The man changed personas faster than she changed outfits on a bad clothes day. He perplexed her.
“I’m not sure what to say,” she told him. She wasn’t even sure what to think. His verbal seduction left her body humming crazily from overstimulation and lack of fulfillment. His change in attitude stunned her. Was she supposed to be the professional social worker all over again, here to make a formal acceptance of a donation for her POWS program? Or was she supposed to be the spurned, insulted lover who, for the third time, had fallen for the evil, sexy charmer who treated her like dirt?
At this point, the only thing she was capable of being was enormously aroused and virtually speechless.
“There’s nothing to say,” he answered. “My partner, the financial director of Riley Corporation, Matt Brodie, will be in touch with you to discuss the transfer of funds. You can tell him whether you’d prefer it in a lump sum or in monthly deposits. In addition, we’ll need to handle the press. As soon as they get wind that we’ve made another donation to the hospital, they’ll be sniffing around for details. Matt will liaise with our PR department about that. I will expect monthly reports on the progress of the program and detailed analyses of where the funds have been used. I can get that from Matt.” He paused and made a note of something in his diary. Then he looked her square in the eyes. “Any questions you have, Matt will be happy to deal with. Genevieve will give you his card on your way out.”
“You won’t be involved in the process from now on?” Lexi asked.
“No. I’ve done my share. The rest can be handled by Brodie and his staff.”
She could scarcely believe what happened. On the one hand, everything fell into place. She had the funds, she could start the program and she could watch her idea come to fruition. On the other hand, he’d just cut her out of his life and passed her on to someone else so he wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore. From now on, there would be no reason to meet Adam Riley again.
Why wasn’t she filled with elation?
“Well, then.” She smiled nervously. “I suppose all that remains to be expressed is our gratitude.” She tried to slip back into social work mode. “On behalf of POWS and the hospital, I thank you for your donation toward the sibling program. Please rest assured the money will be put to good use and many children will benefit from your generosity.”
He gave a brief nod. “You’re welcome.”
Lexi had spent several awkward moments in Adam’s company. This had to be the most uncomfortable one yet. She didn’t want to thank him and leave. She wanted him to press her down over the desk and fuck her thoroughly, just like he’d described. Sure, she didn’t want it in exchange for the money, but she wanted Adam. Wanted him with a ferocity that stunned her.
“So I guess this is it.” She gave him a half-smile.
“I guess it is.” He nodded in agreement.
“I should probably be going then.”
“You probably should.”
Well then, why were her legs not moving? “Goodbye, Mr. Riley.”
“Goodbye, Miss Tanner.”
She bit her lip, wanting to say something more but not sure what. Finally, she sighed, walked to the door and opened it.
She turned back to him. “Adam…” Her voice caught and trailed off as she saw his face. It looked haunted, overshadowed by a profound sadness the likes of which she hadn’t seen before—and working at POWS, she’d been witness to many sorrowful expressions.
She lost her track of thought.
“Yes, Lexi?” he prompted, his voice soft.
Somehow, she knew that was the last time she’d hear him call her name. “You…” What could she say? She couldn’t intrude on his thoughts. “I…” In the end, the only thing that came to mind was a simple, “Thank you, Adam.”
The last thing she saw of him was a single, responsive nod of his head.
Chapter Seven
“Doesn’t anybody knock anymore?” Adam muttered as, five minutes after Lexi left, the door to his office opened yet again and Matt Brodie sauntered inside. Routine was routine. Why should it change now? Matt never knocked. He merely walked in and made himself comfortable—usually stopping at the glass cabinet to fix a drink first.
Adam checked his watch. Even by Matt’s standards, it was too early for a scotch. Damn pity. He could use one himself. A double, straight up. He hadn’t meant to pitch that seduction line at Lexi. God help him, she’d stood there, a silhouette in the sunlight, her hair a halo of gold behind her, and he’d only been able to think about making love to her. He would have given his left arm to press her down on his desk and fuck her from behind, to plunge his dick into her repeatedly until she convulsed around him.
“Word is you’ve made another hefty donation to the hospital,” Matt said as he took a seat, stretched his legs out and rested his hands on his stomach.
“Word gets around quickly,” Adam answered noncommittally. His tone was a notch lower than he would have liked it and he cleared his throat.
“So it’s true?”
Adam nodded, not quite trusting his voice yet.
“Don’t you think you’ve given enough?”
“Don’t you think it’s none of your business?” Okay, that sounded more normal. Long as he didn’t think of her naked ass, he’d be just fine.
“Hmm, let’s see. Financial director…five-figure donation…Riley Corporation?” Matt scratched his chin. “Well, gosh and doggone it, I do believe it could be my business after all.”
Adam smirked, focusing on the man he viewed as a brother. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
“You want to tell me what’s going on? I thought we’d discussed this and decided not to donate any more to this particular cause.” His voice held no edge, just concern.
“No,” Adam answered, “we discussed it and you decided. I didn’t come to any kind of conclusion.”
“You’re too close to this one and you know it. You have no objectivity when it comes to dealing with this shit. The request should never have been handled by you, it should have been referred on to me.”
“Relax,” he placated, “it has been. Miss Tanner will be dealing directly with you from now on.”
Matt was not placated. “Why’d you take it on yourself to meet with the woman in the first place?”
Adam smiled ruefully. God knows he never should have met with Lexi, but some forces even an adult man couldn’t fight. “She made the appointment with Genevieve while I was away. I didn’t know what she wanted until the day of the meeting.”
Matt shook his head and stood. “It screws you up. Every time.” He opened the bar, and to Adam’s immense relief, pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “Here,” he said, placing a glass in front of Adam and half filling it with the tawny liquid. “Single malt, no ice. Yeah. It is a healthy serving. You look like you could use it.”
Yup. He sure could, and he did, bolting back a large mouthful. The scotch burned its way down his throat and settled in a warm puddle in his stomach.
Matt raised an eyebrow, poured himself a tot and sat back down. “So, what charity is it?”
“Siblings of kids with cancer.”
“Siblings?” Matt snorted. “You mean the healthy kids who get to live normal lives?”
“Nope, I mean the healthy kids whose normal lives get buggered up by cancer.”
Matt nodded and swirled his glass. “Point taken,” he acquiesced. “Tell me about it.”
He set his drink down. “It’s a good project, Matt. She’s looking at cancer from a whole different angle, one we’d…I’d never considered before.” He gave his partner a brief synopsis of the program. “She’ll do good things with the money. This wasn’t a mistake.”
“Got any information on it?”
Adam opened a drawer and handed him the proposal. “It’s all in there. Anything else you want to know, contact Lexi Tanner. Her details are on the cover sheet.”
Matt took a couple of minutes to browse through the document. Then he nodded. “It does look good. I still don’t think you should’ve gotten personally involved.”
Adam held back a cynical laugh. If Matt knew just how involved he’d gotten, he’d fall off his chair. “Listen, mate, quit worrying about this. It’s the right decision.”
“For the hospital maybe. Not for you.”
Adam rubbed a tired hand over his face. Was it really still morning? Seemed more like midnight.
“You know I’m right, Adam. The only time you get that look on your face is when you think about Timmy.”
For a moment neither man spoke. Matt’s words hung in the air between them. Tension crackled up Adam’s spine and he threw back the rest of his drink. He barely tasted it. Pain cut through him, raw and unforgiving. It was about Timmy. It was always about Timmy.
Adam shook his head. “I think about him all the time.”
Matt nodded. “I know you do, mate.” His gentle tone only served to increase Adam’s pain. “Look, no worries. I’ll take care of the project from here on.” He gave him a no-nonsense glare. “You just stay out of it. Understood?”
“Don’t you have some work to do? Or some clients to harass?”
“Apparently, I have a whole new charity proposition to deal with.”
“Good, then why don’t you go take care of it and leave me in peace?”
Matt stood. “My leaving,” he said, his voice forceful yet compassionate, “is not going to give you peace. Only you can find that—when you’re ready to start looking.”
Chapter Eight
Friday afternoon found Lexi staring across her desk at Matt Brodie. They’d been together for about an hour and had managed to sort out most of the details pertaining to the Riley donation.
Over a week had passed since she’d seen Adam, and maybe forty-five seconds since she’d thought about him. The man occupied every inch of her head. Confusion about him etched its way through her heart. One minute she despised him and everything he stood for, the next she hungered for a glimpse of him. More than once she’d thought about the expression on his face when she’d turned from the door in his office to look at him.
She didn’t need the details to know Adam was hiding something utterly devastating, something traumatizing. Her instinctive reaction had been to soothe the hurt but Riley had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. Offering him comfort would probably only have compounded the animosity of their already stormy relationship.
Dealing with Matt was a breeze compared to her interactions with Riley. Matt seemed like a decent man. He was good looking in a wholesome kind of a way with brown hair, brown eyes covered by slim, wire-framed glasses, and a quick smile that put her instantly at ease. Perhaps her comfort with him was compounded by the fact that he lacked the brute sexuality his partner exuded.
His no-nonsense manner made their business interactions a pleasure. In less than an hour, they’d decided that the donation would be made on a monthly basis for a year. Thereafter they would assess the viability of the project and renegotiate funding. If the project was successful, Riley Corporation would continue to provide the necessary capital.
Lexi had given him a tour of the ward and the adjoining rooms that would be used for the project and introduced him to the staff members who would be participating in the program. They’d discussed a suitable salary for the soon-to-be appointed manager and identified a feasible commencement date. Now they sat ironing out the last few fine points of their contract.
Lexi glanced at the notes she’d jotted down before Matt arrived. “The last matter on the agenda—keeping you informed of proceedings. Adam has requested that we send monthly rep—” Matt’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Is something wrong?”
“What did you just say?”
“I was talking about sending you monthly reports.”
“No, before that. Who did you say requested them?”
“Mr. Riley. Why?”
“You called him Adam.”
“Yes?”
“You called AJ Riley Adam.”
Lexi lifted her eyebrows in question.
Matt took off his glasses and grinned. “No one calls him Adam. I didn’t think anyone in Sydney even knew his first name.”