Chapter Seven
Hanna
When I got home, Danielle was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of wine and a magazine. When she saw me, she frowned.
“Late night at the office? Or more time with Hunky Billionaire?”
I groaned. “Please, don’t call him that,” I said, burying my face in my hands and groaning. “And yes, it was a long night.” I remembered just then that I hadn’t even finished up the work I’d wanted to finish – and tomorrow, I had to go back in and face James!
“Oh, god,” Danielle said. She narrowed her eyes and set her magazine down. “Something happened, didn’t it?”
“No,” I lied. I took off my coat and kicked off my snow boots onto the mat by the corner of the door. They were wet and dripping with slush and ice, but I didn’t care. I felt too exhausted and confused to do anything but flop down on the couch and close my eyes.
“You’re lying,” Danielle said with a smug expression. She poured another glass of wine and walked over to the couch where she held it out to me. I accepted gratefully and took a long drink.
“No, I’m not,” I said, looking down so she wouldn’t see my red cheeks. “I just had a long day, that’s all.”
“Well, when he took your shirt off, you buttoned it up wrong,” Danielle said, smirking.
Looking down, I saw that she was right. In my hasty attempt to run away from James – and the janitor – I’d missed a button, and my shirt was crumpled and gaping open, exposing the middle of my lacy bra.
“That was an accident,” I said defensively.
Danielle sighed. She took a long sip of her wine and gave me a sympathetic look. “Hanna, you know I’m not trying to bust your balls,” she said. “But I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
I pulled a pillow from the couch and held it in front of my face, groaning into the material. Danielle yanked it away and tossed it to the side. “I’m being serious,” she said. “Hanna, I’m your best friend, girl. What the hell is the matter? Is he a real jerk of a boss? Did someone attack you?”
“No,” I said, heaving a sigh before launching into the story of my day. “It was so weird, Danielle. I felt…I felt so close to him, just sitting there and talking like that. It was almost like, you know…”
“A year ago? Right before you had sex?” Danielle gave me a knowing grin.
“No,” I lied again. “But you know just…normal. Just like, we had met in a bar or something, or at a party.”
“On equal footing,” Danielle suggested.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “On equal footing.”
“Well, I think he obviously likes you – a lot,” Danielle said. “I mean, he’s been drooling over you since you got there. You think he does that with all his secretaries?”
I flashed back to my interview with Linda, the head of Human Resources at Magnate. A shiver ran down my back.
“What?” Danielle frowned. “Tell me.”
“Nothing,” I said. I bit my lip. “It’s just, when I was interviewing for the position, the lady interviewing me said something about lack of professional conduct. I assumed she’d meant me – you know, like don’t hit on the boss, even if he is super-hot and also mega-rich. But what if she meant him? What if he has a history of trying to sleep with everyone who works for him?”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Danielle countered. “It sounds like he really likes you. I mean, he took you to the hospital, for god’s sake! Don’t you think that means anything?”
“Danielle, he only took me to the hospital because he felt guilty. I mean, he’s the reason I spilled that stupid coffee in the first place!”
“Well, he ordered a truckload of Indian food,” Danielle said. She raised an eyebrow. “And anyone who’s talked to you for five seconds knows that the clear way to your heart is through your stomach.”
“He’s rich, he could’ve ordered four times that for just himself and thrown away the leftovers,” I said morosely. “I don’t think it means anything. I think he’s just horny. And I think he’s being so persistent because I haven’t caved and slept with him again.”
“You know it’s going to happen,” Danielle said with a sly grin. “I mean, it has to.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I argued. “I’m not losing my job over this!”
“Whoa, calm down,” Danielle said. “I never said you would. But it’s clear that you both like each other. What happens when you find a new job?”
I eyed her. “I’m not even looking,” I said truthfully. “I don’t have time. They keep me too busy.”
Danielle shrugged. “Well, still,” she said. “I know you want him, Hanna. And he wants you. What’s keeping you from it?”
I bit my lip. “Everything,” I said slowly. “For one thing, he’d never want to date a person like me for too long – we have nothing in common! And for another, he’s my boss…and one of the most powerful people in Boston!”
“So, take advantage of that,” Danielle said. She smirked at me. “Why not?”
I sighed. As we sat there on the couch, I made a vow that I wasn’t going to cave. I was going to go into work the next day and ignore James West…no matter how difficult it became.
***
In the morning, I got up feeling refreshed. Today was a new day, and I was determined to avoid temptation, also known as James West. I took a quick shower and dressed in a designer suit I’d bought from a secondhand shop back when I’d first been interviewing for jobs.
Danielle was in the kitchen, frying up a pan full of bacon. When she saw me, she cocked her head to the side and grinned.
“Look at you, Miss Boss Lady,” Danielle said. “You look like you’re about to go in there kicking ass and taking names.”
I grinned. “That’s the idea, at least,” I replied.
Danielle took a piece of bacon from the plate next to the stove and handed it over to me with great gusto.
“Go forth and conquer,” she said as I took the bacon from her hands and chewed rapidly. It was so good that I reached for another piece and scarfed it down before washing my hands and pulling my coat, hat, and gloves on.
Outside, the snow had finally stopped but it was still blustery and frigid. I shivered as I made my way downtown, to the looming building of Magnate Group. As soon as I was inside, I tried to act like nothing had happened between James and me the night before, like everything was totally normal. It was fine until I got to his office. When I saw him through the glass paneling, a rush of feelings came over me and I gripped the edge of my desk to steady himself. He was sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer with his forehead creased and his pouty lips pressed together. His dark hair was as unruly as ever, and a ripple of lust went through me as I watched his bulging, muscular arms through the thin material of his shirt.
James’s head snapped up. When he saw me staring at him, he grinned and got to his feet. I blushed and kept my head down as I scurried over to my desk and sat down, hastily pulling a folder out of my bag.
“Here’s what I was working on yesterday,” I said, handing it over to James. “I’m sorry I didn’t finish up last night.”
“Not a problem,” James said. His face seemed to be twisted in a perpetual blend of a grin and a smirk. It made me feel close to him and distant at the same time – was he like this with everyone? Did he always wear that mask of perfection?
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” I asked, shifting my weight in my chair and looking up. From a seated position, James looked even more intimidating, and the way he was standing so close to my desk sent shivers running down my spine.
“No,” James said in a low voice. “Thank you, Hanna.”
It wasn’t until James had gone back inside his office and shut the door that I realized I felt a little regretful. Part of me had wanted him to say something about the previous night – our steamy kiss, his hands on my body. No, Hanna, I thought, chastising myself as I logged into my computer and checked my email. You can’t keep thinking like this – you know it’s never going to happen. It can’t!
The hours seemed to crawl by as I worked. James kept to his office, and there were hardly any calls. By the time I saw the other employees leaving for lunch, it felt like I’d been sitting at my desk for a year. I sat on the edge of my seat, half-waiting to see if James would emerge from his office and come over to flirt with me…and when he never did, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“Hanna!”
The sound of my name pushed me back into reality and I looked up from my computer, blinking. Linda, the head of Human Resources, was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked harried and rumpled, and her normally-calm face was pressed into a tense expression.
“Yes?”
“I need your help,” Linda said quickly. She leaned in close. “We’ve had a…situation with one of our employees,” she said in a hushed tone. “And I need someone on her desk, immediately. Can James spare you for the afternoon?”
“You’d have to ask him,” I said. I frowned. “Why me, exactly?”
Linda sighed. “Look, Hanna, I hate to do this – I know you’ve only been here a few weeks – but you’re the only person who can help. I went back and looked at your resume – you should’ve told me that you had such experience with digital media!”
“Oh,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Okay. Sure.” I stood up and brushed my hands off on my pants. “I’d be glad to help out.”
“Oh, thank you, you’re the best,” Linda said. She looked significantly less worried than she had a moment ago. “I’ll just go ask James if he can spare you, and why don’t you take your things? I’ll have someone bring you a sandwich or a salad – sorry, but I don’t think there’s time for you to leave today.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
Ten minutes later, I was settling into a small office on the floor below. There were five computers, all set to different social media sites and accounts, and the notifications were flying. I couldn’t help but grin as I sat down and began working.
Being away from James had a positive effect on my productivity. By the end of the day, I’d written four blog posts, scheduled Tweets for a month, and begun responding to all claims on Facebook.
Just as I was about to wrap up, Linda came in with a smile on her face.
“Hanna, this is amazing,” she said. “You’ve done a really great job.”
“Thanks,” I said. “This was fun. Honestly.”
“Well, how would you like to do it full time? We had to let Stephanie go, and filling an administrative position will be much easier than finding another good social media guru.”
I flushed. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” Linda said. “I’ll have the official promotion paperwork drawn up tomorrow, is that all right?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “Thank you so much!”
“Thank you,” Linda said. She sighed. “I thought I was in a world of shit this morning, but you really helped, Hanna. Thanks again.”
I waited until Linda had left the office before jumping up and down with excitement. I couldn’t believe it – after just a few weeks of work, I’d landed the position that I’d been wanting since college!
That night, when I got home, I told Danielle everything about my day.
She smirked in response. “That’s great, Hanna,” she said. “Especially because now you’re free to date James.”
“Oh, come on,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not why I accepted this, and you know it. I’ll probably be making a lot more money, and I even have my own office. It’s tiny, yeah, but still!”
“That is really cool,” Danielle admitted. She grinned. “I’m happy for you. We should celebrate,” she added. “Happy hour?”
I shrugged. “Why not,” I said. I couldn’t help but grin right back. “For once, it does sound like fun.”
Danielle laughed. “They call it happy hour for a reason,” she said. “Just give me a couple of minutes to change and then we’re out of here.”
As I was waiting for Danielle to get ready, my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I pulled it out and saw the main Magnate Group number flashing across my screen, my heart sank. Shit, I thought as I stared at the buzzing phone in my hand. They’re calling to tell me that it’s all a mistake – I screwed something up, and now they’re going to rescind the offer!
“This is Hanna,” I said, as calmly as I could muster.
“I should hope so,” James said. His voice was smooth and arrogant and just listening to it made me flush. “After all, you left before I could congratulate you on your new position.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” I said, wincing. “I know I should’ve stopped by your office, but—”
James laughed. “Hanna, it was a joke – relax,” he said. “Besides, that’s not why I’m calling.”
I bit my lip. “Oh?”
“I wanted to ask you if you’d do me the pleasure of having dinner with me on Friday night,” James said. “I thought that perhaps now, since you’re not working directly for me, your opinion would have changed.”
I thought about it for a moment. Everything inside of me was dying to say yes, bursting at the seams to accept his offer. And why shouldn’t I, I thought as I pictured his gorgeous, sculpted face and dark eyes. Why not just have fun – just for once? Maybe it was my good mood from my promotion, or maybe it was the fact that James seemed interested even though I wouldn’t be sitting in front of him every day in the future.
“Yes,” I said. “I’d love that.”
“Good,” James said. “I was hoping you’d say yes, and now I don’t have to spend any time convincing you.”
I flushed.
“Because I was willing to do that, you know,” James said in a dark, low voice that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “I want you to know that I want you, Hanna.”
My face felt like it was burning up and I bit my lip. “I think I’m starting to,” I said slowly. “I really think I do.”
It was strange, but I never regretted being capricious and immediately accepting James. It was like a switch had flipped in my brain. All throughout the week, I thought of him and how I couldn’t wait to be alone with him, outside of work. By Friday evening, I was practically craving it. I rushed home and changed into one of Danielle’s cocktail dresses – a bodycon red dress that hugged my slender curves – and did my hair and makeup. James had offered to pick me up, but I insisted on taking a cab to the restaurant, a chichi new Thai restaurant in the West End.
At exactly seven-thirty, I walked into the bustling Thai restaurant. The hostess led me to a private table in the back, a low booth with cushy pillows for seats and romantic candles. I flushed as I saw James standing there, smirking at me.
“You look beautiful,” James said. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. As the musky scent of his aftershave washed over me, I shivered with pleasure.
“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said.
James grinned. “Good,” he said. “Because I was sure you’d take one look and go running for the hills.”
I lowered myself down into the cushions and crossed my legs at the ankle. James sat opposite from me, his dark eyes locked on mine. The dim candlelight made his face look even sexier, and I couldn’t stop staring at the sculpted hollows and planes of his cheekbones.
“So,” James said, leaning across the table and raising an eyebrow at me. “I can’t believe you agreed to come out with me. I thought I was really going to have to twist your arm.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hardly,” I said. “Like any woman wouldn’t want to go out with you.”
“Well, you didn’t,” James said archly. He leaned back and smirked. “In fact, for a while, I thought you didn’t like me at all.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied. “But you know I couldn’t have said yes. I was your secretary!”
James shrugged. “Trust me,” he said. “That’s never stopped women before.” He cleared his throat. “That’s why I like you, Hanna.”
I frowned. “Why, because I was your secretary?”
James snickered. “No,” he said. “Because you value yourself, and your independence.”
I flushed. “Thanks,” I said softly.
“It’s true,” James said. “There aren’t many women like you in Boston.”
“No one ever really likes that about me,” I said. “I mean, if anything, it seems to annoy people. Danielle’s always frustrated with me, she says I’m boring because I don’t take risks.”
That was when I felt James’s hand on my thigh under the table.
“I disagree,” James said. “Just because you don’t act in a way that most people would consider risky doesn’t make you boring. In fact, I think quite the opposite.”
His hand moved higher and higher and I spread my legs, biting my lip so I wouldn’t moan as the tips of James’s fingers stroked my bare inner thigh.
“Thank you,” I said. My voice was barely above a whisper – it was hard to speak when James’s fingers were so close to my pussy.
James leaned closer. I felt the pad of his thumb stroke the crotch of my panties and I shivered, gripping the edge of the table.
“Hi, there!”
I jumped and looked up to see a smiling waitress.
“Hello,” James said suavely. He didn’t take his hand away from my panties, but his voice was cool and smug. “We’d like a bottle of off-dry Riesling for the table – whatever you think is best. Oh, and an order of chicken satay skewers to start with. Hanna, would you like anything else?”
I flushed hotly. “No,” I said. “I’m fine, thank you.”
The waitress turned and left the table and I glared at James. “I can’t believe you!” I hissed. “You’re so bad!”
James’s thumb stroked over my panties again and I moaned softly.
“I know I’m bad,” James said in a low voice. “I can’t help it when I’m around you, Hanna. You bring it out in me.”
His fingers pulled the crotch of my panties to the side and slipped inside of me, one by one. I shivered and flushed as my thighs began to tremble. My nipples were stiff and hard inside of my lacy bra and every time I moved, they brushed against the fabric and sent delicious thrills of pleasure through my body.
“Do you do this with everyone you date?” I asked, leaning over the table. James and I were so close that we could have kissed, but somehow the few inches of space between us made the situation feel even more erotic. He was so close, yet still out of reach, and I wanted him more badly than ever before. His warm breath on my face, his looming dark eyes…it was all I could do not to lean in and kiss him right then, over the candles.
“No,” James growled. “I don’t. I don’t date much, Hanna.” He pulled his hand away from my crotch and lifted his fingers to his nose, closing his eyes and inhaling the musky scent of my arousal.
“I feel special,” I said, missing his touch between my legs. When I crossed my thighs under the table, I realized they were both soaked with my juices. A powerful shiver of lust went crawling down my spine and I clutched the table again, simultaneously craving more of James’s touch and mortified that I’d let a man finger me in public. If only Danielle could see me, I thought with a little smile. She wouldn’t believe it was really me.
“You should,” James said. He raised an eyebrow and locked his gaze with mine, licking the tips of his fingers.
Just then, the waitress appeared. She poured a small taste of Riesling into a glass and handed it to James. He took it in his hand, swirled it gently, and drank.
“What do you think?” The waitress asked. “Is the wine suited to your taste, sir?”
James smirked at me. “It’s delicious,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. “We’ll take it.”
I could hardly breathe as the waitress poured two glasses and left the bottle in a bucket of ice next to the table. Once she left the table, James handed me a glass and clinked it with his.
“To us,” James said. He raised an eyebrow.
I bit my lip. “To us,” I repeated.
We clinked our glasses again, then each took a sip. The delicious, dry wine flowed over my tongue and I felt a pleasant warmth spreading through my chest as I swallowed. Between the wine and our lust that was radiating in waves over the low table, I felt intoxicated. I felt like a completely different person.
I felt like the person I’d been in Jamaica, almost a year before, with James on the beach.
“The way I see it,” James said softly. “We were brought together for something, weren’t we?”
I bit my lip.
“I looked for you for a year,” James continued. His dark, intense gaze captivated me as he spoke. “And then just as soon as I stopped, there you were. Don’t you think that means something?”
I’d had the same thought many times, but I’d never wanted to admit it: I thought it made me sound like a crazy person, the kind of person who believes in astrology and tarot cards.
“I suppose,” I said.
“Come on,” James said. “You can’t tell me you didn’t think about me after that night.”
“Of course, I did,” I said. “I…I thought about you all the time.” I bit my lip. “I couldn’t help it,” I added. “I knew it was crazy, but I couldn’t stop.”
James grinned. He took another long sip of wine. “Good,” he said. “Because I have a feeling we have a lot to catch up on.”