by Debra Webb
“I’m glad to hear you’ve come to your senses,” he teased.
Her serious brown gaze didn’t share his humor. “Do you have any openings?”
He glanced past her, had to assume Trisha’s desk remained empty on the other side of the privacy-frosted glass. “I could use a personal assistant,” he said, making the decision as he spoke.
“You’re well aware I have an MBA. Maybe I can be of more use in—”
“Your current post is what, precisely?” Her gaze turned sharp with a hint of temper and he knew he had her just where he wanted her. Well, professionally anyway.
“Yes, my current title is personal assistant,” she allowed. She crossed her legs at the ankle, distracting him again with far more intimate memories. “When I took the post with Dieter Kathrein everyone involved knew I was overqualified.”
“I can assure you as my personal assistant you’ll have more challenges.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Lucy tilted her head toward the desk on the other side of his office. “What about your current assistant?”
“She’s not the dedicated PA I need,” he countered. “Trisha manages my calendar and answers the phone right now, but it’s a stopgap measure. She doesn’t have your business acumen and I don’t have time for her to develop it.” The ease of his admission didn’t surprise him. He’d always been able to talk with Lucy about anything.
Her dark eyebrows arched and her lips parted for a moment, then she clamped her mouth shut. “I see. Tell me more.”
“We’ve been searching for a better fit for her within the company,” he added. “What were your duties with Kathrein?”
She shook her head, her gaze dropping to her hands. “Beyond telling you I managed his calendar, the rest of my responsibilities are confidential.”
“Right. Of course.” He waved that off as unimportant and quickly outlined his professional expectations. A savvy, analytical mind like Lucy’s could help him keep Gray Box at the top and develop new ideas and market applications. She would be the perfect liaison between him and clients who waffled around wasting his time, too. “What do you think?”
“Salary and benefits?”
“Name it, whatever you need. I’ll make sure it’s all written into the contract.” He twisted, pointed out a building across the street. “You can even have the corporate suite at the hotel until you find a place to live.”
“That’s very generous. Thank you.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she accepted the ridiculous offer.
“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?” He sat back, stretched his arms across the back of the couch. “About our history?”
“No,” she said, her denial a little weak. “I came to you as a colleague and friend. We both have new interests, now. You can reassure Trisha or whomever you’re seeing that I won’t interfere with your personal life.”
He didn’t appreciate that promise or the vague reprimand. Lucy had been his only “interest” for over a year. She still was, if he was brutally honest about it. The women who’d followed her had floated through his life without any real substance or impact. Contrary to rumors, he didn’t date in the traditional sense of connecting to someone. Trisha was the latest in a line of women willing to spend time as his public companion in exchange for his opening a few professional doors for her.
“I won’t lie, Lucy. I’ve missed you. If you want to reconnect personally, I’m all for it.”
Her eyes went wide. “Rush.”
He flared his hands, let them fall. “Call it full disclosure. When it comes to you and me, the ball is in your court. If you’re here for purely professional reasons, I respect that.”
“I am.” She swallowed. “Thank you for the job. You won’t regret it.”
He already did. Lucy Gaines had been everything he’d wanted from a woman in both his personal and professional worlds. Smart and kind, lovely and compassionate, they’d shared interests from wine country to stock market trends to pitching in with local charities.
“Let’s get out of here.” If they stayed in this office, he’d be tempted to unload every stray business idea he’d wanted to discuss with her over the past year. Not only would that border on employee abuse, it would leave him wide open and vulnerable. He wanted her, he intended to have her, but only when he knew she’d stick around. Standing, he urged her to her feet as well. “I’ll show you what’s changed since you left.” Reflexively he checked his watch.
“Only everything,” she said with a short laugh. “Don’t wreck your entire day for me. I’m sure Melva can fill me in and give me instructions about the hotel suite.”
He picked up on the edge creeping into her voice. How could he convince her he wanted to give her every minute today? “Melva is absolutely capable,” he agreed. “We can skip the full tour if you’re tired from the trip.” He wasn’t sure why he was pressing her, only that he wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight. She was everything he remembered and more, but he got the feeling she was hiding something about her time with Kathrein. He didn’t stand a chance of figuring it out if he left her alone.
“I feel fine, Rush,” she said, her smile tight. “We’ve agreed to terms. You don’t have to entertain me.”
“Ouch.” He laid a hand over his heart, feigning pain. “I’m going to play tour guide anyway. There’s no one better than me to bring you back up to speed, on Gray Box specifically and the Bay Area in general.”
She shook her head, but not before he noticed the little lift at the corner of her mouth. His arrogance had often amused her. He switched off the privacy glass and caught sight of Trisha at Melva’s reception desk. An even better reason to leave the office behind for the afternoon, he decided. While he’d been honest about searching for a better post for Trisha, he hadn’t focused on the issue. Now he had an excellent reason to move forward on that adjustment immediately.
“You know,” he said, turning his back on the rest of the executive floor, “I should start the tour right here.” He gestured toward the door in the opposite wall, tucked behind a floor-to-ceiling display case filled with books and myriad industry awards. “My indispensable PA should know my secret escape route.” He led her out of the office and into a narrow service hallway. “Private bathroom,” he said, pointing out another door. “There’s a bedroom as well.”
“A bedroom? Good grief, Rush. It’s a wonder you haven’t been sued for harassment.”
Well, that stung. The gossip rags and paparazzi greatly exaggerated his personal exploits whenever he chose to spend time around town with models or actresses. “It’s not a space I share,” he replied through clenched teeth. When and why had her opinion of him plummeted so drastically? “You know how things go during research or a product launch, or—”
“When you’re closing a major deal,” she finished for him. “I remember.”
He swallowed the urge to point out if he wasn’t constantly focused on building up the business, Gray Box wouldn’t be such a convenient fallback option for her. Except a woman with Lucy’s skills and credentials could name her salary and benefits, and choose from numerous offers. Knowing that, knowing how talented she was, it was tough to accept she’d returned to him without any intent to rekindle their personal relationship. He couldn’t decide if his decision to hire her made him an easy mark, sentimental or selfish. Time would tell.
“This is my private elevator.” He reached out and punched the button. “Most of the time I use the public one or the express, but occasionally this is necessary.”
One side of her mouth curled in a half smile. “You pulled out all the stops here,” she said.
If she’d seen his heart on his sleeve as he eagerly shared this with her, she didn’t give him any reaction. “The office isn’t just about the show of power, though it helps.” The doors parted and he ushered her inside. Her fragrance, the dark sensual notes smoothed with a whisper of vanilla, filled the small space. He hoped the scent lingered a while so he could breathe her in a
t will. He punched the button for three floors down, pulling himself together. That spark they’d once shared seemed to be missing now and it wasn’t her problem that he hadn’t been able to get over her.
“This must make it easier to avoid distractions,” she murmured.
“Exactly.” So she remembered how people cornered him in elevators, pitching ideas and résumés.
“As your PA, is it my job to fend them off now?” Her gaze narrowed and she pretended to glare at potential intruders lurking in the corners.
“No.” He laughed a little and then reconsidered. Though she stood several inches shorter, even in the heels, she could be formidable. “Well, maybe.”
The doors parted and he escorted her to the human resources department. After making introductions, the department manager sat down with both of them, drawing up the details they’d agreed upon for Lucy’s employment. Once the legalities were out of the way, Rush insisted on taking her down to the waterfront for a late lunch.
“You don’t have to convince me to stay,” she repeated when they were seated at a table with a stunning view. “I’ve signed the contract.”
“This is my new favorite place,” he said. He’d wanted to bring her here since it opened. “The food is better than the view.”
She tilted her head, clearly surprised by his gushing endorsement. When her gaze followed his to the bay, he heard her sigh a little. “I didn’t expect to miss it so much.”
He was determined to bridge the gap, to earn the trust of the one woman he’d always been able to confide in. “What really brings you back here?”
Her eyes went wide and her chin dropped a little. “I was homesick.”
He wasn’t accepting that anymore. “A year ago it appeared Chicago was home,” he countered. He paused while they gave the waitress their drink order. “Then you moved the family to France.” What had happened over there?
She studied him a long moment. “Are you having second thoughts already?”
“No way.” He shrugged. “I’m the luckiest CEO in the city. You could write your own ticket anywhere.” In the back of his mind, he couldn’t make it all add up. Better just to ask. “I’d like to know why me and why now?” He couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed him to leap out in front of her and fight off an invisible enemy.
He’d be an idiot if he hadn’t already considered and discarded the idea of corporate espionage. Lucy didn’t play unethical games. While following her career meant he had a basic knowledge of Kathrein’s business interests, the older man hadn’t shown any intention of seriously competing with Gray Box.
“Kathrein didn’t send me here to spy on you.” Her words proved how well they knew each other. “If he had made such a suggestion, I would have refused.”
“I know.” He recognized the steel in her gaze, respected it. He could take her “homesick” answer at face value or ruin lunch with an argument. Taking the high road, he turned the conversation to other topics. He would wait her out. They were too alike, had been too close, for her to keep any secrets from him for long.
The waitress came by with drinks and he ordered the lunch special for both of them, with Lucy’s approval. “When we’re done here, we can go on to the suite. It should be big enough for you and your family in the short term.”
“Don’t worry about that,” she interjected. “Gwen and Jackson are staying in France through the holidays. That gives me time to find a place.”
“Really?” That set off alarm bells. Unlike him, Lucy had been raised in a close-knit family. She and Gwen had only grown more inseparable when they lost their parents. “Will you go back to be with them over Christmas?”
“I’m not sure yet.” She gazed out over the water, apparently captivated by the traffic on the bridge.
“Talk to me, Lucy.” Something was way off. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “What happened in France?”
She closed her eyes and gave her head a quick shake. “Nothing. Nothing,” she repeated. Opening her eyes, she gave him a hard, forced smile. “Gwen and I decorated the most amazing Christmas tree last weekend. Her eye for design is remarkable, despite putting all the fragile ornaments near the top, out of Jackson’s reach. He’s crawling now, pulling himself up every chance he gets and he’s very curious.”
“So why wouldn’t you go back for Christmas?”
“The flights,” she said. “And I wasn’t sure how things would go here, if I’d have the time off.”
“We’ll be closed the entire week.” He paused as the waitress delivered two plates piled high with aromatic rice noodles, shrimp, and colorful shredded cabbage and vegetables. While they ate, he steered the conversation toward the charitable effort she’d insisted he dive into before she vacated his life. Using the wealth of brain power at Gray Box, he coordinated tutors for kids in need—those falling behind in school and those eager for a chance to leap ahead.
“Wow. You’ve made serious progress.” This time her smile and eyes showed equal enthusiasm.
She could soak up the views until her homesickness faded while he enjoyed the even lovelier view of her. The deep, soulful eyes, those high cheekbones and that tender mouth were igniting fires in him that only she could tend. “We’ll launch a new tech-focused camp next summer. I’ll start scouting ideal sites soon.” That would be the perfect assignment for Trisha, he realized. She knew the city well, enjoyed being out and being seen, and it would keep her away from the executive floor. Pleased with himself, he apologized to Lucy and sent quick text messages to Trisha and his HR department.
“Forgive me,” he said, catching the small frown on Lucy’s face. “I just thought of something that would move the process along.”
She waved it away. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Appreciate that.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket. Good grief, he’d missed her low-maintenance acceptance of his nature balanced by her high-energy ambition to reach her goals. Why had she walked out on the amazing chemistry they’d shared?
The question was right there on the tip of his tongue and he had to bite it back repeatedly as they left the restaurant for a walk through the marketplace and then on to explore a few other nearby changes in the city. He kept his hands in his pockets, away from her, reminding himself today they were two old friends catching up. Having cleared his calendar for the afternoon, he wanted to make the most of this precious time with her.
She’d helped him push harder toward his goals even as she wrapped up her graduate work. The day she’d presented her thesis, he’d been in the back row of the auditorium, silently cheering her on to victory. They’d celebrated that night and memories of getting creative with the second bottle of champagne in the bedroom still powered his fantasies a year later.
He’d missed her so damn much. Not just the sex, though that had been amazing, but simple conversations, her quiet appreciation of the small things people overlooked as they pushed to get ahead. Lucy had a gift for seeing through the puzzling motivations of people behind the deal and it still annoyed him that he’d taken that gift—among her other talents—for granted.
Regardless of her true reasons for coming home, Rush vowed that this time around he wouldn’t let her slip through his fingers.
Chapter Three
As the cable car moved west up California Street, Lucy wished she could escape to her hotel room and hide until morning. She needed time and space to boost her resolve. More, she needed some distance from Rush’s warm conversation and familiar gestures and habits before she dumped all her problems into his capable hands. Kathrein’s terrible threats, echoing incessantly in her head, kept her silent.
“You okay?” Rush nudged her shoulder. “We can hop off and take a taxi if that’s better.”
“This is wonderful.” The boyish grin on his face was as infectious as it was charming and she grinned back. “San Francisco has such a different scent and pace than rural France.”
“Rural?”
“I wor
ked with Kathrein primarily on his estate near Chantilly. Only a few streets made up the nearest town.” She didn’t trust herself to mention the brief trip to the Paris office. “It surprised me how quickly the cities faded into serene countryside.”
“Same thing happens here.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat as his words stirred up lovely memories. The two of them had enjoyed great weekend drives north into wine country and south to hike and sail around the coastline. Though they’d tossed around the idea of traveling abroad, her reluctance to fly and his busy schedule limited their recreational choices. “I suppose you’re right.”
As they came into the heart of Nob Hill, pretty as a postcard on this clear afternoon, she admired the surrounding architecture and the latest restoration efforts Rush pointed out.
Her heart lurched in her chest, knowing his efforts this afternoon would be the last of their friendly moments. When he learned the truth, he’d be so furious with her and himself that even a professional reconciliation would be impossible. It was highly possible he’d destroy her career.
He’d been too eager to bring her on at Gray Box, letting her dictate all the terms. Eventually he’d demand real answers about why she’d walked away and she appreciated his candor about leaving any potential revival of their personal life up to her. He’d never cleared his calendar for her before and this time—when it should’ve been the sweetest of gestures—she was using him.
Her ruse, although necessary, made his generous compliments about her skills ring hollow. She hated deceiving him and soon he would hate her for duping him. During the long flights, she’d come to the conclusion that she would never be able to fulfill Kathrein’s demands and save her family without getting caught. This wasn’t some average company she was trying to infiltrate. This was Rush’s design. The man had successfully hacked into sensitive government sites as a middle schooler. With every ongoing minute she despised herself more for this charade. Finding a chink in the Gray Box armor was the only way to save her sister and nephew, and Rush didn’t deserve the inevitable fallout of what she had to do.
