The wind contracts he had signed had led to more business; his energy company now held such a large stake in the wind-generating segment of the industry that he was a major player. The money was fantastic, unbelievable; the lack of personal time his schedule left him was frustrating and kept him on a tightrope.
If it wasn't for his secretary, Betty Cargill, who was from the old school and didn't mind running his personal errands and taking care of overseeing his life away from the office as well as inside of it, he would definitely be up shit creek.
But luckily, when he'd originally set up the infrastructure of his business, he had hired both Betty, and a couple of young, hungry engineers who had just completed grad school. It had taken almost all of Zach's funds to pay those three high salaries when he had first started out, but now it was paying off in spades. He had chosen his employees well, and he had brought them up with him when he struck gold. They were loyal and would do just about anything for him.
Of course, he had more employees now than he could count, but the hiring and firing was something Betty and Human Resources took care of. His days were packed with back to back meetings and travel. Everything from visiting with the land commissioner, to travelling back and forth to Saudi, to buying and selling blocks of oil futures. There were just some things he couldn't delegate. And the larger and more intricate his company became, the more it ate up his time.
Just yesterday, he'd had to cancel with Hannah and their parents on her move-in day at college. He was supposed to have been there to help, but something had come up at the last minute. He had insisted on sending a team of professional movers and his apologies instead.
Looking out over the Dallas skyline, he felt a sharp pang of regret that he had missed out on Hannah's excitement. Or what he hoped had been excitement. She was a quiet little thing. She never caused any problems. She never got mixed up with anything or anybody she shouldn't.
Except for Katie Turner, of course. And now that over two years had passed and Zach's emotions were much more stable, he knew that Katie was no danger to Hannah and never had been.
But no doubt Katie had been there with Hannah yesterday when his little sister had moved into her dorm. A suppressed memory clouded his mind. Katie had always been there for Hannah. When Janet's mother had finally succumbed to breast cancer, his sister had taken it hard for weeks. He remembered walking down the hall to check on Hannah. He had found both girls in Hannah's bathroom where Katie was trying to distract his little sister from the pain of losing her grandmother. Hannah was dressed in her nightgown and robe and had just come from her bath. She'd sat on the vanity stool in front of the mirror, and Katie had stood behind her, gently combing out the tangles in Hannah's hair while she hummed softly under her breath. Hannah's eyes were closed and Katie seemed to be having a quiet, one-sided conversation. "Let's try your hair like this." The older girl picked up a thick lock of hair and separated it into three sections as she began softly humming again. Zach must have made a noise, because the lilting sound stopped and Katie's eyes had risen to the mirror where they had clashed with his. He remembered seeing something in those dark green orbs he couldn't identify before he lowered his gaze and saw that Hannah's eyes were still closed. He'd looked at Katie once more and then slowly turned away.
He brushed the disturbing image from his mind. But it reiterated to him that Katie would have almost certainly been with Hannah yesterday when his sister had moved into her dorm.
Hannah had wanted to follow Katie to the University of Texas at Arlington. Zach was actually pleased she'd chosen that particular university, because he'd be able to see her more often. The university was still close to home, yet still allowed Hannah to go away to college. Arlington was in the center, between Dallas and the ranch. She could come and go as she pleased; she was close enough to come see him in Dallas or go home to Redwood Falls. It suited everyone.
He thought of Hannah in the expensive red car she'd gotten for her sixteenth birthday. She was pleased with it, no doubt, especially now with all the miles she'd be driving, but typical for Hannah, she didn't realize what the car had cost. She probably thought it was a decked out Honda. His little sister wasn't materialistic in any way. If the family didn't watch out, she would probably find some needy charity and give away all of her spending money. Hannah was sweet and special, no doubt about it.
At that last thought of the little sister he loved, he threw down his pen and told Betty that he would be out for the rest of the day.
Katie left the freshmen dorms and headed over to the parking lot where she'd left her car, just as a sleek silver Porsche pulled into a no-parking zone directly in front of her. The unmistakable countenance of Zachary McIntyre almost made her heart stop beating completely. And then it rapidly started to pound in her chest.
He could only be headed in one direction. To Hannah's dorm room. Where Josh still was.
Fear and panic slithered down her spine. Zach was rich and ruthless and probably still hated the memory of Chris Turner with a passion, possibly almost as much as he loved his sister. Katie was held immobile as her mind went blank with panic and shock. The ramifications of him finding out that Josh Turner was dating--sleeping--with his little sister were unthinkable, even though he'd have to find out someday, if the situation continued. She blew out a breath and knew immediately that it would continue, because there was no way in hell her cousin would ever give up Hannah. And Katie knew she would do whatever she had to do to protect Josh and Hannah from Zach's wrath.
Zach recognized Katie immediately. He hadn't seen her in a few months, he hadn't spoken to her since he'd gone to see her in Fort Worth, but her image was burned into his brain, not something he was likely to forget. She stood on the sidewalk, staring at him or his car, he couldn't be sure which. It really didn't matter. The slender lines of her body attracted him as always. The same inexplicable urge to reach out and touch her gripped him as it always had.
This time it was even stronger.
There was something about her that wouldn't let up. Certainly, she was an itch he needed to scratch, a pain in his pants. But it wasn't completely sexual. Or maybe it was, because libidinous thoughts crept into his head and he admitted to himself that he had a dark, imbedded need to punish her, both for the past and for denying what was between them.
Of course, the punishment he had in mind wouldn't hurt her, in fact it would only bring her pleasure. Even though the violent fury he used to feel was completely gone, he still had a stark need to possess her, to own her even. The thought was hotly exciting, even addictive, and if it took absolutely years and years and years to punish her then that was all the better, right? Fuck, it might even take forever. If keeping her forever and having her under him brought both of them immeasurable pleasure, why should he let that stop him?
He was almost ashamed of the primal emotion he felt toward her. He knew it wasn't right; his own sister loved Katie. Deep down he knew it wasn't fair but he just didn't give a rat's ass. The urge to have her was like a slow-burning ember that wouldn't die away. It burnt into him slowly, leaving him with a need that ate like corrosive acid in the pit of his stomach. She would be twenty now, almost twenty-one. He had tried to give her space. He really had. But now, after a couple of years of college, she was probably experienced enough that she probably wouldn't quibble about sleeping with him if he took the time and wooed her properly.
He wouldn't think about where she had gained that experience, it would drive him fucking berserk.
He knew one thing for certain; he was going to find out if she was finally ready, because he was sick of waiting for her.
Katie's mind began to function again just as Zachary stepped from his car. She knew she had to stall him. She had to stop him from going to Hannah's dorm. But what plausible excuse could she have for speaking to him now, when she'd always gone out of her way to avoid him? She'd always avoided him, even to the point of being rude.
The answer came to her quickly. She would be rude now. That would fit the Katie he was used to. She sucked in a deep breath and steeled her nerves, intentionally lacing her voice with venom. "You can't park there."
"Says who?" Zachary raised an eyebrow as he walked around the vehicle and came to a stop on the sidewalk next to her.
"Says the university police. And that No Parking sign." She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
Zachary seemed to ignore the content of her words and focused on her. He lifted one hand, almost casually, and stroked her cheek with a long finger, sending a quirk of a smile in her direction. "How've you been, Miss Turner?"
Katie jerked back from him and fired him a look filled with hostility, not expecting the way he said her name so formally, yet teasingly, to feel like a caress. She smothered the feeling and retaliated with heat, "I'm fine. Thank you so much for asking, Mr. McIntyre. And you? Have you been busy being mean to old people, kicking dogs and traveling the globe with no greater intent than making a boatload of unneeded money?"
"Katie . . .everyone needs more money, sweetheart. Surely that's a lesson you've learned by now. And I promise you, I've never kicked a dog or been mean to an old person." His voice was nonchalant but Katie had the idea that he wasn't really nonchalant at all.