NATE
My annoyance bloomed brighterand larger with every minute that ticked by until I could feel the vein in my forehead throb. All because my plan hadn’t worked. If anything, it had backfired, biting me right in the ass.
It was bad enough I was still hot over being forced to hire her in the first damn place, all because she’d successfully managed to tie my hands behind my back, but then she’d walked in here in that outfit, and every bit of saliva in my mouth dried up. I thought I’d remembered our night together in such vivid detail I could have sketched it to perfection if I had the faintest clue how to draw, then she’d turned around and I saw how that skirt hugged that firm, round ass to perfection, and I realized what I’d remembered had been seriously watered down.
Her siren-red hair hung past her shoulders in thick, silky waves, and the small bit of makeup she was wearing highlighted the delicate, feminine features of her face, enhancing the natural beauty that lay beneath.
And damn if the perfume she was wearing didn’t smell so fucking good. My ex had always talked about how a woman should have a signature scent. Unfortunately, the one she’d chosen reminded me of a funeral parlor stuffed to the gills with old potpourri. That cloying, powdery smell was so damn strong I swore I tasted it whenever she walked by, like chalk and my grandma’s closet. But Luna’s scent was completely different. For one, it was much subtler than the choking mothballs my ex wore constantly, and I had to say, it was nice not to be slapped in the face with perfume every time I turned the corner.
At one point during our night together, I’d buried my face in her neck and pulled in long, deep breaths, trying to identify the fragrance, but I couldn’t figure it out. And I still couldn’t. It was sweet but with an undertone of musk. There was a warmth to it that reminded me of the scotch I’d drunk the first night we met. It smelled like sin and heaven, and the longer she walked around the small building, the more likely it would seep into the walls until there was nowhere I could go that didn’t smell like her. It was even in my office from when she’d brought me my coffee earlier, for Christ’s sake.
I had to get rid of her. With everything happening with Evan, the last thing I could afford to do was complicate my life even more by working with someone I’d slept with. Spending day in and day out with a woman whose body I’d spent hours getting to know. Being stuck in the same damn room with the very person I couldn’t stop thinking about. And Christ, now I was hard. Just fucking perfect.
I’d walked back into my office earlier after giving Luna her list of tasks, feeling smug as hell, so damn sure my unreasonable demands and surly attitude would be more than enough to run her off. I’d half expected to hear the click of those sexy-as-fuck heels on the wood floors as she stormed out the door, never to return. There was no way anyone could possibly accomplish everything I’d given her in the time I’d allotted. It wasn’t only impossible; it was downright insane. Not to mention, a dick move.
But somehow, damn it, she’d pulled it off. The internet and phone hookup alone should have set her back. I knew because I’d already called and been told the techs wouldn’t be able to get out to my office for another week.
I’d chuckled to myself when I heard her on the phone earlier—her cell since the office lines weren’t set up—attempting to sweettalk the internet provider into getting out here that morning to get things up and running.
Good luck, I’d thought to myself at the time. So, you could imagine my surprise when, barely an hour later, there was some dude in a navy polo and trousers walking past my office.
“Arnie, you’re an absolute lifesaver,” Luna cooed as the guy got to work on the phones and the internet. “I really owe you one for coming out on such short notice.”
“Nothing to thank me for, Lu. It’s what we do around here,” the guy returned. Goddamn small towns. I’d forgotten about the whole help-a-neighbor-in-need thing, something seriously lacking in the big cities.
“Still. I really appreciate it. I owe you, big time. First round’s on me next time we hit the Dropped Anchor.”
“You got it.”
I’d shot up from my desk after that and slammed my door shut so I could work in peace.
Not long after the Wi-Fi was hooked up, I got an email alert on my phone.
Below are a few different versions of the ad text you wanted for the paper and social media. Please let me know if any of these work for you and I’ll get everything sent to the proper people.
Luna Copeland,
Executive Assistant Extraordinaire
I almost didn’t catchthe laugh that bubbled up at her signature. The last thing I needed was for her to think I enjoyed anything about her, but I had to admit, she was pretty damn clever. And all three samples of the ad text were perfect. Damn it.
Apparently, that small town hospitality extended to the office supplies too, because shortly before 11:00, a delivery guy showed up with a whole van full of supplies from a local shop downtown.
When noon rolled around and there was no word on the business cards—which could take days or weeks to come in—or the payroll software, a Grinchy smirk curled at my lips. I might not have been able to fire her for something so minor, but I could sure as hell make her life here a living hell until she decided to quit all on her own, and this was the perfect ammunition I needed.
To be an asshole, I summoned her to my office by bellowing her name like I’d been raised with no manners whatsoever. A moment later she stepped into my office, the picture of calm, cool, and professional.
“I thought I told you I wanted your research on payroll software before lunch.” I gestured exaggeratedly at the computer on my desk—that could now connect to the internet, but whatever—and noted the time. “It’s noon. Officially lunch time by most American standards.”
“I have the research on my computer and would be glad to email it to you for your records, but I already went ahead and purchased the software.” I opened my mouth, ready to let her have it, when she continued. “I’d already looked through all the software out there back when I started my own company, so I had a pretty good idea of the one that would fit your needs. It’s cheaper than the other programs you see ads for, and it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but that’s because you don’t need the bells and whistles yet. Until the firm gets up and running to the point you need to bring on more personnel, you’d just be throwing money down the drain with those other programs, and since I signed us up to pay the yearly subscription fees, we got an additional discount.”
Son of a bitch. Okay, so she was efficient. So what? It didn’t change the fact that I’d seen her naked and just the memory of it made my dick hard. We could not work together, goddamn it!
“And I know you didn’t mention it, but the program I got helps with keeping everything in line for tax season, and when the time comes, we can also send client invoices and receive payment through it as well. One-stop-shop to keep things streamlined and simplified. Oh, and the print shop should have your business cards ready by the end of the day.”
My mouth dropped open. “How—?”
“They’re local. I helped create their website at a discounted rate when they were first starting out, so I was able to call in a favor. It’s owned by the sweetest couple. Anyway, I put in an order for four hundred. If that’s not enough, you just let me know and I’ll put in another call. That might take a couple days though. I don’t think my favor will extend that far.”