Author: Bella Andre

But, for all her vows to protect herself from men like him who only wanted her for the improvements she could make to their bottom line, instead of walking away from him, she found herself saying, “It is?” in a breathless voice that hardly seemed to belong to her.

He nodded, his eyes growing darker still as they dropped to her lips for a split second, then moved back to meet her gaze again.

“You’ve got class. Beauty. Intelligence.” He gestured to himself. “All I’ve got is a degree that took me too many years to finish and a dream that I’m praying will finally become real one day.”

If he had gotten down on one knee to praise her beauty, if he had rhapsodized about her “charms,” she would have forced herself to slip her hand from his and walk away.

But talk of dreams?

Dreams were the one thing she’d always understood, how they could take hold of you and make you risk everything.

Besides, she thought as she studied him, she had a feeling that once Jack Sullivan made up his mind about something, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And the truth was that the reason she hadn’t chosen a new direction for her career yet was because she wasn’t terribly excited about any of the opportunities that had come her way.

Representing a new technology like this would be fresh. Exciting. Yes, it might fail, as models and technology had rarely been paired successfully. But Mary hadn’t let herself step into a position to fail in a very long time.

Maybe, she thought, it was time to take a risk again.

The biggest question remaining was whether the risk would be strictly professional…or personal, too? Because when he’d called her Angel, the sweet endearment had warmed her in places she hadn’t realized had grown so cold.

“Your ice cream is melting,” she finally said. “Why don’t we sit back down so that you can eat some of your pie before it drowns.”

Relief flared in his eyes, but beneath it she thought she recognized the same desire she hadn’t been able to push down within herself. Which was why, as he finally let her hand go and they both sat, she said, “Before you tell me more about your product, there’s something you need to know about me. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

Jack looked surprised, and she got a sense that women hadn’t turned him down very many times in his thirty-two years. And why would they, she asked herself, when he was not only extraordinarily gorgeous, but he had a smile that could instantly make you feel as if you were the only woman in the world who mattered.

“So if you agree to represent my invention,” he clarified, “you won’t let me ask you out?”

Her stomach fluttered at the sheer thought of a proper date with Jack. One that would likely end in a kiss.

Or more…

“It makes things too complicated.”

She still remembered the pain of having to continue working with a man she could barely stand to be in the same room with, of having to listen to Romain’s endless critiques and demands. She’d been too much of a professional to tell him where he could stick it and had had to make do with the vivid fantasies of what she’d wished she’d said to him.

Jack studied her for a few moments. “In that case, we’ll have to take care of business first.” But he reached across the table for her hand again and brushed his thumb across her palm. “And then we’ll move on to pleasure.”

It took every ounce of self-control for Mary to slide her hand away from his and to convince herself it was better this way. Instead of jumping into a sizzling-hot affair that could burn out just as quickly as it flared up, they’d get a chance to know each other better by working together first. And then, after they’d concluded their business affairs, if the sparks were still there between them, perhaps they could see about starting another kind of affair entirely.

Only, as Jack showed her how the Pocket Planner worked, instead of being able to keep her distance, she was increasingly seduced not only by how gorgeous he was—and she’d seen plenty of handsome men in her career—but also by his incredible intelligence.

And his passion.

Chapter Four

“Thank you so much for agreeing to work with us, Ms. Ferrer,” Larry said as he pumped Mary’s hand enthusiastically in the lobby of Walter Industries the following day.

“You’re a lifesaver, Ms. Ferrer,” Howie said as he reached for her hand the very second Larry let it go, nearly pulling her arm loose from her shoulder socket in his excitement. “My girlfriend wanted me to tell you that she’s your biggest fan.”

She smiled warmly at both of the men. “Please, call me Mary.”

Jack had done his research after putting Mary into a cab in front of the diner last night. He’d quickly confirmed that he’d been having pie and coffee—and fumbling through every last second—with one of the most successful models in the world. No doubt, she had men throwing themselves at her feet, men with a hell of a lot more to their name than a dream.

She’d been right to get up and start to walk out on him last night at the diner. He’d deserved worse than that for the way he’d gracelessly asked her to be the face of their product, without making it clear that business wasn’t the only reason he wanted to spend time with her. It was just that as soon as they’d started talking about his invention, and she’d been clearly interested in it, he’d automatically fallen back into engineering mode, the same way he would have with Howie or Larry.

The hurt that had flashed across Mary’s face when she’d thought he was only interested in her as a spokesmodel for an advertising campaign had kept him up half the night.

Jack had lived his life using intelligent calculations and analysis. Not only did a model and an engineer not make any sense as a couple, but a serious relationship had never factored into his plans or his life. What’s more, it had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d met Mary. He should have been up all night planning for this meeting today with the board. If ever he needed to have perfect focus on his work, on making his long-held dream come true, it was right now.

But thoughts of Mary had remained front and center since the moment he’d set eyes on her.

Placing his hand gently on her lower back, he guided her away from his partners. She looked incredibly beautiful this morning in a long-sleeved navy wrap dress and high-heeled boots. There was a slim gold chain around her neck and another on her wrist. Her dark, glossy hair moved over her shoulders like silk, and her complexion was so perfect he honestly couldn’t tell if she was wearing any makeup. She was both naturally sensual and, at the same time, approachable and down-to-earth.

He wanted to tell her that he’d thought about her all night long, but he knew he needed to respect her request to keep business and pleasure separate.

“Do you have any questions for me about what’s going to happen in the boardroom?”

“I don’t think so. From what you explained to me last night, and the documents you couriered over early this morning, I think I have a good understanding of the selling points for the Pocket Planner.”

When they’d first met yesterday in Union Square, she’d smiled so easily at him. Now, her eyes were guarded. Jack silently cursed himself for putting those shadows there. She must still believe he wanted her more for business than he wanted her as a woman.

She was wrong.

“You don’t have to do this, Mary.”

She blinked at him, confused. “I don’t understand. I thought you needed me to help you.”

“You’re perfect for the job,” he agreed, “and we do need your help, but if it’s a choice between selling a million Pocket Planners this Christmas and getting the chance to be with you…?” Maybe it was out of line to reach up and stroke her cheek with the back of his hand, but he’d never been this drawn to a woman and he honestly didn’t know how to stop himself. “I’ll figure out some other way to get this product off the ground.”

When she put her hand over his where it rested against the incredibly soft skin of her cheek, he could have sworn his heart actually expanded inside his chest.

“I’ve never done anything I didn’t choose to do, Jack. Not when I was nineteen, and certainly not now at thirty-two. If I didn’t want to be here with you, Howie and Larry, I wouldn’t be. You’ve worked hard to create something great and you deserve this chance at the big time.” Slowly, she lowered his hand from her face and slipped her fingers from his. “I’m just asking you to be patient so that we can see the business through first.”

He had so many questions for her. What had happened in her past? Who had hurt her to make her so cautious, so wary of his motives? But before he had the right to ask for answers, he knew he needed her to trust him. Which meant he needed to be completely straightforward with her at all times, no matter what.

“I’m sure you have your reasons for wanting things to be that way, and I’m also sure they must be good ones, but I have to be honest with you, Mary.” He was blown away by her beauty all over again as she waited for him to explain himself. “I’ve never been a patient man.”

“You worked for ten years on your invention,” she said softly. “I’d say that shows more patience than most people will ever have.”

“It’s one thing to wait ten years for chips and wires and motherboards to fire correctly. But I knew ten seconds after we first met that I wanted to kiss you, Angel.”

Mary’s skin flushed, and her full lips opened on a soft gasp at his impulsive declaration just as the receptionist walked into the entryway and indicated it was time for them to head inside to the boardroom. The young woman’s eyes widened when she saw Mary.

“Oh my gosh, you’re Mary Ferrer! You’re even more beautiful in person.” The girl grabbed a notepad and pen from a nearby table. “Could you sign this for me?”

Mary’s cheeks remained flushed from what Jack had said to her as she took the pen and paper from the young woman. Jack couldn’t tell if she was upset about what he’d just admitted.

Usually he calculated, figured, assessed—and then, only then, made a strategic plan toward his goal. But with Mary, all of the rationale he’d lived by his whole life had flown out the window…leaving him with just his instincts.

“That’s a lovely dress you’re wearing,” Mary told the young woman. “The color is so flattering on you.”

Jack didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone as happy as the receptionist was at that moment. “Do you really think so? It’s new, and I wasn’t sure if I could pull off the hemline.”

“You definitely can,” Mary assured her. “I’d love to know your name so that I can personalize my autograph.”

“I’m Sarah, with an h.” Just like Jack, the young woman couldn’t take her eyes off Mary as she wrote a quick but charming note to Sarah.

“Here you go.” The young woman stood staring at Mary for a few more seconds before she remembered her job. “Please, follow me this way.”

When Jack’s partners stepped aside to let Mary precede them into the boardroom, she gave the three of them a wide smile. “Ready to knock their socks off?”

It was just the right thing to say to give them the jolt of confidence they needed to close the deal. Larry and Howie grinned back at her. “Ready!”

Jack held out his arm for her, and when she took it, he felt the sensation rock them both. He was a large man and, despite being a model, Mary wasn’t particularly tall. Yet, they fit together perfectly.

Jack had figured Allen would be impatiently waiting to send them on their way so that he could get on to other, bigger money meetings, and the way the gray-haired man was standing in the boardroom with his arms crossed over his chest confirmed that. But when he caught sight of Mary, his eyes went as wide with surprise—and pleasure—as his receptionist’s had.