Surprise Seduction (6 page)

She worked hard to maintain that impression.
 
Too hard.
 
And found keeping the truth from him more difficult every day.

What was she buying him for lunch?

She was stressing the choice too much.
 
He probably wouldn’t pay attention to what she brought him.

No.
 
Chase paid attention to everything.
 
Nothing slipped past the man.

Except her heterosexuality.

A soft giggle escaped her lips.

Okay, he planned to work through lunch and go on a hot date for the evening.
 
She ignored the tightening of her stomach muscles at the thought of Chase with another woman.
 
She didn’t want to think about the twinges of jealousy she fought every time she saw one clinging to him.
 
Instead, she continued her lunch menu rationalizations.

He’d want something light, yet filling.
 
She threw her hands up.

Oh Adrienne, stop obsessing.
 
It’s just his lunch.

After picking up the correct files, she’d get him a sandwich.
 
If he didn’t like his meal, he could choke on it.

Then, she had a better idea.

One that made her sides hurt with the laughter she unsuccessfully tried to contain.

An hour later, Adrienne sat at a table in the company cafeteria.
 
Conversation buzzed around her.
 
The delicious aroma of lasagna tempted her nostrils, making her stomach rumble in protest to its deprived state.

She’d settled for a salad instead of the spicy Italian dish.
 
Her fork stabbed into a piece of crisp lettuce.
 
She chewed on the almost tasteless bite of food.
 
Her newly made friends chatted idly about the upcoming office party to celebrate Weston’s fiftieth anniversary.

She half-listened as she wondered what Chase thought of his lunch.
 
When she’d delivered his meal, he eyed the plastic containers with a lift of his brow and a sniff of his arrogant nose.
 
She’d placed the items on his desk and beat a hasty exit.

“So, Adrienne, are you coming to the party?”
 
Rosie Smith, who worked in accounting, pulled Adrienne’s meandering thoughts into focus.

“I doubt it,” she replied honestly.

“Now, Adrienne, you have to go!” Rosie chided.

“I’m not a party kind of girl.”
 
Adrienne stuffed a small tomato in her mouth.
 
The juice tickled her tongue as she bit down.

“Oh, come off it.
 
You’re a party animal waiting to happen,” Sheila teased.

Once upon a time, she had been.
 
A silly, glitzy girl who’d lived to party.
 
Then she’d lost the one person who’d meant the world to her.
 
She swallowed the last of the tomato.

“I’ll skip this one.”
 
Because who knew if any Morrigan bigwigs might show?
 
“You girls can fill me in on what I miss.”
 
She stood.
 
Her chair clanked noisily against the tile floor.
 
“I’d better get back to the office.
 
Mr. Aaron wants to go over the Miller project first thing this afternoon.”

Before anyone could protest, Adrienne disposed of her trash and put her tray in the appropriate place.
 
She walked toward the door, pausing only long enough to catch the conspiratorial looks passing between her friends.

Unease churned her stomach even though she hadn’t touched the zesty lasagna.
 
She’d seen how Sheila rubbed her hands together.
 
Her friend was up to something.
 
Which could only mean trouble.

An hour later, Adrienne sat in one of the over-sized chairs in front of Chase’s desk reviewing his next day’s schedule.
 
He leaned forward slightly, paying close attention to her words.

“I’ve arranged the hard copy in the same order as your Power Point presentation, and I believe you’ll find everything as requested.”
 
Adrienne glanced down at the document she held, double-checking the name.
 
“The representative from Miller’s, Bruce Edwards, will land at Logan a little before nine.
 
I’ve arranged for someone to meet him and transport him here.
 
I don’t foresee any problem.”

Adrienne passed the folder.
 
Her hand brushed against his and held.
 
Her gaze dropped to where their skin met.
 
She should pull away, but didn’t.
 
His fingertips brushed slowly over the entire length of her hand as he took the file from her.

A thousand tiny sparks of electricity zinged across her skin.
 
How did he do that and, more importantly, could he do the same thing to other body parts?
 
She swallowed, ordering herself not to notice the heat emanating from where he’d touched her.

Chase opened the folder and scanned its contents without meeting her gaze.

“Looks like you’ve got everything covered.”
 
He tossed the file onto the sleek surface of his desk and stared at her with that bug-under-glass scrutiny of his.

She refused to squirm.

“If I haven’t told you before, you’re doing a great job.”

Her cheeks blazed.
 
He never ceased to throw her off guard.
 
“Thank you, Mr. Aaron.”

“I’ve told you to call me Chase.
 
I think you’re talking to my dad when you call me ‘Mr. Aaron’.”

“No, thank you, Mr. Aaron.”
 
She pointedly addressed him in the most respectful tone she could.
 
She might think of him as Chase in her mind, but she wouldn’t call him that out loud.
 
She needed to keep as much distance between them as possible.
 
She’d promised herself she wouldn’t fall for him.
 
Removing the formality between them would be taking an unnecessary risk.

As it was, every existing barrier might not be enough to protect her from his magnetism.

“I’d prefer Chase.”
 
His tone held a curious quality.
 
She glanced at him.
 
His eyes held an almost hypnotic look, as if he willed her to say his name.
 
Her insides turned to hot butter.

“I know you prefer a more feminine partner.”
 
His voice became almost a sigh as he continued.
 
“I’m not worried about you attacking me, Adrienne.”

You should be.

She had to curb her growing fascination before she did something stupid.
 
Like forget about saving her father’s company from Drew and, instead, throw herself at Chase.

Why must he be so likable?
 
So provocative to her senses?

Chase stared at Adrienne thoughtfully.
 
Not for the first time, he wondered why she played down her looks.
 
What he could see of her brown tresses appeared healthy, if a bit dull.
 
He’d love to know what she looked like with her hair loose.
 
Was it short and sassy or long and tantalizing?
 
Her blue-green eyes were large and sincere when they met his, which wasn’t often.
 
He got the impression she feared what he might see in her gaze, and hid behind those God-awful glasses.

He’d never seen her wear the first bit of make-up to accentuate her high cheekbones and wide eyes.
 
She had a wonderful complexion, although he wondered if she ever spent any time enjoying the warmth of the sun.
 
Maybe he should invite her out on his boat.
 
An afternoon aboard Sinbad would put some color on her smooth skin.

Hold everything.
 
What was he thinking?
 
He couldn’t take her out on Sinbad.
 
She was his assistant.

Chase held in the strangled sound threatening to erupt.

Adrienne Morris was different from any woman he’d ever known, and much as he hated to admit it, she fascinated him.

He should quit looking a gift horse in the mouth and enjoy that he’d found the right woman for the job, despite his initial doubts.
 
Still, something about her bothered him.

Her manners were perfect.
 
Too perfect.
 
Her speech hinted at a quality education.

“What did you do before coming to work at Weston?”

Although she quickly disguised it, he saw the doe-caught-in-the-headlights look that appeared in her eyes.
 
Interesting.

“What difference does that make now?”

“Just curious,” he admitted.
 
“Do you have family?”

She paused briefly before answering him.
 
“Not anymore.”

Had her family disowned her because of her alternative lifestyle?
 
For that matter, had she felt the spark when they touched?
 
It seemed impossible she could have missed the lightning jolt that ran through him as his fingers glided over her soft, smooth skin.

“Are you bringing a date to Weston’s Fiftieth?”
 
Where had that come from?
 
He hadn’t meant to pursue the issue of her relationships.
 
It was none of his business.
 
But hell if his breath didn’t catch as he waited for her answer.

Her pale cheeks went rosy.
 
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen a woman blush before meeting Adrienne.
 
Those cheeks of hers grew pink on a minute-by-minute basis.
 
Where else did she flush?

He stifled the groan bellowing from deep within his gut.
 
She liked women
.
 
Adrienne represented forbidden fruit, and he’d never get a nibble.
 
Not that he even wanted one
.

He preferred lush blondes, not mousy lesbians.

“I’m not going.”

“You’re not going?”
 
That surprised him.
 
The anniversary party would be a grand event.
 
George had requested the presence of each employee.
 
Arrangements had been made for key employees to fly in from several of the branch offices, including Morrigan’s corporate office in Chicago.

Adrienne didn’t answer.

“You have to go.”
 
His voice dropped.
 
Just why, he wasn’t sure, but he wanted to see her outside the office.
 
Maybe she’d let her hair down at the party.
 
Literally.

Her chin lifted, and her eyes took on a deeper blue hue.
 
“Is that part of my job description?”