If only he’d go put some damn clothes on, maybe she’d even be able to remember all those reasons for longer than a nanosecond.
“Great. I think that would be best since I need to show you around the office. Well, and because it won’t be a secret we’re dating.”
Could he bench-press me? They do that sometimes in movies. Always looked silly, but now… Maybe.
She couldn’t believe only two short days ago those strong arms had been wrapped around her while he’d kissed her in front of his family. She hadn’t appreciated them nearly enough. She’d known, in the moment, that he was muscular, but seeing him up close and personal, and in the flesh, left no doubt about how built he was. He could probably do a hundred pushups without breaking a sweat. That kind of arm strength could come in real handy if he were hovering over her…in bed…while inching into her.
“Olivia.” Sawyer’s voice was strong and commanding.
She could think of a few commands she’d like to hear in that voice. Lay back. Kiss me. The thought of Sawyer dominating her in the bedroom was enough to make her knees weak. She gripped the side of the doorframe to steady herself.
“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching for her. As he stepped forward, his hips strained against the towel tied at his waist. Please fall.
She held out her hand to stop him. “I’m fine. Just having trouble waking up.” And having trouble ignoring the naked hunk in front of me. The one who she wasn’t supposed to develop any kind of real feelings for, but who was making it hard when he was so damn sexy all the time.
“Maybe you should get in the shower.” He stopped at the door to his room. “Will you be ready to leave in a half hour? So we can drive together, like I asked.”
Drive together! She nodded. That’s what he’d been saying. Sure. Fine. Good.
He disappeared into his room and she locked the door behind him. It was one thing to see him half naked, but she wasn’t ready to return the favor yet.
Not if she wanted to stay true to their plan.
Chapter Five
“I guess you didn’t have any trouble finding work attire,” Sawyer said, hitting the appropriate button. She didn’t miss his sideways glance raking up her body from the toe of her new knee-high boots to the top of her cowl-neck blouse.
Her shoulders relaxed. Good. She’d been worried that the pinstriped pencil skirt with the slit up the side would be too risqué for Sterling Enterprises.
“Candace,” he said to the receptionist at the front counter. “This is Olivia. She’s filling in for Bethany.”
“Is this your…” Candace’s voice trailed off.
He put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders in a way that felt both loving and professional. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend.”
Candace beamed. “I didn’t actually think you existed. But here you are!”
“You thought I made up a girlfriend?” he asked, showing surprise with a hint of annoyance.
“I want to hear all about your travels around the world.” Candace practically wiggled in her seat.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Olivia said, genuinely happy. Having someone to take coffee breaks with would make settling in so much easier. “I guess Sawyer mentioned what I’ve been up to for the last few years.”
“He did. I can’t wait to pick your brain about the places you’ve been. Coffee later?” she asked.
“Let’s get Olivia settled before you start drilling her with questions.” Sawyer walked off, but hadn’t even made it a few steps before Candace spoke again.
“If you’re going to her desk, you’re headed in the wrong direction. Yesterday, Matt and Susan decided she should be close by to help you with the Marcus project.”
Why couldn’t she be on opposite side of the office and still work on the project?
Sawyer smiled, but it looked half-hearted. Maybe he wasn’t thrilled about working so closely with her either. “Great,” he said with a half smile. “Let’s go see where you’ll be sitting.”
Sawyer introduced her to the team as they walked past their offices. Everyone seemed very welcoming and warm. She’d never worked in an office like this, but the response felt above and beyond the norm.
More than once, she’d seen the look of surprise when Sawyer introduced her as his girlfriend. Either Sawyer had never dated anyone at work before, which was probably a good thing since he was the boss, or he had simply never had an actual girlfriend. She speculated that both instances were true.
When they’d finally made it to his corner office—with a view of the park—they’d also inadvertently found her desk—right outside his door.
Thanks to her degree in business and minor in communication, Matt and Susan had apparently deemed her too important to be far away. Not only would she be overseeing light administrative tasks as needed, but she’d be helping Sawyer to come up with marketing strategies for the new vitamin-enriched products Todd Marcus wanted to introduce to the world.
From her chair, Sawyer was in plain view. For the hundredth time that day already, she peeked up through her lashes to where he sat at his desk, looking incredibly tempting and forbidden. She couldn’t help it. The man looked damn good in a suit. But he was off-limits, and for so many good reasons. He was Aidan’s friend. He was a player, not a settling down kind of guy. He was the kind of guy who would never change—just like Sam, ex-fiancé extraordinaire—the kind of guy who was the exact opposite of what she wanted in her future. And the attraction that had been sparking between them was spurred by their required acting skills. Nothing more.
That didn’t seem to deter her from eyeing him as if he alone was the answer to the ache throbbing low in her belly. She tried to stop herself, to focus on her tasks, to learn her new position, but it was challenging. Knowing Sawyer wasn’t a viable option in her life was one thing, but telling her body to shut up and listen to reason was another thing completely. Not to mention, he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by having her nearby. He’d been clicking away on his computer all morning, rarely glancing up or moving. The man was a machine. She was curious to see if he’d even take a lunch break.
“Olivia,” Sawyer called, glancing up to find her staring at him.
She startled, almost spilling her coffee. “Yes?”
“I’m printing off a few things. Would you mind getting them?”
“Not at all.” While she waited for the documents to finish printing, she cursed herself for having been caught staring at him. She’d have to get her act together if she wanted to do her job properly, and if she wanted to maintain their strictly business arrangement.
It hadn’t been that long since she’d been intimate with someone, had it? Paris, she thought, recalling her last encounter. The city of love. And quickies. She’d met someone at the Louvre, then had a coffee and a quick romp back at his place. It had been intense, spontaneous, and totally stupid. It had also been almost a year ago.
A year? That explained a lot.
When the machine finally fell silent, she grabbed the printouts and headed back to Sawyer’s office. He motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
They lived together and were supposed to be dating, yet when she sat there with him, her pulse raced. He might only be her fake boyfriend, but he was her very real boss, and she needed to make a good impression if she was going to earn a reference.
Sawyer shuffled through the pages then handed her a few. “This is some basic research for the Marcus project. It’s my top priority. Between your degree and your world travel, Matt and Susan believe you can offer a fresh perspective on this client and his needs. After reviewing everything we have so far, I’m inclined to agree with them.”
“I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
Sawyer’s desire and drive to make his company successful was obvious, and working with a man who was passionate about his business was really exciting…and sexy too.
“I’m glad to hear that. I think the best place to start is to familiarize yoursel
f with the company, their history, their product, and their goals.”
“I can do that,” she said.
“Keep in mind we’re creating an international marketing strategy, since this is a global product launch.”
She nodded. Sure, global. I took a class for that in school. I must remember something from it. “Absolutely. No problem.” She wasn’t entirely confident, but how hard could it be?
“What we’re really hoping for is any insight you can provide about the different cultures you experienced. Like the story you told me about that village in Africa. Make notes of how other cultures could incorporate the products into their daily lives. Okay?”
Wow. Nothing like being asked to perform on command.
“Sure.” Olivia twisted her hands together in her lap, below the level of the desk, where he couldn’t see. Maybe this job was a tiny bit over her head. But sink or swim, right? She couldn’t afford to sink, so she’d have to brush up on her global marketing skills and figure it out. She must’ve experienced something while traveling that would be applicable.
She glanced up to find Sawyer watching her, eagerness, excitement, and drive vibrating through every inch of his body. He’d given her an opportunity and she wouldn’t waste it with self-doubt. She’d promised herself she’d do whatever it took to get her future on the right path. Now was the time to pull her shit together, take each task in turn, and make this job a success.
“I’ll get started on this right after lunch,” she said, shuffling the papers around while trying not to worry.
“Is it lunchtime already?” he asked, glancing at his watch.
“Want to grab a quick bite with me? I’m not sure what’s close by.”
“Can’t. Too much to do.”
“Where’s your favorite place?”
He chewed the end of a pen for a moment before answering. “You know, I can’t remember the last place I had lunch where I wasn’t at a business meeting uptown. Candace is really your best bet for insider information on places to eat.”
“You should take a break. It’s not good for your body to sit and chug coffee all day.” Seriously, did he leave his desk for more than bathroom breaks and coffee refills?
“I don’t chug my coffee. And I get all the exercise I need playing soccer in the evenings. After work.”
She narrowed her eyes at his stubbornness. Maybe he was more like his father than she realized—workaholic to the extreme. “I’m merely suggesting that you take care of yourself as well as you take care of your clients. I thought with your family history, you’d realize how important it is.”
“My family history is not your concern. Besides, you can’t fight your fate. Genes are genes.” His tone was stiff and his comment seemed stilted. Then, in the next instant, his entire demeanor changed, relaxed. “But if you’re insisting, I’d love it if you’d bring me back a bite to eat. Thanks so much for taking care of me, sugar.”
Sugar? He hadn’t called her that since their family dinner. Apparently the pet name would be making appearance at work, too.
“Matt,” Sawyer said, his voice filled with confident professionalism again. “What can I do for you?”
Matt strode through the doorway and sat in the chair next to hers. So the “sugar” comment was part of the act.
“I need to run through some numbers with you.”
“Sure, no problem. Olivia was just running out to lunch. Have you two met yet?”
“We have,” Olivia said. “We met in the break room earlier, when Candace showed me how to work the coffee machine.”
“Never used one before?” The comment felt like a dig to her inadequacies in the workplace. Or maybe she was overly sensitive.
“No. Unfortunately, I had to grab whatever I could find, wherever I was. I have to say, I much prefer this method of getting my caffeine fix.”
“I’m sure you had all kinds of amazing local delicacies. I can’t wait to hear about them sometime.” Matt flipped open the file folder in his lap.
“Why don’t I leave you to it?” Olivia was at the door when Sawyer spoke again.
“Aidan texted me earlier. He wants us to join him for dinner. We don’t have anything planned, do we, sugar?”
There it was again. The first time he’d “sugared” her, she’d been too surprised to soak it in. But this time the endearment settled over her like a warm blanket on a cold night. It heated her skin, making her feel lightheaded. Not the response she was supposed to feel for Sawyer, at the office or anywhere else.
“Dinner sounds great.” She hoped it came off as natural because it certainly didn’t feel that way.
She dropped off the papers at her desk and grabbed her handbag. Sawyer might put work before everything else, but if she was in charge of his lunch, then damn it, he would be eating something healthy. Maybe next time he’d take a short break to join her. This time, though, a quiet lunch alone would help her think of some ideas for the Marcus project.
Chapter Six
Sawyer ordered a pint of the beer on tap and closed his menu. Tonight was definitely a steak kind of night. He needed the spike of energy the red meat would give him after the long day at work.
“I wonder where Aidan is,” Olivia said setting her menu on top of his.
“It’s not like him to be late. Maybe he got held up at work.”
“Or maybe he’s ditched us for better company.” Olivia’s smile told him she was joking.
He liked hanging out with someone who wasn’t serious all the time. So many of the girls he’d been with in the past were pretty lackluster once the alcohol stopped flowing. Olivia was one of the few who could hold up her end of the conversation and do it with style, smarts, and sarcasm. The combo was a definite turn-on.
“Better company than his best friend and his adoring little sister? Never.” Little sister hung in the air between them. No matter how much he enjoyed her company, or how attracted he was to her, she was still a fake date.
No real relationship. No real ties. No real feelings.
If only it wasn’t so exhausting trying to remember that all the time. He shifted in the booth. His whole body ached from tension, as if he’d run a marathon instead of having an average day at work. But maybe that’s because it wasn’t exactly average.
Not with Olivia around.
He’d expended more energy trying not to watch her all day than he had on actually accomplishing work. It had been exhausting, staring at a computer screen but not seeing a single idea through to fruition. Olivia in work clothes could definitely be considered a distraction. There was something so sexy about her business attire. The whole boss/secretary fantasy flitted through his mind—her lying across his desk, skirt pushed up her thighs, blouse open, and breasts exposed.
He stifled a groan. Tomorrow, he’d get back into his normal work groove. Now was not the time to let his work slide, or his entire company would suffer. He wanted nothing more than to leave work at work, but he couldn’t. “Listen, about what happened in my office today—”
“I never should have bothered you about not eating or about working too much. How you spend your day is your business, not mine.”
“If you’d let me finish, I was going to say thank you for playing along and fetching me lunch. I would never normally ask you to, but when I saw Matt walk up, it was the first thing I thought of that sounded sort of boyfriend-y.”
“I didn’t mind. I was just happy to know you got something to eat and had more than just coffee to drink.” She bit her lower lip, looking guilty. And sexy. “Did you enjoy your spinach salad and kale chips?”
“They were awful and not nearly coffee-flavored enough.” Seriously, kale and chips should never be combined in any form.
“You’re welcome.” She laughed and her energy lit up her eyes, making them sparkle.
Leaning across the corner of the table, he slipped his hand around the nape of her neck and peered into her eyes. This time, her concern didn’t aggravate him. It was kind of sweet, endear
ing—it triggered something unfamiliar inside him.
He’d let his stubbornness take the front seat, and as a result, Olivia had left his office feeling chastised for wanting to do something good for him. Had he ever done that to other employees without knowing it? Maybe his business was failing because he was a shitty boss.
If he’d done this to anyone else at work, made anyone else feel this way, he would be annoyed at himself. But the fact that it was Olivia ate at his insides. Maybe it was because she was his friend’s little sister and he felt the need to protect her.
He feared it was something more.
Kissing her had sparked something deep in his soul and he hadn’t felt right since. And the way she’d looked at him afterward had spoiled him for any other expression. He’d seen happiness and desire in her eyes, and now seeing anything else was a sword to his chest.
“I’m sorry I overreacted at work. I’ve been stressed. The truth is, if this Marcus project doesn’t come through, I might have to shut the doors to Sterling Enterprises.”
“Tell me how I can help, and I’ll try my best.”
He knew she would. No one could travel and work with only a backpack for five years without setting a goal and making it happen. “I’m hoping you can share some of your traveling experiences so we get a glimpse into what life is like for the people we’ll be marketing to in other countries.”
She put her hand on his knee and gently squeezed it, as if to comfort him.
She did. More than she probably realized. More than he expected.
She smiled and it was the best thing he’d seen all evening. “That I can do.” Her tongue darted out to give her lips a quick lick and he was overcome with the desire to kiss her, right there, right then. Not because someone was watching and they were performing, but because he wanted to.
“I hope you’re not acting like that on my account.” Aidan took his seat across the table. “Actually, I hope you are acting because if this is a real moment I’m witnessing, then you leave me no choice but to take you outside to kick your ass.”
The Hookup Hoax (Entangled Lovestruck) Page 6
