So Much Trouble When She Walked In (3 page)

“Do
you agree?”  Frank Slater gave him a pointed look, obviously fully aware by now
that Max hadn’t been listening.

“Just
run that by me again,” Max said with a grunt.  “We’ll hammer things out and
I’ll have you out of here in no time.”

Slater
seemed relieved at that and Max didn’t mind wrapping up early.

He
had a lot on his mind, not least of which was his mystery chameleon.  And, for
some insane reason, he had a pressing urge to see her again. 

***

“Jeff’s
here.”

Silken
almost banged her head on the hood of the car as Suave yelled out to her from
the office door.  They really had to do something about their communication
system around the auto shop.  This yelling business could not continue.  Jerked
out of concentration by Suave’s yells, one day she would put her eye out if she
wasn’t careful.

“Yeah,
I heard you,” she yelled back.  “I’ll be right in.”  She slid the oil dipstick
back into its socket and grabbed a damp rag from the nearby counter, scrubbing
at her hands as she loped toward the office.  “I’ll be back in a sec, guys,”
she called out to the mechanics working on the truck on the raised car lift. 
“Just need to have a quick chat.”

“No
problem, boss.”  Bill gave her a wave.  “We’ll hold the fort.”

Silken
had no doubt he would.  He and Keith had been with her since they’d opened the
shop two years earlier, fresh out of college, she with her degree in mechanical
engineering and diploma in automotive repair, and Suave with her double major in
finance and accounting.  Although they’d grown up in Wisconsin they’d chosen
California as the perfect setting for their new business and Cupertino as the
ideal city – full of young professionals with fast cars and heavy pockets, the
rewards of their jobs in the Silicon Valley tech industry.  They’d never be
short of business here.

Silken
slid the glass door open and stepped into the air-conditioned office, sliding
her palms down her overalls as she went.  As soon as she saw Jeff’s blond head,
she smiled.  His back was to her, his eyes glued to the television set in the
corner where a basketball game was in progress.  Typical male, when a game was
on he was blind, deaf and dumb to the outside world. 

“Hey,
Jeff.  How’s it going?”

At
her greeting he turned around and his dazed TV eyes cleared and she saw the
spark of recognition.  “Hey, Silk.  Lookin’ good, as usual.”

She
put a hand to her hair and gave him a simpering smile.  “I bet you tell that to
all the girls.”  Then she laughed.  “Or at least to Suave.  Where is she, by
the way?”

“Told
me she was going to get some files from the back room.”

“Oh,
okay.”  Silken dropped onto a nearby chair.  “So did you find anything? Who’s
the man I’m going to have to humble myself to?”

Jeff
chuckled.  “Humble is right.  You’ll never believe who you cursed out.”

“Who?”

“Patience.” 
Jeff put up his hand. “Let’s wait till Suave gets back.  I want to see the look
on both your faces.”

Silken
frowned.  She didn’t like the sound of that.  It sounded like the guy was some
kind of important person.  Had she messed with the wrong man?

“Sorry,
guys.  I’m expecting a call so I just wanted to make sure I have the client's
file on hand.”  Suave dropped the folder on top of the desk and slipped into
her chair.  “So what’s the news, Jeff?  You look like the cat who ate the
canary.”

“I
feel like it.”  Jeff grinned as he looked from one to the other.  “And you guys
are damn lucky you have a friend in the police force who can get you critical
information at the drop of a-”

“Yeah,
yeah, get on with it.”  Silken cut him off before he could get started.  Jeff loved
to remind them that he was a detective on the force.  You’d think he was head
of the FBI, the way he carried on.  She rolled her eyes but softened it with a
smile.  “Don’t torture us, Jeff.  You know we’re dying to hear what you found
out.”  The perfect words to stroke his ego.

Jeff
grinned even wider.  “Okay, guys.  Listen up.”  He leaned forward in his chair
and his face took on a conspiratorial look.  “Have you ever heard of the
Davidoff line of perfumes and skin care products?”

Suave
shrugged.  “Who hasn’t?  That’s an international brand.”

“And
they have hair care products too, right?”  Silken frowned as she tried to
remember all the places she’d heard the name.

“Right
you are,” Jeff said, looking pleased.  “So you’ve heard of Maximillian Davidoff?”

Silken
snorted.  “No.  Is he the owner of the company or something?”

“I’ve
heard of him…” Suave said, her voice trailing off.  “I read an article about
him once but he seems to be a very private person.  They say he doesn’t grant
interviews.”

Jeff
nodded.  “He stays out of the limelight. Acts like he’s just an ordinary guy. 
No fanfare, no nothing.  Rich like King Solomon although you couldn’t tell it
from the way he hangs.”

Silken
tilted her head.  “So what does he have to do with the man at the complex?  Does
he work for this Davidoff fellow?”  She’d asked the question but the sinking
feeling in her stomach told her she was just fooling herself, hoping against
hope, but doomed and destined for the worst case scenario.  The man she’d
embarrassed at the sports complex was none other than Maximillian Davidoff himself. 
She just knew it.

Jeff
beamed.  “That’s the best part.  You, my dear Silken, had a Maximillian
Davidoff sighting.  The license plate number checks out as his.  Now as long as
the man driving the car was the owner and not just his driver, you have the
distinguished honor of cursing out one of the richest, most powerful men on the
planet.”

Suave
gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at Silken.  “Oh, my God.  Do you think it’s
him?”

Silken
stifled a groan.  It was him.  She could feel it in her gut and her gut was
never wrong.  “It’s him,” she said, her tone dry as wood chip.  She cocked an
eyebrow at her sister.  “I know you’re going to insist that I still go through
with this apology.  So, since you’re my supportive sister and all…you wanna
come with me?"

CHAPTER
THREE

As
expected, Suave’s response to her request had been a big, fat no.  So much for
supportive sisters.

As
Silken sat in her parked car outside the unassuming building that housed
Davidoff’s Cupertino office, Silken bit down her bottom lip.  Was this really
such a good idea?  Maybe going in to see him to apologize would only make
things worse.  The man had probably forgotten all about the incident by now.

Then
she expelled her breath in a long sigh.  No, he hadn’t.  If he had, he wasn’t
human.  She grabbed her handbag and slung it over her shoulder then slid out of
the Volvo sedan.  Time to face the music.

As
she walked toward the low-slung building Silken couldn’t help but wonder what a
tycoon as big as Maximillian Davidoff was doing in a small city like
Cupertino.  A man of his stature should be in London or Paris, shouldn’t he, or
New York or Rome.  What the beeswax was he doing here in Silicon Valley where
she could end up running into him and getting herself in trouble?  By the time
she’d finished mumbling to herself she was convinced it was all his fault for
moving to her town.  He should have stayed in the urban centers of the world
where he belonged.

By
the time she got to the front door another question came to mind.  Why in the
world was he acting so unassuming, setting up office in a building that looked
just like any other one around?  Was this the Davidoff style?  Understated and
discreet?  If Jeff hadn’t dug hard they wouldn’t even have been able to find
the man's location.  She and Suave would certainly not have been able to do it
alone.

But
Jeff had done as they’d asked so here she was, about to have her first
face-to-face with the great man himself or, more accurately her second…but at
least this time it would be an amicable meeting.  She hoped.

Drawing
in a deep breath, she pulled the door open and walked in.  Then she stopped in
surprise.  The entrance and front office were practically devoid of furniture
and there was no-one to be seen.  The marble floor glistened under the pot
lights and the lone potted plant sitting on top of the receptionist counter looked
fat and green and very healthy.  But outside of that, there was not a stick of
furniture to be seen anywhere and not a single soul to greet her.  Of course,
she didn’t have an appointment.  It wasn’t like the man would have been
expecting her.  But still, what kind of business could he be running in a barren
place like this?  For a moment she was nonplussed, just standing there in the
middle of the open room, not knowing where to turn.  Was Davidoff even in the
building?

And
then a door opened and there he was, in blue Oxford shirt and khaki slacks,
looking tall and strong just like she remembered, and looking totally shocked.

One
second his eyebrows raised up and the next they dropped back down in a scowl. 
“What are you doing here?  Who are you, anyway, and how did you find me?”  He
shot the questions at her in rapid succession, his eyes pinning her to the
spot.

Caught
off guard by his sudden appearance, for a moment she was lost for words.  Then
she cleared her throat and turned to face him.  “Uh, hi.  I’m glad I caught
you.  I just wanted to…” Her voice trailed off and she blinked, the words
suddenly stuck in her throat.  She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag. 
Why was it always so hard for her to apologize?  Pulling teeth would be easier.

He
was watching her through narrowed eyes, his frown heavy like the onset of rain,
but he said nothing.  He was definitely not making things easier.

She
swallowed.  “I, uh…”

“Let
me guess,” he said, folding his arms across his chest, his stance wide and his
back straight like he wanted to block her from taking even one more step into
his domain.  “You came here to apologize for being the craziest female on the
planet but now that you’re here you’re having one of your attacks of
insanity.”  His lips twisted in a cynical smile.  “You’ve changed your mind,”
he said drily, his look cutting into her like the barbs of a wire fence.

And
that pissed her off.  What right did he have to speak for her?  Adopting his
aggressive stance she straightened her back and folded her arms across her
chest.  “I don’t need you putting words in my mouth, thank you very much.  I
can speak for myself.”

“Well,
speak,” he said, his jaw tightening as glowered at her.  “I don’t have all
day.”

Well,
of all the nerve…
“You know what?  You’re right.  I’ve changed my mind.  I
really did come all the way down here to apologize but now that you’ve confirmed
what a jerk you really are, I see I’m just wasting my time.  Even if I did
curse out the wrong man, you probably deserved it.”  She lifted her chin and
looked him straight in the eyes.  “Maybe even more than he did.”

She
could see him gritting his teeth and then his nostrils flared as he sucked in
his breath.  “Is that right?” His voice was soft, almost menacing, and when he
uncrossed his arms and lowered them to his sides she could see the tension in
the way he clenched and unclenched his fingers.

But
she wasn’t scared.  If he’d thought she’d tuck in her tail and make a dash for
the door he’d better think again.  She’d come here to apologize but he’d gone
and rubbed her the wrong way and now she was ready for a fight.  “Yes, that’s
right.  Jerks come in all shapes and sizes, and obviously you’re one of them.”

The
man’s face darkened and she could see from the vein throbbing at his temple
that she’d touched a nerve.  Whether what she’d said was true or not, she’d
obviously pissed him off big time.  He looked just about ready to throttle
her.  God, why did she have to be so perverse, forever daring to goad the devil
himself?  Even when it didn’t make sense…

But
there was just something about this man that brought out the worst in her…and
she had no idea why.

She
could feel a serious pout coming on and suddenly she felt the weird irony of
her situation.  It was just like the first grade when she’d fallen hopelessly
in love with Timmy Pickett in the front row.  She’d called him names and acted
so mean when what she’d really wanted to do was grab him and kiss his fat
cheeks till he begged her to stop.

And
now it was happening all over again.  Holy crap.

Except
that this man’s cheeks were the polar opposite of fat.  And he was nowhere near
as cute as Timmy Pickett.  No, this man was what she would call ‘craggily’
handsome.  Almost like James Bond.

“Want
me to show you what a jerk’s really like?”  His voice was little more than a
whisper but it was cold, so cold she felt a shiver run through her.

But,
contrary creature that she was, she would not back down.  “I dare you.”  Where
his voice was cool, hers was hot and defiant.

“Sure
you can handle it?”  Almost imperceptibly he moved closer and before Silken
knew it they were mere inches apart.

She
was tempted to step back but she didn’t.  She wasn’t going to give him the
satisfaction of thinking he could scare her.  She didn’t have a black belt in
karate for nothing.

“There
is nothing you can do,” she said, her voice soft and challenging, “that I can’t
handle.”

At
her words the tension in his face slid away and in its place was a look even
more frightening than his rage…because it was a look of supreme confidence, made
even more worrying by the wicked smile on his lips.

“Why
don’t we put that to the test?”  His voice, deceptively soft, slid over her
like liquid silver, freezing her blood in her veins.  She couldn’t have moved
even if she’d tried.

But
she didn’t try.  She could see the promise in his bold gaze, the daring in the
twist of his lips, the desire in his intake of breath.  He was going to kiss
her.  And, God help her, she wanted it.