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“Make it happen, Zoe. That’s how I work. You can’t do what we want if you haven’t seen all the hotels. Besides, there is also a hotel on Praslin, one of the other islands of the Seychelles I would like you to see. And after that, we’ll fly out to the hotel near the Kruger. It should be finished in about four months’ time. Then you’ll have three months to do your magic before the first guests arrive.”
“Three months! You’re being ridiculous—”
“And by the time we get there, we’d have agreed on exactly what I want, and I can introduce you to the suppliers, so the orders can go out.”
“I’d like to use the people I normally work with—”
“Out of the question,” Dale interrupted her immediately. “We use the suppliers I know.”
Zoe dug her nails deep into her hands and counted silently to ten. Her head was reeling. He was talking about taking over seven months of her life. Seven months of working with him, talking to him—or rather, listening to him because he obviously didn’t ever really listen himself—were going to drive her insane. A more bossy and overbearing man she had yet to meet. Add to the mess the ridiculous attraction she couldn’t shake, and it was going to be a very trying time.
“Dale, why on earth do you want to use my firm if, one, you’re only doing this because you feel obligated, and two, you normally do this yourself, are obviously well-organized, and know what you want?”
“Trying to back out now? I thought this was a good opportunity for you,” he said.
He had moved and stood so close she could see his eyes weren’t simply brown. There were golden flecks in them too, flecks which fascinated her at the moment, making it difficult to look away.
She forced herself to step past him. Damn it, what was she doing, drooling over his eyes, for crying out loud?
“Please, excuse me,” she said, hoping he’d step aside to let her pass. His scent surrounded her, clouding her already befuddled brain.
“In a minute,” he murmured and put his hand out.
“Dale,” she whispered. Damn it, she was supposed to sound annoyed, not turned-on.
His hand froze and he dropped it. He put both hands back into his trouser pockets before he turned away.
“I’ll let the secretary contact you about visits to the hotels,” he said over his shoulder and left.
*
When Dale enteredthe huge open-space office he shared with his brothers, he was still cursing under his breath. What was it with this woman? Around her, he did irrational things. Like just now. He’d made the mistake of walking closer to her at the end of their conversation.
Up until that moment he’d felt as if he was in charge, as if he was calling the shots. She’d been flustered, and he wanted to use the advantage to make sure she’d go with him to the Seychelles.
But then things changed. Up close to her, he simply forgot to think, to breathe, to speak. He only wanted. He would never be able to look at that big table in the middle of the conference room again and not picture Zoe as he’d pictured her all afternoon—leaning back on her elbows on the dark wood with an invitation in her eyes for him.
One thing at least was perfectly clear—he was still lusting after Zoe. After three months, his desire to touch her, to cart her off to the nearest room, to make love to her until she sobbed out his name, hadn’t changed one bit. On the contrary. If he wasn’t mistaken, it had only intensified. And he was afraid working closely with her was not going to help him feel any differently about her.
“Meeting not to your satisfaction?” Don inquired with a smile.
“No… yes…” Dale sat down quickly and opened his computer.
“So, is that a no or a yes?” David asked.
“She’s agreed to do the job because she knows it’s good for business. I have to protect ours, so I’ll be working directly with her. She’ll have to familiarize herself with the interior of all our hotels. After I’ve shown her around the hotels here, we’re flying to the Seychelles next Friday so that she can also visit the two hotels on Mahé and Praslin.”
He started typing an email to their secretary, asking her to arrange visits for Zoe. It was a while before he realized his brothers were very quiet. When he looked up, they all stared at him.
“You’re taking Zoe to the Seychelles?” Don asked. “Why?”
“I told you, I—”
Darryn swore and got up from behind his desk. “You have the hots for this woman, don’t you?” he barked out. “I can’t believe you’re also falling for a Sutherland. I’ll tell you what I’ve told Don, although he hasn’t listened—stay away from them. They mess with your head and your… Just stay away.”
Fed up with his brothers, Dale went back to his emails. “I don’t have the hots for anybody, this is how I work. You’ve never questioned my judgment before, what the hell is wrong with you now?”
“You’ve never behaved crazily before,” Darryn snapped.
Dale looked up again. “Oh, now I’m behaving crazily. What about last year when you and Don had me jumping through hoops to help Hannah and Zoe when Hannah had her accident on Mahé? That wasn’t crazy behavior? At least we know why Don was half out of his mind, he was in love. But you? I still can’t figure out what got into you.”
Swearing, Darryn stormed out of the office.
Don sauntered over to Dale’s desk. “You mess with Zoe, you mess with me, is that clear?” he said with a big smile, but Dale knew the tone.
“For the last time, we’re going to work together. That’s it. Get off my back,” he growled and turned his attention to his computer. Damn it to hell. What was he doing before his brothers started interrogating him?
