Yahrah St. John - Lost Without You

Gabrielle sucked in a deep breath, as she’d obviously hit a nerve. She didn’t want ego to get in the way of her getting this position, so she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to infer otherwise. I just assumed we would work very closely on projects together, but ultimately you would have the final say.”

“That’s correct,” Shane said coldly. “An Adams will always run Adams Cosmetics. If you are clear with those terms, then the job is yours.”

A smile spread across Gabrielle’s face. The news was music to her ears. She was ready to come home. “Thank you so much.” She offered her hand to Shane. He stared at her small, delicate hand for several moments, as if he wasn’t quite sure what he’d signed up for, before he finally shook it.

A strange electric sensation pulsed ever so briefly between them at the touch of their palms, but then it was over just as quickly as it had begun, making Gabrielle think she’d imagined the connection.

“Welcome aboard, Gabby Burton,” Shane returned. He offered her a forgiving smile with no trace of his former animosity.

“Will I see you bright and early on Monday at the lab?”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter 2

Gabrielle dressed with care on Monday morning as she prepared for her first day at Adams Cosmetics. She pulled her hair into an unsophisticated ponytail and donned a charcoal designer pantsuit. Because the science lab was a male-dominated place, Gabrielle wanted Shane to view her as a serious chemist. If she showed more skin or dressed to gain their attention, they might view her as inferior. But Gabrielle was determined to command Shane’s respect.

She had a few last-minute jitters, but it wasn’t because of her laboratory experience. She was more comfortable there than anyplace else. She was just anxious because Shane Adams had already made it clear that the lab was his domain and that he was merely tolerating her presence, much like a child who should be seen and not heard.

It didn’t help that he was sinfully gorgeous. She’d acted as if she hadn’t noticed with Mariah, but the truth of the matter was that she’d always known Shane Adams was attractive. It was hard not to notice him. He oozed masculinity from his every pore. Add the sexy eyes and a body for lovemaking, and any woman would be powerless to resist his charm. Except her.

Why? Because even though he was attractive, he was still the arrogant, cocky ladies’ man she remembered from school. Back then, Shane had to have a woman on his arm, and even though he didn’t go through women once a week as some playboys would, after several months he always seemed to tire of them, and it was on to the next.

What surprised Gabrielle the most was that after it was over, the women never spoke ill of Shane. They always praised him for respecting them and treating them well. They even said he was the most romantic man they’d ever met. How could they be so naive? Why would they date a man knowing he offered them nothing but a temporary good time? Once he’d gotten what he wanted and had his fill, the door revolved and another woman was in play.

It boggled Gabrielle’s mind, and so as she walked into the laboratory that morning, she resolved that despite Shane’s good looks and obvious charm, she would not be taken in by him.

Gabrielle tore through the double doors of the laboratory with gusto and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Shane leaning over the counter smelling several vials. From her vantage point, she could see he had a well-defined behind. Resisting his charm was going to be easier said than done.

“So glad you could make it, Ms. Burton,” Shane said, standing upright.

Gabrielle glanced down at her watch. Was she late? He did say 8:00 a.m.? “Did I miss something?” But when she looked around, she saw that several employees were already milling about in lab coats.

“No,” Shane replied, walking over to the other vials he’d been working on. “But if you want to hang with this crew, you’re going to have to get here earlier, my dear.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes upward. She hated the condescending tone in Shane’s voice, but it was her first day and she didn’t want to get on his bad side. “I will be sure to remember that.” She walked closer to him until they were nearly inches apart. Being this close to Shane allowed her to smell his aftershave, which was sharp and kind of spicy. It tantalized her senses and sent shivers up and down her spine. “What are you working on?”

Shane’s body instantly became alert at Gabrielle’s nearness, and he stiffened. “I’m working on a couple of different scents that might work for the new fragrance.”

“Really.” Gabrielle walked around the counter and went to several vials containing essential oils and perfumer’s alcohol. “Hmm…not bad,” she said.

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion,” Shane replied to her lackluster response.

“And I wasn’t giving you one,” Gabrielle responded in turn. “I was merely commenting aloud.” She grasped a sheet of perfume paper and dipped it into one of the vials. She brought the paper to her nose and inhaled deeply. After several moments she smelled it again and was silent before saying, “Seems like you’re going for more of a citrus scent. Have you considered adding some spearmint?”

Shane’s forehead bunched into a frown. “No, I hadn’t thought of that.” And he hated that she had a point, as it would complement the current potion in the vial.

“And what are these?” Gabrielle motioned to several mockups for the skin-care line.

“Some preliminaries for a redesign of the current bottle to go along with a couple of new fragrances for the shower gels and lotions we’re developing.”

“So let me get this straight. You work on cosmetics, skin care and fragrances, and you only have four other employees?” Gabrielle asked.

Shane glared at her. “That’s right.”

“Well, no wonder you need me.” Gabrielle didn’t turn away from his stare. Instead, she gave him one of her own.

“I don’t need you,” Shane replied. “This lab has been working perfectly fine without you.”

“Mr. Graham didn’t think so.”

“Because Mr. Graham isn’t familiar with how the Adamses do business. We are a small family company.”

“That’s now a subsidiary of a major conglomerate like Graham International,” Gabrielle said. “You’re going to have to let go of the reins, Shane, if you want Adams Cosmetics to expand.”

“How insightful of you, Gabby,” Shane said, calling her by the nickname she hated. “Why don’t you go check in with HR on the third floor and complete your paperwork and be back here in, say, an hour?”

“All right.” Gabrielle gave Shane a halfhearted smile even though she’d rather strangle him. He was really only dismissing her because he hadn’t liked what she had to say. “I’ll see you shortly.”

The paperwork wouldn’t take Gabrielle long, but it would give Shane time to regain his composure. He wasn’t used to having someone question what he was doing or what he was working on, and he didn’t like it one bit. When he’d come up with a revolutionary skin-care cream seven years ago, Kayla had pretty much handed him the reins of the laboratory, and he’d never looked back. Some may have thought his sister crazy for handing over the laboratory to a twenty-five-year-old straight out of his apprenticeship, but Shane had had a vision even then, and he’d let no one deter him. So he certainly didn’t appreciate Ethan bringing an outsider into his domain.

He didn’t know what it was about Gabrielle that irked him so. Was it her perfectly coiffed hair? Or was it her smooth complexion free of makeup that bothered him? Or the fact that she dressed in black, browns and grays? Did the woman even own an item of color? Or perhaps it was the fact that she was the only woman on the planet who seemed immune to him.