hit her. Which him was she talking about? Was it her ex-fiancé or Jared Stevens who had earned her recrimination? She pulled her composure together and tried to look at the situation in a logical and dispassionate manner. He was only trying to collect a debt he believed was owed by her father. She tried to convince herself that it didn’t have anything to do with the Stevens–Donaldson feud. He wasn’t trying to control her life or go out of his way to make trouble for her. It was a straightforward business arrangement, nothing more.
And the enormity of that business nearly overwhelmed her—the amount of money at stake and Gary Parker’s words that it was a legal binding contract and the promissory note was, indeed, long past due. He had told her that Stevens Enterprises had every right to exercise their legal muscle in collecting it. A sinking feeling settled inside her, effectively shoving down whatever fight she had left. She was in a very precarious situation. Being defiant wasn’t going to help matters. She needed to find some sort of cooperative middle ground with Jared Stevens in order to resolve the money situation without putting everything in jeopardy.
Her voice quavered, her words barely above a whisper as despair filled her. “I can’t afford to pay the debt. There’s no way I can raise that kind of money. I need the proceeds from the estate to pay several other obligations of my father’s.”
The strong determination had vanished, and in its place Jared saw a vulnerable woman who didn’t seem to know what to do. He had been prepared for Kim’s strong stance. He could handle her anger. He knew he was more than capable of dealing with any business negotiation. But this touched him on a surprisingly personal level, and he wasn’t at all sure how to handle it.
He allowed his gaze to drift over her features. A tightness pulled across his chest. Yes, indeed—she was an incredibly desirable woman who had definitely heated up his libido.
He turned on the charm that never failed to produce the desired results, but the words were out of his mouth before he could evaluate where they had come from—words that were as much lustful desire as they were serious.
“Perhaps we could reach a compromise. According to my attorney, you’re a high school teacher. I’d be willing to let you, uh…” His words trailed off as his libido shoved at him again. He flashed a smile that was as much pure seduction as it was sincere. “To work off the debt.”
Two
The shock traveled through Kim’s body, followed by a sharp jab of anger, which was compounded by the lascivious gleam in Jared’s eyes and the unmistakable challenge in his face.
“You’d what?” A hard edge surrounded her words, combined with her disbelief at what he had said, but she didn’t care and made no effort to hide it.
“I’d be willing to make arrangements for you to work off the debt this summer while you’re not teaching rather than having to come up with the money from some other source.”
A hint of a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, a grin he was obviously trying to suppress. Anger welled inside her. He was playing games with her, baiting her…taunting her. She bristled at his suggestion and its implied meaning, a situation fueled by the sexy twinkle in his eyes. She forced her anger down as she carefully measured her words. “That type of ludicrous line might work on the many women who frequent your bedroom, but I’m most certainly not one of them!”
“Whoa! Hold on there. I don’t know what you’re assuming, but what I’m offering is a legitimate way for you to resolve this problem. I need a girl Friday type of person for the summer while I’m here. I usually have one of the secretaries from our corporate offices in San Francisco handle the summer chores, but I’d be willing to allow you to fill that position. And in exchange for that…” His voice trailed off as his gaze slowly drifted across her body, then returned to her face.
The anger crept into her voice. “And in exchange for that, what? You’re going to forgive twenty thousand dollars plus all the accrued interest?” She threw a skeptical look in his direction. “That’s a lot of money for only three months worth of legitimate work.”
He stared at her. She felt as if his green eyes were looking right through her. A shiver of trepidation slowly replaced the anger of a moment earlier. Had she gone too far? Had she been out of line in so quickly jumping to interpret his meaning or, more accurately, to possibly have misinterpreted it? She couldn’t afford to be on the receiving end of a lawsuit. She could not allow the situation to disintegrate to the point where he would file a claim against her father’s estate. Good grief, Kim. Why can’t you learn to keep your big mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself?
“It would be a lot of money if it were actually being paid to someone. I’m looking at the overall picture, the cost to me of bringing someone from the corporate offices. Not only would I need to pay someone a salary while taking them away from their regular duties, I would also need to provide housing for the summer and per diem money since that employee would be away from home on a work assignment. You already have housing here in Otter Crest, and I assume have already made arrangements for whatever money you need to accommodate your bills during the summer.”
It made sense, but did she dare trust what he said? He was a Stevens. For as long as she could remember, her father and Jared’s father had been at odds. And before that it was her grandfather and Jared’s grandfather. The walls seemed to be closing in around her, trapping her in an untenable situation. He had manipulated her to the point where he had taken away any choices she might have had.
She tried to project an assertive, in-control attitude, something far removed from the way she felt. “I would insist that my attorney draw up a document stating the exact parameters of this agreement…that is, if I decide to do it.”
Jared flashed the sexy smile that set her heart fluttering and caused a shortness of breath. “I wouldn’t have it any other way—everything neat and tidy and legal.”
She swallowed hard as several thoughts circulated through her mind. It didn’t have to be all one-sided where she was doing all the giving and he was doing all the taking. There wouldn’t be anything in an agreement that said she had to be pleasant. She could make it the most miserable three months of his life as long as she didn’t step over the line and give him an opportunity to claim she wasn’t living up to her part of the agreement. But was that practical? What she really wanted to do was resolve the debt question, then get as far away from the town of Otter Crest and any connection with the Stevens family as she could.
A brief thought popped into her mind that it might be the sexy magnetism of the troublesome and disconcerting Jared Stevens she wanted to get away from. She tried to dismiss the errant notion as ridiculous, but it continued to linger in the back of her mind, circulating a heated excitement through her veins.
Jared’s smooth voice interrupted her disturbing thoughts.
“Well? What’s your answer?” The triumphant gleam sparkled in his eyes, and the look of victory covered his features. “Are we going to be able to satisfy this debt easily or do I need to have my attorney file that claim against the estate?”
A hard lump formed in her throat, successfully blocking any attempt to speak. He had her backed into a corner. A little shiver of trepidation worked its way through her body, touched by a hint of resentment at the way he had manipulated the situation for his benefit. She reluctantly nodded in agreement. Would it be a decision she would live to regret? One that would come back to haunt her?
“Is that nod your way of accepting my offer?”
She forced the words. “Yes…providing my attorney can draw
