Chapter Five Add to My Abundance #2
I try to lift off the couch, but it’s of no use. I’m like a cracked egg on a hot Texas sidewalk in August—fried. What the hell was I thinking?
“I’ll get you rescheduled… I appreciate it… Thanks.” He hangs up.
I hear the padding of bare feet and manage to look up. Joseph comes into view in his boxer briefs, nothing else.
“Where are your clothes?”
He grabs a bottled water from his minifridge. “I was burning up. I had to strip before I passed out.” He kneels next to me. “Here, baby, drink.” He helps me sit up and slides in next to me, pulling me against him as I guzzle half the bottle. He finishes the rest.
“What the hell happened?”
His chest rumbles with a chuckle. “I wore you the fuck out—correction—we wore each other out.”
“Oh, god. We can’t keep doing this in your office.”
He sighs. “Sadly, you’re right.”
“Shit. Your meetings,” I panic.
His hold on me tightens. “Cancelled.”
“All of them?”
“Yep.”
I relax into him. “We really can’t keep doing this.”
“Nope.” He kisses my brow. “But I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
An hour later, the sun is setting, and we’re still lying on his couch. The last part of his afternoon is a bust, but it’s been nice stealing these precious hours alone, the two of us, before his new assistant starts tomorrow, and I start school next week.
“I’ll miss this.” I turn to face him. “It was nice having this last week and a half with you, even though we were working. It felt like we were a team.”
His hand caresses my hair. “It was nice. We work well together.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “We’re still a team.”
“You know what I mean.”
He smiles. “I do. It gave us an idea of what it’ll be like once you graduate. You by my side—not as my assistant,” he clarifies adamantly. “We’ll be an unstoppable team.”
“I think I like the sound of that.”
I’m graced with his sexy dimpled smile. “Really? Because I’m serious. I want you by my side, not working four floors away from me, where I only get to witness your brain at work during staff meetings. I want you. By. My. Side.”
I lift up and kiss him softly. “I got it, Caveman. You want me by your side.”
“You’re okay with that?”
“Joseph, you know I love watching you work too, and I’d be honored to work for you in whatever capacity you feel I’ll most benefit MCI. And if that’s by your side or in the mail room—I’m all in.”
“Christ, I love you, Samantha.” His lips crash over mine. “So…so fucking much.”
“I’m glad it’s mutual. I’d hate to be in this alone.”
“Don’t even jest.” He frowns.
I laugh and touch his cheek. “I’m not kidding. I’d be lost without you. I’m the luckiest woman in the world. You love me mind, body, and soul. And I’m honored to be the recipient of such love.”
“Sweetness.” His voice cracks.
With a quick kiss and a moment of staring into the green eyes I love so much, I pat his chest and sit up. “Now, take me home and feed me. I’m starving.”
“Miss Cavanagh, you’re awfully bossy on your last day as my PA.”
“You’d better get used to it. I have a feeling Teddy is gonna whip your ass into shape,” I tease as I start to get dressed.
“Hey, I think my ass is in fine shape.”
I swat it as he walks by. “Yes, Mr. McIntyre, that is a mighty fine ass.”
Hand in hand, we make our way home. Luckily, it’s only two private elevator rides and a crossover bridge away. Why did I ever think I wouldn’t want to live so close to work? This is a dream. I need to apologize to Joseph for being such a baby about it when I first came to stay with Fin.
“Have you talked to Margot since she’s returned to Austin?” Joseph brings me back to the present.
“Oh, shit! I forgot to tell you. I saw her. Here. Leaving MCI twice last week. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”
“When?”
“Thursday morning—the day after happy hour and my meltdown.” I blanch at the memory.
“I was late that morning because I worked out with Michael.” I stop on the crossover bridge and point down to the curb, past the main entrance of Alpha tower, the tower we just left.
“She was there, getting in the car with Victor.”
“Victor?” He’s surprised.
“I thought maybe I was imagining things, that it was someone who looked like her, until I saw her again on Friday afternoon. She was walking to her car. I know it was her because it was loaded down for her drive back to Austin.”
“Shit.”
“What?”
“Fin.”
“Fin?”
“Yes, Fin.” He pulls me along as we continue home. “I knew it!”
“You knew she was here?”
“No, Sweetness. I knew he had a thing for her. He has since he met her nearly two years ago.”
“Really?”
He looks at me sideways. “Don’t say anything. Let them tell us. Maybe it’s merely a hookup.”
“Maybe it’s love. Oh my god!”—I tug on his arm—“She could be my sister-in-law.”
“Don’t get all worked up. It could be nothing.”
“Or it could be something.” My smile nearly cracks my face.
He pulls me into the elevator that goes directly to our penthouse floor. “You’re so cute.” He kisses my nose. “You want everyone to find a love like ours, don’t you?”
I throw my arms around his neck. “I do. I really, really do.”
His arms wrap around me, pulling me close. “So fucking cute,” he breathes across my lips.
Joseph
I’m wrapping up a conference call when Samantha knocks on my door, slipping inside and closing it behind her.
I want to chastise her for knocking, but I’m struck dumb by the goddess in front of me in a black fitted skirt that flares at the bottom and has a ruffle that cascades down the right side.
If she’s wearing a shirt, I don’t even notice as I can’t get past the come-hither sway of her hips and the sight of her gorgeous legs in black pumps with a little strap around the ankle.
Fuck me. My dick gets hard.
“It’s a damn good thing Teddy’s here. If you wore that skirt yesterday, we would have lost more than the afternoon fucking in my office.”
She giggles as she rounds my desk. “We wouldn’t have been able to do what we did yesterday in this skirt.” Her skin pinkens at the memory.
I stand and press her to me, my hand gripping her ass as I trail a finger down her cheek. “Believe me, I would have found a way.” Her eyes flicker with want—want that I cannot satisfy—at least not now. On a sigh I step away, returning to my chair. “Sadly, that will have to wait.”
She bends, holding on to the arms of my chair, and presses her lips to mine, softly, tenderly, pulling away all too quickly.
“Fuck it.” I grab the back of her neck and pull her back to me, consuming her delectable mouth, urging her into my lap. But she resists, pushing away and stumbling back. I grab her hand to steady her.
“Shit,” she sighs.
“Yeah,” I groan.
She motions to the door. “Uh, I really came in to tell you that Teddy is here. I…uh.” She runs her hands down her skirt, her blue eyes searching mine. “Shit, Joseph, you’ve scrambled my brain.”
I throw my head back in a laugh. “I know the feeling. At least you don’t have a raging hard-on.”
She shakes her head. “No, but I may have to run home to change my panties.”
With a growl, I stand, hovering over her. “You’re killing me, Sweetness.”
Her hand presses to my chest. “I’m sorry. Think of baseball and puppy dogs or whatever you men think about that is totally not sexy.”
My girl is cracking me up. “See, the problem with that is, I think of baseball—I think of you in a baseball jersey, little shorts, and a baseball cap on your head. You’re cute as fuck, and I just want to sink into you.”
Her breath catches, and she whispers my name.
I fall back into my chair. “Now, puppies. That should be a safe topic, but then I see you on the ground, laughing and playing with this little fur ball that’s jumping around and licking your face.
” I sigh and rearrange my junk to make room in my pants.
“You’re cute as fuck—aaand I just want to sink into you. ”
Her soft giggle has me smiling. “I love you, baby, but you’ve got to get out of my office, and don’t tell me about changing your panties while I’m working.”
She’s still laughing as she heads to the door. “Oh!” She snaps her fingers. “-I remembered. Do you want to meet with Teddy before I start training him?”
“Yes, but not with you.” I point at her, motioning her out of my office. “Go change your panties or whatever you need to do. I don’t want to see your sexy ass before lunch.” My firm voice softens as I remember. “We are still having lunch together today, right?”
A mischievous smirk overtakes her face. “Meet me at home.” On that, she exits my office, closing the door as she goes.
Great, I’ll never get rid of this hard-on, thinking about what she has planned. I adjust my pants and command my body to heel.
Teddy knocks on my door a few minutes later. “Good morning, Mr. McIntyre. Sam said you wanted to see me?”
“Good morning, Teddy. Yes, please come in.” He closes the door behind him, which pleases me that I didn’t have to ask.
Once he’s seated, I get right to the point. “I know Samantha will show you the ins and outs of the job and how I like things to work, but she won’t tell you these things.”
He nods slowly and opens his tablet to take notes.
“It’s important to me that you and I work as a team.
What happens in this office, stays in this office.
No gossiping about what you hear, see, or presume.
Respect, trust, loyalty, and diligence are key in your role as my assistant.
I will, in turn, grant you the same. This team,”—I gesture between us—“this partnership, if you will, can only succeed if we both hold up our end of the bargain.” I pause, letting his fingers catch up to my rambling.
Once he looks up, I continue. “This is a family business—my family’s business.
We are vested heart and soul in this company, our employees, and the success of both.
However, because we are related, the normal family dynamics do seep their way in occasionally, and you will be privy to things you might not otherwise know.
Discretion, Teddy, is very important to me. ”