Giving up on the desk, and cursing out his older brother for falling in love and getting married at such an inconvenient time, Royce moved to the file cabinet, pulling open the top drawer. His blunt fingers were awkward against the flimsy paper, and the complex numbering system made no sense to him. What the hell was wrong with using the alphabet?
“The outfit seems at odds with the job duties,” a female voice ventured from the office doorway.
He turned to see Amber in a pair of snug jeans and a maroon, sleeveless blouse. Her feet were bare, and her blond hair was damp, framing her face in lush waves. There was an amused smile on her fresh, pretty face.
“You think this is funny?” he asked in exasperation.
“Unexpected,” she clarified.
“Well, don’t just stand there.”
“Should I be doing something?”
He directed her to the desktop. “We’re looking for a letter from the Chinese Ministry of Trade and Development.”
She immediately moved forward.
“Do you know what it looks like?” she asked, picking up the closest pile of papers.
He grunted. “It’s on paper.”
“Long letter? Short letter? In an envelope? Attached to a report?”
“I don’t know. It’s from Cheng Li, Foreign Investment Director. I need his phone number.”
She moved on to the next pile, while Royce went back to the filing cabinet.
“Have you tried Google?” she asked.
“This isn’t the kind of number you find on the Internet.”
She continued sorting. “I take it this is important?”
“If I don’t get hold of him today, we’re going to blow a deal.”
“What time is it in China?”
“Sometime Monday morning. Barry says if the approval’s not filed in Beijing by the end of business today, we’re toast.”
“Their time?” Amber asked.
“Their time,” Royce confirmed. “What the hell happened to the alphabet?”
She moved closer, brushing against him. “You want me to-”
“No,” he snapped, and she quickly halted.
He clamped his jaw and forced himself to take a breath. It wasn’t her fault the letter was lost. And it wasn’t her fault that his body had a hair-trigger reaction to her touch. “Sorry. Can you keep looking over there? On the desk?”
“Sure.” Her features were schooled, and he couldn’t tell if she was upset.
“I didn’t mean to shout.”
“Not a problem.” She turned back.
He opened his mouth again, but then decided the conversation could wait. If she was upset, he’d deal with it later. For now, he had three more drawers to search.
“Something to do with Shanxi Electrical?” she asked.
Royce’s head jerked up. “You found it?”
She handed him a single sheet of paper.
He scanned his way down to the signature line and found the number for Cheng Li’s office. “This is it.” He heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to hug her in gratitude.
Then he took in her rosy cheeks, her jewel-blue eyes, her soft hair and smooth skin. The deep colored blouse molded to her feminine curves, while the skintight blue jeans highlighted a killer figure. There was something completely sexy about her bare feet, and he had to fight hard against the urge to hug her.
“Thanks,” he offered gruffly, reaching for the phone.
He punched in the international and area codes, then made his way through the rest of the numbers.
After several rings, a voice answered in Chinese at the other end.
“May I speak with Mr. Cheng Li?” he tried.
The voice spoke Chinese again.
“Cheng Li? Is there someone there who speaks English?”
The next words were incomprehensible. He might have heard the name Cheng Li, but he wasn’t sure.
“English?” he asked again.
Amber held out her hand and motioned for him to give her the phone.
He gave her a look of incomprehension while the woman on the other end tried once more to communicate with him.
“I’m sorry,” he said into the phone, but then it was summarily whisked from his hand.
“Hey!” But before he could protest further, Amber spoke. The words were distinctly non-English.
Royce drew back in astonishment. “No way.”
She spoke again. Then she waited. Then she covered the receiver. “Your phone number?” she whispered.
He quickly flipped open his cell to the display, and she rattled something into the phone. Then she finished the call and hung up. “Cheng Li will call you in an hour with an interpreter.”
“You speak Chinese?” was all Royce could manage.
She gave a self-deprecating eye roll. “I can make myself understood. But for them, it’s kind of like talking to a two-year-old.”
“You speak Chinese?” he repeated.
“Mandarin, actually.” She paused. “I have a knack.” When he didn’t say anything, she bridged the silence. “My mother taught me Swedish. And I learned Spanish in school.” She shrugged. “So, well, considering the potential political impact of the rising Asian economies, I decided Mandarin and Punjabi were the two I should study at college. I’m really not that good at either of them.”
He peered at her. “You’re like a politician’s dream wife, aren’t you?”
Her lips pursed for a moment, and discomfort flickered in her eyes. “Are you saying I have no life?”
“I’m saying he’s going to come after you.” Royce put a warning in his tone. “I sure as hell wouldn’t let you get away.”
She blinked, and humor came back into her blue eyes. “I doubt I’d make it very far from here. After all, there is only one road out of the ranch.”
Royce wasn’t in the mood to joke. “He is going to come after you, isn’t he?”
She sobered. “I don’t think he’ll find me.”
“And if he does?”
She didn’t answer.
“What’s the guy got on you?”
From what Royce could see, Amber was an intelligent, capable woman. There was no reason in the world for her to let herself get saddled with a man she didn’t want.
“Same thing Jared has on you,” she answered softly. “Duty, obligation, guilt.”
“Jared needs me for a month,” said Royce, not buying into the parallel. “What’s-his-name-”
“Hargrove.”
“Hargrove wants you forever.” Royce felt a sudden spurt of anger. “And where the hell are your parents in all this? Have you told them?”
“They think he’s perfect for me.”
“He’s not.”
Amber smiled. “You’ve never even met him.”
“I don’t have to. You’re here. He’s there.” Royce ran his brain through the circumstances one more time. “Your cell’s turned off, right?”
She nodded.
“Don’t use your credit cards.”
“I didn’t bring them.”
“Good.”
“Not really.” She hesitated. “Royce, I have no money whatsoever.”
“You don’t need money.”
“And I have no clothes, not even underwear.”
Okay, that gave him an unwanted visual. “We have everything you need right here.”
“I can’t live off your charity.”
“You’re our guest.”
“I forced you to bring me here.”
Royce set the letter back down on the desktop and tucked his phone back into his shirt pocket. “Ask anybody, Amber. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.” He let his gaze shade the meaning of the words. He’d brought her home with him because she was a beautiful and interesting woman. It was absolutely no hardship having her around.
“I need to earn my keep.”
Royce resisted the temptation to make a joke about paying her way by sleeping with him. It was in poor taste, and the last thing he wanted to do was insult her. Besides, the two were completely unrelated.