Come Away With Me (The Andrades) (5 page)

It was a matter of hit you or hit on you, sir.

Yeah, that’s not going to work.

I’m screwed.

Maybe I’m worrying for nothing. He won’t want to see me.
CEOs don’t handle this kind of thing themselves. He probably spoke to Paul’s supervisor.

I’ll get a written reprimand.

Maybe a verbal one, too.

I hope I didn’t get Paul in too much trouble.

Breathe.

I’ll make it right. I’ll write up my report first thing and submit it. The whole thing was my fault. I’ll make that clear.

As she stepped farther into the foyer, she stopped midstep. Two new security guards sat in Paul and Tom’s seats. They were dressed in the same uniforms, but neither smiled as she approached their desk. One of them walked out from behind their station and stood at military-like attention in front of her. “Mr. Andrade requested that you report to his office as soon as you arrive.”

He wants to see me.

Oh, my God, he wants to see me.

Don’t get excited. This
isn’t a good thing.

“I should put my bag in the monitor room,” Julia
hedged and took a side step in that direction.
While I figure out what I’m going to say.
And get this smile off my face or he’ll never believe that I’m sorry about last night.

The guard
stepped in front of her and blocked her way. “We have coverage in there already,” he said, looking past her as if dismissing her.

Coverage?
The word was an unwelcome dose of reality.

Because I hit him, not because he spent the night
, as I did, imagining what would have happened between us if I hadn’t.

“Am I fired?
Where are Paul and Tom?” Julia demanded as her agitation grew.

She might as well have asked two stone statues
, for all their expressions gave away. The stoic wall of muscle merely repeated, “Please report to Mr. Andrade’s office.”

Julia looked back and forth between the two men
, then asked, in a confidential tone, “Would you tell me if the police were up there? Blink twice fast if they are.”

Neither man reacted at all.

Nothing.

Fine.

I can’t be arrested for hitting someone I thought was an intruder.

Hopefully.

Head held high, she strode to the elevator with purpose. It was only once she was inside that she hugged her arms around her waist for a moment and let out a nervous breath.

How you respond to adversity determines the level of success you will achieve.
She quoted the chapter heading from one of the books she’d been reading, using the words to calm herself. None of the books, however, soothed the gnawing feeling in her gut—because she was more nervous about how her body would respond to her boss than afraid he’d fire her.

Maybe I’ll get in there and realize that I’m not attracted to him at all. I was excited about meeting with a buyer.
My adrenaline was probably running high. I’ll see him again, feel nothing, and have something to laugh about with my friends when I go home.

Stepping out of the elevator
, she headed into Mr. Andrade’s outer office and faced her fear.
Or I’ll make a complete fool of myself by staring longingly at him while he tries to explain why I’m no longer employed here—or worse, has me hauled off in cuffs.

Her heart was beating so loudly in her
ears she didn’t actually hear if Mr. Andrade’s secretary said, “Wait while I announce you,” or “Follow me, please.” Julia stood frozen near Rena’s desk.

Rena held the door to her boss’s office open, said something
to the man waiting inside, then turned back to Julia and said, “Are you ready?”

Yes.

No.

“Is he alone?” Julia asked, hating that her voice sounded nervous.

“Yes,” Rena said and waved her forward.

Forcing her reluctant feet toward the open office door, Julia sought one last reassurance. “Does he look angry?”

With a sympathetic smile, Rena peeked in at her boss, gave Julia a conspiratorial wink, and whispered, “Always. But he’s all growl and no bite. If he yells at you, just cry. He can’t handle that.”

Julia found herself smiling back at the woman she’d
spoken to only once before as they’d shared a coffee break in the downstairs café.

Want to be a shark? Swim with the sharks.

I should write to that author and have him add:

Want to survive meeting a shark?

Be nice to his secretary.

Julia mouthed, “Thank you,” as she walked past
Rena, then tried not to turn and bolt as the door closed behind her. She forced herself to walk across the room until she was just a few feet in front of Mr. Andrade’s desk. When she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer, she raised her eyes from the carpeting and met his.

Wham.

There it was.

From the nervous flutter in her stomach to
her wildly thudding heart, there was no denying the intensity of the attraction. He held her eyes, stood, and approached her.

The air between them
sizzled, and she knew in that moment he felt it, too; that indescribable pull that defies logic.

Everything Julia had thought she’d say flew out of her head. She stood, immobile, barely breathing as he closed the distance between them. She licked her bottom lip nervously
, and his eyes locked to that movement before returning to hers.

He didn’t look happy, but he did look
. . . hungry. He bent so close to her that if she went on her tiptoes their lips would meet. He hovered, as if he, too, were testing what neither of them could deny.

Down
, libido. There are reasons why this man is off limits.

Good reasons.

I can’t think of any right this minute, but they will come to me.

The room around them disappeared. Everything beyond him faded in
to the background—insignificant when compared to how he made her feel.
Is this the zing people speak of?

“Did you make your date last night, Miss Bennett?” he asked.

Julia swallowed nervously. “It wasn’t a date. Well, it shouldn’t have been a date. It was supposed to be a business opportunity, but . . .” She let her words trail off as she realized she was rambling. She cleared her throat. “Yes, I made it there on time.”

“I’m relieved to hear it. I’d hate to think that your job here impeded your social time.”

“It doesn’t,” she said quickly before she realized he was being sarcastic. Since she’d only worked for her parents, Julia wasn’t used to having a boss. She didn’t hide her irritation with him. “I was scheduled to leave early.”

He studied her for a moment, then said, “You didn’t recognize the CEO of the company you work security for. And then you attacked me.” He touched his bruised temple. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fire you.”

His brusque tone increased Julia’s nervousness. She reminded herself what his secretary had said: He’s all growl and no bite.
I wonder if he’s the same in bed, because that would be a shame. A nip from him might be nice.
She bit her lip and chastised herself.
Stop that. This is serious.
In desperation, she said the first repeatable thing that came into her head. “Because I’ve proven that I’m serious about defending your office?”

He frowned. “Do you find this situation amusing, Miss Bennett?”

No, just my reaction to you.
Julia lowered her eyes and remembered how he’d looked in his workout clothes. She’d thought he looked sexy in those, but he also looked amazing in a suit.
I bet he’s one of those lucky few people who also look good naked. Not everyone can pull that off, but I bet he does.
“No, Mr. Andrade.”

“Do you believe that you’re suited for your job?”

Julia look up and met his eyes. “It’s not hard. It’s just watching the monitors. Nothing happens at night so it gives me plenty of time to read.”

He cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. “While you’re working?”

She played her comment back in her head and groaned. “That didn’t come out right. Of course I don’t read in the surveillance room. If I did, I wouldn’t be watching the monitors, would I? And I watch them. Very closely. All night.” She rounded her eyes innocently for emphasis.

He leaned in and looked as if
he was about to say something, then changed his mind. “That’s all, Miss Bennett.”

Unsure of what that meant, Julia didn’t move. “
I’m sorry?”

“You can go now.”

She turned to leave, then turned back and asked, “Do I still work here?”

He covered his eyes with one hand and rubbed them as if her question caused him pain. “Yes.
”

Not giving him time to change his mind, Julia
fled from his office. As she rushed by Rena’s desk, the secretary asked, “So, how did it go?”

“
Hard to say,” Julia said and kept walking.
As long as he can’t read minds I’m in the clear.

Gio fought and won against the desire to
call her back in.
I shouldn’t have brought her up here in the first place. I should have called the head of security and let him deal with it.

But I had to see her again.

He’d wanted to reassure his cock that she was nothing special.
See, just another woman.
Unfortunately, for reasons he couldn’t explain, she was more than that. When she spoke he had a difficult time concentrating on anything beyond how she would cry out in that sweet voice, begging him to go deeper, while he pounded into her.

Around her
, he felt dangerously impulsive, and that was completely uncharacteristic of him. In his family, he was the reliable one. He had taken over Cogent Solutions after his father’s death because he’d been the natural choice, not because it was something he wanted. No one had debated the decision or asked how he felt about it. He hadn’t even asked himself.

Family was about duty—
sustaining and protecting it.

Decisively.

Orderly.

The women he dated understood that he didn’t want more than a casual, sexual relationship. They didn’t ask questions, they didn’t sleep over, and when it was over they moved on
to another wealthy man. No hard feelings. No complications. Jealousy was for men who couldn’t find another woman, and that had never been a problem for Gio.

He was generous with the women he dated. He
gave them enough jewelry to make even the most jaded of them smile. He took them to the posh places wealthy people went when they wanted to be seen. The society pages in almost any city he visited ran photos of him with whomever he was dating. To many of these women, their representation in the media was more important than what happened behind closed doors. It was a reality of his world and something he accepted.

The papers called him one of Manhattan’s most eligible bachelors. His friends called him lucky. He didn’t feel one way or another about
either title.

In private affairs as well as
in business, the one with the clear head won. Emotions were a distraction. They led to chaos and poor decisions.

Speaking of chaos.

He touched the small mark on his temple and smiled.

What is wrong with me? Instead of firing her, I just stood
there imagining what it would be like to bend her over the back of that couch and claim her as mine.
His half-cocked erection was an uncomfortable reminder of the intensity of his attraction to her.

She’s off limits.

She works for me, for God’s sake.

Forget her.

Gio walked back to his desk and tossed Julia Bennett’s folder on top of the others. He threw himself into work for the next several hours, only checking his watch when he noticed the sun had gone down. Nine o’clock. He stood and stretched.

Rena would be long gone.
Thank God.
He didn’t want to discuss anything from the night before with her.

He called downstairs to have his car brought around to the front.
He often left the building through the lower garage, but tonight he decided to leave through the front foyer. He paused in front of the security station. The two temporary security guards looked fresh from military training. They stood as soon as they saw him exit the elevator.

He nodded to them and couldn’t help
scanning the area behind them. One of the doors behind them led to the surveillance room, but he wasn’t sure which one. Julia Bennett was back there somewhere.

Reading
, probably.