Legally Tied (3 page)

Chapter Four

As the next week went by, it was hard for Lyndsay to get Nick off her mind. She couldn’t believe her body’s primal reaction to this man she’d just met. She felt so blessed that she had gotten called into work that Saturday. Had two of the employees not called in sick, she would never have met him, let alone have the opportunity to be alone with him in his house. Finally, Friday arrived, and as Lyndsay got dressed for work that morning, she took special care choosing her outfit. She needed to be dressed appropriately for work and look professional, but she also wanted to add a little sexiness to her outfit for her 3 p.m. appointment with Nick. As she decided upon a black pencil skirt that hugged her hips and a red blouse that she could undo the top button after work to look a bit sexier, Lyndsay then chose a sensible pair of pumps for work but threw a prettier pair of sexy sling backs into her bag for the afternoon appointment. Satisfied with her outfit, Lyndsay grabbed her bag and headed off to work, counting down the minutes to 3 p.m.

Fortunately the day went by very quickly because she had to finish up
a big project she had been working on for the lobby of a local hotel. The next thing she knew it was afternoon and her project was completed. Seeing that the clock read 2:15, Lyndsay knew she’d have to hurry or she’d be late for her appointment with Nick.

As she
gathered up all of the things she needed for the appointment, Jodi poked her head into Lyndsay’s office and said with a wicked grin, “Heading out to see Mr. Hottie Pants?” Jodi was the one who had introduced her to Nick Olson last Saturday and because she and Lyndsay were good friends, she knew about the 3 p.m. appointment today.

“Hush now, you bad girl,”
Lyndsay scolded. “I’m just going to check out his house, that’s all.”

Seeing that
Lyndsay’s face was a bit flushed, Jodi further teased, “You need to check out more than his house, girl! That’s one fine looking piece of man. You need to tap that!”

As both women broke up laughing,
Lyndsay countered, “Calm down, you horny toad. The only thing I want to “tap” right now is landing that account.”

Completely
amused by her associate and friend trying to be all business-like, Jodi gave one last sarcastic parting shot before backing out of her office, “I hear ya. That’s one account I’d like to land, too!” Waving a dismissive hand, Lyndsay grabbed her tape measure, threw it in her bag, and went out the back door of the store to her car.

***

The day prior, Lyndsay had Map Quested his address. She was pleased to see that he lived in a very nice suburb of Providence that wasn’t far from the store. Before pulling out of the parking lot, Lyndsay switched her sensible shoes for the sexier ones and unbuttoned the top of her blouse. Although she was completely hot for this man, she didn’t want to come off like she was, in case he wasn’t interested. She would hate to lose this potentially big job if he thought she was coming on to him and it made him uncomfortable. Lyndsay knew she was dancing a very fine line and had to maintain her professionalism at all times. No matter how sexually aroused he made her, she didn’t want to make a fool of herself or hurt the reputation of the store. Although Lyndsay hated to admit it, she was not very experienced with men. She had dated a couple of guys in college but neither of them had done much more than clumsily grope her. Because of those less than satisfying sexual experiences, Lyndsay just gave up on dating and concentrated on her studies. She hung out with a great group of female friends all through college who were all boy crazy and talked constantly about their sexual exploits, but Lyndsay was the naïve and inexperienced one of the group. Her body had never felt anything like it did last week in her office talking to Nick, and although it was exciting, it also scared her a bit. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own when he was around but she had to secretly admit that she liked it. Taking the last turn onto Benton Street, Lyndsay was just moments away from his house and scanned the mailboxes for 321 Benton. In seconds, she spotted it and pulled into the driveway, parking behind his black BMW.

Taking a deep breath,
Lyndsay grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, gave herself one last look in the mirror, got out of the car, and proceeded to his front door. So far, she loved the exterior. It was a two story brick home with a nice size lawn with a beautiful stone walkway leading to the house from the driveway. The landscaping along the front of the house had a nicely manicured selection of shrubs, plants, and blooming annuals leading to an inviting covered front porch. As she climbed the three brick stairs up to the porch, she could hear the front door being unlocked, and before she had a chance to ring the bell, the door flung open wide and there was Nick dressed in a gorgeous tailored suit. Momentarily thrown off balance at seeing him in his work attire, Lyndsay almost dropped her bag seeing how handsome, magnificent, and powerful he looked dressed up. When Lyndsay had seen him last Saturday at the store, he had been casually dressed in jeans, a button down shirt, and some hiking boots. The contrasting outfit he was wearing today made her come completely unglued and it took all of her concentration to give him a professional greeting.

“Come inside,” Nick invited
, while stepping aside to let her in. “Can I offer you something to drink?”

Not trusting hersel
f to sound coherent, Lyndsay shook her head and replied simply, “I’m fine, but thanks.” She could feel Nick’s eyes boring into her and she knew from the heat on her face that she was blushing.
Damn it,
she thought.
I haven’t been here five minutes and the man has already turned me into a mess.
Turning away from him so she wouldn’t embarrass herself further, Lyndsay asked, “May I walk around the house first, just to get a feel of the place?” When she heard his inviting response, Lyndsay walked from room to empty room, taking measurements, photos with her digital camera, and jotted down some ideas and thoughts about the kind of décor that would suit the newness and style of the home. Lyndsay could feel his presence behind her and she could sense rather than see his eyes watching her every move.

As Nick followed her around, he could feel the fabric around his crotch getting tighter and knew he was getting a hard on
. Damn, she looks so sexy in that tight skirt,
he mused. He didn’t know whether to look more at her voluptuous ass swaying or her shapely lean legs. Every so often when she would bend over slightly to take a measurement, Nick thought he was going to pop right out of his trousers. He was grateful that his suit trousers were pleated to better hide his growing erection. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable and decline the job. He already knew he was going to hire her and that they would be spending quite a bit of time together in the upcoming weeks. For Nick, it was going to be hard not to jump her bones, but he really needed his house decorated, so he would just have to keep it in his pants. He was sure looking forward to spending time with this beautiful girl with soft, golden curls, big brown eyes and a rocking body full of soft feminine curves, however.

Breaking him out of his reverie
Lyndsay asked, “Nick, did you go through the magazines and pick out some styles that you like?”

Nick had almost forgotten to do that because he was back in court that week and didn’t seem to have a minute to himself. But at the eleventh hour, he had shuf
fled through the magazines she had sent him home with and had dog eared the pages that had furniture he liked and some styles he felt comfortable with. Going into the kitchen, Nick grabbed the magazines off the kitchen counter and handed them to her.

As
Lyndsay looked through his choices, she could quickly see he had excellent taste and she loved everything he had picked out. For the next hour, she barraged him with all kinds of questions from what size bed he had in mind to what he envisioned for each room. Writing down copious notes, Lyndsay was getting a very clear picture on a design scheme and she couldn’t wait to get started. Every so often when Lyndsay picked her eyes up from her notes, she would see him staring at her and it made her a bit nervous, but also excited. She had to constantly remind herself not to flirt with him and to remain professional at all times. Now that she had his decorating vision in mind, she didn’t want to blow the deal and lose this great opportunity. This was the project of a lifetime and as much as her body was reacting to his raw male sexuality, she was just going to have to put work before pleasure. Sticking out her arm for a handshake, she said in her most professional business voice, “Thank you for your time today. I think I have everything I need. I’ll be working on some basic sketches in the next week so you can see if I’m going in the right direction. If you like my initial designs and want to hire me, then we can go over our fees and the projected budget at that time. Does that sound acceptable?”

Nodding his head in agreement, Nick reached for her hand to shake it. God, how he wanted to pull her into
his arms and ravish her with his mouth. She had the most full, pouty lips he had ever seen and he wanted to make love to those lips with his. Reluctantly releasing her hand from his, Nick said, “That would be fine. When you’re ready, call my office and set up an appointment with Gracey, my secretary. I’ll tell her that you’ll be calling.”

As he reached into his pocket to pull out his business card,
Lyndsay was a bit disappointed that she had been relegated to calling his secretary versus calling him personally. Hiding her disappointment, she tucked his card in her bag, said goodbye, and pulled away.

Chapter Five

Lyndsay
hadn’t been in her office five minutes on Monday morning when Jodi tracked her down with a huge grin on her face. “So,” she said with a twinkle in her eye and a lilt in her voice. “How did it go on Friday with Mr. Hottie Pants?”

Lyndsay
looked at her friend, rolled her eyes, and replied, “Easy, missy. It went just fine. He has a beautiful home and I already started working on his initial plans this weekend.”

Keeping up the playful banter,
Jodi said suggestively, “The way I saw him looking at you the last time, I could see that he would like nothing better than you to work on his…plans!”

Giving
Jodi a surprised look, Lyndsay asked, “What do you mean, the way he was looking at me? You’re a crazy, hopeless, horny romantic.”

Shaking her head back and forth
, Jodi said, “Seriously, girlfriend. I’m not kidding. I saw his face when I first introduced you guys, then I looked at him a couple of times when I walked by your office while you both were talking and I definitely saw a lustful expression on his face as he left the store. I think Mr. Hottie Pants has the hots for you!”

Sc
owling at Jodi, Lyndsay said in a stern tone, “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a potential client who’s grateful for the help. Besides, even if I was interested in him, which I’m not,” she said, lying through her teeth, “He’s way out of my league. He’s a successful prosecuting attorney and I’m just an interior designer. I’m sure he’s used to, and prefers, higher powered women than me.”

Shaking her head in feigned disgust
, Jodi replied, “Oh my poor, completely naïve, out of touch friend. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You are a smoking looking woman. I’ll bet you anything Mr. Hottie Pants got a hard on when you were at his house!” Although the idea of what Jodi was saying was titillating, she wouldn’t let herself entertain the idea of it possibly being true. And she wasn’t going to admit to Jodi that indeed she did have the hots for Nick.

Fei
gning annoyance, Lyndsay said, “Don’t you have some work to do?” As Jodi retreated from her office laughing, Lyndsay couldn’t help but secretly hope she was right.

***

“Stettler, Stettler, and Olson,” the receptionist answered. “How can I help you?” Clearing her throat, Lyndsay introduced herself and explained that she needed to make an appointment with Nick Olson. “Oh yes, Miss Welch. Mr. Olson said you would be calling. He’s very excited about seeing your designs and has asked me to make your appointment a priority.” Feeling uplifted at the news, Lyndsay arranged a time with Gracey for the next day at noon. “Mr. Olson requested that you join him for lunch at Maximillian’s for the presentation as our guest. Would that work with your schedule?” Lyndsay was beside herself. Not only was she going to have lunch with him, but she had been dying to try Maximillian’s but couldn’t afford the pricey menu. Trying to sound casual like this sort of thing happened every day, Lyndsay agreed to the meeting for the next day. Hanging up the phone, she pumped her fists in the air in excitement and couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Her next biggest worry was…would he like her designs?

Lyndsay
knew exactly where Maximillian’s was on South Street in downtown Providence and she had no problem parking. Lugging her bag with her laptop, sketch pad, and a folder full of sample pictures, she entered the restaurant feeling nervous about seeing him again, worried about whether he’d like her ideas, and uncertain about eating at such a high caliber restaurant. Although her father had taken her and Carl out to dinner many times growing up, it was usually to family restaurants. Lyndsay had never been to such an exclusive restaurant before and her nerves were a bit on edge.

As she approached the hostess stand and said she was meeting someone, the
hostess glanced at her computer and asked, “Are you meeting with Mr. Olson?” Nodding her head in the affirmative, the hostess explained, “Mr. Olson is already here. Please follow me.” Following the woman across the dining room, Lyndsay saw Nick immediately sitting in a booth. The restaurant smelled heavenly and she loved the white table clothes and the deep, rich wood tone of the chairs and walls. As she approached the table, she could see Nick stand up and smile.

Trying to project as confident an air as possible,
Lyndsay extended her hand once again in a business like greeting and said, “Thank you for inviting me to lunch. I’ve always wanted to come here.”

Remaining
standing while Lyndsay slid into her side of the booth with her oversized bag, Nick replied, “I’m glad you could join me. It’s nice to get out of the office for a while, don’t you think? It makes things a little less formal.” Not knowing what to say, Lyndsay simply nodded her head and smiled.

For the first half hour, they perused the menu and Nick gently asked personal questions about her. She was secretly thril
led that he cared enough to ask but reminded herself that he was just being polite and to not read too much into it. When lunch arrived, they continued to keep things on a personal level and Lyndsay began to explore a little bit about his family and background. She noticed he rarely took his eyes off her and the intensity of his gaze made her feel like he was looking right into her soul. Once the dishes were cleared, it was time for the presentation. As Lyndsay pulled out her laptop and booted it up, she realized that there was no way she could make the presentation with both of them being on opposite sides of the table. She was going to have either move over to his side of the booth or he was going to have to squeeze in next to her.
For the love of Liza,
Lyndsay thought desperately.
This is going to be awkward.
Clearing her throat, she explained,” I’m not going to be able to walk you through my ideas on the laptop from this angle. Perhaps I should come over to your side of the table?”

Realizing that what she was saying was indeed a problem, Nick held up his hand and said, “Stay where you are. I’ll come around to your side.” Within seconds Nick was shoulder to shoulder with her in the booth and she could instantly smell the light scent of his aftershave. Up until now, they had never been this close to one another an
d Lyndsay just hoped to god she could manipulate the laptop keys without fumbling. Sitting side by side with eyes glued on the computer screen, Lyndsay walked Nick through her initial sketches and layout designs. As the minutes ticked by, Nick remained silent, and the more silent he was, the more nervous she got. Fearing that he hated what she was showing him, Lyndsay grew increasingly uncomfortable. The fact that he was sitting so close made it even worse. Every so often his shoulder or leg would rub up against her and she could feel an increased wave of desire overtake her. She could also feel her body heating up due to his close proximity.

Coming to
a close on the presentation, Lyndsay was so nervous that she actually felt jittery. Why in the world did she ever think this powerful, successful man would like anything she had to design? He could certainly afford far more experienced designers and she feared that’s exactly what he was thinking now. She had been so excited about the possible opportunity of getting this job that she had told just about everyone at the store, including her boss, about the meeting. To come back not having landed it was going to be a terrible embarrassment. Lyndsay knew everyone would be polite and supportive about it, but she also knew they would be let down as well. To have Nick Olson, one the city’s rising and well known attorneys as a client would definitely be a coup for them. Why hadn’t she just kept her big mouth shut?

He
aring Nick clear his throat, Lyndsay braced herself for the worst and was already thinking about how she was going to graciously thank him for his time and wish him luck with another designer. Extending his arm to point to her last sketch on the laptop screen, Nick asked, “Do you think we could add another chair over in this corner?”

Lyndsay
was momentarily dumbfounded. Now she didn’t know what to think. Was he just playing with her? Or was he really serious about the question? Too nervous to look him in the eye, Lyndsay kept her eyes on the screen and replied as nonchalantly as she could, “Yes. That would be no problem. You also have the option of putting a small decorative chest there as well, depending upon whether you want more seating or storage.” As Nick pulled his arm back to his side, his arm briefly brushed up against her breast and her heart stopped.
Was that just an accident?
she wondered. Lyndsay hadn’t had a man touch her in so long that just this slight touch instantly caused a fluttering between her thighs. Trying to pretend like nothing happened and positive that it was not intended, Lyndsay gave him an opportunity to not have to let her down in person and said, “I brought you a copy of these sketches to look over later. You don’t have to let me know today. And of course you’re welcome to call me with any questions.”

Just as she reached her hand up to close the
screen of the laptop, Nick reached up and covered her hand with his, blocking her from closing it. Not understanding why he was stopping her from leaving, she had no choice but to turn her head and look at him. Seeing his beautiful green eyes, sexy stubble, and feeling heat radiating throughout her body from sitting so close to him, Lyndsay became speechless and just stared into his eyes.

Keeping his hand gently on hers, Nick said in a soft voice, “I love everything about these designs and you’re most certainly hired.”

It took every effort for Lyndsay not to throw her arms around his neck. She was relieved on so many levels that he had hired her that she couldn’t stop talking. “Thank you so much, Nick. I’m really looking forward to working with you. You have a beautiful house and it is my pleasure to help you turn it into your home.”

As
Lyndsay continued on with the details of the contract she needed him to sign and discussed the budget, Nick didn’t hear a word she said. He was lost in her beautiful smile and her eyes that were dancing in excitement. She was perhaps the most honestly beautiful woman he had ever met and something tugged at his heart seeing how happy he had made her. He felt like a superhero in her eyes and once again, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and protect her forever. As she handed him the pen to sign the contract, Nick pulled himself together and scrawled his signature. As he sat writing the check for his down payment, it occurred to him that he had never moved back to his side of the booth after the presentation. The delicate scent of her perfume and the closeness of her body was like a magnet to his male desires. With the check and paperwork all signed, Nick had no other choice than to stand up and end their meeting. As he extended his arm to help her out of the booth, Lyndsay took his proffered hand and gave him a wide smile that melted his heart. Thanking her again as he walked her to her car, Nick knew he was in trouble by hiring her. In the upcoming weeks they would be spending a fair amount of time together and if he found out she was in love with someone else or wasn’t attracted to him, it could quite simply break his heart. Regardless, it was a chance he was just going to have to take.