Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) (11 page)

"What was he like back then?"

Mick thought for a moment. "He had a lot of anger in him, but he was able to direct it in a positive way. He was a stubborn, determined kid. I knew he'd make something big out of his life, and he certainly did that."

"Yes," she agreed. "Alex seems to know a lot of people, but what he doesn't appear to have are really close friends or long-term friends."

"Well, he moved around as a kid, and once you get rich, it's hard to have real friends—at least that's what they tell me," Mick said with a self-deprecating grin.

"Me, too," she said with a smile.

"Is there anything you can tell me about Alex that maybe only you and a handful of people know?"

"Sure, I could tell you something."

She could see by the sparkle in his eyes that because he could didn't mean he would. "But you're not going to."

"Alex is a good friend of mine. I don't talk about him. He doesn't talk about me."

"He's not just a friend, he's also an investor in the gym, isn't he?"

"He helps out, probably more than he should. But Alex is the kind of man who gives back when he can." Mick paused. "I will tell you this about Alex. When he cares about someone, he goes all in. He's intensely loyal and incredibly generous, and not just with me."

"What about his faults? He must have a few."

"He's definitely not perfect."

"Would you care to share any small detail?"

"You're as stubborn as he is. The two of you are going to butt heads."

"We're already doing that," she admitted. "I don't really understand why. I want to write a good story about him, but he wants to keep me at arm's length."

"Somehow, I don't think he wants to keep you that far away," Mick said, a speculative gleam in his eyes. "But he probably should."

She shifted a little uncomfortably under his gaze. "Why?"

"Because if he doesn't keep his guard up, you'll have him on the ropes."

"Is that a boxing metaphor?"

"I suppose it is," he said with a grin. "But then life is a battle, isn't it? You have to learn to roll with the punches."

She smiled back at him. "You have a bunch of those, don't you?"

"I could go on all day, but I won't. I have a class starting in a few minutes."

"Well, I appreciate your time. If I have more questions, can I speak to you again?"

"Why don't you come back Wednesday night? I'm starting a new self-defense class for women. We're trying to make the gym a little less testosterone heavy."

"If I take the class, will you tell me more about Alex?"

"Tell you what, I'll answer one question for each woman you bring."

"Really? And that wouldn't be disloyal to Alex?"

"Well, I can't promise you'll like all my answers, but I'll do my best to give you a little more insight."

She stood up. "Okay, you've got yourself a deal, Mick."

"Good. I'll see you Wednesday."

She turned toward the door, then glanced back at him. "Are you going to tell Alex about our agreement?"

"I'll let you do that."

"He won't like it."

"Well, that's his problem, isn't it?"

"I guess it is."

* * *

Andrea spent the rest of Sunday writing up what she knew about Alex so far and then searching the Internet for more details. Unfortunately, every news report on Alex was the same. He'd told a similar story to every reporter in every single interview. She supposed she should feel a little special that at least he'd taken her to meet Mick and see the gym and had also shared his love of airplanes and airports with her, but she still needed more.

After a restless night of sleep, she went into her office on Monday with a new plan. As soon as she got to her desk, she put in a call to the magazine's private investigator. Joe was not only an ex-cop, he had excellent cyber skills, and he could usually get information no one else could find, although even he had come up short in trying to locate her source on the car seat story.

"Andrea, I told you I'd call you if I came up with anything," Joe said shortly.

"I'm not calling about that. But I don't understand how a man could disappear off the face of the earth."

"I admit I'm stumped," Joe said. "But I haven't given up."

"Good."

"So what do you need today?"

"Information on another interview subject—Alexander Donovan. He's our cover for the
Man of the Year
issue."

"Donovan is a fairly public figure. Do you think there's something he's hiding?"

"That's what I want you to find out." There were often shadows behind Alex's smile, and she really wanted to know where they came from. "I need the information as soon as possible."

"Of course you do. I'll get back to you."

"Thanks." She hung up the phone, having the strangest feeling that she'd just started something in motion she might regret.

* * *

By Tuesday, Alex knew that he couldn't put off speaking to Andrea any longer, so he finally returned one of her calls and suggested a tour of the company for three o'clock that afternoon. He wanted to keep the interview in a business environment so there would be fewer temptations. Here in his offices, he was in charge. This was his turf, and there wouldn't be any surprises.

Still, as he waited for her to arrive he paced in front of his window, feeling restless and impatient. He told himself the sooner she got there, the sooner he could get rid of her. But the truth was that he just wanted to see her again.

He'd been dreaming about her blue eyes, her sweet, sexy mouth, the tiny freckle at the corner of her nose, and her silky smooth blonde hair. He drew in a breath, feeling even more worked up about her.

What a mess he'd gotten himself into. He never should have agreed to do the story. He never should have suggested a reporter follow him around. Most importantly, he never should have kissed Andrea, because now all he could think about was doing it again. And he'd been thinking about it at very inopportune times, like when he was in the middle of business meeting when his focus should have been on the company's profit and loss statement and not on Andrea.

He needed to finish things off. End the interview and never see her again. Nothing could happen between them. She would always be a reporter, and he would always have secrets.

A knock came at his door, followed by Ellen's voice. He turned away from the window as Ellen ushered Andrea into the office.

His heart jumped against his chest at the sight of her. She was even prettier than he remembered. She wore a dress today, a figure-hugging dark blue dress that clung to her breasts and hips. A pair of three-inch heels showed off her legs. They made her seem taller and even more determined. He was going to have his hands full with her. That thought was both really enjoyable and somewhat disturbing.

"Alex," she said, a wary note in her voice. "Thanks for finally returning my call."

"I apologize for the delay. I had some unexpected business come up."

"So you said on Saturday. Is everything all right?"

"It's all good. Are you ready for the tour?"

"Absolutely. I'd love to see where the magic happens," she said with a smile.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to show you too much magic. Our engineering and software development departments are off limits. We have to protect our proprietary information."

"Then what are you going to show me?"

"We'll start with what I call the think tank. Follow me." He led her out of the executive offices and down a long hallway. At the end of the corridor were two glass doors that opened into a luxurious lounge.

"This is nice," Andrea murmured.

He nodded, glancing around the room. There were massage chairs in front of the bay windows, comfortable couches in cozy seating areas, a pool table in one corner and on the far side of the room was a gaming area. There were at least a dozen monitors, game players and computers. Next to the video equipment were pinball machines and an air-hockey table.

"That looks like an arcade," she murmured. "Do you come here to relive your past life where you worked at the miniature golf course arcade?"

"No, I created the area to inspire my workers. I want them to play everything from the lowest tech to the highest tech game. I want them to get creative, let their imaginations soar. I want them to help me create games that no one else has ever envisioned."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

"My employees work long hours, so I try to make their time at work as comfortable as possible. In addition to this lounge, we have a gourmet cafeteria upstairs and a quiet zone where people can stretch out for a nap. We also offer a car service, a laundry pickup, and we bring in physical therapists and visiting nurses to deliver therapy sessions, flu shots and wellness seminars."

"You've thought of everything."

"I take care of the people who work for me."

"I can see that. If I'd known how much fun tech companies were when I was in college, I might have changed my major."

"I seriously doubt that, not when you were reporting in the fifth grade."

"True. I have wanted to be a reporter forever, but the lounge at
World News Today
consists of a vending machine, a table and a coffeemaker."

Despite her words, he could see the pride in her eyes. She loved her job and she wasn't motivated by money but by passion. He liked that. He understood that. Because even though he'd made more money in the last five years than he'd ever imagined making in his entire lifetime, he still worked because he loved his business.

"What's that?" Andrea asked as she pointed to a spiral staircase that seemed to end at he ceiling. "The stairway to nowhere?"

He grinned. "We call it the stairway to the stars." He led her across the room, pushed a button, and the ceiling over the staircase opened up.

She followed him up the stairs to the roof. As she stepped out, she said, "Oh, my God, this is amazing. What a view."

"It's what sold me on this building."

She walked around the deck, pausing here and there to take in a new part of San Francisco, finally ending up by two large telescopes. "Who uses these?"

"Anyone who wants to. Despite the city lights, you can do some serious stargazing with those telescopes. You'll have to come back at night." As soon as he said the words, he regretted them. His goal was to finish this interview off today or tomorrow and not extend future invitations to Andrea.

"That would be interesting," she said. "I studied a little astronomy in college, but I don't remember much." Pausing, she tilted her head, giving him the thoughtful look he was coming to expect.

Andrea was always trying to figure him out. And while at times he appreciated her desire to really get to know the man behind the games, her scrutiny always put him on edge. He wasn't used to anyone trying to get past his barriers. Since he'd gotten rich and famous, he'd acquired more walls between himself and others, and fewer people tried to breach his defenses. But Andrea was doing everything she could to slip past his guard, and he needed to keep his wits about him. That would be a lot easier if he didn't like her so much.

"What?" he asked when her stare went on far too long.

"Just thinking about how you like trains, planes and games and now telescopes. You're always thinking about ways to escape, to soar, to get your feet off the ground."

"Very perceptive. Is that going in your article?"

"We'll see. Do you think you would have been so focused on looking up and outward if you hadn't lost your parents, hadn't ended up having to fend for yourself at a time when most kids are coddled and protected?"

He shrugged. "Who's to say? I don't like to play the 'what if' game. It doesn't get me anywhere."

"I thought you liked to play every game," she teased.

He tipped his head. "Good point. But while my past is part of who I am, I think what drives me comes from the inside. You and I are not very different, Andrea. You have as much ambition as I do."

"Maybe, but I obviously haven't been as good at turning my ambition into profit or fame."

"Well, I have a few years on you. I have no doubt that you're fully capable of getting everything you want."

"I hope so. But again we're starting to talk about me, and this interview is about you," she reminded him.

"You're more interesting. What did you do this weekend?"

She hesitated. "I had brunch with my friends."

"The bridesmaids?"

"Yes, we planned my sister's bachelorette party."

"Where are you going—Vegas?"

"No, Vegas is not Laurel's style. We're going to do a spa retreat in Napa. One of my friends, Maggie, works at a fancy hotel up there. She's setting it all up."

"Sounds nice. What else did you do?"

She stared back at him. "You talked to Mick, didn't you?"

"Apparently, so did you." He hadn't been surprised to hear from Mick about Andrea's visit, and while Mick had assured him that no dark secrets had slipped past his lips, he couldn't help wondering what Andrea had gotten out of their conversation.

"Mick has a lot of respect for you, and he's a loyal friend. But you already knew that, Alex."

"I did."

She stared back at him, more puzzlement in her eyes. "Who is your best friend, Alex?"

"Best friends are for girls and little kids."

"Oh, come on, that's not true. You're splitting hairs. If you don't like the word 'best', then tell me who your good friends are."

"You've met a bunch of them already."

She shook her head. "I mean people like Mick, people who really know you. What about kids you grew up with, went to high school with—do you keep in touch with any of them?"

"No," he said shortly. "My friends are the people you've met as well as some coworkers you haven't met."

"When do I get to meet them?"

"Andrea, you're not writing an encyclopedia. You don’t need to interview everyone I've ever talked to in my life. How long is this article?"

"It's long enough to warrant as much information as I can gather," she retorted. "And I don't tell you how to make games, so don't tell me how to do my job."