At the Tycoon's Command by Shawna Delacourt Page B

had asked her to wait so they could do something together that night, maybe dinner out. She had dressed in teal blue silk pants and blouse with her favorite gold necklace anticipating they would go somewhere nice since he had dressed in suit and tie for his meeting.
    She returned to the office just as Jared arrived. There was no doubt about how handsome and dynamic he was. Her heart beat a little faster, and her blood coursed hot through her veins. The added dimension of the custom-tailored charcoal gray suit, silk shirt with French cuffs and gold cuff links and the charcoal gray Gucci loafers said the man standing in front of her was powerful, wealthy and a force to be reckoned with.
    â€œKim…I’ve been thinking about something and I want to discuss it with you.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    He knew he hadn’t been fair in giving her so many menial little tasks and errands the first few days, even though the month had settled into a smooth running working relationship with her spending most of her time in the office. He needed to do something about the charity fund-raiserhis client wanted him to organize. He had been putting it off, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a perfect project to give to Kim. It would be a great help to him. It would be something they could work on together. It would also keep her at his house for long days, perhaps long hours that would extend late into the night.
    â€œHow are you at planning fund-raising events?”
    â€œFund-raising events?” His question caught her by surprise. “What kind of fund-raising events?”
    â€œYou know…food, drinks, dancing and entertainment followed by the solicitation of large checks payable to the charity. Just your typical run-of-the-mill type of fund-raiser attended by the socially prominent and business elite.”
    â€œWhich charity are you talking about?”
    â€œWell…” He ran his hand across the back of his neck. “I don’t recall the name of the organization, but it has to do with shelters for battered women and abused children. It’s the favorite charity of the wife of one of our biggest clients. I’m sort of on the hook to put on a fund-raising event for them and I was considering just hiring a service to handle it, but if that’s something you know about, perhaps you could help me with it. If I didn’t have to hire a service it would cut down on the expenses of putting on the event and leave more of the money for the charity.” He paused long enough to pull her hair aside and place a tender kiss behind her ear. “We could work on it together.”
    A shiver of delight darted across her skin. “I do have a little bit of experience in event planning. I’ve been in charge of a couple of fund-raisers at the high school where I teach, but that’s pretty far removed from the socially prominent and business elite.”
    His smile lit up his face, that devilishly sexy smile that never failed to set her heart a-flutter. “That sounds good enough to me. I think we can consider that your primaryassignment for the rest of the summer. I’d like to hold the function in San Francisco in September or early October at one of the major hotel ballrooms.”
    She couldn’t hide her elation. “You want me to work on this with you? To plan and organize a function of this size and importance?”
    â€œYes, I have confidence in your ability to handle it.” He held her eye contact for a long moment, his smile fading and a new depth of intensity filling his eyes.
    His request was totally unexpected. The change from menial little errands the first few days to helping plan a major charity fund-raising event just a month later was a huge leap in responsibility. His words settled a soft glow of pleasure over her. He had said he had confidence in her and they would be working on the project together.
    This was certainly different from