Instructing an Heiress (5 page)

But at what price? Turning innocent CK into a woman so hot no man could resist her?

Shaking his head, Ryan prowled back to his desk. He wasn't sure he could bring himself to do it, despite the promise he'd made her. And what if it couldn't be done? What if the best she could manage in a month was a clueless twerp like Steve?

A dark feeling of dissatisfaction settled heavily across his chest. She was setting herself up for a world of hurt with this plan of hers. He had to stop her. The choice was as simple as that.

Once she got over being mad at him, she'd realized that there were other possibilities out there for her—nice guys who'd treat her with the care she deserved.
 

Clenching his fists he paced back to the window. Unfortunately, CK was an endlessly stubborn woman. Convincing her wouldn't be easy.
 

A picture of her all buttoned up in one of her shapeless colorless suits flashed into his mind. The irony of the whole thing was beyond surreal. How could she think for a moment that she'd have the nerve to doll herself up and prance around until men fell all over themselves drooling for her. She was too painfully modest to ever go through with it, always had been.
 

An idea unexpectedly fired up in his mind and his pulse quickened.

She
wouldn't
have the nerve.

If he came on strong enough with this, he'd bet the whole quarter mil she'd offered him that he could scare her off in a matter of days. Ryan smiled.

After that, they could come up with a sound approach to the problem. One that didn't involve CK throwing her life and innocence away on a man who didn't love her.

*
 
*
 
*

CK typed energetically on her laptop. The contract was almost done and was some of her best work. Ryan would deliver exactly what she needed and she would beat her meddling, miserable grandfather at his own game. As a bonus, she'd finally get a chance to find out what all the fuss was about.

Something heavy banged against her door and she looked up. A moment later, the handle jiggled and then the door swung open. Ryan staggered into her office loaded down with shopping bags, his blond hair mussed beyond his normal stylish level.

"I surrender," he said on a hearty exhale of breath.

She pursed her lips in disapproval. "The Wayland meeting is in half an hour. Why were you shopping?"

"Sale at Saks." Ryan dropped his purchases, tripped on them as he staggered to the large sofa in the corner, and fell gracelessly into its cushioned, leather embrace. "Complete insanity. Hundreds of crazed women. But I got the good stuff."

She studied him for a moment longer, not sure what to make of this perplexing revelation. She would never have guessed in a million years that he liked to shop. Then she noticed the smudge of color on his face and understanding dawned.

"There's lipstick on the corner of your mouth. Make some new friends?"
 

 
Ryan grinned at her. "Maybe I got a make-over."

CK grabbed the tissues she kept on her desk and tossed them at him. He neatly caught the box.
 

"Your inventive methods for finding new conquests are a constant marvel, Anderson." She turned back to her laptop as Ryan yanked out a tissue and scrubbed his mouth clean.
 

"Wait 'til you see what I found for you."
 

"Why would you get me anything?" she asked, without looking up.

She heard him drag a bag across the floor and then the rustle of tissue paper. Curious, she glanced up. Her eyes widened at the lacy black scrap of material dangling from his fingers.
 

"What the heck is that?"

"Panties. Half-price."

"Looks like you broke even. It's only half a pair."
 

His dark blonde brows arched. "Is that a joke?"

"I'll say. That thing's ridiculous looking." She turned her attention back to the contract and typed in the last few lines. "I hope you don't expect me to wear something as silly as that thing."

"It's called a thong. Very sexy. In the full set, no man will be able to resist you."

"Since I don't intend to walk around showing off half-constructed underwear, said men will have to be disappointed." She saved her document and sent it to the printer.
 

Rubbing the back of her neck, she rotated her head, cracking the tension out. "Contract is done."

Pushing to his feet, Ryan limped over to her desk. He gave her a stern look. "Don't crack your neck like that. Not girly. And if you're determined to go through with this, you're completely changing your look. From the panties out."

She didn't care much for his bossy tone and gave him a level look. "For all you know I don't even wear underwear."
 

She lifted the contract out of the printer tray and held it out to him. He stood frozen on the other side of her desk, his autumn-sky eyes locked onto her. A curiously intense gleam seared their depths.
 

A peculiar feeling fluttered deep in her belly. "Anderson?"
 

"Are you?" he asked, his voice catching oddly.

"Am I what?"

"Not wearing panties?"

She frowned, genuinely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"You said you don't wear underwear."

"I was being flippant. Here, take the contract. We need to get this finalized so we can focus on the meeting."

He seemed to shake himself loose from some unknown inner world and then an appalled look flashed through his eyes. He snapped his focus back to the contract, flipping quickly through it.

Swiping a pen from her desk, he scrawled something across page three and four and then put his signature on the last page.
 

A scrape of irritation ran down her back as she took the papers. What was so important that he had to make changes to a perfectly good contract before signing it?

She scanned his additions and frowned. "You gave me an escape clause? Why?"

"You'll be completely in my hands after you sign that CK. You needed an out."

Concern whispered at the back of her mind. "I trust you, Ryan."

That intriguing glitter of heat flared in his eyes and was quickly snuffed out. "You shouldn't. You really shouldn't."
 

The low, soft tone of his voice sent a quivering vibration rippling over her belly. A warm flush bloomed across her cheeks.
 

Without question, Ryan was weak-in-the-knees handsome. She wasn't blind, after all, but their friendship had always maintained strict boundaries. That's why they had a friendship. Except for those first few days of knowing him, she'd never felt
those
kinds of feelings. Not much, anyway.

He was doing something to her. Something on purpose. But why? And how?

She gave him one more speculative look and picked up a pen. "I don't understand anything about what's happening here, which proves that I need your help."
 

Ryan flattened his hand over the contract. "There's a tiny, low-cut green dress in one of those bags. If you sign, you'll be wearing it to the meeting this afternoon."
 

"Only if it fits. You don't know my measurements." She pulled the contract out from under his hand.
 

"I can make you wear it. With the thong," he added, his voice a low growl.

A shiver ran down her back. "Personal alterations that might jeopardize business activities are subject to discussion and final approval by me. Page two, paragraph five." She gave him a hard look. "Now stop trying to intimidate me, Anderson. I'm desperate. You can't scare me off."

Ryan exhaled and the interesting alpha male vibe that had been coming off of him faded away. He gave her a disgusted look. "You're too naive to be scared."

She scrawled her signature across the contract and then grinned at him. "Promise you'll teach me how to do what you just did. It's like testosterone mojo, or something. Except I'll need the female version."
 

"It's not too late to call this off. Tear that thing up and we'll pretend this never happened."

"Wayland meeting in twenty," she said, happily.

He closed her laptop and leaned toward her, his gaze hardening with determination. "Then we better get down to business."

Her happiness evaporated with the saliva in her mouth. "Are you doing that tough boy thing, again?"

"You said Wayland Junior seemed interested. That makes this the perfect time for a test run. Hair first."

The last of her bravado disintegrated and CK self-consciously touched the tightly knotted bun at the back of her head. "What do you have in mind?"

"First step; loosen you up." He motioned for her to get to her feet.

Her pulse kicked up a notch and she told herself not to be a baby. A month wasn't much time and she had a lot to learn. No pain, no gain. Pushing away from her desk, she stood and pretended her knees weren't shaking.

"You can still change your mind," he said.

"I have to do this."

"Then take off your jacket. I need to see what I have to work with."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "You said we were going to take down my hair."

"No, we're going to loosen you up." His hot gaze swept over her body. "All over."
 

"The Waylands are used to seeing me like this."
 

He stepped around the desk. "Take off your jacket, CK."

"That's a really bad idea."

"Is it?"

"From a business perspective, right now isn't the time to make changes."

"You want men to notice you, then you have to give them something to notice."

Her neck prickled with alarm. "You look angry."

"You have no idea."

He prowled toward her and panic constricted her chest. Scrambling back, she darted for the door. Ryan sprang at her. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around and hauled her up against his chest.
 

His warmth spread instantly through her and the strange tension in her belly coiled tight, spiraling down in a way she didn't want to analyze.

His gaze darkened and he gave her a light shake. "
I
don't want you to change, damn it. You're the one determined to do this. Now, take down your hair, take off your jacket and undo the top of your blouse or I will." He gave her another shake.

"Okay, okay. You're right," she gasped, her thoughts stumbling around in her head in flustered fragments.
 

Biting her lip, she reached behind her head and started pulling bobby pins out of her hair. She needed to calm down, she told herself sternly, but it was just that this was Ryan and suddenly...strange feelings were running around crazy inside her and she really didn't understand why.
 

Her eyes widened. "Are you doing that mojo thing on me, again?"

"The jacket too," he said, stepping away to watch her.

"If you are, stop it. You're making it hard for me to think." Tossing a handful of bobby pins onto her desk, she ran her fingers up into the cool softness of her hair and combed it around her shoulders.

His pupils dilated and the energy of the room shifted toward a daunting, earthy flavor that made her heart pound. He really was good at that, CK realized. Was he testing her? Trying to prove she wouldn't be able to resist dishonorable intentions?
 

Of course he was. Why hadn't she realized that before?
 

Well, if he was hoping she'd crash and burn, he was about to be vastly disappointed. She didn't do failure.
 

She pushed down the excitement tingling along her skin. "I'm keeping the jacket on," she stated, shaking out her hair. "Page two, paragraph—"

He reached out and with a few quick flicks of his fingers, unbuttoned her jacket.
 

She looked down in amazement, grateful when her hair fell forward to hide her expression.

"Off."

"I..."

"Now." His eyes blazed down at her and CK swallowed.

*
 
*
 
*

Her hair was soft and wavy with streaks of gold running through the rich auburn color, just like he remembered. His heart thumped heavily in his chest and Ryan couldn't take his eyes off of her. Just like he remembered.

Which was stupid.

He needed to focus on the job he had to do and not the aching tension tightening his groin. The quicker he panicked her into giving this up, the better for everyone.
 

"Now the coat," he said, firmly.

"The hair change will be shocking enough for the Waylands," she said, her voice sharp with defiance. "Conservative and businesslike started this merger and conservative and businesslike will finish it."

"Nice try. Are you going to take it off, or am I?"
 

Her grip tightened on the lapels and she pulled them closer to her throat.

"Have it your way." Swooping in, he grasped her hands and started prying her grip from the hip-length jacket. The back of his hands brushed across firm breasts and he paused, puzzled. He'd never thought she had much going on in that department; not that anyone could tell, at least.
 

Her knuckles turned white and she glared at him like she wanted to kill. Smiling, he slipped his hand under the lapel and grazed his fingers across decidedly feminine curves. Dismay skated across her face and her grip loosened. Ryan pulled the coat off one shoulder, and with a quick yank, peeled it off her back and down the other side.

Cheeks burning a bright pink, CK's gaze tracked the jacket as it landed on the chair behind him. Lifting her chin in challenge, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uhn, uh," he said, shaking his head. "I'm too intrigued to give up that easily." Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he firmly tugged her arms away from her chest and held them out to her side.

Her blouse was nothing special. A plain, button-to-the-neck white number with no embellishments. She looked small to average, but he knew what he'd felt. Something else was going on.