hands had felt when he’d picked her up and carried her into the restaurant. She had felt the warmth of them through the thickness of her clothes.
“Today is nothing compared to how things will get later on,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Surely you understood what you were doing when you traded sunny Florida for Denver?”
Alpha drew in a deep breath. No, she hadn’t fully understood. The only thing she’d known was that she needed to put as much distance between her, Eddie and her parents as she could. “I didn’t expect it to be this cold so soon. I figured I would prepare myself for January and February, but it’s still November.”
“Yes, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Are you going back south for turkey and dressing?”
Not on her life. “No. I plan on spending Thanksgiving here since I have a couple of projects during that time.” And they were projects she could have gotten out of doing had she wanted to, but she hadn’t.
The waiter returned to take their orders, and she was glad for the interruption. She was getting too comfortable with Riley and had to admit that he made such a thing easy. He came across as a nice guy. Down-to-earth. A real gentleman, respectful. It was nice to know that for some men, sex wasn’t the only thing on their minds.
Three
Riley shifted in his seat, thinking that if Alpha knew all the things that were going through his mind, she would think he was as low as low could go. He had met her less than two hours ago and all he could think about was jumping her bones. No, jumping her bones was too quick and raunchy. He would love easing between those legs and then …
When he heard the sound of her lightly clearing her throat, he realized the waiter standing beside him had poured cups of coffee and was waiting to take his order. He glanced up at the waiter. George. The seventy-something man had worked at McKay’s for ages and had waited on him plenty of times before with many of his other dates. Was that a smirk on George’s face because the old man had finally caught him being taken with a woman?
“And what can I get for you, Mr. Westmoreland?”
“The usual, George.”
“All right,” George said, taking the menu from Riley.
Riley glanced over at Alpha and saw she was absorbed in the beauty of the mountains that could be seen through the windows. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked, studying her more so than the mountains he’d seen all his life.
“Yes.”
Sitting this close to her, he could see just how beautiful, how stunning, she was. That wasn’t a good thing. How was he supposed to concentrate on whatever presentation she was giving when he wanted to concentrate on her?
She broke eye contact while reaching for her coffee to take a sip and he did likewise. “So, other than the cold weather, how do you enjoy living in Denver so far?” he asked her.
“I like it. I’m grateful that the people here have been so kind. I didn’t expect my business to take off like it has.”
“I understand your work speaks for itself. My sister-in-law was definitely impressed.”
She smiled. “Pam is super nice.”
Their conversation was interrupted when George returned with their appetizers, still wearing that smirk on his face.
Alpha drew in a deep breath. She had done presentations quite a few times and knew there wasn’t a shy bone in her body, but standing in front of Riley had butterflies floating around in her stomach.
She looked over at him to find him looking back at her. She forced a smile. “I promise to have you out in fifteen minutes.”
“Take your time.”
He would say that, she thought. Their waiter had cleared the table and filled their cups.
“The first thing we need to decide on is a theme for that night. These are the ones I came up with while trying to stay away from holiday themes. Because of diversity in the workplace, the last thing you want to do is offend anyone.”
“So what do you suggest?” he asked her.
“A winter theme always works. These are a few that I’ve come up with,” she said, clicking the remote in her hand to bring the screen alive. “As you can see, I have Winter Wonderland, Winter Delight, One Winter’s Night and Winter Around the World.”
She watched him study each suggestion. He shifted his eyes back to her, and she felt her stomach stir from the intensity of his gaze. “What’s your favorite?”
“It’s really your decision.”
He nodded. “I know, but which one do you like the best?”
She glanced up at the screen. “Based on the fact that this year there will be a nighttime party in the ballroom of the Pavilion Hotel, instead of the daytime party you usually hold at the office, I like One Winter’s Night. There’s a sort of magical ring. I like it.”
A smile curved his lips. “So do I. Let’s go with it.”
Alpha nodded, excited that he’d liked the same theme that she did. “All right. And as far as the ballroom at the Pavilion Hotel, I took a tour a few days ago. It will hold up to two thousand people,” she said, showing an aerial view of the huge hotel, which was located midway between downtown and the airport.
“And it’s a definite we have it for that night?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “They were happy to accommodate us. The Westmoreland name carries a lot of weight.”
Deciding to move on to the next point, she said, “I thought it would be nice to set the mood by having it be a dressy affair.”
He lifted a brow. “How dressy?”
“Black tie.” At the grimace on his face, she smiled and quickly said, “Not as bad as all that, Riley. I think your employees will appreciate it. It will make them feel special. Other than your family’s annual charity ball, your employees probably never have anyplace to go where they can dress up and feel as if they’re stepping out on the town.”
He nodded slowly, and she knew he was thinking about the idea. She just wished she didn’t feel that sexual chemistry between them even while discussing business. “Let’s table that for at least a week,” he suggested.
“All right,” she said. “But I’ll need a decision on the attire in order to determine what sort of decorations will be appropriate.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Last but not least,” she said, switching off the screen, “is the discussion of the budget. That handout I’ve given you breaks everything down. I inflated the expenses to allow for decorations. I’d rather operate on the high end versus a low one.”
She paused a moment and then said, “Those are all of my ideas and suggestions. Is there anything you want to add or change?”
He
