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  “None of that matters,” he whispered. “Shelley, it can happen like this between two people. Let it happen to us. I’ve been wanting you all evening. I think I started wanting you when you walked into the shop this afternoon.” He nipped persuasively at her earlobe, and she flinched.

  “I know it can happen like that for a man,” she mumbled. “But I’m just not interested in a one-night stand, Joel.”

  “Hardly that,” he murmured, his tongue drawing erotic circles on the interior of her ear. “We’re business partners now, remember?”

  “There’s an old and firm injunction against combining business with pleasure,” she managed with a brave attempt at flippancy.

  “So you admit there is some pleasure involved in this for you?” he asked, pouncing on her statement

  “Joel, don’t you dare try to trick me into saying what you want to hear!” She lifted her head for an instant, glaring up at him.

  He raised his head to smile wistfully, hungrily down at her. “The key to winning the game is to learn all the tricks and patterns,” he whispered.

  When she opened her mouth to protest further, he sealed the words in her throat with his lips and in the same moment shifted the hand that had been lying in wait along her rib cage to cover her breast

  The deliberate, sure and possessive way he fitted the shape of her into his hand sent a tremor through Shelley’s body. He drank the moan that rose in her throat, and then he began consolidating his advance against her senses by letting his fingers rasp the peak of her breast through the thin black silk and the lacy fabric of her bra.

  “My God, woman!” he muttered a little shakily against her mouth, “do you know what it does to a man to get this kind of response from a woman he wants?”

  “Joel…”

  But she couldn’t say anything else as the urgency rose in her body. She felt the tautening ache in her nipples and knew he was fully aware of it. As if he couldn’t resist any longer, he began undoing the turquoise buttons of the black silk blouse with fingers that trembled slightly in passion.

  He did want her, she thought dazedly. Whatever else she could say about Joel Cassidy, he was totally honest in his desire. There was an undeniable excitement and a deeply feminine satisfaction in that knowledge. When the black silk fell aside and he found the front clasp of her bra, she sighed against the skin of his throat, and her fingers slipped unconsciously inside his shirt She began undoing buttons herself.

  Gently, he forced her back into the cushions, moving to lower himself along the length of her as he tracked kisses down from the pulse point at the base of her throat to the rounded heaviness of her breasts.

  Shelley sucked in her breath, and her fingers twined with sudden fierceness into the thick flame of his hair when he grazed the tight, hard nipples with his lips.

  “Oh, Joel!” Her head arched back, and her lashes squeezed shut in reaction to the incredibly exciting touch of his mouth and his hands.

  “The feel of you,” he murmured huskily. “The hardness here—” he curled his tongue around the nipple— “and the softness here…” He kissed the full breast “The feel of you could drive me insane this evening. Do you realize that?” His powerful hands moved down to grasp her hips as he dosed his mouth back over first one rosy peak and then the other.

  Then he shifted once more, urging her legs apart with his knee and making a place for himself between her thighs. Even though the material of their clothing remained between their bodies, the uncompromisingly intimate embrace was enough to take away Shelley’s bream. In mis position she was made fully aware of the state of his arousal, his hardness pressing against the softness of her with aggressive demand.

  “Feel me, honey. Feel my need of you tonight…”

  Joel’s tongue surged between her lips, this time in a timeless pattern that was meant to invoke the image of another kind of joining.

  “Joel!” Shelley cried his name softly when he ceased the plundering action for a moment to rain kisses across the ridge of her cheekbones.

  “It’s all right, my sweet little hustler. It’s all right,” he crooned. “We fit together like the pieces of your puzzle. It’s all right”

  It was the word “hustler” that finally managed to jangle the warning bells in her mind. It broke the spell that had begun binding her from the moment she had found herself seated across from Joel at the puzzle table, perhaps earlier. Damn it! She was not like him! She was not a hustler! She didn’t take her pleasures where she found them or conclude a business deal with sex.

  “Joel, that’s enough,” she got out tightly, beginning to push against his shoulders as her willpower returned. “That’s far enough. Please!”

  “Relax, honey. Relax and let me handle everything. It’s going to be so good between us.” He nipped passionately at the soft flesh of her shoulder as if gently punishing her for protesting.

  “I said that’s enough, Joel,” she managed in a voice that was so steady she surprised herself with it She didn’t feel at all steady. Her body was still caught up in the sensuality of the moment even if her mind was recovering from the spell. “I meant it.”

  Something of her determination finally seemed to get through to him. With great reluctance, he raised his head to stare down into hazel eyes that were very deep and very green with the remnants of her arousal. But the flicker of decision swirled in those depths, too, and he saw it.

  “Shelley, honey, don’t do this to both of us. I want you, and I know you want me. Let it happen, sweetheart. Just let it happen,” he begged hoarsely.

  “No.” She moved her head once in denial. “Joel, we have nothing but a business deal between us. That’s not enough. I’m sorry I got carried away and let things go this far.”

  “Damn it, don’t start apologizing for my seduction attempt,” he grated. “When it’s necessary, I’ll do my own apologizing! But I don’t think it’s necessary this time,” he added, rising slowly to a sitting position on the couch. The ice and diamonds of his eyes blazed hungrily down at her as he swept the disarray of her silk shirt and unfastened bra. “Unless, of course, I should apologize for not ignoring your protests and making love to you regardless. Would you rather I did that, Shelley? Take the decision out of your hands?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she whispered tightly, sitting up and quickly straightening her clothes. “You do your own apologizing, and I’ll make my own decisions.”

  To her astonishment, he smiled, and his eyes softened as he watched her rumble with her clothing. “Fair enough. But I reserve the right to try to influence your decisions.”

  He got to his feet, reaching down to grasp her shoulders and lift her up beside him. Ignoring the wariness in her eyes, Joel bent and kissed her one more time, a slow, lingering kiss that said good night and promised a dangerous future.

  “Take care, honey,” he murmured, “and when you go to sleep tonight, remind yourself that you’re involved in a business venture with someone who knows all the tricks and patterns of the game.”

  “Is that meant to be a warning?” she demanded briskly, feeling more secure now that she knew she at last had control over the evening.

  He grinned, a slashing, piratical grin that somehow managed to menace and beguile at the same time. “You’re a bright, up-and-coming type; you figure it out”

  Joel turned and walked out the door without a backward glance.

  Chapter 3

  Shelley gave the good news to Dean Ackerly late in the afternoon of the following day.

  “You’re kidding! You actually talked him into it?” The good-looking, slightly stocky man in front of her ran a hand through his light-brown hair and shook his head in amazement. “I can’t believe it!”

  Shelley eyed him wryly as she reached for some papers from the Ackerly file. “You don’t have to look quite so stunned, Dean. I told you I was going to do what I could to help you save the firm, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, yes, of course,” he said quickly, gray eyes rueful as he
realized he’d shown something less than total confidence in her ability. “It’s just that it was such a shot in the dark. I really didn’t think he’d go for it. I was well aware that the loan was a favor to my father, not to me or to the firm. At the time, I don’t think Cassidy even cared about collateral. Securing the money with Ackerly land was dad’s idea, not his, I think. I’m not sure of all the details because I was living in California at the time, but I remember being shocked when I discovered dad had borrowed that kind of money from a man like Joel Cassidy. I was sure it would be the equivalent of getting involved with a professional loan shark! When I found out the money was interest-free and a favor to my father, I couldn’t rid myself of the idea that there had to be a catch. Men like Joel Cassidy don’t do that kind of favor!”

  “The favor,” Shelley pointed out coolly as she placed a financial spreadsheet on her desk, “was definitely to your father, not to you. From here on in, that loan is no longer interest-free. We’re buying time, but time doesn’t come cheap. Do you have any idea how much the interest amounts to on a hundred thousand dollars? He wants prime rate, by the way.”

  Dean winced a little but nodded. “If we can get the company back on its feet, we can handle that. Damn it, I should have returned a year ago. But I knew dad and I could never work together. The business was his, and we would have clashed from day one if I’d tried to help. He was as stubborn as—as I am,” he concluded ruefully.

  “We’ll get things straightened out,” Shelley assured him with a little more confidence than she actually felt Part of pulling off a successful turnaround with a faltering company was instilling confidence in management that matters actually could be salvaged. The psychological side of business was as crucial as the financial side. It all fit together. Shelley winced at the memory those last words engendered. Was she fated to go through life equating the interlocking pieces of a puzzle to a game of seduction?

  Dean was reaching into the briefcase he had brought along, pulling out papers and notes, so he missed the flash of unease in Shelley’s features. By the time he had straightened, she was once again all business, and together they went to work analyzing the assets, liabilities and working capital of Ackerly Manufacturing.

  They pored over the firm’s records, searching out the weakest areas and looking for ways to strengthen the crucial, basic ones. It was nearly five o’clock when Dean finally sat back with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

  “It’s not going to be easy, is it?” he muttered dispiritedly.

  “It can be done, Dean. That’s the important thing. We can keep the bank from panicking now that we can concentrate on it and stop worrying about that Cassidy loan. And if we play our cards right, we can avoid layoffs, or at least long-term ones. The toughest part will be learning to operate in a leaner, tighter way. Also, we’ve got to sell off inventory and improve the cash flow as quickly as possible. That means psyching up the marketing and sales people. Their attitude will be as crucial as management’s during this period.”

  He nodded. “That’s my first priority on Monday morning.”

  “Don’t keep your employees in the dark Let them know everyone’s involved in a team effort to salvage the business and that you need their cooperation.”

  “Because I do.” He smiled, getting to his feet.

  “Yes, you do.” She smiled back.

  He looked at her. “Thanks, Shelley,” he said quietly. “When I talk to you, I get the feeling it can be done.”

  Shelley sensed the faint, new element of optimism in the atmosphere and nodded quickly. “You’ll make it work, Dean.”

  He hesitated, and she knew he was about to say something else when the buzzer of her intercom interrupted.

  “Shelley, there’s a Mr. Cassidy to see you.” Carol Robinson’s voice held a note of disapproval, and Shelley guessed immediately that the receptionist had been coerced into breaking in on the meeting. Knowing Joel, he had probably insisted she do so. “Shall I have him wait?” she added hopefully. Shelley heard the added word indefinitely tacked on silently. Carol would like nothing better than to tell her intimidator that Shelley was tied up and likely to remain so for some time. It sounded like an equally good idea to Shelley.

  It was Dean who handled Shelley’s moment of indecision. “This will be a good opportunity for me to tell him I appreciate what he’s done for Ackerly,” he said quickly, looking pleased. “Mind if I stick around and meet him?”

  “No, no, of course not,” she responded hurriedly. “Send him in, Carol. We’re through with our meeting.” She glanced up at Dean as she released the intercom switch. “There’s, uh, no need to go overboard with your thanks, Dean,” she tried to say swiftly. “I mean, he’s doing you a favor, but it’s not exactly a free favor and…”

  The remainder of her words died on her lips as the door to the main office of Mason Wells & Associates opened and Joel Cassidy walked into the room. She had time to realize he was dressed in the blue jeans and cotton work shirt he’d worn the first time she’d met him and didn’t look at all the part of a successful businessman before her attention was sidetracked by the almost tangible aura of challenge he brought with him into the office.

  Dean, gentleman that he was, recovered from his surprise quickly, thrusting out his hand. “I’m Dean Ackerly, Mr. Cassidy, and I just want to say I really appreciate your cooperation in this matter. With Shelley’s consulting help and financial expertise, we’re going to put Ackerly Manufacturing back on the right track. Don’t worry about that loan. You’ll get your money!”

  “I know,” Joel replied laconically, “with interest”

  At least he didn’t ignore Dean’s outstretched hand, Shelley thought with relief. The handshake was exceedingly brief, but it did occur, together with a steel-eyed assessment of Dean Ackerly.

  “Sorry to interrupt you, but I came to see Shelley about a business matter,” Joel went on smoothly but very pointedly. “She’s my accountant, too.”

  Dean arched one brow but responded to the dismissal politely. “That’s quite all right, Mr. Cassidy. Shelley and I were finished for the day.” He smiled engagingly at her. “I’ll give you a call later about the current inventory levels, okay?”

  “That’ll be fine, Dean,” she said tightly, annoyed not with him but with the other man. The door closed behind her client, and she whirled on Joel. “What in the world do you mean by telling him I’m your accountant? Do you always make up convenient lies when you want to get rid of someone? And what did you say to Carol to upset her? Under normal circumstances, she would never have interrupted me when she knew I had someone in my office!”

  He ignored the controlled tirade, striding across the room to plant his large, square hands flat on the polished surface of her desk. “You never answered my question yesterday. Are you sleeping with him?”

  “That’s none of your damn business!”

  “It sure as hell is. As his chief creditor outside the bank, I’ve got a right to know whether his accountant has a conflict of interests,” Joel growled, his eyes raking her infuriated expression.

  “Even if I am sleeping with him, there would be no conflict of interest, would there?” Shelley shot back with an acid sweetness. “Either way, I’d have Ackerly’s best interests at heart!”

  “If we’re concerned with the best interests of everyone involved, I’d like to point out that it’s definitely to your benefit to keep me in a good mood,” he murmured with a soft menace that sent a shiver down Shelley’s spine.

  “Is this how you intimidated poor Carol? Did you lean over her desk and threaten her?” she countered.

  “Who the hell is this Carol person you keep worrying about?” But he straightened away from her desk and began pacing around the small room, examining the functional furniture, the plants she had hung in the window and the stack of professional magazines. He reminded her of a panther in a cage. The restless power combined with his obvious irritation to produce an intimidating effect.

  “Carol is t
he receptionist you pressured into interrupting my meeting with Dean.”

  “Oh, her.” He clearly lost interest in Carol. “I just told her I wanted to see you. Now.” He paused by the window to stare out at the high-rise building across the street “Are you sleeping with him, Shelley?” This time the question was a gentle, wistful request. Shelley didn’t trust the tone for a minute.

  “Why are you here, Joel?” she asked with a sigh.

  “To talk you into having dinner with me again tonight,” he admitted, swinging around to pin her with that perceptive gaze. Then he glanced at the thin gold watch on his wrist. “You’re about through for the day, aren’t you? I know a great little Mexican place where they make their own tortillas and green corn tamales.”

  Shelley jumped at the first excuse she could think of. “Thanks, but last night blew my diet for a month. Besides, I’ve got some work to do at home and I—”

  “And you don’t want to listen to me ask about your relationship with Ackerly all evening,” he concluded for her, nodding in resignation. “Okay, you have my word. I won’t ask you again if you’re sleeping with him, all right? Look, you have to eat something, Shelley. Come out with me and have a quick bite. I want to talk to you.” Joel gave her an appealing glance, shoving the fingers of one large hand distractedly through the red depths of his hair.

  Shelley knew she ought to refuse, knew he was manipulating her, but for some reason she found herself surrendering to the persuasive request she saw in his eyes. She hesitated a moment longer and then gave in completely. “I’ll go out with you for a bite, Joel, if you promise to take me some place that has a salad bar,” she finally managed with a wary smile. “And provided that you really do have some honest business to discuss with me!”

  “Oh, I have business to discuss, all right,” he said, grinning. “I told Ackerly the truth. You’re my new accountant!”

  Shelley paused in the act of refiling some Ackerly Manufacturing paper work into her desk drawer. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked suspiciously.