by Ana Jolene
He turned over to see what she was doing. As expected, she was at her desk, busily typing away at her computer. He called out her name and she looked up at him but didn’t stop her typing. “Are you done already?” she asked.
“Ah, no. I’m just taking a break.” Man, he felt lame saying that when it was only his first day here. And by the way Maison was moving a mile a minute, he knew she had to be busy. Now he felt like an ass for bothering her.
Maison glanced at the clock. “You’ve only been working for twenty minutes.”
Damn, really? How was that possible? He was sure half the day had gone by already. At this rate, he’d gouge his eyes out before the day was over!
At least they’d given him his own workspace and computer. Maybe he could check his email and send a greeting to Sam. Not that she would respond anyway, but he was getting desperate here. His eyes were already dried up from staring at the screen and his ass was going numb in this chair. He threw his arms up, letting out a long groan as he stretched his back.
Maison’s eyes lifted to meet his and he couldn’t help but wink at her. In response, she rolled her eyes. Yeah, she was definitely annoyed by him. “So what exactly are these numbers that I’m putting in here?” he asked.
“That’s our expenses report.”
“Oh, okay. Don’t you guys have a department that is supposed to be doing this kind of stuff?”
“We do, but I like to do it myself just to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“So why am I doing it?” he retorted.
Maison’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He let out a chuckle as her face reddened. “It’s because I didn’t know you were coming in today.”
He frowned. “Are you mad at me?” It was so like his father to forget to tell Maison about him coming.
His question seemed to catch her off guard because she stopped her typing and looked at him. “N-no.”
“No? You sound unsure.”
“No. I’m not mad at you. I’m just—”
“Look, I’m sorry about how I acted the other night. I wasn’t myself. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” Her face reddened even further and he realized it was because many of their other colleagues could overhear them. “Sorry,” he added.
“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
No, technically nothing had, but he did remember how she’d felt in his arms. How warm she’d been pressed up against his body. And he also remembered his own body’s reaction to hers. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten a hard-on!
His smile widened. “Well, since I’m here now, feel free to dump the work you don’t like to do on me.”
But Maison didn’t return his smile like he expected. “Actually, I like to do things myself,” she said. “That way I know things get done right the first time.”
Ouch. Okay, so she didn’t have much faith in him. That wasn’t so surprising since he was more accustomed to being on a battlefield than behind a desk, but he was determined to prove himself to her even though he still wasn’t sure why.
With a smile, Hutch turned back to his computer and began to work.
Maison cursed her earlier words. What the hell was wrong with her? Why had she said those mean things to him? She knew Hutch was just trying to make conversation but she had to go and assume that he’d do everything wrong. She just wasn’t good under pressure! While she usually exceled at her job, having him around was making her fumble around like a fool.
She had to be better at keeping her gaze firmly on the screen before her and not on him. If she did happen to glance up at him, she’d get wrapped up under his spell and forget all about her responsibilities. But she couldn’t afford to be more behind on her work than she already was.
It was nearing midday, and so far, Hutch hadn’t said another word to her. She worried for a moment that he was mad at her. Had she hurt his feelings when she’d said those words to him? Maison made the mistake of glancing up at him.
Damn, he was beautiful. With his dark hair and that strong jaw, there was no doubt that her female colleagues would notice him. As a matter of fact, a few of them were already fawning over him in the corner.
Hutch didn’t seem to notice though. He was silently staring at his computer screen, looking to be hard at work. His brows were slightly knitted, and he was leaning his head on one of his hands. He was also biting down on his lower lip in this way that made her think of sex. His words from the other night came back to her. You smell good.
God, what the hell was wrong with her? She had to stop thinking about that night! When Hutch had brought it up earlier, she’d flushed so red that she was sure she looked like a tomato. What was it about this guy that made her stomach feel like they were on a merry-go-round going at a warped speed?
At the thought of her stomach, Maison realized that it was time for lunch. Maybe taking a break would get her mind off of him too. Saving the document she’d been working on, she hit Print and made her way over to the printer.
It was then that she realized that she’d totally forgotten to tell Hutch that he could go for lunch any time he wanted. Intending to do so, she turned to him and promptly felt her jaw drop. “Are you—Are you playing solitaire?”
Hutch craned his head up to look at her. “Huh? Oh yeah, check out what level I’m on!”
“Hutch!” Had he been playing all this time?
“I know. I’m awesome, right?” His grin was so dazzling it almost made her forget about her anger. Almost.
“What about my expense report?” she exclaimed. “I need that done by the end of the day! You’re supposed to be helping me! Not be playing a stupid computer game!” If he didn’t have it done by the end of the day, she’d have to work through her lunch break to get it done now. This was why she never let others help her with her work. They always slacked off, or never did things right and then she’d have to redo everything herself!
“Maison, relax, okay?” Hutch said calmly.
Relax? How could she relax with him around? It was bad enough that she kept tripping over her words around him.
“Look.” Hutch shoved some papers into her face. “I’m actually done with the report.” She smacked it away from her, unable to believe that he managed to finish a report in a couple of hours. “Seriously.” He shook the pages in front of her face. “I’m done. Take a look at it.”
Maison glanced down at the papers. “What the—”
At first glance, it all looked right, but surely there were errors riddled all over the place. Snatching the papers from him, she returned to her desk to check it against her own records, just to make sure that her eyes were working correctly.
“So what do you think?” Hutch prompted when she remained silent.
“Oh my God.” She couldn’t believe it! Everything looked exactly as it was supposed to! He’d even formatted it so that it looked nice and presentable.
Hutch shot her a cocky grin that took her breath away. “Looks good, huh?”
“Um, yeah.” She nodded, impressed. “It actually does. How did you do it so fast?”
“I’ve always been pretty efficient, so I can usually get a lot of things done.” So he was a quick worker, huh? Guess that wasn’t surprising, really. He’d no doubt have to have good reflexes with his previous job.
Maison felt herself flush. “I guess I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d do a bad job.”
Hutch shrugged. “No worries.”
But she still felt terrible now for assuming the worst. “It’s just that every time I rely on someone else to do something for me, they always mess things up even more and I end up spending more time fixing their mistakes when I should’ve just done it myself.”
“That’s all right. It’s our first day working together so how would you know?” He was being nice to her. Why was he being nice to her when she’d been such a bitch to him all day? Hutch rested a hand on her shoulder, and to her surprise, the simple touch was enough to get her blood popping and fizzi
ng like a can of soda.
Just like that, she recalled the other night. While Hutch looked different, he still smelled the same. Like mint and eucalyptus. He wasn’t nearly as disheveled as he’d been the other day and now he actually looked like a much younger version of his father, just with darker hair and eyes.
“Thanks. I promise not to be so harsh next time. Since you’re all done, why don’t you go for lunch?”
Hutch clapped his hands together. “Great. Do you want to have lunch with me?”
Maison blinked. Hutch wanted to have lunch with her? Her first reaction was to say no. There was no way she could eat in front of him. Even talking to him made her feel strangely nervous since the other night. But wouldn’t his father expect her to? Especially since it was his first day?
“I-I don’t know,” she whispered. If she did, people would talk and she didn’t want any more scrutiny from others. She was sure Hutch could handle himself. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you.”
Hutch frowned. “How come? You’re not still mad at me, are you?”
“I told you already, I’m not mad at you. I’m just on a diet.” The words sounded pathetic even to her own ears. Oh God. Now that she’d mentioned that, he was probably thinking about her weight and how heavy she must’ve been when she’d lain on top of him the other night.
But all Hutch said was, “Why do you need to go on a diet? You have a perfect figure.”
Maison shook her head. He was just saying that to make her feel better. “I’m fat.”
“Fat? Sweetheart, you’re not fat at all.” The wink he shot her had her blushing. “Come on, come eat with me.”
“I can’t. Maybe next time.” Or maybe never. She felt too self-conscious around him already and she’d feel even more anxious eating around him.
Hutch’s face fell. “All right then. But if you change your mind, I’ll be at the taco place down the road, okay?”
Maison nodded and forced a smile. “Okay. Enjoy your lunch.”
“See you in a bit.”
She let out a long breath as he started to walk away. She was insane for turning him down. And she was an even greater fool because she couldn’t stop herself from checking his ass out in his slacks.
“God, you’re an idiot,” she muttered to herself, wishing she had more to look forward to than a spinach salad.
FIVE
After returning from lunch, Hutch went over to Maison’s desk, not at all surprised to see her munching on some rabbit food. He really wished she’d taken him up on his offer to have lunch with him.
“Did you enjoy your lunch?” he asked her. He’d timed asking the question so she had just shoved a mouthful of spinach into her mouth and couldn’t answer. “Here, have this.” He shoved the extra taco he’d bought into her face.
“Wha—” Maison swallowed. “Hutch, I can’t have this! I’m on a diet, remember?”
Fuck, she was cute. And she was also delusional if she thought she needed to be on a stupid diet. “And I told you that you don’t need to be on one.”
As he expected, Maison started shaking her head. “No, I can’t. I need to stay on track.”
He shrugged. “Fine. Suit yourself.” Maybe he could convince her to share it with him later for a snack. “So, what else do you need me to do?”
Maison looked around her desk and Hutch did his best to bite back a smile. “Sorry, I’m a little bit disorganized. I wasn’t expecting you to be here today.”
“No need to apologize. I’m here to help you, remember?”
She seemed to flush at the reminder. Man, he would never get tired of seeing her blush. “I have some paperwork you can help me with. Do you think you’re up for that?”
“Sure. Bring it on.”
“I’ll email it to you.”
“Good.” At least now she trusted him with some of her work. It was a good thing too. She was always working; it’d be nice if he could get her to relax a little.
Hutch returned to his desk and waited for the email to appear in his inbox. He had to admit, he thought it’d been cute when she’d gone off on him earlier. The Maison he knew all his life was sweet as honey and usually really shy, but he was quickly learning that she could sting like a bee if you pissed her off. She took her job seriously and had obviously gained a good reputation here at Gleam. It wasn’t a surprise to know that everyone liked her.
A ping sounded and Hutch checked his inbox. He had no idea why but he liked seeing her name on his screen and he smiled a secret smile before opening her email.
She’d outline exactly what she wanted from him. Not surprisingly, the email was highly detailed and very specific. She’d even given him step-by-step instructions on what to do so he’d have no problem downloading the attachments and getting started immediately.
Just as he was about to do that, his concentration was disturbed when one of the parcel carriers arrived with a package. The man walked up to Maison, shooting her a smile that immediately put him on guard.
From past experiences, Hutch could tell when another man was interested in a woman and this guy clearly had a thing for sweetness because he was smiling at Maison like she was a princess. Maison greeted him with a smile. “Hey, Conrad.”
“Hey, sweetheart. Got another one for you.” He handed her the package.
Sweetheart? How well did this guy know her to call her sweetheart? Hutch had known her for a long time but had never addressed her with anything other than her name.
Maison flashed him another smile, looking sweeter than a glazed donut. She quickly signed the form and handed it back to him, taking the package with her.
“Thanks.” As Maison rose from her chair and turned to put the package on a nearby table behind her, Hutch couldn’t help but notice how Conrad’s eyes landed on her ass. He immediately straightened but then caught himself. What the hell was he doing? Was he jealous?
When the guy’s eyes met his, Hutch forced himself to smile back. However, it came out strained, looking more like Jack Nicholson in The Shining than the nice guy he was pretending to be.
When Conrad left, Hutch’s gaze returned to Maison. She seemed to be completely oblivious to everything that had just occurred because she was back at her computer, typing away at her keyboard. Once again, he had proof that she didn’t need to go on a diet. Men liked how she looked just fine.
Including him.
While he’d never done anything to indicate his feelings for her before the other night, Hutch had noticed her a long time before that. However, since she was his father’s assistant, he hadn’t done anything about it.
Besides, Maison was too good of a person for him. That was why Hutch tended to go for women who were more on his level. No use to aim high when he’d just make a fool out of himself.
Hutch forced himself back in his seat and focused on the screen before him. But all he could think about was Maison. Had other guys at work asked her out to lunch before? Had she gone out with them? “Hey, Maison,” he heard himself say. “Have you ever dated anyone from the office?”
Maison looked completely shocked by the idea. “No, of course not.” Once again, the people around them stopped to look at him. He shot them a smile and turned back to Maison.
“Really? So you’d never go out with anyone who you know from around here?”
“No, absolutely not. Why?” Her gaze turned suspicious. “Did you hear something?”
“No. Not at all. Just curious. That’s all.”
“Good. I don’t want people spreading rumors about me.”
His lips curled into a smile. Maison was continuing to surprise him. Apparently, she cared about what people thought about her. Was that also why she was so self-conscious? “No. I don’t think anyone would dare try.”
Just then, the doors to his father’s office opened and Matthew stepped out. His father didn’t even bother glancing in his direction and that was totally fine by him. Hutch was used to that, but by the looks from the people around him, they’d obviously
expected more interaction between them. Instead, Matthew walked straight up to Maison’s desk and started barking orders.
Hutch simply watched, knowing that if he were on the receiving end of his father’s orders, he would probably keel over and play dead. Surprisingly, Maison looked interested and engaged, nodding and smiling at Matthew as he listed all the things he needed from her.
It was then that he realized that Maison acted differently around him than she did with others. He thought of how she’d been with Conrad. She’d smiled at him. But Maison never smiled at him when he spoke to her. She was always looking down, never meeting his eyes for long.
What did that mean? Did he make her nervous? Had his actions the other night frightened her? Was that why she was acting differently with him now?
After a lengthy conversation, Matthew turned back around and slammed his office door behind him. “What was that all about?” he asked Maison.
“Oh, you know. Just some more work.” Again, no eye contact.
“Does he always do that to you?”
“Do what?” There. A brief look up but then she turned away again.
“March out, bark orders, and expect everything to be done?”
“Yup.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Not at all. I am his assistant. That’s what he hired me for.”
Wow. Hutch had no idea how she managed to do that and still function like a normal human being. For all he knew, he’d probably be passed out by midday with all the demands his father threw her way.
That or he’d bite back and surely get his ass fired. He had no idea how she managed to do all that and still keep a happy face on all day.
Now all Hutch wanted to do was to get Maison to smile at him again.
When he’d left and spent a few days with Sam, his entire family had thought he’d left them. He hadn’t expected them to worry so much when they could barely stand each other when they were together. So he’d been surprised when he’d returned after a few days and was greeted with hugs.
