What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7)

by Lexi Buchanan

  People talked back and forth about what they were working on or to ask questions. Slowly the noise level rose a bit. Becky was already working on a project with Steve, so she kept her nose on her computer screen. She looked up and saw Mr. Lucas’ secretary walk into his office. They were chatting back and forth. She heard the woman ask about his vacation, conference, and business meetings. He told her the vacation was amazing and that for some reason the conference wasn’t as good as usual. She asked him about the tie he was wearing and he told her someone special had bought it for him. Becky chuckled as she thought, I’m sure it was someone special. If he was half as good looking as the ladies in the office made him sound, women were probably giving him all sorts of gifts. Back to work, she told herself. She heard some movement around the office and heard different voices saying Good morning Mr. Lucas.

  Becky minimized her email, put on her headphones, and was ready to get to work. She was engrossed in what was on her computer screen, and hadn’t noticed Steve trying to get her attention. She didn’t have the headphones to loud and could hear Jennifer behind her talking.

  “I want to introduce you to our newest developer.”

  Oh shit, not now, Becky thought. She was in the middle of something and did not want to ruin the flow she had going. She pulled her headphones out of her ears and sat them on the desk, knowing that they were talking about her.

  “She’s working on the project Steve is working on right now. This is the start of her third week and she is doing amazing,” Jennifer said, as they walked up behind Becky. “Mr. Lucas, this is Rebecca.”

  Becky turned her chair, stood, and extended her hand.

  “Nice to,” she began, as she looked up and their eyes met. “Uh, nice to meet you.”

  Becky knew she had to have lost any color she had in her face. She had no idea how she got the words out of her mouth. Suddenly, her mouth was dry and she felt dizzy. Not sure just how bad the shock looked on the outside, she needed to recover. Standing in front of her, was her mystery man. Gavin looked so hot. He had a full, black pinstripe suit on and she could smell the amazing, familiar smell she loved so much. She noticed his tie right away. Their hands were still connected as she pulled hers away. His mouth was open and he just stood there. Say something, she told herself. Anything at all, just say something.

  “Love the tie, where did you get it?” she asked, as she stared into his eyes.

  “I was on a cruise a few weeks ago, and someone really special bought it for me,” he answered. “Rebecca, it’s very nice to meet you.”

  “Please call me Becky,” she said, with a smirk. “Your company is amazing. I have heard so many things about you.”

  “All good I hope,” he said, as he laughed nervously. “I look forward to working with you. Welcome to our team.”

  “I look forward to working with you too,” she said, as she turned and sat back in her chair.

  Becky put her headphones back on and sat still. After a few minutes, she put her head in her hands. She had not been able to stop herself from thinking about Gavin for weeks. It was driving her insane. Never in a million years, did she expect to be able to find him. She thought back at the cruise and if he had said anything at all about owning a company or where he was from. He had kept everything to himself, just like she had requested. How could she have missed the fact that he owned a large company? She could not believe it was true. Her feelings were so torn. She wanted to find him so badly, but for him to be the owner of the company she just started working for was too much. There was no way she could have a relationship with him. She would have to see him every day and not be able to touch him or hold him. All of the women in the office eyed him and talked about how gorgeous he was. How was she going to sit and hear those things, knowing she wanted him so badly? She had learned those past several weeks that she had fallen for her mystery man. She had his shirt and the pictures of them together in her room. He filled her dreams every night. What was she going to do? She took her headphones off and went to the restroom. It didn’t matter where she was; she needed a moment to think. Unable to clear her head, she went back to her desk.

  “Are you okay?” Steve asked. “You look like a little rough.”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  The phone on her desk rang, the name on the caller ID said Gavin Lucas, and she just sat there. A moment later, the phone rang again. She picked it up.

  “Hello,” she said, with a shaky voice.

  “Please come into my office,” he said.

  “No,” she responded.

  “Get in my office,” he said.

  “No,” she said, once more.

  “Becky come into my office and close the door behind you,” he said. “If you don’t, I’m coming out there.”

  She hung up the phone, walked into his office, shut the door, and sat down. His office had floor to ceiling windows that faced out to all of his employees but the blinds were closed. He was looking at her with a serious face. What was he going to say? She really needed her job. Oh crap, she thought.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, as he pulled her from her thoughts. “You said you were from Michigan.”

  They both made sure to keep their voices low, so nobody would be able to hear their conversation. He kept himself over his keyboard, so that anyone that walked by would think he was showing her things on the computer.

  “I was from Michigan. I moved here for this job. I told you, I was starting fresh,” she said. “I can’t believe I was with you that whole week, thinking you were a regular guy having some fun.”

  “I am a regular guy, and I was having fun,” he said, as he smiled. “I wanted to find you. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  “We made a deal. We had a week of fun and then we walked away,” she said.

  “I know we did, but I didn’t think I would end up caring about you,” he said.

  “I can’t believe this. You own this company. Do you have any idea how huge that is?” she asked. “Are you going to tell me that asshole Ethan is loaded too?”

  Gavin looked at her with a straight face, and she burst into laughter.

  “Is he really?” she asked. “This is crazy. I was with you, every moment, for an entire week. How could I have not known who you were? I feel so stupid for some of the things I did now. You must have thought I was crazy.”

  “Why would I think that?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, putting her head in her hands. “I don’t think I can do this. I have to look for another job.”

  “No way,” he said. “I remember your resume. You are very good at what you do. You are an asset to our company. There is no way I’m letting you do that. You moved your life here for this job. You can’t just leave.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” she asked. “You have no idea what these last two weeks have been like for me. How am I going to work here? How am I going to see you every day, knowing that I can’t be with you? When I set the rules on the ship, I intended on never seeing you again. I did things with you, I have never done before. You know that. I don’t think I can see you here, I really don’t. Do you know what the women in this office say about you?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “They talk about how hot your are and how nice your ass looks,” she said. “How perfect your jeans fit and how sexy you are in a suit. I laughed when they said all of those things, because I figured they were all crazy. I pictured Mr. Lucas to be some guy bent over his computer all day, looking not so hot. Not for one second did I picture you. How am I supposed to sit and hear them say all of those things, with a straight face? He’s so laid back. He’s such a great boss.”

  “They say those things about me?” he asked, as he laughed.

  “It’s not funny,” she said. “They’ve never seen you with your clothes off. Have they? I have. I already know how hot your ass is and how good you look being ripped from your sexy suits. I can’t sit here with you.”

/>   “So you agree with them?” he asked. “No, they haven’t seen me with my clothes off.”

  “Be serious, Gavin,” she said, twisting her mouth and squinting her eyes. “I don’t think I can do this. There is no way I can sit and listen to them talk about you, knowing that I have done things with you I never planned to do. I have to see you, knowing how other women feel about you. I have to sit each day, seeing you talk to them.”

  “I don’t want to be with any of them,” he said. “There is nothing going on between me and anyone in the office. I promise you that.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “There can’t be. I need to get back to work. I need time to think and decide what I am going to do. It was bad enough you were gone. I wanted so badly to see you again. This is not what I had in mind. I don’t know what’s worse, never seeing you again, or seeing you every day, knowing that I can’t be with you.”

  Becky stood up and walked to open the door.

  “Becky,” he said.

  Before he could finish, she walked out and shut his door behind her. She walked back to her desk, put her headphones on, and threw herself into her work.

  Gavin sat at his desk, as he stared at his computer screen. What would he do? The night before, he wanted to hire a private investigator to find her. He knew he wanted to get to know her better. He couldn’t get involved with one of his employees, could he? She wanted a new start and moved for her new job. There was no way he could take that away from her. He knew she was perfect for their team. Her resume and references were amazing. He needed her on his team, in more ways than one. What was he going to do?

  He stayed in his office for the next couple of hours. They had only spent a week together, he thought. There was no way he could possibly love her in a week. He never let himself fall for anyone. She was different, popped into his mind. Yes, she was. When he spent time with her, nothing else mattered. He would be fine; at least he was able to see her. His world stopped the moment he saw her stand and face him in the office. She was really there. It was really her.

  He stood up, took his suit jacket off, threw it over his chair, and loosened his tie. It was hotter than normal in his office. He walked out and stood in his office door. He looked out to see Becky as she sat next to Steve, at his desk. They were looking at the computer screen. She laughed and reached over his arm to type something on his keyboard. Gavin watched Steve turn to look at her, his mouth inches from hers. Gavin felt a pull in his chest.

  The girl sitting across from Steve let out a gasp. Becky looked up to see the girl’s face as she looked straight ahead. Becky looked up and saw Gavin as he stood, looking so sexy, against his door. She could see his chiseled chest through his dress shirt. His tie loosened around his neck, like it was when he had knocked on her door during the cruise. The night she grabbed his tie to pull him into her room and into her bed. Her breath caught in her throat. He looked straight at her. She hurried to turn back to what Steve had been showing her. They were working on a project together and she needed to keep her mind off of Mr. Sexy and on the project. Becky heard Gavin as he talked to his secretary.

  “Is it hotter than normal in here?” he asked. “I’m burning up.”

  “It’s the same as always,” she replied. “Do you need a soda or something cold to drink?”

  Becky looked up to see his secretary put her hand on his arm, and a chill ran through Becky’s whole body. She felt like jumping up and snatching the woman’s hand from him. Knock it off, she told herself. Get back to work. Quit watching him.

  “Are you okay?” Steve asked.

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “I’m sorry. I need a minute. I’ll be right back.”

  Becky got up and walked out of the office. She could feel his eyes as they watched her. She went outside for a moment to catch her breath. Her job was very important to her, and she needed to get it together. There was no way she was going to let him see her at anything but her best. It drove her nuts to see that woman touch him, even if it was nothing romantic. She didn’t want anyone to touch him, but why? Enough, she told herself. You are a grown woman, who came here to start fresh. Get it together.

  She walked back to Steve’s desk and sat down. The rest of the day, she made sure to keep her attention on his screen and what he was showing her. She needed to learn as much as she could, so she could get her job done.

  When the work day was over, she hurried to grab her stuff and took off out the door.

  At home, she couldn’t keep her mind off of Gavin. Her phone buzzed and brought her back to reality. She turned on the phone to see a text from her ex. Wow, she thought. That was strange. She had not heard from him since she left. The only people who knew where she was were her parents. She knew her mother wanted things to work out with him, but understood that after seventeen years with no commitment, her daughter had decided to move on. Becky wanted kids and a family, and he was not willing to do that. She thought he was the one she wanted those things with. He was the only man she had ever loved. The week on her cruise changed all of that. In that one week, she had such strong feelings for Gavin. Stronger than she had ever felt for her ex. When Gavin touched her, he sent her head spinning. She couldn’t stop herself from wanting to touch him. If the text she was about to open had come three weeks earlier, things would have been different. She looked down and pushed the button.

  “Becky, I’m sorry. I love you. I can’t believe I let you get away. Please forgive me. I miss you. Please take me back. Can I come see you?”

  Becky was shocked. He had never wanted a commitment and surely never apologized for anything. She had moved her entire life to a new place so she could start over, and he was trying to get into her new life. She knew she would have caved just three weeks earlier, but things were different for her now. She was different.

  The rest of the work week was crazy. If she wasn’t going over the project with Steve, she was sitting at her desk with headphones on. Gavin was there all week. He wore jeans and t-shirts that perfectly clung to his muscles, each day. She sat with some of the girls from her office at lunch most days. By Friday, she could not hear how good he looked one more time. It was funny when they talked about the boss, before she knew it was Gavin. Somehow, once she knew it was him they were saying that stuff about, she didn’t want to hear it.

  Friday, she decided to go out to lunch by herself. She didn’t feel like being with anyone else and wanted to be out of the office. When she got back, she sat on the picnic bench outside and read, until she needed to be back at her desk. She set her book on her desk without even looking. It was like she was on autopilot. Something red caught her eye. There was a vase on her desk with a dozen long stem, red roses. She couldn’t believe Gavin would do something that bold in the office. A smiled spread across her face from ear to ear, as she saw Gavin in his office doorway out of the corner of her eye. She grabbed the envelope out from between the roses and opened it. As she pulled the card out of the envelope and read it, she could feel her mouth drop open wide. They weren’t from Gavin.

  “Becky, I love you. Please be mine forever? Will you marry me? Love, Sean.”

  She dropped into her chair and put her head on her desk. She had been with him for seventeen years. No matter how many times she mentioned getting married, Sean blew her off. Now that she had moved on and was making a life of her own, he wanted to talk about marriage. It was too late for that.

  Becky shoved the vase into the corner of her desk and turned to her computer. A few minutes later, Gavin walked down the aisle as he talked to each person individually. He asked them about what they were working on or their family. It wasn’t like he was just asking generic questions to pass time and make them feel important. He was treating each of them as an important individual to the team. Becky turned around to Steve.

  “Does he do this all the time? Walk around and talk to everyone,” she asked.

  Steve laughed and smiled at her.

  “All of the time. Always on Fridays. The rest of the week h
e pops out to talk sometimes. He gets us together to talk about how the company is doing. Sometimes we meet a bar or restaurant. It really is nice here, Becky,” Steve said. “Best company I’ve ever worked for.”

  Becky saw him moving his way down the aisle and hurried to shove her headphones back on. She pulled up what she was working on and hoped he would see her working and walk past her, but he didn’t. He stopped and touched one of the flowers.

  “These are very nice,” he said. “Is it a special occasion?”

  She kept her head down toward her screen, but looked up at him with her eyes. A short answer and he’ll keep moving, she thought.

  “No,” she answered, as she thought, that should do it.

  “Someone must really be thinking about you,” he said.

  Okay, he wasn’t going to let it go. She knew he couldn’t say much in front of his employees. It was her turn to make him squirm. She had been squirming all week. She turned her head, looked up at him, and smiled.

  “It’s a marriage proposal,” she said.

  She waited long enough to see the glare on his face, and then she turned her head back to her screen and started typing.

  “Congratulations,” he said, his voice was happy but hard.

  “I haven’t said yes. Have a great weekend Mr. Lucas,” she said, in a perky voice, making sure to keep her eyes on her screen.

  What the fuck was she doing, Gavin thought? Who the hell was proposing to her? Was it her ex? The one she left to start a new life. The one who after seventeen years, didn’t know if he wanted to marry her? The one she said hadn’t made her feel the way he had?

  He finished talking to each of the employees, before he walked into his office and shut the door. He sat down at his desk. How could she be so willing to go back to him? The thought of another man touching her upset him. He grabbed his laptop, threw it in his bag, and walked out of his office. He turned to his secretary.