Caught on Camera with the CEO (5 page)

He was wearing that far-too-wide smile again. ‘Come on, Danielle. Let's go sort this out.'

‘This isn't a hotel.'

‘No.'

‘This is your house.'

‘Yes.'

‘This isn't a good idea.'

‘Relax.' He led the way up the short flight of stairs. ‘I want to find a solution to this mess just as much as you do. Here we can do that in privacy.'

‘Is there really a job?'

‘Danielle—'

‘Dani,' she snapped, unable to bear hearing her full name a second longer. She hadn't been Danielle in years. She was Dani. Her tomboy name—keeping her sexless and uninteresting to her mother's boyfriends, until puberty had really hit and her body had let her down. Then she'd had to go for more forceful tactics.

‘Dani,' he repeated, smile vanishing.

She regretted correcting him. When he said it with his
rounder New Zealand vowels it sounded so much smoother. The tingle went in her ears all the way down her centre to her toes—causing them to squirm restlessly in their boots.

‘Everything OK?' Someone else spoke—with more than a hint of dryness.

Dani craned her head round Alex. There was another tall guy waiting for them at the top. So much for privacy.

‘It will be.' Alex climbed the last of the stairs.

‘It better be.' Dani followed him up into the room, determined to master her chaotic emotions. ‘Who are you?'

‘Lorenzo,' he answered as bluntly as she'd asked.

‘Do you live here?' She couldn't keep the challenge out of her voice—it was the way she'd always hidden her fear.

A glance passed between the two men. Lorenzo took a step towards the stairs. ‘I'm guessing we'll talk later.'

‘No, I want you to meet Dani,' Alex said so smoothly that Lorenzo paused and looked. ‘She's going to take over when Cara goes on maternity leave.'

Lorenzo's mouth opened, but then shut.

‘Full-time position, of course, but starting from now,' Alex added.

Dani darted looks between Alex and Lorenzo—saw Lorenzo's eyes had widened slightly, but still he said nothing.

‘You'll get Cara to show her what to do.' Alex was telling, not asking.

‘Absolutely. No problem.' Lorenzo's impassivity shattered with a smile. ‘And as Dani is obviously staying here with you, you can drop her to the warehouse tomorrow.'

Alex's eyes were the ones widening now.

‘Talk more later, Alex,' Lorenzo said.

‘Yep.' It was amazing sound could emerge from the mask his face had become.

Lorenzo looked at Dani and then at Alex again, his smile turning into a total smirk. ‘Nice to meet you, Dani. See you tomorrow.'

D
ANI
waited 'til he'd gone down the stairs and she'd heard the door shut after him. Then she turned to Alex. ‘What job?' She'd deal with the most palatable issue first.

‘Administrator for the Whistle Fund.'

The charitable fund his company supported. Alex was on the board. She knew this from his fangirl at the water-cooler.

‘Lorenzo is the chief exec. The organisation is based in his building. Cara, the current administrator, is pregnant and needs some help.'

‘And it's a paid position? Full-time?' She'd always thought these kind of jobs were voluntary—wealthy wives doing some part-time hours for fun and fulfilment.

‘Yes.'

Dani thought. ‘I've done numbers more than admin.'

‘Which is perfect, because this is all about dealing with money and there's a huge overlap in terms of dealing with systems for paperwork. And there's probably more variety. You'd be taking lots of calls, answering queries, sending out info packs, sorting the requests, updating the Web site. I'm sure you can manage a phone and talk nice to people.'

She'd started as a teller. She liked the interaction with the
public—more so than the back-room dealing with the corporate banking she'd gone into.

‘Cara really does need help.' His persuasion continued. ‘You're good at your job. I'm sure you'll pick it up, no problem.'

‘How do you know I'm good at my job when you didn't even know my name?' She couldn't resist sticking a pin in his smooth-talking bubble.

‘We only recruit exceptional employees—even temporary workers have to be of Carlisle standard.'

Carlisle standard?
Oh, he had an answer for everything. And what was the bet he had a standard in bed too? If it was anything like his kissing standard it wouldn't just be exceptional, it would be nothing short of spectacular. But it wasn't helpful to think about that now. She took a step back towards the stairs.

‘Why don't you do a week's trial?' He was relentless, taking a step after her—not letting her increase her distance from him.

OK, so she really didn't have a choice. But she had to admit she was actually interested to see what it was like too. ‘OK,' she answered, crossing her fingers that this wasn't a huge mistake. ‘Thanks.'

He smiled then. ‘Now that's sorted, come on through and have a drink.'

He was walking off before she could refuse. And she couldn't refuse, could she—couldn't be completely rude—not now he'd given her a job?

The town house was gorgeous—a traditional wooden villa on the outside but one that had been rebuilt on the inside. High ceilings and big windows let in lots of light. Neutral but warm colours made it welcoming. A huge painting hung on the wall above the fireplace. The lounge was big and the sofa comfortable-looking. But she didn't sit, instead she walked to the window and saw the last of the sun's light was turning the
clouds a fiery orange. She was unfamiliar with the geography of Auckland, but somehow she'd expected a view of the city buildings, or perhaps the water. She wasn't expecting the verdant, lush garden. It was like a miniature forest. So gorgeously green in the middle of winter and so private.

‘Can I get you a drink?'

She turned her back on the beauty of it. ‘No, thanks.'

He didn't get himself one, either, just stood on the far side of the long, low coffee table by the sofa. ‘Take a seat, Dani.'

‘I don't feel comfortable about staying here.'

‘Why not?'

She opened her mouth and then shut it again.

‘You're no longer working for me. Technically Lorenzo will be your boss.' With wide-spread fingers, he ruffled through his hair, rubbing his head hard. He closed his eyes for a second. ‘I'm sorry, OK?'

Oh, it was hours too late for the repentant-man act. She wasn't falling for it. ‘Maybe next time you should try keeping your hormones in check. What was it all about anyway? Kiss-a-temp day?'

‘You misunderstand.' His eyes shot open, lancing through her. ‘I'm not sorry I kissed you. I'll never regret that experience. It would be an insult to you if I did.'

‘Oh, please.' Too smooth. Way too smooth. And the sparkling humour in his unwavering gaze just made her want to tell him so. But, damn, her cheeks were burning—she must look like a totally floored teen. So embarrassing.

His scrutiny intensified. ‘What I'm sorry about is the whole office watching, and the gossip.'

‘I don't care about the gossip. People can think what they like—it makes no difference to me.'

His brows flickered but he didn't question. ‘Fair enough,
but I care about it and I won't have either you or me on the line because of it. I'm sorry about what the agency did. This will make it right.' He sighed, jammed his hands in his pockets. ‘Where's your family—in Australia?'

‘I don't have any. My parents are dead,' she said baldly.

‘I'm sorry.' His frown deepened.

Instantly she regretted telling him—she didn't want his pity, but more than that she didn't want to remember. The lump in her chest when she thought of her mother was like sharp, burning ice and she hurriedly turned her thoughts away from her. But not to her father—as far as she was concerned he'd never been alive to her. Instead she pushed the focus back onto Alex, remembering what she'd been told. ‘Your father died last year.'

Silence. She'd hit a nerve. His frown disappeared as his face smoothed, then it shuttered completely into unreadable blandness. ‘You're up on your research.'

‘You were the number-one topic of conversation at the water-cooler.' She aimed for flippant, trying to cover the moment of awkwardness. ‘I didn't even have to ask.'

A slight grin reappeared. ‘But you were going to? You wanted to find out?'

‘No. It was all thrust upon me.'

His low laughter refreshed the room, lightening everything—including her mood. She even grinned back.

He immediately pressed his argument home. ‘Look, I'm hardly here. I travel a lot. It would be good to have someone minding the house. You can stay for a week or two and save some money to get into a place of your own. It's the simplest solution. We'll hardly see each other.'

Dani considered it. What was she so worried about—her unreal attraction to him? If he was away a lot, then she could
control it, right? And it wasn't as if he were trying to pounce again. He might have said he didn't regret kissing her, but neither had he asked for another. It was a bit deflating, but it seemed all he felt for her now was a sense of responsibility—not unbridled lust. She wouldn't misinterpret his charm as meaning something more.

His brows lifted fractionally, as if he knew he'd won. ‘So it's a deal.' He held out his hand.

Dani looked at it. Surely she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She could work, not worry about a roof over her head and be able to find Eli.

But, like that day in the lift, her instinct was warning her again, that sense of impending danger. She ignored it and reached out. ‘Thanks.'

The spark shot up her arm. His fingers tightened. And she realised her instinct had been bang on the money. She shouldn't have touched him.
He
was the danger—his attraction too magnetic. He made her body go on edge in an entirely new way.

‘Don't you want to know, Dani?' The warmth from his whisper flooded her.

‘Know what?' She beat the breathlessness with assertion.

‘What would have happened if we hadn't been caught on camera? What would have been the next step?'

‘There wouldn't have been a next step. I've already told you, it was a moment. Nothing more.'

‘You're sure about that?' He kept hold of her hand but took the two steps around the coffee table between them. ‘See, I think there would have been a next step, Dani. A very pleasurable one.'

Oh, hell. So it wasn't just her feeling it. But she held her ground. ‘I'm sorry to disappoint you, Alex, but I'm not going to be your next lover.'

‘No?' His eyes danced.

‘No.' She smiled sweetly. ‘I'm going to be your flatmate. And there's a rule about flatmates, isn't there?'
Don't screw the crew.

His smile was reluctant but it was there. She took the chance to tug her hand from his. Even so, the victory was hollow. Now she knew she couldn't possibly stay here, for she'd lied—she desperately wanted to know what would have happened next. But she figured she could get him to change his mind and hustle her into a hotel pronto. ‘Aren't I going to cramp your style?'

‘How so?'

‘Who did you go out with last Friday night?'

‘No one.' He shrugged. ‘I was in Sydney working.'

‘OK.' Dani frowned. ‘What about the one before that?'

His hesitation was telling.

‘A woman. Obviously,' Dani said, her voice as melted-chocolate smooth as his had been before.

Slowly he nodded.

‘And the Friday before that?' Dani enquired. ‘A different woman, right?'

He squared his stance, facing her full on. ‘Yes.'

‘And you slept with them.' Still calm, determinedly not judging.

‘No.'

That made her pause a moment. ‘Kissed them good-night, at least.'

‘Yes.'

Yeah. She knew what his kisses were like. ‘So isn't it going to be tricky for you to bring a woman home when you have me staying here?' She let a touch of taunt out then. She had to get him to realise sticking her in a hotel was a much better option. The prospect of staying in close confines with him
made her feel giddy—she wasn't sure she could keep her need-to-shimmy urges under control.

‘You know, you're right.' He had a devilish look on his face. ‘It might be a bit weird to bring dates home while having you as my little flatmate here. But that's no problem.' He paused, and she swore she could see the wickedness rippling through the rest of him as he stepped closer. ‘You can be my date while you're staying here.'

‘What?'

‘There are a few things I have to go to and, you're right, I like a companion. No reason why that can't be you.'

She opened her mouth but he put a finger on it.

‘There isn't anyone else around right now anyway.' His green eyes bored into hers as he oh-so-unsubtly let her know he was available.

‘Not this week, you mean.' So there damn well shouldn't be or he shouldn't have kissed her like that.

‘So you can stay here and save, just for a week or two.' He ignored her hit. ‘Until you're in a position to take a place of your own. Meantime I have a dinner to go to tomorrow night—very nice venue, black tie. Don't you love a little glamour?'

‘No.' She threw him a dark look, trying to keep a grip on herself. This wasn't what she'd meant to happen. He hadn't even bothered to learn her name—she needed to keep that little fact up front and centre in her head.

‘I thought all women did.'

‘Not me.'

‘Oh.' He smiled. ‘I'll have to help you change your mind on that. Dances like this one can be a lot of fun.'

‘I thought you said it was a dinner.'

‘Followed by dancing.' He looked thoughtful. ‘Have you
got something to wear?' He ignored her start of annoyance. ‘We can go shopping tomorrow afternoon if you'd like.'

Go shopping? ‘You don't need to
Pretty Woman
me, Alex,' she said sharply. ‘I have something to wear.'

‘Great, that's settled, then.' He turned away flashing a Cheshire Cat smile, then turned back just as quick. ‘Oh…'

‘What?' Rattled, she snapped—had she just agreed to go out with him tomorrow night? How had that happened?

‘What about you?' With that too-bland expression he moved back into her space. ‘Who did you go out with last Friday night?'

‘I—' She blinked. No one, of course.

‘What about the Friday before? Is there a boyfriend I ought to know about? I mean, you asked me, I can ask you, right? I don't want to put you in a difficult position as my escort.'

Escort
was not a good word—the unpleasant connotation compounded with his offer to take her shopping pushed her defence button. She wasn't anybody's paid-for plaything. She'd prefer to be the player, not the toy.

‘Of course you won't.' She lifted her chin and fired a shot at him. ‘I don't do “boyfriends” as such, but I have a few joy boys around. I choose one to service me occasionally but we share nothing more than that.
Variety
,' she added with a conspiratorial whisper. ‘You know.' She was quite sure he did know. Quite sure he had a whole variety line-up of lovers himself—only his wouldn't be imaginary.

‘Occasionally?' His brows lifted. ‘Only occasionally?' His smile was feral. ‘No wonder you burned so hot in my arms.'

She opened her mouth to snap at him but this time he laid his whole hand across her mouth, leaning in to quiz her. ‘You don't believe in romance?'

She pulled back from the sizzling touch. ‘I don't believe
in romance, relationships or anything like that. I certainly don't believe in marriage.'

‘A free woman?'

‘Absolutely,' she declared. ‘An independent one.' Her aim was to take only what she wanted when she wanted and leave the rest of the rubbish for others to suffer through. Except she'd not really managed it yet and now wasn't the time to start trying. She had something way more important to be focused on. It had taken her long enough to earn back the money her father had stolen, and truthfully she'd come over too soon—without all she should have. So she didn't need distractions now—not of any kind.

He stepped even closer, gleaming green eyes trained on her. ‘Don't you believe it can happen, Dani? A look across a room? Love at first sight?'