“Thank you, Blake. For letting me use your suite. I don’t think I could have made it all the way to the lactation room.”
A quick frown passed over his features, and then a pleasant, professional smile returned to his face. “I’m glad I could help.”
“I’ve got to go pick up my daughter now, but it was very nice to meet you.”
“You too, Ms. Jen—I mean Penny.”
God, I loved the way his deep, rumbly voice said my name. But I’d already embarrassed myself enough in front of him tonight—standing here drooling over him was probably not the best career move. Still, I took an extra twenty seconds. He was clearly high up in the company, and in a different department. Who knew when I’d see him again? So I took a mental snapshot—several actually—thanked him again, and left.
I was eager to cuddle my sweet baby, eager to spend two whole days with her, eager to enjoy the weekend after a long first week at work.
But as I left, I had to be honest with myself. I couldn’t quite get the image of Blake out of my mind… and I couldn’t help wondering when I might see him again. Not that I was interested. He was clearly upper management at the company where I worked. He was gorgeous and completely out of my league. And most importantly—he wasn’t Zorro, the man I longed for with all my heart.
Still, throughout the evening as I chatted with Hazel and cuddled my baby girl, I couldn’t help the way the image of Blake flashed across my mind.
More than once.
Penny
“Good morning,” I said cheerfully to the woman at the reception desk in the lobby. I wasn’t usually this perky on a Monday morning, but two whole days at home with my sweet little Zoe had been just what I needed. It was hard, leaving her with Hazel, but I was getting used to it. Hazel loved Zoe like her own granddaughter, so it wasn’t like I was leaving her with a stranger.
My good mood lasted until I got to my workstation. I rounded the corner and stopped cold, staring at my empty desk. As in really empty—no computer, no phone, and no framed picture of my sweet baby girl.
A dull thud hit my stomach as I peered around the low dividers between workstations. Everyone else’s desk looked the same. People were still arriving, but no one else had stopped, frozen, staring at their desk the way I was.
Had I been fired? It seemed the only explanation. But shouldn’t they have let me know? I thumbed through several screens on my phone. No missed calls. No messages.
Feeling rather hopeless, I took a deep breath and headed toward Mr. Brown’s office. If he’d fired me, it had to be because of being late. And the only reason I was late was because of the pumping. Companies weren’t supposed to be able to fire women for that, yet it happened all the time. I bit the inside of my lip as I went. If I was fired, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. But I wanted to. It had taken over a month of searching to get this job. If I had to start all over, I was going to run out of money quickly.
Mr. Brown was at his desk, typing on his computer. He looked up when I knocked softly on his open door, but didn’t say anything. Bastard. He had to know why I was here.
“Umm… Mr. Brown, my things are gone from my desk. Am I... does that mean… have I maybe been moved to a different department?” It was the most optimistic thought I could muster even though it seemed like a long shot.
To my utter amazement, he nodded, almost reluctantly. “Yes. You’ve been reassigned.”
Seriously? I’d been so sure I was fired. My knees were suddenly wobbly, and I leaned against the doorframe for support. “I have? Where am I going?”
He gave me a look that clearly said he had some ideas for where I could go, but he answered civilly enough. “You’re to report to Mrs. Sinclair in the CEO’s office.”
“Thank you,” I said, hearing the relief in my voice. “Where can I find Mrs. Sinclair?”
“I just told you. She’s part of the CEO’s staff. There are numerous directories throughout the building. I assume you can read—I suggest you try it.”
The insult was minor compared to the relief I felt at not being fired. One more week, and I’d get my first paycheck. I vowed to get Zoe a walker I’d had my eye on. Knowing I still had a job was the best news ever. Knowing that job would not involve Mr. Brown was a close second.
Five minutes later, and I was standing in front of a tall, thin woman dressed in a crisp blouse and a long skirt. Her gray hair was piled up on top of her head in a bun, and she peered at me from over rimless glasses. I knew absolutely nothing about her, and already I liked her better than Mr. Brown.
“Welcome to the CEO department, Penny.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Sinclair.”
“Call me Vera. Let me show you to your desk.” She moved briskly and efficiently. People looked up and smiled as she passed by several desks. They were smiling at her and at me. Besides Mr. Brown, no one had been mean in my old department, but no one had been really friendly, either. Apparently, Mr. Brown’s dour mood rubbed off on his underlings. The people in this department seemed open and personable. I wasn’t sure if that was because of Vera or the CEO.
“Here you go.”
Now it was my turn to smile. My new space had a large desk minus the cubicle walls. My computer and phone were set up on one side, and my picture of Zoe and few other possessions were at the other end. Off to the right was a woman at a similar desk, speaking into a headset. She was far enough away and spoke quietly enough that it wouldn’t be bothersome. To my left was a window. An actual window.
This was going to be fun—whatever this was. “Umm… what exactly will I be doing here?”
“Whatever needs to be done. Which means a little bit of everything. Consider yourself one of several personal assistants to the CEO,” she said, nodding at three other women and a man with a desk by the door. “Sometimes that means attending meetings and taking notes, sometimes arranging lunches or organizing events. Sometimes doing routine things and sometimes putting out fires. You’ll get the hang of it. And it’s good training—I believe you took some MBA coursework?”
I told her I’d earned about half the credits needed for my graduate degree. Then, tentatively, I asked about taking breaks.
“Ah, yes. I saw the picture of your little girl. She’s adorable… reminds me of my youngest grandchild. Feel free to go to the lactation room whenever you need to.”
Thank god. I nearly slumped into my new office chair in relief.
“Get settled in, and then I’ll send Heather over to get you started on some tasks. And Mr. Hollister wants to see you after lunch.”
“Mr. Hollister?” I knew that the Hollister family owned this corporation, but I hadn’t done much research into company leadership. Taking care of a young baby didn’t leave a lot of time for extracurricular projects.
“The CEO,” she said. “You’re part of his staff now, you know.” With an amused look, she headed back to her office. I felt foolish, but optimistic overall. Things were looking up. If I had to leave Zoe for eight hours a day, at least it would be nice to spend that time apart in a pleasant environment.
The day passed quickly, and at two o’clock, my new coworker Heather walked me to the CEO’s office. She talked a mile a minute, telling me about her family, her boyfriend, how long she’d been at the company, and anything else she could think of. All that was required of me was to smile and nod, which was good because I was a little apprehensive about meeting the CEO of such a huge and successful company.
Heather wound down as we walked down yet another long hallway. This place had so many of them, and they all looked the same.
She stopped walking and talking all at once. We were standing several feet away from a closed door. “Don’t be nervous,” she said. “Mr. Hollister is really nice.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to pretend a confidence I didn’t feel.
“Of course, once you see him, you’re likely to get nervous anyway. Just remember under all… that… he’s just a nice, normal man.”
&
nbsp; “All that?” I said, unsure what she meant. “All that?”
Ignoring my question, she took my arm, tugged me toward the door, knocked, and opened it. “Penny Jenkins is here to see you, sir.”
With that, she gently pushed me inside a large room. A very familiar room. One I’d very recently been in—without my clothes on.
I looked at the sofas, the coffee tables. The conference tables. Anywhere but the big desk in the corner. When a tall figure loomed in my peripheral vision, I knew I had to look up. Into his twinkling brown eyes.
“Nice to see you again, Penny.”
It was the gorgeous man who’d invaded my thoughts over the weekend. The man who’d seen me almost naked on Friday. Blake was Mr. Hollister, the CEO of the company. And my new boss.
Unbelievable.
And horrible.
Mortification settled into every cell in my body, but his expression was amused. “Didn’t you realize who I was on Friday?”
“No,” I said, trying to divert myself from death by humiliation by noticing the way his muscles bulged under his crisp, white shirt. His jacket was casually tossed on the conference table, but his tie was still on. It was dark red today. “I was, uh, a little distracted.”
“Me too,” he said, a hint of a grin on his face as his eyes swept down to my feet and then back up again. It seemed almost a reflective action on his part, but I knew he was remembering what happened, and likely remembering me. All of me that he had seen, which was pretty much everything.
“God, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a fair-skinned blonde blush.”
That made me blush more, of course.
“Sorry. Just thinking aloud. Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know that what happened on Friday will never happen again.”
“I know,” I said, suddenly back on more solid ground. “Mrs. Sinclair—I mean Vera—said that it was okay to take a break at any time. Thank you for that. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, but that’s not what I meant. You were right before… the lactation room is quite a hike. I want you to take this.”
He held out his hand, and I automatically raised mine. His long fingers closed over my own, and the warmth of his skin was inviting. When he pulled his hand back, I stared at my palm. I was holding a small key.
“It’s for the hall entrance to the suite.” Blake strode over to the side door between the bookcases. Stunned, I trailed behind him as he opened the door and led me inside. “Feel free to use this room anytime you’d like to do your thing. To—pump.”
It was rather adorable the way he stumbled over anything to do with babies or breastfeeding, but my amusement quickly turned to awe as I looked around. Was I really to use this lovely, homey room instead of sitting on the metal folding chairs in the lactation room? It was too much. This was his private space. “I can’t,” I said.
“Actually, you can. Know how I know? Because you it did on Friday.” He winked at me.
“But it’s your room.”
“So? I didn’t get to be CEO by taking naps during the day. It’s not being used, and you need a place to do your thing, so it’s a win-win. Plus, you’ll be able to get in and out faster and get back to your tasks. So it’s a win-win-win.”
My eyes flashed from the kitchen, the bed, the window, and back again. Could I really do this? Brand new employees did not get keys to the CEO’s private quarters. It still didn’t seem possible.
“And it’s got a fridge.”
I glanced back up at him. That was a mistake, because it meant peering into his deep chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that had been glued to me ever since I set foot in his office.
“Not that I know anything about it, but I assume you need to keep the milk you pump in a refrigerator, right? I mean, it’s not like your body creates powdered milk.”
An unexpected laugh bubbled up inside me and escaped my mouth. Blake’s grin deepened as he joined in.
“No… I haven’t quite mastered that trick. Thank you. This is more than generous. I—I probably shouldn’t accept, but you’re right, it will make it easier to get back to work. Not that I know what that work will entail yet.”
“A little of this, a little of that. You’ll catch on quickly enough.”
“I guess I’d better get back to it, then.” But I was strangely reluctant to leave. Not the cozy suite, but him. Even as the thought passed through my mind, I realized how dumb it was. He was the CEO. A member of a rich and powerful family. And I was just… me. A single mom working her first real job in the business world. An assistant. And underling. Not an equal.
Still, somehow, from the way he looked at me, it didn’t feel like Blake viewed me in those terms.
Of course, the admiration I thought I saw in his eyes might be because he’d seen me with my clothes off.
But then again, maybe not.
Between meeting Zorro at the ball, getting unexpectedly pregnant, having a beautiful baby girl, and now this strange and fortunate turn of events at my new job, I was beginning to realize that pretty much anything was possible.
Which was good.
Unsettling at times, but overall—good.
Blake
“Um, hi.”
The sweet, quiet voice made me look up. Penny was standing in the doorway from the side room. Even after almost two weeks of this arrangement, she still seemed to be hesitant about interrupting me. If I really didn’t want to be interrupted, I wouldn’t have left the door open. Prior to her using it, I’d never left it open before, but I liked seeing her several times a day. Exchanging a few words before and after she retreated and closed the door. It was rare to see such a beautiful young woman be so bashful and shy. And extremely easy to make blush. Not that I tried. I’d been good. A saint even. I expected to hear from the pope any day now.
Besides, if I didn’t talk to her when she came to use the room, I’d never see her. Vera was in charge of my personal staff, and she kept them—and me—and the entire office running smoothly. Penny had only worked directly with me a time or two since she’d joined the department. I’d found her to be as competent as she was gorgeous, and I was already planning ways I could work more closely with her in the future.
Plus, if she worked more on projects directly for me, then I could find out more about her. Like where her baby’s father was, and how big of an asshole he was for leaving her alone.
Huh. Look at me, getting all protective.
That wasn’t like me—with one notable exception. Not-Sarah. I would have gone to the ends of the earth to protect her—if I’d been able to find her again. Even a year and a half later, that was a slap in the face. That a man like me, with all his wealth and privilege, hadn’t been able to find one young woman. Even if she hadn’t wanted to be found, it felt like I’d failed her.
Disgusted with myself, I cut off that line of thinking. It was hard, but lately I’d been trying not to let myself think of her. To wonder where she was and how she was doing. It wasn’t like my thoughts did her any good. I had a business to run, and my father had drilled into me the value of focus. Of putting business before everything else. But clearly I was a slow study, because now there was another woman I was curious about.
A woman who was taking an awfully long time, I realized, looking at my watch. She’d been in there for almost half an hour. That wasn’t like her. Had she skipped out the back door without saying good-bye?
A thin strip of light lined the bottom of the door frame. If she’d left, she hadn’t turned off the light, which also didn’t seem like her.
I knocked on the door, quietly at first, then a little louder when I didn’t get a response.
Cautiously, I opened the door, prepared to avert my eyes if she was still pumping. All my old girlfriends had been wrong—I could be a gentleman, but apparently only with young mothers. Oh well… it was a start.
I rapped my knuckles softly against the open door. “Penny?”
Suddenly feeling like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, I aban
doned the tentative knocking and stepped into the room. Her bag was all packed up and on the table. But she was on the bed. On her side with her knees bent—fast asleep.
For a moment, I just stared at her. She’d appeared on my bed like Sleeping Beauty. Too bad it wasn’t my job to kiss her awake. She looked so peaceful, lying there, but she must be exhausted. I only had the sketchiest grasp on parenthood, but I knew that people with infants weren’t known for getting quality sleep.
I picked up a chair from the table, spun it around and deposited it next to the bed. Then I sat down and just watched her for a minute. The steady way she breathed. How her cute lips were parted slightly. The way a lock of blonde hair fell across her forehead.
My mind and my body warred with each other. My body liked this image… a lot. Usually seeing a beautiful woman asleep meant that we’d had sex already and likely would again. But this was my employee. Sure, I’d been tempted by women who worked here before, but this was a single mother. Even I wasn’t a big enough ass to jerk someone like that around.
“Penny? You’ve got to wake up.”
She stirred, her blouse gaping open slightly, exposing rather remarkable cleavage, which made a part of me stir, as well. Great, now I was a goddamn Peeping Tom.
“Penny.” I tried again. “Wake up.” This time, I reached out and smoothed a lock of tawny blonde hair back from her face.
She moaned slightly at my touch, and her hand rose to mine, pressing my fingers against her cheek and holding them there.
Was she awake? Her eyes were still closed, so maybe that was a reflex? Her cheek was warm under my palm, and her fingers clung to my wrist. Involuntarily, I thought about having other body parts entrapped by her.
Tempting: A Cinderella Billionaire Story Page 8