A Lone Star Love Affair / Falling for the Princess: A Lone Star Love Affair / Falling for the Princess

“I will, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be leaving and even more certain you’ll never miss me.” It was tempting for her to add, You didn’t be fore. “I need to go. I told Mr. Morris goodbye. I’ll miss him, but he seems happy with the prospect of retiring.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Tony said, falling into step beside her. “Catch me up. Did you go from college to Morris?”

“No. I worked for an ad agency for two years and then came to work here.”

At her car she stopped and smiled. “Good night,” she said, pulling her coat close around her.

“Night, Isabelle. I’ll see you at the office.”

She slid behind the wheel. He closed the door and stepped back.

As she drove away across the parking lot, she glanced in the rearview mirror. He stood staring at her car.

She had turned down dinner and told him she was quitting. Exactly what she should have done, but there was part of her that wanted to accept his dinner offer and stay in his employ.

This had to be for the best. She didn’t want any more nights of mindless liaisons, a brief casual relationship with her employer that meant nothing to him. She wanted out of this company and away from Tony Ryder with her heart and her self-respect intact. And she didn’t want the office gossiping about her relationship with the new owner. Tony Ryder was not the person to get involved with and she regretted that he had recognized her. She intended to keep reminding herself that he was not the kind of man she wanted to spend her time with.

Even so, there was part of her that wanted to stay at Morris. A part of her that knew she would see more of Tony if he was her boss.

As she studied an ad layout at the office Friday morning, Isabelle received a call from Tony’s secretary, who wanted to set up a meeting. Within minutes Isabelle had an eleven-o’clock appointment Monday with Tony, his president of operations and the president of promotion and information. She was still tempted to turn in a resignation and skip the interview, but she was curious how badly he wanted her to stay. What offer would he make?

She had already decided which company she would prefer to join. She had had the third interview, which had culminated in a job offer that included more money than she was making. She would oversee a larger graphic arts department in an office with a more convenient location. She did not expect Tony to top their proposal, giving her the opportunity to tell him she had a better offer. Going with that thought firmly in mind, she spent the weekend getting ready for her business move, hoping to take off a few days in between employers. Saturday morning she went to a midmorning meeting of Dallas Regional Graphic Artists. She had belonged to the group since she had started her career.

As she expected, a close friend greeted her upon her arrival. Dylan Kinnaly—who was seriously involved with Tony’s sister, Sydney—broke away from a cluster of people and hurried toward her. The tall, slender man had a worried frown that indicated something bad had happened.

“Have you met him yet?” Dylan asked. “You said Tony Ryder takes over now.”

“Hello, to you,” she answered with amusement. “Yes, I’ve met him. He wants me to stay with Morris.”

“Sydney’s parents had a long talk with her about me. I was hoping to talk with you when we get a chance. Can you stay after the meeting?”

“Sure, the room will be empty,” she said, her curiosity rising. Dylan had become a good friend over the years and she had been surprised when she had learned he was seeing Tony’s sister.

She had first met Sydney Ryder at an annual film festival held by one of the local art museums. Later, she had seen her a few times at professional events when Dylan had brought her along. She couldn’t keep from liking Sydney and couldn’t blame her for anything her brother did. But Sydney was a reminder of Tony, and for that reason Isabelle had refused the few invitations from Dylan to go to dinner with them. When she had told Dylan about meeting Tony in college, swearing him to secrecy about telling Sydney, Dylan understood her refusal to get to know Sydney better.

“The meeting’s beginning so we’ll talk later.”

They took seats and listened as a speaker took the podium. The meeting was short, lasting only an hour.

It wasn’t until they were alone that Dylan turned to her. Since his blue eyes were clouded with worry, she braced for bad news. “Sydney called me last Tuesday night. Her parents gave her an ultimatum. If she doesn’t drop me, they will disinherit her, stop paying for medical school for her and cut her out of family holidays.”

“Dylan, I can’t believe that. Why?” Isabelle asked, aghast and wondering about the tensions in Tony’s family. “How can they interfere in your lives that way? Why would they?”

“I’m not society. They want her to marry one of the men she’s known all her life. Also, they think I’m after her money.”

“That’s dreadful,” Isabelle answered. “Sounds like something out of the eighteenth century.”

“I don’t want any of Sydney’s money,” he said, his long fingers turning his pen in his hand. “I don’t want to hurt her, either. We’ve talked it over. As far as I’m concerned, I see only one solution—I ended our relationship. For her sake.”

“That’s even worse. Does she go along with your decision?”

“No. She wants us back together, but they’re threatening too big a disaster for her. I don’t want her going through anything so stressful over me. She’s always loved her family and they’ve been close. She’s very close with her brother.”

“What’s does Tony think of all this?”

“He said he would send her to medical school, not to worry about that one.”

“Good for him,” Isabelle said, relieved and aware of a grudging respect blossoming for Tony. “He can afford to do that. I was afraid he would side with his folks.”

“Not at all. He gave her a generous check. He told her he would never cut her out on holidays—or ever. He urged her to tell me their threats. Tony is damn supportive, but from what Sydney has told me, Tony has had bitter battles with his dad.”

“I’m glad Tony took that stand,” she said, her respect growing stronger. “I think more of him for not siding with them, and for urging her to tell you their threats.”

“They may treat him the same way when he gets engaged if it isn’t someone they approve of.”

“Tony Ryder is a complete workaholic,” Isabelle said. “I can’t imagine him getting married. He won’t have the same problem with his parents. I’m sorry, Dylan. If she truly loves you and you love her, maybe you should give it more thought before you break off with her.”

“I just don’t want to cause her to lose her inheritance—or her parents.”

“She’s in love with you. I understand your feelings, but think about it.”

She gazed into eyes that were darker blue than her own. Dylan was a good graphic artist and they had helped each other in years past on projects. She hated to see him hurt and she thought the Ryders were being ghastly about him.

“What about you and Tony Ryder?” Dylan asked. “Have you seen him yet? Does he remember you?”

“Yes and yes. He remembers me and he wants me to stay with Ryder Enterprises.”

“You’re damn good at what you do. You’ve built that department. Will you?”

She shook her head. “The department will never be the same. I don’t want to stay. There’s no future with Tony.”

“I don’t blame you. If I could do it over—” He paused to think and shook his head. “I’d still want to know Sydney. I love her and you can’t turn that off. Not the last-forever kind of love.”

“Dylan, I’m so sorry. They should be delighted with you.”

He smiled. “Thanks. I naively thought they would at least be friendly to me. They aren’t even that. I’m not supposed to set foot in their house.”

“This goes from bad to worse,” she remarked. “What a family. Maybe you don’t want to marry into it. Do you know Sydney really, really well?”

“I love her with all my heart. Enough to get out of her life and avoid causing her heartache.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have a solution for you, except to urge you to rethink walking away from the woman you love and who loves you. Think about what’s important. Think about what Sydney wants.”

Dylan smiled briefly at her, and they got up to head out. As they walked toward the door, he said, “No one has a good solution, but thanks for listening. Be careful with Tony if he wants you to go out with him. You could end up in a dilemma with his family. Sydney said they have women picked out for him.”

Isabelle laughed. “Don’t worry. There’s no danger. Tony Ryder is in love with his work. He’s married to his job. I don’t ever want to tie my life to someone who puts work first over family. I saw that happen with one of my friend’s family when I was growing up and it was dreadful.

“True love is a precious thing. Think about it, Dylan, before you do something drastic.”

“I’m thinking, but I always come back to the same solution. I love her and want what’s best for her.”

“I hope she appreciates the kind of person you are. It sounds as if she does. Don’t rush into a breakup, Dylan. That’s my two cents’ worth.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you about this.”

“Keep in touch and let me know what’s happening,” she said, going to her car as Dylan headed to his.

“You do the same,” he called, walking backward. “If you change jobs, please let me know.”

“I will,” she called, climbing into her car, moving by rote while she thought about what she had learned from Dylan. She didn’t want to be involved with Tony in any manner.

One more strike against getting to know Tony Ryder any better. His family would be no more happy with her than they were with Dylan. At least Tony had stood by his sister. Isabelle had to admire him for that.

Sunday afternoon, she looked at her wardrobe to select what she would wear to the Monday interview. Certain she would soon leave Morris, she decided to wear something both professional and a little less buttoned up than usual, something more on the appealing side. Her conservative suits were shades of blue, gray, brown and black, innocuous, all business, hopefully authoritative to offset her age and pale blond hair. Although she was five feet eight inches tall, she wore high heels. She rummaged through her choices, pushing aside the suits to withdraw three dresses, which she tried on in succession.

Tony had forgotten her before and he would again, but she wanted him to notice her Monday and remember her after she was gone from his company. She had to stop thinking of it as Morris and recognize that it was now Ryder Enterprises, a name that gave her a bitter feeling because of Tony and their past, as well as having loved the Morris company the way it had been. Mentally, she had mapped out a rosy future with Morris and then Tony Ryder had brought it crashing down. Unfair a little, because Mr. Morris was also responsible by retiring and selling out.

She finally decided on a deep blue dress with a short jacket and a straight skirt that had a slit on one side. The low-cut square neckline revealed curves while the whole dress clung to her figure. She had matching pumps that would complete her ensemble. Eager to resign and move on with her life, she looked forward to the interview.

Monday morning she was ushered into the elegant office that had always belonged to a Morris. The thick carpet muffled any footsteps while the early morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the balcony and into the room. She imagined a smiling Mr. Morris sitting at his broad mahogany desk. Instead, it was Tony, vibrant, commanding, sexy enough to transform what was usually a purely business atmosphere into an electrified ambience. Smiling, he stood, coming around his desk to greet her while another man remained beside a leather chair. A brunette who had been sitting nearby stood.

“Good morning, Isabelle,” Tony said, taking her hand to shake it briefly. The moment they touched, her already racing pulse gave another spurt. She withdrew her hand swiftly. His brown eyes were friendly. Unruly black locks curled on his forehead, an unwanted reminder of being in his arms and combing them back from his face.

Instantly, she tried to concentrate on the interview ahead, but when she met Tony’s gaze, there was a mocking look, as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

He could not possibly know, yet her cheeks grew hot and she turned from him to greet the others.

“This is Mandy Truegood, president of public relations and media promotion,” Tony said as the brunette smiled, extending her hand.

“And this is Porter Haswell, our president of operations.”

The man smiled, shaking her hand. While he was friendly, his gray eyes assessed her. “I’ve heard good things about you, Isabelle. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I never did get to talk to you at the reception, which I had intended to do.”

“Sorry I missed you,” she replied. “I left early,” she added, without a glance at Tony.

“You’ve had a spectacular career with Morris, with many awards. Congratulations,” Porter said.

“Thank you,” she answered. “Morris gave me opportunities. They opened the new hotel chain just shortly before I started, so from the beginning I got to do the ad campaigns. This is a great department with a talented staff. You’ll find each person brings a particular specialty. The teamwork is amazing.”

“You can tell us about your staff. Why don’t we have a seat. We can sit at the conference table,” Tony said.

She moved to the rectangular table. Effortlessly, Tony was there before her, pulling out a chair for her.

“Thanks,” she said brusquely as he sat to her right. She marveled how he could appear both relaxed and in control at the same time, a puzzling combination. On the table was her own large portfolio, plus a file bearing her name.

Amanda and Porter placed notebooks and papers in front of their seats.

Tony gazed at her with a faint smile. “We’ve studied your portfolio and impressive file that lists your accomplishments and awards.”

“I look forward to working with you,” Amanda added. “Morris is a great company and you’ve contributed to its growth.”

“Why don’t you tell us about the campaign that you feel you contributed to the most and how you worked with your staff,” Tony suggested.

As she talked, she was aware of holding the attention of all three, Amanda asking the most questions, Tony’s dark eyes on her while he listened.

The interview went easily. Isabelle tried to inform them of the talent and abilities of her staff. Even though she intended to move on, she hoped they kept her people.

When they concluded, remarks were brief, thanks exchanged and she left Tony’s office, the office she would forever think of as Mr. Morris’s.

Relieved to have the interview behind her, and curious what they would offer, she went to her office to clean out her desk. It would be a simple matter to pack her things after she turned in her resignation.

She already had a resignation letter written and copies made, but she wanted to wait and see what Tony offered. She expected far less than she had now. He had a reputation for buying companies, gutting them and keeping only skeleton crews that he moved down the corporate ladder. Some stayed and moved back up in a short time. Most left.

She had no intention of working with him. Their night of passion was a shadow hanging over her, something she had not been able to forget. She suspected from his dinner invitation that he wanted to renew the intimacy. She wanted to bury the memory, but there was no way she could wipe it out.

Her phone rang and she was caught up in business the remainder of the morning.

It was after three when Tony’s secretary called to ask her to come to Tony’s office. Relieved they were doing something today, Isabelle hurried along the hall to the large corner office Tony occupied. All she had to do was give two weeks’ notice and she would be elsewhere, far from Tony Ryder.

Three

When she entered his office, Tony stood in front of his desk, motioning her to a chair. His gaze swept briefly over her, a look that from anyone else would have been impersonal, unnoticed, but when Tony studied her, she warmed beneath his gaze.

He still appeared as if ready for a men’s fashion shoot in a navy suit that had no wrinkles and his fresh snow-white dress shirt.

“Please be seated,” he said, the words harmless, the look in his eyes not. His dark eyes smoldered with blatant lust.

Aware of his continued scrutiny as he sat facing her, she sat and crossed her legs.

“You had a good interview and made quite an impression this morning.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “While I suspect you already have one foot out the door, I want you to stay and work for me.”

“I have some very good offers.”

“We’ll top them,” he replied without hesitation. “Here’s what I’m offering.” He stretched his arm to pick up a sheet of paper from his desk to hand to her.

As she swiftly scanned a neatly typed page with spaces filled in by Tony, her breath caught. She glanced up at him in amazement.

She looked again at the title, reading it aloud, “Vice President of Graphic Arts.” She skimmed down the page to the salary that took her breath again. It was higher than any amount she had ever made, higher than what she had been offered by anyone. Shocked, she looked up at him. “You’ll raise my salary this much? You would put me over your people?”

“You’re good at your job. Seymour Morris praised you highly. You have an impressive record. In addition, you had a good interview. I want to keep you and I think to do so will take a bigger salary. My guess is that you are on the verge of accepting one of those offers you’ve received, if you haven’t already done so.”

“You’re right,” she admitted, looking again at the amount, far more than she could hope to make anywhere else. Too much to resign and walk away without consideration. Too much to even have to think long about it. The title in itself was a promotion. How much had his offer been inspired by her work and awards—and how much because of his memory of their night together and wanting to repeat it? She stared at the figures before her and the title, wondering about his motives. This was not in character with what had been rumored about his ruthless reputation when he took over a company.

“Do you want me in your organization or in your bed, Tony?” she asked bluntly, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile.

He reached across the narrow space between them to take her hand. Distracting, charismatic, sexy, Tony ignited a fire within her while his brown eyes held her gaze.

“You get to the point. I want to see you outside the office. I want you here in my company. Of course, I want you in my bed, Isabelle. I haven’t forgotten that night with you and you haven’t forgotten it, either.”

How she wished she could give him a long, cold stare and convey the impression of that night being insignificant and no longer in her memory. She couldn’t possibly, which he was fully aware of. “I don’t want to rekindle anything. On that front, you’ll be incredibly disappointed if I take this offer.”

“No, I won’t. If you stay, you’ll do a good job. I know that much from your past performance.”

“I don’t socialize, go out with, date, anyone from work. It prevents complications in my life.”

“We’ll see,” he said, running his thumb back and forth on her knuckles. She pulled her hand away.

“If I thought you didn’t like that, I wouldn’t do it, but I can see the look in your eyes. I can feel your racing pulse. You react as much as I do and we will go out together. I’ll hold you in my arms while I kiss you again.”

“Stop that,” she said breathlessly, the command sounding more an invitation than a rejection. “Tony, I’ll have to give it some thought. I never expected this offer. As for socializing, even if we do, which we will not, won’t that cause difficulty with other employees?”

“This is a private company. I own it. I have a good relationship with my employees. They are a happy bunch in a big corporation. I have married couples working for me. They socialize, eat dinners and lunches together. There are couples working here who go out together. I’m allowed to have a life. So are you.”

“It won’t be together.”

“You’re one challenge after another, Isabelle.”

“I don’t intend to be anything to you, not even your employee, although I may have to rethink that one.”

“Let’s have dinner tonight. Not a business dinner. It will be strictly social. Whether you stay or go, I’m going to ask you to go out with me.”

She was tempted to accept his dinner invitation, except she could see her life tangling in a web woven by Tony until he lost interest. Socializing with Tony, an affair with him—not only would complicate her work life, but it would also be a path to heartbreak no matter how it ended. And it would end. When it did, she would be older with no family to show for her affair of the heart.

“Tony, if I accept your job offer, I will keep my private life separate from my professional life. Thank you, but no dinner tonight.”

“Whatever you want,” he said, smiling at her, sounding supremely self-confident. “I still hope you accept my job of fer.”

“It’s flattering, tempting and amazing. I’d like to think it over and get back to you.”

“Of course. Take your time,” he said.

The moment she stood, he came to his feet to walk to the door with her.

At the door he reached out to hold the knob and block her from leaving. When she glanced up, he gazed back quietly. “I want you, Isabelle. We had an amazing night that I’ve never forgotten. You’ll say yes sometime soon because you respond to me. You can’t hide it. We both know you respond, just as I do to you.”

With every word she was sinking deeper in desire. His seductive ways conjured up their magic. He was right on too many levels, his observations on target. If she stayed, it was simply a matter of time until she was in his bed. Was that what she wanted?

“Tony, that’s the strongest of all the arguments for rejecting your offer,” she replied.

“Scared how much you’ll like your life in the future?”

He was way too confident.

“Wisdom says to shun meaningless affairs, as well as office affairs. The only way to do that is to avoid them in the first place.”

“See, we could talk over an enticing lobster dinner or a thick steak tonight. We do have things to talk about. We could dance—as I recall, that was a great pastime with you.”

“Sorry, no. I see no point. Thank you and I’ll get back to you with my answer.”

“Excellent,” he said, holding the door for her.

She stopped to tell the graphic arts secretary that she was taking off the rest of the day. Gathering her things and the paper from Tony, she left to go home where she could think.

The following morning Isabelle stood in Tony’s office again. She had dressed carefully, this time in a conservative tan suit and matching blouse.

“Please sit, Isabelle,” he said.

“This won’t take long,” she replied. “I’ll accept your offer. You know I can’t possibly refuse. I won’t find another like it anywhere.”

He smiled, the devilish smile that affected her heartbeat and breathing and was difficult to resist. “Good. You surely will let me take you out tonight and celebrate. An early dinner and then I’ll deposit you home. This is a big day in your life.” While his brown eyes danced with delight, he smiled at her.

On top of the promotion, his offer was tempting, but some things had not changed. She shook her head and opened her mouth to decline. He placed his finger on her lips. “Wait. I can see you digging in your heels. This is an offer worthy of a celebration. If we didn’t have a past, and you accepted my job offer, you would agree to celebrate. You’ve agreed to work with me, so we’re going to be together, Isabelle. We’ll work together, we’ll be in meetings together, lunches, dinners, conferences, hotels. Stop worrying about one night and one dinner. Celebrate your victory. And this is a victory for you. No seduction. Just dinner.”