To Cal’s credit, his eyes didn’t follow the woman’s movements, nor did he seem to be counting down the minutes until he could sneak away with her to make use of the onboard bedroom.
His behavior was consistent with what Lyssa knew of him. While he definitely didn’t lack for female company—some might even use the word playboy to describe him—at his core, he was an upstanding guy who would never take advantage of his wealth or position of power.
Cal had been her boss for six weeks. In September, she’d quit her job in Chicago, moved to San Francisco, and taken on the accounting activities for Gideon Jones’s Lean on Us Foundation.
For years, Gideon had owned a painting given to him by Karmen Sanchez, a fellow comrade-in-arms who had been killed overseas. Little had Gideon known that the painting was worth sixty million dollars until his fiancée, Rosie, who had knowledge of the art world, had done some research and realized he was in possession of a rare masterpiece by famed eighteenth-century artist Miguel Fernando Correa. Instead of using the money on a lavish new lifestyle, he’d started a foundation to benefit foster children, returning veterans, and military families. As a veteran himself, Gideon understood the difficulties of assimilating back into civilian life. Rosie had gone through the foster care system along with his sister, Ari, so it was only natural for him to want to help. However, given that Gideon had neither the time nor the expertise to run a nonprofit foundation, Cal had offered to step in to manage it.
Cal’s first move had been hiring Lyssa, and she absolutely loved her new job. Though a part of her wondered if her brothers had asked Cal to give her this job because they knew how unhappy she’d become at her previous company, it only made her more intent on proving to all of them that she had earned it.
As they waited for coffee, they got down to business, both opening their folders on their latest potential contributor, resort tycoon Dane Harrington. Dane had built a worldwide empire of health spas and resorts. Though his headquarters was in Northern California, he was currently in London launching a new resort. Dane was the reason for this trip—they hadn’t wanted to wait for his return to the U.S. to make their pitch.
“I’d like to begin the presentation by explaining a bit about the programs we want to fund,” Cal told her. “Once I’m done with the dog-and-pony show, it would be great if you stepped in with the budgets.”
Lyssa almost gave herself whiplash looking up from the papers she’d been scanning. “You want me to detail the budgets to Dane?”
Cal smiled, seemingly unaware of just how sexy he looked—or how much he made her heart race. “You’re the one who put the numbers together, so you’re the best person for the job.”
Lyssa was astounded. She’d figured he’d brought her along simply to run the presentation software and provide background data if he needed it, not to actually present her budget to a hugely valuable donor.
“Besides,” he added, “I’ve never seen anyone do as thorough a job as you.”
His appreciation for her talent made her glow in a way she couldn’t hide. In Chicago, she’d been relegated to collections despite having earned a degree in accounting with honors. She’d asked her boss for more responsibility, but he’d had no interest in finding out what she was capable of. Working for Lean on Us was a dream come true, even better because she’d moved to San Francisco, which she loved.
As soon as Lyssa had flown the coop, her parents had also decided it was finally time to go west and join the rest of the family in the Bay Area. Though she was pleased that her parents would be nearby, she had a niggling suspicion that one of the main reasons they were moving was so they could still watch over her.
Her brothers had found the perfect home for her folks in Portola Valley and were having a great time fixing it up. Her dad had taught them all about home repairs when they couldn’t afford a repairman, so each of them not only knew their way around a tool belt, but after spending so many of their days behind a desk inside an office, they loved the hard, hands-on work of the house renovation project.
Delilah returned with their coffees. “There you go, Mr. Danniger. Your coffee, just the way you like it.”
“Thanks, Delilah.” Though he was polite, he was so focused on the document he was reading, he barely looked up.
“If there’s anything I can get you, Mr. Danniger, just let me know.” She paused before adding a husky, “Anything at all.”
At last, Cal met the woman’s gaze. “I’m good, thanks. But I’ll let you know if I need anything later in the flight.”
Delilah practically melted into a puddle of goo when his eyes met hers. She seemed distracted as she put Lyssa’s mug down in the middle of a stack of papers, coffee slopping over the rim to leave a ring.
Lyssa sopped it up with a napkin as Cal opened another folder, saying, “Let’s move on to the six-month forecast.”
Her numbers were solid on their plans to purchase buildings, hire staff, and buy equipment. This was where new contributors came in. As huge an amount as sixty million sounded—and despite the fact that Cal was working pro bono for the foundation—when the money was spread across everything they hoped to accomplish, it was nowhere near enough.
Throughout the flight, Cal never wasted a moment. He was intelligent, diligent, incisive, and all business. And, she thought with a sigh she never gave voice to, sexier than any man she knew.
A few hours after takeoff, Lyssa’s stomach growled, loudly.
“Was that your stomach?” Cal grinned. “Or is there a monster hiding in one of the closets?”
She gave him a lopsided grin. “While I can’t guarantee there aren’t any monsters hiding on your plane—which would make an awesome plot for a horror movie, by the way—I can tell you that I’m starved.”
He pressed a button and spoke into the intercom. “Delilah, could you please take our orders for dinner?”
As if she had been waiting breathlessly just outside the lounge door for Cal to summon her, Delilah was immediately at his side. “What would you like, Mr. Danniger?”
It was obvious to Lyssa that she hoped his answer would be, You.
“I asked the chef to bring steak and lobster on board, along with fresh fruit and vegetables. Is that okay with you, Lyssa?”
“Better than okay,” she said as her stomach grumbled even more loudly in anticipation of the delicious meal. Living on her own, she’d made cost-cutting measures because she wanted to manage her career without her brothers’ handouts. She never wasted a leftover, always brought a bag lunch, didn’t own a car, and walked to the foundation’s headquarters. Steak and lobster would be a rare treat. If she had leftovers, maybe she could take them home.
“Please bring us some of everything, Delilah.”
“With pleasure, sir.”
Lyssa tried not to roll her eyes at how over the top the woman was behaving. But honestly, she shouldn’t be too hard on Delilah. Cal was the kind of man who made women act a little breathless and crazy.
“Excuse me,” Lyssa said, getting up.
The luxurious bathroom had both a shower and a jetted tub. Mirrors all around reflected her face, and the walls and floor were tiled in gold-flecked marble. Even the taps were gold.