by Joya Ryan
“No offense, but you don’t either. And I’m fine.”
He smiled. “In the interview, you said you had nothing left, Red. And the look on your face made me believe you.”
“I don’t want your pity.”
“And I won’t give it. You’re better than pity.”
The way Leo said that made me like him a little more. It also irritated me that I liked him. But then he finished with, “It just seems like your friend doesn’t even know the real you.”
“Ah, you don’t know me.”
He took a step closer and smirked a wicked grin that made my skin heat and chill at the same time.
“I do know you. At least a lot better than your friend Hazel does.”
I scoffed and glanced at the ceiling. “How do you figure?”
“Because I’ve watched you come.”
I went to refute his statement, but it caught me so off guard, that all my mouth could do was hang open.
“You can tell a lot about a person just by seeing them being taken over by pleasure. I’ve seen you vulnerable, wild, and sensitive. Felt every part of you shudder and clutch around me.” He took another step. “I’ve also heard that slight catch in your voice when you talk about something that’s hurting you, like you did the night in the bar. I watched you drink tequila with a purpose, to drown whatever you were feeling. And just now, I watched who I assume is one of your best friends in the world, walk out of here without a clue as to who you really are deep down.”
I tried to swallow but my throat issued a big “fuck you” and refused. I reached for my wit and composure instead. I dealt with people all the time. Had to think on my toes, keep conversations of all kinds going, spin bullshit until it equaled answers. But standing there, staring down Leo, taking in his penetrating eyes and deep voice, I found it difficult to bounce back. But I still tried. Tried to get the power back.
“I think you’re right, Leo,” I said with a low tone. “I’ve seen you come too, and am enlightened after witnessing such a thing.”
“Oh? How so?” he asked with a grin.
“In a word?” I ran a fingernail down his chest and leaned in. “Quick.”
His face fell and eyes grew dark. I spun from him because I was just about to take back my words, tell him that single night had been one of the best experiences ever. But that wouldn’t help me now, or for the next three months.
Leo had some weird effect on me. Yes he was hot. Yes he represented everything in a man I stayed away from. That was, until I found out he was really wealthy, really powerful, and really tattooed.
God that tattoo. I still thought about it. How it looked like it came alive as his body moved and worked mine over the edge.
I shook my head. That right there was a reason I needed to get a goddamned grip.
“While I appreciate your giving me a job and a place on the grounds, I think it’s best we not discuss the facts about that night.”
“You mean the fact that you came, then left?”
I raised my chin. “Yes.”
Something heated in his eyes. He had that same look yesterday when he referred to me leaving him at the bar. Did the ultra-powerful bad boy in disguise have a hang-up on being ditched? I took in his jeans and simple tee and, even though he was dressed down, had a hard time believing Leo Savas had a hard time with anything. Especially women. Hell, I’d bet my left kidney he regularly had them running toward him, never away.
His jaw ticked like he wanted to say something, but he obviously decided against it, as the carefree swagger returned.
“I think you’re right, Red. Why rehash old memories?”
I gave a curt nod. “Well, why don’t you tell me a little about my job—”
“It’s a Saturday. Calm down. Besides, this weekend I figured you going over this”—he handed me a tablet—“would be the best use of time. Cathy, my assistant, has backed up all the necessary information, contacts, accounts—basically her entire job—on that thing.”
I looked at the tablet and powered it on. Of course it already had an e-mail account up and going for me as well as several introductory docs regarding my job description, passwords, and account managements. Yeah, I had a lot to catch up on.
“Where’s the rest of your stuff?” he asked, looking around.
“Rest?” I asked, and looked at my two suitcases still by the door. “I hung a bag in the closet.” If that’s what he meant.
He picked up both suitcases and tugged upward, as if weighing them, trying to figure out what was inside. The action did crazy things to his biceps, which made my toes curl. Thank God I was wearing closed-toed shoes.
“I’m guessing clothes.”
“And shoes,” I defended. “Why are you jiggling my luggage?”
He shrugged and put them down. “Just wondering where the rest is. Like trinkets. Photos. Keepsakes. A decorative pillow.”
“Decorative pillow?”
“Yeah, all that stuff someone hangs on to because it means something. At this point I’d settle for a DVD or favorite book.”
“I have a book on my Kindle,” I once again defended, though I had no idea what exactly I was defending. Maybe the lack of social and family life that Leo seemed to be zeroing in on.
After Amy moved, then Hazel, I realized how little of the apartment was mine. Aside from necessities, I didn’t have all those things Leo was talking about. And I was fine with that.
“Look, I worked a lot, so that didn’t leave time for chick flicks and leisurely reading. I also don’t hold on to stupid shit like macaroni necklaces from first grade or blue ribbons.”
“Why?”
Because they didn’t prove my worth . . . even if I had such things, they would only be a reminder of the life I’d come from and never wanted to be a part of again.
No. The items that were important to me were hanging in the closet. Two dresses I saved up for so I could show myself at galas and fit in. Show I belonged. Even designer outfits on clearance took a big chunk of my money. But I had spent it on my clothes and shoes not because I cared about fashion, but because they garnered respect from others. At least for a little while, I felt like I belonged somewhere.
I glanced around the small bungalow, staring down a gazillionaire, and it hit me how truly alone I was.
“Because things like that just don’t matter,” I said, half to answer his question and half to make my internal voice shut up. I liked being alone. Liked figuring things out and owning my world. Which was why I was anxious to dive into this job and get lost.
“What does matter to you?” Leo asked as if honestly wondering.
I shrugged, not wanting to answer. The idea of a life I could be proud of mattered. Therefore, as of now, this new job working for Leo mattered. Hazel and Amy mattered. But there was no way to jump into a topic like this without either tequila or emotions. And I was out of both.
“What matters to you?” I asked Leo, ignoring his question and turning it around on him, hoping it would wrap up the Paige Depression Hour, which had only reminded me how little I had in my life.
“Family,” Leo said instantly. “And I kind of have this business thing going on.”
I laughed a little. That charm of his was lethal and he made everything seem so easy. Something I tended to get caught up in and would be smart not to. Especially since I already felt off around him. He made me feel less censored. For God’s sake, I grabbed his dick yesterday to secure this job. Yet, there was an ease I felt with him, like the truth could easily come out. But that would be a dangerous endeavor. Because based on our few encounters, I had a hard time keeping feelings out of decisions when it came to him.
“So family and business blend together for you then?”
He glanced away for a moment. “Savas Shipping started with my great-grandfather and every generation has taken it over. Business and family are beyond blended.”
“I see.” When his stare remained on mine, making it hard for me to breathe, I decided to try to lig
hten the conversation. “Well, looks like the world hasn’t seen the last of the Savas name.”
“We’ll see,” he said with a soft mumble.
“It’s not like you have to figure out the next Savas heir or anything any time soon.”
He grinned. “Obviously you haven’t spoken with my mother.”
“She’s putting the pressure on?”
He just smiled and shook his head. “My family likes to involve themselves in my personal affairs. Especially my mother and sisters. Got to love them.”
That made the small heat in my chest instantly chill.
“What about you?” Leo asked.
“Does my mom pressure me to have babies?” I said with shock and disgust. So much that it seemed to stun Leo.
“That’s not exactly what I meant, but we can go with that.”
Great, my big mouth had brought up this subject, and it was one I didn’t want to discuss with anyone, much less a guy I’d had a one-night stand with who was now my boss. And Leo was looking at me like I had lost my mind.
“Um, my mother and I don’t talk much, and even if we did, she knows she’ll never be a grandmother so . . .”
Leo frowned. “No kids in your future?”
“God no,” I said, again wondering how this conversation had twisted into twelfth-date information. This topic needed to end and I was anxious to get to the tablet of knowledge and start my job. I wasn’t about to go into my reasons for not wanting kids . . . my main reason being I didn’t want to screw them up. And with a history that lacked support, there was no way I was going to disappoint a child by becoming a mother.
“You really are a temporary woman, aren’t you?” he said.
“Guess so.”
Leo stared at me for a long moment.
“What book?”
I frowned. Of all the questions, that was what he asked? I realized then how arbitrary, yet deep it was. Much like this entire conversation. The one short story I kept was Wings, about a woman who lived a secluded life and fell in love with a man of a higher station than her. But I wasn’t about to admit that.
I stared at the man before me, who had eyes that seemed to see straight through me. A development I wasn’t excited about. I pressed my lips then replied, “Clear and Present Danger.”
Chapter Six
I walked into Leo’s office, the same one he’d hired me in over a week and a half ago, the one I was now calling the Main House, because while it was his home here in the states, it was also the hub of where all his business went down.
Bustling employees had offices around the mansion and access to one of the kitchens. Rumor was, Leo’s private quarters were sectioned off to the west wing. A wing no one ever went to.
Not one of my most prestigious gigs, but so far, I seemed to be doing well. Between being at Leo’s professional beck and call and all the late nights reading the massive amount of information his former assistant left, not to mention research on his company to familiarize myself with his business and the world he represented, I was running around, always busy and stressed.
I loved it.
It prevented my brain from thinking about anything outside my job. Which was what I had been doing for the past several years. It kept all those annoying emotions at bay. However, one emotion was creeping up more and more often.
I pushed open the large door to Leo’s office and walked in. And there, standing behind that massive desk, phone pressed to his ear, in a white T-shirt, dark jeans, and black leather belt was the reason I had been feeling that one stupid emotion: lust.
He motioned for me to come in, but kept talking on the phone.
“The carrier is en route and will be docking in New York tomorrow.” Leo frowned, then smiled. Whatever conversation he was having seemed to be going his way. Which didn’t surprise me. Leo was a hard man to say no to.
After another minute, he hung up the phone and looked at me.
“Good morning, Red.” He smiled, flashing those white teeth. I also couldn’t help noticing the slight dark stubble.
Leo tended to work in jeans and a T-shirt unless he had a meeting, and I also learned that the man oozed so much sex appeal and testosterone, he could wear a paper bag coated in mercury and women would still throw themselves at him.
“Good morning,” I said as I entered his office and set his coffee down on his desk.
Yeah, I brought him coffee. One of my regular duties. Not so glamorous but so far, I hadn’t had a misstep, and I’d managed to keep my mouth in check. Both verbally and physically.
Since that weird discussion in the doorway of my little house, we hadn’t talked much other than business and acquainting me with my new job. Leo also hadn’t looked at me with that hint of softness. A softness I hadn’t realized I was used to . . . or enjoyed.
It was like he discovered something about me in that conversation and it altered his opinion of me. That thought made me a little queasy. Not just because of this job and wanting his recommendation at the end of it, but because Leo thinking of me in any kind of negative way didn’t sit well.
I opened my mouth, wanting to say something. Something that could get a hint of that look back. A look of interest. Which was stupid because I wasn’t here to interest my boss. I was here to work, prove I could do a good job, and leave, hopefully with his endorsement.
I shook my head, dislodging the notion, and swiped my finger over the tablet to go over the schedule for today.
“Hold on,” Leo said just as the phone rang. I stopped mid-sentence about his two o’clock with a man named Colin Davis, the CEO of Davis Shipping and Leo’s direct competition.
Leo took a seat and spoke into the phone in what, after day one on the job, I’d realized was Greek.
Leo motioned for me to sit while he finished his call. His inflection and the way his accent rolled over every syllable of his native Greek language was hypnotic. He kept glancing at me and it wasn’t until the third pass of his gaze over mine that I realized I was staring at his mouth.
I looked away quickly, hoping my sudden interest in his office décor wasn’t too obvious a ploy. But I had to distract myself to keep from looking at him. A ploy that wasn’t working out so well.
When he put his left forearm on his desk, causing his bicep to bulge farther from its already impressive chiseledness, which did awesome things to the ink running along it, I couldn’t help biting the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning a little.
Man, what was wrong with me? I’d never been this aware, let alone aroused, by the mere presence of a man. Not since I was younger at least. Leo had this pull about him. An aura that sucked me in. There was that sense of danger and hope, the same kind all the other guys I’d run off with in the past had. They offered just enough to make the sour facts of my real life less shitty.
I heard my name dart from his lips and my stare was back on his face, ready and attentive. Maybe I’d misheard, but when he said it again and smiled, my pulse picked up. He said a few more things before hanging up the phone.
“I’m going to need you to do a few things,” Leo said.
“Of course.” I tried not to sound overly anxious, but something beyond gopher girl would be nice. Leo had also mentioned a big project during my interview, and I was hoping this had something to do with it.
“First, crunch some numbers and coordinate with Henry. He’s head of accounting. I need ten million moved from the general operating fund into a separate account.”
I looked up from my tablet where I had been typing. “You want ten million just sitting in a separate account?”
Leo nodded.
“I need this money in an account that can be accessible at a moment’s notice.”
He was still holding my stare and in that moment, I decided to probe a little. After working with Bill and now facing down a political nightmare, asking questions, especially when it came to money, was wise. Plus, the idea of Leo sharing details with me made my lips twitch to a smile. This was an opportunity
to earn some trust. “May I ask why?”
Leo clicked his mouse and looked at his screen. “I prefer this matter to be kept in-house.” He obviously didn’t have to tell me anything, and it was stupid to hope he’d trust me. “How good are you with secrets, Red?”
My head snapped up and I swallowed hard trying to keep the instant joy tamped down.
“I’d never break your professional confidence.”
He smiled. “Professional confidence? I like that.” He stood and walked around, then leaned against his desk, much like he did when he hired me.
“I have word that a slip is going up for sale by the owner at a very fair asking price of ten million.”
I wanted to whistle low because ten million was fair? For a glorified parking spot for a boat? I kept my face still and nodded. He was trusting me with details and it was time to shine in the only way I knew how: planning and execution.
“When does the slip go on the market?”
Leo seemed impressed with my question. “In the next four to eight weeks. This isn’t like a house, it won’t get listed. But the man who owns the slip wants to sell fast.”
“Is this slip a prime spot?”
“It is.”
“Then why wouldn’t he make his sale known to the market and go for a bidding war to make more money?”
Leo raised a brow. “You’re kind of cutthroat, Red.”
“Just asking questions. In terms of business, the bottom line is usually number one.”
“Not for this man. He is Jes Frolos. He did business with my father. Our families go way back.”
“And you’re expecting him to just take the ten million from Savas Shipping because he likes you and your family?”
Leo’s blue eyes turned a little icy and I couldn’t figure out why he looked suddenly angry with me. “Some people do things for other reasons than the bottom line.”
I swallowed hard, realizing Leo’s issues. I was “cutthroat” and “temporary.” How could I possibly understand this grand gesture? Well, forget that. I wasn’t naïve, and in this world, nothing was free or too good to be true.