A Whole New Man. Roxann Delaney
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need to be in a hurry to get one. I can pick you up at your hotel in—” She glanced at her watch, frowning. “Two hours. That will give me time to make some arrangements on the apartment, and then we can decide where to go from there.”
For some reason, she intrigued him. He wouldn’t mind spending a little time with her. A little fun wouldn’t hurt, either. There was no danger in that. But anything more was out of the question.
Standing, he took the hand she offered and held it. “Your friends call you Lizzie?”
She shook her head, but didn’t pull away. “Professionally, I prefer Elizabeth.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll stick with Lizzie.”
“Well, I suppose—”
“Good. And I’m Hank.”
Still holding her hand, he unconsciously rubbed his thumb over hers. He heard her sharp intake of breath and let go. “I’ll see you in two hours,” he said, and noticed his voice was huskier than he’d expected.
He also noticed she didn’t move from the spot when he left the room. As he walked down the hall, he shook his head. He couldn’t deny being attracted to her. But he’d been attracted to women before, and, except for the few times before he knew better, the relationship hadn’t become serious. There wasn’t any reason to think he couldn’t handle it this time. No reason at all.
Lizzie watched Hank Davis leave her office, then took a step back, grabbed the edge of her desk for support and bit back the groan that threatened to give her away. Her legs had turned to rubber the first moment she had laid eyes on him in the reception area of Images, Inc. Hunk? The word made her want to laugh out loud. What an understatement! And she had to work with this man? Every day? Possibly evenings? This time, the groan was impossible to keep inside.
With an unsteady step, she walked to the door and quietly closed it, fighting the urge to follow him down the hall for another look at him. Leaning her forehead against the smooth, cool wood, she was tempted to start banging it. She would never be able to keep her wits about her for the next two weeks if she didn’t pound some sense into her foggy mind.
His voice, low and lazy, like a river slowly moving along a grassy bank on a summer day, had sent warm currents flowing through her body. But it was his dimples that had done her in. Those twin valleys bracketing a sexy mouth had made that smile a true kneeweakener. And Lizzie’s knees felt like warm jelly again, just thinking about them.
She quickly scolded herself for her weakness. She didn’t have time for men, no matter how good-looking. Her life was full enough with Images, Inc., and with Amanda, her daughter.
On her way to her desk, she grabbed the folder she had left on the sofa, hoping to get her mind back on business. But it was impossible. The moment he had looked up from the magazine in his hand, she knew she was in for a difficult time. Professionalism had flown out the window. Clear brown eyes had stared into hers, and she had detected a decided twinkle in them.
Determined to get herself under control, she pressed the intercom button and asked Janine to step into her office. She had a lot to do before she picked up Hank at his hotel.
Janine opened the door and poked her head into the office. “Mercy, that is some man you’re going to be working with.”
Lizzie smiled at her best friend and employee and prayed Janine wouldn’t see how much Hank Davis had rattled her. “You gave him the folder with the schedule, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” Stepping into the room, Janine perched on the arm of the sofa and propped her chin in one hand, her hazel eyes dancing. “Once you’re done with him, there won’t be a woman within a hundred miles of Kansas City that won’t be falling at his feet.”
Lizzie kept her thoughts to herself. No need feeding into Janine’s daydreams.
“It doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to see him all spiffed up in a custom-made tux and starched shirt, charming the Kansas City social set,” Janine continued.
“Clothes can sometimes make the man,” Lizzie said without thinking. And that’s what worried her. Good-looking men in tuxedos had always been her weakness. Amanda’s father had been the first proof of that.
But even in something as mundane as a blue chambray shirt and jeans, Henry Wallace Davis was a sight to behold. He didn’t look like the type who would be comfortable in a business suit. He was too rugged, too rough around the edges. And it was now her job to smooth out those edges.
“Mr. Davis seems pretty well made to me,” Janine said with another sigh. “But you’ll know how to handle him.”
Just the thought of “handling” Hank Davis sent a shiver through Lizzie. She shoved the thought from her mind and returned to the business at hand. “Would you call Bailey and tell him to have the car here in about an hour? I need to return Mrs. Adams’s call at the convalescent center about my mom.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Better. The nurses think the doctor will let her come home soon. That will be a big relief.”
“And more work for you,” Janine pointed out.
“I’ll deal with it.” She placed a finger on her temple, massaging the headache threatening her clear thinking. “I have to. Even with the fee from Hank Davis, we need to bring in more clients. There’s no getting around that. We both know business has been slow this spring. Do you have any idea who called earlier?”
Janine shook her head. “He asked for you and I told him you were with a client. Before I could ask for a name, he’d hung up.”
“Maybe he’ll call back.” Lizzie didn’t want to lose a chance at new business. “If he does—if you recognize his voice—put him right through.”
While Janine went to make arrangements for transportation, Lizzie dialed the phone, then waited for one of the nurses to check her mother’s chart. Mentally clicking off her list of things to do, she almost wished she could do without Hank Davis and his fee. But she couldn’t back out because of a foolish attraction to a client. This one was too important. His deposit alone was the last step toward making the final payment on her small-business loan. Once it was paid, Images, Inc., would be free and clear. With the bank, anyway. Her mother’s care and the worry over the medical bills would be a thing of the past. If they could bring in more clients, she could afford to hire more consultants, and then she would have more time to spend with Amanda.
Maybe someday she would realize her dream of making her firm the most sought after in Kansas City. If she could do that, she might prove to her family that she wasn’t the wild child she once was.
One step at a time, she reminded herself.
In her heart, her daughter and family came first. She wouldn’t let a man change that, and since she reluctantly admitted she was attracted to Hank, she needed to focus on his roaming life. That should keep her hormones in line. She knew his type. The moment Amanda’s father had heard the word “baby,” he’d hit the road and never looked back. He wasn’t the only one who had left her, either. She knew, firsthand, that some men weren’t the type to settle down, and she wasn’t going to let herself get caught up with someone like that again. In fact, she had proven she didn’t need any man, so even if Hank was stable, she still had no business letting her weak knees and her racing heart get the better of her. She had a dream and something to prove.
“What’s this?” Hank asked when he stepped out of the hotel. It was obvious that the limousine parked at the curb and the uniformed driver waiting at the open door were for him.
“It’s something special we do for our clients.” Lizzie gave the driver a warm smile as she got into the car and motioned for Hank to follow.
He climbed in after her and settled onto the wide seat across from her. “But a limo? Isn’t that kind of extravagant? I’m taking the foreman’s job, not the company president’s.”