ZADE
If I had not been able to get Sapphire off my mind after seeing her at the fair, it was ten times worse after I’d spent the night with her.
Randy’s morning phone call to her sat under my skin like a burr under a cowboy’s saddle for days, but I decided I was going to give the little hothead the rest of the week to cool down before I reached out.
While she cooled down at her leisure, I detected a slow rage simmering steadily inside me. The flirtatious way she had spoken to the bastard! The mention of the red dress. My hands clenched on the pen I was holding. It was Friday morning. I only had the weekend to endure.
My thoughts were so twisted, that Sandy had to buzz me twice on the intercom before I noticed.
“Yes, Sandy.”
“Miss Stone’s on line one. Should I put her through?”
I could feel my heart kick like a horse. “Sure.”
There was the clicking sound of Sandy leaving the line. “Hello.”
“Hello, Zade. I…er… called to… ah… say thank you for the check.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” I drawled.
She took a deep breath.
“What else can I do for you?”
“I… actually wanted to come by to discuss something with you in person. I can be there in ten to fifteen minutes if you’re not busy.”
“I’m not. Come over.”
“Thank you.”
The line went dead and I sat looking at the phone for a few moments. What the hell was she playing at now? I pressed the intercom.
“Yes, Zade?”
“Please let security know I’m expecting Sapphire in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Zade. Will you be needing any refreshments?”
I thought I detected a slight edge to Sandy’s tone, but dismissed it as my own tense state.
“I don’t think it will be a very long visit, thanks.”
“Okay.”
I leaned back in my chair. I was going to remain calm. I was going to remain rational. I was going to allow her to say her piece and not preempt her or make any assumptions about the reason for her visit. I would simply listen and see what she had to say.
I sat like that allowing software and programming to take up my thoughts while I waited for Sapphire. The intercom buzzed.
“Miss Stone is here.”
“Thank you. Send her in.”
I leaned back in my chair and schooled my expression. Sandy’s long legs came into view first as the door opened. I looked into her cool eyes and thought I saw a spark of fire there.
“Miss Stone.” She stood at the door and allowed Sapphire to pass.
Again, the resemblance between the two women was striking. I almost smiled when I saw that Sapphire had clearly come to fight fire with fire this time. She was wearing her hair loose, held back by only a silk scarf. Her t-shirt clung to her torso, outlining the swell of her breasts and emphasizing the narrowness of her waist as it was pushed into her tight black jeans. Her hips swayed seductively with each step. I did not need to look at her feet to know that she was wearing something with heels. Her face was devoid of the excessive make-up Sandy was fond of wearing, but on every other point, Sapphire was drawing a line in the dirt and squaring off with Sandy.
I noticed Sandy looked at her with barely concealed dislike.
“Thank you, Sandy.”
Her eyes snapped to meet mine and instantly the scowl was replaced by a smile which did not quite reach her eyes.
“Sure thing, Zade.”
I thought I detected a hint of intimacy in the way she said my name. I saw Sapphire’s shoulders stiffen and knew that little power-play had been meant for Sapphire’s ears. The challenge seemed to have been accepted. Not that I cared.
I gestured for Sapphire to sit opposite me and watched as she licked her lips, a sure sign of her nervousness. She took a deep breath.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve decided to accept your offer.”
I blinked once. “My offer?” I asked quietly.
“Yes. You wanted a relationship in exchange for the rest of the donation. I accept.”
“Oh. I see.”
“Unless you weren’t serious…”