12. Margeaux
12
MARGEAUX
“The thing about personal safety is that it can have a rather broad definition,” Jace declares, pacing so that he addresses the whole group. “But in the end, what really matters is the person .”
I swallow hard, nerves rising up in me with each passing second. When Jace asked if Gus and I would help with the personal safety demo, I didn’t realize what he was asking was if we would be the personal safety demo. I’m not sure if Gus realized it either, but if he did, he didn’t speak up. Either way, now the two of us are standing here, the crowd around us growing the more Jace speaks, my heart rate picking up the pace with each new person that joins.
“So today, with the help of my volunteers, Gus and Margeaux, we’re going to show you some very basic techniques, that are all covered in Hayes self-defense training and don’t require any additional accessories. However, if you want to check out our assortment of devices or talk to any one of us more in-depth about our trainings, please stop by the Hayes booth,” Jace continues, pointing to the large booth behind us. Jace’s best friend, Owen, waves in case there was any question.
“Where I will gladly demonstrate the use of any of the tasers on Jace,” Gus mutters, leaning in so only I can hear him.
His breath tickles my neck, making me have to fight even harder to keep my composure. It does help to ease my nerves a bit though—transforming that gnawing feeling into the flutter of butterflies. Reaching behind me, I search for his hand with mine, trying to make a connection and hoping that it’ll help ground me. He must sense what I’m trying to do, as he interlaces his fingers with mine, giving me exactly what I was hoping for.
“Just how long is this demo?” I whisper.
“If I only knew…”
Gus squeezes my fingers, a move that is simultaneously comforting and exciting, something that I’m finding I feel a lot of with this man. The juxtaposition of the ways he makes me feel should scramble my brain. Instead, all it does is weave its way more and more into my soul, making me want to know more. I know that it’s a rare thing to get to see both the Gus that commands attention in the halls of Hayes Industries during the day and the one who rides the back roads of Hickory Hills on a Friday night. And I don’t take any of that for granted.
I do, however, know I’m walking a tightrope. The memories of all the deliciously naughty things Gus said and did to me on my desk are never far from my mind, swirling around me, taunting me, as I spend eight plus hours a day trying to focus on work. The fact that he is temporarily my boss and makes regular visits to our department, sometimes spending hours down there, doesn’t help.
What also doesn’t help is that in the eyes of Teresa, I cannot do anything right. And I do mean anything. Pretty sure that if you ask Teresa, I breathe wrong. Ever since Percy introduced me as the newest associate, she’s been nothing but rude to me. She even objected when I was assigned the trademark renewal project. Last thing I need is for her to get a whiff of Gus favoring me in any way.
But that doesn’t matter right now. Because Teresa isn’t here. Although, if she was I might consider offering to try out the taser on her too. In fact, this isn’t even technically a working weekend. Not that one could tell by the fact that Gus and I are still the center of attention in the middle of this expo center.
“Ready, you two?” Jace asks.
No…
“Guess I have to put my hands on you,” Gus says. His voice is still low enough so only I can hear, but it’s more than enough to send a shiver straight down my spine.
“Sorry to put you out like this,” I quip.
Circling me, Gus narrows his eyes, those deep-green irises full of something I can’t name. Whatever it is though, I feel it deep within me. Licking my lips, I steady myself, ready for whatever he brings.
“I think I’m up to the challenge.”
Oh, does he? We’ll see about that…
“What makes you so sure?”
“If you’re ever in a situation…” Jace’s voice fades into the background, his presentation still in full throttle, but the only thing I can see is Gus. The pair of green eyes staring back at me that own my soul, and could end up working me into a frenzy that might require riot gear here soon.
“If history tells me anything, you’re rather…responsive…to my methods.”
History…ha. Says the man who was nothing but a complete gentleman when we got to the hotel last night. Didn’t lay a finger on me—not even a single attempt at cu ddling in the king-size bed in our shared hotel room. If anything, the only thing he was successful at last night was crushing some hopes.
That’s not true. He did kiss me. And fuck, can Gus Hayes kiss.
“So if Gus here were to lay a hand on Margeaux…” Jace declares.
Gus smirks, following his younger brother’s directions. Not skipping a beat, he plants his hand squarely on my boob.
I hiss, sucking in a harsh breath. Oh, he’s playing dirty. Equal parts of me war over whether to smack him or ask him to squeeze, the latter starting to win. At least until I hear the gasps pepper in from the crowd around us and I remember we’re in public.
“Since this is a family-friendly demo, we could maybe go with the hip?” Jace suggests.
I sputter out a laugh, keeping my eyes trained on my would-be assailant. One corner of Gus’s mouth flicks upward slightly, only enough for me to see, matching the shrug he gives his brother.
Slowly, he drags his hand down my torso, and for the first time since he touched me, I can see that he’s feeling the same shivers that are running along my skin. Stepping into him, I place my hand on his chest, wanting to be closer to him. Wanting him to know that his methods are working once again.
“Ummm, Margeaux,” Jace interrupts. I whip my head toward him, feeling my cheeks flush, as if my dad just caught me making out with my boyfriend. And based on the look Jace is giving me, it actually does kind of feel like my dad just caught me making out with my boyfriend. “If you could please act like King Kong here is attacking you, rather than flirting with him, that would really help demonstrate the techniques a lot better. ”
Right…
I nod, not bothering to hide my amusement at Jace referring to his older brother as King Kong. Especially since Gus doesn’t bother to hide his annoyance. At least the crowd seems amused by it all, since they are also laughing, like we planned this whole thing.
We reposition ourselves, this time actually following along with Jace’s directions, with Gus a few feet behind me. I can feel his presence, my body missing the feel of him against me from a few moments ago. Wanting to know how we get that back. How I get him to keep that routine rather than the gentlemanly one that he had on display last night.
Out of the corner of my eye I see movement, my senses going on high alert. Without thinking, I react. I throw back my elbow, hard, connecting with something. My fight response is fully activated, everything I learned when I took the Hayes self-defense class years ago coming back to me. I’m not quite Sandra Bullock up on that pageant stage chanting solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin, but I move before I realize what—or better yet who —I’ve hit.
Gus.
I spin around, right as the crowd gasps. Gus stumbles backward, the heel of his hand pressed over his left eye. My heart sinks, the realization smacking me straight upside the head. My elbow. It connected with something. And that something was Gus. Very specifically, Gus’s eye.
Oh fuck!
“Gus!”
I rush over to him, cradling his face in my hands, trying to survey the damage. Pretty sure this was not what he had in mind when he pressed me up against his car last week and told me he wanted to take me on a date. Fuck. Well, pretty sure that’s going to end whatever future I thought he and I had. And potentially whatever future I thought I had at Hayes Industries. Papa Duck’s, here I come.
Gus moves his hand, blinking rapidly. He looks down at me, his big broad smile returning. Right along with all those damn butterflies.
“My girl can defend herself, good to know,” he says.
His girl…
I swoon, Jace’s voice filling the background once again like some strange, unwanted narrator for the moment. His girl. Gus thinks I’m his girl. Well, that’s a good sign.
“I took a Hayes self-defense course in college,” I retort. “I’ve got the advanced certificate.”
Gus throws his head back laughing, wrapping an arm around my waist and yanking me into him. Our bodies collide, the soft thud getting lost in the noise of the expo center. The uptick of my pulse isn’t lost on either of us though as Gus steals a kiss, letting his lips linger for a half second longer than he probably should given the crowd. I don’t care though. Right now, the only thing I’m focused on is how good it feels to be this close to him.
And the funky color his eye is turning.
“We should probably get you some ice.”
Running my finger lightly along his cheekbone, I sigh, my heart feeling heavy that I caused this damage. We’re going to have to come up with a hell of a cover story for work on Monday. Because there is no way we are walking onto the Hayes campus, much less into the legal department, and openly admitting that I gave Gus a shiner during a self-defense demo in Savannah.
The crowd starts to disperse, a few people hanging around to talk to Jace. Gus doesn’t move though, so neither do I. I’m more than willing to let this moment drag out for as long as he wants. Forever even.
“Here. ”
A deep male voice cuts into our reverie, jarring us. Standing to my right is an EMT, holding out a cold pack, knowing smile firmly in place.
“Thanks,” Gus says, taking the pack and placing it on his eye.
“Nice hit,” the EMT tells me. “Not sure what he did to deserve that, but damn, girl.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Gus beats me to it.
“I’m her boss.”
He says it with such a straight face that there’s no choice but to believe him. The EMT’s face falls, eyes going wide. Nodding slowly, he pulls his lips into his mouth, looking for a way to respond.
“Well then, I’m just going to keep my next comment to myself.”
With another nod, he backs away, leaving us alone again.
“Just what do you think his next comment was?” I ask, pulling back just enough to take Gus’s hand and start walking back to the booth.
“I can only think of one thing, and Miss Belle would knock me into the middle of next week if I uttered it in mixed company.”
I stop dead in my tracks, my mind whirring with what on earth he could possibly be thinking that would make his mama whoop him that hard. Although, I won’t lie, there’s also a part of me that is a little turned on. Because if it’s that dirty…well, fuck.
Gus must see my thought process written across my face, his own expression turning mischievous. And now I know there’s a more than fair chance it’s as dirty as I think it might be.
Leaning down, he places his mouth right next to my ear and whispers, “If you’re a good girl, I’ll tell you later.”
Ohhhhh, fuuuuck …
I suck in a breath, finding my resolve. I have to dig deep—really, really deep—but I do find it. Mustering up every little bit, I put it in place, knowing that we got this. We have managed to make it this far, working together day in and day out, so we can manage a few more hours. Still, the rest of this day needs to hurry up so I can have Gus to myself.
We get back to the booth, which is now multiple people deep, many of whom want to chat with me about my elbow jab. Oh boy. That was not something I planned on showing off today, but I can’t say I’m sorry, thanks to the looks both Hayes men are giving me as I tell the group in front of me that all the skills I showed off I really did learn from a Hayes class.
“Margeaux, I’m totally stealing you and bringing you to every single one of these events with me. You’re a one-woman walking advertisement,” Jace comments during a lull.
“Watch it, Jace. She’s spoken for,” Gus comments, staring at his phone.
“By legal? Or you?” Jace retorts.
Gus doesn’t respond, brows furrowed in concern, thumbs flying across the screen of his phone. I turn my back on Jace, focusing on an expression I haven’t seen before. The one that I assume leads everyone to call him grumpy.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Err, nothing.” He shakes his head, brows still knitted together. “It’s just Milo. Asking if we’ve finished reviewing the drugstore contract yet.”
I take a second, examining Gus. Willa told me when she and I had lunch a couple of weeks ago that he “carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, even when he doesn’t need to.” She didn’t mean it critically. The complete opposite actually. It was her way of explaining to me how much he cares about everything. Absolutely everything . And looking at him now, I can see it. I can see that weight pressing down on him, as if he’s Atlas, trying to shoulder the burden so that no one else has to.
One that looks really fucking heavy.
It’s a burden I want to help with. That I wish I could share. But one that I know he won’t give up easily. I also know that he’s not looking for pity in it. That’s not what Gus needs. What he does need is someone who understands. Who he can talk it all out with. Who he can confide in.
That is who I can be to him.
“Hayes is buying the drugstore? I thought Brenna was?” I stop, realizing that maybe I shouldn’t be asking. As much as I want to be the person he confides in, be the person who helps share what weighs on him, he’s still my boss. This might not fall into the category of something I’m allowed to know. “Sorry—none of my business. You’re the temporary head of legal, and that’s an acquisition contract, meaning I’m talking to my boss and not my boyf?—”
I cut myself off. Nope, not using that word. Gus might have said my girl , but that’s different from me dropping boyfriend .
Not that he’s correcting me.
Gus smirks, licking his lips. Grabbing my hand, he leads me away from the table, giving us a little more room to talk.
“She is. Or at least that’s the plan. And that’s why Milo is asking about it,” he tells me. “But I had the team look at it from both angles to figure out what makes more sense long term. At this point, I think we all know that Brenna is going to end up a Hayes, and therefore the drugstore will end up a Hayes asset when that happens, so I’m trying to make sure that it doesn’t make more sense to have Hayes Industries acquire the business and list Brenna as the primary proprietor from the get-go, rather than absorb it after the fact once they’re married. The taxes are messy regardless.Milo doesn’t know that last part though. ”
“Oh.” I try to keep the surprise out of my voice, but I’m not sure I succeed.
“I assume my employee will keep that a secret.”
“Absolutely.”
“More importantly,” he continues, taking a step and erasing the gap between us. His hand lands on my hip, stealing my breath and kickstarting my pulse. “I have no problem sharing any of that with my girlfriend.”
And I think he just ruined my panties too.
“Even though she just gave you a black eye?”
Gus chuckles, pressing his lips to my forehead. “I did cop a feel in public. Can’t say I didn’t deserve it.”
“Maybe,” I joke, grabbing hold of his shirt and yanking him down for a kiss. “But, switching gears back to the contract, sorry…” I smile, gritting my teeth, wanting him to know that I appreciate his super swoony declaration, and I have every intention of showing him just how much, but I don’t want to lose this train of thought. “Whatever you do, just make sure that the building is included.”
“What?”
He pulls back just enough to look at me, the gears in his head moving right along with mine.
“The drugstore is in a freestanding building, right?” I rack my brain, trying to remember. Hickory Hills is still so new to me that I don’t remember every detail, but I don’t think it’s connected to whatever is next to it.
“Yeah. I mean, there’s all of maybe a six-foot alley between it and Dye Hard, the salon next door, which is very much against building codes, but since they are registered historic buildings they remain as is. But yes, to answer your question, it is a freestanding building.”
“Then you need to make sure it’s included in the contract. I know that sounds crazy, but that happened to a friend of my grandfather’s when he took over his business. He bought the business but didn’t realize the building itself wasn’t included and got screwed over for years. Maybe that was a specific thing to the city they were in, or hell, it was forty years ago, so laws could have changed. I don’t know. I focused on intellectual property, not actual property. But it’s worth checking, right? At least, I assume whoever owns the store owns the building and there isn’t a landlord situation?”
“No idea. None of this ever crossed my mind to ask.But I will now.” He blows out a long, hard breath, looking at his watch. “Let me go make some notes so I get all this right and get the team on it first thing Monday. And then, I have a date with my beautiful girlfriend tonight.”
I titter, unable to help myself. Girlfriend. Damn, you’d think I was fourteen all over again, and not a thirty-something woman with multiple advanced degrees. Still, I’m not going to stop myself from enjoying this.
Gus turns to go, then stops, rushing back to me, kissing me hard. “Margeaux, have I told you how fucking sexy your brain is?”
I chuckle. “No, but feel free to compliment it all you want.”
Pressing his forehead to mine, Gus sighs, taking a moment. “All of you is incredible. Irresistible. And I plan on showing you just how much later. But your brain, Margeaux Finnegan, that’s what impresses me the most. What brings me to my knees every time. And I don’t want you to ever forget that.”
Never…