L.A. Cinderella

by Amanda Berry

  “No, I did mean to, I just—”

  “Stop, please. Just stop.” The first teardrop crashed down on the desk. She felt so stupid for actually thinking a man like him would want her. She couldn’t turn around. She couldn’t see the look on his face. Jerking from his grasp, she went around the desk and grabbed her purse.

  Without looking at him, she hurried down the hall. Tears blurred her vision but didn’t fall. He was behind her, but he let her go.

  She didn’t stop until she was behind the wheel of her car. She’d been stupid to think someone like him would want someone like her. He’d stopped at the building door and stood there watching her.

  She could still feel his lips against hers. Desire clung to her. She’d kissed Chase Booker. It was like going to the sun. She should have known that she’d get burned.

  Chase purposely arrived late the following morning. He’d had a long talk with Robert about Martin after Natalie had fled last night. They decided to keep things normal for now, so Martin wouldn’t suspect that they knew anything.

  He hoped Natalie had time to get settled before having to see him. He’d acted impulsively last night and moved too fast, but he’d needed to know how she tasted.

  It’d been more explosive than he’d imagined. He hadn’t wanted it to end. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but he definitely wanted it to happen again.

  When he entered Pandora Productions, the receptionist turned to smile at him like she always did, but froze and pretended to pick up a call instead.

  Damn it. He’d hoped his foul mood wouldn’t show, but he had no desire to act right now. No desire to force niceties. He only cared how one person was doing today.

  When he walked past her desk, she wasn’t there. He stopped in the hallway. Had she stayed home? Had he pushed her too far?

  “Don’t forget to get through the audit today. I have to leave early, but I expect it on my desk first thing Monday morning.” Martin’s voice carried into the hallway.

  “Yes, Mr. Morrison,” came Natalie’s timid voice. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Chase continued down the hall before she came out. She was here. He’d almost expected her to take a sick day or something, but he was glad she hadn’t. Maybe he hadn’t screwed things up for the company and for himself. They needed her to help with this audit. Who was he kidding, he needed her.

  As he entered his office, he saw an envelope in the center of his desk.

  Chapter Seven

  “What the hell is this?”

  Natalie had been prepared for Chase’s reaction, but she’d thought he’d be relieved. She hadn’t expected anger. She straightened the crumpled letter of resignation he’d tossed on her desk.

  “I… It’s obvious, isn’t it?” She kept her eyes on the paper.

  “No, it’s not.” He paused and his tone softened. “Damn it.”

  Her eyes jerked up to his. Anger and frustration poured off him. His usual smiling face seemed tired this morning.

  “I don’t have time for this right now. You will have lunch with me today to discuss this letter.” He acted like letter was a four-letter word. Without waiting for her answer, he disappeared down the hall.

  Natalie glanced down the other way to see if anyone had witnessed his blowup. No one was around. Relief flowed through her. Well, she knew it would be awkward to see Chase this morning. Whatever she’d expected, it hadn’t been anger. He hadn’t gotten that upset when she’d told him about the fraud.

  She folded up the letter, which gave two weeks’ notice, and stuffed it in her purse. She’d just have to give it back to him at lunch. It would be much easier to talk to him in a crowded restaurant than in his office alone or, worse, at her desk where everyone at work could see, and the memory of last night’s kiss lingered in the air.

  Tugging a pile of documents closer, she sighed and began adding up the numbers again. She tried to lose herself in her numbers, but her mind kept jumping from the fraud to the kiss. She hadn’t known what to say to Mr. Morrison. Yeah, Mr. Morrison, we found a bunch of expenses that just shouldn’t be there. Don’t worry, though. I’m fairly certain you were the one that put them through.

  Every squeak of Mr. Morrison’s chair made her heart skip a beat. Already keyed up by the fact Chase had demanded she have lunch with him, she kept expecting Chase to pop in front of her any moment. Then, what if Mr. Morrison figured out what she’d discovered by sneaking up behind her and seeing what she was working on?

  When her desk phone rang, a small scream escaped her throat. Maybe she should have just stayed home. Picking up the phone and glancing around to make sure no one had heard her scream, she said, “This is Natalie. How may I help you?”

  “Hi, Natalie. This is Jared Anderson from Element Magazine. I hear you’re new at Pandora and was wondering if we could meet for lunch sometime.”

  A reporter? Calling her? “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  The man’s voice remained cajoling. “Look, we could have a mutually beneficial relationship. But I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. They can’t be paying you that much.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.” A flash of movement in front of her desk captured her attention. She looked up into Chase’s eyes. Her lips parted. The spark of desire flared to life. Her whole being shook with the force of his gaze.

  Jared’s voice continued in her ear. “We’re always looking for someone to help us find the good stories. We’re not asking you to rat out your boss or anything. Just a bit of an inside scoop on how Chase runs things down there.”

  “I can’t. Really. I don’t know anything about…” Her gaze dropped from Chase’s quizzical expression. What if he thought she’d called the magazine? “…that and don’t really want to talk to anyone at your…” She glanced up at Chase. “…business.”

  “Why don’t you write down my number? Just in case you change your mind—”

  “I won’t. Thank you for calling.” She set the phone back on the cradle. The papers in front of her could be straighter and were a lot easier to look at than Chase at the moment.

  “Let’s go, Natalie.”

  Her heart leapt in her throat. She nodded slightly, still not making eye contact. Picking up her purse, she moved to follow him out of the office. She kept her head down, not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze. Her pulse jumped as she brushed against him when he held open the door for her.

  Her resolve to hand in her resignation increased. She couldn’t be expected to work with this man and not want him. Maybe every other woman in the office wanted him and just coped daily with it, but she wasn’t like those women. Maybe he’d kissed every one of them, too. Hell, he could have slept with all of them.

  Her chest crushed in on her heart. Though she wasn’t a part of the gossip mill at Pandora Productions, she was certain someone would have mentioned that particular trait of Chase’s. Or Rachel would have told her, since that kind of behavior wouldn’t have escaped the attention of people like Jared Anderson. Why would a reporter call her?

  Chase’s hand lightly brushed the small of her back, guiding her to his car. Her breath caught, and she stumbled a little. He gripped her elbow to steady her.

  He stopped them. After a moment, she looked up at his chin.

  “Are you okay?”

  No. “I’m fine.” She pressed her glasses back up her nose and examined the concrete beneath her feet.

  When he didn’t continue to the car after a few moments, she dared a peek up at him. The wind tousled his blond hair, giving him that just-rolled-out-of-bed look. Her hair whipped loose from its clip and slapped her across the face.

  “Do you ever say how you really feel?” His hand smoothed her loose hair behind her ear. His touch sent tingles coursing through her body. He glanced over her shoulder and frowned.

  She followed his gaze and saw Mr. Morrison standing next to the door, cigarette in hand. He lifted his hand and waved. Chase’s lips tightened, but he didn’t
say anything, just steered her toward the car again.

  Chase remained silent while they were shown to a private corner booth. They’d come in the back entrance and hadn’t drawn any attention.

  Sliding into the seat, Natalie knocked over an empty glass. Chase caught it before it rolled to the floor. Her skin flushed pink as he slid in after her.

  The table was small, but she tucked herself as far away from him as possible. He didn’t know whether to be frustrated or to laugh. What he really wanted to do was pull her back into his arms and keep her there for several hours. But he knew they’d both be better off if they repaired their working relationship and forgot about the tantalizing prospect of that kiss. At least until this mess with Martin was over.

  She picked at the napkin and stared at the menu.

  The sweet, clean smell of her lingered in his nose. His fingertips itched to turn her face up to his. He cleared his throat. Her gaze leapt up to his, her eyes wide and wary.

  “Do you know what you want?” He smiled, trying to reassure her and calm her down.

  Her eyes widened further, and she leaned away from him. She looked like she was ready to bolt.

  “To eat, Natalie. What do you want to eat?” He picked up his menu. “I typically get shrimp scampi, but everything here is really good.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Her eyes darted back to the menu. How could he make her relax?

  The waiter stopped by and filled their glasses. They both ordered, and he left, leaving them quite alone in the secluded booth.

  She started to fiddle with her fork. He laid his hand over hers, stilling her fidgeting. Her eyes were warm pools of chocolate as they met his, but her body tensed.

  “I’m not going to pounce on you.”

  Panic and disappointment warred on her face before her shoulders dropped slightly. “I know,” she said, as if she knew he’d never do something like that.

  He wanted to shake her. His whole body ached to pull her into his arms again and prove to her that even though he said he wouldn’t, he wanted to.

  “Natalie.” He waited for her eyes to meet his again. “You are a very attractive woman. No, don’t deny it. I find you incredibly attractive, but—”

  “There’s always a but,” she said under her breath.

  He blew out a breath and took a drink of water. He’d never have this much difficulty on a set. Everything was scripted already. He knew exactly how the other person was going to react. Natalie eluded him. He couldn’t figure out her character, couldn’t put her into a category.

  “As I was saying, you work for my company. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you last night.” He should say he’d never do it again, but something stilled his tongue.

  The moment their lips had met he’d felt something he’d never experienced before. Desire and passion had been full-force in the front, but something had lingered in the back of his mind keeping him awake all night pondering the feeling. He’d felt protective and possessive. Feelings he had no right to have, but she’d felt right in his arms. He couldn’t say he wouldn’t be tempted again.

  “I could have stopped you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  The hesitation in her voice increased his pulse rate. He had to change the topic. “Have you had a chance to go through the papers again?”

  Her body relaxed, and her hands stilled. “Yes, and I came up with the same number. As soon as Mr. Morrison leaves for the evening, I plan to go through the bank statements and figure out if he used a check to get the cash or if he made a withdrawal.”

  The confidence she exuded when talking about her job always amazed him. The pink receded from her cheeks, and her eyes were animated. This is the way she should always be. This is the way she should be with him.

  His body tightened, but he shoved the desire back. For now, she couldn’t be a part of his life except through work.

  He remembered the look on Martin’s face in the parking lot. He wasn’t sure if the man suspected anything was going on between them, but he wouldn’t put it past Martin to say something to the press.

  “We’ll have to take things carefully, if the files continue to point to Martin.” Chase turned his thoughts back to business, a much safer subject. “He has his fingers in everything at Pandora. Robert and I talked this morning. We’ll need a list of every bank account he has access to.”

  “I was just hired to help out. He hasn’t given me a lot of things to do or shown me much.”

  The waiter reappeared and set down their lunches.

  “The biggest thing is what he will leak to the press when he leaves. There’s no telling what he’ll make up or what he suspects.” He hoped that was enough to warn her. He didn’t want her to start with the two weeks’ notice again. Martin probably wouldn’t try to bring Natalie into it, anyway.

  He needed to make sure Martin wouldn’t insinuate anything. That look on the man’s face when he’d seen them in the parking lot had worried Chase. Surely, Martin wouldn’t think anything was happening between Natalie and Chase. Maybe he should stay away from her desk during the day.

  They ate in silence. When the waiter removed the plates, Chase turned to Natalie.

  “We’ll need someone to help with the transition until we get a new CFO if Martin is implicated. Can I trust you to stay with us until then?”

  She hesitated for a moment, and he held his breath waiting for her reply. “Of course.”

  “Natalie, will you give me—Pandora Productions—another chance? I think you have a brilliant mind and would be a great asset to our company.”

  The red crept up her cheeks. She nodded slightly and lifted her eyes to his. “I’ll try.”

  Chapter Eight

  Natalie sat on the edge of her seat, waiting for the clock to turn five. Mr. Morrison had left at the same time every day for the past month she’d worked here, but tonight he was supposed to leave early. With her luck, he’d probably stick around.

  Chase had been avoiding her desk all afternoon. After the first hour of waiting for him to pass by her desk, she’d started to relax. She ignored the twinges of disappointment as time continued to pass.

  It would be better for both of them if they kept their relationship purely work-related. She could forget how his lips had caressed hers and how the warmth had flooded through her from the touch of his hands.

  The door slammed behind her, and she almost fell off her chair. Mr. Morrison locked the door and turned his shifty eyes to her. “I expect the report first thing Monday morning. Just because Mr. Booker took you for a long lunch doesn’t mean you can neglect your work.”

  Her cheeks were on fire. “Of course not, Mr. Morrison. I’ve got the numbers tied into the expense reports and just need to categorize two more reports before I’m finished.” She hoped he was convinced by her lie, because she could hear the tremor in her voice and could feel the tightness of her smile.

  “Good. I’ll see you Monday morning.” He hefted his briefcase in his hand and was out the door before she could say anything else.

  Now she just had to wait for the rest of the office to clear out. Which shouldn’t take long. Over half the staff hadn’t come back after lunch and half of those remaining had taken off early. They had places to go and be seen.

  Her phone rang. She stared at it for a moment. The caller ID came up as Unavailable. She really didn’t want to talk to Jared Anderson again, but he wasn’t the only one who had her phone number.

  Tentatively, she picked the phone up from the cradle. “This is Natalie. How may I help you?”

  “Nat,” Rachel’s voice yelled above the background noise. “Brian finally asked me out.”

  “Good for you.”

  Rachel had been trying to get Brian from work to ask her out for months now.

  “Don’t wait up, sweetie. I don’t think I’ll be home tonight.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Hey, sorry about the mess in the kitchen, I was experimenting last night with cupcakes. Turns out I ca
n’t cook, so I picked some up at the store this morning. Would you mind cleaning it up? Just in case Brian and I end up back at our place?”

  Natalie had seen the mess when she’d come home last night but had been too exhausted physically and emotionally to do anything about it. “Sure. Be safe.”

  “Thanks, sweetie. See ya.” The line went dead.

  She set down the phone and stood. Time to wander through and see who was left in the building. The hallway runway was quiet as she headed down to fill her water bottle.

  She held her breath as she passed by Chase’s closed door and breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened.

  After filling her bottle, feeling confident that no one was left in the building besides Chase and her, she stopped at his door and knocked tentatively.

  “Yeah?” She heard from within. She cracked the door open.

  “Chase, Mr. Morrison has left for the day.” As she pushed the door open, a pair of feminine legs came into view. Someone was sitting in the guest chair. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Alexis Brandt was back for her Friday-night pickup.

  “It’s all right, Natalie.” Clearly distracted, Chase looked up from some papers on his desk. He held out a set of keys. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  She nodded to Chase, took the keys and pulled the door closed. Her chest had tightened, and she could barely breathe. She walked on wooden legs back to Mr. Morrison’s door. Her hands shook as she inserted the keys to find the right one.

  She had no reason to feel jealous. She didn’t have any claim to Chase—just because he’d kissed her last night didn’t mean anything. Hadn’t he said that? The keys made a heavy thud when they slipped from her hands.

  Squatting, she picked them up and shoved her glasses back up her nose. She was being ridiculous. Guys like Chase went for girls like Alexis. Just because he’d kissed her didn’t mean he felt anything for her. He kissed women as a career. Maybe he’d just been practicing.

  She found the right key and pushed into the office. Get what she needed and get out. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could be away from Chase for a whole weekend. A weekend to strengthen her resolve to stay away from him.