then? We’ll continue the celebrating.”
“Perfect.”
“And don’t think you’re getting off the man subject so easily.”
A knock at the door caused her to jump. “Sure thing, Dix. I’ll call you.”
She ran to the door, swinging it wide. “I’m sorry for not meeting you downstairs, sir, but…” Her words trailed off as she took in the man leaning against the doorjamb.
“No apology required,” he said, his smooth baritone filling the space between them.
Her stomach dipped. “Would you…ah…like to come in?”
“Sure. For a moment.” He inclined his head. “See how my wife lives.”
Wife! Abby cleared her throat, and tried to stop her gaze from raking over him as he walked confidently into the apartment. Black jeans encased his strong legs and a ribbed black sweater molded to his torso, accentuating his muscled chest and broad shoulders. Some odd sense of pride welled within her, as though he belonged to her, but she quickly pushed such a ridiculous thought aside. Remember why this man’s here—why he’s hired you, she chided herself.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Tanner?” she said, trying to sound light and cheerful. “Coffee, soda?”
“No, thanks.”
She watched him walk around her apartment, looking at her knickknacks, artwork, furnishings and books, assessing. He stopped in front of one of her paintings. An abstract acrylic portrait of a man with normal features except for his eyes. Where pupils should have been there was only a deep shade of gray.
“This is an exceptional piece,” he said. “Who’s the artist?”
She grinned in spite of her nerves. “I am.”
He hesitated, his gaze remaining on the painting. “You’re very talented, Abby.”
“You sound surprised, sir.”
He shook his head. “Impressed. Maybe even the smallest bit envious. I can recognize extraordinary art when I see it, purchase a gallery filled with it if I wanted to, but—” he chuckled “—I can barely draw a stick figure.”
“Well, some people have the art gene and some have the business one, I guess.”
“You certainly have the art one in spades.” He moved closer to the piece. “And who’s the subject?”
“A man I knew a long time ago.” Abby went to stand by him. “He had trouble seeing.”
“He was blind?”
She nodded. “In a way.”
He turned to look at her then, his brown eyes probing, searching, making her uncomfortable in both mind and in body.
She swallowed and took a step back. “Shall we go?”
After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded, and Abby went to gather her things.
They were out of the apartment, down the stairs and walking toward the car when Tanner moved slightly ahead of her to open the car door.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, trying not to sigh when she sat down on the plush leather seat. The interior of the car was immaculate: no candy-bar wrappers, no coffee cups. The leather looked polished, brand-new, and nary a dust bunny lingered on the dash, or in any crevice for that matter. Perfectly in order, just like the man.
He slid into the driver’s side and shot her a look. “You can’t call me ‘sir.’” He turned the key in the ignition and the car sprang to life, purring like a purebred cat. “I think it would be best from this moment forward if you called me Tanner.”
“Shouldn’t I call you by your first name?”
“No one calls me by my first name.”
Abby looked up at him curiously. He had his seat belt on, his gearshift in first and his gaze on her. “For the next several days you aren’t my employee, Abby. That’s certainly not the impression I want Frank Swanson to have of…” A smile tugged at his lips. “Why don’t you just call me Tanner, or if you feel a surge of bravery,” the smile widened, “honey or dear.”
Heat surged into her cheeks at his suggestions, but she barely felt it through a bristling of indignation. “Excuse me for saying so, but I think it’s vastly important to remember that I am your employee, sir…ah…Tanner.”
“Sir Tanner.” He put on a good show of considering that as he let out the clutch. “I like it.”
Abby couldn’t help but roll her eyes as he pulled away from the curb, chuckling.
They were quiet for several blocks, but when Tanner entered the freeway, he broke the silence with business. “When we arrive at the house, you’ll have your makeover. I’ve allowed two hours for this. Then we’ll have a dinner meeting and get to know each other. I’ve decided that we will be newlyweds, just married and trying to keep it quiet. The press keeps tabs on my marital status, so I’ll tell the Swansons we eloped.” He barely stopped for breath. “This weekend, I feel the conversations should be primarily on business, but feel free to interject….”
As he continued to explain the details and events of the weekend, Abby began to drift off. She couldn’t help it—actually what she couldn’t help was staring at how his muscles tightened against the fabric of his jeans when he shifted gears.
She knew she had to get a grip and listen to his recitation on business protocol, but it was like being briefed by the Pentagon, for goodness sakes. She decided to find out some information that would really be helpful.
“So, who’s Frank Swanson?” she asked.
“Have you heard of Swanson Sweets?”
“Are you kidding?” She laughed. “I have at least one bag of chocolate mints and one box of dark chocolate-covered cherries in my fridge at all times.”
She had a nice laugh, Tanner thought as his gaze swept her lightly. It moved from high to husky like an ocean wave, causing his gut to tighten. But it was that kilowatt smile of hers—a smile that came from her eyes as much as it did her lips—that had him straying from his “this is just business” commitment. He’d have to watch that.
When the freeway came to an end, Tanner turned right—toward home—the ocean and beach to his left. Automatically he opened his window and breathed in the salty air.
“You must really love candy, huh?” Abby said.
He shook his head. “Never touch the stuff.”
“Then why buy the company?”
He laughed.
She opened her window, as well. “Okay, so maybe that’s a really naive question in your world, but I’d really like to know.”
He delivered his pat answer without giving it a thought. “It’s a profitable venture.”
