The Billionaire's Triplets(10)

He sighed. "I see the paperless office is a ways off yet."

"So far off that I think you might want to consider investing in an office-supply company."

He got up from his desk and came over to where she sat. He looked down at her, at those lovely legs. Yes, he found her a damned attractive woman. Given the chaos of his life, that was getting to be a problem. He was finding it harder to ignore her attraction, and with no word from Lissa, he couldn't even justify trying.

"I'll get another cup of coffee and we can start on that mind-numbing pile of data."

"I've asked the secretary to make a pot and bring it in."

"You certainly do organize things amazingly, and you always manage to anticipate me."

She smiled up at him, tilting her head and letting her eyes run over his body and up to his face, then locking eyes with him. It was a surprisingly sensual look for the office. "I hope I always please you," she said. "Anything I can do to make you happy."

It sounded like an invitation, he was sure it was. It was the kind that doesn't cross the line but says "I'm willing to go farther if you are." It was also very tempting.

Then she turned her attention back to her stack of folders. "Why don't we get started?"

He sat next to her, picking up a folder and forcing himself to concentrate.





Willa watched Julio closely when they flew to Milan the next day. She noted that Elaine didn't hold his attention as she should. She noted he was distracted, and decided he was thinking about the American woman.

She needed him alert and focused. The project was critical. She would take steps to get him on track.

The meetings were, as usual, long, tedious sessions, filled with attention to mind-numbing details. She had the meetings recorded and would have them transcribed later, but she took copious notes herself to ensure she had the main points in hand to follow up on.

They ate dinner with the last contractor, a tiresome plumbing contractor who was more interested in profit margins and convenience-his-than trying to understand the vision of the project. Willa knew that the man was out of the running even before he submitted a bid, even before Julio told her essentially the same thing as they rode in a taxi back to the hotel.

She went to her room and showered and changed. Her room was on the same floor as his suite, and she picked up her new leather briefcase and carried it with her to his suite.

Milan had wonderful, elegant, expensive leather goods. That day at lunch, without any prompting, Julio had bought it for her as a gift-a token of thanks for three years of devoted service, he'd said. That was nice. Willa wanted more than nice from him, but she had him moving in the right direction. She had momentum, and the timing was good. He needed her now more than he ever had, and she intended to make sure he acknowledged that in a tangible way.

She knew he'd meant the gift sincerely and was making sure he saw that it was getting good use, and brought it to all their meetings. He was sitting on the couch, his coat off, his sleeves rolled up, with a drink in his hand. They'd already put in a long day meeting with people who might play a role in building the business center if Julio got the contract. She'd badgered others to submit written reports, and now she had those in her briefcase. She'd dressed carefully in a silk blouse that flattered her breasts, a short skirt, and heels.

Julio looked up, seeing her and showing her a sad face that betrayed just a hint of curiosity.

Seeing him that way made her heart skip a beat. She knew he was still mooning about that bitch of an economist. Even after all this time he wouldn't let go of the stupid idea that somehow they'd be together again. She set her jaw. It was time to kill that once and for all.         

     



 

"What's going on?" he asked. "You look awfully businesslike for so late in what has been a long day."

"Businesslike?"

He grinned. "Sexy, but still businesslike."

She savored the flattery. Looking sexy had been her intention. Julio always acted the gentleman with women he worked with. Willa assumed that was why he hadn't bedded Elaine. She often worked long hours with him herself, and while he might flirt, he generally maintained a professional relationship. The after-hours nature of her visit caught him off guard. Normally if they worked late it was because he was engrossed in some project.

"I know we are supposed to be done for the day …  All those damn meetings take their toll. We still have a lot of work that needs doing. I got some more proposals from potential subcontractors. I've tossed out the ones that didn't offer any new ideas, and just sent their standard rate sheets and other garbage, but that left a few that made an effort, and I thought we might go over them."

"It's odd that they are the minority," he said. "You'd think there wasn't a recession and there was plenty of work to go around. This is a juicy project."

"At any rate, I saw the look on your face at the end of the last meeting, and rather than letting you sit around feeling sad, I thought we might as well go through some of them." She sat beside him, letting her leg brush against his and putting the briefcase on the coffee table.

As she opened the case, Julio glanced at the folders and sighed, then held up his glass. "You get things started while I finish my drink."

"Of course." She brought out a folder and opened it on the coffee table. "These are from the usual vendors, your preferred list, for their ideas on the landscaping, some exterior touches …  most important, though, is the hybrid power-cogeneration system. The European union    should give you big environmental points for that."

Julio sipped his drink and picked up some of the pages. "You'd think so," he said. He finished the drink and let himself become absorbed in the proposed power system, reading the textual analysis but referring to the tables and graphs. "Yes, yes." Then he began going back and forth through the pages. He pointed at several tables with a pen he took from his pocket, circling some numbers. "Paper," he said, and she tore a page from her notebook and handed it to him.

He scribbled furiously, doing math, writing in the margins of the pages of the report. This was the Julio she wanted to see, the dynamic man who had the insights and energy to steamroller any other proposals. He had an amazing way of making a comprehensive analysis, and his instincts for choosing the right combination of things seemed unerring. The committee in Milan wanted something exceptional for their business center, and that required an exceptional man. A man like Julio Torres.

Willa watched him work, pleased that she could harness his genius, and delighted that she'd managed to sidetrack that American harpy. Now Willa was ready to step up her game. Being Julio's good right hand gave her a great deal of power, but she wanted more.

Julio shook his head and tossed the folder down. "This won't do."

She looked at the folder. "No?"

"It's crap. They are selling the right buzzwords, but it isn't promising or even new technology. We can do better." She watched him juggling possibilities in his head. "Remember that Finnish company we worked with last year?"

"On the military project?"

"Right. Contact them and ask them for their proposal. No, never mind. See that the contact information is on my desk in the morning and I'll call them myself. I'll be able to explain some of the engineering details so there are no missteps. They were working on something new that might be applicable. If it is, we can offer Milan something that will be cutting edge for a few years to come. We can't avoid obsolescence, but we can extend the lifespan of the center out there until they can recoup the investment."

The light had come back into his eyes. He picked up another folder, and she heard the excitement that crept into his voice as he reviewed, amended, and discarded the various proposals while Willa sat taking notes. He was in his element.

"Excellent," she said when he'd finished with the last folder. She leaned forward and began collecting them, putting them in the briefcase along with her notepad. "That's plenty for this evening."

He glanced at his watch. "It's still early. And now I'm wound up. Would you have a drink with me, Willa?"

Before she answered, she carefully closed up her briefcase, taking a moment. It never paid to seem too eager. Then she sat back on the couch, putting the briefcase on the floor, then crossing her legs and letting her short skirt ride up her thighs. She watched his eyes, saw that he was looking at her legs with interest. "I'd love one."         

     



 

She watched him go to the wet bar, and his manner, the atmosphere in the room, told her she had an opportunity that might not come again soon. She sensed a vulnerability in him, a need to unburden himself. He came back with two drinks and sat beside her. When he handed her the drink, she put her hand around his and looked into his eyes. She had trouble reading the thoughts behind those eyes, so she did the next best thing-she willed him to see her thoughts. She let herself imagine him making love to her, and let her eyes cloud over with desire as she wetted her lips with her tongue, making it seem casual, unconscious, and sexy.

After a brief moment he put both drinks on the coffee table, then turned towards her. His eyes didn't betray him, but she saw the welcome signs of lust in his face, a slight flush of his cheeks. Those subtle signs were her cue. She'd waited and planned for this since the day she started to work for him. Years of earning his trust, making him comfortable with her, and now she was ready to do whatever it took to cement their relationship.