7. Loren
7
LOREN
Y ou’ve got to be kidding me.
I clapped my lips shut, clacking my teeth with how harshly and quickly I closed my mouth. Gawking at the man who’d made me scream all night long wouldn’t be wise.
I never thought I’d see him again. I prepared to tuck the memories of him away in a safe pocket. I’d revisit the mental movie of how well he’d taken me to bliss, but only at night. Privately. In my bed. Perhaps when I wanted to get myself off to naughty memories of my one and only one-night stand.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!
I wasn’t surprised. I was floored. Blown away with pure shock. Of all the people in the world, he had to be the one striding in here? At my new workplace?
I refused to panic. I couldn’t break now. This was my new life, my big job and the first huge move I’d ever taken.
He could not show up and threaten it.
“Oh, and this is Matt.” Tom, the first coworker who’d introduced himself to me when I entered the team meeting, grabbed my elbow. Again. I couldn’t concentrate on my annoyance at his eagerness to touch me. Not now. I was too rooted in place and trying to understand why that tall, rugged sex god was here. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and did a bow, rolling his hand like he was announcing a prince. “Mr. Matthew Richards, the department head.”
Fuck. Fuck me. I mentally cringed. No, been there, done that. He already fucked me. My pussy tingled with the reminder of what his fingers and huge dick could do to me.
He wasn’t just here inexplicably.
He was my boss .
I gulped, hoping I didn’t look as distraught and panicky as I felt. My pulse skyrocketed, making me dizzy, and I worried my blood pressure would make me combust. I couldn’t breathe fast enough, but I fought not to look like I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
This was my first day. The first day! I couldn’t lose my cool and let all these people see me break apart in utter shock and dismay. Not yet.
I was only human. A woman in this position would have to react accordingly to shock, but it would’ve been nice if I had something of a poker face to rely on.
Matt stared at me, just as stuck in the surprise of seeing me.
“Cut it out,” he warned Tom without glancing at him. “Stop referring to me like I’m royalty.”
Tom chuckled, either oblivious to Matt’s cool, stern manner or so used to hearing him be harsh and scolding like this that he was now desensitized.
“Well, you are Wendy Richards’ grandson…” Tom teased.
“And I’m also your boss.” Now he cut his blue stare to the tall man who’d taken the first opportunity to welcome me to the team. “Which means we can cut out this bullshit now and get to work.”
Rupert, another marketing specialist, shoved his glasses up his nose and coughed discreetly in that way people did when they knew they had to intervene but didn’t want to. “Matt?” He gestured at me. “This is, uh, Laura Amita.” He looked at me, sheepish.
“Loren,” I corrected. Or, I tried to. A couple more attempts of clearing my throat made my voice more audible. It was still croaky when I faced Matt. Despite the furious warmth on my cheeks as I blushed, I looked him in the eye and willed away the lingering memory of the last time I peered into those blue orbs.
In bed. Under him. With him so deep inside?—
“Loren Amita,” I said louder. I nearly shouted it as a blurt to banish the direction of my thoughts.
First day or not, it was never a good idea to lust after the boss.
Be cool. You can do this. I thrust my hand out for a shake, determined to make the most of this opportunity. I was jerky, nearly punching Tom’s cup over from the edge of the table, but he chuckled and caught it.
“Nice to meet you,” I told Matt. Once I got the words out, I exhaled in relief.
“Yeah.” He looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Then he ignored my offer for a shake and headed to the front of the room.
What the hell ?
The other four men in the room raised their brows at Matt’s obvious snub. This whole experience was throwing me off, but I had no clue why he’d act like this.
Is it because he doesn’t want anyone to know he slept with someone like me? It’s not like we knew we’d be working together. We are—were—strangers!
Within a moment, one too late for realization to sink in that he wasn’t going to return my greeting gesture or introductory effort, I started to drop my arm. Wiping my sweaty palm on my skirt wouldn’t leave a smear or stain, right? I was already so anxious, put on the spot for facing my lover, that I swore I’d be showing severe pit stains on my blouse now.
Of all the bars to go to. Of all the people to encounter.
I wanted to shake my head at this incredulous turn of events. It was so damn bizarre, improbable, that if it were happening to someone else, it would’ve been hilarious.
I mean, what are the freaking odds?
“Damn,” Tom muttered as he glanced at me. Laughing quickly, he spun forward to shake my hand that remained in the air. It was a cheesy, forced gesture, bobbing my hand up and down vigorously as if to make up for Matt snubbing me. “I already met you, short stuff.”
I growled in my mind, so sick of that stupid endearment.
“But pleased to make your acquaintance again.” He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a quick, sloppy kiss on the back of it, exaggerating it with a noisy muah .
“Okay.” I tugged my hand back. He was clearly one of those class clown sort of guys. Eager to act up and be the center of attention. Goofy without cause.
As he stood, he winked, and I resisted a groan.
Okay, a class clown and a shameless flirt. Great. Just what I didn’t need.
“If you don’t mind,” Matt intoned from the head of the room. His tall frame was straight and proper as he paced at the front of the room. Hands clasped behind his back, head held high, and eyes coolly serious, he glanced at me. “We are here to work .”
I furrowed my brow, annoyed that he could be insinuating that I wasn’t. Tom was to blame. I wasn’t acting up or trying to fool around. And I’d be damned if I'd let this joker bring me down.
It was already bad that Matt was seeming so hostile toward me, but to an extent, I could understand it.
We’d agreed to make it uncomplicated. One night, just sex. No names or details. It was a huge shocker to realize that we were working together. But I wasn’t sold on excusing him for acting mad about it.
I tried to grab the chair next to Rupert, but Tom hurried to pull out another one for me. Since I didn’t want to seem rude or impolite, I nodded at him once and sat. Of course, he took the seat next to me.
Is he going to be an issue? Overly flirty? At the same time, I need to figure out how to handle my boss-slash-lover.
It sounded like a headache, and I strained to just focus. I was here for this job, and I’d be damned if I'd screw it up.
“You have all been chosen to participate on this select team. As you know, we are tasked with researching the Gammon baby product line so we can make a new pitch for a rebranding campaign for them. They had previously planned to proceed with DuPont?—”
Another specialist, an older, balding man who I thought was named Brad, booed quietly at the name of the other company.
“But they’ve since responded to my emails about proposing a pitch for them. They are shopping around.” He paused dramatically to set his hands on the edge of the conference table, looking at each of us sternly. I gulped when he set his stare on me.
“And they will choose us.”
Wow. That was either ballsy and smug or confident. I hoped the latter, because I could get on board with that go-get-’em mentality.
“We will split the responsibilities for specific directions and focal points, but we will come together to present the best possible presentation to acquire them as our newest clients.”
Rupert rubbed his chin, seeming indecisive. “Baby products?” he asked with a cringe.
Matt nodded. “It’s unfortunate that Janice has recently left us…” He sighed, pacing again.
“But hey, we got a little lady on the team!” Tom cheered loudly, patting my shoulder.
Can’t you keep your hands to yourself?
I smiled, dreading that they’d look to me for baby expertise. I was a woman, the only one on this select team, but that was it. Sure, I could carry a baby and give birth to one. But I hadn’t. I was just as clueless as any other single person. I didn’t even have friends with kids. Hell, besides Hailey, I didn’t have many friends at all.
“You’ll steer us right, huh, short stuff?”
Argh! I have a name!
He draped his arm around my shoulders, grinning and pulling me closer to him. It was an awkward pose with the high-backed chairs on wheels, and I wasn’t sure if I succeeded in masking my grimace.
“Dude, back off,” the last specialist said, a nerdy looking bearded man named Eli.
Tom laughed him off. “Short stuff can clue us in.”
“Just because she’s a woman?” Brad smirked, lifting his chin at me. “Sorry that he’s such an idiot.”
“I… I don’t have kids,” I admitted, feeling put on the spot to explain.
“Bummer.” Tom looked me up and down. “You’d make some attractive little blue-eyed blondes.” He raked his hand through his very light blond hair, as if suggesting hair color alone would make us a match.
“My eyes are green,” I said at the same time Matt blurted, “Her eyes are jade.”
I blinked, whipping forward to face him. Once more, my face heated with an instant blush. The tips of my ears had to be blazing red by now. Fluffing my hair forward, I tried to hide the evidence of my embarrassment.
Oh, God. Now they’ll know. How could he blurt out a correction on the color of my damn eyes?
I held my breath, too nervous to move.
“What?” Brad squinted at me. “Oh, yeah. They are.” He nodded, taking it in stride. Then he chuckled at me while pointing at our boss. “He’s the color expert.”
“Green?” Tom gripped my chin and turned me to face him. “Oh, okay. They are green. I was close.”
I wanted to scream. Why the hell were we talking about my damn eyes in the first place?
Flinching out of Tom’s grip, I shot him a side eye. I would reclaim my professionalism regardless of this idiot.
“Um, where were we?” I picked up my pen to resume a ready pose for taking notes. The four men seated with me had tablets, but I had yet to pick up any of my supplies and equipment.
“Don’t be shy,” Tom teased. He wasn’t taking a hint when I slid my chair away. Chasing after me, he elbowed me. “I won’t bite…” He leaned closer to whisper. “Unless you’re into that.”
“Miss Amita.”
Tom sat up straight at Matt’s loud voice.
I exhaled through my nose, looking up into the face of one frustrated and thoroughly peeved boss.
“A word,” he ordered, striding to the door.
For fuck’s sake. I shot Tom a glare as I stood. My first day, and already, I was getting the you’re in trouble tone from my superior.
He dismissed my concern with a wave and sat back in his chair.
I hurried out the door, nervous that while the four men on the team wouldn’t hear what was said in the hallway, they’d see the interaction because the walls were all glass. It was one of the first things I noticed once the HR woman showed me around the floor and brought me to my office to set my purse down. Initially, I thought it was hip. Modernistic and cool.
It made me feel exposed, now, like I couldn’t hide from Matt.
Matt.
His name suited him, firm and serious, yet classic and handsome too.
He was just as bristly out here as he was in the conference room, but I refused to let his antagonistic nature get to me.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I gaped at him. “You hired me.”
“John did.”
The HR guy? “Yes, technically. He handled the correspondence of my employment offer.”
That told me enough about how involved of a boss or manager Matt was, though. He had no clue who had been coming here to join the team. I supposed when someone got as big and important as him, the details about the minions didn’t matter.
“I mean in there.” He pointed at the glass wall. In unison, the four men on the team looked away, caught red-handed watching.
“I’m trying to learn about the project I’ll be researching.” I crossed my arms, fueled by this growing need to stand up to him. “So, if we could please resume?”
He took one step closer, and that was all he needed to really lord over me. Looking down his nose, he almost smirked. “Are you here just to pick up men?”
My jaw dropped. My resolve to argue with him cracked a bit. “ What ?”
“Last night, you acted all doe eyed and innocent,” he started.
I reached up closer to whisper hotly in his face, “You didn’t mind me in your bed.”
“And then you come here to goof around with one of my marketing specialists?”
I choked on air. “Tom?” I couldn’t believe this. “Are you blind ? I just met him. Why would I be trying anything with him?”
“That didn’t stop you from considering a one-night stand last night.”
I glowered at him, wishing I could wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze. “How dare you throw that back in my face. You wanted it too!”
I glanced around, worried someone could overhear.
“I need you to stop this. Whatever the hell you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’ve given Tom no encouragement,” I stated firmly. I’d be damned if I was already in trouble on day one. “I literally just met him. Scold him. Not me.”
“Don’t tell me how to lead my team.” He pointed in my face.
“Don’t tell me that I’m the problem.” I pointed right back at him, feverish to act on this threatening but useless gesture. Why did it feel so good to point at someone like this? It wasn’t as if daggers could shoot out of my fingers. And I wanted them to. The idea of fighting back with Matt would settle this score he was determined to start between us.
Why he somehow saw me as the enemy, I had no clue. But I wasn’t backing down.
“Are you here to work or not?”
“Yes.” I lowered my hand and fisted it so I would better resist the urge to grip the front of his shirt and… and…
Not kiss him.
To slap him. Shove him. Something.
“Clearly, you’ve got issues with the coincidence that we slept together. Had I known who you were and that you’d be my boss, I never would’ve given you a second glance.”
His eyes turned flinty as he slid his jaw, making the muscles clench.
“I’ve already forgotten about last night,” I lied. “Let’s move on, shall we?”
I gestured at the glass door. Once more, the four teammates in the conference room hurried to look away, caught watching us.
“I’m here to work, nothing more,” I said, glad that I was stern enough to sound snarky, but not bitchy.