Changing the Rules Read online

  When the elevator doors slid open, Sasha straightened and pulled her wayward thoughts back to the present. The short walk to the desk at the end of the hall was not enough time to completely rein them in but nonetheless, she walked up to the desk with purpose. The woman sitting there reminded her of a bulldog protecting its domain. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and pulled back in a severe bun at the base of her neck much like the one she’d just pulled down. Thank goodness for divine intervention she thought. Wire frame glasses were perched on the tip of the woman’s nose as she surveyed Sasha over the top of them. There was no warm greeting as there had been from the woman downstairs. But unfazed she put on her biggest and brightest smile.

  “Good morning. I had a ten o’clock appointment with Mr. Shaunessy but his office directed me here. My name is Sasha Jordan.”

  There was no return smile.

  “You will be meeting with Mr. Matthews, the CFO of the company. Mr. Matthews, however, has just arrived at the office. So if you would please have a seat, he will be with you shortly.”

  Knowing when she had been dismissed, Sasha turned on her heels and headed for the closest chair. The CFO of the company. Okay it was no big deal, she told herself. After they couldn't reach her this morning they’d needed someone to step in. More than likely he had a set of standard questions to ask and then he’d pass the information off to Mr. Shaunessy. She was in the midst of her latest pep talk when the doors of the office opened behind her. Dammit. She shouldn't have sat with her back to the door. She liked to make eye contact on first meeting. Oh well, she thought, standing. Smile in place. Deep breath. Sasha paused. It couldn't be. She inhaled again. Her eyes drifted closed as memory took over. It was the same smell from earlier in the elevator. It must be a popular cologne or something. One she wasn’t familiar with. Holding her breath, Sasha slowly turned. Her jaw grew slack in shock as her brown gaze roved over the man who had all but consumed her thoughts since she’d first laid eyes on him this morning. It didn’t take long to realize she had not imagined his earlier affect on her. She could easily say she was looking at the best looking white man she had ever seen. And he was the CFO of Presco Financial and her interviewer. Her stomached dropped.

  “Ms. Jordan?”

  Sasha nearly jumped out of her skin when he called her name. God did it have to sound so good. Unsteady legs moved in his direction. The whole time she tried to reassure herself she could do this but the moment recognition dawned in his blue gaze she wasn’t so sure anymore. She swallowed uneasily. The wider his smile got the more her apprehension grew. She now regretted her impulsive decision to leave her hair down. She felt vulnerable with it framing her face. But then that vulnerable feeling could just as easily be caused by the way the man standing in front of her was looking at her. This was crazy she screamed inside before giving herself a mental shake. The least she could do was accomplish basic manners. With great effort she forced the smile back to her face and thrust her hand forward.

  “Good morning, Mr. Ma - ...,”

  Her voice trailed off. Sensations shot threw her fingers and up her arm where they came into contact with his. The feeling spread across her chest. She fought the urge to jerk her hand from his grip, though she doubted she’d have been successful. His firm hold kept her fingers hostage within his.

  Nervously clearing her throat, Sasha tried again. She raised her gaze to meet his.

  “Good morning Mr. Matthews.”

  Chapter 2

  Dylan Matthews looked down at the petite woman standing in front of him and couldn't believe his luck. It was the woman from the elevator. He didn’t know if he should thank his lucky stars or curse them. This pint size woman had been the cause of a very painful hard on which was even now threatening to come back to life. By the time he’d reached his office his body and his temper had both been flaring to new heights. He had found himself desperately wishing he could go back home for a series of cold showers. Or find the woman from the elevator and fuck her until his body was spent. A slow smile came to his face as he continued to gaze down at the woman he now had a name for. Sasha Jordan.

  “Good morning, Ms. Jordan. I’m Dylan Matthews and it’s my pleasure to meet you,” he finally replied realizing he’d just been standing there staring at her.

  Glancing down at the hand still held captive in his he realized he didn’t want to release it. But he had to. The feeling of loss caught him off guard as he caught her gaze once more.

  “If you will take a seat in my office I will be with you momentarily.”

  He stepped aside so she could pass into his office.

  His gaze followed the gentle sway of her hips as she walked into his office. A small smile came to his face. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

  When he woke this morning and realized it was later than anticipated, his first call had been to Carla, his secretary, to let her know. That’s when he’d been informed Michael had been called away. There had been no need for Carla to tell him Michael’s absence meant he’d have to take over the interview scheduled for this morning. They had discussed Sasha Jordan in great detail over the weekend. She was the closet they’d come to finding a qualified candidate for a position they’d been trying to fill for seven long months. So Dylan had rushed through his morning routine and then fought rush hour traffic. When he had finally arrived at the office he’d been met with the closed sign on the private garage under the building reserved for executives of the company. He’d been irritable and regretting having gotten out of bed as he’d leaned against the wall of the elevator attempting to catch his breath from his two mile hike across that god awful parking lot. As the doors were closing and he was considering suggesting a shuttle service for their employees at the next board meeting, he had looked up and seen Sasha rushing across the lobby towards the elevator. She’d looked out of sorts and almost frantic. He’d heard her curse just as the doors had closed and it had brought a smile to his face. To think someone else was having as bad of a day as he was had somehow cheered him a little.

  He turned to his secretary.

  “Carla, call Morgan and tell him we’ll have to reschedule this morning’s meeting.”

  Glancing towards his open door, he could see the rigid set of her shoulders as she sat in the chair across from his desk. He wondered what she was thinking. Did she remember him from the elevator ride? He sure as hell hoped so because he remembered her. Every softly sighing, heated gaze of her.

  “And hold my calls,” he said turning and walking away before Carla could voice the protest he saw rising on her lips.

  Dylan moved into the office and closed the door behind him. Sitting down, he glanced down at the file he had found on his desk upon his arrival. When he’d first glanced at the name, Sasha Jordan, he’d tried to picture what the person would look like. He’d pictured someone tall with strong features and he had to admit he’d conjured up someone white or perhaps of European heritage. He took in the woman sitting across from him and could have laughed at how off the mark he had been. The real Sasha Jordan couldn’t have been any taller than five foot five and he may have been giving her an inch or two. He’d felt like a giant while standing beside her petite frame a few moments ago. Her touch had been soft as they’d shook hands. His body hardened painfully as his mind wondered what other parts of her body might be soft to the touch.

  Earlier, in the elevator, it had taken every bit of willpower he possessed not to push her against the wall and kiss those luscious sighing lips. He had watched mesmerized as she’d gnawed on them, effectively eating away at her lip stick and gotten harder by the minute. Did she have any idea what those looks had done to him? And God those soft sounds he was sure she hadn't known he’d heard. His body was still humming with desire. From the tension he could feel radiating off her right now, he knew she had to feel it. Hell it was on the tip of his tongue to ask her and get it out of the way. How the hell was he ever going to get through this interview? He had never been this attracted t
o any woman. The fact she was black made no difference to him. In his philosophy, a woman was a woman. He had never dated a black woman before, but he was making definite plans to change that very soon. There was something about this woman that called to him and he planned to answer.

  ***

  Sasha sat in her chair with her legs crossed. She fought for composure she was far from feeling. Why was he staring at her like that? Didn’t he have any questions to ask her? She was here for an interview after all. He’d been pretending to focus on the folder in front of him for what seemed like forever. She may not have seen him raise his gaze her way but she sure as hell felt each time his eyes fell upon her. She was sure he had recognized her earlier from the elevator. And no matter how many times she told herself it didn’t matter just the thought he had been aware of what she had been thinking during their brief ride up was enough to cause her to want to die right on the spot. Dammit she hated being in situations like this where she didn’t know what to do or how she should proceed. She fought the urge to fidget in her seat as the silence continued. She glanced around his office in hopes of taking her mind off of the man in front of her. Had it been any other man sitting across from her, Sasha was positive she would have been able to relax and enjoy the silence, but it wasn’t any other man and relaxing was the last thing she found herself able to do.

  Her gaze lit upon several framed pictures adorning the walls. Some of the people in them she recognized from photos she’d seen in the newspaper. Her nose almost wrinkled in disapproval before she caught it. To have your life played out on the front pages of the society section was definitely not the life for her. She paused. Her gaze darted to his before returning to the photos once more. Of course. Why hadn't she recognized him from earlier? Even after knowing his name it hadn't clicked for her. Dylan Matthews, CFO of Presco Financial had been the “it” boy up until a few months ago. Everywhere he went had been documented over the last several years. The society pages of The Tribune had become just as bad as those Hollywood tabloids in recent years complete with gossip columns and speculations running rampant over what Chicago’s rich and famous were doing. And Mr. Matthews had been one of their favorites. His being the youngest CFO to be named to a bank the size of Presco had even made national news when he’d been appointed the position four years ago. How many times had he won bachelor of the year? Sasha just managed to tamp down on her laughter. Her gaze moved to the other pictures of people who with their striking resemblance to the man still sitting quietly in front of her could only be family. She couldn't help but notice the pride used in displaying several awards he had received. They were ensconced in a glass case sitting upon a marble base in the corner of the room to her left. Shifting slightly in her chair, her gaze came to finally rest on the black leather couch taking up a whole wall by itself. Before she could stop them her thoughts turned towards the comforts of such a large couch. She couldn't stop an image of Dylan Matthews’ long frame stretched out along the length of it. She managed to hold back the gasp of surprise at the quivering in her stomach. She pulled her gaze away from the couch and locked it on her folded hands. For the life of her she didn’t know what was going on with her. But she suspected it had something to do with the eyes so steadily focused on her? Reluctantly she raised her gaze to meet his. There was such a heated look in those blue depths. Her nerves were frayed and her patience was near its end. Why didn’t he say something? Anything dammit.

  Just then, he spoke and she wished he hadn't. His voice reminded her of her favorite brandy. Deep and smooth. It just kind of rolled over you and you didn’t realize how strong it really was until it was too late. Sasha hoped he didn’t have the same after affects of indulging in too much. While going down it was satiny smooth, but the next day she always woke up with a dreadful headache, a bad taste in her mouth and regrets. She spared a glance from beneath her lashes and fought the smile threatening to break free. She’d bet though just like her favorite drink, even with all the side effects, he knew how to keep a woman coming back for more. She just barely stopped the giggle that threatened to spill forth. She lifted her head to see if he had heard anything when she noticed him gazing at her with an expectant look. Oh god she could have crawled under his massive desk in embarrassment. Yep, just like a night of partaking of too much brandy. She couldn’t recall what had happened and she wanted to die.

  “I’m sorry. Did you ask me something?”

  Great. Now she was blowing her chance at a good first impression. Or was she technically on her second impression since they’d already met earlier? Well kind of. Oh dammit. If she kept this up she may as well just pick up her briefcase and leave. Just save herself any further embarrassment. Though he tried to hide the smile by coughing and putting his hand in front of his mouth, she knew it was there. It was the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. Okay Sasha you have got to stop, she all but yelled at herself. This was so out of character for her. To be sitting in an interview for a job that was the culmination of what she’d worked so hard for over the past several years and to be blowing it.

  “No apologies are necessary. I have been known from time to time to be caught unaware,” he said clearing his throat.

  He paused as if considering something before dismissing it.

  “How about we start again?” he said standing up, his hand stretched out towards her.

  “Dylan Matthews, chief financial officer for Presco Financial.”

  Was he serious? Even still wondering the reason, she found her hand reaching towards his.

  “Sasha Jordan, future executive financial analyst of V.I.P. accounts for Presco Financial.”

  Warm fingers closed around her cold ones and Sasha realized she hadn't imagined the earlier jolt of electricity. She stared at their joined hands and took a deep breath of much needed air into her lungs.

  “I like confidence in an employee.”

  He released her hand slowly before taking his seat once more.

  “Now why don’t you tell me why you should get the job?”

  For the next hour she did just that. Her brain was still frazzled so she began with the basics. But it wasn’t long before her natural charm and charisma came rushing to the forefront as she began to take control for what was probably the first time since she’d stepped into that elevator. And it felt good. As she answered each of his questions she began to feel more and more at ease. She relaxed in her chair, leaning back, her legs crossed at the knee. The tension between her shoulders began to lessen and the butterflies, which had invaded her stomach upon entering his office, retreated. She was on comfortable ground. Business she could handle. All the crazy emotions and feelings she’d been dealing with since her first chance meeting with Dylan Matthews was another story entirely. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anyone look at her the way he did. It was as if he was privy to her most private thoughts and knew where her mind automatically went when she thought of him. Maybe it was just the way he looked at everyone. Perhaps in her own “badly in need of an ego boost” mind she had seen what she wanted to see. Catching the attention of a man like the one in front of her would be quite a coo. For someone else but definitely not her, she reminded herself. It wouldn’t work for her because everything about the man went against her rules.

  Sasha tried to fight off the sudden feeling of disappointment that came over her. But in her many pitfalls with men, she had realized some years ago she had to come up with something to make the many mistakes she’d made in the past mean something. By paying attention to what she’d done wrong, she’d discovered certain situations could be avoided and the mistakes not repeated. So, she had come up with what she called her “Rules for Love”. They were five simple rules she had used for three years now to avoid being unnecessarily hurt by men who were all wrong for her. And rule number one was no dating outside her own race. It was nothing personal against men of other nationalities. She just figured dating was hard enough as it was without mixing colors and really confusing things. But there was s
omething about this man, she couldn't deny, that made her want to break every one of her rules and that’s what made him so dangerous to her.

  Chapter 3

  Dylan sat reviewing the notes he’d managed to make during the interview. He glanced at Mike’s comments and felt satisfied he’d reached the right decision. During the interview he’d watched the woman in front of him relax and take control. The way she had conducted herself throughout the whole process provided him with glimpses of what a client would see when dealing with her. Her relaxed demeanor and smile would instantly put them at ease. The way she spoke in layman’s terms when discussing her current responsibilities at her company told him she would be able to relate to someone who had never dealt with a financial analyst before and had no idea how one could benefit them. She would be able to explain precisely how she was going to help them. He sensed modesty, something not always thought of as an asset. He liked how she refrained from over glorifying any of what she had accomplished in such a short period of time with her current employer. Though in his opinion it was nothing short of impressive. He’d read the glowing letter of recommendation from her department manager and knew they hated to loose her but acknowledged she had outgrown their company. He had no doubts she would be an asset to Presco. The more he’d learned about her the more intrigued he’d become.