by Ann Omasta
When Trevor placed a gentle hand on the small of Millie’s back to lead her up the museum’s wide marble steps, she didn’t want to admit (even to herself) how good his warm palm felt on her lower back. She tried to convince herself that it was simply the kind gesture that had her skin tingling, but deep down she knew there were definite sparks between her and her acting boss. She also knew that she had to put a stop to it or risk losing her job––something she wasn’t willing to do.
They both were astounded by the museum’s transformation. The main hall had been turned into an elegant ballroom for the gala. The dimly lit statues and paintings served as the perfect backdrop for the event.
Too nervous to eat, not wanting to drink, and unsure what else to do, the pair went straight to the silent auction tables. Trevor was embarrassed to discover that his hefty six-figure salary was nothing compared to what most of his peers at this event earned. In fact, several of the silent auction bids for classic cars, fancy yachts, and extravagant private jets had already surpassed his annual salary. While his brother would have been the top dog if he were here, Trevor felt like an imposter who simply didn’t belong.
Not wanting Millie to catch wind of his shame, he asked her to dance. One thing he was confident in was his ballroom dancing skills. The smooth, graceful way she followed him seemed effortless, proving that she had plenty of her own talent on the dance floor. They glided and twirled together, gazing at each other as if they were the only two people in the room. When the song ended and several bystanders clapped for them, they realized that they had unwittingly been in the spotlight.
Winded, they decided to step outside for some fresh air. Once there, Trevor offered her his suit jacket to stave off the chilly breeze. Thankfully, the misting had stopped, but it had left in its wake a briskness that hadn’t been noticeable before.
She gladly accepted his offered jacket, so he draped it over her shoulders. Availing himself of the opportunity, he left his arm around her. Despite her best intentions, she found herself sagging into his warmth, savoring the feeling of being protected by him as they looked out over the lights of the city.
Their heads were tipped together, leaning into each other. When Trevor turned to press his lips tenderly against the side of her forehead, she turned to look up at him. Her gaze was steady and adoring. It melted Trevor’s heart. Before he knew what was happening, he had turned to face her and leaned down for a kiss on the lips.
Her quiet moan when she opened her soft lips to his almost did him in. He kissed her hungrily, like a starving man aching for more. Their tongues found each other and danced together as their bodies had earlier. Arms embracing one another, they clung to this delicious forbidden moment, not wanting it to ever end.
Panting and craving him more than she had ever wanted anyone in her entire life, Millie forced herself to pull back. “We can’t,” she told him as her face crumpled. Lifting her palm to her mouth to catch a sob, she turned and ran back inside.
“Dammit!” Trevor banged his fist down on the railing in a futile attempt to assuage his anger. Realizing that his outburst wasn’t helping anything, he pulled out his cell phone and texted Jim that Millie was ready to be taken home.
Deciding that he would just walk home, he shot off that text to Jim as well. Maybe the fresh air would help clear his head enough that he could figure out what to do about the woman of his dreams, who also happened to be his employee.
5
It was an incredibly long weekend. Trevor had never before looked forward to Monday morning. He couldn’t wait to see Millie and attempt to make her feel better about their budding relationship. He had texted and called her several times, but she hadn’t answered. Even though he was certain that if he contacted her about work, she would have immediately responded, he didn’t want to trick her into talking to him.
He had considered driving over to her condo and banging on the door, but finally decided that if she wanted to hear from him, she would have answered her phone. Rather than beating down her door, he had thrown himself into work. The office was quieter on the weekend, so it was a good time for him to learn as much as he could about inflight projects. The neatly filed, color-coded folders reminded him of Millie, but he tried not to think too much about her as he digested every detail he could about the deals Trey had brewing before he left the helm of this massive ship.
He couldn’t deny that he had secretly hoped that Millie would come in to the office over the weekend to get a little extra work done, but that didn’t happen. He tried telling himself he was glad to not have the distraction of her being so perfect and poised right outside his office, but he knew that in reality, he’d give about anything to see her.
After getting a few hours of shut-eye, he jumped out of bed and into the shower early on Monday morning. He planned to be there when Millie arrived. Maybe he’d even stop and get her one of those fancy cappuccinos she loved to sip. The fact that he remembered what she liked might help convince her that he was suitable boyfriend material, even though he was her boss at the moment.
He shook his head at the unlikelihood of that ever happening. He’d only known Millie a short while, but one thing he was certain of was that she liked to play by the rules. Unfortunately for him, dating one’s boss (or acting boss) was definitely against the rules.
After picking up two cinnamon crunch bagels with cream cheese, black coffee for himself and Millie’s sugary brew of choice, he rode the elevator to the top floor of Donovan Enterprises––his building. He liked the sound of that and wasn’t sure if the grin that surfaced on his face was from that thought or the knowledge that he would get to see Millie soon.
He was mildly disappointed that Millie wasn’t already at her desk clacking away at her keyboard so fast that her fingers nearly blurred. He knew it was a long shot for her to already be in since it was so early, but it hadn’t kept the hope of seeing her from creeping in.
After depositing the surprise treats for her on her tidy desk, he went to his office to get some early morning correspondence done. Even though he had worked yesterday, his computer indicated there were already five voicemails on his phone line. He was pleasantly surprised when he reached the third message and Millie’s lovely, lilting voice came through the speaker. When he heard what she had to say, he nearly slammed the phone down in frustration.
“No!” he shouted to the empty room before ending the call without bothering to listen to the last two messages.
Millie had called in sick. Her reputation for always being reliable, poised, and prepared was well-known throughout the company. She never called in sick. Ever. If she wasn’t coming in to the office today, it was because of him.
The realization made his stomach feel queasy. Millie was a strictly by-the-book person and he had tempted her into crossing the line into forbidden territory. The guilt must be eating away at her. He had to go talk to her and convince her that their situation was not her fault. If he had to promise never to touch her again in order to get her to come back to work, that was what he would do, even though it would practically kill him.
He cared about her enough to let her go, if that was what she needed. Besides, she was vital to the operation of the business. He couldn’t risk losing her. He would be lost without her. He would just have to learn to live with the temptation of being near her all day, without being able to express his true feelings for her.
Wishing he had his own car, he texted Jim to let him know he needed to be picked up downstairs. It was embarrassing to give the chauffeur the address of where he was going, but Jim was a complete professional. He simply nodded his acknowledgment and went about his job of delivering Trevor to his destination.
One thing Trevor had to give his older brother credit for was finding the best employees to keep close by his side. He didn’t want to ruin that in his first weeks filling in for Trey, so it was vital that he convince Millie to come back during this visit.
His palms were clammy as he made a fist and pounded on he
r door. It was still early, but he knew she was up, since she had already called his desk phone. The realization that she probably called in the middle of the night so she wouldn’t have to risk talking to him didn’t help with his already frazzled nerves.
He didn’t have to stress about it for too long because he heard her door unlocking and a chain sliding free before the door opened a crack. Millie was standing back in the shadows as if she were afraid of him. He had already told Jim that he could leave. He would hate to have to immediately text the driver for a ride back to the office––alone, but it was beginning to feel like a distinct possibility.
“Are you okay? I got your message and wanted to check on you.” He tried to lean in to get a better look at her, but she was holding the door firmly in place.
“I’m fine,” she answered, but her voice didn’t sound fine.
He didn’t believe her for a second. “Please let me in.” He waited for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. Just when he was beginning to think she might actually turn him away, she sighed and opened the door wider. That is when he saw the gel ice pack she was holding up to her cheek near her hairline.
“What happened?” he asked, shocked by seeing the woman he cared about be in obvious pain.
“It’s nothing.” She tried to brush the injury off like it didn’t matter.
Fury and rage immediately formed a hot mixture that raced through his veins. “Who did this to you? I’ll kill him.” Seeing Millie look vulnerable brought out his naturally protective nature.
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Millie reassured him as she gave up keeping him out of her home and went over to rest on the couch, leaving the door ajar.
Following her inside, Trevor sat down on the edge of the couch and placed her calves across his lap. When Millie adjusted the ice pack on her cheek, he noticed the scrapes on her elbow. “What the hell happened?” He reached out gingerly to examine her injuries.
“I fell,” she said simply.
He wasn’t buying that. There was more to the story, he could tell. If she was protecting some loser boyfriend that had hurt her, Trevor thought he really might murder the other man. He couldn’t bear the thought of anyone raising a hand to her in anger. “How about the truth this time?” He lifted his dark, slashing brows at her, hoping that he was mimicking his brother’s menacing look that told others he meant business.
She sighed and looked down. He knew that this time, he would get the truth. “I was attacked by a goose, okay?”
“I’m sorry, what?” Trevor had heard her, but he was stalling and trying to keep from smiling––both with relief that another man hadn’t hurt her and at the visual of a goose chasing after her.
Unable to hide the smile, Millie saw it and reached forward to smack his shoulder playfully. “It’s not funny! It really hurt,” she tried to pout, but she was grinning too. Before she knew it, they were both laughing.
“I’ll shoot it for you,” Trevor offered.
“No!” Millie gasped. “He was just protecting his family. They have a nest on the roof of my carport.”
“Well, isn’t there a maintenance crew that could have the nest moved or something?” he asked logically.
“Oh, no.” Millie shook her head adamantly. “Did you know that geese come back to the same place every year to make their nest? Oh, and that they mate for life.” She had a dreamy expression that led Trevor to believe that even after being attacked, she wasn’t going to do anything about these geese. She confirmed that guess when she added, “I’ll just park somewhere else until the goslings have hatched, and they have moved on.”
He shook his head at her. “I never would have guessed that you were such a romantic, Miss Parks.”
Her cheeks blushed that beautiful shade of rosy pink that he so enjoyed. He really looked at her then. He had been so focused on her injuries that he hadn’t taken notice that her long, blonde hair was down. It fell in shiny, soft waves that he longed to touch. Rather than her all-business attire she was sporting a faded Red Sox tee shirt and baggy gray sweatpants. Although she didn’t have on a scrap of make-up, her complexion was flawless, except for the goose injuries. She looked relaxed and more beautiful than he had ever seen her.
When his eyes finally travelled down to her feet, he almost laughed out loud. Each toenail was polished a different brightly-colored, sparkly hue. Her toes formed a happy rainbow of color. She wiggled them at him when she noticed him checking them out. “They make me happy,” she admitted.
“You are full of surprises. No one would ever guess that all of this vivacious color lurks underneath those sleek, classic, all-business heels you wear at work.” He shook his head, marveling at her.
“If you think that is a surprise, you should see my undergarments,” she quipped.
His throat suddenly felt dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed and croaked out the word, “Okay.”
Her flirtatious hint was all the invitation he needed. He leaned in and took her mouth with his. He wanted to claim her as his own. She met him and matched him move for move, claiming him instead.
The ice pack dropped, long forgotten. She straddled him on the couch as they kissed hungrily. He raked his fingers through her long, glorious hair and discovered it was as silky as he had imagined.
When she pulled back to gaze into his dark eyes, they were both panting with need. His phone took that inopportune moment to ding at him with an appointment reminder. They both knew exactly what the sound was.
She slumped over him. “You have somewhere you need to be,” she said sadly.
“It’s okay,” he tried. “I can blow it off.”
Not one to be so easily deterred, Millie grabbed her phone and scrolled through his schedule. “It’s the meeting with the lawyers and accountants about the mall deal. You can’t miss that. Trey would be furious.”
Trevor rolled his eyes as she climbed off him––the moment ruined. There was Trey again, getting in the middle of everything. It was so frustrating and annoying. For once in his life, Trevor wanted to stand up to his brother and refuse to give in to him about everything, but today evidently wasn’t going to be that day.
Millie was already at her door, ushering him out. “Come on, you don’t want to be late.”
“Actually, I do,” he tried, but she wasn’t putting up with any of his nonsense. She turned her uninjured cheek to him when he leaned in for a kiss.
“I texted Jim for your pick-up,” she yelled after him as he was walking down her sidewalk and searching for his blasted phone.
He didn’t even bother to ask how she had accomplished that so quickly. The woman was simply amazing. Too bad she worked for him.
6
The meeting did not go well. Apparently Selena Chase, Trey’s only real competition, was playing hardball with the mall deal. Since he knew that this deal was Trey’s baby, Trevor wasn’t about to let it slide through his fingers.
He missed having Millie in the office. She would have slipped him talking points or other key data to better prepare him for the meeting. She also would have unobtrusively poked her head in, somehow sensing the best time to bring beverages, lunch, or whatever else was needed. She seemed to have some sort of sixth sense that allowed her to be the ideal assistant, and he just plain missed getting to see her lovely face. Even with an injured cheek, she was still absolutely beautiful.
Candace, the woman filling in for Millie, was basically just a receptionist. When Trevor had gone out to her desk to request that she bring a coffee carafe to the Executive Board Room––something Millie would have already taken care of––Candace had been filing her fingernails. It was so unprofessional that he had almost asked her to leave, but stopped himself because he realized that most of his problem with her was the simple fact that she was not Millie.
By the time the meeting ended, Trevor was fairly certain that Selena Chase was going to steal this deal right out from under his nose. She wasn’t playing fair. His advisors i
nformed him that she had been meeting with every member of the Donovan Enterprises team that she could sink her claws into, in order to offer them more money, a better title, whatever it was that they most desired.
Key employees were beginning to drop like flies, and they were taking inside information with them. The latest traitor was Trevor’s only friend from downstairs, Bandy. He wondered what secrets his friend was sharing with the competition. That man blabbed everything he knew. The fact that Trey had insisted on trusting his people and refusing to make them sign confidentiality agreements was now beginning to burn the company.
Each move they made, Selena was one step ahead of them, undercutting them. The realization that she might actually secure the entire deal made his head pound with anxiety.
He paced back and forth when he got back to his office. “This can’t be happening. I can’t lose this deal.” He stared out the large windows as he muttered to himself. He longed to talk to Millie. She would know what to do.
As if sensing that he needed her, his phone buzzed with a text from her. When he read what it said, he nearly threw the device across the room.
Rather than text her back, he decided to call her. He started speaking as soon as she answered. “What do you mean we can’t see each other anymore?” His voice sounded harsher and more demanding than he intended.
“Trevor, you’re my boss,” she replied rationally. “I enjoy spending time with you, but it is inappropriate for us to have anything more than a professional relationship.”
“What if I wasn’t your boss?” he asked.
She was silent for a long moment. When she finally spoke her voice was faint and filled with disbelief. “You would fire me?”
“No!” he responded immediately. “I would step down and let my brother find someone else to stand at the helm of his empire.