Page 40 of Kiss Me Forever

"Of course you do. I'll get back to you."

"Thanks." She hung up the phone, having the strangest feeling that she'd just started something in motion she might regret.

* * *

By Tuesday, Alex knew that he couldn't put off speaking to Andrea any longer, so he finally returned one of her calls and suggested a tour of the company for three o'clock that afternoon. He wanted to keep the interview in a business environment so there would be fewer temptations. Here in his offices, he was in charge. This was his turf, and there wouldn't be any surprises.

Still, as he waited for her to arrive he paced in front of his window, feeling restless and impatient. He told himself the sooner she got there, the sooner he could get rid of her. But the truth was that he just wanted to see her again.

He'd been dreaming about her blue eyes, her sweet, sexy mouth, the tiny freckle at the corner of her nose, and her silky smooth blonde hair. He drew in a breath, feeling even more worked up about her.

What a mess he'd gotten himself into. He never should have agreed to do the story. He never should have suggested a reporter follow him around. Most importantly, he never should have kissed Andrea, because now all he could think about was doing it again. And he'd been thinking about it at very inopportune times, like when he was in the middle of business meeting when his focus should have been on the company's profit and loss statement and not on Andrea.

He needed to finish things off. End the interview and never see her again. Nothing could happen between them. She would always be a reporter, and he would always have secrets.

A knock came at his door, followed by Ellen's voice. He turned away from the window as Ellen ushered Andrea into the office.

His heart jumped against his chest at the sight of her. She was even prettier than he remembered. She wore a dress today, a figure-hugging dark blue dress that clung to her breasts and hips. A pair of three-inch heels showed off her legs. They made her seem taller and even more determined. He was going to have his hands full with her. That thought was both really enjoyable and somewhat disturbing.

"Alex," she said, a wary note in her voice. "Thanks for finally returning my call."

"I apologize for the delay. I had some unexpected business come up."

"So you said on Saturday. Is everything all right?"

"It's all good. Are you ready for the tour?"

"Absolutely. I'd love to see where the magic happens," she said with a smile.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to show you too much magic. Our engineering and software development departments are off limits. We have to protect our proprietary information."

"Then what are you going to show me?"

"We'll start with what I call the think tank. Follow me." He led her out of the executive offices and down a long hallway. At the end of the corridor were two glass doors that opened into a luxurious lounge.

"This is nice," Andrea murmured.

He nodded, glancing around the room. There were massage chairs in front of the bay windows, comfortable couches in cozy seating areas, a pool table in one corner and on the far side of the room was a gaming area. There were at least a dozen monitors, game players and computers. Next to the video equipment were pinball machines and an air-hockey table.

"That looks like an arcade," she murmured. "Do you come here to relive your past life where you worked at the miniature golf course arcade?"

"No, I created the area to inspire my workers. I want them to play everything from the lowest tech to the highest tech game. I want them to get creative, let their imaginations soar. I want them to help me create games that no one else has ever envisioned."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

"My employees work long hours, so I try to make their time at work as comfortable as possible. In addition to this lounge, we have a gourmet cafeteria upstairs and a quiet zone where people can stretch out for a nap. We also offer a car service, a laundry pickup, and we bring in physical therapists and visiting nurses to deliver therapy sessions, flu shots and wellness seminars."

"You've thought of everything."

"I take care of the people who work for me."

"I can see that. If I'd known how much fun tech companies were when I was in college, I might have changed my major."

"I seriously doubt that, not when you were reporting in the fifth grade."

"True. I have wanted to be a reporter forever, but the lounge atWorld News Todayconsists of a vending machine, a table and a coffeemaker."

Despite her words, he could see the pride in her eyes. She loved her job and she wasn't motivated by money but by passion. He liked that. He understood that. Because even though he'd made more money in the last five years than he'd ever imagined making in his entire lifetime, he still worked because he loved his business.

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