“In other words, you and Chad don’t go way back,” Ginger said. “You can’t lie to me and think I don’t pick up on things. I’m a hairdresser. You forget. I listen to people’s bullshit all the time.”
“What’s Dr. Forster doing to you?” Honey’s voice was consoling. “Is he harassing you?”
“He thinks he saw me first because he bid on me at the Dance Auction,” Amber admitted. “He’s offering me a great opportunity to do joint research with him and he’s going to put my name on a paper, but he keeps touching me and acting like we’re a couple.”
“Did you tell him his advances were unwanted?” Honey asked.
“Yes, I told him I wanted to be professional, and he apologized, but the next day, he seems to forget and start over again.”
“So, what’s the deal with Chad?” Candi asked. “Does Dr. Forster not respect your relationship with him?”
“He doesn’t,” Amber replied. “He keeps hinting I would do better to choose him—that he is a senior researcher and I would go far with him, but that Chad is an unknown quantity.”
“That sounds like a threat to me,” Honey said. “He’s pressuring you to have a sexual relationship with him. You have to report him to Mason.”
Amber cringed and her hands shook. “I told him ‘no’ when he kissed me in the parking lot, but I don’t want to piss him off. He chose me and Chad to accompany him to Haiti.”
“That was what Helen was referring to,” Candi said. “How did she know so much?”
“Obviously one of our coworkers told her. Maybe one of them also saw me and Chad having dinner in the lab last night.”
“Were you making out at the workplace?” Ginger asked. “Or was that only on Klein Hill?”
“We kind of got carried away,” Amber admitted. “We made up and it was very emotional.”
“Okay, if you want to persist with the story,” Ginger said. “Whatever, I’m happy for you.”
“Mom’s going to be so happy,” Candi added. “She’s been worried you’d never go on a date—that you’re so brilliant you’re overqualified for most men.”
“That’s such an antiquated concept!” Amber exclaimed. “There’s no law that says men have to be smarter than women.”
The motel’s door opened and shut, and Chad was back. He raised his eyebrows and Amber put her finger over her lips to signal him to be quiet.
“Fine, you’ve got yourself quite a catch,” Ginger said and her other two sisters agreed. “When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know if I should,” Amber said. “Maybe Dr. Forster did put me on the team because he has the hots for me. Maybe it isn’t fair, and Samantha or Harrison should have gotten the spot. I’m only the geneticist. They have actual crops and pests they’re working on.”
“You can’t quit now,” Candi exclaimed. “Don’t make any rash decisions.”
“You’re the most important one, you told me,” Ginger said. “They can’t run their projects without you.”
“Right,” Honey chimed in. “Max says he’s had some discussions with Mason. He’s been looking at offering another round of financing, and Max has been advising him. The fact he has a geneticist raises the value of his company significantly. It means they don’t have to outsource and wait for the turnaround time.”
“I, uh, Chad is back,” Amber said. “I don’t know if I can show my face in a town where everyone thinks I’m a slut.”
She hung up over her sisters’ protests, and shut off her phone.
“Amber.” Chad sat down on the bed next to her, wrapping her in his arms. “The entire town is wrong. If you leave, I’m leaving too.”
Amber jerked in his arms and turned to face him. “You can’t quit. You’re the golden boy of microbes.”
“I can and I will.” Chad stroked her cheek. “I had an offer out in California, and they said if I ever change my mind, they’d snap me up. I’m sure they can take you, too. They’re actually a biotechnology company specializing in genetic engineering. You’ll do well there.”
“You’d leave Sapphire Falls for me? Even though we’re only pretending to be in a relationship?”
His eyes darkened and half of a grin twitched one side of his face. “I’m not pretending. Truth be told, I’ve been waiting all my life for you. I just wasn’t brave enough to take the first step.”
Amber was knocked speechless, but then again, she didn’t need to speak because his lips joined with hers, and she melted into a deep and hungry kiss.
She wasn’t pretending either, and now that she’d been exposed to the sweet, brave, and confident Chad, she didn’t want anything to ever come between them.
California sounded great, as long as the two of them could be together. She’d dreamed about him for a very long time, and now, everything was within reach.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kissing and caressing Amber was a privilege Chad hadn’t expected to enjoy so soon. Being on the bed with her at the roadside inn was beyond tempting, and for a wild moment, he considered taking everything he’d always wanted—no limits.
Except she was vulnerable. Hurt. She’d been shamed in front of the entire town and driven from a job she loved. She was reacting and letting loose, wanting him as a balm to soothe her wounded soul.
Her hands traced fire across his body and made his blood pump with passion, but if he didn’t back off in another two, three, four seconds, he’d lose all sense of reason and end up hurting her, or at least making life more complicated for her.
He had to push back, despite the hormonal flood urging him to claim every moan, every stroke of pleasure, and every sigh from her sweet lips.
More important than pleasure was the fact that he was the one person she turned to, even ahead of her own family. She trusted him to take care of her—of her situation, and she needed him to be the stronger one between them.
“Amber, I don’t know if I can stop,” he gasped, his hands busy untucking her blouse and stroking her smooth, soft skin.
“Let whatever happens, happen,” she moaned with pleasure as he cupped her breast. “It’s not like my reputation can get any worse.”
“Whoa there.”
Her words were like an ice bucket full of cold water poured over his head. He wasn’t about to get the blame when and if she decided she regretted going too far with him.
“I’m not taking advantage of you. That’s not what I’m here for.” He tensed his muscles to put a few inches of distance from her. “I’ve waited my entire life for you to trust me, and I’m not going to blow it with a one night stand.”
“Is this all this is? A one-nighter?”
“You tell me.” He propped himself next to her and wiped a strand of her silky hair over her ear. “We were talking about life-changing decisions. Quitting IAS and going to California. What I want with you is more than this bed, this roadside inn, this night.”
“What do you want?”
“You, as my equal partner in life.” He fiddled with a lock of her hair, twisting it around his finger. “If you want me.”
“I do want you.” Her eyes were luminous, reflecting the lamp behind him. “I just don’t know if you’re settling for me, and I can’t stand the thought of ruining your career.”
“You can’t ruin it unless you refuse to work with me,” Chad explained. “I didn’t accept the job with IAS until Mason said you were on board. He promised me twenty-five percent of your time. If we go to California, we go in as a team—a package deal. Then no one can separate us.”
She pursed her lips, shaking her head slightly. “One of the reasons I came to Sapphire Falls was to be close to my sisters. I grew up in a broken home with Candi and Honey on the West Coast, and my parents won’t speak to each other. I keep hoping that somehow, with all of us in the middle of America, my parents will have to meet us in the middle and eventually get over whatever is bugging them.”
“So you had reasons other than IAS to settle here.” He swallowed and wet his lips.
“On the other hand, if I go to California, I’ll be closer to Mom.” She blinked and eased back onto the pillow, raising her arms above her head and sighed. “I don’t know what to do. My entire family’s going to be at Candi’s wedding this Sunday—in Sapphire Falls. It’s going to be on Klein Hill at sunrise, followed by lunch at the Come Again. Candi and Troy didn’t want a big to-do, so the reception will be at the gazebo and the party would be the street dance. Troy’s a hometown boy, and he knows everyone in town, so it would have been hard to limit the reception to the community center or the church foyer.”
“In other words, we have to face the town whether we stay or go.” Chad clasped her hand, and their fingers interlaced.
“Mason’s going to want to keep you,” she said, turning to gaze into his eyes. “He’s not going to let you go so easily. Maybe you should stay.”
“He’s going to want to know why you’re quitting. You know he isn’t going to let you go either.”
“But he’s friends with Dr. Forster. They went to school together.”
“You’ll have to tell him the truth.” Chad pulled her into his arms so that her head rested on his shoulder. “Even if you get away, what’s to stop Dr. Forster from hitting on another woman who works there?”
Amber shuddered in his arms. “It’s going to be his word against mine, and my reputation will be ruined beyond Sapphire Falls. Dr. Forster knows so many people. He’s an endowed chair, and he’s also on the board that oversees NIH grants.”
“I know, but ruining your career because he can’t keep his hands to himself is so unfair.”
“It is, but at least we have everything out in the open now.” She rubbed circles over his chest. “Thank you, Chad. Thank you for believing in me.”
Her words made him feel like a hero. He laid a kiss on her forehead and peered into her eyes. “Thank you for curing my stuttering. I’m not nervous around you anymore.”
“You’re more confident,” she said. “And that’s hot—hotter than cowboy boots, monster trucks, and all the chicken fried steak you can eat.”
O-okay … so she wasn’t quite as articulate as a country singer, but he’d take all the heat he could get.
Chapter Twenty-Two
If Chad was brave enough to overcome his stuttering, then Amber wasn’t going to wimp out without a fight. The next morning, she pulled on her game face and asked Chad to drive her back to Sapphire Falls.
Why should she run away as if she were guilty? The worst had already happened. By now, Mason had no doubt heard all the rumors and he had a right to know what was going on under his nose.
Unfortunately, as they got closer to IAS, Amber’s nerves jittered and her stomach clenched with queasiness, despite her resolve.
“You going to be okay?” Chad gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Remember to look him in the eye. No fear.”
“No fear.” She leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you on my side.”
The sweet, country boy grin he gave her was both rakish and endearing. Chad Powers had really come out of his shell—driving around in a bright red pickup, relaxed and drawling instead of stuttering, as kind and wholesome as a cowboy in shining armor.
“Go get them.” He gave her behind a tap as she alighted from the truck.
She walked the last block to her office, not wanting to be too obvious about who she’d spent the night with. Not that they’d had sex or anything. No, the intercourse they’d had was much deeper—a meeting of the minds and hearts.
They’d talked way into the night, each on their separate beds, shared hopes and dreams, and reminiscences of their teenage and college days.
Strange how he remembered things different from her. It had opened her eyes to how blind she’d been—overlooking such a gem of a man who was right under her nose.
“Well, well, well,” Samantha said with a smirk as Amber entered the lab. “If it isn’t the Festival Queen in the flesh.”
Amber walked by her without acknowledging her. She’d thought of Samantha as a friend—someone she could relate to, and it had stung when Samantha turned against her.
But this was business, and there were only so many slots to go around.
Harrison and Kiran stopped what they were doing to stare at her. They’d obviously formed an opinion about her, and no amount of “proving herself” would change it.
She would just have to not care.
Appearing more confident than she felt, she sent an email to Mason, requesting a meeting.
“How’s the Festival King doing this morning?” Samantha brushed by her. “Did you give him the royal treatment?”
“You should try it some time.” Amber read Mason’s reply and closed her laptop. “Meanwhile, I have important business to discuss with Mason and Dr. Forster.”
With her head held high, she marched past the gauntlet of jealous coworkers and knocked on Mason’s office door.
“Come in,” he said, and when she opened the door, her breath hitched. Adrianne and Dr. Forster were both seated around Mason’s round table.
A box of sweets sat on the table with her name written on it. In her haste to escape the night before, she must have dropped it near the gazebo.
Adrianne poured her a mug of hot coffee. “Sugar and cream?”
“Black, thanks,” Amber said, taking the only empty seat which was between Mason and Adrianne. It left her facing Dr. Forster, who wasn’t quite meeting her gaze.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” Adrianne said. “Mason asked me to take on the Human Resources role and to be a witness.”
Witness? Was she being fired? About to be escorted out with a box of sweets she paid for the night before?
But no, if they did that, they’d be wrong. She’d been sexually harassed, and she had every right to be heard—either here or in court.
Mason broke open a different box of sweets. “Would you like a bear claw or an almond roll?”
“I’ve already had breakfast, thanks,” Amber said, meeting his gaze square on. “I suppose we’re here to talk about what happened last night.”
“Yes, and no,” Mason said, clearing his throat. He tugged at his collar and folded his hands, staring at them. “Vic, I mean, Dr. Forster here, has come to me with a disturbing report.”
Amber glared at the other scientist who squirmed in his seat. He avoided her gaze.
“He’s concerned about some rumors that have been flying around, and he’s set me straight this morning.” Mason was clearly uneasy about being the bearer of slander, but he should have given her a fair chance to tell her side—not gang up on her along with his wife.
“Hold it.” Amber pushed from the table so hard she sloshed coffee from her mug. She stood and stared at Mason, then Dr. Forster. “I’m the one with a complaint. If you’re going to pile on me and accuse me of whatever rumors you’ve heard, then you have to let me tell my side of it, or I’ll be happy to have my lawyer speak to you.”
“That’s not necessary.” Adrianne put her hand on Amber, then withdrew it quickly. “We’re not accusing you of anything.”
Amber wasn’t going to be deterred. “Fine, then since you’re acting as HR, let me file a complaint. I’ve been receiving unwanted attention and veiled threats from Dr. Forster since the night of the Dance Auction. At first, I didn’t mind dancing with him when he bid on me. But after that, I told him I wanted to stay professional. He agreed, but the very next day, he continued to flirt with me.”
“Amber, it’s not—” Mason tried to cut in.
“No, hear me out. Dr. Forster can disagree, but this is my point of view,” Amber said. “He’s told me that he can help my career, that he’s better for my career than Chad Powers who is an unknown quantity, and he was upset when he caught Chad and me in the lab having a romantic dinner. He made threats to both me and Chad, wielding his power as a senior researcher. When I told him Chad and I had been dating since college, he still wasn’t
deterred. Last night, he insisted on buying me a wood-burned plaque with our names on it, as if we were a couple, commemorating our time in Sapphire Falls. He’s ruined my reputation, because Samantha, Harrison, and Kiran believe I was chosen to go to Haiti because I had something going on with him.”
“Right,” Mason said. “And it pains me.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Riley,” Amber said, using Mason’s formal title. “It pains me, too, but I don’t see a way for me to fix my reputation by staying at IAS. I’m resigning after I run those samples for Dr. Forster and prepare his report on the water-borne parasites.”
“Amber, it’ll be okay.” Adrianne gestured to her to return to her seat. “Dr. Forster has confessed and he’s sorry.”
“He is?” Amber blinked and gaped at the crestfallen Dr. Forster. “But how? Why? What happened?”
“We’ll let Vic tell you,” Mason said. “You can decide whether you want to continue working with us or not. We’d hate to see you go, in fact, we would beg you to stay. Vic realizes how much of our business he jeopardized after seeing you run off last night. Hear him out.”
It was only fair for her to listen to him, even though she couldn’t stomach the thought of being in the same room as him. Men like him could be faking his contrition because he was caught. But then, everyone deserved the benefit of the doubt.
She took her seat and sipped her coffee, inhaling the aroma to calm her nerves. Adrianne offered her a bear claw, and this time she broke off a tiny piece and let the sweet almond paste melt on her tongue.
Dr. Forster wrung his hands and stared at the tabletop. “I apologize for not respecting your boundaries. I can’t say I’m sorry for being deeply attracted to you, but it was wrong of me to push you after you made it clear to me that you weren’t interested. I admit everything you said, and I’m sure the town gossips have seen and heard everything I’ve done. You and Chad witnessed me at my worst when I threatened you two—an abuse of power. I promise this won’t happen again.”
Sapphire Falls: Going Gets Hot (Kindle Worlds Novella) (My Country Heart Book 4) Page 13
