by Sarah Curtis
He closed the folder and placed it on his desk. "So, tell me, Ms. Kingston, how long have you worked for Handler Investments?"
"Just over two years, sir."
"And you like it here?"
Where was he going with this? He wore a small smile, and his body language didn't read agitated or angry. If he were planning to reprimand or fire her that would mean he got enjoyment out of others misery, and that just didn't ring true. "I like it very much."
"Good. Good."
She waited for him to continue. After a long pause, he cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I had an advantageous phone call today about a potential client, but he had an unusual request."
When his silence stretched, she prompted, "And that was?"
"It seems one of our important business clients has a friend who's interested in our firm to manage his personal portfolio but only if you take the account."
River straightened in her seat. This could be the opportunity she'd been waiting for. "Me?"
Peterman nodded. "He has an appointment to meet you tomorrow at four."
River's head was spinning. Her very first client. "I'll be ready. What's his name?"
"He wouldn't say. Said his friend wanted to remain anonymous until he's sure we'll be the right fit for him."
That sounded... shady. She frowned. "I don't understand."
"The guy's loaded, probably a bit eccentric. We get clients like that from time to time. You learn to roll with it." Peterman gave her a reassuring smile. "Meet with him tomorrow. After that, we'll worry about what happens next."
Chapter Twenty
It had taken River hours to get ready that morning, wanting to look perfect. After her shower, she'd painstakingly blew out her long hair—the thick tresses taking forever to dry—until it was pin-straight. She'd then gathered it all up into a complicated twist that had required using every last bobby pin she could scrounge from her vanity drawer. She'd applied her makeup with a deft hand—not too much, not too little—getting the desired effect of confident sophistication. She'd selected her favorite suit—a black, soft-as-butter gaberdine with a form-fitting blazer and tailored skirt that fell to just above her knee—and had paired it with a white, silk tank.
Not one to usually wear a lot of jewelry, she did have a few pieces she'd collected over time. Selecting a black, beaded, multistrand necklace she'd never worn, River had slipped it over her head, liking the way it fell between her breasts to contrast with the stark whiteness of the blouse.
After pulling on a pair of sheer, thigh-high hose that contained a hint of white shimmer, she'd slipped into her sexiest black pumps then looked in the mirror, more than pleased with the outcome. She'd looked crisp, confident, and sophisticated. Just what she'd been going for.
Even taking the embarrassingly long amount of time to get ready, she still arrived to work with enough time to pop into the quaint little coffee shop on the first floor of her office building. She ordered an extra-large vanilla latte, knowing she'd need the extra caffeine and sugar to get her through the day.
Heels clicking across the marble floor as she made her way to the elevator, she blended in with the people in suits that teemed the lobby ready to start their day.
Stepping through the sliding doors, the slim heel of her shoe got wedged into the gap of the track. Her body moved forward, but her foot stayed planted. She fell, landing hard on her knees, using her one empty hand to break her fall. In the process, she squeezed too tightly on the cardboard coffee cup, popping the lid, and spilling half its contents in her lap and splashing the elevator floor. Fortunately, only one other person had gotten on the empty elevator before her, and they'd been standing far enough away to avoid the line of fire.
Extremely embarrassed, she quickly got to her feet, thanking the woman who had retrieved her missing shoe. She was in a sad state as she limped off on her floor, holding her shoe in one hand and her half-full coffee in the other.
"What the heck happened to you?" Grace, the receptionist, asked from her desk positioned across from the elevator.
River held up her shoe with its now dangling heel still partially hanging on by some miracle. "Catastrophe number one." She raised the hand holding her cup, the once pristine white cardboard now stained with streaks of brown and sans lid. "Catastrophe number two." She then looked down at her skirt and the large wet spot that now covered it. "And catastrophe number three." She would have been thankful the coffee hadn't splashed on her light-colored hose, but the big hole on her right knee made that blessing needless.
Grace grimaced while rounding her desk. "Goodness, girl, Murphy's Law is having a field day with you." She took River's shoe. "I'll try to glue this while you go to the bathroom and clean up."
"Thank you." She forced a smile before turning and walking past the dreaded elevator to the bathroom located a few feet away.
The bathroom didn't have warm water, so she rinsed her skirt as best she could, hoping it wouldn't dry stiff. Peeling off her hose, she reluctantly tossed them in the trash.
The ground was cold on her bare feet as she made her way back to Grace's desk. "Any luck?"
"I had some glue in my desk that should hold, but it'll take a few hours to dry."
"That's okay, I'll just be sitting at my desk anyway. Thanks, again, Grace."
The rest of her morning was uneventful until she heard a knock on her partially opened door. She looked up to see Derek, one of her coworkers, standing in the doorway. "What's up?"
"A couple of us are going to Cisco's for lunch and wanted to know if you'd like to come."
Worried about the functionality of her shoe, she replied, "I don't think I'd better. I have a meeting this afternoon, and I want to make sure I get all my work done before then."
"No problem. Want us to bring you anything back?"
Her stomach was a bundle of nerves, and she didn't even want to think about food. "Thanks for asking, but I'll just grab a snack from the break room if I get hungry."
"Okay, if you're sure you want to pass up their cheesy fries."
River smiled. "I'm good." He was looking at her funny. "What's wrong?"
He pointed a finger at her, making little swirly motions. "What's that all over your shirt?"
River looked down. What the hell? There was black all over the front of her blouse. She knew it wasn't from her jacket, the inside of her suit was lined, so that could only mean... She pulled her necklace over her head, glaring at the obviously inferior beads with disgust as she threw it on her desk.
"Guess I'd better go see if I can take care of this."
Derek walked with her as far as the elevator, and she slipped into the bathroom, once more having to deal with a clothing emergency. She should just go home and change, but with the way her luck had been all day, there was a good chance she'd get a flat tire and be late for her appointment. And that was a chance she wasn't willing to take.
She tried rubbing the spots with a dry paper towel with no effect so added a little water. Other than making her blouse see-through, that had no effect either. Removing her jacket, she took her blouse off, turned it around, and slipped it back over her head. The neckline was higher in the back than in the front and now hit mid-throat, looking absurd. She tried folding it under but it kept popping back up. She slipped her jacket back on to see how stupid the overall effect looked and wanted to cry. It looked ridiculous. And to make matters worse, the tag showed through the material. Why manufacturers put black labels on white blouses, she'd never know.
Well, it was a lesson well learned. Keep an extra set of clothes at the office.
To River's mortification, Grace laughed when she spotted her. "Now what happened?"
River huffed a breath. "Do you really want to know?"
"At this point, I need to."
River summed it up.
Grace snapped her fingers. "I have an excellent idea. Let me just check something..." She opened a desk drawer. "Yes, here it is. Tada!" She held up a small brooch. "I'll roll the neck under then pin it in place."
"You're a lifesaver."
River was such a bundle of nerves, not wanting to screw up her very first meeting with a potential client, that by the time four o'clock rolled around, she literally jumped when her desk phone buzzed.
She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, then pressed the intercom button. "Yes?"
Grace's voice, a little distorted, came over the line. "Your four o'clock is here."
Hoping she sounded professional in case the guy could hear, she replied, "Thank you, please send him in."
She stood from behind her desk—the heel of her shoe, thankfully, holding her weight—and plastered a smile on her face as she watched her office door silently swing open.
And that's when Murphy's Law really kicked her in the ass because her anonymous appointment was none other than Alec Throne.
* * * * *
Alec strode through the lobby straight to the elevator. He knew exactly where he was going. Knew the layout of the building and even the exact location of River's office. Obsessive? Maybe. But it had been four fucking days since he'd last seen her, and he was getting a little... twitchy.
He spotted the reception desk and the dark-haired woman sitting behind it as soon as he stepped off the elevator and didn't waste time reaching it. "I have a four o'clock with Ms. Kingston."
She gave him a once-over, her smile growing into a broad grin. He let his impatience show, and her smile faded into a look of professionalism. "I'll let her know you're here. Please have a seat."
But he didn't sit. He hovered. Making her nervous, he could tell, from the sideways look she was giving him as she spoke into the phone.
"You can go right in. Ms. Kingston's expecting you." She pointed to a door behind her.
With a brief acknowledging nod, Alec moved briskly past her desk, not stopping to pause as he arrived at River's office door, twisted the knob, and pushed it open.
And there she was.
His anxiety calmed as soon as his eyes made contact with hers. He took her in, sweeping the length of her from the top of her head to where the desk cut her off at the hips, noting it wasn't his River that stood before him.
Her hair, usually naturally soft-looking even when up in a ponytail or piled on top of her head, was now severely slicked back from her face, and tightly twisted into a knot. She wore makeup that gave her an elegance and refinement he wasn't used to seeing. She was still so incredibly beautiful she took his breath away, but it shielded her natural glow, and he didn't like that.
He saw the flicker of excitement in her eyes and the small smile of happiness before she quickly masked her reaction. She still had the best poker face he'd ever seen, and he hated that, too.
He moved farther into the room and shut the door behind him. The sharp click it made seemed to break her spell of silence. "Alec."
His name on her lips—part breathy, part sultry, altogether sexy—never failed to make him hard and hearing it now was no exception. But he curbed his natural instinct to go to her, take her in his arms, and devour her mouth until she succumbed to his every need because he was still... pissed.
"You ran from me," he said, keeping his voice low and his tone even.
"I left you a note."
Yes, that fucking note. His hands fisted at his sides, and he took a step forward but halted, not trusting himself to go farther. Her eyes widened and he saw her visibly swallow. Smart girl, now she was getting it.
"You ran from me." He forced himself to tamp down the anger at what the memory of waking up alone and finding her gone created through his body—the blood rushing through his veins and pounding at all his pulse points, creating a whirling echo through his head.
"I had a six a.m. flight."
"That's just an excuse."
"It was nothing more than a vacation fling!" Her eyes sparked, and he finally saw his River shine through her impassive facade.
"It was never a vacation fling, River, and you know it. Stop lying to yourself and to me. I know better."
She was shaking her head, trying to deny his words.
"You've been mine since the first time you crashed into me at the airport."
A look of surprise crossed her face. "You remember that?"
"Sweetheart, I'll never forget that."
"I didn't think you even knew who I was at the airport."
"I didn't, not then, but that didn't stop me from wanting you. Then when I saw you at the restaurant, I knew fate was lending me a hand, and not one to mess with Lady Luck, I seized my opportunity and never looked back." Unable to stand the distance between them any longer, he went to her and took her in his arms.
He felt her reluctance at first but soon her arms wrapped around his waist as she pressed herself into him. He released the breath he'd been holding and felt the tension drain from his body. This was how he always wanted it, River in his arms. He rubbed her back—certain that the strokes were more soothing to him than to her—reassuring himself he had her right where he needed her, and he was never letting her go.
"It was only supposed to be a vacation fling." He heard the note of resignation in her voice and couldn't help but chuckle.
He squeezed her tighter, closing his eyes, and savoring the feel of her in his arms. "Don't run from me, River. Not ever again."
* * * * *
River knew as soon as she saw him, before he even opened his mouth to speak, that she was in trouble. All the feelings she'd been trying to suppress over the last few days surged to the surface. Oh, she did a good job of hiding them, even did a good job of fighting them.
Until he took her in his arms.
Then all bets were off. She was literally putty in his hands as she sagged against him, breathing in the scent she'd missed so damn much. She took in his strength that made her feel protected and cherished. Absorbing his heat she hadn't even realized until just then, how cold she'd been. She savored it all, knowing she'd missed it, but just not how much.
"I won't run," she mumbled against his chest. "I'm done running. I don't know what this is, but I do know it's something."
"Not something." His lips found her ear, and he whispered gruffly, "Everything."
Her stomach filled with butterflies, and she had to hold him a little tighter when her knees gave out. She felt like a walking cliché and honestly wouldn't have been surprised if stars and cartoon birds were floating around her head.
After taking a few minutes to collect her emotions, she pushed back in his arms until his hold on her lessened. She took a small step back, looking up at him. "So I take it this means I don't really have my very first client?"
"Oh, I'm still signing up. It's my guarantee you won't try and get rid of me again. Besides, I want the best analytical mind looking after my assets."
Ignoring the sexual quip, she grew serious. "You paid Royal's debt. I'm not going to pretend I'm not grateful, but I do intend to pay you back."
"River—"
She placed two fingers to his lips. "Please don't argue about this, it's something I feel very strongly about. I don't want to be indebted to you."
He dipped his head, his lips finding her ear again. "What if I like you indebted to me?"
"Then I guess you're going to have to find a more creative way to put me into your deb
t." She bumped her hips forward, stressing her point.
His chuckle was a sexy rumble she didn't think she'd ever grow tired of hearing. Then like a switch flicking, his face grew serious, and she could see his inner conflict. But he expelled a sigh and kept his peace. And for that, she was grateful. Knowing he listened and took her feelings seriously went a long way in ensuring she'd made the right decision to give them a chance.
Moving back, he grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here." He took a step before suddenly stopping, and she nearly crashed into him. "One last thing."
She looked up at him inquisitively.
"Why do you smell like coffee?"
"I've had a really bad day."
He gave her a smirk. "Well, your night's about to get a hell of a lot better."
Chapter Twenty-one
"Wider." Alec followed his command with a light slap on River's inner thigh.
"I can't, I'll lose my balance."
"No, you won't. I've got you." He held on to her hips as she spread her legs wider. "Good girl."
He slammed into her from behind, and her arms gave out, her cheek hitting the mattress. She gave him a glare from over her shoulder. "Told you."
He smirked while running his hand over her ass before slamming into her again. He'd learned this wasn't one of her favorite positions, so he didn't demand it often. But he loved looking at her perfect ass as he fucked her, and he was in the mood to be greedy.
But not so greedy that she didn't get off. "Play with yourself. Bring yourself close, baby, and I'll take you home."
"Oh, God," she moaned into the sheets, but he saw her arm move beneath her body.
"Come on, baby, that's it, help me get you there," he said, pounding into her with a steady rhythm, one hand holding her hip while the other squeezed her ass.