Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
BANE
M yers wasn’t at her desk when I arrived the next morning. I wondered if she was still angry with me. She had every right to be. Once again, I had crossed the line with her in the office, and then I had been the one angry. It wasn’t her fault. I kept condoms at my condo that were safe for me to use. I usually had a few in my private bathroom in case I was seeing someone. But it had been a while, and I hadn’t thought to stock up.
I wondered how Myers would feel if I asked her to order some for me, telling her my preferred brand but letting her pick out the style. Ribbed. Intense pleasure dots. They had a few choices. I wasn’t sure about the glow-in-the-dark variety, but she could check it out and we could try the whole adult magic show thing. Or the lightsaber trick. Whichever she preferred.
But first, I had to smooth things over, man up, and apologize.
I was on the phone when she walked in, carrying coffee and a small cello-wrapped package that she slid onto my desk. I watched her from across the room, where I was leaning by the window as I spoke to one of my favorite garden centers about some special shrubs I would need for the resort. She slid the package closer to the center of the desk, then hesitated and pulled the card I could see out of the cellophane and slid it into her pocket. She turned, briefly meeting my eyes before going back to her desk, shutting the door behind her.
She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. And all the light was gone from her expression. I shut my eyes at the sight of her anxiety. I finished my call and headed to my desk, sitting down. I winced a little as the fabric pulled over my groin. Sam was right, and the area was still rather sensitive. At least all the swelling was gone. Curious, I opened the package, revealing a flower arrangement made from fruit. Melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and strawberries had been fashioned into flowers, creating an edible feast for the eyes. I shook my head even as I smiled. I pushed the intercom, waiting as Myers answered.
“Yes, Mr. Bane?”
“I need the Clarkson budget and for you to come into my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, she came in, handing me the file. She sat down, opening her ever-present notebook, and waited expectantly. I studied her for a moment. She was wearing one of my favorite outfits, the moss-green lacy blouse and layered skirt in varied hues of the same green, complementing her coloring. Her gaze was fixed on her notebook, but I noticed a tremble in her hand.
“How are you…Magnolia?” I asked quietly.
Her eyes lifted to mine in surprise.
“I owe you a huge apology.” I kept talking. “I shouldn’t have snapped, and I shouldn’t have told you to leave.”
“You were angry.”
I tilted my head. “I was in pain, and I wasn’t thinking straight. It wasn’t your fault. We needed a condom, you had one, and I didn’t check. I was too caught up in the moment. In you.” I paused. “In us.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I know that. And I’m sorry. I should have called you last night, but I was afraid you’d hang up on me.”
“Your, ah, friend helped?”
“Yes. His medical office is two buildings down. Sam and I have known each other for years. We met in college and have stayed in close touch. He gave me a shot and some cream, which helped. Then he teased me mercilessly, and we went for a beer.” I waited until she met my eyes again. “I told him all about you.”
“Oh.”
“He thinks you’re good for me. Aside from the kill-me-with-a-condom thing.”
Her eyes widened. “You could have died?” Her voice rose as she spoke, her horror evident.
“Sorry, I was teasing. Some people have severe reactions.”
She gaped at me. “I saw your dick. That looked pretty severe.”
Simply hearing her say dick made mine twitch. I ignored it—I wasn’t ready for that yet. But hopefully soon.
“It was bad, but it’s all fine. I am fine.” I waited. “Are we fine?”
“Yesterday was inappropriate.”
“We seem to excel at inappropriate,” I agreed.
“I’m not sure what we are.”
I sighed. “Neither am I. But I would like to talk to you about it. How about tonight, you come to dinner at my place? We’ll order in and talk.”
She nodded.
I indicated the edible arrangement. “Thank you for this.”
She pursed her lips. “I wasn’t sure on the proper protocol when you make someone’s dick swell up that way or their balls turn that shade of purple. I already make you sandwiches. Flowers seemed too girly. Fruit felt like the way to go.”
I began to chuckle. “Good plan, Magnolia.”
She stood. “I’ll go back to my desk now.”
I rose out of my chair, going to the front of the desk. I leaned against the wood and trailed my fingers down her cheek. “Everything is okay, you know that?”
“Yes.”
“I’m fine.”
“Good.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“Put the fruit in the fridge, and we’ll have some after lunch, okay? I have meetings all day.”
“I know,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “I take care of your schedule.”
I leaned close and brushed my lips on hers. “You take good care of it.”
I felt the tremble of her mouth, and I kissed her again. “Everything is good, Myers,” I whispered. “As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
“I’m good.” She turned to go, but I caught her hand.
“I want my card.”
“Card?” she repeated.
“The one you took from the fruit.”
“Oh, it was just the bill.”
I pulled her close and slid my hand into her pocket, holding up the small envelope. “Liar.”
“Give it back! I decided it wasn’t appropriate.”
Holding it aloft, I moved back to my side of the desk, sitting down. “And as I said, we excel at inappropriate.”
I opened the card, staring at the words.
Roses are red,
Your dick was too,
Sorry about the condom,
And your balls turning blue.
I read them once. Twice. Looked up at her. Back at the card.
She shrugged. “It seemed fitting.”
Laughing, I reached over, pulling her close. I kissed her, still laughing.
“Oh, Myers. Thank God I hired you.”
Every time I looked at the card, I started to laugh. When Sam called to check in, I read it to him, and his laughter was long and loud.
“I need to meet this girl.”
“Soon. We’re still navigating this—it’s pretty new.”
“Your mother will hate her.”
“That’s an added bonus. She’ll stay away.”
“Dinner soon, okay?”
“Sure,” I agreed easily and hung up.
I kept my eye on Myers. She was still off. Very formal and somewhat skittish. I wasn’t sure how else to say sorry. To let her know how much I regretted my harsh tone and words.
At lunch, she brought my sandwich in with a fresh cup of coffee, sliding the tray onto my desk with a plate of the fruit. She’d included a few of the chocolate-dipped pieces as well.
“Grab your lunch and join me,” I urged.
“Um…”
“Bring in your notebook. I have some items I need you to look after. We’ll call it a working lunch.”
“All right.”
When she returned, I had moved the tray to the sofa, and I patted the cushion beside me.
“Join me.”
She did, and I picked up my sandwich, biting and chewing. “Great turkey.”
She hummed, nibbling on her own sandwich.
“Do you make these pickles?” I asked, curious.
“Yes.”
“Incredible,” I observed. “ You’re incredible, Myers.”
I ate steadily, enjoying the food. I wiped my fingers on the napkin and finished my coffee. I picked up a piece of cantaloupe, biting into the juicy flesh.
“Good,” I murmured.
“She was cutting it all up when I was there this morning.”
I chose a chocolate-covered strawberry, turning slightly and pressing the fruit to her lips. “Try it,” I urged.
She bit down, the juice bursting from the fruit. She licked at her lips, chewing slowly, and I ate the rest of the fruit, winking at her. “Myers-flavored.”
“Stop it.”
“Simply stating a fact.”
She opened her notebook, looking at me expectantly. I sighed and rattled off a list of items I wanted checked, some calls I wanted made, and the final question.
“What do you want for dinner?”
“Oh, ah…”
I took her notebook from her hands and set it on the table.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “For my anger, for upsetting you.”
“I know.”
“Why are you still so upset?”
To my shock and discomfort, her lip began to tremble. Her gaze dropped, and her voice was low when she spoke. “You were hurting, and you sent me away. I didn’t know if you were all right. I didn’t know if I could call or text you and ask.”
“Maggie darling,” I said, touched by her concern.
Her eyes met mine, bright with tears. “I stood across the street, waiting to see if you would show up this morning. Then I went and got your fruit.”
“That was thoughtful.” I nudged her knee with mine. “And I liked your creative poem.”
“I wasn’t sure if I should make a joke of it or if you’d be too angry with me. When I walked in, I decided maybe you were leaning toward anger, so I took it back.”
“Your poem was perfect.” I slid my hand over hers. “I wasn’t angry. I was worried this morning. You did nothing wrong. We were caught up in our passion. You had a condom, and I was so overcome thinking about being inside you that I didn’t say anything. So it’s on me.”
“Did you get some, ah, safe ones?”
“I will. It’s gonna be a few days until I’m ready, I think.” I grinned, wanting her to smile. I hated seeing her upset. “We can go online tonight and pick some.”
Her gaze dropped to my crotch. “And he’ll be okay?”
“Absolutely. Sam says no permanent damage.”
She blew out a long sigh. “Okay.”
“And you can call me anytime, Magnolia.”
“Your cell phone isn’t monitored?”
“No. We all have our own cell phones. The company pays the bills, but they belong to us. They aren’t monitored.”
“Mine too?”
I frowned. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”
“I have my own as well. I didn’t cancel it in case this place didn’t work out.”
“Then give me that number. I’ll know it’s my Magnolia calling, not Myers.”
“Okay.”
I leaned close and brushed a kiss to her full mouth. “Okay now?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll talk more tonight, all right? And decide what you want for dinner, and we’ll pick it up on the way.”
“I can cook.”
“I don’t want you to cook after a long day. We’ll grab something.”
She pursed her lips, looking stubborn. I had to smile at her expression. “If you want to cook, then you can. But simple. I don’t want to lose you for hours making dinner.”
She stood. “Okay. I’m going to get back to work.”
“You barely ate your lunch. Sit and finish it.”
“Later.”
I knew better than to argue with her. I reached into my pocket. “Ah, these are yours.”
She grimaced as she took the little bag, looking inside. “I think I’ll just throw them out.” She paused. “Where is the glow-in-the-dark one?”
I frowned, then chuckled. “I think Sam took it. He thought it might be fun for some adult magic.”
“Adult magic?”
“You know,” I teased. “Now you see it, now you don’t? Repeat…”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes grew round. “Well then,” she muttered. “I hope he doesn’t have any allergies.”
I laughed as she walked out of the room. She was constantly surprising me. In my face and stern one moment, crazy and funny the next. Then shy. I never knew which Magnolia, Myers, or Maggie I was going to get.
And I was surprisingly okay with that.
MAGNOLIA
I was nervous the rest of the afternoon. I hadn’t entirely gotten over the whole “the condom I rolled onto his dick almost killed him” issue. He was calm and relaxed today, apologizing and being sweet Bane again. His decision that we would go to his place for dinner and to talk was unexpected, but I was excited to see his home and to make him dinner. Maybe to understand where he saw this relationship going. Assuming, of course, that he thought it was a relationship.
He was older than I was, jaded. I had no idea what his thoughts on us were for sure. I had checked him out on the internet, and his dating history was sparse. The pictures I could find all contained different women. There weren’t many, and he didn’t look happy in any of them. His brother, on the other hand, was everywhere. It looked as if he loved attention and being “caught” on camera. The only ones I saw of Bane with a smile were business-related, usually with his partners at the unveiling of one of their many successful projects. From the records I found in my desk, he’d had more assistants than girlfriends, and they never lasted long either.
Given his charming personality, it was a mystery.
Then I laughed. Bane was charming—if he let you in. I had a feeling that was rare.
He was in and out for meetings, and I stayed busy with the list of tasks he’d given me to handle. I was working on an Excel document when he walked in, Jessica from HR behind him.
I smiled, although my nerves kicked in. Had someone seen something?
But she stopped by my desk, handing me a memo. “The anti-bullying seminars start next week,” she informed me. “We’ll have an informal meeting with the outside group Bane has brought in, and then we’ll move on to the next step. We’re breaking it into two groups, so I need your preference.”
I glanced at the schedule and Bane’s calendar. “Tuesday is better.”
“Great. I’ll mark you down.” She smiled kindly. “Still doing well?”
“Oh yes. Everything is great.”
“Bane mentioned how invaluable you were with the resort project at the partners’ meeting. You must be doing everything right.”
I laughed. “Not everything, but some things, I suppose.”
Bane came out of his office. “She’s being modest. Best assistant ever.”
Jessica looked impressed. “High praise, coming from you.”
He smiled at me. “She deserves it.”
“So I guess we’d better get ready to apologize?”
Bane chuckled. “I consider finding Myers lucky. No apology needed, but I am going to let you take us both to lunch.”
He turned and went back into his office. Jessica looked at me, her eyebrows raised. “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
For some reason, those words made me laugh. “I’ll try,” I managed to get out.
She left, and I let my amusement out.
“I heard that,” Bane called from his office. “What are you—twelve?”
I went to his door, still laughing. “Keep it up. I was trying…”
“Don’t even go there.” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. But I saw his lips quirk.
“What apology?”
He explained what had happened and the bet they’d made. I laughed even as I shook my head. “So I’m a means to a free lunch?”
He returned my smile, his tone serious. “Maggie darling, you’re a means to many things.”
“Oh,” I breathed out. He was very good at being charming when he wanted.
“Coffee?” I asked, sounding breathless.
“Yes,” he replied. “Some of your foamy stuff. I need the sugar.”
I picked up the cup from his desk and, unable to resist, bent and kissed him. “There. Sugar for you.”
With a low growl, he captured me around the waist and pulled me close, kissing me again. Harder. Deeper. Then he pushed me away.
“Yeah,” he grunted. “I needed that. Now, get my coffee.”
But now, he couldn’t hide his smile.
I was giving myself more points.