Seduction by design, p.9
Seduction by Design, page 9
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You see? That’s what I’m talking about. Why is it ridiculous?”
“Because men don’t think of me that way. I’m not the type.”
He smiled tenderly. “Oh, you’re the type all right. Why can’t you believe that I want you for the woman you are without attaching some lurid motivation to it? First it was sexual harassment that might cost you your job. Now it’s using you to provide a companion for my daughter. What outrageous accusations, Hailey.”
He wrapped his arms around her and moved close, pressing her between the solid wall and his unyielding body. “The only thing I want to use you for is to slake this desire I have for you. And I want you to use me in the same way.”
For a second, she was caught up in the seductive power of his gray eyes. She wanted to believe him. The loneliness she had suffered last night had been almost too much to bear. While he’d been away, she had missed him. Even though they had battled every time they saw each other, she had missed not seeing him, not hearing his voice. She wanted him in her life, yet … She straightened and said firmly, “I’m still your employee.”
“Yes, you are. And you have the most beautiful breasts of anyone on the payroll.”
“What—”
“I was looking at them just this morning down the length of that conference table while someone was rattling on about something—the wardrobe department, I think. Anyway, I was thinking about how they look when we’re—”
“Tyler—”
“Kissing. They’re beautifully shaped. Full and round—”
“Tyler!”
“White and dusky—”
“Please,” she groaned.
“I’m going to keep talking like this until you kiss me. And when I touch them—”
She went up on tiptoes and pressed his lips with hers. He opened his mouth, sent his tongue on an erotic venture between her lips, and pulled her inexorably closer to his hard frame. He kissed her with a passion that, in his opinion, had been cruelly left unsatisfied the day before.
Hailey didn’t combat the need within her to kiss him back. She strained against him in a way that would have shocked her only weeks ago. Under the soothing strokes of his hands between her blazer and her blouse, she moved invitingly.
“We’ll continue this discussion after dinner at your house tonight,” Tyler said between the kisses he was showering on her mouth. “I’ll bring the steaks and wine. You provide everything else. Eight o’clock?”
“Yes,” she sighed, unable at that point to refuse him anything.
Trancelike, she rode down with him in the elevator. He tucked a telltale curl behind her ear seconds before the doors came open. Randy was waiting for them anxiously. “Everything okay up there?”
“Everything was perfect,” Tyler said, slanting a knowing glance at Hailey.
“Thanks,” Randy said as they walked away from him.
“I’m on my way to Sanders’s office, Miss Ashton, if you should need me,” Tyler said loud enough for Randy to hear.
“Thank you, Mr. Scott.”
He turned away, only to stop, snap his fingers, and call back to her. “Oh, Miss Ashton?”
“Yes?”
He came up to her, put his mouth directly next to her ear and whispered, “I meant what I said about your breasts.”
She found herself studying that part of her anatomy as she stepped out of the shower late that evening. Looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her bathroom door, she decided that her shape wasn’t too bad for a woman her age. Her slimness, which she had cursed in adolescence, she now looked on as a blessing. Her slender figure took years off her age.
All day she had been in a state of anticipation, looking forward to her dinner with Tyler. He hadn’t quite convinced her that his motives for wanting to seduce her had nothing to do with either her work or his daughter. She smiled as she slipped into her underwear. Was it possible she was looking forward to more of his convincing?
Whether she was or not, she certainly had chosen a seductive outfit for their dinner, she thought as she stepped into black silk pants and pulled on an open-weave knit top. She knew she wore black well. It contrasted with her vibrant hair and fair complexion. Tonight she decided to forget her usual inhibitions and see what happened. She let her hair dry naturally and put large gold loops in her ears. Her fragrance was subtle but undeniably there. Beneath the revealing knit top, she wore a black, lace-trimmed camisole.
Not bad, she thought, eyeing herself critically in the mirror one more time. Certainly a departure from the prim and proper, competent, no-nonsense Miss Ashton.
But what would Tyler think of her? As she went through the house, checking last-minute details, she wondered at her rapid heartbeat and the catch in her throat each time she thought of the night to come. She hadn’t had all that much experience with men. Could she trust him to mean what he said? Did he find her beautiful? Desirable? Sexy?
The salad of three varieties of lettuce, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and artichoke hearts was chilling in the refrigerator. The foil-wrapped potatoes were baking in the oven while their trimmings of sour cream, chives, and bacon bits had already been arranged on a tray. Chocolate mousse was firming in par-fait glasses.
Everything was ready. Except for Hailey. She was a jumble of nerves. So much so that she jumped when she heard his car door slam and his quick tread on the decking.
Taking three deep breaths, and hoping that her hair wouldn’t riot out of control too soon, she went to let him in. The look on his face when she opened the door should have dispelled her qualms. His jaw dropped open and his eyes traveled her length several times before coming to rest on her face. He didn’t speak until each feature had been properly admired.
“You look ravishing. Come to think of it, that’s a terrific idea. Let’s skip dinner and I’ll ravish you right now.”
She laughed nervously and placed a hand at the base of her throat to still the palpitation there. “You’re dripping something.”
He looked down at the pan he was carrying in one hand. “Oops, sorry.” He pushed past her and went through the louvered doors into the kitchen. “I’ve had the chef at the hotel marinating these steaks for me all day.” He set the aluminum pan with its foil covering on the counter top and turned to her.
“Faith?” she asked softly.
“Isn’t coming. Tonight is strictly rated ‘adults only.’”
“Oh.” She was ashamed of feeling so glad that they would be alone.
His brows lowered over his sultry eyes. “Come here.” His voice was gentle—soft, but commanding.
As one hypnotized, Hailey walked to him. His hands stroked up the bare expanse of her arms, slipped under the sleeves of her top, and massaged her shoulders. “I like your hair that way,” he said.
“Give it about an hour. It’ll start going nineteen different directions. It’s wild.”
“I like savagery,” he teased. “I’m feeling dangerously primitive myself right now.” His voice was husky as he drew her closer. His hands moved to her back. Gifted fingers kneaded her spine. With the slightest pressure to the small of her back, he pulled her to him by slow degrees until their bodies met. She gasped as his virility seared like a brand through their clothes.
“See what you do to me?” He tilted his head downward and took her mouth under his.
Her mouth was a warm dark cave that his tongue explored with sensual leisure. It stroked the roof of her mouth, her teeth, the inside of her lips, until her breath was coming in short, light gasps. He was merciless, relentless. His hands slid under her hips, cradling them in his palms and bringing her against him.
A throbbing ache began to build deep inside her and she moved with him, knowing instinctively that he could relieve this wonderful ailment. Fitting herself more surely against him, she was awed at how perfectly the softness of her body cushioned the hardness of his.
He emitted a harsh cry as he tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in the hollow of her neck. His breathing was sporadic. “Hailey,” he said in a low groan. “If you keep that up we might just as well forget the steaks and the wine and whatever you’ve prepared.” His tongue flirted with the gold loop in her ear before his teeth captured her earlobe. His hands moved up from her waist and around her ribs to coast lightly over the sides of her breasts. “What do you say?”
It was hard to say anything. His mouth was working its magic on her ear. Her body was hot where it touched his. “I think,” she started in a gruff voice, then cleared her throat, and continued. “I think that we should behave in a civilized manner and have our dinner as planned.”
He sighed. Pulling away from her, he kissed her quickly on the mouth. “You’re right. Can you cook as well as you can kiss?”
She laughed and looked at him coyly. “I’ve never had anyone compare the skills.”
He swatted her bottom and said, “Well if your culinary talents come anywhere close to your … ah … other accomplishments, I’m in for a feast. I hope you didn’t bother preparing a dessert. I already know what I’m having.” His eyes toured her rapaciously.
“I left the wine in the car in an ice bucket. I’ll go get it while you turn on the broiler.”
He left her and for a moment she stood disoriented and trembling. When she tried to move, her legs felt wobbly—a side effect of the weakness his hands and mouth induced each time he touched her. She could feel the silly grin on her face, feel the joy bubbling inside her chest, feel the happiness welling up in her until it came out as a tuneless humming song while she lifted the juicy, dripping steaks onto the grill.
Tyler was feeling just as happy, she noted when she heard him laughing as he came through the front door. So hearty was his laugh that her curiosity was piqued, and she peered over the barroom door.
Her grin disappeared. Her bubble of happiness burst painfully. The song died on her lips.
The red-haired woman clinging to Tyler’s arm let her eyes dance around the room until she sighted Hailey. “Hello, big sister,” she called gaily.
“Hello, Ellen.”
CHAPTER 7
Why in the world would you let a gorgeous hunk like this out of your sight for one second, Hailey? Even if he was fetching a bottle of very expensive and very good wine.” Ellen snuggled closer to Tyler and looked up at him beguilingly from under a veil of long, luxurious lashes.
“Maybe she doesn’t think I’m a gorgeous hunk,” Tyler said dryly. Hailey noted that he wasn’t averse to the way Ellen was clinging to him or to the generous breast that rubbed against his arm.
Ellen’s laugh was as light and musical as a tinkling bell. “Then I’d consider her demented.” Ellen detached herself, trailing her well-manicured nails down Tyler’s arm, and came toward Hailey. “Why are you hiding behind that door, Hailey? Haven’t you got a hug for your baby sister?”
Hailey pushed through the swinging doors and met her sister halfway. She avoided Tyler’s eyes as she accepted Ellen’s enthusiastic embrace. He would be looking at Ellen with that assessing, hungry look with which all men looked at her. Hailey didn’t think she could take that.
Tonight she had worked at looking sexy. To Ellen it came naturally. Her tight designer jeans and western-cut shirt, left unbuttoned to the middle of her chest, made a mockery of Hailey’s slinky black ensemble. While Hailey had let her hair go natural, Ellen had chosen tonight to pull hers back into a sleek, sophisticated knot that only made Hailey look disheveled. She felt like a candle whose flame had been snuffed out.
“I’m glad to see you, Ellen,” she lied. “I didn’t expect you.”
“That’s obvious,” Ellen drawled suggestively, and turned her head to wink at Tyler. “And I promise not to stay more than a moment. I drove from Nashville on an impulse to see you and I have to go right back.”
“That’s a long trip. What about your job?” Hailey asked worriedly.
“I called in sick after lunch. That’s why I have to drive back tonight. I have to go in early in the morning to make up those hours.”
Tyler had come up to Hailey and placed an arm around her shoulders. Hastily she said, “I’m sorry. Did you two introduce yourselves?”
“No. I’m Tyler Scott, Miss Ashton.”
“Ellen,” she said, laughing and shaking his extended hand. “I hope I’ll be seeing you again.”
Tyler glanced down at Hailey, but her head was bowed. She didn’t see the warm look in his eyes. All she heard was his response, which was a promise. “You will.”
“Hailey,” Ellen said tentatively, “I really need to be getting on my way again. Could we—”
“I’ll see to the steaks,” Tyler said, taking Ellen’s hint. He squeezed Hailey’s shoulder before releasing it and going into the kitchen.
“Let’s go in your bedroom,” Ellen said in a stage whisper and grabbed Hailey’s hand, pulling her along after her.
She closed the door behind them and leaned against it, her eyes wide. “My God, Hailey, where have you been hiding him? How long has this been going on? Who is he? Where did you meet him? Tell me all.”
Hailey crossed the room to her dresser and automatically picked up her hairbrush. She began tearing it through her tumble of coppery curls. “There’s really not much to tell. I’ve only known him a few weeks. I actually met him through his daughter, who was stung by a bee on their outing to Serendipity.”
“He’s loaded. That car! And those designer clothes.”
Some perverse need to shock her sister made Hailey say offhandedly, “He owns Serendipity. That and a lot of other things.”
“Jeez, sis, when you score, you score big. I’ll bet he’s dynamite in bed.” The hairbrush remained poised over Hailey’s head for a frozen instant, but then came down to punish the tangled strands again. “Well?” Ellen demanded impatiently.
“Well, what?”
“How is he in bed?”
Hailey caught Ellen’s reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were gleaming with imagination run rampant. Again, Hailey wanted to flaunt the fact that a man like Tyler was spending the evening alone with her. “Just as you guessed,” she heard herself say. “He’s dynamite.” The hairbrush slipped from her fingers and clattered to the dresser top as if underlining her lie. Why did she want to let Ellen go on thinking she and Tyler had slept together? She twisted her hair into a tight knot and gouged her scalp as she viciously secured it with pins.
“Oh, sis, I’m glad you’re so happy.” Ellen’s sigh was theatrical and transparent. Hailey decided to wait her out. This time she wasn’t going to ask what was wrong. “I’m glad one of us is happy.”
With an inward sigh, Hailey took the bait. “You aren’t? I thought you liked your new job and new friends.”
“Friends! Huh! You know the girl I was telling you about, the one who was being so nice to me?” Ellen didn’t wait for an answer. “Well, she’s turned out to be a real bitch. I owe her a little money, which she practically forced me to borrow from her, and now she wants it all back at once. Honestly, don’t people trust each other anymore?”
Hailey turned around to face Ellen, who was now sitting Indian-fashion in the middle of the bed, looking younger than Faith. Tears were shining in her green eyes. “How much is a ‘little’?” Hailey asked unsympathetically.
“Five hundred dollars,” was the mumbled reply.
“What!” Hailey gasped, truly shocked. “Ellen, how could you? Five hundred dollars? For what?”
“Don’t shout at me, Hailey,” Ellen sobbed. “I told you she practically forced me to borrow it.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“She did! You’re being just as mean to me as she is.”
“Where did the money go?” Sickening thoughts of drugs, gambling, and extortion raced through Hailey’s mind. “What did you spend it on?”
“Clothes mostly. Some jewelry. Don’t look at me like that, Hailey,” Ellen cried, finally raising her eyes to her sister’s. “You know I can’t stand it if you’re mad at me. I love you so much.”
“Especially when you need money.”
“Oh, what a terrible thing to say.”
“But that is why you’re here, isn’t it? To get the money from me?”
“I’ll pay you back. I promise. Please, Hailey. She’s telling everyone in the office terrible things about me.”
Why was it, Hailey wondered, that when she herself cried, she looked like the very devil, with a red nose and blotched cheeks? Ellen looked absolutely gorgeous when she cried. Her eyes shimmered with tears, her lashes clung together wetly, her lips quivered with irresistible vulnerability.
Yet it wasn’t out of compassion that Hailey was going to give her the money. She didn’t feel sorry for her sister. She felt only a pity that bordered on disgust. By giving her the money, she would be rid of her, at least temporarily. Hailey didn’t want Ellen in her world.
Selfish to the point of neurosis, Ellen would take everything Hailey had to give—money, self-esteem, and, given the chance, Tyler. Scruples wouldn’t deter her from taking anything that suited her fancy.
“What’s the girl’s name?” Hailey asked. “I’ll write her a check.”
“You can make it out to me.”
“What’s her name?” Hailey asked sternly, taking her checkbook out of her purse.
Ellen didn’t argue, but sulkily supplied the name. Hailey extended the check to her without a word of admonition. Body language said what she was thinking most eloquently. Almost guiltily, Ellen said, “Thank you, Hailey. You’re the best sister—”
“I’m the only sister, Ellen. And that’s the only reason you’re here. Don’t pretend it’s anything else.”
“Why are you being so mean all of a sudden?” Ellen asked petulantly.
But Hailey didn’t answer her. She was already opening the door, making it clear that now Ellen had what she had come for, she should leave. Tyler was sitting on the living room sofa, one ankle propped on his opposite knee, as he leafed through a magazine.
