“All right,” he said. “Since we’re both here, I might as well make myself useful.”
“Do you know how?”
“Funny,” he replied. “Consider me a resource for your investigation. I want to be kept in the loop about your discoveries and your proposals. I wasn’t lying when I said this location was a money maker for us. Since I’m here, I should take an interest in getting it back on track.”
“You’ve never overseen my work on any of the other hotels,” she pointed out. “I doubt you even noticed which hotels I was assigned to.”
“Then it’s about time I took a deeper interest in what you do,” he said smoothly. “We can meet tonight to get an update on your preliminary findings. Dinner?”
“Let me count the ways I can say no.”
“Drinks, then.” He checked his watch. “I look forward to hearing your ideas about the hotel.”
“It’s been one day,” she said. “If you want updates, we could set up a working lunch a week from now. With Karen.”
He tsked. “That won’t do. I have a feeling I’m going to be a very hands-on boss.” He grinned. “Daily updates work better for me, and since I’m signing your checks, that means they work better for you, too.”
“Wyatt signs my checks.”
“Same difference.”
With a sigh, she admitted defeat. The client was always right. “A quick drink tonight to apprise you of my work,” she agreed. “Now, please let me go get some done, or it will be a very fast conversation.”
With a slight bow, he swept his arm out to the side. “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.”
Shaking her head, Avery maneuvered around him. She had a meeting to keep. And somehow she’d have to get through it without letting Hayden dominate her thoughts.
An impossible task.
The man had been hard enough to forget about when he’d been an ocean away. How was she supposed to do it when he was within walking distance?
This might just be a job she was destined to regret accepting.
…
With a click of her heels, Avery walked away from him. Again.
He watched her go, appreciating the gentle sway of her hips as she strode from the lobby. Though their initial meeting hadn’t gone according to plan, he couldn’t help the smile on his lips.
It was good to see her again.
He didn’t miss people. They drifted through his life on their own schedule, and he’d learned long ago that allowing himself to grow attached to anyone was simply a recipe for pain. Yet somehow, without even realizing it, he’d missed Avery.
Fascinating.
When he’d looked across the lobby and seen her standing there, something in his shoulders had relaxed. A tension he hadn’t even been aware of drained away. Not that he’d had the same effect on her, he was sure. If anything, the tension that had left him had found another home in her body.
He hadn’t been able to stop himself from going to her. For weeks, a world had been between them. Today it was only a few feet of marble, a distance that had taken seconds to cross.
And there she’d been, staring up at him with wide brown eyes, looking much as she always had. Even dressed down, there was a strength in her that was undeniable. No matter what setting Avery found herself in, she was the same calm, self-assured woman he’d first hired years ago. The one who faced him down in a grueling interview. The one who’d let a slow smile curve her lips before promising him better results than any consultant who had come before her. Not only had she delivered, but she’d exceeded every expectation.
He hadn’t wanted her then. Hadn’t thought twice about her, if he was being honest. It had never been his style to pursue women like Avery. They were complicated and intense, women of lasting substance when all he wanted was something fleeting.
She’d fixed problems in a dozen of his hotels, and he’d never been tempted to touch her beyond an indifferent handshake when they happened to cross paths.
Until the Christmas gala. She’d been networking, as she often was at the larger hotel events. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit in the air, or maybe it was the black gown that clung to her curves like it had been painted on, but he’d gazed across the ballroom and felt a stab of lust hotter than he’d experienced before. For a woman he knew better than to want.
Shaking his head, Hayden walked back toward the reception desk.
“Your keycard, sir,” the receptionist said.
“Thank you, Lea.” He took the card and tucked it into his pocket. “Will you have my bags sent up to my suite?”
“I’ve already made the call,” she replied. “They’ll be brought up in just a few minutes.”