He crooked a tiny, sexy, devastating smile. “You can get anything you want in this city with proper motivation.”
Didn’t he mean with enough money? Or power? Or the right name attached to your request?
“I guess,” she said with a shrug.
“You didn’t answer my question. How did you manage to avoid the photographers?”
“When you despise something, you’d be surprised at what you’re willing to do to avoid it.” She picked up the blanket, noticing how the air in the room had gone thin. Avery couldn’t swallow. Her throat dried up, and her stomach quivered. Being near this man made her pulse thump at the base of her throat. Because when his gaze landed hard on hers, it spoke pure sex.
Thick, sooty lashes framed the most intoxicating shade of exotic brown eyes. His high cheekbones framed hard planes on his face, anchoring perfectly full, perfectly formed lips.
Looking at those lips almost made her forget that he thought himself too important to attend the charity event he lent his name to. She quirked an eyebrow at him, curious as to why he really stood here in
her
office. After all, he’d been too busy or too good to show last night. Then again, why would a man like him waste an evening on orphans when he could have any supermodel he wanted at his side, and in his bed?
Coffee.
She needed caffeine. She gripped the Styrofoam cup and took a sip.
His thick lips curled. “What is it now?”
Avery felt flush, hot, and a feeling she couldn’t quite put her finger on stirred deep inside her. “Nothing. Sorry.” Her tongue darted across her lips. “Much as I appreciate it, I’m slow today. Tell me why you’re here again? It can’t be to feed me coffee.”
“I’d have scheduled an appointment, but I’m leaving the country, and I thought you might like these.” He held up the tally sheet along with his personal check, looking downright confused by the reception he received.
“Nice of you to make a donation,” she said with just a hint of sarcasm. What did he expect? Her to fall over and melt from his physical presence and his ability to make a pen move? Avery was certain most people—and by people she meant women—made no secret of enjoying Ryker’s presence. He completely unnerved her.
Frazzled, she snatched the piece of paper out of his hand and scanned the document for an amount.
“Oh. My. God.”
The dollar figure was substantial.
In fact, it was fall flat on her back big. The attached check nearly dwarfed it.
“Wh-at? I knew we’d do well, but this? It’s even more than I expected. Wait. This was supposed to be sent over via courier last night. It’s why I fell asleep. Waiting.” Avery looked at him, fighting against the impact he had on her senses. “How did you get this before me?”
“I have my ways.”
Oh, she was sure. With him standing so close, she could scarcely breathe for the fractured air around him. She got up to put her desk between them, needing a little distance to keep her sanity. No need to make eye contact. She knew he was a beautiful man already.
So he was attractive.
And had sex appeal in buckets.
Big deal.
When it came down to it, Ryker was the same as all the fancy rich people she’d watched make conspicuous financial donations. They won good press but never dreamed of getting their fancy clothes dirty by volunteering. Weren’t they all good looking on the outside too?
Okay, not this beautiful
.
The bottom line was, Ryker Li hadn’t been the kind of man to roll up his hand-tailored sleeves and help in person. It would take a lot more than looking at nice packaging the next day to impress Avery.
Good thing this arrogant man was about to leave.
She’d shake his hand, kiss the baby, or do whatever political action it would take to have him walking out her door with a smile.
A grin spread over his perfectly white teeth. “I want you to work for me again.”
Avery stumbled backward, grabbing the edge of her desk to keep herself from falling. She set the check down. “Absolutely not.”
His gaze scraped over her. “I haven’t said what or when. Wouldn’t you at least like to know what you’re passing up before you decide?”
Not used to being turned down, I see.
“I don’t need to know. I’m too busy,” she quickly countered. Too quickly.
Ice shot from his glare. His sheer force of personality had Avery feeling at a complete disadvantage. If he wanted her blood, she was sure he’d take it like he did everything else he wanted. But she didn’t have to stand here and lamely roll over for him now, did she? And she sure as hell didn’t have to accept more work. Not from him.
“You’re not busy,” he said abruptly. “Let’s be honest. You need the work, and I need the best.”
“How do you know what I need?”
“I investigate everyone I do business with.”
Investigated?
She dragged in a breath and stared back boldly, refusing to be intimidated. Yet another good reason to get this man out of her office. And fast. “Give me one good reason I should accept your project?”
Sure, the check he’d written was substantial. He should consider himself bowed down to. But in the grand scheme of his wealth, the impressive amount scribbled out on the check was probably equivalent to Avery buying a week’s worth of groceries.
“I’m busy. Thanks to last night. I landed a lot of new business, and I have to take the next few days to sort through it all,” she said.
His posture was tense and aggressive, like a man poised to battle, except for the sexy little twinkle in his eye, which Avery was certain had been cued to make her melt.
Sorry, bud. Not happening.
“You still haven’t heard my proposition.”
She felt dwarfed by his physical presence. Drawing herself up to her full height, she glared straight into his dark eyes. “Then why don’t you take a seat, and we can discuss this like civilized adults?”
Keeping his gaze trained on her, Ryker eased into the chair opposite her desk and clasped his long, lean fingers. “And just what do you call what we’ve been doing so far? Tap dancing?” The knotted muscle in his jaw ticked as he settled in, and he spoke clearly with his body language. He wasn’t about to go anywhere until she agreed to take his work.
“No. Dancing actually implies doing something fun.”
His dark brow lifted. “I can think of better things to do with our bodies close together than dance.”
Words were unable to line themselves up to come out right. Instead they clotted in her throat.
Avery figured one word from Ryker was all it usually took to get heads nodding and feet scrambling. And yet, there she stood, watching him as though he were about to make off with her family’s silver.
His lips curled into that arrogant but devastating trademark smile. “Let me know when you’re ready to play
anything
besides this cat and mouse game. You can start by telling me who you really are.”
“My family name? Well that’s none of your business. Or anyone else’s, for that matter.” She heard her own voice rise and quiver toward the end of her sentence defensively. She took a lot of pride in her accomplishments, especially because she hadn’t used her family name to get them. She’d worked for them. Hard. And no one had the right to dig into her past or question her history.
“Covering tracks, are you?” he asked. “The hallmark of a good thief.”
She froze as his gaze landed hard on hers. He was trying to rattle her.
Fine.
She’d be damned if she’d bite. Instead, she leaned back and folded her arms. “You had me investigated. Why don’t you tell me who I am?”
Cold, calculating anger scored his brown eyes. “As a general rule I like to know who I’m doing business with beforehand. The only reason for the investigation.” Ryker’s gaze narrowed to slits. “What I’d like to know is why you’re so determined to refuse my job.”
The phone buzzed again, and Avery was desperate to reach out to it, if only to throw it against the wall and release her pent-up frustration. Leaning a slender hip against her desk, she folded her arms, doing her level best to radiate relaxation and calm. Her stomach, now tied in knots, betrayed her thinking from the inside out, but Ryker Li didn’t have to know it. She looked him square in the eye. Pure bronze. They were brilliantly colored.
“It’s nice of you to be troubled to come all the way down here to offer me new business, but I’m already booked for the foreseeable future.” She paused ever-so-slightly, just long enough to bite her lip. “Afterward, I’d be happy to help.” She was relieved they weren’t playing poker. She’d just revealed her bluff.
His jaw muscle pulsed again as her office phone rang for the third time. Then came, “It might come as a shock to you, but I’m not insulting you by offering you work.”
“I didn’t think so,” she said defensively.
The persistent ringing noise was beginning to be a real distraction when Avery realized she was late. She was supposed to meet her mother for coffee and had slept right through. Then again, she hadn’t expected to wait up half the night for the tally to come in. And least of all had she anticipated Ryker Li showing up in her office this morning. His presence was threatening and unnerving, and she could see why he got his way in business or otherwise. People would say yes so he’d leave and they could regain their mental balance. As it was, her body betrayed her by tingling with awareness every time his gaze traveled over her.
He was also a bully. Not that Alexandria would care he was the reason Avery was late. There was no excuse worthy of making the woman wait. And to be perfectly honest, Avery wouldn’t put forth the effort if Mother and Bits weren’t the only family left.
Avery let out a little sigh under her breath.
Can this day get any better?
“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Li, I have work to do.”
Ryker folded his arms, looking intrigued, as though he could scarcely believe his ears and half wanted to hear what might come out of her mouth next. “Have you just thrown me out?”
When Avery said nothing, he leaned closer. “I could always ruin your reputation to open up your calendar, Ms. McAdams.”
His outright arrogance stunned her. Her lips quivered again just thinking about what a man with his influence could do to her reputation. But would he?
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She steeled her resolve. Being ruthless was one thing, but this was downright mean. “Because I’ve done nothing wrong. I did my job and raised a lot of money. And even a man like
you
should have enough decency to see that.”
“I didn’t realize my decency was in question.” He clasped his fingers together. “Tell me your real name, and I’ll reconsider.”
The click of high heels against wood floors braided Avery’s stomach lining.
Great.
The door didn’t have to open for her to know who it was. Her terrible morning was punctuated by a visit from her mother
.
The woman who had never once darkened the door of Avery’s office decided today would be the day to pay a visit.
In weighing the lesser of the two evils, Avery instantly regretted not picking up the phone a few moments ago. After all, Ryker Li was about to be out of her life. Forever. Her stomach gave a little flip at the thought. But Mother—she was there to stay.
A little sigh slipped out when Avery figured she was about to live to regret her negligence even more as her office door swung wide open. No time wasted on knocking for Alexandria Chase.
“Where have you been?” she asked shrugging off her fur coat and absently tossing it onto the couch, her gaze trained on Avery.
Right. Mother. Beautiful. Thin. Perfectly put together if tastefully enhanced thanks to exceptional doctors and modern day surgical procedures. And world-renowned for being completely charming to men.
There Mother stood—all five feet seven inches of blue-eyed grace and glory—looking more like Avery’s sister than a woman who’d suffered in childbirth once, let alone twice. Embarrassment at being old enough to have two grown daughters was the reason she’d insisted on being called Alexandria rather than Mother.
“Sorry, Alexandria, I promise I didn’t forget. My meeting’s running over. Would you mind waiting downstairs?” Avery knew full well her mother didn’t
do
waiting.
Fighting a little burst of fear that Ryker might find Mother’s charms as irresistible as scores of men did, Avery got a grip.
Where did that come from anyway
? Ryker Li could be attracted to any woman he wanted. It was none of Avery’s business. Even though it would turn her stomach to have to sit and watch.
“I suspected something had happened. It isn’t like you to miss a breakfast date,” Alexandria soothed, perfectly aware of a male presence in the room and adjusting her mood accordingly.
“I’ll be five minutes tops. Mr. Li and I are just finishing up. Right, Mr. Li?” Avery softened her tone, more than a little concerned that the two people able to reduce her to tiny shreds were in the same room.
Alexandria shrugged off Avery’s request as easily as she’d shed her coat. Her gaze slid to Ryker. “I’m sure Mr. Li understands everyone needs to eat. Perhaps he’d like to join us for coffee?”
“No. We have coffee. Mr. Li is a busy man. And now isn’t a good time for this discussion.” Avery back-peddled, panic shrinking her resolve by the second as she made a small gesture of appeal toward her mother.
“I don’t have another opening,” Alexandria said as though beauty appointments ranked right up there with earning a living.
“Fine. Then at least let me finish my meeting.” Avery had given up trying to figure out why she bent to her mother’s will long ago. Besides, wasn’t it infuriating the hold mothers had on their daughters? In that area, Alexandria Chase had always excelled. She knew exactly which buttons to push to get a rise out of her daughter. And Avery gave in again. She felt herself growing hot.
Ryker, who’d been silently observing until then, dismissed the conversation with a growl. “She’s in a meeting, and we won’t be finished until after lunch. Ms. McAdams will reschedule her appointment with you at a more convenient time for her.”