Falling Into You (Geek to Chic) (4 page)

“Derek
Callaway” He said, holding out his hand.
 

“Veronica
Atlas, everyone calls me Roni” She started shaking his hand.
 
That simple touch had her toes curling.
 
She looked into his icy blue eyes and saw
that he felt it too.
 
Maybe taking this
job with him as her boss was not such a good idea. After all, you can’t grope
your boss and keeping her hands off of him would be difficult if not
impossible.
   

“It is nice to
finally meet you, Roni” He pulled her hand to his lips for a small kiss.
 
A shiver shot down Roni’s back, the good
kind.
 
She had never met a man that could
flip her switch with a simple touch.
 
“When can you start?
 
I need to go
to the office today, now that Jemma is going to be gone.
 
I’m not staying long, so it would be a
perfect opportunity to show you around let you get a feel for the office.
 
I’ll even buy my new employee lunch.”
 
He looked so nervous, looking down as he said
the last part.
 
Roni thought he was an odd
mixture of personalities all in one gorgeous hunk of a body.
 
On the one hand, he was the smooth, confident
CEO, on the other he was nervous as a schoolboy.
 
She found that combination intoxicating. He
was the entire package.

She stared at
him, realizing she was taking too long to answer.
 
Obviously making him more nervous. “That sounds
like a great plan, but I’m not really dressed for the office.”

“Neither am
I.” He grabbed up the rest of his stuff, stood, and held out his hand to her.
“However, it is casual Friday, so we will look better than most.
 
Come on, I’ll drive.”

“Well, since
you put it that way, let’s go.”
 
She
giggled collecting her own stuff taking his proffered hand. He linked his
fingers with hers, almost making her sigh at how comforting holding his hand
was.
  
They walked out of the coffee
shop, hand in hand, towards a black Audi R8.
 
Her earlier thought of being out of her league was obviously true.
 
“Your car is orgasmic!”
 
She exclaimed, running her hand over the
trunk.
 
“Did I just say that out loud?”

“Um, yes, yes
you did.” He said, gasping for air between laughs.
 
Then wincing, “Ugh, I am never drinking
again.” He mumbled.
 

She popped her
hip out and placed her hand on it, looking up at him and shaking her head. “Do
you know how many times I have uttered that very sentence?”

“Ok, let me
amend my previous statement.
 
I am never
drinking with a bunch of guys in order to get even with Alex. Though the
hangover was worth it when Alex saw his bill.
 
Then he had to drive us all home. So worth with it.” Derek walked past
her, hit his remote to unlock the doors and opened her door for her. “My lady.”
He said with a dramatic bow and arm movement.
 

“Such a dork,
but thank you.”
 
She could not stop
smiling being around him today.
 
He was
even fun hung over.
 
Even after she
almost sent him to the emergency room twice and totaled what looked like a very
expensive laptop, he was still kind to her and laughing with her.
 
Most men would have run screaming the other
way.
 
Which made her wonder what she was
missing? He was obviously smart, funny, kind and let’s not forget tall, dark
and handsome.
 
He was everything she
could want.
 
She had to wonder why he
would want to hang out with a clumsy, average looking, slightly flaky woman
like herself.
 
The perma-smile she had
just been sporting, started to fade as her insecurities came rushing to the
surface.
 

Sure, she was
smart with a good sense of humor but she was sure he could find a rich,
successful, super model looking woman with those qualities as well.
 
Maybe he felt sorry for her, after all she
did come off as someone who couldn’t take care of herself.
 
No job, falling all the time, she was one
purse snatch away from being the stereotypical damsel in distress.
 
Is that how he saw her?
 
Oh God, was he being nice to her out of pure
pity?

“What has you
making that scowling face out the window” Derek asked her as he concentrated on
the traffic in front of him.
 

“Did you offer
me this job out of pity? I mean I know I l come off as a mess, with being fired
and constantly causing you unintentional bodily harm, however I really am put together.
 
I graduated with honors from college, have
managed 28 years without injuring another human, and some even think I am
cute.
 
So really if you're offering me a
job and being nice to me is some kind of way for you to boost your Karma
points, thanks, but no thanks.” She huffed out the last part, crossed her arms
over her chest and went back to staring out the window.
 

Derek stopped
at the stop light.
 
Stared out of the
windshield a moment, with the most confused look on his face, before turning to
her and saying, “You’re right, I hired you to be my temporary assistant during
a crucial time in my business to gain Karma points.
 
It had nothing to do with the fact that you
made an impression on me. When you’re not trying to kill me, that is.”
 
He smiled at the last part and laid his hand
on her leg. “Now, stop over thinking this job offer.
 
I needed an assistant right away and you need
a job.
 
I see this job offer as us
helping each other out.
 
How does that
sound?”

She was having
a hard time focusing on his words.
 
The
hand he had placed on her leg was now rubbing up and down her thigh.
 
She held in a groan, or maybe it was a
purr.
 
Making sure not to close her eyes
under the pure bliss the feel of his large hand on her was causing.
 
She had admired him from a distance for six
months, yet she never thought his simple touch would make her feel so close to
ripping his clothes off.
 
Roni chanced a
glance at Derek, he was back to concentrate on the road, his hand still tracing
patterns on her thigh.
 
The peaceful look
on his face and relaxed position of his shoulders, made her happy, she felt
like she had given him that.
 
From the
first moment she saw him, he had seemed tense and focused.
 
To see him relaxed around her was nice.
 

“You have been
staring at me for the last few minutes, so either you are reconsidering the job
or I have something on my face.” He flashed her a quick smile.
 

“Sorry, didn’t
mean to stare, I was just thinking….”She trailed off not really knowing what to
say next, “that you’re right, we would be helping each other out.” Not exactly
the truth but she didn’t want to embarrass herself, again.
 
“So how far from the office are we?”

***

Derek realized
his hand was still on her leg.
 
He
wondered what it meant that she hadn’t moved his hand.
 
At the same time, though he didn’t care why
she let him touch her, as long as she continued to let him do so.
  
“Here we are.” Derek pulled into the parking
garage into his reserved spot.
 
Yep,
being the boss was good.
 
He killed the
engine, got out of the car, hurrying to her side so he could open her
door.
 
When he did she looked at him in a
mixture of surprise and awe.
 
She must
not be used to such gestures, well that must give him an advantage, he
thought.
 
He even went as far as to take
her hand and help her out of the car.
 
Ok, so the reason he took her hand may have had less to do with being a
gentleman and more to do with wanting to touch her anyway he could.
 

As they walked
through the marble lobby, a few employees stopped to ask him questions.
 
Upon the first person approaching them, Roni
pulled her hand out of his.
 
He wanted to
scowl, but realized she was going to be working with these people and did not
want to be seen as the girl sleeping with her boss.
 
Hmm, maybe he should have thought this through
a little more. Sure, he would have her close, but he wouldn’t be able to touch
her or flirt with her for at least eight hours a day.
 
Dumb ass!
Derek’s brain scolded
him.
 
That he was, a major dumbass.
 

“My office is
on the eleventh floor”
 
He placed his
hand on the small of her back leading her to the elevators, trying to avoid
other employees so he could leave his hand where it was.
 
“We have a huge release coming in a few
weeks, hence the reason I could not live without an assistant while Jemma is
out.
 
If I know Jemma, she left a
detailed list of all the important meetings and deadlines as well as the
outstanding items that need completed in order for this launch to happen.”

Derek wanted
to make her feel comfortable while still ensuring that she understood the
importance the next few weeks held for his company.
  

“This release,
what is it for?” The million dollar, or billion dollar, question he thought
when she asked.
  

They walked
the short distance from the elevator to his corner office.
 
His office was nothing special. His desk was
the typical executive desk, his walls were a beige color, but his view was
spectacular.
 
He had chosen this building
for the headquarters of CPST for this view.
 
He had the fortune of looking out to see the beautiful Rocky Mountains
every day. Whether the mountains were covered in snow or the sun was shining
over them, they had a calming effect on him.
 
“Before I answer your question, I need you to sign an NDA,
non-disclosure agreement.”
 
He stated
almost apologetically as he pulled the paperwork out of his desk drawer handing
it to her along with a pen.
 
She smiled,
not in the least bit offended, looked over the document, and signed it with
that bubble cursive that women wrote in.
 

“This release
is the most important security job we have ever been brought into.
 
You know what a drone is of course. Homeland
Security as well as most of the higher ups in the military has become
increasingly worried that the drones are vulnerable to hacking and therefore
would be able to be used against us, instead of for us.” He explained.

“Is that
possible?” She looked horrified.
 

“With the
security program and other toys my team and I have created for our government,
not anymore.” Derek boasted.
 

“Well, now I
can sleep at night knowing a super nerd like yourself is on the job.” Roni
stated barely containing her laughter as she raises an eyebrow at the amount of
computers and monitors he had on his desk.
 
“Now I see why you didn’t blink twice over my latte bombing your laptop
this morning.
 

He had to
laugh. “That laptop was at least six months old, time to buy a new one.
 
Plus, it was my personal laptop.
 
Nothing on that thing, but video games.”

“Oh good, now
I don’t feel bad since it gave you an excuse to shop.
 
I can get behind something like that.”
 
She gifted him with one of her amazing
smiles.
 
What was it about this woman
that had him all tied up inside?

Derek’s office
was so very plain, obviously the man cared more about his computers than any sort
of eye catching decor.
 
All his office
held was the furniture needed to conduct business.
 
A large modern black desk in the center.
 
Two straight back black guest chairs, which
looked very uncomfortable, in front of his desk.
  
A plain dark brown couch and black coffee
table in the far corner. The walls were the same beige as every hospital
hallway.
 
No artwork adorned them.

 
The only thing that gave life to his office
was the perfect view. Her friend Gracey would have a field day with this
place.
 
It would be a blank canvas.
 
She would make sure to call her, if Roni
stayed beyond the two weeks that was. She walked to his plain modern desk to
get a better view of his computers that’s when she noticed the single picture
frame on his desk.
 
A picture of a thin
woman with black hair and his familiar blue eyes, holding an adorable
baby.
 
She looked closely at the picture
wondering who the woman was but scared to ask.

 
He must have read her mind because he closed
the distance between them, placing a hand on the small of her back again.
 
“That’s my baby sister Caroline, and the
deceptively cute baby is my niece, Netty.
 
She’s 6 months old, smiles all the time and I think she is going to be a
computer genius just like her uncle.”
 
He
was absolutely beaming with pride as he spoke of his niece.
 
Seeing a man light up over a child made every
women’s heart turn to mush.
 

“I bet
Caroline and her husband are in heaven, raising a cute baby like her.” His
smile fell instantly and if she wasn’t mistaken his hands fisted by his
side.
 

“Netty’s
father
is not
in the picture.
 
The bastard took off so fast after finding
out that my sister was pregnant, I think he left skid marks.
 
I never thought he was good enough for her,
now I just want to castrate the asshole.
 
I offered to pay a private investigator to find him, but Caroline
doesn’t want to find him anymore.
 
She’s
a great mother. Netty is her world and I applaud her for that, but I wish she
would get out more. Do something for herself.”
 
He shook his head and smiled again at the picture.

“Do you
babysit for her so she can go out?” Roni asked already knowing the answer.
 
He might love his niece dearly, but most
single guys she knew were terrified of babies.
 
They would rather defuse a nuclear weapon than change a diaper.
 

“Um, no I love
her dearly, she is an adorable kid, but I barely know how to take care of
myself let alone a baby. Hell, I am lucky to remember to feed myself at this
point.” He said it like it was something she should know already.
 

“Not even for
an hour? Really?” She was laughing now. “Men so tough until it comes to a small
human.
 
Then they run for the hills until
the kid is potty trained.”
 
He gave her a
scowl, one that was laced with amusement.
 
She put up her hands in surrender.
 
“Fine, fine, you’re a macho man without diaper duty in there.
 
So boss man, what’s next?
 
What needs to be completed today?”
 
She suddenly wished for a pen and paper so
she could take some notes on what needed to be completed.
 

Derek switched
personality’s right in front of her.
 
He
did it so fast her brain had trouble keeping up with the sudden and dramatic
personality change that had taken place right in front of her eyes.
 
His voice became harsh and the laughter left
his face.
 

He was now the
powerful CEO not her… …what was he?
 
Acquaintance?
 
Friend? Potential
boyfriend? That blank she would have to fill in later.
 
Right now she needed to focus.
 
“I need to check in with a few members of my
team and return some emails.
 
Jemma is
very organized, I am sure she left notes and more notes.
 
If you could start by reviewing what she
left, that should get you up to speed. Her desk is the one right outside my
office.” He scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “This
is the login and password I had IT set up for you moments ago.”
 
She tilted her head in question. “I sent a
text before we got in the car.
 
The login
information should work for both the laptop and iPad. I will come out when I am
done.”
 
With that, he sat at his desk and
immediately started working.
 
Guess his
manners did not carry over to his CEO Persona, since he had dismissed her
without another word.
 

***

Derek watched
her out of the corner of his eye as she left.
 
As soon as the heavy door closed behind her, he leaned back in his
chair, taking a deep breath.
 
Two
problems, beyond his workload, ran around his brain like a hamster on his
wheel.
 
First, Roni was 100% right, he
should offer to take Netty for Caroline.
 
He knew she needed time to herself, but that she did not trust many
people with her baby.
 
He decided he
better offer to take his niece for a few hours before he totally chickened out.
Shaking his head, he grabbed his iPhone.

“Big Bro, you
never call in the middle of the day, well actually you never call, I was under
the impression you only knew how to text.” Caroline giggled out as she answered
the phone.
  

“Funny, and
here I was all set to do a favor for you.”
 
He thought that would change her tone.

“Wow, a real
phone call and a favor! Is it my birthday and I just forgot?” He rolled his
eyes at the phone.
 
Only Caroline could
be this much of a smart ass in this short of time.
 

“I guess if
you don’t want me to watch Netty for you so you can go have some mommy time
then…” He didn’t even get to finish that sentence.

“Are you
serious?
 
You know you have to feed her
and change her right?
 
Never mind, I’m
sure you’ll hire someone if you don’t know how.
 
I have not been out of the house on my own, other than work, which
doesn’t count… sorry I’m babbling. When?” Caroling spun the words together into
one long sentence without a breath.
 
Now
he knew for sure he should have done this sooner.
 

“I’m not sure
really. I had not thought that far, just thought I’d offer and see what worked
for you.”

“Next
Saturday, that will give you a week to get ready for the monster that is your
niece.” She laughed.

“Oh, she’s
cute. Nothing, that cute could be bad.
 
I’m sure I can handle anything she can dish out.” He would show
her.
 

“We’ll see
about that.”
 
She laughed, “I better get
back to work.
 
Thanks this means a lot, I
really do need a little time to myself.”
 
He said she noticed the last part as a sad whisper.
 

“No problem C,
send me a text next week to let me know what time the monster, as you called my
perfect niece, is coming over.”
 
With
that they ended their conversation.

Now to deal
with his next problem, Roni.
 
His plan
was so simple. She comes to work for him, he gets to know her, she gets to know
hi, boom, and he wins the girl’s hand.
 
He forgot about the minor fact, he would be her boss! Which meant no
touching, no flirting… ugh.
 
He placed
his head in his hands.
 
He blamed the
amount of alcohol he had last night for his poor planning.
 
Derek could still make this work.
 
In these walls he would be nothing but
professional. After work, outside these walls, he would pursue her.
 
That plan could work.
 
If he could keep from pissing her off from
8-5, which, given how big of an asshole he tended to be when he worked was going
to be quite the task.
 
He could reel in
his CEO asshole side, right?

***

“Fuck. Do they
not believe in paper around this place?” Roni mumbled as she rummaged through
the desk looking for even a scrap of paper.
 
She had logged into the computer hoping to quickly find the magical list
from Jemma of what needed to be completed.
 
She found nothing.
 
Actually she
found that she could barely run the email program.
 
Now she was looking for a paper copy of the
list or a calendar or anything to tell her what she should be doing.
 
Really, she was smarter than this.
 
Ok, so computers weren’t her thing like they
were Derek’s but she had never been intimidated by one until now.
 
Seriously the amount of icons on the screen
was awe-inspiring.
 
If she knew what she
was doing, she could probably launch a nuclear strike or something.
 
She laid her head on the desk with her hands
over head in defeat.
 

“If it isn’t
Clumsy Barbie.”
 
A familiar teasing voice
said above her.
 
“Is my boy alive or did
you trip and push him out the window?”
 
He was laughing now.
 
She looked
up to see the person she already knew the voice belonged to, Alex.
 

“Well, if it
isn’t Super Asshole, or do you prefer Neanderthal in a suit?” She teased
back.
 
“And so far, today I have not
injured… well, that’s not true, but I don’t think the hot water actually burned
him through his jeans.“
 
She didn’t feel
the need to mention the latte bombed laptop.
 

“You burned
him?
 
Since you mentioned jeans I am
assuming children are no longer in the future for him.
 
Should I go buy him a suit of armor so he can
be around you safely?”
 
She wanted to
hate him, she really did, but he was kind of funny.
 

“You
underestimate the power of my clumsiness. Armor is no match for my abilities”
Roni sat up straight, pushed out her chest and put her hands on her hips in a
mock superhero pose.
 
Alex exploded in
laughter.
 
“Now that you know not to mess
with me,” she winked and held out her hand, “I’m Roni by the way.”

“Good to know
what I am up against,” he smiled, shaking her hand. “I’m Alex, or you can call
me Super Asshole if you prefer.
 
I think
your friend may have knocked my jaw out of line with that hit last night.”
 
He rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand
in mock pain.
 
“Is she always so feisty?”
 
His eyes blazed with interest.
 
Very interesting considering that he was the
last guy she could see Izzy spending any amount of time with.
 

“She isn’t
normally so quick to strike.
 
You must
bring that out in her.” She tilted her head in question and continued. “So what
was it your Neanderthal brain made your mouth say that got you in so much
trouble?”

“Now here I
was under the impression that you girls shared everything.
 
I didn’t say anything that I haven’t said a
hundred times before to pretty girls.
 
I
would like to add that the other 99 times I have used that line I received a
much better reaction.” Alex added the last part a little defensively.
 
Obviously Izzy’s reaction, wounded his
fragile male ego.
 

“Ah, you see
that was your mistake.” Roni stated, his eyebrows going up in question.
 
“She knew it was nothing but a line.
 
A line you have used on countless girls
before her and will use on countless girls after.
 
My girl knows when she is being played.
 
Ever since right after college, she has been
able to sense a player from a mile away.
 
I bet you set off her player, alarm in two seconds flat.”

“So she didn’t
have a player, alarm before that point? I guess I’m a few years too late.”
 
He tried to play it off as a joke, but he
seemed to be annoyed that he had no shot with Izzy.
 
“Anyway, what are you doing here besides
using your super power to take down my Derek?”

“’Your
Derek’?
 
Who are you? His first wife?
Derek is in his office, safely away from my super power.
 
We ran into each other at Starbucks, and his
assistant called saying she had a family emergency so she had to take some time
off.
 
I needed a job, he needed an
assistant and low and behold, here I am trying to figure out this overly
complicated computer system.
 
Doesn’t
Jemma keep paper copies of her duties or his schedule somewhere?” She tried to
keep the desperation and pleading out of her voice but she failed.