Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy)

by Cayne, Kristine

  His father, William Caldwell III, was much loved by the company’s employees, mostly because he gave them everything they wanted. His focus was and always had been on the designs, on the products, and despite being CEO, he’d always left the money matters in the hands of the finance department. Since being appointed Chief Financial Officer last year, William had made changes and had corrected some of the financial missteps taken by the previous CFO, but the company still had a long way to go before it was in the black again.

  If he accepted all the union’s demands as is, Caldwell Fine Furnishings would go under. Somehow, he had to get Torval to understand that, so the true negotiations could begin. He wanted the employees to be happy, but he also wanted them to have jobs. His family had sacrificed a lot so that he could become a CPA, and he refused to let them down. If Caldwell Fine Furnishings didn’t return to profitability within the next two years, he’d refuse to let his father nominate him as CEO.

  He dug his fingers into the tight cords of muscle on the sides of his neck and angled his head to relieve some of the tension. Not having much success, he pulled a crystal tumbler out of the cabinet, added some ice and two fingers of Glenlivet. Although the scotch might help, at times like this, the only thing that really relieved his stress was a good fuck. But as CFO of his family’s company, he could hardly go clubbing and pick up a slightly slutty, wholly willing woman to have a sordid one-night stand. If Torval or any of the other union leaders found out, they’d be sure to use it against William and Caldwell Fine Furnishings. Until this mess was settled, William would be a monk. Then he’d settle on a nice society girlfriend, and after a year of dating, he’d marry her. They’d get a house on a golf course, get a membership at a top tennis club, and when it was time for his father to step down and him to take over as CEO, he’d look the part.

  Yeah, he had his whole future figured out. Quiet. Civilized. Orderly.

  In his bedroom, he removed his shoes and socks, placed the shoes at the foot of his bed, then headed to the living room. He glanced briefly at the closed door to the second bedroom, the room his brother Jamie had occupied for almost a year before reconciling with his wife, Erica. William was happy they’d patched things up. They deserved to be happy, and his niece Chloe deserved to have both her parents. Still, as hard as it had been to get used to having a roommate, he missed his brother. It was too damn quiet.

  To fill the void, he switched on the television to watch Mad Money. Since he managed the company’s stock portfolio, he had to stay abreast of all the latest news and trends. Mad Money’s advice wasn’t always the best, but the entertainment factor was top-notch. He extended the footrest of his new massage chair and took a healthy slug of his scotch, relaxing for the first time that day.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  William dropped his head back and groaned. It was probably his neighbor, old Mrs. Norris, coming to complain about the couple with kids on the floor above. He set the tumbler on the coffee table and pushed to his feet. Without bothering to check through the peephole, he plastered a benevolent smile on his face and swung open the door. But it wasn’t Mrs. Norris.

  Jamie grinned. “Hey, bro.”

  “Hi, Will,” Danielle Harris said at the same time.

  William stared open-mouthed at his visitors. Jamie stood outside his door, more nervous than William had seen him since his wedding day five years ago. His gaze slid to Danielle, who smacked her chewing gum and blew a bubble, sucking it into her mouth when it popped. He found himself entranced by the light shimmering on her wet lips.

  “Woof!”

  William jumped at the sharp bark and tracked the sound to the dog sitting at Danielle’s feet. Several months before, he’d had the misfortune of meeting Danielle’s search-and-rescue canine partner, Coco, at a party, where she’d taken an instant liking to his groin. He grimaced at the memory. The dog’s sharp teeth in such close proximity to his cock had done nothing to get him over his dislike of large dogs.

  What the hell was this ragtag trio doing at his condo?

  Jamie cleared his throat. “You going to invite us in or what?”

  “Yeah. Come in,” William said, stepping back.

  Jamie reached to the side and swung two duffle bags over his shoulders. William frowned. Had Jamie and Erica split up again? Shit.

  “Here, take this,” Danielle said, dumping two dog dishes and what had to be a forty-pound bag of dry dog food into his arms.

  Stunned, William stumbled back under the unexpected and unwieldy weight. What the fuck was going on?

  They tramped into his condo, the dog’s claws clicking on—and no doubt scratching—his newly varnished hardwood floors. His brother had better have a damn good reason for this.

  William dropped the bag of food and the dishes onto the floor and joined his visitors. He frowned when he entered the living room. Jamie was sprawled in his massage chair while Danielle and Coco had made themselves at home on his new leather couch.

  Danielle’s eyes twinkled in the prettiest way. “Worried about something, Will?”

  Her voice flowed over his skin and straight to his groin. Did she have to call him Will? He swore she did it just to irritate him. Beautiful and annoying as hell, the woman would do or say anything to shove him off balance. She’d proven that when she’d flashed him more than cleavage at Jamie’s welcome home party where they’d been surrounded by his family.

  He wanted to kick the whole lot of them out of his home, but he owed Jamie. More than that, he genuinely liked his brother and was more than a little curious about why he’d brought Danielle here… with her dog.

  Seeing Jamie eye the tumbler on the coffee table, William’s manners kicked in. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Danielle leaned forward to grab his glass off the table. The movement made her blouse gape, exposing the tops of her breasts. He gritted his teeth against the wave of sexual awareness that threatened to harden his cock. Damn that woman. Did she have to be so alluring?

  She brought the tumbler to her nose and scrunched up her face. “Jeez, Will. Were you adopted or something?”

  Jamie burst out laughing. “Something I’ve wondered about myself. Got anything us simple blue-collar folks might like?”

  “Fuck off,” William said without heat. His brothers were always ribbing him about his tastes. He grabbed two Redhook beers from the fridge, unscrewed the caps and handed them to his uninvited guests.

  “You like beer?” Danielle asked.

  “Not really.”

  “So you buy these for…?”

  “My brothers. Tori likes white wine. Mom and Dad prefer red.”

  She smiled. “Well, for the record, I like Corona with fresh lime.”

  “And I need to know that why?”

  Her gaze shot to Jamie and she raised her brows in a signal of some sort. Jamie chugged his beer as though needing fortification.

  He and Jamie were as close as two brothers could be, but they were exact opposites in personality. Whenever William had gotten into trouble, Jamie had been the cause. As children, Jamie had manipulated him into one harebrained scheme after another. Later, as young men, they’d partied together. He shuddered, just thinking about some of the more adventurous clubs Jamie had dragged him to.

  “Do I need to sit down for this?” William drawled.

  Jamie shrugged. “Probably.”

  The only available spot was on the couch next to Danielle and the dog. Not in this lifetime. “Just spit it out,” he said.

  Jamie pushed the footrest down and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He locked gazes with William. “Dani’s apartment building got damaged in the quake and she needs a place to stay.”

  William’s eyes shifted to Danielle, but she had her face buried in the dog’s scruff.

  “And you think she should stay here?”

  “You’ve got the space. For her and Coco.”

  William pushed off the wall. “Kitchen. Now.”

  Jamie’s eyes flas
hed and his jaw tightened, but he got to his feet and headed into the kitchen without a word. This had to be very important, if Jamie was taking orders from his younger brother.

  In the kitchen, William cornered Jamie at the sink. “Are you out of your mind?” he hissed.

  “She’s got nowhere else to go. I found her sleeping in her car, for fuck’s sake.”

  “Why can’t she stay with you? She and Erica seemed pretty chummy at your welcome home party.”

  Jamie shook his head. “I’m her boss. It wouldn’t look right.”

  “Is that the real reason? Or is it because you don’t want her to know about the BDS—” His question was cut off when Jamie’s big hand smacked over his mouth, grinding William’s lips into his teeth. The metallic taste of blood stung his tongue.

  Jamie scanned the direction of the living room, then turned back to William, his eyes blazing. “You don’t ever talk about that with anyone but me. And never where anyone can hear us. Get it?”

  When Jamie dropped his hand and put a foot of space between them, William pressed a finger to his lips to check the damage. “I get it.”

  “How did you know Rickie and I…?”

  “It was pretty obvious something had changed when you got back from Hawaii. You seem more like your old self again.”

  Jamie grinned like a satisfied cat.

  Jealousy stabbed at William’s chest, and he was instantly filled with guilt. Jamie and Erica had been through a lot to get where they were now. How they achieved happiness was none of his business.

  “Sorry,” William said, his tone gruff. “I just don’t get why you think Danielle should stay here. In case you hadn’t noticed, we barely manage to be civil to each other. She doesn’t like anything about me, and frankly, I’m tired of being the butt of her jokes.”

  “Interesting.”

  William sighed. “What?”

  “You didn’t say you didn’t like anything about her.”

  Oh no. Jamie was not going to trick him into admitting anything where the delectable Ms. Harris was concerned.

  When he continued to remain mute, Jamie blew out a breath. “Okay, I’ll talk to her. She’ll be nice. You’ll hardly know she’s here.” His words were immediately followed by a loud crash in the living room.

  “Shit!” Danielle shouted. “Don’t worry. I’ll clean it up.”

  William glared at his brother. “You were saying?”

  Jamie pinched the bridge of his nose. “One month. If her place isn’t ready by then, I’ll find her somewhere else to live, even if I have to get her a hotel room.”

  William inclined his head. “Fine, but after this, I owe you nothing. I’ll consider my debt to you repaid in full.”

  “What debt? You paid me back and more, years ago.”

  Picking up an invisible crumb on the counter, William avoided looking at his brother. “Don’t think I’m not aware that you put your life on hold for me.”

  Jamie grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. “You need to stop with this shit, William. So I helped pay for your tuition. Big fucking deal. If you hadn’t given me the excuse to quit college, Dad would be grooming me for the CEO job now instead of you. I can’t imagine a worse hell.” He shuddered. “If anything, I owe you. I love being a firefighter.”

  “If you say so. But after this, we’re even.” William held out his hand to shake on it.

  Jamie pulled him into a hug and clapped him on the back. “Thanks, brother. And who knows, by the end of the month, maybe you’ll be thanking me.”

  William barked out a laugh. “I seriously doubt that. Come on, before Danielle and that beast of hers destroy my condo.”

  Chapter 2

  Dani listened intently for any sound from Will’s room as she turned over the bacon and sausages sizzling in the frying pan. The minute the shower turned off, she poured the eggs into a second pan and began to scramble them. Will would be out soon, and she wanted to surprise him with breakfast. He was doing her a huge favor by letting her bunk with him. More than that, her month-long visit was the perfect opportunity for her to see how far she could push Mr. Straight and Narrow.

  Minutes later, she piled the food onto two plates and filled two mugs with strong coffee. She set them on the table as Will’s door cracked open. Perfect timing.

  When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, she almost choked on her coffee. Shit. The man was a walking, talking advertisement for Brooks Brothers. She’d teased him about wearing a tie to a barbeque once, but the truth of the matter was that Will wore a suit like he was born to it. The light gray fabric of his jacket molded his wide shoulders and chest to perfection, reminding her of the man in her dream. His trousers hugged thigh muscles that rippled with each step he took toward her.

  Pure suit porn.

  A few feet away from her, he stopped and surveyed the kitchen, his brows furrowing into a deep V. “What’s all this?”

  She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “Breakfast. A meal generally eaten in the morning.”

  “Ha. It looks like you’re expecting your whole platoon.”

  Ignoring his sarcasm, she slathered butter on her toast, then indicated the chair across from her. “Sit. Have some.”

  A resigned expression on his face, he pulled out the chair and sat. He sipped his coffee and nodded. “I see you found my Caffé Vita.”

  “S’good stuff,” she said around a mouthful.

  A corner of his lips quirked up as he regarded her with amusement. “Do you always eat this much?”

  She set her fork down with more force than she’d meant. Why did men always make comments about how much or how little women ate? “What’s it to you?”

  “Nothing really. It’s just most women I know don’t eat anything if it isn’t green.”

  “Then you know the wrong kind of women,” she said before shoveling a piece of toast loaded with egg into her mouth. Yeah, she knew it was bad manners, but fuck him. She took a sip of coffee to help the food go down, and that’s when she noticed he hadn’t taken a single bite. “What’s wrong? You don’t like eggs?”

  “I usually eat cereal.”

  “Really? All I saw was a box of that bran crap my mom used to force down our throats when we were constipated.”

  His face turned red. “Don’t you have a filter?”

  “Didn’t think I needed one. We’re roomies now.” She tried not to laugh, but the expression on his face was priceless. And she couldn’t help poking at him just a little more. “If you’re having a problem, I could pick up some Metamucil for you.” She grinned.

  “I hardly think this is the type of conversation we should be having. For God’s sake, we barely know each other. And for the record, the answer is no. I simply prefer to eat healthy food rather than all this”—he waved his hand over the table—“high-cholesterol smorgasbord you’re filling yourself with.”

  She sat back in her seat and crossed her legs. “I see.”

  “You see what?” he asked, swiping a hand over his cheek.

  “You’re thirty and a pencil-pusher. A man like you has to watch his figure.”

  “And you don’t?”

  She shoved to her feet and yanked the hem of her T-shirt up. “You see any fat on me?”

  His gaze fixed on her stomach, and she watched, fascinated, as his jaw clenched and his pupils dilated despite the early morning sun filling the kitchen. Mr. Caldwell wasn’t as immune to her as he pretended to be. And neither was she. Her abdomen contracted under his stare.

  She flexed her thigh muscles, plainly visible in her running shorts, and smiled when his gaze dropped to her legs. “Coco and I run every day. I also work out at the gym regularly.”

  “Is it so you can keep up with the guys at work?”

  “No,” she snapped. “It’s so I can be better than the guys. I work hard and I play hard. I need to fuel my body with real food, not some diet crap. Make sure you remember that when you do the groceries.”

  His perusal moved up her body, t
he sensation like the caress of a soft hand on her skin. Heat flared in her belly. When he reached her face, arousal burned in his eyes. Arousal that matched her own. Then he blinked. “Uh, hold on. Groceries?”

  “It’s your home, isn’t it?”

  “Damn right it is.” Without saying another word, he grabbed a piece of toast, loaded it with egg, several slices of bacon, and a whole sausage, then smashed another piece of toast on top of it before shoving half of it into his mouth.

  Oh, he was pissed now. Who’d have thought the genteel CFO of Caldwell Fine Furnishings would look so incredibly hot once he got riled up?

  He pointed a finger at her nose. “Make sure you clean this up before you leave.”

  “Yes, sir. By the way, what’s for supper?” She was having too much fun pushing his buttons to let him go without one more volley.

  He stilled as though he’d turned to stone. Except for the expansion of his chest beneath the crisp material of his dress shirt, nothing moved. His teeth ground together and she winced at the harsh sound. “What would you like?” he asked, his tone low and rough.

  The sound sent shivers up her spine, and she went damp between her legs. “Steak. I love steak. Red. Juicy. Grilled on the barbeque. You’ve got one of those, don’t you, Will? I bet it’s real fancy too.”

  He whipped around and stalked over to the front door. “Eight o’clock. Don’t be late.”

  The door slammed behind him, and Dani finally let her grin bloom. Shit. That had been more fun than she’d had in years. She couldn’t wait for round two.

  William closed his laptop with a decisive click and rose, signaling the end of the meeting.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I will keep you informed of any developments with regards to the union negotiations. Thank you all for attending on such short notice. Have a nice day.”

  Several heads nodded as the board members collected their belongings. William couldn’t wait for them to leave the conference room so he could head back to his office and figure out what the hell he was going to do. The picture he’d painted for the board had been more than a little optimistic. These negotiations were vital to the survival of the company. And things were not going well.