by Michele Hauf
She opened her pink mouth and stared at him for a beat as if he’d caught her off guard. “I guessed. Roast beef on rye with brown mustard, lettuce and tomato.”
His lips twitched. “Red meat,” he said. “You didn’t think I was a vegetarian.”
She bit her lip and smiled tentatively. “Wild guess. I passed up the quiche, too.”
He chuckled, reaching for the bag. “Thank you. You did a good job. Plain chips,” he noted.
“I played it safe,” she said in a neutral tone.
“So you did. If you’ve always been so adept at reading your employers’ appetites, I can see why you were promoted.”
Her eyes widened. “It was just food. It isn’t that difficult. Alex liked anything with olives. Max skipped pasta and carbs at lunch because he always wanted to be sharp for the afternoon.”
“And what about you?”
“Whatever I pack,” she said. “May I get anything else for you?”
“Whatever you pack,” he repeated, ignoring her question. “There’s a company cafeteria.”
“Habit,” she said with a shrug that drew his gaze to her slim shoulders. “I’ve been packing my lunch since elementary school.”
“Same here,” he said. “When there was food available.”
She gave him a silent, questioning glance.
“Foster homes,” he said.
“Oh,” she said, a combination of sympathy and confusion flitting through her eyes. “My father died when I was young, so it was just my mother and me.”
He met her gaze and felt a lightning-fast connection that took him by surprise. He saw the same surprise cross her face as she blinked and looked away.
“I hope you like the—”
“Emma,” a male voice called from the outer office. “Emma, are you there?”
Damien watched her cringe. “Just a second,” she whispered and walked to the doorway. “Brad, I’m assisting Mr. Medici—”
“You can go ahead and—” Damien broke off, surprised when she desperately waved her hand behind her back for him to stop speaking.
Surprise lashed through him at her silent order. Or, was it a plea?
“No, tonight’s not good. I need to work on a paper for one of my classes. Please excuse me,” she said and turned back to Damien, closing the door behind her.
She met his gaze for a moment, then bit her lip. “Sorry about that. I’ll just—”
Curious despite himself, Damien lifted his hand. “Who’s Brad?”
She gave a heavy sigh. “He’s a very nice man in accounting. Very kind. I can’t think of a bad thing to say about him.”
He nodded silently. “Except he doesn’t take a hint well.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “He’s very nice—”
“You’ve said that twice,” he said.
“I don’t like hurting people’s feelings,” she admitted. “Especially nice people.”
“He’s not all that nice if he’s ignoring your rejections,” he said. “I’ve learned that most nice people prefer honesty even when it hurts.”
“I haven’t been dishonest,” she said.
“I’m sure you haven’t.”
Silence hung between them as she gnawed her lip. “He’s asked me out at least a dozen times.”
“And you’ve said no each time?” Damien said, incredulous. “The guy’s head must be made of concrete.”
She winced. “I might have visited his mother in the hospital once.”
A soft heart beneath that crisp suit, he decided, and found the quality appealing. He shrugged. “You want me to see if he’s on my list for terminations?”
Emma gasped. “Oh my goodness, no. I couldn’t live with myself if I ever—” She shook her head. “No. He’s an excellent employee. Honestly.”
He regarded her silently for another long moment. She blinked and cleared her throat as if she were gathering her composure. “Well, I, uh, should let you eat your sandwich. If you need anything…”
“You’ll know,” he said.
Emma closed the door to Damien’s office behind her and wanted to melt into the hardwood floor. Mortified, she covered her face with her hands. What was wrong with her? She prided herself on her ability to present a calm demeanor in every situation. Yet she’d been babbling to Damien Medici.
She’d worked for Max De Luca, who’d been called the man of steel. She may have felt intimidated at times, but she’d managed to hold her own. For Alex Megalos, she’d maintained the highest level of discretion. Given his playboy reputation before he married Mallory James, she’d encountered more than a few phone calls from overzealous wannabe girlfriends.
Yet here, she’d glimpsed slices of humanity, even humor, when she’d expected Damien to be a block of ice. She found his strength and complexity compelling, almost seductive.
Appalled at the notion, she castigated herself. “Ridiculous,” she muttered. Damien Medici was going to slice MD to shreds. He was the enemy.
2
The next morning, Emma walked into Max De Luca’s office suite to give him an update on Damien Medici. She felt a combination of nerves and disappointment as she faced Max, a tough VP whose heart had softened because of his wife Lilli and his son David.
“The only thing I know is that he has already begun to put together a termination list and that he asked for information from these departments.” She handed her former boss a typed report.
Max glanced over the report. “What about the computer?”
“He’s using his own laptop and told me to give the desktop to someone else who needs it. He uses his cell phone for all his calls, except for people inside the company. I included those calls on the report.”
“I see,” he said, thoughtfully reviewing the information. “Based on this, I think he’ll start cuts in middle management.”
Emma bit her lip.
Max shrugged. “I agree that MD needs to streamline. I just want to make sure we don’t cut anything vital to our future. Middle management isn’t a bad place to start, as long as he doesn’t want to cut too deeply,” Max conceded. “Both Alex and I agree that Medici isn’t the right man for this job, but James Oldham is determined to stay on the side of the stockholders. He has won the position of chairman of the board, and he clearly intends to keep it. He is the most dictatorial chairman I’ve ever encountered at MD. Keep me posted. Let’s meet next Tuesday at the same time.”
“I’m sorry I don’t have more information,” she said.
Max gave a cynical smile. “Medici’s no fool. He clearly trusts no one. If you learn anything new, use your cell to call my cell or Alex’s.”
“Of course,” she said and left his office. She took the elevator down two floors to Damien’s office suite.
As she entered the office, she was surprised to see a light shining from beneath the door to the inner office. The door was slightly ajar and she could hear Damien’s voice. Stepping closer, she listened.
“Mr. Oldham, if you truly want Megalos-De Luca to be at the top of its game, you’ll have to give me free rein on the cuts. I accepted this contract with you based on your promise to let me do what I do best. If you’re finding our agreement difficult, I can leave today.”
Emma dropped her jaw in shock. James Oldham was chairman of the board. No one dared speak to him in such a way.
“I’ve been through this many times, Mr. Oldham. I understand you’re concerned about bad PR. A well-publicized termination package and a reemployment assistance program will go a long way to softening the blow.” Damien paused for a second. “What’s your answer? Will you give me the latitude you promised or not?”
Several seconds passed and Emma held her breath. If only James Oldham would just say no, then no one at the company would need to deal with him, including her.
“I thought you would see it my way,” Damien said in a triumphant tone.
Emma’s heart sank.
“I’ll be in contact soon,” Damien said, his voice louder as he mo
ved closer to the door.
Emma fought a sliver of panic. He could not find her eavesdropping. She quickly moved to her desk and began to hum an off-key version of a song by Fergie as she turned on her desktop and set down her lunch and purse.
“Emma,” Damien said from behind her.
Despite the fact that she knew he was there, she jumped. “Oh, hello. You’re here very early.”
“As are you,” he said, studying her.
She prayed he couldn’t read her mind. “I have this new boss who is even more of an early bird than I am. It’s a real challenge to out-early him.”
His lips twitched. “I don’t expect you to work the kind of hours I do. I’ve been described as a workaholic by more than one person.”
“And are you?” she asked, thankful for the diversion.
“I’ve never been afraid of hard work. That attitude has served me well. My work is my passion. My mistress.”
“But don’t you want human companion—” She quickly realized she’d stepped outside the line of professionalism and broke off. “I apologize. That’s none of my business.”
“You’re correct. It’s not, but I could ask you the same question.”
Emma thought of her mother and all the money and effort it had required to get her out of trouble. Time and time again. “I have family.”
“So do I. Brothers,” he said. “We made contact again after we became adults.”
The way he looked at her made her feel as if he could see inside her. There was a terrifying sexiness to his power. She suspected that he was the kind of man who could make a woman do anything he wanted and make her like it, too.
She wanted to withdraw from his appeal. She wanted not to feel the pull toward him, the forbidden attraction. She wanted to be able to be perfectly professional, perfectly removed. And she would.
“So you do,” she said. “Forgive me. I’ve gotten off track. What can I get for you?”
For just three seconds, his gaze flicked over her with a heat that burned through her gray Ann Taylor suit, white blouse and maybe even through her department store bra and panties to the soft flesh beneath.
Emma held her breath.
“I’m still making evaluations based on the reports I’ve received. I’ll be asking for information from other departments later today.”
Emma’s breath came out in a whoosh which she attempted to hide. She clasped her hands together. “Okay. Just let me know,” she said and watched Damien return to his office and close the door.
“Get yourself together,” she told herself. The only difference between Damien and her previous bosses was that Damien was worse, far worse. And far more forbidden.
The following day at lunch, Lilli De Luca burst through the door to Damien’s outer office suite with her baby David in her arms. “Hi, Emma! We’ve missed you.”
David, with his curly hair and bright blue eyes, beamed. “Mmm,” he said as he looked at Emma.
Emma couldn’t help smiling back at him. “What a sweetheart. Omigoodness, look at how he’s grown,” she said, extending her arms.
David went to her willingly. Emma dipped slightly under his weight and glanced at Lilli. “He’s gained.”
Lilli smiled and groaned at the same time. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“He’s so friendly, though. I thought he would be clingy,” Emma said, bouncing as the baby stuffed his fist into his mouth. “Teething?”
Lilli nodded. “I’m told he’s in that in-between stage. A few more months and he’ll get clingy.”
“He’s gorgeous,” Emma said. “And such a sweetie.”
Lilli smiled with pride. “I couldn’t agree more. Max is busy on a conference call. He told me a visit from David and me would cheer you up. How’s it going?”
“It’s going,” Emma said because nothing else really seemed appropriate.
Damien’s door swung open and he glanced at the three of them. He lifted his eyebrow in inquiry at Emma. “Mrs. De Luca,” he said.
“And David,” Emma added.
“Call me Lilli,” Max’s blond wife said. “How are you?”
“Fine, thank you. And you?”
Lilli smiled, glancing at David. “Busy. I see you won the lottery and got Emma assigned as your assistant.”
He gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
“Alex and Max have been locked in warfare over who gets Emma as their assistant. Consider yourself very lucky,” she said.
“I do,” he said, glancing at Emma and then at the baby. “This is Max’s son?”
Lilli nodded. “The joy of our lives.”
David looked at Damien curiously and Damien extended his hand toward the baby. David grabbed the man’s thumb and tugged.
Damien smiled. “Strong grip,” he said. “He will have a strong will.”
“Not too strong, I hope,” Lilli murmured. “Would you like to hold him?”
Damien hesitated. Something inside Emma forced her to move before he could respond. She pushed the baby against his chest and he instinctively cradled David in his arms.
“Hello, there,” he said.
David stared at him, transfixed, then blew a bubble.
Damien’s lips curved slightly. “David is a good name for you. I can see you throwing a rock and felling Goliath.”
“A modern-day Goliath,” Lilli said. “Who would that be today?”
Damien met her gaze. “Interesting line of thought,” he said and passed the baby to his mother. He nodded. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“And you,” Lilli said. “You have a difficult job. I don’t envy you.”
“I lead with my mind, not my emotions,” Damien said. “I perform best that way.” He glanced at Emma. “I need reports from some additional departments.”
More terminations, she thought, but schooled her expression. “Let me get my tablet.”
“I should go,” Lilli said. “It’s good seeing you again, Emma. Call me sometime. We could meet for lunch.”
“Thanks,” Emma said, feeling a tightness in her stomach. “That sounds great. Thank you for stopping by.” She picked up her tablet and headed for Damien’s office.
Moments later, after he’d listed the departments, she nodded and rose from the chair in front of the desk.
“You look pale,” he said. “You hate what I’m doing.”
“You see revenue,” she said. “I see people’s lives and families.”
“Ultimately,” he said, “revenue affects people’s lives and families.”
“I suppose,” she said, feeling tired.
“Take the rest of the day off,” he said.
She snapped her head up. “I couldn’t.”
“Yes, you could and you will. I take care of my own. I’ve been a manager long enough to know when one of my employees needs a break. And you need one now.” He waved his hand. “Go shopping, take a nap, sit by the pool. Do whatever women do to relax.”
She smiled. “I don’t shop to relax. I’m not a big napper. And in case you didn’t notice, I’m not chasing a tan.”
“I noticed,” he said, his eyes slightly hooded. “Find a way to take a break. You need it.” He glanced down at his laptop screen as if he were dismissing her.
She rose slowly, unable to look away from him. He was right, but sometimes she didn’t know how to relax. “What about you?” she couldn’t help asking, even though she should. “How do you relax?”
He lifted his head, meeting her gaze. Had she really dared to ask him that?
“I don’t,” he said. “It’s not necessary for me.”
She tried to bite her tongue, but her reply escaped despite her better judgment. “Pot. Kettle.”
His eyes narrowed. “Go home.”
“I will,” she said. “But pot. Kettle. G’night.”
After Emma arrived home. she checked her private voice mail. The company provided her with a business cell phone and because she didn’t have a hugely active personal life, she didn’t
pay as much attention to her private cell. Bracing herself, she listened to her mother’s voice. She sounded fine, but Emma could never be quite sure. She called her mother in Missouri. “Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“Good,” her mother said. “I worked at the drugstore today. There was a big sale on ibuprofen, so everyone was stocking up. It kept me busy. You’ll be happy to know I didn’t do any gambling.”
“I am,” Emma said.
“But it sure is boring as hell,” her mother retorted when Emma failed to rise to the bait.
Emma’s stomach twisted. “Boring as hell” was a red flag. It was one of the first signs that her mother was falling off the gambling wagon.
“Would you like me to come see you?” Emma asked. “I could probably come this weekend.”
Emma’s mother laughed. “No. I’m not in any trouble. You can stay where you are.”
“Are you sure?” Emma asked. “Because I can—”
“No, no. You don’t need to interrupt your schedule for me. We’ll see each other in June. That will be just fine for me. Have you been out with any new men lately?”
“Work has been busy for me, too,” Emma hedged. “I need to get used to my new boss.” Emma wasn’t sure that would be possible with Damien.
“Is he young and handsome? Maybe you could go out with him. I never understood why you didn’t date your other bosses. They were young, handsome and rich.”
Her mother just didn’t understand. “Mom, part of the reason I’ve succeeded is because I keep my professional life separate from my personal life.”
“What personal life?” her mother countered. “All you do is work or take classes. When are you going to do something fun?”
Emma bit her tongue. She hadn’t had time for a lot of fun with her mother’s gambling addiction. “When things settle down a little bit,” she said and switched the subject. “Is everything okay with your apartment? You mentioned a problem with your garbage disposal.”