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“Uh, thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back to the office soon and be ready to—”
“No rush. Enjoy your lunch. We’re all glad you’re back. You look great, by the way. In fact, you’re glowing.”
What did he mean by that? Was he just being polite? Was he flirting with me?
For a moment, no one said anything. Too tongue-tied to respond, I nodded, then looked at Kiersten for help.
She took my hint and saved me. “It was nice meeting you, Ford. Maybe we’ll see you at Zak and Harlowe’s New Year’s Eve party?”
“That would be great. Nice to meet you as well.” Ford grinned at her, then turned back to me.
“See you later, Goldie.” He paused, giving me another long look before turning to leave.
Both Kiersten and I watched him walk away. After he passed through the door, she turned to me, smirking.
“That man wants you, Goldie. If any guy looked at me the way he was just looking at you, I’d be running after him.”
Blinking rapidly, I shook my head. “You’re wrong. He’s that way with all his employees. He’s nice to everyone.”
“Keep telling yourself that, my friend. But I want an update later on about how the rest of your day at work goes.”
Twenty minutes later, as I settled behind my desk, I was still stunned at what happened at the restaurant. Was Kiersten right? Was Ford really attracted to me? And if he was, what was I going to do about it?
Chapter2
FORD
Driving back to the office,thoughts of watching Goldie flirting with the waiter had stirred a jealously I’d never felt before. And it had me rethinking, holding off on asking her out until she’d settled back into work. I wasn’t supposed to know anything about her health issues, but things had been said by one of her female co-workers who couldn’t keep a secret.
The past few weeks had been torture. Every cell of my being wanted to reach out to her, to be there for her while she healed.
I knew Goldie was the one halfway through her interview. Technically, all our employees were hired by our Human Resource Director, but I would occasionally sit in on those that needed more of an intuitive decision based on more than what was listed on a prospective employee’s resume. In the security field, going with your gut often meant the difference between life and death. Yeah, sitting behind a computer may not hold the same intensity or immediacy as protecting a high-profile client against unseen threats, but that didn’t make the position Goldie held in our company any less important.
And Goldie Dupree had that undefinable something that would fit in perfectly at Carter Security—and if I handled things subtly and more importantly, carefully so as not to create a human resource issue—in my bed, then my life.
I hadn’t waited all through my twenties and thirties holding out for the right person, only to be discouraged by her all-business aloofness now that I’d found her. She may think that getting into a relationship with me was off-limits, but I’d been wooing her since that first day. She just didn’t know it—or at least I was pretty sure she didn’t.
For some, love at first sight happened only in books or in movies. I knew better but have been playing it cool. I did not want my over-involved family meddling in the most important relationship of my life. There’d be time enough for that after I convinced Goldie just how right we were for each other.
Seeing her at the restaurant today, looking healthier and lighter of spirit than at any other time in the past six months, had me contemplating all sorts of ways I could finally get my hands on her. Even now, just thinking about her had me half hard as I awkwardly walked back into our building, hanging back as Zak conversed with our newest clients.
Then there was the way the twenty-something waiter had drooled all over her. It had made me want to stake my claim. Seeing her smile at another guy created this crazy vision of me pulling the ultimate caveman move of marching over to her table, throwing her over my shoulder and hiding her away from any man who dared even to look at her. Man, I had it bad.
“That was nice of you to stop by Goldie’s table to say ‘Hi.’” Zak, my business partner and cousin, pulled me aside as we entered the conference room, his gaze full of his typical sarcastic humor.
Keeping my eye on our clients, I kept my voice low. “Why do I sense abutcoming?”
“No. Not this time. Just make sure you’re all in with her. She has a daughter and, from what I’ve overheard, a deadbeat ex. Plus, she just returned from medical leave. It’s her first day back, and you looked like you were ready to pounce. At least give her a couple days to ease back into the rhythm of the job.” Zak nodded at the two men waiting for us to take our seats.
“You sound like my mother. Except for the pouncing part. Ever since I entered my forties, she and my sisters have been on my case to find a nice girl, settle down. Well, I don’t want a ‘girl,’ I want a woman and I’ve finally found her.”
Zak did a double take at my words. “Huh? Wow! My bet was on you being a lifelong bachelor. Guess my wife was right. Either way, I’m looking out for our newest and most valuable employee. Goldie is more than a hard worker. She’s intuitive and has a real knack for working with our clients. I don’t want to see her hurt or have to deal with HR on this if all you want is a little slap and tickle.”
At my cousin’s words, all I could hear was the roaring of the ocean in my ears. If we were alone right now, I’d make him eat his words. Gritting my teeth, I glanced over to the table where two sets of eyes were locked on us. “I’m not doing any such thing. Now let’s get this meeting started before I rearrange that pretty face of yours. Besides, Harlowe would never forgive me, and your wife is not someone I want to piss off.”
In a rough whisper, Zak said, “I’m simply doing my job as owner, Ford. If Goldie really is the woman for you, I’ll be in the front row at your wedding, but until then, make sure she knows you want more than an office fling. Got me?”
Zak joined our clients, beginning the meeting as I reluctantly took my seat. I’d rather be available to talk to Goldie when she returned. Instead of focusing on the negotiations of the contract, I wondered how he’d figured out my feelings for Goldie. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I thought I’d done a more than decent job of treating her like any other employee.
