Turn Me On (4 page)

Heat flared in his chest. Marco was a player, or had been until he’d met
Beth. His reputation with women was almost legendary along the south coast.
Reed wasn’t sure how he felt about Lissa being one of Marco’s hits.

Which was a fucking lie. He knew damn well how he felt about it.

He wanted to cut Zutini’s balls off.

“Has to be Papa Niko’s,” Reed decided, tamping down the irritation that
shot tension into his shoulders. “I’ve got business with the owner and can kill
two birds with one stone. I need to get moving on this. Construction’s starting
soon, and I don’t want any more delays.”

Lissa stood and stepped forward, her eyes large as she tapped the
brochure in her hand. “Then why not talk me through this now?”

His irritation at the knowledge of Lissa having had a thing with Marco, coupled
with the edgy feeling that had plagued him since his phone call with Jack, made
his hands fist.

Did she still have feelings for Marco? Had she been the lover Marco had
jilted when Beth came into his life? Was she still harboring a hope that they would
get back together?

While the questions spun in his head, Reed’s chest began to burn. “Papa
Niko’s. Seven.” He moved to the door. “If you have a problem with that, I’ll
find someone who doesn’t.”

As he opened the door for her, she moved across. “I’ll be there.”

He inclined his head as she passed through and as he shut the door
behind her, he felt like a complete bastard.

But no way was he entering into an affair, however brief and transitory,
with a woman who wanted someone else. That didn’t do much for a man’s ego,
regardless that the woman heated him up like a rocket and left him with a
permanent hard-on whenever she was in spitting distance. He didn’t want any
complications. He had a shit-load of those already.

Reed sank into his leather chair. He needed a drink.

What was it with women? They tied a man in knots whichever way they came
at you. They either wanted to put a damn noose around your neck, making it
impossible to shake them off, or they made you work so damn hard to get to
first base your head spun.

Picking up a small paperweight, Reed started tapping it against his desk
as he contemplated his situation. There was no denying he wanted the woman. And
while she might push him back every chance she got, Lissa Delaney wanted him.
The way her eyes darkened, the way her cheeks heated. Hell. She all but
trembled when he touched her.

He was prepared to work his ass off to get to first base with her, even
if it fucking killed him. Before long, she’d be hard pressed to remember who
the hell Zutini was. He’d make sure of that. As for his own problems? Well, if
Jack couldn’t sort out the fucking mess he was currently in, he’d soon be in
need of a distraction.
 

And Lissa Delaney might just be the woman to provide him with one.

Chapter Three

There was only one explanation, Lissa thought as she parked her small
car in the back parking lot of Papa Niko’s. One explanation as to why Reed
Fitzgerald had behaved as he did and insisted on Papa Niko’s.

He knew.

Maybe he’d spoken to Ethan and his cousin had told him what happened
that night. Was that what gave him the impression that he could talk to her
like he did? Using phrases like
pitching
him her wares
and
selling herself
?
 
He obviously thought he was onto a good
thing. That she’d put out for him, because she’d… Heck. It was mortifying, and
apparently true that the past always caught up with you.

One night
, she thought.
One bloody night
.

Turning off the ignition, she sat back and contemplated the rear
entrance to Marco’s bar. She remembered leaving that entrance as the sun had
risen over the horizon, and how Marco had walked her to her car. The perfect
gentleman.

She’d gone to the bar on impulse that night. Needing to lose herself, to
push away reality, to drown her sorrows along with her stupidity. It had all
seemed so surreal, like a really bad nightmare she couldn’t claw her way out
of.

Once in amongst the crowd, she’d headed straight for the bar and ordered
a large house white. It hadn’t taken long before she’d been propositioned, but
she’d ignored the offers of drinks and other less innocuous invites in favor of
her own company.

Until…

Not going there.

She pulled her bag and the folder Reed had given her out of the car with
her. What happened was in the past. Everyone had their skeletons, things they’d
rather forget. Not that she’d ever wanted to forget that night, at least not
until she’d arrived at Ethan’s wedding and the past had shoved right up against
her again.

She weaved through parked cars to the door and pushed into the bar. At
seven, it was already throbbing with the after-work crowd and Lissa was glad of
the heavily populated scene. It wasn’t exactly the right place for a business
meeting, but then she wasn’t idiot enough to think that business was entirely
what Reed had in mind when he’d invited her.

She couldn’t deny, even to herself, that she was attracted to him. He
was well over six feet, with silky dark hair and those piercing blue eyes, but
beneath the civilized façade she knew there lurked a predator. And that made
her wary of entering into even a business relationship with the man.

It wasn’t easy to pretend disinterest. She had to admit he’d sussed her
out in that department. Part of her wondered if she could let her hair down
again and just go with the moment, like she’d done that night. It wasn’t as if
she’d committed a major sin. They were consenting adults. Nobody got hurt. So
why was she making such a big thing of it now?

Because Reed was Ethan’s cousin.

If, as she feared, he’d spoken to Ethan, the chances were Reed now saw
her as an easy lay. Someone to spend the night with and then move on. Even if
he hadn’t spoken to Ethan, and knew nothing at all about that night, then the
likelihood was great that if she entered into a sexual relationship with Reed
she’d run into Ethan again at some point. She didn’t want to think how tricky
and embarrassing that could be.

Hi, Ethan. Do you remember that
night you and Marco took me to bed and both of you did the most amazing and
erotic things to me? And by the way, do you know I’m now shagging your cousin?

Damn.

Slut. Slut. Slut.

Lissa ignored the mental scolding as she negotiated the chattering
hoards. She saw Reed alone at a table at the quieter end of the bar, speaking
on his cell. His jacket was slung over the back of the chair, his tie loosened
and the top button of his shirt unfastened. He’d turned up the cuffs of his
sleeves. As she neared, she noted the two empty coffee cups on the table and
hoped that meant that his business with Marco had concluded. If so, she might
be able to avoid another awkward meeting with the bar’s owner.

Reed looked up, saw her, and ended his call. When she reached the table,
he held out his hand, all business, but his eyes told a different story as they
did a slow sweep down her body and back again. She wished for a moment that
she’d had time to change, but she’d come straight from a photo session with
barely enough time to freshen her make up and tidy her hair.

Thankfully, it appeared Reed had been in the same boat.

“Glad you could make it.”

She bristled at his slow grin, unable to resist a brusque reply. “You
hardly gave me a choice.”

“You had a choice, princess.” He gestured for her to sit and settled
himself beside her. “What are you drinking?”

“Soda with a splash of lime. And please don’t call me princess.”

He caught a passing server, ordered two of the same, then nodded to the
folder she placed on the table. “Did you take a look?”

“Of course.” She’d managed to glance through it in the ladies’ room at
her afternoon assignment. “It’s an exciting project. I hadn’t realized it
actually got the go ahead.”

“I’ll want a photographic record of the whole deal. Start to finish. Can
you handle that?”

“No problem.”

He picked up his cell and slid his thumb over the screen. “How are you
fixed for tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“For the quote. I want work to start right away. There’s already been
too many delays.”

“I’m not sure I can get a quote for you by tomorrow. I’ll need to run
things by Tom and he’ll need to—”

“I’ve got a window at four.” He tapped something onto his cell, then put
it back on the table. “We can meet on site. The address is in the folder.”

“I—”

“Great. That’s settled.” He sat back and smiled at the pretty brunette
who brought their drinks. “Could we have a couple of menus here? Thanks.”

The waitress returned his smile and nodded, before glancing at Lissa and
moving off toward the bar. Lissa watched her go, wondering if the exaggerated
sway of her backside was for Reed’s benefit. But what did she care if it was? It
was none of her business whose ass he chose to observe.

“You merit personal service here?” She crossed her arms in front of her
chest. “I thought it was bar service only.”

“Personal friend of the owner.” He picked up his drink and watched her
over the rim. “I thought you’d warrant the same consideration. Under the
circumstances.”

Lissa’s stomach jumped. So he
did
know.

She glanced toward the bar as she uncrossed her arms. “There’s no reason
I’d rate special service. I’ve only been here once and that was months ago.”

Damned if she was going to give him any leeway. She had zilch to
reproach herself for, and she’d bet it was nothing he hadn’t done anyway. There
was no way she would make excuses for herself. Certainly not to him.

She wouldn’t be embarrassed either. She wouldn’t give him the
satisfaction.

Business
, she thought as she tugged at the edges of her
jacket.
This is strictly business
.

“The best I can promise is that I’ll call Tom tonight. I can shoot him
over a copy of the folder and if he can get a quotation done for you by
tomorrow afternoon, he’ll likely bring it along by four.”

He sat back in his chair and gave her a long, steady look. “Since you’re
not stupid, I take it you’re deliberately being obtuse. Most likely because you
realize I still want to take you to bed and, despite your determination to
pretend you don’t want that, I’m figuring you know that’s where we’ll end up.”

Her skin heated as blood pumped in her veins. It seemed he wasn’t going
to get the message that she wasn’t some sort of offering unless she spelled it
out in florescent letters. “Since you’re laboring under a delusion, let me make
something clear right now.” She glanced toward the bar again, relieved to
notice that Marco was still nowhere to be seen. “I don’t know what passes for
inane conversation in the dubious world of male bonding, but let me assure you
that regardless of what you’ve heard or been told, I have no intention of
allowing you or anyone else to think they can talk to me in the manner you’ve
been doing since I clapped eyes on you. Nor have I any intention of crawling
into bed with you or any other man who thinks he’s onto a good thing.” When
she’d finished, her heart was thumping and her cheeks stung like fire.

“That’s quite a speech.” Reed raised his eyebrows. “It may take me a
while to work through the fundamentals of it, but I think I get the gist.”

“I can only be thankful for that.” She reached for her drink and
swallowed past a dry throat. “Hopefully now you’ll stop the smutty innuendos.”

He clutched his chest as if wounded to the core. “My innuendoes are
rarely considered smutty.”

Smug bastard
.

Damn and blast it to hell. If her job didn’t likely hang on getting this
stupid contract, she’d tell him where he could stick it. But her three month
trial was due to end shortly and she didn’t want to give Tom any more reason
not to keep her on. He’d been a little cool toward her since she’d screwed up
at Ethan’s wedding, so if she landed this contract it would mean some extra
special brownie points in her favor. But she wasn’t prepared to keep her job at
any price. Especially not one that required she open her legs.

“I’m not going to sleep with you. If that means you take your business
elsewhere, then knock yourself out. You’re not going to coerce me into having
sex with you, even if you now think I’m easy game.”

After a few moments during which he stared at her, he frowned. “Okay.
This time I don’t even have the gist.” Swiveling his chair closer, he moved in.
“Let me just say that you’re far from being the first beautiful woman I’ve done
business with, some of whom I’ve taken to bed, but no fucking way would I ever
make having sex with me a prerequisite for signing on the dotted line.”