God's Eye (8 page)

“Of course it matters.” Realizing too late how the words had come out of her mouth, Katharine made an effort to sound less snappish and more civilized. She was his trainer after all. “We need to understand the market for the product. Whether it will still be there in ten years, why they’ve only come into our radar lately, and whether it’s just a flash in the pan.”

He nodded through her whole little speech, his dark hair framing sincere eyes that she couldn’t look directly into for fear she’d get lost and never find herself again. His eyebrows rose. “Shouldn’t I come with you then? See how it’s done and all?”

“No.” She shut that down as fast as she could. Where he was concerned, she needed space, not proximity. And she couldn’t do what she needed if she had him hanging around. But that didn’t change the fact that he was right; he should see how it was done. So she conceded a little. “Next time.”

He nodded again but didn’t step out of her personal space. Katharine was beginning to wonder what it would take to shake him when he asked, “Should I continue your work on the employee directory?”

She started to tell him no, but then decided it would appear more genuine if they asked the questions of more than just the payroll people. “Yes, get the acquisitions and purchasing departments.”

But she found she then had to spend the rest of the morning explaining what questions she’d been asking the employees and how she’d been recording them. Katharine had no doubt that it would be done, and done flawlessly, when she returned. With two people performing her job these days there wasn’t much left to do–Allistair just didn’t require the expected training. She’d have to start thinking up assignments for the two of them or she’d have to, God forbid, go to her father and tell him she needed more work. That would cause problems when Allistair was removed from her office and she became overloaded.

It was several hours later before she was gathering her things to head to the library. Her intercom buzzed, but she was already on her feet and on the opposite side of the desk. This particular buzz meant that the caller was Lisa, just outside the door, so Katharine stuck her head out. “Yes?”

Her assistant lifted her almost too-blue eyes, the phone still held to the side of her head. Slowly she set it down and gathered a little dignity, pushing her platinum hair behind one ear, only adding to an already polished effect. “You have a visitor.”

“Oh?” That stopped her, as it was unusual. In fact, she couldn’t think of the last time she’d had a visitor at all,.

Katharine straightened. As she did so, she caught Lisa’s eyes darting to her left, and that was when she saw his shoes. Shined to a high gloss, they practically reflected her face at her. The hem of silvery gray slacks broke perfectly across the top of the lace ties, and her eyes traveled the crease up to the belt and the front of a starched white shirt. She already knew who was in that shirt. She smiled all the way to her eyes. “Zachary.”

This was what she needed: a reminder not to focus too much on her assistant of indeterminate age and only so much possibility.

Zachary’s coloring was much like Lisa’s–fair and wholesome. Briefly, Katharine looked back and forth between the two and thought what a fine couple they would make, but then brushed the thought aside. For now, at least, he was here to see her.

His hand extended to take her fingers, the contact sending electric shivers up her arm. Caught in the sensation, she almost missed his words. His voice ran over her, smooth as honey, “I was hoping to take you to lunch today, but my case ran late. Please tell me you haven’t eaten yet.”

When she’d gathered her things to go, she’d had no intention of spending her lunch hour actually eating lunch. But she answered automatically, even as her brain registered somewhere in the back that he hadn’t asked if she
wanted
to go. “I haven’t eaten lunch.”

“Excellent.” His fingers tightened around hers and he pulled her down the hall. The only consideration she made was that her purse was already over her shoulder; the rest could wait. After a few steps she abruptly turned back. “Lisa! I’m–”

“At lunch. Got it.” Her assistant gave an appreciative grin at Zachary’s retreating backside.
Well, at least I have Lisa’s approval,
Katharine thought. If not fully her own.

His car awaited them at the front of the building, giving her a rare opportunity to pass by the front desk. The two employees there nodded and offered a respectful “Miss Geryon.”

At the restaurant, he procured the best table, seated her, and fed her scallops that melted in her mouth along with words that melted in her brain. He was smooth, but never came across as the standard player. He seemed to genuinely think she was beautiful, perfect. Since she’d been played that way before–and more than once, given her trust fund and her future–Katharine figured she could spot the insincerity if it were there. In truth, she was relying on her instinct on this one. But it screamed at her that she was safe with him, that his words were only what he meant, and not a calculated gambit on his part.

His actions added to that faith. He didn’t look at other women. He complimented her, and did it in a way that showed he’d been paying attention to all the details. And Katharine spilled the details, even grinned while she did it.

“I had to go to deportment classes. Every Tuesday after ballet.”

“Is that like charm school?” He leaned back, but his focus didn’t leave her.

“Heavens, no!” For this once, she let herself laugh out loud in a public place just to watch him smile. Just to feel that jolt to her solar plexus when he did. “Charm school is for tacky people. For girls who want to do”–she shuddered–“beauty pageants.”

“So, no beauty pageants for our Katie?”

He’d just started doing that, calling her Katie. No one had ever called her anything so casual or endearing. She’d always been Katharine, even as a toddler. The feminist part of her spoke up, saying she should feel affronted by a man who simply took that liberty and didn’t ask if she minded. But another part of her was enamored with the idea; that part of her felt coddled and cared for in way that seemed both silly and completely real. Still, while that back part of her brain nagged at her, her heart disagreed. Her heart was tugged at by this man, over and over.

He ordered them a dessert and dismissed the amount of time the waiter told them it would take to prepare. The end of her lunch hour had come and gone a while ago. But if she wasn’t going to enjoy the perks of being the boss’s daughter, then what was the point? So she listened to his tales of the courtroom this morning, about how he’d won his case–just barely.

Dessert slid down as smoothly as the rest of the meal, and Katharine finally made a decision, insisting that she could not take the rest of the afternoon off. She had to get to … wasn’t there some errand waiting for her at the office? She was sure there was, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember anything that had gone on at the office that morning. That was how bad this man scrambled her thoughts. If she wasn’t falling in love with him, then what?

He held her jacket out for her, leaning in to discreetly place a small kiss where her neck met her shoulder as he draped it around her. In the car, he agreed to take her back to the office if she agreed to see him again that night. Even before she could answer, he sweetened the deal by saying he’d bring dinner, not that she had even thought about saying no.

In a few minutes, they were parked in front of the Light & Geryon building again, and Katharine wasn’t surprised at all by the gentlemanly gesture he made in opening her door. She was, however, surprised when he followed her up the elevator, insisting that he drop her off at her desk. Her heart lifted with the elevator as it passed each floor.

She tried to tamp down the thoughts that bubbled up. Images of weddings and babies. Corporate suits and swimsuits. Caseloads and cases of baby formula. She
had
to wait him out. She was just too smart to bank on anything this early. But she’d never felt like this before. Surely that counted for something. And maybe she wouldn’t–couldn’t–bank on anything just yet, but she could dream a little, couldn’t she?

He walked her all the way down to Lisa’s desk, where he kissed her lightly and whispered that he’d see her later. As he stepped back, her office door opened and the sight of Allistair, tall and almost menacing, slapped her with the sudden memory that he was there.

While she’d been out at lunch with Zachary she’d forgotten that her new assistant even existed. Eyes as dark as ocean depths focused on her mouth accusingly, as though he could see some kind of mark or stain from the kiss that Zachary had left there. Beside her, Zachary stiffened–it was the only thing that could have pulled her away from Allistair’s riveting stare. Her gaze swung up in time to see Zachary’s cool skin flush with what must be anger and his warm blue eyes turn to shades of ice.

Her own eyes felt large as saucers, until something finally snapped and she finally remembered the years of etiquette that should never have escaped her for this long. “Zachary, this is Allistair West … He’s my new trainee.” She offered up the explanation when she suddenly realized what Zachary must think to find another man waiting for her behind her closed office door. Why hadn’t she thought to mention him before, to tell Zachary that she had a trainee who was taking over her office and her job … it was so big, how had she possibly missed it?

Scrambling for safe conversational ground, Katharine stumbled. “Allistair, this is Zachary Andras, my–”

Shit.
She was at a loss on that one. She couldn’t for the life of her think of what the proper term was, even though she had sat through specific lessons in introductions, and more than one on unusual or improper situations. What was he? She’d slept with him, gone out a few times. She would
not
say “lover,” not on pain of death. But was he her–

“Boyfriend.” Zachary supplied with smooth tones that indicated the steel behind the single word.

“Nice to meet you.” Allistair’s hand shot out, and though the gesture was appropriate, Katharine could see he really thought it was anything but.

Zachary merely nodded in return and clasped the other man’s hand. Katharine would have sworn she saw sparks fly. She had a brief hysterical moment and considered jumping between them, tearing their grip apart. But she didn’t have to. The handshake was disturbing but brief, and they pulled their own hands apart soon enough.

They were dressed like reasonable men, in ties and button-front shirts, but they regarded each other more like gladiators in the ring or lions who met at the edge of the territory each had marked. Katharine didn’t like where that last analogy left her–didn’t like the thought that she was an object to be fought over. Deciding the only way to defuse the situation was to remove the two men from each other’s presence, she turned to Zachary and placed her hands against his chest. She tried for a light tone that belied the tension swirling in the hallway, “I really need to get back to work now. Lunch is over.”

His grin wasn’t as warm as it had been before. “I’ll see you tonight.” He said it loud and clear, staking his claim for any and all within earshot. Then he leaned over and pressed his mouth to hers, and for the first time it didn’t feel warm and focused on her–it was definitely a show for the other alpha male in the vicinity. Finally, with another stare that would have withered anyone else, Zachary left.

When Katharine sighed in relief and turned, Allistair still stood in the doorway, his hands braced on either side of the frame, making it impossible for her to walk gracefully back into her own office. So she waited. Luckily, he didn’t make her wait long.

“For the record, I don’t like him.”

Katharine cocked her head. “Well, I don’t think he likes you very much either.” She motioned for him to let her pass. At last he stepped back just enough to let her into the office, but there wasn’t enough room for her to walk by without smelling him, without feeling the tug of his presence. She didn’t think she could take much more of this. She felt like a ping-pong ball between the two of them, always waiting for the next hit.

Gathering the files into her arms, she turned around. “I’m headed for the library. I may not be back today.”

Like hell I’ll be back today,
she thought. There was enough crap in her life without dealing with these two sniffing and roaring at each other. But she didn’t say it. What she said was “I’ll see you tomorrow morning” in her sweetest voice.

Only when she’d dumped the files on the passenger seat of her car did she finally allow herself to relax. With a deep breath in and a blow out, she tried to let go of all the tension, but only succeeded in releasing part of it. But part was better than none, so she repeated the breathing several more times; then she put the car into gear and headed out to the library.

Once there, she didn’t even bring the paperwork in. She’d have to come back tomorrow. As she was still shaking off the bizarre showdown she’d just seen, there was no way the WeldLink research was going to happen now. Katharine didn’t think she’d ever just blown off work the way she was doing today. She’d been good all morning until Zachary had shown up. Lunch had been longer than a lunch had the right to be. Then the confrontation. There wasn’t enough time left for a proper library search, so Katharine did something new, something entirely against her better breeding.
Screw it,
she thought and went in through the wide front doors with her own agenda in mind.

After figuring out the basic layout of the shelves, she wandered into the reference section and started looking at dictionaries.

The
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary
defined
cave
as a hollow in the earth. There was a secondary meaning: to give in. Is that what it was? A command?
Give in.
But what was she supposed to cave to? There had been no demands. It wasn’t like Katharine had ever held out against anything in her life. There was no need to demand that she do what came naturally.

She couldn’t find anything else that made any sense whatsoever in the other dictionaries. After half an hour she sat there on the aisle floor with all the tomes in a heap around her, thinking of everything and coming up with nothing.