Unexpectedly Yours [Private Relations 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Reaching out, he squeezed Elle’s arm and then moved toward the door.

  “See you later?” she asked.

  Jim smiled and said, “Count on it.”

  As he exited the kitchen, she caught the smirk on Tom’s face.

  She narrowed her eyes and asked, “What?”

  He laughed and said, “Nothing, boss. Just an interesting development.”

  “That it is,” she said. “That it is.”

  Moving back to the cutting board, she picked up the chef’s knife and started chopping mountains of herbs. Even Tom thought he was into her. Interesting. She really didn’t know what to make of it.

  Chapter Two

  Jim walked out of the kitchen, and headed over to the commissary to get a cup of coffee. Letting out a sigh, he handed a couple of bills to the cashier, then dropped the change into the tip jar. Moving to the end of the counter, he stirred in a couple of sugars and a little cream.

  He walked out of the commissary with a wave and headed back toward the bank of elevators. He was absolutely nuts about Elle, and she seemed completely oblivious. He’d been flirting with her for months now. He’d hoped at some point she’d start to take him seriously, but it didn’t seem to be happening.

  He was pretty sure she was attracted to him. She’d get this look in her eye, then, quick as a blink, that polite smile would slide back into place. Pressing the button for the elevator, he moved to the door that slid open. As he stepped inside, he heard a muffled voice say, “Hey, Jim. Wait up.”

  Turning to look, he saw Chris Marks, his business partner heading toward him with a greasy brown paper bag. He held the door for a minute and said, “Lunch?”

  Nodding, Chris said, “Yeah. The taco truck is down the street. So good.”

  “Smells great,” he said.

  “Better than that brown rice and vegetable shit you’ve been eating lately,” Chris said, smirking.

  “Tried to get Elle to go out to lunch with me, but she was busy. So, brown rice and vegetables it is,” Jim said with a sigh.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize she was here. I would have stopped in. Sara too?” he asked.

  “Nah, just her and Tom,” he said. “I’m not sure what I can do, short of skywriting it at this point. I’ve asked her out a couple of times now. I flirt with her. I don’t get it.”

  Shaking his head, Chris said, “I dunno. I think she may not realize you’re serious. She’s doing prep for tomorrow, right?”

  At Jim’s nod, Chris went on, “So, why don’t you bring her food. Not for lunch, since you already asked about that. Just show up with food. She’s going to be late tonight probably since it’s just her and Tom.”

  “Good idea. I was going to be late tonight, anyway. I’m working on the RFP for Blue Mountain Studios. I think I’ll call down and ask when I’m going to order though. That way if Tom is still there I don’t get enough for just us. That would be kind of a douche-bag move.”

  When the elevator reached the thirtieth floor, they both exited. Chris headed back toward his office. Jim paused at Heather, the receptionist’s desk and said, “Can you order in subs from that deli down the street? Check with Deacon and see if he’s interested. Get something for yourself, too. I’m buying. Can’t do vegetables and brown rice again.”

  Grinning, Heather responded. “Free lunch is my favorite kind of lunch. Do you want your usual?”

  “Please,” he said, smiling. “Lemme know when they get here? I’m starved.”

  “Will do, Jim,” she said, fingers poised over the phone.

  Taking a sip of his coffee, he headed back to his office to work on the presentation. Blue Mountain was a fledgling film company. They were currently working on some high-definition extreme-sports movies and didn’t have the contacts to market them.

  JDC was a PR firm that mostly worked with athletes. Over the years they’d made some great connections in the business, so it made sense that Blue Mountain would seek that out. JDC was looking to break into other markets too, so he’d take any in that he could find.

  They had started JDC right after he had turned twenty. They’d moved out to Los Angeles after Jim had convinced both Deacon and Chris that a PR firm was the way to go. There had been a couple of lean years during the renovation of the buildings his grandmother had left him.

  Now that they were renting the majority of the buildings out as office space, they’d been able to pay off the loans they’d needed to take for the overhaul. Turning a hotel into office space was an expensive process. Over the last few years, he’d been able to recoup all of his personal expenses and funnel the money back into the business.

  Between his inheritance, which had provided him with hotels, and all of the hard work over the last few years, he was set for life. He probably didn’t need to work, but he loved it. He loved the fact he got to mix and mingle with so many different types of people, and that he was able to be a part of so much.

  He didn’t kid himself at all, though. He knew thousands of people, but he didn’t consider many of them friends. He mostly kept everyone who he didn’t know before he was James Conroy, CEO at arm’s length. That was what was so fascinating about Elle. She didn’t seem particularly moved by the money or the prestige behind his position.

  He had the distinct impression that she’d look at him the same way no matter what he did. He was a pretty good judge of character. He was essentially a sales person, and you didn’t do that well without being able to read people. She was refreshingly different than anyone else he’d ever pursued. That’s what he liked so much about her.

  Plus, she was hot. That definitely didn’t hurt things. He grinned now, thinking of her shiny blond hair and big brown eyes. She was all soft curves.

  She was literally driving him insane. He really had to do something about this. He’d been subtle for long enough. He decided he’d be a bit more direct next time he saw her.

  With a decisive nod, he settled back into his desk chair and worked on the presentation until Heather came knocking a few minutes later.

  “Jim,” she said, “the delivery man needs a signature.”

  Scooting his chair back, he walked out to the lobby. Signing the slip, he gave the delivery man a cash tip and took the box from him. Seemingly able to smell the food, Deacon slipped out of his office and said, “Ooh. Food.”

  Reaching into the box, Deacon grabbed the roast beef and cheddar sub and a bag of salt-and-pepper chips.

  “Thanks for lunch. Have time to sit down or are you busy?” Deacon asked.

  “I’ve got time. Just working on the RFP for Blue Mountain. I can take a few. I’m going to be here late, anyway,” Jim said, walking back toward his office.

  Deacon followed and said, “Have you been downstairs to check in on Elle?”

  Jim sighed as he moved to the mini-fridge to grab a bottle of water, then said, “Yeah. I asked her to lunch but she was busy. Said she was going to be here late, so I figured I’d get dinner and bring it down. I think they all run on pure coffee.”

  Deacon smirked at him and said, “You’re not kidding. Sara never eats while she’s working unless I feed her. So, what’s going on with you and Elle?”

  Shrugging, Jim said, “Not sure. Hoping to clear that up soon.”

  “From what Sara said, she’s a happily-ever-after type girl,” Deacon said trailing off.

  Jim finished chewing the bite he had taken and raised his eyebrow as if to say, “And?”

  “Just putting it out there in case you hadn’t picked up on it, yet,” Deacon said.

  “I’m not necessarily looking to settle down, but I don’t want to rule it out if the right person comes along. I want to get to know her. That’s all.”

  Deacon nodded and said, “Makes sense.”

  “Cynertex is coming back next week, right?” Jim asked, blatantly changing the subject.

  “Yeah,” Deacon said. “They’re releasing that MMORPG they were working on in the next few months. They wanted to consult about some marketin
g avenues. Personally, I think they just like coming to LA.”

  “What’s it about?” Jim asked.

  “So far as I can understand from the high-level overview they gave me, it’s a space-related game. You take over new worlds,” Deacon said.

  “Sounds interesting. Kind of like manifest destiny but with aliens.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well,” Jim said, thinking out loud, “we can probably use Chris’s contact at TBC to get some time during Saturday morning cartoons. Sounds like something they’d be interested in.”

  They continued to talk shop for the next few minutes while they finished their sandwiches. As Deacon threw away his sandwich wrapper and empty chip bag, he said, “I’ll send you my rough draft within the next couple days. Can you look at it and let me know? I’d send it to Chris but he’s leaving for Miami in a couple of days.”

  “Yeah, sure. Shoot it over to me when you’re ready. It’ll do me good to not focus on Blue Mountain for a few minutes,” Jim said, as his mind shifted back to work.

  “I’ve got a one o’clock,” Deacon said.

  Jim said, “Me too. Weekly sales manager meeting. I hate them. I always feel like they’re trying to sell me something.”

  Deacon grimaced and said, “Have fun with that.”

  Jim gave him an artificial grin, then shot him double finger guns and said, “You know it!”

  Shaking his head, Deacon asked, “Some of them never turn it off, do they?”

  “Nope,” Jim agreed. “I think maybe they just don’t know how.”

  “Later,” Deacon said, walking toward the door.

  Jim gave him a salute and then gathered up the remaining trash. Throwing it and his empty bottle of water away, he moved back to his desk. Sitting down, he dialed into the conference call and waited for the rest of the participants to arrive.

  Ugh, he thought. This was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Three

  Elle was in the zone. She was working on the clam chowder when she heard the phone in the office ring. Stripping off her gloves, she hurried in to answer it.

  “Hello,” she said.

  A moment later she heard Jim’s deep, rich voice say, “Hey, gorgeous. Have you eaten yet?”

  “You seem very concerned with my eating habits, Jim,” she said, smiling now.

  He laughed and said, “You guys don’t eat unless someone feeds you. You’ve been here all day.” Pausing, he said, “Let me guess. You haven’t eaten.”

  “Haven’t had time,” she said, “Besides, it’s only six. Oh. Wow. I should eat.”

  “See,” he said, chuckling now. “I’m here late tonight. I’m ordering in. Are you and Tom interested?”

  “It’s just me, now. I sent Tom home. His daughter had some kind of award ceremony at school,” Elle said. “But, yes. I am totally interested. Where are you ordering from?”

  “I was thinking Chinese?” Jim said, a question in his voice.

  “Yes, please. Lemon chicken and white rice, or sweet and sour if they don’t have that. Let me know what I owe you,” she said.

  “Okay,” he said, “I’ll bring it to you when it gets here. They’re usually about an hour for delivery.”

  “Sounds good. See you then. Bye.”

  “Bye,” he said, and then disconnected the call.

  Elle set the phone back in its cradle and leaned against the desk for a moment. Thinking back, she realized this might be the first time that she’d actually be alone with Jim. Should be interesting to see how this played out.

  She moved back into the kitchen and started pouring the stock into the pan. She’d finished the tomato soup already. She was letting it cool down now, then she’d pour it into a container. She would just add asiago and fresh basil tomorrow, then reheat it.

  The next hour flew by as she worked on the clam chowder. Setting down the spoon, she moved back to the tomato soup. Judging it cool enough to put into the refrigerator, she grabbed the handles of the stock pot and started to pour it into a storage container.

  Jim breezed through the door as she was finishing. Like always, she totally lost her concentration when he walked into the room. Soup sloshed over the side of the container. She cursed roundly, as the soup scalded her hand.

  Turning to the sink, she turned the water on and rinsed the soup off of her hand. Jim hurried over and said, “Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “I’m just a klutz. It’s not your fault.”

  Jim looked at her and said, “That looks really red.”

  Elle waved her hand and said, “Not too bad. The soup wasn’t that hot.”

  He reached out and put his hand on her wrist, gently steering her hand back to the sink. Turning the water on cool, he moved it back under the stream. They stood there for a few moments, his hand circling her wrist as she let the water run over it.

  Reaching out with her other hand she turned the water off and said, “It’s fine now. I promise.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked, concerned.

  Rolling her eyes now, she said, “Yes. I’m sure. I’m totally fine. I burn myself quite frequently. It’s part of the job.”

  He eyed the red blotch on her hand and frowned again, unconvinced.

  “Would it make you feel better if I put something cold on it?” she asked.

  “If it’s not a lot less red after we eat, then yes,” he said.

  “We?” she asked.

  “Yeah, we. I’ve tried to get you to go out with me a couple of times now. I figure this is the only way you’ll let me buy you dinner,” he said with a grin.

  She smiled now. He was such a flirt.

  “You know. If you keep asking, one of these days I’m going to think you’re serious, Jim,” she said, moving toward the food he’d set on the counter. Then she asked, “Which one of these is mine?” as she rifled through the brown paper bag.

  When she looked up, he was staring at her like he was trying to solve a puzzle. He finally asked, “What makes you think I’m not serious? I’ve been flirting with you for months.”

  Elle blinked, confused for a minute, and said, “Honestly, I thought it was a proximity thing. When everyone gets together, we’re the only two single people. I didn’t realize you were serious.”

  “I see that,” he said. “Proximity? You don’t give yourself a lot of credit, Elle.”

  Reaching for one of the containers, he opened it then passed it over to her.

  Picking up her fork, she shrugged at him and said, “I’m just a realist.”

  He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, then said, “Elle,” and sighed.

  They moved into the office and sat on the couch. Digging into their food, they were both silent for a few minutes.

  Finally, Jim asked, “What did you mean, you’re a realist?”

  Elle snorted and said, “Come on. You know you’re ridiculously hot. I just didn’t think you’d be interested.”

  Jim grinned and said, “Thanks, but why wouldn’t I be interested in you?”

  “You could be dating willowy models. I’m not saying I’m ugly, but I’m pretty average. Not willowy in the slightest,” Elle said, shrugging.

  “The willowy model types you think I should be dating don’t have much substance in my experience. They’re usually looking for a leg up in the entertainment industry or they’re after my money. I prefer my women…real. You’re very much my type,” he said, looking her directly in the eye now.

  Flushing, Elle smiled and said, “Good to know.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes as Elle thought over everything he said. Popping open the can of Diet Coke he’d brought with him, she took a swig and said, “This has certainly been an enlightening meal but I have to get back to work now.”

  “So you’re going to put me out of my misery and let me take you on an actual date, right?” he asked.

  Nodding slowly, she said, “That would be nice.”

  He asked, “What are yo
u doing Friday?”

  Elle winced and said, “I’m working late. Evening event.”

  “Saturday?”

  Considering, she said, “I should be free after 5:00 p.m. What did you have in mind?”

  “Let me think about that,” he said, pulling out his cell phone. “What’s your number? I’ll call you once I figure it out.”

  Elle rattled off her cell phone number. He dialed. A moment later, her phone rang in her apron pocket.

  “Now you’ve got mine,” he said. “Lemme see your hand.”

  He reached out and took her wrist, inspecting the part of her hand that she’d burnt. Sighing, he said, “It looks better. Sorry about that.”

  “Again,” she said, “totally not your fault. It will be perfectly fine tomorrow. What do I owe you for dinner?”

  He shook his head and said, “I’ve got dinner. It was well worth the cost of your lemon chicken to finally clear the air between us.”

  “Thank you for dinner then,” she said, smiling.

  “Don’t work too late, Elle. Be careful please,” he said, gesturing to her hand.

  Elle grinned and said, “Only an hour or so left. I’ll be careful.”

  “Night,” he said as he walked toward the kitchen door.

  She gave him a little wave and said, “Night.”

  She moved back to put on gloves and a hairnet. She dumped the small portion of tomato soup that was still in the pot into the container and then sealed it. She slid it into the refrigerator and moved to test the clam chowder.

  The next two hours flew by. She worked, mostly on autopilot now, finishing up the prep and then cleaning the kitchen. When it was complete, she sent Sara a text message. “Done with prep at JDC and Jim asked me out. Like, really asked me out.”

  She walked out to her car by the loading dock and felt her phone buzz. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled it out and saw that Sara had responded. “Awesome! I’ll need details tomorrow afternoon. Stop by the shop on your way home?”

  Quickly responding, she agreed to stop by. Elle opened her car door, and slid inside.