Play Thing

by Nicola Marsh

  Abby grinned and rubbed her hands together. ‘I sense a story.’

  ‘Yeah, a horror story.’ Charlotte sighed and internally debated how much to tell her friend.

  ‘That bad, huh?’ Abby patted her hand. ‘Why don’t you tell dear Abby all about it?’

  Charlotte usually laughed at her friend’s corny joke whenever she used that line. She barely mustered a wan smile today.

  ‘I had sex with him.’

  The tartlet Abby had halfway to her mouth fell to the floor and landed upside down with a small splat. ‘What did you just say?’

  ‘You heard me.’ Charlotte grimaced, hating the way her stomach churned. She could have blamed it on hunger, considering she hadn’t eaten a thing since last night, but she knew better. ‘I did something crazy yesterday and now the karma gods are paying me back big time.’

  Abby gaped at her and she didn’t blame her. Charlotte hadn’t had a date in all the time she’d known her so the fact she’d just announced she’d had sex with her boss would be as unbelievable as flying to the moon.

  ‘I think you better start at the beginning.’ Abby grabbed a serviette, scooped up the smashed tartlet, and placed it on the table. ‘Though you’ll have to make it the quick version because I’ve got another batch of croissants in the oven.’

  Charlotte inhaled a breath and blew it out. Yeah, like that would calm her nerves. Thinking about what she’d done was bad enough. Articulating it would make it all too real.

  ‘Short version. My aunt got called away to Byron Bay to help a sick friend. She had to urgently vacate the warehouse she rents to store her merchandise and asked me to do it. So I was there, packing stuff, when the hottest guy on the planet walked in and we ended up having sex.’

  Jeez, it did sound crazier spoken out loud.

  Abby, astute as ever, eyed her with speculation. ‘You’re not telling me everything. Why would you have sex with some random stranger, hot or otherwise?’

  Heat flushed Charlotte’s cheeks as she remembered exactly how hot sex with Alex had been. The way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her, the way he’d pounded into her...her insides clenched at the incredible, erotic memory. ‘Well, I was in a weird mood, lamenting my rather pitiful social life, so decided to try on some of the lingerie.’

  Abby let out a whoop of laughter. ‘No way. He walked in on you?’

  ‘In faux leather, no less. Bustier and thong. A real eye-opener.’ Her sardonic response elicited more laughter.

  ‘So you’re blaming the lingerie?’

  ‘If only.’ Charlotte shook her head, wishing she could blame her lapse in judgement on something so trivial. ‘The lingerie made me feel bold but it was more than that...he really looked at me and I liked it.’

  ‘Oh, sweetie.’ Abby leaned over and hugged her. ‘You’re beautiful. The guy has good taste.’

  She snorted. ‘I’m average at best and he must have thought I was easy in that get-up.’

  Abby frowned and tut-tutted. ‘Why do you put yourself down like that?’

  ‘Habit,’ Charlotte wanted to say, but she wisely kept silent. Abby had always chastised her for being self-pitying and Charlotte agreed it wasn’t an attractive trait. Didn’t mean it stopped her from lamenting her lack of a love life in her quieter moments.

  ‘Anyway, I lost my head, had the best sex of my life, then walk into my new boss’s office this morning and realise he’s the hot-sex guy.’

  ‘I can’t believe this.’ Abby’s eyes widened, her expression awestruck. ‘It’s like something out of those romance novels you devour.’

  ‘I know, right?’ Charlotte couldn’t help but smirk. ‘Who knew I had an inner vixen?’

  Abby squared her shoulders, her nod emphatic. ‘Well, I think it’s great. About time you had some fun.’

  ‘It’s not going to happen again.’

  Despite that tiny, insistent voice deep inside that whispered how great it would be to feel that good again.

  ‘How did he react when he saw you this morning?’

  ‘Not surprised.’

  Abby startled. ‘You mean he knew? About you working for him?’

  Charlotte nodded, anger quashing her momentarily lapse into wistful. ‘Yeah. He’s good at his job. Has a mega reputation in the accountancy world for taking ailing firms and turning them around. So he researched me. In his defence, he said he didn’t recognise me—’

  ‘I bet he didn’t,’ Abby chortled.

  ‘I’d taken my hair down and my glasses off before trying on the lingerie, trying to get into some vampy character to see if I’d feel any different, so I guess I didn’t look anything like my work picture.’ She dabbed at pastry crumbs with her fingertip, pushing them around the plate, embarrassed to admit how she’d been role playing for a brief moment in time at that warehouse. ‘He said he only recognised me later, when I used a phrase I’ve been using a lot in our business dealings.’

  ‘Well, I’m assuming it wasn’t take me now?’

  Charlotte shot Abby a death glare and she laughed.

  ‘He sounds like a bad, bad boy, not telling you the truth immediately when he recognised you.’ Abby snapped her fingers. ‘Hey, isn’t that what you said you wanted before Mak left, a bad boy?’

  ‘Yeah, be careful what you wish for.’ Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘Now I have to work with that bad boy for a month and pretend he didn’t rock my world. Several times.’

  Abby beamed. ‘You go, girl.’

  Charlotte managed a wry smile. ‘The only place I’m going right now is back to work with some of your amazing pastries, so the ratfink can try and buy us off with treats.’

  Abby’s smile faded. ‘You’ll be okay, yeah? Working with him?’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ Charlotte said, hoping her conviction lasted when faced with the prospect of working one-on-one with her dishy boss for the foreseeable future.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ALEX FOUND HIS gaze drifting to the elevator all too often as he mingled with staff in their cubicles. Charlotte should have been back by now and the longer she stayed away, the more he wondered whether she had done a runner.

  Not that she struck him as the flighty type. Not if her work record was any indication. But if she’d been half as rattled as him after their earlier meeting...

  Damn, he hadn’t expected to be so affected by her. He’d been prepared to make his confession, ensure she understood and move on to work. He hadn’t expected to be so confused.

  His visceral reaction to seeing her again startled him. His gut had griped like he’d drunk too much fine cab sav when he’d seen her in that professional get-up. There’d been nothing remotely sexy about her skirt, blouse and jacket, but when she’d looked at him—albeit in stunned horror—he’d felt it like a kick in the head.

  It had something to do with her eyes. Those cool, grey orbs held a world of secrets and he’d love to discover each and every one.

  Yeah, like that was going to happen.

  Alex had a job to do. Turn this company around. And Charlotte was a big part of making that happen.

  As if thoughts of her had conjured her up, the elevator doors slid open and she stepped out, laden bags in each hand. The staff clearly looked forward to Le Miel’s delights because they flocked to her, quickly taking the bags and heading for the mini conference room where they’d set up cutlery and crockery.

  Her gaze homed in on him like a radar and he felt that kick again. It unsettled him and he reacted with a goofy grin. It didn’t go over well if her raised eyebrow and supercilious expression were any indication.

  He crossed the office, determined to set her at ease. They had a lot of work to do. ‘Thanks for picking up the morning tea.’ He gestured towards the conference room. ‘Shall we?’

  She didn’t respond, other than a curt nod. He much preferred the warm, willing woman
he’d held in his arms yesterday but knew her frosty counterpart would be much more conducive to work.

  He followed her into the conference room, not surprised when she kept her distance. He chatted with staff, made small talk, discovering that Edgar had worked here the longest, an impressive twenty-four years, that Suzie had five kids, that Viola would happily take a redundancy to go farm alpacas and that Charlotte was the glue that held everyone together.

  Staff raved about her, vindicating his choice to make her the new manager. She had smarts, kindness and respect, three traits that would ensure she excelled in the job.

  But appointing her in that role meant they’d be working a lot closer together for his time here. The old manager had been responsible for running the place into the ground almost single-handedly and a lot of work had to be done to ensure it prospered again. He was up for the challenge. Would Charlotte be?

  If she could barely stand to be in the same room as him, he doubted it.

  As some of the workers drifted back to their cubicles, she finally approached him. ‘You did a good thing with this morning tea, thanks.’

  ‘Good working relations are important to me.’

  Her eyes widened imperceptibly, pinning him with what he’d quickly come to recognise as her signature scepticism.

  He hadn’t meant it as anything other than what it was: a declaration to foster a solid work ethic. But she glared at him as if he’d made some gross sexual innuendo.

  ‘We need to talk,’ he said, making a grand show of glancing at his watch. ‘You’re a team leader here and I need to pick your brains about some of the ideas I’ve been kicking around.’

  ‘Sure.’ Her brisk nod was as terse as her response. ‘I’ve got clients all afternoon so does first thing in the morning suit?’

  Usually, he’d insist they work through dinner but in this case he’d be better off keeping his distance for now.

  ‘Fine, see you at nine.’

  She stared at him a second too long, as if she couldn’t quite figure him out. That made two of them. Because as Charlotte stalked out of the conference room, he couldn’t tear his gaze off her ass, the memory of how it had felt in his hands making his palms tingle.

  After all his self-talk, he still wanted her.

  Not good.

  The smart thing to do would be to lock himself away in his office for the rest of the day, but that plan was shot to shit when he reviewed the latest performance reviews.

  Staff cuts would have to be made if certain sectors of the company didn’t start shouldering their load.

  Which meant he had to play hardball.

  He called the staff back into the conference at one and made his usual speech when he arrived at companies like this one.

  ‘Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your busy day.’ He pointed at the empty conference table. ‘Sorry I didn’t have time to organise a banquet lunch too.’

  A few titters echoed through the group and he continued. ‘As you know, I’m here to ensure The Number Makers becomes a viable company moving forward and the go-to accountancy firm in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. To do that, the profit margins need to improve alongside work productivity.’

  He paused, letting the implication sink in. He heard the sharp intake of breaths, the furtive glances, the stricken expressions. This part of his job sucked.

  ‘I’m still in the process of reviewing all personnel’s billable hours but I won’t sugar-coat this. Cuts may need to be made.’

  A paper clip bouncing off the carpet could have been heard at that point, the silence was that profound.

  ‘Rest assured, that will be my last resort, but I wanted to be upfront with you on the first day so we all know where we stand.’

  Feeling like an ogre trampling Lilliputians, he tried his best reassuring smile. By the number of round eyes fixed on him, it didn’t work.

  ‘I’ll be moving forward with a plan of action over the next week. In the meantime, keep up the good work.’

  Damn, that sounded trite and condescending, considering he’d virtually threatened some of their jobs. He’d avoided making eye contact with Charlotte during his little speech but as the staff trickled out of the room, he couldn’t resist.

  Her reaction surprised him. That gleam in her eyes almost looked like admiration, before she turned her back and followed her co-workers out.

  It gave him hope. Maybe this could work out after all.

  If only he could stop staring at her cute ass.

  CHAPTER NINE

  WHEN ALEX HAD called the staff into the conference room at lunchtime, Charlotte had expected a pep talk.

  She’d been impressed by his team-bonding exercise at morning tea and hadn’t been afraid to tell him. It boded well that they’d resorted to polite indifference. She could do this. Work alongside him. Without constantly thinking about how damn incredible he’d felt inside her.

  Yikes. That was the fifth time this afternoon she’d let her mind slip back to yesterday. She blamed him. If he didn’t keep strutting around the office looking delectable in a navy suit, pale blue shirt and trendy stripy tie, she wouldn’t be reminded of how hard his muscles had felt beneath that suit when she’d hung on for the ride of her life.

  ‘Not helping,’ she muttered as she prepared for the last client of the day. A call-up that she usually would have postponed until tomorrow considering she’d officially clocked off thirty minutes ago.

  But with Alex’s less than encouraging speech ringing in her ears, she needed to prove her indispensability and what better way than working late?

  Her co-workers had skedaddled at five, either too intimidated by Alex’s threatening speech or too stupid to care. Whatever their reasoning, it didn’t affect her. She had a job to do: to prove to the boss she’d inadvertently shagged that she’d become essential to taking the company forward.

  Hopefully, taking on an unexpected client and working late would go some way to convincing him she’d do whatever it took to consolidate her position.

  She also had an ulterior motive. If she impressed him with her work and appeared keen to toe his new company line, it would show him she’d forgotten their encounter. That it meant little in the grand scheme of their working relationship.

  Utter bollocks, but it was her excuse and she was sticking to it.

  Her new client turned out to be an ex-rugby league player who needed a new accountant to manage his business interests, a string of lucrative pubs. He dwarfed her office with his height and broad shoulders, which she couldn’t help but notice in the vest top he wore, with shorts that accentuated well-toned legs.

  In the past she’d surreptitiously ogle a guy like this, lamenting the fact he’d never notice a girl like her beyond her mathematical skills. But today, something had changed. The client openly flirted with her—and she enjoyed it.

  Maybe the wild sex she’d had with Alex had given her a much-needed confidence boost, maybe wearing sensuous satin underwear for the first time made her meet the guy’s eye when she’d usually look away. Whatever it was, she liked feeling this empowered. It boded well for chasing her dream.

  ‘You’ve done a great job with keeping accurate records.’ She turned the computer screen towards him. ‘This is the program we use so whatever you need, don’t hesitate to get in touch.’

  His wolfish smile revealed a row of startlingly white teeth. ‘Does that include calling you after hours?’

  Her inner vixen did a little shimmy that he’d be remotely interested in her ‘after hours’.

  Her inner accountant shut down that vapid vixen quick smart.

  ‘I’m available to answer your accountancy questions from nine ’til five.’

  ‘Pity,’ he said, his grin widening. ‘If you ever fancy a drink, drop by one of my pubs and the staff will let me know you’re around.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She s
tood to escort him to the door. ‘But I don’t mix business with pleasure. It’s unprofessional and you wouldn’t want someone like that handling your finances.’

  He managed a rueful shrug while she hoped her nose wouldn’t grow from telling that whopping great lie.

  Because she had mixed business with pleasure, even if she hadn’t known it at the time, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Worse, how it might feel to do it again.

  ‘I’ll be in touch,’ she said, waiting until the elevator doors had slid shut to toe off her shoes, pick them up and head to her office to pack up her things.

  She’d almost reached her office when Alex’s door flung open and she jumped. ‘I thought you’d left with everyone else?’

  ‘And leave you alone with that Neanderthal? Not bloody likely.’ He almost growled, a deep frown marring his brow. ‘You shouldn’t smile at men like that. It gives them the wrong idea.’

  ‘Excuse me?’ The shoes fell from her fingers as outrage made her stand tall. ‘My job is to make clients trust me enough to feel safe having me handle their money. That includes being polite. Which includes smiling.’

  She flashed him her broadest, fakest smile. ‘See? Nothing wrong with it. And while I understand you’re the head honcho around here for the next month, I’d appreciate it if you would credit me with some business nous and butt the hell out.’

  Probably not the smartest way to end her first day with the boss but he’d got her so damned riled she could barely see straight. God, the guy was insufferable. He’d reverted to the condescending know-it-all he’d been over the phone for the weeks they’d corresponded before actually meeting.

  ‘In my office. Now,’ he barked, turning his back on her and stalking into it.

  Charlotte had two options. Flip him the bird, pick up her shoes and leave. Or do as he said so she could keep the job that was so important to her.

  She chose the latter. But still flipped him the bird.

  When she entered his office, he stepped around her and slammed the door shut.