Come Away With Me (The Andrades) (6 page)

He shook his head ruefully.

He should be irritated by that knowledge, but instead he wondered what topics held her interest. He forced himself to walk away, even though, he admitted, he really wanted to find her and ask her.

Ridiculous.

Julia sighed audibly as she watched Gio Andrade leave the building on one of the monitors. He probably always walked through the foyer, but she let herself imagine he’d done it because he’d wanted to see her again.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life
, as long as you don’t act upon it.
Julia chuckled. She felt like she was back in high school, suffering from her first big crush. The difference was, no crush had ever made her feel quite so much like ripping her clothing off.

Maybe
my menstrual cycle is going haywire.
She’d read a study done on women during different times of the month. During ovulation, they were attracted to strong, aggressive men. The narrator had claimed this was due to an instinct to mate with the hardiest of the breed. Later in the month, women would find nicer, softer men attractive.
No, I’m pretty sure I’d think he’s hot every day of the month.

Her usual motivational reading material was put aside for the night. Instead, she used her phone to do an Internet search on the man she couldn’t get out of her head. Interestingly enough, there were very few articles of substance on him.
Almost every article had featured him with a new woman on his arm. Gio taking an heiress to the ballet. Gio and a movie star at a fund-raiser. The cameras loved him. No matter how hard she searched, she’d yet to come up with an embarrassing photo, or anything that mentioned how he’d made his money.

Why am I wasting my time reading about a man who has certainly already forgotten about me?
She closed her eyes, hoping it would help clear her head, but he was just as vivid in her imagination:

I can see it now. He’d crash the door of my office open and say
, “Miss Bennett.”

Julia rested her head on her hands, letting the fantasy
come to life. In her mind, her voice was sexily husky.
“You shouldn’t be here, Mr. Andrade.”

He’d loosen his tie and throw it on the floor.
Julia rewound the moment in her head.
No, he’d toss it on the back of the chair. That’s an expensive coat.

“Call me Gio.
Practice saying it, because you’ll be screaming it all night.”

Would he be that crass?

Julia started their conversation over.

“You shouldn’t be here, Mr. Andrade.”

He’d walk over and hold out a hand to me. “I couldn’t stay away from you.”

I’d take his hand and stand before him.
“You know this is wrong.”

“How could it be when it feels this good?”

She imagined his lips on hers and smiled.
He would definitely know how to kiss. I’d try to remain strong. I’d push him back, playfully protesting. “What about all those other women?”

“They mean nothing to me. They never have. You’re the only
one who—”

The phone on her desk rang, cutting off whatever Dream Gio would have said.
She opened her eyes and answered the landline. The super-serious replacement security guard said, “Mr. Andrade has left the building. The cleaning staff is also gone for the night. That should be everyone. Have you seen any stragglers?”

Julia sat up and straightened her shirt. “No,” she said. “I haven’t seen anyone.” She moved her purse completely off the desk so it was no longer blocking one of the screens. “But you’ll be the first
to hear if I do.”

The security
guard hung up without further comment.

Julia leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling.
Stop daydreaming. Focus on what’s important and be grateful you still have a job.

Remember why you’re in New York.

Julia leaned down and pulled a magazine out of her purse. She flipped to the article that
had inspired her purchase: “Visualizing Your Way to the Top.”

A flash of how Gio would look beneath her, grinding upward into her while she threw her head back in abandon
, warmed her cheeks.
I have no problem visualizing it at all. That’s the problem.

Julia dropped the magazine back into her bag and tried to focus on the monitors. Nothing unusual, but that was no surprise.
She rubbed her tired eyes. Only five more hours until her shift was over.

It’s going to be a long night.

The next evening Julia let out a sigh of relief at seeing familiar faces sitting at the security desk. She walked over to the front of their station and said, “You both look like you’re feeling better. I’m glad you’re back. Paul, I am so sorry about the other night.”

Slightly older than Pa
ul, Tom was the veteran on their security team and almost always a voice of reason. “It’s hard to believe either of you are still employed here. Can’t I take a day off without all hell breaking loose?”

Paul shrugged
and smiled sheepishly. “Hey, I was sick. If you’d been here, I wouldn’t have had to ask Julia to cover the desk, but you took the night off.”

The two men bickered more like brothers than coworkers.

Julia was moved to voice her apology again. “Paul, I feel awful about—”

He waved her concern off. “Eh, don’t worry. I got a warning and a note in my file. Nothing big. How about you? Everyone has been tight
-lipped about you actually attacking Mr. Andrade. What did you get?”

Close enough to him that my nights have been filled with spicy dreams about him?
Julia choked that honest answer back. “The same. I’m just glad it blew over.” Julia hitched her purse on her shoulder and said, “I guess I should get back there.”

Paul interrupted. “Hey, you didn’t say what happened with your jewelry
guy.”

Tom said, “Paul, don’t make her say it. She would have told us if
she had good news.”

“Just because you’re married now doesn’t mean you suddenly have deeper insights into everyone with a vagina. Julia and I are friends. Don’t tell me how to talk to her.”

“First, I don’t know a man who uses the word ‘vagina.’ Never say it again. Second, unlike you, I have sisters. You can make a woman cry if you bring up something she failed at. They’re sensitive.”

“How do you know she failed? She may have nailed it.” Paul turned to Julia. “What happened?”

She covered her eyes with one hand and groaned.

Tom said, “See now you’ve upset her. I told you to drop it.”

“Stop telling me what to do.”

“Someone has to. You have the social skills of a gorilla and the vocabulary of an adolescent.”

“Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.”

“That’s really mature.”

The banter of the two overly muscled security guards pulled Julia back from her inner pity party. She lowered her hand and half smiled. “Paul, you were right. The skirt was too short. He wasn’t interested in buying my jewelry. A total creep. And he was married.”

Paul was on his feet in a heartbeat. “Did he touch you? You tell me where he lives and I’ll break his legs.”

Tom frowned and said, “I can’t help Paul. My wife would kill me. But I know someone who does that kind of thing cheap.”

There was something wonderfully reassuring about their support, even
if it was a little extreme. “It’s fine, guys. I should have known something was up when he didn’t want to meet me where he worked. He probably isn’t even a buyer. I have a lot to learn about living in the city.”

Paul came around the podium and gave her a hug. “You’re a beautiful woman, Julia. Guys can’t help but want to fuck you.”

Julia pulled back at his words and burst out laughing. Although many women would have found Paul physically attractive, Julia had never viewed him as a romantic possibility. He said whatever came to his mind. Julia had gotten used to his candor, but she couldn’t take him seriously.

He stepped back
, seeming to be shocked by his own admission. Then he smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Tom said, “Get over here, Paul. You went too far. You w
ere doing fine . . . and then you had to cross the line. That’s why you’re still single. It’s your mouth. And, Julia, stay away from Paul. He has a hard enough time concentrating without you as a distraction.”

Julia and Paul stood there for a moment longer, smiling guiltily like children
who’d just been lectured. Over the last month, the three of them had gotten into this playful cycle of ribbing each other. It was harmless and started all of their days with a smile.

Still laughing, Julia turned to head to
the surveillance room and crashed into a much more refined wall of muscle. One that sent a sledgehammer of heat through her. She raised her eyes slowly, shuddering with pleasure as his two strong hands steadied her. If the dark expression on his face was anything to go by, he was not as happy to see her. Barely above a whisper, she said, “Mr. Andrade.”

“Miss Bennett,” he said curtly, but his hands remained on her arms. “
I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”

Julia looked back at Paul and Tom and grimaced. “I’ll be right back.”

Gio put a hand forcibly on Julia’s lower back and guided her to the first floor café, which was busy in the mornings but in the evenings was closed and deserted. Once inside, they stood facing each other, so closely that Julia was sure he’d be able to hear what his nearness was doing to her heartbeat.

“
Cogent Solutions has a strict no-dating policy among coworkers. That includes the members of my security team,” he said harshly.

So much for how I imagined this conversation would go.
Julia blushed and pointed in the direction of the security desk. She hoped he hadn’t heard what Paul had said to her. “We were just kidding around. It’s harmless.”

He leaned a little closer and Julia quickly looked down, afraid her eyes would reveal how he was making her feel.

“You should be more careful, Miss Bennett. A man could get the wrong impression about you.”

Her eyes flew up to clash with his.
“I appreciate your concern, Mr. Andrade, but it’s unnecessary. I get along well with both Tom and Paul. We sometimes laugh. It’s what people do when they work together.”

“I don’t
like him near you.” His eyes burned into hers.

Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head, sure that she had misunderstood what she’d heard. “I’m sorry?”

He brushed a thumb softly across her lower lip. “You heard me.” He dropped his hand, spun on his heel, and walked away.

Julia stood rooted to the spot until Gio was out of sight. She sank down into one of the
wooden chairs and let out a shaky breath.

I heard you.

I just wish I hadn’t.

It was one thing to fantasize about him. That was harmless. It
was completely different and even scary to consider for a moment that he might be attracted to her.
Men like him don’t date women like me.

He might try to for a one
-night stand.

Maybe he considered it amusing to step outside his usual diet of models to flirt with a regular woman, but in no one’s universe was it a good idea
to even consider getting involved with him.

I should have told him I have a boyfriend.

I should have told him it wasn’t appropriate to talk to me like that. But what did I do? I just stood there staring at him like some easy mark. No wonder he thinks I’m interested. I make a complete fool out of myself every time I see him.

I can’t hide in here forever.

Julia stood and straightened her shoulders with determination.
Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. For all I know, he was teasing me. Maybe he has a sick sense of humor.
She shook it off and walked past Tom and Paul, hoping they wouldn’t ask her what the great Mr. Andrade had wanted.

Tom pushed his chair back and stood at her approach. “Julia and the boss? When were you going to tell me about this?”

Paul defended himself. “I didn’t know. The last time I saw the two of them she was trying to kill him with a lamp.”

“This is not good. You have to talk to her.”

“Me? You’re the one who is so great with women.”

Julia broke into their stage
-whispered conversation. “I’m fine, Guys. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

With a shake of his head, Tom sat back down. “You’re an awful liar, Julia.
I’ve never seen Mr. Andrade do anything inappropriate, but it’s obvious he’s interested in you. Avoid him. I don’t want to see you get hurt.

Julia nodded,
rushed to the privacy of her monitor room, closed the door, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Was it possible that Tom was right?