Mark cleared his throat.
The meeting. Right. Beck stood, walked around the desk, and shook hands with both. “Good to see you again.”
Kimberly smiled sweetly. But then, everything about her was sweet. She’d reminded him of sugar since the moment they’d met, kind to everyone she encountered. He’d thought about asking her out, but was now glad he hadn’t. He was coming to realize he preferred his women with a little spice.
Harlow stood. Kimberly nodded a welcome at her, and Mark arched a brow in question.
“Our newest hire,” Beck explained. “She’ll be listening in, learning the ropes. Don’t hesitate to stop and ask her to repeat everything we’ve said.”
Harlow paled, and Beck had to swallow a laugh.
“Nice to meet you both,” she croaked.
Everyone took their seats, and for over an hour Beck explained the ins and outs of West’s newest program. He wondered what Harlow thought of everything, watching her more than he watched his associates, but her expression gave nothing away.
“Please, don’t take this the wrong way,” Kimberly said, smoothing a strand of hair in place, “but I’m a little lost. There’s so much information to take in.”
“I know, which is why it would be best if one of you spent the week in Strawberry Valley.” Most companies like his would send an employee to train those at S&S Financial, but that wasn’t the way Beck worked. The change in his routine on top of the change in his location would finally push him over the edge. “I can train you more thoroughly.”
Kimberly nodded. “Thank you. I would be happy to stay.”
“Wonderful.” He looked again at Harlow. Her nails dug into the arms of the couch, her knuckles bleaching of color as she glared daggers at Kimberly.
She was angry?
Impossible. The emotion made zero sense. He would be training Kimberly, nothing more. But to train her, he would have to spend time with her. Was Harlow jealous?
Beck’s head spun. He’d never been with a woman long enough for her to feel threatened by another potential conquest, or for her to view him as a prize worth coveting long-term. The thought of Harlow determined to win him...it intoxicated him, playing havoc with an already primed body.
This couldn’t be the right reaction. This kind of intensity couldn’t be normal. He swiped up a pen and drummed it against his thigh. Or, hell, maybe it was normal. Jase certainly couldn’t function without Brook Lynn. To be fair, however, Jase was in love.
Love. Alarm bells suddenly clanged. Beck wanted Harlow, but he’d be damned if he allowed himself to fall for her. To need her or anyone. Need was nothing but a barbed cage. It trapped you, cutting you into bleeding shreds anytime you tried to escape it.
I’ve got to get out of here. He pushed to his feet, his chair skidding behind him. “I’ll show you to the Strawberry Inn,” he said to Kimberly. “Miss Glass will stay here and type up notes detailing everything we’ve discussed.”
“I will?” Harlow cleared her throat, nodded. “I mean, I will. Yes.”
He offered a hand to Kimberly. “Shall we?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She cupped her fingers around his and stood.
He led her and Mark out of the office and felt a prickle at the back of his neck. He turned to glance back at Harlow; he just couldn’t stop himself.
Their gazes met, the moment utterly electric. A shock to his system, one he experienced bone-deep. Holding on to Kimberly suddenly felt wrong. Racing to Harlow’s side seemed like a good idea. But he didn’t release the redhead, and he didn’t return to Harlow.
Leaving was for the best. If he didn’t protect himself from a potential loss, who would?
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHAT A DAY. Harlow paced the confines of her RV, desperate for some kind of distraction, finding none. Her mind returned to Beck again and again, tormenting her.
He’d left the office that morning and had stayed gone for over three hours. Judging by the way his arm had easily slipped around the elegant Kimberly’s waist on the way out the door, Harlow could guess what the two had done once the hooker—uh, lady—had a room at the inn.
Not that Harlow cared who Beck did. The bastard!
After she’d typed up her notes about what had been said during the meeting—blah blah firewall and blah blah HTML blah blah—she’d spent the remainder of her time writing letters to West, per the seduction book’s instructions. And, okay, yes, she’d also brooded, growing angrier by the second. How dare Beck abandon her on her first day at work!
At least he’d returned with food. Cartons of beef stroganoff from Two Farms, the only “fine dining” experience in town, said its owner, and only its owner. And though Harlow had searched for wrinkles in Beck’s clothes and lipstick stains on his skin—a good employee made her sure boss always looked presentable—she hadn’t found either, and some of her tension had drained. But only some, and only for a few seconds.
“Do you have to be such a flirt?” she’d burst out, immediately wishing she’d kept her mouth closed. It was just, right before he’d left, he’d peered at her as if he couldn’t wait another second to get inside her. But he’d still walked off with Kimberly clinging to his arm.
“I didn’t flirt with Kimberly. I businessed her. And yes, I just used businessed as a verb. I’m brilliant like that.” He’d flattened his hands on the desk and leaned toward Harlow, aggressive and almost angry, as if she had done something wrong. “Do you need another example of what is flirting?”