Bound For Love

Chapter 4

Jenna was seized with an insane desire to ask him where his rope was and did it happen to be the kind he used roughly against the skin.

Geez, Jenna. Get a frickin' grip.

Besides, she'd been down that dark road before, with a man who wanted all of it all the time. A man who kept a tight grip on the reins. It had nearly destroyed her. She was never going there again.

"Well." A hint of a grin teased at one corner of his mouth. "How about going inside so we can get this interview going." He looked down at her feet. "I suppose it's too much to hope you have something more sensible in the car."

She cleared her throat, torn between irritation and embarrassment. "Toni didn't say anything about footwear."

"Don't worry. If you get the job, it's at the top of the list."

Was he kidding? Hitching the thin strap of her purse on her shoulder, she followed him across the parking area, doing her best not to sink into the ground, thankful when they finally reached the large building.

"Just as a point of information," she asked, following him inside, "why isn't the area paved?"

"Works better for horses and equipment that don't play well with concrete. Hey, Toni?"

Toni came out through a door behind the reception counter. When she saw Jenna, a smile lit her face and she hurried forward, hugging her friend.

"You made it. Yay!"

Jenna hugged her back. "How come you didn't tell me to leave my civilized shoes at home?"

Toni laughed. "Oops! Sorry. Forgot about that."

"If we're through discussing fashion," Dylan said, "can we take this professional meeting to a more professional location? Like the office?"

"Oh, don't be grumpy," Toni joked "But, sure. Go ahead. If you're lucky, she'll take the job, but be very nice to her."

Jenna had to hustle to keep up as Dylan walked with an easy, loose-hipped stride through a door to the left of the check-in desk. He dropped into a chair behind a large oak desk, took off his Stetson, and gave it a one-handed toss. It landed neatly on one hook of a hat rack on the opposite wall. Jenna tried not to laugh. She'd thought men only did things like that in the movies.

"Good aim," she commented.

"Thanks. Comes from long practice. Okay, let's get down to business. I have a ranch to run. Two ranches, technically."

She opened her tote and took out the folder with her resume, handing it to Dylan across the desk. He opened it and skimmed the two pages inside before setting it down and leaning back in his chair.

"Those are the facts," he said, his face expressionless. "Toni actually briefed me on most of it before you got here. I want what's not on those pages."

Jenna frowned. "Like what, exactly?"

"For starters, why would a woman who has always worked in metropolitan areas have any desire to come way out here in the middle of the Hill Country? We're pretty damn isolated out here at Rancho La Riata."

Jenna crossed her legs and clasped her hand around one night. She had interviewed for a lot of positions in her career, with many high-powered people. None of them had ever made her as nervous as Dylan Acosta. This was a man who radiated power and sexuality. And, unlike others she'd met, he didn't have to tell you how powerful he was. You sensed it the moment you met him. She wet her bottom lip.

"I feel I'm ready for a change. Toni has talked so much about the ranch, about both sides of it, and I thought it was something I'd really like to try."

"Try?" He c****d an eyebrow. "You mean, like stay for a few days to give it a test ride? If it doesn't work out, then what happens? I'm not putting myself in a position to be left high and dry again."

"I would never do that." She tightened her fingers on her knee. She hated the fact that this man put her off balance. Worse than that, he made every erogenous zone in her body weep with desire. Crap! Not good. Not good at all.

"But what if you find you don't like it?" he persisted.

Those slate-grey eyes were boring into her like twin lasers.

"What if I signed a binding contract for, say, six months? You could even build a financial penalty into it if I leave before then."

He barked a laugh. "Financial won't do s**t for me if you leave and I don't have a replacement."

God. She had to convince him. She needed this job badly. She was sure Tim Bergmann would blackball her throughout the hospitality industry. He'd practically told her he would. He had his father's power and money behind him to make it work. She'd begun asking questions, very quietly, and discovered this was a habit of his - pick some female who made him horny at his new posting, wear her down until he got her into his bed, then toss her aside when he was through with her. Nearly every time the woman would quit, unable to stand working on the same staff with Tim Bergmann. His treatment was so disrespectful it was difficult to be around him. He didn't care. After all, the asshole had gotten what he wanted.

She just hoped she didn't have to go through what she'd heard some of the women who refused him had. Even though they ended up leaving their jobs, Bergmann had stalked them until they finally moved out of town. She didn't need that. Coming to work here at La Riata would, she hoped, make that impossible. No way could he find her here.

But she could hardly tell that to this man. Still, she had to find a way to convince him to take a chance on her. She wet her lower lip again.

"I like to think my word is worth something," she said very slowly. "Toni talks about this place a lot. She makes it sound very attractive. I have skills that I truly believe are a positive contribution to the situation. I wouldn't be here today if I didn't plan to stay."

"Not much social life out here," he pointed out. "Oh, we're close enough to the little town of El Segundo. They have some stores on Main Street and a couple of places people like to hang out. I'm sure Toni can fill you in." He paused. "I mean, if we strike a deal here."

"Can you tell me what it would take for that to happen?"

He gave her a long, slow look so hot it scorched her entire body. She tried to hold still beneath his incendiary gaze, but then he opened a desk drawer, took out a length of rope, and began idly running it through his fingers.