“Is Marcy dating anyone?” he asked abruptly, interrupting a conversation about something he didn’t give a damn about.
Three sets of identical green eyes turned in his direction and Zeke realized he’d just interrupted Teague who was talking about the Queen Anne Avenue project.
Logan and Luke leaned back in their chairs while Teague’s eyes narrowed. “Not that I know of…” he replied slowly. “Why?”
Zeke shook his head. “No reason. Go ahead,” he prompted, mentally beating himself up for asking such a revealing question.
Logan and Luke looked at each other, a knowing grin on their identical faces. “Why do you care?”
“We don’t date employees,” Zeke snapped at them. “I’m just trying to ensure that you both understood that.” Then he glared at Teague. “And that’s your miracle worker. Why would you be making moves on Marcy? That could jeopardize your whole operation, from what you tell me.”
Teague stared at his brother for a long moment. Then he looked at Logan and Luke, both of them nodding their heads in acknowledgement and agreement. Teague’s stunned expression changed and he ran a hand over his face, trying to hide his laughter. “No. Marcy isn’t dating anyone. And no, I have no sexual feelings towards her. She’s like a sister to me.”
Zeke’s scoff was loud and clear to his brothers at least. “Right. Just keep your hands off the employees,” he growled again. “Now get on with it. You said that the construction was in progress, but…”
Teague continued with his recitation. He went through each of the building sites under construction, some were just in the planning stages, and Logan, as the architect, took over for those updates. Some were in the process of going up and that’s where Teague, as the construction director, was in charge. And some of their projects were finished, so Luke, as the marketing director, stepped in and worked his magic. Zeke oversaw all of the work and, on paper at least, he was the CEO, boss of all of it. But the four of them didn’t pull rank. Zeke was a good business manager and knew when to step in and out of projects, how to run the financial end of things. He was the driving factor behind the growth of Steele Industries, but he couldn’t have done it without the genius of his brothers. All of them had applied their expertise to the growth of the company and all were considered four of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors.
Zeke’s role as oldest brother had naturally led him to the leadership position. Teague loved to build things. All his life, he’d built things, from tree houses to helping with the addition to their parent’s house. And Logan was the mastermind for each of the buildings, creating a different design that was slowly changing the landscape of Seattle and the other cities in which Steele Industries worked. He took a creative idea and applied logic and math to the possibilities, turning them into reality. But none of it could be sold to the public without Luke’s marketing strategies. He made consumers fight for the properties, created an aura of demand and exclusivity that was unprecedented. Everyone wanted to live in one of the Steele Industries high rise condominiums and companies fought for space in any office building that went up under the Steele Industries name.
It had all worked out seamlessly until now. Until Zeke had seen Teague’s arms around Marcy, her soft breasts pressed against his brother’s chest instead of his own. It had looked friendly enough but he was seeing red. And when Luke had asked her to dinner tonight, he’d almost torn down the door to bash his brother’s head in.
He had to get rid of her, he thought. He couldn’t let anything come between his brothers. They were family. She was just another woman in a long line of women who had come through his life.
This attraction between them would go away, but his brothers were here for life.
The meeting ended and his brothers left although he had absolutely no idea what had been discussed since his mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of Marcy instead of paying attention to his brothers’ status updates. He was furious because he’d never let a woman interfere with his concentration before, and yet Marcy, energetic, bouncy and too-beautiful Marcy, had done that to him.
After his brothers had left his office, he stared at the Seattle skyline but his mind was focused on Marcy and her soft breasts hidden by the silk of her blouses. And her round bottom, perfectly hugged by whatever pair of wool slacks or skirt she’d decided on for the day.
With a sigh of resignation, he went to tell Marcy that she could go back to Teague’s office, that she’d done a good enough job organizing things and a temporary employee could come in and fix things from here on out until Linda returned.
He watched her for a moment, enjoying her soft profile, noticing that her lashes seemed to actually sway when she blinked. They were so long, when she looked down, they created a slight shadow on her white skin.
She lifted a hand to her mouth, which drew his eyes down towards her desk and… “That’s not enough food for lunch,” he told her, outraged that she would eat so little. He knew that she didn’t snack during the day either, so this was all she was eating until dinnertime.
Marcy glanced up, startled to find him staring at her, his hands fisted on his hips. “Excuse me?” she asked.
He moved closer and she could smell his incredible aftershave. So spicy, so…Zeke. The man epitomized the alpha male, right down to his aftershave. Not fair, she thought with growing resentment.
And now he was criticizing her meal?
Surveying the muscles pulling at the material of his shirt, she wanted to dump her pathetic yogurt and diet soda into the trash. She’d been trying all week to lose a couple, or several, pounds. Unfortunately, after working with the man all day, she went home and ate ice cream. Lots of ice cream.
Sadly, not even ice cream was working its magic like it used to. Normally, ice cream was her go-to food for when she needed a boost.
All it was doing was keeping her already round hips round and not helping her irritable mood in any way.
And even worse, the elevator pinged, indicating another visitor. Her grouchy boss was criticizing her and now there would be a witness! Fabulous! Just what she needed.
The tall, gorgeous blond with legs three miles long, stepped into the room, her sultry smile bright and airy as soon as her eyes locked onto Zeke.
Marcy watched the woman approach and violence came to mind. Oh, what she could do with a pair of scissors to that long, perfectly straight, wonderfully shiny hair! Blue, she thought. Yeah, blue dye would make her tanned skin look sallow. Or maybe green, so everyone would think of her as a Martian. Yeah, Marcy liked that idea. Green hair dye. Check. On the grocery list.
Marcy watched the woman walk across Zeke’s reception area and wished she’d thought to string a barely-visible wire across the room. The blond woman wouldn’t look so sexy and sophisticated if she were sprawled on the floor, now would she?!
“You’re here!” the blonde gasped with a throaty voice that Marcy cattily categorized as fake. Along with her boobs, her lips, and her nose. All fake. Fake smile too, she thought. Oh and no one’s teeth were that white! Impossible!
Marcy noticed that Zeke’s eyes widened ever so slightly when he finally noticed the irritatingly beautiful woman. “Laura? What are you doing here?” Zeke asked politely.
The woman sauntered over to where Zeke was standing, her hips swaying and her barely-there dress giving him a hint of those impossibly-big-must-be-fake boobs.
Marcy wondered if she could be fired for tripping a guest. Rope, on the grocery list as well as more ice cream and green hair dye. Better get blue hair dye as well. Maybe she could make the blonde’s tresses rainbow colored.
Marcy was pretty sure that tripping someone in the office would be unprofessional, so she tucked her feet up underneath her, trying to alleviate the temptation.
“I was coming by to see if you wanted to go to lunch. We haven’t had one of our afternoons together in so long,” she said, the last was in a stage whisper, as if she was pretending Marcy couldn’t hear what was being said.
/> Zeke patted the woman’s waist and smiled down at her. “I don’t have time for lunch today, Laura. Maybe next time.”
Marcy almost jumped out of her chair to cheer with excitement when the Lovely Laura was dissed so bluntly. Marcy patted herself on the back mentally for her restraint.
Marcy watched with disgust as the woman pouted perfectly with her perfectly fake lips that were over-glossed and gross. “Well, maybe next time,” Laura said and her bogus boobs turned towards the doorway. A moment later, she was nothing but a cloying scent.
Marcy turned towards Zeke, who was still standing there, staring at the exit. She wished she knew what was on his mind, especially when those green eyes glared in her direction.
She held up her hands defensively. “I didn’t do anything,” she told him quickly.
Marcy wasn’t sure, but did he just growl at her?
No! Impossible.
Sophisticated, intelligent men like Zeke did not growl.
Zeke walked back into his office, bracing his hands wide on his now-cleared desk and took in a deep breath. What the hell was he thinking? Why had he turned down what Laura was so obviously offering? He could have gone with Laura and spent a nice afternoon in her bed.
He’d dated Laura occasionally in the past and knew her to be a sensuous, uninhibited lover, with no expectations of anything more than a bit of fun.
He sighed and rubbed his face. He hadn’t gone to lunch with Laura because she wasn’t wearing a silk shirt. The knit fabric of her dress just didn’t do it for him any longer.
And her dress was too short. He realized that he liked the taunting, long skirts that he’d grown accustomed to over the last few days.
Ah hell, he thought, as he picked up the phone and ordered two sandwiches to be delivered to his office. “Yeah, just put them on my account, Rick,” he told the man who owned the diner across the street. Best rueben sandwiches in town, he thought. And Marcy needed more than just a cup of yogurt for the rest of the afternoon.
He was going to hell, he thought, as he rifled through the papers on his desk. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to absorb any of the words on the documents. All he could think about was white skin and rose-colored nipples, dark hair and crystal blue eyes.
Yep, he was going to hell.
Chapter 3
Another one? Marcy watched as yet another blonde bimbo sauntered into Zeke’s office. This was the fourth woman this week. All of them leaving quickly after discussing something with Zeke and all of them departing with a sad, rejected expression in their beautiful, overly-made up eyes.
This one stood by Marcy’s desk, huffing a bit as if she still couldn’t believe what had just happened, still stunned by Zeke’s rejection. “He did not just say that!” she muttered, glancing at the door, then at her cell phone as if it could give her the answers to the universe.
Marcy took pity on this one. Well, not pity exactly, but…
“I think he’s gay,” Marcy whispered in a conspiratorial voice.
The blonde looked up, startled by her words. “Who is gay?” she demanded, brown eyes narrowing and shoulders jerking straight.
Marcy discreetly pointed towards the open doorway. “Zeke Steele.”
The woman’s phone dropped into her purse. “Zeke? Gay? No way!” she laughed. “You don’t know Zeke if you think he might be gay. He’s definitely not gay.”
Marcy shrugged and held up her hands. “If you say so.”
The woman snickered for a moment, but her eyes went back and forth between the closed office door and his assistant. Slowly, her confidence drained away. “Wait, why would you say that?”
Marcy twisted her lips slightly. “Well, I’ve seen several women go into his office lately, and they all came out with expressions just like yours.”
The pretty woman’s eyes turned wary, all confidence gone. “How many women?”
Marcy shrugged again. “I haven’t counted,” she lied to the pretty woman, ignoring the twinge of guilt. “But several and all of them seemed quite irritated that he wasn’t willing to take the afternoon off and,” Marcy shrugged “well, whatever it is that they were hoping to do with Mr. Steele.” She paused. “They were all beautiful, and all turned away.” Marcy’s eyes were wide as she nodded sagely. “Gay,” she whispered again.
Maybe it wasn’t a lie. Maybe Zeke really wasn’t into women. At least, the snickering devil on her shoulder said her assumptions were fairly legitimate. “He hasn’t accepted any of their offers.”
The blonde’s hip jutted out as she considered Marcy’s words. When her face scrunched up with confusion and she said, “Really? You think he’s gay?” Marcy almost lost it right then and there! Was this woman insane? Zeke Steele was definitely not gay, but the blonde was just too easy. It was petty, Marcy thought, but she was weak and frustrated.
Marcy kept it together though. This was survival, she rationalized. She had to stop these women from coming through to Zeke’s office. He needed to focus, she told herself. She was doing him a favor! “Oh, I have no formal knowledge about his sexuality… but it is a possibility.”
The woman nodded her head as if to say that Marcy might be right. “If he wasn’t into me…” the silly blonde woman began. Obviously, in her mind the “gay” possibility made sense. After all, how could any man resist her blonde beauty without being gay?
When she finally walked out, obviously dismissing Zeke Steele as no longer worthy of her attentions, Marcy almost rolled her eyes. Silly woman, she thought and turned back to her computer. Well, she started to. But the deep voice behind her stopped that immediately.
“So, you think I’m gay?” Zeke asked softly, his warm lips dangerously close to the shell of her ear.
Marcy froze, afraid to move one way or another. Trapped!
Her jealousy had finally gotten her into trouble. “Um…No. None of my business.” That crazy trembling was driving her nuts and she could barely form the words, he was so close.
“Maybe you need evidence of it. I wouldn’t want it spread throughout town that I’m gay,” he murmured and his breath teased a curl on the side of her head. “Would that settle your mind, Marcy?”
Oh, the way he said her name made her whole body tingle with awareness. Right, like he needed to say her name for that to happen. Perhaps it was more appropriate to say that his deep, sexy voice, which was saying her name, made the tingling awareness intensify!
“Um…I don’t think it is my business.”
Zeke pulled back before he nipped her earlobe. Or lifted her into his arms so he could finally find out what that sexy mouth tasted like.
Standing up, he walked back into his office doorway. Just the slightest scent of her soft femininity was making him hard as a rock. Now he was playing with fire?
“You’ll need a dress for tonight,” he announced, out of the blue. Now what the hell did he mean by that?!
Unfortunately, Marcy bounced into his office after him, all huge eyes and tempting, rosebud mouth. Maybe if she hadn’t been wearing another silk blouse or if her slacks weren’t hugging her adorable round bottom so perfectly, he might have backed down. But she was and her pants did. So he wouldn’t.
Marcy stood in front of his desk, her eyes wide, her body shifting in front of him and he couldn’t have told anyone his name if they’d asked. “I’m sorry, sir, but why do I need a dress for tonight?”
He looked down at his desk, pulling forward the contract for his next meeting. “You scared away my date for tonight. I have a gala to attend. You’ll have to substitute for Dyamond.” He shifted some papers around on his desk, trying hard to remember what he’d been doing when he’d heard Marcy explain why she thought he was gay. He’d almost laughed at the expression on Dyamond’s lovely features, but he was too grateful to Marcy for discouraging the woman so adeptly. He’d been trying to avoid Dyamond’s clutches for months now. The woman just wouldn’t take a hint.
Marcy laughed. “That wasn’t really her name, was it?” she demanded, crossing
her arms over her chest.
Zeke looked over at her, startled by the sound of her laughter. It was amazing and everything inside of him tightened with awareness. She stood there in the middle of his office, looking warm and sexy and driving him mad with lust. Damn but she looked good with that sparkle of amusement in her blue eyes. He almost groaned at how her arms were crossed over her stomach now, pushing her breasts higher, making his mind go blank for a long moment.
She had a good point about the previous blonde’s name though. “Yes, that’s her name,” he agreed succinctly, trying very hard not to laugh as well.
Marcy couldn’t stop the snort of laughter. When his eyes moved over to her again, she lifted her hands up. “Sorry,” she lied. “But that’s a stripper’s name.”
Zeke almost laughed as well, and would agree with her except that he knew Dyamond’s parents. “Yes well, she was an able bodied companion for the night. Do you have an appropriate dress?”
Marcy thought about the kind of galas that Zeke and his brothers attended. “No way,” thinking that statement would get her out of attending on Zeke’s arm. She couldn’t do it. Not Zeke. Teague? Yeah, sure. She could help him out if he needed her to attend an evening function. Luke and Logan? Absolutely, why not? They would be amusing company.
Not Zeke. She couldn’t do it. No way. He was too…Zeke!
He lifted his cell phone and dialed a speed dial number. “Barb, I’m sending someone to you for a dress. It’s for the Martin Gala tonight. Can you get her decked out? Send me the bill.”
A moment later, he tossed his phone down on the desk and started searching through his files, not really looking for anything.
“You’ll need to head over to Dissa’s by the mall. Ask for Barbara. She’s a personal shopper who will get you something to wear.”
He had no idea what he was looking for in his desk. The only thing on his mind was wondering what Barb might put Marcy in for the night. No matter what, the petite woman would look amazing.
He was in trouble.
In the Boss' Bed Page 3
