by Nikki Chase
“Good work, everyone.” At the sound of Luke’s deep baritone, snippets of memories flash in my mind. Hot, steamy, sweaty memories. Memories that have no business inserting themselves into the middle of this very serious meeting with very serious lawyers. He continues, “I’m happy to sign off on this acquisition, and I hope that moving forward, Alder Investments and InFini will have a long, fruitful, and mutually beneficial relationship.”
He pulls a pen out of his lapel pocket and signs the document in front of him with flourish. Once he’s done, a round of applause breaks out around the table, with men patting themselves on the back and looking extremely self-satisfied. Every single person in this room is rich beyond my wildest dreams, and I feel like a fraud sitting there with them.
“I plan on being very hands on with InFini in my new role,” Luke says, his gaze riveted on me. My stomach sinks as he winks and fixes me with a grin. “I’m sure we’ll all be seeing quite a lot of each other in the coming weeks and months.”
Just what I need. Thanks, universe, you’ve done it again.
Luke
Tessa looks distinctly uncomfortable as she sits through the meeting, busying herself with making notes as the boring suits around me drone on and on.
She’s quite deliberately avoiding even acknowledging my presence, but that just means I can stare at her as much as I want.
After she gave me the cold shoulder the morning after our night together, I’d quite honestly never expected to see her again.
I’d instructed my lawyers to draw up some preliminary plans to protect me, just in case she decided to come after my assets or anything like that, but I just had a feeling that she wouldn’t. She’d told me that she wasn’t interested in my money, and I believed her. I had no reason to suspect otherwise.
Apparently she was going to draw up an annulment or something like that, so I was just leaving it to her, hoping she might change her mind, get in touch.
But never in my wildest dreams did I expect this. What a delicious twist of fate, to have her working as a PA for InFini, just as we’re making our acquisition.
I can’t take my eyes off her.
She looks a little flustered, like she’s been rushing to get somewhere. Her hair is a little mussed up, her clothes not quite perfectly pressed, but it only makes her more gorgeous in my eyes. A little wisp of hair curls down over her face, and I ache to go to her and tuck it back behind her ear.
Somehow, with a supreme effort of will, I manage to stop myself. It was only a few minutes previously that I’d been remembering our time together, on the hood of my car out in the desert. My cock is threatening to get hard all over again now.
Keep it together, Luke. The last thing you need right now is a huge and obvious boner in the middle of this board meeting. Kind of hard to explain that one away.
Tess looks so wound up, so tense, that I just can’t resist teasing her a little bit. My line about “hands on” work at the new company brings a flush to her cheeks, her eyes darting to mine and then away in embarrassment.
Every little gesture of hers makes me want her even more. It’s like she has been designed to turn me on.
After the meeting, when everyone starts filing out, she tries to escape without talking to me—her own husband! No way is she going to get away with that. Nuh-uh.
I follow her out, admiring her beautiful ass as she hurries down the corridor towards the elevator. I’m struggling to keep up with her, thanks to the men in suits blocking my path and insisting on shaking my hand.
Then someone saves the day for me. An overweight older guy in spectacles stops Tessa and begins to talk to her. She glances back at me and resigns herself to her fate as I approach.
“Thanks for helping me out there, Miss Elliot,” the suit is saying, falling silent suddenly as I approach.
He knows who I am, of course. I nod at him, but that only seems to make him more nervous. He adjusts his glasses obsessively.
“Mr. Alder,” he stammers, “is there any way I can help you? The elevator is just over there. Would you like me to show you?” The poor guy is sweating now.
“No, that’s fine. I was just looking to have a word with your assistant here. I’d like to take her to lunch.” I pause and give Tess a meaningful look. “If that’s alright with her, of course.”
She shoots me a glare. “That sounds absolutely wonderful, Mr. Adler, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’ve got these notes to type up, and—”
Sweaty Suit looks absolutely horrified. He cuts her off. “No, no. That’s quite alright, Miss Elliot. Here, let me take those. In fact, you can take the rest of the day off.”
Her dark eyes flash. Her nostrils flare.
She’s cute when she’s angry too . . .
“Mr. Garamond, it’s my first day, and I’d really like to get to grips with my new role. I don’t think going out to lunch is going to help me with that.”
The guy looks like he’s about to pass out. He throws me a grimace that says, please don’t fire me for my insubordinate assistant.
“No, Miss Elliot, I really do insist. Mr. Alder is extremely important. His needs far outstrip anything else you could be doing.” He tucks the folder under his arm and waddles off, ending the conversation. I watch him go with some amusement.
“You damn near gave the poor guy a heart attack,” I say to Tessa casually. “He probably thinks he’s about to get fired.”
She folds her arms and turns to face me. I can’t help it; my eyes are drawn to the way this pushes her tits up and together.
“I don’t like playing games.” She fixes me with a frustrated look. “If you have something to say to me, can we just get it out of the way now? I don’t know what cruel twist of fate has brought us together again, but I thought I was pretty clear last time we spoke. I’ve already gotten the annulment process started, so there’s nothing you need to do on that front. So could we just keep things professional? Please?”
I shrug. “I am being completely professional. I asked to talk to you with professional things in mind, believe me. I’m a model of professionalism.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not convinced.”
I laugh. “Well, okay, you got me. Maybe I had fifty percent professional things on my mind. The other fifty percent was thinking about that night out in the desert. You know, with the car and the cacti and everything?”
She coughs and looks uncomfortable, glancing around to make sure nobody can hear us.
“Don’t talk about that here!” she hisses, her voice low. “What if someone hears you? The last thing I need is to be the subject of office gossip. I only just started here today!”
“Eh, people are going to gossip no matter what. Don’t let it get to you.” A smile tugs the corners of my lips up. It’s probably not a good idea to tease her when she’s already this worked up, but I can’t help it. She just looks too damn cute when she’s angry. “Drop my name if you have to; they’ll lay off you. After all, not much point in being married to the big boss if you can’t use it as leverage, huh?”
“We won’t be married for much longer,” she snaps. There’s that wild flame flashing in her eyes again. “So that won’t be true anyway. I really just want to get settled in and do my job. Are you going to make that difficult for me?”
“On the contrary,” I say. “In fact, I’m going to make it easier.”
She narrows her eyes. Adorable.
“Now that I’ve bought this company, I’m going to need an assistant here,” I say. “Someone to handle things for me, come with me to meetings, prepare my schedule, that kind of stuff. And who better to do that than you?”
Her jaw drops. “Really? You’re going to be like this? You really are a jerk, you know that?”
“Some people do say that to me,” I say, chuckling at her indignation. “But you don’t get to where I am by making everyone happy all the time. Sometimes you’ve got to push people a little, you know? Help them reach their f
ull potential. Besides, PA to the CEO will be a nice bump in salary, and it’ll look great on your resume.”
“I don’t need your charity,” she says haughtily. “I told you already that I’m not interested in your money.”
Now it’s my turn to feel a little spark of anger.
“Charity?” I growl. “Who said anything about charity? I assume you were hired here because you’re qualified for the position, yes? You know how to do the job, and I need an assistant. Nothing more to it than that. You wanted to keep things professional, remember? No need for the personal barbs.”
She closes her eyes and sighs, her full lips moving silently, counting to five. Then she looks deep into my eyes, sizing me up.
“Fine,” she says. “I accept your job offer. I’ll perform my duties to the best of my capabilities, and I won’t let you down.”
“Great,” I say breezily. “Just what I wanted to hear. Now, let’s go get some lunch. I know a great little Lebanese place down the road.”
Tessa
I guess I should feel lucky that Mr. Garamond obviously doesn’t read trashy gossip magazines. If he had any interest in them whatsoever, he would’ve recognized me the moment I stepped off that elevator.
The story has died down a little in the weeks since Luke and I “married,” but some of the online sites and the trashier magazines are still printing the blurry-ass pictures of Luke and I as we left the Vegas chapel.
If Luke hadn’t actually ended up buying the damn company I now work for, it never would’ve been an issue. The pictures were grainy enough that even if someone asked, I could’ve just passed it off as someone who looked like me.
But now? Now that people are actually seeing him and I together? Not a freaking chance.
We head down the corridor together, his hand placed embarrassingly on the small of my back as he guides me along.
I turn and hiss at him to stop, but he just smiles that infuriating smile of his and shrugs nonchalantly, as if to say, what? I’m not doing anything.
I roll my eyes at him. He’s acting like a disobedient child.
“Everyone’s staring at us,” I whisper at him. “Stop it. You’re just making things worse.”
“Stop overreacting,” he replies. “Everyone stares at me all the time anyway. I’m the big boss man, remember? I’d be more surprised if they weren’t staring.”
“Well, you might be used to it,” I huff grumpily, “but I’m not. I only just started here, and the last thing I need is to be the subject of all the office gossip.”
“You’re my new PA, remember? People would be gossiping about the two of us no matter what. Even if we weren’t . . .” He trails off, a small, barely-hidden smile playing on his kissable lips. His eyes sparkle with mischief.
Damn it. Why does he have to look so hot when he’s turning my whole life into a dumpster fire?
I know what he was about to say. Married. But I’m not about to finish his sentence for him. I can already tell he’ll turn that into a joke too.
“Let’s get out of here already, I can feel everyone’s eyes on me and I hate it.” I quicken my pace, hoping to put some distance between us. But his hand remains on my back, spreading heat up and down my spine. Distracting.
We step into the elevator, and I thank my lucky stars that we’re the only ones on it once the doors close.
“All I wanted was a fresh start,” I tell him. “I wanted to put all this behind me, work hard, make something of myself.”
“You can still do all those things.” He shrugs. “Assuming you still want to just go ahead and throw away our marriage. Whatever happened to ‘‘til death do us part?’ Or ‘in sickness and in health?’ Huh? I’m appalled that you’re taking those vows so lightly.”
He’s mocking me, and I feel the heat of anger rising in my face.
“Don’t pull that crap on me, Luke. We were both drunk, and—”
“I wasn’t that drunk,” he interjects. “I was driving, remember? I just thought it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
I shake my head and stay silent, except for another deep sigh.
Why does he have to be so difficult? This all seems like a huge joke to him, but this is my future I’m talking about here.
And he doesn’t even know about the baby.
Reflexively, my hand goes to my tummy. Luke notices.
“Hungry, huh?” he says. “The hummus and falafel at this place are to die for, I promise you. I go there all the time.”
I just nod, feeling sick.
We step off the elevator, and I practically run through the lobby so that he has to jog a little to keep up with me. It’s a lame attempt to try and distance myself from him, but I’m certain that the gossip about the two of us has already spread all the way throughout the company. Probably got down here faster than the elevator did.
I feel a little better once we’re out of the building. A busy lunchtime crowd is spilling onto the streets, and it doesn’t feel like everyone is staring at us.
Luke leads me into a little restaurant down a little side street. A young, bearded waiter’s eyes light up when we duck inside.
“Mr. Alder,” he exclaims in a thick accent. “My favorite customer. Please, come this way. Your usual table is available.”
“Thanks, Abdel,” Luke says.
We’re led to the back of the small restaurant, into a little private booth with soft cushions. Luke quickly orders, and we’re left alone.
For a little while, we sit in silence, me sipping my water, him with a Diet Coke. It feels strange to be alone with him again.
His striking emerald eyes pierce mine. There’s real intelligence there; he’s not just a spoiled rich kid, that much is for sure. He’s the CEO and he deserves that position.
It’s funny—ever since I remembered that I’d married him, it has been so easy to forget what a good time we actually had that night. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying to fix the mistake of the marriage that I’ve forgotten just how much I actually like him.
“Look, Luke,” I begin.
But before I can finish the sentence, our food arrives. Thick, creamy hummus, wet with olive oil, pieces of red pepper sprinkled on top. Steaming flatbreads, straight out of the oven. Little spiced lamb kebabs.
“Eat first,” Luke says. “No point in having such a serious conversation on an empty stomach.”
The food is amazing, and it’s only once I start eating that I realize how hungry I am. My little episode of morning sickness earlier, plus the generally frenzied start to the day, means I didn’t even have time for breakfast. The delicious, hearty food perks me up.
“It really is good,” I admit begrudgingly. “Good choice.”
Luke smiles, his mouth full of lamb.
A little while later, our plates empty, he leans forward and puts his interlaced hands on the table.
“Okay,” he sighs. “Let’s talk. You first.”
I take a deep breath. “Well . . . don’t get me wrong. I really did have a great time that night. Honestly, it was amazing. It’s just a shame that it had to end the way it did. It was a silly, drunken mistake.
“I’m sure you’re a great guy, really, I am, but I’m just not looking for anything serious right now. My life is kind of . . . well, really a mess. This new job was meant to be a fresh start. Getting married to a complete stranger was not a part of my plan.”
“It was your idea,” he says matter-of-factly, although I think I see hurt flashing in his eyes for a split second—I could be wrong, though. “You were the one who told me to drive there, you were the one who took me by the hand and led me in, and you were the one who picked out your dress and the flowers. I was just along for the ride.”
My eyes widen. “And do you just get married to every single girl who asks you?” I say. “You could’ve said no at literally any point. What was I going to do, force you to marry me at gunpoint? I was drunk, and I got carried away. Things never should have gone as far as they did.”
He’s silent for a few moments, contemplating. The clock on the wall noisily punctuates every second with a loud tick.
“You’re right, in a way,” he eventually says. “It was a crazy thing to do. Probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve sky-dived naked. But I just felt this . . . energy from you. All night long, you were coming up with these wild suggestions that I never would’ve even considered, and we had an absolutely awesome time. By the time we pulled up to that chapel, I was just along for the ride.”
I look down at my hands, shaking off the image of Luke in his birthday suit, falling down from the sky. Focus, Tess.
Shame creeps into my chest. I’d built up this image of a playboy rich kid in my mind. I’d never even considered his feelings in the matter.
But I can’t let that stop me or change my mind. This needs to be done. We’ll both be better off once it is.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Sorry that I got us into this mess in the first place. But I’m going to get it fixed, and then we can both move on. Strictly professionally.”
“Sure,” he says quietly, nodding. “Strictly professional.”
I feel the need to change the subject. “Speaking of which . . . I assume your offer of a position as your PA wasn’t a joke?”
“Never been more serious about anything in my life,” he answers quickly.
“Okay,” I reply. “So what will the role involve? I’d like know so I can get prepared.”
He thinks for a few moments. “I’m not quite sure yet. InFini is a new acquisition, so I’m going to need some time to figure things out and see where I want to take the business. If you can just make yourself available to me, I’ll make sure to keep you busy.”
He grins at me, the mischievous spark back in his eyes. We both laugh, and it seems like some of the tension between us is eased.
Maybe this won’t be so bad.
“I should be getting back.” I check my watch. “I was already late this morning, and I don’t want to repeat that.”
“Nah, I’m going to drop you off at home,” he says. “I saw how uncomfortable you were back there, what with everyone staring at us and all. You can take the rest of the day off.”
