May Flowers

by Mari Carr

  “May.”

  She jerked at the sound of Lochlan’s voice next to her. She hadn’t heard him approaching.

  She flushed, her cheeks heating under his intense gaze. “Yes, sir?”

  She had no idea why saying those words impacted her so…roughly. It was a common enough thing to say to a boss. Perhaps it was his response to them. His eyes narrowed for just a moment, not in anger, but with some other emotion she couldn’t put her finger on. She thought it might be desire…or something more primal.

  God, she really needed to get a handle on this.

  May found it difficult to breathe when he was nearby. She licked her suddenly dry lips, scraping the lower one with her teeth, biting it nervously. His gaze followed the movement.

  The first few weeks, she’d chalked up this damp-palms, light-headed feeling to nervousness, until she realized Lochlan didn’t frighten her at all. He turned her on.

  “Do you have the Hilty file? I can’t find it anywhere.”

  She nodded, forcing her eyes away to sift through a pile of folders on her desk. “I took it to make copies of the notes Sally made about the deal. I’m sorry I didn’t put it back afterwards.”

  May held the file out. His fingers brushed hers as he reached for it.

  “No harm, no foul,” he said with a smile. “You good to stay a little late tonight?”

  Given the fact it was nearly five thirty and at least eighty percent of the employees had already called it day, she figured that was obvious.

  She nodded. “Sure.” She would have to call her mother and run through the nightly routine for her. May had anticipated this, so she’d prepared a meal, something her mom would only have to heat up.

  “Would you like more coffee?” she asked.

  “No thanks. Thought I might grab a bottle of water from the mini-fridge in my office. Want one?”

  She shook her head and pointed to the half-drunk water on her desk. “I’m fine.”

  “You know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

  May drew in a slow breath. “Is everything okay?”

  He held his hand up to ward off her concern. “Everything is great. That’s what I wanted to say. You’re doing a wonderful job, May. I hope you’re happy here. I know the hours are long, but—”

  “I’m very happy. The work is much more challenging than my previous job, which was pretty boring.”

  He grinned.

  “Okay. It was a lot boring. Every day at AdLoch brings something new. And all the people who work here are really nice.”

  “I’ve heard the same said of you.”

  May was relieved to hear that. Part of her duties as Lochlan’s admin assistant included handling employees. Sally had warned her that as the company grew, she’d sort of assumed the role of HR naturally. Apparently, the older woman and Lochlan had discussed taking those tasks out of the job description for the new hire, but decided against it. Lochlan preferred having his “finger on the pulse of the office,” as Sally had explained. So she—and now May—dealt with employee issues, keeping Lochlan in the loop.

  Fortunately, there hadn’t been much in the way of workplace drama yet. AdLoch rented out this entire floor of the high-rise, complete with a whole bank of offices lining the outside walls, as well as a larger, more open space in the middle that consisted of a long conference table, break room and about a dozen cubicles for lower-level employees. She and Lochlan worked in the large corner suite, but she spent a great deal of time out in the common area as well, communicating Lochlan’s directives, requesting information, and setting up meetings between her boss and the different departments.

  Lochlan was a tech genius, and he’d certainly built something pretty wonderful. May was delighted to be a part of it.

  Her cell phone rang. At her last job, she kept her personal cell turned off and stashed in her drawer. She’d done the same here for the first couple of weeks, but as her hours increased, so did her anxiety about home.

  “I thought I turned that off,” she lied. May reached for it, intending to silence the thing, until she saw the number on the screen. “I’m so sorry. I have to take this.”

  She kept her eyes averted, praying Lochlan wouldn’t be annoyed by her receiving personal calls at work. “Hello?” She paused. “This is she.”

  Lochlan remained by her desk. She felt him standing there, nearby, as she listened to the 911 operator, her heart racing with fear as the woman told her about the fire in the kitchen of her apartment.

  Apparently the fire was out, but police and firefighters were still there with her family. Her mother was distressed, according to the operator, so they’d called her.

  “Is everyone okay?”

  “What is it?” Lochlan murmured.

  May looked up at him. “Fire,” she whispered as the operator said the police weren’t comfortable leaving her mother alone. “I understand. I’m leaving work right now. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Ordinarily, she walked to and from work, the trip taking half an hour or so. This time she’d have to get an Uber. “Thank you for calling.”

  She hung up and looked at Lochlan. They had a huge meeting with a client at ten a.m. tomorrow. The timing on this sucked.

  “Mr. Wallace—” she started.

  “Grab your bag, May. I texted the valet to bring my car around the second you said ‘fire.’”

  “That’s okay. I can call a cab.”

  Lochlan crossed his arms. “Get your bag.”

  It was clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she did as he said, retrieving her purse and her keys. Her hands were shaking despite her efforts to remain calm.

  Lochlan took her empty hand in his large palm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Who was that on the phone?”

  “A 911 operator.”

  “And what did they say?”

  “There was a small fire in my kitchen. It’s out now, but my mother…” May swallowed, her throat clogged with fear.

  “You and your mother live together?”

  May nodded. She had been very careful not to bring her situation at home to work. Sally knew about it, but May had asked the woman not to tell Lochlan. Her personal life was just that—personal. It was important to her to maintain professionalism at work at all times.

  Not that Lochlan hadn’t tried to discover more about her life. He’d asked questions occasionally, but she was very good at vague answers. Lately, he had stopped asking.

  “I know you have a lot to do to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting. I can just…go home and…make sure everything is okay and come right back. You don’t have to come with—”

  Lochlan was still holding her hand, and he used that grip to guide her toward the exit. He obviously had no intention of changing his mind about driving her by the time they reached the car and he opened the passenger door. If she weren’t on the cusp of a mini freak-out, she would have appreciated how sweet his Audi was.

  He climbed behind the wheel. “What’s the address?”

  She gave it to him, and she didn’t miss the slight frown that crossed his face. “You walk to work every day?”

  May nodded, perfectly aware of what he was thinking. Her apartment was a fair distance from the office, and the neighborhood wasn’t exactly the best. Baltimore was one of those places where one block too far would take you from affluent to scary-as-fuck before you realized what had happened. She lived just on the border of scary.

  “And on the nights we work late?”

  May looked out the passenger side window as she lied. “I grab a cab.” She didn’t look back at him, pretending to be fascinated by the city streets.

  She let the silence drag out another few minutes before chancing a peek over. Lochlan was staring straight ahead—and he looked pissed off. Had he realized her words were a lie? How could he?

  May understood how dangerous it was to walk alone at night, but even with the nice pay raise, she didn’t have enough money to waste on cab fare. At least not yet.

  Lochlan p
ulled up in front of her apartment building, claiming one of the spots vacated by a departing fire truck. There were still two police cars and an ambulance parked outside.

  “Thank you for the ride,” she said. “I’ll try to get back to work as soon as I can.”

  She hoped he would take the hint. The last thing on earth she wanted was for him to follow her inside.

  When he opened the car door and stepped out, she realized she wasn’t going to get her wish.

  “Mr. Wallace—” she started. She was anxious to get upstairs, but she was just as determined to keep him out.

  “Lochlan.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to start calling me Lochlan.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s…” It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that wasn’t a good idea. Lochlan felt too personal, too close. Instead, she said, “Professional.”

  “It is if I say it is. I’m the boss.” He gestured toward the front door of her building, his scowl growing darker when she opened the door without a key. “No security?”

  “There’s a system, but it’s been down a few months. The landlord said he’s waiting on a part or something.”

  May was perfectly aware that line from her dick of a landlord was bullshit, but given the murderous look on Lochlan’s face, she thought it best to give him some answer that might calm him down.

  They walked up three flights of stairs to get to her place. May usually didn’t see the dinginess of the place, used to the ratty carpet, the broken elevator, the loose stairs along the way. As she rushed up, her eyes took in everything, imagining what Lochlan must be thinking as he followed.

  When they reached her floor, the door was open and she could hear the raised voice of her landlord, smell the lingering stench of smoke.

  “Shit,” she murmured. Jenks Peterson was an asshole on a good day.

  She turned, intent on making one last ditch effort to send Lochlan back to the office.

  She only managed to say, “Listen, I think…” before he walked by her and inside the apartment.

  “Aunt May!” Little Chloe launched herself across the room, wrapping her arms around her legs. “The kitchen was on fire.”

  “I heard. Are you okay, sweetie?”

  Chloe nodded, and May let her gaze travel around the room. Her mother was sitting quietly on the couch, wringing her hands.

  “I’m so sorry, May. I turned on the wrong burner, and the towel…” Her mother’s words faded away as May gently extracted herself from Chloe’s iron-tight grip so she could get to the couch.

  She dropped down next to her mom and took her hands in hers. “It’s okay. It was an accident. Where’s Jenny?” she asked as she looked around the room, sighing with relief when she spotted her other niece standing in the corner, silent as ever. “You okay, Jen?” she called out across the room.

  Jenny simply held her gaze, offering neither a nod or headshake. Hell, May wouldn’t mind if her mute niece flipped her the middle finger. At least it would be some sign of life.

  “You’re going to have to pay to repair that kitchen,” the landlord said. “And it won’t be cheap.”

  May stood and walked toward the kitchen, dreading what she was going to see.

  It was pretty much exactly what she’d feared. The stove was a total loss, as was the counter next to it. One whole wall was charred, the linoleum on that side of the floor destroyed. The ceiling and the rest of the room were severely smoke damaged. They’d most likely have to gut the whole room and start over.

  “I have renter’s insurance,” she said, not bothering to mention the high premium. May was going to have to adjust the timeline on her plans to move the four of them out of this dump. Six months to a new life now looked more like a year.

  “I have connections to a construction firm,” Lochlan said. “I’ll place a call.”

  May nodded, numbness covering her like a blanket. The past few years had been a constant roller coaster of emotions. So much so, she’d lost the ability to cry or rage.

  “I have an approved list of people who can work in the building,” Jenks said belligerently.

  “I’m sure you do. I’ll send you the information on my firm first thing in the morning. They’re one of the top five companies in the state. I doubt you’ll have an issue with them. And since May will be the one paying, the choice should be hers.”

  Jenks narrowed his eyes. May was aware of the landlord’s “approved list.” It consisted primarily of his buddies who overinflated their prices, laughing all the way to the bank on the backs of the renters in the building.

  May had always known Jenks was a blowhard and a bully, but his response to Lochlan’s presence merely confirmed it. “I’ll send you the approved list,” he repeated to May, ignoring Lochlan completely.

  She gestured with a tilt of her head toward Lochlan. “I think I’d like his guys to do the work.”

  “Ms. Flowers—” Jenks started.

  “Then it’s settled. Is there anything else you need?” Lochlan’s tone was stern, dismissive.

  Jenks was used to being the boss in the apartment building. He spoke, and he expected others to listen, so he clearly felt the need to exert his power in the face of Lochlan’s dominance. “One more problem in this apartment, May, and that’s it. You’re out.”

  Lochlan took one step forward, the movement putting him in front of May, forming a wall between her and the swarthy landlord. She’d always acknowledged his size—Lochlan was built like a mountain, tall and wide—but she had never seen him use that height for intimidation. Right now, he was, and it was seriously impressive.

  “I’d rethink that threat. Try to evict her over an accident and I’ll have the housing commission in here tomorrow. I saw several code violations just on the walk up here.”

  Jenks took a step back, peering at her from around Lochlan. “We’ll talk tomorrow, May.”

  The landlord realized he wouldn’t win tonight, not with Lochlan in the room. Which meant he’d give her twice the earful in the morning. So Jenks, the EMTs, and the two remaining police officers left, closing the door behind them, and drawing her attention back to the strong smell of smoke still lingering in the apartment.

  Her mother sighed. “I really don’t like that landlord.”

  “Mr. Wallace, this is my mom, Linda Flowers.”

  Lochlan shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Linda.”

  “And you. I think I’m going to go back to my room and lie down, May.”

  “That’s fine, Mom. I’m here. I’ll take care of everything.”

  Her mother walked down the hall slowly, and May watched until she entered her room and shut the door.

  May turned toward her nieces. “Why don’t the two of you grab sweaters from your room? We’ll have to go out for dinner tonight.”

  Chloe danced down the hall, clearly excited about the upcoming Happy Meal. Jenny—as usual—slunk away soundlessly. Lochlan watched them leave with great interest.

  “Thank you for helping me deal with Jenks, Mr. Wallace. He’s—”

  “Lochlan.”

  May sighed when he corrected her. “I told you I didn’t—”

  “I know. Now say it.”

  “Mr.—”

  Lochlan placed one finger under her chin, drawing her eyes to his face. “Try again.”

  He was barely touching her, but May felt as though she’d just received two-thousand volts. “Please,” she said. “I think we need to maintain…I mean…”

  Lochlan bent his head closer, holding eye contact. The man must have been a snake charmer in another life. She was hypnotized, paralyzed. “Say it, May.”

  “Lochlan,” she whispered.

  He smiled, his light touch gone.

  It took everything she had not to feel her chin to see if it was singed.

  “My uncle Killian and his partner, Justin, own a construction firm. My uncle Sean works there as well. They can fix your kitchen up quickly and efficiently, and they
won’t fleece you. I’m fairly certain the same can’t be said of your landlord.”

  “You’re right about that. I appreciate you passing on the name.”

  “Let me know if Jenks gives you any more trouble.”

  There was no way in hell May would do that. She fought her own battles, and she’d already crossed too many lines tonight, bringing him into her home, calling him by his first name, letting him see…her life.

  May glanced around the room and winced. The place was a mess, and while she wanted to blame the overabundance of firefighters and police tromping through, the truth was, it hadn’t looked that much better when she’d left for work today. May prided herself on keeping a clean apartment, but since starting at AdLoch, she hadn’t been here enough to keep it up to her standards. She’d tried to give the girls a list of chores, but her mother didn’t enforce it, so too many things had fallen to the wayside.

  “Your mother and nieces live with you?”

  May nodded.

  Lochlan’s gaze traveled around the apartment, down the hallway. “Two-bedroom place?”

  Damn. The observant man had even counted the doors.

  She nodded again, deciding she could keep answering yes or no questions, or just do the full disclosure now and get it over with. “Yes. It was just me and my mom until six months ago. My brother and his wife were killed in a car accident, so the girls came to live with us. I gave them my bedroom, and until we can afford to get a bigger place, I just sleep out here.”

  Lochlan looked around the room. “You sleep out here? On the couch?”

  “I realize it’s not exactly ideal, but we’re making it work. It was one of the reasons I applied for the job as your admin assistant. The pay increase. Listen, I know I said I would take care of things here and return to the office later, but this could take a little while.”

  Lochlan snorted. “Neither one of us is going back to work tonight.”

  “I don’t want to keep you from preparing for—”

  “I’m not leaving you alone in the midst of all this.”

  May looked around. Apart from the smell of smoke, this was pretty much as good as her life got.

  Regardless, his desire to help struck a chord deep inside. God, it almost made her want to step into his arms and sob like a baby.