At the Tycoon's Command (5 page)

Lurch came running into the room with one end of a leash in his mouth and the other end dragging on the floor behind him. The dog sat in front on her, dropped the leash, barked and wagged his tail. He acted more like a playful puppy than a huge animal sitting in front of her anxiously waiting to go somewhere. She picked up the leash and attached it to the dog's collar. The dog immediately took off toward the door, pulling Kim behind him.

“Whoa! Slow down, Lurch.” She couldn't stop the laugh that spontaneously erupted in reaction to the dog's excitement at going somewhere. It took all her strength to control the animal and keep him from dragging her across the floor.

The sound of her laughter carried to Jared's office. He stood in the doorway watching Kim trying to contain the dog as it hurdled through the door into the parking area and toward the green Explorer.

He liked the sound of her laugh but could not see her face. He wondered what her smile looked like. He had been face-to-face with her three times, and on all three occasions not even a hint of a smile had crossed her otherwise beautiful face. He closed his eyes and pulled up the still-fresh memory of her hand in his as he helped her from the floor, of the sensation of her face close enough to his to have leaned over and kissed her delicious-looking mouth. A tightness pulled across his chest, one that told him just how much Kim Donaldson had intruded into his conscious thoughts and desires.

And he didn't like it…at least he
thought
he didn't like it.

Business or pleasure—each confrontation made him less sure of his intentions where she was concerned. Something told him he should have written off Paul Donaldson's promissory note as a bad debt and closed the books on it. If only he had listened to that something instead of opening his mouth and letting that foolish plan of her working off the debt become reality. He had wanted to ruffle some Donaldson feathers. It had been an incredibly stupid idea, but it was too late now.

He attempted to calm his nerves. She was intelligent and could definitely be a big help to him during the summer, but could he trust her? Would he ever be able to trust a Donaldson enough to share Stevens Enterprises business matters? Would there ever be an end to the ridiculous Stevens–Donaldson family feud? One thing was for sure. He would have to keep her busy and away from his office if he planned on being able to concentrate on business. It was
already more than evident that she was far too distracting to have around.

He forced himself to work but could not wipe the vision of Kim Donaldson from his mind, nor could he erase the sensation of her hand in his. A hint of trepidation told him the days ahead would be anything but normal. And the notion of exactly what that meant caused another twinge of anxiety to assail his senses.

Kim Donaldson spelled trouble with a capital “T” and he had no one to blame but himself.

K
im could not settle the nervous jitter that appeared the moment she slid behind the wheel of Jared's silver Porsche. It was the same nervousness she experienced earlier when she had driven the expensive sports car to the detailers. It was a beautiful car, sleek and powerful, just like its owner, she reluctantly admitted. She had been surprised when he had handed her the keys with no more fanfare than to ask her if she knew how to drive a manual transmission.

If she owned a car like that there was no way she would ever let anyone else drive it, certainly not someone who might have a motive to damage it. Although she wouldn't do such a thing. What if it accidentally got scratched or dented? Would he think she had done it on purpose just to spite him? She didn't know what to think anymore. During the course of the day she had entertained one thought after another about what type of man Jared Stevens really was.
She came up with a different answer each time. He had clouded her thoughts from the moment she met him.

She glanced at her watch as she put the car in gear. It was almost five o'clock. All she had to do was return Jared's car to him, then she could call it a day. All in all, it hadn't been such a bad day. She had made friends with Lurch, who was definitely just a big, overgrown puppy in spite of the fact that he was three years old.

But the big, overgrown puppy's owner was a different story. Every time she returned to the office complex, every time she was in the same room with Jared, the electrical energy that filled the air almost overwhelmed her, leaving her with very unsettled thoughts and feelings. It was as if she could reach out and actually touch his sexual magnetism.

He had given her a few office tasks to do—routine letters about one of the corporation's holdings taking out an ad in a trade periodical, employee participation in a civic fund-raiser, a couple of requests from charitable organizations and some memos to department heads, but it was obvious that he had kept her away from anything someone could use to compromise his business concerns. It was apparent he didn't trust her, but she had to admit she understood why. If their roles were reversed, she certainly wouldn't trust him with any confidential business matters.

Most of the office chores were related to personal business rather than company functions. He had given her a list of phone calls to make, changing the day of the week for the pool service to clean the swimming pool, making arrangements for a newly purchased billiard table to be delivered, having the liquor store deliver several cases of wine and scheduling a time for the carpeting to be cleaned. They were all chores she thought Fred Kemper, the estate caretaker, would have handled.

Even when she had her back to Jared she could feel him watching her. It left her uncomfortable and excited all at the same time. What kind of a man was Jared Stevens? So far, in spite of the fact that he had misled her about the nature of the work she would be doing, he didn't seem to be the same type of jerk as his brother.

Terry Stevens had been cruel with his cutting comments and put-downs. He had lorded his family position over everyone, especially Kim. He had done his best to belittle and humiliate her, and she had never forgiven him for it. Jared, on the other hand, had pretty much left her alone all day, other than to outline what he wanted her to do. She did have to reluctantly admit that every time she had been at the office during the day he had been at his desk and looked busy. It had not been as bad as she'd anticipated.

She drove Jared's Porsche through the service entrance gate and parked it in the garage, then entered the office complex through the direct outside door. She walked through the reception area into the conference room, then paused at the door of Jared's office. He was leaning back in his large leather chair with his feet propped on his desk, but he looked far from relaxed. His total attention seemed to be riveted on the document he held. From her vantage point, it appeared to be a contract of some sort. With his knitted brow and an unhappy scowl covering his face, he looked angry about something.

She hesitated, not sure if she should interrupt him. Maybe she could just deposit his car keys on the desk in the outer office and leave without him knowing she was there, but she waited too long. As she was about to turn, he looked up and saw her.

“You brought my car back?” He swung his legs off his desk, rose to his feet and started across the office toward her.

“Yes.” She held his keys out toward him. “I guess I'll be going home now.”

“Not so fast, Kim.” Their fingers brushed slightly as he took the keys from her hand, causing a ripple of excitement to dart across her skin. “We're not quite finished for the day.”

She glanced at her watch. “It's almost five-thirty. I've been here since a little after eight o'clock this morning. What is there that can't wait until tomorrow morning?” A hint of irritation pushed at her. “Is there some other menial little task that you feel should be pushed off on me? Do I need to run out and fetch the newspaper for you? Check the mailbox and bring in the mail? Take the dog for a walk? Rearrange the kitchen pantry so that all the food is in alphabetical order?” She leveled a challenging stare at him. “Well? What is it?”

He captured her look and held it with his unwavering gaze. Her irritation quickly turned to embarrassment. Once again his eyes seemed to be reading her innermost thoughts and feelings. And her thoughts at that moment were certainly less than complimentary toward Jared Stevens, but they were also enveloped in a sensually elevated heartbeat.

His silence made her embarrassment grow until she was forced to break eye contact with him. She attempted to maintain her position and determination, but her confidence crumbled. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Well…” She nervously glanced around the office in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact. “What is it that I still need to do tonight before I can leave?”

“Fred brought in the mail, I already have a newspaper, the food in the pantry is just where it needs to be and Lurch has a big hunk of two acres in which to run and exercise.”

She bristled at his condescending tone, partly because she knew she deserved it. Perhaps she had gone too far
with her inappropriate comments. Even though she had originally planned to make the situation uncomfortable for him, she had not been able to go through with the ill-conceived plan. It was not her nature to initiate confrontation in spite of the fact that there was something about him that seemed to bring out the worst in her. Every time he opened his mouth she became defensive.

She waited, hoping he would say something else, something to help relieve the awkward discomfort rapidly building inside her. Something to let her know she hadn't been that far out of line with her flippant gibes.

It seemed as if an eternity passed before he spoke again, an eternity that left her stomach twisted in knots. Why did he have to be so sexy, so desirable? If only she could dismiss him from her mind as easily as she did with her words.

His voice gave her no indication as to what was going on inside him, how her harsh words had affected his decision. “What I had in mind was checking the refrigerator to see what's there and fixing something to eat. I thought maybe I could put a couple of steaks on the grill and you could make a salad.” He cocked his head and shot her a questioning look. “Unless you have other plans for dinner?”

Had she heard him correctly? Dinner? That's what he had in mind? Now it was more than simple embarrassment that filled her. It had been a long time since she felt this foolish. Once again the magnetic sex appeal of Jared Stevens worked its way into her reality. Would they be alone in the house or would Fred be having dinner with them? What were Jared's motives? Could she trust him on a personal level? Perhaps the better question would be could she trust herself alone in a social setting with this very appealing man—a man whose family had been feuding with hers for three generations.

She hesitated, not sure exactly how to respond to his unexpected invitation. “I, uh, no, I don't have any other plans. I suppose having something to eat would be okay.” Now what? She had agreed to his request. A nervous twinge told her it might be a decision she would soon regret.

“Good. Let's go raid the refrigerator. I'll bring up a bottle of wine from the wine cellar and while I'm doing that you can feed Lurch.” He headed down the hall, indicating that she should follow.

She stood there, dumbfounded. He had done it to her again—dangled something reasonable in front of her and then as soon as she had agreed to it he quickly added a menial task. It was the same as when he allowed her to work off the debt thinking she would be doing office work. Then he had her run mindless personal errands for him. She shoved down the anger that tried to take hold. She didn't want to lose her temper with him and blurt something that would only make things worse—again—but she did want to make her position very clear.

She clenched her jaw in determination and tried to put a calm tone to her voice without being wholly successful. “Feed the dog? That's some technique you have there…dangle some nice courtesy in front of me, then hit me with your real intention. Well, it's not going to work this time. Now that I think about it, I do have a previous engagement. So, if you'll excuse—”

The doorbell rang, followed by someone pounding loudly on the front door, then the door flew open with a bang. A tall man with dark hair burst into the entryway. He glanced around as if looking for something. His harried gaze fell on Jared. “I need a favor.”

Kim immediately recognized the new arrival as Terry
Stevens, the Stevens family member who had tormented her all through her middle school and high school years.

Jared's tightly controlled words surprised her. They showed a combination of practiced restraint and exasperation. “You always need a favor. What is it this time?”

Terry carefully eyed Kim as if he had just noticed her standing there. He turned toward Jared. Sarcasm dripped from his words. “What's she doing here? Is this ‘be kind to a Donaldson week'?”

A quick flash of anger darted through Jared's eyes. “What she's doing here is none of your business.”

Terry turned to her as he gestured toward the front door. “Run along, Kim. Jared and I have a personal matter to discuss.”

Jared immediately stepped between Kim and Terry, cutting off anything she might have said in response to Terry's bad manners. “Kim and I were about to have dinner. Since you are not invited to join us, it appears that you're the one who needs to
run along.
”

Kim tried to collect her thoughts. She was rattled and confused. Jared had definitely usurped her position in speaking for her, but had he also just taken her side and defended her against the verbal barb from his own brother? Had he told Terry that he was not welcome and he should leave right away? She had been angry with Jared just moments before Terry's unannounced arrival. Now she didn't know what to think.

Terry shot an angry sidelong glance at Kim, then turned his back on her and lowered his voice, but not so low she couldn't hear what he was saying. “We have some personal business to discuss and it can't wait until you've fed Kim.”

“Yes, it can wait. Business can wait until business hours. I have some free time at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. You can stop by the office then.”

Terry's demanding and aggressive attitude softened a little. “But you don't understand what the problem—”

Jared's voice turned hard and his manner abrupt. “I understand fully well what the problem is. I was just going over the contract that Tony Williams was kind enough to messenger to me this afternoon. The contract promising payment in thirty days. The contract you had no authority to sign. The contract that obligates Stevens Enterprises to pay a hundred thousand dollars for something the company will never see because it will immediately become another one of your toys. Does that convey a proper understanding of
the problem?
”

Terry nervously glanced at Kim again, then pulled Jared aside. “This is a matter that should be discussed in private, certainly not in front of a Donaldson.”

“As I told you, ten o'clock tomorrow morning.” Jared turned away from Terry, then glanced at him. “And be on time. I have a very busy schedule tomorrow.”

Jared took Kim's arm and escorted her from the foyer into the main part of the house, leaving Terry standing in the entryway. She wasn't sure exactly what to say to Jared but knew she needed to say something. “Uh…back there when you told your brother—”

He cut off her words before she could say anything else. The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. “Terry is my
half
brother, not my brother. Terry is the result of daddy dearest's second marriage…or perhaps it was his third marriage. I tend to lose track of the total number of women who have been Mrs. Ron Stevens.”

He furrowed his brow in mock concentration for a moment. “No…it was his second wife. I think he had a total of six wives…of course, there could have been one or more wives prior to my mother that I'm not aware of. And that
doesn't count the mistresses in between and sometimes during the numerous marriages.”

Jared's manner quickly changed to a pleasant, upbeat attitude. “Now, before we were so rudely interrupted I believe you were trying to convince me—” the loud slamming of the front door announced Terry's departure, but Jared didn't stop walking or look toward the door “—that you have another engagement for this evening. I'm going to assume you meant for later this evening, something you needed to do after we have dinner.”

She managed some barely audible words in response to Jared's take-charge manner. “I suppose so.” She offered no resistance as he steered her through the house to the large gourmet kitchen. He had done it to her again, coerced her into something she had no intention of doing. Why did she end up caving in and letting Jared have his way? What happened to her determination to stand up to him? Why did her resolve seem to go into hiding whenever she was around him?