Jordan looked up from his twin brother, Jeffrey's, desk as a drop dead gorgeous,
nattily dressed, perfectly made-up woman strolled into the office. She snapped
the door shut behind her, pausing to lean against it.
"Well, well, well," she drawled. "The prodigal returns. Hello,
Jeffrey."
Jordan pushed back in his chair and watched the woman saunter across the large
office. "Ashley Baines. In the flesh."
Jeffrey had mentioned her several times. And Rob had mentioned her too, while
pointing out her picture in the company's annual report.
Evidently, the "iron maiden" was Jeffrey's competition for this promotion.
Both men had spoken of her with a mixture of awe and fear.
Jordan didn't think she looked all that scary as she folded herself into one of
the guest chairs. She arched a perfect brow over glowing blue eyes and gave him
a quick, dispassionate once-over.
Scary, no.
Challenging, definitely.
Her crisp, burgundy jacket and the narrow, matching skirt told him she meant business.
But her blonde braid was like a flash of sunshine in the dark, ostentatious office,
and her trim body was the stuff of Jordan's favorite fantasies.
"When did you hit town?" She crossed one leg over the other, showing
off tanned, toned calves that held Jordan's attention a little too long.
Maybe that was what scared Jeffrey and Rob so bad. The woman was sexy enough to
be lethal.
Good thing Jordan was brave. Good thing he'd taken self-defense training. In fact,
he'd be prepared to wrestle her on the carpet if push came to shove.
He'd be prepared to wrestle her at length.
He dragged his gaze back to her face. "Got in last night," he answered
her question.
She zeroed in on the pile of television series presentations sitting on the wide
desk in front of them. Her eyebrows twitched with interest.
He reached out and flipped the papers face down.
"Scared?" she asked.
He cocked his head to one side, leisurely taking in her sexy, five-foot-five frame.
"Of you?"
She laughed at the tone of incredulity, and the sound trickled through him like
clear stream water. That laugh sure didn't mesh with the personality Jeffrey had
described.
"Of my television series," she said.
"We're ready to give you a run for your money." He patted the copies
of his own series proposal, considering the merits of locking them in one of the
desk drawers until the meeting. Who knew how far she'd go if she happened to stroll
into his office and find it empty.
"Can't wait to see it," she said. "But I came to tell you that
if you have any tweaking to do, you've caught a break."
"A break?" he asked.
"The meeting's been put off until Friday."
Jordan rocked forward in his chair. Friday? He didn't have until Friday. He had
to get back to Alaska. He'd signed up for one day in LA, not five days in LA.
"How the hell did that happen?"
"Stroke of a pen by the Chairman of the Board's secretary." She looked
smug, and a little self-satisfied. She'd obviously been pivotal in postponing
the meeting. But, why? What did she have to gain?
She couldn't know his secret already. Could she?
He gazed into her clear blue eyes for signs that he was caught.
She stared back, poker faced, not giving away a thing.
Jordan had never been any good at mind games. He much preferred the straight-ahead
approach. Like a wrestling match on the floor of the office--winner got the promotion.
He wondered if she'd go for it.
"Friday at ten," said Ashley.
"I have an appointment on Friday." In Alpine, Alaska. Running his company.
Wally had only convinced him to do this much because he was the closest thing
Jordan had to family.
"So, cancel," she said.
"It's not that simple."
The snowstorm was forecast to last most of the week, so there was no hope of Jeffrey
making it back from Alaska to save the day.
Forget the possibility that Jordan would be caught impersonating his brother before
Friday, his employees back home were depending on him. The airline wasn't going
to run itself.
She smirked, and shrugged her slim shoulders. "Then don't show. I don't mind."
Then she nodded at the stack of papers, leaning slightly forward in her chair.
"I hear yours is set in Alaska."
"Arctic Luck," said Jordan, then immediately wondered if he'd made a
mistake. Jeffrey had distinctly told him not to share any information with Ashley.
"What's the title?" she asked.
"What's yours?" he returned, not about to get caught out a second time.
She smiled, revealing straight, white teeth and giving those blue eyes a luminescent
glow. A shiver of attraction shot to life inside him. He quickly quelled it. That
was the last thing he needed.
"Kissed In California," she replied.
His gaze subconsciously shifted to her full lips. But he quickly blinked his way
back to her eyes. Bottomless. Amazingly beautiful.
His brain might know she was off limits, but his libido appreciated what his libido
appreciated. There wasn't a whole hell of a lot he could do about it.
"Cute title," he said into the silence.
"It's a cute concept."
"Going to tell me about it?" he asked.
"Not on your life."
"Spoil sport."
"You expect me to make this easy for you?"
"Definitely not."
"Good." She paused. "I'd hate for you to be disappointed."
It was his turn to grin. "I'm not so far."
Her eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"It means I can't wait to see what your medical series is all about."
"Detective series," she corrected.
Jordan's grin widened.
"Don't get all smug on me. I gave you that one."
And she had. He had no doubt.
This was a woman completely in control, completely sure about what she wanted,
where she was going and what she was doing.
Jeffrey had her all wrong. She wasn't dangerous. She was intriguing. Sharp and
prickly, but definitely intriguing.
"Stop that," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Stop what?"
"Does the bedroom eyes thing actually work in New York?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
A challenge glittered in the depths of her irises. "Don't mess with me."
That challenge called to him. It made him envy Jeffrey for getting to work with
her all the time. Okay, so Jeffrey got to work against her all the time. But it
was probably still stimulating as all get out.
She sighed in exasperation and threw up her hands. "What now?"
"You're not what I expected."
"What are you talking about?"
Oops. "I mean, this isn't what I expected."
She sat back. "You thought I'd just roll over and play dead as soon as I
heard you were showing up?"
Jordan didn't chance answering this time.
She shook her head. "Not on your life, Jeffrey. You just hang onto your New
York hat, because I am going to blow you so far out of the water."
Jordan couldn't help the grin that crept out.
She straightened, and her skirt hiked up showing off an inch of shapely thigh.
Her full lips were pursed. And those crystal blue eyes pinned him with a challenge
worthy of a wild lynx.
Too bad all that pent up intensity and emotion was working against him instead
of for him. If he ever had a choice, he'd want her on his team. She could probably
survive quite nicely in the Alaskan bush.
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