‘Make this your best work, Keely.’
Keely smiled through gritted teeth and nodded. As if she ever produced anything less! Though the way her mind kept wandering, from the way Lachlan’s suit seemed tailormade for his broad-shouldered frame to the way he smiled with his eyes as well as his mouth, maybe the Rottie had a point in reminding her to keep focused on the job at hand?
As she closed the door Lachlan asked, ‘Is she always like that?’
Keely resisted the urge to growl and make like a possessive dog over a bone, the way she did with the girls when one of them had a gripe with their boss.
‘Raquel is very driven. It’s what keeps this company at the top,’ she said, hoping that the good Lord would reward her for being so professional—with the big fat promotion she’d coveted for ages.
‘Good to hear. I only work with the best.’ He smiled and she noticed the fine lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes, lending a tiny flaw to the otherwise model-handsome face. He leaned towards her and for one insane moment she thought he was going to kiss her. ‘And it looks like I’ve got it here.’
‘Are you flirting with me?’
Oops! The words had popped out before she could stop them and to her horror, his smile broadened into a fully fledged grin, like that of a starving cat toying with an itty-bitty mouse.
‘What if I am?’
That would mean you’re interested in me as a woman and it’s my lucky day!
Mentally slapping herself for her wayward and wishful thoughts, she said, ‘That wouldn’t be very professional. We have a lot of work to do and I’d rather not be distracted.’
True to her cat analogy, he pounced. ‘You think I’m a distraction, huh?’
Who was the man trying to kid? In the last half-hour she’d thought about his body, eyes, smile and butt—in that order. Well, maybe the latter had been higher on the list, but it wouldn’t help to think about that now, when she could hardly string two coherent words together as it was.
‘Don’t flatter yourself.’ I’m doing enough for the both of us. Even if it was only in her mind. ‘I merely meant that word games aren’t my style. I’d rather focus on the job at hand.’
He’d fallen into step beside her and thankfully she didn’t have to look at him, preferring to concentrate on the suddenly onerous task of putting one foot in front of the other and not falling flat on her face. She had an embarrassing habit of clumsiness around men who grabbed her interest and she had no intention of adding to his obvious amusement by sprawling at his feet.
‘Mmm…interesting. Does that apply to all areas of your life?’
What was with this guy? He might be irresistible but didn’t he ever switch off the charm?
‘That’s none of your business.’ She pushed open the door to her office and waved him in. ‘Speaking of which, I think it’s time we got down to some.’
‘After you.’
She brushed past him, catching a faint waft of aftershave. She usually hated the stuff, but this was a tantalizing blend of fresh citrus that seemed to wrap around her and add to the heady sensation of being in a confined space with the hottest man to enter her sphere in a long time.
Grateful to have a seat before she made a complete fool of herself, she gestured to the one next to her. ‘Let’s get started.’
His knee touched hers as he folded his long legs beneath the desk, sending heat sizzling through her body and hot-wiring her dormant hormones.
Great. Not only had her mind entered meltdown mode, her body had followed suit.
‘I’m all yours,’ he said, sitting back and folding his arms, his confident grin setting her heart hammering in her chest.
And as she reached forward to angle the computer screen towards him and knocked over her credenza, sending pens, paperclips and rulers in all directions, she could only think of one response.
I wish.
Lachlan managed to appear interested as Keely prattled on about search engines, uploading pages, hosting companies and web space. However, the sultry brunette’s non-verbal cues intrigued him more than anything she was saying.
From her rigid posture and fiddling fingers to her tapping foot, she seemed nervous.
And so she should be.
The sophisticated woman doing her best to impress him with her knowledge had a secret and, though he hadn’t said anything yet, he was on to her.
Cops never forgot a face, and in his profession, after three years on the radio, he never forgot a voice. Though his late-night caller last week had sounded intoxicated, he remembered every cadence, every modulation of the melodious voice that had scrutinized his character and found it lacking.
He’d been angry at the time, and now that his beautiful heckler had been unexpectedly dropped in his lap, could’ve fired both barrels at her. However, he was in a playful mood today. Perhaps he would string her along till he felt like doing a little heckling of his own?
‘Do you have any ideas about the image you want portrayed on your web page?’
She picked up a pen and tapped it against her thigh as she waited for his answer, and all he could think about was the way her hazel-coloured eyes sparkled with intelligence, how the trendy black pinstripe suit fitted her curvy body to perfection, and what he would give for another glimpse of the cheeky dimple that appeared like an unexpected bonus when she smiled.
‘I’ve been in radio for a while. Perhaps you’ve listened to the Brant Show?’
Bull’s-eye! He watched her blush, the faint pink staining her cheeks lending her face a glow, and suddenly he wondered if any other activities could bring that tinge of colour to her face.
She nodded and looked at some distant point over his left shoulder. ‘I’ve listened to your show on the odd occasion. It’s very interesting.’
‘What do you think of my advice?’
To his delight, her blush deepened. ‘You seem to know what you’re talking about.’
The pen she held increased its staccato tempo against her thigh and, despite the fun he was having in baiting her, he decided to put an end to her obvious discomfort.
‘Thanks. The producers of my prospective TV show want to capture some of my expertise from radio while adding a fresh look at the same time. Think you can help me out?’
Tucking the pen behind her ear and swivelling to face the PC monitor, she smiled and his blood pressure rocketed. God, she was beautiful—from her shoulder-length sleek chocolate-brown hair to that adorable dimple.
He hadn’t dated anyone in a while, after the last disaster. His ex-girlfriend hadn’t tolerated a man who worked all hours and, though he’d spent quality time with her, she’d ended the relationship after four short months.
Maybe it was time to get back into the
