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His brothers, on the other hand, owned top-of-the-range Mercedes convertibles. How on earth could they move business equipment in luxury cars? They were paying fifteen hundred dollars a month in repayments. I now understood the argument in my office when Zack had complained about running all over town to deliver supplies. I made a note to ask about the cars when we had our next meeting.
Lance and Neil both had three-bathroom homes on the waterfront, and each had a mortgage of six thousand dollars a month. Like the car repayments, the money was beingliftedfrom the business account. On top of this, there were claims for expensive dinners, holidays every couple of months to upscale beach resorts, and numerous other indulgences. Zack was right, his brothers were bleeding the company dry.
I spent the following hour scribbling figures onto a pad, making copious notes and doing lots of raking fingers through my hair. How was I going to convince the younger men to make the changes that were necessary to keep the business viable? They weren't impressed with me at our first meeting when I suggested selling their gym equipment. They would be even less impressed in a few days when they heard what I had to say next.
As long as Zack wasn't upset with me, I didn't care. But why was it so important that he didn't get angry with me? Why did it matter? I was used to people shouting and cursing at me before they stomped away from our meetings. There were a lot of people who didn't like hearing the truth and even fewer who would acknowledge that truth. Eventually, some came to their senses and returned, those that didn't usually ended up in bankruptcy court.
My thoughts drifted back to the man who intrigued me, why I didn't know. I hadn't felt even a twinge of interest in a man since Paul and I had split four years earlier.
I had been with Zack only twice and yet he turned me weak in the knees by just entering the room. And when he touched me—Wow! My pussy had tingled, a sensation I was unfamiliar with and to be honest, I'd rather liked the feeling. I rarely allowed my defences to drop around men, especially since Paul. I had to admit, albeit reluctantly, I was looking forward to seeing Zack again.
A soft knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. I quickly pulled my jacket back on and called out, “Come in.”
Stacey, a dear friend, and my personal assistant since I'd begun my business, opened the door and peered into the office. “Mr James is running a few minutes late. He called to say he was stuck in traffic.”
“Thanks, Stacey. I'll keep going over these books. Show him in when he arrives.”
“Will do.” Stacey closed the door, leaving me alone.
It took exactly two seconds for my mind to wander again. And there were no prizes for guessing the man it wandered to was Zack?What would it be like to have him in my bed, his arms holding me gently, his cock probing inside me?“Shit, where did that come from?” I turned my attention back to the books but couldn't ignore the heat in my belly and the dampness between my thighs.
~*~
I had no idea why I was so ridiculously excited about seeing Zack later in the day. He and his brothers were my last appointment by design as I hoped to be asked out for dinner again.
I dressed in a pale pink dress, one of my favourites. Then, I swept my hair up at the sides, securing it with slides, and left the rest loose to dance over my shoulders. I admired myself in the mirror, twisting and turning to see as much of my rear as I could. I had overheard several comments about my rear end in the past and was inclined to agree. “I do have a nice arse.”
I frowned at the ugliness of the scars down my left arm. “Who am I kidding, no-one will ever want me when I look like this.”
The carefree mood I'd been feeling only moments earlier deserted me as I shrugged into a long-sleeved, pale pink jacket, gave myself one final check, and hurried out the door.
The drive to work seemed to take forever and as I drove, I found myself wanting the day to be over so I could spend time with Zack. I knew he'd never want me as a lover, but it didn't hurt to imagine what it would be like to be in his arms. After all, he couldn't take away my dreams or fantasies, and he was so worth the invasion of both.
Stacey was seated at her desk when I entered the office. “Hi, Boss.”
“Good morning...Busy day?”
“Yep, fully booked.”
“Good, it'll keep my mind off...”
Stacey studied my face and one eyebrow quirked. “Keep your mind off what?”
I pretended not to hear as I shuffled through the mail.
“Keep your mind off what?” Stacey was bound to be curious. In the five years we've worked together, she's never seen me with a man, and I've never talked about one. She sucked in a breath and put one hand on her cheek. “Has a man caught your eye? I hope so because you deserve one. Someone kind who'll take away the hurt.”
I still didn’t answer.
“Boss?”
I needed a quick change of subject. “I was wondering how to approach the Hogan brothers tonight. They are not going to like what I have to say.”
“But you often upset people by telling them what they don't want to hear. Why should these men be any different?”
I remained quiet.
“Unless...” Stacey jumped to her feet and rounded the desk. She took me by the shoulders and forced me to look at her. “You care about one of them. Oooh...Which one?”
