InstructionbySeduction (14 page)

“This is it,” Leah said, disappointed.

“Don’t sound so sad.” Scott laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.
I’ll be at the best practices seminar at nine. See you there?”

“Of course. I’m always up for some best practices.”

Scott smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out
another one of his business cards and pressed it up against her door. Writing
on it, he said, “This is my cell number. Call anytime.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean…anytime.”

Leah felt herself blush as she took the card from Scott. He
pressed a fingertip under her chin and raised her face just enough for him to
lean in and capture her lips with his. Leah reached out for the door for
support as her knees threatened to give out. He tasted like a spring morning.

“See you tomorrow,” he said. “And…try to keep your mind on
the conference.”

Leah raised her eyebrows at him as he grinned and turned
away.
Hmmm, he can play too,
Leah thought. She watched him walk away
down the hall, then turn and disappear.

“For such a bad girl,” Leah whispered to herself, “you sure
were a good girl tonight.”

Leah hardly slept. She tossed and turned with Scott behind
her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. When she finally did sleep she
dreamed of him. Holding her hand, kissing her fingers. Not a panty-wetting
dream but things that made her feel warm inside like nothing else.

Is this love? Is this what love is?

Leah wondered what Hale would say to such a stupid question.

The next morning Leah roused herself and covered up the
somewhat dark circles under her eyes with a good coat of foundation. She put on
her favorite suit, a deep green one that played up her eyes. It had a skirt
too, so she could show off her kickboxing legs. With some stiletto heels to
make the outfit, Leah turned in front of the full-length mirror.

“Well I’ll be damned,” she said. “When’s the last time you
were a hottie?”

Leah trotted down to the registration desk feeling for the
first time how Lance had described her—a million bucks. She checked in for the
conference and picked up her “Hello, My Name Is…” badge. They already had them
printed up.

Leah Sharp, FoodSmart.

No title.
Good
, she thought.
Wouldn’t want anyone
looking down on me as a lowly shift manager.
Leah smiled and pinned on her
name tag.
Now where was that best practices seminar?

The conference ran concurrent sessions twice per day, once
in the morning and once in the afternoon so she could only pick two sessions
each day. She wondered if she should get Scott’s schedule or just follow him
around like a puppy.

Finally she located the salon where the seminar was being
held. With only five minutes to start time the room was already filling up.
Leah glanced around, then felt a hand on the small of her back. She turned and
smiled at Scott, then let the smile fade as she took him in.

Blue suit, light-silver shirt, dark-silver tie, diamond tie tack
and Florsheims with a high-gloss polish greeted her. She caught her breath at
the sight of him looking like such a powerhouse.
Who would have thought I
was a sucker for a man in a suit?
Leah thought, then felt slightly foolish.
Obviously Hale knew, which meant she knew all along.

“You look incredible,” she said.

“I could say the same thing. You look… I mean you looked fantastic
last night but you…you look like you could be teaching this seminar.”

Leah grinned ear to ear and said, “Maybe next year I will.”

A call was made for everyone to please take their seats
because the presentation was about to begin. Scott touched Leah’s elbow, which
made her heart flutter furiously, and led her toward some seats about halfway
up, the only two seats left together in the whole room.

They settled into their seats, pretending to pay attention
to the speaker who had taken the mic from the emcee. Leah noted his ease in
front of the crowd, just like the instructor at her management seminar.
Poise
.
She wanted it. But she was easily distracted by Scott. He pulled out a pen and
made some notes, which Leah must have found fascinating since she couldn’t take
her eyes off his fingers as they wrote. Scott glanced up at her. Leah looked
away quickly, trying not to laugh out loud.

It was an informative seminar, Leah had to admit, and it
gave her some ideas to try when she got back. Her guts turned as she thought
about going back—not because she was unhappy with how things were going, very
much the contrary. But going back meant leaving Scott. And unless she wanted to
go around sabotaging Mayfaire’s so he’d have to come down and fix things, it
was going to be a long-distance relationship.

As the session ended and everyone began to leave their
seats, Leah kept hers, even as Scott stood. She stared at the now-empty front
of the room deep in thought. Her idea from the previous night—before Scott had
completely distracted her—had returned to her.
What if
…she thought.

“You going to stay here?” Scott asked. “Something
interesting up there?”

“I’m going to do that.” Leah’s affirmation surprised even
her.

“Do what?”

“Speak like he did. Give a seminar, teach a class. Maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe I could speak like that for a living.”

Scott sat back down and turned his chair to look at Leah.

“Is that what you want to do?” he asked.

“I think it might be.”

“And leave your store?” Scott asked, feigning shock. “What
would they do without you?”

“You have no idea how I run my store,” Leah said, not quite
sure if her words were an exaggeration or not. It wasn’t her store, but, well—details.

“True. But I do know that you know how to get people to do
what you want.”

Scott reached out and touched her hand. The warmth coming off
him was electric and Leah’s insides heated at his simple touch. Was this part
of the box’s doing, too? Was this part of her dreams coming true?

Leah had a sudden urge to pull Scott to her and kiss him, bystanders
be damned. She was hungry for him. Her dreams all night long had done nothing
to ease the desire just to be with him, be close to him. To make him hers.

The rest of the day kept Leah and Scott busy. They managed
to get some time together over lunch, then it was more sessions, exhibitions
and networking.

The final event of the day was cocktail hour, which was
basically just networking but in a much more entertaining environment. Leah got
herself a gin and tonic and threw herself into the meet-and-greet, gathering
more business cards than she knew what to do with. She laughed with area
managers and regional managers and vice presidents. She pulled an air of
authority out of nowhere.
With my temporary cards with just my name and the
Food Smart logo on them, no one will suspect I’m a lowly shift manager
,
Leah thought with a snicker.

Leah was in the middle of a discussion about shrinkage with
a consultant when she spotted Scott across the room, engaged in an apparently
heavy discussion with a big man in an expensive suit. Scott was drinking an
imported beer. Leah smiled to herself but the man she was talking to took it as
a cue.

“See, I knew you knew what I meant,” he said. “Everyone
knows you can’t successfully do it that way but no one wants to admit it so
they keep making the same mistake over and over again.”

“Absolutely,” Leah said. “I’m so sorry to cut you short, Mr.
Freeman, but I just spotted a colleague of mine I need to talk to.”

“Did I give you my card?”

“I’ve got it. Thanks so much and it was a pleasure to meet
you.”

“Likewise, Ms. Sharp. Have a wonderful evening.”

Leah waved and smiled then turned back to where she’d seen
Scott. He said she knew how to make people do what she wanted. She would have
to see if she could work her magic that night.

Leah worked her way through the room, excusing herself
twenty times and nearly colliding with a server who was delivering drinks. As
she finally approached Scott, he gave her a huge smile and waved. The big man
he was talking to turned around.

“Leah,” Scott said, “meet Bill Braves, he’s the one who
contracted all the speakers and facilitators for the conference.”

“Oh, fantastic,” Leah said. “Great to meet you.”

“This is Leah. She runs a FoodSmart in Wichita.” Scott completed
the introduction.

“Pleased to meet you.” He shook Leah’s hand. He had a
strong, firm grip that immediately made Leah feel that she could trust him, a
rare feeling for her.

“Leah’s interested in getting into speaking,” Scott said,
shooting Leah a grin.

“Well, she’s got the look for it.” Bill sized her up. “Great
suit, confident-looking. Of course, all of it can be learned. Anyone can do it—the
only difference between those that do and those that don’t is desire.”

“I like that approach,” Leah said. “And if you have the
desire?”

“If you have the desire you can do anything. I’ve got to run
but let me give you my card.”

I’ll be able to use them for flashcards
, Leah thought
as Bill pulled one out of his pocket. He handed it to her and said, “Send me
some samples. If we like what we see we can put you in the database, see if we
can get you some engagements.”

“That sounds great,” Leah said enthusiastically, wondering
what the hell a sample was and how she would get one. She took the card as they
bid Bill goodbye. She turned to Scott with an amazed smile.

“See,” Scott said. “Not only am I good for dinner but I’m
useful for the career too.”

“That’s unbelievable,” Leah said with a laugh. “I mean, I’ve
just recently been thinking about it and to meet him here, it’s just…just…”

“Meant to be,” Scott said.

Leah looked up at him and got strange butterflies in her
stomach, then they started to fly with purpose. She felt strong, brave.
Brave
enough
?

“Do you want to go get something to eat?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“I need to change my clothes before we go out. These heels
are killing me.”

“I can wait.”

“Or you could come with me.”

Leah hadn’t intended for the words to come out quite so
lascivious but they did. Scott paused, staring at her, maybe even going a
little white. It was clear that her invitation had surprised him.

“Okay,” he said, his eyes not wavering from Leah’s.

“Come with me,” she said.

Now there’s the bad girl.

As they entered the hallway outside the salon where the
cocktail hour was being held, Leah took Scott’s hand and practically ran with
him down the hall.

“I made some great contacts,” she said. “Hope you did too.”

“Sure did.”

“But it’s time to call it a day.”

“Agreed.”

Leah’s heart was pounding by the time they got to her room.
She slid her key card in and unlocked the door, pushing it open.

“Come inside,” she said.

Scott stepped in and let the door close behind him. “Leah, I
don’t want you to feel press—”

Leah pushed Scott against the closest wall and kissed him.
All day long she’d watched him and been close to him but not once had she been
able to indulge. The waiting was worth it. She closed around him like an
envelope, not letting him go anywhere. She tasted the beer on his lips and
didn’t even mind. It could have been honey as far as she was concerned.

When Leah let Scott take a breath he was panting.

“Leah,” he whispered. “I really want you, I really want this…”

Leah smiled up at him, excited by the raw desire she saw in
his eyes.
Desire for me
, she thought, and more of her melted inside. But
mixed in with the desire she saw apprehension, maybe even a little fear.

“I feel a but coming on,” Leah said.

“No, just…I’ve moved too fast before and I think it ruined
things.”

“If it ruined things,” she said pointedly, “then it wasn’t
meant to be and you got out of the relationship everything that you were going
to get.”

“Wow,” Scott said after a short pause. “You may have a point
there.”

Leah nodded. “Now you were saying about really wanting me.”

Scott turned a little red and Leah had to hold herself back
from eating him alive. She wanted to lick him, taste him, feel him in a way
she’d never experienced before. She wanted to make him beg for her then make
herself beg for him.

“Well.” He slid his hands up her sides, then back down to
rest on her hips. “I mean…you’re absolutely beautiful. The first time I saw you
I…I…”

“You remember that?” she asked.

“Of course I remember,” Scott said. “You were in the produce
section. You had red hair.”

Leah smiled and laughed. “Yes, I did.”

“Then I checked you out.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No. I mean I checked you out. Long before you got to the
cash register.”

Leah laughed out loud, feeling herself turn a little red.

“How unprofessional,” she teased.

“You should talk. You work for a grocery store and were
shopping in another.”

“Touché.”

“What were you doing there, anyway? You never answered me.”

“I was there…” Leah said thoughtfully, “so that I could meet
you.”

Scott raised a hand to Leah’s face and brushed her cheek
softly, then leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back, then opened to him.
Lips and tongues brushed and flirted, then collided as tenderness turned to
need. Scott’s hands were on her shoulders, then her arms, then around her
waist, holding her close to him. She broke from their kiss and ran her lips
along Scott’s neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him.

“Scott,” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“I want you to make love to me.”

Scott pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. “You
are a breath of fresh air. Do you know how long I’ve waited for a woman to say
that to me, instead of playing guessing games?”

“I like other kinds of games.” Leah felt the smirk coming
out. “Now take your clothes off.”

Scott laughed, then hugged Leah to him and spun her around,
pushing her up against the wall to take his place. He squeezed her in between
his body and the wall, making Leah moan with anticipation. Then his lips were on
her neck, gently licking and kissing and nipping. At the tingle of his teeth
against her skin she shivered, feeling that all-too-familiar pressure begin to
build up.

Scott slid his hands up the front of Leah’s body and began
to tug at the buttons of her jacket. He loosened them, one by one, until Leah
pushed away from the wall long enough to slide out of the garment. It fell to
the floor and Leah couldn’t have cared less. She would make it the dry
cleaner’s problem.

Immediately Scott got to work on her blouse, pulling at the
buttons almost absently as his mouth sought out her lips, her ears, her neck.
Leah pushed herself back against the wall and flattened out, letting him finish
off the buttons of her shirt. She was desperate to get it off. As it fell open
and Scott laid his hand on the bare flesh of her stomach, Leah leaned her head
back against the wall and exhaled long and slow. His touch was pure gold.