No Strings Attached (2 page)

Ella remembered how pissed James had been over that. He and Clay had had words. Serious
words. But Clay had told him it was business.

She’d hated losing Tish, mainly because they’d worked together in the office and gotten
close. That hadn’t changed after Tish went to work for Clay. They got together for
lunch once a week, and hung out whenever Ella wasn’t busy with James.

After James’s death, Tish had been her rock. Ten years older than Ella, Tish had lost
her husband, John, to cancer. She knew how it felt to lose the man of your dreams,
the other half of yourself. And Ella had leaned on Tish—hard. Tish had strong shoulders
and had weathered a lot of crying on Ella’s part. She hadn’t said a word, either—until
Ella had been ready to talk about it.

She loved Tish like a sister.

So she expected Tish to look out for her, even now, five years later. “I’m sure. I
think.”

Tish laughed. “That’s what I thought. Hey, if nothing else, you’ll get some rest,
a great tan and you’ll come back relaxed. You work too hard.”

“I need to work hard.”

“No, you don’t. Not anymore. It’s okay to let your guard down. It’s been five years,
Ella. Let go.”

“I’m trying. That’s what this trip is all about.”

Tish shook her head. “I don’t know why you need to go all the way to Hawaii to get
laid, but whatever.”

Ella pulled up a chair in front of Tish’s desk and leaned forward. “You know exactly
why I have to go all the way to Hawaii. Who do I know here? Who do I associate with?
All the men in the industry. Do you think I’m going to…” She cast a quick glance around
the room. “Do you think I’m going to have sex with any of them?”

Tish leaned back in her chair. “I think there’s some mighty fine men in this business.
Open your eyes. Take your pick. Don’t you see how they look at you?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t pay any attention. These men all knew James. I want
a stranger.”

“Bleh. That’s not good. You don’t know what you’ll get.”

“Laid, Tish. I’ll get laid. I’ll have phenomenal sex, get it out of my system, and
I’ll come home relaxed and ready to go back to work without the added distraction
of…”

“Being horny?”

Ella laughed. “Yes.”

“I think it would be a lot easier to scratch that itch with someone you know.”

“Oh, hell no. That’s the last thing I want. Trust me, this is the best way.”

Tish sighed. “If you say so. The condo is booked for you. Have a good time. And for
God’s sake, be careful.”

“I will.” She stood and walked around the desk and threw her arms around Tish. “I
love you.”

“I love you, too.” Tish waved her off. “Now, get out of here before I get all mushy
and ruin my makeup.”

Ella laughed, excitement pouring through her. “Okay.”

She turned to walk away, but Tish stopped her with a, “Hey.”

Ella pivoted. “What?”

“We need to go shopping. You can’t wear dusty blue jeans, work shirts and boots on
Waikiki beach.”

Clay waited until Ella had left the offices. Then he came out of one of the workrooms
and stopped at Tish’s desk.

“She taking the condo?”

His assistant shifted her gaze away from her computer and over to him. “How do you
know about that?”

“She told me.”

“Oh. Well, then, yes.”

“When is she going?”

Tish regarded him with a suspicious glare.

“I’m concerned about her, Tish. You know how it is. How we all are.”

Tish nodded. “I know. Me, too. She leaves Sunday. She’ll be there a week.”

“She’s really going alone?”

“So she says.”

“I’m not sure I like that.”

Tish laughed. “I’m pretty sure it’s none of your business.”

He smirked. “Probably not. But when has that ever stopped me?”

“Never.”

His smile widened. “What does my calendar look like for the next week and a half?”

She brought up the calendar on the computer. “A couple meetings. Nothing major.”

“Move them. And book my condo for Sunday.”

Tish shook her head. “For a week, I suppose?”

“Yeah.”

“Ella isn’t going to like this.”

“Ella has nothing to do with it. I’m going deep-sea fishing.”

Tish snorted. “Sure you are.”

“And if I happen to run into Ella while I’m there, I can make sure she’s okay.”

“Ella does a fine job taking care of herself.”

“I know she does. But just in case…”

Tish’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

So did he. He didn’t do impulsive things like this. Ever. And he’d been hands off
Ella…always. But after James’s sudden death,
and the way it had taken its toll on her, he’d stepped in as James’s best friend and
found himself…looking after her. In an unofficial capacity, of course. Strictly business
related. He didn’t go to her house. He didn’t see to her personal welfare. He never
saw her at all other than at business functions. On the job. Nothing personal between
them at all. Ella had family and friends for that. She had them to lean on during
the bad times. He’d just been there to help her out with the business.

This wasn’t business.

So why the hell was he going to Hawaii?

The condo was amazing. The oceanfront room was open and airy with white tile floors,
pale bamboo and wicker furniture with glass tabletops. And the view took her breath
away. Miniature palms waved to her in greeting as she stepped out on the balcony and
got her first clear look at the ocean.

Wow. Just…wow. She took a deep breath and inhaled the tangy ocean air.

She’d been in Hawaii for all of an hour and she was already madly in love with the
place. How did people ever leave? She wanted to plop down on the chaise, put her feet
up, stare at the never-ending miles of clear blue water and just do…nothing. Quite
possibly for the rest of her life. Okay, maybe she’d add a piña colada. Other than
that, she couldn’t think of one other thing she’d need to be happy.

Sex.

Oh, right. That was why she was here, wasn’t it? Though she could get used to a life
without sex if she could live in a place this nice. It was so peaceful watching the
waves as they raced to the
shore, listening to the sounds of people below, and yet she remained detached from
it all, an observer.

And that was her problem, had been her problem for too long now. She’d been detached,
observing. Not participating. Which meant no more sitting around watching the world
go by. It was time to join the party.

She grabbed the suitcase she’d dropped at the front door and headed to the bedroom,
her jaw dropping.

Clay had been very good to Tish when he’d given her this condo. The bedroom was lush,
with a king-sized bed and a lazily twirling ceiling fan overhead. There was no television—really,
who needs TV in paradise? The double doors gave way to another stunning view of the
beach and the ocean.

The bathroom had a double vanity, a shower built for two and a Jacuzzi tub. It was
huge and every woman’s dream. Ella could use one of those at home after a muscle-bruising
day. There was even a small kitchen in case she wanted to cook instead of eat out
every night.

She’d be content to never leave her room. Except she had to get out. It was unlikely
some hot stud had heard about her arrival and was about to knock on her door to offer
up his services.

She laughed at that, tossed her suitcase on the bed and opened it up, still awed by
all the color she saw in there.

Tish had pushed her into going shopping. Okay, Tish had grabbed her and taken her
shopping. So she owned only ragged cutoff shorts, or the ones she wore during her
occasional trips to the gym. And she couldn’t remember how long it had been since
she’d last put on a swimsuit. Plus, she’d lost a lot of weight and most of her clothes
didn’t fit anymore.

But what reason did she have to go shopping? She wore jeans and work shirts all the
time.

Which meant her wardrobe was in serious need of some updating. And she had to admit
she’d enjoyed the hell out of picking out new clothes. She went hog wild, too, buying
some things for Hawaii she knew she’d never, ever wear again.

But what the hell. She of all people knew life was short—sometimes too short—and she
wanted to have the fling of a lifetime in Hawaii. What better way to start than by
purchasing scandalous clothes?

She unpacked, then put on her swimsuit, surprised at what she saw in the mirror. She’d
lost a lot of weight and gained a ton of muscle. Running from one jobsite to another
kept her fit. Grief and focusing more on work than on eating had taken away those
extra twenty pounds she’d always hated. For thirty years old, she looked pretty damn
good. Maybe she could pick up a hot lifeguard or surfer, someone young and sexy—with
stamina. She’d definitely want someone with stamina. She needed lots and lots of sex.

Even a little sex would be good. Any sex at all. She wasn’t going home without it.
She hoped she wouldn’t have to assault some poor guy to get it.

Yeah, right. As if she was that forward. She’d had one—exactly one—sexual partner
in her lifetime, and that had been James. She’d been seventeen when she’d met him,
eighteen when she’d married him.

And a widow at twenty-five.

She shook off the shroud of melancholy that threatened to put a damper on this beautifully
sunny day. Which was exactly where she belonged—out in the sun. It was time to shake
off Oklahoma’s winter and dig her toes in the sand.

She went downstairs to the pool, tossed her things under the chair and spread out
her towel, lathered up with some sunscreen, giddy with excitement when a cocktail
waitress came by to take her order. It was one in the afternoon. And she’d just ordered
a Bloody Mary. Normally her day wouldn’t be even half over yet.

So far, this vacation was pretty damn good. She sipped her drink and surveyed the
pool area, an expansive, winding behemoth so large she couldn’t even see the other
side of it. It was crowded already, too. But not wholly by single men, unfortunately.
Lots of couples as well as families with their children in tow. She decided to ignore
them and scan the area for men traveling alone. Surely there were conferences
here. Then again, men attending conferences might be busy during the day, and available
only at night. Which meant she’d have to hit the clubs and bars. She could do that.

Right, because she was so worldly. She snickered and took a sip of her drink, put
it on the table next to her and adjusted the chaise flat.

Time for some sun worshipping. She’d go man hunting later.

Clay surveyed the pool and ocean from his spot on the upper bar deck. He’d gotten
in late—really late—last night, had done some work on his laptop and promptly passed
out. This morning he’d gone for a workout in the gym, taken a walk on the beach and
had breakfast, then gone to his room to make a few calls.

Yeah, so far, some vacation. But Tish told him Ella’s plane got in late this morning,
so he figured he’d run into her sometime today. In the meantime, he decided to soak
up some sun.

This condo complex was packed. A lot of couples—on their honeymoons, probably—and
families with kids running around screaming.

He liked kids. A lot. Someday he might want to have some. Maybe. If he had time. His
father was a career-driven workaholic, and Clay couldn’t remember spending much time
with his dad. Nothing worse than an absent parent to make a child feel worthless.
He didn’t want to do that to his own kids. Better not to have any.

Of course since he never delved into a relationship past three or four dates, the
chances of actually marrying and having children with someone seemed pretty damned
remote right now.

Because he’d also seen how lonely his mother was, how his father’s frequent absences
and preoccupation with his career had affected her. And he’d never do that to a woman,
either. It was best to keep them at arm’s length, not get too involved. Then he wouldn’t
have to hurt them.

Damn. Too much downtime equaled too much time for reflection on how fucked-up his
personal life was. No wonder he liked
working nonstop. He flagged down the waitress and ordered a beer, then flipped his
sunglasses over his eyes and surveyed the pool.