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  Shayla had been surprised when she’d heard that, since he hadn’t shown any reservations about getting to her on a personal level. Sleeping with someone definitely constituted something personal.

  “Well, what do you think of him?” Cindy asked again, as if desperate for Shayla’s opinion.

  Shayla’s response was a noncommittal shrug. It seemed none of the other employees, other than Leanne and Paul, knew she had spent her first week on the job with Nicholas in China, and she saw no reason to enlighten anyone.

  “He seems nice,” Shayla answered faintly.

  Cindy gave her a smirky smile. “Nice? You need to have your hormones checked out if nice is the only thing you can think of to say about him. The man is dripping sensuality. I’d do just about anything to get a piece of that.”

  Blood pounded in Shayla’s temples and heat poured through her veins, knowing she had one up on Cindy. She already had gotten a piece of that and, although she wished otherwise, her body actually wanted some more of it.

  “The brother is so fine,” Cindy added. “Just look at him.”

  Shayla didn’t want to, but couldn’t tell Cindy that, so she did as the woman suggested. When she looked at him, as if he felt her intense gaze on him, he turned and looked straight at her.

  Nicholas felt the blood rush thickly through his veins when he met Shayla’s gaze. Never in his life had he been so completely aware of a woman. The desire he felt for her was stronger than before, stronger than anything he had ever known. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed her, just how much his body craved her, until now.

  He took a deep breath, and from somewhere inside of him he reined in some fragment of control and forced a break in eye contact between them. Feeling an unwanted tightening in his groin, he was grateful that he was standing behind the table.

  He swallowed a sigh and tried to picture Shayla Kirkland as just another employee, but that didn’t work. The only picture he could conjure up was the one of her nude in his arms while he made love to her. That was a memory he had been unable to get rid of, no matter how much he had tried.

  He suddenly felt an intense itch in his fingers to go across the room and touch her all over and reacquaint himself with her body; the body he knew so intimately. Knowing the thought was totally insane, he knew he had to find a way to keep his hands busy for a while. He picked up his briefcase and put it on the table and began pulling out printouts, handouts, articles, reports…anything and everything that would take his mind off the captivating woman sitting across the room.

  Shayla had to swallow the sudden lump in her throat and gripped her ink pen tightly to stop the immediate trembling in her hands at the unspoken exchange of awareness that had passed between her and Nicholas.

  “I don’t believe it,” Cindy leaned over and whispered. “If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

  Shayla heard Cindy’s words and glanced over at her. “What?”

  The woman gave Shayla a curious stare, then shook her head and said, “Nothing.”

  Shayla then watched as Cindy picked up a pair of eyeglasses, slipped them on, then went about scanning the report she had in front of her.

  Frowning, Shayla picked up her own report and glanced at it. She couldn’t help wondering if Cindy had picked up on the sensual interchange between her and Nicholas. She hoped not. The last thing she needed was to be entangled in any sort of office gossip.

  Shayla took a chance and lifted her gaze and let it settle on Nicholas once more. He was now standing at the head of the conference table talking to Leanne. She watched as he glanced down at his watch and cleared his throat to bring the room to order, all the while deliberately avoiding eye contact with her.

  “Let’s get the meeting started. I have a very important presentation I’d like to make,” he started off. “As you know, for the longest time, the MC Project was under extremely close security and secrecy. The reason for such drastic measures was to insure that none of our competitors got wind of what we were doing. Now that we’ve closed the Ling Deal, it’s time to let you know what the project is about. Just keep in mind that there are still major aspects of this project about which I’m telling you in the strictest confidentiality.”

  He nodded to Leanne, who was operating a computer that sent images onto a big screen behind him. “The MC Project refers to the mangolid chip project.” A huge smile covered Nicholas’s face. “This is the kind of advanced technology that will take Chenault well into the next century.”

  For the next full hour or so Shayla and everyone in the room watched, totally captivated, as screen after screen of impressive and magnificent technological design and detail was displayed. They sat entranced as Nicholas explained how the installation of the mangolid chip would immediately upgrade every home to a wireless entity and make the use of electricity almost obsolete.

  Even Cindy was attentive and alert as she absorbed all the information, with her eyes glued to the screens. At least, Shayla thought, the woman had something else to occupy her mind besides getting her hands on Nicholas’s body—the body Shayla remembered all too well.

  “This is a major accomplishment, and I commend Chenault’s team of technical experts who have worked hard on this project for the past two years,” Nicholas ended the presentation by saying. He glanced around the room, and again he deliberately avoided eye contact with Shayla. “Are there any questions?”

  For the next thirty minutes or so he entertained a number of questions from various departments.

  “Once again,” Nicholas said, “I must ask that you speak of this to no one. The reason I’m giving you so much detailed information at this stage is that due to the fire at the Jacksonville office, the project will be temporarily worked out of this office for a while. I wanted each of you to understand why we’ll have to take even more extensive security measures.”

  As soon as Nicholas indicated that the meeting was over, Shayla stood, intent on being the first to leave the room. She was headed for the door when Nicholas’s deep voice stopped her.

  “Ms. Kirkland, if you don’t mind remaining for a moment, I’d like to speak with you.”

  Thinking that everyone’s eyes were probably on her, Shayla turned slowly, met Nicholas’s gaze, and nodded. She glanced around the room. Everyone seemed engaged in conversation about the information Nicholas had just presented, and not at all interested in Nicholas singling her out.

  At least, everyone but Cindy. The woman slowly pushed her chair back and stood. Walking past Shayla, she gave her a very cold look. It was as frosty as the sidewalks had been that morning.

  Shayla sucked in her breath. She really didn’t need that. The last thing she wanted to have to deal with was a coworker who had the hots for the boss and a jealous streak.

  Leanne was the last person to leave the room, and Nicholas asked that she close the door behind her. When just the two of them were in the closed room, Nicholas’s gaze locked with hers. Shayla watched as he came around the table to stand in front of her. His expression was unreadable, but his cloaked features were not what bothered Shayla. It was the unadulterated flow of sexual chemistry passing between them, one that they didn’t seem to have the ability to control.

  Shayla could barely handle the shiver that worked its way up her spine, the increased pounding of her heart, or the intense heat that settled in her womanly core. Nor could she handle the heady scent of Nicholas’s aftershave—masculine, arousing, and virile—that was making the palms of her hands feel damp. A force of desire suddenly slammed into her, and she caught her breath. Memories of them making love totally consumed her.

  So far no words had passed between them. They just stood there looking at each other, hearing the sounds of their erratic breathing. After a few moments it became quite obvious their intense sexual attraction was going to turn into something torridly physical if one of them didn’t take control of the situation, and fast.

  “Mr. Chenault,” Shayla finally said breathlessly, fo
rcing a small smile to her lips. “Was there something you wanted to discuss with me?”

  Nicholas just continued to stare at her, thinking that she looked very professional dressed in a tailored blazer and a pair of wool slacks. Yet he remembered the night when she’d been anything but professional. She’d been a seductress who had set his body aflame. “I was wondering how you were doing,” he finally said.

  Shayla couldn’t help remembering his promise to call—a promise he had broken. Her smile was stiff when she replied, “I’m doing fine, sir.”

  Nicholas raised his brow at her astute professionalism. He knew what she was doing—trying to erase any trace of a personal nature between them. She wanted to put their relationship back on a strictly professional footing. Wasn’t that the same thing he wanted, even though he knew it was impossible?

  At the moment the only thing he wanted was to take her into his arms, cover her mouth with his, and give her one tongue-tasting, mind-boggling kiss. With that thought, Nicholas’s expression became dark, and his jaw tightened. “Seeing you again is more difficult than I thought it would be.”

  Shayla didn’t have to ask him what he had meant by that. The little knot of wanton need that had settled in the pit of her stomach was telling her precisely what he meant. She took a deep breath. “And seeing you is just as difficult for me. That’s why I think it’s best for me to give you this.”

  She handed him a sealed envelope. When he raised an eyebrow she said, “It’s my resignation. I’m giving you my two weeks’ notice, Mr. Chenault.”

  Without saying another word, without giving him the chance to do so, either, Shayla turned and quickly left the room.

  Chapter 16

  Nicholas stood in the conference room alone and stared blankly at the document Shayla had given him. He drew in a deep breath. Her resignation had certainly caught him off guard.

  He walked over to the window and looked out, heaving a frustrated sigh. Shayla leaving the company was probably for the best. If anything, being around her today had proved that things wouldn’t work with her as his employee. They had crossed the boundaries of what was appropriate between an employee and boss, and there was no way that things could ever be strictly professional between them again. There would always be that fierce awareness and strong sexual chemistry they didn’t seem to have any control over.

  Nicholas glanced down at the document he still held in his hand. If her leaving was such a good idea, why was the air surrounding him crackling with tension, and why did he feel such a deep sense of loss?

  Squinting from the glare of the midmorning sun, he stared out of the window, remembering their time together in Hong Kong, just as he’d done for the past two weeks. He tried to recall at what moment in time he had fallen under her spell. He smiled knowingly. It had been the day he’d interviewed her. He’d known then it wouldn’t work, but he’d made the mistake of listening to Paul and hired her anyway.

  A knock on the door made Nicholas turn around. “Come in.”

  Leanne opened the door a little bit. “I just want to remind you that you have a ten-thirty meeting with Trent Jordache.”

  Nicholas nodded. He had completely forgotten. “Thanks for reminding me, Leanne. I’ll be there in a second.”

  His secretary nodded, then closed the door, leaving him alone again. He turned back to the window and drummed his fingers lightly against the pane. He remembered the tactic Shayla had used to maneuver the Ling Deal through, literally saving his company in a huge business negotiation. She was the best thing to ever happen to Chenault.

  Hell, if he were completely honest with himself, he would admit that she was the best thing to ever happen to him, too. He had enjoyed her company more than that of any woman he could name. Besides, he knew that whether she worked for Chenault or not he would never be able to erase her from his mind. She was too firmly rooted there. Making love to her had guaranteed that.

  The bottom line was that he didn’t really want her to leave. As much as he wanted her to stay, though, he couldn’t ask her to change her mind.

  Suddenly, he frowned. Why couldn’t he?

  Without having a definite plan of action, and without fully analyzing the extent of what he was about to do, he quickly walked out of the conference room and went directly to Shayla’s office. Without bothering to knock, he walked in.

  She didn’t look up until he had closed the door behind him. His gaze went immediately to her and met hers, locking on to it, daring her to look away.

  Then he knew.

  There was a lot more going on between him and Shayla than just physical attraction. At that precise moment he knew that Shayla Kirkland, in a very short time, had managed to do something no other woman had done. She had gotten embedded in his skin, deep. And if the vibes coming from her were true, he had gotten embedded in her skin, too. He didn’t know what to say, or how to say it. He fought a strong urge to cross the room and take her into his arms. There were a lot of things they had to work out, things they needed to understand. This time he needed to think with his head, and not his body. He had gotten them into this mess, and he was determined to get them out of it.

  Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room and placed the resignation letter she had given him earlier on the desk in front of her. “Trust me, Shayla. You don’t have to resign. Things will work out, I promise.”

  “Like you promised to call me,” she said softly. Her voice held the pain she couldn’t hide.

  Nicholas flinched. He had unintentionally hurt her. “I’m sorry. I should have kept my word about that. But…look, we need to talk, to straighten out some things, but not here. Can I stop by your place tonight?”

  “Nicholas, I don’t think—”

  “Just to talk, Shayla.”

  Shayla bit her lip and blinked. After a few tense seconds, she nodded.

  Taking a deep breath, Nicholas turned and walked out of her office.

  “I hope the boss didn’t chew you out about anything.”

  Shayla raised her gaze from the document she had been reading and saw Howard Reeves enter her office. Howard was one of the managers of the regional sales department, and a loaner from the Jacksonville office. His first day in Chicago had been her first official day in the office. Since both of them were literally new at the site, they had immediately connected. She liked him. He seemed more down-to-earth than a number of the other management people she had met, some of whom had yet to warm up to her. Howard had told her not to take it personally. Everyone was busy trying to get the Chicago office up and running smoothly.

  “No, it wasn’t anything like that. I’m the new kid on the block, and he wanted to see how I was doing.” Shayla sighed. What she’d just said wasn’t a complete lie.

  “Good. I was worried about you there for a while. Mr. Chenault can be pretty hard at times.”

  Shayla raised a brow. This was the first time she’d heard anyone do anything but sing Nicholas’s praises. “I guess it goes with the territory of being the boss,” she said, coming to Nicholas’s defense. “Especially if you have major projects you’re responsible to your major stockholders for.”

  Howard nodded as he came into the room and took the chair across from her desk. “I guess you’re right. Speaking of major projects, what do you think of the MC Project? Isn’t it awesome? Who would’ve thought something like that could have been kept quiet for two years?”

  Shayla shrugged. She didn’t want to tell Howard that she had been concentrating more on Nicholas than his presentation. “I guess it’s impressive.”

  “Impressive? That’s all you have to say?”

  Shayla shook her head, smiling. “I take it that you thought it was more than impressive.”

  Howard made a sound that was part snort. “What Chenault is doing is paving the way to the top. I bet by the end of the year we’ll be the number one black-owned electronics company in the nation, maybe even the world. I’m sure Thomas Jordache won’t be too happy when he hears about this.”
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  Shayla’s shoulders tensed. “You know Thomas Jordache?”

  Howard shrugged. “Not personally, but everyone in the Jacksonville office is aware of him and his personal vendetta against this company. If you ask me, the man needs to get a life. Or better yet, he needs to turn the running of the company over to his son.”

  Shayla nodded. “You know Trent?”

  Howard shook his head. “I’ve seen him come into the Jacksonville office to visit the boss a few times.” He looked at her speculatively. “Word has it that you know him. In fact, I heard you went out to lunch with him one day last week.”

  Shayla bristled at that. If everyone around the office was so busy, why were they spending time watching her? “Yes, I did.” That was all she was going to say. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation as to how she and Trent knew each other.

  Howard evidently picked up on her irritation. “Hey, look, I didn’t mean anything by what I just said. You know how office gossip is. You’d be surprised how it circulates among the management staff here. Everyone has their own agenda to make it to the top, and they get antsy if they think someone else has some sort of connections.”

  Shayla nodded. Now that she was working in the private sector she was getting exposed to office politics and how it worked. “Thanks for telling me that.”

  Howard stood. “I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t, now would I?”

  Shayla nodded. “No, I guess you wouldn’t.” She watched Howard walk out of her office. She couldn’t keep from remembering something her mother had once told her. Beware of those delivering news. They also take news away, as well.