Chapter 41
Spencer
“ C harlie!” I shout down the hall.
“I’m almost ready!” she yells back. “Chill.”
The nerve of this kid. I’m ready to go. Spike is ready to go.
Charlie, as usual, is holding up the entire operation spending an extra twenty minutes in the bathroom this morning carefully putting on her new makeup.
I think Nathan sexed me into a blissfully permissive state, because on Sunday I took Charlie to Ulta and told her she’s now allowed to wear mascara.
I didn’t anticipate how much time a few swipes of mascara would add to our morning routine.
There’s a light knock on the front door of the guesthouse, surprising me.
It can’t be Nathan. He left early this morning to meet with someone named Hodge.
I remember specifically because I told him Hodge would be a cute nickname for a hedgehog.
Nathan then told me if I brought any more rodents into his home, he was going to spank my bare ass.
I pretended to scowl, but good grief, that threat does things to my insides.
A part of me wants to provoke him into delivering, just to see.
We fucked all weekend. We also had sex. I think we also made love.
I shamelessly let Charlie have her iPad and junk food for an entire day so Nathan and I could steal away and explore each other’s bodies.
I wasn’t ashamed or clumsy. I stay focused on feeling good…
on making him feel good, and just like my friends advised, it fell into rhythm.
I’m not sure why I always thought hot sex was about attractiveness and technique. Turns out, it’s about trust.
When I open the door, I’m greeted by a man in a black suit and sunglasses. He looks like he just stepped off the set of The Matrix . “Hello?”
He peels off his sunglasses and flashes me a toothy grin. “Hey, Ms. Spencer. I’m Miller. Mr. Hatcher sent me to take you to work.”
I squint in confusion. “Uh, I think we got our wires crossed. I take my little sister to school, then go to work.”
Miller nods. “Yes, ma’am. I’m tracking. First to Beaumont Middle School, then to Brickstone Headquarters.
Also, let me know what time you’d like me to take you to lunch or pick something up.
I’m told a ‘Mr. Spike’ needs baby carrots promptly at noon.
I was hoping you could provide clarity on that.
How many baby carrots, and who exactly is Spike? ”
I blink at him, trying to absorb the nonsense information he just dumped on me. I jut my thumb over my shoulder to Spike’s carrier on the coffee table. “Spike is a guinea pig.”
“Ah,” Miller breathes out. “Okay, that makes more sense. I was confused by this morning’s email.”
“Pardon me, but I’m still confused. Who are you?”
“Your driver.” He smiles. “And task master. If there’s anything you need, I’m at your service.”
Okay, this makes more sense now. Nathan hired me my own personal Byron. “Thank you very much, but I’m okay. Charlie and I have a routine. I’ll talk to Nathan when I get to the office today.”
Charlie sneaks up behind me and peers at Miller. “Oh my God, are we taking a limo to school?” She bounces on her heels.
“No. We’re taking our SUV as usual. And you need to wipe off that blue eye shadow stat. Go. Now. ” I point to the bathroom, sending her off with my best I’m-not-taking-your-shit-today face. I turn back to Miller. “Tweens. Give them an inch, they take a mile, you know?”
He nods and smiles again like he’s obligated to. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Are you out of a job if I tell Nathan I don’t need a driver? I already have a company car but I don’t want you to get let go. I’ll put in a good word, I promise.”
“Uh…” He scratches the back of his head, the tip of his nose puckering before he continues, “About the company car…”
I’ve been stewing the entire way here. Even Charlie sat in silence as Miller dropped her off in front of school. Spike didn’t release a single squeak. Clearly my sister and her guinea pig could read the room.
I storm through the front doors of the office, making a beeline to the elevators.
I punch the elevator button with the heel of my palm, unnecessarily aggressively.
Now Spike releases a weak mweep , mweep , politely letting me know he does not appreciate the bouncy ride, a consequence of my anger-fueled power walking.
The first thing I notice when I get upstairs is Nathan’s doors.
I can’t see him through the crystal clear glass.
Instead, some kind of foggy window film has been installed as a privacy shield.
I grumble, annoyed, knowing I can’t just burst into his office and rip him a new one.
After setting Spike down underneath my desk and promising I’ll free him soon, I reach into my desk drawer searching for a sticky note.
Nathan will absolutely come looking for me any minute now, and when he does, he’ll see a note on my desk that says I went car shopping since he felt the need to confiscate my company car.
I open the second drawer of my desk and snag a pink sticky note. I’m stabbing my pen into the innocent paper when I notice my mini donuts are missing. Opening the drawer wider, I lean over in my chair, ensuring they didn’t roll into the back.
No. They are most definitely missing. They were sealed, so there’s no way maintenance came by and tossed them. Maintenance never goes in drawers, unless there was an ant infestation or something. I quickly check my other drawers and see the contents untouched. That’s so strange. Who would?—
Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
I clutch the pen so hard in my hand I break off the clip.
That does it. I don’t care if he’s in a meeting.
After flying out of my office chair, I burst into Nathan’s office. He’s at his desk on a call that he promptly ends when I enter.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” He flashes me his stupid billion-dollar smile. I want to use his perfect teeth as target practice at the moment.
“Was I interrupting?” I glare at his phone.
“Nothing important. And even if it were, you’re welcome to interrupt me anytime. I love that dress on you. Hugs your body just right.” He raises his brows. It dawns on me why my boss had his office doors frosted. Foolish decision. The only thing he’s getting behind closed doors is my wrath.
As I glance around, I notice subtle changes. The pink furniture is still here, but the pillows have been replaced. The rug is gone. The pink wallpaper on the accent wall has been stripped. “You’re remodeling?”
“In stages. I would’ve asked for your help but…” He gestures around the room. “We tried that once already.”
Approaching the opposite side of his desk, I jab my finger toward his face. “Stop smiling.”
“Hard to do around you, pumpkin. What’s wrong?”
“You have to ask?” I’m seething, further provoked by his joyful nonchalance.
“Yes. Which is why I did.”
The smug bastard is relishing my attitude for some reason. I hate how sexy he looks in…everything. Ugh. “You took my company car. You can’t do that. It’s part of my contract.”
“Pretty sure not fucking your boss is also in your employment contract, but we did a lot of that over the past couple days.”
I narrow my eyes at him, daring him to get on my angst level. “That’s most definitely not outlined in my contract. I checked. And you need to take me seriously right now.”
He pushes back from his desk, folding his arms over his chest. “I upgraded your transportation to a personal driver that can provide you with security and give me some peace of mind. Now that we’re together, your safety is my priority. Charlie’s as well.”
“When did you decide we were together? Were you going to inform me of that or simply continue to make life decisions on my behalf?”
“Life decisions? It’s just a car, Spencer.”
“ Just a car ?” I ball up my fists like a cartoon character who’s about to explode. “Spoken like a man who has never had less than twenty dollars in his bank account and in shambles about how to afford groceries for the week. A car is a big deal, Nathan. Huge deal .”
“All right,” he says calmly. “I have a team coming in today to move your stuff and Charlie’s belongings into the main house. I didn’t want you to have to lift a finger, but now I’m thinking that’s also going to piss you off.”
I curl my fingers into claws like I could squeeze his head right off. “You’re unbelievable. And do I get my own bedroom, or are you going to keep me in a cage in your oversized closet?”
“What has gotten into you today?”
“You stole my snacks!” I blurt out. My head rolls back, my gaze to the ceiling. Dammit. I really thought I was handling this argument intelligently until that little outburst.
Nathan’s smirk is back. “Is that a deal breaker? Do we have to break up, or can I just replace your snacks? Also, what snacks did I steal?”
“How can we break up? We’re not together!”
Anger flits in his eyes. “Stop saying that.”
“It’s not because I don’t want to be, Nathan. But we have a hell of a lot of stuff to figure out. I have to find a new job?—”
“Why?”
“This isn’t professional anymore.” I indicate his office doors. “And I know why you got the glass covered up all of a sudden.”
He pumps his eyebrows, full of flirty energy. “Smart girl.”
“I’m not just a sex toy for your leisure.
I’m a woman, and a momster—yes, that’s a mom and sister combined—and I need to know that my dating life won’t negatively affect my responsibilities.
I don’t want to keep starting over in life.
If you continue swooping in, saving the day, throwing your money around at problems like they’re silly, when you eventually get bored of me, I’ll be left with nothing. Charlie will have nothing. ”
“How could I get bored of you?” He balks in surprise.
“You keep me on my toes, Spencer Riley. For example, I thought we were going to have a pleasant Monday, with me getting to enjoy my girlfriend not only at home, but at the office too. Instead, she’s here first thing in the morning, complaining about all the thoughtful things I’ve done for her, accosting me about nonsense. ”
“ Nonsense ? You know what.” I raise my hands in the air. “Let’s take a breather. Your assholery is full throttle.” I stride toward the door.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
Ignoring him, I yank the door ajar, but he’s in front of me in a blink. He pushes it back closed, steps in front of me, blocking the handles with his body. “Sit down,” he growls. “You try to flee again and I’ll pull that skirt up and punish your bare ass. Got it?”
“It’s cute you think that’s a threat.”
“Not a threat. It’s a promise.” He reaches behind his back and locks the door. “Take a seat. Let’s talk.”
I match his glare. “What happened to my mini donuts? Two packs. They were in my desk drawer.”
Nathan issues a humorless laugh. “Why? Were you particularly attached to donuts for some reason?”
“Perhaps.”
His eyes shift from their usual bright blue green to a stormy gray, looking angrier by the second. “Why? Were they a trophy of some sort? Like some sleazy guy wrote his number down, trying to seduce you with some cheap-ass donuts?”
Admission. He took them. “They were a thank-you gift.”
“Thank you for what?”
I lift my chin, challenging him. Clearly I’m dead set on self-destruction today. “For handling his pump.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Oh, now he’s mad. Really mad.
“I said I handled his pump.” I hiss out a breath of frustration.
I need some space. I don’t know how to sort through this.
Nathan is being protective, but too controlling.
If he were my husband, sure. I’d love a man taking any and all measures possible to protect me, but we still haven’t established if we work.
Not only are we from very different worlds, there’s the matter of Elise.
As much as I want him, I can’t be Nathan’s permanent stand-in. We need more time.
“You want to explain that to me in layman’s terms? What pump are you referring to?”
I roll my eyes. “Move,” I grumble. “Your overbearing, bosshole behavior isn’t charming this morning. I want to go.” I reach through the space between his elbow and side, intent on unlocking the door and leaving the scene. He catches my hand, threading his fingers between mine, squeezing tightly.
“Couch. Now.”
“I said I want to go.”
Ignoring my protests, he tows me toward the office sofa.
“Strike one was saying we weren’t together.
Strike two was trying to win an argument by leaving the room.
Strike three was that smart mouth of yours, insulting me.
If my feelings for you are overwhelming, bummer.
Make your peace with it, pumpkin, because they aren’t going anywhere. ”
In a fluid motion, he sits on the larger sofa, then shuttles me down over his lap, belly first. I grunt when my stomach hits the outside of his thigh.
Oh no. But also…
Oh fuck, yes.
He plants his forearm across my upper back, forcing my cheek deeper against the velvet cushion. “Nathan, what are you doing?”
He hikes up my skirt, exposing my ass and thong. “Keeping my promise.”