In Love With Lucy (NSFW) (6 page)

“Do I smell coffee?”

I glared at him before slamming the door shut and stomping into the kitchen, muttering under my breath about asshole bosses. I grabbed a mug and set up the Keurig to brew him a cup of coffee.

“Why are you here?” I asked again.

“There’s an issue with the client in Fort Worth. We need to head there today, the earlier the better.”

I blinked at him. This wasn’t the first time he needed to pick me up at home so we could get an early start on site, but he had never just shown up on my doorstep before. If I had been able to sleep last night, I would still be in the shower and not dealing with Chris.

“And you decided just to show up at my doorstep because…” I trailed off when I realized he was checking up on me, making sure that I planned to show up to work the remainder of my final month. “You wanted to make sure I came in today, didn’t you?” I accused, pointing a finger in his direction.

He came around the counter, headed straight for me. “Yes and no.” I sidled away as he reached around me for his coffee, watching as he added a little sugar. “I can’t allow you to skip the last three weeks of your employment just because things became a little heated last night.”

I stared at him as he sipped his coffee, acting as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Last night’s kiss rocked me down to my bones, so much so that I barely slept, and he was dismissing it as ‘a little heated’?

“Fine,” I stated through clenched teeth. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”

I stormed back into my bedroom and shut the door behind me. Fuming, I stripped off my robe and went about picking out my outfit for the day.

I spied a dark green sweater dress, still unworn, that hugged every single curve, made my fair skin glow, and brought out the green in my hazel eyes. I decided it was perfect. It was sexy without being unprofessional and I hoped it would drive Chris insane.

I opened my dresser and decided on a pretty sage green bra overlaid with black lace. The matching panties were all black lace except for a green satin panel in the front. The set was feminine yet functional. I enjoyed wearing pretty underthings because it made me feel sexy. I rolled smoky black thigh highs up my legs, then pulled the cozy dress over my head. My black high-heeled knee boots were next.

Since I was rapidly running out of time, I chose a simple pair of gold hoops for my ears and hurried into the bathroom. I parted my hair on the side and smoothed it back in to a low, sleek ponytail, put the hoops through my ears, brushed my teeth, and dabbed sheer lip gloss the color of raspberries on my mouth. After a final quick check of my appearance, I was ready to go.

I grabbed my phone before I emerged from the bedroom only a minute later than the ten I’d told Chris I would need. He was sitting at my counter, looking at something on his phone. His eyes came to me when he heard my door shut.

I watched his eyes move slowly down my body and wanted to grin. I bet he wouldn’t be so dismissive now. When his eyes met mine, I almost stopped dead in the middle of my living room. They looked like blue flames, so hot I was sure that the dress I wore would catch fire.

He rose from the stool. “We’ll stop at Einstein’s on our way out of town for coffee and breakfast.” His voice was rough and he had to clear his throat. “Are you ready?”

I nodded, yet again surprised that he remembered what I liked to eat for breakfast when we ate on the road.

“Then we need to get going.”

I followed him to the front door, phone in hand, and shrugged into my black coat. I shoved my smart phone in my purse as we stepped out into the hallway. Chris waited silently as I locked my door.

Neither of us spoke as we took the stairs down to the parking lot, I was still irritated with him, and I honestly didn’t care why he wasn’t speaking to me. It wasn’t until we had driven to the closest Einstein’s, ordered coffee and bagels, and were back on the highway that I decided to break the silence.

“So, what is the issue with the company in Fort Worth?” I asked, sipping my latte.

“The CEO wouldn’t give me details over the phone. Something about showing me in person.”

I rolled my eyes. So many of the businesses Chris consulted with waited until things were dire before they asked for help. By then the CEO’s and Vice Presidents were overstressed, overworked, and cranky, which meant that Chris had to do a lot of handholding. Not something he particularly excelled at. While his business acumen was faultless, Chris did not tolerate nonsense. Hence his inability to keep an assistant more than a couple of months before he hired me.

More than once, I had witnessed him lose his temper with clients. He never yelled or threw tantrums. Instead he got colder and colder until his face looked as though it were carved from granite and his eyes were as frigid and brittle as chips of ice. It was intimidating as hell. I hoped today wouldn’t be one of those days because he was completely unbearable for a few hours afterward, terse and rigid.

Chris filled me in on his meeting yesterday. Apparently, the company was hemorrhaging money yet the financials all seemed to be in order.

“Either their entire financial team is incompetent or…” he trailed off.

“Someone is stealing from the company,” I finished.

He nodded. “They’re sneaky enough that it isn’t glaringly obvious what division the money is being taken from, but the amount is ridiculously large and impossible to hide. It’s almost as if they are desperate, either to get caught or to take as much as they can before they make a run for it.”

I stared out the window as I thought about what he said. In a way, I was sure he was right. Someone was desperate, but their very lack of subtlety made me wonder if their motive wasn’t greed but something else.

As though he could hear my train of thought, Chris said, “What are you thinking about?”

I glanced over at him. “I’m not sure. Just desperate people and their acts. What else could be motivating the embezzler other than greed?”

“Greed usually is the main motivation in embezzlement, Lucy.”

I grimaced at his sardonic tone. “I know, it’s just that….well, they’re smart enough to cover their tracks, yet they don’t seem concerned about the amount of money that’s disappearing, which will raise red flags anyway. It’s not logical.”

He shot me a sidelong look. “Theft rarely is logical.”

I shook my head. “Sometimes it is. If a parent sees their child starving, they will resort to theft to feed them. If someone you love is freezing to death and you have no money, you would steal a blanket to keep them warm. Love and lack of funds are both powerful motivators. Throw in a dire situation and even the most honest people are capable of anything.”

Chris stared at me for so long I almost told him to focus on the road before he got us killed. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he faced forward again.

“You’re absolutely right. People will do anything for those they love, even if they know it’s wrong. I’ll discuss the situation with the CEO and the directors today. Maybe they will have some idea of who could be that desperate.”

I bit my tongue. I really wanted to tell him not to mention it because I was truly worried the money was for something more important than a house in Tahiti, like life-saving medical treatment. Instead of begging him not to do it, I took a bite of my bagel and tried to think of something other than kissing my boss or getting a decent human being thrown in jail.

It was barely past 7 a.m. and I already regretted getting out of bed.

T
he day was
full of non-stop, back-to-back meetings. I took notes, made copies, served coffee, and was generally ignored by the executives, who treated me like part of the scenery, which typically irritated me. How difficult was it to thank someone for serving you a beverage or providing you with important documents? In spite of that, I appreciated the opportunity it gave me to observe everyone in the room with greater scrutiny. I couldn’t help but wonder who might be stealing so brazenly.

At five, Chris called it all to a halt. I recognized the glint in his eye and knew he was on the verge of losing his temper with everyone in the room. I couldn’t blame him either. These people were in denial and most of them were incredibly inept. Everyone was too busy trying to cover their own ass to be of any help or offer any kind of solution to the company’s current predicament.

I helped Chris pack up all the paperwork and carry the files out to his car. His face was pinched and a little pale and I watched as he squeezed the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. After working with him the last three years, I knew exactly what that meant.

I dug through my purse until I found my bottle of ibuprofen and shook three out into my hand.

“Here, take these.”

He looked at the pills blankly for a second. “Thanks.” He tossed them into his mouth and washed them down with a swig from the water bottle I offered.

“Do I need to drive?”

He shook his head. “I’d prefer to get back in one piece. I believe you totaled the last car of mine that you drove.”

“It was two years ago and it wasn’t my fault!” I cried. I’d borrowed Chris’ car to run a work-related errand because mine had been in the shop. “That kid T-boned me because he was too busy groping his girlfriend to realize the light changed.”

The accident had been frightening. My injuries included a concussion and a severely bruised shoulder from being thrown against the driver’s side door. Chris had come to the hospital and sat with me all night while they kept me for observation. He’d also insisted on paying all my medical bills. It wasn’t until Tanya arrived the next morning to take me home that he finally left my side, but only after he ordered me not to come back to work until the following week.

Of course I ignored him and went into work the next day. It was the first and only time I’d ever heard him yell. When I flinched because the loud noise made my head ache, he’d growled, disappeared into his office, and returned wearing his jacket and sunglasses, keys in hand. Then he’d gently but firmly steered me into the elevator and taken me back home. After he insisted on seeing me safely inside my apartment, he put his hands on his hips and told me I was fired if I showed my face in the office again before Monday. Since I still had bills to pay and a future to finance, I’d done as he said for a change. Plus it had taken a few days for the nagging headache to disappear, so I was grateful for the time off.

“I don’t care whose fault it was, I don’t want a repeat,” Chris said, interrupting my thoughts.

I scowled at him. “Fine, but I will make your life hell if you have an accident.”

He smiled slightly. “Understood.”

The ride was silent for a few minutes. There was something I needed to discuss with him and a long car ride was the perfect time. He couldn’t escape or ignore me if he was trapped in a confined space with me.

“Chris, you need to place a job posting for my position by the end of the week. It will take a week or so to interview the applicants and then another week to two to train my replacement. My last day will be here before you know it.”

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel harder, but he didn’t respond.

“Would you prefer I place the ad?” I asked.

“No,” he answered abruptly, “I would prefer not to replace you at all.”

I sighed. “You don’t have a choice in this. I finally have an opportunity to pursue my dreams and I’m not passing it up.”

“Fine. I will write up the ad tomorrow and you can post it wherever you see fit.”

He didn’t speak again for the entire ride home. Instead he turned on the radio and the strains of classical music filled the car. After a few attempts to make small talk, I gave up and leaned my seat back to catch up on my sleep. I drifted off to the sound of Mozart.

It seemed like only minutes later that a firm hand was on my leg, shaking me gently.

“Lucy, you need to wake up. You’re home.”

I sighed and tried to turn away from the voice, though the hand on my knee felt nice.

“Lucy, wake up.”

I groaned and lifted my eyelids. It was dark out and I was definitely not in my own comfy bed. I turned my head and saw Chris crouched in the open door of his Mercedes, his hand on my leg. I pressed my fingertips into my eyes, trying to re-engage my brain.

“I’m awake. Give me a second,” I murmured.

I unbuckled my seat belt and squeaked as Chris reached into the car and hauled me out. I leaned heavily into him, still unsteady on my feet.

I managed to get my legs back under me and tried to pull away. “I’m okay. Just a little groggy.”

Chris smiled. I blinked at him sleepily. Wow, he was even prettier when he smiled like he meant it rather than the mocking smirk he typically wore. “You’re practically a zombie. I’ll help you up to your apartment.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand low on my hip again. It seemed he liked to hold me that way. I shook my head at the thought. Chris didn’t hold me. He’d only begun to touch me in a familiar way last Friday.

We made it up the stairs and down the hall to my front door. I pulled my keys out of my bag and promptly dropped them with a clatter.