Chapter Three
“I think if we stripped out this wall here,” Zane said, pointing down to the blueprints in front of him, “it would open up the showroom, providing a more inviting atmosphere for customers.”
He glanced at Beatrice and her sister, Felicity Paxton, wondering how they would react to design suggestions from a techie nerd. The sister hadn’t been available for their paintball adventure, so this was the first time he’d met her.
“I agree,” replied Felicity. “The designs we’ve come up with would actually work better with that extra space.”
The two sisters couldn’t have been more different.
Whereas Beatrice was all dark hair and long legs, Felicity had a blond bob and a petite frame. She appeared to be shy and reserved, while Beatrice had the more boisterous, outspoken personality. Felicity also seemed to be all business, but Beatrice approached everything with a more laid-back attitude.
There was no question that the shorter blonde was beautiful, but his eyes were always drawn to the brunette. Felicity was almost too sweet for him. He preferred a woman with fire in her. He wanted to see a spark in a woman’s eyes whenever she was passionate about something. Wanted to feel her emotions electrify the air around her.
Beatrice had that quality in spades.
And he was craving it like a salivating dog.
It finally happened. He’d gone mad.
Felicity looked to her sister after examining the blueprints. “Don’t you agree?”
Beatrice had a dazed look in her eyes before she gave a tiny nod of her head and replied, “Yes, I agree. The wall should be taken down.”
He couldn’t help but stare at her, silently commanding her to meet his gaze. She did, but only briefly before her eyes darted away. He hid a grin. Ms. Paxton seemed to be a little discombobulated, and he suspected it was because of him.
Good. He wanted her squirming for him in every possible way.
“Would that cause any structural issues, Carl?” Denise, Zane’s second-in-command, asked the architectural engineer ETI had hired for the project’s construction redesigns.
Carl leaned over the blueprints and shook his head. “No, that shouldn’t a problem. Just some electrical rewiring is all it would take, but that should be it.”
“Well, then,” Zane said as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Beatrice once again, “I think we can turn the floor over to you, ladies, if you’re ready.”
Felicity handed out presentation packets for him, Denise, and Carl while Beatrice walked over to the projection screen, smoothing out her short skirt as she went. Zane had almost swallowed his tongue when he’d seen her walk into the room wearing it. She had listened to him, granted his request. He really hadn’t thought she would. But damn, the fact that she had did something to him.
The skirt was exactly what he’d had in mind, too—tight and sexy, with a slit going up one leg that left just enough to the imagination.
And what an imagination he had.
Felicity remained seated at the table with the rest of them while Beatrice began the presentation. He got the sense that she was the public speaker of the two, which fit their personalities. He had no doubt that when Beatrice Paxton was in a room, all eyes were focused on her.
“Right,” she began. “What we’re thinking for the design is more minimal as opposed to overwhelming. ETI products speak for themselves, so the goal here is to highlight rather than overpower.” She clicked through the slides, pointing out certain areas on the blueprints for various features. “Clean, crisp lines for all tables, counters, shelves, furniture. The showroom needs to look modern and innovative, a testament to the Envision name, without appearing too futuristic, for lack of a better word.”
Denise commented, “I’ve noticed that other companies tend to go with displays that mimic the qualities of the products—cutting edge, advanced, ahead of its time. Is that what you mean?”
Beatrice waved her hand at the projection screen. “Actually, no. Recent studies have shown that customers don’t always feel comfortable in a space that makes products feel inaccessible to them. They want to be impressed but still want a ‘store’ atmosphere where they feel at ease with the merchandise and displays. Approachability is the keyword here.”
Her voice sent Zane into a kind of trance, her pretty southern accent flowing over him, caressing him, igniting all of his senses. That unflappable confidence she commanded in the room was such a turn-on. The only time she didn’t seem sure of herself was when she made eye contact with him. Which was an even bigger turn-on.
He wanted her to be affected by him.
So, he took ruthless advantage of the situation. He sat with his elbow propped on his armchair, chin resting in his hand, watching every move she made. He didn’t look down at his packet once.
Maybe that made him a bastard, but he didn’t care. He was determined to wear down her resistance.
“One way to do that is to use pops of color,” she continued. “Red is a color that always grabs people’s attention. It’s bright and, subconsciously, it makes us stop, like obeying a stop sign. So, using red vases or placing red armchairs near the newest products is one way to increase foot traffic around particular merchandise.”
She continued her spiel for another twenty minutes, stopping every now and then for questions. She did well, and the whole room was buzzing with positivity by the end. The meeting had mostly been a formality. But it only confirmed what Zane and Peter had already decided—that Paxton Designs was the right choice for the project.
And not just because Zane’s dick had an intense reaction to one of the sisters.
“On the last few pages, you’ll find our projected expenses broken down, including labor costs,” Felicity told them. “The number at the bottom is our overall estimate for the project.”
“How soon would you be able to begin?” Zane asked. He had already checked the estimate and knew it was reasonable.
“As soon as you need us,” Beatrice said.
His pulse spiked because she’d finally addressed him. “Next week?”
“Sure. None of our other current projects are as time sensitive as yours. We can always move around our schedule to accommodate you.”
He spared Denise a quick glance. Her nod was precisely what he was looking for. He stood up and extended his hand to Felicity first. “I think we have enough information here to make our decision. I’ll have a contract drawn up as soon as possible.”
When he turned and took Beatrice’s hand, a jolt of awareness shot through his arm like lightning. And judging by the widening of her eyes, she felt it, too. “It will be a pleasure working with you,” he added, maintaining eye contact with her.
She looked a bit shell-shocked as she shook his hand.
Felicity offered him a huge smile. “Likewise. We’re honored to be a part of the Envision team.”
Beatrice broke out of her stupor and mumbled, “Thank you very much,” as she dropped his hand and started gathering up her things. He couldn’t stop the smug grin from spreading across his face as she was leaving the room.
“See you soon, Ms. Paxton.”
He now had all her phone numbers, which meant twenty-four seven access to the woman was right at his fingertips.
He moved to stand at the window overlooking the DC skyline, his imagination running wild as he began making plans.
Suddenly, she reappeared in the doorway. “Hi again,” she muttered. “I, um, just forgot my phone.”
He tracked her movements as she scuttled over to the chair where it had fallen. It bothered him when she didn’t look over at him, then hardly spared him a glance as she turned and headed for the door. To leave.
Oh, no. That wouldn’t do.
Before he allowed himself to think, he was behind her, following her. He almost ran right into her when she suddenly whipped around to face him. Their bodies were only inches apart.
Her little gasp of surprise was enough to push him from a semi-hard state into a full-blown erection. Something he wasn’t as adamant to hide, now that they were alone together.
“My apologies,” he murmured. His dick twitched at the way her teeth bit into her plump lower lip. “Just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget anything else.”
Though she was tall for a woman—he would say around five-nine—his six-five frame still towered over hers. He loved her athletic figure. Loved the idea that she wouldn’t break in his arms, no matter hard he pushed her.
She was the type of woman who would push back.
He loved that a whole hell of a lot.
She nodded and shifted on her feet. “Thank you again for this opportunity.”
He caught the scent of her hair. Gardenias. He’d noticed it when they were paintballing. When he’d practically dry-humped her into oblivion with a couple dozen people surrounding them.
His body reacted immediately to the smell, like one of Pavlov’s dogs.
The way he had been drooling over her since the beginning, the dog comparison wasn’t too far off.
“No need to thank me. Your work is impressive.” Because he wanted to torture her just a little, he took half a step closer. “And you were very…engaging during your presentation today. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.”
Her head jerked up, and he finally saw some of that sass he’d had glimpses of during their paintballing adventure. “From the slides, you mean. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the slides.”
He grinned, letting his eyes unabashedly rake down the length of her lithe figure. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”
“I should probably get going. Felicity’s waiting in the car.”
“I’ll walk you out.” He began to follow her out the door, but she stopped him.
“No, it’s fine,” she insisted.
He tilted his head at her thoughtfully. “Why do I get the feeling you’ll turn me down if I ask you out for a drink?”
She looked up at him as if he’d asked her what color the sky was. “Maybe because we’re going to be working together?”
He shrugged. “And? I’m not seeing the problem.”
“Mixing business with pleasure is never a good idea.”
He licked his lips, delighting in the way her eyes followed the path of his tongue. “Even if that pleasure was so good it ruined you for any other man?”
She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Confident, much?”
“If you’d give me the chance, you’d see I have reason to be.”
She actually laughed. “I’m sorry. But getting involved would not be very smart. For either of us, I think.”
True. But damned if he would admit it out loud.
Instead, he took another step toward her, a devilish grin forming when she retreated a step. “Passion doesn’t require a lot of thinking, luv.”
She swallowed, uncertainty showing in her features. “Regardless, we need to keep things professional. It’s one of my rules.”
He studied her face for a moment and realized she wasn’t ready for where he wanted them to go. Disappointed but not discouraged, he gave a quick nod. He could be patient. After all, he had a feeling the prize would be worth the wait.
“All right. I’ll agree to that,” he said. “For now. But we’ll be working together for some time. And I’m always up for a good challenge.”
Her spine straightened, her chin lifting. “What is that supposed to mean?”
God, she was cute when she was all indignant. “I can’t promise I won’t try again.”
“And you think I’m just going to fall into bed with you?”
He mimicked her stance, folding his arms across his broad chest, the material of his suit jacket pulling taut. “I saw the way you were checking me out during paintball. Tell me you haven’t thought about what I’d be like in bed at least once.” When she didn’t respond, his lip curled. “That’s what I thought.”
“Really?” she asked through clenched teeth. “You think I didn’t see you checking out my ass? And my legs? And my breasts?”
His attention drifted down to her chest. He couldn’t help it. “And you liked it. You wanted me, Beatrice. I could tell.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t think I’m powerless here, Zane. Because all it would take is one snap of my fingers and you’d be on your knees for me.”
Christ. He gave a soft groan. “Oh, luv. I would gladly fall to my knees for you right now.” The mental image that provoked was almost enough to make him shoot in his trousers.
Her expression didn’t falter. “You wish. I would make you beg first.”
He slowly shook his head at her, his nostrils flaring. “Happy to oblige. If that lets me see what’s under that skirt.” He wasn’t joking, either.
She subtly cocked her hip, causing the slit in her skirt to rise up her thigh, exposing more of her skin. She’d done it on purpose, the little minx.
She wagged a finger. “Sorry. For that, you’ll have to work a lot harder.”
He’d expected her to tell him to go to hell. Maybe slap his face. But that had almost sounded like she was actually giving the idea some thought.
Hell, yes.
He lowered his voice. “Being a hard worker happens to be one of my best qualities.”
One side of her mouth tipped up, and he felt his chest swell in victory. “Well, as fun as this has been, I really do have to get back to work.”
“Until next time, then,” he promised.
She looked up at him one final time. “Fair warning. I won’t change my mind.” Then she walked out of the room.
“We’ll see, Ms. Paxton,” he said under his breath, staring at the empty doorway. “We’ll see.”