Vengeful in Love (4 page)

“I guess. Still, a million bucks would’ve been nicer,” she said, her voice even.

“A bit mercenary, don’t you think?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t like money. Obviously you do.”

“And you do too. Fair enough. So, why didn’t you go back to Goldreich? They pay better than DDE.”

“Because I wanted a career change.” And because an ex—the mistake before Marcus—was still working there. Just thinking about Jack gave her the shivers now. “There’s a point where money can’t compensate enough for personal sacrifices.” She put her fork down and pulled out her slim PDA. “Let’s get this over with. When would you like to claim your prize?”

“That’s awfully…unromantic of you.”

“Oh, were you expecting romance? After all, we’re not getting engaged here.”

A corner of his lips quirked. “If the thrill of being pursued is what you want…”

She smoothed her hair. A superfluous gesture—not a strand was out of place since she’d applied extra strength gel to it that morning. “When and where?”

Alex waved at her gadget. “Put that thing away.” He signaled the waiter for the check, handed him several twenties, and rose.

The parking lot was dark, the late evening breeze unusually crisp but without teeth. Rows of cars gleamed under the pale street lights. Alex pushed his hands into his pants pockets.

“Where are you parked?”

“Over there.” She gestured at her Audi several yards away.

As he walked with her to her vehicle, anticipation hummed in her blood. Whatever he was planning wouldn’t end the way he wanted; she’d make sure of that. But knowing that a pursuit had started and that this overwhelmingly sexual male wanted her made every female instinct of hers jittery with an excited trepidation.

When they reached the car, she turned to look at him. Something she couldn’t identify glimmered in his eyes. She licked her suddenly dry lips.

Alex stepped closer, invading her personal space. She didn’t move away. Even through the gap between them, she could feel his body heat. She shivered.

“Are you cold?” he whispered into her ear. His breath tickled the sensitive skin and melted her inside.

“No.” She sighed the word in a soft whisper.

Alex’s head dipped, his mouth taking Natalie’s. He was as aggressive as a warlord bent on subduing a rebellion. She responded with a thrust of her tongue, her eyelids drifting lower. He tasted like fine wine and man, and somehow the combination was more potent than anything she’d ever experienced before. Her head spun, and she clutched his shoulders. His hands roamed over her body, leaving a trail of delicious warmth in their path. She wanted to burrow into him.

There was a moan.

Natalie didn’t know who made the noise and didn’t care. Alex pushed her against the side of the car and brought their bodies closer. She felt the thick length of his erection against her belly through the layers of their clothes. It only intensified her desire. She moved against his sex and found herself wet.

She had a sudden picture of herself perched on the hood of the car, her skirt bunched around her hips and his hard length probing her. She whimpered, but his mouth on hers muffled the sound. Her greedy hands surveyed his body, and she bit back a moan of frustration at the crisp white shirt in the way. She’d kill to rip it off and put her hands on his bare skin. His breath, hot and fast, fanned the side of her neck where her pulse beat rapidly. She reveled in the maelstrom of sensation. This was like a drug—a mindless desire that nothing could stop, not his control or her caution.

His fingers dug into her hair and undid her chignon. He lifted his head briefly to look down at her.

“God, you’re beautiful. You should never put your hair up,” he said, his voice guttural.

Her knees felt unable to support her. Suddenly it seemed entirely possible that she would have sex with her CEO in a very public place.

A convertible drove by, honking. A couple of teenagers in the car catcalled.

And just like that, the magic vanished. Alex cursed under his breath. Natalie’s chest rose and fell rapidly. She noticed his hand on her breast and shifted until it fell from her body. It amazed and frightened her how quickly he’d managed to strip her defenses and reach the core of her desire.

When he started to lower his head again, she said, “Don’t.”

He paused, his mouth only a hairsbreadth away from hers.

“I don’t think the bet was for a kiss,” she said, hating her shaky voice. She reached behind and touched her hair. After what Alex had done, it wasn’t even repairable.

His eyes shuttered, but he didn’t step away as she’d hoped. “You think you can control your reaction just like that?” he said, his breath on her lips. “On and off, depending on the situation and your mood?”

“I know I can.” Natalie maintained eye contact and saw anger, then that iron control of his overruling it. It felt good to get a reaction from him. She shifted her hands, pushed him gently back. “I’m not a slave to sensation. Let me know what weekend is good for you.” She unlocked her car. “Good night, Alex. Thank you for dinner. By the way, if you want to romance a woman, you should try just asking her out. You might be surprised at the result.”

Alex rested his hands on her car and leaned forward. With the lights behind him, she couldn’t read his expression. “Allow me to romance you, then. What are you doing on Saturday?”

“Sorry, but I have plans for the evening.”

“As it happens, so do I. I meant during the day.”

“Well, I’m not working,” she said blandly. “Are you asking me out?”

“Isn’t that what you want?” A quick grin flashed across his face, his teeth white in the darkness. “Come on.”

An equal mixture of amusement and excitement made her want to laugh. Despite her misgivings, she wanted to see where this would lead. Surely, as long as she was completely aware of her emotions, she could stop it before she was in too deep. “What time?”

“Ten, if you’re fashionably late for dates. Otherwise, ten thirty. Dress comfortably. I’ll pick you up at your place.”

This time, she allowed herself a small, throaty chuckle. “See you at ten thirty.”

“DO HIM, QUIT your job when you’ve had your fill, and then come join me here in Hong Kong.”

Natalie almost spewed Diet Coke on her laptop. She’d forgotten how blunt Kerri could be.

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“For God’s sake, you have a Wharton MBA. Goldreich would love to have you back.”

It was actually kind of tempting. Natalie wouldn’t have to deal with her family anymore. There were always convenient excuses for missing holidays when you were an investment banker: new deals to close, business trips, canceled vacations—all her boss’s fault, of course.

“So what are you still doing at the office?” Natalie asked. “Isn’t it almost eight p.m.? On Saturday?”

“Almost nine, actually. I’ve got this new deal with a Korean client. Freakin’ workaholics don’t take Saturdays off.”

Natalie laughed. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Kerri Wilson might as well have had a plaque on her wall that said Workaholic Extraordinaire. She was going to make VP this year, and Natalie predicted her best friend would increase her hours even more after the promotion. She felt sorry for the analysts and associates who were going to be working under her.

“Seriously, what are you doing at a government contractor? You belong with the big boys. I bet if you’d joined Goldreich right after you got your degree, you would’ve made VP last year…maybe sooner.”

Natalie leaned back in her living room chair. She watched the white ceiling fan stir the air gently. “Stop sounding like a high school guy on a date. You’re not going to flatter me into anything.”

“Fine. But you know, it’s been six months since that SOB—Marcus, wasn’t it?—dumped you. There’s nothing keeping you there. Think about what I said.” Someone mumbled something in the background. “Gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

Natalie tossed the headset on the desk. Her cat, Matto, jumped onto the desk and stared at her Diet Coke.

“No!” Natalie said, grabbing the glass.

He meowed plaintively, and she placed him on her lap. Despite his long, lean lines, the Pixie-Bob was heavier and more muscular than most house cats—the legacy of his half-lynx heritage. She’d found him at a pet shop when she’d first moved back to Virginia and fallen in love with the incorrigible kitten. He had the additional advantage of keeping her family away, all of whom were allergic to cats.

Natalie scratched him behind the ears for a while, then rose from her seat, putting him down on the floor. Her hair was already almost dry from the morning shower. Matto followed her into the bedroom. For a male, he seemed awfully interested in her grooming rituals.

The master bedroom was mostly white and green. Crumpled pale yellow sheets covered her canopy bed, setting off an elaborate olive frame made of wrought-iron.

Do him.

Natalie shook her head. She had it bad if the sight of an empty bed made her think of getting hot and naked with Alex. Kerri was right; there was nothing holding her in Virginia. But Natalie didn’t want to give the impression that she was running away because of her breakup with Marcus. What would people think? What would her family say? This year was just too important to cause any stir.

She walked into her closet and stared at the clothes hanging neatly on wooden hangers.

Dress comfortably,
Alex had said. Did that mean jeans and a T-shirt? Or something comfortable but semi-dressy?

She put on a tight white baby tee and a pair of faded jeans after a moment of debate. If he’d wanted her to dress up, he would’ve said so.

The vanity was narrow and fit right against the wall between the doors to the living room and the master bathroom. She sat before the tall mirror and put on her makeup. The doorbell rang as she was pulling her hair back.

The clock over the mirror read ten thirty.

She went to the door, securing her ponytail with a pink barrette. Matto trotted in front of her.

She opened the door to find Alex standing in the hallway, smiling. “Watch out,” she said, letting him in. “Matto sometimes pees on people.”

Alex frowned and squatted. The dark fabric of his jeans stretched over his muscular thighs, and he looked even better than the last time she’d seen him. Alex scratched behind the cat’s ears, the muscles in his forearm flexing as his fingers moved. Matto started to purr. “Seems friendly enough to me.”

“Wow. I guess you passed the test.”

“Ready?” Alex said, standing.

“Yeah.” She grabbed a small handbag on the couch and waved at Matto. “Bye-bye, baby.” She locked the door. Matto mewled farewell from the other side.

“I didn’t know you had a cat,” he said. “You don’t seem like a pet person.”

“Matto’s my first.”

They walked down the stairs to the first floor, her casual beige wedge sandals making small
tok-tok
sounds against the steel and concrete steps. “So where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

The parking lot was mostly empty. With weather this nice, most people were out and about. Green leaves shaded the sidewalk as they walked to the car—a gorgeous bright yellow Lamborghini Murciélago.

Natalie suppressed a smile. She’d seen Alex drive a sedate black Mercedes at work, but for a date, he was going to play his automotive trump card.

Men and their cars and their egos.

He opened the passenger-side door, which swung up like an old mailbox flag rather than out. She levered herself inside and surreptitiously ran her hands over the butter-soft leather. The Italians somehow managed to make cars that were fuel inefficient but never failed to capture the male imagination.

Alex sat in the driver’s seat. The engine came to life and settled into a low, pulsing rumble. He touched the accelerator, and the car shot out from its spot. They dashed along the narrow streets and into the traffic of the Fairfax County Parkway.

“You’re driving way too fast,” she said. “This area is crawling with cops.”

He grinned at her. “What’s the point of having a fast car if you drive like an old lady?”

She laughed, relishing the power and speed, the feeling of being pushed back into her seat. She liked to drive fast but didn’t, again at Louise’s stern warning.
A Hall must maintain dignity and uphold the laws.
Natalie shook her head, trying to empty her mind of her family. Brian’s birthday was today, and she’d see them soon enough.

They turned onto a long, winding road in the outskirts of northern Virginia. Tree branches spread over their path in an endless green canopy. The sunlight peeked through small gaps between the leaves and dotted the asphalt. It would be gorgeous in autumn when the leaves started changing and turned into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Natalie watched the view change from suburbs to countryside. After forty-five minutes, Alex finally stopped at a wide meadow. He got out of the car and swung the door up for her. She stepped out and looked at the lake on the other side. The light played on the surface, crusting it with diamond brilliance.

“How did you find this place?” she said, awed by the natural beauty.

He hauled two huge wicker baskets out from the back. “I lived in the area for a while several years ago.”

“Do you need help?”

“I’ve got it.”

The muscles in his torso stretched and contracted under his white and navy blue Under Armour shirt. She followed as he walked into the meadow, admiring the masculine view. The jeans hugged his slim hips, and it looked like you could bounce quarters off his butt.

The soft grass tickled her toes and emitted a sweet scent as her feet crushed it. He spread a blue blanket under a big oak and placed the baskets on the corners. Out came two bottles of wine, a jug of water, three different kinds of cheese, pâté de foie gras, a small jar of pickled cucumbers, pimento-stuffed olives, a crusty baguette, sausage, crackers, fruit salad, utensils, napkins, wineglasses, and plates. She blinked. Obviously, he’d put in quite a bit of thought into this.

He started arranging everything in short, orderly rows. She stepped out of her shoes and sat cross-legged. The blanket was feather soft against her bare feet.