“Yes, Amy,” she spoke, her voice quiet and firm.
“Mr. Pavon is here,” Amy replied, her voice higher than normal.
“Thanks, I’ll be right out.”
Lucy excused herself and made her way out to the lobby to greet Equinox’s newest author. Michelle tapped her pen on the table until Rachel looked up. Again, her face expressed aggravation as she stared unabashedly.
“Where did she get that manuscript? Isn’t it the reject that I specifically told you to get rid of?”
“If you say it is, then I guess it is.”
Michelle huffed. “Don’t be stupid, Rachel. Where did she get it?”
“How should I know, Michelle,” Rachel asked, challenging the top junior editor’s glare. “You rejected the script, maybe Mr. Pavon refused to take no for an answer?”
“I’m on to you,” Michelle stated plainly.
Rachel pursed her lips and turned away as she rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you are.”
“I’ll find out what you’re up to,” Michelle responded. “I always do.”
“Are you done? We have a meeting.”
“No,” Michelle stated firmly, her voice controlled but curt. “I have a meeting. You’re taking notes. Don’t forget who you are.”
“Stay classy, Michelle.”
Before Michelle could fire another retort, Rachel’s phone buzzed. With a symbolic middle finger, she fiddled with the touch screen and stole a glance at the text message that had come through. It was Amy, who was usually the consummate professional and kept her phone in her bag. Intrigued, she dragged the message open.
[Amy]: Wowza he’s hot!
Rachel stifled a snicker and shoved her phone in the front pocket of her khaki pants. Michelle shot her a look of disapproval.
“Are they on their way in?”
Rachel kept her eyes trained on the door. “Yes, they’re on the way in.”
A few moments later, Lucy walked in. She looked flushed; she must have noticed how good-looking Mr. Pavon was as well. Rachel gave a small chuckle and smiled at Lucy, who closed her eyes in amused concession.
“He’ll be in shortly,” she said.
Rachel smiled professionally and nodded in response. Michelle smoothed her button down shirt and stood with Lucy, ready to greet the new author. The anticipation was pretty palpable as Rachel followed suit, standing and running a hand through her hair with an excited smile.
His footsteps could soon be heard, even with the padding of the plush carpet. AJ Pavon made his way down the hall and turned into the conference room. Michelle’s eyes dilated. Lucy blushed again as she tried to meet his gaze. Rachel nearly fainted, her breath catching.
Joe.
She could barely contain her shock as their eyes meet. A brief look of shock flashed across Joe’s face, but he recovered quickly as he greeted the women with handshakes and a devastating smile. He was wearing a dark grey suit and a white button-down shirt. His hair was wavy and borderline unruly, giving him the sexiest devil-may-care look Rachel had ever seen. She bit her lower lip involuntarily, moments of their last meeting officially on repeat in the back of her mind. Her knees weakened slightly. Joe shot her a quick, yet playful glance, his eyebrow raised.
Michelle wasted no time. In a move that disgusted Rachel, she batted her eyes and turned the charm on. “Mr. Pavon, it’s great to meet you. I’m Michelle, and I’ll be one of the editors involved in helping print your masterpiece.”
Joe flashed a smile, his eyes twinkling as he acknowledged her. “Again, it’s nice to meet you. Thanks for taking a shot on me. I’ve been looking at this publishing house for quite some time.”
Lucy smiled. “We’re flattered.”
“Please, I’m the one who’s flattered,” Joe replied, melting every heart in the room as his voice dripped with confidence and sincerity. “Your publishing house has quite the amazing reputation, but I’m sure you know that.”
Lucy and Michelle engaged him in conversation effortlessly, but Rachel couldn’t miss the fact that they were practically swooning over him. And she couldn’t miss the fact that, as she scribbled notes onto a legal pad, that she was actually a little jealous of the attention he was giving them. Ugh, get it together, she chided.
In a move she didn’t expect, Joe turned his attention to her. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
She looked up at him, her heart beating fast. He grinned, a playful glint in his eyes. The two of them were in on one hell of a secret, and he was letting her know that she wasn’t off the hook, not by a long shot. Oh yeah? Well two can play this game.
Fighting a smirk, she leaned forward and placed her legal pad on the desk. “Rachel. Rachel Sirianni. I’m actually new to the company, but I’ll be working on this project as well.”
Joe sat back, his hands folded on the table. “Is that right? In what capacity will you be working, Miss Sirianni?”
Michelle interrupted their word play, determined to cut off Rachel’s sense of involvement in the book. In a voice that Rachel knew was entirely too cheery, Michelle replied, “She’s my assistant, and an absolute asset! Rachel, why don’t you get us all some coffee? I’ll brief you on everything when you get back. Here, let me see your legal pad … ”
Rachel could not control her shocked expression as she aimed it at Michelle. Even Lucy seemed taken by surprise at the obvious power play that had just been made. Joe shot a disapproving look at Michelle before turning to Lucy. Rachel stood abruptly, her face heating up.
“Sure, Michelle,” Rachel replied through clenched teeth. “Coffee, Mr. Pavon?”
Joe gave her a sympathetic look. “Only if you’re making some for yourself, please don’t go to any trouble.”
Embarrassed, Rachel took lengthy strides out of the conference room. She heard Michelle say, in a bubbly voice, that it was no trouble at all.
“Our Rachel makes the best pot of coffee in the office!”
Blood boiling, Rachel burst into the empty break room. She was angry enough to throw the empty glass pot against the wall. Who the hell does she think she is? Rachel spilled an entire bag of coffee into the sink before forcing herself to take a breath and calm down. Running the hot water, she let the wasted ground coffee go down the drain as she wondered how best to confront Michelle after this was all over. As she stood at the sink, gripping the edge with white knuckles, she suddenly had the feeling she was being watched.
She spun around quickly and locked eyes with Joe, who was standing behind the threshold and watching her with a compassionate expression. Her arms dropped to her sides and, though she couldn’t readily identify why, she was deliciously thrilled to see that he followed her. He tilted his head to one side as he looked her over.
“I’m sorry, Rach.”
Chapter Six
Joe’s eyes locked with Rachel’s; he kept his distance just outside the door as he gauged her anger. Meanwhile, Rachel’s insides were turning to mush. She imagined herself turning into a puddle of cartoon-like sludge as he held her attention with his smoldering gaze.
Rachel forced herself to speak first. “Sorry for what?”
For that,” he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. Damn, she swooned. He’s going to burst out of that jacket!
“She had no business talking to you that way.”
Rachel couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, but I’m used to that. She has a pathological need to be better than people when, ironically enough, she has no actual talent to speak of.”
Joe grinned, his eyes brightening like a summer day. His arms dropped and he made his entrance. The doorway a couple of inches shorter than he, Joe had to bend slightly as he took a rather large step into the break room. And there go the vapors, ladies and gentlemen! Rachel bit back a sigh as she marveled in how he seemed to fill the room with his tall, br
utally hot form.
He then proceeded to cross the room to her in three long strides, oozing swagger, as his eyes remained focused on her. The corner of Joe’s mouth was turned up in a smile as he approached, and he towered over her again.
“So,” he teased, his voice delectably smooth, “Fancy meeting you here.”
Rachel looked down, smiling uncontrollably as she blushed. She tried her hardest to keep busy with the task of preparing coffee for the meeting, wondering as an afterthought why she didn’t do this sooner so that Michelle wouldn’t have been able to send her back here. Then again, if she hadn’t, he wouldn’t be standing here looking at her like she was the prettiest thing on the planet.
“So, when were you going to tell me that you work for the publishing house that I’ve been trying for the last year to get a meeting at?”
Rachel looked up, turning to look at him in an attempt to defy her own longing. “When were you going to tell me that you’re a writer?”
Joe chuckled, his head jerking back slightly. Swagger, she swooned for the hundredth time since she first laid eyes on him. He’s way too much man to be allowed.
“Fair enough,” he answered with a lop-sided grin, “Call it even?”
Rachel smiled. “Okay, we’re even. Then again, I suppose we were a little too distracted the other night to find out about our individual careers, weren’t we?”
She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, and he looked impressed by her teasing response. He moved his hand and leaned against the counter, and she couldn’t help but notice how cute his butt looked in those pants.
“Got anymore secrets, Miss Sirianni?” Miss Sirianni? With a tiny twist of her stomach, she decided she liked the sound of that. Was working at Orchid starting to rub off on her?
“No,” Rachel answered, but the word “secrets” hit her quickly. She did have a secret, and it was a pretty big one. Is the fact that you told me about our date last night while I assumed the identity of an oversexed phone girl a big enough secret? Rachel mentally slapped herself in the forehead.
“Well, that’s good for starters,” Joe stated with a chuckle. “Maybe we should make a pact to get to know each other better.”
“Oh, is there going to be a second date,” Rachel asked, eyeing him as she plugged in the coffee machine. “I wouldn’t have known by the way you never called again.”
“I’m sorry,” Joe answered with a sheepish grin, running a hand through the beautiful dark waves on top of his head. “I was busy, setting up meetings and … other things.”
The hum of the coffee machine helped to mask their quiet conversation as the room filled with the smell of French roast. She leaned against the counter, turning her head to look up at him. “What other things?”
Joe took a deep breath, his face flushing a little. Rachel got the impression that he was mustering the courage to answer. She even felt like she was pushing him, but Rachel made no move to correct herself. If Joe was so interested, she was going to need to see a real side of him.
“I wasn’t sure if you were interested in me,” he finally said.
“Really,” she remarked, raising an eyebrow. “And what about our date confused you about my feelings? Was it my hands running through your hair or my arms wrapped around your neck?”
Joe regarded her with a look of amused shock. He licked his lips and drew in a breath as he straightened his back. He seemed to grow in height right before Rachel’s eyes, and they nearly crossed as she considered the other parts of his body that were capable of doing the same.
He folded his arms. “Are you being snarky with me, Rachel?”
Rachel could clearly see the mischievous glint in his eyes, but she thought back to his conversation with Kirby. You know why he didn’t call. Rachel held his gaze as she took a thoughtful breath, trying hard to be open with him when it went against everything she’d done for the last few years.
“I just really wanted to hear from you,” she answered quietly, turning away quickly to face the sink.
Joe’s eyes widened at her response.
“You did?”
“I did,” she answered, “I feel like I might have to explain myself here. I realize that, before we actually went out, I may have seemed a little distant. But it was only because I was … ”
Rachel’s voice trailed off as she sighed; Joe urged her on.
“You were … ?”
“Attracted to you,” she conceded, her cheeks reddening, “Instantly. I’ll spare you the details, but I have my reasons for being guarded. But just know that I do like you … and I really enjoyed spending time with you.”
There was a long silence, the vulnerability of the moment keeping their eyes locked on one another. Once again, the energy between them went electric — the air was as sexually charged as ever, despite the fact that the conversation had just turned to the topic of emotion. Breaking the hold he had on her, she dropped her head and turned the coffee machine off.
Joe watched her intently, and he knew that she felt it. He was overcome with the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her right there. Every movement she made lit a different part of his body on fire. Consumed by the fluttering that had started in his stomach and made its way outward, he forced himself to look away as she continued to prepare the mugs of coffee.
• • •
Rachel stared at the coffee cups intently as she measured sugar into the first three mugs. She knew she liked Joe a lot, and deep down she knew it had more to do with the fact that he was hotter than the surface of the sun. They had connected, hadn’t they? Shockingly similar family lives, and nearly identical tastes in movies, music, and food. They’d agreed on a number of topics, and seemed to share the same moral compass. She may have wanted to climb the length of his body to kiss him right there in the break room … but there was more to it, wasn’t there?
The only reason Rachel knew it to be true was because of the pang of guilt she felt as she thought back to their phone conversations. Joe didn’t realize that she was essentially acting as her own wingman, advising him about their relationship. She held an unfair advantage, and it stung a little to think that she’d already used it twice.
But Camille was right, too — how many relationships might last longer if one or both sides had just a little extra insight into what the other was thinking? She tried to ease her guilt by reminding herself that she would be honest about everything else — just not this. It may have been an unfair advantage, but at least she wouldn’t be afraid to take the plunge as a result, because she’d have an inside track that no other jaded girl would ever have when trying to return to the dating world.
Joe’s cup remained empty as she stirred the other three mugs quickly. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, recalling what he’d said to Kirby. I’ll show him Lauren Bacall.
“Cream in your coffee, Mr. Pavon?”
The naughty assistant? Very nice, Rachel! He countered with a role of his own: sexy boss man. “I’ll take it light and sweet, Miss Sirianni. Just like you.”
Rachel giggled nervously and lowered her head, not sure whether to eat that cheesy line up or shake her head in mock horror. Oh, Hottie McCoffeehouse.
“What,” Joe asked with a playful grin, “Am I not allowed a cheesy pick up line?”
“You’re a writer, so I’m going to say no. Besides, I’m pretty sure this is a conflict of interest.”
Joe raised a teasing eyebrow. “What is?”
“You. Me. This.” She handed him his cup.
“Coffee?” Joe smiled, dimples showing through his well-kept scruff.
Rachel sighed, placing a hand on her hip. “Joe — ”
“We met way before this, so I see no reason why you and I dating would be a conflict of interest.” He took the cup with a boyish grin.
“If I weren’t
on the editorial team for your novel, I might agree with you. But since I am — ”
“Well, if you’re allowed to overthink then I’m allowed to argue my point. I see no reason not to date, especially since all I’ve thought about today is how delicious that part of your neck is … right there.”
Joe used one large masculine finger to trace a line from behind her ear down to her shoulder blade. Rachel inhaled sharply and let out a tiny involuntary whimper. She looked up at him, scandalized, her eyes wide. He had officially turned on the smolder, and she knew she was in trouble. Joe dropped his hand to his side and he regarded her with a dreamy, satisfied smile.
“So … you do miss me.”
Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling completely unglued by Joe’s sensual trickery. She knew she had to find a way to turn herself off. Listen, Hottie McCoffeehouse — while I’d love to jump into your arms and wrap my legs around your waist, it’s just not an option right now! She grabbed two mugs of steaming coffee and shot him a challenging glare.
“That’s neither here nor there, Mr. Pavon,” she said, walking past him and toward the door. “So may I suggest that you control yourself?”
Rachel fought off a smirk as she walked carefully, her hips swaying slowly and seductively as she tried to keep her cups from spilling. Joe watched her, his lips pursed as he stood at attention, falling harder for her pluckiness.
“Rachel,” he murmured, and she turned, narrowing her eyes flirtatiously.
“Joe?” She kept her voice even and lustful.
“What are you doing tonight?”
She couldn’t believe her courage. Had Kirby gotten a hold of her vocal chords? “I’m pretty sure I’m making dinner for you at my house. My number’s on the business card in your welcome packet.”
• • •
By the time they entered the office, every bit of evidence that the two had shared a super flirty moment in the break room was gone. Rachel placed two mugs on the table, one in front of Michelle’s chair and one in front of her own. Joe then handed Rachel the mug he hadn’t sipped from so that she could put it in front of Lucy’s chair.
Sexy in the City Page 45