A Woman's Touch (3 page)

„That he does.“ Natalie grinned. „He’s good at ignoring all sorts of things that might distract him from his goal.

Things like people’s feelings. Things like the recommendations of his department chiefs. Things like decent caterers.

Kyle Stockbridge is very, very good at going after what he wants, all right.“

A small shiver traced the line of Rebecca’s spine. What Natalie had said was true. Kyle could be downright single-minded. Nothing got in his way once he’d decided what he wanted. And tonight he had made it clear he wanted her.

„You make it sound as though Kyle is difficult to work for,“ Rebecca said quietly. „But I notice you’re still with the firm after two years. With your background, you could go anywhere.“

„Maybe. But I couldn’t get a better salary. Believe me, I know. I checked around about a month after I took this job.

Right after Stockbridge came storming into my office one morning and wanted to know where I’d been getting the turkeys I’d been sending to him to interview for a clerical position in accounting.“

Rebecca shook her head in dismay. „He shouldn’t have been personally interviewing candidates at that job level.“

„I know, but until you came along, Stockbridge was what might charitably be called a ‘hands on’ administrator. He didn’t trust anyone else to do anything right.“

„Well, he’s learning. Flaming Luck is getting too big for the boss to take a personal hand in all the small details of running an office.“

„My sentiments exactly,“ Natalie said dryly. „But up until two months ago, we all saw and heard a bit too much of the boss. He tended to show up at the most unexpected moments. And Stockbridge can be overwhelming, even in small doses. Charm and tact are not high on his list of priorities. I’m not sure he even knows the meaning of those words.“

„I’ll admit he can be a little blunt at times.“

„That’s putting it mildly, and you know it. The man rides roughshod over anyone who gets in his way. I’ll tell you truthfully, Becky, it’s been nice having you to run interference lately.“

Rebecca winced. „Is that the role everyone sees me in? I was hired as an executive assistant, not a…a…“

„A gladiator? Or a knight in shining armor?“ Natalie chuckled. „You know something? Stockbridge never had an executive assistant until he hired you. He didn’t know what to do with one. Claimed he had a secretary and that was all he needed. But two months ago he suddenly appeared in my office and told me to cut the paperwork on his first assistant. Said there wouldn’t be any need to interview for the position. He’d already found the right candidate.“

Rebecca shifted uneasily, a little embarrassed. „I see.“

„I thought I did, too,“ Natalie said wryly. „I don’t mind telling you I was rather skeptical of the whole situation. I couldn’t figure it out. Why would Stockbridge suddenly take it into his head to hire an executive assistant who also happened to be female? Stockbridge has never allowed his private life to interfere with his business judgment. In fact, I don’t think he has much in the way of a private life. He’s no ladies’ man, that’s for sure. He practically lives at the office.“

Rebecca was deeply chagrined. „You thought he’d created the position for me because of a personal relationship?“

„It did occur to me.“ Natalie smiled broadly. „But you’ve done such wonders since you arrived that I don’t give a darn if you and he are having the affair of the century. And neither does anyone else. In fact, most of the staff has decided you’re exactly the kind of woman he needs. He actually
listens
to you, Becky.“

„I am not having an affair with him,“ Rebecca bit out, thoroughly exasperated now. It was worse than she had imagined. Apparently everyone thought she and Kyle were romantically involved. Now she understood the joke that she had sensed was going around. Her imaginary relationship with Kyle was apparently the punch line.

„If you say so.“ Natalie appeared totally unconcerned. „I guess it’s not all that important as long as you have the magic touch. Just go on keeping Stockbridge off our backs and you’ll have the undying gratitude of every employee at Flaming Luck. Oops, there’s Richardson. I think he’s trying to signal me. I’d better go see what he wants. Catch you later, Becky.“

Rebecca turned in a haze and eased her way through the crowd toward a quiet corner of the room. Her head was spinning and it wasn’t because of the small amount of wine she had consumed.

She could not envision a more complicated scenario if she tried. Everyone she worked with already assumed she was sleeping with the boss. Stockbridge, himself, was apparently not opposed to the idea. And as for her, she was in love with the man. A part of her desperately wanted all those rumors and assumptions to be true.

But she was thirty years old and in all the years she had been making her way in the business world, she had never once allowed herself to be involved in an office affair. She had seen the disastrous results of such alliances far too often.

A few office romances ended in marriage, but far more often they ended in uncomfortable, unpleasant, untenable situations that ultimately meant one or the other of the lovers had to quit his or her job. Business being what it was, a pre-dominantly male-oriented world, it was usually the woman who wound up looking for work.

Rebecca had frequently vowed never to get herself into such a humiliating situation.

But she had never before fallen in love with the boss.

Nervously she surveyed the room from her sheltered corner. Kyle was on the other side, talking to another important client. Flaming Luck had recently gone after this particular client with a vengeance, Rebecca knew.

The new client had been giving a rival firm, Clear Advantage Development, his business for two years. But Kyle had set out to change the man’s mind and, as usual, Kyle had gotten what he wanted.

Kyle Stockbridge was like that, Rebecca reminded herself. Once he’d made up his mind, he was unstoppable. He had enormous energy and focus. Tonight, for the first time, she’d realized he was going to turn that energy and focus on her. She had to be careful, she thought. She must be cautious.

But a part of her didn’t want to be cautious. A part of her longed to surrender to the fantasy of loving Kyle.

The anniversary reception seemed to drag on forever. With an effort of will, Rebecca forced herself out of her safe little corner and mingled once more with the clients and her fellow workers. She was aware that everyone was hailing the party as a success and giving her the credit, but she couldn’t seem to relax sufficiently to take much satisfaction in that success. All she could think about was what would happen when the reception ended.

Kyle was going to take her home. He had casually made the arrangements himself this afternoon. He had appeared in the doorway of her office, lounging there as if he owned the place, which, of course, he did, and told her he would pick her up after work and take her home when the reception was over.

Rebecca had not put up much resistance. She had said a polite thank-you and had given him a gracious, professional smile. Kyle had nodded brusquely and disappeared.

Now, an offer that had merely seemed polite was taking on ominous overtones. Rebecca decided against another glass of wine after she finished her first. She had a feeling she would need her wits about her later. She both anticipated and dreaded the inevitable drive home.

Shortly after ten Rebecca stood beside Kyle and watched him say goodnight to the last of his guests. In twos and threes they filed out of the hotel reception room that had been rented for the occasion and disappeared into the balmy summer evening.

When the last guest had departed, Kyle glanced around the room, which was littered with empty glasses and food trays. He nodded once in satisfaction.

„You did a good job, Becky,“ he said. „But I’m glad we don’t have to go through this again until next year.“

„Don’t forget the annual Christmas party.“

„What annual Christmas party? We never have Christmas parties at Flaming Luck.“

„Your reputation as Scrooge is about to undergo a change.“

He groaned. „I’m not ready to face that kind of trauma yet. Wait until November before you start talking to me about a Christmas party. Ready to go?“

„I’ll get my purse,“ she murmured and fled toward the cloakroom. The inevitable had arrived. The sensual tension between herself and Kyle was palpable. She could feel it beating at her. She heard it in his voice.

Ten minutes later he walked her out into the hotel parking lot and eased her into the cockpit of the black Porsche.

Then he got in beside her and closed the door. Rebecca had a curious sensation of sliding down beneath the surface of a moonlit sea. She could still breathe here below the waves, but she felt trapped in a warm, flowing current that was carrying her toward an unseen destination.

There was silence in the Porsche as Kyle pulled out onto the street. Rebecca could feel him brooding beside her. It was not an unfamiliar experience. After working for Kyle for two months, she was becoming accustomed to his long periods of dark contemplation. She knew he was deep in his thoughts now, and she could only guess at what was going through his brain.

Was he thinking of some clever excuse for urging her to stop by his place before he drove her home? Plotting devious ways to seduce her? No, that wasn’t like Kyle. He was always forthright and direct about what he wanted, often disconcertingly so. As Natalie had said, no one would ever accuse Kyle Stockbridge of being the soul of charm and tact.

She’d better think fast about just what she wanted, Rebecca decided. Kyle was something of an unknown quantity.

Getting involved with him held a lot of potential risk. There were dark, heavily shadowed regions in this man, she knew

– regions she might never be allowed to see our understand. She wasn’t certain if she could accept a man who was so unknowable.

„You never answered my question earlier,“ Kyle said at last.

„Which question?“ But she knew. She knew what he was going to say next. She flexed her fingers in her lap in an unconscious attempt to alleviate some of her tension.

„Would it be so hard for you to go to bed with me?“

Rebecca took a deep breath and gave in to her fantasies. „No,“ she whispered. „It wouldn’t be hard at all.“

„I’m not handling this very well. I’m sorry.“ Kyle’s voice was low and rough as he walked over to join Rebecca in front of the vast expanse of his living-room window. He had already discarded his jacket. As he moved toward her, he tugged impatiently at the knot of his tie.

Rebecca smiled a little nervously as she surveyed the night view of Denver that was spread out before her. „Don’t look at me for advice and assistance,“ she said, trying to keep things light. „I haven’t had a lot of experience at this sort of thing, myself.“

„I figured as much,“ he said with unexpected gentleness. „But you’re my ace executive assistant. I count on you for management expertise.“

„Does this kind of thing have to be
managed?“

„We’ll wing it,“ he promised.

Silence descended.

„I’ve often wondered what your home would look like,“ she said after a moment. „I think I expected you to have a house in the hills, not a high-rise apartment.“

„This is closer to the office.“ He handed her one of the two glasses he’d brought with him from the kitchen.

The aroma of a potent liquor filled Rebecca’s nostrils. She inhaled deeply and felt herself sinking further into the dangerous current. „And being close to the office is important to you, isn’t it? Flaming Luck Enterprises is your whole life.“

„Not quite. But it’s sure as hell a big part of it.“ He was watching her profile, not the view. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the living-room lights and the shadows suited him all too well. „I have a place in the mountains where I can go when I feel the need to get out of the city.“

„What kind of place?“ she asked curiously.

„A ranch. It’s been in the family since the late eighteen hundreds. It’s mine now. My father died a few years ago and left it to me.“

„A working ranch?“ She was suddenly, intensely interested. She could picture him on a ranch.

„Not any more. I keep a few horses for riding, but that’s about it these days. In the beginning the Stockbridges ran cattle on the Flaming Luck and later there was mining. But for the past few years it’s just been a place to go when I need to get away from work. Damn it, Becky, I don’t want to talk about the ranch.“

The glass felt warm in her hand. „What do you want to talk about?“ Stupid question.

„Us. You and me.“ He touched the side of her face, stroking her cheek. His fingertip was a little rough, excitingly so, as if he handled leather all day instead of paper. He must have felt the small shudder that went through Rebecca.

„Are you afraid of me?“ he asked, his green eyes searching her face.

„No. But I am afraid of the situation,“ she said honestly.

He swore softly. „I know. Like I said, I’m not handling this very well. Blame it on inexperience.“

Her smile was tremulous. She slanted him a quick, assessing glance. „Inexperience with office affairs, you mean?“

„I’ve never gotten involved with anyone who worked for me,“ he stated. „I’ve always been convinced it’s a stupid thing to do.“

Rebecca sighed. „It is a stupid thing to do.“

„Not this time. This time, it’s the only thing I can do. I have no choice. I want you, Becky. And I think you want me.

I know you’re nervous. I want to be able to reassure you, but I’m not certain how to go about it.“

It would help if you told me you loved me,
she thought. But he didn’t say that. Instead, Kyle bent his head and kissed her nape. His mouth lingered there. Rebecca closed her eyes, trembling beneath the intimate caress. She turned her head and caught his hand in her fingers. She pressed her lips into his palm, aware of a wave of longing that was unlike anything she had ever known.