Her heart drummed. Her palms felt damp. Trying to block the image, she walked briskly to the closet to retrieve the tuxedo she found inside, but the sight of his naked torso was burned into her brain.
She took down a black designer tux and the pleated white shirt next to it. Still on the phone, Reese had turned and was looking out the window, giving her a view of his broad shoulders and muscular back.
She told herself to move, but her legs felt frozen and she couldn’t seem to take the first step. The tux and shirt hit the floor and her mouth dried up. Stretched across all that smooth, tanned skin was the most amazing tattoo she had ever seen.
The wings of a beautifully drawn bird, its head in profile, spread from one feathered tip to another across that broad back. Not an eagle, she realized. Something darker, more compelling, something she couldn’t have imagined in her most erotic dreams.
Reese turned away from the window and the beautiful bird disappeared. Face flushed with embarrassment, she reached down and picked up the hangers, carefully draped the tux over the arm of the sofa.
Reese ended the call and tossed his cell on the matching chair. “I’m running late,” he explained. “I had my housekeeper go by my apartment and pick up my tux. I figured I could save time if I dressed right here.”
She managed to nod. Clearly, she must not have looked as astonished as she felt.
Reese crossed to the sofa, took the dress shirt off the hanger, and slipped it on, covering those wide shoulders and most of his powerful chest.
“So I guess this is the first time you’ve seen my tattoo,” he said mildly. “I suppose I should have prepared you.”
But he had been clear from the beginning. If she wanted to be his personal assistant, it was her job to do whatever he needed done. Not including sexual favors, of course.
If she was offended by bringing him a cup of coffee or helping him arrange a date, he would hire a man for the position. Because of the social climate where male-female business relations had become so strained, he had preferred to do just that. Kenzie had convinced him she could handle the job.
“It’s not a problem,” she said. “It’s not like I’m in danger of being assaulted. You’re standing ten feet away.”
His mouth edged up in that sexy way of his.
“Your tattoo,” she couldn’t resist adding. “It’s incredible. What kind of bird is it?”
He buttoned the shirt, but made no move to take off any more of his clothes. Reese never pushed the boundaries between employer and employee. She didn’t believe he ever would.
“It’s a falcon,” he said. “I had it done when I was in high school. Kind of afuck youto my family, I guess. I should probably have it removed, but I see it as a reminder of the rotten kid I was back then. In some odd way, it keeps me centered.”
Surprise filtered through her. Though she’d read some of his background in the papers, she couldn’t imagine Reese Garrett ever really stepping out of line. “The tattoo is beautiful. It’s part of you now. I don’t think it’s something you should destroy.”
His features softened. She could feel his intense blue eyes on her. “Maybe not. I like it, if you want the truth.” He flicked a glance at the tux, Armani or something equally expensive. “You came in here for a reason. What is it?”
She felt like a fool. At the sight of his amazing body, she had completely forgotten the reason she was there. “Your date for the evening, Andrea Wellington? She had a family emergency and had to cancel.”
He frowned. “I can’t go to this thing alone.” He checked his gold Bulgari wristwatch, adjusted the black alligator band, and looked back at her. “I don’t have time to find someone else. How long would it take you to get ready?”
“What?”
“I need a dinner date. If you have something formal to wear, I’d appreciate it if you’d fill in.”
She had traveled with him. Joined him for business lunches and dinners with associates whenever he needed her. This was no different.
“I attended all sorts of formal functions when I was married to Lee. I have the right clothes. Once I get home, I can be ready in twenty minutes.”
He looked back down at his watch. “We’ll save time if I just go with you. Reggie has the limo waiting downstairs. As soon as I’m dressed, we can go.”
Kenzie rode in silence all the way to her town house. She was going to be Reese’s date for the evening. She’d had a dream like that one night, a dream that had ended with Reese kissing her, doing a lot more than that. She’d awakened with a start, her skin hot and her body damp. Fortunately, the erotic part of the dream had slipped away, for which she was especially grateful now.
She thought of the beautiful tattoo on his back, a falcon, wings spread the width of his shoulders. The sight had hit her with a shot of lust unlike anything she had ever felt before.
She and Lee had had an adequate sex life. At least in the beginning. Until he’d started cheating and she had found out. She had threatened to leave him. For Griffin’s sake had stayed, but her desire for him had faded along with her trust.
Their limo pulled up in front of the town house, a two-story redbrick building on Colby Street in Uptown.
“I can wait out here,” Reese offered.
