“He’s asking for you to come up to his office.”
I let out a long sigh. “Does it say why?”
“It does not.” She holds out the paper and I take it, looking over the message. “Okay, thank you.”
My nerves are shot today and dealing with Theo won’t exactly help matters. The last thing I need with my already fried nerves is staring at him while I remember every filthy thing he said to me in my dreams while trying to dodge whatever mood he’s in. Every moment I’m around him, I have to remind myself not to stare, not to flirt, not to say something inappropriate. It’s tiring to say the least.
I take a deep breath and push myself up, heading for the top floor. The elevator ride seems quicker than normal and when I step off, his assistant greets me.
“Theo wanted to see me?”
She nods. “I’ll let him know you’re here.” She picks up her phone and whispers into the receiver. She hangs it up moments later and looks back at me with a smile. “He’ll be just a moment, dear.”
I nod. “How’s the new kitten?”
She smiles wide now and grabs her phone to show me pictures like she’s a new mom. “He’s so good and cuddly and sweet. I hate leaving him alone every day, but it’s what I have to do for now. I’m looking into daycare, but—”
“They have daycare for cats?” I ask, accidentally cutting her off.
She nods with her brows lifted. “Oh yeah. It’s great. You drop them off every morning and they get to play with the other cats; they have a snack, and I don’t know, do what cats do.” She shrugs.
The whole thing seems adorable but I don’t let the conversation linger. Instead, I tell her again how cute he is before marching straight into his office before he has time to call me in. I’m on a tight schedule and I don’t have time to wait till he’s ready.
When I do, I breathe his rich scent in deeply and let it settle over me like a thick, warm blanket of comfort. Whatever the scent is, it’s all his own. His entire office smells like him and it’s intoxicating. He’s seated at his desk, a serious look on his face as he studies the piece of paper in his hand.
He’s wearing a dark-navy suit that has a slight plaid pattern to it in a blue that’s almost the same color. He straightens his tie almost absentmindedly before running his hand through his thick, silky locks. Images of my erotic dream from this morning come flooding back and I feel an instant heat creep up my cheeks.
“Wren.” He says my name without even looking up from the file in his hand and it causes a tingle in my lower belly. It’s not his usual office voice as I like to call it, but deeper and rich, echoing through his chest. It’s the tone I’ve only ever heard a handful of times and each time it sends me straight to the moon.
3
Theo
“Ever heard of knocking?” I ask her, refusing to take my eyes off the paper. I know if I look up and see her, I’ll lose all focus, but something inside me begs me to just take a glance and see what she’s wearing today.
“I have but let’s be honest. It’s not my strong suit and we both know that. Besides, when have I ever taken to being told what to do?” she half jokes but she’s not wrong. Wren is confident and outspoken; she doesn’t let silly nuances or what people might think of her get in the way of getting a job done.
“Well maybe that’s because you haven’t had the right man tell you what to do.” I regret the innuendo as soon as it slips past my lips but I don’t linger on it. Instead, I put the paper down and turn my gaze to her. Her blond hair is hanging down her back in soft waves that frame her rounded face perfectly. Her sparkling blue eyes accented with long black lashes and a touch of smoky eyeshadow. She looks sultry and tempting in an understated way, like she has no idea that she’s a walking, talking fantasy.
“So, what did you want? Cheryl didn’t give me any context to why you called me up to your ivory tower.”
I try not to let my gaze drop from her plump pink lips down to the perfect glimpse of ample cleavage her sheer blouse offers. I have to stop myself from saying, you. YOU are what I want. I’m not an animal; I see her for more than just a walking pair of double D’s and a backside I’d love to sink my teeth into, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let my eyes peruse her full curves every so often. Truthfully, I’m ashamed half the time the way I imagine ravishing her body. She’d probably run screaming if she knew the filthy thoughts I had about her. Let me be clear though, my actions aren’t bridled by nobility. It’s the fact that I’m her boss that has me not acting on my lustful desires. I don’t want to lose her as an employee, and I know I can’t offer her a future. Maybe I am more thoughtful than I want to admit but the truth is, if I could bend her over my desk and bury myself in her just once and walk away with no repercussions… I wouldn’t think twice.
“I need your help with my speech for the benefit that Mr. Newcomb’s company is hosting. It’s for the new wing of the Natural History Museum. I’ve been struggling with fine-tuning it.” I slide the paper across my desk as she takes a seat.
“When are you going to stop writing your own speeches? I am your head of PR.” She says the last part slowly, emphasizing each word dramatically. “It’s, ya know, my job.” She grabs the paper and starts to read it over, her lips moving ever so slightly as she flies through it.
“There’s something disingenuous about having you write my speeches from scratch, especially when it’s for a charity event. We’ve been through this, Wren.”
“Yeah, I get that and it’s fine and makes sense, but I just wish you’d actually stick to a schedule like we agreed. I have no problem with you writing a first draft and then sending it over to me so we can work on it together and get a final draft before oh, say two days before the event.”
I laugh as her hands flail a little with her rant. “I know, you’re right… as always.”
She lets out a sigh as she drops her hands into her lap. “It needs a lot of work but I’m sure I can get you something polished by the close of business today. I expect that you’ll read it word for word this time. We all remember last time when you went off script and I ended up having to clean up your mess. Please don’t do that again,” she says, offering a sweet smile and tilting her head to the side.
I laugh at her reminder. It’s for the best. She has a way with words that I don’t. Everything I say comes out harsh and too gruff. That’s why I need to let her do the talking for me.
She arches one perfectly groomed eyebrow when I laugh and she has to work hard to not smile. “It’s not funny. That little slipup of yours cost the company how much money?”
“About a million but it’s my company so who cares?” I say in jest, knowing full well when I make jokes about stuff like this it gets her riled up.
“I don’t know, maybe the shareholders? This company rests in your hands. Don’t let that sharp tongue of yours ruin it.”
Sharp tongue. Oh, how I’d love to show her the tricks of my tongue.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, boss,” I say as she stands up and is about to make her way toward the door.