Whisper Privileges (18 page)

When they reached her car, he stopped.
Scanning the length of her vehicle he said, “Nice ride.” Red candy
metallic, shiny and polished to perfection, the Mustang GTO
convertible was her pride and joy. It boasted nineteen inch alloy
wheels, stone gray leather interior, a superb audio system and most
important of all, packed a V8 engine beneath the hood.

Pride swelled. The car appealed to her sense
of adventure, thrill, the part of her that wanted to see the world,
travel the globe. But more important, it represented success; the
freedom to buy what she wanted, because she had earned it. “Thank
you.”

“You travel in style.”

“It takes me where I need to go.”

“I’ll bet you draw a lot of attention when
your top’s down.” Her eyes widened and he squeezed her hand. “I
meant
your car.”

“I assumed you did,” she said, excitement
flitting through her chest.

He chided her with a mocking grin. “Will I
see you tomorrow?”

“Don’t know.”

Clay reached up and brushed the hair from her
shoulders and behind her back. He took his time, included some fine
strands that clung to her shirt. Every cell in her body stood on
high alert as she awaited his next move. “Are you able to stop by
the pool?”

“It’s on my rounds.”

He smiled as though he knew she was toying
with him. “Let me be more specific, Ms. Flores. Will you stop by
the pool to see me and Q?”

Even in the low light of a distant street
lamp, his eyes glittered.

“It could be arranged.”

“Are you always this hard to get?”

Is that what she was doing
? Sydney
suddenly questioned her motives. Was she trying to be difficult,
evasive? Was she playing hard to get? She swallowed and decided on
something in between. “I’m always this honest,” she replied, adding
a shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t want to promise you anything if
I can’t say for sure.”

“Fair enough,” he said quietly.

Allowing the moment to hang between them, and
in no apparent hurry, Clay stared into her eyes. She couldn’t read
his thoughts or decipher his intentions. She could only feel the
warm soft skin of his hand around hers as it held them together,
secure.

“I’m going to look for you tomorrow.”

She nodded.

“But until then...” Clay leaned forward and
delicately touched his lips to hers. “I want you to remember
this...” he whispered into her mouth. Heat charged through her
system as he put a hand behind her neck and drew her close. She
held her breath as he skimmed back and forth, the wisp of motion
humming soft and slow against her barely parted lips. Gently he
kissed her. Soft and seeking, their lips grew wet as the kiss
intensified. Clay’s movements were tender, yet she could feel his
desire—hot and eager—surging somewhere close behind. The sensation
heightened her own desire and if her hand wasn’t still clasped
within his, she would have wrapped her arms around him and urged
him for more.

Clay pulled away, but remained close enough
that she could feel the moist heat of his breath. “I could do that
for hours,” he said softly.

Oh, but could
she
! He hardly touched
her, yet Sydney’s body reacted. She wanted more—more of his lips,
more of his hands, more of simply having him so close. She wanted
him to take her in his arms and hold her, hug her, nuzzle his lips
against her skin.

“But we’re going to get arrested if we keep
this up.”

She giggled. He may have a point there.

“Guess it will have to hold me over until
tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” she mumbled, hating that she was
about to let him leave, knowing she had the power to keep him
longer. But she wouldn’t. It was too much, too soon. Rushing in
would only be a mistake. She rushed into Javier and it had been the
wrong thing to do. She didn’t want the same to happen with
Clay.

He released her, and stood by as she unlocked
her car. Cupping her face, he delivered one quick peck to her lips
and eased down onto the seat. “Drive safe,” he said and closed the
door.

Sweet, but safe was the farthest thing from
her mind at the moment. She felt like driving fast and crazy,
feeling the roar of her engine as it vibrated beneath her! Clay
stood at the curb and waved her off and as she drove, she held onto
his solo figure in her rear view mirror. Hands dug into his front
pockets, she wondered if he was as consumed with the moment as she.
Did the kiss affect him as it did her? Did he want nothing more
than to stay, to take it a step further, to go all the way?

Sydney pressed the accelerator, the gunning
of the engine reassuring beneath her as she accelerated down the
street. She did. She didn’t know what “this” was that they were
doing, but she wanted all that and more.

Chapter Thirteen

Skimming down her list of contacts, Sydney
found the number for the electrical contractor and dialed. The
International Expo of Tile and Stone was only two months away and
one of the larger manufacturers set to participate wanted to
increase the size of their exhibit which translated to add-ons, the
scope of which she needed to determine and adjust for pricing. The
call connected and she waited through rings. But it was nothing out
of the ordinary. Changes seemed to be the name of the game with
exhibits and vendors and usually they were made last minute. At
least this group gave her some lead time.

At the rap on her door, she looked up. Javier
entered her office, a smug smile pasted on his lips.
Which
couldn’t be good
. She’d seen that look on his face before and
quickly pressed the switch hook on her phone. She replaced the
receiver and cleared her throat. “Javier.”

“So who’s the new man? Charlie tells me you
two are getting hot and heavy.”

She stiffened.
Charlie has a big
mouth
. “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” she said,
instantly curious as to the impact it would have, professionally
speaking.

He chuckled. “Oh, c’mon Syd. You don’t have
to hide from me.”

Don’t I
? Pressing forearms to her
desk, she fired silent bullets of doubt his way. Wasn’t he the one
continually giving her the third degree, grilling her about any man
who looked at her twice?

Javier pushed out his palms. “Hey, I’m not
the bad guy here. I’m just interested in the lives of my employees,
okay?”

At one time she would have believed that to
be true. Javier cared about her, her personal problems included. He
tried to help repair the hole in relations with her parents. He
convinced her to get back into the sport of volleyball. He once did
a lot of nice things that were entirely about her, no subterfuge
involved. But now?

No. She did not believe it. This was simply
prurient jealousy. “Nothing to see here, Javier.”

“But if there is something going on, you know
you can confide in me.”

Not on your life
. Not as long as that
harlot has you wrapped around her finger. Agitation stirred in her
gut. Sydney smiled thinly and said, “Thank you, Javier. I’ll keep
it in mind.”

Lingering, he drew a forefinger along the
edge of her desk with a glance toward the bookcase behind her.
Settling on nothing in particular, he perused the books, her wall
calendar, a scribble of multi-colored dry erase markings. It was
odd behavior for him. Usually the man came in, said what he had to
say and moved on. “Whatever happened to us?”

Startled by the change in tone, she thought,
“we broke up” was the obvious reply.

“We had a good thing, you and me.” He pulled
out one of the chairs before her desk and dropped to a seat.
Combing his fingers through a non-existent beard, he asked, “Do you
ever miss it?”

There was a time she missed it. She had
missed him very much, torn between her desire to be with him and
her inability to put up with his roving eye. But with every month,
the longing had dimmed. She had healed the hurt and put their
relationship behind her. Could she honestly say she missed him?

She may miss what she thought they had, but
it was neither here nor there. “Sure,” she said softly. “But you’ve
moved on. We both have.”

The hard gleam in his eye unsettled her.
Javier held her in his gaze, a gaze that slowly chilled. It felt
like a persecution. “Can I give you some friendly advice?”

“Of course.”

“I’d be careful mixing business with
pleasure.”

Prickles raced across her back and down the
length of her arms. This coming from the man who sleeps with his
employees? Are you kidding me? But Sydney knew from experience,
this conversation required caution. “In what regard, Javier?”

“Well, you know...” He tugged at the knee of
his suit pants revealing a patterned dress sock, orange pineapples
against thin beige silk. Hesitating, he appeared to be considering
her question more fully. “I guess what I’m trying to say...” He
angled his perfectly coiffed head of black hair away from her and
finished with, “is that you don’t want people to get the wrong
impression.”

Alarms went off inside her head, but she
remained motionless. Was Javier here to make good on Morgan’s
threat? “And what impression would that be?”

“JL Conventions has a reputation in this
city. We are professionals, the gold standard. We don’t want the
Special Olympics organization thinking that we blur the line
between our professional and personal associations.”

“How does my talking to one of the parents
blur the lines?”

“Talking?” He snickered, as though he knew
better and waved her objection off like an afterthought. “I’m
suggesting that you be aware of appearances. Understand how your
actions can come across to others. You don’t want to invite undo
speculation. Misperception can bite, you know.”

Pressing her palms hard against her desk top,
the tremble of her hand unnerved her. Why was he being so
aggressive with her, pushing his way into her private business?
This was a bit extreme, even for him. “I’m fully aware, Javier. As
always.”

“Yes, I know you are Sydney. But sometimes we
can’t always remain objective. It’s possible we can miss the little
things that seem fine to us.” He paused. “But are inappropriate to
others.” Her ears singed as he added, “This assignment is a big
opportunity for you.
Huge
.” His accent thickened and she
detected a streak of nerves running through it. “I’d hate to see
you do anything to jeopardize it.”

“You know I would never do anything to
jeopardize my career—or JL Conventions for that matter.”

“Not knowingly,” he countered. “But sometimes
you get a little headstrong, you know that.” A distinct intimacy
moved into the black of his eyes, lifted the corner of his mouth
into a near smile. “I know you, Syd. So bent on getting to the next
show, you sometimes miss the obvious.”

Irritation flared. “What are you talking
about?

“Remember GenCo?”

The name iced her blood.

“You claimed you never saw him coming.”

“I didn’t.”

Javier raised a brow. “Exactly my point.”

Sydney bit back a sudden infusion of
adrenaline. Ed Mahoney was a predator. He preyed on young green
innocents. Knowing his company was a big client for JL Conventions;
he made overt sexual advances and then cried foul when she called
him on it. From what her coworkers said at the time, it wasn’t his
first attack. He did the same to a girl the year before. Javier
hated the man. Hated him not because he made an advance, but
because he thought Sydney had enjoyed the attention. She didn’t.
She was merely trying to be polite, helpful, and to facilitate the
client’s requests. How was she supposed to know the man had
ulterior motives?

Javier knew. The previous girl complained and
quit the company. He knew full well she had been blind-sided by the
man. But staring at him now, Sydney understood this was not
Javier’s rational side speaking and tearing open old wounds would
only complicate matters and prove wholly unproductive. “It’s not
the same situation. At all,” she underscored. Jealousy or no
jealousy, she would not let Javier smear Clay Rutledge or distort
her relationship with him.

“I hope not. For your sake. Thus far, the
Special Olympics team has been pleased with your performance—as I
knew they would be. Just to be on the safe side, perhaps it would
behoove you to put some distance between you and your friend.” He
smiled, but it was pathetically fake. “At least until the events
are over.”

Anger welled.
You’d like nothing better,
wouldn’t you
?

Morgan tapped on the door of Sydney’s
office.

Sydney riled at her presence. The woman had a
habit of showing up a bit too often for coincidence.

“Ready for lunch?” she cooed.

Javier turned. “Sure thing.” When he turned
back to her, completely unashamed of his hypocrisy, Sydney couldn’t
stem the tide of resentment as it flooded in.
Bastard
. He
was telling
her
about inappropriate relationships when these
two rarely missed a meal together? Let alone bother to concern
themselves with appearances...

He softened his tone and rose. “You know I
only want what’s best for you. Think about what I said, okay?”

Bitterness curdled her thoughts as Morgan
slid a possessive hand through Javier’s arm and tugged him toward
the door.
Maybe you should do the same
.

Javier clung to Sydney, insistent. “Will
you?”

“I’ll think about it,” Sydney fumed under her
breath.

“Good. And don’t forget, we have a meeting
tomorrow morning with the convention center.”

“I remember,” she replied, but watching them
leave, outrage exploded. Who the hell did he think he was coming in
here and threatening her like that? And make no mistake—that’s what
it was; a threat. A warning. Sydney stormed over to the door and
slammed it shut with a force of rage that shocked her.
Damn
him
! Stomping back to her desk, she couldn’t believe him. The
man was sleeping with one of his staff—and it wasn’t the first
time. Hell, for all she knew, it could be a habit of his! But to
use his personal relationship with her as a weapon against her?
I know you, Syd. You know I only want what’s best for you
.
What a crock of bull.