Infatuation

by Anise Storm

  Hannah’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she exhaled sharply. “I’d be willing to help you with some of that,” she said, gesturing toward the piles on his desk. “If you would like me to,” she quickly added. “I doubt I’m in the same league as your regular assistant, but I’m a quick learner and have done secretarial work before.”

  Finley noticed that toward the end of her sentence, she lowered her voice. Whenever she talked about her previous job experiences, she was always very vague, to the point that he had no idea who her last employer was. Despite that, he really did need the help and had recently found himself swamped with more secondary deals than usual. He shrugged and nodded. “Sure. If you really want to help, then be my guest. I’ve managed to mix up several accounts, so you will have your work cut out for you. Come here and take a seat,” he told her, motioning to the chair across from him. “I’ll let you know which account each file belongs to and you can separate the piles now for organization later.”

  Hannah smiled at him while taking a seat, tucking her legs under her and making herself comfortable. He watched her closely, unable to help notice how young she really looked. With her hair up in a messy ponytail and her workout clothes on, she could be fresh out of college. She wore her innocence well, and it angered him to know that someone had taken advantage of her. Focusing on the task at hand, he handed her the financial reports he’d recently set down.

  “This belongs to the Robbins account,” he told her as he handed off the paperwork. Grabbing the next one, his eyes scanned over it to make sure he had the correct name. “And this one is for the Doran account.”

  “Doran? Isn’t that the one you were discussing on the call the other day in your office?” she asked. The question was innocent enough, but he was surprised that she even remembered. He’d assumed that she had been distracted beneath his desk but, evidently, that had not been the case.

  “Yes, it’s that same one. The deal is just about finished but I still have to keep all the details together. Here is one for the Davidson account.” Handing her a few more papers, he watched while she placed them in a neat stack beside the others. The work was simple enough, but he stayed too distracted to even do something that mundane. After being without his secretary for two weeks and possibly a few more, he was swamped and had decided she was due for a raise upon her return.

  They continued to work in companionable silence, outside of his name-dropping each time he handed her more paperwork. When all was sorted, Finley turned back to his computer. He currently had the preliminary information for the Robbins account on his desktop, and needed to do more research before deciding whether a deal with the company would even be profitable.

  Hannah continued to organize the piles, moving reports forward or back in the stack, according to date. Occasionally, he caught her looking at the data, her eyes skimming the pages before she sorted them. She wouldn’t have any idea what most of it meant, so he didn’t say anything to her. For all he knew, her previous secretarial work had been in a different industry.

  Finley tackled the next unfortunate task of clearing out his emails. Christmas would be here in mere weeks, and he was looking forward to closing as many deals as possible before the end of the year. Most of his holidays were spent alone, but he hoped this year would be different since Hannah was here. The possibility existed that she would just go to Texas to be home with her family. However, he wasn’t dismissing the idea of her brightening up his space instead.

  He’d been considering different gift ideas for her and each time an idea popped into his head, Finley came back to the same one he’d spotted day before last when he’d stepped in to a local jewelry store. He spent his lunch break examining various chains and necklaces which could easily be the modern-day equivalent of a collar. He’d not yet mentioned his feelings for her, much less discussed anything permanent between them. All he knew was that he’d been in love with Hannah for years, so many that even before seeing her again in Atlanta, he had still harbored hope that she would one day cross his path again. Now she was within reach, but his foolish pride and suspicious mind held him back him from taking advantage of this second chance.

  “A penny for your thoughts, Sir?” Hannah asked, her soft voice cutting through the haze clouding his mind. Her expression was one of concern, at least until he grinned.

  “It’s just the never-ending work that has me distracted,” he lied, then added, “Why don’t we call it a night and head out of here?”

  “As you wish,” she replied, her voice growing even softer. She rose gracefully from her chair, stretching slightly to reveal a strip of her midriff when it was exposed to his gaze.

  The only time that things seemed right between them was when he was buried deep between her thighs. She was always so responsive to his every touch, and there was nowhere else in the world that he would rather be. Rising from his own seat, he reached over to power down his computer, finally placing the piles of sorted paperwork neatly across his desk.

  Her progress to the door stopped when she reached it and paused. That allowed him the opportunity to pull her into his arms, then brush his mouth gently over hers, barely making contact until he heard her soft moan. That sound never failed to awaken things inside of him. Pressing his lips more firmly to hers, he slipped his tongue inside when she parted them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt her dainty fingers weave through his long hair the best she could. Reaching behind his own head, he tugged the ponytail holder loose from his hair, allowing her full access to his dark locks. When he felt her nails digging into his scalp, he pushed her through the door, reaching blindly to turn off the office light. Seconds later, he broke off the kiss and dragged her toward the nearest bedroom.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Yes, I can be there in an hour…” she said, trying to tamp down her excitement. By the time she’d hung up from the call, she couldn’t contain it a second longer. Hannah had been waiting and praying for any opportunity to come around and, finally, it had.

  “Who was that on that phone, baby girl, and why do you look as if you just won the lottery?” Finley asked, as he watched her from across the breakfast table.

  “It was from the human resources office at Tucker Incorporated. I was just offered a secretarial position with their company.” Her grin spread from cheek to cheek before she jumped up from her seat. “I have to get dressed, call a cab, and—oh my God—I don’t even know what I’m going to wear.” Suddenly she felt overwhelmed. She should have requested a bit more time.

  Finley cleared his throat and pointed at what was left of her omelet. “You need to finish your breakfast, baby girl. Then you’ll find something to wear, and I’ll drive you to Tucker Incorporated myself. You’ll make it there in time. Just breathe and trust me when I say that everything will be fine.”

  Hannah wanted to argue with him, but she knew she wouldn’t win. Finley was very persuasive and would probably have a dozen different ways to convince her to see things his way.

  “Then some,” he added before flashing a boyish grin at her. “Eat!”

  Hannah picked her fork back up, then finished the last three bites of her ham and egg omelet. She brought her dish to the sink before hurrying upstairs. While the need to impress was still present, she technically only needed to look professional, since she’d already landed the position. She’d spent about six weeks or longer looking for something. Finally, she would be able to feel like a contributor in whatever this was between her and Finley. He was already wealthy, and anything she kicked in financially wasn’t actually needed, but it would make her feel better to do so.

  Standing in front of her closet, she flipped through the various dresses and skirts that lined one of the walls of the large, enclosed space. Most of her wardrobe was casual, which was a good and a bad thing, depending on which way someone wanted to look at it. Her choices were obviously limited since she’d left so much behind when she’d fled Atlanta, but then again, it was for the best, because i
t meant that she had less ensembles to agonize over. Deciding that she couldn’t go wrong with a black pencil skirt, she pulled one off the rack, then decided to pair it with a purple silk blouse. Bright and classic would go perfectly with the image she wished to portray.

  She’d taken a shower before heading to breakfast, so it was one less thing she needed to do this morning. Quickly dressing, she ran a brush through her hair as her flatiron heated up. Hannah had been blessed with great hair, so it wouldn’t take long to have it completely straightened and pulled back. The last thing to find was shoes and after selecting a simple pair of black pumps, she finished her hair.

  About fifteen minutes later, she met Finley downstairs. He was also dressed for work, and she had to keep her own mind focused so she wouldn’t get distracted. She had always heard that suits were to women what lingerie was to men, and if someone was looking at the image he presented in one, they would have to agree.

  “You look beautiful, baby girl,” he complimented her, and she smiled brightly at him. Before she could thank him, he wrapped his arm around her. “Are you ready to go? Your destination is just past my office, so we should make it there on time.”

  “Yes, Sir. I am.” Hannah answered then followed him to the door. They took the elevator down to the ground floor then entered his private garage. Finley owned nearly more vehicles than she did shoes. There were some of everything from sports utility vehicles to sports cars, and even a Harley parked in the corner.

  Somehow she wasn’t surprised that he had a bike. There were a number of things that she didn’t know about Finley. Maybe now that she didn’t feel like a freeloader, she would be able to learn more about him. She had changed in the two years that they had been apart, so it was only logical that he would have too.

  “We’ll take the Benz today, Hannah.” His voice cut through her thoughts and she smiled at him. The navy luxury sedan was the closest vehicle to them both and after he helped her into the passenger side, he took his place behind the wheel. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” she replied, almost out of habit. As he backed his car out of the garage, her mind turned to her orientation. Hannah had no idea what her day would entail after signing the paperwork with Human Resources. She knew whatever it was would be a welcome relief, considering the fact that she had spent most days either lounging around the penthouse, sending off her résumé or going from one place to another for an interview that usually led to much of nothing.

  After leaving the Chelsea Harbor area, they soon made their way into town. As he’d mentioned earlier, the building that housed Wetherall Communications wasn’t that far away. They passed the sprawling monstrosity and, a few minutes later, he pulled to a stop outside another large building. “We’re here, baby girl.” Finley leaned in and kissed her softly, which she was thankful for in the moment when she had looked down at her watch and noticed the time. The brief peck surely wouldn’t have messed up her lipstick. Hannah put her hand on the handle but stopped when he placed his hand on her arm. “You’ll do great today. Just be yourself.”

  Hannah didn’t hold herself in the same regard as he did, and maybe he knew that, which was why he’d even mentioned it. Despite her own opinions about herself, she was very efficient and secure in knowing that she could handle whatever type of work they decided to throw at her. She didn’t need to be glamorous or witty to be a secretary. Her skills would carry her through. “I will, Finley. Thanks for”—she paused for a moment before finishing—“everything. I’ll see you at home tonight.”

  With those words, she opened the door and, moments later, hurried inside the lobby of the building. A doorman immediately greeted her and pointed to the elevators when she asked on which floor the office she was looking for was located. Her earlier nerves returned with a vengeance and by the time she made it into the small elevator car, she kept reminding herself what Finley told her. His words and knowing that he meant every one of them made her feel marginally better.

  The elevator came to a stop and she stepped out into the hallway as soon as the door opened. A final glance at her watch let her know that she had ten minutes before she was expected to be there. Always punctual, Hannah was glad that she’d made it there early.

  She entered the office and walked over to the receptionist. The woman appeared disinterested at best, and Hannah waited while the woman flipped through the most current People magazine and the article on the Sexiest Man Alive. When she realized that the redhead was too engrossed in either the article or the pictures of the soccer legend, she cleared her throat before speaking up. “Hello, I’m here to see Mrs. Williams.”

  “You’re not the only one,” she muttered, looking past Hannah. Looking over her own shoulder, she saw four other women sitting there. “Your name is…”

  “Hannah, Hannah Brinkley,” she responded absently.

  “Take a seat and I’ll let you know when she’s ready to see you.” Hannah nodded, then moved into the waiting room and quickly found a seat. A short while later, another woman entered the area and began to call off names. When Hannah heard her own, she stood up and followed the woman into a nearby office. A packet of paperwork was there, and she spent the next half hour dotting her Is and crossing her Ts. When she was finished, the older woman reappeared.

  “Miss Brinkley, you’ve been assigned to our international division and will be working closely with both Brian Silverstein and Stanley Pritchard. Follow me, and I’ll show you to your new office.” Hannah followed behind her, entering the elevators. It appeared that she would be working a few floors up, and when they exited the lift, she saw a monogrammed sign on the door that read Tucker Incorporated, International.

  Relief flooded her as Mrs. Williams guided her to a small office between two much larger ones. The size of her space wasn’t important. What was, however, was that she had finally found something to do with her time. It had been weeks since she’d last done any type of substantial work outside of helping Finley a few times.

  This opportunity came at the perfect time because the night before, Finley had mentioned wanting to hire her himself. Hannah could never do that, considering what had happened at Remington Industries with Thaddeus. Never again would she ever sleep with her boss. That was a valuable life lesson that she never planned on repeating. There is no need to now, Hannah. You have Finley at home, and he should be more than enough. And he was. She smiled as she thought about the Dominant. The way that things were progressing between them was more than she had ever dared dream or hope for. The fact that she could have avoided the last few years of heartache had she stayed and tried to see where things could go between Fin and her entered her mind, but she pushed the thought aside. Luckily for her, two men appeared at the doorway.

  “Hello, Miss Brinkley. It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Brian Silverstein.” The middle-aged man flashed a genuine smile at her before crossing the room and extending his hand in greeting. Hannah shook it and was about to respond when he pointed behind him. “And this is Stanley Pritchard. We will be your leads here at Tucker Incorporated.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Silverstein, and you as well, Mr. Pritchard,” she said cheerfully. The other man, a bit older than Brian, also entered the office, but she got a strange vibe from him. Maybe it was the way he was eyeing her or the fact that his gaze seemed to be centered on her breasts.

  “You can call me Stan.” He smirked at her. “I’m sure that we’ll be working very closely together in the next few weeks to months.”

  Hannah might have been reading more into his words, but she doubted it. She might not be the best at reading other people, but it was clearly obvious to her that he was interested in more than her secretarial skills. She would have to dissuade him the best she could once they began working with each other. A few weeks earlier, she and Finley had taken a few pictures when out sight-seeing. There was a great one of the two of them standing in front of the London Eye.

  They’d been so happy that day, out explor
ing a city she’d had little time to reacquaint herself with since arriving back in the country. Hannah enjoyed the time she spent with Finley and while he’d made no hints that he wanted anything more than what they currently had, she couldn’t say she’d never thought about it herself. Right now they were learning each other and having fun, so she wouldn’t push him for anything more. It wasn’t as if defining what they were would really make a difference anyway. What would help was the fact that she could now take him to dinner once in a while and even pay a bill or two around the penthouse.

  “Let’s not overwhelm her too much on her first day, Stanley,” Brian said, causing her thoughts to return to the present. She was about to tell them that she was ready to jump right in when he spoke first. “We’ll leave you with some material to read about where Tucker Incorporated is currently at in the market and where we intend to go. We hope to have you up to speed by the end of the week.”

  “Very good, Brian. I think we should start her off with a few of the American accounts first. Do you happened to know any other languages, Miss Brinkley?” Stanley inquired.

  “I know a little French and Spanish, but unfortunately I’m not quite fluent in them,” she replied truthfully. Hannah thought about some of the foreign language programs available online, and she made a mental note to look into those. Surely she would only need to brush up on a few things before she would feel comfortable enough to try her hand at one of those accounts.

  The men both exited the office after leaving her some material to read. She flipped through the standard workplace rules and regulations. Nothing stood out one way or the other for her. They were the typical things such as break time, vacation and holiday pay, code of conduct and other policies like that. It was boring information but she felt so good knowing that soon she would hopefully be buried deep in work. Hannah had hated being unemployed, and she was happy to finally put that phase of her life behind her. Now, if she could only put Thaddeus Remington and all the memories of him she still carried around behind her as well, then she could focus on the current man in her life.