Читать книгу Provocative Territory - AlTonya Washington - Страница 12

Chapter 4

Clarissa began to regret her outburst when she realized Elias Joss wasn’t simply pulling her off to the side for a measure of privacy. He was escorting her completely from the dining room.

He seemed to know everyone they passed along the way, which wasn’t surprising. Joss Construction had erected an impressive percentage of the buildings in that city. Nationally, their project portfolio was just as impressive.

Clarissa had taken the time to learn more of the business when her aunt first told her of the new renovation endeavors for the club. Elias Joss had been groomed since elementary school to take over his father’s brainchild.

So what? Clarissa silently noted that her own business sense was just as noteworthy. If Elias Joss had set his sights on bullying her, he was going to see that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“Let me guess. You own this place?” Clarissa was saying when she stepped inside an empty, understatedly elegant office on the top floor of the establishment.

“I don’t.” Eli closed the room door. “My company only built it.”

“I see,” she said as she removed some of the steel from her voice. “So is this what we’ll have to look forward to after the construction’s done on my aunt’s clubs? The head man in charge just taking residence when he feels like it?”

Elias smiled and walked past Clarissa, causing her to turn and follow his move with her eyes.

“We close a lot of deals here.” Eli ran his finger along the glass edge of a round red oak conference table. “We bring clients over here for dinner. Sometimes we come up here to handle other things best discussed in more privacy than the dining room offers. There’re about eight other rooms like this.” He eased a hand into the pocket of the black trousers he wore.

“It’s a service the restaurant provides. Your aunt knew about it. I think she had her own office on retainer here.” He watched her curiously. “Didn’t she tell you?”

Clarissa blinked. “No.” She studied the short carpeting beneath her pumps for only a second before locking gazes with Eli again. “There were a lot of things my aunt didn’t tell me. Like why you don’t—didn’t like her or...” She reared back on one leg. “Maybe it’s me you have an issue with even though I don’t know what the hell I could have done to wrinkle your shorts when I didn’t even know you existed before yesterday.”

Elias took his turn at studying the simple patterns in the carpeting. He felt his mouth twitching on a smile that he didn’t want to give. “You think I’ve got a problem with you?” He began to stroll the room with its soothing burgundy, black and olive color scheme.

“Oh, please, Mr. Joss, that’s more than obvious. You act like I stole something off your dinner plate!”

Elias didn’t care. He had to laugh then.

Clarissa folded her arms across the draping front of her dress and tried to remain unaffected by the sound, but she couldn’t. The deep rumble of the gesture was quite affecting and she couldn’t resist giving in to the smile that faintly enhanced the curve of her full lips.

“I’m sorry,” Eli managed to say when he recovered from his amusement.

“Sorry?” Clarissa let her arms fall to her sides. “That’s an interesting word to get from someone who dislikes you.”

Becoming more sober, Eli went to sit on the edge of the table. “You look very much like your aunt,” he said next, his striking features shadowed by the dim light provided by the small stout lamp on the conference table.

Clarissa shook her head dazedly and took a step closer to him. “What is it with you about that?” Her wide eyes narrowed noticeably then widened as discovery flooded them. “Did you and my aunt...” She left the inquiry unfinished. The meaning was clear as she indulged in a moment to ogle his provocative face and body.

Elias rolled his eyes. “No,” he stonily confirmed.

Clarissa moved closer, saying, “Then...”

“It was my father who she...had something with.”

Since she didn’t know what to say to that, Clarissa said nothing.

“I only want to know if all you have in common are your looks?”

That admission didn’t fare any better with Clarissa and she merely blinked in response.

Elias winced over his word choice, as well. “I apologize for being blunt but you did ask.”

“Right. So—” she slapped her hands to her sides then “—will your conclusions have you not wanting to work with me on this project?”

Eli shook his head, stating, “I already gave my partners the go-ahead.”

“So why request to work with me? Why do you care about what kind of person I am?”

Working his thumb against his palm, Eli lowered his gaze to follow the circular moves. “Not sure,” he admitted.

That was partially true. He knew that from the brief time they’d spent in the fitting room, she’d infatuated him. He could admit to himself that he wanted to know what she was like in bed. That unnerved him for a different reason given what he knew of Clarissa’s heritage. Had the apple fallen far and rolled out of the yard, as Tigo mused, or was she indeed the physical and spiritual embodiment of the woman he hated for tearing his family apart?

Clarissa gave a wan smile accepting that an actual answer to her question wouldn’t be forthcoming.

“I think we’ve both got too much going on right now to put ourselves through more tension and aggravation,” she reasoned.

Elias took his time running his eyes over her body. “I hate it that you think it’d be that way.”

“Mr. Joss.” Clarissa laughed his name. “What else can I think when you can’t even stand the sight of me?”

“Oh, I can definitely stand the sight of you.” He left the table and walked toward her with a determination that seemed to fuel his steps and his expression.

Clarissa stood her ground. She knew that he was testing her and unfairly keeping his motivations to himself. She acknowledged that it would require a little more effort to persuade him to be frank with her.

“I should take you back,” he said once he was standing but a few inches before her.

Clarissa regarded the arm he offered with skepticism.

“I’m not in the habit of biting,” he said.

She let him see her smile. “Does that habit apply when you’re around someone you can’t stand?”

He reciprocated her smile. “Haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Clarissa kept her gaze locked with his. “So what’s in store when you make up your mind?”

Eli’s uncommon eyes surged with something dangerously potent. “What would you like to be in store?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.”

Eli’s smile returned and he observed her hand on his arm. “Let me know when you’ve thought about it and I’ll make every effort to hurry and make up my mind.”

“Oooh, I wouldn’t want you to rush that.”

“Somehow I believe it’ll be worth it.”

“Guess that depends on how much like my aunt you discover I am.” Clarissa slipped her hand from his arm. “Good night,” she said as she left him in the office.

* * *

The car had been quiet ever since Rayelle left the parking space in front of Via! some ten minutes prior. Ray eventually decided it would be up to her to get the conversation rolling.

“Was it that bad?”

Confusion pooled in Clarissa’s eyes when she looked toward Rayelle.

Ray shrugged. “Or that good...” She noted the internal debate that seemed to linger in Clarissa’s eyes and sighed. “Get off it, girl, you’re not that innocent.”

“Please, Ray, the man hates me with a passion.”

“Humph.” Ray checked her blind spot before changing lanes. “Hate is not what I saw in that man’s expression when he walked you away from the table.”

“Nah...” Clarissa raked her fingers through her short locks. “He says he wants to know if I’m like my aunt.”

“In what way?” Ray blurted as she jerked to a halt at a red light.

Clarissa maintained her silence and when Rayelle maintained hers, as well, Clarissa sighed. “In the only way it could if it involves my aunt.”

“Are you... Elias Joss and Miss Jaz?”

“No.” Clarissa slapped Ray’s arm across the gear shift. “Not him, his dad.”

“Ugggh...” Rayelle rolled her eyes. “Not another...”

“’Fraid so.”

“Did he say that?”

“He didn’t have to.”

Rayelle sighed again. “Honey, just try and remember all the good Miss Jaz has done. She hasn’t been that ‘other woman’ in a long time.”

“I know...” Clarissa rolled her head against the rest. “But as long as men like Elias Joss keep those memories alive, that woman won’t ever be a thing of the past.”

“So where’d you leave things?” Ray asked after they’d ridden in silence for a time.

“It was weird.” Clarissa shivered. “Like we were challenging each other...he is different, though. Never lets anybody onto what he’s really thinking.”

“Probably why he’s so successful.” Ray changed the radio station. “I remember Miss Jaz saying he’s quite a negotiator according to his partners.”

“All I knew about the project was the scope. Aunt Jaz didn’t share any details about her business associates.”

“Aah...” Ray waved dismissively. “No big deal. Girl, Miss Jaz was very proud of you. She was always talkin’ about you making Jazzy B’s more than a gentlemen’s club.” She took the exit for Media, PA. “Miss J always said she wanted Jazzy B’s to be the premier spot for exotic entertainment and the study of dance. She knew that’d be possible with you. You could take us there. People would respect you. You wouldn’t be coming in with a black rep following you like the rest of us.”

Clarissa rolled down the passenger window and breathed in the night air. “How long will it be up to me to be responsible for the club’s image?”