Wrangled and Tangled (8 page)

“What? You’re staring at me.”

“Just wondering if you’re up to the challenge of managing the staff as well as bein’ the chipper hostess with the mostest for the guests tonight?”

“I’m fine. The thought of being stuck in my trailer with my own miserable company for another day drove me bonkers.”

“I ain’t gonna lie. The last three days have sucked. I’m damn glad to have you back. I don’t think I can run this place without you, to be real honest.”

Her eyes softened. “Ren, this is temporary.”

“I know, so don’t get any ideas about hittin’ me up for a raise because the tyrant would have my neck measured for a noose.” He loomed over her. “That said, if you think your accident might’ve had something to do with—”

“It doesn’t,” she said too quickly. She snatched the towel from his hands and snapped him in the butt. “Get cleaned up or I’ll hose you down myself. You smell.”

He bent down and bussed her forehead. “Aw, listen to you. A few months back in Wyoming and you’re talkin’ cowgirl tough, makin’ threats and shit. Next thing, you’ll be chewin’ tobacco.” Renner ducked her snapping towel and scaled the stairs to the office, half afraid, half looking forward to going at it with the tyrant again. That woman fired his blood in more ways than he’d thought possible.

It didn’t take long to straighten his mess, but he could see why it’d gotten Tierney’s panties in a twist. She was such a neatnik. Her personal items didn’t take up much room. No photos on the desk or bookshelves. No live plants or quirky desk objects like his pooping cow jellybean dispenser. Every item had a specific purpose and a specific place.

However, she’d left her mark in the bathroom. The shower curtain was printed with rubber duckies. Some wore funky hats—cowboy hats, bowler hats, stocking caps, trucker caps. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the rest of the shower curtain was dotted with pirate duckies. Devil duckies. Angel duckies. And his personal favorite, psychotic-looking clown duckies. He couldn’t imagine any kid wanting this shower curtain in the bathroom—it was as scary as it was embarrassing.

Renner stripped and kicked his clothes aside, thinking about Tierney. The woman defined contradictory. Shrewd financial mind but limited managerial skills, almost bordering on . . . shyness. She wore classy, sexy tailored suits, but she had a weakness for colored sprinkles, ducky-printed shower curtains, girlie shoes with bows, ribbons and flowers, and romance novels. He’d noticed the jam-packed bookshelves in her cabin. Not a newsflash the woman was a bookworm, but he would’ve pegged her as the type to read self-help books. Not novels with titles like
Take Me
,
Barbarian
, and
Slave To His Rough Touch
, and
Seduced Against Her Will
.

He cranked on the shower and climbed in, letting the hot water flow down his face and body. God, it was almost better than an orgasm.

Man, it has been a long time if you’re comparing getting wet to getting off.

He squirted the gel in his hand and created lather. Tempting, to jack off, as a reminder of the pleasures of the flesh, even if that pleasure was brought about by his own hand. But given how his day had gone, it’d be his luck to literally get caught fucking off.

What would Tierney do if she caught him with his hand on his cock? Back away with embarrassment, stammering and blushing? Roll her eyes and remind him to clean his come off the wall when he finished? Would she watch him with those liquid brown eyes? Or would she lend a hand?

Right. Might as well keep up that fantasy, bub, ’cause her hand and your cock ain’t ever happening.

Sighing, Renner ignored his hard-on and finished sloughing off the mud. As he dried his chest, he realized he hadn’t grabbed clean clothes from the closet. Securing the towel around his waist, he opened the bathroom door and strolled out.

Naturally, Tierney walked into the office at that exact same time.

Naturally, the end of his towel snagged on the edge of her desk.

Naturally, the towel hit the floor.

Tierney’s jaw hit the floor too, seeing him naked as a fucking jaybird, sporting a hard-on that’d make any man proud.

Hell, he’d’ve been proud of it if the circumstances had been different.

And she sure wasn’t helping matters, acting as if she’d never seen an erect cock before.

The more she stared, the happier his dick was to swell with pride, doing a stellar flagpole imitation.

About a year later, Tierney dragged her gaze away from his groin and looked him in the eye. “This is why I was against casual Thursdays. There’s always that one person who takes it too far.”

“You’re fuckin’ hilarious.” He set his hands on his hips. “I’m thinking we need a cabinet in the bathroom for clothes.”

“Maybe you should put it on your to-do list,” she suggested sweetly.

The woman was such a smart-ass. “Did you even look at it?” he demanded.

Silence.

Her gaze lowered to his groin again and then zoomed back up to his eyes. “Yes, I looked at it. Do you want an assessment of its length?”

Well, hell, that’d been the wrong thing to say. He blushed. Goddammit, he never blushed. “We are talkin’ about the list, right?”

“Of course. What did you think we were talking about?” She sashayed past him. Close enough the end of her ponytail tickled his collarbone. Close enough he swore the silky fabric of her skirt brushed the tip of his cock. Close enough to bend over and pick up his towel. “I believe you dropped this.” She tossed it to him and slid behind her massive desk.

Damn her. Mostly damn her cool reaction to him standing in front of her buck-ass nekkid. Renner wasn’t a guy who strutted around shirtless like some gym rat, but he knew his body appealed to women. All women.

All women except for Tierney Pratt.

Maybe she was gay.

Maybe you’re a sorry son of a bitch for thinking she has to be gay to not be attracted to you, asshole.

Just to be ornery, Renner slung the towel over his shoulder. He opened the closet and reached for his clothing. When he turned around, he caught Miz An-Erect-Naked-Man-Doesn’t-Faze-Me . . . eyeballing his ass. Big-time.

Okay. So Tierney definitely wasn’t gay.

For some reason, that made him happy. So happy in fact, that he whistled as he nonchalantly strolled back to the bathroom. As much as he wanted to stop at her desk and ask a question, he didn’t.

That’d be over the top.

Chapter Eight

T
ierney wouldn’t be dreading this meeting if she hadn’t seen Renner Jackson naked yesterday. Totally naked. Right in front of her. All rough-skinned, scarred, muscled, and aroused masculine excellence.

God. How had she managed not to stare at his penis—his fully erect penis—longer than she had? Her feigned bored expression? An Oscar-worthy performance for sure. Even if she
had
gotten busted two seconds later for ogling his butt.

After Renner meandered back to the bathroom, Tierney had to drop her head between her knees to keep from hyperventilating. She’d seen naked men in movies. In magazines. She’d even attended a nude, all-male revue in Las Vegas. But having a hunky man with that buff body so close to her? First time ever.

And it was also the first time she’d experienced overpowering lust. A need to put her hands all over those incredibly toned muscles. A need to put her mouth on his as she touched him. An urge unlike any she’d ever felt. A longing to wrap her fingers around his girth, watching his eyes burn with lust as she learned how to drive him wild with her hands. With her mouth. Any way he wanted. Any time. Any place.

It’d shocked her.

It’d annoyed her.

Flustered, she’d fled the office in an attempt to convince herself it was far better to be repelled by Renner than to be captivated by him.

The smarmy part of her brain taunted,
too late for that
, when the door opened and Mr. Captivating himself moseyed on in.

“You summoned me?” he drawled.

“Yes. I wanted to go over a few things.”

“Is this a fortify myself with whiskey conversation? Or a fortify myself with coffee conversation?”

“Coffee. I just made a fresh pot. Help yourself.”

He poured a cup and wandered to the seating area. “Can we do this over here? Sitting in front of your desk makes me feel like a naughty kid who’s been sent to the principal’s office.”

“You would know all about that, I imagine.”

He laughed. “Nice shot at me first thing.”

“I meant it to be funny.” She sat on the opposite end of the couch since he’d put his boots on the coffee table.

“Your sense of humor needs work.”

Tierney pushed her glasses up her nose. “Now who’s taking potshots?”

He flashed that naughty-boy grin. “Sorry. What’s up?”

“Now that we’ve been open a few days, I’ve drafted a list of what’s working and what needs improvement.” She knew enough about management to start with the positive aspects and gradually segue into the negative aspects. “I compiled the final financial data for the construction. The cost overruns were expected, but I have to admit, comparing the initial blueprints to the revised ones, I believe the additional building costs were justified.”

Renner’s mug stopped halfway to his mouth. “Come again?”

“Connecting the four separate buildings made sense, given the Wyoming winters. And it creates the illusion of a bigger resort.”

“It was a pain in the ass leveling the area and pouring more footings. We didn’t add much in material costs since I’d purchased in bulk, but our labor costs were higher.”

She tapped the building plans in front of her. “The overall flow, the main lodge and guest areas at the center, separate dining and entertainment area to the left, and the retail section to the right, is easier for guests and employees to navigate. The additional square footage for the dining area makes a difference in terms of retaining the open feeling.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “That addition was pricier, because for some reason we’d forgotten to add laundry facilities to the initial plans. Luckily we had room to expand rearward. Relocating the bar and game room away from the lodge keeps it a place to relax.”

“I haven’t heard any more complaints about the food.”

“Janie dealt with Dodie.”

“Where did you find the rest of the employees?” Tierney didn’t ask if he’d requested references, and if he had, if he’d actually checked them.

“I have no idea. Janie handled the employee hiring.”

“All of it? Without your input?”

“No. When she found someone to fill a position she ran it by me. I trust her gut and she trusts mine.”

“Which works, but the bottom line is we don’t have all of the advertised services up and running, so we need to make some hard decisions about those services.”

His eyes challenged hers. “Ain’t that why Daddy sent you here? To make those types of financial decisions? I’m surprised you’re even giving me an option.”

She’d promised herself she wouldn’t take his bait today, no matter how juicy it was or how close he dangled it. “Whose idea was the spa?”

“Mine. I thought it’d be a nice draw for guys who wanna bring women here. Give the ladies something to do while the men are out doin’ their thing.”

“What constitutes a spa in your opinion?”

He scratched his chin. “Fuck if I know. A place for women to hang out.”

“You constructed an entire building around this concept,” she chided. “You have to be more specific.”

“A place for a woman to get her fingernails and toenails painted. A place to get some of that organic goop slopped on her face. Then she’s got her choice between soaking in a deep tub with herbs and shit thrown in or having a massage. Then we’d serve girlie food for lunch and lots of fruity alcoholic drinks with umbrellas.” He flashed his captivating smile. “Did I pass?”

“No. It’s not sustainable. Why is the building an empty shell and construction stopped?”

“It wasn’t a priority after we added to the original building plans. The main areas needed finishing first according to the specific timeline in your father’s contract.”

Another jab she left unanswered. “It’s a good thing the spa aspect wasn’t realized.”

“And why’s that?”

“Spas require specialized employees. Most spas boast a variety of services—manicures, pedicures, hot wax treatments, aromatherapy, as well as massages. No one has hired a single qualified employee to handle any of these specific beauty-related services.” Tierney cocked her head, looking at him curiously. “Unless
you
intend on painting toenails and slopping face gunk on female guests?”

She sensed Renner wanted to tell her to deal with the luxury spa idea, since the high-end idea was right up her daddy’s little rich-girl alley, but he didn’t. “Everyone has fuckups.”

“Renner. This is not a simple fuckup. This is a fatal flaw.”