Chapter Five
Jennifer hated this part of her job. Asking people for money always made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Nervously, Jennifer looked around the expensive G & B Corporation conference room, took a deep breath, and tried to steady herself as she pulled her speech and data sheets from her briefcase.
She needed to stay calm and professional as she provided information and statistics on the risks and benefits of socializing the cats, hoping it would help convince this company to donate toward a new cat playroom.
****
Grant
Grant entered his conference room, reviewing the list of organizations asking for money that day, and froze. He was stunned to see Jennifer. He didn’t usually attend these meetings, making a few of his trusted men take care of the charity side of his business.
A grin spread across his face. Holy shit. What were the chances? His day just brightened. Hell, his whole month did. His body was instantly affected, making the breath catch in his lungs. How could this little woman shake him up this strongly after knowing her such a short time?
He’d been out of town over the weekend and had been anxious to connect with her again. He’d planned on calling her and asking her out after work. This was better, much better.
“Hello, Miss Mitchell.” She spun around and almost tripped over the chair between them.
Grant reached out to steady her.
Grant caught the confusion in her eyes.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” she stuttered. Jennifer put a hand to her chest, hoping to keep her heart from hammering out of her chest. She took a quick, uncertain look at the other people in the conference room.
He sat just a foot from her on the edge of the conference room table and crossed his arms.
His smile widened. “I own it.” His gaze traveled down her body, and he frowned.
She was wearing ugly clothes again, but this time, her blouse was a mossy green and her pants brown.
Both baggy and unattractive. At least her hair seemed to be tamed in a bun at the back of her head, but he could tell it was already loosened, fighting to be free.
“I’m sorry. You own what?” she squeaked, which caused the other people in the room to freeze and stare at them.
His smile got bigger. She was absolutely adorable. “Everything.”
“What do you mean by everything?” Her voice grew steadily higher.
“I mean, I own G & B Corporation and the building, among other things.” He laughed outright when her face turned a bright hue of rose, and with an expression of shock unlike any he’d ever seen before.
Everyone in the room stood confused. None of them had heard him laugh and rarely seen him smile.
Jennifer was silent for a minute. She paled and swallowed several times when she felt the burn of tears.
He caught the sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Oh, shit,” he burst out. He stood abruptly, gripped her upper arm, and pulled her from the room.
Several steps later, he pulled her into an office and shut the door.
He leaned his back against the hard, cool wood and pulled her in front of him.
His gentle hold tightened when she tried to pull away. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m not.” She sniffed, kept her face tipped down, and her eyes rapidly blinked several times.
His thumb caressed her upper arm where his hand gripped her, and he smiled.
“When I ask you a question in the future, it would please me if you always told me the truth.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief. “...I mean, what future?” She tried to pull away from him. “Please let me go. I need to gather my things and get back to the shelter.”
His eyes flared when he heard the panic in her tone, and his brows drew together in a scowl. “Why would you do that?” Irritation and confusion laced his voice.
Jennifer used a hand to wedge more space between them to wipe her eyes. “Because I can’t stay here. I’m so embarrassed. I feel so bad about you and your staff taking the time to meet me.”
“Jennifer, we had to be here. We have other organizations that want us to donate and contracts that need to be signed, so we were going to be here anyway.”
Jennifer thought about it for a second and nodded. She felt marginally better, but not much. “I have to go.”
“For God’s sake, why?”
“There is no way I can ask you for money,” she stammered and glanced up at him in disbelief, like he should have known that.
“Why the hell not?” he said impatiently. His hands stayed locked on her arms.
“Just because.”
“Jennifer. When I ask you a question, I will require a real answer.”
“It doesn’t feel right. Now let me go, please.”
“Jennifer, look at me,” he demanded in a voice she couldn’t help but respond to.
He was pleased when she instantly looked up.
The softhearted, open, and slightly sad look on her face hit him hard and made it impossible to remember what he was going to say.
His only thought was to see if her lips were as soft as they appeared.
He slowly lowered his head, and his mouth pressed against hers almost hesitantly.
A moment went by as he explored the contours of her lips.
His hand encircled her jaw and pressed down to open her mouth.
A groan tore from his throat when he tasted her.
His tongue dueled with hers in an intimate byplay.
One of his arms wrapped around her waist, lifted her, and turned them so she was tucked between his hard body and the coolness of the wood at her back.
He twisted his hips and made room between her legs, pressing against her very core.
His control slipped, and his only thoughts were of making her feel good.
Groans and whimpers tore from their mouths before Grant bent again and took her mouth more forcefully and deeper this time. His hand slid down to enclose her breast through her shirt. His kiss turned hotter and more dominant.
Jennifer tore her mouth from his at the same time she pulled her arms from around his neck, braced them against his chest, and panted. An embarrassed flush slid over her features.
“Stop. Oh, my God. We don’t even know each other,” she whimpered. “We shouldn’t be touching like this,” she said breathlessly.
Grant couldn’t hear her over the molten blood rushing through his veins. He pressed his mouth against her neck and spread heat to her shoulder as his hands roamed over her like he was trying to absorb her into his skin.
“Grant, stop,” she said more forcefully, pushing at his shoulders.
He lifted his head and stared down at her. “What, baby?” he asked hoarsely.
“I want to go. You’re making me feel uncomfortable. People should get to know each other before they kiss.” She twisted away from him only to have his arm reach out, and his hand gently enclosed her wrist before she took a full step back. “We need to get to know each other better,” she said firmly.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s go. I have a condo on the top floor. We’ll get to know each other very well.” He pulled her in for another kiss.
She wedged her arms between them to get some space, froze when his words finally penetrated, and frowned in confusion. “You live here?”
“Not all the time.”
“Why do you have an apartment here? Where else do you live?”
Grant frowned in frustration. “Because I work late a lot, and it’s convenient when I don’t want to take time to drive out to a house I own in the Breckenridge area, and I usually send my driver home way before I’m done.
Besides, I’m usually wiped out. I sometimes don’t leave here until two or three in the morning. ”
She shook her head and tried once again to pull away from him. “Why?”
Grant sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. “Because that’s when other markets are open in different parts of the world.” He was clearly getting aggravated.
Jennifer looked thoughtful for a moment and at the same time tried again to move away.
His gaze narrowed and darkened. “Stop trying to pull away from me. You won’t be going anywhere until we hash this out.” He waited until she settled a bit. “So, this is how we’re going to play this. I will ask the questions, and you will answer them immediately. Do you understand?”
Jennifer’s eyes widened at the tone of his voice, and she nodded her head. She stiffened when he tried to pull her closer, but not in fear.
“Jennifer. Stop. I want you in front of me while we talk.”
She settled against him.
“That’s a good girl,” he soothed when she calmed and relaxed in front of him. “Now, what do you need to get before we go upstairs?” He paused when she shook her head. “What?” he grumbled.
“I’m not going upstairs. I’m going back to work.”
“Like hell you are.”
Jennifer stiffened and searched his face. “Are you going to keep me here against my will?”
“If I have to,” he said through gritted teeth.
She relaxed at what he knew was discouragement and gentleness on his face.
“I don’t believe that, Grant.”
Grant ran an agitated hand through his close-cropped hair. “Jesus,” he whispered and closed his eyes. “Woman, you’re driving me crazy already.”
Jennifer laughed at the harassed tone of his voice, which earned a scowl.
“I’m really not trying to.” Her face turned serious. “Grant, I really need to go.”
“What about the presentation?” Grant let his hands slide up and down her arms, his gaze intent on hers.
“I can’t do that anymore, especially when you dragged me here. I can’t imagine what everyone is thinking,” she whispered as the blush on her face darkened.
“I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks, and you won’t either.”
Jennifer cringed. “You can’t force me not to worry.”
“Like hell.”
“Grant,” she said with clamped teeth.
“Jennifer,” he mimicked.
They stared at each other for a moment until Grant’s eyes heated, and he leaned forward to take her mouth. She wedged her arms between them.
“What did I say about pushing away from me?” He clenched his jaw.