CardsNeverLie (22 page)

* * * * *

Rob had been patient all week, but here it was Friday
morning and he still hadn’t heard from Melanie. He understood her pulling back
after the shocks she had borne, but now she needed to start fresh. His only
worry was that she could have been job hunting. After all, she hadn’t called as
promised.

But surely she would realize the truth. Life would be so
great from now on with the two of them allied. After thirty-four years, he had
finally found the perfect woman to be his partner. They would work together as
a team in business and in life. This weekend at the lodge trip they had
planned, they would make plans for the rest of their lives together, both for
them and for LeatherWorks. Nothing could defeat them now.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

* * * * *

“Hello?” Melanie croaked into phone. She glanced to the
left, where the spindly green numbers on her digital clock informed her that it
was nine a.m. Shit.

“Melanie? You been drinking again?” Rob teased.

“No. It was a big family day yesterday.” And a depressing
early call from the unemployment office turning down her request for benefits
had sent her right back under her pastel blue sheets. She’d have to get a
lawyer if she wanted to fight now. If only she hadn’t signed that agreement not
to sue.

“Family will wear anyone out. So how about tonight? You
cancelled the mid-week date, but tonight is the big one.” Rob’s voice teased
her eardrum, made her think of kisses on parts of her body that would not be
touched again anytime soon. She had to resist him. The decision had been made.

“Tonight,” Melanie sighed, struggling to a sitting position.
“I can’t do the trip, Rob.”

“Why not? I’ll pay.”

“No,” she said, sounding firmer than she felt. “I need to
accept your job offer.”

“You do?” Rob sounded surprised.

“You meant it, didn’t you?” Melanie asked cautiously. Maybe
she was going to have to use that resume book her father had given her last
night. She’d never written one in her life. And take the loan from her newly
retired parents that they shouldn’t have to offer and couldn’t really afford.

“Of course I meant it,” Rob said after a long pause. “We
need you here.”

“Then you understand why I’m canceling our plans, right?
It’s not a good idea to be involved with your boss.”

“You could report to Jack,” Rob suggested.

Melanie winced at the sound of that name. She hadn’t decided
what to do about him yet. “That wouldn’t matter, Rob. You know that. I can’t
date you. I need to keep my job separate from my love life.”

“Why? We have a preexisting relationship,” Rob said. “It
doesn’t count.”

Melanie sighed. She had run these thoughts through her head
for what felt like weeks now. “About all anyone has is their professional
integrity. I won’t compromise it by dating you. It will cause problems at the
office.”

“Sure, Melanie,” Rob said, drawing out the syllables.
“Whatever you say.”

He had given up a little easily, though Melanie had to admit
her ego was gratified in that he didn’t sound happy about it. His surly tone
made her wonder if they would have a future at all after a few months of
working together. Brisa’s idea that they could be just friends for a few months
while she worked at a pre-sale LeatherWorks sounded foolish and hollow now.
“Please, Rob, please try to understand.”

“I understand you are now my employee, not my lover, not my
girlfriend, not my friend.”

Melanie winced. But Jack fit into the latter category.
Personal ties did cause problems at the workplace. She hoped Rob wouldn’t
decide to hate her in the end. She wanted such different things for them.

“I’m sorry, Rob. So sorry. And I do want to be your friend.
Chances are we’ll both be out of work in six months anyway, but I’m going to be
careful to save this time so I won’t be so desperate when the time is up.”

“When the time is up?” Rob repeated. “My whole plan for you
is to save the company! If you dazzle Grandfather he might cancel the sale for
good.”

“Right,” Melanie said slowly, the image of him in her bed by
next Valentine’s Day fading. “I certainly want my work for you to be successful.”

“I’m sure it will be,” Rob said stiffly. “I’m not going to
harass you, you know. If you say no, fine, you mean no.”

“Right,” Melanie said. “No means no.”

“You’re really sure? We can’t see each other?”

She smiled at the hint of desperation that had finally
entered his voice. “No.”

“Maybe I could find you another job somewhere?” Rob
suggested.

“I thought I was exactly what LeatherWorks needed,” she
said, smiling.

“True.” The word punched at her through the phone line. “And
I’ve always put my job before my personal life.”

A good reminder. “Me too.”

“Okay, then. Monday, nine a.m., at the Human Resources
office.”

“Right,” Melanie said. “I’ll make you proud.”

“Yeah.” Rob said and hung up.

Melanie envisioned the future. Success with a new company,
Rob’s professional respect instead of his love. She could make her own way in
the world. Who needed men, even the ones who smelled like heaven? Now she would
just have to learn to love the smell of leather in the morning, instead of the
scent of him.

Chapter Fifteen

It only took two hours to begin a new life. After
orientation, Melanie found herself in a room with gray walls, a cement floor,
hanging swaths of variously hued leather and tools. She also had a desk and a
couple of worktables. Dropping her purse on one of the scarred tables, she
turned to face her raw materials. She couldn’t wait to work with them. She’d
always wanted to make a leather skirt but hadn’t been self-confident enough to
actually wear one.

“We’ll do great together,” she said aloud, running her hand
down one smooth piece of cherry red leather. The material felt cool and sensual
against her hand. She was moving from the olfactory world to the tactile one.
Dropping her book bag to a worktable, she pulled out her college notebooks.
She’d done a little work with leather in school.

“Will this room work for you?”

Melanie felt her heart skip a beat. She turned from her
position in front of the leathers to face the door. “Rob!” she said, glad to
see him. She smoothed her hands down her thighs. Rob’s eyes glanced down the
path her hands had taken then shot back to her face. “I love it. I really think
I’m going to be inspired here.”

“Good,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb casually, yet
still with eyes locked onto hers. “I have a meeting to get to, but I wanted to
make sure I said hi on your first day.”

Melanie drooped at his cool tone and lack of enthusiasm,
which only highlighted how little time he would have for her now. But she knew
she would pay a price for allowing him to become her boss. All she needed from
him was a little common courtesy and support for her projects, not affection
and warmth, no matter how she might miss it. At least he still had heat in his
eyes, inconvenient and uncomfortable though it might be at times. She preferred
that to other options. She couldn’t imagine how she’d cope when he began to
date someone else, how she’d feel when she saw them together at company
functions. She twisted her hands together. “How did you know when to stop by?”

“I told HR to ring me when they got you settled.”

“The personal touch?” she asked, knowing she had an edge of
sarcasm in her voice that he didn’t deserve.

He smiled, ignoring her petulance. “You bet. So everything
all right?”

“No,” Melanie blurted out, surprising herself.

“No?” Rob raised an eyebrow.

“Just ignore me,” she waved her hand. “Go about your
business. Thanks for stopping by and checking on your newest employee.”

Rob sighed and propped one hip against the worktable nearest
him. “Melanie, spill it. Anything you need, always. Just ask, okay?”

She bit her lip. With his steady dark eyes on her, it only
took a second for her to decide to confide in him. Otherwise she’d be letting
Brisa down. Rob could intimidate Huntley in the way the two women could not.
“It’s Drew Huntley.”

At the name, Rob frowned. “I haven’t heard from him. I
assumed he’d scuttled back to his hole.”

“He called Brisa.” Melanie watched Rob’s hand form a fist
where it leaned against the table, but he said nothing. “He’s still demanding
money. He must have found her through me somehow.”

“He’s a coward, bothering women. I told him to come to me.”

“I’m sure he wanted to scare her.” As she said it, she
watched Rob become angry in a way she hadn’t realized he was capable of. His
stance, his hands in fists, his mottled face, showed her how seriously he took
his commitments to people. But she didn’t want violence, she just wanted Drew
Huntley to leave them alone for good. Melanie said quickly, “I had an idea.
What if Brisa told him about Ethan?”

Rob frowned. “Why would she want to do that?”

“Brisa could demand child support from him.”

Rob’s darkened face relaxed and broke into a slow grin as he
considered this idea. “And that would negate any monies that Brisa may or may
not owe him.”

“Exactly.”

“But what if he decides he wants visitation rights or, God
forbid, custody?”

“I talked to Brisa again this weekend, to make as sure as I
could that this couldn’t happen. She said he’s got a grown son he’s never shown
any interest in. He’s never let any kids into his life. Though I hate to let
Huntley know about Ethan, I think they’re safe in that regard.”

Rob nodded. “I hope she’s right. This tactic will probably
solve the problem, but it carries its own risks.”

“Doesn’t everything?”

Rob gave a half laugh. “You are a risk taker.”

Melanie shook her head. “I’ve turned conservative again,
Rob. You know that.”

Their eyes met then Rob looked away. He stood and shoved his
hands in his pockets. “I’ll give Huntley a call.”

As easy as it would be to let him, she needed to gently
remove Rob from her family’s private life. “No, Brisa will call him. I’m glad I
could bounce this off you though.”

“Let me do it, Melanie. I’m not involved like she is. It’s
better to be dispassionate in terms of money matters.”

Melanie stifled a laugh. “We’re good at that, aren’t we?”
She hoped her casual tone hid the hurt in her heart.

Rob bent toward her for a second, raising a hand to her
face. Melanie closed her eyes, not knowing what to expect from his touch. She
felt a strand of hair being tucked behind her ear and opened her eyes to see
him sitting back up.

“This isn’t about us, Melanie. Let me help.”

She was surprised to feel the prick of tears behind her
eyes. How could she refuse a sincere offer of help for her cousins? “I expect
you’ll be more effective. And Brisa knows I was going to talk to you.”

“Good. I’ll let you know what happens.” Rob walked out
without a backward glance, as if he didn’t care about her feelings, only her
problems.

Melanie rested limply against the spot on the table where
Rob had leaned a few seconds before and touched her hand to her hair. She could
feel his body’s heat in the wood and his cologne wafted faintly through the
air. She wouldn’t be getting any closer any time soon and she detested this
knowledge. God help her, but she wanted Rob Black. His presence messed with her
heart, her pulse, her breath. He didn’t even leave her standing.

Could she get him out of her system? Would it take action or
just avoidance? She knew she couldn’t steer clear of him entirely. A product
designer could never evade the executives.

Melanie ran a finger down the cool, smooth row of leathers
to her right. The scent reminded her of the boy she had lost her virginity to
in high school. He had ridden a motorcycle and wore an old leather jacket. The
scent of these leathers reminded her of him. Yet she hadn’t thought of him for
years.

Melanie took a swatch of black aniline-dyed leather from the
wall and put her nose to it. She couldn’t even remember the kid’s name. She had
only had sex with him because she thought it would make her seem more adult
around Gerald. At seventeen, she hadn’t realized how impossible it would have
been to ever persuade him that she was his equal, no matter what she had done
to narrow their experience gap.

Maybe she was kidding herself just a bit. She had felt an
adolescent hormonal rush around that boy, but only before the sex. They had
done it on a park bench in March, after a motorcycle ride to Gasworks Park. It
had been uncomfortable and over quickly, a wild, reckless moment never repeated.

She wanted a wild, reckless moment with Rob. His sexual
talent had been proven extraordinary by that night in Las Vegas. He had chained
her fantasies to the memory of his touch, but life had served to separate them.
Melanie shook her head and hung the black leather sample back on its peg. How
could she fulfill the promise of that night? A one-night stand wasn’t the
answer, even if it could be kept secret from her new coworkers. Or could it?
Would one night get him out of her system for good?

* * * * *

Late the next afternoon, Melanie was embossing an abstract
geometric design into a strip of leather, trying to reorient herself to the art
of leatherworking, when her phone rang.

“Melanie, it’s Tim, Rob’s assistant. He’d like to see you at
five if you’re available.”

“Of course,” Melanie said, feeling a slight weakening of the
knees at the mere sound of Rob’s name. She glanced up at the institutional
clock on the wall. It read four forty-five. The day had gone fast. “I’ll be
there in fifteen minutes.”

She cleaned up her project and left her room for the end of
the hall where the steps to the second floor were located. Along the corridor
were framed glossy photographs of LeatherWorks’ product line throughout the
years. She wondered if any of her creations would grace these walls someday.
The idea she had been working on today was for a line of notepads with embossed
leather covers. She had seen them at craft fairs but they were quite expensive.
She thought she’d put together a prototype and have the operations people tell
her what it would cost to make. Volume should bring the price down. First,
however, she’d have to figure out what designs to emboss.

Melanie drifted slowly down the corridor. The management
wing had a hushed, quiet air. The plant workers had gone home at the end of the
three-thirty shift and management must be gone too. She slowed her steps even
further. What if Rob had spoken to his grandfather and she was now out of a
job? And would that be a bad thing? She had dreamed of Rob last night and had woken
covered with sweat and dizzy with unfulfilled sexual longing.

She shouldn’t see him, if the truth were told. Surely he
would see in her face that she hadn’t gotten over him yet, that she didn’t feel
able to resist him if he pushed just a little. Though he hadn’t pushed at all
yesterday. He had probably moved on. Buying time, she stopped in front of the
picture of a gleaming red riding crop. She needed a few lashes with that as
punishment for ever coming to work here.

Why hadn’t she simply gone job hunting? Maybe a miracle
would have occurred and she’d have found a job right away. She could have kept
their romance going. She could have actually had sex for the first time in over
a year.

She took a few steps down to the next picture, this one of a
spiked collar filmed against white velvet. She visualized it on Rob’s tanned
neck, with her holding the attached leash, but dismissed the thought
immediately. He wasn’t the type. Tommy Joe was, however. Blech.

A door opened behind her and she heard a throat clear. “What
are you doing out here?”

Melanie whipped around, startled at the sound of Rob’s
voice. Her heart leapt when she saw his hot eyes on her. She recognized his
sheer masculine beauty as if seeing it for the first time. His mere presence,
ever darker-haired in the waning summer, clothed in close-fitting tailored
attire in the muted colors that suited him, seemed to raise the hall’s
temperature ten degrees. “I was told to come and see you.”

“Your presence was requested,” he said, stepping
purposefully into her personal space. “But my office isn’t in the hall.”

Melanie tilted her head up to his. Why was he behaving this
way again? Had he forgotten their deal? “I was checking out your wall of
products.”

He chuckled and the tension she sensed fell away. “Kinda
scary, huh. This hall has the air of a torture chamber. My favorite is in my
office. Come and see.” He pointed her down the hall to the left. They went
through an anteroom where Tim’s desk was located and then stepped into Rob’s
office. He shut the door behind them.

Melanie turned, startled. Heat radiated from his eyes again.
She swallowed. How could she ever have said no to this gorgeous man?

“This is my favorite.” Rob placed his hand on her back and
guided her to a framed photograph on the wall behind his desk. Melanie felt a
shudder go through her at his touch, branding her shoulder. She felt herself
melting as she focused on the picture.

The photograph was of a woman’s back. Her long blonde hair
draped over her shoulder, bestowing a tantalizing view of the back of her
hourglass torso. She was encased in a tight leather corset and a thong bottom.
Her feet were bare and her legs were spread.

“I just love this one,” Rob said thickly. “It never
impressed me before I met you, but,” his breath tickled her ear, “in the last
month it has given me all kinds of ideas. I had it moved in from the hallway.”

Melanie’s breath caught in her throat as she imagined
herself as the woman in the photograph, willing and spread for a lover. Melanie
turned to him and put her hand on his muted Italian yellow cashmere vest. His
nipple hardened instantly. She flashed back to the memory of their first
meeting as she tried to catch her breath. But it was no use, he was Adonis.
“Thank you for showing me.”

Rob nodded, not taking his eyes off her. “You’re welcome.”

“Is that a recent product line?” She licked her lips. “I
mean, do you have that corset in stock?”

Rob’s eyes dilated, dropping to her fluttering chest. “I
wish. It’s from the 1980s.”

“Oh,” Melanie sighed. “That’s too bad.”

“You like it too?”

“Oh yeah. Is it hot in here? I’m hot.” She took off her
jacket and tossed it on Rob’s chair. Underneath she wore a tight, sleeveless
shell of baby blue silk.

Rob’s lips hovered over hers. “Your blouse matches your
beautiful eyes.”

Melanie almost felt rather than saw his lips curve into a
smile as he said, “Am I taking advantage of the situation?”

“Women don’t get turned on by pornography,” Melanie
responded. She licked her lips. They felt parched from the heated room, from
the heat his body gave off. “The beginning of sexual attraction happens in our
minds.”

“So what’s in your mind, Melanie Vanderpool?” Rob leaned
forward until his forehead touched hers.

“You,” she admitted. “Is that okay? I feel like I’ve really
jerked you around.”

“Everything is just fine.” Rob tilted his head and kissed
her with caressing lips. She opened herself to him with a moan she couldn’t
suppress and welcomed his smooth, hot tongue into her mouth. It sizzled against
her own.