sheet of paper from her. “You’re still trying to raise funds?”
She tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. “I’m afraid I had no luck at Riley Corporation yesterday.” There was the understatement of the century. “I have to look elsewhere.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Let’s just say AJ Riley’s somewhat less enthralled with the project than I’d hoped.”
Penny shook her head, looking no less puzzled for Lexi’s explanation. “Well, if that’s the case, why did Mr. Riley phone to say he’d approved your request?”
“What?”
“He phoned a second after you called me. He was in a hurry and didn’t speak for long, just told me to tell you that you had the go-ahead. The funds were yours.”
Lexi gaped at Penny. “What the hell is he up to?”
“Pardon?”
Lexi shook her head. “Thinking out loud.”
What kind of a game was Riley playing? She’d told him where to shove his offer, yet he’d gone and approved the donation anyway.
What exactly did the conniving bastard want in return?
More importantly, would she accept the money? How could she and still look him in the eye? The man had her in a no-win situation. If she accepted the donation, she looked like a hooker. If she didn’t, the program suffered.
The bastard. The cold, callous, heartless, cruel, vindictive bastard.
“He must be a nice man,” Penny said thoughtfully.
Lexi snorted. “A real charmer. Did he say anything else to you?”
“Just that he’d be in touch, and you should wait for his call so you could iron out all the little details.”
“I should wait for his call?” Lexi asked, suddenly livid.
“That’s what he said.”
Lexi grabbed her keys and bag. “Arrogant asshole,” she snarled. “How dare he assume I’d sit around waiting for his call?”
It was Penny’s turn to gape. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to have a chat with that nice man. If he wants to iron out the little details, believe me, I’m more than willing to press a couple of facts home.”
...
Lexi marched into Genevieve’s office, gave her a curt nod and walked straight to Riley’s door.
As she reached for the handle, the secretary blurted out, “Miss Tanner, you can’t go in there.”
“Is he in a meeting?”
“No. He asked not to be disturbed.”
“Too late.” As far as Lexi was concerned, he was already deeply disturbed. She threw the door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind her.
He looked up from his work, his face bland, save for a raised eyebrow.
“You and I have a few details to straighten out,” she told him without preamble, then almost lost her nerve. Did he have to look so bloody sexy in his designer suit and loosened tie? Did he know that icy look of his got her so hot she could just about combust in his office? What was it about the damn man that made her want to kill him and fuck him at the same time?
His tone matched his expression. “This is a surprise.”
More like a nasty shock. She hated him, yet all she could think of as she glared at him was how good he’d looked naked.
“Mr. Riley, I’m sorry,” a breathless voice said behind her. “I tried to stop her. She barged straight in.”
He gave an almost imperceptible nod. “That’s okay, Genevieve. I’ll take it from here.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I am. Thank you.”
The door closed behind her.
“What the hell are you up to?” she demanded. “What’s the deal with the money you’ve agreed to donate?”
“I thought you’d be happy to have the funds. Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”
“Your behavior yesterday was deplorable.” She marched forward, set her hands on the desk, and stared him straight in the eye. “Nobody in their right mind would insult another person like you did and then decide to give them money. It makes no sense.” She narrowed her eyes. “I can only surmise that you have some hidden agenda in all of this.”
Riley smirked. “You make it sound like I’m running some sort of covert operation.”
“I have no idea what kind of operation you run. What I do know is I dislike the way you run it. What’s the deal? Why are you giving me the money?”
“Frankly, that’s none of your business.”
“It’s one hundred percent my business,” she spluttered in fury. “This project is my baby.”
A whirlwind of emotion swirled through his eyes but was gone in a heartbeat. Adam blinked, blanking his expression.
But in that second, Lexi had glimpsed enough to throw her perceptions of him off track. She’d seen sadness, frustration, heartache, compassion and…desire?
What the…?
Riley was hiding something. She had no idea what or why he seemed so determined to keep it secret. Natural curiosity and an unwelcome sense of concern nipped at her, and she almost asked if he was okay. But one look at his cold gaze stopped her short.
Riley’s issues were none of her business.
He gave her a quick nod of acquiescence. “I read your proposal last night, cover to cover. It’s a good project. Well researched. Figures seemed accurate. I don’t doubt thousands of children will benefit from it. Riley Corporation would be proud to be the sponsor.”
Her program had suddenly found life again, when an hour ago it was almost dead in the water. The teeniest tiniest possibility existed that maybe she would accept the sponsorship from Riley Corporation after all. First though, she needed to clear up any misconceptions. She had to make it clear that whatever happened, if she accepted the money, she would not offer sexual favors in return.
“What about the strings?”
“Strings?” Heat gleamed in his icy gaze again.
She could have kicked him. “What strings does this money come attached to? What do you want from me in return?”
His gaze flickered over her. “What are you offering?”
She hissed in a breath, furious at herself for being lulled into his evil web once again. “This is the last time I’m going to say it. I didn’t sleep with you for your money, and I won’t sleep with you in return for money. Period. Thank you for your…offer. I reject it. Cold.” She straightened her back to leave.
He spoke before she could turn around. The low, seductive quality to his tone stopped her from going
anywhere. “You don’t like the idea of…strings?”
“It’s not just the idea I find offensive. It’s the man pulling those strings.” She fervently wished she could say that and mean it. As much as she loathed him, her body still responded to his proximity and to his masculine smell and seductive voice. Her mind still worried about the emotion she’d seen in his eyes. Prickles of awareness ran down her spine and lodged in the small of her back, sending pulses of desire thrumming through her body.
He sat back in his chair and looked her up and down. His movements were slow and lazy and captivated her with their leisure. “Perhaps I can make the offer a little more enticing?” He stared at her from beneath a thick fringe of black lashes. His eyes were fiery rocks of blue ice, desire blazing in them.
The look on his face paralyzed her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t draw breath.
“Something happened when you barged into my office.” He lowered his voice. “I got an erection.”
Her jaw dropped. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, this was not one of them. But his tone weaved black magic through her senses, magnifying her awareness of him. His voice rippled like velvet over her skin, and her mouth filled with the taste of his salty flesh. His scent surrounded her, mixing with the remembered smell of their lovemaking—musk and man.
She shivered.
Damn it, she didn’t want to respond to him, didn’t want to want him like she did.
“You’re loath to acknowledge it, but you’re aroused, too.” His voice was so rich and so deep she could almost burrow into it.
He lowered his eyes to her chest, and her breasts burned beneath his blistering gaze. “I know, because your nipples are tight, like they were in Melbourne.” He took a deep breath. “How would you react if I kissed them now? Sucked on them?” He looked into her eyes. “Would you like that?”
Like that? No. She’d hate it—even if the very thought had her liquefying in his office.
Her mouth still hung open, making speech difficult.
“I would.” He laid his palm flat against the middle of his desk. “Almost as much as I’d like to bend you forward over my desk, bunch your skirt above your hips, and slide my finger along the line of your panties.”
