Читать книгу No Regrets - Cindi Myers, Cindi Myers - Страница 8

NICK LEANED BACK in his desk chair and admired the view through his open office door. Lexie was doing something with the fax machine, bent over at the waist with her back to him, presenting an enticing view of her rounded backside and long legs. Today she was wearing a black knit dress, belted at the waist, a black-and-white scarf knotted at her throat. She must collect scarves the way some women bought shoes. She’d worn a different one every day this week.

She bent farther over the fax and his eyes traced a line over the curve of her bottom, down her thighs. His fingers curled against his palm as he imagined stroking her there. He was getting a hard-on watching her like this; he felt like a cross between a horny teenager and a twisted voyeur. Every day when he left work he told himself he was going to go out and find a woman and let off some of this sexual steam. Unfortunately, no woman he’d seen lately turned him on the way the one working in his office did, which left him where he’d started—watching and wanting and not doing a damn thing about it.

He told himself he ought to close the door so he could get some work done, but he was enjoying himself too much at the moment.

Hiring Lexie was one of the best decisions he’d made in a long while. She was efficient and intelligent as well as good-looking and sexy. And she was good company, pleasant and easy to be around. He looked forward to coming to the office every morning, knowing he’d see her.

Of course, having her around did interfere with his work to a certain extent. His mind might be determined to focus on the job, but when Lexie was around his body invariably reminded him that he was a healthy man who’d been alone for a while now.

Much as he was tempted to start something with her, he knew it was a bad idea to mix business with pleasure. He’d settled on the unsatisfactory compromise of admiring her when she wasn’t looking, and keeping his distance otherwise.

He doubted she’d stay with him long anyway, not with all her talk about wanting more adventure in her life. He’d been like that himself once, when he’d first joined the police force. He’d gotten over that restlessness soon enough. Now he wanted to be settled somewhere, taking comfort in the everyday routine. He hoped Denver was going to be his home for a long time but it was too soon to tell.

The front door opened and a well-dressed man entered. Lexie greeted him with one of her hundred-watt smiles, leaving the man with a slightly dazed expression on his face. He followed her toward Nick’s office, clearly mesmerized.

Nick straightened and faked interest in the paperwork spread out on his desk. “Mr. Delaney, Mr. Wittier is here to see you.”

Stan Wittier, executive vice president of Carruthers Manufacturing, looked much less imposing in person than he’d sounded on the phone. When Nick stood to greet him, he noticed he was a good six inches taller than the executive, who was a slight man with thinning brown hair and worry lines across his forehead. “Please sit down, Mr. Wittier. Would you like some coffee?”

“Your secretary already offered, but it isn’t necessary.” He turned to watch Lexie leave, only facing Nick again when the door was closed. He looked disappointed to see her go. Nick didn’t blame him.

He sat at his desk again. “On the phone you indicated you wanted to see me because of concerns about your wife?”

Wittier nodded. “Yes. I believe she’s being unfaithful.”

“What makes you believe this?”

The frown lines deepened. “Ellen is a very beautiful woman, some years younger than myself. Lately I’ve had a sense that she’s restless and bored. In my experience that is a sure sign a woman is considering an affair.”

Nick found this an odd choice of words. “Considering, or involved?”

“By now I’m sure she’s involved. It’s a familiar pattern.” Wittier crossed his legs and leaned toward Nick. “I’ve seen it in my first wife and in the wives of my two business partners. Women reach a certain age and become dissatisfied with their lives. An affair seems to be the answer.”

The theory was new to Nick but maybe Wittier was on to something. Maybe the problem in Nick’s own marriage hadn’t been him or his job at all. Maybe his wife merely had reached “a certain age.” “And you want me to verify if your suspicions are true?”

“Yes.” Wittier straightened. “I want to find out now and divorce before too much damage is done to my reputation.”

“Of course.” Nick took out a notebook and pen, prepared to write down the particulars. He loathed these kind of cases, but accepted they were the bread and butter of the P.I. business. “You say your wife’s name is Ellen?”

“Yes. I’ve brought her picture, and a copy of her engagement calendar for the next month, as well as my own schedule.” Wittier took these items from his briefcase.

The man’s preparedness surprised Nick. “Have you had your wife followed before?”

“My first wife. As I told you, this is a familiar pattern to me.”

Wittier’s coldness repelled Nick but he didn’t have to like people to take their money. Sometimes the dislike even made it easier. “I’ll need a deposit. I work on a per diem for this sort of thing, plus any unusual expenses, such as travel. I’ll provide an itemized accounting to you. If your suspicions are true, it shouldn’t take more than a few days to confirm them.”

“I’m familiar with how this works and I’m prepared to write you a check today.”

Wittier didn’t flinch at the fee Nick quoted, which made him wonder if he should have asked for more. He took the deposit the executive paid and put it in the drawer, then promised to get to work right away.

When Wittier was gone, Lexie came into his office. “You don’t look very happy,” she said. “Did he not hire you?”

Nick leaned back in the chair and frowned at the drawer where he’d slipped the check. “He hired me. To find evidence that his wife is cheating on him.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What has she done to make him think she’s cheating?”

“She’s ‘restless’ and apparently behaving exactly the way his first wife did when she was cheating on him.” Not much to go on, but then, Wittier knew his wife better than Nick. If Wittier thought she was up to something, she probably was.

“That doesn’t sound like much evidence to me,” Lexie said.

“Which is why he hired me. He needs concrete proof so he can divorce her and, I suspect, avoid paying through the nose for the privilege.”

“How lovely.”

He shrugged. “It pays the bills. Yours and mine.”

She looked thoughtful. “I guess so. Is it okay if I go to lunch now?”

“Sure. Where are you going?”

“I’m meeting a friend at Jose O’Shea’s.” She smiled at him, a look that never failed to make him feel a little less weighted down. “Want me to bring you something?”

“That’s okay, but thanks.” What kind of “friend” was she meeting? A boyfriend? For a second, he had the absurd idea to follow her to see, but immediately dismissed it. What did it matter to him if she was seeing one man or ten?

“Okay. See you in an hour.”

He watched her leave, breathing in the lingering scent of her floral perfume. He’d thought he might drive somewhere and buy a burger or a sandwich, but now that Lexie was gone off to meet her mysterious luncheon companion, he found he’d lost his appetite.

CANDACE WAS WAITING at a booth when Lexie rushed in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “We had a client and I had to wait for him to leave.”

“A client. Sounds like business is picking up.”

“Nick’s new in town.” She slid into the booth and helped herself to a fresh tortilla chip from the basket in the middle of the table. “Things will get better. Besides, when things are slow I can study.”

“How are the Spanish lessons coming?”

She shook her head. “Not so well. I don’t seem to have much of a knack for languages.”

“Hang in there. You’ll pick it up eventually.”

She nodded. “I will. I’m determined to speak the language by the time I go to Spain.”

“And when will that be?”

“This fall, maybe? I think I can have the money saved by then.”

“That’s amazing to me, considering the pittance this detective is paying you.”

“It’s not that bad. And I still have some insurance money left from the accident.”

The waitress came to take their orders, then the conversation resumed. “Speaking of work,” Candace said, “guess who they hired to take your place?”

“Who?”

“A man. His name’s Charles Lewis and he’s gorgeous and single.”

“Then I’m sure he was immediately the most popular person in the office. Is he straight?”

“Apparently so. I should introduce him to you.” She crunched a chip. “He might be the perfect candidate for the first affair on your list.”

Lexie shook her head. “I’ve already found the man I want.”

Candace leaned toward her, expression eager. “Who?”

“My new boss, Nick Delaney.” Lexie tried to keep the triumph out of her voice, but failed. The look on Candace’s face was worth all the pain of keeping her plans a secret until now.

“Are you crazy?” Candace said. “He’s your boss.”

“And he’s perfect.” Lexie ticked off the reasons on one hand. “He’s recently divorced and definitely not interested in any kind of serious relationship right now. He’s hard-nosed and practical. And he’s gorgeous and sexy.”

“Do you think he’s interested?”

She smiled, remembering how Nick always watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking. “Oh, he’s interested.”

“Has he said anything?”

She shook her head. “And I don’t think he will. Which is why I’m going to proposition him.” She’d made the decision last night after realizing that in over a week on the job, Nick had been nothing but an absolute gentleman. She was pretty sure he wanted her, but just as sure the practical, sensible side of him she so admired didn’t intend to let him do anything about the attraction. If she was really going to have an affair with Nick, she’d have to make the first move.

“What, you’re just going to walk up to him and say, ‘Let’s sleep together. How about it?’”

On these words the waitress arrived with their lunch. She gave Candace a puzzled look, then left them with their enchiladas.

When they were alone again, the two friends burst out laughing. “Seriously,” Candace gasped when she’d regained control. “How do you bring up a subject like that?”

Lexie spread sour cream over her food. “I’ll simply point out that we’re obviously attracted to each other, and that I’m interested in a sexy affair with no strings attached. I’ll explain that I plan to leave for Spain in about six months, so he doesn’t have to worry about long-term commitments, and I’ll reassure him that I won’t let our private relationship interfere with my work at the office.”

“It sounds as exciting as negotiating a lease agreement for a car.” Candace sliced into her beef enchiladas with the side of her fork. “So when are you going to do this?”

“Friday after work, I think. That will give us the whole weekend to get to know each other.” Lexie grinned. “We’ll be great together, I just know it.”

“Aren’t you forgetting one thing?”

“What’s that?”

“A lot can happen in six months. What if you fall for this guy?”

Her stomach quivered, but she ignored it. “It won’t happen. Neither of us is interested in an emotional attachment right now.”

“All right then, what if he doesn’t go for it? That’s going to make continuing to work for him a little awkward, isn’t it?”

She dismissed this idea with a wave of her fork. “Why wouldn’t he go for it? Isn’t casual, noncommitted sex on a regular basis with an attractive woman every man’s fantasy?”

“He could still say no. Men do, for whatever reason.”

She shook her head. “He won’t.” Sometimes when she looked at him she was struck by the sadness that seemed to weigh him down. “I think he’s really lonely.” She shrugged off the melancholy image of Nick and reached for another chip. “I think I’m just what Nick needs in his life right now.”

“Maybe. But you need to be careful.”

Familiar advice that she’d long ago grown tired of. “I’ve spent my whole life being careful and it taught me one thing.”

“What’s that?” Candace continued to look worried.

Lexie smiled, and enjoyed the thrill that filled her at the thought of her own daring. “I’ve learned that caution is really overrated.”

After all, caution hadn’t saved her from almost dying in that car wreck. It hadn’t gotten her through rehab or into a new job. Playing it safe wasn’t going to get her Nick Delaney, either. For that she’d have to tell caution to take a hike while she mustered up all the daring she could manage. But she had no doubt a hot guy like Nick would be worth taking a few chances for.

WHEN NICK HAD HIRED Lexie they had agreed she would work until five o’clock. He usually stayed at least until six, sometimes later. He told himself he needed the time to catch up on paperwork, but the truth was he delayed going back to his apartment as long as possible. There was nothing at home to hold his interest and a man could spend only so many evenings watching TV and eating take-out before he snapped. Sometimes he stopped by a bar, but he’d never been a big drinker, and more often than not the cheerful crowds only underscored his solitude.

So he was both surprised and pleased when Lexie lingered at the office at the end of her second week of employment. “Are you busy?” she asked, standing in the doorway between their two work spaces.

He shook his head and pushed aside the report he’d been writing for a skip-trace firm that had subcontracted some work to him. Locating people who’d skipped out on bills and other obligations was tedious, but fairly lucrative. “I figured you’d be out of here by now. Off to class or something. Or maybe a date.” He couldn’t imagine a woman like Lexie spending many Friday nights alone.

She shook her head and moved into the room. “No class tonight. No date, either.” She glanced at him, seeming almost shy. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure.” He ignored the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that rose at her words. This was it. She was leaving him already. He couldn’t blame her. The job had been anything but exciting so far, and her paycheck was a third less than what she’d brought home from her previous employment. Still, he was going to miss her.

She sat in his client’s chair, crossed her legs and smoothed the skirt of her tropical print dress over her knees. She wore a red scarf today, the ends tied in a small bow on the left side of her neck.

“What did you want to talk about?” he prompted.

“I have a proposition for you.”

A proposition. The word set him on alert. Most of the propositions he’d encountered had been shady deals. “What is it?”

“Well…you and I seem to get along great.”

“Yes.” She wasn’t a hard woman to like.

“And I find you very attractive.”

“You do?” He’d thought he was past the point where such praise flattered him, but obviously he was wrong.

She smiled, the warmth in the look stoking a fire inside him. “Of course. And I believe you’re somewhat attracted to me as well.”

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t deny it but he wasn’t ready to reveal too much, either.

She shifted in the chair and smoothed her skirt again. He fought back a smile. It was different seeing her so…unsettled. She generally had more self-confidence than most women he’d met. “Do you remember I told you about the list I’d made? The list of one hundred things I intend to do?”

He nodded. He’d glimpsed the little red notebook poking out of the top of her purse a time or two and had wondered what was in it. “How many things have you done so far?”

“Only about five, but I’m working on the others.” She gave him a coy look. “I thought maybe you could help me with one of the items on my list.”

Oh yeah? “What’s that?”

“I think you and I would do well together as lovers.”

He blinked. Was his horny imagination getting the better of him? “Did you say what I think you said?”

“Yes. What do you think?”

He shook his head. “No. Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

He cringed at the hurt in her eyes, and tried to soften the rejection. “It’s not that I don’t find you attractive. I do. But we have to work together every day. Adding sex to the equation isn’t a good idea.”

She lifted her chin, defiant. “I think you’re wrong. I can be a professional and do my job during the day and sleep with you at night. People do it all the time.”

Really? Was she that experienced with situations like this? “I don’t. Besides, I’m not exactly in the market for a relationship right now.”

“I’m not talking about anything serious. Just fun and sex.” She smiled. “I’m not ready to get serious about anyone, either, which is the reason I picked you. And it would only be for a few months—no more than six.”

He should have ended the discussion already, but her determination intrigued him. And what man wouldn’t be turned on by the idea that a woman wanted him that much? “Why is that?”

“In six months I plan to take an extended trip to Spain.”

“Another item on your list?”

“Yes. But I promise to find someone to take over my job here before I go, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

A relationship with a built-in expiration date. The idea was absurd, yet at the same time, held a certain appeal. He studied her a long moment, as if by staring at her enough, he’d figure out what was really going on inside that gorgeous head. “I didn’t think women thought that way,” he said.

“Thought what way?”

“About casual sex and temporary relationships. I thought those were male fantasies, while women were all about hearts and flowers and settling down.”

“Some women, maybe. Even me at some point in my life.”

“But not now?”

She shook her head. “I have too many things I want to do, things to learn and accomplish, places to see, people to meet. I can’t do all that if I’m tied to a relationship.”

Right. She made it sound so simple, but he couldn’t believe intimacy between two people was ever that simple. “I’m flattered,” he said. “But I still say no.”

Her expression clouded. “You’re not attracted to me?”

“I told you I am. Very.” He leaned toward her, eyes locked to hers, telegraphing just how strong the attraction was, how much he wanted her. Her pupils were dilated, her lips slightly parted like a woman overtaken by passion. At that moment it was all he could do not to clear his desk and start removing all their clothes. “A man would have to be dead not to be attracted to you,” he said, his voice low. “Last time I checked I still had a pulse.”

“Th-then what’s wrong?” she stammered.

What was wrong? He blinked, trying to remember his objection to her absurd proposition. He took a deep breath, but all that did was fill his head with the scent of her, flowery and feminine and setting off sparks along every primitive pathway between his brain and his sex organs. His body, at least, had already made up his mind about Lexie.

He tore his gaze away from hers and summoned his old willpower. Reasoning returned as his head cleared. “I’ve always had a policy of not mixing business with pleasure,” he said. “I don’t see any reason to back off from that now.” He almost winced. He sounded like some old coot with a steel rod for a backbone.

Instead of being angry, she looked amused. Superior. As if she knew how much he was bluffing. “Didn’t you ever hear ‘rules are made to be broken’?”

“Not by me. Not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.” Now he was channeling his father. He gripped the armrests of his desk chair and tried again. “Look. One of the things this job and my years as a cop have shown me is how screwed up life gets when people take too many chances and risk too many complications. They start out thinking they can handle it—one more hot check will take care of everything. One more time fudging on the books and they’ll be out of it. One more drink and they’ll stop. The next thing they know, they’re in too deep.”

Her expression told him she wasn’t buying it. “We’re not talking embezzlement or bank robbery here. We’re talking about two intelligent, healthy, single adults who are attracted to one another getting together to have a good time.” She leaned toward him, her voice low and breathy. “When was the last time you had a really good time?”

Words stuck in his throat. His pulse pounded at his temples and in his groin. He was close to giving in. Too close.

He pulled himself away from the edge, shoving his chair back and standing, putting some distance between them. “It doesn’t matter. I have a business to run and I can’t be distracted.”

He waited for anger, or even tears, but she surprised him by smiling—not the warm welcoming look he’d seen so many times before, but a slyer, knowing expression. She rose and looked him up and down. “All right, Nick. You’ve made up your mind and I respect that. For now.” She turned and moved to the door.

Fear that this might be the last time he saw her gripped him. “Wait,” he called. “Will you be in Monday morning?”

She looked over her shoulder at him, that same self-assured smile still in place. “I’ll be here. And just so you know, I’ll be making every effort to convince you to change your mind.”

He swallowed hard. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Oh, but I do.” The smile broadened. “Six months is a long time, Nick. I hate to think of spending all that time alone, don’t you?”

When she was gone, he sank into his chair, the strength in his legs deserting him. He was breathing hard, as if he’d just run up four flights of stairs, and his head was spinning. So much for his blasted self-control. He’d attempted to lay down the law and all he’d done was wave a red flag in front of her. Now she was determined to change his mind.

What man stood a chance against a determined woman like Lexie Foster?