Treasure My Heart

by Altonya Washington

  “True.” Hildy held her hands clasped behind her back as she walked. “But in Oliver’s case, it’s about more than spotting a piece of land. It’s one of the things that makes Bauer D so successful—a passion for architecture.”

  Minka blinked, her steps slowing. “Are you saying Oliver Bauer is the architect who designed this place?”

  “Indeed he is.” Hildy beamed. “If Oliver can’t envision the place he actually wants on the property, then he doesn’t go after it.”

  “You sound impressed,” Minka noted, though she felt exactly the same.

  Hildy shrugged. “It’s hard not to be. The man’s a genius, and don’t get me started on his looks.” Her steps slowed and she looked at Minka. “Have you met him?”

  Minka smiled. “I have.”

  Hildy gave a wave. “Then there’s no need for an introduction.”

  Minka discovered that Hildy had led her right to Oliver’s office. At least, she assumed that’s where they were.

  “Thanks for bringing her to me, Hildy.” He read Minka’s curious stare with ease. “I just grabbed an office to work from while we cover our bases with this gallery thing,” he explained once the site manager had walked off. “Have you seen it all?”

  “I thought I had.” She gave him a measured look. “So you designed this place, huh?”

  He gave a modest shrug. “Just a lil’ somethin’ I picked up.”

  “Well, you picked it up very well.” Minka cast an appraising eye around the room.

  “Thanks.” He sounded preoccupied. “Minka, um...” He waited for her to finish her survey of the room. “About yesterday—”

  “Oliver, really, it’s fine,” She gave him a patient smile. “You’ve got every right to check in on your sister’s place.”

  “Thanks, but I...I was talking about what happened after that. I shouldn’t have come on as strong as I did.”

  She flashed a brilliant smile, hoping to make light of the moment. “I’ve never seen coming on strong done so smoothly.” Her smile intensified when he burst into laughter.

  “Would you at least let me make it up to you with dinner?” he asked, once his laughter subsided.

  “It’s fine, really. You don’t have to do that—” She stopped short as he moved to stand close to her.

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Very much.”

  “Oliver...”

  “I know we can’t break your rule.”

  She caught the amusement underscoring his words. “It’s a very good rule.”

  “So? Would you be breaking any part of it by having dinner with me?”

  “No,” she acknowledged with a smile, all the while calling herself an idiot for hedging.

  It was Miami. She’d practically been ordered to have fun. He was gorgeous, and hell...it wasn’t like they’d see each other once the project was over anyway. Aside from a possible wedding between Qasim and Vectra, she would probably never run into Oliver Bauer again. Not as a business associate anyway. He was business now, but he wouldn’t be forever.

  Oliver was wearing an adorably skeptical expression. “Does that no mean you’re willing to join me?”

  She nodded. “I’m willing to join you. What have you got in mind?”

  “Whatever it is, I’ll make it good. Chances are it’ll be my only time to impress you.”

  “Trust me, you’ve already done that on the strength of this place alone.” She gestured around the large room.

  “It’s a good thing Austin has a tour scheduled among the list of events.” She studied the lofty ceiling and the smooth dark oak paneling that supported potted ferns of varying sizes. “Your photographers have a great eye, Oliver, but their work has nothing on the real thing.” She looked at him. “You’re very talented.”

  “Thank you, Minka.” He was undoubtedly pleased by her compliment. He suddenly cleared his throat, looking away as though his expression may have revealed too much. “Was there anything else you needed to see while you’re here?”

  “Well, I saw quite a bit on my way in with Vectra’s staff.” She looked askance at the door. “They’re probably wondering where I am. We hadn’t planned to stay very long.”

  “They’re fine. Hildy will make sure they get back to the city all right.”

  “Ah...so that’s why she disappeared. Is she a mind reader as well as an enthusiastic supporter of your work?”

  A guilty smile narrowed Oliver’s beautiful stare. “I might’ve given her a little instruction when she told me you were here.”

  Minka didn’t know what to say to that, so she turned her focus to the room again.

  “Minka, you should know that I have a habit of coming on strong when something appeals to me, but you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

  She was painstakingly studying the patterns crafted into the glass skylights on the ceiling. She heard his voice very close, very...soft. When she turned, he was right there, looking adorable and wholly concerned that she feared him.

  But her expression was soft, bordering on amused. “Oliver that—that’s crazy. You’ve done nothing to—”

  His head dipped, and he was kissing her, his tongue plundering, exploring, discovering. Minka responded with a moan that held tones of surprise and need. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands, but then he took possession of her wrists. He held them fast as he tugged her deeper into the kiss.

  The gesture wasn’t overpowering—it teased. At first, Minka had been too stunned to respond, but his tongue continued to tantalize hers, thrusting and withdrawing during its hearty sampling of her mouth. Minka steadily retreated from her long-standing rule. Such a kiss was not a thing to be resisted, and she no longer had the will to say no.

  She flexed her fingers, her wrists still commanded by his grip. She was barely able to grab a corner of the charcoal-brown jacket he wore over a shirt a few shades lighter. Open at the collar, the shirt revealed strong chords of muscle lining his neck.

  Moaning anew, Minka committed to the kiss, her tongue accepting his invitation to play. She was seconds from demanding he release her wrists, when he released her from the kiss altogether. She whimpered in sheer disappointment.

  Oliver raised his head a fraction and smiled adoringly into Minka’s upturned face. Her eyes were still closed, and she seemed to be edging closer in a silent request for more.

  “How about now?” He felt a stab of something heated and basic when she looked at him with her dark riveting eyes.

  “How about now, what?”

  She purred the words, which made him laugh. He captured a glimpse of what had, until then, eluded him—what laughter felt like when it was brought on by happiness.

  Minka’s expression cleared as though she were waking from a dream. Oliver dropped a kiss to the corner of her mouth before she could begin to overthink what had just happened. Suddenly, his phone rang.

  “Yeah?”

  Minka turned away while Oliver handled his call, but she didn’t get far. He captured the sleeve of the emerald-green blouson dress she sported, keeping her in place. The call ended after only a few seconds.

  “Your ride’s ready,” he said.

  Minka blinked, working hard not to appear too relieved—or too disappointed—by the news.

  “Tonight at seven.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Tonight at seven,” she confirmed anyway.

  All the while, Minka wondered what he would have thought if she’d asked to stay in.

  * * *

  Jeez, Mink, it was only a kiss!

  But it had been a long time since she’d had one that affecting. Oliver Bauer was certainly a man of many talents—that was a distinct certainty.

  She managed to dismiss Oliver and his persuasive presence from her mind as she focused on choosing an outfit
for dinner. He hadn’t mentioned anything else being on the agenda, but she wondered if his kiss was a promise of things to come.

  Again, Minka shook her head for clarity. She was surprised to find that she had, in fact, selected a not-too-shabby outfit for the evening. The gold toga dress was trendy yet elegant. The airy fabric was a gorgeous blend of chiffon and silk, and the color was flattering to her deep skin tone. Strappy heeled sandals, the same color as the dress, waited near the sofa in the living room for her to slip into.

  She was making the decision to leave her hair loose and bouncing around her face, when the phone rang. She didn’t rush to answer. She’d left her cell phone upstairs while she stood preening before the downstairs mirror. Finally, she grabbed the cordless in the living room on the fourth ring.

  “Vectra Bauer’s residence.” Minka took the phone back with her to the mirror and resumed teasing the loose curls of her bob.

  “Hello?” Her voice, polite yet inquiring, generated no response. “Hello?” She lost interest in her reflection and left the mirror with the phone still clutched to her ear. Whoever was waiting silently on the other end of the line had no intention of responding. Minka waited, holding her breath.

  She took small comfort in the fact that her mysterious caller’s patience ran out before hers. The dial tone sounded about two minutes after she’d gone quiet. Quickly, she checked the phone directory, not surprised to find the number was blocked.

  Minka set aside the house phone then ran upstairs to get her cell phone from the nightstand in the guest bedroom. She made a quick search through the call log and discovered that the previous three calls she’d answered and gotten no reply from had also come from blocked numbers. She recapped the calls she’d gotten and tried to determine if there had been any clues the caller left about his or her identity. The caller had been careful.

  She took another look through the phone, scrolling through her contacts and finding the one she wanted. She hesitated. This could be a coincidence, after all. People dialed wrong numbers all the time, didn’t they? No need to go to great lengths to track down the person.

  The bell rang, and Minka accepted that as her answer. She returned the phone to her evening bag, taking it with her as she hurried downstairs.

  She threw the door open, happy that Oliver was early. She’d need his easy company to dismiss her sudden dread.

  It wasn’t Oliver Bauer on the other side of the door.

  “Will?”

  Will Lloyd’s gaze was flat, even when it repeatedly raked Minka’s curvy frame.

  “Minka...” His purr lent insight to his mood.

  Minka kept a tight rein on her courage and her place at the front door. “What do you want?”

  “Let me in.”

  “I’m on my way out.”

  “I don’t think so. This is important.”

  “I disagree, since you didn’t think it was important enough to tell me about when you called.” She pretended to ponder. “Five times now, I think? Including your call here a few minutes ago.”

  He smiled. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

  “What do you want?”

  “To come inside.”

  “Forget it.”

  “I was given a raw deal, Mink.”

  “You gave yourself that deal.” She regarded him reproachfully. “Qasim was nothing but kind to you, even when he knew you weren’t worth the effort.”

  “And now he won’t even take my calls.”

  “You should be praising Sim for not calling someone to take you to jail.” She seethed over the man’s nerve.

  Will didn’t seem agitated by her words. “I guess that’s what you were hoping for. What was it, Mink? Jealous because Sim wasn’t giving you enough attention? Course you can’t blame the guy. That Vectra Bauer is one sweet piece. Sim’s always been too much of a straight arrow, though. Me? I’d have taken you both.”

  Minka’s smile gained definition the longer Will rambled. When he finished, she nodded past his shoulder and waited for him to turn.

  “Will Lloyd, this is Oliver Bauer. Vectra’s brother,” she tacked on with sickly sweetness.

  Minka took great delight in watching the man swallow uneasily.

  Oliver fixed Minka with an unwavering look. “Thought you were all mine tonight.”

  “I am—I...um—I only need to put on my shoes. Will just stopped by to—” She faked a confused look. “Will, why’d you say you stopped by?”

  Suddenly a lot less confident, Will cleared his throat and backed away from the front door. “It can wait. Nice to meet you.” He scarcely glanced in Oliver’s direction as he edged past and hurried down the brick drive.

  “Should my fist and his jaw be getting acquainted?” Oliver’s gaze followed Will Lloyd’s departing figure.

  “Don’t waste your time.” Minka tugged on his jacket lapel, urging him inside.

  Oliver shut the front door. “Who is he?” He followed Minka into the living room.

  “Used to work for Wilder. Qasim fired him, breach of contract or something. Only a select few know that it was really embezzlement.”

  “Wait, Vectra told me something about this. Was the guy involved with Sim’s charity?”

  “That’s him.” Minka sat on the sofa near her shoes. “Guess he thought he was entitled to a bigger piece of the pie, since he once saved Qasim’s life.”

  Oliver blurted a laugh and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “That guy?” He thought of Will Lloyd cowering before him a few moments earlier. Humor and disbelief illuminated his handsome features.

  “That guy.” Minka’s expression was just as bright, but she quickly sobered. “It happened when they were in the army.”

  Nodding, Oliver sobered, as well. He leaned against a pine bookshelf and watched as Minka slipped on one of the strappy, spiked heels.

  Any lingering waves of amusement lost their grip—his focus was on her slipping into the sandals. As if drawn by some unseen force, he closed the distance between them.

  “Help with that?” he asked when she looked up. He waved toward the shoe she was trying to fasten.

  Minka moved her hands, silently accepting the offer. He knelt before her, and for a while Minka wondered if he had any plans to fasten her shoe at all.

  Oliver relished the chance to simply admire her legs up close. He began to secure the shoes to her feet, and then paused again to admire one at length. He extended her leg and raked his stare along the dark shapely limb made even more provocative by the chic sandal.

  Minka pressed her lips together to stifle a sudden desire to moan. Parts of her clenched, throbbing for his touch. When Oliver released her leg, disappointment and hope surged at once. When he stood, hope faded.

  “Are we ready?” He was squeezing her hand, urging her to stand.

  To hell with it, she thought. “Would you think less of me if I said no?”

  Oliver smiled, but the gesture didn’t quite reach his amazing eyes. “You’ll want to be careful about what you say to me, Ms. Gerald.”

  “Oh? Are the consequences that awful?” Her heart flipped as his expression intensified.

  “The consequences aren’t awful, but they have the potential to be obscenely demanding.”

  “Demanding?”

  “Obscenely.”

  She observed him more astutely. “You talk a good game, Oliver.”

  He stepped within an inch of her. “I’m a man of my word. You’ll want to remember that.”

  He backed off, and only then did Minka discover she was holding her breath.

  “Mink?”

  She saw him wave a hand to usher her toward the front. She pulled a hand through her hair, not caring that he saw how off-kilter she was. Praying her heels wouldn’t let her down, she moved toward the front
door.

  Chapter 6

  The very last thing on Minka’s mind was dinner, but that changed by the time one of the valets escorted her from the passenger side of Oliver’s rented SUV.

  Their reservations had been for Keene’s. The popular steakhouse was as known and loved for its choice cuts of beef as it was for the jazz and blues artists who performed live every night. It was about a forty-minute ride from Vectra’s—enough time to put Minka’s thoughts back to eating.

  Well...that wasn’t completely accurate. Her appetite may have taken command of her thoughts a time or two, but never long enough to forget the little repartee between her and Oliver before they left the condo. She had been more honest than she’d ever intended, but now it was done and she couldn’t go back and make him forget what she’d said.

  “Mink?”

  She heard the quiet timbre of his voice, but didn’t immediately lock on to the fact that he was calling her name until he leaned across the table to snap his fingers before her face. She saw the playfulness in his gaze and realized the waiter was at the table.

  “Charlie wants to know what you’d like to drink, babe.”

  “Sorry.” Minka cleared her throat. “Champagne cocktail, please.”

  Oliver nodded to send the waiter on his way. “You want to talk to me, or is your daydreaming more fun?”

  Minka decided to be forthcoming again. “My daydream was about you...us...what happened before we left. I gave you no indication that I wanted to leave even after you told me there would be consequences—obscenely demanding ones...”

  “You’re right.” Oliver relaxed back against the cushioned armchair at the intimate table. “I guess there’s just something...that disturbs me about having sex in my little sister’s house.”

  Minka couldn’t resist a quick burst of laughter. “It’s nice you guys are so close.”

  He shrugged. “She can be aggravating as hell, but I love her. She’s the only one who doesn’t mind telling me when I’m being a jackass.”

  Minka contained her laughter as the waiter returned with her champagne cocktail and a Sam Adams for Oliver. “Beer drinker,” she mused watching him tip the liquid into a chilled mug. “That’s interesting, considering your family’s business is wine.”