Seduction on the CEO's Terms

by Charlene Sands

  “The wedding?” Royce interrupted, casting Ali a curious look.

  “Joe’s brother is getting married, and he needs a little help with the planning.”

  “Is that part of your job description?” Royce asked with a disingenuous smile, directing his attention solely to Ali.

  “She’s doing this off-the-clock, as a favor to me. Not that it’s any of your business,” Joe said.

  Ali intervened, appearing a little nervous. “I’m happy to do it. I love planning fun events. I know parties the way Joe knows computers.”

  Joe met Royce with a hard stare. Who the hell was this guy anyway? Why was he so damn protective of Ali? He tested Joe’s even-keeled temper in the span of just a few minutes.

  Ali placed her hand on Royce’s arm and guided him toward the door. “Thanks for the champagne chicken, Royce.”

  “Anytime, Ali,” he said. “Let me know what you think.”

  “I will,” she said, closing the door behind him.

  Joe walked up to her. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Ali shook her head. “No.”

  “Gay?”

  She laughed. “Hardly.”

  From her laughter and the surprised expression on her face, Joe surmised Royce had ulterior motives for bringing Ali his latest culinary creation.

  “I think he’s just a little protective of me.”

  “You think?” Joe asked between tight lips.

  She shrugged. “I’ve confided in him about some things in my past, and well now, I think I shouldn’t have.”

  What sort of things? Joe had been work-close to Ali, but they’d never confided in personal matters before. He felt a twinge of jealousy that shouldn’t be. But still, it gnawed at him all the same.

  “He’s interested in you, Ali,” Joe said with blunt honesty.

  “I’ve made it clear that we’re just friends.”

  Hell, men never took that “just friends” garbage seriously. If they were interested in a woman, eventually it would come out.

  Ali walked over to him and stared straight into his eyes. Her fresh scent surrounded him. Her hair had dried in curls around her pretty face. She glanced at his mouth, and Joe had a difficult time keeping his focus. If she made another move toward him, he didn’t think he’d stop her. And that could spell disaster.

  He reminded himself that office romances never worked out. An image of Sheila flashed in his mind. He and his bright, feisty, flamboyant onetime fiancée were complete opposites. It had taken months to realize that marrying her would have been a big mistake.

  “Can we forget about Royce?” Ali asked. “We have work to do on the wedding.”

  “Right, the wedding.” Joe pushed his glasses farther up his nose and nodded. “Royce who?”

  Ali went to bed that night thinking of Joe. For once, she noticed a chink in his armor. He’d actually seemed perturbed with Royce showing up. She could only find a bit of hope in that.

  Royce had offered friendship when she’d first moved into River Ridge. He’d helped her settle in and was always around if she’d needed anything. After a couple of weeks, he began asking her out, but Ali had always made it clear that she wasn’t looking for a relationship.

  Royce had backed off and offered his understanding. He’d been so compassionate, and one night over a bottle of zin and his delicious shrimp scampi à la Contessa, Ali had confided in him about her past history. She’d explained about her tumultuous childhood with her mother and her latest office fiasco with her employer, Dwayne Hicks, a man who’d hired her under false pretenses, pursuing her sexually and giving her grief at the office because she’d denied him.

  She’d filed harassment charges against him, and the whole ordeal had left her somewhat scarred. No matter the right or wrong of it, lawsuits against employers didn’t build great resumes.

  That’s why working for Joe Carlino had appealed to her. He’d been flawless as a boss and seemed to have no other agenda. Working alongside him, her feelings had grown out of respect and admiration.

  Ali snuggled deeper into her bed. Joe was becoming more and more important in her life. Instead of fearing those feelings, she welcomed them with her whole heart. He was the only man on her radar, and she wished they’d met outside of the office environment. They’d had a strictly professional working relationship. Until he’d kissed her at the airport, Ali held no hope for a relationship with him. But after that kiss—and if she’d read his jealousy right tonight—all was not lost.

  The sun shone warm and bright into her apartment when Ali rose from bed the next morning. The Napa news report called for record-high temperatures today. With that in mind, Ali slipped on a sleeveless white eyelet sundress, tied it at the waist with a red leather belt, added beaded red jewelry around her neck and wrists and tucked her feet into matching three-inch sandals.

  After a quick slurp of orange juice, Ali set out for the Carlino estate for her morning meeting with Joe. If she was going to plan a renewal of vows and a reception at the estate, she needed to see the house and grounds. When she’d come up with the idea last night, Joe hadn’t balked. Always logical, Joe saw the value in her visit.

  After being buzzed inside the gates, Ali drove up the stone driveway and parked the car. The estate and well-groomed grounds were massive, and the colorful rolling vineyards beyond lent a beautiful backdrop for the house.

  A housekeeper named Carlotta met her outside the arched Mediterranean-style breezeway and showed her inside the house. She found herself face-to-face with Nick Carlino, who’d just descended the stairs. “Hey, Ali.”

  “Hi, Nick.”

  “You’re here early. Joe said you’d be coming over for a meeting.” He cast her an assessing look. “You look beautiful today.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What’s the meeting about?” he asked.

  “We’re going over plans for the wedding before our real workday begins.”

  “Joe would be lost without you.” He eased into a smile. “He really relies on you, doesn’t he?”

  “I guess so.”

  “He’s always singing your praises to anyone who’s willing to listen.”

  “And is that all he says about me?” The question slipped out much to her surprise “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

  “No need to apologize. As far as I’m concerned, Joe’s got rocks in his head.” Nick winked. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

  Nick led her outside to a covered stone deck overlooking a swimming pool that blended into the landscape so well it appeared born of the earth rather than man-made.

  “Joe does laps in the pool every day. Clears his mind for all the numbers he crunches,” Nick explained.

  Ali spotted Joe gliding through the pool. Sleek and well-muscled, Joe dipped in and out of the smooth blue waters, and Ali’s heart swelled.

  “Hey, Joe. You have company,” Nick called out. He turned to Ali. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a plane to catch. Thanks for helping Joe out. He needs it.” Again, Nick winked, and before he turned to walk away, he offered one last parting comment. “Just so you know, my brother isn’t as noble as he seems.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Don’t give up on him.”

  Ali opened her mouth in denial, but Nick’s astute look spoke of the futility in that. He wouldn’t buy it, and Ali wasn’t all too sure she could sell it to him.

  Oh God, was she that obvious?

  “I’ll be right there,” Joe called to her from the far end of the pool.

  Joe bounded out of the pool, and she caught her first real glimpse of another side of Joe—the stunning, well-built, tanned and gorgeous man who looked as if he could conquer an enemy in one fell swoop.

  Ali’s throat constricted.

  Her Clark Kent had just transformed into Superman.

  Three

  Morning sunshine cast a golden sheen over Joe’s entire body as he stood by the pool’s edge. Water dripped from his hair to his shoulders and then slowly drizzled
down his rock-hard torso. She could compare him to a Greek god, but nothing topped Superman in her estimation.

  She watched him towel off, then throw his arms into a shirt and head her way. Ali got a grip real fast. She couldn’t be caught drooling.

  “Sorry,” he said as he approached. “I didn’t realize the time.”

  “How many laps do you do?”

  “One hundred.”

  Her mouth gaped open. “One hundred? Every day?”

  “Just about.”

  “No wonder.”

  “No wonder what?” He looked puzzled.

  Ali had to learn to stop thinking out loud. “Oh, um. I was thinking about your stamina…you must have great stamina.”

  Joe smiled. “I’ve built it up over the years.” He walked over to a large inlaid stone and iron patio table and picked up his glasses. Taking a second to clean them with the end of his shirt, he narrowed his eyes. “So what do you think?”

  “About your stamina? Very impressive.”

  “No,” he said, running a hand through his hair. He put his glasses on, and this was the Joe Ali had come to know. “I mean, about using this place for the wedding.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s a girl’s dream come true, Joe. Your home is amazing, and I’ve only seen a small part of it.”

  “I’ll rectify that in a few minutes. First let me shower and change. In the meantime, have a cup of coffee. I cooked you up some breakfast to have during our meeting.”

  “You cook, too?” Ali couldn’t believe Joe had culinary skills, as well as his other talents.

  “I get by. After my father died, our longtime cook retired, and we just never replaced her. Tony’s living at Purple Fields now, and Nick and I are rarely home.”

  Joe walked over to a coffeepot on the patio counter. “What’ll you have?”

  “I’ll get it, Joe. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Okay, I’ll be back in five, then I’ll give you the grand tour.”

  Ali watched him leave, her heart in her throat. She couldn’t fight her feelings any longer. All shreds of rationality escaped her. She’d never before met a man like Joe Carlino. Before, she’d welcomed the challenge to get him interested in her. But now, it went deeper than that. She admired Joe, found him unique and intelligent and sexy as sin. Emotions washed over as a question entered her mind.

  Could she be falling in love with her boss?

  “I think your home will work out nicely,” Ali said after a cup of coffee and not-half-bad eggs Benedict. Joe cooked like he did everything else, with honed precision and accuracy.

  She sat at the patio table after he’d given her the grand tour of his home. Stunning was an understatement. Joe’s mother must have had a hand in decorating the house. He’d always spoken so fondly of her sweet, calming ways, and her talent for making a house a home was evident everywhere.

  The entire home, though updated with modern conveniences, oozed warmth and love, giving off a Mediterranean flair from the polished carved wood furniture and colorful sofas to the pale golden walls and inlaid stone flooring.

  Where the first floor was set to bring in the harmony of the family, the upstairs was laid out to accommodate privacy, each wing being a home within a home. The parents and three sons could enjoy their private suites and never bump into one another.

  Silly, but Ali pictured herself here with Joe, living in the east wing of the house. It wasn’t the grandeur that appealed to her but the sense of stability. Seeing Joe’s brothers interact with each other—witnessing their family ties—had touched a sentimental chord within her.

  She’d never had a real place to call home.

  She fought her resentment tooth and nail, yet Ali couldn’t forgive her mother for her lifestyle. She’d dragged her young child from town to town, marrying men who’d look upon Ali as a burden. At least, she’d always felt like a necessary evil that Justine’s husbands had to endure.

  Ali had inherited her mother’s feisty, bubbly nature. She wasn’t shy by any means. But unlike her mother, Ali had a career that she enjoyed. She’d worked hard for everything she’d achieved in life including her bachelor’s degree in business. She had brains, thank goodness, and liked to use them.

  But now, she was at a complete loss with her strong feelings for Joe. She’d never been in love before and wondered if the impeding sense of dread and earth-shattering excitement she felt was normal. The conflicting mix of emotions put her on unsteady ground.

  And other than that one kiss, he really hadn’t laid a hand on her. She’d never want to resort to her mother’s means for snaring a man, and therein was her problem.

  “Where should we hold the renewal of vows?” Joe asked, his focus and those dark piercing eyes intent on her. He’d changed from his swim trunks to black casual trousers and a white button-down shirt. Joe the Hunk had changed back into Joe the Boss.

  She came out of her stupor to reply to his question. “Poolside. I think that’ll be perfect,” she said, the notion in her mind gaining momentum. “The sound of the rock waterfall and the glistening water below will be a great backdrop. We’ll have a flower archway made for them to say their vows underneath but nothing too elaborate. The grounds are enough.”

  Joe looked out at the pool, giving a nod of agreement. “I think you’re right.”

  “I’m always right,” she teased.

  “I know.” Joe didn’t blink as he shot back his response.

  Ali stared into his eyes. Did he really have that much faith in her abilities? “I think Rena will be pleased with what I have in mind. Do you think Tony will like my ideas?”

  “Without a doubt. He has the woman he loves. That’s all he cares about.”

  “I wish,” Ali began, then bit down on her bottom lip.

  “What do you wish?” Joe asked, touching a finger to his glasses. Ali knew his gestures and that one meant true curiosity. She couldn’t relay her innermost wish, but she could turn the tables on him.

  “Have you ever been in love, Joe?”

  He blinked and shot his head back in surprise. “Me?”

  She held her breath and nodded.

  Joe pursed his lips and answered in a clipped tone. “Once. It didn’t work out.”

  Ali was floored by his admission. He was a gorgeous, thirtysomething man who had a lot going for him, but somehow she couldn’t picture Joe being in love.

  Unless of course, it’s with you, Ali.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said. “It was for the best.” He dismissed the subject by flipping through a batch of menus she’d brought with her. “Now, what about the reception? Any ideas?”

  “I have a few thoughts on the subject.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  Ali stood and walked around the grounds, conjuring up images of how to best use the backyard and surrounding vineyards for the reception. But more so, she had to move away from her sexy boss to come to grips with the fact that Joe had been in love once. And maybe, he was holding on to that love. Maybe that’s why he’d kept his distance. A knot twisted in the pit of her stomach.

  Joe came up behind her. His nearness made her heart pound against her ribs. “What’s your plan, Ali?”

  In the world-according-to-Joe, you always had to have a plan.

  Ali turned to find him close enough to touch. She searched his eyes, dying to know the truth. Ali made a decision right then and there to go for broke. “I’m working on it. But you can be sure when I come up with a good plan that you’ll be the first to know.”

  Ali stood in the wine-tasting room at Purple Fields, browsing through the items on the shelves. The quaint shop spoke of decades of winemaking, a family legacy that Tony Carlino had a hand in saving.

  Ali looked out of the shop’s window to view the construction crew outside. It appeared every effort was being made to update the house without losing its original rustic style.

  “Hello, Ali. This is a pleasant surprise.”

  Ali turned to face
Rena, who had walked in from the backroom. “Hi,” Ali said. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”

  “Not at all.” Rena walked over to her. “It’s good to see you again. Sorry about the mess outside. Tony needed more space. And with the baby coming, we thought it best to do the construction before he’s born. Tony wanted to add a playroom for the baby, an office for himself and a full remodel of the kitchen for me.”

  “Wow! All that will be done before your little bambino enters the world?”

  Rena nodded. “Carlinos have a way of making things happen.”

  Ali glanced out the window again and sighed. “If they want something badly enough I suppose.”

  Rena stared at her, furrowing her brows. “Ali, is something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She plastered on a big smile. “I came to give you an update on the wedding plans.”

  “Wonderful. I’m getting excited about it. Come, have a seat and let’s talk.”

  Rena guided her to one of the three small round tables set in the corner portion of the room. “I’ll get us something to drink first. Grape juice for me and our best merlot for you.”

  Rena returned shortly, handing her a wineglass. Ali sipped from it. “This is fabulous.” She set the glass down on the cheery cornflower blue-and-white tablecloth and waited for Rena to take her seat. “Thank you.”

  “I should be thanking you for all you’re doing. I hope Joe isn’t working you too hard on this.”

  “Not at all. I, uh, listen, Rena, I have a confession to make,” Ali said. She was never good at fibbing. “I could have called you with the update. We’re just beginning with the plans, and there’s not much to tell.”

  “Okay,” Rena said, looking a little confused. “But you don’t need a reason to stop by to say hello. You’re new to Napa, and I’m happy to be your—”

  “I do have a specific reason for coming here. Dang it, I’m so confused, and now I’m confusing you!”

  Rena chuckled. “Ali, just tell me.”

  Ali chewed on her lower lip and took a deep breath. She was never one to hesitate about anything. “Okay, I think I’m in love with Joe,” she finally blurted out.