Читать книгу Private Arrangements - Brenda Jackson - Страница 10

Chapter 1

Eighteen months later

Jonas Steele felt an argument coming on.

“I hear you, Mom, but I just don’t feel what you’re saying,” he spoke into his iPhone.

His lips tightened to a frown as he alighted from the shiny black BMW two-seater Roadster and glanced around while sliding his aviator-style sunglasses into the pocket of his jacket. Whoa! But I’d love to feel all over on those, he quickly thought when his gaze landed on the legs of a woman who was getting out of her car. And they were definitely a gorgeous pair. Long, smooth and shapely.

“You and I need to do lunch to discuss this further, Jonas.”

His attention was immediately pulled back to the conversation with his mother. He rolled his eyes heavenward. “I’d love to, Mom. Anytime. Any place. You are my number-one girl. But certain topics are off-limits.”

He glanced back to where he’d seen the pair of sexy legs just seconds earlier only to find the owner gone. Crap! Frustration seeped into his pores. He would have loved seeing the rest of her; certainly he would not have been disappointed.

His frown deepened when his mother said, “That’s utter nonsense, Jonas. You can’t restrict me from certain topics. I’m your mother.”

He shook his head as he made his way across the parking lot. He loved his mother to death, but lately, talking to the beautiful Eden Steele, former international fashion model and the woman who had captured his father’s heart close to forty years ago, was draining on his senses. “True. However, you leave me no choice. With Galen and Eli married off, now you want to give your remaining four single sons grief, but we won’t let you.”

“You won’t?”

“No. Although I can’t speak for the others, I can speak for myself, and like I’ve told you numerous times before, I intend to be a bachelor for life.”

Her soft chuckle flitted across the phone. “You sound so confident about that. Do I need to remind you that Galen and Eli used to tell me the same thing? And quite often, I might add. Now look what happened to them. Both got married in the last year.”

Jonas didn’t want to look. In fact, he didn’t want to spend a single moment analyzing what could have possibly made two intelligent, fun-loving, die-hard womanizers like his brothers Galen and Eli fall in love. Galen had gotten married ten months ago, and Eli had tied the knot on Christmas Day. Granted, Jonas would be the first to admit they had married gorgeous women, but still, look how many women they’d given up to be committed for the rest of their lives to just one. It made no sense. Bottom line, Galen and Eli were whipped and the sad thing about it was it didn’t seem to bother them.

And he was sure his mother had heard by now that another bachelor friend of theirs by the name of York Ellis, who lived in New York, was taking the plunge this weekend in time for Valentine’s Day. Again, Jonas was convinced that like Galen and Eli, York needed to have his head examined for giving up his bachelor status.

“You will be here for dinner Thursday night, right?”

Her words intruded on his thoughts. “Do I have a choice?”

“There are always choices, Jonas.”

Just like there are always consequences, he thought, remembering what had happened to his brother Mercury when he’d decided to skip one of their mother’s weekly Thursday-night dinners. Before Mercury could get out of bed the next morning, Eden Steele had arrived on his doorstep. She had informed her AWOL son that since he had missed such an important family function, she was duty-bound to spend the entire day with him. And then she had the nerve to invite the woman Mercury had spent the night with to tag along. Their mother had deliberately overlooked Mercury’s bed-them-but-never-wed-them policy when it came to women.

Since then, none of Eden’s sons had been brave enough to miss a Thursday night chow-down. The last thing any of them needed was an unexpected drop-in from Mommy Dearest.

“I’ll be there, Mom,” he said, deciding he needed to get her off the phone.

“I’ll hold you to that, and you’re welcome to bring a lady friend.”

He caught himself. He was about to tell her he didn’t have lady friends, just bed partners. “Thanks, but no thanks. As usual I’ll come alone.”

Then an idea popped into his head. “Since Galen and Brittany will mark their one-year anniversary in a couple of months, you might consider convincing them that you need a grandbaby or two. Heck, they might hit the jackpot and luck out with triplets like Cheyenne,” he said of his cousin living in Charlotte.

“Hmm, triplets. You might have something there,” his mother said thoughtfully.

He hoped so. Then maybe she could turn her attention away from him, Tyson, Mercury and Gannon. His brothers would owe him big-time if he could get her to do that. He smiled, deciding to go for the gusto and said, “You might not want to scare them with the multiple-births idea though. Just push for the single birth for now. Come to think of it, I’d love to have a little niece or nephew, and I know you and Dad would make the best grandparents any child could possibly have.”

He inwardly chuckled as he moved toward the revolving doors. He’d just laid it on rather thick and if word got back to Galen of the seed he’d planted inside their mother’s head, his oldest brother just might kill him. But then drastic times called for drastic measures.

“Personally, I would prefer a niece,” he added. “I can see her now, cute as a button dressed in lacey pink.” In all actuality, he couldn’t see a damn thing, but his mother didn’t have to know that.

“Yes, I can see her as well,” Eden replied in a voice filled with excitement. Apparently the idea was growing on her and fast.

Jonas breathed out a deep sigh of relief. “Good.”

“But I’m envisioning her dressed in lacey lavender instead of pink.”

Whatever. He glanced around hoping that he would run into the owner of the legs he’d spotted a while ago. Although he didn’t have a clue how the woman looked, with legs like hers she shouldn’t be hard to spot.

“Well, I’m at the hotel for my business meeting and—”

“Hotel? Business meeting? Really, Jonas, I think you can do better than that. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

He fought back a smile. It was pretty damn sad when your own mother didn’t trust your motives. “What I should have said is that I’m meeting someone for dinner at Timothy’s.” He was well aware that Timothy’s, the restaurant inside the five-star Royal Blue Hotel, was one of his parents’ favorite places in Phoenix.

“Oh. Nice choice. Are you still celebrating?”

He smiled. “Kind of.”

Had it been a week ago already since he’d gotten word that his company had been chosen to spearhead a marketing campaign of a lifetime? Over the years, his marketing group, Ideas of Steele, had made pretty decent profits, but with this new project there was no doubt in his mind that he was about to pull in the big bucks. Eighteen months ago the Thompson account had helped to get his company’s name out there, and now the Fulton account would blast it off the charts.

“Well, don’t celebrate too much tonight. I don’t want you to get sick. You know you can’t hold liquor well.”

He breathed out a deep sigh. “Thanks for reminding me. Now, I really have to go.”

“I’ll see you Thursday night.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Mom.” He clicked off the phone, both amused and curious, wondering which one of his brothers she would be calling to harass next.

He felt confident that whoever her next victim was, his single brothers would be able to keep Eden out of their business. Like him, when it came to the women they were involved with, they didn’t think any further ahead than the present.

He glanced around the luxurious, immense lobby of the Royal Blue Hotel, taking in the polished marble floors, high ceiling and rich mahogany crown moldings. He could remember the first time he’d come here as a boy of ten. It was to attend a fashion show raising money for charity, and his mother had been one of the models. On that day he’d realized Eden Steele might be just “Mom” at home, but to the rest of the world, she was Eden, a renowned international fashion model whose face graced the covers of such magazines as Vogue, Cosmo and Elle.

Jonas’s gaze shifted to the massive windows on one side of the lobby to take in the panoramic view of crimson-hued mountaintops. It had reached a high of seventy today, a beautiful day in February, which accounted for the picturesque sunset he was now seeing.

He checked his watch and saw that he was a good ten minutes early. He could use that extra time to get a drink at the bar, but he knew his mother was right. His system had very low tolerance for alcohol, and too much of the stuff made him sick. So to play it safe he kept within his limits and would usually end up being the designated driver.

Deciding against the drink, he slid his hands into his pockets and crossed the lobby to the restaurant. There was another reason he wished he could take that drink. Nikki Cartwright. The thought of meeting with her had him feeling tense. For any woman to have a Steele feeling that way was unheard of. But he knew the reason.

The kiss they had shared a year and a half ago.

He’d kissed plenty of women, but none had ever left any lingering effects like the one he’d shared with Nikki. And none had managed to haunt him like a drug even after all this time. It had been an innocent kiss, one neither of them had meant to happen, one that had caught her off guard as much as it had him.

He could clearly recall that day in her office. He had been so excited when he’d heard he’d gotten the Thompson account that he had pulled her into his arms to hug her, and the next thing he knew they were locking mouths. And it had been a kiss that had nearly knocked him off his feet. It had made him feel emotions he hadn’t known he was capable of feeling. And it had scared the shit out of him.

Jonas would be honest enough to admit he’d been attracted to her from the start and could vividly recall the day they’d met.

It had been raining all week and that particular day was the worst. She had burst into his office soaked to the skin with her blouse and jeans plastered to her in a way that should have been outlawed. He doubted he would ever forget how her jeans had hugged that tight and round bottom of hers.

He had rushed to get her a towel, but not before taking in everything about her, even the way her short curly hair had gotten plastered to her head. And he hadn’t missed how her nipples had shown through her wet blouse, or what a curvy body she had.

She had looked a total mess, but at the same time he thought she’d also looked simply gorgeous. He’d also fallen over backward when he’d gazed into her eyes. They were so dark they almost appeared navy blue. And her lips…with their seductive curve had tempted him to taste them on more than one occasion.

His attraction had been stronger than anything he’d ever encountered, and during the three weeks they had worked together it hadn’t diminished one iota. And the thought that any woman could have that kind of hold on him unsettled him immensely.

He hadn’t understood why the attraction was so intense. And at the time he definitely hadn’t wanted it and had done a good job of fighting it until that day. He doubted that she knew what he’d gone through those three weeks. Nikki Cartwright was a looker, no doubt about that. But then all the women he dated were. However, none had provoked the kind of strong reaction from him that she had with that kiss.

In all his thirty-three years, no woman had dared to invade his dreams or made him envision sexual positions he’d like trying out just with her. His taste in women often varied, but he usually was drawn to the slim and sleek. But it was just the opposite with Nikki. She had curves. The jeans she always wore showed off a perfectly proportioned body. A body that had been plastered against his while he’d drowned in the sweetness of her mouth.

The kiss had nearly knocked him to his knees, which was the reason, when he’d finally released her mouth, he had quickly left her office and intentionally put distance between them for eighteen months.

Then why was he now seeking out the very woman he had tried staying away from? The one whose single kiss had him longing for more.

Shivers ran down his spine, and for an instant, he thought about turning around and canceling the meeting. But there was no way he could do that. For this new marketing campaign he needed the best photographer in the business and as far as he was concerned, Nikki was it.

He would just have to steel his senses and hold his own against her. He had hoped with the passing of time his desire for her would lessen, but he found that wasn’t the case. When he’d seen her on Christmas day at his brother’s wedding, he had been drawn to her even more, which was why he’d left the reception early.

When Jonas reached the top step that led to the restaurant, he could feel lust beginning to stir his insides and anticipation invading his senses. It was happening again and it seemed he couldn’t do anything about it. No woman was supposed to have this sort of effect on him. Not Jonas Steele. The master of one-night stands. The man who had a revolving door in his bedroom and who was enjoying the single life and didn’t mind the reputation he and his brothers had acquired over the years.

He loved the opposite sex—all shapes, sizes and styles. Race, creed or color didn’t mean a damn thing to him, nor did religious affiliation.

He was the fourth-oldest of Drew Steele’s sons. Drew had been run out of Charlotte while in his twenties when his reputation as a womanizer had gotten the best of him. Fathers were threatening him with shotguns, and mothers were keeping their daughters locked behind closed doors. Jonas had heard the stories from family members many times over.

Luckily, Drew had finally met the woman he’d wanted, fallen in love, gotten married and had kept his wife pregnant for seven straight years, which accounted for he and his brothers being born within a year of one another.

Jonas didn’t know of a better-suited couple than his parents. Or a more loving one. But then, happily married or not, unfortunately, his father had passed his testosterone-driven genes on to his six sons.

He quickened his steps, thinking testosterone be damned, he was determined to stay in control. He was the womanizer the society tabloids pegged him to be and was making no apologies. He had a reputation and was proud of it and felt he was living a good life. And to top things off, last week he had been awarded the marketing deal of a lifetime and he didn’t intend to screw things up.

When he entered the restaurant he glanced around and saw Nikki sitting at a table across the room. She smiled when she saw him and he felt his stomach do a somersault. And as if on cue, his pulse began hammering away and air felt as if it were slowly being sucked out of his lungs. Holy hell.

He drew in a deep breath and tried purging the deep, unwanted attraction for her out of his system. He moved across the room toward her, thinking that no matter what, he was in full control. And this time he would make sure things stayed that way.

Nikki Cartwright watched the man approaching her table with a stroll that was so sexy it bordered on sinful. She tightened her grip on the glass of water while trying to downplay the sensations rolling around in her belly.

Her instinctive response to Jonas Steele was something she should have gotten out of her system by now. There was no reason why a warm rush of desire was invading her insides, almost making it difficult for her to breathe.

Then she quickly decided that yes, there was a reason. Walking toward her had to be one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. Tall, powerfully built, with dark wavy hair flowing around his shoulders, he was pure masculine sex on two legs.

A quick glance around the room indicated she wasn’t the only female who thought so. There was nothing quite like a group of women taking the time to appreciate a good-looking man, and Jonas was definitely a looker. Eye candy of the most scrumptious kind.

She’d known working with him on that brochure wouldn’t be easy. After all, he and his brothers were the hottest bachelors in Phoenix. They weren’t known as the “Bad News” Steeles for nothing, and their reputations for being die-hard players were legendary. There was a joke around town that a woman hadn’t been bedded unless she’d been bedded by a Steele. From what Nikki had heard, their skills in the bedroom were off the charts.

The air seemed to shiver the closer he got with a stride that emitted the masculine power that all Steele men seemed to possess. Like his brothers, he had inherited his mother’s green eyes. Smokey Robinson eyes, she called them, as they were the same color of those of the legendary R & B soul singer. And then there were the rest of his prominent features—medium brown skin, strong chiseled jaw and one luscious looking pair of lips.

She’d heard that of all the Steele brothers, Jonas was the one everyone considered a rebel. He wore his hair longer than the others and owned a Harley. She understood he had several colorful tattoos on certain parts of his body. She definitely knew about the ones on both shoulders since she’d seen him a couple of times wearing muscle shirts.

Nikki wished she could look right past all six feet three inches of him, see beyond the well-toned muscles beneath the designer business suit that symbolized the growing success of his marketing company.

And more than anything, she wished she could look at his lips and not remember the kiss they’d shared that day.

Had it been a year and half ago when they had last worked together? When she’d constantly fought to control her attraction to him? An attraction that definitely had been one-sided.

Still, he had kissed her that day—she hadn’t imagined it. They’d both been caught off guard; however, when he should have ended it, he’d kept right on kissing her, even deepening the kiss. And of course, she’d let him. When he’d finally come to his senses and let her go, he had mumbled something about being late for an appointment and had hightailed it out the door without once looking back.

The memory of that day sent a warm rush of sensations flowing through her, and she sighed. The man was not husband material. He didn’t even believe in having a steady girl. She’d heard about his one-and-done policy. It had come as a surprise, a real shocker, when two of those “Bad News” Steeles had fallen in love and gotten married. In fact, Jonas’s older brother Galen had married her best friend Brittany.

That left four brothers still single and swearing up and down Bell Road that they’d never fall in love. And she had no reason not to believe them. And as if to make that point solid, she’d heard the four had stepped up their game and were chasing skirts more so than ever these days, especially Jonas.

To break eye contact she glanced around the room again and saw every single female eye was still on him. And then, as if of its own accord, her gaze returned to slide over him. She appreciated what she was seeing. Oh, mercy.

With the eye of a photographer, she thought Jonas’s features were picture perfect. She tried not to be one of those women who judged a man on looks, but his looks were so sharp, so compelling, so pinch-a-sister-in-the-butt gorgeous, it took everything she had not to start drooling.

“Hello, Nikki. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”

She jumped at the deep baritone of his voice, which sounded like Barry White reincarnated. She had been so deep into her “Jonas” thoughts that she hadn’t been aware he’d gotten close.

“Sorry if I scared you just now,” he said.

“You didn’t,” she replied simply, forcing a smile to her lips. “I’d gotten lost in a few thoughts, that’s all.”

“I see.”

Pulling herself together, Nikki watched as his body slid easily in the chair across from her. Sensations stirred in her tummy again. Unknowingly, he was playing havoc with her senses. Deciding there was no reason for her senses to suffer any more abuse, she spoke up. “When you called you said that you wanted to discuss something with me. A business proposition.” Like there could be any other reason for him calling and asking to meet with her. In a way she was surprised that he wanted to use her services again, considering how they’d parted eighteen months ago.

Nikki crossed her legs, hoping the action would tamp down the tingling vibrations she felt between them. The man emitted testosterone that was attacking her big-time.

“We’ll talk business later,” he said, smiling.

Later? She lifted her brow, a little surprised by his comment. If they didn’t talk business then what else were they supposed to talk about? Surely, he didn’t intend to bring up that kiss.

“We haven’t worked together in months. How have you been?” he asked her.

She stared at him. Evidently he had forgotten they had just seen each other at his brother’s wedding on Christmas day. If he’d really wanted to catch up on her life he could have inquired about her well-being then. Instead he’d been too busy checking out the single ladies, friends of the bride from Memphis. He had done the courteous thing and spoken to her, but that was about all. It was as if he’d been careful to avoid any lengthy contact with her.

“I’ve been doing well.”

He nodded. “That’s good. I saw Eli and Stacey’s wedding photos. As usual you did a great job.”

“Thank you.”

He was about to say something, but paused when the waiter approached with menus. Seriously, why all the small talk? she wondered. Why did he feel the need to lay on that lethal Steele charm in such a high dosage? Sharing a table with him had her nerves on edge. There was that usual degree of desire she always felt whenever she was near him, making a rush of heat flow through her body. She shifted in her chair.

“And what about you, Jonas? What are you up to these days?” she asked, like she didn’t know. Like she didn’t read those society tabloids.

“I’ve been staying busy. Just got back from a business trip to South Africa a few weeks ago. Enjoyed the trip.”

“That’s good,” she said, deciding to study the menu that had been handed to her. He did the same, and she couldn’t help taking a peek over the top of hers to do a close-up study of him.

Why was he smiling so much?

As if he read the inquiry in her gaze, he looked up and said, “Last week I received a very important call from Wesley Fulton.”

She nodded, very much aware of who Wesley Fulton was. Who wasn’t? The man was a self-made billionaire who was building a global financial empire.

“And I have reason to celebrate.”

His words cut through her thoughts. She could hear the excitement in his voice. “Do you?”

“Yes. You might have read in the papers that Fulton Enterprises expanded into the airline industry by introducing what they’re calling a luxury airship.”

She nodded. “Yes, I did hear something about that.”

There was no way she couldn’t have since it had dominated the media lately. Fulton had hired the best technological minds and engineers to build what everyone was saying was the largest airliner in the world. In fact she’d heard it was so large it made the Airbus A380 look small in comparison. She had seen photographs and it appeared to be an airplane and zeppelin rolled into one, with such amenities as individual sleeping quarters, a nightclub, a movie theater, a casino and a restaurant.

“Ideas of Steele was selected to head up marketing for this venture.”

Now Nikki understood why he was in such a cheerful mood. That was certainly good news for his firm. To be selected by Fulton was a feather in any business owner’s cap. “That’s wonderful, Jonas. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” He features turned serious when he met her gaze. “And the reason I wanted to meet with you, Nikki, is because I’ll need a good photographer and I want you as part of my team.”

Her chest tightened. To know he wanted to include her as part of his high-profile marketing project was almost overwhelming. Especially considering how their relationship had somehow crossed the line the last time they’d worked together. Being a part of something as significant as the project he was talking about could make her career. And it definitely needed a boost right now, especially financially. The economy had taken a toll on just about everybody and freelance photography assignments weren’t coming in as steadily as before. Lately she’d had to resort to doing weddings, anniversary parties and private photo shoots.

“I don’t know what to say, Jonas.”

He chuckled. “Say you’ll hear me out over dinner while I tell you about the project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince you to come on board.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Of course I want to hear about it,” she said. But then a voice out of nowhere whispered, Go ahead and hear him out, but you might also want to consider turning him down. Think about it. Will you be able to endure being around him constantly? How will you handle that intense and mind-boggling attraction that eradicated your common sense the last time? Do you honestly want to go through that sort of torture again?

Nikki inwardly sighed, thinking that no, she really didn’t. But she would be crazy to turn down his offer. She had bills to pay, a roof to keep over her head and a body that needed to be fed on occasion. But then, it was that body she wasn’t sure about when certain parts of it were so attuned to him. He could charm the panties off a woman without blinking, and that’s what bothered her more than anything. When it came to Jonas Steele she needed to keep her panties on. She had a weakness for him and it was quite obvious the kiss they’d shared that day in her office had meant more to her than it had to him.

His voice broke into her thoughts. “I hope my timing isn’t bad and you’re not involved in a project that I can’t pull you away from.”

She thought about the job offer she had received a few days ago. It was election year, and one of the candidates wanted her as part of his team. Following around a politician as his personal photographer for six months was something she’d prefer not doing. But she didn’t want to hang around Jonas and constantly drool, either.

She drew in a deep breath and said, “I do have a job offer that came in a few days ago, but I haven’t accepted it yet.”

“Oh, with whom?”

“Senator Waylon Joseph’s election campaign.”

He stared at her. “Whatever amount they’ve offered you as a salary, I’ll double it.”

She blinked, not believing what he’d just said. “You will?”

“Yes. My business has been doing well, but what Fulton is offering is a chance of a lifetime. It’ll take us to a whole other level and I want the best people on board to work with. And I consider you as one of the best. Your photography speaks for itself.”

She was definitely flattered. The Joseph campaign had offered her a decent salary and to think Jonas was willing to double it had thrown her in shock. She forced herself to regroup. She needed to weigh her options and think things through with a level head.

“I’ll cover the strategy plan I’ve come up with over dinner. I think you’ll like it.”

There was no doubt in her mind that she would like it. When it came to marketing strategies, Jonas was brilliant. His company was successful because he was picky about those he did business with. In the world of marketing, a stellar reputation was everything. And unlike some CEOs, who liked to delegate duties and play golf whenever they could, Jonas was very much hands-on.

She knew what coming on board as his photographer meant in the early stages of any project. They would work closely together again, just like that time before—sometimes way into the wee hours of the nights and on weekends. He would come in Monday through Friday dressed in his designer business suits, and then on the weekends, he would wear his T-shirts and jeans and ride around on his Harley. It was as if he were two different men, yet both were sexy as sin.

She would drool during the day and have salacious dreams of him at night. It had gotten harder and harder not to react to him when he was around. Hard to keep her nipples from pressing against her blouse and to keep her panties from getting wet each and every time he opened his mouth to release that deep, sexy baritone voice of his.

He kept looking at her now and she knew he was waiting for her response, so she said, “All right, Jonas, I’m curious to hear your plan.”

He smiled, winked and went back to studying his menu. Nikki drew in a deep breath as she turned her attention to her own. But she couldn’t ignore the play of emotions that spread through her. As usual, he was having that sort of effect on her and there was nothing she could do about it but sit there and suffer through it.

She wished there was a way after hearing him out that she could just thank him for considering her for the project and then graciously turn him down. But whether she wanted to admit it or not, she wanted the job.

She needed the job.

But what she needed even more was the use of her common sense when it came to Jonas. And she wasn’t sure that was possible.