by Mia Carson
“You think he would’ve said what he did if he didn’t like you?”
“He can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t… There’s no way.”
“I'm just saying. You’re more his type than the usual women he sees,” she said with a sigh. “It would be nice to see him with a real woman for a change, someone who can handle him. Someone like you.”
“Wait, you’re the head of HR. Why are you telling me this? Isn’t it against company policy?”
Kelly shrugged and stood. “What I can’t see, I can’t write up,” she announced. “Besides, it’s his company. If he wants something that bad, he’ll find a way to get it.” She winked and wandered over to the legal area, leaving Belle to stare open-mouthed at her keyboard.
Greyson was attractive, there was no question there. She’d spent enough hours thinking about him, but her experience with men was nothing. She’d had one kiss—half a kiss really—a long time ago, and there’d been no attempt since. There was always too much going on in her life between work and school to make time for a relationship. Greyson’s eyes had danced across her body at the bar Friday night, and when he’d handed over his jacket, Belle wanted to melt into his masculine scent of cedar and firewood. It clung to her most of the weekend, and she wasn’t ashamed to say she waited until the last possible moment to shower so she wouldn’t lose the scent of him.
“God, what is wrong with me?” she muttered and shook her head. “This is not happening, can’t happen. You will ruin this chance, so stop it.”
“Enjoying talking to yourself?” Greyson asked from behind her, and she jumped, smacking her knees on her desk. “Sorry, didn’t meant to interrupt you and yourself.”
She shot him a glare and continued typing the e-mails. “I was reading something out loud.”
“Sure you were. Can I get you a refill? I’m heading that way.”
Her fingers froze, and she shifted to lean back in her chair and eye him curiously. “What’s this? The mighty CEO is offering to fetch his lackey coffee? Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever? Hallucinations maybe?”
“Listen, smart-ass, do you want coffee or not?” he asked roughly and bent down so they were at eye-level.
She sucked in a breath and cursed when his scent overwhelmed her. His dark chocolate eyes searched hers, and she fumbled for words. They were so close, all she had to do was let her chair straighten and his lips would be against hers.
“Belle?” he whispered her name, and her stomach clenched because his voice was so hoarse.
“Yeah, coffee would be… would be great,” she said and reached for her mug.
He took it but didn’t move away. Her hand stretched up, ready to tug on his beard and bring him closer, but she stopped herself at the last second. He saw her hand and smirked.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her and stalked away, giving her a nice view of his perfectly shaped ass.
“Get it together,” she muttered to herself and ran her hands through her hair. “He’s off-limits and way out of your league. Your job is more important, so keep your hands to yourself and focus.”
But when Greyson returned a few minutes later and set her coffee down with a smoldering gaze, taking in her clingy black sweater and lingering on her bare shoulder, a shiver shot down her spine and want pooled low in her belly.
This is going to be impossible, she thought and hunkered down in her chair. I’m so screwed.
Chapter 4
All day, Greyson was distracted by Belle. Every time she stood up, he pictured her in that black slinky dress. He pictured taking it off of her slowly, watching the desire in her eyes flare to life as he caressed her body and finally kissed her. There’d been so many women since his one and only real relationship, and he feared he’d never feel that spark of warmth in his chest again. Until Belle walked into his life.
He sat at his desk, staring at the ceiling, and ran his fingers over his palm, remembering how firm and warm, how soft, her hand was in his. He wanted to hold it again and not let go.
“Grey? We have a problem,” Bob from legal said as he walked in.
“Bob, haven’t we talked about this? No problems for legal after noon,” Greyson said and sat up to glance at the clock on his desk. “It’s four.”
“I know, but this one can’t wait. It’s about the new partnership.”
Greyson groaned and held out his hand for the file. “They declined the entire deal? I thought we had an agreement? The new figures looked fine to me.”
“I guess something got lost in translation,” Bob said, exasperated. “I don’t know how it happened, but they said if we don’t get it fixed and sent out by Friday at midnight, they’re turning to our competitor.”
“That’s not going to happen. Damn it, we’ve been working on this deal for months,” he snapped and stood abruptly. He glanced out the glass walls of his office and spotted Belle busy at work beside Tim. Every few minutes, Greyson would look her way and smile at the light in her eyes while she concentrated. The last thing he wanted to do was pull her away from what he'd promised, but he needed her. “Tell Belle I need to see her ASAP.”
“You think you can fix it?”
“Did they send over their specifications again?” he asked and Bob nodded. “I’ll make it work, even if I have to get on a plane and fly out there myself.”
“If you need help with it, I can stay,” Bob said, but Greyson was already shaking his head.
“Your wife just had a baby. She needs you more than I do with your brood of brats running around,” he teased.
Bob nodded in appreciation. “I’ll let Belle know you need her. Sorry, boss man.”
“No, not your fault. Shit happens, and it’s my job to fix it,” he muttered and sat down heavily. A few minutes later, Belle walked into his office, and he cringed, knowing she was going to hold this against him. “We have an emergency.”
Her face fell, and she gripped the chair in front of her. “What happened?”
“Our merger with another gaming company that will let us expand and bring in more jobs is about to fall through. I have until Friday at midnight to fix it, and I’m going to need your help drafting a new one,” he explained. “It’s going to mean staying late every day.”
It was as if the air went out of her body. She sank into the chair and stared blankly at the floor. “How late?” she asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear.
“Few hours at least. We have to tear it apart and start from scratch. It took a month to do the first one,” he stated. “You alright?”
“Yeah, yeah that’s fine. I just need to make a call.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Greyson sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the files and wondering why staying late would upset her until he remembered her saying she worked another job. When she started talking to someone on the phone at her desk, he picked up his and called Kelly in HR.
“Hey,” he said when she answered. “How is Belle paid?”
“She’s getting a stipend. Why?”
“Change her to hourly,” he ordered.
“You sure?” she asked. “She’s still just an intern. We never did that for any of the others.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. We’re going to be working on a new proposal for the deal about to fall through, and I’m going to need her here late. Want to make sure she’s compensated for her time,” he grumbled, and when Kelly whispered something under her breath, Greyson straightened. “What was that?”
“Nothing at all, sir,” she chirped happily. “I’ll make the change tonight. Starting hourly pay or higher?”
“Starting should be fine. Thanks, Kelly,” he said and hung up.
That would be a nice surprise for her, at least. He hoped if this was going to be too much, she would tell him, but the bags under her eyes that morning told him something else about this woman. She was more like him than he’d originally thought. A hard worker, someone who didn’t quit and didn’t let h
erself rest. He blew out a heavy breath through his nose. Maybe this week, he’d find a way to convince her to slow down and take it easy before she wore herself out.
He picked up the phone and called Kelly again. “Yes, sir?” she asked, and he could almost see her curious expression.
“Does Belle have a full class schedule?”
There was a pause and a shuffle of papers. “Hmm, I can’t say yes or no to that, but I’d assume so. It’s her last semester, why?”
His frown deepened. “No reason. Kelly?”
“Boss man?”
“Don’t tell her I asked,” he said and hung up just as Belle walked back into his office. “If you can’t stay late, let me know. I can make other arrangements.”
“It’s all taken care of,” she stated and clapped her hands together. “So, when do we start?”
“Tonight if possible. The sooner we get started, the sooner we might be able to get this finished,” he said. “You’re sure you can do this?”
She nodded, and her smile widened. “Not an issue. I’ll get my stuff from Tim and come back here.”
She turned, but he called her back. “Why don’t you call in some take-out for dinner? Did you eat lunch today?” he asked, noticing how pale she looked. Her eyes widened, and she glanced away guiltily. “Order takeout. We’ll eat while we work.”
Belle tugged at her pierced ear and left his office. He watched her go, admiring the view as he always did, but worry nagged at him. Usually, he didn’t pay that much attention to anyone else’s habits in his office, being too busy with everything on his plate, but with Belle keeping him on track, his mind was able to pick up on the little things. He thought about last week and realized he hadn’t seen her eat during the day. Ever. He knew she took an hour lunch like everyone else, but he usually left the office for his lunch, ate with one of the other guys, or went out.
He scratched his beard, wondering if he should push it, but decided against it for now. At least he was able to change her wage. Maybe after this week, she’d see she didn’t need her other job.
Why do you care so much?
He dated plenty of women, even spent weekends with them, but it was always a quick in and out, no emotional attachments and no promises. He wasn’t that type of guy, not anymore, unless Belle was around. Then something inside of him warmed, was pulled to her. She was beautiful and strong, but he sensed the stubbornness in her, the same he had. After their spat on Friday, he knew she had a temper too, hidden beneath the tough exterior. This week of staying late at the office was going to be his chance to get under her skin, just as she did to him.
“What makes you tick?” he mused quietly as he watched her stride back to her desk and finish the rest of the day’s work. He smirked and rocked back in his office chair. She’d challenged him on Friday, and he was going to accept her challenge and find a way to make Belle his.
Belle sagged against the wall of the gallery room Wednesday night, nursing a cup of coffee. She glanced at clock on the far wall and groaned. Two in the morning. She had to be back at the office by seven thirty.
“So much for getting some sleep,” she muttered to the empty room.
Her plan had been to go back to the dorm, sleep for a few hours, and catch the bus to work, but she was stuck at the gallery unless she wanted to risk walking back to campus. The buses stopped running at midnight. She looked at the walls and the artwork she’d managed to hang up and label so far. Her boss, Greg, told her he trusted her enough to handle the set up overnight if she had to, as long as everything was ready by Saturday.
Most of the artwork was taken care of, and with only two more nights to go, she knew she’d get it done. As long as she didn’t plan on sleeping at all or getting any of her homework done. Part of her was happy about spending so much time alone with Greyson. He’d accidentally brushed his hand against hers last night, and before she left, he’d sidled as close as he could as they leaned over his desk together. She closed her eyes, thinking of his perfect mouth and the firm feel of his body beside hers.
Her mind ran rampant with dreams of what would happen if she gave into his flirting, but another voice told her to be careful. He was still her boss, and if anything happened between them, it might not end well.
What felt like a few minutes later, her cell phone went off shrilly and she jerked upright, cursing at the spilled coffee on her jeans. She fumbled for her cell and squinted at the time. It didn’t click right away, but when it did, her stomach dropped.
“Shit! I’m late, I’m going to be so damn late!”
She hadn’t returned to the dorms and had no time to hurry back, shower and change, then make it to the office on time. Maybe Greyson wouldn’t notice, but his careful brown gaze always watched her. He would notice she wore the same damn clothes, and she cursed again. There was nothing for it, so she gathered her things, locked the gallery, and booked it to the bus station.
As she sat on the bus, ignoring the people pressed around her and the noise, another alarm went off on her cell. She threw her head back against the seat. She had a project due tonight at midnight. And she had to work at the gallery. And she had to stay late to help Greyson.
Every day, she told herself she had no limits, that she would do whatever she had to do to make her life successful. Today, with her body exhausted and her eyes barely staying open on the bus ride, she realized she was dangerously close to reaching that limit. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up, and sucked in a deep breath.
You can do this. You are strong, independent, and you’re not going to fail, not now.
The bus emptied at her stop, and she reached her desk a few minutes later. She'd arrived earlier than 7:30, and the office was mostly empty. At least she wasn’t late, but she wore her clothes from yesterday, her hair was a mess, and when she went to the bathroom, she groaned at the heavy bags under her eyes. She used her fingers and did her best to fix her hair, cursing its frizziness, and splashed water on her face.
Once she made it to the break room for some coffee, a few more people wandered in and the office picked up its usual morning hum of work. Keys tapped, the legal team did their typical morning hacky sack game, and Kelly’s cheerful voice reached her ears, wishing every one good morning and announcing she brought doughnuts. Belle plopped down in her chair, logged in, and intended to get a head start on Greyson’s emails, but her head throbbed from lack of sleep. She closed her eyes for a second, just to rest her eyes. Just a few seconds…
“Belle?” a deep voice growled as a heavy hand landed on her arm.
She jumped with a yelp and ran into Greyson’s hard-planed chest.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?” he teased, his hands gripping her shoulders gently to steady her on her feet. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. “You look terrible. Were you up all night?”
She rubbed her eyes and opened them again. He eyed her worriedly. His hands hadn’t left her shoulders either. “I… uh, I had some work to finish up. I slept for a few hours.”
“How many is a few?”
She twirled one of the rings on her fingers and avoided his gaze. “Enough.”
“Belle, look at me,” he growled.
The last thing she wanted was a lecture from someone on how she lived her life, but the anger and worry mixed in his tone drew her to him.
“How many hours did you sleep?”
“Three… maybe. I fell asleep on the floor,” she admitted, kicking herself mentally for oversharing.
“On the floor where?” he asked, his hands tightening on her shoulders.
“My other job. I have to get something set up by this weekend—but I’m fine, really. Just need a gallon of coffee, and I’ll be good. Honest.”
His sigh said he didn’t believe her, but he let her go and she sat down. “If you need a rest, take one of the hammocks in the office and nap.”
“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, annoyed, and went back to work.
He stayed by her desk, his arms crossed
over his broad chest, breathing so heavily out of his nose that she heard it and it grated on her nerves. After five minutes, she turned to glare at him, and he finally held up his hands and backed away to his office.
Once she was alone again, she hunkered down in her chair and covered her face with her hands, confused by his actions. What was he doing to her? Why did he care so damn much? She saw the curiosity in his eyes, the urge to push with her and see how far he could get, but Belle was not in the business of opening up to anyone. It only led to pain. Carrie was lucky she knew about Belle’s past, or at least some of it. Spending so much time with Greyson was getting dangerous and clouding her usual judgment against people and men in general.
“Belle, ready to work?” Tim asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.
She lifted her head and shoved her hair back. “Yes, think I’m good. What are you guys working on today?”
“Oh, you’re going to love this,” he said with a laugh.
The excitement she usually felt when learning something new was dulled today, but she followed Tim across the office and did her best to look ready to go, though all she thought about was Greyson’s hot hands on her and her bed. Maybe both together.
Chapter 5
Belle gathered her wavy hair back into a ponytail and draped it over her shoulder as she shuffled through the proposal papers again, double checking the terms a final time before they called it a night. Greyson was all too aware of how many times her eyes danced to the clock on his desk, and her lips thinned with every passing hour.
“I'm calling it,” he said finally when she did it again, and her face paled.
“What? No, we’re almost done,” she argued.
He shook his head and pushed back from his desk, stretching his arms over his head. When she watched his body and her lips curled in a smile and a flicker of want passed through her eyes, he smirked. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted her, but no matter how many ways he flirted with her this week, she held back.