A Woman's Touch

glanced around the room, which was littered with empty glasses and food trays. He nodded once in satisfaction.
    „You did a good job, Becky,“ he said. „But I’m glad we don’t have to go through this again until next year.“
    „Don’t forget the annual Christmas party.“
    „What annual Christmas party? We never have Christmas parties at Flaming Luck.“
    „Your reputation as Scrooge is about to undergo a change.“
    He groaned. „I’m not ready to face that kind of trauma yet. Wait until November before you start talking to me about a Christmas party. Ready to go?“
    „I’ll get my purse,“ she murmured and fled toward the cloakroom. The inevitable had arrived. The sensual tension between herself and Kyle was palpable. She could feel it beating at her. She heard it in his voice.
    Ten minutes later he walked her out into the hotel parking lot and eased her into the cockpit of the black Porsche.
    Then he got in beside her and closed the door. Rebecca had a curious sensation of sliding down beneath the surface of a moonlit sea. She could still breathe here below the waves, but she felt trapped in a warm, flowing current that was carrying her toward an unseen destination.
    There was silence in the Porsche as Kyle pulled out onto the street. Rebecca could feel him brooding beside her. It was not an unfamiliar experience. After working for Kyle for two months, she was becoming accustomed to his long periods of dark contemplation. She knew he was deep in his thoughts now, and she could only guess at what was going through his brain.
    Was he thinking of some clever excuse for urging her to stop by his place before he drove her home? Plotting devious ways to seduce her? No, that wasn’t like Kyle. He was always forthright and direct about what he wanted, often disconcertingly so. As Natalie had said, no one would ever accuse Kyle Stockbridge of being the soul of charm and tact.
    She’d better think fast about just what she wanted, Rebecca decided. Kyle was something of an unknown quantity.
    Getting involved with him held a lot of potential risk. There were dark, heavily shadowed regions in this man, she knew
    – regions she might never be allowed to see our understand. She wasn’t certain if she could accept a man who was so unknowable.
    „You never answered my question earlier,“ Kyle said at last.
    „Which question?“ But she knew. She knew what he was going to say next. She flexed her fingers in her lap in an unconscious attempt to alleviate some of her tension.
    „Would it be so hard for you to go to bed with me?“
    Rebecca took a deep breath and gave in to her fantasies. „No,“ she whispered. „It wouldn’t be hard at all.“

TWO
    „I’m not handling this very well. I’m sorry.“ Kyle’s voice was low and rough as he walked over to join Rebecca in front of the vast expanse of his living-room window. He had already discarded his jacket. As he moved toward her, he tugged impatiently at the knot of his tie.
    Rebecca smiled a little nervously as she surveyed the night view of Denver that was spread out before her. „Don’t look at me for advice and assistance,“ she said, trying to keep things light. „I haven’t had a lot of experience at this sort of thing, myself.“
    „I figured as much,“ he said with unexpected gentleness. „But you’re my ace executive assistant. I count on you for management expertise.“
    „Does this kind of thing have to be managed?“
    „We’ll wing it,“ he promised.
    Silence descended.
    „I’ve often wondered what your home would look like,“ she said after a moment. „I think I expected you to have a house in the hills, not a high-rise apartment.“
    „This is closer to the office.“ He handed her one of the two glasses he’d brought with him from the kitchen.
    The aroma of a potent liquor filled Rebecca’s nostrils. She inhaled deeply and felt herself sinking further into the dangerous current. „And being close to the office is important to you, isn’t it? Flaming Luck Enterprises is your whole life.“
    „Not quite. But it’s sure as hell a big part of it.“ He was watching her profile, not the view. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the living-room lights and the shadows suited him all too well. „I have a place in the mountains where I can go when I feel the need to get out of the city.“
    „What kind of place?“ she asked curiously.
    „A ranch. It’s been in the family since the late eighteen hundreds. It’s mine now.