“Thank you, Ms. Lockhart, and please hold all my calls until noon.”
“Yes, sir,” she added with a quick smile of relief when it appeared he wasn’t going to let her go.
“And, Ms. Lockhart?”
She swallowed, thinking perhaps her relief had been premature. “Yes?”
“Thanks for dinner on Saturday. I enjoyed it very much.”
She blinked. He was thanking her for dinner? Gracious. As Reverend Kendrick had said at church yesterday, miracles could happen if you only believed.
D’marcus tossed his briefcase into the chair and let out a ragged sigh. He wasn’t sure just what he planned to do about Opal Lockhart. Because of her very efficient nature, she had become a vital asset to him, but, as far as he was concerned, just as he’d told Dashuan Kennedy on Saturday, anyone was replaceable.
But, while sitting in this very office on Saturday evening enjoying every mouthful of the food she’d brought him, he kept thinking that Opal Lockhart was a woman who could remind a man each and every time he saw her that there was more to life than work.
When she had shown up with the food, she had still been wearing what she’d had on earlier, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Although the length of the shorts could be considered decent, they had still shown her lovely legs. For the second time that day, she had stirred his hormones and for a split second as he had stood at the window and watched her leave, he had been tempted to call her on her cell phone and tell her to come back up to his office.
D’marcus grimaced. He was glad he hadn’t made such a move. That would have been the worst thing he could have done. His mind knew that, but, at the moment, his body wasn’t so sure. He counted backward, trying to remember the last time he’d been intimate with a woman, and was surprised to recall it had been well over eight months. It had been just that long since he’d socialized in any way. Lately, he had spent the majority of his time adding more stores to his portfolio, which required a lot of his time and concentration. No wonder he was beginning to notice just how downright horny he was now.
There was one way to fix his problem. Tonight when he got home he would check his address book to see which one of his female acquaintances who knew the score would go out on a date with him that weekend. A date that would eventually end up with them sharing a bed. If getting laid was what he needed, then he would take care of the problem—and soon.
Opal picked up the phone on the first ring. “Sports Unlimited, Mr. Armstrong’s office. Opal Lockhart speaking.”
“Ms. Lockhart, this is Mr. Stone, manager of the Viscera Apartments.”
Opal smiled. “Yes, Mr. Stone?” She hoped he was calling with good news.
“It appears I’ll have a vacancy within a few weeks.”
Opal’s smile widened. “That’s certainly good news.” Once she had made the decision to move, she had decided to check on the Viscera Apartments. They were a lot nicer than her current place and only minutes from the office, which meant a lower gas bill. Of course the rent would be higher, but she was a firm believer in getting what you paid for. And right now, she was tired of paying for sleepless nights in the party building.
“So I take it you’re still interested?” Mr. Stone was saying.
“Yes, most definitely.”
“All right. Then you can come by this afternoon with your deposit. We require two months in advance.”
Her eyebrows raised. Two months rent was a lot and not what she’d assumed. “Two months?”
“Yes. That’s our policy. If you don’t think you can—”
“No, there won’t be a problem,” she said quickly. She would take the money out of her savings, but she would have to replace it quickly if she still intended to get a new car at the beginning of the year.
“Good. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Okay, Mr. Stone, I’ll see you then.”
Opal had just returned from lunch when D’marcus buzzed her. “Yes, Mr. Armstrong?”
“Ms. Lockhart, could you step into my office a moment please?”
“Certainly.”
She gathered her notepad. He hadn’t been out of his office since he’d shut himself in there this morning, nor had he called out for her assistance.
She opened the door and walked into his office. He had removed his jacket, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. A ton of files were spread out on his desk.
He glanced up when she walked in. “We might be adding two other stores this week,” he said in a tone of voice that was all business.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. And, while it’s good news for me, it might not be for you, Ms. Lockhart.”
She swallowed tightly. Maybe she had told Mr. Stone prematurely that she would be taking the apartment. There was no way she could afford it if she didn’t have a job. “Why would you say that?” she asked as she sat down in the chair across from his desk.
“Because it will require you to work longer hours for the next two weeks. Of course I will pay you generously for any overtime.”
Relief spread through Opal. Little did he know, she considered what he was saying as good news. The extra money would help replace what she was taking out of her savings to cover the security on her apartment. And she couldn’t discount the fact that, if she impressed him by doing a good job, it would be a way to move up in the company. She would have her degree in the spring and there were plenty of opportunities for advancement within this company.
“Will you be able to work additional hours, Ms. Lockhart?”
She met his gaze. “That won’t be a problem. When will they start?”
“Tomorrow. Three extra hours every evening this week, except for Friday, should be sufficient. And let’s do the same for next week, although I want to throw Monday night into the mix.”
“That’s no problem.”
“Good. Now, I need to go over the stats for the Savannah store with you. I should have asked you to bring that file in here with you.”
“I’ll go and get it.”
Opal stood and quickly walked out of the office.
As soon as Opal left, D’marcus leaned back in his office chair. Her scent was still in the room. More than once, he had noticed the fragrance and had yet to put a name to it, but he definitely liked it on her.
No, he mustn’t think about how much he liked that particular perfume on her or how good she looked today in her business suit. Professional but still sexy. She never wore anything to call attention to herself but her clothes did it, anyway.
He thought about all that he knew about her from her employment records. Both of her parents were deceased and she was the second oldest of four daughters. She lived in an apartment in a fairly decent area of town and she had turned twenty-seven her last birthday. He gathered she was close to her siblings and enjoyed staying in touch with her family. The family affair she had attended on Saturday attested to that. He also knew there were great cooks in her family, considering the food she had brought to him. What he’d told her was true. He had totally enjoyed every mouthful.
He glanced up when she returned to his office. “All right, I’m ready, Mr. Armstrong.”
Her words stirred something deep within him, something directly below the gut. That part of his body definitely needed help and he intended to get it this weekend.
“Okay,” he said, straightening up in his chair. “Let’s get started.”
“So you have to spend more time with The Hunk?” Pearl smiled at Opal as she sat down at the kitchen table. Ruby and Pearl had dropped by after work as they usually did most Monday afternoons. Amber would join them every once in a while but lately she’d been taking classes at the university on Monday nights. Opal had been excited to tell them the good news about the apartment. Then she told them about the additional money she’d make working extra hours the next two weeks.
Opal rolled her eyes. “I’ll be working overtime but Mr. Armstrong wasn’t specific as to whether he would
be staying late or not.”
“Why would you fall for such a tyrant?” Ruby asked, grinning.
Opal shook her head. “First of all, I haven’t fallen for anyone and, to be quite honest, D’marcus Armstrong isn’t a tyrant. He just happens to be a very demanding boss. There is a difference.”
Ruby lifted an arched brow. “And do you have a crush on him?”
“Of course not. Where did the two of you get such an idea from?”
Before either of her sisters could answer her question, her cell phone rang. Standing, she pulled it from her purse and checked the caller ID. It was Colleen. “Yes, Colleen?”
“Did you get the apartment?” her cousin asked excitedly.
Opal smiled. “Yes, I put down the deposit today,” she said, deciding not to mention to anyone how much of a deposit it was. But she did tell Colleen about the overtime since they usually went to prayer meeting together at church on Wednesday nights.
“Maybe you can get Mr. Armstrong to go to prayer meeting with you,” Colleen joked.
“Sure, but don’t hold your breath,” Opal replied, wondering if D’marcus even went to church.
A few minutes later, after ending the call with Colleen, she glanced across the table to find her two sisters staring at her with smug looks on their faces. “What?”
“You do have a crush on him,” Pearl said.
“I do not,” she persisted.
“Yes, you do. You get this funny little smile on your face each time you mention his name. Just like you did just now, while talking to Colleen.”
“You’re imagining things,” Opal said, taking a sip of her tea.
Ruby smiled at her over the rim of her cup. “Okay, keep your secrets, but you can’t fool us. I agree with Pearl. You have a crush on your boss.”
One thing Opal had discovered about her sisters while growing up with them was that, if they truly believed something, trying to convince them they were wrong was nearly impossible, a waste of good time. So she decided not even to try anymore. In time, they would discover their assumption was incorrect.
Later that night, when Opal slipped between the sheets in her bed, she tried drowning out the sound of the loud music playing next door by thinking how nice her new apartment would be. She thought of the time she would spend decorating and how, since the new place was more spacious, she would no longer feel cramped.
She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was ten o’clock. She wondered if D’marcus was still at the office or if he’d already gone. He had been on an important international conference call when she had left. She breathed in deeply as she recalled how she’d stuck her head in his office to let him know she was leaving, and found him sitting on the corner of his desk talking on the speaker phone.
Once again, she had been struck by just what a good-looking man he was. Even while conducting business, he spoke in a deep, husky voice that actually had made her pulse race. And the way his trousers stretched tight across his firm, muscular thighs had made her heart pound in her chest.
She had silently mouthed the words, “I’m leaving now,” and he had held her gaze and nodded, letting her know he’d understood what she had said. For just a heartbeat, she’d thought their gazes had held for a moment longer than necessary, but now she was sure she had imagined it.
She turned on her side thinking how wrong her sisters were about her feelings for D’marcus. She would be honest and say she was attracted to him, but that was as far as it went. And, as she had told Ruby and Pearl, she wasn’t sure he would be staying late with her over the next two weeks, but if he did, she was determined that things would be kept on a strictly professional basis. She couldn’t imagine him having it any other way.
Chapter 4
D’marcus released a deep breath before taking a sip of coffee as he stood at his office window and watched his ever-efficient administrative assistant walk across the parking lot.
There was a businesslike tilt to her head, and her walk was brisk and measured. He glanced at the clock. She was early. Usually he arrived after she did so he never knew exactly what time she arrived at work each day. He wondered if coming in at least an hour early was the norm for her or if she had done it today because of all the work she would be tackling this week. If coming in early was a habit, she definitely hadn’t been recording it on her time card.
He frowned. He was a person who believed in paying his employees for the work they did and the hours they worked. He would definitely have a discussion with her about it.
He glanced back out the window and watched as another one of his employees, Ted Marshall, from the accounting department, conveniently began walking beside her. D’marcus stiffened inwardly when he noticed Opal smiling at something the man had said. Were the two dating? For some reason the thought irritated him. He knew that Marshall was divorced and, from what D’marcus had heard from his last administrative assistant, Marshall thought himself quite the ladies’ man. Definitely not the type of person Opal needed to become mixed up with. He shook his head, thinking, who was he to determine who his employees should be involved with?
He moved from the window and sat behind his desk, staring at the files spread across it. He had more to do with his time than to be concerned with the love life of Opal Lockhart.
Opal drew in a sharp breath when she sat down at her desk and realized Mr. Armstrong had already arrived at work. Usually she had plenty of time to get settled into her work before he got there.
While her computer booted up she went about watering the plants in her office. There were a number of them and she intended to keep them alive and healthy.
She turned when she heard D’marcus open the door to come out of his office. She flicked a glance in his direction and immediately studied his face, wondering just what sort of day she would have. His expression was unreadable.
“Ms. Lockhart.”
“Good morning, Mr. Armstrong.”
“I have an off-site breakfast meeting this morning with the other two owners of the Chargers. I should be back in a few hours. Then you and I need to get together to discuss the inventory for the two new stores.”
“Yes, sir.” She tried not to notice how nice he looked from the toes of his expensive shoes to his dark suit and white shirt. The man was immaculately well groomed and sexy as sin.
“We may have to work through lunch so I suggest you order us something.”
Opal raised an arched brow. “You want me to order something for lunch? For both of us?”
“Yes, by all means. I need your assistance the better part of the day but I don’t want to rob you of your lunch. And I might as well eat something myself since I plan on working rather late tonight.”
She nodded. He had just answered the question that had been tugging at her mind—whether he would be working late each night, as well. “Is there anything you prefer? Any particular type of sandwich?”
He shook his head. “No, but I prefer they hold the mustard.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Ms. Lockhart?”
“Yes?”
“Do you come in early every day?”
“Just about.”
“Then make sure you’re adequately compensated for any extra time you spend here by including it on your time card,” he said curtly, and then he walked away.
D’marcus glanced up when Opal entered his office carrying bags filled with their lunch. He quickly got up and walked around the desk to relieve her of them. It didn’t help matters that he had to stand close enough to her that he got a good whiff of her perfume, the same perfume he’d found to be totally seductive.
She glanced up at him. “Thanks.”
He nodded and took a step back. “No problem.” He placed the bags on his desk. “What do we have?”
She smiled. “Turkey sandwiches, cream of broccoli soup and iced tea.”
“Sounds good. Let me clear an area on my desk so we can pull everything out of the bags.”
Opal lifted a bro
w. He wanted them to sit in the same room together and eat? She’d assumed they’d be taking a break and she would be going back to her desk to eat.
He must have seen the strange look on her face because he asked, “Is something wrong, Ms. Lockhart?”
“No, but I assumed you would want to eat lunch alone.”
He shrugged. “Normally I do, but I’m expecting a call from Bob Chaney any moment and I’ll need you here to jot down what he says when I place him on the speaker phone.”
He then eyed her for a moment and asked, “Do you have a problem doing that? If so, I can ask Human Resources to send me one of the women from the typing pool.”
“No, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“You sure?”
No, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Good.”
He then proceeded to clear his desk before coming back to sit behind it, leaving Opal to set out the lunch.
“We basically got the same thing,” she said, handing him his sandwich, soup and tea. “I’m not crazy about mustard, either.”
He glanced over at her when she took the chair in front of his desk and scooted it up closer to share the desktop with him. “What else aren’t you crazy about?” he asked.
She started to say “demanding bosses,” but thought better of it. She had said enough on Saturday. Even now, she was surprised he hadn’t given her her walking papers. “In the way of foods, I’ve never developed a fondness for squash.”
“Umm, I like squash.”
She stared at him and watched as he took a big bite out of his sandwich and slowly began chewing it. A strange sensation passed through her stomach when she thought about him opening his mouth that wide over hers, devouring it as greedily as he was the sandwich.
In Bed With Her Boss (Kimani Romance) Page 3
