CHAPTER TWO
Sasha shut off her laptop and shoved it into her roller briefcase. Her carry-on bag was sitting in the corner, waiting for her. She was glad she was always super organized, having everything she needed right at hand, not needing to go rushing about the office or back home before heading out to the airport. This would be a quick business trip but an important one. The meeting she was heading for would determine if her company would acquire the manufacturing plant that made the specialty bottles she wanted for her new line of face creams.
Just before she retrieved her luggage she pressed the intercom button. “Marla, please have the limo come around. I’ll be heading out in another minute.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sasha knew Marla would be dialing the driver before she even hung up the phone. She was efficient that way. That was the kind of worker she liked. Fast, efficient, a go-getter. She expected nothing less from her team.
As expected, when Sasha walked out of the office building the limousine was already there. As she walked toward the steps the driver came around the vehicle and walked toward her. Although he was wearing the typical uniform - black suit, crisp white shirt with black tie and black chauffeur’s hat - she immediately realized that this was not her regular driver. He was much too tall for that, looking like he topped six foot two or three and way, way too handsome. The man had broad shoulders and a lean but muscular-looking frame. Although the hat covered most of his face she could see the chiseled jaw and the firm lips. But it was when he lifted his head that she saw how truly handsome he was. His high cheekbones and wide forehead were enough to tell her the man was a looker. He was sporting sexy dark glasses but she didn’t need to see his eyes to know that he was super handsome. She’d seen enough.
She was still staring when he walked up the steps and took the handle of her carry-on suitcase. “Good afternoon, Miss Force,” he said, his voice a deep timbre. “May I help you with the laptop?” He held out a hand, waiting for her to pass it to him.
Sasha didn’t know what it was but there was something about this man that made her body tingle. What in the world was wrong with her? He was nothing but a chauffeur, after all. “Who…who are you?” she asked, momentarily disconcerted by the intensity of her reaction to his nearness. “Where is Emile?”
Still holding her suitcase, he straightened up and turned to her, his eyes still hidden behind the dark glasses. “I understand that he’s on vacation at the moment. I’ll be filling in for him for the next couple of weeks.”
That made her raise her eyebrows. “Oh, really? No-one informed me of this. I was quite comfortable having Emile as my regular driver.”
Like he didn’t give a hoot what she was comfortable with, the new driver shrugged and gave her a smile of obvious amusement. “If Emile was such a good driver,” he said, his deep voice suddenly silky, “I’m sure you will agree that he deserves a break. You would want him to be around a long time, I assume.”
The way the man spoke, his accent so polished and smooth, made her frown. This was definitely no ordinary working class man, or at least he was like none she’d ever met.
She finally handed him her laptop. “So what’s your name?” she asked, still suspicious.
“I am Dante Perakis,” he said, straightening up as if he were proud of the name, “but you may call me Dante.”
“Oh? I may?” He’d turned and begun walking back down the stairs so she ended up posing the question to his back. She’d never had a driver tell her what she might or might not do. Her gaze narrowed as she stared at the back of him, wondering if he was trying to be insolent.
He didn’t wait for her to make that determination. By the time she’d recovered from his last statement he’d already deposited her bags inside and was waiting at the door for her. Embarrassed that she’d been caught staring…again…she quickly descended the steps and walked toward where the man was holding the door to the limo open. She didn’t miss the way he was watching, way too closely for her comfort, as she slipped past him and into the vehicle. He might have thought the dark glasses hid his eyes but she could feel them on her just as tangibly as if he’d reached out and touched her. How dare he stare at her like that? He was being insolent, after all.
She was relieved when he closed the door behind her and got in the car then they set off for the airport. She’d hated being stared at and especially by a man who was not in her class, no matter that he was handsome as heck.
She’d just let out a sigh and leaned back against the plush leather seat when she glanced up to see the man she’d been thinking of, Mr. Handsome Hunk, staring in the rearview mirror at her. And this time he wasn’t wearing those dark glasses of his. No, this time her gaze connected with intense dark eyes that had her coloring like a schoolgirl. And when she caught him staring he didn’t avert his gaze like a normal employee would.
What was it with this man and his staring? Didn’t they teach common courtesy at his limousine driving school? Annoyed, she tightened her lips and pulled her tablet out of her laptop case. Maybe if she ignored him he would get to focusing on what he was supposed to be focusing on - driving.
She was busy reading the front page of the Wall Street Journal when she was rudely interrupted.
“So how are you doing today?”
Surprised by the question, her head jerked up. “How am I doing?” She ended up repeating his question, not believing what she was hearing. The man sounded like one of those annoying telesales representatives who would always be calling at the most inconvenient times. Hadn’t he been told he must not speak unless spoken to? Emile knew that quite well, so what was wrong with this man?
“Yes, how are you doing?” He seemed unperturbed that she was perturbed by his question. “Just trying to make conversation. It’s part of good customer service.”
It was customer service that Sasha didn’t need just then. “I’m fine,” she said, her tone curt, “and I’m busy.” She went back to her reading, confident that she’d shut him up.
“So you’re heading for a meeting?” The man who called himself Dante asked. “What city are you heading for?”
Sasha’s head jerked up a second time. What was it with this man? Didn’t he know it wasn’t his place to question her? What part of ‘I’m busy’ didn’t he understand? With a puff of breath that was sharp with exasperation she laid her tablet down on her lap and glared at the back of his head. Just in case he hadn’t understood her the first time she was going to put an end to this once and for all.
“Listen,” she said, her voice cold, “I told you, I’m busy. I’m not here to chit-chat with you. I have important things to do.”
Dante Perakis did not respond. For a long while there was silence as he maneuvered through traffic, facing straight ahead, not even glancing in the rearview mirror at her.
Perfect. She’d shut him up. Now she could get back to her reading. She was on the second paragraph when he spoiled it.
“I’m guessing you’re on the Wall Street Journal. How’s the rebound in oil prices going to affect your production costs?”
“What?” The word flew out of her mouth, she was so surprised. Why was this man still talking to her? And what did he know about oil prices and how that affected production costs in businesses like hers?
“I asked about oil prices and your business,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact, like he held these kinds of discussions with corporate executives every day. “Do you have a contingency plan for the increase in production costs caused by the increase in oil prices? Your business is cosmetics. I know that’s an industry that’s super sensitive to the price of oil.”
Now he had her interest. “What do you know about this sort of thing?” She was frowning as she watched him in the rearview mirror. “What do you know about oil outside of what you put in your car?”
Instead of defending himself or seeming insulted, he chuckled like she’d just asked the most amusing question. “I know enough,” he said, his tone smug. “I know that right now your finance guys must be pulling their hair out, trying to keep the books in the black when production costs keep rising with each passing day.”
As Sasha glared at the chauffeur her gaze narrowed. No, this was no ordinary driver, not by a long shot. It was like he’d been sitting in on their board meetings. What he was saying was too close to the truth for her not to grow suspicious. Was this man some sort of corporate spy, trying to get information out of her? If he thought he could trick her into divulging her company’s secrets, he’d better think again. Sasha Force was too smart for that. She wasn’t known as a force in the business world for nothing. Her father was known as a shrewd businessman and she was walking closely in his footsteps. Everybody knew that…except this guy.
He’d asked too many questions. She was ready to end it. “Do me a favor,” she said. “Wind up the glass, please. I’d like some peace and quiet so I can get my work done.” She was being rude but she was not about to apologize for it. Dante whatever his name was had overstepped his bounds. It was time to put him back in his place.
The driver did not say another word. She’d thought he would have a quick rejoinder but, to her surprise, he complied immediately, sending the window up and cutting off communication between them. Splendid. Now he must understand her perfectly. She’d sent him a strong message. They were not colleagues, and definitely not on the same level.
It was another seventeen minutes of silence before he finally pulled up in front of the terminal door. After he’d helped her out of the limo and placed her bag on the pavement beside her she took her laptop case from him with a curt ‘thank you’ then turned to go.
That was when she heard the words he mumbled under his breath. As she flounced away she heard him mutter something rude. “Haughty bitch,” she could swear she heard him say but when she swung around to confront him he was already walking away and heading around to the driver’s side.
Seething, she glared at him but it did no good. He wasn’t even looking at her. She was whipping herself up into a tizzy for nothing since he didn’t seem to notice or maybe he didn’t even care.
Her lips set in a tight line, Sasha whirled back around, grabbed the handle of her suitcase and marched through the automatic sliding glass doors. Dante Perakis might think he’d won the battle. Little did he know that she planned on dealing with him when she got back to town.
In the end, she was the one who would win the war.
***
It was a rainy day in San Francisco but Dante didn’t mind. The past summer had been brutal, with weeks passing without a drop of rain. Now that they were having September showers he would not be the one to complain.
He was sitting in the outdoor parking lot of the international airport, awaiting the return of her royal highness, Miss Sasha Force. He chuckled at the title he’d given her. The way the woman behaved it was like she thought she was royalty. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
But as his mind rested on her, the tightness in his face relaxed and he settled back in his seat to give his thoughts free reign. He was remembering the first time he’d gone to pick up Sasha Force, his heart picking up pace at the sight of the leggy blonde beauty in her haute couture black business suit with the teasing little slit just above the left knee. The first time he’d laid eyes on her at the chamber of commerce meeting it had been from a distance. This time he was seeing her close up and she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair fell in a blonde cascade around her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and regal forehead. Her pert nose and the pink bow of her lips gave her an angelic beauty that was deceiving. That became only too obvious when his gaze connected with her steely blue eyes, cool and calculated and totally in control. It was that look alone that told him that this was not a woman you could take lightly. She was the kind of woman who wouldn’t hesitate to wield her power and bulldoze over anyone who got in her way.
That day he’d been so captivated by her that even as he walked up to her and reached down to grab her suitcase his gaze never left her. She must have thought he was the rudest man in the world, ogling her like that. Luckily, his eyes had been hidden behind dark glasses. He could only hope she hadn’t noticed that he’d been staring.
Yes, he’d been blown away by Sasha Force, not only by her beauty but also by how she carried herself - tall and proud and super-sophisticated in her chic attire. By the time she settled in the limousine, though, his view of her did a sharp U-turn. What a bitch. Was she this rude to all the drivers who chauffeured her around town? And what about her office staff? How did they stand it, working for a snob like her?
He was frowning, his thoughts on the unpleasantness of that first encounter, when his phone rang. It was the woman in question. Sasha Force was calling.
“I'm out,” she said. “Pick me up at exit 1D.” That was it. No ‘good afternoon’, no pretense at pleasantries.
“I’m on my way.”
As he left the parking lot and headed for the arrivals level at terminal one, Dante noted that the rain had eased up and was now little more than a drizzle. Lucky for sassy Miss Sasha, she would be able to hop into the vehicle without too much trouble. That was good because he wasn’t carrying an umbrella and even if he had one he wasn’t in the mood to hold one for her. He was still ticked off at her haughty attitude. The way he was feeling about her just then it was going to be a hell of a task trying to seduce a woman like her. Get her to fall in love with him? Heck. The woman was as aloof and emotionless as a block of granite.
Dante was still frowning, deep in thought, when he spied Sasha waiting for him just outside exit 1D. It didn’t matter that it was raining and there was a light draft in the lower level. She looked as immaculate as ever, this time in a cream-colored coat that fell just above the knees. It was the perfect complement to her soft waves of blonde hair.
He pulled the limousine in front of the exit, his eyes trained on her. Maybe that was why he didn’t notice the rainwater that had puddled up close to where she was standing. Before he realized what was happening the right front wheel plunged into the puddle, sending rainwater flying, splashing the bottom of Sasha’s coat, her legs, and soaking her shoes.
With a screech she jumped back. “You idiot,” she shrieked. “Look what you did.”
Dante gritted his teeth and brought the sedan to a sudden halt. He’d messed up. Of all the people in the world he could have splashed it had to be her royal highness. Muttering under his breath, he shut the engine off and hopped out of the car. He was apologizing even before he got to her.
But she was having none of it. “Get away from me,” she hissed when he reached out to help her. Before he could say a word she marched off and, not waiting for him, she pulled the door open and climbed in. He was still standing there, staring after her, when she slammed the door shut.
Okay, so she didn’t want his help. He got that. Shaking his head, he reached down to gather up the bags she’d left on the pavement. As soon as they were stored he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “I’m very sorry about that,” he said. “I didn’t realize that puddle was there.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” she snarled back. “I think you did that intentionally.”
“Not at all. It was a genuine accident.”
From the blazing look she gave him he could see she didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. Clearly, she was seeing things through her own gray-colored glasses. His guess was that because she was the kind of person who would wish ill on others she was painting him with the same brush. That was far from the truth but if that was what she chose to think there was nothing he could do about that. He wasn’t even going to worry about it.
What he did do, though, was as soon as they had left the airport’s no parking zone he pulled the limo off the road and into the half-empty parking lot of a shopping mall.
Sasha glanced out the window then glared at him. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Why are we here?”
“Just a minute,” he said and reached into the dashboard for a clean, soft cloth and hand sanitizer. “I’m going to get you cleaned up.” In a flash he was out of the car and opening the passenger door to climb in.
“What are you doing?” This time the question was a screech. “I don’t need you back here. I can take care of this myself.”
He took a seat across from her. “Really? How?”
“I…I’ll clean up when I get home.”
He shook his head. “We’re not going to wait that long. We need to get you cleaned up right now.” Before she could present further arguments he slid off the seat and sank down on his knees in front of her. Quickly, he dabbed the sanitizer onto the cloth then reached for her right foot. He was sliding the alligator skin pumps off her foot when he heard her suck in her breath. When he glanced up she was staring down at him, her eyes wide as if in shock. He almost laughed. Powerhouse Sasha Force sitting in helpless shock? He wouldn’t have thought it was possible.
But this was exactly how he wanted her - speechless, motionless and powerless to resist him. Before she could gather her wits about her he drew the soft cloth along her leg, making sure to touch those places on her stockings which were speckled with water. He slid the softness of the cloth over her stocking-covered skin, his movement slow and methodical as he tried not to miss any spots. But he wasn’t only being careful, he was also being seductive. Deliberately so. He was caressing her leg with the cloth, suppressing a smile when he heard the breath catch in her throat, reveling in the effect he was having on her.
Encouraged by her reaction, he decided to step things up a notch. He slid the cloth down until he was caressing the sole of her foot, watching her toes curl in response to his touch. He stole a peek up at her and saw that she was biting down on her bottom lip, her nostrils flaring as she drew in deep breaths.
It was time to make things even more interesting. He reached for the other foot and as he slid the left shoe off he let his fingers linger, trailing them over her ankle and along the sole. He felt her shiver in response.
It was that reaction, the trembling of her body, that did him in. He’d thought he would be in control but as he knelt there in front of her, his hands still wrapped around one soft foot, he could feel his body react, the breath tightening in his chest, his shaft growing hard as rock. Thank the stars it didn’t look like she realized the effect she was having on him.
That was when Dante knew he was in big trouble. Here he was, kneeling at the feet of a beautiful woman, a woman who was - for all intents and purposes - his boss, and all he could think about was what other parts of her lovely anatomy he would love to be caressing. She was already gasping and shivering at his simple touch. He was getting turned on imagining how she would react if, instead of just stroking her foot with a cloth, he’d been sucking on her toes.
The thought made him grow even harder. If he kept on going, soon he wouldn’t be able to hide his burgeoning bulge from her view.
But he couldn’t stop. God, he wanted her so bad. Instead of releasing her he slid the soft cloth over the top of her foot then up her leg toward a damp spot by her knee.
Like she’d been yanked out of a reverie, Sasha jerked back and slapped his hand away. “That’s enough,” she hissed and slid across the seat and away from him. With that move she brought a sudden end to the pseudo-seduction.
Dante sat back on his haunches, amused. “No problem,” he said. “I think I got all the spots, anyway.”
Sasha was frowning but he was smiling as he climbed out of the back of the car and returned to the driver’s seat. In the end Sasha had resisted him but not before he’d seen what his touch could do to her.
He’d seen her reaction and that was a positive sign. Now he knew he had more than a fair shot at turning her head.
As he started the engine he smiled to himself. Let the seduction begin.