Chapter Six
Lexi slammed her purse on her desk and sat. She switched on her computer and tried to take a deep, calming breath. She’d wrongly assumed a good night’s sleep would put some distance between herself and her rage. Fifteen hours later, she was every bit as pissed off as she had been yesterday afternoon.
Riley wasn’t just a cold, callous bastard. He was a complete prick. She despised him. His drop-dead-gorgeous looks and sexy-as-sin body only made her detest him more.
How dare he make such insinuations? Did the asshole really believe she’d have slept with him for the money? Professionalism would have stopped her long before it ever got to that point. Besides, she would have been way too busy running the intricate details of her project by him to even consider sex.
Okay—she would have considered it. No way in hell she could look at the man and not think about sex. He was sex personified. Sex oozed from every pore. Even if the meeting in his office had been their first, Lexi would have fantasized her way through the entire appointment. Hardcore fantasies, no doubt.
But dammit, she would never have carried through on the thoughts. She was a social worker at the hospital, for God’s sake, a professional seeking out his financial assistance. What kind of a woman did he think she was?
Stupid question. She knew exactly what kind of woman he thought she was.
Now where the hell would she find sponsorship? Even if Riley did offer it to her, accepting it would make her look like the proverbial whore. How else could she raise the necessary funds? Riley had been her last and best bet.
While she’d waited the six weeks for her appointment to see him, she’d spoken to dozens of other potential backers and pitched her best line to them. All had liked it. Some had been very impressed. A few had even offered to help out with small amounts. None had been able or willing to foot the entire bill. Riley had honestly been her last hope.
Her enthusiasm slipped slowly away. If she couldn’t get the money from Riley, where would it come from? One hundred thousand dollars wasn’t going to materialize before her eyes.
Another fundraiser? Daniel’s photographic exhibition was a few months behind them. It wasn’t feasible to think of a second huge event so soon. Sure, the general public wanted to help where they could, but their pockets weren’t bottomless. Everyone had a cap, and two major fundraisers in six months was over the top. Even Lexi could see that.
There was a very real possibility she might not be able to start up her support program. Would she have to shelve the idea? That was the last thing she’d considered. She couldn’t give up on the program. What about all those kids who hadn’t been reached? All those kids who wouldn’t get support in the future?
She considered going back to the hospital board and throwing herself at their mercy. Maybe if she asked very nicely, they’d foot the bill.
It wouldn’t happen. The hospital was strapped for cash. Whatever extra they had, they siphoned straight into the pediatric ward or targeted at medical treatment. Psychological intervention aimed at healthy siblings, while important, wasn’t considered primary medical care. Not when lives were at stake and money limited.
Hot pinpricks of tension ran up her neck. All her hard work and plans unraveled at her feet. Her project was falling apart, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Lexi blinked back tears. Her vision lay in tatters.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
With a little money and the right people, the program would have been brilliant. In her mind’s eye she could hear the voices of the kids as they sat together, chatting and laughing. She could feel the hope and the optimism that reverberated through the center.
Failure.
The word did not sit well with her. She tapped a little faster. All because of AJ “Asshole” Riley. No money. No program. Failure.
Bullshit.
If her plan had failed, it had nothing to do with Riley. Pinning all her hopes on one person was dumb. It wasn’t his responsibility to make sure the project worked. Why should he care what happened to the siblings? He’d never had a sibling with cancer. If Lexi wanted it to work, she had to make it work. She had to go back to the drawing board and start again.
She’d known all along he might not make the donation. So what if he was the most likely source of money? He wasn’t the only source. The project wasn’t going to fall apart because AJ bloody Riley thought she was nothing better than a hooker.
She’d succeed despite him. She’d do it for all those children out there. All the little Daniels and Lexis whose siblings had cancer. If she could make it easier for them, she would. It was all for the kids.
She typed feverishly on her keyboard, opening the file of potential donors.
She’d started the list years before, when she’d first joined the hospital staff. Each year she’d added a couple of names as she learned who the big players in the fundraising game were. After Daniel’s exhibition, its numbers were at an all-time high.
She scanned down the screen, waiting for a name to jump out at her, someone she hadn’t already contacted. Who would it be?
The Cancer Research Foundation? Their priority was research, not psychosocial support. What about Ronald McDonald House Charity? Nope. They ran their own similar programs. Any money they had, they’d plough back into their own projects. In fact, most of the other foundations on her list worked the same way. They used their cash to fund their own programs.
She considered private companies and scrolled down a couple of pages to the list of buyers from her brother’s exhibition. Some of the names were meaningless—she’d never heard of them. Several of them she gave careful consideration and then discarded with a simple shake of her head. Four names sounded familiar, and she jotted down their details, considering them viable possibilities.
She’d compiled the list alphabetically, and her pulse quickened as she reached the Rs. Yes, Riley Corporation had been at the exhibition. They’d bought four photos—and donated them straight back to the hospital, where they now hung at the entry to the ward. With the hefty price tag attached to each picture, the generosity of the company had, by no means, been small.
She drummed the desk and wondered who’d represented Riley’s at the exhibition. She’d been so wrapped up in the success of the evening she hadn’t taken note. Could Adam have been there?
Surely not. She would have noticed him. Hell, she would have sensed his presence across that cavernous gallery, pulling her like a magnet.
Maybe not. She’d hardly had a minute to herself that night. By the time the hive of activity had slowed to a gentle buzz, most of the crowd had left. The only people remaining behind so late into the night had been the core group involved in the exhibition setup, ward staff members and close family and friends.
Lexi rang through to the department secretary.
“Penny, I need your help,” she said when the petite blonde appeared in her office. “This is a list of companies I’m thinking of approaching for money for the sibling program. Can you please do a little more research on them? Find out who the right people are to contact and when would be the best time to contact them. Also, please make up six more files of the proposal and send them off to those people. By the time I phone them, I want them to know who I am and why I’m trying to get in touch with them.”
Penny looked confused as she took the sheet of paper from her. “You’re still trying to raise funds?”
She tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. “I’m afraid I had no luck at Riley Corporation yesterday.” There was the understatement of the century. “I have to look elsewhere.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Let’s just say AJ Riley’s somewhat less enthralled with the project than I’d hoped.”
Penny shook her head, looking no less puzzled for Lexi’s explanation. “Well, if that’s the case, why did Mr. Riley phone to say he’d approved your request?”
“What?”
“He phoned a second after you called me. He was in a hurry and didn’t speak for long, just told me to tell you that you had the go-ahead. The funds were yours.”
Lexi gaped at Penny. “What the hell is he up to?”
“Pardon?”
Lexi shook her head. “Thinking out loud.”
What kind of a game was Riley playing? She’d told him where to shove his offer, yet he’d gone and approved the donation anyway.
What exactly did the conniving bastard want in return?
More importantly, would she accept the money? How could she and still look him in the eye? The man had her in a no-win situation. If she accepted the donation, she looked like a hooker. If she didn’t, the program suffered.
The bastard. The cold, callous, heartless, cruel, vindictive bastard.
“He must be a nice man,” Penny said thoughtfully.
Lexi snorted. “A real charmer. Did he say anything else to you?”
“Just that he’d be in touch, and you should wait for his call so you could iron out all the little details.”
“I should wait for his call?” Lexi asked, suddenly livid.
“That’s what he said.”
Lexi grabbed her keys and bag. “Arrogant asshole,” she snarled. “How dare he assume I’d sit around waiting for his call?”
It was Penny’s turn to gape. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to have a chat with that nice man. If he wants to iron out the little details, believe me, I’m more than willing to press a couple of facts home.”
...
Lexi marched into Genevieve’s office, gave her a curt nod and walked straight to Riley’s door.
As she reached for the handle, the secretary blurted out, “Miss Tanner, you can’t go in there.”
“Is he in a meeting?”
“No. He asked not to be disturbed.”
“Too late.” As far as Lexi was concerned, he was already deeply disturbed. She threw the door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind her.
He looked up from his work, his face bland, save for a raised eyebrow.
“You and I have a few details to straighten out,” she told him without preamble, then almost lost her nerve. Did he have to look so bloody sexy in his designer suit and loosened tie? Did he know that icy look of his got her so hot she could just about combust in his office? What was it about the damn man that made her want to kill him and fuck him at the same time?
His tone matched his expression. “This is a surprise.”
More like a nasty shock. She hated him, yet all she could think of as she glared at him was how good he’d looked naked.
“Mr. Riley, I’m sorry,” a breathless voice said behind her. “I tried to stop her. She barged straight in.”
He gave an almost imperceptible nod. “That’s okay, Genevieve. I’ll take it from here.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I am. Thank you.”
The door closed behind her.
“What the hell are you up to?” she demanded. “What’s the deal with the money you’ve agreed to donate?”
“I thought you’d be happy to have the funds. Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”
“Your behavior yesterday was deplorable.” She marched forward, set her hands on the desk, and stared him straight in the eye. “Nobody in their right mind would insult another person like you did and then decide to give them money. It makes no sense.” She narrowed her eyes. “I can only surmise that you have some hidden agenda in all of this.”
Riley smirked. “You make it sound like I’m running some sort of covert operation.”
“I have no idea what kind of operation you run. What I do know is I dislike the way you run it. What’s the deal? Why are you giving me the money?”
“Frankly, that’s none of your business.”
“It’s one hundred percent my business,” she spluttered in fury. “This project is my baby.”
A whirlwind of emotion swirled through his eyes but was gone in a heartbeat. Adam blinked, blanking his expression.
But in that second, Lexi had glimpsed enough to throw her perceptions of him off track. She’d seen sadness, frustration, heartache, compassion and…desire?
What the…?
Riley was hiding something. She had no idea what or why he seemed so determined to keep it secret. Natural curiosity and an unwelcome sense of concern nipped at her, and she almost asked if he was okay. But one look at his cold gaze stopped her short.
Riley’s issues were none of her business.
He gave her a quick nod of acquiescence. “I read your proposal last night, cover to cover. It’s a good project. Well researched. Figures seemed accurate. I don’t doubt thousands of children will benefit from it. Riley Corporation would be proud to be the sponsor.”
Her program had suddenly found life again, when an hour ago it was almost dead in the water. The teeniest tiniest possibility existed that maybe she would accept the sponsorship from Riley Corporation after all. First though, she needed to clear up any misconceptions. She had to make it clear that whatever happened, if she accepted the money, she would not offer sexual favors in return.
“What about the strings?”
“Strings?” Heat gleamed in his icy gaze again.
She could have kicked him. “What strings does this money come attached to? What do you want from me in return?”
His gaze flickered over her. “What are you offering?”
She hissed in a breath, furious at herself for being lulled into his evil web once again. “This is the last time I’m going to say it. I didn’t sleep with you for your money, and I won’t sleep with you in return for money. Period. Thank you for your…offer. I reject it. Cold.” She straightened her back to leave.
He spoke before she could turn around. The low, seductive quality to his tone stopped her from going anywhere. “You don’t like the idea of…strings?”
“It’s not just the idea I find offensive. It’s the man pulling those strings.” She fervently wished she could say that and mean it. As much as she loathed him, her body still responded to his proximity and to his masculine smell and seductive voice. Her mind still worried about the emotion she’d seen in his eyes. Prickles of awareness ran down her spine and lodged in the small of her back, sending pulses of desire thrumming through her body.
He sat back in his chair and looked her up and down. His movements were slow and lazy and captivated her with their leisure. “Perhaps I can make the offer a little more enticing?” He stared at her from beneath a thick fringe of black lashes. His eyes were fiery rocks of blue ice, desire blazing in them.
The look on his face paralyzed her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t draw breath.
“Something happened when you barged into my office.” He lowered his voice. “I got an erection.”
Her jaw dropped. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, this was not one of them. But his tone weaved black magic through her senses, magnifying her awareness of him. His voice rippled like velvet over her skin, and her mouth filled with the taste of his salty flesh. His scent surrounded her, mixing with the remembered smell of their lovemaking—musk and man.
She shivered.
Damn it, she didn’t want to respond to him, didn’t want to want him like she did.
“You’re loath to acknowledge it, but you’re aroused, too.” His voice was so rich and so deep she could almost burrow into it.
He lowered his eyes to her chest, and her breasts burned beneath his blistering gaze. “I know, because your nipples are tight, like they were in Melbourne.” He took a deep breath. “How would you react if I kissed them now? Sucked on them?” He looked into her eyes. “Would you like that?”
Like that? No. She’d hate it—even if the very thought had her liquefying in his office.
Her mouth still hung open, making speech difficult.
“I would.” He laid his palm flat against the middle of his desk. “Almost as much as I’d like to bend you forward over my desk, bunch your skirt above your hips, and slide my finger along the line of your panties.”
Lexi gulped in a breath.
“Are you wearing that sexy black thong again?” He licked his lower lip.
She wasn’t. Today her underwear was purple.
“I’d stand behind you and inch the black lace down your legs. I’d move slowly, so I wouldn’t miss one centimeter of your skin.” He looked contemplative for a minute. “Would I take them off with my hands or my teeth?”
Tingles ran up her legs as if his teeth grazed her outer thigh.
“My hands. So I can watch you thrust your ass toward me, teasing me with a glimpse of your pussy.” The timbre of his voice changed, lowered a notch. “Are you wet, Lexi? Like you were in Melbourne?”
As much as she wished she wasn’t, she was wet. Very wet.
Her breath caught. She had trouble focusing. All she could see was her naked butt in the air and him staring at it, hunger etched in his eyes.
She realized she was gnawing on her bottom lip in the exact place where his tongue had just touched his mouth. The realization was erotic in the extreme. She could almost feel the warm moisture of his tongue on her own lip.
His breath was uneven. “I’d touch you. But not with my fingers.” He clenched his hand into a fist. “Even though I’m dying to rub your clit again. You don’t want my fingers.”
Oh, dear Lord, was he ever wrong. She wanted them so bad she could imagine them between her legs.
“I won’t use my tongue either.” Again he licked his lower lip. “Much as I’d like to taste all that sweet honey, that’s not what you want.”
Oh. Yes. I. do.
“My cock,” he murmured, the sound echoing through his office.
Lexi swallowed audibly.
“It’s hard, like it always is when you’re around. And if I’m hard, and you’re wet…”
“I’d fuck you, Lexi.” He closed his eyes for a minute, as if in pain. “I will fuck you. I’ll thrust so deep inside you, you’ll scream for more. We both will. We’ll be so connected we’ll think we were one person. I’ll do it over and over again until we can’t take it for one…more…second. At which point…” He stared straight into her soul. “I’ll give you an orgasm so sweet, so powerful, you’ll be grateful for the desk beneath you.”
He was right. There was no way she’d be physically capable of taking all that pleasure standing up. Her knees would give in the second he plunged into her.
“I’ll come, too. The way you shudder when you come, the way you clench around my cock… Christ, you’d milk me of every last drop. Leave me exhausted.” He hummed softly, almost like a purr. “And satisfied.”
Neither of them spoke. They remained as they were—she standing, weak-kneed, he sitting—and stared at each other. The only sound was that of their uneven, raspy breathing.
An interminable length of time passed before Lexi broke the silence. “I… Well…” Because after that, what could she say?
It must have had an effect on Adam. He snapped out of his trance-like state, rested his elbow on the edge of the desk, and dropped his forehead into his hand. “Jesus, I’m sorry.” His voice was ragged with remorse. He shook his head. “I never meant for that to happen.”
Lexi gawked at him.
He raised his head. Both the icy glare and the hungry stare were gone. He just looked…tired. As if he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I was way out of line, and I apologize.” He shook his head again, as though unable to believe what he’d done.
She could barely believe it herself.
Then he lifted his shoulders and straightened his tie. “The donation comes with no attached strings. I…Riley Corporation would be happy to give you the money. Your project is both necessary and useful, and anyone who takes part in it will benefit. It’s that simple.”
Holy shit.
The man changed personas faster than she changed outfits on a bad clothes day. He perplexed her.
“I’m not sure what to say.” Or to think. His behavior was giving her whiplash. He blew hot then cold faster than she could blink. Desiring her, reeling her in, seducing her, then shoving her away as fast as he could. Pause. Breathe. Repeat.
His verbal seduction left her body humming crazily from overstimulation and lack of fulfillment. His change in attitude left her stunned. Again.
Was she supposed to be the professional social worker, here to make a formal acceptance of a donation for her program? Or was she supposed to be the spurned, insulted lover who, for the third time, had fallen for the cold charmer who cherished and lusted after her half the time and treated her like dirt the other half?
At this point, the only thing she was capable of being was enormously aroused and virtually speechless.
“There’s nothing to say. Our financial director, Matt Brodie, will be looking after the sponsorship from here on. He’ll be in touch to discuss the transfer of funds. You can tell him whether you’d prefer a lump sum or monthly deposits. In addition, we’ll need to handle the press. As soon as they get wind that we’ve made the donation, they’ll be sniffing around for details. Matt will liaise with our PR department about that. I’ll expect monthly reports on the progress of the program and detailed analyses of where the funds have been used. I can get that from Matt.” He paused and made a note of something on his iPad. Then he looked her square in the eyes. “Any questions you have, Matt will be happy to deal with. Genevieve will give you his card on your way out.”
“You won’t be involved from now on?”
“I’ve done my share. The rest can be handled by Brodie.”
She could scarcely believe it. On the one hand, everything had fallen into place. She had the funds, she could start the program, and she could watch her idea come to fruition. On the other hand, he’d cut her out of his life and passed her on to someone else so he wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore. From now on, there would be no reason to meet Adam Riley again.
Why wasn’t she filled with elation at the prospect?
“Well, then.” She smiled nervously. “I suppose all that remains to be expressed is our gratitude.” She tried to slip back into social work mode. “On behalf of POWS and the hospital, I thank you for your donation toward the sibling program. Please rest assured the money will be put to good use, and many children will benefit from your generosity.”
He gave a brief nod. “You’re welcome.”
Lexi had spent several awkward moments in Adam’s company. This had to be the most uncomfortable one yet. She didn’t want to thank him and leave. She wanted him to press her down over the desk and fuck her—like he’d described. Not in exchange for the money, but she wanted Adam. Reluctantly.
Wanted him with a ferocity that stunned her.
“So I guess this is it.” She gave him a half smile.
“I guess it is.” He nodded in agreement.
“I should probably be going, then.”
“You probably should.”
Well then, why were her legs not moving? “Good-bye, Mr. Riley.”
“Good-bye, Miss Tanner.”
She bit her lip, wanting to say something more but not sure what. Finally, she sighed, walked to the door, and opened it.
She turned back to him. “Adam—” Her voice caught.
His face was haunted by sadness so profound it whipped the breath from Lexi’s chest.
“Yeah?” he prompted, his voice soft.
“You…” What could she say? She couldn’t intrude on his thoughts. “I…” In the end, the only thing that came to mind was a simple, “Thank you.”
His only response was a single nod of his head.