What Maxi Needs

by Calista Fox

  That reality-check moment where they stood on a precipice of something that could be substantial…or fade away.

  She didn’t want it to fade away. She already felt more tuned in to Ryan than she had with her previous boyfriends—those had been “surface” relationships that simply couldn’t compare to the yin and yang, the obvious compatibility, of Maxi’s and Ryan’s association.

  Yet…to get in over their heads at this critical juncture at work…?

  Maxi wasn’t so sure she could handle or juggle work and romance when a company was on the line.

  And, in a million years, she’d never want to do anything to let Staci down. Her friend. Her boss. Someone who’d believed in her when Maxi had been directionless. Someone who had provided the right direction.

  The backs of her eyes suddenly burned.

  She’d told Ryan just one night, and then they’d behave.

  It wasn’t at all what she wanted, but…

  Did she have a choice, if she was going to keep her promise and commitment to Staci Kay Shoes?

  Fuck!

  She’d hoped to get Ryan out of her system. That clearly didn’t pan out for her.

  Yet Maxi found herself saying, “It might be wise to pretend that what’s happened between us didn’t actually happen.”

  Ryan’s jaw clenched briefly.

  He stood and buttoned his shirt. Tucked the hem into his pants. Reached for his jacket and slipped into the garment.

  Then he told her, “The decision is yours to make. And if that’s what you choose, I can’t do anything about it. But I will tell you that two people who responded to each other the way we did—right off the bat—” His gaze turned steely. “That’s something, Maxi.”

  She swallowed hard.

  Yes, it is!

  But she kept that thought to herself. Watched him scoop up his tie before he kissed her and walked out the door. Suddenly realizing that she’d wanted him to convince her to leap from that precipice—with him.

  That wasn’t fair to Ryan, though. She had to feel that following through on what they’d started was the right thing to do—not hope that he’d talk her into anything.

  So why’d her decision to let him go feel so…wrong?

  Chapter Five

  Ryan wasn’t the love ’em and leave ’em type.

  Never would be.

  It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed to slip out of Maxi’s office without making some sort of suggestion about her coming back to his place or perhaps having dinner the next night, or otherwise trying to convince her that sweeping their unexpected affair under the rug was the last thing he wanted.

  Should he have been more insistent?

  Would it have made a difference?

  And what if it had…and they ended up getting carried away and losing focus on work?

  Damn! This was all so new to him, and it frustrated the hell out of him to not have all the answers when it came to Maxi Shayne.

  He’d met this incredible creature who complemented him in so many ways, while also challenging him, stimulating him. And he didn’t have the correct experience, possess the right knowledge, to ascertain whether he should let her take her stand…or talk her into giving them more of a chance than a one-day romance.

  Even his gut instincts served no purpose in this particular situation. Because, again, with their intense attraction, they could easily get caught up in each other and ruin things for Staci Kay Shoes.

  He stewed over this as he ripped tape from the boxes that had been delivered to his new house in Baltimore—a gorgeous Colonial he’d bought sight-unseen and wholly on a whim. Unusual for analytical him, but that was how desperate he’d been to get the hell out of DC and sprout roots somewhere well beyond the confines of Dr. Elizabeth Sherman’s social circle. Anything to keep him from wandering back to that life. Anything to break free of the debilitating anchor she’d been for far too long.

  Ryan had always considered himself a man of his own destiny. In control of his scholastic aspirations and his career goals. Then he’d hooked up with Elizabeth, and goddamn, had that sent him barreling completely off course.

  He’d carried on his back that monkey called “personal derailment” for four years. Time to kick it to the curb, as he suspected colorful Maxi would say.

  Not the least bit interested in dwelling on the catastrophe that was his past relationship—although in the far recesses of his mind, he had to admit that it was quite possible his inability to grasp the appropriate direction to take with Maxi could be directly related to his failed engagement to Elizabeth—he put some thought into the layout of the new house and where his most prized possessions would reside.

  When he had a solid plan, he shifted to business, considering how to adjust his projections to accommodate the fantastic work the team had jumped on today. Talk about rising to the occasion!

  He had not missed from the get-go the tension his sudden presence had incited with the team. Not that he blamed them by any means. They were all under immense pressure and so, of course, having an outsider step in and dissect their efforts naturally left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. But he felt as though he’d conveyed the fact that they were all in this together. It wasn’t one person’s fiasco, but the responsibility of the group as a whole to rectify the situation.

  Chances were very good that they’d just wanted to show him up by jumping on fixes in their own departments. That didn’t bother Ryan. Whatever it took to get the train back on the track.

  Ryan wasn’t much for tooting his own horn. He liked being a part of the process. Doing everything he could to help. It wasn’t about personal glory or gloating. It was about finding solutions to problems.

  Certainly, he thought it’d be nice to figure out the solution to the new issue that arose with Maxi—not surprisingly, his thoughts circled back to her.

  Since everyone had embraced his ideas rather than run him out of Maryland, tarred and feathered, he’d be sticking around a bit longer. How would that affect Maxi and him in the grand scheme of things?

  Building his life here in Baltimore and at Staci Kay Shoes meant, in a sense, that he was building his life around the woman who’d deeply ensnared him. A direct correlation to what he’d discussed with her over lunch. They’d be spending fifty or more hours a week with each other. How could they ignore the fireworks when more than a third of their time was spent in such close proximity to each other?

  He tapped a finger against his temple, as though that might help him to dislodge from his mind images of the saucy, uninhibited brunette, the sound of her voice, the feel of her lips, the smell of her skin.

  There was so much more to his infatuation than the fact that she was gorgeous and turned him on. She was also smart, even if she wasn’t one hundred percent certain of her brimming intellect. She deflected the cerebral from time to time, but then gleaming moments shone through. Even if she meant them caustically, they resonated.

  Her colleagues obviously respected her—perhaps Ben Overton a little too much. There was a mad crush there, on that man’s part. Impossible not to see it.

  Plus, Ryan knew Staci Kay well enough to know that she would not have moved Maxi into the VP position if she didn’t believe in Maxi’s talent to the nth degree. This was Staci’s dream, her livelihood, her very lifeblood. She took her company’s interests personally and seriously—enough to do everything in her power to convince Ryan to join the organization at its most vulnerable hour.

  Despite his being just a little perplexed, initially, about his shift in careers, and the fact that he could be resolving problematic issues well beyond a shoe crisis, he’d really only needed to take one look at Maxi in her stilettos to know that he’d made the right decision in agreeing to sign on as Operations Director.

  Now, though, he had to table all of his suddenly raging hormones in order to continue the work he’d started several weeks ago when Staci had made her most vehement appeal to him for help.

  So he diverted
his attention from Maxi by setting up his computer system, working into the wee hours of the morning to get everything online, including his surround-sound system, HDMI plug-ins, Wi-Fi router, Bluetooth capabilities, Apple TV, etc. A sixty-four-inch flat screen would be mounted into the corner of his home office when the carpenter he’d hired to assist him with hanging the heavier equipment and making some modifications came over on the weekend.

  He had plenty to occupy his mind.

  Work first, he told himself. That was where his focus needed to lie.

  * * *

  For Maxi, Tuesday brought with it more meetings. Back-to-back sessions that she asked Ryan to attend with her. No easy-breezy situation to find herself in. Maxi had considered previously that engaging in an office romance was a bad idea. She hadn’t had personal experience of this but had very quickly learned why it was as risky as the friends-with-benefits arrangement Lola and Alex had given a whirl.

  They’d managed to come out unscathed.

  Maxi wasn’t so sure that would be the case with Ryan and her, because they were explosive together and it didn’t help her concentration knowing exactly what he looked like behind those glasses and tailored suits.

  She knew how his eyes blazed with desire. She knew how deeply, how thoroughly, he kissed. She knew the words he muttered in the heat of the moment and knew how fantastic his hands felt on her body. How orgasmic it was to have his cock buried inside her.

  So, yeah. Meetings were a real bitch now.

  She did her absolute best to conduct business and not get lost in his sexy accent and melting brown eyes.

  Lunch rolled around, and Maxi was relieved she’d opted to have Avril order in and set up a meeting of the operational department heads to give an update on their progress. That way, she could kill two birds with one stone by avoiding the one-on-one lunch with Ryan that she’d mentioned the day before while keeping her finger on the pulse of the crisis. She decided to make standing lunch meetings for the week. Perhaps by the following Monday, she’d be over all these distracting high-voltage currents Ryan evoked just by being in the same room with her. Discussing his complicated algorithms. Sliding glances her way and grinning.

  Urgh.

  She couldn’t even get halfway through her Caesar salad because her stomach was knotted into a pretzel.

  When the meeting wrapped, she tried to escape to the women’s executive washroom to freshen up, but it was occupied, the door locked. So she crossed the floor to the larger, multi-stall ladies’ room. She shoved the door open and stalked inside. Then immediately drew up short.

  Avril stood at the counter, fixing her lipstick. She shot Maxi a knowing look.

  “Some week you’re having, eh, boss?”

  Maxi joined her assistant, two sinks down. She whipped out her toothbrush and paste. “I’ve learned more about the departments that fall under the Operations umbrella in the past twenty-eight hours than I have in the six years I’ve worked for Staci. I’m literally shocked that I didn’t have such intimate exposure to Production, Facilities, and Distribution before now. I mean, sure, I had regular interactions with the managers of those functional areas, but at the thirty-five-thousand-foot level, you know? And I worked most closely with IT, so this is all very enlightening.”

  Avril snickered. “I’m not talking about your new position.” She wagged her brows suggestively.

  “Then I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, come on, Maxi!” Avril dropped her tube of lipstick into her bag and then did a quick scan of the stalls, determining that they were all empty. She propped her hand on her hip and said, “After witnessing that wild and wicked kiss you and Ryan shared, I am completely in tune to the way you guys steal glances at each other—and let me tell you, I can feel the lust. Like scorch-my-skin, red-hot lust!”

  “Oh, God.” Maxi went to work on her teeth. Rinsed with the bottle of water she’d brought with her. Flossed, to hell with Avril watching her so intently. Then she washed her hands and applied a fresh coat of gloss to her lips.

  Avril remained rooted where she stood, her arms crossed over her chest, a mischievous look on her pretty face.

  Finally, Maxi said, “There’s no discouraging you, is there?”

  “No.”

  “I can’t convince you to drop this and pretend you didn’t see what you saw?”

  “Nope.”

  Maxi sighed. “Then, between you, me, and the bathroom stalls, we did more than just kiss.”

  “Oh, my God. Maxi!” Avril was stunned—and shaming Maxi again with her tone. Yet she seemed to instantly recant in her mind the conversation they’d had in Maxi’s office after she’d walked in on the kiss. The admonishment she’d laid down then. Apparently, Avril reconsidered her stance, because she suddenly clapped her hands together and declared, “Oh, this is so juicy!”

  Perhaps it was the empathy she’d expressed over Maxi’s previously dismal love life that had her singing a new tune?

  Maxi said, “Juicy is when you divulge details. I’m not divulging any. So don’t ask. Juicy is when two people get caught up in something scandalous. We’re not caught up. It was a one-time thing. It was crazy, out of the blue, and just…happened. Now it’s over. Done deal. You told me it was a bad idea, and you were right.”

  Avril’s brow dipped. “Like, you had sex, and now it’s as though…you didn’t?”

  Maxi’s eyes squeezed shut. She heaved a sigh. Every fiber of her being wanted to say “yes” and walk away. Make it as simple as possible. Even though it wasn’t a simple scenario with Einstein.

  Conversely, every fiber of her being sizzled at the mere mention of Ryan and memories of what they’d done the night before. And the fact that she really wasn’t inclined to pretend it hadn’t happened, as she’d suggested to Ryan.

  But Maxi still had a niggling suspicion that not pursuing anything further with the man was for the best.

  “Maxi.” Avril’s voice held a hint of concern.

  Maxi’s eyelids flew open. She said, “Ryan and I both understand that what’s going on with the company is much more important and critical than what went on between us last night. So…that’s that.” She zipped her purse, slung the strap over her shoulder, and left the room.

  The rest of the afternoon didn’t exactly fly by, what with Ryan sitting at her elbow at every meeting—and Maxi having the worst time not noticing his distinct scent, all fresh and clean, with that enticing hint of sandalwood. And her eyes kept landing on his hands. Even as he fervently typed and muttered under his breath about new changes to his continuum, it was damn near impossible not to fantasize.

  About Ryan.

  About the two of them naked.

  About all the things he hadn’t done to her…but could.

  If she’d allow it.

  She shook the thoughts from her mind; set it to business.

  But when she returned to her office, there was a tall, cylindrical glass vase sitting on her desk, with four red roses in it.

  Maxi’s brows knitted just as her heart fluttered, having a good idea as to who’d sent them.

  She snatched the envelope lying next to the arrangement and extracted the card.

  I’ve noticed you like splashes of red. Here’s one more accompaniment. E.

  She smirked. Einstein.

  Maxi glanced around her office, taking in the scarlet pillows she’d added to the immaculate white sofa selected by the previous female director of the division. When Maxi had been promoted and she’d moved into this new space, Facilities had made a swap for her so that the former VP’s more masculine furniture now resided in the office Ryan occupied.

  Maxi had then added her own flourish to the pristine décor. Such as the trio of framed red hibiscus prints against the far wall. The crimson throw tossed haphazardly over one of the white, armless chairs in front of her desk.

  And now Ryan’s roses offered the perfect complement.

  But…why four?

  She frowned. Why not a h
alf or even a full dozen?

  Tapping the card against her palm, Maxi considered this. Then a smile spread slowly over her lips.

  Four. The number of times Ryan had made her come last night.

  “All righty, then,” she whispered. The man really did take his integers seriously.

  She slipped the card back into its small packet and hid the missive away in her purse. She took a few moments to admire the romantic gesture, then did exactly what she was supposed to do—went back to work.

  * * *

  The remainder of the week was similar in nature—all about the massive crisis seizing Staci Kay Shoes. On the plus side, Staci was back from her Board of Directors sessions and eager for a recap of the in-house happenings.

  Maxi met with her Wednesday morning in Staci’s office and said, “We have so much potential to pull this out of the fire. Everyone is scrambling, and I have to say…it’s invigorating. I mean, really, Staci. Everyone is digging as deep as they can to ensure their department isn’t holding up progress in any way. And they’ve all been extremely straightforward with status reports.”

  “Excellent news.” Perched on the edge of her desk, which Maxi occupied a guest chair in front of, Staci held up her venti to-go cup and tapped it against the one she’d brought Maxi for their meeting. “You make me breathe so much easier. Honestly, I’ve lost tons of sleep over all of this. But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about something Lola told me when I flew out for a surprise visit to the Scottsdale hub while she and the Marketing team were refining the ad campaign prior to its launch.”

  Maxi’s brow lifted. “What’s that?”

  “Well,” the cinnamon-haired CEO/owner said in her smoky voice, “she was really freaking out because I was there for an impromptu presentation of her promo ideas. I actually felt bad about putting her on the spot, but it seemed to really spur her on. One thing she said that fully resonated with me was that employees of Staci Kay Shoes find something about the company they can relate to personally. It’s not just about shoes. Well, for the women, that seems to be a key point, but also the fact that our company offers professional aspirations they can stand behind.”