“Alessandra, I’m going to tell you three things,” he said, his voice perfectly clipped. “One, his deal wasn’t very good.”
“But—”
“And two, I am the accountant here and you are late.”
“What—”
“Third, I don’t care if you’re my boss’s sister. He hired me, and he asked me to make sure things are going smoothly. That includes reprimanding you when you're not coming to work on time.”
She sputtered, her back stiffening. “Excuse me—”
“Lastly, your bra is showing. Again. Keep those things to yourself.”
Her response gurgled in her throat as she stared at her blouse, where the top was unbuttoned again. Quickly, she buttoned it up and prepared herself to snap at him—
“I’ll be handling this deal solo, since you have it in your mind to be late all the time, anyway.”
Oh. My. God! “It’s my alarm—”
“It's always the alarm clock...right. Now, I’m going to be busy. Kindly stay out of my sight.”
He never lost control, only staring at her in cool disdain as she turned red at each of his words. Then he turned to Lucy and informed her to have the faxes sent – in a very polite and kind voice, a complete opposite of his action towards Alex. Without further ado, he whirled and strode through the meeting room once more, shutting it and locking it effectively.
It took Alex a full half-minute to realize that she’d been perfectly put in place before she strode to her desk and lost her cool.
She never lost her cool – not even on her first meeting with Nick, which was saying something.
“That was four. You said three. You’re an accountant, keep your math in check!”
Lucy stared at her in amazement. There was silence on the other side, and Alex had no choice but to throw her arms in the air and sulk, taking in the papers she needed to organize and knowing that she botched everything up for being late. He was right – but why did he have to lord it over her like some perfect little prig?
She stared at the closed door again, glaring.
There was one thing she hated more than her alarm clock, alright.
Sam’s stupid accountant.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lunchtime, and she was still fuming – albeit more calmly now, as she ate her hotdog sandwich with vigor and vented to Lucy about how Logan West needed to leave her alone and stop being such a judgmental human being. She had a cup of coffee in her hand, finally, though it hadn’t contributed at all in perking up her mood.
No wonder Tammy had resigned last month.
They had been sitting in the building cafeteria for almost half an hour, and Alex knew she really needed to shut up now, but there was no shutting up when there was still so much to say and Lucy was being very patient.
Not that the secretary was fully on her side.
Lucy, reasonable girl that she was, calmly explained to Alex that there were some things better left alone, such as:
Logan and his logbook, because docking her pay was the correct thing to do for being late thrice
Logan and his ways, because that wasn’t going to change
Jack Malone, because the guy was untrustworthy and not the kind you dealt things with
Alex frowned at the last statement, a clear picture of the action star in her mind. Sure, he looked like a player, and she generally didn’t trust players – but Nick had been a player, and had changed. Things were not always what they seemed. “Why? What makes you say so?”
Lucy frowned back, her lips thinning. “He’s slick, and he’s arrogant. What other explanation do you need?”
“West is more arrogant,” Alex scoffed through a mouthful of hotdog.
Lucy shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Logan’s very nice, Al. You’re just too blinded to see it.”
Alex stared at Lucy in disbelief. She shouldn’t be surprised, because Lucy was the peacemaker in the office and the only one who didn’t get on anyone’s nerves. It was a wonder that she was trying to ease things before it even escalated – not that it would escalate, if Logan only kept his rigidity in place.
And now it was back to the self-righteous accountant, who made her fume just at the thought of him.
Obviously reading her expression, Lucy sighed and simply said that she’d better not be late again tomorrow.
And that was that.
Alex pouted at her food.
Five minutes later, she was contemplating getting either another hotdog sandwich or a plateful of greasy fries when a flash of stark white filled her vision.
Her mood plummeted again.
The person who docked her pay was standing at the cafeteria line, tray in one hand and wallet in the other. He looked as spotless as ever, the shoes still shiny and the shirt still tucked in – and of course, not a hair out of place on his head, or his chin which was clean-shaven. His shoulders were broad, and he looked lean enough to not be considered thin – but the perfectly immaculate look was such a turn off that she wondered if he ever let himself loose. He was so uptight, his clothes looked like they were going to burst any minute if they’d been any tighter.
Her eyes trailed to his tray, where a lone salad sat in place.
Figures, she smirked. Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass has the most boring lunch in the world.
As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head in her direction – and pinned her with an intense stare, those black eyes undecipherable. Refusing to back out of a challenge, she stared back, making her face as blank as possible.
He raised a brow.
She raised one back.
Uncaring, he turned back to pay his order. Then he swept by their table and nodded at Lucy – then ignored Alex as he chose a seat in the opposite corner.
Ass. Ass ass ass.
Today after work, she was going to get a new alarm clock.
---
That night, she tried to listen as her old friend Tammy chattered on her ear about her new work and exciting dating life. There were some comments about Logan, and how he wasn’t a bad guy once you got to know him, but it was brief as they went on to other subjects. Tammy asked for some input about a new guy she’d met, and Alex tried to give some advice and input of her own.
But Nick was making it hard.
Very, very hard.
Currently, Nick was right behind her, arms on her waist and nuzzling her neck as he warmly greeted her a good morning, and poked something hard at her behind as he molded his body against her.
She was betting it wasn’t a flashlight, or anything of the sort.
On the phone, Tammy was making her typical complaints about the woes of not having enough money to chase her dream job and hoping things got better. Alex had heard this rant before, which made making uh-huh comments easier even as Nick massaged her tingling breasts with his big hands, his mouth kissing her neck in earnest.
Tammy had switched to the new guy topic again. “So you see, I really really like him, but he seems too good to be true and I honestly don’t want to mess it up.”
“You won’t mess it up. You’re awesome and he’d be stupid not to see that,” Alex declared loyally, biting her lower lip to keep her whimper in as Nick trailed his kisses lower, turning from teasing to hungry. He slid her pajama pants down, exposing her bare ass in the air. Startled, Alex slapped his hands away – to no effect, as he persistently massaged and made her throb.
“Okay, okay,” Tammy conceded reluctantly. “But last time, I made a very stupid sarcastic comment about a movie which turned out to be his favorite. He acted very weird after that.”
“What’s Tammy on about?” Nick whispered below her, licking her thigh as he caressed her bottom. Breathing short, Alex mouthed the words guy problems, and Nick made an ah sound before getting the phone from Alex’s hand and putting it beside his ear.
“Tammy sweetie,” he said, tongue trailing up as he turned Alex to face him. “You really need to chill. Like my best girl Alex here said—” Lick, lick, “—let him see your awesome s
ide. Any guy who goes running isn’t worth it.”
There was a fast rattle of words on the other line, which Nick listened to as he rubbed one thumb against Alex’s core, moving in circles and ignoring her insistent tugs on his hair.
“You know what? You’re a smart girl, I know you are. Meet him head-on. Let him see you in all your glory and turn things around to your advantage. He’s only making you nervous because you’re letting him. Do the opposite and try to get on his nerves.”
It was crazy advice as far as Alex was concerned – and maybe bordering on genius, because it also applied to her working relationship with a certain someone – but she couldn’t voice the words out as Nick handed her back the phone and slid one finger inside her.
“Tammy? Yeah. I—have—to—”
His tongue followed along, making one long drag on her clit before repeatedly lapping her up, his finger thrusting in rhythm.
“—go—somewhere—byeeeee—”
The phone dropped from her hand as her vision tunneled, feeling only the tingling going higher, higher—
Nick smirked as her orgasm echoed in the kitchen walls in a long, beautiful moan.
Then he proceeded to drop his own pajamas and have more delicious breakfast.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Nick Marino stared at the text message Rena sent him and wondered how to respond.
Beside him, Alex was snoring softly – an adorable sound that always made him smile whenever he heard it. She was snuggled against him, body lax and soft. It made him not want to get out of bed, with its comfortable sheets and the warm woman in it.
But the message sounded urgent, and he couldn’t very well ignore his friend.
He quietly tried to ease out of Alex’s hold. She didn’t so much as steer, merely reached for the pillow he put in his place. He looked at her profile, the sweet face and the beautiful personality underneath. Her body was barely covered by the sheets, and when she moved to hug the pillow tighter, it slipped down to expose one large breast, nipple pink and pouting.
He hardened, but didn’t touch, as he weighed in his choices and what he needed to do.
Then with a sigh, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and left the room.
---
Logan West was trying to get this month’s financial statements sorted out when the front door to their office opened, sending in a light breeze and the clatter of footsteps. Without looking up, he waved one hand while punching in numbers in his calculator in another.
“Morning, Luce. I made some coffee in the pantry. Go ahead and have at it.”
There was silence as the footsteps continued before the sound of items being dumped in a chair was heard. Then a voice floated in the air, completely cheerful and not the one he was expecting. At all.
“Morning to you too, Sunshine. Don’t mind while I take you up on your offer.”
Logan’s head whipped up, his forefinger freezing on the number nine as Alex breezed by his table to the pantry. He was so surprised to see her early, he remained speechless as she made some clunky noises inside before breezing back out with a mug of steaming coffee in her hand. She set it down at her desk and scooped up her stuff again, which were haphazardly balanced over each other and at risk of toppling straight to the floor.
His mind took automatic inventory of her posters, pencils, brushes and poster paints, a frown marring his lips. He looked at her again, and saw her meeting his gaze evenly – as if daring him to say anything regarding the costs. When he didn’t, she went back to organizing and opened her paints, rolling open one poster and pursing her lips.
She had colored those lips a bold red, in complete contrast with her alabaster skin. The color was so bright and garish that it made her look…well, as crazy as her cluttered desk. He noted the tight white shirt and the too-short frilly skirt, trailing his gaze down to her red heels. It matched the exact shade of her lipstick.
He wanted to ask if she’d always dressed this way, or was influenced by the guy she was dating – he remembered Sam telling him before that his sister was simple, and didn’t mix business with pleasure; that she dressed simply, too. Then he remembered the white blouse she wore yesterday, and all that alabaster cleavage peeking through. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen them – in fact, he’d seen more.
Back when he was new, and accidentally found Alex and that Nick guy going at it in the meeting room – her bent over and him fucking her from behind, minutes before their introduction meeting. She didn’t see him, concentrated as they were as he stood there with his pants down, groping her naked ass like he owned it.
That was the most awkward meeting ever – and it didn’t help that Alex had always treated him as if he was just an add-on to the team that they didn’t need, though she tried to mask it with politeness.
Logan shook his head at the memory and went back to his work.
Twenty minutes into the silence (with only his number crunching and her pencil scratching between them), she hummed a tune. His number-crunching paused as he recognized the theme to Indiana Jones, over and over again.
A few minutes later, Lucy came in. The greeting died on her lips as she saw the two busy at their designated desks, and…in peace. Not snarling at each other’s throats, which seemed to be the case lately.
“Good morning, Luce,” Alex chirped amidst her sketching. “There’s coffee in the pantry made by Logan.”
He blinked at her use of his first name.
What was wrong with her? What was she up to? Why was the snobby woman being friendly with him?
She probably needed something. The gleam in her eye before she ducked her head back at her poster confirmed as much, and had him narrowing his own.
It wasn’t until she stood up from her desk to get more coffee and her ridiculous skirt snagged in the poster that chaos ensued as paints spilled all over her shirt – and the floor.
Logan frowned, standing up.
“You’re going to have to clean that up.”
She frowned at him, but made a move to get the broom.
“And you need to pay for that.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“It was an accident.”
“And your carelessness cost our business some money.”
Her gray eyes narrowed. “Our business consists of a newbie marketing rep, a secretary slash cleaner and an uptight money pincher.”
“Sam’s going to lose money over your ways.”
Alex’s hand flew wildly on the spilled paint. “It’s freaking twenty dollars. I’ll pay for this. God.”
“Good.”
“Fine.”
“Now clean that up.”
Lucy stood up. “Guys, I’m actually the secretary slash cleaner and I’d be more than happy to clea—”
“No,” Alex and Logan said at the same time. They stared at each other intensely, locked in battle and willing the other to back down.
Then a glint came in Alex’s eyes – one Logan didn’t like.
“Fine,” she bit out. Then she was removing her paint-splattered shirt, and now stood in the middle of the room in her lacy red bra.
Lucy squeaked.
Clearing his throat, Logan turned his gaze to the ceiling.
“Prude,” Alex muttered. Then she stalked off to the pantry and shut the door.
Logan kept staring at the ceiling a few more seconds, counting sheep in his head as he tried to control the rant from erupting. He must be calm and collected. He must be in control. He must—
Something banged in the pantry, followed by another mutter about stuck up men and their absolute need to control.
Logan went off for the pantry, Lucy trailing off meek protests behind him. Her voice trailed off, registering in his mind that she’d gone back to her desk and left him alone, because he was calm.
Yes. He was calm.
Quietly, he opened the door – and found Alex with her back to him as she faced the wall and stood in her bra and…lacy red underwear. She tiptoed to reach
the cupboard, but was too short to grab the knob. Her flailing actions only made her underwear skim higher, until the bottom half of her butt was practically exposed for all the world to see.
Just like long ago, when she was being—
Logan almost spluttered at the sight, but banked down his reaction and stalked back out to get a shirt from his bag. Then he entered the pantry without preamble, ignoring her yelp of surprise and demands for him to leave.
“West! Of all the—”
He tossed her the shirt.
“Put that on.”
“Pervert,” she hissed, frantically covering her body with the shirt he handed her, but not putting it on. “I was trying to get my extra clothes on the cupboard.”
Quietly, he slid her aside and easily reached up the cupboard, putting her clothes in her hand and ignoring her sputtering. Then he turned to her and looked her levelly in her eye, refusing to look a single inch below.
Her gray eyes had darkened, a beautiful color – on a non-stubborn face.
“Let me tell you two things, Thompson.”
Alex narrowed her eyes. “If you’re getting into this awful math thing again—”
Calm. Keep calm. “Will you just listen? Please?”
The please startled her enough into silence. Cautiously, she kept it.
“One – I will never find you attractive. You’re just not my type, and I’m sure I’m not yours, so get that pervert thing out of your brain.”
She scowled, but didn’t say a word.
“Two – tell me what you want. And perhaps we can strike a deal.”
“I don’t want anything,” she protested automatically.
He let his intense stare settle on her without blinking. She met his stare second for a few seconds, but faltered at the last minute. Then…
“I want in on the Jack Malone renegotiation.”
He was right. She wanted something.
“What renegotiation?”
“The one we’re going to arrange.”
Silence.
Her eyes still held that glint, as if she had a whole lot of plans behind her head. “A movie adaptation for Sam’s and my video game. Aren’t you the least bit tempted?”
Best Friends To Lovers Romance Series: Complete Series Boxed Set Romance Page 24
