Getting the Goods

by Elizabeth Perry

  We came home, expecting a pie, but of course, she was gone.

  Mother had said that we had gotten too attached to her, and that our relationship hadn’t been healthy. That was why she fired her, without a single care in the world.

  We had both been crushed. She had been our nanny since we were babies and had been the only motherly figure that we had.

  She had held us when we cried, kissed our boo-boos, and read us stories before tucking us in at night.

  Mother never did any of those things. She felt that it wasn’t her job, that those tasks were that of the hired help.

  She’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type.

  I haven’t smelled freshly baked apple pie in years, and I haven’t eaten it since Ms. Appleton made it for me.

  I’m frozen in time for a moment, until Gabriella comes into view, spots me, and screams.

  The shrill sound of her voice snaps me back to the present, and my eyes widen.

  “Oh my God! What in the hell are you doing here?” she shouts, clutching her hand against her chest. “How fucking long have you been standing there?”

  “Too long,” I admit. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was going to knock, but then I smelled your pie, and I kind of got lost inside of my own head.”

  “I really wish that you would get lost.” She frowns, before coming to stand on the other side of the door from me, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at me. “You have no business being here.”

  “Actually, that’s not true. I came here today because you missed your interview.”

  “Oh, that.” She shrugs. “I didn’t miss it. I skipped it. I have no interest in working for you.”

  “I think that I might be able to change your mind.”

  “I doubt it. Feel free to go ahead and get off of my porch now.”

  “Listen.” I lean against the door. “I’m here today, ready to totally overlook the fact that less than a week ago, you slept with me fully intending on trapping me by stealing my sperm. I wasn’t going to bring it up, but fuck. Here we are. Even knowing that, I still want to hire you. Will you give me a moment to speak to you about a potential opportunity that I have for you?”

  She tilts her head to the side.

  “Let me think about that.” She taps her finger against her chin for just a second. “Nope. I’m not interested. Thanks for the consideration, though.”

  “Gabriella!” My hands fly to my hips. “You can’t be serious. You haven’t even heard my proposal!”

  “I don’t care to hear it. You’re trying to have me interview and accept a position that I already had. Who in their right mind would want to grovel to be rehired for a job that they were already rocking? You fired me, Conner. I have no interest in being rehired. And, for the record, I wasn’t trying to trap you. Get over yourself.”

  “Please.” I mutter. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “You have? That’s surprising. I’m sure if a woman was trying to trap you, it would have only been upon the first few seconds of meeting you. Because once you open your mouth, you’re downright disgusting.”

  “Didn’t stop you fucking me, did it?” I smirk at her, and her face suddenly changes. In fact, she looks downright fucking scary.

  “Get off of my porch.” She throws the screen door open and takes a step towards me, until her face is only inches from mine. “Get the fuck off of my porch, before I go back inside, get my gun, and shoot you in the fucking head.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” she growls again, moving even closer.

  If the woman is crazy enough to steal a condom, I’m guessing that she’s crazy enough to shoot me, so I take a step back.

  “Fine. Have it your way. Be jobless. See if I care.”

  7

  Gabriella

  “Gabs, you have to help me!” Natalie wails in between shoving mouthfuls of apple pie into her mouth. “The only way that they will hire me is if you come too!”

  “What?” I drop my fork and lean across the table. “What are you talking about?”

  “I went in for my interview today. Conner Andrews said that you didn’t show up for yours, and that you refused his offer of a position. Since I was your assistant, they don’t have a spot for me, unless you take yours back.”

  “Nat, no.” I shake my head. “I cannot work for them. I mean, you were there! You saw the way that they treated us. They fired us all, without a single care in the world. Who does that?”

  “I know, they’re shitty people. But, I have to have a job, Gabs! I need to have health insurance. Billy’s medical expenses will crush me if I’m not insured. We cannot afford to go a single day without insurance. As it is, I’m totally panicking over this week. I mean, if he gets sick at all…”

  Her eyes fill with tears, and my stomach drops.

  I guess I never really considered any of these things. Natalie’s son, Billy, was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. He’s been in remission, but he still has to see his specialist every month and have blood work done. If he were to get sick at all, or have any abnormal blood work, they would admit him to the hospital immediately and run expensive tests.

  For me, losing my job wasn’t the end of the world. I paid off my mortgage last month, so I only need money for household bills, my car payment and insurance, and basic living expenses. But someone like Natalie needs it for even bigger reasons.

  “Nat, even if I did offer to take my job back, I don’t know if that’s still an option for me. I really gave that guy a piece of my mind, and I threatened to shoot him if he didn’t get off my property. I think I’m a firm no.”

  “I interviewed today. He told me, today, that if you take the job, then I can have mine. Please, Gabs, I’m begging you. If you won’t do it for me, please do it for Billy.”

  Her eyes are wide, and pleading, and well…

  How in the hell can I say no to that?

  “Oh my god. I can’t even believe that I’m agreeing to this,” I mutter, sighing hard. “Fine, I’ll do it. But you have to start looking for another job now, because I can’t guarantee how long I’ll make it.”

  “Yes! I will!” she squeals, and then proceeds to jump up, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me so tightly that I can’t even catch my breath.

  “You are the best, Gabs! Seriously, I owe you so much. And it’s going to be fine, I promise you. The guy doesn’t even seem that bad. I mean, he’s kind of quiet, but he’s also hot, so at least we will have something nice to look at!”

  That’s the problem here.

  Looking at him is totally my problem.

  Fuck my life.

  The next afternoon, I’m sitting in what used to be J.H’s office, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.

  It’s not that the chair is uncomfortable by any means. It’s probably never even been sat in before, since my previous boss never bothered coming into the office.

  I’m uncomfortable by the set of blue eyes that are fixed on me.

  The owner of the eyes is leaned back in his chair, staring hard at me while his fingers rest against his mouth.

  The problem here, is that my eyes keep traveling down to his mouth.

  It’s the same mouth that did sinful things to my body, and for some reason, I can’t seem to stop staring at it. I have no idea why I’m so entranced by him, because yesterday, I literally had thoughts of killing the guy.

  I suppose it’s because at that time, he was opening said mouth. That seems to be where his attractiveness fades.

  But now, as he sits quietly, my body can’t help but to react to the way that this man looks. He’s too damn gorgeous to even be real.

  In his dark suit and light blue shirt, with that day old scruff once again present on his chin, he’s absolutely beautiful.

  An asshole, but beautiful nonetheless.

  I blink and try my best to pull my attention away from that mouth.

  Did he ask me somet
hing? My mind is such a jumble that I can’t even think straight, but he seems to be waiting for a response.

  “I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?”

  He doesn’t even blink.

  “I didn’t ask you a question, Gabriella. I was simply sitting here and pondering how things changed so quickly. Yesterday, you threatened my life, and turned down my offer at a job. Yet today, you’re here, and asking for a job. What made you change your mind?”

  Natalie changed my mind, of course. Otherwise, there is no freaking way that I would be sitting here right now, getting my soul stared into my Conner Andrews. No fucking way.

  But, I made a promise to my friend, and I know how badly she needs this job. She and her son are the only reason that I am here today.

  “While I may not desperately need this job, some of my co-workers do. And, if by me staying, they get to keep their positions, then I would love nothing more than to have my job back.”

  “So, you have no interest in working for me, but your coworkers do?” he questions, and I just shrug.

  “Honestly? Not really. I don’t trust you, or your brother, and I don’t believe that they do, either. However, many of my coworkers have children, and families. They need to earn a living to support them, whereas I am not in that position. I am willing to sacrifice my wellbeing for theirs, because that is what a good leader does, and I feel that I have been a very good leader of the financial department. We are willing to give this a go, if you will have us back. All of us back.”

  I add that in at the end, before putting on my big girl panties and matching his stare.

  He doesn’t respond, but he does continue to stare right back at me.

  Finally, he sighs.

  “I cannot guarantee jobs for your entire department. We are looking at cutting costs, and unfortunately, this company had more money going out in payroll than it did coming in. As the financial manager, you should have realized that.”

  “First of all, I did not handle any part of payroll. I handled the accounts, and the revenue. From where I was sitting, we were making money, and quite a bit of it. We had steady accounts, and loyal customers. I had no idea that this company was in any financial distress.”

  He once again, resumes his position and stares at me, not saying a single word. Finally, I speak up.

  “Is there anything left to discuss, or are you going to just continue to make me uncomfortable until I finally get up and walk out?”

  “I make you uncomfortable?” Conner’s hands move from his mouth and rest on the desk in front of him. He shifts in his seat, so that he is now leaning against the desk, moving his body ever so slightly towards mine.

  The small movement makes me even more uncomfortable than I already was, and I can’t even hide my emotions. I just shrug.

  “Absolutely you make me uncomfortable. You’re just sitting here and staring at me, not saying a single thing. This is the weirdest job interview that I have ever had.”

  “What part makes it weird, Gabriella? The fact that I am the new owner, making you interview for a job that you already had, or the fact that we’ve fucked?”

  A punch to the gut couldn’t have forced my breath out any faster. I mean, does he have to be so crass about it?

  “This was a bad idea.” I shove my chair back and stand abruptly, but the second that I’m on my feet, he also is. He takes a step around the desk, coming entirely too close to me. My heart rate accelerates in my chest, and I suddenly feel dizzy.

  I have no idea why this guy makes me feel the way that he does. He’s a complete and utter jackass, and I knew that from the very first moment that I met him.

  Yet, I still had sex with the guy, and it just so happened to me amazing, orgasm producing, mind blowing sex that rocked my whole fucking world.

  Of course, it ended on an incredibly humiliating note, but I’m trying like hell not to focus on that.

  I mean, I’m trying not to focus on any of it, yet, it keeps circling my mind.

  “Wait.”

  He holds out his hand as he takes a step towards me.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I understand why you wouldn’t want to work here, and what happened between us last weekend only complicates things further. The truth is, I need you. Most of your department didn’t show up for their interviews. I understand what you mean about them needing jobs, but apparently, most of them felt that they didn’t. What I can tell you is that if you accept the position, you can have each person who interviewed on your team.”

  I want to tell this guy where to go. Really, I do. The very last thing that I want is to ever have to face him again, let alone work for the guy.

  But Natalie’s face flashes in my mind, followed by Billy.

  Fuck me.

  I have to take this job, because my friend desperately needs hers.

  I swear to God, though. Natalie best be at home right now, searching for a new job. If she’s not, I’m going to start looking for her.

  “I’m expecting that my pay, along with everyone else’s who will be staying, will be the same. Insurance benefits also need to remain the same, and active as of right now. If you will agree to that, I will agree to keep my position.”

  “Deal.” Conner nods, and reaches out his hand. I hesitate, before taking a deep breath and taking it.

  I try my best to ignore the way that having his skin on mine makes me feel, but it’s nearly impossible. It’s almost as if his touch electrocutes me, because tiny shocks travel all of the way from my hand, down to a place that needs to forget that Conner Andrews exists.

  I jerk my hand back quickly and make a beeline for the door.

  I’m damn sure that I just made a deal with the devil.

  8

  Conner

  “Do you have those reports that I asked you for?”

  I stick my head inside of Gabriella’s office, and her eyes flick from her computer screen to me.

  “Just about.” She nods once at me, before pulling her eyes away and focusing once again on her computer.

  I stand in the doorway for a moment, and simply stare at her.

  We’ve been working together now for a little bit over a week, and I’ve hardly had any contact with her.

  She avoids me at all costs, which is fine I suppose, given the circumstances.

  But Jesus.

  She’s so fucking beautiful that it’s hard for me to pull my eyes away. She’s not the type of beautiful that I typically notice.

  I’ve been known to have a type, and that type is pretty far from anything that she is. From as far back as I can remember, I’ve only ever dated blondes, with tan skin and long legs. They’ve all resembled Barbie dolls, and usually, that’s the only type of woman to turn my head.

  Gabriella isn’t like that at all. Her skin is pale, a soft milky white that contrasts sharply with her mess of dark hair.

  Her eyes are a brilliant blue, fanned by thick dark lashes, that only make her skin look even lighter. She isn’t tall at all, in fact, she’s downright short.

  I don’t even know if she’s over five foot without her heels on.

  But the curves that she possesses, even on her tiny little frame, are enough to make any man take notice.

  They probably wouldn’t have been enough to make me notice at first, because she wouldn’t have caught my eye to begin with. Her beauty isn’t the kind to initially smack you in the face, but dammit all, once you notice her, she’s the kind of beautiful that makes it hard to look away.

  And even though she tried to steal from me, and potentially, wreck my whole fucking world, I can’t ignore the fact that sex with her that night had been fucking amazing.

  Probably the best damn sex that I’ve ever had, although, I wouldn’t mind a repeat of it sober.

  You know, just to test it out and see if it really was that good.

  I shake my head, forcing those thoughts away.

  Sleeping with Gabriella again is the last fucking thing that I need in my li
fe. This woman is looking to trap a man, and dammit, I am not the kind of guy to get caught up in all of that shit.

  Still, the idea of that doesn’t really settle well with me, and even though I should just let the past lay in the past, I am curious as to why she tried to do what she did.

  “Are you going to just stand there and stare at me, all creepy and such, or are you going to move along?”

  She taps her plush lower lip with a pencil, not even bothering to look back up at me.

  “Maybe I wasn’t done talking to you.” I shrug, making her sigh. She leans back in her chair and throws up her hands.

  “Alright, then, Conner. Please continue speaking.”

  I fight myself as the corners of my lips begin to turn up in a smile.

  This woman can really be an asshole, and she isn’t afraid to show me that side of her. As much as it should annoy me, honestly, it doesn’t.

  I’m not used to people speaking to me the way that she does. It’s actually kind of refreshing.

  “Tomorrow night we have a dinner meeting with Anderson Trucking. I need you to be there. We are meeting at the Regency at six o’clock sharp.”

  “Wait, what?” She sits upright in her chair and stares at me with wide eyes. “A dinner meeting, tomorrow? Why do I have to come?”

  I shift against the doorframe and cross my arms across my chest.

  “Because you’re the finance manager.”

  “Right, but, I’ve worked here for six years now, and I have never once had to go to a business dinner. J.H always went by himself.”

  “I’m not J.H.” I shrug. “And neither is Carter. The marketing manager is expected to come, as is the finance manager.”

  She just glares at me.

  “Well, I can’t make it. I already have plans.”

  “Plans?” I raise an eyebrow at her and snort. “Change them. Business needs to come first right now.”

  “Maybe to you.” Her eyes narrow even further as she jumps to her feet. “But not for me. Had you given me a bit of notice, I could have possibly made it. But a single day’s notice? Sorry, Conner, but some of us have a life beyond business.”