needed a boost right now, especially financially. The economy had taken a toll on just about everybody and freelance photography assignments weren’t coming in as steadily as before. Lately she’d had to resort to doing weddings, anniversary parties and private photo shoots.
“I don’t know what to say, Jonas.”
He chuckled. “Say you’ll hear me out over dinner while I tell you about the project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince you to come on board.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Of course I want to hear about it,” she said. But then a voice out of nowhere whispered, Go ahead and hear him out, but you might also want to consider turning him down. Think about it. Will you be able to endure being around him constantly? How will you handle that intense and mind-boggling attraction that eradicated your common sense the last time? Do you honestly want to go through that sort of torture again?
Nikki inwardly sighed, thinking that no, she really didn’t. But she would be crazy to turn down his offer. She had bills to pay, a roof to keep over her head and a body that needed to be fed on occasion. But then, it was that body she wasn’t sure about when certain parts of it were so attuned to him. He could charm the panties off a woman without blinking, and that’s what bothered her more than anything. When it came to Jonas Steele she needed to keep her panties on. She had a weakness for him and it was quite obvious the kiss they’d shared that day in her office had meant more to her than it had to him.
His voice broke into her thoughts. “I hope my timing isn’t bad and you’re not involved in a project that I can’t pull you away from.”
She thought about the job offer she had received a few days ago. It was election year, and one of the candidates wanted her as part of his team. Following around a politician as his personal photographer for six months was something she’d prefer not doing. But she didn’t want to hang around Jonas and constantly drool, either.
She drew in a deep breath and said, “I do have a job offer that came in a few days ago, but I haven’t accepted it yet.”
“Oh, with whom?”
“Senator Waylon Joseph’s election campaign.”
He stared at her. “Whatever amount they’ve offered you as a salary, I’ll double it.”
She blinked, not believing what he’d just said. “You will?”
“Yes. My business has been doing well, but what Fulton is offering is a chance of a lifetime. It’ll take us to a whole other level and I want the best people on board to work with. And I consider you as one of the best. Your photography speaks for itself.”
She was definitely flattered. The Joseph campaign had offered her a decent salary and to think Jonas was willing to double it had thrown her in shock. She forced herself to regroup. She needed to weigh her options and think things through with a level head.
“I’ll cover the strategy plan I’ve come up with over dinner. I think you’ll like it.”
There was no doubt in her mind that she would like it. When it came to marketing strategies, Jonas was brilliant. His company was successful because he was picky about those he did business with. In the world of marketing, a stellar reputation was everything. And unlike some CEOs, who liked to delegate duties and play golf whenever they could, Jonas was very much hands-on.
She knew what coming on board as his photographer meant in the early stages of any project. They would work closely together again, just like that time before—sometimes way into the wee hours of the nights and on weekends. He would come in Monday through Friday dressed in his designer business suits, and then on the weekends, he would wear his T-shirts and jeans and ride around on his Harley. It was as if he were two different men, yet both were sexy as sin.
She would drool during the day and have salacious dreams of him at night. It had gotten harder and harder not to react to him when he was around. Hard to keep her nipples from pressing against her blouse and to keep her panties from getting wet each and every time he opened his mouth to release that deep, sexy baritone voice of his.
He kept looking at her now and she knew he was waiting for her response, so she said, “All right, Jonas, I’m curious to hear your plan.”
He smiled, winked and went back to studying his menu. Nikki drew in a deep breath as she turned her attention to her own. But she couldn’t ignore the play of emotions that spread through her. As usual, he was having that sort of effect on her and there was nothing she could do about it but sit there and suffer through it.
She wished there was a way after hearing him out that she could just thank him for considering her for the project and then graciously turn him down. But whether she wanted to admit it or not, she wanted the job.
She needed the job.
But what she needed even more was the use of her common sense when it came to Jonas. And she wasn’t sure that was possible.
Chapter 2
Being around Nikki was doing a number on him, Jonas thought, taking another sip of his wine. Wasn’t it just a short while ago he’d given himself a pep talk, confident that he would be the one in control during this meeting? But that was before he’d had to sit across from her for the past half hour or so. More than once he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from telling her how good she looked or how sweet she smelled. And her hair, that riotous mass of curls that she tossed about, made her features even more attractive.
Crap. When would this intense attraction for her end? And why was he feeling as if he was about to come out of his skin? And to make matters worse, he had a hard-on that was about to burst his zipper. Why was the thought of doing intimate things to Nikki so much in the forefront of his mind? Why hadn’t time away from her eradicated her from his thoughts? And why did he remember that kiss as if it were just yesterday?
He shifted in his seat again, feeling edgy. Horny. Lusty. Those were physical states he usually never found himself in. Never had a reason to. As a rule, he got laid whenever he wanted, which was usually all the time. But at the moment, he felt sexually deprived. Overheated.
Where was a Tootsie Pop when he needed one? Sucking on one of those usually took his mind off his problems. Eight years ago when he’d quit smoking, his brothers had given him a huge bag of the lollipops as a joke. They had told him to lick one every time he got the urge to smoke, and pretend he was licking a woman’s breast instead. It worked.
Now if he wouldn’t feel so friggin’ hot…
If there was any way he could remove his shirt and just sit there bare-chested, he would. His attraction to Nikki was overpowering his senses and he didn’t like it at all. No woman was supposed to have this sort of effect on him. But he knew no way to stop it. He took another drink and felt a bit queasy. Why was he drinking the stuff? He knew why, and the main reason was sitting across from him.
He glanced at Nikki again. She wasn’t what he would consider drop-dead gorgeous, but her beauty seemed to emit some sort of hypnotic appeal. Her eyes were dark, her nose the perfect size and shape for her face, and her lips were sensually full…and tasty, he remembered. Combined, the features on her medium-brown face were arresting, striking and expressive. For him a total turn-on.
He just didn’t know what there was about her that tempted him to clear the table and spread her out on it and take her for the entrée as well as for dessert.
