Teddy’s stomach pitched. After all she’d gone through to establish Austin as her boyfriend, it appeared Louden didn’t care that she was committed to someone else.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she smiled sweetly at her boss. “Why don’t you see if Fred Williams is able to have a drink with you this evening, and discuss the promotion? Maybe he’ll be more accommodating.” She turned to leave, but not before she caught a glimpse of Louden’s complexion turning an unflattering shade of red.
Feeling wonderfully liberated, she walked back to her office with a light step, shut the door and sat behind her desk. Clinging to that boost of confidence, she picked up the phone, dialed the number for Fantasy for Hire off the business card in her top drawer—the only number she had for Austin—and mentally rehearsed her request while the line rang.
The business recorder clicked on, and as much as she hated leaving a message for Austin when she’d rather talk to him in person, she had no choice. “Hi, Austin, this is Teddy. I’d really like to talk to you—”
The line picked up, interrupting her one-sided conversation. “Hello?”
The voice, though deep and male, wasn’t Austin’s. Another Fantasy for Hire employee, possibly? “I’m calling for Austin. Is he there?”
“No, he’s not, but I can take a message for him.”
The voice sounded a bit too eager. “All right,” she said, deciding she had no choice. “This is Teddy Spencer. He has my cell and work numbers. Tell him I’d really like to talk to him, in person preferably.”
“Got it.” The friendly voice hesitated a moment, then added, “You know, you’re welcome to come by the house and talk to Austin. He should be home in about half an hour.”
“The house?” Confusion wove through her. “Isn’t this Austin’s business?”
“One and the same,” he confirmed. “He runs Fantasy for Hire out of the house.”
“Oh.” She imagined a dozen males in Austin’s house, dressed in various sexy costumes as they consulted their schedules for fantasy appointments. Doubt filled her—maybe going to Austin’s house wasn’t such a great idea. “Uh, I don’t think I should infringe on Austin’s business time—”
“You wouldn’t be,” he assured her. “This is Austin’s brother, Jordan,” the male voice went on to explain. “He’s told me about you, Teddy. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you stopped by to see him.”
She had to trust that Jordan knew Austin well enough to make such a statement. “Okay.” She jotted down the address Jordan gave her. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Great,” he said effusively. “I can’t wait to meet you.”
Teddy hung up the phone, hoping Austin shared his brother’s enthusiasm about her surprise visit.
“You did what?” Austin glared at his meddlesome brother.
Jordan held his hands up in a supplicating gesture. “Hey, she said she needed to talk to you in person. It sounded important, and I’m not one to turn down a woman in distress.”
“Distress?” Austin laughed dryly at Jordan’s description. “Teddy can take care of herself just fine. Whatever she needed to talk to me about could have been done over the phone.” He would have preferred that, actually. The past two days, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but her. One date, if he could even term escorting her to her Christmas party as such, and she had his hormones and emotions twisted into something he refused to examine. Seeing her in person again, being close enough to touch her, was going to kill him.
And what in the world could be so important that she had to talk to him in person?
“Regardless, she’ll be here any minute,” Jordan said, then frowned at Austin. “And you look like you’ve been digging ditches all day.”
“Pretty damn close.” He’d been shorthanded today on the landscaping project under development for a newly built condominium complex and had spent the afternoon helping his guys install an elaborate sprinkler system, along with planting trees, shrubs and ground cover. Digging ditches wasn’t beneath him, not in his chosen profession.
Jordan waved an impatient hand toward the upper facilities. “I suggest you go and take a shower before she gets here.”
Austin glanced down at himself, a slow grin pulling up the corners of his mouth. He’d taken off his dirt-encrusted work boots at the back door leading into the kitchen, but the rest of his attire was just as filthy. A combination of soil and sweat coated his skin and adhered to his T-shirt and jeans. Dust layered his thick hair. Hell, he could even taste the day’s grime in his mouth. He was half tempted to greet Teddy just as he was, to give her a good look at what her investment broker looked like at the end of a workday.
“Well?” Jordan prompted, wrinkling his nose at him. “Time’s a ticking, and the longer you stand here, the more Glade freshener I’m going to have to use to cover up that outdoorsy scent of yours.”
Austin spouted an obscene gesture that made Jordan’s mouth twitch with amusement. “Since you invited her over, you can entertain her until I’m cleaned up,” Austin said, none too happy about the situation.
“Hey, I thought I was doing you a favor,” Jordan called after him as he climbed the stairs to his room.
“Yeah, well, next time, don’t,” Austin said over his shoulder.
He heard Jordan mutter something about what an ungrateful brother he was, and took it all in stride. Heading into the bathroom, he peeled his dirty shirt over his head, tossed it into the hamper, then removed his jeans. By the time he exited the shower fifteen minutes later and pulled on a pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt, he could hear Teddy’s voice drifting from downstairs. He headed in that direction, following the sounds to the living room, where Jordan and Teddy were standing near the potted Douglas fir he’d brought home a week ago. He’d retrieved the small box of Christmas ornaments from the attic last night and placed it next to the tree, but hadn’t had the chance to decorate it yet.
Not quite ready to make his presence known, Austin leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, watching the two of them interact.
Jordan scratched his chin, a disapproving expression on his face. “I tried telling Austin that the tree was a bit on the piteous side, but he seems to think a string of garland will spruce it up.”
Tucking her silky blond hair behind her ear, Teddy tilted her head, a soft smile on her face as she scrutinized the tree. “Oh, I don’t know. I think the tree has potential. Garland might overpower the branches, but maybe we could find something in this box to liven it up without weighing it down.” She glanced at Jordan hesitantly. “Would you mind if I gave it a shot while we’re waiting for Austin?”
A too-cheerful smile curved Jordan’s mouth. “By all means, help yourself.”
Traitor, Austin thought with a dark scowl. He opened his mouth to announce his presence, then snapped it shut when Teddy bent over to rummage through the box of decorative items, which pulled her skirt taut over her ass and lifted the hem a few inches. Man, oh, man, the woman had a fine backside, not to mention a pair of long, slender legs that inspired erotic thoughts. Images flitted through his mind, of coming up behind her and skimming his hands over her slim hips and pressing his hard body to hers…of her widening her stance as he shimmed up her skirt, caressing her firm thighs…