May Flowers

by Mari Carr

  May’s smile seemed genuine, but when her bright blue eyes narrowed for a split second, the vulnerability he thought he’d seen melted away, and a fighter emerged. “I can assure you, Mr. Wallace, that while I’m young, I’m up to the challenge of this job.”

  “I was expecting…I thought…”

  “You thought I was going to hire someone my age,” Sally murmured. “However, given your reluctance to let me leave, I thought it best to find you an assistant who would stick around for the long haul.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at his former assistant, sending her an apologetic shrug of his shoulders before looking at May once more.

  “So, you’re May Flowers,” he said, a slight grin tilting his lips.

  He was relieved when his olive branch was accepted so easily. May’s face blossomed into a full smile that drew his attention to her plump, rosy lips and perfectly white teeth. That smile was potent. Powerful.

  “My mother made a vow at her dying grandmother’s bedside, swearing that if she ever had a daughter, she’d name her after her. That promise remained even after Mom married my dad, Harvey Flowers. Great-Grandma May sounded like quite a character and she was very beloved, so I just focus on that. I suppose it could have been worse.”

  “True. She could have named you April Showers,” Lochlan teased.

  May erupted into a loud, joyful laugh that sent a jolt through his system. One that felt unprofessional and too personal.

  He shut it down. Hard.

  “That would have been much worse,” she agreed.

  “I was also named after a grandparent, my Pop Pop, Patrick. He’s a character too.”

  May was beautiful. He wished he wasn’t noticing that about her. Lochlan didn’t allow workplace romances between his employees, and he held himself to the same standard. This was a place of business. Personal lives were checked at the door.

  But there was something about her eyes that had him studying her face too closely.

  He searched for a distraction. “I’m also no stranger to unfortunate names. My father is William Wallace.”

  May’s eyes widened with surprised delight. “Seriously?”

  Lochlan nodded. “Apparently, my paternal grandparents weren’t well versed in Scottish history.”

  May covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. The gesture drew his attention to her bare ring finger.

  Sally had hired a beautiful, unmarried twenty-three-year-old woman to be his personal assistant, knowing perfectly well that Lochlan and May would be in each other’s constant company—working long days that sometimes turned into long nights, as well as the occasional trips to conferences.

  Lochlan wasn’t the type of boss who fell for his secretary. He wasn’t that guy. In this day and age, he was very careful to make sure his female employees felt safe from sexual harassment in the workplace. He prided himself on that.

  But even more, he needed an assistant who would be married to the job, the same way he was. Surely with May’s youth came a social life, the desire to go out on dates or girls’ nights out. Sally had been as boring as he was, something that came in handy for the workaholic in him.

  “Well,” Sally said. “Looks like the two of you are going to be just fine. I suppose that’s it for me.”

  Lochlan looked at Sally with horror. She really intended to leave him.

  Suddenly, he didn’t give a shit what she’d said. May couldn’t have enough experience to handle all the things he needed from her. Hell, she’d only hit the legal drinking age a couple of years ago. This was a bad hire, and now Sally was going to make him clean up the mess.

  “Sally…” He struggled to come up with something to say that might persuade her to stay. Perhaps indefinitely. Or just until he retired himself.

  Barring that, he needed Sally to let May down gently, admit she made a mistake in hiring her. They could find another position for her in the company, one that required less experience.

  He had to make her see reason. “Listen, I was thinking—”

  Sally ignored him. “You have my number, yes, May?”

  May nodded. “I promise to use it only as a last resort. Mexico needs your full attention.”

  “Mexico?” Lochlan asked.

  “I’m taking a cruise. Set sail in three days for a couple of weeks. I’m not getting the international phone plan, by the way.”

  “So what good is it for May to have your number?” he asked, his temper tweaked again. She was leaving the country?

  Sally laughed. “I’m only going to be gone two weeks, not forever. I’m sure you and May can hold down the fort without me. Actually, I planned this trip to help you. I don’t want you ringing my phone off the hook out of habit, Lochlan. This way, you two will have to figure things out on your own. It’s the best way to start. Trust me.”

  Lochlan should have rescheduled his London trip. He hated that he’d left Sally to hire her own replacement. He glanced at May. If he’d been here, he was fairly certain she would not have been the candidate of choice. Experience ranked at the top of his list. Sally should have known that.

  A phone in the outer office rang. “I’ll get it. It’ll give you two a moment to say goodbye,” May said, stepping out of his office.

  “Come here, Lochlan.” Sally’s arms stretched out and he stepped into them, giving her a hug, the realization that this was it finally sinking in.

  “I’m going to miss you around here, Sally. You always kept me on the straight and narrow. Without you, I’m likely to fall into bad habits.”

  She laughed, the sound deep and rough, betraying evidence of her pack-a-day smoking habit. “You’ve never behaved, and you know it.”

  He turned toward his desk and withdrew the gift he’d bought for her in London. Her eyes widened with surprise when he handed her the fancy package.

  She gasped when she opened the box, revealing the Cartier watch he’d purchased at Harrods.

  “I guess the watch thing is sort of a retirement cliché, but I thought you might like something prettier than that damn Mickey Mouse Timex you’ve been wearing the last eight years.”

  She’d joked more than a few times over the years that her cheap Walmart watch always managed to tell the same time as his fancy Rolex. The true happiness in her eyes told him he’d found the right gift.

  Sally sniffled, blinking rapidly a few times before turning away. “It’s beautiful. You shouldn’t have spent so much, but the truth is I’m worth every penny.”

  He laughed at her attempt to lighten the heavy moment.

  “Thank you, Lochlan. For everything,” she said thickly.

  She gave him another hug, and this time she held on, whispering, “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong about her. I did hire the best person for the job. Give her six months to prove herself.”

  Lochlan tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip.

  “Promise me. Six months.”

  Lochlan didn’t make promises lightly, and Sally knew it. If he made the vow, he was as committed to it as May’s mother had been to her name.

  “She’s too young. Too inexperienced.”

  Sally released him, locking gazes with him. Her eyebrows rose in the standard “I’m waiting” mother look, which was funny coming from Sally, who’d never been married or had kids, another thing they had in common.

  Lochlan had sworn off marriage and, more importantly, children, in his early twenties. He had no desire—or time—for a bunch of snotty-nosed kids running around, making a mess of his house. His life was perfect the way it was—satisfying work, a comfortable, quiet home and Sundays spent at the Collins Dorm, watching football with his family.

  Lochlan had it made, and he knew it.

  When he let the silence drag on too long, she said his name. “Lochlan.”

  “Fine,” he grumbled. “Six months. Not a day longer.”

  “She won’t need more than a week to prove herself. I only asked for that much time because you’re stubborn when it comes
to admitting you’re wrong.”

  He chuckled. “Why am I sad you’re leaving?”

  She laughed, gripping his forearm. “I’d tell you to try to slow down and not work so much, but I know the advice would be wasted on you.”

  “It would.”

  “You’ve built something wonderful here at AdLoch, something to be proud of, but there’s a lot more to life than this company, Lochlan. Make sure you remember that.”

  “You sound like my Pop Pop.”

  “If that was meant to be an insult, you failed completely. That man is the wisest person I know.”

  Lochlan grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t mean it as an insult.”

  She smiled, pressing her lips together tightly before saying a hurried goodbye and walking out. Sally wouldn’t want him to see her cry.

  Hell, he was fighting some pretty powerful emotions right now too. His throat was tight, his stomach tied in knots.

  From the doorway, he could see Sally giving May a quick hug as well before leaving. The door to the outer office closed and, sinking down into his leather chair, Lochlan felt as though the lid had just been closed on his coffin.

  He snorted. Jesus. Melodramatic much?

  Unfortunately, the self-deprecation didn’t help. He’d just committed to babysitting a wet-behind-the-ears administrative assistant for the next six months.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” May asked from the doorway. “You drink it black, right?”

  He nodded. “That would be great.”

  She gave him a tentative smile that told him he’d done a shitty job welcoming her. Then he figured it was probably better this way. Better for her to see that he wasn’t a coddler, wasn’t the type to smile and say please. He wasn’t exactly an asshole either. He praised efficient work, but when he asked for something, he expected it to be done correctly and in a timely manner. There was no way Sally could have taught May everything in just two weeks, so that meant he was going to have to practice patience. Something he genuinely sucked at.

  Six months.

  He sighed and turned in his chair to look out the windows of his twenty-third-floor corner office. The walls were floor-to-ceiling windows, the space bright, the view incredible as he stared down at the Inner Harbor. Baltimore was beautiful in the spring.

  That was when the light bulb went on.

  He’d promised not to fire May. Nothing was said in regards to her quitting.

  He didn’t plan to be unkind or unfair, but he was going to be himself. Business at AdLoch was going to go on exactly as usual.

  The best plan was to show May what she was getting into, no sugarcoating or lightening the load. She would either keep up or she wouldn’t. And if she couldn’t, she’d quit.

  The plan was perfect because it meant his life hadn’t changed at all. He was going to do the job the same way he always had, expecting the same things from May that he’d asked of Sally. No patience required.

  “It’s a lovely view.”

  Lochlan watched May walk toward him through the reflection in the window, not bothering to turn around until she placed his coffee on his desk.

  “It is,” he agreed. He spun around and gestured to one of the chairs across from him. Time to lay the cards on the table. “Tell me about your previous work experience, May.”

  “I’m afraid there’s not a lot to tell. I worked as a receptionist at Phelps Technology, while taking community college classes at night to earn my Administrative Assistant certification. I was promoted to that role for one of the junior partners of the ad firm. I loved the job, but there wasn’t much room for continued advancement there. It’s a relatively small company.”

  Lochlan struggled to understand why Sally saw May as the most qualified candidate. He’d offered a lucrative salary and benefit package that would have certainly ensured his applicant pool had been large, filled with much more experienced—and even better educated—hopefuls.

  What had made May stand out from the crowd?

  “Are you dating anyone, engaged, married?”

  May shook her head. “Only to my work.”

  He grinned at her smooth answer. Sally had often accused him of the same, telling him booty calls were not the same thing as relationships, and he’d be smart to figure that out before he was an old man with a bulging waist and receding hairline. “I assume Sally warned you that I’m a workaholic.”

  May lifted one shoulder, unwilling to betray whatever confidences Sally had shared about him as a boss. “I’m perfectly aware that I was vastly underqualified for this position, but I promise you, Mr. Wallace, I’m capable of doing the job. I’m a quick learner, a hard worker, and I won’t let you down.”

  Lochlan felt a slight sense of déjà vu as he recalled Sally saying something similar to him at her own interview.

  “I realize I’m older than most assistants, but I have the experience and the drive to do this job. You won’t be sorry.”

  Perhaps Sally had seen shades of herself in May. If so, then maybe she had hired the best person for the job. Lochlan wished he could make himself believe that.

  “I’m sure you won’t. I apologize for my behavior earlier. I made assumptions about what Sally would look for in an assistant. That’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

  May’s hands were folded in her lap, gripped together tightly.

  “I will warn you that I’m not the type of man to ask for things nicely or tie them up with a please. I’m afraid that may come across as brusque or rude, but I assure you, I don’t mean it that way.”

  “I don’t need pretty words, Mr. Wallace. My job is to make yours easier. Sally gave me a list of her assigned tasks, but if there’s something I’m not doing that you need, or something I’m doing wrong, I hope you’ll let me know.”

  Her confidence belied her looks. Everything May said was professionally reassuring, but when she tucked the strand of blonde hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear, he was struck by that same first impression.

  Vulnerability.

  There was no negating its presence. There was also no denying that May thought she was hiding it.

  “Work hours are nine to five, however, there are many times when we’ll need to work later into the night or even on weekends. The salary for this position is high because the hours are long. Will that be a problem for you?”

  She shook her head, but he noticed the slightest hesitance before she said, “No. Not at all.”

  The phone rang once more and May walked to her desk to answer it.

  From that point forward, the workday proceeded as always as May fielded phone calls, kept him on schedule and his coffee cup full.

  Sally had trained her well.

  While May was all business, Lochlan was anything but. He kept sneaking surreptitious peeks at her, her desk visible through the open door of his office. He pulled the file Sally had given him about May from his briefcase and read the thing from beginning to end. It corroborated May’s comments about her education and experience, but told him precious little about her on a personal level.

  When too much hair had escaped, May tugged out the ponytail holder, running her fingers through her long tresses to comb it before pinning it up once more.

  Lochlan didn’t realize he was staring at her until she turned and caught him watching.

  He flicked his eyes toward his computer and silently kicked himself for being such a jackass. He was probably coming off as creepy. He struggled to concentrate on the contract an associate had just emailed him.

  At this rate, it would be May firing him. He was failing miserably at his job today.

  “Mr. Wallace?”

  May’s voice called out to him from her desk.

  “Yes?”

  “There’s a Mr. Raffi on the phone. Are you available to speak with him?”

  “Of course. Put the call through.”

  The day seemed to last an eternity and at the end of it, he had precious little to show for the ho
urs. Work would distract him for a few minutes to an hour, then his attention would return to May as he tried to figure her out.

  By the time five o’clock rolled around, his initial concerns about May’s ability to do the job were slowly fading.

  However, it had been an easy day. There would be just as many that required long hours and putting out multiple fires at the same time. She hadn’t truly been tested yet.

  “It’s quitting time,” May said quietly from the doorway of his office. “Do you need me to stay late?”

  He shook his head. “No. I’m still suffering some jet lag. I’m gonna call it a day too. I’ll see you tomorrow?” He hadn’t meant to make the statement a question, though it had come out that way.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied.

  Lochlan’s heart pounded at the soft, almost breathless way she called him sir, his gaze glued to her face as he suddenly understood the meaning behind the vulnerability he’d sensed.

  May flushed under his intense study—and bowed her head for just a second, the move so submissive, so stunning, he struggled to find his breath.

  “Goodbye, Mr. Wallace.”

  “Good night,” he replied gruffly.

  She stood there a few seconds longer, and he got a sense she was composing herself. Then he watched as she retrieved her purse and keys before leaving.

  Lochlan leaned back in his chair.

  “Shit.”

  2

  Sally had hired a young, beautiful submissive.

  Worse than that, May was obviously as inexperienced in that realm as she was on the work front.

  Pushing himself up, Lochlan put his suit jacket back on and grabbed his own keys.

  It didn’t matter what she was or what she knew in that regard.

  It couldn’t matter.

  She was his employee. Nothing more.

  There was no food in his fridge, thanks to his extended trip overseas. Not that the thing was ever particularly full. He preferred eating out to cooking for one. And tonight, he knew exactly where he needed to be.

  It was a short drive from his office to Pat’s Pub. He grinned, happy to see Padraig behind the bar, leaning on the counter and talking to Pop Pop, Finn and Colm. Just the men he needed to talk to.