Lincoln

Chapter 3

3

VIOLET

I would pay a lot of money to see that look on Lincoln’s face again.

Letting go of his muscular hand, I turn on my thin-as-a-pin heels and take quick steps to the front. I know for a fact he’s staring at my ass, so I give it an extra wiggle.

He can kiss it.

What a dick Lincoln was for assuming I was the cleaner last night. I thought it was easier to go along with his assumption. Especially after he called me a ball-breaker.

I guess I can’t really be upset, especially since he mistook me for Lucy, the new cleaner. Honestly, I didn’t correct him either, considering I was trying to sneak in unnoticed last night. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t go quite as smoothly as I’d hoped.

To be honest, my mouth went drier than the Sahara when I laid eyes on him.

He’s so handsome. Too handsome for his own good.

Sexy, deep Scottish accent, muscles, dreamy eyes, he’s perfection. He’s clearly been soaking up the sun while he’s here; even his tan is perfect, too. And he’s deliciously dark. Everywhere. Eyes, hair, skin. He’s Italian or Greek, maybe Spanish. Whatever he is, he’s admittedly gorgeous but way too cocky for my liking.

So not my type, and I am so not his type. I bet tiny blondes are more his thing.

Casting my gaze around the room of people, I address the room. “Hello. It’s wonderful to meet you all. I am Violet West, and I am one of the operations managers at West Oracle Corporations. I’m not actually the investor, but my father, Anthony West, is.” I continue, “My job is to ensure a smooth and seamless merger and, more importantly, make sure you are all looked after.” I love my job, but I have given this same speech at least ten times already this month alone. “I’m here today to show you exactly what we have planned for S I can feel it already. “If you are worried the space we have isn’t big enough for these proposals”—I point to the presentation board again—“you’ll see this part here is an extension. That’s the building to the right of us. We have purchased that too. Urban Soul Studios will be the most sought-after gym on this side of town.”

I grab my water bottle out of my bag and take a sip of the cool liquid. “Tomorrow we will all be attending a team-building day. It’s a fabulous way for us to get to know one another, plus you will also meet my father. You have the weekend off, then, on Monday, you will start five weeks of training at our head office on the east side of town. If you have any problems with travel arrangements, please come and see me.” I take another sip of water. “I am overseeing the remodeling and will be here when the contractors are, so if you ever need to speak to me, you will find me here or via email. Does anyone have any further questions?”

Lincoln waves his shovel-sized hand in the air, which looks like the right size for spanking. Not that I would know what that is like as no one has touched me in a very long time, but the thought of Lincoln spanking me sends a wave of arousal deep in my core.

Not now, Violet.

“What about me? I’m only here on a temporary contract. Am I still required?” He tilts his head to the side, probably longing for me to say no, but because I’m a sucker for punishment, and as payback for calling me a ball-breaker, I say, “You will be my right-hand man while Rio is completing his management training. That work for you? Happy to break a sweat for me, Lincoln?”

“Sure.” His Adam’s apple bobs up and down, which has me all hot and bothered; he’s so masculine in every way.

I clear my throat and try to focus. “Great. Alright then. Today I need you all to pack up any belongings, as the moving company will be here tomorrow. I cannot wait to work with you all. As soon as you’re all set, you can leave. You have the rest of the day off. And Lincoln, can I have a word?” I call out to him across the room as I eye him scooping up his black backpack. Lincoln carries his enormous frame toward me, and I can’t help but notice his tanned, sculpted thighs.

I love a man with thick thighs.

He’s ticking boxes I didn’t know needed ticking.

And he’s tall, maybe six foot four. Nice.

Another tick.

As everyone leaves, Lincoln apologizes, “I am really sorry about last night.” He nibbles on his bottom lip as if he’s nervous.

And wow , I do love that Scottish accent of his.

“It’s fine.” I ignore the way my nipples harden against the lace of my bra when he rolls his Scottish tongue around the letter R and get back to my job . “I would like you to be here to take deliveries, flag problems, and point out any areas you think we need to improve on. Rio tells me that you know the building like the back of your hand, and you pay attention. He has nothing but good things to say about you. He trusts you. And you can grab me coffee too from time to time.”

His eyes fill with amusement. “So, I’ll be your assistant?”

“Yes, sort of,” I say playfully.

“Dry cleaning to pick up too?”

“Perhaps.” I’m testing him to see what his limits are. Apparently, nothing fazes Lincoln.

I pull my planner out of my purse.

“Is that yours?” Lincoln snorts.

I jump on the defense at my multicolored unicorn design planner. “Planners are life.” I pop a hip.

“I didn’t take you as a rainbow unicorn kind of girl.” Lincoln struggles to hold in a laugh. “Is a simple black planner not enough?”

I bug my eyes out and wave my planner in front of his face. “No one will steal this hideous thing.” That’s a bald-faced lie. I love anything brightly colored or sparkly on a planner. On weekends, you’ll find me perusing every aisle of every stationery shop within a fifty-mile radius of my house. It’s my weakness and I have at least another ten more of these bad boys in my cupboard, ready to plan the shit out of my life, all with sticky notepads, inserts, and extra customizable pages I can add in myself. What can I say? I’m a sucker for stationery.

I continue my lie to hide my obsession. “This thing sticks out like a piranha in a punch bowl. It’s not going anywhere.” I flick it open, and a photo of my beloved white teacup Pomeranian, Pom-pom, falls to the floor.

Instinctively, I crouch down to pick it up as Lincoln does the same. Our bodies tilt and our heads collide, creating a thump sound as they clash together .

I throw my hand to my now-throbbing head. “Holy Mother of God. Argh.”

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbles. “Are you okay?”

“I think I’ll live.” I wince.

“You sure? Let me have a look.”

I don’t know why, but I tip my head forward and let him part my hair to inspect my newly formed bump. “Ooooh, it’s the size of an egg already. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m used to it. I’m super accident-prone,” I whisper.

He smooths my hair back in place, much tenderer than I imagined.

Our eyes lock and some kind of weird static energy passes between us.

Tucking a strand of my long locks behind my ear, a hot shiver runs down my spine. I can’t stop looking at him. “You need arnica on that. My father swears by it,” he advises.

I become aware of his thumb brushing back and forth across the skin of my cheek. When did he cup my face?

He takes a deep breath, removes his hand, and promptly stands to his full height and I instantly miss the warmth of his touch.

I give my head a swift shake to wake me up from my Lincoln fog and go to stand up, but I end up leaning back too quickly, wobbling on my towering heels, and lose my balance completely.

It happens quicker than the flicker of a firefly.

My feet go out from beneath me and I end up flat on my back with my feet in the air. I let out a high-pitched screech as my planner flies out of my hand and the pages scatter everywhere.

Oh shit. I don’t have any panties on.

I stayed at the hotel around the corner to avoid the manic rush hour. It was the only way to ensure I would be on time for the meeting, and goddammit, I forgot to pack clean underwear.

Laying my legs flat against the floor swiftly to hide my indecency, I silently die of embarrassment. There is no way Lincoln didn’t see my freshly waxed pussy.

Closing my eyes, I throw my hands over my face to cover the hot color I feel myself turning. “Oh, my God. Please tell me you didn’t see anything.” I part my fingers slightly to peek through them to find Lincoln staring at the ceiling, his face as red as a tomato.

He saw.

“Not a thing.” He continues staring at the ceiling. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“What did you see?” I coax.

“Nothing.” He clenches his eyes shut and bites his bottom lip.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“So, why aren’t you looking at me?”

“It was in case your dress had slid up,” he splutters.

“Are you sure you saw nothing?” My body heat turns up a notch.

“Promise.” He holds out his hand. “Am I okay to look now? Can I please help you up?”

I let out a defeated sigh. I do need help. There is no way I can get up off the floor without looking like a complete fool. I push both of my arms out for him and he grabs my hands, pulling me to my feet like I’m a featherweight; I smack into his rock-hard chest and he loops an arm around my waist, which feels nice. Good.

“Hi,” he says softly.

“Thank you,” I say under my breath .

“Does anything hurt?”

“Just my ego.”

Lincoln gives me a gigantic smile. “And your egg-sized bump on your head.”

“I’d forgotten all about it.” I don’t want to let go of his hands.

“I’m a qualified first-aider. I should check you over.”

“You should.” But neither of us moves.

“I’ve never had a California girl fall at my feet before.”

“That implies lots of girls have.”

“In the past, perhaps, but not since I arrived in America. I’m on a self-inflicted sabbatical.”

My eyebrows fly up. “So, no women? Or men?” I add.

His chest rumbles as a warm and rich chuckle sounds across the quiet room. “I’m into women.”

“Right.” My voice is low and breathy. “Good to know. No women at the moment or men ever. Got it.” Why do I care?

“Do I have the day off too?” he asks, still clutching my hand in his between us.

“Yes. I was just going to give you the work schedule. It’s in my planner and outlines the workflow for the next few weeks, but I can email it to you instead if you prefer. You’ll be my right-hand man for five weeks. An extra set of hands would be beneficial to the project.”

“You’ve said that already. Beneficial for the project?” he asks as if not believing me.

“Yeah.” I blink. My eyes zone in on his lips. He’s got a beautifully defined top lip that most women would die for. “ Beneficial for the project.”

Lincoln leans in closer and just as I think he’s about to kiss me, he rests his cheek against mine. “It’s going to be a dream come true working with you now. Do you know why?”

“Why?” I feel hot all over .

He moves his lips to the shell of my ear and whispers, “Because of all the places I’ve visited on my travels, Hollywood is by far my most favorite place. I’d like to take another visit, though, maybe have a privately guided tour. I’ve already seen it once. But I’d like to get a better look. Up close.”

Shit, he means my Hollywood wax.

“You said you didn’t see.” I gasp and try to pull away, but Lincoln firmly holds me in place.

“I wasn’t lying. I saw nothing.” He releases my hands and takes a step back, then looks at me innocently. “Team building tomorrow, then?”

I simply nod because I can’t seem to make my body work.

Frozen to the spot, I watch the athletic and tanned Scottish man, who does things to my heart rate, pick up all the sections of my planner that have scattered all over the floor. He carefully places them in a neat pile on the desk to the side of us. “I’ll let you sort that out. I’m guessing you have a particular way it all goes back together.” He points at my discombobulated planner I’m secretly going to enjoy reorganizing again.

“Thank you.” I smooth my dress across my hips.

Lincoln grabs his black backpack off the floor that fell off his shoulder when we collided, and shouts back over his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Violet.”