Chapter Seven

“Hailey, I need you.”

Right words, wrong context.

She shook her head. “I’ll be there in a moment, Alec,” she said into the phone before replacing it in its cradle.

Pushing from her desk, she hesitated for a moment. This would be the first time he’d seen her today.

She smoothed a hand down the new navy dress she wore. Though she looked as professional as ever, she’d been getting wide-eyed stares all day. Everyone had complimented the new look, but she’d definitely caught people off guard. Who would have thought workaholic Hailey had a fashion sense?

Rolling back her shoulders, she lifted her chin. So what if Alec didn’t like the new her? She felt great, and that was all that mattered.

She repeated the words like a mantra as she crossed the distance between her office and her boss’s. Not letting herself give in to nerves, she pushed through the door before she could second-guess herself.

“I need your eyes on this contract,” he said without preamble, not even bothering to glance up.

She stared at his blond head bent over his desk and smiled. What had she expected?

“Right away,” she said, her heels clicking against the tiled floor as she moved to his desk. “Are you thinking it needs revisions?”

“There’s some wording on the fifth page I think we could do without,” he agreed as he glanced up.

And froze.

She did her best to hide her amusement as he blinked in surprise. His blue eyes took in every inch of her from the tips of her heels to the top of her curls. The appreciation she saw in his gaze made the hour fighting to style her hair this morning worth it.

“You look…”

“Different?” She dropped into the chair opposite him and held out her hand for the contract. “I thought I was due for a change. What with it being spring and all, it seemed like an appropriate time to spruce things up.”

“That cut really works on you.”

She warmed at the compliment. “Thank you.”

“You must have had a busy weekend.”

She leaned back in her chair, thinking over her next words. Caleb had been clear about what she needed to do. Trip Alec’s savior complex. Make him want to rescue her from the dragon. As if she needed a man to do that.

Stop it. Eyes on the prize, she scolded herself. She was paying a pretty penny for insight into Alec’s mind. The least she could do was use it.

“Caleb helped me sort things out,” she said. “Turns out he gives pretty good advice when he wants to.”

The appreciation in his gaze shuttered. “So you’re still seeing him.”

“And will for the foreseeable future,” she agreed. “We fit in two dates last week. Things are going well.”

“I see.”

Make him want to help you, she thought. Pull him in.

“I’m enjoying myself,” she said, leaning forward against the desk. “But if anything does come up, I know I can ask you for help. Right?”

“Day or night,” he replied without missing a beat. “I consider you a friend, Hailey. You can always call me.”

“What would I do without you?” she said lightly.

His eyes met hers, and though she would have normally looked down, she held his gaze.

“Are you seeing him again tonight?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been busy today and haven’t had a chance to check in. Why? Do you anticipate a late night tonight?”

“No, no. We should be out at a reasonable time.”

“Great. Maybe I’ll give him a call, then. Try to squeeze in dinner or something.” She tapped her pen against the side of the desk. “I know you aren’t comfortable with my involvement with him. We don’t have to talk about it if it bothers you.”

He let out a soft laugh as he reached up to loosen his tie. “I think not knowing would bother me more.”

“Does it really annoy you so much that he’s dating one of your employees?”

His gaze flickered to hers. “That’s not it. He can date whomever he pleases.”

She shrugged. “Great.”

“It just bothers me that it’s you.”

A stillness came over her as she looked up from the contract before her. “Because we’re friends,” she murmured.

“Yes.” He dragged a hand down his face. “I know you can take care of yourself. Really, I do.”

She leaned her elbows onto the desk. “You just want to do it for me.”

“Call me old-fashioned,” he agreed with a self-deprecating smile she found far too endearing.

Remembering Caleb’s instructions, she reached up to twirl a piece of hair around her finger. His gaze followed the movement, especially when her fingers brushed against her mouth.

“I don’t mind old-fashioned,” she said.

“No?” Good-natured humor lit his eyes as he watched her.

She shook her head. “It can be refreshing.”

He said nothing else, and the silence stretched. Figuring she’d gotten as much out of him as she could hope for, she took the contract from the desk and stood.

“I’ll review this and have it back to you within the hour.”

“I’m going to the club tonight.”

She inclined her head. “I doubt it will take me long enough that I need to track you down at Lux, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What I meant was, you should come with me. We could have a drink.”

Shock sizzled through her veins. “What?”

He leaned back in his chair, watching her with an intensity she’d never seen before. “I see how much work you do around here.” He tapped the contract in front of him. “This is top-notch, and I’ve been remiss about rewarding your contribution. Come have a drink with me as a thank-you for a job well done.”

She cocked her head to the side. “We’ve never done that before.”

He shrugged. “Which means we’re long overdue. What do you think?”

She chewed her lips for a moment before slowly nodding. “Sounds good.”

“Wonderful. We can head over after work.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

His smile was sincere before he turned his attention back to his computer. She took that as her cue to leave and made her way back to her own office.

Was it the new clothes? she wondered. Or was it the fact that he wanted to save her from Caleb? As much as she’d like to believe it was her own undeniable charm, the odds of that were slim.

Reaching her office, she dropped into her chair, frowning. This was what she wanted. For Alec to open his eyes and see her. Sure, it was just work drinks, but it was more than she’d ever gotten before.

And therein lay the problem.

She’d worked around the clock with him for years and never received the attention she now was. All because of Caleb.

It’s still a chance. Does it really matter why he invited you out?

Yes. She rather suspected it did.

Caleb had given her a shot at the man of her dreams and here she was, resenting that he was finally looking her way because of someone else.

You can’t have it both ways, her inner voice argued. Just enjoy your time together without thinking too closely as to how it came about.

But Caleb hadn’t needed to be goaded to find her interesting. He didn’t want her just to make sure another man couldn’t have her. He’d seen the woman she was underneath her professional persona and wanted her anyway.

Why the hell couldn’t Alec have done that?

“Enough,” she whispered aloud. “This is a start. Don’t waste it.”

She’d prove she was more than a prize to be snatched away from his enemy.

And she’d try not to think about Caleb while she did it.

…

He ran a successful corporation he’d built from scratch. His bank account had an obscene number of zeros in it. Women had followed him around the world. And what was he doing?

Staring at his phone like a lovestruck teen praying for it to ring.

There were a dozen things he should be doing, and instead he was staring at his damned phone.

“Hell,” Caleb breathed, pushing from his chair.

He stalked across his spacious office, stopping before the floor-to-ceiling window that lined one wall. Looking down at the city beneath his feet, he tried to focus. In fifteen minutes, he was due in a meeting. He should be reviewing the material.

But what was he doing? Thinking about Hailey.

Pressing his palms to the window, he leaned against the glass. He wasn’t the sort of man who gave the women drifting through his life a second thought. They came and went as they liked, and the pattern had always given him a way to cordon off his personal life from his professional one.

But Hailey was both. She wasn’t a nameless fling to enjoy and forget about. She wasn’t interested in casual. And she wasn’t someone he was destined to part ways with amicably.

No, when this was over she’d hate him.

He shouldn’t care. This wasn’t about her; it was about evening an old score that had driven him from the city.

Except he’d been replaying that damned kiss for days.

Maybe there’s another way.

Had he thought of all the possibilities? Had he really tried hard enough to pull her away from Charr Industries professionally? If she came to work for him, Alec would still lose a woman he relied on. And then he wouldn’t have to lie. He could pursue her without it having anything to do with his friend.

He could be honest with her.

He ran a hand down his jaw. These weren’t thoughts he wanted to entertain. Hailey shouldn’t be making him rethink an opportunity he’d been waiting years for.

I wonder if I could find out the terms of her contract, he mused. Maybe his offers hadn’t been as generous as he’d thought.

Perhaps there was a way to hurt Alec and get the girl.

The girl who maddened him as much as she aroused him.

With a hiss, he pushed away from the window and strode for his desk. Grabbing his cell, he called up her number.

This was just about checking in, he told himself as he paced the length of his office. This wasn’t because he’d been wanting to hear the sound of her voice all goddamned day.

“Hello.”

Her voice followed from the speaker, loosening a tension in his shoulders he hadn’t even been aware of.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he replied, dropping onto his sofa. “Is Alec panting at your feet yet?”

A soft chuckle reached his ears. “Not quite.”

He smiled, leaning his head back against the sofa. “Has your new look blown everyone away?”

“I think I surprised most people,” she said. “But I feel great. You’re lucky we’re not going up against your company anytime soon. I’d decimate you.”

“Confidence is sexy.”

There was a pause, and he wondered if she was pleased or annoyed. Without evidence to the contrary, he chose to believe the compliment brought a rosy blush to her cheeks. She’d look down, trying not to smile even as the words warmed her. An answering pleasure curved his own lips at the thought.

“Have dinner with me.”

There was a beat of silence before she replied, “All right.”

Progress. At least she hadn’t tried to talk her way out of meeting him.

“How’s tonight?”

“I can’t.”

The relaxation flowing through his veins disappeared.

“I’m going out for a drink with Alec tonight,” she continued. “You’re right. Any time I mention you, the boss I’ve known for years disappears and a different man takes over.”

“A jealous man,” he said.

“Maybe. But he asked me to get a drink with him this evening at the club. That’s progress.”

“Yes, it is.” Perfect progress. Once Alec spent time with her outside the office, saw the woman behind the expertly crafted contracts, he’d be hooked. How could he not be?

This was exactly what he wanted.

“What about tomorrow?” she said. “My evening is free, and then we’ll have something to talk about. You can coach me on what to do next.”

“Fine,” he said, even though her plan sounded like hell. Hearing her wax poetic about another man was right up there with a swim through shark-invested waters in terms of a good time.

It’s necessary, he told himself. The plan is to get Alec to love her, and she needs help to do that.

But he also needed her to leave the golden boy in the end. Which meant if his rival was finally getting in the game, Caleb needed to step up his own seduction.

“I’ll cook for you,” he said. “My genius isn’t just tied to the boardroom. You should see what expert skills I can bring to the kitchen.” A wicked smile curved his lips as he added, “Or the bedroom.”

“Caleb,” she reprimanded.

“Tomorrow night it is.”

“Wouldn’t going to a restaurant be easier?”

“Are you scared you won’t be able to contain yourself in my home?” he asked. “Tsk tsk, what little control you must have.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Do I?” He closed his eyes as he taunted her. “Then give me one reason why you can’t come for a home-cooked meal.”

Silence stretched as she searched for an out he knew she wouldn’t find.

“Fine,” she said. “Dinner at your place.”

“I’ll text you the address.”

“Want me to bring anything?”

“Just your gorgeous self. That’s all I need.”

“Whatever you are planning, I promise it won’t go the way you think.”

That won a real laugh from him. “Tell me something I don’t know. When it comes to you, sweetheart, all my best-laid plans seem to be failing. Doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.”

“’Til tomorrow then,” she said, a softness in her voice he hadn’t heard before.

“Enjoy your date.”

“Oh, I will.” She disconnected and he dropped the phone onto the cushions beside him.

That call had gone well. Better than well, really.

He’d have his chance tomorrow. Let Alec have tonight with Hailey. Let his plan progress even further. All he had to do was avoid the club. It would be an easy task.

As easy as ignoring the way his hands fisted at his sides.