An Executive Decision (19 page)

They’d been unable to connect for the rest of the day. She got called away to a meeting across town with a client she hadn’t met with since Beverly’s death. It was mostly a meet and greet, but it was important. It was essential to establish relationships. Ellis insisted she go home after the meeting. He knew she was running on adrenaline and in need of a good sleep. He still felt pangs whenever he thought of how close to exhaustion she had driven herself earlier and how he could have prevented it if he’d been paying attention. She was a little bit crazy that way, but then he supposed it took one to know one. He had insisted she go home. By herself. To rest. And he had done the same. However, he’d found he didn’t rest nearly as well without her in his arms. Had he really gotten used to having her in his bed that easily?

He was always in the office early, but he was a little earlier than usual the next morning because he knew Dee would be there. He also knew there would be no one else at Pneuma Inc., and try though he might, he couldn’t convince himself to stay away from her.

It was only a little past seven when he knocked softly on her office door. She was already busy at her laptop, but she offered him a warm smile and motioned him in.

‘Meeting go well with Frazier?’ he asked.

‘Great, yes. I think we’ll get along just fine.’

‘Good. That’s good. No surprise. Good people over at Frazier. Easy to work with.’ He forced a laugh. ‘A real change from Marston.’

She smiled. ‘A real change, yes. Any progress with the Valderian situation?’

‘Nothing new,’ he said. He felt suddenly nervous and giddy in front of her. Well, he couldn’t actually say what was on his mind, could he? He couldn’t tell her that he couldn’t begin his day without seeing her, that he’d hoped … Jesus, he didn’t dare even admit to himself what he actually hoped. This was work, for chrissake! This was her office! It was one thing in a hotel room, or in a limo, for him to take her like a horny water buffalo, or even in his lounge after hours when they were both under stress, but this was working hours – well, almost. It was the Executive Sex Clause, a small voice in the back of his head reminded him. She had agreed to it. She certainly seemed to enjoy it. And they were in the executive suites. Instead of just asking for it, he said, ‘Did you rest well?’

She shrugged. ‘It was hard to settle after last week. I couldn’t shut my mind down, you know?’

‘I know. Me neither,’ he said. He couldn’t tell her that he’d been unable to sleep because she wasn’t in bed next to him. He couldn’t tell her he’d had to rub one out while thinking about her in order to get any sleep at all. ‘Then I guess it’s pretty much business as usual, isn’t it?’

She nodded. ‘Business as usual, yep.’

‘I thought we might need a little debriefing session after the change of landscape with Marston and all, and we really didn’t get a chance to discuss it yesterday.’

‘Of course. I’ve taken a few notes.’

Even with his internal dialogue running amok in filthy ways, he was still unprepared for his reaction when she bent over her desk to drop several files in the drawer. Suddenly he found himself fighting back a visceral urge to lift her skirt and take her from behind right where she stood. He made an effort to breathe deeply, struggling to keep his brain in control of his cock.

It wasn’t about sex this morning, he tried to convince himself. He needed her to know that she had his support where Marston was concerned, and that he completely trusted her to handle the alliance with Trouvères. But when she turned to reach for her jacket, the early morning light shining through the window rendered her blouse transparent enough for him to make out the contour of her breasts caressed in the lace that held her fullness. His hands ached with muscle memory as he recalled the way he had held her the first time, the way he had cupped her and kneaded her with hands made awkward by desire. In a vivid flash of memory, he was with her again in Paris, and there was no Marston, no Jamison, no pending disaster, just the two of them. Suddenly it was no use; his brain lost the battle for control.

‘Don’t,’ he whispered, moving into the room and closing the door behind him. ‘Don’t put that on.’

She let the jacket slide onto the back of the chair, her eyes questioning.

‘I can’t think when you’re like this.’

‘Like what, Ellis?’ She followed his gaze to her breasts and blushed. ‘Maybe the jacket would be better.’

‘No.’ He crossed the space between them and reached out to brush an anxious nipple with the pad of his thumb at the same time his mouth brushed hers.

She caught his wrist and held it just beyond the reach of her breast. ‘Ellis … Here?’ Her voice was a whisper millimetres from his lips. He could hear the tremor in it.

He raised her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles where they encircled his wrist. ‘Yes, Dee. Here and now. I need you. We need each other if we’re going to get through this.’

She held his gaze as though she were searching out his secrets, but relaxed her grip on him and laid his hand against her breast. He felt the slight arching of her back as she pressed herself into the cup of his palm. From under the computer desk in the corner, he pulled an armless chair and seated himself in front of her. She stood looking down at him from beneath a flutter of lashes and half-closed lids. ‘Unbutton it.’ He nodded to her blouse. As she did so, he slid the skirt up over her hips, running a finger along the tops of her stockings, planting a kiss on the silken mound of her panties while he watched the uncovering of cleavage and marvelled at the distortion of lace stretched over taut nipples.

The tensing of muscles low in her belly and hips brought silk and body heat closer to tongue and teeth, making his mouth water as he tugged and nuzzled his way past fabric to flesh. Just when he could almost taste the salty-sweetness of her, she placed a restraining hand on his head and pushed him away.

‘Unzip them.’ She nodded to his trousers. For a second his attention was focused on releasing himself, a task that suddenly seemed more difficult than usual. She watched almost dispassionately until his erection was free, then she stepped out of her panties and positioned herself on his lap, and for the first time since they’d been in the shower together in New York, he felt like himself again.

An hour later, they made it to his office, freshly dressed and ready to work. At least, Dee seemed ready. Ellis had only thought to have a quickie, but he could never get enough of her. He’d always known he had a high libido, and he’d channelled it nicely into his work after what had happened at Caltech, but from the first time he touched Dee it was as though the dam had burst and there was no stopping the flood of need. They should talk about it. Surely they should talk about it, maybe discuss how the Sex Clause had worked so far. That would be a short discussion. It had been bloody genius so far. At least, that’s what he thought. He hoped Dee thought the same. He was about to force the issue when the phone rang.

‘Ellis, it’s Stacie. Please don’t hang up. I’m so sorry about what happened the other night at Al’s. I called to apologise. You did tell Dee it was all a misunderstanding, didn’t you? Everything is OK between the two of you, isn’t it?’

Even over the phone, and with the drumming of his pulse in his ears, her contrition was palpable. Stacie lived from her emotions, just as his brother did. But neither of them had ever been very good at keeping their emotions to themselves, or out of other people’s lives. ‘I can’t talk. I’m in a meeting.’ He glanced up at Dee, who sat at the conference table looking over her notes.

‘Is Dee with you?’

He didn’t answer.

‘Ellis, just listen for a minute. I’ll be in Portland this weekend. I’ve got a business meeting. In fact, I’ll be travelling back and forth a lot in the near future. I’d really like to see you.’

He hoped Dee wouldn’t notice the heat in his face as he thought once again about the disaster at Marston’s party. ‘Is this Garrett’s idea?’

‘It has nothing to do with Garrett. I haven’t even talked to Garrett. I just want to apologise for what happened. Ellis? Are you still there?’

‘I accept your apology, so there’s no need for you to see me.’

‘Ellis, wait –’

He hung up. He wanted that to be the end of it, but the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach warned him that it probably wasn’t.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. His secretary arrived with the morning mail. The day began in earnest, and running Pneuma Inc. once again took priority. 

Chapter Twenty-seven

The minute Tally got into the limo, she could tell Jamison was not in the best of moods. She had had been careful not to wear anything from her growing new wardrobe to their meeting, just in case. She didn’t want to anger him further.

He spoke without a greeting, his voice cold and brittle. ‘Marston’s turned downed the offer.’

Tally felt like the bottom of her stomach had fallen away. ‘I don’t understand. You said it was a done deal.’

‘That’s right, Ms Barnes, it should have been. It should have been.’ He didn’t raise his voice, but the near hiss of a response was a lot more threatening than if he had.

She wanted to ask what happened, but a cold clutch of fear tightened in her chest. She was alone with the man. He was clearly livid, and he was Terrance Jamison. He could do whatever he wanted. She sat quietly, shoulders stiff, stomach knotted, eyes locked on the white-knuckled clench of his fist in the seat next to her. Other than the little incident with the necklace he’d never touched her. Surely he wouldn’t … Still, she kept her mouth shut and waited.

She waited, but he said nothing. The limo pulled into rush-hour traffic. There was no offer of champagne, no discussion of strategy, just Jamison, fists clenched, staring straight in front of him as though she weren’t even there.

The longer the silence continued, the tighter the knot in her stomach became. She tried to breathe deeply, fearing she might be sick. The realisation that she was too scared to speak was like a hard slap. She had never in her life been too scared to speak. But this time it was different. She had done her homework, later rather than sooner, silently kicking herself for being too lazy to do what she should have done right up front. And she hoped against hope that it wasn’t too late. She didn’t have to dig too deeply to understand why Jamison was enemy number one for Pneuma Inc. And she didn’t have to Google much to find out that Pneuma Inc. was not the only company which saw Jamison in that light. If she were honest with herself, she would say the man deserved their hate. But that didn’t help her any. That didn’t make her situation any easier. So she sat in silence, cold sweat beading against the back of her Ralph Lauren silk blouse.

At last he spoke. Instantly, she wished he hadn’t. ‘You’re no good to me if you can’t give me information.’

‘I have given you information. I gave you exactly what you asked for, more than you could have ever gotten any other way. It’s not my fault that it didn’t work out.’ For a horrifying second, she thought he was going to hit her, but he squared his shoulders and glared at her, the muscles along his jaw looking as though they could crush iron.

Then his face broke into a smile and the soft chuckle that followed was stunning. ‘Of course you have, Tally. I couldn’t have asked for more from anyone. And –’ he ran a hand over the linen skirt covering her thigh ‘– you’ve been very well rewarded for your efforts, I’d say.’

‘I’ve given you company secrets that could land me in jail. Well rewarded seems pretty relative to me.’

Suddenly the large hand resting on her thigh became a claw, digging deep into the muscle beneath the skirt. Pain shot through her leg and she cried out, unable to keep back the tears that filled her eyes. Then, as quickly as it happened, it passed. He smoothed the fabric of the skirt and folded his hands serenely in his lap as though he were about to say a prayer.

Tally frantically blinked back the tears. Her heart hammered. Nausea clenched her stomach; she struggled to breathe it away. She wanted desperately to rub her bruised thigh, but she was too frightened to move.

For a long, painful moment, Jamison held her in a curious gaze, as though she were an experiment and he wanted to understand what would happen if he hurt her. Then, once again, the bright smile broke across his face. ‘Of course I can’t place a monetary value on having eyes and ears inside Pneuma Inc. You’re right. I apologise for being so badly behaved, Tally. I’m afraid I’m a rather sore loser.’ He shrugged inside his jacket and chuckled softly. ‘Never mind. Marston isn’t the only fish in the sea, and there are always other ways to skin a cat.’

The limo stopped and, with a start, Tally realised they were in front of her house. But before she could open the door and make a quick escape, Jamison grabbed her arm, this time more gently than he had her thigh. ‘I’ve been monitoring your credit cards, Ms Barnes. They’re being paid off monthly, and will continue to be so, in spite of your very expensive tastes, as long as I find you useful to me. I’ve made another little deposit in your checking account as well. After all, as you say, it’s not your fault that the deal with Marston didn’t happen, and what you’re doing could, indeed, land you in jail.’ He leaned close. ‘However, be warned, the minute, the very minute, I find you no longer of use to me, I’ll cut you off, and you’ll have to learn to survive on your Pneuma Inc. salary again.’ He raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Which is a fairly substantial amount from what I can tell, but then Thorne has a reputation for paying his employees well, doesn’t he?’ He released her arm and nodded to the door. ‘Good day, Ms Barnes. It’s been a pleasure, as always.’

In addition to the Trouvères/Scribal project, and liaising with her uncle, and Ellis and Wade about the situation in Valderia, Dee spent a chunk of her week reconnecting with several local companies that had been Beverly’s responsibility. Ellis made two trips to Seattle and another to Salem. Most of the time, their respective secretaries were the go-betweens that kept them connected and informed on each other’s progress. Even when they did see each other, it was only in passing and for both of them, no matter how hungry they might be for each other, there were only so many hours in the day. For the first time, Dee wasn’t sorry for the buffer. The fantastic, if all too confusing, sex of Monday morning had done little to ease the discomfort brought on by the nightmare on the plane, so the busy schedule eased the stress and kept her mind from wandering where she didn’t want it going.

It was late Friday when Ellis and Dee found time to meet again. Wade had gone bowling and the rest of the Pneuma Building was deserted. After a number of long conversations with Daniels and Marston and plenty of research on her own, Dee was ready to roll on the first of the Trouvères/Scribal projects as soon as the deal was closed. Since Marston had eaten crow, as he called it, he couldn’t have been more helpful or more cordial. She could see now why Beverly had considered the man a friend. He might be stubborn and pigheaded, but then who wasn’t? It certainly had stood him well all these years. Scribal was a powerhouse to be contended with, even in times of serious recession.

She and Ellis stood shoulder to shoulder, leaning over a small conference table where the files were spread. The slice of sunlight through the window near Ellis’s desk had taken on the mauve and melon tones of evening. The room smelled faintly of coffee, and of Ellis’s own scent, but Dee was sure she was the only one who knew that scent intimately enough to be aware of it.

‘I’ll be joining Marston and Jason in New York on Monday,’ she informed him. ‘Sandra has taken care of the reservations.’

He sat down on the edge of the table, dangling one leg over. ‘I’m not sure I should send you off alone.’

‘Are you still obsessing over Jason?’

‘Trust me. I know animal lust when I see it.’ He raked her with a look that was nearly physical, and suddenly Scribal and Trouvères were the last things on her mind. He traced the contour of her cheekbone and slid his hand down to stroke the nape of her neck.

‘Familiar with it, are you?’ She turned her head and nipped the tip of his thumb with her front teeth.

‘Not only am I familiar with it, but I have a pretty good idea what to do about it.’ He spoke the last words against her mouth, his tongue nestling in between her lips, making itself at home. Curious hands went exploring. Amid the rising friction of body heat through power suits, the sound of their breathing grew heavier against the silent approach of evening.

Ellis had just slipped his hand under her skirt and was navigating garter belt and panties when the door burst open and Stacie blew in, dressed in a sage green power suit and matching stilettoes. ‘Ellis, I just couldn’t wait for you to get in touch with me. I had to see you now, so we could …’ She stopped mid-stride in the middle of the office floor, words dying in her throat.

The two jumped apart as though they were rocket propelled. ‘What the hell are you doing here, Stacie? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a meeting? How did you even get in?’

‘Oh God, oh shit! I am so, so sorry, Ellis! If I’d known you were … I mean, I thought you’d be … And I was afraid you didn’t get my email with the name of my hotel on it, so Garrett gave me his code to get into Pneuma, and I thought that … Well, I know you’ve been busy and I … God, I’m so sorry I interrupted you.’ She took a card from her bag and grabbed a pen from his desk. ‘Look I’m really sorry. I’ll leave now, but here are my details. I’m at the Airport Hilton at the moment, and we need to talk. I’m sorry for the interruption.’

She gave him an awkward hug, nodded to Dee, then hurried out, closing the door behind her.

Ellis straightened his tie, and shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose with such force that Dee feared he’d break them. ‘Jesus, Dee, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she would show up like this.’ He waved a hand toward the door and caught his breath.

Dee moved to gather her belongings before things could heat up again. She wasn’t sure she could handle sex with Ellis knowing she was only the appetiser before the main course waiting for him at the Hilton. Maybe what had happened at Marston’s party between him and Stacie had been nothing to him, but it certainly didn’t seem as if Stacie felt the same way. She shivered as she thought of her nightmare again. Sex was a part of her job. Suddenly the thought felt sharp-edged and painful, and she forced it away to concentrate on what was immediate, what she did have some control over. ‘I really don’t think there’s much else,’ she said in her “business as usual” voice, willing herself to stay calm and focused. ‘As I said, Sandra is already taking care of travel arrangements, and with any luck I’ll come home with lots of plans and new ideas from both Trouvères and Scribal.’

‘That’s good, that’s great.’ He moved back behind his desk and dropped into his chair. Taking off his glasses, he scrubbed a hand over his face. ‘Dee, I’m really sorry about Stacie.’

‘Nothing to apologise for. These things happen.’ She hadn’t meant to sound cold, but it was hard not to, with thoughts of Ellis and his very sexy ex ordering room service, and having each other for dessert. Damn it! She had no right to be jealous. Sex with Ellis was a part of her job, nothing more. How many times would she have to remind herself before it finally sunk in?

An hour later, Ellis stopped by Dee’s office, but she was out. Her things were still there, so he knew she hadn’t gone home yet. Then he remembered that after Wade got back from bowling, she had a meeting with him and the head of the engineering team for the Trouvères/Scribal project. He had hoped to apologise properly, but it would have to wait until next week. Cursing Stacie, he returned to his office, gathered his things and headed home.