Hopeless (2 page)

“I’m sorry. I seem to be havin’ a little
trouble focusin’ right now, Ms. Pierce. I’ve been tied up in meetings and
interviews all day. I think I just need to stretch and get a glass of water
before we continue. Can I get you anything?”

She licked her lips before nodding her
head. “No, sir, I’m fine, thank you.”

The word was commonplace in most karate
studios. All of his students and instructors called him
sir
, yet it
sounded foreign on her lips. He didn’t want to stand on ceremony with her; he
wanted to get to know her… intimately. “Please, call me Jay.”

She looked taken aback by the invitation.
Most Grand Masters preferred the formal title to their first name, especially
inside the studio. “I’m not sure—”

He held his hand up to silence her protest.
“Please, I wouldn’t have invited you to use my first name unless I wanted you
to.” Truthfully, he couldn’t wait to hear his name falling from her full,
glossy lips.

She smiled. “Fine… Jay.”

He gripped the armrests of his chair as he
leaned forward. Never in his life had he had this kind of physical reaction to
a woman. It was taking everything in him not to reach out and touch her again. “Okay,
I’ll be right back.”

Jay cursed all the way down the hall to the
water cooler. He did not have time for this right now. He was supposed to be
expanding his business and building his team, not thinking about having those
long, silky legs wrapped around his waist.

Karen looked up from her desk and smiled as
he walked past her door. “So, was I right about her? Is she great or what?”

He scowled as he walked into her office and
closed the door. “Does she have a boyfriend… husband?” He didn’t know why the
thought of her going home to another man made his gut clench, but it did. He
wanted Karen to tell him she was available more than he’d wanted anything in a
long, long time.

Tongue in cheek, she pretended to focus on
her computer screen. “Nope, she’s definitely single.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“I was complaining to her about Brad and
she said that’s why she’s still single, men are too much trouble.” She laughed.
“I can’t argue with her there.”

Jay knew he should lecture his assistant
about discussing her personal life with potential employees, but he was just so
relieved to know Victoria was available, he decided to let it pass. “Good to
know.” He reached for the door handle.

“Does that mean you’re gonna hire her?”

“I don’t even know if she’s qualified yet.
I’ve barely been able to string two words together since she walked into my
office.”

Karen giggled. “I knew it. I just knew she
was gonna be perfect for you.”

“Who the hell said anything about her bein’
perfect for me?”

“Oh please, I haven’t seen you this
affected by a woman since…” She pressed a lacquered fingernail to her lips.
“Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

“You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.
You haven’t even seen us together.” Jay wanted to deny it, but his gut told him
his friend was right. There was something different about this woman, starting
with the way she made him feel.

“You can deny it all you want, but I’ve
known you a long time, Jay. You’re always so composed, and I can tell just by
lookin’ at you that you’re rattled.”

He couldn’t deny she was right. “I’m just tired,
stressed out…”

She winked. “I know a great stress
reliever.”

The thought of taking Victoria to his place
to test that theory shouldn’t be so damn appealing. “I gotta get back in
there.”  He clenched his jaw. “Let’s hope I don’t make a complete fool of
myself this time.”

Victoria thought about running down the
hall and out the door before Jay could come back. She knew this was a bad idea.
Jay Cooper was every woman’s flesh and blood fantasy. He was tall and muscular with
cropped black hair, clear blue eyes, and inked biceps. The stubble on his jaw
seemed to be his trademark. What she hadn’t counted on was his charisma. She’d
sensed it when she was one of a hundred people mesmerized by his performance,
but she’d fooled herself into believing he couldn’t possibly be as compelling
face-to-face. Evidently, she’d been wrong.

She sat up straighter when she heard the
soft click of the door closing behind him.

“Sorry about that, Victoria.”

The mere sound of him uttering her name
shouldn’t feel like a lover’s caress skimming her skin, but it did. She pasted
a smile on her face and prayed he couldn’t tell how much it was costing her to
hold it together in his presence. She needed this job, and despite her
attraction to him, she wanted this job.

“No problem.”

He eased into the leather chair behind his
desk and scanned the piece of paper bearing her name. “So, it says here you’ve
been studyin’ karate for ten years?”

“Yes, sir.” She smiled when he raised an
eyebrow. “With the exception of a brief hiatus seven years ago.” She prayed he
wouldn’t question her about the leave. She hated lying, but there was no way
she was willing to share details of her past with a perfect stranger, no matter
how enticing he may be.

“You studied with Carl Moore before he
retired? He and my father go way back. He’s a good man.”

She owed Carl Moore for saving her life.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the same allegiance to the man who bought Carl’s
studio when he retired last month. He’d been a merciless thorn in her side for
thirty days and thirty nights, flirting with her at every opportunity, but
never crossing any lines that would give her the ammunition to put him in his
place.

“I think my dad mentioned Carl retired
recently.”

“He did.”

“Mind if I ask why you’re ready to make a
change now?”

She could give him the politically correct
response about looking for new opportunities or she could tell him the truth.
Jay seemed like a man who would appreciate honesty. “My new boss has made no
secret of the fact he wants to sleep with me.”

Jay let the paper flutter to his desk as he
clenched his fist. “Really?”

Victoria flushed when she realized what
she’d said. There was honesty, but what she’d said crossed the line. She was on
a job interview, not out on a date with the man. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have
said-”

He scowled. “Was it true?”

“Of course, but—”

“Then you should have said it.”

She had to admire the fact he was a man who
didn’t pull his punches. “Perhaps you could tell me a little bit more about the
position…if I’m still a candidate.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?”

She’d never been so confused or uncertain
in her life. Ever since she stepped foot in his office, she felt unbalanced, as
though her world was shifting and she was being upended. “The ad said this was
a managerial position?”

“Yeah, I’m openin’ a new studio, and I need
a manager. The position would require you to supervise the instructors, prepare
schedules, maintain client records, oversee the students’ progress, implement
my marketing plan, and of course, manage the day-to-day operations of the
studio. The first priority will be buildin’ membership, so I’ll be there a lot
in the first few months to make sure you’re meeting your targets.” He grinned.
“After that, I wouldn’t be breathin’ down your neck quite as much.”

There was no way a quick flash of straight,
white teeth and shallow dimples should be arousing, but it was. God, this man
was sexy, but she would have to come to terms with his appeal if he offered her
the job.

The position he described was everything
she wanted. Higher pay, more responsibility, and the ability to merge her
passion for martial arts, business, and marketing to build a successful
business from the ground up using Jay’s proven business model and the power of
his reputation as one of the most well-respected martial artists in the state.

“On paper, you seem the perfect candidate,
Victoria.”

She knew there was a “but” coming. She
should have been grateful, now she wouldn’t have to fight her attraction to
this man day in and day out, but the perks made it difficult to pretend she
wasn’t disappointed. “If you’re concerned since I’ve never managed a studio
before…”

“No, you have the business and marketing
experience I’m lookin’ for. You’ve been workin’ part-time as an instructor for
six years…”

She held her breath. “But?”

“I’d need to see you in action before I
decide whether we’re a good fit.” He looked up and their eyes locked for a
long, lingering minute. “What I mean is, I’d want to see you lead a class. I
need to know you’re comfortable with the students.”

When she thought of him seeing her in
action, her mind shouldn’t have drifted from her horse stance to an image of
her astride his powerful body, proving to him firsthand what she was capable
of.

He leaned in closer and his eyes fell to
her heaving chest when he whispered, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Jay…” His name was a plea and a prayer on
her lips. She almost hoped he would tell her to go home because she wasn’t the
person he was looking for. For the first time, her gaze drifted to his left
hand, praying she’d see a gold band marking him ‘off limits,’ but his hand was
bare.

He closed his eyes and tipped his head
back, drawing a deep breath. “What the hell is wrong with me today?”

Whatever it was, she’d obviously been
infected as well. “Maybe we should meet again, to discuss this, when you’re
feeling up to it?”
When I’m not thinking about leaning in and begging you…

“No.” He scraped his hands over his face.
“Let’s just do this now, if that’s okay with you?”

What choice did she have? It’s not like
there was a multitude of martial arts studios looking to hire a manager, and if
she stayed where she was, she had no doubt she’d been putting her skills to
good use fighting off her new boss. Her instincts told her Jay would never
cross any lines or take more than she was willing to give, which made him a
safer bet, she hoped.

 
“Of course, if you’re sure?”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure of anything
right now. But I still have a business to run, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

Jay watched Victoria lead the green belt
class. Her confidence and grace were making him crazy. He’d tried to rein in
his reaction at least a dozen times. He lectured himself about paying attention
to her form, her interaction with her students, but he couldn’t take his eyes
off the curves concealed beneath her shapeless uniform.

He wasn’t surprised by his attraction to
her. He loved strong, powerful women, and she possessed those attributes in
spades. She commanded respect from her students, but she was also approachable
and genuine in her desire to see her students succeed under her tutelage.

Jay understood her passion. He’d been
studying martial arts since he was five years old, and nothing made him feel
the way he felt when he was able to don his uniform and demonstrate his passion
to students who were anxious to learn.  

Karen sat down beside him. “Hey there.”

Jay’s gaze drifted to the dozens of parents
scattered in the chairs outlining the perimeter of the room. He’d been so engrossed
watching Victoria, he’d barely noticed they were there. “I thought you and Brad
were goin’ to the movies after work?”

Brad and Karen were former students of his,
though they were only a year or two younger than him. Brad managed Jay’s first
studio, the studio his father, Josh, had opened when Jay was a teenager.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s still back there
helping Beth with her form.”

Jay grinned. “He’s just doin’ his job,
darlin’. You know he’s not interested in her.”

“Whatever.” She pretended to study her
manicure. “I’m thinking it might be time for me to start playing the field
anyway, so if he wants her, let him have her.”

Jay knew Brad was planning to propose to
Karen in a few weeks, on their two year anniversary. He sure hoped Karen
wouldn’t allow her petty jealousy to wreak havoc with the best thing that had
ever happened to either of them. Seeing his two friends fall in love had given
Jay hope there just might be someone out there for him, someone who would look
at him the way Karen looked at Brad when she thought no one was looking. “You
know you love him, and he loves you. Don’t do anything you’ll regret
later." 

“I don’t want to talk about him.” She
pointed at Victoria. “I want to talk about her. She’s something else, isn’t
she?”

The words Jay would use to describe her
hardly seemed appropriate, given the circumstances, so he tried for
professionalism instead. “I’d like to see her black belt form, just to make
sure she’s got the bases covered. When the kids take a break, I might get Brad
to take over this class, so I can get her to work with Beth in the back.”