Working It (16 page)

He knew she was telling him the truth, but it was hard not to worry about her.

Especially feeling the way I do about her.

He let her lead him to his kitchen table. “All right. So first off, we feed you.”

He smiled as she pulled out to-go containers, obviously from Grady's. “Woman, you are too good to me,” he said, then groaned as he sat. “Man. I'm a wreck.”

Her eyes had narrowed at the noise, and she scooted around behind his chair. Before he could reach for the food, she started kneading the knotted muscles at the base of his neck. He groaned again, this time in pleasure.

“If you want to do that for…I don't know, a year or two,” he said, feeling the strength of her fingertips start melting away some of the stored tension in his shoulders, “I won't complain one bit.”

“You are possibly the most stressed-out guy I've ever seen,” she muttered. “Don't you ever relax? Do yoga, tai chi…breathing exercises? Anything?”

“Um…I play basketball,” he said with a chuckle. “We're not big on yoga here in San Angelo.”

“Did you play this week?”

He grimaced as she hit a sore spot, both literally and figuratively. “I'll relax next week, after this is all over.”

She sighed impatiently. Then, he felt her tugging on the chair. He helped her by scooting away from the table a little bit. “What?” he asked innocently.

She stared at him for a moment…then a slow, naughty smile spread on her face. “You know, I have ways of making resisters like yourself relax,” she said.

The sexy look on her face, combined with a week's worth of frustration for her, made him go hard in a rush. “Really?” he said, his voice challenging. “Well, I don't know…”

He stopped when she straddled the chair, putting her arms around his neck. “Are you going to cooperate?” She nipped at his neck.

“Never,” he breathed, nipping her in return then inhaling sharply as she rotated her hips in a sinuous, sensual motion. The friction of her jeans against his groin elicited a groan.

“Well…” she said as she got off him for a second, making him almost whimper. “We'll have to see about that.”

He was seeing about that. In fact, he thought as she
kicked off her shoes and reached for the fly of her jeans, he was riveted.

She inched the zipper down, tooth by tooth, smirking at him. Then she eased the material off of her hips, exposing a pair of thong-cut panties. She smiled when his eyes widened.

“Boy,” he said on a strangled whisper, “you take no prisoners, huh?”

She shook her head, then pulled her jeans off one leg at a time, leaving her only in the T-shirt and the panties. He started to get up, but she stopped him.

“I'm the one in charge here,” she murmured, cupping his cock through the material of his slacks. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

“Okay,” he replied, then let out a small noise as she undid the fly of his pants, moving the zipper down tooth by tooth. “No complaints here.”

“I'm going to relax you to within an inch of your life,” she said. The zipper was finally all the way down and he could barely feel the air hitting his sensitive erection through the opening in his boxers. She went directly for him with knowing fingers. When he felt the barely there touch of her fingertips stroking him, his hips jerked reflexively.

“Did you miss me?”

He groaned as she pulled him out of his pants. “You have to ask?”

She straddled him again, gently. “I missed you,” she said, pausing to kiss him thoroughly. He felt his cock brush against the silky fabric of her panties, and pushed up to meet her. He felt dampness against his flesh and kissed her harder, his hands jetting up to her hips, trying to tug her down to meet him more snugly.

“Uh-uh,” she said, pulling away a little. Then she
reached for the edge of her T-shirt, pulling it over her head. He held his breath. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her breasts were right in front of him. She leaned forward, smiling. He didn't need more invitation, leaning forward, sucking gently first on one nipple, then the other. She arched her back and he was treated to the dual sensation of her breasts pressing more firmly into his mouth as the hot heat between her thighs cuddled his erection. His groan was muffled by her, and he was gratified by her responding sound of pleasure as he teased her nipple with his tongue and then his teeth.

“I missed you so much,” she repeated, her hips rubbing against him. He felt the fabric of her panties move a little to the side and he wanted nothing more than to press into her. “And I wanted you.”

“I want you now, Jade,” he said, circling her nipples with his thumbs. He raised his arms as she pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it onto the floor. They kissed again and he reached down, stroking her clit through the now soaked fabric, feeling the head of his cock probing her, frustrated by the material between them.

“Condom,” she muttered. Her lips were swollen and her nipples puckered. She moved just enough to grab a condom from her purse. She ripped through the foil packaging, then rolled the condom onto him. He gasped first at the coldness of the latex compared to the heat of her, then again at the firm feel of her palm stroking him with knowing pressure. He lifted his hips enough to let her tug off his boxers and pants, then watched as she pulled her own panties off. They were both naked, in his living room.

Thank God there aren't any windows in this room,
he thought briefly before she straddled him with purpose this time, lowering herself, impaling herself on him. Then his rational thought blinked out. Her body gripped him and he felt her breasts against his chest as she pushed him fully into her. He gripped her hips, pulling her against him, and she let out a small gasp of pleasure, her head thrown back, her eyes closed.

“Drew,” she whispered, her breathing turning quickly to small, uneven panting. “Oh, yes.”

He raised her a little, still raining kisses on her collarbone, the hollow between her breasts. She was moving her hips in a small rolling motion, and the friction and pressure was driving him wild. She'd pull off of him enough to make him crazy, then drive herself onto him with enough force to leave him breathless. He closed his eyes as the feel of her exploded through him.

“Jade,” he said, pulling her to him, as if he wanted them to become one person. She kissed him hungrily and their tongues twined as she ground against him, bringing him as deeply into her as she could. She bucked against him and he arched his back, meeting her stroke for stroke.

Their pace was increasing now, quickening. He could feel the pressure mounting in him, as she rode him, her stomach rubbing against his, her body tightening around him. The heat of her was incredible. He thought he'd die from holding off, waiting…

“Drew,”
she breathed, and he felt it: her grip like a vise as she wrapped her legs around his waist and drove him into her. He didn't wait. He succumbed to the feel of her, letting the orgasm rip through him like a bullet. It seemed to go on forever, her twisting against him, clutching him, his pleasure spilling out volcanically. Finally she collapsed against him, each tiny
movement of her pelvis sending aftershocks of pleasure through him.

Long moments later he nudged her up, pushing sweaty curls away from her face. She looked dazed, her mossy-green eyes dreamy, a small, smug smile haunting the corners of her lips. He had to say, she looked pretty sated.

“So,” she purred. “Tell me you're not relaxed.”

A mischievous little part of him caused him to grin. “Well,” he drawled. “It was a hard week, you know.”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed as the fires of battle lit.

“Well now,” she replied, and he felt her thighs tighten almost imperceptibly. “Why don't I get some food into you…and then we'll see if I can't do a better job.”

T
HIS WAS IT
.
Game time. The big deal. The whole enchilada. This would make or break both Robson Steel and Jade's career in one fell swoop. They got the investor backing, Drew cut a check to Michaels & Associates, and she got the promotion. If not, Robson Steel went under…and Jade was given her walking papers.

She sat at the table, next to Ken Shimoda. Mrs. Packard had coffee prepared. The investors were huddled at the other side of the table, talking among themselves.

“Now, don't worry,” Ken said to Jade, although it was evident that he was just trying to convince himself. “It'll be fine. You've been working hard with Drew. It'll be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“Ken?”

He looked at her, his eyes ever so slightly frantic in his hound-dog face. “Yeah?”

“Switch to decaf.” She got up when he sent her a weak smile, and walked over to where Drew was, going over his slides. “How are you doing, chief?”

He looked up at her, and all she could think about was the lazy way he'd held her that morning…the look of slumberous pleasure in his eyes before he'd moved on top of her and said good morning as only Drew Robson could. She could still feel her toes curl slightly just at the memory of it. “I haven't gotten any com
plaints yet,” he said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming. Obviously he remembered, too.

“Well, keep your eye on the ball. I don't have any doubts, you understand.” She leaned in a little. “But let's just say once you get through this, and you can finally relax, I'm going to do things to you that most men only dream of.”

“Don't tease when I'm just about to step into a meeting,” he murmured back, but there was humor as well as sensual warmth in his eyes. “Oh, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“I love you,” he said simply. “In case I get distracted later.”

She felt her heart stop for a beat, then resume at twice its normal speed. “What?”

“Shh,” he said, and his grin was devilish. “Gotta do this thing now.”

And with that, he stepped toward the table. “I think we're all here now. Let's get started.”

Jade remained rooted where she was for a second, stunned. He loved her. He actually said it.

He actually said it just before the biggest meeting she'd ever been involved in. When she couldn't say anything in return or ask any questions or have any time to really process it.

She sat in her seat.

When this is all over, I am going to kill him.

She glanced at the head of the table, where he was sitting. He just grinned at her.

“What we're here to discuss is Inesco's possible investment in Robson Steel. After today's meeting, you should be able to see why investing in our plant is the best move for Inesco…what we can offer, what sort of
flexibility you'll have, and what a relationship in Robson Steel will do for you.”

Not too fast, Jade thought. He was casual, and he sounded relaxed, confident. That was important. He wasn't stressing. His speech was slow and easygoing. Great, she thought. He's doing great.

He loves me.

She shook off the thought. Not that there was a lot she could do now, since she wasn't going to be an active participant in the meeting. Still, she was going to monitor how he was doing, and nudge Ken if she had to. She'd helped orchestrate the presentation. She knew every single bullet point, every anecdote, every argument. She now knew more about steel than she ever thought she would in her life.

He loves me.

If she could just move past that point!

He looked great, standing there. He looked like a man in charge of millions, not a desperate steel mill on the brink of bankruptcy, asking for money hat in hand. It was exactly the right thing.

He looked good enough to eat, on top of it.

He loves me. And I love him.

She hadn't anticipated this, she thought as she watched him move into the presentation, fielding questions like a pro. She hadn't ever thought she'd open up to someone and trust them enough to love them. But he was quite possibly the best man, one of the best people, she'd ever met. When she was hurting, he did something about it. He listened to her opinions. He trusted her with his business, which these days was the closest thing to trusting her with his life.

He loves me.

She was just a little bit terrified of what was supposed to happen next.

Does he want me to stay with him? What if I have to travel a lot? Will he be all right with that?

This wasn't helping in the short term. Short term was all they had.

“If you invest in Robson, you get the following benefits…”

He was focusing on benefits. That was good. What was the benefit of her staying with him?

He was an honest man. He was loyal. Look how sincere he was about the community. He genuinely cared about it. And he was…ethical.

She wasn't going to go into the ethics thing. Not now.

The head of Inesco was a dark-haired man who didn't really speak much—he left the speaking to his second-in-command, who was shorter, had a spiky blond haircut and the tenacity of a pit bull. He kept cornering Drew, but it was Drew's show. She sat there next to Ken, stopping her toe from tapping or her fingers from fidgeting. Stopping herself from leaping up and starting to talk.

It's Drew's show. He
has
to take care of this himself.

Still…it was hard to just sit there.

Especially when you love him so much.

The blond pit bull was conferring in a low voice to his boss, then he looked at Drew, steepling his fingers, just like a bad guy in a movie. He was going in for the final question. They'd been there for an hour and a half. They knew everything there was to know about Robson, about steel, about San Angelo. About Drew. What was he planning?

“Mr. Robson,” the guy said smoothly, considering
the attacks he'd been lobbing all afternoon, “we've just got one last question.”

“Fire away,” Drew said, as if he were fielding one last pitch from a questionnaire or something.

“Give us one reason…one
good
reason,” the guy tacked on, “why we should go with you over any of the three competitors we've spoken with.”

She could feel Ken tense up. They hadn't mentioned the competitors up to this point. This was it. The go-for-the-jugular question. The defining moment.

She looked at him.

To her surprise, he looked at her, not at the Inesco guys. She barely noticed that the blond guy especially noticed this, too. His blue eyes were as always intense. Just like always, she felt like holding her breath.

Game on, Drew!

And then, slowly, he smiled.

He looked back at the Inesco guys.

“Let me make sure I've got your question down right,” he said, his voice slow but sure. “From what we've gone over, in all our past dealings, ending with this afternoon, I've gotten the impression that Inesco is a company that's growing, that's looking for partners to grow with.”

Even though he wasn't looking at her, she could still feel as if he were talking to her. She nodded, slowly, silently cheering him on.

“Your company has a lot of history, and you feel a lot of the newer companies don't share that vision.”

She felt the smile tugging at her own lips. That knocked out one of their newer competitors. The dark-haired guy was still sitting there, stock-still, and blond guy was still frowning.

“You're also having trouble finding a partner with the same commitment to quality, I believe.”

She clasped her hands together under the table to prevent herself from doing a high five. One of their competitors had trouble with quality control…it was well documented. He wasn't calling it out, he was putting it in terms Inesco themselves had said. Yes! Yes!

“And you're looking for a partner who is just as strong as Inesco, who has the same strong beliefs concerning progress, innovation and streamlining. Did I get that right?”

He'd just showed his ideas on those very subjects. She kept her poker face on, even as she scrutinized the Inesco table.

Slowly, Mr. Inesco, the dark-haired gentleman, smiled.

“Mr. Robson,” he said, his voice deep and very slightly accented, “I think you've covered what we're looking for perfectly.”

“Mr. Inesco,” Drew replied, “I think that Robson Steel covers what you're looking for. Perfectly.”

There was a minute of silence.

Then Mr. Inesco laughed.

There was a general sound of applause, cheering, and Mr. Inesco and Drew shook hands. Everything else turned into a blur for Jade. The bottom line was, they landed the sale. Drew
nailed
the sale. Slam-dunk. Game over. We were the champs.

She stood, using the chaos as cover.

Her job was done, she thought. It wouldn't quite process. She had been part of the Robson world, so deeply lately, that she simply couldn't believe it was over.

Before she'd gotten too far, Drew walked over to her. “There you are!”

She turned back to him. “Wait a minute. Shouldn't you be back in there? You just landed the investment deal. You should be celebrating!”

“Mrs. Packard is pouring champagne,” he said, taking her hand and tugging her toward his office, “and Ken is entertaining them with some stories of the old days at Robson. Mr. Inesco's being charming and his watchdog guy is obviously figuring out what he needs to do as far as paperwork. We're covered for a few minutes.”

“But…”

“But nothing,” he said with finality as they entered his office and he shut the door. “This is more important.”

“Drew,” she said, even as her heart fluttered, “this is
no
time for a quickie.”

He looked at her. “Well…if you insist. But first things first.”

He tugged her to his desk, putting her on its surface. “Drew!” she squealed.

He wiggled his eyebrows…and then, to her surprise, he put his speakerphone on and started dialing.

“Drew, what are you doing?”

He put a finger to his lips, hushing her. The phone rang through, and then a female voice answered. “Michaels and Associates.”

Jade shot a look at Drew.

“I'd like to speak to…” He paused. “What's your boss's name, Jade?”

“It's Betsy Diehl,” she said. “Hey, wait a second…”

“Betsy Diehl, please,” he said, putting his fingers over Jade's lips.

Jade watched as he grinned, waiting for Betsy to come on the phone.

“Betsy Diehl.”

“Ms. Diehl, this is Drew Robson. I'm the owner and president of Robson Steel. I've got one of your account execs working with me.”

“Ah. Mr. Robson.” Jade hadn't heard Betsy go into client mode before. Her voice sounded like drizzled honey. “What can I do for you today?”

“You've already done enough, by sending me Jade,” he said, winking at Jade. Jade could feel the heat of a blush start creeping over her cheeks. “I just wanted to let you know that I'll be sending that check for one hundred thousand dollars to Michaels and Associates, as promised.”

Jade let out a little gasp, but it went unheard behind his palm.

“I also wanted to say, for the record, that I wouldn't have been able to without Jade Morrow's help,” he said, and she felt her chest warm with pride. She had to blink hard against the moisture in her eyes. This was not what she had expected.

He knew how much it would mean to her, she thought. She hadn't realized he was so perceptive.

“That's fantastic. We've got a reputation to uphold here at Michaels and Associates,” Betsy said, although her voice was a little flat. “Could you get her a message for me, then?”

He grinned, leaning forward and pressing a silent kiss on Jade's neck, causing her to shiver. “I think I can manage,” he answered loudly.

“Wonderful. In light of her work there, she's more
than earned what we promised. She'll get that promotion to account supervisor.” Betsy paused. “Not to say that she wouldn't have worked just as hard on your account anyway, Mr. Robson. But there was a certain…well, let's just say there was a test involved in this one. And she passed with flying colors.”

Drew looked at the phone, nonplussed. Jade, however, froze.

He's not going to understand.

“I'll, uh, tell her,” Drew said, looking at Jade with puzzlement.

“Wonderful. We here at Michaels and Associates look forward to working with you more,” Betsy said, her voice going back to that persuasive pitch. “Perhaps we could extend a further contract…”

“I'm sorry, I've got to run, Ms. Diehl,” Drew said. “It's been nice talking with you.”

“Of course. Goodbye.”

He hung up, and looked at Jade, pulling away a little. “Account supervisor, huh?”

“It's not…oh, crap,” she said, standing next to him and reaching for him. “It's really not as bad as it might sound. I didn't…you can't honestly think that I…”

Ken burst into the room. “Drew! Come on, man. The champagne's poured and Mr. Inesco has some questions for you. We also need to schedule a few conference calls. Come on!”

“Okay,” Drew said, then turned to Jade. “I have to take care of this stuff.”

“We'll talk later,” she said, feeling a miserable lump in her stomach.

“Sure.”

She watched as he left, shooting her one last look before disappearing back into the conference room.

He doesn't believe me.

She had to make him.

 

O
UT TO DINNER
. Thank God the Italian restaurant had reopened. The new decor was a big step up from the old, red-and-white-checkered-vinyl tablecloths. He guessed they were aiming for more upscale. At any rate, the Inesco people were pretty happy at having the decision finally nailed down, and obviously he and Ken were happy. Ken was actually more cheerful than he'd seen in years. He was certainly more happy than he'd ever been since Drew had taken over the helm of Robson Steel.