***
"Hi, Matthew." Joan, Erica's secretary, stood up and gave me a motherly smile.
"Morning, Joan. I might be a little early." I brushed my hand down my button down shirt and tried hard not to act like the monkey I felt like in my new suit. How anyone could stand to wear something so insanely constrictive and expect to be creative was beyond me. I had a few things to learn, to say the least.
"No, you're good. Let me take you down to your office. It's got three other people in it, but you'll see the set up. Your team works close together, so it's worked out well for them." She turned and walked down the hall as I followed.
I glanced back toward Erica's darkened office. "Erica not in yet?"
"Yeah, she's here. She gets in around six most days. She's in a meeting with Mitch this morning. She'll come down and walk you through everything shortly, I'm sure."
"Sounds good." Meeting with Mitch? Why did that bother me so damn much?
"Here we go, sir." She opened the door and moved back. "Matt, this is Lewis, Mandy and Sarah."
I walked in and extended my hand to the dark-skinned guy with dreads. "Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you, man."
"Pleasure is all mine." His accent was cool, but the fact that he was wearing slacks and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt was way cooler. I'd have to hit Erica up to get me on his dress code.
"Matt. I'm Mandy. I'm the lead designer for our team. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand and smiled. She was cute, but a little overweight. The way she wouldn't hold my eye contact told me that something bothered her. Probably that. I couldn't help but hope that I could help, if she'd let me.
It was just my childish desire to make everyone like me roaring to life.
"And you must be Sarah." I shook the last girl's hand, smiling warmly at her as she beamed.
"You're Damon's brother?" Sarah released my hand and bit her bottom lip. "You guys look nothing alike. I mean, you're really good looking too, but so different."
Mandy laughed. "Sarah. Really?"
"Oh, sorry." She pressed her fingers to her lips. "I forget that I work in an office with rules and stuff."
I chuckled. "Where did you work before?"
She ran her hand over her dark hair and let out a soft sigh. "National Geographic. I loved it there, but they closed my division, and Mandy was a good friend from high school. So... a position opened here for design and I decided that it was time to grow up and get a real paycheck. Or a steady one at least."
"I totally know that feeling." I nodded and glanced over toward Joan. "Thanks for showing me down here. Will you let Erica know that I got here early? I'm trying to make a good impression on the new boss."
Joan laughed. "Of course I will. You guys treat Matt like one of your own. He's a great guy."
Warmth spread over my cheeks and chest. "I'm not sure about that, but I'm glad to see my ruse is working."
The group laughed as Lewis pointed to an empty desk. "That one is yours, man. Feel free to get settled and then I'll walk you down to the supply room and give you the grand tour, unless you've already gotten it."
"Nope. I've tried really hard to stay away from office buildings over the last four years." I walked toward the desk and pulled out the chair, fighting back the feeling that I was disappointing free-spirited people all over the universe by putting on a tie and handing my life over to 'the man'.
"I hear that." Lewis dropped down in his chair and smiled as I glanced over my shoulder. "But... your father has done a great job of creating a little haven here for us. We live by a different set of rules than most of the rest of the company. Just follow those, and you'll be good to go."
"And those rules are?" I turned as someone moved into the doorway.
Erica. Looking like sin in her cream-colored skirt, blue heels and light blue top. Her hair was halfway up and her lips were dark red. My balls tightened in anticipation of stripping her down and licking her dry.
"To dream big." She walked in and stood in the middle of the room, giving her full attention to me. "To speak up and to dress comfortably, while still maintaining a professional appearance."
"So, no togas?" I smirked and pushed my chair in.
"Only on Fridays." Mandy leaned around Erica and laughed.
"You have a minute?" My girl was ruling the room, and everything about the power dripping off of her left me hard and achy.
Professional. Stay professional.
"Absolutely." I walked to the door as she moved out into the hall. I paused and glanced back toward Lewis. "I'll get that tour when I get back if you're still up for it."
"Absolutely, man. Take your time."
I walked out into the hall and almost plowed into Erica. I reached out and grabbed the back of her shoulders, not quite sure why she'd stopped.
"Hey." I pressed myself to her back and ran my hands down her arm.
"Sorry. I almost lost a thought from a meeting I had earlier. I need to write it down." And like that, she was jogging down the hall toward her office.
I laughed under my breath and followed her into her spacious corner office. "It's nice in here. Who you gotta sleep with to get one of these big beauties?"
She glanced up from scribbling something down on a post-it note. "Ha. Ha."
"What? This is great." I walked to the tall floor to ceiling windows that took up half the wall space and let my eyes move along the city. "It's peaceful in here."
"It's built for people who spend God awful amounts of hours in their offices." She walked toward the door and closed it.
I spun on my heel to face her. "You locking that?"
"What?" Her cheeks colored pink. "No. Behave."
"Not a chance." I moved toward her, meeting her in the middle of the room and sliding my hands over her perfect hips. "Why is it such a fucking turn on to see you running the show?"
"Because you like strong women?" She pulled my hands from her waist.
"No. I like you." I moved up behind her as she stopped beside her desk and reached for a folder and a pen. "You look really good in this skirt. What color are your panties?"
"Matt!" She jerked around to find me standing right in front of her.
"What?" I touched the side of her face. "I really wanted to wake up next to you this morning. I have this great recipe for sticky buns that I was going to try out, but no... had to kick me out."
"You know why I did that." She cupped her hand over mine. "Rule number one. No touching me at work. I don't need everyone talking. It's hard enough to keep control of these people. They'll think I got my job because of you and that will be the end of it."
"No they won't." I leaned down and kissed her, almost surprised that she didn't pull back. Maybe she hadn't really wanted me to go the night before. If only I had pushed a little, and not just with my hips.
"Let's fill out your paperwork and then Lewis can show you around the building." She kissed my palm and pushed at my chest. "Back up. You're making me wet."
I growled at the thought. "Yeah, cause that's going to help me want to behave."
"Your problem, not mine." She walked to the small table in the center of the room and sat down. "Come here and start filling this stuff out."
"I hate this shit."
"Everyone does. Grow up and come here."
"And what do I get if I do."
She smirked. "A job."
"I want more than that."
"A friend who lets you paint her naked?" She lifted an eyebrow.
"How about a girlfriend who lets me stay overnight and not leave the minute the passion is over."
"Is the passion between two lovers really ever over?"
Now she was playing with me.
"Touché." I sat down and reached for the pen. "When do we get to move from lovers to being in love?"
"When you convince me that you don't have one foot out the door." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to lift a little.
I licked my lips and forced myself to stay focused.
A knock on the door sounded, and she huffed and got up, walking slowly toward it.
"I like that skirt on you. I'd like it better on the floor, but beggars can't be choosers."
"Hush." She gave me a stern look that had my heart fluttering in my chest before opening the door.
"Hey. I meant to tell you that I had two tickets to the art show over at Dantana for Friday night. I have to help my daughter with something, so if you and Lanie want to go." Mitch. How the fuck did Mitch know about Lanie? Were him and Erica close enough that she'd brought up her best friend?"
"Yeah. That's awesome. Thank you." Her voice was soft, friendly, but not flirty. His on the other hand.
"Absolutely." He poked his head in the door as Erica took a step back. "Hey, Matt. Good to see you're still alive and kicking."
"Thanks." I chuckled. "I think?"
"Welcome. Let me know if you need anything." He turned back to Erica. "I'll be out for the rest of the day, but you have my cell. Call if you need anything too, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." She smiled and closed the door, turning to face me. It was my turn to hand out a stern look.
"I don't like him."
"I don't like Sophie."
"You don't know her," I protested.
"And I don't want to." She walked toward me and sat down. "Fill out the paperwork."
"Come with me to Saudi Arabia. You'll love her."
"No way. How uncomfortable would that be?" She rolled her eyes.
"Not at all. It's in January. By then you and I will be engaged, so the way I see it... you're stuck, buttercup."
"Where is this boost of confidence coming from?"
"I made love to the most beautiful woman in the world last night. It's hard not to be high on life."
"Oh, you did, did you? Do I know her?"
"No, but you'd like her." I wagged my eyebrows.
"Not this again..."