True Love

"Yes."

She heard his soft chuckle. "Not what you'd preferred to read, I'd imagine."

Shayla couldn't keep from smiling. "No. Not even close."

"I see. But you did complete it?"

"Yes."

"Good. We have a meeting with the Hong Kong people first thing in the morning. The meeting room is on this floor."

Shayla nodded. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Yes, and I'd like to go over those things with you. How about if we get together for a business dinner tonight?"

Shayla was quick to pick up on the fact that he'd made it clear that it would be nothing more than a business dinner. "All right. There are a few things I need clarification on."

"Will seven o'clock be a good time for you?"

"That's fine. Should I meet you downstairs?"

"No, I'm right across the hall. I'll walk over and escort you down."

"All right."

"I'll see you then, Ms. Kirkland."

Shayla wanted to check her appearance one more time before Nicholas Chenault arrived. The dress she had chosen to wear had been deemed a "must buy" by her aunt. Even with the generous discount she had received, it had cost plenty. But then, she thought as she looked in the mirror and saw how the soft material fit her body, it had been well worth every cent she had paid for it. In fact, Aunt Callie had made sure everything she had brought along with her was first class.

Because her aunt had always owned a clothing store, Shayla had been blessed to grow up having nice clothes. She had been the envy of most of the girls in high school and college with her stylish, chic, and sometimes expensive wardrobe.

She glanced back at her reflection in the full-length mirror, hoping the dress was not too sophisticated for a business dinner. Deciding that it wasn't, she turned away from the mirror. At the same time, there was a knock on her door. She smiled. Nicholas Chenault evidently believed in being on time. Good planning.

Seeing no reason to invite him into her hotel room, Shayla grabbed her purse and the envelope containing the Ling report from the table and walked over to the door. She took a deep breath before she opened it.

The deep breath got caught in her throat. Nicholas Chenault stood before her, displaying everything that was male. He was dressed in a gray suit, every part of him sensuous and sexy. His eyes appeared to be a liquid gold, and held hers within their depths. Then his gaze began moving over her slowly, beginning at the crown of her head and ending at the tips of her shoes. His eyes captured hers again, trapping her gaze. The huge lobby outside her door seemed to shrink before her eyes as the image of him became larger, almost bigger than life. She tried suppressing the hot sensations that shot through her body, frazzling her nerves and playing havoc with her mind.

She forced herself to breathe, then breathe again, when she realized that the attraction was mutual. The look he was giving her said as much. The sensuous vibes flowing between them were thick as deep fog.

Although she wasn't overjoyed about the sexual tension radiating between them, she wasn't put off by it, either. After all, business or no business, he was man and she was woman…and certain things were just unavoidable. Physical attraction between the opposite sexes was one of them. However, it could be controlled, which was what she intended to do.

She watched as Nicholas Chenault's mouth tightened. Evidently he wasn't overjoyed with the prospect of being attracted to her any more than she was about being attracted to him. Then she noticed a sudden softening of his mouth, and decided he'd reached the same conclusion that she had. This attraction between them could be, and would be, controlled. They were professionals. This was a professional evening, and they would handle it as such. She had a very strong idea that he had no more intention of getting caught up in a personal involvement with her than she with him. He was her boss and she was his employee, and while they worked together they would handle themselves accordingly.

They both relaxed somewhat. Without saying a word they'd somehow reached an understanding.

She decided to be the one to break the tense silence. "Mr. Chenault, I'm ready."

He straightened and stepped back when she walked out of her room and closed the door behind her. "You look nice, Ms. Kirkland."

"Thank you." She couldn't help but note how close he was as they walked together to the elevator. The heat between them still simmered. When they entered the empty compartment and the doors shut behind them with finality, every muscle in her body was on edge. So much for thinking she'd be able to relax around him now that an understanding had been reached.

"Did you take a nap?"

Shayla blinked a couple of times before Nicholas's question registered in her hazed mind. "Yes."

"Good. It helps with jet lag."

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that jet lag was the least of her problems. They continued their ride down to the eighth floor, where the restaurant was located. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, they stepped out quickly, needing to be out in the open and around others; needing to breathe again and get their minds back on track.

"This way," Nicholas whispered close to her ear as he captured her elbow in his hand. His touch sent sparks flying all the way from Shayla's head to her toes. She wondered if he had felt them. Taking a quick glance up at his face, she saw his mouth had tightened. It was a dead giveaway that he had.

They kept walking, ignoring passersby's whispered comments that the two of them made such a striking couple. Some of the comments were spoken in Chinese, and Shayla hoped Nicholas had not understood them.

They finally reached the entrance to the elegant restaurant. As they stood together and waited for the host to seat them, Nicholas leaned over and whispered, "I hope you like Chinese food." A smile tilted his lips.

Shayla couldn't help returning his smile-it seemed to be contagious. "There's a Chinese proverb, Mr. Chenault, that says, ‘Food is heaven-especially when it's Chinese,’" she whispered back to him.

His smile widened. And so did hers.

Nicholas knew he was in trouble as they followed the host to their table. Shayla was wearing "that" perfume again, and the scent of it was driving him insane. It was the same scent she'd worn the day of the interview-sultry, seductive. It was meant to captivate, dazzle, bewitch. It was working on him full force.

He took a deep breath when he pulled the chair out for her, inhaling deeply and forcing his mind and his body to get a grip. He could hardly think standing this close to her. He quickly stepped back and took his own seat.

"So, you like Chinese food?" he asked for lack of anything else to say.

"Yes." Then, leaning over the table toward him so as not to offend their host, who was busy opening their menus, she whispered in a serious tone, "But I like Japanese food just as much."

Nicholas could not stop the deep chuckle that escaped his lips. He'd been right. Shayla Kirkland had an amazing personality. He waited until the host had left after pouring their wine before saying, "I must personally apologize for whisking you away from Chicago on such short notice. I do appreciate your coming. Your help with the negotiations will definitely be needed."

Shayla raised a curious brow. "Why is that? I thought this was basically a done deal, with only a few loose ends to tie up. The report I read on the plane alluded to that."

Nicholas smiled. "We're hoping that's true. But as a businessman I've learned to always look for surprises in the last stages of negotiations. One of the men who'll be at tomorrow's meeting has never attended any of the others. It's my understanding he's a smooth Chinese businessman, and someone I need to watch out for. I also understand he doesn't care much for doing business with Americans."

Nicholas sat back in his chair. "That's enough discussion of business for now. We'll resume that after we've ordered dinner. Can you suggest something for me to try?"

During dinner the conversation between Shayla and Nicholas centered more on the professional than the personal, and the mood was comfortable.

"I hope this last-minute trip to China didn't upset your significant other," Nicholas said smoothly, taking a sip of wine. He was abruptly shifting the subject matter, and they both knew it.

Shayla lowered her lashes, attempting to hide her surprise. Up until that moment, he hadn't inquired about anything having to do with her personal life. She lifted her gaze to meet his. "I don't have a significant other, unless you want to count my Aunt Callie, who's my mom's younger sister. She's all the family I have, and the only person who's important to me."

Talking about family reminded Shayla of the reason she was involved with Chenault Electronics in the first place. Deciding to shift the topic of conversation back to business, she said, "So, what do you think our chances are of the Ling Deal being closed tomorrow?"

Shayla stepped into the huge bathtub, submerging herself in the hot bubbly water. The heat felt nice, and the bubbles smelled good. She leaned against the back of the tub and closed her eyes, remembering how well the night had gone. Except for the time Mr. Chenault had asked her about a significant other, the conversation had remained strictly business.

But still, that hadn't stopped her from appreciating his good looks. It had been hard sitting across from him feigning absolute nonchalance when she'd been attuned to every aspect of him. Everything about him had been sensuous: the way he drank his wine, the way he ate his food, even the way he held his eating utensils. But nothing was more sensuous than the way he lifted his eyebrow when he didn't quite understand something. His lifting that brow did things to her insides. It had been so hard for her to keep a firm grasp on her impulses.

She had to hand it to both of them. They had handled things extremely well when they read a fortune cookie message that said, "Your destinies will be entwined from this moment on." They'd shrugged it off without making any comment about it. Later when he had escorted her back to her room, he had remained professional and businesslike. He had turned and quickly walked across the huge lobby to his suite.