How to Seduce a Billionaire (7 page)

Kelly laughed again as her mind raced to change the subject. It wouldn’t do to involve Mrs. Duke in her problems. “I see Brandon’s taking you and your friends on a private tour of the winery on Saturday. That’ll be fun.”

“Oh, we’ll have a ball,” Sally said jovially. “Now Kelly, we’re having a family dinner Saturday night at the hotel restaurant. Adam and Cameron and their wives will be there and it would be wonderful if you could join us. That is, if you’re free. You always do so much for all of us. We feel like you’re a member of the family.”

Sudden tears sprang to her eyes and Kelly quickly brushed them away. Her own mother had died when she was twelve and she still missed her every day. Her father was very much alive, but he lived back in Vermont near her two sisters and their families. She missed them, too, but she could always pick up the phone and say hello. She couldn’t do that with her mom.

“As far as I know, I’m free,” she said. “And I would love to join you, Mrs. Duke. Thank you so much for asking me.” She had the sudden thought that Brandon might bring a date to the dinner, but told herself it didn’t matter. The invitation had come from his mother.

“Wonderful,” Sally exclaimed. “Oh, by the way, how was your trip to the spa? Did they do everything they promised?”

“It was amazing,” Kelly said. “Thank you so much for recommending it.”

“I had a fabulous time when I was there last year,” Sally said. “So when you mentioned you wanted a bit of a makeover, I thought it would be the perfect place for you.”

“It was.”

“I’m so glad. I can’t wait to see all the fun changes in you.”

They hung up from the call, and Kelly spent the rest of the morning answering emails and scheduling conference calls for future projects. She almost wished she wasn’t so organized because she could’ve used a few more hours concentrating on something other than her thoughts. Anything would be preferable to being completely distracted by memories of Brandon and everything they’d done together the night before and early this morning. It was impossible to think straight when she remembered the way he’d touched her, the way his body had quickened inside her, the way his breath had lingered hot on her skin. She thought of the words he’d used, the pleasure he’d shown her, the urgency of their needs, and almost moaned out loud.

“Oh, God.” She gulped in air and grabbed her soda to soothe her parched throat. She needed to concentrate on her job, but it wasn’t working. She continued to daydream about the way he made her feel, the places he’d touched her, the words he’d whispered in her ear, the heights he’d driven her to.

She stared at the red light on the phone. Thank goodness Brandon was still on the conference call because if he were to walk out and take one look at her, he would know what she’d been thinking. And if he knew she was obsessing over their lovemaking, he would probably accuse her of falling for him. But nothing could be further from the truth. There was no way she would ever fall for Brandon Duke. She’d never been that big of a fool.

Forcing herself to concentrate on work, she got a lot done in the next hour. Still, every few minutes or so, she caught herself imagining his arms around her. The man had a gift, that was for sure.

She spent part of her lunch hour at her desk, eating a sandwich and paying some bills. Brandon left for a meeting outside of the office, so after lunch, Kelly placed all his messages—including Bianca’s—on his desk and took the opportunity to go for a short walk along the brick path that skirted the vineyards. It was a beautiful fall day and the leaves on the vines were every shade of orange, red and burnt sienna. She waved to a few of the winery staff who stood a few rows away, testing the vines for ripeness.

She glanced up at the six floors of terraced balcony suites that graced the hillside, with their French doors and elegant patio furniture, then looked over at the many sophisticated, private two-bedroom
maisons
that swept across the length of the hill. She couldn’t help but feel a glow of pride whenever she thought of the small but important role she’d played in the development of the luxurious Mansion at Silverado Trail.

With its ivy-covered stucco walls and Mediterranean style, the resort was a first-class mix of old-world charm and modern elegance. The restaurant had already earned a rare three stars from an international travel guide. No wonder she was so justifiably proud of the company she worked for.

In three days, the first guests would arrive, anxious to take part in the grand opening weekend that included full participation in the grape harvest and autumn festival that followed. There would be lovely dinners and wine tastings and a gala celebration Saturday night.

Kelly had worked on the opening events for months. She considered the project her baby. She had sweated out every last detail, down to the color of the ribbon for the cutting ceremony in the lobby that would take place Friday afternoon when the first guests checked in.

But since the project had started, several major changes had occurred in her life. She needed to be at the top of her game in order to focus her energies on the week ahead. First, she hadn’t counted on ever having to see Roger again. Now, within days, he would be here and her plan would swing into action.

But a more important change was her involvement with Brandon. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she’d be caught up in a lovely affair with Brandon Duke. It was a major distraction and she knew she would require every last ounce of brainpower, discretion and good judgment in her arsenal to make it through the week working so closely with him. Not only that, but she would have to be especially careful that the hotel staff and Brandon’s family never suspected a thing.

She was certain it wouldn’t be a problem. They’d already decided to end their affair once Brandon’s family arrived. And, then she’d have Roger to deal with.

But for the moment, she just breathed in the crisp air and looked around at the welcome signs of autumn. Growing up in Vermont, she’d always been able to recognize the telltale signs of each new season. But here in California, where the hillsides seemed a permanent shade of green and the weather was distressingly mild even in winter, the hints were much more subtle: the dappled hue of the falling leaves, a trace of mesquite in the air, the delicate play of shadows and light on the mountains at sunset.

She loved it here in Napa, but she had to admit she’d be happy to return home to Dunsmuir Bay in a few weeks. She had a charming duplex apartment with a view of the bay and a number of good friends she would be glad to see again. And of course she loved her job and her spacious office at Duke headquarters.

Once she was home, she would be long finished with the Roger Project. She planned to start dating again as soon as possible and would have no reason to ever sleep with Brandon again. Especially since she had no intention of jeopardizing her position at Duke Development, it was absolutely imperative that she go back to being the practical, professional, well-organized assistant Brandon deserved.

And that meant no more sex with Brandon, ever again.

She would use those words as a mantra because within a few days, they would become reality.
No more sex with Brandon,
she repeated and emphasized the words with a firm nod of her head as she turned and walked back to the office.

Five

T
he lunch meeting took longer than Brandon had expected and now he wasn’t looking forward to playing catch-up. He stalked down the hall toward his suite of offices and braced himself for the onslaught of urgent messages he knew Kelly would hand him as soon as he walked in. He had half a mind to toss every last message in the trash, grab Kelly and go for a drive into the hills where they could hide out for the rest of the day.

He chuckled, figuring he was lucky he still had that half of his mind left, considering the things he and Kelly had done the night before. An erotic image of her gorgeous, naked body spread across the bed flashed in his mind and he gritted his teeth to keep from embarrassing himself in the middle of the hotel. Damn. If that wasn’t enough to make him crazed, the fact that he planned to stay with her again tonight was almost enough to drive him the rest of the way to madness. But what a way to go.

Back in his office, he sorted through his message slips, crumpling one from Bianca, a woman he dated once in a while, and tossing it into the trash can. One thing he didn’t need right now was another distraction.

He forced himself to concentrate on work, but stimulating thoughts of Kelly kept circling his mind whenever his vigilance slipped. He needed to keep his mind on business. And there was plenty of business to think about.

His brothers would arrive Thursday, two days from now, and things would really start cooking. No doubt, there would be several last-minute meetings, emergency conference calls, inspections and tests of various departments before the festivities began Friday. His mother and her friends would be arriving then, along with the first official guests of the Mansion.

The guest list included numerous wealthy wine lovers, a reviewer from a prestigious travel magazine, several old friends of the Duke brothers and a well-heeled state official they’d done business with. And, lest he forgot, Kelly’s idiot ex-boyfriend. Roger and company wouldn’t arrive until Monday, but that was still too soon as far as he was concerned.

Part of him still couldn’t believe he’d succumbed to Kelly’s pleas for help in luring the jerk back. Not that he minded helping her, he thought, his blood pumping faster as he once again pictured her beneath him. No, he didn’t mind that at all. But if she truly had the intention of taking Roger to bed, Brandon wouldn’t hesitate to obstruct her at every turn.

Hell. Brandon knew if he was smart, he would cancel his plans for Kelly tonight and call last night’s passionate activities a one-time-only deal. He knew they were playing with fire and shouldn’t continue sleeping with each other. And he knew he should be the one to call it quits, right now, before they got involved any further. Kelly would understand. They’d already had that discussion.

But every time he thought about cutting her loose, he changed his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He just wanted her too damn much. He also knew those feelings would subside. They always did. He made sure of it. And when that happened, Kelly and he would go back to being companionable working partners and bring the sexual side of their relationship to a civil, friendly end. No mess, no fuss.

Their affair was a strictly temporary arrangement and they were both consenting adults. Once this whole ugly Roger situation passed, Brandon and Kelly would settle down and get back to work and everything would be fine. Fine as wine. No problem.

The following evening, Brandon coaxed Kelly to come to dinner with him at a charming trattoria in downtown Napa. They dressed casually, both glad to escape from the hotel for a few hours. They spent the meal having a good time, chatting about business and family matters. Kelly told Brandon about her sisters and their families and Brandon mentioned his mother’s new project to track down her deceased husband’s brother.

“Sally’s husband, William Duke, had a brother, Tom,” Brandon explained as they shared an antipasto platter. “When their parents died, the boys were sent to an orphanage in San Francisco.”

Kelly nodded as she filled her small plate with a delicious mixture of baby artichokes, roasted peppers and grilled zucchini. “Sally told me her husband was the reason she wanted to adopt you three boys.”

“That’s right. Bill’s dream was to symbolically give back to other kids he’d met in the system by adopting children of his own, but he passed away before he could do it.”

“It was good of Sally to carry out his dream.”

Brandon grinned as he sipped his wine. “I thank my lucky stars every day that she did.”

“Has she had any luck finding Bill’s brother?”

“Not yet. Apparently the orphanage was a pretty grim place and the boys ran away a few times. Bill told Sally that he was finally adopted, but his brother was still stuck there. Years later, when he was old enough to conduct a search, he found that the orphanage had burned to the ground and all the records were destroyed.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. Does Sally know if Bill’s brother survived?”

“Yeah, Tom would’ve turned eighteen by the time the fire happened, so he’d be out on his own. But Bill tried to track him down and couldn’t find him. His best hope was that Tom was adopted and his adoptive parents changed his name.”

“I hope so,” Kelly said. “That place sounds awful.”

“Yeah. Anyway, Sally’s got her work cut out for her.”

Kelly reached for an olive. “Please tell her I’ll be glad to help if she needs someone to do research. You know I love a challenge.”

He smiled at her. “Thanks, Kelly, I appreciate that. I’ll let her know.”

“That was fun,” Kelly said as they strolled back to her hotel room. “And the pasta was delicious. I’m so full.”

“Yeah, me too,” Brandon said. “I’m glad we could get away for a while. We won’t have much of a chance to leave from here on out.”

“I know.” Kelly stared up at the cloudless night sky. Countless stars stretched from one horizon to the other and the full moon lit the way along the terrace path.

“It’s a beautiful evening,” she said.

“Still warm out,” Brandon remarked. “It’s a perfect night for a swim.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure it’s that warm.”

“It is for what I have in mind,” he said, grabbing hold of her hand. “Come with me.”

Puzzled but willing, Kelly allowed him to change direction and he led her to the owner’s
maison
where he was staying. The sleekly comfortable bungalow had been built into the hillside beyond the main building. It was large, with two bedrooms and a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace in the living room. Shuttered French doors opened on to a cozy patio.

Brandon led her through the doors to a lovely space surrounded by a wall of shrubs and flowers and weeping olive trees. A rustic flagstone patio encircled a small hot tub built for two.

Kelly glanced around, intrigued. The thick, lush vegetation grew high around the patio and assured her that they had complete privacy out here.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, gazing at Brandon.

“I think so.” He pressed a button on the wall by the doorway and Kelly watched, smiling, as bubbles began to rise in the water.

Then Brandon reached for Kelly’s jacket, slipped it off, folded it and laid it on the chaise. Kelly did the same for him, and together they made quick work of removing their clothes before stepping into the warm bubbling water.

“Oh, it’s heaven,” she said, and slid down until the water covered her shoulders.

Brandon followed her into the spa and sat on the step, then pulled her onto his lap, facing him.

“Yes, this is definitely heaven.” Touching her cheeks with both hands, he leaned forward and kissed her. As his lips touched hers, Kelly’s mind emptied of all thought and everything within her focused on this one man and his thrilling touch.

He took his time with her, working his magic, kissing her, touching her, his tongue gently stroking hers. She floated on a sea of pleasure, weightless in his arms.

He cupped her breasts in his hands and bent his head to taste one, then the other. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Brandon,” she whispered.

“I want to make love with you.”

“Yes,” she said.

He stood up in the water with her in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He eased her down onto his length and she drew him in so deeply, so fully, she wondered if she would ever feel this complete again. Then he grabbed hold of her bottom and squeezed gently, causing a jolt of rapture to rush through her. She cried out her pleasure as he moved inside her, stroking her faster and harder, plunging deeper, then deeper still. She moved with him as pure sensation pulsated and radiated from her center outward, stirring every part of her body and soul.

She ran her hands over the taut, rippling muscles of his back, relishing his strength as his powerful hips thrust into her, urging her toward completion. She felt her body melt into his and with a guttural groan of release, he let himself join her, flying headlong into an abyss of pure ecstasy.

The next day, Kelly finally began to see that there were flaws in her Roger Plan. As the days had passed and the weekend loomed, her original plot to seek revenge against Roger was becoming less and less important to her. That was fine, of course; she really needed to get over Roger once and for all.

But now she couldn’t quite recall the hurt and emptiness anymore. The truth was, in the last few days, whenever she searched her mind, heart and soul for traces of the sadness she’d felt since Roger broke up with her, she couldn’t find any painful remnants. That was truly amazing, and she knew she had Brandon to thank for her new acceptance. He’d helped her see that Roger had been wrong; she was perfectly capable of attracting a man. She wasn’t lousy in bed. On the contrary, she thought with a happy smile, she was pretty darn good in bed. And she was a good kisser, too. Brandon didn’t seem to have any complaints, and he would know, wouldn’t he?

But now, since Brandon was in her bed every night, he was also beginning to show up in her daydreams during office hours. If she wasn’t ruthlessly diligent, she would find herself sighing like a teenager whenever he walked by her desk.

She’d managed to cover up her reaction the few times it had happened, going so far as to fake a coughing fit one time, then making a quick reference to a missing invoice another time. She needed to get a grip. Not just for Brandon, but for herself.

For goodness sake, where was that practical-minded girl who wouldn’t be caught dead giggling or mooning over anyone,
especially
her boss? The last thing she wanted was for him to see her pining over him!

She would drive herself crazy if she didn’t nip these feelings in the bud right now. They had ground rules, had she forgotten? She was absolutely forbidden to fall for Brandon Duke. Not only would it never work out, but she’d wind up losing the job she loved.

Any time she caught herself wondering, hoping, or wishing that she and Brandon could be together for real, all she had to do was log on to his personal address list and count the number of women he’d so nicely dumped over the past year or two, with nothing but a lovely parting gift to remember him by. Kelly should know; she’d been the one to purchase and send out most of those lovely gifts on his behalf.

It didn’t help her cause that Brandon had come to her room every night this week and stayed until morning. He would always leave well before Housekeeping came on duty, knowing it wouldn’t be appropriate for the rest of the staff to know they were sleeping together. He was an amazing lover, and every night they laughed and talked and…played. And recently, during the day, he had taken to piercing her with long, intense looks that could easily drive her to sin.

What was a girl to do?

She gave herself a mental shake and told herself to get back to work. There was plenty to get done today and it was about time she concentrated on earning her paycheck.

“It is dreck!” head chef Jean Pierre exclaimed, his lips curved in revulsion.

“Are you insane? It’s the finest Montepulciano produced in Tuscany in fifty years,” Antonio Stellini, the wine steward, countered.

“Italian,” Jean Pierre muttered in disdain. “It figures, no?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, you French fruitcake?”

Jean Pierre turned on Brandon. “
Qu’est-ce que c’est
fruitcake?”

It was Thursday morning and Brandon had spent the last hour running interference between his autocratic head chef, Jean Pierre, and Antonio, the brilliant sommelier he’d recently hired. The two were in a power struggle over the choice of wine pairings for Saturday night’s special tasting menu. Brandon walked out of the meeting feeling a special kinship to King Solomon for effectively negotiating a reasonable solution to an impossible problem. Of course, they’d now added three new premium wines to the elaborate menu, that would have to be reprinted immediately.

Later that afternoon, Cameron and Adam and their wives arrived. Brandon had arranged for each couple to stay in their own private
maison
complete with fireplace, private spa patio and stunning views of the valley. Trish and Julia were able to indulge in soothing massages and facials while he and his brothers held meetings with their key managers.

That night, Brandon hosted dinner for his brothers and their wives in the hotel dining room. He’d tried to convince Kelly to join them, but she’d demurred, saying she had some personal matters to attend to. He couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth, but he’d finally let it go. Then, throughout the superb meal, he struggled to avoid thinking about her and the fact that he missed her.

As the main dishes were cleared away and dessert orders were taken, Adam’s wife, Trish, turned to Brandon. “I wish Kelly could’ve joined us. You’re not making her work late, are you?”

“No way,” Brandon said. “I invited her, but she said she had some personal stuff to take care of.”

Cameron shrugged. “Can’t blame her. After all, who really wants to have dinner with their boss?”

Brandon said nothing as he made a point of keeping a vigilant watch on the wait staff.