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Mrs. Argenot paused on her way out the door with a calculating look. "Oh, that James Cameron! You haven't met him yet, have you? We've already built two warehouses for him. This consultation is only customary. We'll get the bid." She lowered her voice. "He's a nice man, Renee. He's single, dear. Pays his bills in thirty days. And so nice looking. You'll have to tell me what you think tomorrow."
The older woman gave her a conspiratorial smile and breezed out of the office.
****
At three o'clock, Renee glanced up from the paperwork in front of her to the man that walked in from outside. She immediately saw what Mrs. Argenot meant. The man was tall and broad and very nice looking, if a bit young. He had brown hair with streaks of gold running through it. Renee immediately pushed the comparison to dark, steely strength from her mind and focused on her job.
"You must be Mr. Cameron." Renee gave him her friendliest smile.
"And you must be the new secretary Mrs. Argenot has been raving on and on about." He walked across the room and extended his hand toward her.
Renee heard a subtle click in the background as she stood and gave him her hand. "Yes. I'm Renee Guillot." Renee held her smile as the man continued to hold onto her hand.
"Call me James, please. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other. Now that I've seen you, I don't think I'm going to waste my time with getting other bids." Renee felt his grip tighten and subtly caress her hand. If her brain hadn't been completely absorbed with Robert Thibodeaux, she knew she would have found the touch very pleasant.
James broke eye contact with her at a sound from across the room.
Robert stood scowling in the doorway of his office. Renee felt the provocative effect he had on her every time she was in his presence.
He took his time watching them. Tension gripped Renee. Finally he spoke.
"Cameron. Good to see you. If you can let go of my secretary long enough, maybe we can do some business."
James slowly let go of her hand and followed Robert into his office.
****
Almost two hours later, Renee was clearing her desk for the day when the two men came out of the meeting. They shook hands and James Cameron looked her way, nodded, and left the building.
Robert stood with his arms crossed, glaring at her. Her heartbeat accelerated as he came prowling toward her. He crossed behind her desk to where she sat and lowered his hands to the arms of her chair and caged her in.
Her breathing went haywire. Her eyes were riveted on him.
"Don't flirt with my clients again." His words were sharp, punctuated.
Renee sucked in a breath and began shaking her head in denial. Forty-seven more days. "I didn't--"
"Bullshit. I saw you. I don't need your help getting the business. You just do your work and keep those sweet little smiles to yourself." His arms tightened on the chair until his hands turned white. Anger radiated from him. He was too pissed for her to try to reason with.
She nodded her head in agreement.
****
Robert stood under the stream of icy cold water and tried to contain the primal emotions running through him. It had come too damn close today. That mother fucker Cameron looking at her like he was measuring her for his bed. The smile she had given him in return. And the possession and lust that coursed through his body when she sat so still in his arms.
He was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. He needed a woman in his bed. Needed one tonight.
But only one would do. And he couldn't have her yet.
The waiting was going to make him snap and do something stupid.
With a steady stream of cuss words, he flipped the water to hot and reached his soapy hand down and did what he had to do so he would have enough control to face her the next day.
Chapter Three
The rest of the week crawled by in slow motion for Renee. Friday morning, she found herself questioning more and more why she continued to live on this tightrope. This job had good pay and benefits, but it didn't stand between her and starvation. Especially after the conversation she had with her daughter the night before.
She was curled up watching an old movie trying to take her mind off the menacing image of Robert Thibodeaux when her cell phone rang. Her daughter's picture blinked, and her own special ringtone filled the air. "Hey, baby. How are you?"
