first?”
“Yep.” He grinned again, that ready grin that made all the ladies of his acquaintance smile in yearning. “They’ve been very diligent in trying to get me married off. Every damn one of them has produced at least three prospective brides. I can’t make them understand that I’d prefer to do the choosing myself when I decide the time is right.”
Olivia suddenly realized they’d already broken their new set of rules. Learning about Tony’s family definitely went beyond business and was dangerous besides; the more she knew about him, the more fascinating he seemed. It had taken her no time at all to become accustomed to wanting him, to accepting him as a desirable man. Every day, every minute it seemed, her feelings for him grew. She began to wonder if those feelings hadn’t been there all along, waiting to be noticed.
It was a very scary prospect. She couldn’t afford, professionally or emotionally, to get overly involved with him. So she changed the subject, away from his family, and tried to dwell on something less intimate.
Their soup was delivered and throughout the rest of the lunch they discussed Olivia’s new shop and Tony’s proposed agreement. To his credit, Tony argued fiercely, but Olivia wore him down. The meal ended with Tony promising to have his lawyer okay everything and return the finalized papers to her very soon.
They stood on the curb outside the restaurant, the lunch-time crowd flowing around them, and Tony touched her arm. “Friday at six.”
“I’ll be ready.”
He started to move toward his car, then halted and turned back to her. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Olivia never wavered. As with all her decisions, she didn’t allow room for regrets. She held his gaze and nodded.
“Good. Because I think we’ll barely make it inside the door before I’ll lose my control. You’ve pushed a lot on this deal, lady, more than any before. You’ve demanded that I give you pleasure, and that I spend a great deal of time doing it.” He reached up and flicked a finger over her cheek, so very briefly. “Friday night, you’re liable to find I have a few demands of my own.”
Olivia watched him stride away, and then as a smile spread over her face, she whispered, “Oh, I do hope so, Tony, I really do.”
DISGUSTED WITH HERSELF, Olivia knew she wasn’t going to get any real work done. She’d spent Friday afternoon having her legs waxed and her nails manicured, then left the shop early to go home and shower and change. She’d meant to get back in time to do some inventory, but she’d lingered over choosing an outfit, trying to find something simple and attractive, while not wanting to display too obviously her wish to be appealing. By the time she returned to the shop, she had only a little time before Tony was due to pick her up.
After saying good-night to her store manager, she settled down to look over the most recent batch of applications for new jobs, thanks to Tony. She’d already decided to promote one woman to manager of the new store, but then she had to fill that woman’s position. Olivia was fortunate in always having found excellent employees. She’d learned from Tony that you got what you paid for, and she’d always been generous with her benefits.
As soon as thoughts of Tony entered her mind, she started daydreaming again. She should have bought a new outfit for today, she thought, looking down at her simple beige wool skirt and matching tunic. The top had a row of pearl buttons that started just above her breasts and ended at the hem. As she imagined Tony undoing those buttons, one by one, she shivered.
She’d tossed aside her normal panty hose in favor of silky stockings with a pale rose satin garter, a big seller for the shops. She had even dabbed on perfume in very naughty places. Her pumps were midheeled and made her legs extra long and shapely. To balance the effect, she’d left her hair loose, parted in the middle, and it fell to rest against the top of her shoulders. She was so nervous, she’d long since chewed off any lipstick she might have applied, and decided against fussing with more.
She’d probably feel more confident, she thought, if she’d worn something daring, something sinful and sexy. Her selection of underclothes often gave her confidence, especially when no one knew she was wearing them.
She walked to a rack and picked up a teddy that fairly screamed enticement with rosette patterns of lace across the breasts and between the legs. She fingered the material, feeling it slide through her hands. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath imagining it sliding through Tony’s hands.
When she heard the bell over the door chime, even though the Closed sign was up, she jerked, then quickly spun around to face the door.
Tony walked in, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dress pants, and she could only stare. His gaze connected with hers, and he started forward with a steady, determined stride. He didn’t stop at the counter, but came to the rack where she stood, her lips parted, the teddy still in her hand.
His eyes moved over her, lingering on the teddy, and he asked, “Are we alone here?”
She nodded. “I was just finishing up—”
He laid a finger against her lips. There was no smile on his mouth, no welcome in his eyes. He looked intent and determined and very hungry. He slid his hand into her hair and cupped her head, stepping closer until his pant legs brushed her skirt. And then he kissed her.
ITHAD BEEN WORTH THE WAIT.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling so anxious for a woman. It was the teasing, he was certain, that had brought him low. Olivia, in her usual forceful, decisive way, had seduced him most thoroughly. Odd, but he hadn’t ever thought of her business manner carrying over into something so personal. He knew so damn little about her personal life.
Such as whether or not she really ever wore a garment as sexy as the teddy in her hand.
That was something he could soon find out. Because it was obvious she used the same tack of gaining what she wanted whether it was business or pleasure. And she wanted him.
That thought had plagued him all week, and it had been all he could do to maintain a touch of control over himself. What he needed, he thought, was a long, hot, intimate evening alone with her. And then he’d be able to get her out of his system and put her, and his purpose for being with her, in proper perspective. But damn, she tasted good.
He knew he should pull back, give her time to catch her breath, but she wasn’t fighting him, wasn’t behaving in a particularly shocked manner. She merely stood there and gave him free rein. He slanted his mouth over hers again, then lightly coasted his tongue over her bottom lip. She groaned.
Apart from the one hand he had in her hair and his mouth, Tony didn’t touch her. Olivia’s hands remained at her sides, almost as if she was afraid to move them. He leaned back and stared down at her face. Her dark brown eyes were half closed, the thick lashes seeming to weigh them down. Her lips were still parted, and her cheeks were flushed. He liked that.
“We’re going back to my house.”
She blinked twice, then cleared her throat. “I assumed you’d rent a place…”
“My home is very private. And I don’t want to be running around town. Too many people know me. Besides, today is my birthday. Someone might decide to surprise me with a bottle of champagne or some such nonsense, and once we’re alone, I don’t want to be disturbed.”
Her
