nothing to do with her fear of him realizing that her father was the man who had ordered his death.
The man just wasn’t her type, she thought as she stared out the window while he backed out of the parking space.
They drove in silence for several minutes before Sierra realized that he was heading for Washington Park. She lived in Washington Park! “How do you know where I live?” she asked, straightening in her seat.
He glanced over at her quickly. “I find you fascinating, Sierra. So I read your personnel file.” With a lascivious leer he said, “When you decide that you’re finished running away from me, I can be at your house in less than ten minutes.” He laughed softly, the deep, grumbling sound made her heart flutter with awareness. “And you told me where you lived earlier today.”
She hated the heat that flushed through her with his assurance. She didn’t like him, she got irritated with everything he said and she definitely didn’t want him rushing over to her place. “I don’t know what is so interesting about me. I’m just an ordinary female.” She turned to stare back out of the windshield. “I put my slacks on the same way everyone else does in the morning.”
She could actually feel his smile without turning to look at him. “I don’t believe you. Let me watch you put your slacks on tomorrow morning,” he said with another one of those sexy laughs.
She wished she was one of those people who had a pithy comeback for whatever was said. But she was more math oriented and the humor bone had been forgotten when God made her. So she sat in the ultra-luxurious seat, fuming at his wit. She sighed with relief when he turned down the street where her apartment was. “I don’t think I like just anyone being able to read my personnel file. Those records are for management. They’re supposed to be private.”
He chuckled as he turned into her parking lot. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m now your management.”
She gritted her teeth to keep herself from responding. “Thank you again for dinner,” she said when he turned the corner into her parking lot.
He pulled into a parking space near her building and turned off the engine. When she started to reach for the door handle, he stopped her with his strong hand on her forearm. She turned back to him, wanting to just jump out of the car, but something in his tone stopped her, made her listen. “Sierra, just a head’s up that you’ll be working on a special project starting tomorrow.”
That captured her attention and her hand on the door froze. “What kind of special project?” She was both wary and alert, trying to read the truth in his eyes through the darkness. She shook her head suddenly. “It doesn’t matter. I have too many projects right now. I mentioned this earlier today. I can’t take on anything else.” She remembered her manners and forced a smile. “Thank you for the opportunity though,” she said, even though she had no idea what the opportunity was.
He ignored her rejection of the new project and continued on as if she hadn’t said anything at all. “Come to Todd’s office tomorrow morning at nine. Everything will be explained to you.”
She sighed with relief. Todd’s office was safe. She didn’t need to be wary of having to speak with this man tomorrow. “I’ll be there. Thank you.”
As she quickly left his car, completely aware that he was watching her while she walked into her building, Sierra wondered what the special project might be. But she resisted the urge to turn around and ask him. She didn’t want to give him any encouragement. The man was confident enough as it was and she’d just told him unequivocally that she wouldn’t have the bandwidth to take on any new projects at this point.
She didn’t sleep well that night, her mind going over the conversation with Drake during dinner, wondering how she could have gotten so wrapped up in both the laughter as well as the ever increasing sexual tension and had such a nice evening. Well, except for the moments when he was being irritating, that is. And the times when he’d kissed her. She definitely hadn’t enjoyed those moments.
She punched her pillow and glared out the darkened window. She was lying again. It was one thing to lie to him because she told herself she was protecting him. But even