for this.”
Joaquin took a long sip of his drink, set it on her desk and then proceeded to move one of her office chairs around to the other side of the desk so the two of them would be sitting side by side. She couldn’t help but notice how his biceps flexed and bunched under the short sleeve of his white polo shirt. The light color showcased the deep, bronzy tan of his skin and she had a sudden mental picture of him on South Beach in Miami in a pair of board shorts and nothing else. She’d gone there for spring break when she was in college. Too bad she hadn’t known him then.
It made her wonder about his life before coming to Robinson Tech. Had he dated a lot of women or did he have someone special?
“Shall we get started?” Joaquin gestured for her to sit. After she slid into her seat, he settled in next to her. He was close enough that she could smell the soap he’d used and the subtle herbal scent of his aftershave. She propped her elbow on the chair’s armrest and leaned closer, breathing in a little deeper, savoring the scent of him as he pulled the wireless keyboard toward him.
Obviously he was oblivious because he was all business. With a few keystrokes he’d called up the page they needed and had signed in to a screen that looked utterly foreign to Zoe.
She centered herself in her chair, prepared to act like the consummate professional and not some lovesick puppy fawning all over him. That was the opposite of the tactics Steffi-Anne used. Zoe knew the woman had it bad for Joaquin. She and every other female in the office. But where Zoe tended to go all starry and wistful around him, Steffi-Anne became a dominatrix.
It was interesting how Joaquin didn’t seem to be partial to either of them.
Professionalism was Zoe’s safety net, her comfort zone. She’d gotten her job because of her ability and not simply because her father owned the company.
Steffi-Anne had made a few passive-aggressive digs about nepotism and, if Zoe were completely honest, it used to bother her, but she’d learned to let her job performance speak for itself.
That’s why she needed this website to be top-notch. That’s why she’d asked for Joaquin to lend his expertise.
She’d emailed him the specs and design ideas for the new site, as well as some images she’d procured for the project. Since she’d already turned in her homework and had no idea what all the numbers, letters and symbols he was keying in meant, she knew she would be no help right now.
What was the harm in making a little small talk?
“So, you like coffee,” Zoe said. “What else don’t I know about you?”
“What do you mean?” He kept his gaze trained on the computer monitor as his fingers tapped on the keyboard.
“I mean, I realized that we’ve been working together for three months and I barely know anything about you.”
“I’m a private person,” he said.
“So, does that mean that you won’t even share basics with me? You know, the niceties that people share when they’re getting to know each other? Even if it’s just to make conversation?”
“Is that what we’re doing? Getting to know each other? Or making conversation?”
“I’d like to get to know you.”
When he didn’t protest, she took it a step further.
“How about if I ask you one question and then you can ask me one after you answer mine?”
“Why do you get to go first?” he asked drily.
“If you feel strongly about it, you can go first. By all means. Please.”
His hands stopped typing and he slanted a glance in her direction. So, he was going to humor her, after all. For the first time since Joaquin had walked through the Robinson Tech doors Zoe felt a glimmer of hope where he was concerned.
Casually, she shifted her weight to her right elbow and discreetly inhaled another deep breath.
“Ladies first. By all means.”
“You’re such a gentleman.”
There were a million things she wanted to ask him, but she knew if she went right for the juicy, personal stuff, it might send him back into his shell.
So she opted for something that stayed on neutral territory to warm up the conversation.
“What did you decide about the Cowboy Country trip?” she asked. “Are you going?”
“Actually, I think I will.”
“Really? Are you just trying to get Steffi-Anne off your back? The woman doesn’t like to take no for an answer, does she? You’d think it was her own personal party.”
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “But I have family in Horseback Hollow and I figured it would be a good chance to visit. But instead of riding the bus with everyone and staying with the group on Thursday, I think I’ll drive down on my own and stay with my dad. I’ll miss the dinner Thursday evening, but I’ll catch up with everyone Friday.”
“That’s right. You lived in Horseback Hollow before you moved here, didn’t you?”
“I’m from Miami, originally. I only lived there for a few months to be with my family before I moved here. Horseback Hollow was a little too sleepy for me.”
He had a point. It probably was dull when compared to Miami. Even Austin had a different feel than South Florida. Granted, there was a lot more going on in Austin than in Horseback Hollow; Austin was edgy while Miami had more of a sultry, sexy feel.
Yes, sexy, sultry, like Joaquin Mendoza. With those brown bedroom eyes, he could’ve been the poster boy for everything that was exciting about Miami. She was certainly glad he’d brought that excitement into her world.
Her stomach fluttered.
Yes, she was very glad he was here now. Maybe if he continued to help with projects like this website, her father would find a permanent position for him after Joaquin had completed his temporary assignment. Then he could move here full-time.
“How do you like Austin?” she asked.
He shrugged, but just barely because his full concentration seemed to be focused on the computer screen.
“So far, so good.”
Okay, that was a little noncommittal. His expression and body language were a little aloof. And he’d given a closed answer.
Maybe she should move on to another topic?
Horseback Hollow was too sleepy for him. He’d gone there to be closer to his family. She liked that. Family was everything to her, even if her siblings could be a little overbearing sometimes.
Like the way her older brother Ben had been harping on the fact that several members of the illustrious Fortune family lived in Horseback Hollow. He was obsessed with the Fortunes and the absurd notion that their own father was related to them. Between Ben and her sister Rachel who lived in Horseback
