Beyond Control (27 page)

It was Monday morning, and I was sitting at my desk, thumbing through the performance reports for our latest launch, feeling like I’d left this life far behind. So much had happened over the weekend that it felt like I was leading a completely different life, and it made absolutely no sense to be here. Yet here I was.

A soft tap at the door startled me, and Ashley waved. Ha! That was right. She was the one trying to set up Brandy.

“Hey,” I said, welcoming her in.

“How’s everything going with your dad?” she asked.

She caught me completely off-guard. From what I was told no one knew that anything had happened. Brandy must’ve mentioned something when they went out on Friday night.

I nodded and smiled. “He’s doing really well. Thanks for asking.”

“My father has heart problems too,” she said. “It’s a scary thing.”

“So true,” I agreed. “I never really expected it since he takes such good care of himself, mostly.”

“You just never know,” she said, smiling.

“Brandy mentioned a possible set-up?” I asked, trying to switch the subject to lighter territory. “She said you mentioned it at dinner?”

Ashley started laughing. “That didn’t seem to go over too well, but it wasn’t at dinner. No. We haven’t been out to dinner. It was at the office on Thursday.”

Why would Brandy lie about that? Maybe she didn’t. I had a lot on my mind.

“Oh, I must have gotten it mixed up. It was kind of crazy this weekend. Well, I think it’s a marvelous idea.”

“You’ll have to convince her because she was not having it. And he’s a really great guy,” she continued.

“I’ll give it my best shot with her,” I said, laughing.

“Please do because I foolishly told him about her first and it would be awkward.” She pursed her lips.

“Totally understand. She’ll go. I know it.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you get back to it,” she said, giving a slight wave.

Brandy popped her head over the cubicle wall and watched Ashley walk out of my office. I waved for her to come into the office, which she did quicker than I’d seen her move in a long time.

“So what did Ashley want?” she asked, glancing behind her.

“Me to convince you to give that guy a chance. I guess she’d already told him about you,” I said, smiling. “Paybacks a bitch,”

“What do you mean?” she asked, scowling.

“No clothing ring a bell?” I asked, shaking my head. I hadn’t said another word to her about it since the text, but this seemed like a perfect opportunity to teach her a lesson, and she might even enjoy herself.

“Don’t make me,” she whined.

“You might really hit it off.”

She rolled her eyes at me and pouted a full-on pout. “Nope.”

“I already said yes. Jason and I can meet you and do like a double date or something.”

“Yeah. That sounds great,” she said, giving me the iciest stare ever.

“Awesome. I’ll let Ashley know,” I said, trying not to laugh.

“You’re on your own for lunch,” she snapped. “I have reading to do. Class starts in a couple weeks.”

“I’m sure that’s the reason,” I said, laughing, feeling only partially guilty for making her participate in the blind date. “Besides, I’m going to go check out Jason’s shop on my lunch. I’m leaving in ten.”

Unable to let her grumpiness with me outweigh her happiness for me, she flashed me a huge smile. “Good. Glad it’s settled then.” And she stomped out of my office, right into her cubicle.

My phone rang and this time recognizing Jason’s number, I picked it up.

“Hey,” I said.

“How’s your morning been?” he asked.

“Our latest variety of cheese is bringing in great results. Better than forecasted,” my voice monotone.

Hearing his laugh come through the phone made me feel as if I was the luckiest person in the world.

“Still up for the grand tour?” he asked.

His voice sent shivers through me as I thought about our weekend together.

“I’ve been looking forward to it all morning.”

“Hopefully the tour lives up to your expectations,” his low voice took me off-guard.

“Me too. I hate to be disappointed.”

He let out another deep laugh. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head all morning, and this doesn’t help.”

“What doesn’t help?” I asked, twisting the phone cord around my finger. I totally felt like I was in junior high. If this was what falling in love was supposed to feel like, than I had been terribly misled in my prior life.

“Your smart mouth. Not many women…” he stopped.

“What?” My belly did a flip-flop.

“Nah. It’ll go to your head,” his voice viciously teasing me through the phone.

“Please. I’m not the one with the ego out to Switzerland,” I huffed.

“Switzerland? That’s kind of random,” he mused. “But the question is did you enjoy this weekend, Gabby?”

A pang of desire shot through me as his words rolled around in my head. Did I enjoy this weekend? I haven’t been able to think straight since I left his house.

“Well?” his voice sharper now.

“Yes,” I breathed into the phone, blushing at the reaction he was causing. “It was fabulous.”

“I hear something in your voice, Gabby. What is it?”

My body betrayed me as I heard him say my name.
Damn him!
I squeezed my eyes shut, and the images of him tracing his lips across my belly flashed in my head, and I started laughing. I couldn’t escape him…not that I wanted to.

“Nothing I can say while I’m at the office,” I spoke softly.

“Hmm. Well, I look forward to hearing about whatever it was when you get here. See ya in a few, babe,” his voice playful as he hung up the phone.

I missed the entrance to the parking lot and wound up circling the block. The building took over an entire corner and was quite impressive. The entire north end of the building was glass and looked to be a showroom. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot near the entrance.

I hopped out of my Jeep and saw Jason through the window. My heart skipped a beat as I watched his eyes take me in, just like they did last night and the night before.

I gave him a quick wave and his mouth turned up at the corner. He glided over to the entrance and opened the door.

“What do you think?” he asked, motioning toward the giant showroom.

It was beautiful, sleek, amazing. I could tell he had put his heart and soul into this place. The shiny floors and clean lines of the interior were the perfect backdrop for his motorcycles.

“Amazing. They’re all your designs?” I asked, looking at row after row of bikes.

He nodded, sliding his arm around my waist. “My designs. My builds. Most of these aren’t for sale. They’re part of my personal collection, but it shows clients what we can do.”

“They’re beautiful,” I said walking toward the first line of bikes.

“Not as beautiful as you,” he murmured, looking into my eyes.

“Smooth,” I said, giggling.

His grip tightened, bringing me closer to him. I looked around the showroom and didn’t see anyone.

“They’re all at lunch,” he murmured, his breath skating over my lobe as he brought his lips closer.

“So I get a private tour, without interruptions?” I asked, feeling his finger slide along my hip, sending a chill through me.

“Without interruptions,” he said, smiling.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

He pulled me around to face him and my pulse quickened, recognizing the look in his eyes. His hand slid up my back, curling his fingers around my hair and my body begged for more. How could he do this to me with just one look?

“We shouldn’t. Not here,” I whispered. Instantly crushing my mouth under his, I felt his tongue gently stroke mine, and there was nothing I could do as my eyes closed. I was under his spell. He pulled away abruptly, and my eyes quickly blinked open wanting more. His gaze locked on mine and his eyes burned into me. I didn’t think I’d be able to go back to work unless…

“I own the place. If I want to kiss a woman in the middle of the showroom, I can,” he growled seductively, making my heart flutter. “But like I said, we’re alone.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” I snapped, trying to regain control of my senses.

“Boss, huh?” His smile deepened, as he stepped back. “I think I like that. I’ll show you around since I know you have to get back to your office.” His eyes glinted with mischief as our hands interlocked, and we walked to the far wall where a line of offices were located.

Wait? What?

“This is the bookkeeper’s office,” he said, pointing at the room closest to us. “She only comes in once a week. Her name’s Beth.” He double tapped on the name sign. He was totally messing with me, burning time.
Bastard!

“Next to her is the general manager, Barry. He runs the shop. Makes sure the workflow stays consistent,” he continued, winking at me before we moved to the next office. “And this is our marketing and sales guy, Jerry. He does all the web stuff for us, too. He actually works from home most days.”

We had reached the end of the hall, and there was a metal door to our right.

“Where’s your office?”

“It’s above the shop,” he said, pointing at the metal door. “We can check out the shop and go grab a bite to eat.” His smile deepened, exposing his dimple. I knew he was up to something, and I wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Lunch, huh?” I smacked his back gently. “If that’s what you’re calling it.”

“Calling what?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Nothing,” I said, completely flustered, my expression falling with disappointment.

He turned toward the metal door and swung it open. I smelled a mixture of oil and burnt metal. The concrete floor had some sort of glossy finish, and Jason flipped around to grab my hand.

“I don’t want you to slip,” he said, his stare falling to my heels. “Not exactly shop attire.”

I followed him into the large area, where I spotted several bikes in various stages of completion.

“How many guys do you have working on these?”

“I have seven right now, but if things continue I’ll need to bring more on,” he said, winding me around the various builds.

“That’s incredible that everything’s growing so quickly,” I muttered, noticing something of interest across the way. I spotted the stairs at the end of the shop, and my heartbeat quickened at the thought of going up there. Being alone with him before I had to return to work. That was crazy! I couldn’t start thinking like this. I could handle a few more hours.

“Well, when you love what you do, it makes all the difference,” he replied. “They need to teach that in college, but I don’t think they want to let the secret out.”

“There would be no minions to help the evil ones take over the world,” I said, laughing, shaking my head.

He stopped in the middle of the shop and spun around so quickly, I almost bumped into him. He released his hand from mine and slid his fingers along my arm, igniting another flash of sparks between us.

“True.” He nodded. “So did you have a chance to look over the things I gave you?” He took a step closer, and my chest tightened as I looked up at him through my lashes. His mouth looked so appealing as his lips formed a perfect circle, waiting for my reply.

I nodded. “Briefly. I plan on looking them over in detail.”

“You promise?” he asked, his voice lowering.

“Promise.”

His eyes glided along my collarbone, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the way he made me feel. He softly traced my chin with his thumb, leading up my jaw. Gently placing my hair behind my ear, he brought his lips toward my earlobe.

“You deserve to be happy in every part of your life.” His breath skated across my lobe, sending a charge of electricity through me. “Live for yourself, baby, and I promise you won’t regret it. Ever.”

He ran his lips along the side of my neck, leaving my body in complete submission. I had never done something like this before, but the excitement that pulsed through me was directing me.

“Take me to your office,” I breathed. “Now.”

He pulled away, and his expression changed immediately when he saw what he did to me. A smile broke on his lips as he silently took me in and saw my quiet desperation.

“I want you now,” I repeated, my eyes locking on his. “That’s me living for myself.”

“Well then… I don’t want to disappoint you,” he said, his grin widening. His eyes flashed to the wall clock and back to me. “You never cease to amaze me.”

I wrapped my arm around his waist and before I knew it, he lifted me into his arms, taking me through the shop and toward the stairs. His lips fell to mine as he carried me up the stairs. I felt the heat of his body against mine, and my heart quickened with each step toward the top. Breaking his kiss slowly, he gently placed me on the landing as he quickly opened the door to his office.

I scanned the room, and I couldn’t help but smile as I spotted a romantic lunch that he had laid out for us. He had planned on me coming up here the whole time. He was just messing with me. A small table in the corner of his office had been cleared off, a single rose in a vase was in the center, and two takeout containers were laid out for each of us.