She quickly gave herself a mental shake, wondering where such a thought came from and demanding it never return.
“Is something wrong?”
She blinked when she realized he had asked her a question. “No.”
“Then, why are you staring at me like that?”
She swallowed, not knowing how long she’d been staring. Never before had she been mesmerized by a man’s mouth. So she said the first thing that came into her mind. “You seem hungry.”
He chuckled and she blinked again. This was the first time she’d ever heard him chuckle, and the dimples that came into his cheeks almost made her drop the cup of ice tea she was holding. “If I seem hungry, Ms. Lockhart, it’s because I am. I came into the office early today so I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast.”
“Oh,” she said. Instead of meeting his gaze she bit into her own sandwich and tried concentrating on just eating it.
“I hope your family isn’t upset about the extra hours you’ll be working.”
She washed down the food she had in her mouth with her ice tea before saying, “Trust me, they understand.”
“What about Ted Marshall?”
She did glance up at him then. “Ted Marshall in the accounting department?”
“Yes. I saw the two of you walk in together this morning and assumed that you were seeing each other.”
She shook her head. “I barely know the man. We just happened to be in the parking lot around the same time and walked in together. No biggie.”
D’marcus stared at her for a moment while she lowered her head and continued eating her sandwich. What on earth had possessed him to bring up Ted Marshall’s name? He was not the type of employer who got into his employees’ personal business. It really wasn’t any concern of his if she and Marshall had been dating. It was their business as long as they conducted themselves decently in the office.
A few moments later, his phone rang. It was Bob Chaney and, as far as D’marcus was concerned, he had received the call right on time. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have endured being alone in the same office with his very attractive administrative assistant.
Opal glanced at her watch. It was close to eight o’clock and she had just completed filing all the electronic messages. It was time to call it a day, but before she left, she needed to check with D’marcus to make sure there wasn’t anything else he needed her to do. They had been busy in his office with numerous conference calls until around five that afternoon. She wondered where on earth the man got his energy. In addition to his regular business, he had received a couple of media calls regarding Dashuan Kennedy’s incident that past weekend.
Before logging off her computer, she picked up the stack of papers she needed him to sign. The door to his office was slightly ajar so she walked in—and stopped short. He was leaning back in his chair asleep. This was another first. Today at lunch she had seen him smile; now tonight she was watching him have a peaceful moment. The expression on his face was relaxed, unstrained and calm. She walked farther into the room and once again noticed the framed photograph of the woman he usually had sitting on his desk. Earlier, when he’d spread out the files on his desk, he had placed it in a drawer.
Curiosity made her move toward the desk to pick up the photograph and look at it. Something she had never done before. For some reason, he always placed it in the drawer when he left each day.
The woman was simply beautiful and Opal immediately knew she had to be the fiancée he’d lost, the one who had gotten killed in a boating accident two weeks before their wedding. She then wondered if Colleen was right and if D’marcus’s less-than-friendly attitude could be the result of a broken heart.
“What are you doing in here?”
Opal jumped at the sound of the gruff voice, nearly dropping the papers out of her hand as she quickly placed the frame back on his desk. She swallowed against the tightness in her throat and said, “I have papers for you to sign.”
He straightened in his chair. “But that doesn’t give you the right to bother my personal belongings, Ms. Lockhart.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Armstrong, but I was curious.” She then added, “She was beautiful.”
Instead of accepting the compliment he stared at her with ice-cold eyes. “You had no right to touch that photograph.” The anger in his voice almost made Opal’s pulse go still.
“I said I was sorry, sir, and it won’t happen again.” Anger tainted her voice, too. She was a person who respected everyone’s privacy and she hadn’t meant any harm. It wasn’t like she was planning on stealing the darn thing.
“These need your signature,” she said, handing him the papers. He took them from her and the room got extremely quiet. The only sound was the shuffling of papers. He handed them back to her and she turned and quickly walked out of his office, closing the door behind her.
As soon as Opal left, D’marcus stood and shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. He walked over to the window and glanced up at the sky. Damn, what was wrong with him? It seemed he didn’t miss a beat when it came to chewing out Opal Lockhart about anything. He could understand her being curious about the photograph, especially since he went to great pains to lock it up each night. And she was his administrative assistant. There was nothing on his desk that she shouldn’t be allowed to touch.
He inhaled deeply. What was there about her that seemed to bring out the worst in him without her even trying. In fact, if he was honest with himself, he had to admit she was the most easygoing person he knew.
He heard her shutting down her computer for the day and knew he had to apologize for his behavior. Grabbing his jacket off the rack, he headed for his office door.
“The man is a tyrant, just like Ruby said,” she muttered to herself as she buttoned up her jacket. As predicted, an October cold front had moved in, changing the weather overnight. She’d even heard there was a strong possibility Detroit would be having its first snowstorm by the end of the week.
“Who’s Ruby?”
D’marcus’s question snapped Opal around. He was standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at her. “Excuse me?”
“I asked you, who’s Ruby?”
Opal stiffened slightly. Evidently, he’d heard her muttering to herself. She tilted up her chin and said. “Ruby is my oldest sister.”
He nodded. “And she thinks I’m a tyrant?”
Heat flooded her cheeks and she couldn’t look at him any longer. Instead, she looked down at her purse to get her car keys out. “Yes, that’s her opinion,” she said softly.
“And evidently yours, as well.”
She lifted her head and met his gaze again. “Not until tonight. Before now I just assumed you were demanding, like most bosses.”
D’marcus stared at her in silence for a moment and she stared back, refusing to look away. “Okay,” he finally said. “Because of my actions tonight I probably deserve that. I apologize.”
For the second time that day Opal felt her pulse go still. He was actually apologizing to her again. Before she could say anything he continued, “In the future I will try not to be a tyrant as well as not being overly demanding.”
His words surprised Opal and she didn’t know what to say. “If you’re about ready to leave we can walk out together,” he continued. “I’m not sure the parking lot is well lit. Be sure to contact someone in the maintenance department tomorrow about replacing those bulbs with brighter lights.”
“All right.” After taking the keys from her purse, she came from around her desk and waited while he turned off the lights. She should have assured him that she would be safe walking to her car alone, but her head was still whirling from his apology as well as the promise he’d made.
They caught the elevator in silence and walked out of the building without exchanging any conversation. She was surprised he knew exactly where her car was parked and walked her straight to it. He stood back as she opened the door and eased into the drive
r’s seat.
“And don’t forget what I said, Ms. Armstrong. I want you to be compensated any time you arrive at the office early.”
“Okay,” she said rolling her window down. She couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment. It seemed his gaze was focused on her lips. Heat flowed through her at the thought, and she quickly diverted her gaze from his and started her car.
She glanced back at him to say, “Good night.”
“Good night.” He stepped back as she put her car in gear and pulled away. She couldn’t help looking into her rearview mirror. He was still standing there, staring at her drive off.
Chapter 5
Opal released a sigh of gratitude as she sat at her desk. Ever since Tuesday night D’marcus had kept his word and tried to be a more reasonable boss. He actually used words like please and thank you a lot more often than ever before, and a couple of times he had actually smiled while talking to her. But, then, he had reason to smile. They had gotten word yesterday that two additional stores would be opening in California.
That meant they’d been extremely busy with various conference calls and contracts that had to be readied and faxed out. She and D’marcus spent most of the time either together or with his lawyers. She enjoyed watching how he handled business. He was a self-made millionaire and his sports franchise was growing by leaps and bounds, making him even richer.
“Ms. Lockhart, could you step into my office, please?”
Opal smiled. The courtesy words were beginning to come more naturally for him. At first they’d sounded clipped and forced. “Yes, sir, I’m on my way,” she said, grabbing her notepad.
She walked into his office to find files spread out on his desk, which was becoming a norm. Thank God for her organizational skills or he would never be able to find anything. In fact, a few days ago, he had complimented her on them when he’d looked for a file while she’d been at lunch. Her unique filing system made things a lot easier to find, especially for him.
“Yes, Mr. Armstrong?”
He glanced up and met her gaze, and, as always, she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She wished for once he would come to the office looking any way but desirable. Let his hair grow longer, go unshaven, ac-quire a scar or two, get a broken nose. But she had a feeling, even with those imperfections, he would still be handsome.
“I have to be in San Francisco next week,” he was saying. “With four stores opening in the next couple of months I need to be closer to the action.”
She nodded, understanding completely since all four new stores would be opening in California. She also knew he had satellite offices in several states. “So you won’t need me working overtime for you next week,” she said, stating the obvious and thinking that was the reason he had summoned her to his office.
“Yes, that’s right. However, I will need you to go to California with me.”
She blinked, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “You want me to go to California with you?” she asked.
“Yes, San Francisco, California.”
She tried to keep the nervous sigh from escaping her lips. She knew of administrative assistants who traveled with their bosses all the time and loved it and considered it as one of the perks of the job. Even Ruby traveled with her boss occasionally and considered it an opportunity to shine. But Opal had never given any consideration to the thought that Mr. Armstrong would want to take her anyplace with him.
“Will there be a problem, Ms. Lockhart?”
He recaptured her attention and she met his gaze. She’d never tell him the “problem.” “No, there won’t be a problem, sir.”
He nodded. “Good. I plan to fly out first thing Monday morning. You can probably return on Friday. I might stay for a few more days visiting relatives.”
“I’ll be ready to fly out Monday morning.” She told herself it wouldn’t be that bad. They’d be on a crowded plane, then in busy meetings.
He turned back to his files, then looked up as she was about to exit. “Oh, Ms. Lockhart, I forgot to tell you. We’ll be taking my private jet.”
What was wrong?
When he had mentioned her accompanying him on that business trip, although she hadn’t protested or declined, Opal had seemed surprised and even nervous. In fact, when she’d left his office, she had appeared downright rattled. He smiled. And here he’d thought that nothing could ruffle Opal Lockhart…except his tyrannical, demanding behavior.
He chuckled when he remembered what she’d said to him. She had been deadly serious in explaining her feelings. He had seen it in her eyes, the depth of her honesty. That had been one of the rare times he’d conversed with her and hadn’t been studying her lips. There was just something about the shape of her mouth that always tempted him.
She had a way of putting every male hormone he possessed on full alert whenever she entered his office. God knows he had tried to ignore it, avoid it, find ways to become immune to it, but so far nothing worked. Even without trying, she had a sensuality about her that he found totally irresistible. And what he found so astounding was that she was unaware of the depth of her appeal.
The other day, while sipping his soup at lunch, he had found himself glancing across the desk at her, and a part of him had imagined sipping on her instead. He definitely had one hell of a sexual ache and he hoped his date this weekend was what he needed to cure him.
He tossed aside the paper he’d been trying to read. Taking Opal to San Francisco with him wasn’t a smart idea given his attraction to her—an attraction he just couldn’t kick. But he did need her there. In this stage of his business negotiations, he needed someone he could depend on and he’d discovered since she had come to work for him that he could definitely depend on her. Not only was she well versed in the handling of business affairs, she had a good grasp of marketing and advertising, customer service and public relations, as well. She was a natural when it came to people skills. She got along with everyone at the office, and, more than once, he’d received compliments on her behalf from clients and business associates whom she had treated well.
Somehow, he would get through a week of spending the majority of his time in her presence. Hadn’t he done so this week? Still, there was something about being away from the office that seemed to put a whole new light on things…But he refused to let it. Opal was his employee and nothing more. And, once he had his date this weekend with Priscilla Tucker, his need for sexual release would be taken care of and he would be fine.
The last thing he needed to think about or consider was sleeping with his administrative assistant. That was something that could not and would not happen. He had to make sure of it.
“Give me one good reason why you don’t want to go out of town with D’marcus Armstrong, Opal,” Colleen was asking her. Opal had called her cousin and invited her to lunch after D’marcus had told her he would be out of the office at a meeting.
Opal pursed her lips thinking. “Because I really need to stay here. I’ll be moving in a couple of weeks and I need to start packing things up.”
“And, from what you’ve told me, you’ll be back in time to do that. When you took this job didn’t the person in Human Resources tell you there might be traveling involved?”
“Yes, but after meeting D’marcus and seeing what kind of attitude he had, I figured I’d be the last person he would take anyplace.”
“And why not? You’re efficient and good at what you do. You’ve become very valuable to him. From what I see, the man is definitely wheeling and dealing and his business is growing like wildfire. He would want someone familiar and dependable to assist him during this time.”
Opal nodded, knowing everything Colleen was saying was true. But…
“Be honest with me, Opal. What has you so rattled? Why are you so bothered by the thought of spending a week in California, sharing a hotel with D’marcus Armstrong? And note I said hotel and not hotel room,” she interjected when Opal arched a brow. “I’ve traveled with my boss befo
re.”
Opal rolled her eyes upward. “Yes, but he’s married.”
Colleen chuckled. “Yes, and, at times, I hear they can be the worst ones, although Mr. Math-erson has never gotten out of line with me. But just because D’marcus is single shouldn’t make a difference. Unless…”
Opal glanced across the table and asked, “Unless what?”
“Unless you do have a crush on him like your sisters think.”
“Wrong. Like I told you before, I find the man attractive, but that’s as far as it goes.”
Colleen leaned closer over the table and looked her in the eyes. “You sure?”
Opal broke eye contact and took a sip of her hot tea. “I’m positive.”
“Okay, so when do you leave?” Colleen asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Monday morning.”
Colleen nodded. “That means you’ll have to do all your shopping for the trip this weekend.”
“Shopping?” Opal said, now getting really rattled. She hated going shopping. She usually shopped seriously at Christmas and purchased enough outfits to last for the coming year, unable to understand why women would constantly go to malls as if it was an addiction. Her three sisters shopped enough for her, thank you.
“Yes, shopping. Surely you don’t plan to take your regular clothes.”
Opal frowned. “And what’s wrong with my regular clothes?”
Colleen grinned. “Your wool suits are fine for this climate but I think they’ll be too warm in sunny California.”
“Fine, I have some summer suits.”
Colleen nodded slowly. “Yes, and I’ve seen them.”
Opal’s frown deepened. “And?”
“And do me a favor and get some new things. Come on, Opal, a couple of new outfits won’t hurt. Remember, in this business, it’s the entire package that has to impress. Not only does D’marcus Armstrong want an efficient secretary, I’m sure he wants one who dresses the part.”
In Bed With Her Boss (Kimani Romance) Page 4
