Provocative Territory

Chapter 4

Clarissa began to regret her outburst when she realized Elias Joss wasn’t simply pulling her off to the side for a measure of privacy. He was escorting her completely from the dining room.

He seemed to know everyone they passed along the way, which wasn’t surprising. Joss Construction had erected an impressive percentage of the buildings in that city. Nationally, their project portfolio was just as impressive.

Clarissa had taken the time to learn more of the business when her aunt first told her of the new renovation endeavors for the club. Elias Joss had been groomed since elementary school to take over his father’s brainchild.

So what? Clarissa silently noted that her own business sense was just as noteworthy. If Elias Joss had set his sights on bullying her, he was going to see that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“Let me guess. You own this place?” Clarissa was saying when she stepped inside an empty, understatedly elegant office on the top floor of the establishment.

“I don’t.” Eli closed the room door. “My company only built it.”

“I see,” she said as she removed some of the steel from her voice. “So is this what we’ll have to look forward to after the construction’s done on my aunt’s clubs? The head man in charge just taking residence when he feels like it?”

Elias smiled and walked past Clarissa, causing her to turn and follow his move with her eyes.

“We close a lot of deals here.” Eli ran his finger along the glass edge of a round red oak conference table. “We bring clients over here for dinner. Sometimes we come up here to handle other things best discussed in more privacy than the dining room offers. There’re about eight other rooms like this.” He eased a hand into the pocket of the black trousers he wore.

“It’s a service the restaurant provides. Your aunt knew about it. I think she had her own office on retainer here.” He watched her curiously. “Didn’t she tell you?”

Clarissa blinked. “No.” She studied the short carpeting beneath her pumps for only a second before locking gazes with Eli again. “There were a lot of things my aunt didn’t tell me. Like why you don’t—didn’t like her or...” She reared back on one leg. “Maybe it’s me you have an issue with even though I don’t know what the hell I could have done to wrinkle your shorts when I didn’t even know you existed before yesterday.”

Elias took his turn at studying the simple patterns in the carpeting. He felt his mouth twitching on a smile that he didn’t want to give. “You think I’ve got a problem with you?” He began to stroll the room with its soothing burgundy, black and olive color scheme.

“Oh, please, Mr. Joss, that’s more than obvious. You act like I stole something off your dinner plate!”

Elias didn’t care. He had to laugh then.

Clarissa folded her arms across the draping front of her dress and tried to remain unaffected by the sound, but she couldn’t. The deep rumble of the gesture was quite affecting and she couldn’t resist giving in to the smile that faintly enhanced the curve of her full lips.

“I’m sorry,” Eli managed to say when he recovered from his amusement.

“Sorry?” Clarissa let her arms fall to her sides. “That’s an interesting word to get from someone who dislikes you.”

Becoming more sober, Eli went to sit on the edge of the table. “You look very much like your aunt,” he said next, his striking features shadowed by the dim light provided by the small stout lamp on the conference table.

Clarissa shook her head dazedly and took a step closer to him. “What is it with you about that?” Her wide eyes narrowed noticeably then widened as discovery flooded them. “Did you and my aunt...” She left the inquiry unfinished. The meaning was clear as she indulged in a moment to ogle his provocative face and body.

Elias rolled his eyes. “No,” he stonily confirmed.

Clarissa moved closer, saying, “Then...”

“It was my father who she...had something with.”

Since she didn’t know what to say to that, Clarissa said nothing.

“I only want to know if all you have in common are your looks?”

That admission didn’t fare any better with Clarissa and she merely blinked in response.

Elias winced over his word choice, as well. “I apologize for being blunt but you did ask.”

“Right. So—” she slapped her hands to her sides then “—will your conclusions have you not wanting to work with me on this project?”

Eli shook his head, stating, “I already gave my partners the go-ahead.”

“So why request to work with me? Why do you care about what kind of person I am?”

Working his thumb against his palm, Eli lowered his gaze to follow the circular moves. “Not sure,” he admitted.

That was partially true. He knew that from the brief time they’d spent in the fitting room, she’d infatuated him. He could admit to himself that he wanted to know what she was like in bed. That unnerved him for a different reason given what he knew of Clarissa’s heritage. Had the apple fallen far and rolled out of the yard, as Tigo mused, or was she indeed the physical and spiritual embodiment of the woman he hated for tearing his family apart?

Clarissa gave a wan smile accepting that an actual answer to her question wouldn’t be forthcoming.

“I think we’ve both got too much going on right now to put ourselves through more tension and aggravation,” she reasoned.

Elias took his time running his eyes over her body. “I hate it that you think it’d be that way.”

“Mr. Joss.” Clarissa laughed his name. “What else can I think when you can’t even stand the sight of me?”

“Oh, I can definitely stand the sight of you.” He left the table and walked toward her with a determination that seemed to fuel his steps and his expression.

Clarissa stood her ground. She knew that he was testing her and unfairly keeping his motivations to himself. She acknowledged that it would require a little more effort to persuade him to be frank with her.

“I should take you back,” he said once he was standing but a few inches before her.

Clarissa regarded the arm he offered with skepticism.

“I’m not in the habit of biting,” he said.

She let him see her smile. “Does that habit apply when you’re around someone you can’t stand?”

He reciprocated her smile. “Haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Clarissa kept her gaze locked with his. “So what’s in store when you make up your mind?”

Eli’s uncommon eyes surged with something dangerously potent. “What would you like to be in store?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.”

Eli’s smile returned and he observed her hand on his arm. “Let me know when you’ve thought about it and I’ll make every effort to hurry and make up my mind.”

“Oooh, I wouldn’t want you to rush that.”

“Somehow I believe it’ll be worth it.”

“Guess that depends on how much like my aunt you discover I am.” Clarissa slipped her hand from his arm. “Good night,” she said as she left him in the office.