Chapter 15 Isla
ISLA
“Okay, love you kid. Make sure you finish your homework before you start video games.” I end the call with Charlie and place my phone back down on my desk before letting out a weary sigh.
“That sound makes me think I’m working you too hard.”
My head shoots up at Luca’s voice, seeing him in the doorway to my finally furnished office, leaning against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. My palms grow sweaty just looking at him, corded muscular forearms on display, smirk on his face, and salt-and-pepper stubble lining his jaw.
“What would you do if I agreed?” I fire back, far more flirtatiously than I intended. Leaning back in my seat, I cross my legs, not missing the way his gaze drops to where they are, visible through my glass desk.
Slowly, he prowls into the room, coming to a stop across from me, placing his hands on the glass and leaning forward.
“As your boss, I’d commend your work ethic but remind you about work-life balance.
As…” he trails off, and in that pause, I know he’s trying to label the other side of our dynamic.
The as-yet-undefined part. “As just me, I’d get Gabe to schedule you a spa day and talk to Dom about increasing your salary. ”
That makes me choke. “Trust me, you’re paying me plenty, and I don’t have time for a spa day,” I say, spreading my arms out wide. “If I did, do you think I’d be here at eight o’clock on a Thursday night?”
Luca chuckles, low and deep. “Fair point. Why are you here so late, anyway?” He settles into the chair across from me.
I heave another long sigh. “The college grad you hired to run the social media accounts got an offer to work in England for some up-and-coming fashion designer. Apparently it’s their dream job, so they quit.”
His eyebrows lift up. “Well, good for them, I guess, but where does that leave us?”
I gesture to my computer. “Now we only have a halfway set up online presence, a handful of collaborations discussed, and nothing more. They were going to start content creation this week, which is why I’m here now. Scouring other teams’ platforms to see what’s trending.”
Without another word, Luca picks up his phone, tapping something out on it for a couple of minutes before looking back up at me. “Okay. How can I help? Put me in, coach,” he says, smiling.
I stare at him. “Excuse me?”
He leans forward again, reaching his hand out to cover mine. “What can I do to take some of the load off you?”
My head is already moving back and forth. “No, I’m sure you have better things to do with your evening. It’s fine, I wasn’t going to stay that much longer.”
“Well. When you are ready to leave, then I’ll walk you to your car. For now, let’s get going.”
He’s serious. I can’t deny the relief in my bones at the offer of help. “Alright, well, if you want to start looking at some of the major league teams’ online presence, and then writing down any ideas for posts, that would be good. Static and video.”
Luca gives me a mock salute. “On it, boss.”
We work in silence for a while, only talking when bouncing an idea past each other. It’s easy, fun, comfortable, and to my pleased surprise, Luca’s got a great eye for trends. Some of his concepts are things I never would have considered.
It’s been an hour or so when Luca stands. “I’ll be right back.” He starts to turn and stumbles, grabbing the back of his chair with a curse.
“Are you okay?” I push back from my desk and quickly start to move to his side, but he holds up his hand.
His reply is sharp. “I’m fine.” He takes a step forward, and then another, not looking back at me. I watch as he moves to the door, his gait stiff, but seeming stable.
He’s gone without another word, and I stare at the empty doorway, baffled by his behaviour. But I don’t have long before he’s back, carrying two paper bags that instantly make my stomach rumble with hunger.
I clutch my stomach. “Oh my God, that’s embarrassing.”
Luca sets the bags down on the desk and smirks.
“Nah, I’m surprised you haven’t heard mine all this time.
” He starts unpacking containers of food.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, but tonight seemed like a good night for sushi, so I got a variety of rolls.
” He opens up all of the containers, and I try not to drool. Nodding at me, he says, “Ladies first.”
I fill my plate, then sit down in the chair next to his.
I can’t help but check out the view of Luca standing in front of me as he selects his own food.
His clothes are perfectly fitted to his body, the muscles of his back prominent when his shirt stretches as he reaches forward.
My gaze travels down, and since he can’t see me staring, I drink in the goodness that is Luca Calloway’s ass. Damn.
My ogling comes to an end when he sits down in the chair next to me and I realize just how close he is. Our knees touch when he shifts in his seat to face me, lifting his chopsticks in a pseudo cheers. “To late nights at the office. May we not have many of them.”
A chuckle escapes me as I lift my chopsticks to meet his. “You strike me as someone accustomed to late nights at the office.”
He shrugs and gives me a wry grin. “You’re not wrong. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of other places I’d rather be late at night with a beautiful woman.”
My breath catches. “Luca,” I murmur, looking down at my plate of sushi. “We should talk about that kiss.”
I hear him set down his food, and then I see his hands cover mine as he takes my unfinished meal and sets it down on the desk as well.
“You’re right, we should talk. I’m hoping you don’t regret it, because I don’t.” I let him take my hands in his, only lifting my gaze to his when he squeezes them gently.
“You’re an incredible woman, Isla Forrester.” He smiles softly. “Stunning, intelligent, kind, talented, and irresistible.”
I hadn’t realized my body had been shifting toward him until I feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek. It takes nothing at all to turn my head slightly, and then his lips are grazing over mine, pulling a whimper out of me.
He groans in return, pressing in deeper. My lips part for him, and I clutch at his shirt, dinner and any conversation we planned on having completely forgotten. Luca Calloway overtakes all reason, all of my senses, everything. With nothing but the press of his lips against mine.
A noise from down the hall has me pushing him away. We aren’t alone. There’s the nighttime cleaning staff, any one of whom could have seen us just now.
And that’s enough to cut through the fog of lust that seems to surround me whenever I touch Luca.
“I can’t do this now,” I say, but the breathy way my voice sounds undermines how serious I am. I clear my throat, and try again, while Luca rakes his fingers through his hair, his other hand clenched around the arm of his chair.
“I…we…” I try again, scooting my chair back and standing up.
I need to not be sitting next to him. “You hired me to do a job, and that’s what I need to focus on.
I’ve got Charlie to consider, and I can’t do anything that will put his well-being at risk.
Kissing my boss” —I let out a harsh laugh— “at the office, no less, is the definition of risky.” I don’t put voice to my real fear—that part of Luca’s reason for choosing me for the contract was because of his potential attraction to me.
As if he can read my mind, Luca says, “I’m sorry.
You’re right, this is the wrong time and place to have this conversation.
But Isla, I hope you know, I would never let anything that has happened between us affect the way I treat you in the office.
I respect you and your work far too much to do that.
And I also hope you trust me when I say this was not something I planned on happening when I hired you.
I found you beautiful.” He gives me a wry smile.
“I’d have to be blind not to. But believe me when I say, I hired you because you’re the right person for the job.
” His tone is gentle but firm as he puts that unspoken fear to rest. Yet, there’s a tinge of regret in his voice that lets me know I’m not alone in wishing things were somehow different.
“You’re right that this is messy.” He sighs, and his body slumps ever so slightly. “I won’t say it’ll be easy to resist you, but I’ll back off if that’s what you need me to do.”
My arms are wrapped around my stomach, but I manage to nod ever so slightly.
Half of me is screaming no, I don’t want him to do that, the other half is relieved that he understands where I’m coming from.
“At least for now. While I work here, it wouldn’t look good if anyone found out,” I manage to whisper.
“Yeah. So, we won’t let this happen again. No more…kissing.”
Luca nods, again with that mixture of resignation and regret clear on his face.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice slightly stronger. “And I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”
Luca stands up slowly and moves toward me, stopping at an appropriate distance.
He stuffs his hands in his pockets and gives me a rueful grin.
“Forrester, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m your boss.
I’m the one who was in the position of power, and I’m the one who should’ve known better.
Please, if nothing else comes of this, know that you are not the one who screwed up here.
I am.” He pulls one hand free and holds it out to me for a handshake.
“From now on, we are friendly coworkers, that’s all. ”
I take his hand and shake it, pasting on a small smile of my own. “Friendly coworkers.”
He tightens his grip and leans in slightly. “For a few more months, at least. But if you’re still single when your contract is up, I hope you’ll consider letting me take you out. I’m not ready to give you up entirely. Not yet.”
I’m speechless at the hunger in his voice. His hand drops, and he turns, gathering up his unfinished dinner before walking to the door. There, he pauses and looks back at me. “Don’t stay too late. And if you want someone to walk you to your car, text me, okay?”
Somehow, I find my voice. “You’re not leaving?”
He shakes his head. “Not till you do. A friendly coworker can still be concerned about your safety, right?”
Without waiting for me to respond, he walks out of my office, turning down the hall toward his own. My entire body sags in disappointment once he’s gone.
I know pressing pause was the right thing to do. Then why do I regret it so much?
And why do I suddenly wish the next six months would go by a hell of a lot faster?