Текст книги "Just To Be With You"

Автор книги: Bella Andre

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Not for one single second.

CHAPTER FIVE

“I thought I worked hard,” Tatiana said five hours later when they were in the back of his town car on the way to a lunch meeting, “but I’m starting to feel like being on a movie set is closer to hanging out at the spa compared to what you do every day.” She didn’t need to refer to the schedule Ian’s assistant had given her, because she’d memorized it. “I assumed all you did was play with money and keep your eye on changing market conditions, but so far today you’ve already had meetings about a major tech acquisition, expanding your office further into Asia, a huge fundraising event that you’ve been spearheading, and now we’re heading to lunch to discuss chemistry with a professor from the University of Washington.”

It was the first chance she’d had to talk privately with Ian since his first meeting of the day, and though she’d done nothing more than sit in on his meetings to take notes, she felt worn out simply from observing his pace, his intensity, his drive. Slipping off her heels for a few precious moments, she unbuttoned her blue blazer, loosened her hair from its twist, and slid her feet beneath her on the leather seat.

She felt good about how well she’d blended in this morning. Even Ian had seemed to forget all about her. Not that she had stopped reacting to him, however. All morning in his presence she’d felt overly warm, as though her body was constantly on alert for something.

No, not just something. For a look. For a touch. And, in her most hopeful moments, for a kiss. One stolen in a deserted hallway as he pressed her up against the wall, his muscles hard against hers, his lips hot as they devoured hers.

Heat swamped her again as she fumbled for the button that would lower the window. Finally, it let in the cool, damp air. She lifted her hair off her neck and let it blow over her.

“How,” she asked him as the heat of his gaze on her kept her warm despite the cold rushing through the window, “do you do it?”

“How do I do what, exactly?”

Tatiana wanted to know so many things about him that, honestly, even she wasn’t sure which question she was asking in that moment. She wanted to know how he made her feel so much, so quickly, and with so little effort. She wanted to know what had put the darkness into his eyes, and the hard edges around his mouth where smile lines should be. She wanted to know how he could sit at a dining table with a family who wanted nothing more than to love him, but still hold himself just far enough away from them so that they couldn’t get all the way past his walls.

But since she also wanted to understand the businessman she’d observed during the past five hours, she asked, “How do you run at this pace, hour after hour, day after day, without getting even the slightest bit winded?”

“It’s my job.”

She held in an irritated sigh. She’d known he was going to be a tough nut to crack, hadn’t she? Heck, his mother had all but held up flashing neon signs of the words struggle and determination while they were making dinner.

“Yes, but it’s a job you no longer need to work at half as hard as you do, especially when you’ve already had more success than most people could ever dream of. Take Flynn Thomas and his company. I know you’re excited about the chance to work with him and he’s clearly brilliant at what he does, but I’m sure you could get him to take the deal without offering to give up so much of your own time and energy. And yet, you didn’t hesitate to give him your word that you wouldn’t hand him or his company off to anyone else.”

“The same thing could be said of you and acting—that you no longer need to work at it half as hard as you do when you’ve already had so much success. But that isn’t stopping you from taking on new roles, is it?”

Tatiana understood this was Ian’s way of trying to deflect her question away from himself. All morning she’d watched as he talked with employees and colleagues, and while he remembered the details of all their lives, he made absolutely certain that the personal conversations he had with people never circled back around to him. And she’d also noticed how careful all of those people were to stay perfectly within the boundaries he set for them.

When, she wondered, was the last time anyone had thrown caution to the wind and tried to smash through those boundaries?

It was tempting to try to do just that in the back of his town car while they were stuck in lunchtime traffic. But it was still too soon. Way too soon. Hurling herself like a wrecking ball at his stiff and starched-up boundaries within the first five hours of shadowing him wouldn’t do either of them any good.

Patience. Somehow, she needed to find a little of it.

So, instead of pressuring him to answer her question just yet, she answered his. “I keep taking new roles because I love what I do.” And her love for what she did for a living, at least, really was that simple. “Being an actor was always my dream. I love to make people happy, to know that I’ve helped them forget about their lives for a little while. Make believe, and disappearing into characters while in front of the camera, is just as much fun for me now as it was when I was a little girl wearing a tiger costume in my first commercial for a zoo. Because even when the outfit got hot and scratchy and all I could think about was yanking it off and throwing the stuffed head as far as I could, I already had enough passion and desire for acting to say my lines another dozen times until the director was satisfied. And what I remember most of all about that day is that when I was done, I felt like I’d achieved something really great. Not just filming a zoo commercial, but that I’d faced the challenge down...and won.”

It was precisely what she was hoping to do again with this new role. Just as soon as she figured out her character’s motivations, which would hopefully happen any day now. Especially considering the studio had tens of millions of dollars riding on her new film.

“Now that I think about it,” she said, “I don’t really need you to tell me how you do what you do. I think I can understand that well enough from my personal experience with my career. What I’d rather understand is why.”

Though he’d rather flippantly responded to her first question by saying it was his job, she didn’t think he’d do the same thing now. Already, she’d learned that while he wasn’t the easiest person to do business with, he was fair. And he respected a well-thought-out question just as much as he did a well-researched answer.

“I was twenty-one when I started Sullivan Investments.”

Over and over throughout the years, people had remarked to her about how much she’d accomplished at her age. Still, she was a little stunned to think that he’d begun his rapid climb to the top when he was two years younger than she was now.

“So this was always what you wanted, the same way I wanted to act?”

“No,” he said in a low voice, “not always.”

When he didn’t say anything more for a few long moments, she nearly reminded him that she’d signed an NDA and wouldn’t ever repeat what he told her now to anyone. Only, she suddenly realized, this wasn’t business anymore. It was no longer research.

It was personal.

“What did you want, Ian?” She gestured out the still-open window at the tall, shiny skyscrapers. “Before all of this?”

He was looking directly at her, but his eyes were slightly unfocused, as though he was looking through her into the past. “I wanted to play football.”

She’d seen him throw the ball, knew just how well it fit into his hands. “I’ve only shadowed you for a few hours, but one thing I already know for certain is that when you want something, you get it. So it wasn’t that you weren’t good enough, was it?”

His eyes cleared as he refocused his gaze on her. “I was good. But things changed and football didn’t make sense anymore.”

“Why?”

“How many times are you going to say that word to me?”

She didn’t hesitate before answering him with the truth. “Lots and lots of times.”

Irritation warred with amusement on his face, and she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he said, “If I answer this why, will you do us both a favor and not say it again during the rest of this ride, at the very least?” As soon as she nodded, he said, “I went into the investment business in college so that I could pitch in during a rough time my dad was having with his job. Once I started working, I quickly found out that I was good at it.”

“Good is a bit of an understatement considering one of your colleagues said…” She opened her notebook and pointed to her notes. “It’s as if he has investing ESP.”

His grin came and went so fast, she might have thought she’d imagined it if she hadn’t been able to feel the power of it still radiating straight into the center of her chest.

Right where it was starting to feel as though her heart was beating only for him.

“I like what I do, Tatiana. I like the money, the security, and the peace of mind that comes with being good at it, too.”

“But it isn’t just about your own financial security, is it?” She thought back to the meeting they’d just left with the head of the Seattle Family Foundation. Ian was to be the master of ceremonies at a big fundraising event on Friday night, and he’d given just as much focus, just as much passion, during the meeting with the charitable organization as he had in any of the others that were all about corporate revenue and profits.

“You never forget what it’s like to wonder if you’ll lose everything.” Again, his eyes clouded as if he was back in the past. “Even once you’ve got more than you need. If we can teach mothers and fathers, and their kids, the kinds of skills that will mean they’ll land on their feet, it might not solve all their problems, but hopefully it will at least give them something to aim for when times are tough.”

“So you don’t just want to give them hope, or temporary solutions, but the possibility of a good future.” She liked it—liked it a lot. “I didn’t want to interrupt during your meeting, especially since the event is less than a week away, but the biggest issues seemed to revolve around visibility for the organization. I know this might sound kind of dumb, but something simple like me being photographed at the event on Friday night in some designer dress might help a little bit to raise awareness about what you’re working toward.” She felt a little embarrassed as she told him, “It seems like whenever I attend anything in a pretty dress, the pictures are all over the Internet and magazines for the next few days. And if it would help a good cause...”

“It doesn’t sound even the least bit dumb, Tatiana, and it would definitely help raise visibility for the foundation.”

“So it’s a date?”

His eyes darkened for a moment before he nodded. “It’s a date. I’ll let them know you’ll be attending and, if it’s okay with you, they can alert the press in advance.”

“Sounds great,” she said, her heart cartwheeling in her chest.

Okay, so it wasn’t a real date, but at least she’d be spending Friday night with Ian. And it hadn’t been nearly as difficult as she’d thought to get him to open up to her a little bit, had it?

“Thank you for answering my questions, Ian.” Belatedly remembering she was supposed to be asking because of her research on CEOs, and not just because she wanted to know every little thing about him, she said, “I think it’s going to help a lot with my role.”

“You know, if you hadn’t been such a good little tiger all those years ago, you would have made a good journalist.”

Warmth shot through her at his compliment. “Actually, I played a journalist a couple of years ago.”

“The twist at the end of that film was pretty surprising.”

“You saw it?”

“Your movies are very popular, you know.”

“Yes, but I also now know firsthand just how busy your work schedule is.”

“Even I take a couple of hours off here and there, Tatiana.”

Something about the way Ian said it, with the innate Sullivan lady-killing charm that his other brothers let fly much more freely than he normally did, immediately made her think of him taking time off for sex.

Her next breath caught in her throat as desire hit her with far stronger force than it ever had before. Ian was, clearly, a very physical man despite the hours he put in at the office. She assumed he worked out based on how fit he was, but something told her that hitting the gym wasn’t the only way he liked to get his blood pumping.

It was moments like this when she felt every inch the virgin no one would ever believe she was given the handful of sexy roles she’d played so far. A more experienced woman would know how to amp up the sensuality in the car with nothing more than a few alluring words.

But, for the first time in a very long time, Tatiana was suddenly completely tongue-tied.

CHAPTER SIX

Every eye in the restaurant turned to them as they walked inside and Ian silently cursed himself for not having thought to change the reservation to a more private location. Because, while Tatiana barely seemed to be aware of all the stares and excited whispers, Ian knew it had to grate on her. Hell, it grated on him like crazy, and he wasn’t even the famous one. She’d told him she could take care of herself, but even if she knew some martial arts, she was small enough—and trusting enough—that Ian knew he could have her beneath him and helpless within seconds if he wanted to.

The thought shouldn’t have been so arousing, damn it, but fifteen minutes alone in his town car with Tatiana after five hours of breathing in her seductive scent in conference rooms had made it difficult for him to string a straight thought together, let alone put the brakes on his attraction to her.

“Ian, my boy, what a pleasure it is to see you.”

Ian shook George’s hand, glad that the man’s grip was just as hearty as ever. “Professor, it’s been too long.”

Ian had been looking forward to this meeting since they’d arranged it a couple of weeks ago. George Collingsworth had not only been his favorite professor at the University of Washington, he was also an expert on fuel chemistry and synthesis. When the opportunity had arisen for Sullivan Investments to become a major partner in a company that specialized in new fuel-replacement technologies, he’d asked George if he could meet to give him some advice.

His old professor looked just as he always had, his shock of white hair in complete disarray, the pieces of his suit put together in a seemingly random and color-blind way. There was one big difference today, however: His normally preoccupied expression had been replaced by a huge smile.

Tatiana had that effect on everyone, from young tech geniuses to professors who were usually lost in the wilds of their brilliant minds. Even, Ian had to admit, normally laser-focused businessmen like himself.

He was just about to introduce them when George declared, “You’ve brought your beautiful wife with you!” Clearly, Ian thought, they’d just come across the one person on the planet who had no idea who she was, which was further brought home when George said, “Tell me your name, my dear.”

“Tatiana.”

“I’m George, and I must say it is positively wonderful to meet you. What a beauty you are, and with such intelligence in your eyes. Truly, you remind me of my own late wife. It’s been fifteen years since she passed away, and I still miss her every single day.”

Her face had lit up the moment she set eyes on George. But now empathy moved across her features. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s very sweet of you.” George’s eyes twinkled as he looked back at Ian. “You’re a very lucky man, Ian.”

From the moment he’d found Tatiana in his office on Friday, Ian’s world had shifted farther and farther off its axis due to his inability to stop wanting her. Now, George’s honest mistake threatened to shove it all the way off.

Of course, the way Tatiana turned to him with her own grin and twinkling eyes didn’t help one damn bit. Especially considering that he had to not only struggle to drag his gaze from hers...but also to keep from pulling her against him for a kiss that wouldn’t do a damn thing to disprove George’s incorrect assumption.

“We aren’t—” A breeze from the open door of the restaurant blew the vanilla scent of Tatiana’s hair to him, temporarily making him lose his train of thought.

In the end, she was the one who finally clarified things. “I’m really flattered that you think I could be Ian’s wife, George, but I’m just a friend.”

His old professor frowned, looking between them. “I know chemistry when I see it, and not just in the lab. If the two of you aren’t a couple, it’s a damned shame.” He looked between them again before seeming to make up his mind. He muttered something Ian couldn’t quite make out, but that sounded a heck of a lot like Just a matter of time.

Ian had never been a man pulled forward by fate, luck, or coincidence. He’d always made his own choices, forged his own deliberate path. But even as he silently denied that what his professor had just stated could ever be true, he suddenly couldn’t stop wondering if he really was as in control of his life—or his heart—as he wanted to think he was.

George pulled out a chair for Tatiana and after they were all seated and had placed their orders, he said, “Tell me about yourself, my dear.”

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time with Ian. I know he’s really been looking forward to speaking with you.”

“My wife wasn’t one to draw attention to herself, either, but just like you, she was too beautiful to hide in the shadows.” He gestured to the glass of wine the waiter had just poured. “Now drink up and start talking.”

Tatiana laughed, clearly delighted. “Okay, but I really am going to make it quick so that the two of you can get down to business.” She took a sip of the excellent dry white wine and made a small sound of pleasure that reverberated all the way through Ian’s system. “I’m an actress and Ian is helping me do some research for a new role I’ve taken on.”

“I once had dreams of the stage,” George admitted. “And I would have been perfect for the role of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Captain Corcoran...if only I could dance or hold a tune.”

Laughing again, Tatiana said, “HMS Pinafore is one of my favorites, too.” All it took was Tatiana softly humming a tune, and soon both of them were spontaneously singing a funny back-and-forth about monarchs of the sea and rulers of the Queen’s Navy and sisters and cousins and aunts.

At the end of their impromptu performance, Tatiana gave George a hug. “Thank you for making my day with a Gilbert and Sullivan sing-along. And now, since I know the two of you have important business to take care of, I’m going to excuse myself for a minute so that you can get started without my further distracting you.”

Both Ian and George stood when she left the table, and Ian nearly went after her to make sure she didn’t get hassled by an overzealous fan. When he finally made himself sit down, his professor said, “You can’t take your eyes off her.”

Knowing better than to try to deny the truth, Ian explained, “Tatiana told you she’s an actress, but what she didn’t mention is that she’s also very, very famous. Strangers get really excited about meeting her and often forget to keep normal boundaries. I didn’t think about how difficult it might be for her to come here for lunch.”

“Well, whether or not she’s famous and you’re worried about her fans taking advantage of her has nothing whatsoever to do with you not being able to look away.”

His old professor’s tone didn’t brook any argument, so Ian didn’t try. And when George pulled out a folder with the information Ian had sent him, he was glad to finally settle down to business. Only, Ian simply couldn’t concentrate while Tatiana was gone.

But when she finally returned and took out her notepad, though Ian should have finally been able to concentrate on what George was saying, the truth was that her nearness made it just as difficult for him as her absence had.

* * *

It was eight p.m. when Ian got home for the night. He’d dropped Tatiana off on the way and learned that she was renting a condo in a building just around the block from his. So close that he could practically look out his living-room window and see her.

She’d been barely stifling her yawns by the time they made it to the last of his meetings, but had blamed it on the Mexican food they’d had delivered to the conference room. He’d seen his female cousins eat plenty of times, so he knew not every woman picked at her food the way his ex-wife had, but he was still stunned by how happily—and thoroughly—Tatiana munched down her burrito. Chelsea had only dabbled at modeling, and yet she’d been terrified of ever gaining a pound. Tatiana didn’t seem to give it a second thought.

Not, of course, that she should, considering her figure was beyond gorgeous. And as he headed into his bedroom to take off his jacket, then loosen his tie and pull it off, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was also stripping out of her clothes.

Damn it, now that he was finally alone, he needed to rein in every last ounce of focus and get the work done that he hadn’t been able to concentrate on all day...not stand in his kitchen like an idiot and daydream about what color lingerie Tatiana was wearing beneath her clothes.

Most nights he went from his office building to his home office without a break. Work had always settled him down, even in the midst of his terrible divorce. Settling in behind the desk in his den, he took out the contracts he’d brought home and began reviewing them...but when he realized he’d been rereading the same clause on page three for the past fifteen minutes, he pushed back from his desk.

A workout, that’s what he needed. A really, really, really rough one that would obliterate every last thought of Tatiana Landon.

Though he was no slacker in the workout department, Ian pushed himself running sprints on his treadmill twice as hard as he normally did. Even better, by the end he was running so fast that he couldn’t think about anything but keeping his legs and lungs working in tandem. By the time he moved on to the rack of weights along the back wall of his home gym, he was finally starting to feel like his old self.

At the very least, two weeks of being shadowed by Tatiana were going to be good for his cardio.

Damn it, there she was again, creeping into his head. Turning on the TV, he figured multi-tasking by doing weights and catching up on the financial news he’d missed that morning would keep her out of his head. Only, instead of international stock market tickers coming up on the screen, he found himself looking straight at Tatiana’s beautiful face.

She couldn’t have been more than sixteen when the program currently being referenced by the financial analyst had been filmed. They showed her speaking only a few lines of dialogue, but that was all it took for him to see that her humor, and the emotional tug she managed to portray even in the midst of what should have been a silly scene in a high school cafeteria, was the glue that had held the show together.

He should have turned it off. But just as he’d been unable to stick to his No when she’d asked to shadow him in the office, he found that he couldn’t bring himself to look away from Tatiana on his TV, either.