Chapter 1 #3
“Just get through this and you can be on vacation,” she said out loud as she grabbed her briefcase and went inside.
“Hi, Jill,” Ashton’s assistant, Debi, said. “He’s waiting for you in his office.”
“Thank you,” Jill said with a smile for Debi.
She went up the stairs and took a right, heading for the huge office at the end of the hallway.
Jill had been here a hundred times and had the same reaction every time.
By the time she reached the closed door to Ashton’s office, her heart beat hard, her palms were sweaty and her stomach fluttered with nerves.
Why did the thought of seeing him always undo her? It was positively maddening!
Jill took one last moment to prepare for battle and raised her hand to knock.
“Come on in.”
Oh, that voice. That accent. It was positively lethal.
Jill opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
When she ventured a glance at the desk, she found him sitting back in his chair, eyeing her with what seemed to be a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Good, at least they were both annoyed.
He got up slowly and came around the desk. “Jill. Nice to see you as always.”
She surreptitiously rubbed her sweaty palm on her skirt before she returned his handshake. It was appalling, really, the way she wanted to lean in for a better sniff of his cologne. He wore his blond hair short, and his dark suit had been cut to fit his broad shoulders.
“Something wrong?”
Jill snapped out of her visual perusal to realize she was still holding his hand. She released it quickly and searched for her missing composure. “Of course not.”
“Have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’m fine.”
Rather than sit behind his desk, he took the chair next to hers and crossed his long legs.
Jill’s mouth went dry as she watched him move like a big cat on the prowl.
“Your sister has put us in one hell of a fix,” he said in that Tennessean drawl that made her go stupid in the head, but only when it came from him. She heard that accent a hundred times a day from others, but no other voice was quite like his.
“She feels bad about it.”
“Is she really sick or in need of a vacation?”
The implication that Kate was lying made Jill see red. But then she remembered the enmity between Kate and Ashton and quelled the urge to jump to her sister’s defense. “She’s yet to fully bounce back from the pneumonia. She went back to work too soon.”
“The company’s PR people are working around the clock to deal with the fallout.”
“It’s not Kate’s fault that the press is convinced she’s strung out on drugs, and besides, that’s not what this meeting is about. The fact is, she wants a few months off, and it’s our job to make that happen.”
“It’s your job to make that happen. My job is to keep Buddy’s company from getting sued because your client is a flake.”
“That’s completely unfair and unwarranted, Ashton, and you know it. She’s one of the hardest-working performers in the business, and she is ill. I’d like to see you try to put on a two-hour concert when you can barely breathe.”
“Fine,” he said begrudgingly. “If you say she’s sick, she’s sick. I’ll do what I can to keep her from getting sued, but no promises.”
“I hope you’ll do as much for her as you’d do for any of Buddy’s artists.”
At that, his expression hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean? I treat all our artists the same, but my job is to protect Long Road Records from exposure. Your sister has exposed us to tremendous liability.”
“I’m going to keep saying it until you hear me—she is sick. If anyone tries to sue her for breach of contract, we can provide documentation from the hospital in Oklahoma City.”
“I’d like to have that for the file.”
“Fine, I’ll fax it to you when I get home.”
“Fine.”
His sleepy-looking green eyes took a perusing journey over her that left Jill feeling naked and exposed. What the hell? “What’re you looking at?”
“You.”
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Because you’re the only other person in the room.”
He had such a way of making her feel stupid.
He made her want to tell him that she’d graduated at the top of her class from both Brown University and Harvard Law, but she didn’t say that.
Rather, as she often did in his presence, she squirmed in her seat, sending the message that he was making her feel uncomfortable. That was probably his goal.
“And because I wonder if you ever loosen that top button and let your hair down.”
Aghast, Jill stared at him as heat crept into her cheeks. “What business is that of yours?”
“Absolutely none.”
“Then why would you say such a thing to me?”
His shrug was casual, as if this conversation was a normal part of their business routine. It most definitely was not normal. “I wonder. That’s all.”
She didn’t want to ask. She absolutely did not want to know what he meant by that. “Wonder about what?” Clearly, her mouth was working ahead of her brain.
“I wonder what you’re like when you’re not playing barracuda protector for your sister. What do you like to do? What do you look like in a pair of jeans? What kind of music do you like? Who’s your favorite author? That kind of stuff.”
Jill had never been more shocked in her life. He wondered about her?
“Close your mouth before the flies get in there,” he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.
She needed to get out of there before she said something she’d regret—such as, I wonder about you, too. “Are you…”
He waited a long beat before he said, “Am I what?”
Jill’s mouth had gone totally dry. “Flirting with me?” The words came out squeaky and rough, and she immediately felt like a total fool.
She was almost thirty years old, for crying out loud.
She’d had her share of boyfriends, although none lately, not when she was so damned busy she didn’t have time to do her laundry, let alone date.
Why was her reaction to this man so different from any other?
“What if I am?”
“Why?” She said the first thing that came to mind, and damn him for laughing.
“Why not? You’re a beautiful woman, or I bet you could be if you…unbuttoned…a little bit.”
“Is that supposed to be flattering?”
“When was the last time you did something just for you that had nothing to do with your sister?”
“It’s been a while,” she said truthfully.
“You wanna have some fun?”
He was so gorgeous, far more gorgeous than any man had a right to be, and that accent absolutely undid her. “What kind of fun?”
“Any kind you want,” he said in a suggestive tone that made her nipples tighten with interest. Thank God she was wearing a suit coat so he couldn’t see them.
“With you.”
“Yes,” he said, laughing again, “that was kind of the idea.”
“And how long have you been wanting to have ‘fun’ with me?”
“Awhile now, if I’m being truthful.”
Jill couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Nothing to say to that?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Oh.” Brilliant, Counselor. Positively brilliant.
“So what do you say? Want to get together while you’re on vacation?”
Jill’s mind raced as she considered all the implications, including what her sister would have to say about it.
“Don’t think about what Kate would say. Think about what Jill wants.”
His insight only rattled her further. All she thought about was what Kate wanted. When was the last time she gave the first consideration to what she wanted. Longer than she could remember. “I, um…”
“Take your time.” He folded his hands behind his head. “I’ve got an hour until my next meeting.”
“Wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for us to see each other outside of work?”
“Since we’re usually on the same side, I wouldn’t say so.”
He was a much more seasoned attorney than she was, so she took his word for it.
“I need a favor,” she said, diving in before she lost her nerve. They needed to get this issue out of the way before she could consider his very tempting offer.
“What kind of favor?”
“A personal favor that’s going to make you mad.”
“I’m listening.”
Jill couldn’t seem to form the words that would have the effect of gas thrown on a fire. Not when he’d just asked her out. She wanted to go out with him, which was the sad part. The minute she passed along Kate’s request for contact info for his father, the date would probably be off the table.
“Jill?”
“Kate would like to contact your father.”
He froze, staring at her with contempt stamped into his expression. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m only the messenger, so don’t shoot me.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m revisiting that issue.” His hands dropped to his lap, and he stood. “The first time was more than sufficient, thank you very much.”
“She only wants to see him for a minute,” Jill said, making it up as she went along. “Apparently, there’s something she needs to tell him.”
“The last thing he needs is to hear from her. She ruined his freaking life and nearly destroyed my relationship with him. She has a lot of nerve thinking I’m going to help her get in touch with him.”
“I understand,” Jill said, and she did. It was a sore subject for all of them. “And for the record, I told her I was uncomfortable asking you.”
Hands in pockets, he stared out the window. “Typical Kate to think of herself first and everyone else second.”
“You don’t give her enough credit, Ashton. She’s very generous and good to the people in her life.”
“I don’t expect you to see her faults.”
“I see them, but I love her enough to look past them.”
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t love her that much.” He turned to face her. “Tell her to leave it alone. A lot of people were hurt by what happened between them. My dad has a good life now, a life that satisfies him. I’d hate to see him hurt by her again.”
“He hurt her, too.”
“Maybe so, but I only saw his side of it, and it wasn’t pretty. Trust me on that.”
Jill nodded, sorry she’d broached the subject. She picked up her briefcase, stood and started for the door.
“Jill?”
She turned back to him.
“You never answered my question.”
“Oh. I thought you were mad.”
“I am mad, but not at you. I don’t believe in shooting the messenger.”
“Could I think about it?”
“Sure. Take all the time you need. You know where I am when you make up your mind.”
Jill nodded and left, taking the stairs on wobbly legs.
“Have a good day, Jill,” Debi said.
“Thanks, you, too.”
Jill nearly dropped her keys in her haste to get in the car. For a long time, she sat there, staring out the windshield, trying to process what’d happened. Ashton Matthews had asked her out. Her sister’s sworn enemy was interested in her. What would she tell Kate?
Nothing, she decided. She’d keep it to herself for now.