Her Christmas Wish ; Designed by Love

by Sherelle Green

  “Will we be working under you?” Wade asked.

  “No. I just handle the business. I leave the other stuff to the engineers.” Everyone chuckled. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Serita turned her attention to the paperwork. That was one thing she hated about starting a new job. It seemed as if employers wanted to know everything except the color of someone’s underwear. With all these papers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did ask.

  “Okay, everybody. If you’re done, you can pass your papers to the end of the table. I want to introduce you to Jeremy Hunter.”

  Her head snapped up and she gasped. Jeremy seemed to notice her at the same time and his eyes widened for a brief moment before he schooled his features.

  “How about you go around the table and introduce yourselves.”

  As usual, Wade jumped in first. Not only did he provide his name, he launched into a brag session of all the places he’d worked.

  Jeremy cut him off. “We’ve gone through the résumés, so just a name will suffice for now.” He reached out and shook Wade’s hand.

  The two other men introduced themselves as Darryl Ross and Scott Aldridge, and Jeremy repeated the gesture.

  When it came to her turn, he came and stood so close to her she could feel the heat from his body mingling with her own, bringing with it memories of their week in Madrid. “Serita Edwards.”

  “Ms. Edwards.”

  Instead of the quick shake he’d done with the others, Jeremy held her hand a little longer and circled his thumb over the back of her hand. To keep from grabbing him down for the kiss she wanted to give him, she pulled back and folded her hands in her lap.

  A slight smile curved his lips, as if he knew the effect his touch had on her. “Chris will start, then I’ll give you a general overview of our projects. Afterward, I’ll meet with you individually to determine where you’ll best fit. You will only be working on existing projects, so please note that there is a form that you’ll need to sign stating you understand our policy on design changes.”

  He spoke that last sentence while looking directly at Serita. Her pulse skipped. How was she going to get through the next thirty days working with him without wanting to be in his arms? How was she going to get through this first meeting with him?

  Chapter 6

  Jeremy could hardly contain his excitement, knowing that Serita would be working with him. He didn’t need a month to know she would fit in with his company. He spent about half an hour detailing the various projects before talking with each person individually. He got good vibes from everyone except Wade. The man acted like he was the only one in the room with an engineering degree. Jeremy could tell right off that Mr. Brewer would be looking for employment elsewhere. Chris had also mentioned that Wade had jumped in front of Serita to introduce himself out in the lobby. Any man who disrespected a woman had no place in Jeremy’s business. Typically, he would have had Serita introduce herself first, with her being the only woman in the room. However, saving her for last had been selfish in nature and given him time to linger over her nearness.

  When she walked into his office, it took every ounce of control to stand there, when all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and show her just how much he had missed her. “How are you, baby?”

  “A little shocked to be honest.” Serita sat in one of the chairs opposite his desk and perched on the edge.

  “Join the club,” Jeremy said with a laugh. “I thought you were moving back at the end of the month. You should’ve called me, so I could help you.”

  “Things went kind of fast and I know you were busy. I had planned to call you tonight and let you know, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.”

  “I guess so.” He waged an inner battle with himself for several seconds. Unable to take it any longer, he rounded the desk and gently pulled Serita to her feet. “I know this is work and I’m going do my best to be professional around you, but I have to kiss you right now.”

  She studied him, then held up a finger. “One kiss, Jeremy. One time and that’s it.”

  It was all he needed to hear. He traced a finger down her cheek and over her mouth. It had taken her just four days to get under his skin. Jeremy lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers once, twice. Her lips parted on a breathless sigh and he captured her mouth in an intoxicating kiss, feeding from the sweetness inside. He sat on the desk and pulled her to stand between his legs. He deepened the kiss while his hands roamed down her spine and over the roundness of her backside. It took a minute, but he finally ended the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers and their ragged breathing echoed in the office.

  “We can’t do this,” she whispered.

  “Maybe not here, but as soon as the workday ends, you’re mine.”

  Serita’s gaze flew to his.

  The panicked look in her eyes gave him pause. “You didn’t change your mind about us seeing each other, did you?”

  “No. I just don’t want to mess up this job opportunity.”

  “You won’t.”

  “How long have you worked here?”

  Jeremy debated whether to tell her the truth. She might change her mind about them. In the end he decided to be honest. “Since the day the doors opened three years ago.”

  “You know the owner well, then?”

  He smiled. “From the day I was born.”

  She stared at him in confusion.

  “HJ Robotics is my baby.”

  “You own this company?” Serita shook her head. “Nooo. I can’t work here.”

  He frowned. “Why not? You’re qualified.”

  She placed a hand on her hip and lifted a brow. “You’re going to be the person deciding which of us stays after thirty days, right?”

  “Yes,” he answered slowly.

  “Exactly my point.”

  It dawned on him what she meant. “You think I’ll give you special preference because of our relationship.”

  “Yes.”

  “Serita, this is my business, my livelihood. I worked my butt off to get to this point. Don’t think for one minute I’d do anything to jeopardize that. Now, I will admit I’d like to have you working with me because I believe you would be a great asset to the company, but I promise to judge you on your work only.” At her skeptical look, he added, “I’ll even put it in writing, if you want.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, baby.” He nuzzled her neck.

  “See, this right here will have me walking out the door now.”

  Jeremy set her away from him and placed his hands behind his back. “Then I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  “And your lips.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but her look made it clear there was no point arguing. “Fine. And I’ll keep my lips to myself...between eight and five.”

  A smile spread across her lips. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m sure I can come up with a few ideas.”

  She pointed to his chair. “The only idea you’re going to be coming up with right now is telling me which project you’re assigning me to. You’re on the clock, Mr. Hunter, so let’s get to work.”

  He couldn’t do anything but smile and do as she asked. Once seated behind his desk, he told her about the three project areas—a surgical arm, a console that incorporated the robots, instrumentation and other technologies, and a surgical system that would be used for eye surgery. “The latter has the closest deadline, so I’d like you to work on that one.”

  “Who else is working on the project?”

  He chuckled inwardly, knowing what she was getting at. “What you really want to know is if I’m working on the project, right?”

  Serita dropped her gaze briefly. “Yes.”

  “You don’t think we can wo
rk together?” Jeremy stood, came around the desk and took the chair next to her. “I happen to believe we’ll work very well together. And I already promised you I’ll be good while we’re on the clock.” They shut down at five and his staff was usually out the door right at that time. He, on the other hand, often stayed late. Maybe he could interest Serita in a little overtime—work and play. He rose to his feet and extended his hand. “Come on. Let me introduce you to Elena, and she’ll put you to work.”

  She placed her hand in his and he helped her to her feet. “Thank you. I’m still not sure how I feel about this whole thing, but I will do my best to help you get your robot done on time.”

  “I have no doubt about that.” He lifted his hand to touch her cheek, then remembered the agreement and let it drop to his side. He crossed the room, opened the door and gestured her forward. On the way to her assigned project, he pointed out the different work areas, bathrooms and break room. He stopped at a door at the end of the hall. “This is where you’ll work.” He led her over to the worktable where his two engineers stood. Both looked up at Jeremy’s entrance. “Elena Arevalo and Shane Meyers, this is Serita Edwards. She’ll be working with us, hopefully for a long time to come.”

  “Hallelujah! Finally, you hired somebody with a brain,” Elena said in her Spanish-accented English. “Welcome, Serita.”

  Shane snorted. “Hey, I’m the only one in here with one. Glad to have you, Serita.”

  Jeremy met Serita’s wary gaze and shook his head. “Serita, don’t pay them any attention. It’s never a dull moment with these two around.” He told them, “Try not to scare Serita off before lunch, please.”

  Elena waved him off. “Oh, we’ll be fine.” She beckoned Serita over and said in a loud whisper, “The only one who’s scary is that big man behind you.”

  “Sabes que puedo oírte, Elena?”

  “Of course I know you can hear me.” She snorted. “I don’t want you to think I talk about you behind your back.”

  Serita laughed. “I think I’m going to enjoy working here.”

  He stared down at her. “I hope so.” Because he was looking forward to working with her and more.

  * * *

  Serita enjoyed working with Elena and Shane. Contrary to Elena’s teasing, Shane did have a brain, a highly intelligent one. He reminded her a little of Chris Hemsworth—minus the Thor muscles. Both had a wealth of knowledge, and she could see why Jeremy had hired them. It took Serita a short time to get her bearings, but by late afternoon, she was up to speed. The high-precision hybrid design would provide exceptional steadiness of the instrument while allowing surgeons to maintain close contact with a patient. She got so engrossed in her task that she had to suppress her disappointment when the day ended. She hadn’t been this excited since her first job.

  “If I get a vote, I say Jeremy needs to keep you forever,” Shane said as they locked up. “I know you mentioned being out of the field for a few years, but you could never tell.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  Elena patted Serita’s arm. “You’ll definitely get my vote. We need another woman around here to keep these men in line. Have a nice evening.”

  “You do the same. See you guys in the morning.” She smiled. Not bad for a first day. Over lunch, Serita had learned that the fortysomething-year-old Elena had gone back to school and got her engineering degree a decade ago, after her youngest child turned three. It made Serita think about the conversation she and Gabby had had the night before. If Elena could juggle marriage, children and an intensive degree program, surely Serita could do it. If it ever happened. Automatically her thoughts shifted to Jeremy. Where would they end up? She didn’t even want to contemplate how awkward it would be if he hired her permanently, then sometime down the road their relationship fizzled out. She’d be back at square one because no way would she be able to see him every day and remember how it had felt to be with him. As it stood now, she was going to have a hard time keeping her hands to herself. Serita had extracted a promise from Jeremy and she needed to be sure to abide by her own rules, no matter how tempting it was to touch or kiss him.

  Instead of heading to her car, she went back down the hall to see if Jeremy was still there. She poked her head in the open door and saw him seated behind his desk and working on his computer. She knocked. “Are you busy?”

  Jeremy grinned. “Nope. Just playing an online Jeopardy! game while I wait for you.”

  “Are you any good?”

  “Of course I’m good. I can wipe the floor with you anytime.” He spread his arms. “We can do it right now.”

  Serita chuckled. “Hmm, tempting, but maybe some other time.”

  “What? You scared?” he teased.

  She rolled her eyes. “Please.” She found herself enjoyed the silly bantering between them.

  “So how was the first day?”

  “It went pretty well. I think I’m going to like working with Elena and Shane.”

  “They’re cool peeps. That’s why I hired them. I had a few classes with Shane back in undergrad and we kept in touch over the years. He had gotten downsized from the other company where he worked just as I was launching mine, so I took that as a sign.”

  “What about Elena?”

  “I met her when I went back for my doctorate. She was just returning after having her kids and I tutored her for a couple of classes. My love of Mexican food is because of her. I wouldn’t take any money from her, so she repaid me by fixing some of the best enchiladas, tamales and tacos I’ve ever eaten.” He smiled as if remembering. “She told me I was too old to be her son, so she’d think of me as a younger brother.”

  Serita laughed softly. “I like her.”

  “She’s special. At one point, she had been discouraged about her ability to get through the program.”

  “I can understand. It’s no joke.” She had spent her fair share of nights, fussing, cussing and crying. But she had made it through near the top of her class.

  “I told her she could do it and promised her that whenever I started my company I would hire her.”

  “And you made good on that promise.” She was liking this man more and more. He appeared to be almost perfect, but no one could hold that title. He must have some faults.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Just that you seem to be too good to be true. You’re generous, a gentleman, you tutor people for free... Everybody has at least one blemish.”

  Jeremy burst out laughing. “Oh, I have a few. I can be pretty anal at times, especially when it comes to my business. I’ve been known to stick my foot in my mouth a time or two. I work toward perfection and I expect everyone around me to do the same.”

  “Nobody’s perfect, Jeremy.”

  “You’re right, and I remind myself of that daily so I don’t walk in one morning and find that everybody’s quit.” He pushed back from the desk. “Come here, for a minute.”

  The look in his eyes left no doubt in her mind what he wanted. She told herself they were still at the job, but somehow her feet missed the memo and she ended up right where he wanted her—on his lap. “Jeremy—”

  “It’s five twenty, baby, well past professional hours,” he murmured as he trailed kisses along her jaw and throat. “I know it might sound crazy, but you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

  She wanted to tell him that yes, it sounded crazy, but she had missed him, too. But the sensations evoked by the heated kisses and slow pass of his hands down her body stacked up like lightning and made speech impossible. The best she could manage was a soft moan. She slid her hand up his magnificent chest and over his strong arms and heard his own groan of pleasure.

  “I guess this is one way to ensure you get past the thirty-day trial period.”

  Serita’s eyes snapped open and she tried to jump off Jeremy’s lap. “Let me up,” she whispered through clenche
d teeth. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid.

  “You’re fine right here, sweetheart. Chris already knows about you.”

  Her gaze flew to his, then Chris’s.

  Chris angled his head and lifted a brow. “Ah, no, I don’t think I do.”

  “My mystery woman from Madrid,” Jeremy said.

  Chris’s mouth fell open. “Oh, damn, you hired your... I mean, did you know she was one of the candidates?”

  “No, and remember you did the ranking.” To Serita, he said, “We rank each person by education, experience, leadership skills without knowing who they are. I have Nicole remove the name and gender before giving it to us.”

  She felt a measure of relief knowing that he hadn’t tried to manipulate the situation. She’d had enough of that from a previous relationship.

  “Well, you can thank me for your good fortune by giving me a raise,” Chris said with a wide grin, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded.

  Jeremy shot him a glare. “Get out of my office.”

  “See how bossy he is, Serita?”

  Serita just smiled. “I’m not in this. In fact, I have to go.”

  “You don’t have to leave. I was—” Jeremy glanced over at Chris. “Do you mind?”

  “Oh, my bad. See you in the morning, Serita.” He tossed her a bold wink and departed.

  “This is why you never hire your best friends.”

  “How long have you been friends?” she asked.

  “Middle school. Sometimes I think we’ve been friends too long,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you want to have dinner?”

  “I already made plans with my friend Gabby. She’s letting me stay with her until I find a place. Can we do it another time?”

  “Sure. Do you want to go out or eat in?”

  “Whichever you prefer.” She knew he wouldn’t consider letting her pay, so she left the choice up to him. Serita didn’t want him to think she was one of those women who liked to spend a man’s money.