The Gift of Love

by Peggy Bird

  If the rumors were to be believed, most of the women in the city would agree. Interesting, because he wasn’t handsome in a classic, young god kind of way. His jawline was a bit too strong and his nose a bit too aquiline for the perfect image of the divine. The bits of silver beginning to show in his thick, dark hair and the lines around his eyes and mouth put him out of the age range of most Hollywood hotties.

  But all that was unimportant compared to the devastating smile currently aimed at Catherine and the deep, dark, espresso brown eyes that seemed to say he knew everything worth knowing about a woman merely by looking at her. Any woman he turned that look on would have her knees melted in two seconds flat with the rest of her quickly following.

  And then there was the body Melody had drooled over. Not to mention the wrapping it came in. Even in Philly’s humid summer heat Mister Sex on Legs looked cool and unruffled. The dark suit he wore fit as if he had grown it like skin, not had it tailored. The accompanying white shirt was crisp and unwrinkled, the dark gold and black paisley print tie in a perfect knot, the matching pocket square precisely placed.

  Catherine, on the other hand, was both ruffled and wrinkled. Her long hair was mostly pulled back into a messy ponytail; her jeans and T-shirt were rumpled and dusty. There were, she was sure, tracks of perspiration running down her neck and arms from helping to load the dolly with the boxes of client records she didn’t trust to the movers. To top it off, she must reek; she hadn’t showered yet today.

  Naturally, Dominic Russo not only looked good, he smelled good. Like a gingerbread man.

  Right. The hot guy smells like Christmas cookies. Nice, Catherine. Not some sensuous fragrance. A kid’s holiday treat. You’re really out of practice, aren’t you?

  She would prefer to think she was relying on food imagery because she’d skipped breakfast, but in truth she was out of practice. Unless he was a client, staff member, or sub-consultant, she hadn’t thought about, dated, or otherwise paid attention to any man, sexy or otherwise, for a long time. With a business to grow and a teenaged son to raise, she didn’t have time for a social life. At least, that’s what she told her family and friends. What she admitted only to herself was she hadn’t recovered from having her ex-husband leave her for another woman. She wasn’t about to take the chance of having her ego battered again by a man who would use her for what he wanted then move on to the next female who crossed his path.

  Although even at her best, she would have known better than to waste her time thinking about Dominic Russo in any capacity except as someone who did the same thing she did for a living. He was like the statues of perfectly formed men in the art museum. She might like looking at them, but they were blind to women like her, used to lots of attention, and off limits to the masses. He wasn’t for amateurs.

  Come to think of it, though, he was paying attention to her at the moment, waiting for a response to his request. Which was what she should be thinking about instead of mentally concocting some weird thought mixture of art museums, marble statues, and Christmas cookies. If she didn’t say something soon, he was going to think she was an idiot.

  Finally she got out, “I’d be happy to talk to your staff. But you’re right; it’ll have to be after we get ourselves settled.”

  “Not to worry. We’ll be here when you’re ready.” As he let go of the door, he flashed another of his heat-inducing smiles, which Catherine was sure could not only melt knees but also the hooks on a bra. Lord, even her perfectly straight copywriter Tom was blushing from its high wattage. And Melody was speechless, for the first time in all the years Catherine had known her.

  Oh, for heaven’s sake, she wanted to say to her staff as the elevator began to rise to the tenth floor. We don’t have time for this. We have an office to get set up and clients to attend to.

  • • •

  Dominic hadn’t been in his office more than fifteen minutes when Edie Martin, his creative director, stormed in.

  “What were you thinking, Dominic, letting The Bennett Group lease space in our building? Do you really think it’s wise to have that group of newbie pretenders eavesdropping in the elevator every day when they’re the biggest threat to our business?”

  “It’s Bennett and Associates, Edie. If you’re going to complain about them, at least get the name right. And I’d hardly call them ‘newbie pretenders.’ They’re one of the up and coming PR firms in the city. Everyone in the industry is talking about their approach as cutting edge.”

  “Why are you letting them in our building where they can spy on us and steal our clients?”

  “It’s not ‘our’ building. It’s my building.” He took the papers she’d been waving around as she spoke. “Catherine Bennett’s firm has all the qualifications to be a good tenant, and I’ve had a hard time filling the space the engineering firm left when it moved. Besides, we already have several other threats to our business, as you describe them, in the building and we’ve been fine.”

  “But the other communications firms aren’t—she’s the one—they’re the people who’ve been getting too much of the work we should have gotten.”

  “We have more than enough clients to keep us busy. And we’re on track to have the most profitable year in a decade. I’m not worried Bennett and Associates will listen in on our plans through the HVAC system and we’ll go under.” He could see she was not responding to his attempts to make light of her concerns. “Why don’t you think of it another way—now we have all our strongest competitors in one place so we can watch them.”

  Edie’s face brightened a bit. “Oh, I never thought of it that way. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s a brilliant plan. I hope so, Dominic.”

  “Now, other than to bitch about Catherine Bennett what brought you to my office this lovely Monday?”

  When Edie left, the thought of Catherine Bennett didn’t go with her. Dominic’s morning encounter with Ms. Bennett had been a welcome start to the day. In spite of being a bit sweaty and in clothes miles away from the stylish suit she’d worn the first time he’d met her, she was stunning. Her olive skin and her dark chocolate brown hair and eyes, which didn’t fit with her WASP-y name, had intrigued him from the first. Still did, even though now he knew from a little background research that her coloring was from an Italian heritage as deep as his own. And there wasn’t a man alive—well, a straight one—who wouldn’t fantasize about the luscious curves even moving-day clothes couldn’t hide. She wasn’t some stick-thin model who served as a hanger for the latest designer’s ideas of fashion. She had the body of a real woman. A real woman with considerable ability and the drive to take her firm all the way to success. It was quite a combination.

  Dominic had wanted to get to know Catherine Bennett ever since he’d seen her give her presentation. Mostly he’d wanted to see if she was as smart and interesting one-on-one as she’d sounded on the dais. And he wouldn’t mind finding out if she was as sexy in a more intimate situation as she was when she walked across a room in her pencil skirt and stilettos. He was bored to tears with the business dates he’d been stuck with for what seemed like an eternity. Catherine Bennett looked, sounded, and acted different.

  And it wouldn’t hurt to size up the woman who was making such a splash in his industry. Mixing business and pleasure was what he did on a regular basis. Most of his recent social life, including the women he escorted to the theater or dinner, had been more about marketing his business than about anything personal. At least if he were doing the mixing with Ms. Bennett, he might actually enjoy what he felt he had to do to keep his company on top.

  A fixture in public relations and advertising in Philadelphia for more years than Dominic cared to think about, The Russo Group was the biggest, the most highly regarded, most sought after communications firm in the city. Catherine Bennett had only been on the scene for a half dozen or so years, but she’d made a name for herself in a niche he’d never thought about—marketing and advertising for socially responsible companies who wanted to do more than ma
ke a profit at any price. He admired someone who could find a new facet to a business he thought he knew cold and owned outright.

  He’d told Edie the truth about how he viewed Bennett and Associates—there was plenty of business for both of them. But the fact was, relocating to the building where the big boys played meant Catherine Bennett was moving up in his world. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on her.

  Or was he making business excuses to do what he wanted to do for personal reasons? And did it matter anyway?

  • • •

  “Ah … Catherine, someone’s here to see you.” Melody’s voice sounded confused or nervous. Something. Certainly not like her usual self.

  “I don’t have anything on my calendar, do I? Who is it?”

  “He’s not on your calendar. And he’s on his way back now.” The call ended abruptly. Very unlike her usually efficient office administrator. And why was she working the phones anyway?

  Catherine put down the phone and looked up as Mister Sex on Legs sauntered into her office. That explained it.

  “Mister … ah … Dominic. What a nice surprise. What can I do for you?” Catherine tried to be more calm and collected than Melody had been. All she could really be was grateful she had an important client meeting later in the day and had worn her favorite cobalt blue suit, the one she knew was flattering to both her figure and her coloring. Because to hold her own in the same room with this visitor who always looked like he’d stepped out of GQ took the best she had.

  Dominic Russo must have a closet the size of Rhode Island. In the two weeks she’d been in the building, she couldn’t remember seeing him in the same suit twice. Not that she was keeping track. Okay, yes, she was keeping track. She didn’t know why, but she was.

  Today’s suit was a navy pinstripe number with a white dress shirt and a light blue patterned tie that looked like a William Morris print. A white pocket square peeked out of the pocket over his well-toned pecs. The man knew how to dress. And call attention to his assets.

  Oh, for God’s sake. Pay attention to something other than his body, Bennett. What is wrong with you, anyway? You don’t behave like this.

  She forced herself to stop staring at his chest and glanced around the room, hoping her office made a good impression. It looked tidy, at least. Although her artwork hadn’t been hung yet, all the furniture was in place: her glass-topped desk and small conference table, the cozy little couch covered in a bright red fabric, the Herman Miller Aeron chair for her, and a visitor’s chair next to her desk.

  “I wanted to make sure you’d gotten settled,” Dominic said. “Although from looking around, I’d say you’ve done more in the past two weeks than many people manage to do in a month. Your artwork in the reception area is stunning, by the way, especially the image of the woman. I like it. Local artist?”

  “Yes, a woman named Jamie Lutz. Thanks for noticing.”

  “I hope everything about the space was the way you wanted it to be when you moved in.”

  His interest puzzled her. “Does the building owner hire you to check on all the new tenants this way?”

  “You didn’t know I’m the building owner?”

  She was sure her surprise was visible. “I thought the owner was DR Investments Limited.”

  He said nothing, seeming to wait for the penny to drop.

  Which it did. “Oh, DR. Dominic Russo. Dear God, how could I have been so obtuse.”

  “You’re anything but obtuse. I’m sure there are other tenants who don’t know. The management company that handles all the transactions doesn’t advertise it, and neither do I.”

  “But if I’d done my due diligence, I’d have found out. I didn’t dig very deep, obviously. When the agent showed me the space and told me the price, I was so excited I didn’t do much other than talk to some of your other tenants. All of them, by the way, raved about the building and the management, in case you wondered.”

  “Good to hear. And I’m happy you’re settling in so well.” He motioned to the chair next to her desk, which she took to be asking if he could sit.

  “Please. Sit. I’m being rude.” She returned to her desk chair. “It’s been a pretty smooth transition. It’s a great building. The location is perfect and the layout very creative. Did you have a hand in designing it?”

  “Can’t take credit for it, but it is what attracted me to the space. The original developer had gone bankrupt, and it was being sold at a good price when I was looking for new offices. My staff was working in such close quarters, I was beginning to think I’d have to insist they marry each other.”

  “We were almost there, too, although on a much smaller scale.”

  “You’ve come a long way in a short time, haven’t you? I’ve admired your work and how fast you’ve become such an influence in the business.” His killer smile was back, which almost distracted her enough that she missed the compliment he’d paid her.

  “It feels like a long time and a short way, but thanks. I’m flattered.”

  “Not flattery. Just the truth.” He rose from the chair and extended his hand. “I won’t keep you any longer. I only wanted to make sure everything was as promised. I know you’ve met the building manager—if you have any problems at all, let him know.”

  When she took his hand, a pulse of electricity went up her arm, startling her enough she had to swallow a gasp. It warmed her all the way to the base of her neck and down her chest. He clasped her hand with both of his, his eyes holding hers in a look so warm she wanted to turn up the air conditioning. She also wanted to keep the conversation going so she didn’t lose the connection with him.

  “Uh … yes … the building manager.” She swallowed hard. “He’s been great. About getting movers in and out, I mean, stuff like that.” Stuff like that? Where was her skill with words when she really needed it?

  Dominic didn’t say anything right away, seeming to be as reluctant as she was to break the contact between them. Finally he released her hand. “I’m glad he was helpful.” He moved toward the door. “But let me know if you have a problem he can’t solve. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around the building.” And he was gone.

  Catherine sank back into her chair feeling like all the life had left the room, along with most of the air in her lungs.

  To purchase this ebook and learn more about the author, click here.

  For more great novels from Peggy Bird, check out these titles:

  A Holiday for Love series:

  Sparked by Love

  Praise for Sparked by Love:

  “With lies and hidden agendas, you have to wait and see till the very end for all the pieces to fall together!” —Chicks That Read

  “A warm, fuzzy romance read. Leo and Shannon are just so sweet together. There is plenty of steam as well. Very enjoyable read for romance lovers.” —Wilovebooks, 4 stars

  “This book had the Triple ‘S’ factor for me: short, sweet and sexy . . . a wonderful book.” —Red's Hot Reads, 4 stars

  “This was my first time reading Peggy Bird. I was pleasantly surprised by not only her writing style, which was very engaging and flowed, but also her characters.” —Book Nerd, 4 stars

  Unmasking Love

  Praise for Unmasking Love:

  “Spicy and modernized, this story relies on the mystique and romance of Romeo and Juliet, without the bad ending. Peggy Bird brings heat and heart to Halloween.” —4 stars, I Am, Indeed

  “I love the author's witty writing style, which is present right from the opening lines of this book. Ms. Bird successfully builds deliciously, believable sexual tension between Julie and Trace; you can almost hear the cracks of electricity!”—5 stars, Ellesea Loves Reading

  “The story isn't long, but it wasn't rushed. ... Beautifully written and wonderfully engaging.”—4 stars, Written Love Reviews

  Second Chances series:

  Beginning Again

  Praise for Beginning Again:

  “Both Liz and Collins are great characters. Liz is not a
bitter middle aged woman, but instead a very strong and brave lady. I really enjoyed Beginning Again because it was an easy read that made my gray autumn day a little bit less gray.” —Long & Short Reviews

  Loving Again

  Together Again

  Praise for Together Again:

  “…a very enjoyable romance. I loved the main characters and the great writing. I always admire strong, independent women, so if you also enjoy those qualities in a heroine, and enjoy a well-written romance, I recommend this one.” —Night Owl Reviews

  Trusting Again

  Praise for Trusting Again:

  "The book moves along at a nice pace and the characters are believable and realistic. It is a well-written story with a wonderful ending!” —Harlequin Junkie

  Believing Again

  Falling Again

  In the mood for more Crimson Romance?

  Check out California Sunrise by Casey Dawes at CrimsonRomance.com.