Chapter Four
Time flew by quickly for Amy as she became more and more comfortable in her new job.
After her intense moment with Lucas the day of the party, she’d been afraid she wouldn’t last much longer as his executive assistant.
Thankfully, he’d been professional since then, instead of firing her on the spot.
She found that Lucas was out of the office most of the time, and communication was mostly done through email.
What she couldn’t figure out was why that bothered her.
She should be relieved to have him away, not be the slightest upset he wasn’t around.
She barely knew the man but he was stirring all kinds of different emotions inside her.
Lust was certainly on the very top of the list.
She’d always been the good girl, skipping parties to study, putting off relationships because she worked, and saving herself for the right man.
Well, she was twenty-four years old and still hadn’t met “the one,”
so what did that say about her?
She still remembered listening to the girls giggling in the school library about their romantic dates the night before.
Amy had felt twinges of jealousy that they managed to have time for fun along with their studies, but she’d never felt she was depriving herself of anything.
One month in close quarters with Lucas Anderson, and all that was changing.
She suddenly found herself fantasizing about her incredibly good-looking boss, wondering how he’d look if he loosened his tie a little, undid the top button of his fitted trousers.
Her imagination was becoming increasingly inappropriate and she had to stop.
Having an affair with her boss wasn’t part of her future plans.
“Sorry to interrupt you, Amy, but Joseph Anderson is here to see you,”
Tom said through her phone, startling her.
“I’ll be right out,”
she said after a brief pause.
“Don’t bother, he’s on his way back, love.”
Lucas had fired the blonde receptionist, thrilling Amy, as the woman had shot daggers at her every time Amy came in and out of the office. Amy hadn’t sent Lucas any longing looks or tried to flirt with him in any way, and she wanted to tell the fake blonde she could have at him, just to get her to back off. The jealousy that thought inspired irritated her to no end.
The new receptionist Joseph had hired to take her place was a great guy. With the boss gone, when she had spare time, she’d sit with him, chatting about everything going on in their lives. She’d only been working with him for a couple of weeks, but he was quickly becoming her best friend.
“Thanks for the heads-up,”
she said, then quickly straightened up her desk before her doorway was filled by Joseph’s massive frame.
“Good morning, Amy. I was down here and thought I’d stop in and see how you’re doing.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Anderson, but I’m fine.”
“I guess I’m going to have to visit every day until you’re comfortable enough to call me Joseph,”
he said with a chuckle as he sat down, looking intent on staying a while.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go against everything I was ever taught and call you by your first name. I just want you to know that it sounds disrespectful to me,”
she said with a laugh. It was hard to argue with Joseph.
“I can be hard when I need to be, but I’ve found that most people respond to a much friendlier approach. When I was young like my sons, I tended to be a bit of a horse's ass, arrogance radiating off of me in waves. My beautiful wife, Katherine, cured me of that. She never allowed me to get too out of hand.”
“Your wife sounds like an amazing and smart woman.”
“That she is, indeed. We’ve been married for over thirty years now, and I thank God for her every day. I only want the same for our sons,”
he said, looking straight into her eyes.
Amy felt a moment of panic as if he were sending her some kind of message. She finally laughed, shrugging off his comment. He was just being himself, a friendly guy. It’s why she enjoyed his company so much.
“I’m sure they’ll each meet someone in their own time. I know as I was finishing school, then looking for work, relationships were the last thing on my mind. Your boys probably feel the same way, especially with Lucas taking over your old job, and your other two doing whatever it is that they do,”
she finished lamely, realizing she had no idea what his sons, Alex and Mark, did.
“Oh, those boys have plenty of spare time. I think they just refuse to marry because they’re too busy playing. I’m not worried, though. It will happen,”
he said as if he were sharing a secret with her.
“That’s a positive attitude.”
“I’ve found that life is just too short to be anything other than positive. When something isn’t going the way you want it to, then you have to switch gears and make a change,” he said.
“Look at my youngest son, Mark. He helps out when we need him to, but he was never meant to be a part of this corporate world. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a rancher. Still, he couldn’t hide from the Anderson desire for success. He’s made the family ranch thrive. Alex likes to travel the world and does most of our international business, and he’s really good at it, too, constantly bringing in more business. Then, of course, there’s Lucas. He followed right in his great-grandfather’s steps, and mine, too. Each of us has a driving need to be number one. The one thing my boys all have in common, though, is they have hearts of gold. When they fall in love, it will be for the long haul. That’s why they’ve been waiting, a bit too long, in my opinion.”
His voice was mesmerizing as he talked about his family. He was always louder than the average person, but as he spoke of his children, his tone changed, obviously showing a great love for his wife and sons. Amy had to fight the sudden melancholy wanting to envelope her. One thing she wanted more than anything else was family. It was something she’d been denied, and she knew when she had children of her own, she’d love them as much as Joseph loved his. How much she longed to have a father like him to be there for her.
She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. She’d learned long ago not to dwell on what she didn’t have. It was much better to focus on the things she could change, and all she’d accomplished. Wallowing in self-pity was counterproductive.
Before Amy realized it, an hour had passed, and she found herself laughing at another of Joseph’s stories. She felt a twinge of guilt as she realized how much time she’d visited with him instead of working. She shouldn’t feel bad, since she was fully caught up, but still . . .
“I could sit here and talk with you all day long, dear, but I’d better let you get back to your job. Thank you for indulging an old man for a while,”
Joseph said as he stood.
“The pleasure was all mine, Joseph. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat. I could easily forget everything else while you’re talking,”
she told him sincerely.
“You’re a true sweetheart, Amy. I’m so glad I was lucky enough to find you,”
he said, and then to her surprise, instead of shaking her hand, he reached out and gave her a hug. Amy had to fight the sudden tears wanting to spring up as his gentle hands reached around her and the comforting scent of peppermint invaded her senses.
Thankfully, he didn’t expect her to say anything further. He released her and walked from the room. She fell back in her chair, not knowing how long she stared at the empty doorway before her buzzer sounded again.
“Amy, darling, it’s lunch time. I need to get out of this place before I go insane. Let’s head out for some far too greasy pizza and soda,”
Tom’s energetic voice said through her speaker.
“Give me five minutes, and then I’m all yours.”
Amy knew she should probably just stay there during her lunch break, considering she’d spent so much time with Joseph, but she needed to get outside and take a walk. Joseph had stirred a lot of emotions inside her, and being around a very energetic Tom would help her push them back down.
She came out of her office, smiling when Tom threw his arm around her as they headed for the elevators. The metal doors slid open just as he was leaning into her in what would seem like an intimate moment to an outside observer. Just her luck, it was at that exact moment when Lucas stepped through the open doors.
“What’s going on here, Amy?”
he asked with ice in his tone and expression.
“Have you forgotten this is a place of business? I’m gone a couple of weeks, and you think you can parade your boyfriends in and out of here? What if I’d been a customer?”
Amy was too stunned by his behavior to utter a word. What was wrong with him?
Amy caught the slight smile on Tom’s face before he turned so his new boss couldn’t see. Amy frowned. She wondered if she should just cancel her lunch and get back to work.
“Hello, Mr. Anderson. Ms. Harper and I were just stepping out on our lunch break. We already set the phones and will be back in one hour.”
With that, Tom pulled her into the elevator, and they were gone before she had a chance to blink. Oh, she knew she was going to catch hell for that. Lucas wasn’t exactly the type of man who liked to be so easily dismissed. She was slightly afraid of what his reaction would be when they came back to work. It was too late to do anything about it right then, though.
Before Lucas had time to react, the doors shut, leaving him stunned and more than a little angry. He almost followed them so he could drag her back up to the offices. Only years of tightly managed control had him staying where he was. What he really wanted to do was pitch Tom out a window and haul Amy into his arms. He’d avoided her as much as possible in the hope he’d get over his infatuation with her. It certainly didn’t help when her expressive eyes would catch him as they were doing some task or other. He knew it was a mutual attraction, and they both were fighting their feelings for each other.
He made a couple of phone calls, figuring out the man she was with was Tom. Lucas had figured his dad would be fine to hire a secretary. It wasn’t that hard to find a person to answer the phones. But instead of a nice, sixty-year-old woman, his dad had to hire a young, attractive male, who obviously had the hots for Lucas’s new assistant.
He knew he should be relieved, or at least, not care at all, but he found he did care — cared a whole lot more than he should.
He stayed in his office the entire hour they were gone, not getting any work done. He paced from one side of the room to the other, waiting impatiently for Amy’s return.
“You know you let him think we were sneaking off for some illicit affair during our lunch hour. I’m going to catch hell for that,”
Amy tried to say as sternly as possible as she and Tom sat down at their favorite diner only a block from the offices.
“I couldn’t resist. He had such a sour expression on his face at seeing you locked in the arms of my beautiful self,”
he chuckled, obviously enjoying himself.
“You were holding out on me, you know. I had no idea the boss was hot for your body,”
Tom continued.
“He isn’t hot for my body,”
she said emphatically.
“He just likes to be in control of everything, including his employees. Just you wait, soon he’ll be telling you who you can and can’t date, as well.”
Amy knew she and Lucas would both end up getting over their shared attraction soon enough and she, in no way, wanted Tom to know she thought her new boss was drop-dead gorgeous. She really didn’t want him to know that Lucas made her breath hitch each time he walked in a room.
“Darling, I can already tell I’m not his type, unfortunately,”
he sighed, being overdramatic.
“I would love to change him, but there are some men who only have eyes for the hourglass. Poor me, I’m destined for heartache, seeing that piece of man hunk on a daily basis and never having a shot.”
Tom had successfully pulled her out of her melancholy. Even though she’d have to put up with Lucas’s bad mood upon her return, at least for the moment, she and Tom were having a great lunch.
They laughed and talked between bites of food and, before either was ready, they finished and walked back to the office, making sure not to have any physical contact upon their entrance. Amy felt no need to press her luck any further that day. She didn’t want to lose her job because the boss thought she was the office floozy.
Before she could even sit down, she was getting buzzed into Lucas’s office.
“Ms. Harper, can you please step in here? We have a lot to go over this afternoon and because of your extended lunch, we’re behind,”
his voice snapped over the intercom.
Amy sighed, knowing her peaceful day was officially over. She gathered her laptop and headed for the door connecting their offices. She did grumble a bit to herself, though, as she’d made sure she didn’t take an extended lunch and had, in fact, been back about ten minutes earlier than she needed to be.
Lucas didn’t look up as she walked into the room. She silently crossed the floor and sat down on the opposite side of his desk. They sat for several minutes in an uncomfortable silence. She began to squirm, which ticked her off even more. How dare he make her feel like a child sitting in the principal’s office because she’d been caught misbehaving.
Lucas knew the second she entered the room. Her steps didn’t make a sound on the soft carpet, but her sensual scent drifted over, slowly surrounding him. Lucas felt the air shift as she quietly sat in the chair across from him; the only sound was that of her legs crossing, the slight hiss of her nylons rubbing together.
His eyes were locked on the computer screen while he blindly punched buttons on the keyboard, having no clue what he was doing. For all he knew, he could’ve given away millions of dollars in the space of a few seconds. What scared him more than that, though, was the fact that he didn’t even care if he had.
He knew he had to make a comment to start their meeting sooner or later, but he was still too close to pulling her from her chair and making her forget any other man but him. His imagination ran wild as he pictured her spread out on his desk as she opened to him and he plunged inside her, finally ending both of their suffering. He could brand her his, and she’d never want another. The clear picture in his head of her lips crying out his name almost broke his restraint.
“Did you finish the Nielson report I emailed?”
He finally spoke and was satisfied to see her jump at the sound of his voice. For some unknown reason, her reaction relaxed him. Knowing she was just as tense as he was brought back his control, made him feel like he was in charge. He wondered what else would make her jump.
Lucas stood up, walked around his desk, and sat on the edge of it, his leg nearly brushing hers. He watched as she sat up even straighter, shifting restlessly in her seat.
After what seemed like hours, but was in fact only seconds, Amy handed him the file, having anticipated that he’d ask for it. He took the folder, making sure their fingers brushed. He noticed goosebumps appear on her arm. His mood immediately lifted as he got comfortable in his element. He was in control — as he needed to be.
He pretended to read the file, taking his time, enjoying her proximity.
“Very good.”
She once again jumped, as if she’d forgotten they were sitting so close together.
He knew she was too strong to admit he was making her squirm, and there was no way she’d cry mercy. He’d learned that much about her from the first day they’d met. If she looked upset in any way, he would’ve found the willpower to pull away from her. He might be lusting after her, but he didn’t cross the line of stalking. He knew it wasn’t him she was afraid of, though; it was herself. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. The passion simmering in her eyes was undeniable, though she tried to hide it.
Her breath was coming in soft pants, making her breasts rise and fall quickly beneath her blouse, and he could see the trace of her hardened nipples pressing against the fabric. He wanted to bend down and feel her pulse pounding beneath his lips. Her arousal was a complete aphrodisiac.
Lucas shifted his weight, causing his leg to press against hers. She remained frozen as her quick breathing hitched for a heartbeat. She could pull away at any moment, but she sat stiffly in the chair, refusing to budge.
It was a game of wills, and he really didn’t know which of them was going to break first. He was testing his endurance to the very limit; that was for sure. He knew the smart thing would be to back off, send her from his office, but he couldn’t do it. If she asked to leave, he’d let her go, but he hoped she wouldn’t. He liked their game. He knew it was coming to an end soon.
He was getting way too hot sitting so close to her, so he gave them both a break and started pacing the room.
“Very good work,”
he finally said, regarding the file. They got into a comfortable routine after that and worked well together the rest of the afternoon. Time quickly slipped away as it often did when he was with her.
He didn’t want to let her leave. He was enjoying the intoxication of her smell. He took pleasure in the way her eyes darted to him before quickly looking away. Her seductive curves made his body tighten, and her voice washed through him.
It was time they ended the torture. A night together, that’s all they needed. He tried reasoning with himself that it wouldn’t hurt anything. If it was awkward between them after they were both mutually satisfied, then he’d just set her up in another division of the company, so no harm done.
The thought of her leaving the offices left an unpleasant feeling inside him. He struggled with what to do, a first for him. He never moved forward without a plan, and he never messed up.
Amy fought her own emotions as she spent the day with Lucas. One minute he was barking orders at her, the next pacing the room like a panther, getting a little closer with each pass he made. She really didn’t understand her attraction toward him. Yes, he was handsome, but that had never mattered to her before.
Many women liked strong, alpha males who thought the world should bow to them. She didn’t. She’d always been turned off by the he-man-type males she’d encountered during school. So why was she continually having to remind herself she couldn’t stand Lucas’s type?
She didn’t need, or want, a man to make her whole. She liked her life just fine and wanted no one to step in and tell her how to live and what to do. Lucas was just another guy, like so many other men she’d been around.
If she were to actually break her rules and get involved, it certainly wouldn’t be with someone like her egotistical boss. It would be with a warm, caring and nurturing man, someone who wanted a dozen kids and brought her flowers at least once a week. Sex lasted only minutes; a relationship lasted a lifetime. She could live with bad sex; she couldn’t live with a jerk for a husband.
Liar! You want excitement! You’ve been on autopilot since you were barely walking, afraid to disobey, afraid to talk back, afraid to ask for anything. Now, you see this man, this dominating, gorgeous man, and you want him to take control. You want him to force you out of your shell. You want . . . him. More importantly than that, you want him to want you, to take the choice from you.
Amy sat paralyzed as she fought an internal battle with herself. Her carefully controlled mind fought with her locked-up heart. She’d win the fight; she just didn’t know how many pieces she’d be in when it was over.
At five that evening, a knock sounded on the door before the knob turned.
Tom bounded into the room.
“Hello, Mr. Anderson,”
he said before turning to Amy.
“You ready to head out? I got the phones switched over, and I’m dying for a Bloody Mary and hot wings.”
Amy started to rise from her seat when Lucas spoke.
“We have too much work to finish tonight, Tom. Amy will have to miss out on happy hour,”
he said, rather rudely in her opinion.
“It’s okay, Tom, I’ll catch the bus home tonight. I appreciate the ride in today, though. I’ll see you on Monday.”
She gave him an apologetic smile before going back to work on her laptop.
“Okay, darling, see you Monday,”
he said with a wink.
“Have a great weekend, Mr. Anderson.”
Tom breezed out as quickly as he’d arrived and, once again, Amy was alone with Lucas. She stared after Tom for a few minutes with longing in her eyes. She’d love to get out of the offices, away from the tension, and sit down to have a drink with her best friend.
Lucas’s mood deteriorated after Tom left.
“Why didn’t you take your own car into work today?”
he finally asked, ending twenty minutes of awkward silence.
“I don’t have a car. I usually ride the bus to work, but Tom doesn’t live too far from me, so the last couple of days I've been riding with him. I have no problem riding the bus, though.”
She resented having to explain her situation to him.
“I’ll give you a ride home tonight since I’m keeping you late,”
he said, as if the matter were settled. He didn’t expect anything but her compliance.
She sat for a moment before replying.
“I don’t need a ride home. I told you I’m used to riding the bus. I’ll be fine,”
she said between clenched teeth. She knew that wouldn’t be the end of the discussion, but she wouldn’t let him walk all over her, boss or not.
She was tired of fighting herself and him. If she didn’t get away from him soon, she was afraid she was either going to get up and kick him, or even worse, rip his shirt off, preferably with her teeth.