Casual Affair

He waggled his eyebrows. “It’s a Price vice. Don’t lie, it has you in its clutches.”

His laughter died a quick death when she leaned over and splashed a handful of water right in his face. Her heart sped up when his eyes darkened. Because it wasn’t anger she saw in them. It was blatant, raw lust. She tried to imagine how well they could keep the boat balanced if she climbed onto his lap and rode him like a bull.

Best to try that another time, when there weren’t so many nice families around.

“You just went behind enemy lines, luv,” he grated in a husky voice. “You have no idea who you’re messing with.”

Wrong.

She was starting to get a pretty good idea.

Chapter Fifteen

Those were not the lights he wanted there.

All week long, Zane felt as if it had been one problem after another at the store. Product was everywhere. Marketing materials were scattered about, completely disorganized. People were asking him questions every two seconds.

And now the wrong damn lights had been installed front and center.

He heard Bea’s voice before he saw her.

“If you could just bring it right over here,” she was telling two guys carrying a large table across the showroom floor. “Could you move it a little to the right, please? There, that’s it. Perfect. Thanks, guys.”

Zane stared at her long legs in her tight-as-hell black skinny jeans and licked his lips.

Oh, yeah. That was what he needed. Right there.

Every day with her being at the store had been a struggle. Surrounded by her smells, distracted by her body, consumed by her voice. He could barely focus on what he was doing when her arse was shoved in his face for eight hours straight. No man should have to endure that.

He forced himself to focus on business and walked over to her. “Bea, can I speak to you for a moment?”

“Yeah, one second,” she said, her attention zoned in on a vase she was placing on top of the table. She turned to him when she was finished and offered a sweet smile. “What’s up?”

Don’t get derailed by the smile, he told himself firmly. You’ve got a job to do.

“I was just wondering why the wrong lights were placed at the tablet display,” he said evenly.

Her smile fell a little, but she maintained her composure. “The other ones weren’t right for that area. The lighting was too harsh.”

He fought to control his tone. He didn’t like things not going according to plan. His plan. “I specifically requested that type, though. It’s the first table customers will see, and the purpose is to attract attention. It’s supposed to be bright.”

Her spine stiffened. “And I’m telling you they were too harsh. We tested it, Zane. The glare from the tablet screens was blinding everyone who walked by the table. These lights are a little softer, but the new tablet stands I had the marketing department order will offset that. The display will still grab people’s attention. I know what I’m doing.”

He took two long, deep breaths before he responded. “I never said you didn’t. But don’t you think that’s something you should have run by me first?”

Her jaw tightened. “No.”

So did his. No one told him no at work.

“Why not?”

Her hands went to her hips. “Because I’m doing my job. If I came to you with every single little decision I made, I’d never get anything done. You weren’t here when we made that change, but Denise agreed with us, so I figured you would, too.”

This was what he hated most. Being the last person to be informed. “I’m in charge, in case you’ve forgotten. If something changes, I need to know about it. That’s my job. And I can’t do it properly if my people don’t keep me in the loop.” He sucked in a breath as agitation coursed through his veins. “And while we’re at it, you still haven’t told me what’s going on with the front window display. We’re just weeks away from the launch and that entire area is still empty.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “Do you remember the conversation we had about you being too controlling in the workplace? About not trusting the people around you? This, right here, is one of those moments.”