A Woman's Touch (2 page)

She stood somewhere around five-foot-five or five-foot-six, although the impossibly high heels she wore tonight gave an illusion of added height. The rose-colored, drop-waisted silk dress she had on skimmed her slender figure, hinting at the small, high breasts and nicely rounded hips.

Kyle was thinking about the subtle, feminine strength in that slender body when he noticed a familiar figure in a dark Italian-cut jacket move in on Rebecca. Broad male shoulders cut her off from Kyle’s sight. He saw the smile of welcome on her lips as she turned to greet the newcomer, and a shaft of pure, primitive possessiveness knifed through him. Instinctively he started through the crowd to stake his claim.

He knew then with absolute certainty that he had to take her to bed tonight. He had to end the torment he had unwittingly inflicted on himself for the past two months. It was the only way he would find any peace now. Afterward he would tell her everything.

There would be time enough to tell her the whole truth after he’d made love to her. She’d understand. She
had
to understand. He would make sure of that.

Rebecca saw Kyle moving toward her. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him cut through the crowded room. He moved with the arrogant assurance of a nineteenth-century western gunslinger walking through a saloon full of gamblers and rowdies. No one got in his way for long, she noticed. Rebecca hid a smile as he reached her side.

„Hello, Harrison,“ Kyle said. There was enough of an edge on his low growl of a voice to make the other man blink.

There was also a strong hint of the western drawl that only emerged when Kyle was annoyed. „I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight. Thought you went out of your way to avoid these things.“

Rick Harrison, a young, up-and-coming member of the marketing department of Flaming Luck Enterprises eyed his boss with due caution. Then he smiled at Rebecca. „Becky talked me into doing my duty tonight. She says I ought to mingle more with the clients. She also gave me her word she’d made certain Flaming Luck was using a new caterer for its corporate entertaining these days. I think I was poisoned last time.“

„Since you’re here for the food, why don’t you give the buffet table a try?“ Kyle suggested meaningfully. „It sure as hell is costing me enough, though, so leave something for the clients. Looks like every damned one of them turned up tonight. Nothing like free food and booze to bring ‘em out of the woodwork.“

Rick’s brows rose at the obvious dismissal. He gave Rebecca a knowing grin. „I see he hasn’t stopped complaining about the tab for this little extravaganza.“

Rebecca laughed. „He’s been screaming for a month. You’d think I’d hired a four-star chef and served nothing but caviar and champagne. I’m sure I’ll get lectures on unnecessary corporate extravagance until the next Flaming Luck anniversary party. Then he can start grumbling all over again.“

„Be glad you’re not married to the man,“ Rick murmured quite audibly as he turned away. „You’d probably have to account for every little charge-card expense.“

Rebecca felt herself turning pink. The thought of anything permanent with Kyle, let alone the thought of marriage, was enough to set off a wave of longing and excitement deep within her. She tried to suppress the heady emotions, deliberately avoiding Kyle’s too-observant gaze as she took a discreet sip of the drink in her hand.

It was Kyle who broke the tiny, taut silence that followed in the wake of Rick’s parting remark. „I never scream,“ he said mildly. His green eyes were gleaming.

Rebecca gave that some thought.
„Roar
might be a better description.“

„Lately people have been depending on you to pacify me when I feel like roaring. Didn’t take them long, did it? You

’ve only been working as my executive assistant for two months, and already everyone from my secretary to the janitor counts on you to keep me happy and content.

You’ve been elected chief soother of the savage beast.“

„That’s nonsense.“

Kyle shrugged and took a swallow of his whiskey. „No, it’s not. I’ve seen the way people check with you first to find out what kind of mood I’m in before they come into my office. And don’t think I haven’t realized that the more fainthearted types have started asking you to run interference for them, so they won’t have to face me themselves when things go wrong.“

Rebecca frowned. That last comment was very close to the truth. She’d been asked on more than one occasion to brave her boss’s temper on behalf of some nervous midlevel manager.

„I
don’t know why everyone thinks I’ve got some sort of special touch when it comes to dealing with you. The truth is, you do tend to scream – excuse me, I mean roar – occasionally, but in the end you’re generally quite reasonable.“

Kyle gave her a look that was halfway between astonishment and amusement. „There are people in this room tonight who would collapse laughing if they heard you say that.“

„Why?“ she demanded. Lately she had begun to feel as if there were a joke going around. One for which everyone at Flaming Luck, except her, knew the punch line.

„Let’s just say I’ve got a reputation for being difficult.“

„Most men in your position are occasionally difficult,“ Rebecca said philosophically. „Not that being the boss excuses your rudeness and inconsiderate behavior, of course,“ she added firmly.

„I’ll keep that in mind. I do appreciate the lecture on manners, ma’am.“ Kyle’s hard mouth was edged with faint mockery.

Rebecca hesitated and then took the plunge. She had to know. „Well?“ she challenged softly.

Kyle looked at her. „Well, what?“

„Why do people think I’ve got some sort of magic touch with you? Were you really all that difficult to deal with before I joined Flaming Luck?“

Kyle contemplated that for a moment. „Richardson in personnel has a diplomatic way of explaining it. He says you’

ve brought a touch of civilization to Flaming Luck.“

Rebecca smiled slowly, feeling a warm glow. „That’s nice to hear. Not the usual sort of personnel evaluation, but rather charming. I hope he remembers to jot that down in my file.“

„Some of the others have a less diplomatic way of explaining your magic touch,“ Kyle went on very gently.

Rebecca’s smile faded. She met his gaze, her own full of sudden wariness. „What do some of the others say?“

„They say the reason you can wrap me around your little finger so easily is that you’re sleeping with me.“

Rebecca nearly dropped her wineglass. For an instant she couldn’t think at all. Shock ripped through her. It was as if Kyle had read her mind and viewed her secret fantasies. Kyle and everyone else on his staff, apparently. She struggled to regain her self-control.

„No,“ she whispered, dazed at the implications. If people were really saying such things, she was in a terrible mess.

She would have no choice but to leave Flaming Luck Enterprises.
„No,“
she said again, agonized. „Why would anyone say such a thing? We haven’t… I mean we aren’t even dating, let alone sleeping together. I don’t understand.

It’s not right. They can’t say such things. There’s no basis for it. Our relationship has been totally professional. How dare anyone imply…?“ She broke off, floundering.

Kyle’s watchful eyes narrowed as he studied the stunned expression on her face. „Would it be so bad?“ he asked with typical bluntness.

„How can you say that? It would be terrible. That kind of gossip is destructive and dangerous.“ Rebecca was beginning to feel frantic. „It has to be stopped.“

„Why?“

„Because if s not true,“ she said desperately. „What's the matter with you? Don’t you understand?“

„I’ve got news for you, Becky. People have affairs all the time in the workplace these days.“

„I don’t!“

He smiled grimly. „No, you don’t, do you? You’ve got a downright prudish notion of proper office behavior. Your old boss told me all about how
professional
you always were. He said you wouldn’t even date anyone you worked with. And I’ve seen the way you handle the male half of my staff. But there’s a first time for everything. Answer my question. Would sleeping with me be all that bad?“

„For heaven’s sake, how can you ask me such a thing?“

„Think about it.“

„Kyle.“

He ignored her, his gaze on a portly man across the room. „I just saw Clifton Peabody come in. Considering all the money we made off him last year, I’d better say hello to him. Excuse me, Becky. I’ll be back in a few minutes.“ He started off and then halted and swung around at the last minute. „Harrison was wrong, you know.“

Rebecca was too shaken to comprehend. „Wrong about what?“

„If you came to live with me, I wouldn’t scream about every entry on the charge-card bills. I would be generous with you, Becky.“

Rebecca was suddenly incensed. Pure, clean anger burned away the confusion and near hysteria she had been experiencing. „I have my own charge cards,“ she said through her teeth. „I don’t need to use yours or anyone else’s.“

But she couldn’t be sure he had heard her. Kyle had already turned away to slice back into the crowd. Rebecca stared after his departing figure. She felt light-headed. In her wildest fantasies she’d never imagined the kind of conversation she’d just had with Kyle Stockbridge.

The fact that they had just skated along the surface of her most secret dreams was unnerving enough. Having Kyle practically tell her he wouldn’t mind becoming romantically involved with her was shattering. Reality that came too close to fantasy had to be dangerous.

Harrison was wrong. If you came to live with me…

Rick Harrison had said something about marriage, not about living together, Rebecca reminded herself stoutly.

Kyle had conveniently dropped the word „marriage“ when he had referred to Rick’s teasing comment.

But, then, Kyle was feeling his way, Rebecca realized suddenly. He was being cautious. After all, he had just opened up the subject they’d both been assiduously avoiding for the past two months. Tonight was the first time either of them had actually confronted, even obliquely, the matter of their mutual attraction.

Thank goodness it was mutual, Rebecca found herself thinking with a curious relief. Apparently Kyle had been as aware of the energy between them as she had. It hadn’t been just a figment of her imagination after all. Until now she hadn’t been certain that he’d wanted her as much as she wanted him.

The dangerous part was that she was not just attracted to Kyle. Rebecca was very much afraid she was in love with the man. She had a hunch she was asking for trouble with a capital
T.

In spite of the well-cut suits and crisp white shirts he favored, Kyle Stockbridge frequently reminded her of some legendary male straight out of the Old West. Self-contained, arrogant, aggressive and frequently unreadable. He should have been born a hundred years ago when cowboys, desperadoes, gamblers and gunmen roamed this part of Colorado. He would have been right at home.

Not that he didn’t fit in well with the modern Denver, Rebecca admitted to herself. He moved very successfully in its business circles. During the two months she’d worked for him, she’d seen just how skillfully he played the high-stakes games corporations play.

Flaming Luck Enterprises was a thriving firm involved in commercial real-estate development. The company had a reputation for being in the right place at the right time – a reputation for luck.

But no matter how many modern business coups he pulled off, Rebecca knew she would always see Kyle as something of an anomaly. He had a tough, old-fashioned machismo about him that didn’t quite jibe with contemporary sensitivities. He should have owned a black stallion, not a black Porsche. He ought to be wearing leather and denim, not a business suit. And he would have looked as comfortable carrying a Colt Single Action revolver as he did carrying a briefcase.

Kyle Stockbridge was tough-looking, not good-looking. He was iron and granite in an era of glass and chrome. His roughly carved face had the implacable quality of a Rocky Mountain peak in winter. His eyes were green, flecked with gold and he studied his environment with sharp intelligence. He was a notch or two under six feet, but there was an aura of power in his lean, taut frame.

He would make an awesome enemy, Rebecca acknowledged. But she’d known him only as a friend, a reasonably indulgent employer and as a fantasy lover. He’d been kind to her from the first, offering her a job just when the one she’d had had been about to disappear.

She’d heard about his temper but Rebecca never understood what all the fuss was about. Kyle could be irritable, demanding and difficult at times, but she’d never known him to be unfair or genuinely dangerous.

„Hi, Becky. How’s it going? Looks like the fifth annual anniversary celebration of Haming Luck Enterprises is off to a flying start. Thank heaven you convinced Stockbridge to change the caterer this year.“

Rebecca turned to smile at the attractive, middle-aged woman who had just halted beside her. Natalie Perm had joined Flaming Luck’s personnel department two years ago. „Hello, Natalie. I seem to be getting more comments on the food than anything else. I’m beginning to believe all those nasty rumors I heard about last year’s caterers were true.“

„Every last one of them was true. The buffet table was filled with limp, squishy things on wet toast. We never could identify half the stuff. Just as well, probably. But this year everything looks first-class.“ She glanced around the room, nodding with satisfaction. „About time Stockbridge paid some attention to this side of the business.“

„I gather he’s been busy with the basics for the past five years,“ Rebecca said quietly. „He hasn’t had a lot of time to worry about polishing the image of the company. You know how he is when he’s got his sights set on a particular goal. He ignores all the side issues.“