by Melody Anne
“And what is your position?” he asked with a smile.
“I’m the executive assistant for the president,” she stated with a confident smile. She was feeling better now that the shock was wearing off. Her words came out as a challenge. She was proud of her new position.
“Really, and have you met him, yet?” he asked, trying to sound surprised, like she was getting one over on him.
“Yes, at the interview. George Anderson is an amazing man, and I’m proud and excited to be working for him,” she said. She’d instantly liked both George and Joseph Anderson. She’d always been comfortable with older people, as they seemed much less judgmental.
“George isn’t the president,” he stated, popping her bubble. Her brows puckered and she looked at him like he was insane. He had to be trying to deceive her. George was the one who had interviewed her. She tried to remember her interview, word for word, but she couldn’t remember him actually saying he was the president.
“Of course he is,” she said, but not as confident.
“Believe me, I know he isn’t. He retired years ago, and though he’s still the majority owner in the corporation, he’s more of a silent partner, dealing more with personnel situations and behind the scenes issues,” he told her.
Trenton found he was enjoying her confusion, and watched as she tried to work out what he was saying. She still hadn’t put all the pieces together. He was thrilled to find the spitfire from the park was his assistant. He found himself glad to be in Seattle. He was with his cousins, who he loved, he’d spoken with his siblings more over the last month than in the last several years, and he was intrigued by a woman. Things were looking up for him.
“Well, then who am I working for?” she asked, perplexed. He walked over and leaned against her desk, giving her a confident look. He raised his brows and waited for it to sink in. “That can’t be,” she barely managed to whisper when it started to sink it. He answered her with a huge Cheshire cat smile and watched as her eyes widened and her face paled. He was worried for a moment she may faint.
He had to hand it to her, though, because she pulled herself together quickly, and much to his relief, her color returned. Her expression changed from shock to defiance and he had to fight back his smile. He found she was going to be a challenge and he’d never been able to resist a challenge.
“I guess I should formally introduce myself, Jennifer. I’m Trenton Anderson, President of Anderson United Corporation,” he said, as he held out his hand. He was curious to see if she’d take it, or shy away. He hadn’t seen her back down yet, and found he’d be disappointed if she did.
“Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Anderson. As you know, I’m Jennifer Stellar, and I’m looking forward to working here,” she said as she took his hand. She felt the electricity from his touch shoot up her arm, and hoped he didn’t notice the shiver traveling through her body. She’d have to get control over herself because there was no way she’d allow herself to be attracted to her boss.
“We’re not formal in the executive offices. You may call me Trenton,” he said, holding her hand for too long to be considered appropriate.
“I prefer to keep things at work completely professional, Mr. Anderson,” she said, pulling her hand from his and breaking eye contact. Trenton was determined to break her defenses down, but he had plenty of time to do it.
“That’ll be fine for now, but you’ll become more comfortable,” he said, knowingly. Jennifer stepped away. She needed to put some distance between them, and pull herself together.
“I’m perfectly comfortable, but I prefer to keep things at work professional. That way, no lines are crossed that shouldn’t be,” she said a bit haughtily. He looked amused by her prim and proper manner.
“Are you always so argumentative? It may not work well for you when you aren’t trying to please your boss,” he told her with an almost wicked smile. She sucked in her breath at his veiled threat, before she narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t a weak woman and if he thought he could make her shake in fear, or cave to his arrogant demands, he had a whole new thing coming.
“Believe me, I’ve never had any trouble making my previous bosses happy,” she said, with just enough of a double meaning to make his eyes narrow. She turned away from him for a moment to hide her expression. Let him think what he wanted about that statement.
Trenton stood in stunned silence. He couldn’t tell if she was bluffing or not, but she may not be the innocent girl he’d first thought her to be. If she was a woman of the world, then he could take her guilt free. That idea didn’t please him like it should’ve.
“Well, Jennifer, I’m certainly not feeling too satisfied right now,” Trenton finally told her. She looked at him in shock for a few moments. She was surprised he would call her bluff. She wasn’t willing to play the game with him, anymore.
“We should get to work,” she finally told him. He raised his brows at her, again. “I just don’t want to waste the corporation’s time by sitting around, doing nothing,” she said as if talking to him was a complete waste of her time.
“Of course, you’re right,” he told her and his tone was all business. She was surprised by the complete change to his voice. He went from warm and flirty, to cold businessman in a matter of seconds. She was grateful he’d finally taken the hint and backed off, but felt a bit of loss at the same time. She was beginning to not understand herself.
The rest of the afternoon Trenton was completely professional, and Jennifer got so caught up in her work that the time flew by. She was surprised when Nancy came into her office and told her their day was over. She gathered up her things quickly, and went down the elevator with Nancy, before she headed to the childcare center. Molly’s face lit up when she walked in the room, which filled her heart with joy.
“Did you have fun, today?” Jennifer asked.
“Yes, Tassia and Katie were here and I love playing with them. We had a tea party with real tea and chocolates and we even got to wear pretty hats,” Molly said to her in a rush of words.
“That sounds great, Molly. I’m glad you had fun playing with your friends,” she told her, happy her niece was showing signs of happiness, again. It had been too long since Molly had allowed herself to be happy and no four year old should be depressed.
“Excuse me, you must be Jennifer?” someone asked before she exited the building.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“My name is Emily Anderson, and our girls have become quite close over the past few months. Tassia is having a birthday party this weekend, and I’d like to invite Molly over for a sleepover. I’d love to have you come, as well, and stay for the activities so you can know where she is, but we really would love to have her over,” Emily said.
Jennifer’s first reaction was to say no. Molly hadn’t stayed the night with anyone since the accident and she wanted to keep holding her tightly, but she also knew she’d have to be gone for a few days at a time with her new position, and it would be a good idea to see how Molly would do away from home for one night.
“I’d love to bring her over for the party, but we’ll wait and see about her staying the night,” Jennifer agreed.
“I’m glad to hear that, I can’t wait until the weekend,” Emily said.
“If you want to give me directions to your place, and what time, we’ll be there.”
The two women exchanged phone numbers and addresses and then Jennifer left the building, feeling good about her day. It had started out a bit rocky, finding out her boss was the far-too-sexy-for-her-comfort man in the park, but she’d have to get over her attraction, because it couldn’t lead anywhere.
Relationships, or even casual sex, came and went, but a good job and friendships were rare to find and you didn’t let those go. Sleeping with her boss, no matter how devastatingly gorgeous he was, would be a huge mistake she’d regret the rest of her life.
“Are you ready to head home, little girl?” she asked Molly, while tickling her tummy.
“Yes, can we
have pizza for dinner?” Molly asked between giggles.
“I would say tonight is a perfect night for pizza. It’s been a day worth celebrating,” she told Molly, which earned her many kisses and smiles. She walked toward her car with a smile on her face and a dance in her step.
***
Trenton wasn’t in nearly as good a mood as Jennifer. He’d forced himself to stay away from her most of the day. He was both thrilled to have found her so soon and to have her working for him, yet at the same time thinking the fates weren’t on his side.
He knew there was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her. He was far to attracted to the delicate woman. He couldn’t remember wanting to take a woman into his arms so badly, and her attitude was a challenge he didn’t want to resist. He hadn’t been challenged by a woman, ever.
He should transfer her to another division so he could pursue her guilt free, but he wanted her close to him. He was unwilling to transfer her, at least for the moment. He wasn’t a teenager, who couldn’t control himself and he wouldn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to, but he wasn’t above seduction. He smiled at the thought.
“You’re obviously a million miles away, boy,” his father said, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned in surprise at the interruption. No one was ever able to sneak up on him, and he hadn’t noticed his father entering his office.
“Hello, Father - what are you doing here?” he asked, managing to control his features and tone.
“I wanted to see how you’re settling in,” George said. Trenton didn’t miss the look of hurt in his father’s eyes. He tried to block it out, but still felt guilty for being so disrespectful.
“I’d much rather be in Chicago, but it’s efficient.”
“I know you’ll appreciate the move before too long. It will be nice for you and your siblings to be around your cousins, again.”
“There won’t be a lot of time for socializing, as moving a corporation home office takes a lot of work,” Trenton said, not wanting to make things easy on his father.
“There’s always time for family. I messed up after your mother passed, and I’m trying to make it right,” George said, being honest with his son. “Can we please let go of the hard feelings?”
“A lot has happened,” Trenton said but not so sure in the face of his father’s grief.
“I know, and I’m sorry I fell apart. I loved your mother so much and it ripped me apart to lose her. I know I closed all of you out, but I’m trying to make it right. I hope you’ll forgive an old man for being heartbroken. I’ll leave you alone for now, but wanted to tell you your cousin Mark’s having a birthday party for his daughter this weekend. I’d love to see you there,” George said. He patted Trenton on the back, then headed out the door.
Trenton looked out the window and inhaled. He’d been too hard on his father and maybe it was time for a second chance for all of them. He’d have to give it time, and see how it worked out. His father used to be his hero. He realized he blamed his dad for his mom’s death. He knew logically his dad couldn’t have prevented the death from happening, but his heart had hurt so badly he’d needed someone to blame.
He was also realizing he couldn’t continue to punish his father for something out of his control. Seeing the pain in his dad’s eyes hurt him. Trenton shook his head, trying to clear the depressing thoughts.
He gathered his belongings and headed out. He wasn’t in the mood to be alone so he called his brother, who luckily was in town, and they met for a beer and some talking. It lifted his spirits up.
“How are you settling in the rainy city of Seattle?” Max asked.
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but there’s no way I’m admitting that to the old man,” Trenton said.
“Am I detecting you’ve already met some local ladies?” Max teased him with a waggle of his brows.
“Well, there’s a smorgasbord of women to be feasted upon,” he said, but his mind was only on one particular woman.
“Yeah, but I sure wish our father would’ve gotten the idea to move somewhere warm like California or Florida. The women wear far less clothes there,” Max said with a laugh.
“I agree,” Trenton said, but without his usual emphasis. He was starting to feel empty escorting different women every night. He was thinking a longer relationship may be interesting, especially if the woman didn’t bore him. He had a feeling Jennifer wasn’t boring.
“Where did you go?” Max asked.
“Sorry, it was a long day at the office. When are you taking off?”
“I need to go up to Alaska next month. I’ll be up there off and on over the next year. We finished that facility and you know I like to check on things first hand. Seattle feels like the freaking tropics compared to the weather up there.”
“You can always make snow angels,” Trenton laughed.
“No thank you, not when it’s like fifty degrees below freezing on the average day. I’m amazed at how many people actually want to spend months on end up there,” Max said.
“You know how scientists are, they don’t need another person around, just a microscope,” Trenton said.
“Hey, I majored in biology for my bachelor’s so no need to be dissing. Besides, you know the smart girls tend to repress a lot, and when they let go, they really let go,” Max said with a leer.
“Sounds as if you may have intimate knowledge of that,” Trenton teased.
“I’m stuck in some pretty remote locations at times,” Max said.
The two of them continued to banter about their choice in companions, and without even realizing they were doing it, reverted back to the easy camaraderie of years ago.
Chapter Three
Jennifer pulled up to the large home, feeling awed. It was quite a ways outside of the Seattle city limits and she’d almost got lost a few times on her drive. Coming down the long driveway, she almost turned around, thinking she had to have taken a wrong turn.
She finally made it to the home and sat in her car, feeling intimidated. Her little Honda, which was a perfectly good car, seemed like it was completely out of place when surrounded by the other luxury vehicles.
Molly was bouncing in her seat, waiting for Jennifer to get her out of the car. Her niece’s shout finally snapped her out of her stunned silence and she slowly climbed from the vehicle. She shook off her nervousness, feeling ridiculous for being intimidated.
“Auntie, I want out,” her niece shouted, losing patience at being stuck in her booster seat for so long.
“I’m sorry, baby,” she offered and quickly unstrapped her. Molly tried to take off up the stairs, but Jennifer grabbed ahold of her hand and walked slowly to the top of the steps and rang the doorbell.
“Good afternoon,” a woman said. “You must be here for the party, go straight through the house and out the back door.”
“Thank you,” Jennifer replied and had to jog to keep up with Molly as she took off in the direction of the back yard.
“You made it. I’m so glad,” Emily said, as they stepped through the doorway.
“Thank you for inviting us,” Jennifer told her.
“I adore Molly, she’s a great kid. I forgot to tell you to bring a swim suit for her but we have plenty of extra swim attire. If you don’t mind, she can get changed with Tassia and get in the pool with the other kids,” Emily said.
“That sounds great. Do you have extra life jackets?”
“Yes, of course we do - also the guys are taking turns, two at a time, being life-guards so there isn’t any chance the kids can get hurt,” Emily reassured her. “I have extra swimsuits for adults, too, so why don’t you change as well. It’s a very rare, warm day, and if you don’t want to brave the pool with the kids, you can enjoy the hot tub.”
“Thank you, that sounds nice,” Jennifer said. She quickly changed and it didn’t take long for her to start enjoying the party. She’d never before met such a wealthy family who were so down to earth.
“I hope
you’re enjoying yourself,” George said as she sat down to eat something.
“I’m having a wonderful time. I can’t believe how many people are here,” she told him.
“I’ve missed being here. Family is so important. I lost my wife a few years ago, and disappeared for a while, but it feels good to be home, again,” he told her.
“I’m sorry about your loss. I didn’t know,” Jennifer told him, feeling empathy.
“It’s been several years, and while I’ll always miss her, I’m moving on now, but thank you. How’s the job treating you?”
“It’s wonderful. I keep so busy during each day that it’s time to leave before I know it. I don’t like jobs where you sit around, watching the clock.”
“Well, that’s great. I know you’ll continue to do well. I’m going to hunt down some food and find my brother, now,” he said before squeezing through the crowd.
Jennifer visited with several people and then got too warm and decided to take a swim. She dove into the water and came up against what felt like a brick wall. It knocked the breath out of her, and she would’ve sunk back into the water if strong arms hadn’t grasped her and pulled her up.
“Thank you,” she choked. She realized she was staring at a very sexy male chest. It was hard, defined, and had water dripping down it, and she was afraid she recognized it. Her eyes slowly traveled up the tanned skin until they reached the eyes of her boss. Seeing his incredible body was one thing, but touching it wasn’t good for her blood pressure.
She felt a tightening in her stomach, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, and there was an instant ache in her very core. She realized she was in lust with Trenton. She was motionless for a few moments as she watched his eyes dilate and his head start bending forward. She came to her senses just in time and pushed against him. She couldn’t kiss her boss, especially in front of his entire family, in a swimming pool, where her body was barely covered.
His eyes narrowed at her rejection, and then she watched, fascinated, as he seemed to put shutters in place, not allowing a single thought to show in his expression.
