Falling Into You (Geek to Chic) (3 page)

Starbucks Boy
was doubled over. "You look like you’re in pain, let me at least take you
to the ER." Roni frantically spoke, feeling worse by the moment.
"I’ll just get my purse, hold on one second." Before she could move
his hand flew up to grab her wrist.

"No,
please don't! Just sit, don't move."
 
His voice was gruff but his eyes danced with amusement. "Let's just
find a table and sit, maybe have a drink?" He smiled behind the ice
pack.
 

"Sure,
that sounds..."

"You’re
an asshole!!!"
 
Turning to the sound
of Izzy's voice she watched her friend slap, as hard as she could, Starbucks
Boys' friend. That was quite a feat considering the height difference between
the two. "Seriously, you should
never
ever
be allowed out of your house without a trained nurse or a larger dose
of your medication!” Izzy glared up at the man pushing her glasses up her nose.
"You asshat are the reason women hate men. I don't even know your real
name and I am ready to jump on the hate Suit Boy bandwagon. So take your frat
house attitude shove it up your ass and leave me the fuck alone!” Ending her
rant, Izzy looked over at Roni, giving a nod toward the door.
 
She grabbed her purse and pushed past the
speechless man and out the door.
 

"Wow, I
have never heard her curse that much in such a short period of time.” Roni
shook her head turning back to Starbucks Boy. “Rain check, looks like our
friends can't play nice." Roni smiled apologetically at him. Carefully
grabbing her purse, not wanting to hurt him again.
 
She began to follow Izzy out the door.
 
She did, however push his friend for good
measure as she left the bar.
 
Starbucks
Boy was still that, her no name obsession.

***

Derek wanted
to punch Alex, for the second time that day, but it looked as though the cute
brunette already did a number on him.
 
Her small hand print perfectly preserved on his cheek.
 
Derek can only imagine what landed his friend
in this predicament. “I can’t take you anywhere! You were talking to her friend
for what, two minutes?
 
How could you
possibly have pissed her off that bad in such a short period of time?” Derek’s
hand was still holding the ice to his bloody nose his other hand flailing
about.
 
“Damn it, Alex! I didn’t even get
her name….
AGAIN
.”
 
Derek had gone from amused pissed to full on
pissed at Alex as he realized that his chance with Starbucks Girl was
gone.
  

“Dude, relax,
you’ll see her at Starbucks. Plus her friend over reacted, I was just joking
around.
 
Not my fault that girl has no
sense of humor.” Alex pauses, a devilish smile crossing her face, “Great ass
though. Grabbing it was totally worth the slap”

“You grabbed
her ass?
 
What part of ‘go to the other
side of the bar or shut the fuck up’ was unclear to you? If her friend hates
you, I have no shot.
 
That’s how girls
work.
 
They have that pack loyalty thing
going on.
 
Since you ruined my night with
Starbucks Girl, you’re buying.
 
I think I
have expensive taste tonight,” Derek looked at back at the table he had knocked
over, “and my new friends, aka the random strangers that did not chase away
Starbucks Girl, are drinking on my tab too.
 
Or should I say your tab.” Derek smiled, thinking he was clever to
punish Alex by making him hang out with a group of guys instead of chasing
tail.
 
His mood was improving.
 
“Now run along and get our new friends and me
a few shots and beer chasers, to start with.”

“This is
bullshit man!” Alex exclaimed as he stormed off to the bar.

“No man this
is retribution!” Derek laughed, taking a seat with What the Fuck Guy and his
buddies.

“You’re a
cruel man, but who am I to complain when we are reaping the benefits.”
 
What the Fuck Guy laughed, slapping Derek on
the back.
 
“I’m Collin by the way, this is
Gavin, Roc and that’s Phin.”

”I’m Derek,
and our host for the evening,” Derek chuckled, waving his hand over his
shoulder in the general direction of the bar, “is Alex.”

“Man, your
buddy must have a real talent with the women.
 
Even I’ve never been slapped that fast.” Gavin laughed from across the
table.
 

A few minutes
later, Alex returned with a tray of drinks. “Here assholes, thanks to Slap Girl
deeming me asshole of the year, the waitress is refusing to bring us drinks.
Women they always stick together.” He grumbled with a huff.

“Well then you
can play waitress all night.” Derek announced with a smile.
 
Earning him a laugh from his new
conspirators. This night may end ok after all, at Alex’s expense of
course.
 

Roni lay awake
in her bed, glancing at her alarm clock.
 
If
she still had her job at
Douche Bags R Us, this would be the time she got up.
 
She would dress for perfection, fix her hair
and makeup so she looked stylish and sexy.
 
Spend extra time finding the perfect outfit.

None of her
efforts would be for the office.
 
It
would be for the five minutes at Starbucks when maybe, just maybe, her
obsession would notice her.
 
Well, she
sure had gotten him to notice her no.
 
Almost sending him to the ER twice in the process.
Ugh!
Her life was suddenly something out of a sitcom.
 
Only nothing was going to be solved in thirty
short minutes.
 
Sighing, she decided to
get on with her day.
 

She would give
Starbucks a try, at the very least she could take her laptop and start her
search for a new job, at the most (and she was crossing her fingers that she
would get the most) she would see Starbucks Boy.
 
If she sat in the corner, she could ogle him
without him seeing her.
 
After all, if he
sees her, he might decide to sue her assault or something.
 
Twice over.
 

One last
inward sigh, Roni headed to the bathroom to get ready. Thirty minutes later she
was dressed casually in skinny jeans and a form fitting sweater.
 
Hair and makeup done to perfection (or as
close as she could get, just in case Starbucks Boy didn’t want to sue
her).
 
Grabbing her laptop bag and purse,
she headed out the door.

Roni typed
nervously on her laptop.
 
Trying to focus
on updating her resume, and not on the clock.
 
7:15, he was never late.
 
He
always walked through the door at exactly 7:00. She sighed.
 
Guess the impression she left on him was so
spectacular that he decided to switch Starbucks or have his morning caffeine
fix at home.
 

Deciding that
she ruined any change she had with Starbucks Boy, she blew out a long breath.
 
Squaring her shoulders, she dove into
updating her resume and applying for jobs. A task she dreaded but at least one
that would take her mind off of hot muscular men with great hands. Another sigh
and she went back to work on her resume.
 

Roni spent the
next hour in the job hunting zone, applying for one job after the other.
  
Downing, way too much caffeine in the
process.
 
She was all but twitching.
 
That is when she looked up to see none other
than Starbucks Boy.
 
Although he looked a
little rough.
 
He was unshaven, dressed
casually instead of his normal tailored suit, and sunglasses covering his
eyes.
 
She blinked up at him not wanting
to move a muscle out of fear she may somehow injure him.
 
“Mind if I share the table?
 
The place is filled today.”
 
He asked, smiling down at her, and wincing
slightly at the movement of his face.
 

“Please have a
seat.” Roni gestured to the chair across from her.
 
Either he really had nowhere else to sit or
she hadn’t made as bad of an impression as she thought.
 
She smiled to herself in the hope blooming
inside her.
 

Starbucks Boy
sat down, attempting another smile. “Thanks…um, sorry about my buddy last
night.
 
Your friend was right, he should
not be out in the general population.”

“Did he tell
you what he said? Izzy, my slap happy friend, wouldn’t tell me a thing. Only
that he was every bad male stereotype rolled up into one super asshole. Her
words, not mine” Roni laughed.
 
Starbucks
Boy winced and held his temple at her laugh, not the reaction she wanted.
 
Then it dawned on her why he looked the way
he did. She looked him up and down, noticing that his nose was bruised. She
crossed her arms over her chest.
 
Giggling to herself.
 
“So how much
did you and Super Asshole drink last night? You look like life in general hurts
today?” She couldn’t help the smile on her face.

Laughing, and
wincing Derek answered her. “Yeah, we may have had a few too many.
 
Alex, as punishment for running you off, was
both waitress and host last night.
 
So
myself and the table of guys you knocked me into,” he paused to send her an
amused smile, “may have overindulged in some really pricey liquor and kept Alex
running all night, and away from any other women.
 
So to answer your questions, yes, life in general
hurt
a lot
today.” He smiled and rubbed
his temples. “What are you working on?”

“My resume and
applying for jobs.” She groaned.
 
“My
least favorite thing to do.”

“Well, I am
sure something will come your way.
 
CP
Security Technology is hiring I hear. You should check out their website.” He
stated without looking at her, which was odd.
 

“Thanks, I
will check them out.” He leaned over and pulled out his own laptop out of his
messenger bag and they worked in silence for a bit.
 
Both trying to decide what to what to say
next.
 
The large amount of caffeine
running through her system combined with her nervous reaction to the gorgeous
man sitting across from her made her a twitching mess.
 
She simply had to say or do something. “Hey,
since you’re here,” she cleared her throat, “I really am sorry for knocking you
over and then almost breaking your nose.
 
Usually my clumsiness doesn’t take out the people around.” She offered
him a shy smile.
 

“So falling
down a flight of stairs is a common occurrence for you?’ Starbuck Boy asked
raising a disbelieving eyebrow at her.

Roni laughed,
“Oh, you have no idea.
 
I have been known
to trip over air.
 
Hell, I am so used to
bumping into thing and tripping over things at this point that I don’t even
notice.
 
I wake up with bruises having no
idea how I got them.”
 
Ok, she knew she
was babbling, but caffeine had replaced the blood in her body making her
twitchy.
 

“I can
honestly say I have never met anyone who didn’t know how they got a
bruise.
 
How do you make it through the
day without serious injury?
 
From what I
have seen your clumsiness could be a superpower.” He laughed.

She smiled,
laughing along with him. “Sure, I could be Super Clumsy Barbie.”

***

Derek was
beyond relieved to know that Alex’s dumbass behavior didn’t completely ruin his
chance with Starbucks Girl.
 
Derek
smiled. “Don’t ever say that in front of Alex, he will call you that forever.”

“So does your
friend make a habit of getting hit by strange women?
 
Is it some kind of fetish?” She smirked.

Derek’s
booming laugh filled the café, he winced at his own noise.
 
“No, last night was a record for him.
 
Usually it isn’t until the next morning when
he is sneaking out without even so much as a goodbye that he becomes physically
injured.” Derek shook his head at the memories of college and how by the time
they graduated 90% of the female population hated Alex. Most even hated Derek
just for being associated with the prick.
 

“His Super
Asshole powers must have been magnified by the full moon or something.
 
I have never seen Izzy hit anyone.” Starbucks
Girl looked past him as though trying to think of what Alex the Asshole could
have said to yield such a reaction from her small friend.

“Well,
whatever words were exchanged, Alex is being very hush hush about the entire
thing. Which is odd, he would tell a perfect stranger the most intimate details
of his life.”
 
Now Derek had to find out
what transpired between the two of them.
 
“So what’s your plan for the day?”
 

“Ummm, well,
umm, I hadn’t really thought past getting my resume done. “
 
She suddenly looked nervous and excited all at
the same time.
 

Just as Derek
was going to ask her to lunch, two things happened simultaneously.
 
His cell phone rang with the distinct ring
tone of his administrative assistant and Roni’s bouncing knee hit the table
causing her to jump.
 
He watched the
chain reaction as though it was in slow motion.
 
Roni hit her knee, she leaned forward to grab said knee, her elbow
connecting with his latte, the latte launching into his laptop, the laptop
sputtering and shutting down.
 
Then,
although way too late, she reached to save the laptop from the latte knocking
her hot tea right into his lap.
 
“Holy,
shit!”
 
He screamed, jumping up.
 
Now they had the entire café’s attention that
was for sure.
 
“What?” He barked into the
perpetually ringing phone while trying to save his balls from boiling.
 

“Oh my God! Oh
my God! I am so sorry, what is wrong with me, I hurt you every time you are
near me.”
 
She started babbling, while
dabbing furiously with a small napkin at his demolished laptop.
 
If he was not in fear for his favorite body
part being burned, he would have thought it was adorable.
 

“Mr. Callaway,
are you there?” His annoying assistant whispered on the other end.

“Yes, Jemma,
what do you need?
 
I told you I was taking
the day off and only to bother me if it was an emergency.”
 
He all but growled into the phone.
 
He will never know why he hired her she was
too meek, for the position and way too quiet when she spoke.
 
Although, her organizational skills made up
for her lack of backbone.

“Yes, sir. I
know, but it is an emergency.
 
I have to
leave, my mother is ill and I have to fly home right now. I will be back as
soon as I can but I have to leave now.” Jemma was crying by the end of the
sentence.
 
Well, didn’t he feel like his
title should be Super Asshole.

“Jemma I am so
sorry, yes, go take care of your family.” He said in his most empathetic
voice.
 

“Thank you
sir, I will be back in the office just as soon as I can. I will leave notes on
what needs to be done and your calendar is up to date.
 
HR can bring in a temp I am sure. Thank you
again for understanding.”
 
With that, she
hung up.
 

Great he had a
huge launch in a few weeks and needed an assistant to keep him organized.
 
Without Jemma he would never remember to go
to meetings.
 
Then a large smile broke
across his face as an idea formed.
 
Yes,
this could work.
 
Shoving the phone into
his pants, forgetting the trashed laptop.
 
He smiled at Starbucks Girl. “So have you ever been an assistant
before?” She stopped wiping up her mess and looked up at him like he was
suddenly nuts.
 

“Yes, I was an
administrative assistant in my last job for the accounting department.
 
I have never been an executive assistant
though.”
 
She chewed on her lower lip,
adorable he thought.

“Well then we
can solve both of our problems with one shot.
 
I need an assistant, at least temporarily, and you need a job.
 
You’re hired” He beamed at her.

“Wait,
what?
 
Don’t you want to see my resume,
talk to my references, make sure I am not out to kill you even though all
evidence points to the contrary? Plus like I just said I have never been an
executive assistant before.” She worked her bottom lip between her teeth
driving him to distraction.

“All you have
to be able to do is take phone calls, get me away from my computer and to my
meetings on time and not let anyone distract me while I am working.
 
Jemma, my assistant, has the calendar set up
for the next two life times. She should only be gone a week or two, it will be
perfect.” He was a genius. “Plus, remember how I told you to apply at CP
Security Technology?
 
Well, you applied
and got hired congratulation!”

“Wait, you
work for CP Security Technology? They are one of the leading companies in
Colorado.
 
Heck, in the country.
 
Don’t you have to get approval to hire
someone?”

“I don’t
exactly work for CP Security Tech, more like own CP Security Tech, along with
Alex, aka Super Asshole.”
 
Admitting he
owned a high profile company like CPST always made him nervous.
 

Her eyes grew
wide, she muttered something about being out of her league under her
breath.
 
That made him frown.
 
“I have one question before I accept the
position… what the hell is your name?” She smiled up at him and he
laughed.