‘Only one?’
‘He stopped it going further.’
One frightening, exhilarating, life-changing kiss. So often she wished it had never happened. Yet other times, usually when she was kissing someone else, she was glad it had. Because it had been the one kiss that had given her a glimpse of what it could really be like. Amanda had gone in for a lot of kissing in her quest to find a man who could better it. She’d yet to succeed.
She’d romanticised it of course. That was the problem. With the passage of time that hazy memory had become something more than it had really been.
Amanda glanced across to see Bronwyn’s glance resting on her—amusement mixed with chagrin swirling in her expression. ‘Well, it’ll be interesting anyway.’
‘I’m really sorry, Bronwyn. I’d never have come along today had I known.’
Bronwyn shrugged. ‘If your past is going to make as much difference as all that, then maybe we don’t want his business. If he’s unprofessional enough to allow personal issues into his decision-making processes, then we’re better off without him, right?’
‘Right.’ Amanda wanted to smile but couldn’t. No way were they better off without his business. They needed his business no matter what.
‘But for what it’s worth, I think your presentation was stellar. Whatever history you two do or don’t have, it certainly put fuel in your fire. You could have sold me a three-week-old wet newspaper.’
Amanda flushed once more—this time from pleasure rather than mortification. And then the warm feeling subsided. No matter how good she’d been she was sure Jared wouldn’t give them the job.
At that moment Jared was staring at the painting hanging in the far corner of his office, for once not getting any sense of calm from the vast landscape it depicted. He tugged off the tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
This was business. He had to make this decision based on what was best for the company. Which was the pitch more likely to work and which was in tune with his vision? And who could he work with closely to get what he wanted?
What he wanted or who he wanted?
He frowned and turned away, looking out of the window and down the road where a few minutes ago a taxi had driven off, taking the infuriating Amanda away.
Damn.
Because he’d liked her pitch. He’d liked the idea. And there was a part of him that wanted to give the job to that company because he wanted to see it succeed—not go under, swallowed up by the global advertising giants. He’d stepped in and stopped this juice company from being taken over by a large offshore firm; it was part of what had driven him to work the hours he had and take the risks he had. They’d paid off too, those risks. Now he was contemplating another.
Could he really work with her?
He frowned. Ridiculous. Of course he could. A little lust attack could easily be stamped out. Because no way could he follow through on the idea of a one-night fling with her if they were to be working together. That would be messy and Jared loathed messy. He worked most of the time, he played outdoors some of the time and he scored even less of the time. The three were kept very separate. So what if he wanted her? He’d wanted her before and said no; he could do that again no sweat. Definitely.
The question was, could she work with him? Could she keep her professionalism up?
And that, he realised, was what he wanted to know. Could the spoilt princess cope with him giving the orders? His mouth stretched into a smile, slow and wide. How funny for the boot to be on the other foot. Amanda Winchester answering to his call for once.
It shouldn’t matter. Jared was not the kind who liked to abuse his power—but in this case, in this unique case, the temptation was irresistible.
Chapter Four
AMANDA stared, too scared to believe as she, Sean and Danielle listened in on Bronwyn’s conversation.
‘Yes…yes…certainly…of course.’ Bronwyn glanced up and winked, then spun her chair away to look out of the window and control the big grin stretching wide across her face. ‘That won’t be a problem. Wonderful, Jared.’
Amanda watched as Bronwyn looked at the receiver and then carefully put it down.
‘Well?’ screeched Sean.
‘People—’ Bronwyn looked about to burst ‘—we have ourselves a client.’
‘All right!’ Sean did a jig. ‘Where do I buy? What do I buy? Radio, TV…Are we doing the web too?’
Bronwyn held up her hand and Sean, well trained, fell silent. ‘We’ll get to that in due course. Our Mr Jared James is one demanding customer and very particular about what he wants. He had a number of requests relating to the pitch, all of which I’ve agreed to. The first stipulation is that Amanda manages the account—she’s responsible for creative content and for liaising with the client. Obviously we’re here to help you, Amanda. You’re not totally alone in this.’ Bright-eyed Bronwyn was watching her too closely.
Amanda felt the blood rushing through her body—but none of it was getting to her brain.
‘Manage the account?’ Deal with Jared? Be responsible for it all? But she’d only been in this job a few months—only moved to Auckland when it became clear she needed to earn serious dollars.
‘I need you to do this, Amanda. Are you going to be able to?’ Bronwyn came round from behind her desk.
‘Sure,’ Amanda blurted. ‘Of course.’ She whirled away and went to her own workstation.
Oh, no. Shock and a sudden desperate need for something sweet—an edible distraction—filled her.
They’d got the contract but she was going to have to work with Jared—spend time with Jared. Food—quick!
Because of course this would all be fine if her body didn’t go on heat at just the mention of his name. She was melting inside…
Oh, no. She picked up the box of gourmet chocolates and stuffed the first one she grabbed in.
‘Hey, Amanda! Hey, stop!’ Sean screeched again. ‘They’re samples for us to build an ad campaign for.’
Amanda, still chewing the first, added a second to the mix. ‘Do I look like I care?’ She swallowed and immediately stuffed another in. ‘I need them now.’
‘But, Amanda, they cost a fortune and—’
‘I can buy more,’ she snapped as she devoured yet another.
‘Well, you could always get your grandfather to buy the company.’
‘Jared?’ She spun so fast that three of the chocolates flew from the box like renegade bullets.
‘I was talking to Bronwyn on my mobile.’ Jared casually picked up a chocolate that had landed on Danielle’s desk beside him. ‘Guess she hadn’t had the time to tell you I was here yet.’
‘I…’ Amanda glanced over his shoulder and saw Bronwyn’s face—the anxiety as she mouthed ‘sorry’.
‘Let’s just make it a quick meeting now, shall we? I don’t want to take up too much of your valuable time.’ He looked at the chocolate in his hand and then sent the box of chocolates an equally ironic glance.
‘Um. OK.’ Amanda shoved the box behind her and swallowed, certain she was all chocolate teeth.
He stepped closer, still holding the stray truffle. ‘Is there somewhere we could go? A meeting room perhaps?’
‘Um—’ But as she went to answer he put the chocolate in her mouth. Startled, she gaped, chocolate and all.
Laughing, he licked the small bit of melted chocolate from his finger and then shut her mouth with a nudge under her chin. ‘I was always good at the clown game at the fair.’
Unable to do anything else in front of their current audience, Amanda chewed—viciously.
‘Now I know how to get you to be a little sweeter to me.’ The devil glinted in his eyes. ‘Lead on, Amanda.’
Ignoring the gaping stares of Danielle and Sean and the sky-high brows of Bronwyn, Amanda stalked round the corner to the small meeting room. She paused outside the door.
His smile was about as trustworthy as a crocodile’s. ‘After you.’
She walked in, conscious of him shutting the
door behind him. Far too conscious of how small the room was, how tall he was, how she still wasn’t used to seeing him in a suit—certainly not one as devastating as this. Even more magnificent than the one he had on at the pitch yesterday, this one was black with the thinnest of pinstripes and set off by a deep red tie. She stared at him. Lost, for a long moment, in the sheer infuriating attraction of him.
Then came the pep talk. Be professional. Ignore the chocolate moment and the way he’s looking at you. Just do the job and do it well.
She took in a deep breath. ‘Thank you very much for putting your faith in Synergy. We’re looking forward to working on your campaign and making it a successful one.’
‘Of course.’
His bored-sounding air unnerved her.
‘Are you sure you don’t want Bronwyn to join us?’ She glanced to the door. ‘Not even to take notes?’
‘No.’ Lazily he walked towards her.
She stepped back.
‘Are you afraid of being alone with me?’ He kept walking towards her.
In this small meeting room there wasn’t anywhere to go. Three more steps in reverse and the backs of her legs were up against something. ‘Of course not. I’m not afraid of you.’
He put his hands on her shoulders and pressed down on them. She sat. It was one of the chairs in the row against the wall.
‘But I thought I was the big bad wolf.’ He sat on the chair next to hers and smiled that smile again.
Crocodile? Snake? Wolf? Whichever, it didn’t inspire faith, courage or hope. It inspired…other things.
‘That was just a joke.’ Her voice wavered.
‘You know what they say—spark of truth in every one.’ He was deliberately baiting her, deliberately sitting too close.
‘I can’t work with you being like this.’ She jumped up.
‘Like what?’
‘You know what.’
He rose and prowled, positively prowled towards her. ‘Technically, you’ll be working for me.’
Oh, like that helped? She moved to the door but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
‘Come and sit down, Amanda, and stop acting like a spoilt child,’ he said softly. ‘You need to put aside your personal feelings and get on with the job.’
That got her. Her personal feelings? He was the one hand-feeding her chocolates in front of people and then sitting too close. ‘I have no personal feelings. Not for you.’
‘Is that right?’ His hand dropped and his face held no memory of a smile. ‘Prove it.’
‘Pardon?’
He stepped closer. ‘Prove there are no personal feelings.’
‘H-how—?’
‘Kiss me.’
‘What?’
‘You can show me there’s no desire.’
‘You arrogant—’
‘It’s that impossible, huh?’ His eyes glittered.
She met their intensity with a deep look of her own. The challenge was back and he’d brought it this time. And Amanda couldn’t walk away. This wasn’t about the contract any more, this was about closing the door on the past. That long-ago night hung between them. It was the first thing she thought of every time she saw him. It was the big old elephant in the room and it needed banishing.
No desire? She wanted to prove it to herself more than anything. Surely that kiss all those years ago hadn’t been that spectacular. It had made her sick, hadn’t it? But all she knew was that every one since had been lacking in something. Surely now she could shake off the magic memory and move on. He was an over-confident, arrogant jerk.
But there was an insidious warmth unfurling deep inside her belly. A gnawing hunger. Given how her heart raced at the sight of him, how restless her body became in his presence…
She didn’t trust herself.
The room was almost humming with the energy emanating from both of them. And yet they stood still—he like the cat waiting to pounce, she like the rabbit in the headlights.
She forced herself to blink.
‘All right.’ She was a grown woman, in control of her emotions and her destiny, right?
She took the small step to bring her right into his space, tilted her head to be able to see right into his eyes. He was tall, and he wasn’t making it any easier for her. Despite her high heels she had to rise right up onto the tips of her toes. This close she could smell him, could see the faint darkening on his jaw, could feel the warmth from his skin.
That feeling deep inside intensified. She tensed every muscle in her body. Keeping her arms close to her sides, her fists clenched, she pressed her firmly closed lips to his for all of a nanosecond.
Faster than the strike of a snake, his hands shot out, grasping her upper arms, keeping her on her tiptoes, her face close to his.
‘That wasn’t a kiss,’ he muttered, mouth barely moving. ‘Kiss me properly.’
His head lowered, angled to catch her lips just at the moment she was about to refuse. That was why her lips had parted, wasn’t it? To say go to hell.
But as Jared’s warm lips sealed to them, her own only softened and parted more. And although his fingers gripped on her arms, his kiss wasn’t hard.
Those words were lost. And it wasn’t hell she was thinking of any more.
The last time he’d kissed her it had been fierce and ferocious and deliberately punishing. And then it had blown up into an onslaught of raw sensuality—exposing her to a carnal passion that had both overwhelmed and thrilled her.
But now the touch of his lips was light. He brushed his mouth against hers, almost gently teasing, and all she could do was stay right where she was, up on tiptoe, no longer breathing but feeling every tiny movement.
The pressure from his fingers eased; they no longer controlled, but smoothed down her arms instead. He lifted one hand away only to slide it round her waist to the small of her back, pressing her body closer to his. His other hand went lower, running down the length of her arm to encapsulate her fist with his own.
The pressure of his mouth firmed and asked for more. His tongue teased and suddenly she slackened—her lips parted further and immediately he pressed home, intimately stroking the soft inside of her mouth.
Her fingers relaxed, fluttered and his moved, entwining through hers and he lifted her hand, placing it on his shoulder. The fabric was smooth beneath her fingers and she slid her hand higher, searching out the skin at the back of his neck.
She lifted her other hand all by herself. Coasted light fingers over the broad shoulder of his suit jacket and then up, feeling the warmth of him with the sensitive pads of her fingers. She spread her fingers wide and slid them higher into his thick dark hair, holding his head to hers.
His arms tightened, so she was leaning her weight against him and bonelessly she let him. She could feel his hard body down every inch of hers now. Plastered together but it wasn’t close enough. Her muscles moved, her body rhythmically surging, seeking to be closer.
She opened further for him, wanting him to invade the rest of her. Her tongue searched out the mystery of him as the kiss went purely carnal and ravenous. He smelt so good and tasted better.
His hand cupped the underside of her breast, his fingers splayed out, spanning her fullness. His thumb stroked, nearer and nearer to the summit and the tight, aching peak. Finally he grazed over it and she groaned, her hips instinctively driving forward faster with the pleasure of it. His other hand spread wide against her bottom, pushing her closer again, and he pressed his thigh between hers. She wasn’t wearing stockings, had only thin silk panties on and through the wool of his suit she could feel his thick, hard muscles. She groaned again as the heat of desire washed over her; he stroked her nipple again and rammed his thigh between hers that little bit harder.
He kissed down the side of her neck. She moaned, eager for him to reach her breasts, wanting his mouth on her nipple, wanting him to feast. But he moved so slowly, so deliciously, tormentingly slowly. His hand moved, his thumb stopped that delicious stroking. She pressed
harder down on his thigh as he undid the top button on her blouse, and then the next. His mouth caressed the skin he’d exposed. Not much further, another couple of buttons…
‘Please…’ she panted.
He cupped her breast again, circling around her nipple with his thumb, and then he scraped hard across the tip of it.
She gasped.
‘No personal feelings, huh?’ He lifted his head, looked at her with a gaze so cool it was like having a bucket of ice water tipped on her.
She jerked her head back, breathing hard as she realised he’d been toying with her. Again.
Anger made her blood run even hotter. Because, damn it, she wasn’t the only one who’d been getting excited just then.
‘Clearly you have them too.’ She thrust her hips against his, crudely referring to his hard, thick erection pressing up against her lower belly.
He dropped his hands from her and stepped back so quickly she almost stumbled. ‘What red-blooded man wouldn’t react when a woman with a body as curvy as yours writhes against him like that?’
Writhes?
Oh, she had, she had. She had an unbearable ache and she’d been moving against him any which way to ease it. Pressing her pelvis against his, riding his thigh over and over and he’d felt so good and she’d felt so hungry…
She put a hand on the back of a chair for support. ‘You should be working with Bronwyn on the campaign.’
Storm clouds chased away the last of the glitter in his eyes. ‘No, Amanda.’
‘But, Jared—’
‘This is the thing, the contract is tied to you. Without you I pull the plug and more than likely the agency will go under.’
‘What?’ Stunned, she couldn’t believe her ears.
‘It was your idea, wasn’t it? The pitch?’
She nodded.
‘Then it’s your creative talent I want.’
She shook her head—she could work on the ads here at the agency; she didn’t need to deal with Jared directly…
‘Can you really do it, Amanda?’ He spoke harshly. ‘Can you put other people first? Or is it still only about what you want?’
She opened her mouth but he overrode her.
Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress Page 4
