That Night with You (4 page)

“
This is your office,” Sam
stated. “Your cohort in crime hasn’t arrived yet, so feel free to
grab the best desk and make it yours.”

Madison eyed a desk right by the
window. “What did you say his name was?”

“
Adam Turnbull.” Sam nodded
to the desks in the room. “There’s an orientation schedule on your
computer. Mr. Worthy wants each of you to spend some time in the
different departments on this floor and on thirty-two.”

Madison spun around to Sam.
“Thirty-two? I thought this was the only floor the firm was
on.”

Sam stepped back outside the door.
“The official offices for all the architects are on thirty-three,
but accounting, advertising, and the administrative offices are on
thirty-two.” Sam smiled at Madison and put her hand on the door. “I
hope you like it here, Madison.”

After Sam had closed the door, Madison
went to the desk by the window and put her purse down on the smooth
wood. Her hands glided over the surface of the desktop computer and
she smiled. Ever since the day she had taken a seat in her first
architectural design course, she had been enthralled with designing
buildings. Every time she sat behind a computer and pulled up the
computer assisted design program, her imagination kicked into
overdrive. Aching to be used, the blank computer screen seemed to
call to her, begging to bring to life all the designs she had
swirling about in her head. Glancing to the wide window beside her,
she marveled at the rooftops of the nearby skyscrapers. Flashing
red and white lights momentarily mesmerized her with their beauty
against the cloudy, white sky. When the office door behind her
opened, she struggled to turn away.

“
I guess you’ve already
staked out the best desk, eh?”

His voice was deep, alluring, but did
not match the lanky body of the man who stood in the doorway. He
had dark red hair, lots of freckles, and friendly green eyes. His
nose was slightly crooked, his face long and sullen, but his wide
smile had the warmth and mischief of an adorable little
boy.

“
Sorry,” he mumbled, easing
into the room. Slung over his shoulder was a blue backpack that
made the jacket of his dark suit rise up his left side. “I’m Adam
Turnbull. The lady at the reception desk told me to come on
inside.” He motioned to the desk next to hers. “I guess I’ll take
that one.”

Madison shook herself from her stupor.
“I’m Madison, Madison Barnett. Good to meet you, Adam.” She waited
until he stood before his desk, and then held out her
hand.

Smiling, he gave her hand a slight
tug. “So, we’re gonna be office mates.” He went to his desk and
dropped his backpack on it with a thud. “You don’t have any
disgusting habits like slurping coffee or liking pastrami
sandwiches, do you?”

Madison nervously clasped her hands in
front of her. “No, ah, I’ve never eaten pastrami.”

Adam’s green eyes swept up and down
her figure. Madison could see the hunger in them, and took a
cautious step back. The last thing she needed was to get involved
with a co-worker.

“
Glad to hear it.” Adam
rested his hip against his desk and folded his arms over his narrow
chest, eyeing her face. “Where did you go to school?”

“
UT Arlington,” Madison
told him. “What about you?”

“
Tulane.”

“
Wow, New Orleans. I bet
that was a fun place to go to school.”

“
And to grow up. I’m from
the Big Easy.”

Madison searched for a friendly
question, afraid of the silence. “Was Parr and Associates your
first choice?”

Adam raised his red eyebrows and
frowned, reminding Madison of a petulant child. “Nah, I wanted to
get on with Taylor and Buckholt in New Orleans. They do a lot of
restoration jobs in that city—I even did my internship there—but
they didn’t have a space for me. I applied to seven different
firms, but this is the only offer I got. How many did you apply
to?”

Madison shrugged. “Only three, and all
of them were in Dallas. I wanted to get on with MA Architects…they
do a lot of skyscrapers and commercial building construction—that’s
what I really want to do—but they didn’t even interview me. They
wanted experienced architects, not new grads.”

“
Yeah, I heard the same
thing. That’s why I’m here. I figured I can get some experience and
then move on. Doing upper-end homes isn’t my thing. I like working
with historic buildings; you know, renovations and additions that
add to the style of the original design. That’s what turns me
on.”

Madison felt a slight flush on her
cheeks as his eyes continued to wander the curves of her figure.
Turning away, she went back to her desk. “So did you meet with Mr.
Parr during your interview?”

“
Sure. What did you think
of him?” He stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. “I thought he
didn’t like me at first. With his squinty eyes I couldn’t tell what
he was thinking. I was about to write off the interview when he
started asking me some questions. Grilled me, actually, about
architectural theory and design. It made me feel like I was still
in school.”

Madison’s cheeks flushed even redder.
“I never met him. I met with Mr. Worthy. He didn’t quiz me or
anything. Just asked about school and why I wanted to be an
architect.”

Adam’s gravelly snicker annoyed
Madison. “You were lucky. I got the impression Parr’s going to be a
real taskmaster.”

“
Really? Sam, the
receptionist, told me he was great to work for.”

Adam went over to his desk and
inspected the computer. “She’s just a receptionist, Madison. Of
course he’s nice to her. She’s not essential staff like we
are.”

He hit a key on the keyboard and the
computer screen came to life. Madison observed his long, bony hands
as they reached for the mouse, and decided that she didn’t like
them. For her, a man’s hands had always been the starting point of
an attraction, and if his hands did not meet her standards, she
figured little else would.

“
Looks like we have our
schedule for the day.” Adam nodded to his computer. “We’re to head
to human resources on the thirty-second floor, do our employee
paperwork, and then attend a computer orientation
meeting.”

Madison had hoped to get right to
work, not be bogged down in mindless meetings. “Sounds pretty
boring.”

Adam turned to her, grinning. “Not
completely. Looks like we get to have lunch in the conference room
with Mr. Parr. At least we’re getting a free meal.”

Madison’s stomach did a nervous flip.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. Maybe he’s going to grill us
while we eat.”

Adam smiled for her, trying to appear
reassuring. “Maybe he just wants to get to know his new employees.
What better way to do that than over a friendly lunch.”

***

After two hours of filling out IRS
forms, deciding on IRA packages, and getting a brief rundown on the
computer system, Adam and Madison were escorted to a luxurious
conference room. A long, oval mahogany table with deep red leather
chairs filled the room, while a sideboard of matching mahogany was
pushed against the wall closest to the door. Wide windows
overlooked scenic downtown Dallas, and along the walls were various
contemporary metal sculptures done in gold, silver, bronze, and
iron, depicting different city skylines.

“
Mr. Parr will be along
shortly, and we’re waiting for the caterers to arrive with lunch,”
a pretty blonde secretary named Emma told them as she ushered them
into the conference room.

Madison noticed how Adam’s eyes traced
the outline of Emma’s sky blue dress, lingering over the swell of
her ample breasts.

“
I hope you two like
Italian. Mr. Parr insisted I order from his favorite Italian
restaurant for lunch,” Emma went on.

Adam glanced up and smiled. “I love
Italian. Will you be joining us, Emma?”

“
I have letters to type for
Mr. Parr.” The curvy secretary gave Adam a dubious grin. “You two
have a nice lunch.” She quickly closed the door, leaving Madison
and Adam alone.

“
I think she likes me,”
Adam proposed with a touch of bravado.

Madison glared at him. “She was being
polite, Adam.”

He bobbed his eyebrows playfully.
“There was a connection between us. Didn’t you feel it?”

Madison studied him as he sauntered
over to the picture windows. “Are you always this way with
women?”

“
What way?”

“
Confident.”

“
Sure, I guess. I found
with women it isn’t so much a matter of confidence, but just
getting up to bat. So many guys I know are afraid to talk to a
woman they find attractive, and miss out on an opportunity.” He
pointed his thumb to his chest. “I make it a point to never miss
out on an opportunity.” His eyes once again glided over her figure.
“Normally, with an attractive woman like you, I would ask you out,
but since we’re going to be working together, that would be a bad
idea. Don’t want to make work more stressful for either one of us
by adding sex to the situation.” His irksome snicker filled the
room.

Madison felt her patience for her new
co-worker quickly waning. “I’m amazed you haven’t found Ms. Right
with that attitude.”

“
Who says I want to find
Ms. Right? I’m not interested in settling down any time soon. I
want to get my career going first, get some money, and maybe when
I’m in my thirties I’ll start looking for a wife.” He shrugged.
“Men don’t have to settle as young as you girls do. I mean, our
biological clocks have no expiration date.”

Madison’s jaw dropped
slightly.
I’m going to have to share an
office with this butt wipe
!

“
What about you?” Adam
moved away from the window. “You got a boyfriend?”

“
No,” she answered
flatly.

“
Why not? You’re not a
lesbian, are you?”

Right when she was about to reply, the
sound of the conference room door opening distracted her. Adjusting
her attitude, Madison plastered a stellar smile on her face,
expecting to meet her new boss, but when she turned, her stomach
dropped to the floor. Standing inside the doorway, with an
irresistible smile that melted into her soul, was the man from the
elevator earlier that morning. His smoky eyes were glued to her,
and as she felt the air in the room grow thin.

He had removed his suit jacket, and
his white dress shirt allowed a tantalizing glimpse of his muscular
chest beneath. His head tilted slightly to the side as he watched
her, and Madison became undone as his assertive confidence
overpowered the room like the heady bouquet of red wine rising from
a glass. His thin, red lips dropped their smile when his gaze
drifted to Adam, standing beside her.

“
So how do you two like
Parr and Associates?” he asked, walking into the room.

“
Ah, Mr. Parr,” Adam all
but drooled as he rushed up to the man, “thank you so much for
having us for lunch today.”

Adam’s sucking up did nothing to
change Madison’s quickly diminishing opinion of her co-worker. She
stayed back as he eagerly pumped Mr. Parr’s hand.

Adam stepped aside, and Madison
swallowed back her nerves when she saw the handsome man once again
turn to her. “We haven’t met.” He came toward her. “I’m Hayden
Parr.” He took her hand. “I was out of town the day Don Worthy
interviewed you for the position. I wish I could have been here.”
He slowly squeezed her hand as his eyes searched hers. “You don’t
know how long I’ve been waiting to meet you, Ms.
Barnett.”

For a moment, Madison was perplexed by
an odd sensation that she had met this man before. Quickly
reminding herself of their previous encounter in the elevator, she
chalked up her strange feelings to nerves.

“
So, Mr. Parr,” Adam
interrupted, “I was wondering how long it would be before Madison
and I got our first assignment.”

“
That’s mighty ambitious of
you, Adam. Considering this is your first day, don’t you think we
should see how you do before I throw clients your way?”

His amused chuckle reverberated about
the small room, and Madison was instantly floored by the sound.
That laugh was so familiar. Convinced she had met this man before,
her mind struggled to recall any prior meeting with the seductive
Hayden Parr.

“
I know we’re supposed to
do a lot of secondary drawings and basic copying of plans until we
get some experience under our belt,” Adam went on. “And I
understand why we have to do all of that, I really do.” Adam
clapped his hands together. “I was just hoping you would maybe…you
might give us something,” he shrugged, “exciting to do. Something
to prove our worth, you know?”

“
Prove your worth?” Hayden
Parr slowly nodded his head. “Intriguing idea, and perhaps there is
something I could send to you and Ms. Barnett.” He turned cordially
to Madison and his eyes twinkled. “Something that you both could do
to show me what you’ve got.”

Madison felt her knees growing weak as
his eyes remained fixed on her.

A knock at the open door made all
heads turn. Entering the room was a skinny, pale, balding man who
wore gold-rimmed wire glasses over businesslike blue eyes. His
black suit hung from his frame, and his tie had already collected a
coffee stain or two.