Chapter Two
Bugger me, I need a pint.
Zane sighed, scrubbing his hands down his face. That was what managing three different branches of a company simultaneously, along with overseeing a large store launch, did to a man. But he couldn’t complain. The decision to take the position in the U.S. had been his own. There were a handful of other people who could do this same job, but he knew no one else was better than him.
So, for Zane, it had been good-bye London, hello DC.
Though not for much longer.
He would be returning to London as soon as the new store opened its doors.
Because there was…something waiting for him back in London. Something he would never be able to leave. Not permanently.
Envision Tech Industries was the most cutting-edge personal technology company in all of Great Britain, and it was currently expanding its operations into brick-and-mortar stores to sell their products, following the trend of other large tech companies. ETI was headquartered in London but had recently opened offices in New York, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, where they had decided to launch their trial retail store.
Zane and his associates wanted to have the grand opening around the time Envision released its newest software, which they had been promoting over the last few months. But with this new software, a new company image concept was needed for the store launch. A rebranding opportunity for Envision that Zane and his boss, Peter, wanted to take full advantage of. The marketing department had done their job, but the store itself needed a new face. Which was where Paxton Designs entered the picture. Their top-notch ideas and sense of style were just what Zane was looking for.
But if he hired the Paxton sisters, that was going to bring him a whole other set of problems.
In his trousers.
He laughed, shaking his head at the irony.
The thing was, he didn’t even have to work if he didn’t want to. He had started at Envision years ago as a software developer, and one of his patents, plus a few wise investments, had made him a very rich man. But despite the fifty phone calls a day and nonstop Skype sessions with his people back in England—not to mention hundreds of emails a week—he actually loved his job.
“Mr. Price,” the receptionist said over the intercom on Zane’s office phone. “Ms. Schumer is on line two for you.”
He stifled a groan. Brilliant.
One of Envision’s largest clients in the U.S. had about five thousand questions a week regarding her new ETI software, all of which—naturally—fell to Zane to deal with. Not how he wanted to start his day.
“Thank you,” he responded through the intercom. “You haven’t heard back from Peter yet, have you?”
“No, sir. I’ll let you know the second he calls.”
Zane thanked her again and spent the next twenty minutes explaining to Ms. Schumer that there were backups on top of backups and that, no, years’ worth of her company’s research would not be lost just because someone pushed the backspace key.
By the end of the call, he felt unbearably strung out and had never been so thankful that it was Friday. And the fact that he was going to be seeing her again later that afternoon didn’t hurt, either.
Her, as in Beatrice Paxton.
He couldn’t stop thinking about that afternoon they’d spent paintballing. The whole thing had been playing on a loop inside his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured the woman with the bedroom eyes and legs that were made for wrapping around a man’s waist.
The second he’d met her, he’d told himself firmly to stay away.
But had he listened?
Nooo.
He’d had to grope her, proposition her. Hell, he fucking rubbed his dick against her.
He would be lucky if she’d even agree to work with Envision after that little stunt. Sexual harassment, anyone? You bloody idiot.
But damned if he’d been able to stop himself from touching her, making his interest known. From the moment he’d shaken her hand and looked into those sharp, intelligent eyes, he was immediately drawn into her web. And her sassy comebacks and quick wit had him officially hooked.
But that body?
Bloody hell. All caution was thrown to the wind after he’d felt her soft curves against him. Wrapping his arms around her had him instantly picturing her naked. The intensity of his attraction to her surprised him—he never usually felt anything quite so potent. It made him want to pursue her, fight her sass with simple persistence, until she agreed to go out with him. A rejection from her was just unacceptable. Working relationship be damned.
None of it made a bit of sense.
Just as he began to feel a stirring in his pants from thoughts of her, his laptop pinged with a video call. Peter, Envision’s CEO who lived in London, had finally called back. Zane accepted the call and Peter’s face filled the screen.
“How’s it going over there with the Yanks?” Peter asked, amusement in his voice. “They get you drinking coffee yet?”
Zane rolled his eyes. Like the vast majority of Brits in the world, he was a perpetual tea drinker and always would be. “Get serious. About time your lazy arse called me back. I’ve only rung you ten times since this morning.”
Despite the fact that Peter’s grandfather had started the company, Zane now owned half the shares and was basically Peter’s business partner. Having grown up together, their relationship had always been like that of a big brother/little brother situation, so neither’d had an issue with Peter taking the reins and the title of “boss.” Zane didn’t want that much responsibility, anyway—he had enough as it was.
Their familiarity with each other was why he could speak so candidly with the man who signed his paychecks and not get sacked for it.
“Oh, piss off,” Peter retorted. “You do realize that I’m five hours ahead of you and am at different work hours in the day than you, yeah?”
Zane laughed and ribbed him a bit more before they got down to business. He updated Peter on everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, which was more than usual. He then gave him a quick briefing on the meeting that was about to take place with Paxton Designs, ensuring him they were both still on the same page with the budget and timeline.
Just the acknowledgment that he was about to be in the same room with the delectable Ms. Paxton made all of his blood shoot straight down to his dick. Which was unfortunate, considering he was on the phone with his best mate.
Awkward.
He fought to control his wayward body, but was thwarted in his efforts when Peter said out of nowhere, “Now, please tell me work isn’t the only thing you’re doing over there, mate.”
And there it was.
“I’m not having this conversation again,” Zane grumbled, ignoring his lingering thoughts of Beatrice.
The man always felt the need to comment on his love life—or lack thereof. Even Zane’s father didn’t offer his opinion on this topic as freely as Peter did. Zane was happy that his friend had found a wonderful woman in his wife, Sara, but Zane was not looking for a wife. At least not at the moment.
“I love you, mate, but do you realize how long it’s been since you’ve had a girlfriend?” Peter persisted. “Your equipment is likely to fall off if you don’t utilize it more often. I’m only speaking as a concerned friend, here.”
Little did he know that Zane had recently found someone he wanted to “utilize” his equipment with. Most romantic notion ever.
But he was not about to tell Peter. He’d never get him off the bloody phone.
“I do just fine on my own without your advice, thanks very much,” Zane told him.
His friend sighed in frustration. “All I’m saying is that you need to sample more of America than just their beers. Even if it’s just a bit of snogging. Have some fun, for once.”
Okay, yes. Maybe Zane had been working a little too hard lately. Maybe he had neglected having a social life. He had big plans for Envision, though, and that didn’t jive with settling down with a woman and having a couple of little ones. He’d get to that. Eventually. There was always time. In a few years. After this gig in the States was over and he was back home.
But he could probably loosen up a little. Peter was right about that. Maybe his strong reaction to Beatrice was his subconscious telling him that he needed to live a bit.
Or maybe that was his dick reminding him it had been far too long since it was inside a gorgeous woman. Or any woman.
He cleared his throat, feeling sweat gathering on his forehead as he imagined himself inside this particular woman. Not the right time, mate.
“I’ll work on that,” he managed. “Tell Sara I said hello, and give that little bundle a kiss for me.”
“I will. She laughed at me for the first time last night.” A smile lifted the corners of Peter’s mouth as he spoke of his three-month-old daughter, Annabelle.
“She’s got you wrapped around her finger. What are you going to do when she grows up and all the blokes come knocking on your door?”
Peter made a growling noise. “No wanker is getting within a hundred meters of her until she’s thirty.”
Zane laughed at his friend’s expression. “Good luck telling her that.”
“Very funny,” Peter replied. “You’ll see, though. One of these days you’ll be begging me for my valuable relationship wisdom.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Zane said. He looked down at his watch and realized it was later than he thought. “Look, I’ve got that meeting in a few. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
He tried to rid his mind of that conversation—and his carnal fantasies—as he gathered all the materials he would need for the meeting. He was about to face Beatrice Paxton again, which meant he had to bring his A game.
Let round two begin.