Sam stared up at Blade. It had been a long time since any man had rendered her speechless. What was Blade Madaris doing in her office at this time of the morning? She quickly answered her own question when she thought about the question he"d just asked. He was a man whose advances were probably never rebuffed. He was used to women thinking he was the greatest thing since Grandma"s apple pie. For him to show any interest in a woman was a privilege, an honor, or so he thought.
She"d heard that back in Houston he had his choice of single women at his beck and call. Considering that, it was no wonder he was so conceited. The mere thought that she wasn"t like all those other women, and that she"d had the nerve to come right out and tell him he didn"t interest her, probably had him in a tizzy to find out why, or better yet, to prove her wrong.
Instead of answering, she moved pa.s.sed him and headed toward her office, since she needed time to regain her composure. "Good morning, Blade. You"re the last person I expected to see today."
"I"m sure I was," he said, walking in step beside her.
She wasn"t sure what cologne he was wearing but he certainly smelled good. How could his scent be more seductive than a breakfast sandwich and coffee from Walter"s Cafe?
"I guess you figured what you said last night would have kept me from coming back," he added, as he followed her into her office and closed the door behind them.
She had figured that. "I was being honest with you, which I felt was best."
"I appreciate it but I don"t believe you."
Sam placed the bag and coffee on her desk, and by the time she turned to face Blade a frown had settled on her face. "Excuse me?"
He smiled. "I said I don"t believe you."
She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against her desk. "Are you so conceited that you think every woman alive should want you?"
His smile widened. "For starters, we"re not talking about every woman, we"re talking about you. And yes, I think you want me."
She gave him a chilly look as the muscles in her neck actually knotted. "Please explain how you figure that."
He shrugged. "You"ve been sending s.e.xual vibes my way."
Her brow wrinkled at the center of her forehead. "What?"
"I said you"ve been sending s.e.xual vibes my way. It started at the wedding. I have this uncanny ability to detect when a woman and I connect in the most sensual way. I have a built-in radar that lets me know she"s attracted to me. When that happens, it"s up to me to let her know whether or not I"m I"m interested. If a woman picks up on the "I"m interested" signal, that"s cool. If she doesn"t and if it"s someone I really want to hook up with, then I take things a step further. I picked up on the fact that you"re attracted to me. However, when I responded, so to speak-on two occasions, I might add-for whatever reason, you retreated." interested. If a woman picks up on the "I"m interested" signal, that"s cool. If she doesn"t and if it"s someone I really want to hook up with, then I take things a step further. I picked up on the fact that you"re attracted to me. However, when I responded, so to speak-on two occasions, I might add-for whatever reason, you retreated."
Sam kept her jaw clenched tight. He was right. She had been interested in him, but not for the reasons he thought. She knew immediately when she saw him at the wedding and observed how he worked the room at Mac and Luke"s reception that he was a player.
The only reason she had had singled him out was the same reason she targeted most men like him, and that was to teach him a lesson. By the time he noticed her, she had decided not to pursue her plan, since Luke and Mac"s marriage officially made him a relative of her best friend. She figured the best thing to do was to spare him. singled him out was the same reason she targeted most men like him, and that was to teach him a lesson. By the time he noticed her, she had decided not to pursue her plan, since Luke and Mac"s marriage officially made him a relative of her best friend. She figured the best thing to do was to spare him.
Then last month, when she"d seen him again at the birthday party Luke had given for Mac, she"d known he was once again on the prowl. More than once he had tried hitting on her and she"d ignored him. By the time the party had ended, she"d pretty much decided that if she ever saw him again she would finally take him down a peg. Now would be a perfect time if she didn"t have her parents to deal with.
A week after the party the flowers had begun arriving, a beautiful bouquet each week, but without a card. The florist explained the flowers had been ordered over the Internet so she had no idea who"d sent them. It could have been anyone. Although Sam had never mentioned it to Mac, a part of her had believed they were from Blade, since he had been the last man to come on to her and he had the money to do something that extravagant. It was obvious that the weekly floral arrangements she"d received weren"t cheap.
"I can see I"ve left you speechless."
Her response would have been a snort, but she suppressed the instinct. Her first inclination was to give him the reading of his life, something Angelo said she was good at when it came to men who were womanizers. He and Sam"s three male cousins had been the recipients of such a dressing-down.
She lifted her head, locked onto his gaze. "Read my lips, Blade. There weren"t any vibes. Anything you thought you sensed was a figment of your imagination. Contrary to what you believe, not every woman is interested in you. If you knew anything about me, the one thing you would know is that men like you turn me off. I can chew them up and spit them out."
"Prove it. Prove that I can"t break through the defenses you have set up around yourself." His voice was deep, controlled and s.e.xy. The expression on his face was intense and just as s.e.xy as his voice. She wanted to roll her eyes. But for the moment, she couldn"t move her gaze from his.
Defenses?
"Besides," he continued, interrupting her thoughts as a c.o.c.ky grin spread across his face. "I sort of like the thought of you chewing me up. You can even go ahead and bite me a few times and I won"t complain."
He took a step forward, standing in front of her. "But what I will do, Sam, is retaliate in a way that will have you moaning for days and groaning for nights."
A shudder pa.s.sed through Sam"s body at his threat. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn"t gotten a good night"s sleep and was still feeling tired. Or it could have been that Blade was standing too close to her and his scent, the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes were all getting to her. Or it could have been the fact that it had been more than four years since she"d been intimate with a man. And the last time had been so quick she would"ve missed it if she had blinked. Not only had it been rushed, it had been thoroughly unsatisfying.
She stared at him. "You"re sure of yourself, aren"t you?"
A soft smile touched his determined lips. "Yes."
She shook her head. When they had been doling out arrogance, he had been first in line, she was sure. There was nothing wrong with being confident, but this man was as conceited as they came. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you"re wrong."
"Then prove it."
Famous last words, she thought. But he was beginning to annoy her. "I don"t have to prove anything. I told you how I feel. It would be so much easier on the both of us if you respected that."
"And I will once you answer my question. Just what type of man does interest you, since I don"t? Based on what you said last night, you have no problem with a man who"s not into long-term relationships, so just what turns you on, Sam Di Meglio?"
She glared at him. "A man who respects my wishes, for one."
He took a step closer to her and put both hands on her desk, effectively pinning her in between. He smiled faintly. He smelled heavenly. And her heart was beating like crazy in her chest.
His mouth was inches from hers. "And I will respect your wishes," he said in a silky voice that sent all kinds of erotic sensations through her body. "But first, since you won"t answer my question, let me give you my opinion and tell you what I think."
She breathed slowly and deeply, inhaling his scent through her nostrils. "You really don"t need to bother."
His smile widened a bit as he leaned closer to her. "Humor me."
His breath was hot on her lips and she fought back the urge to do more than just humor him, to do something crazy like stick her tongue out and lick his lips from corner to corner. So she did something probably even worse; she concentrated on those lips. They were beautiful, firm and full, curved and clearly defined and shaped in a perfect bow.
She would be the first to admit she was one of those women who were drawn to a man"s lips. Even though he"d ended up being a deceitful a.s.s, Guy"s lips hadn"t been all bad. But no one"s lips could compare to the ones she was staring at now, the ones sending shivers through her body, making her feel hot all over, so much so that she wanted to remove her jacket, take off her blouse, slip out of her skirt, take off her bra and panties and...
She blinked. What in the world was happening to her? What could she be thinking? What was he he thinking? She opened her mouth to ask Blade that very thing, when, too late, she realized he"d been waiting for her to do just that. thinking? She opened her mouth to ask Blade that very thing, when, too late, she realized he"d been waiting for her to do just that.
Before she could draw in her next breath his mouth captured hers and began eating away at it like she was his breakfast and he intended to devour her right up until lunch. The moment his tongue touched hers, stroked it in such a way that blatantly reminded her how long it had been since she"d engaged in foreplay with a man, he conjured up all those deep-seated, wild fantasies no other soul knew about, not even Mac and Peyton.
Any thoughts of what Mac and Peyton didn"t know fled Sam"s mind when Blade deepened the kiss. She knew she had to do something before he went any further or before she succ.u.mbed any more to his pa.s.sion. If that happened, considering the last time she"d been intimate with someone, he could drag her to the floor and she wouldn"t put up much of a fuss. In fact she might be the one dragging him first.
She had no idea just how long they"d been kissing or how long they would have continued had the intercom on her desk not buzzed, and if their secretary, Priscilla Gaines, hadn"t chosen that moment to say, "Ms. Madaris wanted me to remind you of the meeting this morning, Ms. Di Meglio."
Sam drew in a deep breath as Blade reluctantly let go of her lips. "Bad timing, wouldn"t you say?" he whispered, straightening his physique and taking a step backward.
She exhaled, still wondering what the h.e.l.l had happened. She shook her head, sending a ma.s.s of curly locks flying around her shoulders as if that would help screw her head back on, not only right but tight. She knew at that moment that this man was dangerous to any woman. He was smooth and lethal all rolled into one. She wondered how many hearts he"d already broken and how many more he would be breaking. Maybe not intentionally, but with total disregard for the fact that although he might not fall in love with a woman, some would ultimately fall in love with him and painfully watch as he swaggered out of their life without even a backward glance.
"I"d better leave and let you get back to work now," he said, smiling as if coming to her office and kissing her senseless first thing in the morning was an everyday occurrence. "I"ll be returning to Houston later today, but I plan to come back to Oklahoma City in about three weeks."
She frowned. "Why?"
His smile widened. "The Mosley Building, or have you forgotten?"
She had forgotten, sort of. "Why do you need to come back? I thought your construction crew would be taking over now that things have been finalized."
He chuckled as he smooth out his jacket. "Not yet. As chief engineer, I"m hands-on from start to finish. That means you"ll be seeing a lot of me for at least the next six months or more."
Her entire body stiffened when she remembered his spiel at dinner last night. For Pete"s sake, she didn"t want to see any more of him. Less of him would serve her nicely. She had let her guard down with him today, and judging from the smirk on his face, he evidently a.s.sumed he"d gotten the upper hand. "I don"t want to see more of you, Blade."
The smile that appeared on his face at that moment would have been priceless to any other woman. "You need to stop doing that, you know," he said as he headed toward the door.
She crossed her arms over her chest again. "Doing what?"
He glanced back over his shoulder and paused long enough to reply, "Saying one thing when you mean another."
She glared at him. "I mean what I say, Blade. You just can"t seem to get the message."
He put his hand on the doork.n.o.b and angled his head to the side to look at her, a pose she found unnerving. "No, Sam. I read you loud and clear, and if you do mean what you say then you need to stop sending mixed signals. I"ll see you in three weeks."
He opened the door and was gone.
Chapter 3.
"So there you have it," Peyton Mahoney said, as she threw her pencil in the middle of the conference table. "According to the photo lab, those pictures were doctored."
A disgusted look appeared on Mac"s face. "So Clarissa Penton lied to us. Those are not pictures of her and Sidney Gresham in bed together."
"Nope. So what do we do now?" Peyton asked.
"There"s only one thing left to do," Mac replied, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Get her on the phone and ask her to meet with us. We"ll let her know what we"ve found out and advise her to get someone else to represent her. We should also suggest that she drop the charges, and let her know what can happen if she doesn"t."
Mac glanced over at Sam. "What do you think?"
Sam had been staring into s.p.a.ce, but now looked across the table at her two friends. "The way I feel right now, I want to call her in and kick her you-know-what for wasting our time."
Mac couldn"t stop the smile that spread across her face. She saw that Peyton was doing a better job than she was at holding back. Both of them were well aware that Sam was in a lousy mood and had been since Blade left. They were also aware that Sam and Blade had spent almost twenty minutes together in her office before he"d finally departed, and that was only after Priscilla had reminded Sam of their meeting. They had both noticed that although Sam had reapplied her lipstick, her lips were kiss-swollen nonetheless.
"I think," Mac said, "that we go with option one-call her in and let her know we won"t be representing her in her s.e.xual hara.s.sment case against Sidney Gresham." She glanced at Sam again. "You might want to take a chill pill before she arrives, Di Meglio."
Muttering something under her breath, Sam stood and walked over to the coffeepot to pour a cup. "I don"t need a chill pill. What I need is my head examined."
"Um, Blade Madaris was that bad, Sam?" Peyton asked, grinning.
She turned around and stared at her friends for a long, steady moment before rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "No, he was that good," she said in a disgusted tone. "d.a.m.n it."
From the stares and arched eyebrows, she immediately knew what Mac and Peyton a.s.sumed. "For crying out loud, stop staring at me like I don"t have any panties on. We didn"t go that that far. Jeez. He was only in my office for twenty minutes. It was only a kiss." far. Jeez. He was only in my office for twenty minutes. It was only a kiss."
Peyton stood as she gathered her folders. "Hey, a woman and her man can do a lot in twenty minutes. And please don"t ask me how I know."
Since Peyton was the argumentative type and no one was in the mood for a debate this early in the morning, they didn"t say anything as she left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her Sam felt Mac"s eyes shift to her.
"Sam, if Blade is making a nuisance of himself and is hara.s.sing you, I can have Luke talk to him."
Sam waved off her words as she returned to her seat. "It"s not that serious, Mac. He"s not hara.s.sing me. There"s a difference between a man openly pursuing a woman and when he"s hara.s.sing her."
"And usually the difference is the att.i.tude of the woman," Mac pointed out. "Do you or don"t you want to be involved with Blade?"
"No, I don"t and I"ve told him that. But of course he thinks he can change my mind. I think he sees me as some kind of conquest. I"m the one woman not falling at his feet, not eagerly crawling between his sheets. He wouldn"t be a true-blue player if he didn"t get the woman who rejects his advances, namely me."
She leaned back in her chair, stared into her coffee and then added, "He thinks I"m being defensive, whatever that means. And I didn"t help matters this morning by letting him kiss me."
"Mmm, sounds interesting."
Sam looked at her friend. "d.a.m.n it, Mac, it was better than interesting. I"ve never been kissed like that before. The man makes using his lips and tongue some sort of art form."
Mac chuckled as she stood up. "Must be a Madaris trait. And I hope you know that unless you put your foot down and give him a reason not to, Blade will be back, and he won"t give up until he gets what he wants." She shook her head. "Neither of you are acting rational. I"ve known Blade for more than seven years, and I"ve never known him to pursue a woman the way he"s chasing you for any reason, conquest or otherwise. I"ve known you even longer, and I"ve never known you to let a bona fide player get under your skin."
Sam didn"t say anything for a moment and then said, "He claims I"m sending mixed signals."
"Are you?"
She paused, then admitted, "Possibly. You and Peyton of all people know how I handle players."
"Yes. Which has me wondering why you"re handling him differently?"
"He"s Luke cousin. Besides, my parents are beginning to act crazy again by playing matchmaker. There"s this new guy who"s working at the law firm. My folks are all but shoving him down my throat. My mother sent me pictures of him over the Internet, but I"ve refused to open the file."
Mac shook her head. "Will your parents ever learn?"
"Apparently not. I see now that I made a mistake after law school when I let them talk me into coming home and working in the family firm. Those years I spent at Di Meglios were the worst. My parents were determined that I not have a life, at least not one they couldn"t control."
Sam couldn"t help but remember those years. Her parents were highly respected attorneys who"d earned a name for themselves in New York circles. The firm included her mother and father, her father"s two brothers, Federico and Leandro, and their sons, Maddox and Damon, as well as her brother. They were all Di Meglios and they made their name representing the rich and famous.
Besides her mother, Sam had been the only Di Meglio woman in the family practice. All her female cousins had been smart enough to choose some other profession, since they"d known they would have been expected to work at the family-run law firm.
She cringed each time she remembered her parents" angry words when she"d told them of her decision to move to Oklahoma and form a law practice with Mac and Peyton. She knew they were still holding out, hoping that eventually she would come to her senses and return home to Manhattan to the plush, prestigious office overlooking the Hudson River, which was still empty and waiting for her. Angelo was the only one who knew for certain that she wouldn"t be coming back, and she had left with his blessings.
"You"re a big girl and I know you can take care of yourself," Mac said, interrupting her thoughts. "And as far as Luke is concerned, he knows that Blade is capable of handling himself, as well. Just so you know, Luke and I talked about it last night, when Blade walked you to your car. We"ve made a decision to stay out of it. Whatever happens is between you and Blade. Like I said, you"re a big girl."
Sam didn"t say anything for a moment and then, smiling, she stated, "Well, the first thing this big girl needs to do is clear her calendar for a week and fly to New York to pay her parents a visit. I need to settle a few things and get them to understand my life is my life, and I won"t have them interfering. And as for Blade, if he continues to be a nuisance, I will settle a few things with him, as well."