“Yes!” she replied excitedly. “Just… swell.”
Yet, something in her tone told me that she wasn’t telling the whole truth. I wanted to ask her about it. I desperately wanted to know everything there was to know about her, but I couldn’t. It was inappropriate. It was wrong. I had to keep things professional.
So, instead of saying what I really wanted to, I responded, “That’s great to hear. Listen…” I paused. “Would you mind coming back to my office once more? I won’t keep you very long, I just want to rectify something.”
For a moment, there was only silence and I wondered if I’d panicked her, but then she said, “Of course, boss.”
My shoulders slumped with relief at her obedience and a sly smile came to my lips. “Great, I’ll see you soon, Billie.”
“See you soon.”
I hung up the phone and waited at my desk for her to arrive. I was steepling my fingers when a knock came on the door again. This time, the person there waited, and I stood up to go answer it. When I pulled the door open, I was hit by the beauty of the woman behind it. She was just as perfect as I remembered. Her chocolate-colored hair looked soft and shone in the light. Her hips were wide, and they swung in a tantalizing rhythm like a metronome as she nervously waited for me to address her. The swell of her breast was pressing against her shirt and making the buttons look like they were ready to pop open. It was difficult to avert my eyes from her mesmerizing body—difficult but not impossible.
I smiled at her and let out a breath of air as I mentally prepared myself for what was coming next. “Right, we’re going to try this again and hopefully, things will be a little bit easier this time,” I told her with a chuckle. “Hi, I’m your boss, Quentin Wendall. It’s nice to meet you.”
The dazzling smile that spread wide across her face was more attractive than anything else about her and I felt my heart begin to thunder against my chest. “Hi, Quentin. My name’s Billie Nichols and I really, really want to keep my job.”
We both laughed and I nodded my head. Yeah, we can make this work. I’m sure of it.
5
Billie
My first day at work had gone far better than I’d hoped for after the rocky start. Quentin and I managed to smooth things over which helped settle my anxiety about being fired already. Once we had a proper conversation, I came to realize he wasn’t as bad as I’d thought at first. It was a Monday morning after all, so I put his bad attitude down to being cranky and moved on with my day. I stayed in his office for most of the day actually. Quentin had done a good job of filling me in about the accounts I was going to be working with. He also let slip why there was a vacancy in the first place – apparently, the last accountant had retired – but most importantly, he told me that his parents had hired me without his input. I was starting to understand a little more why my presence had unsettled him that morning.
Eventually, I went back to my own office and breathed a sigh of relief to have some space from such a sexy guy. I got my teeth stuck into the computing systems, reading the beginner’s guides and getting myself familiarized with how things worked at Wendall Winery. It felt like I had finally begun to get a real handle on things and I was so proud of myself.
By the end of the day, I was feeling satisfied but exhausted. I got home, fed myself and Lucky before collapsing on the sofa with a tub of ice cream and a procedural cop show. I hadn’t managed to keep my eyes open for very long and I was soon dragging myself off to bed with Lucky trotting behind me.
I slept well that night and woke up feeling hopeful and refreshed. I carefully applied my make-up after showering and pulled on my office wear before making myself a steaming hot cup of coffee. I sat alone at the kitchen counter sipping from my drink as I scrolled through my social media before eventually checking the time and heading out of the door with a quick wave goodbye to Lucky. As I approached the office, however, my heart began to pound louder and louder. The mistakes of the day before were still fresh in my mind and even though I knew that today was a new day, it was hardly a fresh start and that worried me.
You’re a professional, Billie. Act like it, I scolded myself as I climbed out of my car and hurried toward the door. My pencil skirt was riding up my thick thighs and I had to keep reaching out to pull the material down again. It had always been a problem for someone with my body type, but I hated wearing slacks, so I had to bear it.
When I arrived this time, I headed straight toward my office to get set up and ready for the day. However, upon entering the main office, I noticed that someone was sitting outside my door waiting for me and looking every bit as hunky as he had done the day before. Thankfully, however, it was Peter and not Quentin who sat there. The former was less likely to rattle me than our more attractive boss.
“Good morning, Peter,” I greeted politely as I approached. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m very well thank you, Billie,” he replied as he stood up and straightened his shirt. “How about yourself?”
“Never better,” I told him cheerily. “Did you want to come inside?”
“Yes, Quentin is actually out of the office today, so I’m here to help you today,” Peter explained as we both entered my office together.
“Oh no, is everything all right?” I asked. My brain began working overtime straight away. Could he have avoided coming in today just so he didn’t have to see me? No, surely not.
“His son is sick apparently,” Peter continued to explain as he pulled a spare chair around to my side of the desk and sat down. “Just a little stomach bug he told me, nothing to be worried about.”
My whole face flushed. Of course, my gorgeous boss was already taken and had children! And here I was getting a schoolgirl crush on him. I was mortified and tried to hide my head behind my computer screen. I hope Peter doesn’t notice, I thought to myself.
“That’s a shame,” I said in a quiet voice after I realized I’d been silent for a few seconds.
“Yeah, but that’s how it is with kids. They’re always getting some bug or another,” Peter responded with a shrug. “Have you gotten the accounts system set up and running yet?”
I nodded and after that, Peter and I delved into the ins and outs of my new job. We went over things that Quentin had filled me in about the day before and then covered a few questions I still had about the work I was going to be doing. Meanwhile, a part of my brain was constantly distracted by Quentin and his mysterious family.
What was his wife like? It was hard to imagine what Quentin’s type might be, but for some reason, I found myself picturing a leggy, slim blonde with bright blue eyes and a dazzling smile—my polar opposite. It didn’t matter either way. Even if by some miracle Quentin turned out to be single, I wasn’t going there. Getting involved with colleagues was always a bad idea, let alone someone who is actually your boss!
“Ahh, that’s not the right function,” Peter explained, interrupting my thoughts and leaning over the desk to take the mouse from me. “You need to click here first and input the account number and then press the function key.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I replied with a shake of my head. “At my last workplace, the system was a little different.” I began to hastily do as I was told and hope that he didn’t think I was totally incompetent.
“Don’t worry about it at all, Billie,” Peter told me with a smile. “It’s your second day on the job, I don’t expect you to already know everything. In fact, if you did, that would be a bigger cause for concern, don’t you think?”
He chuckled and I felt myself relax a little more. I’d been so on edge about this new job and I’d been desperate to make a good first impression that I’d forgotten I didn’t need to be perfect. No, I just needed to be willing to learn.
“If there’s ever anything you don’t understand or you’re not sure about, just let me know and I’ll walk you through it,” Peter continued as he leant back in his own chair and pushed his hair back from his forehead.
I paused for a moment,
biting down on my bottom lip nervously, before finally opening my mouth. “Actually, you don’t mind showing me how to use the scanner for any invoices we receive by post, do you?” I asked, my pulse racing. “I know most are sent by e-mail these days, but I’ve noticed we still get the odd one by snail mail, so I think it’d be good to know. If you have time, I mean.”
Peter let out a short laugh before patting me on the shoulder. “Of course, Billie. It’s no problem at all. Follow me.”
I let out a relieved sigh before following him toward the copier.
My second day at work seemed to go faster than the first. I’d spent almost the entire day with Peter since there were so many new systems to explain and I had plenty of questions about them all. By the end of it, I was feeling much more settled in my new role and like I actually had a clue what I was doing. It was reassuring to pick everything up so quickly and I knew a lot of it was down to Peter’s help. I decided that I liked Peter a lot. He was kind and patient as he taught me new things, but he also enjoyed a joke or two while we worked and proved to be quite quick-witted.
Once he’d introduced me to all of the tasks I’d need to take care of on a daily basis, I realized that this job truly wasn’t much different from my old one. The only difference really was that I was being paid a fair wage for it this time. It just proved that I should have gotten out of Sausalito sooner and seen what else was out there, but before I could berate myself too much, I tried to focus on the fact that I was doing it now and that was all that mattered.
A knock sounded at the door and my head jolted up to look in that direction. “Come in,” I called out, unsure who it might be. I’d only seen Peter all day.
The door opened and it was indeed Peter waiting there. “Sorry to disturb you, Billie. I was just stopping by to let you know that I’ll be in a meeting for the next hour or so, so feel free to leave when five o’clock comes around. I doubt I’ll be out by then, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I smiled gratefully at him. “Thanks, Peter, I will. See you tomorrow.”
Peter disappeared after that and I continued to flick my way through the company brochure I’d been given to familiarize myself with the company’s goals and values. It seemed like the Wendall family valued loyalty and fairness above everything and that only made me feel better about my role here. After all, they were values I very much believed in and even though I’d moved so far away from my own family, I hoped to find one in the community of Napa Valley.
When five o’clock came around, I skipped out of the office and all the way to my car. I still couldn’t believe how lucky I’d gotten by being hired here, especially since hardly any places had been hiring a full-time accountant when I was looking. Everything seemed to be falling into place quite nicely and as I drove home, I decided to pull into one of my new local grocery stores.
The store name wasn’t a chain that I recognized, but I didn’t let that stop me. “It’s time for new adventures, Billie,” I told myself before entering the brightly lit building.
Everything inside was pretty much the same as back home which made it easy to find something to eat. I picked up a few simple ingredients to make some easy meals until I got my first paycheck. I knew that if I didn’t pick anything up now, I’d end up living off take out and eating into my savings which was a terrible idea.
Mom had always taught me that savings were vital to surviving in the world. She told me to always put at least ten percent of my paycheck into a savings account. Recalling her advice made my heart ache and I wondered what she would be doing right then. I miss her, I realized sadly before resolving to call her once I arrived home.
With a big paper bag full of vegetables, fresh meat, and juice under my arm, I headed back out of the store and to my car. I waved goodbye to the cashier and packed my food away. This really does feel like home already, I thought to myself with a big smile. For once, my life seems to be going just the way I planned it.
Little did I know.
6
Quentin
For two whole days, Lincoln had been out of commission with his stomach bug. The poor little mite could hardly hold down any of his food and I’d been staying at his bedside day and night to make sure he didn’t vomit in his sleep and then choke on it. I’d been out of my mind with worry about him, but thankfully, by Thursday morning, he seemed to be as right as rain again. I always struggled when Lincoln was sick, even when he was a baby. My ex-wife, Carmen, had always teased me about it. She told me I was too worrisome and that a real man wouldn’t concern himself with something as minor as a cold. Yet, Lincoln was so precious to me, I couldn’t help myself.
Besides, maybe it’s because I cared about him too much and also that I was the one here looking after him now, I thought bitterly before shaking my head. Even now when she was miles away, Carmen was able to make me crazy.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn from Lincoln. He was standing in front of me at the doorway to his bedroom. He was still wearing his pajamas that said, ‘I Heart My Daddy’ and he was clutching his favorite teddy bear to his chest. His hair was messy and when I took in the sight of his flushed face and tired eyes, my heart sunk in my chest. If that meant I wasn’t a real man like Carmen said, then I didn’t want to be a real man.
“Lincoln, you promised me that you’d tell Daddy if you were still feeling unwell?” I asked as I kneeled down beside him and pressed my hand to his forehead. He didn’t appear to have a temperature, but I was still worried. He was so small and I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him.
“I’m better, Daddy,” Lincoln told me with a big smile. “My tummy feels better!”
He was looking much better than he had been. His cheeks had a lot more color and his eyes were brighter than they had been for days now. I ruffled his hair and let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, buddy, I believe you,” I told him with a soft smile. “You’ll be okay with Nanny Mandy today, won’t you?”
Lincoln nodded as fast as he could before smiling back up at me adorably. It really was difficult to leave him when he was recovering and being so cute, but in all honesty, I wanted to get back to the office. So, I made sure that Mandy was informed of the medicine Lincoln had been taking and that she was to call me if any symptoms came back before I ventured outside to my car.
As I drove back into work, my thoughts slipped back to the new staff member, Billie. Even though I’d been home for two days, I’d made sure that Peter rang me every evening to give me a run-down of all the goings on at work. He’d told me that Billie was settling in well and that she seemed good at her job which hadn’t exactly been what I’d been hoping to hear. No, in all honestly, it would have been easier for me if she was lousy at her job. Then I could fire her and have no temptation waiting for me at the office.
But it seemed like the universe had other plans.
The short journey to work gave me enough time to calm myself down and when I arrived, I took a few moments to watch the sunrise over the tops of the grape vines in the fields. The sun was pretty high by now, but there was still a slight red tinge across the sky that made the scene look ethereal. It was breathtaking and I took a moment to remember just how much I loved my job. I loved this place that my grandparents had built with their own hands from scratch. It was the one thing in my life had been consistent and I hoped it would never be taken away from me. That’s why I had to be careful—especially around women.
Women could be tricky. I knew that better than most men. The woman I had believed to be my soulmate had cheated on me and left just after Lincoln was born. Then in a moment of madness, I’d found myself being comforted in the arms of our last nanny. I’d thought that things were different that time, but they weren’t. Peter had soon uncovered her scheme to steal money from me and she’d been ousted soon after.
No, I’d learned my lesson this time. No matter how attractive Billie was, she wasn’t worth sacrificing my life for. I couldn’t let anything come between me and the vineyard. Not again. Now, th
e only person I was going to care about was my son, Lincoln. Women were too complicated.
With a breathy sigh, I turned away from the fields and headed toward the office. It was hot and I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt to my elbow as I walked. For a second, I wondered if anyone was around since the main office was empty, but then I heard loud, raucous laughter coming from the lounge next to the staff kitchenette. I drew my eyebrows together in confusion and followed the sound.
Sure enough, Peter and Billie were sitting opposite one another in the lounge. Each of them had a cup of coffee and their eyes were intent on one another as they conversed. They hadn’t even noticed my arrival. My heart did a strange flip in my chest that I couldn’t identify for a moment.
My eyes settled on Billie and I found myself unable to look away. It felt like every time I saw her, she became more and more attractive. Her lustrous brown hair was braided and curled into an intricate updo with just a few loose strands hanging down and framing her face. It made her look effortlessly beautiful and it suited her so much that I wished she’d wear her hair like that every day. When I glanced down, I noticed that she was leaning forward in her seat as she spoke with Peter and her breasts were spilling out the top of her lilac dress which barely seemed to be able to contain her voluptuous figure.
She looked as pretty as a picture and I gulped. Lord, save me.
“So, then I told him that he had to be stupid as well as crazy to fall for that kind of scheme,” Peter continued, smiling broadly as he told a story I wasn’t privy to. “I mean, I knew my brother was a bit dim at times, but you could spot the scam a mile away!”
Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 42
