Fight With Me (2 page)

Nate

Damn it!
  For eight long months I’ve managed to steer clear of my boss, and I know I’ve been incredibly lucky that I haven’t had to work alone with him after-hours, but we recently lost the other junior partner in our department, and that leaves just me and Nate.

Large, beastly butterflies have taken up residence in my stomach.

Since that one night last summer, Nate and I have maintained a level of professionalism that I’m very proud of, despite the fact that whenever I see him I feel a pull of electricity that makes my thighs clench.  I did invite him to double-date with Nat and I on the night of one of Nat’s husband, Luke’s movie premieres, but I managed to keep that night completely platonic.

It almost killed me.

Since then, it’s been for the greater good of keeping a job that I enjoy that I steer clear of Mr. Sex-on-legs.

Not that he’s been clamoring to get me back into bed.  The morning after
The Best Sex In The History of Mankind
, after I snuck out of his bed, he had been pissed.  He’d called and texted, wanting to know what the hell happened, and I’d avoided him like the plague for a good two weeks, telecommuting from home and taking vacation time.

Then, he just stopped.  All personal communication halted, and when we are together during business hours, he is the epitome of cool professionalism.

There are days that it pisses me the hell off.

And now, because the moron who had been in our department couldn’t take the demanding schedule of our job quit, I have to work alone with Nate.

Fuck.

I sit back in my chair and look at the time.  Five thirty.  I pull my glasses off and toss them on my desk and hang my head in my hands. 
So much for spending the weekend with a pint of ice cream and a good book.

I can do this. 
Pull it together, Montgomery. 
I’ve posed naked in magazines.  I’ve had dinner with gazillionares and hung out with movie stars.  I have four older brothers who tease me incessantly, and taught me how to kick ass.

I can handle the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life for a few hours without ripping my clothes off and having my wicked way with him.

I think.

Probably.

I pull myself together, check that all my calls and emails are set to forward to my iPhone, and go to the bathroom to prepare myself for this evening.

I’m happy with what I see in the mirror.  My long light blonde hair is still holding the loose curls I rolled into it this morning.  My makeup is subtle and professional, setting off my blue eyes.  I smooth on a fresh coat of nude lip gloss, straighten my simple cranberry-colored dress and skim my eyes over my slender figure.  I was blessed with excellent genetics.  I’m not as sexily curved as Natalie, but I was blessed with decent boobs, a perky ass, and a figure that got me onto the pages of Playboy magazine.  Three times.  I work out hard to maintain my shape.

Content with my reflection, I walk briskly in my black Louboutins to my office, gather the files Nate requested along with my phone and walk down the corridor to his office.  His personal assistant, Mrs. Glover, is sitting at her desk.  She’s an older woman with grey hair and shrewd brown eyes.  Her smile is deceiving.  She scares the hell out of me with her sharp efficiency and her crazy ability to anticipate Nate’s every move.

“Hello, Ms. Montgomery, you can go on in.”

“Thank you.” I nod at her and smile and head for his office, knocking twice and then opening the door.

“Come in, Julianne.  Thanks for staying.”  Nate looks up from his computer and nods, his face completely blank.

“Sure.”  Nate’s office is vast, with large-scale, dark office furniture.  The chairs sitting in front of his desk are plush, black leather.  There are shelves from the floor to ceiling with hundreds of books and files, meticulously in order, no doubt by the efficient Mrs. Glover.  Behind his desk are large windows with a view of the Space Needle and the Sound.

It’s beautiful.

I’m not sure Nate even pays attention to it.

I perch at the edge of one of the black chairs and set the files on Nate’s desk, expecting him to get right to the point.

“How are you?” he asks, his voice soft.

“Um… fine, thank you.” 
What the hell?

“I’m sorry about the short notice.”  He leans forward and braces his elbows on his desk, lacing his fingers, and keeps steady eye-contact.  God, those gray eyes are distracting.  Almost as distracting as his hands, and the delicious way he…

Enough.

“It’s part of the job.”  I open a file and try to pretend that my cheeks aren’t flushed.  “So, what’s up with this account?”

“How are Natalie and Luke?”

“They’re fine.”  I sit back in the chair now and eye him speculatively.  Why are we having a personal conversation? “Natalie is due in just a few weeks.”

“That’s great, good for them.”  Nate grins, that elusive, sexy, melt my panties grin and I find myself returning it.  His hair is pulled back off his face, as usual.  His chiseled jaw is freshly shaved, and he’s wearing a black suit with a black shirt and blue tie.  He never takes his jacket off to roll up the sleeves, and I briefly wonder why, then remind myself to get back to the conversation at hand.

“Yeah, they’re excited.  I’m hosting the baby shower next weekend.”

“I promise not to make you work next weekend,” he winks at me and I about fall out of my chair.

Who is this man, and what has he done with my boss?

“So, about the account?” I ask as Mrs. Glover knocks on the door.

“Dinner’s here, sir.”

“Thank you, Jenny, bring it in.”  Nate rises and takes two large bags out of Mrs. Glover’s hands.  “That’s all for today.  I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Have a good weekend, sir.  Ms. Montgomery.”  She nods to both of us and then exits the office, closing the door behind her.

“I had Chinese delivered.  I got you your usual.”  He smiles and resumes sitting in his chair, unloading bags.  He seems very happy with himself this evening, much more approachable and friendly than he has been since last summer.

What’s his game?

“Thank you,” I reply, realizing that I’m starving.  I load a plate with rice, sweet and sour chicken and egg rolls and we dig in, eating in silence for a few minutes.  I feel Nate’s eyes on me, so I decide to put my big girl panties on and just take the initiative.

“So, what’s up with this account?” I ask again and take a bite of chicken.

“I don’t have any idea, I just wanted to have dinner with you, and this is the only way I can see you.”

Holy fucking shit.

I stop chewing, my eyes wide, and I just stare at his perfectly sincere face.  “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

I frown and set my plate carefully on his desk.  “So, we’re not working on this account?”

“No.”

“I don’t understand.”

Nate lays his chopsticks down, wipes his mouth with a napkin and sits back in his chair, watching me carefully.

“I just wanted to share dinner with you, Julianne.”

“Why?”
And why does he insist on calling me Julianne?

He frowns again.  “Do I have to spell it out?”

“I guess so.”

“I like you.  I enjoy your company.”  He shrugs, looking lost and a bit insecure.  I’m so not used to seeing emotions on his beautiful face.

“But you’re my boss.”

“So?”

“So, we could both be fired.”

“It’s just dinner, Julianne.”

“You’re not looking at me like you just want dinner, Nate.”

He cocks his head to the side and a smile kisses his lips.  “How am I looking at you?”

“Like you’d like to fuck me on this desk.” 
Holy. Fuck!  Did I just say that?

Nate’s smile disappears and his eyes narrow.  “Watch your mouth.”

I swallow hard and blink rapidly.

“There are many places that I’d enjoy fucking you, including this desk, but right now, I simply want to enjoy a meal with you.”

“Watch your mouth.” I whisper and his smile is back.

“Telling your boss what to do?”

“Somehow, I don’t think we’re having this conversation in a boss/employee context.”  I shake my head and stare at the man before me.  “What is this?  Why now?”

“Eat.”

“I’m suddenly no longer hungry, thanks.”

“Just humor me, Julianne.”

“Why do you call me Julianne?” I ask and pick up another piece of sticky chicken.

“It’s your name.”  His eyes are on my mouth and I smile to myself as I grab an egg roll and bite off the end.

“Everyone calls me Jules.”

“Not me.”

“Why?” I ask again.

“Because Julianne suits you.”  He shrugs and takes a bite of his food.

“But I prefer Jules.”

“Okay, Julianne.”  He winks at me, and grins broadly before taking another bite of food.

“I’ll bet when you were small your teacher sent home a letter to your parents saying, ‘Doesn’t play well with others.’”

Nate laughs, and my gut clenches.  “Probably.”

I realize I’ve cleaned my plate and I throw it in the trash and bag the left overs.  “Okay, I ate. Thanks for dinner. Have a good weekend.”  I rise to walk out the door, but Nate leaps up and stops me.

“Don’t go yet.”

“Why not?”

He licks his lips, shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels.  “Stay with me this weekend.  At my place.”

I think I’ve entered an alternate universe.  Or I’m on Punked.  Yes, that’s it.  Punked.  I start looking around the room, behind me, up in the corners of the room.

“What are you looking for?”  he asks as he follows my gaze.

“The cameras.”

“What cameras?”

“I have to either be on Punked or I’m being set up to be fired.”

Nate laughs, a low chuckle that tickles my insides.  “Why do you say that?”

“Because, you’ve shown no signs of attraction toward me in months, which is fine with me, and if I stay with you this weekend, we could both lose our jobs.”

His smile is gone, and his wide gray eyes go glacial.  “Number one, I don’t give a fuck about the no frat policy here.  Any relationship I choose to have, in any capacity I choose to have it, is none of their business.  And number two…”

He grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger and pulls me to him, slides his lips over mine, softly kissing me, persuading my lips open and I’m reminded just how well this man can kiss.

He must have taken classes in this at some point.

I melt against him and brace my hands on his narrow hips. His fingers weave through my hair and as this kiss goes on and on, my body relaxes against him in relief that he still finds me attractive, and in pure unadulterated lust.

“I definitely find you attractive, baby.”  He whispers the words against my forehead and plants a soft kiss there.

He caresses my cheek with the backs of his fingers and his gray eyes have softened.  “So, what do you say?  Spend the weekend with me?”

Chapter Two

What in the hell am I supposed to do?  Nate’s gray eyes are gazing into mine and I see a hint of nervousness that I’ve never seen on his striking face before.  He’s always so self-contained, so confident.  It’s one of the things I’m most attracted to about him.  I’ve felt pulled to him from day one, and not just physically, although he is something to write home about.  He’s also the smartest man I’ve ever met, and there is something here that I can’t deny.

But… and there’s always a
but
… he’s my boss. And the last time I spent time with him at his place, it ended in disaster.

“I don’t want to make things hard for us here,” I find myself muttering.

“Things are already hard for us here.  We’ve been struggling for eight months to pretend that there’s nothing between us, and we both know it’s a lie.”  He pulls away from me and shoves his hands back in his pockets, and I know he’s giving me some space, letting me decide.

I shake my head and look down at my shoes, planting my hands on my hips.

“Unless
you
aren’t interested in
me
, and if that’s the case, I sincerely apologize.”

I whip my head up at the chill in his voice and find his eyes narrowed on my face, searching me.  This is it, he’s given me an out.

Tell him you’re not interested.  Walk away, Jules.

But I can’t.  I just… can’t.  And it fucking pisses me off that I’m feeling vulnerable and confused.

“I don’t know what to do,” I whisper and close my eyes.

“Don’t over think it,” he whispers back. 
Natalie is right, whispering is sexy as hell. 
“Let’s just spend a few days getting to know each other better.  If we decide there’s no chemistry, fine, we’ll get back to business as usual, no hard feelings.”  He reaches out and runs his knuckles down my cheek again and his eyes warm, and I know I’m sunk.  “I’d like to spend a few days with you, away from here.”

I turn away from him and walk to his windows, looking out at the twinkling lights of the city. I want this. Two days with Nate, not worrying about saying or doing or looking at him in an inappropriate way, just being myself. Maybe we’ll hate each other by morning.

I doubt that.

I take a deep breath and turn around.  He’s standing there, his hands still in his pockets, looking sexy as sin in that suit, his face completely sober, his eyes searching mine, and I know I can’t resist what he’s offering.

“I’ll meet you at your place in two hours.”

A smile tickles his lips.  “I can pick you up.”

“No, I’d rather have my own car.”  He frowns and I explain further. “If you hate me by morning, I don’t want to be dependent on you for a ride home.”

“I’m not going to hate you, Julianne, but if that’s the way you want it, fine.  I have one condition.”

I raise my eyebrows.  “What’s that?”

“You will not run out on me this time. If you decide you want to leave it will be after you’ve discussed it with me first so I don’t wake up to any surprises.”