In the Boss's Bed (Harlequin Blaze) (4 page)

Jamie’s attention was drawn to the door when he heard a hesitant knock. He smiled, knowing he didn’t have any appointments lined up at the moment. So it must have been Maya, returning from the human resources department. He pictured her on the other side, biting her lip, not wanting to enter without permission, but needing to enter and not knowing what to do. He pushed himself away from his desk and walked to the door. He pulled it open and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Maya standing there, holding yet another folder that the human resources department had given her.

“Hi,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to disturb you. Mary is at lunch and I didn’t want to barge in.”

He chuckled and moved aside so she could enter. “Maya, this is your office, as well.” He ushered her in. “I hope it works for you. I like to keep my right-hand man, uh, w-woman,” he stammered, “close by. But don’t feel the need to knock, just come on in. If there’s something going on for which I need privacy, I’ll just use the conference room down the hall.”

Maya nodded. “Sounds good.” She walked to her own desk to address her own stack of files. Jamie noted how much brighter she made his office. It was nice having another person around in the large room again. She looked up at him and smiled brightly. “So, where should I start?”

Jamie found himself staring. He shook his head to clear the fogginess she made him feel. He dealt with the unwelcome distraction the only way he knew how, by focusing on business. “I need you to go over the contractors’ quotes for work on the premier Swerve Hotel opening here in the city.”

“Sounds good,” she said pleasantly, though her eyes narrowed at his newly curt tone. She shrugged and located the particular folder she needed and opened it, starting her own work.

* * *

M
AYA
SAT
QUIETLY
at her own desk all afternoon. She could feel the tension rolling from his side of the office. At first, she wondered if it had something to do with her. Had she done something to displease him? She racked her brain thinking of everything that she had done or said. He never looked up from his desk, unless to ask her a specific question about her work or to answer one of hers. He barely acknowledged her existence. At first, his dismissal of her played on her mind. She thought that they were building a friendly relationship, with the easy conversation that they had shared earlier. But his new treatment of her shook her confidence.

It was when she watched him drag his hands through his dark hair, for probably the hundredth time that afternoon, she frowned.
Why are you so freaking sensitive?
She scolded herself.
This isn’t about you. This guy obviously has a lot going on right now, and he doesn’t have time to play nice with you, chatting all day. He hired you to do a job. So do it, Maya.

Her eyes still on him, she watched him tent his long fingers in front of his face, obviously deep in thought. He grabbed a pen and scribbled furiously on a pad of yellow legal paper in front of him, apparently caught by a moment of inspiration.

Watching him at work, she smiled. Jamie Sellers was an impossibly good-looking man. Once again she was brought back to the night when, at the nightclub below them, she had kissed him in one of the most impulsive moments of her life. Her lips tingled and desire flushed throughout her body. Every time she thought about that kiss she had a similar reaction. But if she hoped to concentrate on anything at all this afternoon she needed to stop. Shaking herself free of the thoughts, she sighed.

Her sigh was a little too loud, as it caught Jamie’s attention. He gazed over at her. His steel-blue eyes seemingly looking into her. “Everything okay?”

Caught off guard, she stammered a little. “Uh, yeah, sorry. I think I just need a cup of coffee.” She recovered quickly, gesturing to the espresso machine in the kitchenette.

“Help yourself,” he said, looking back down at his paperwork. “Do you know how to use one of those?”

“Yeah, my parents have one just like it.” She stood. “Do you want anything?”

“Just so we’re clear, your job isn’t to get me coffee. I can get my own coffee,” he told her, brow furrowed. “But, yeah sure, if you don’t mind.” He smiled. “A double espresso, no sugar or anything would be great. Thank you.”

* * *

B
Y
THE
EVENING
, Jamie found himself seated at the bar of the club downstairs. He watched Trevor dry the glasses he had just pulled from the washer with a microfiber cloth. Jamie smiled at the attention to detail. Neither man could abide serving glasses that had dried water spots on them.

“You all right, man?” Trevor asked him while he worked.

Jamie shoved his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

“How’s the new assistant working out?” he asked with a smirk.

Jamie regarded Trevor carefully. He obviously knew that he had hired Maya. “She’s working out just fine,” he answered with a curt nod.

“Can I get you a Coke?”

Jamie shook his head. “Not today. I will have a finger of the Aberfeldy 21, though. Neat.”

Raising a questioning eyebrow, Trevor reached for one of their finest scotches. “Sure, friend.” He reached for the bottle at the top of the display and carefully poured out a serving. “That’s a strange order for you. You don’t normally drink at all, let alone here. What’s up?”

“Why does anything need to be up?” he demanded.

“Jamie, you’re a creature of habit, some might think you’re bordering on workaholic. So, what exactly is going on here?” He leaned on the bar to come face-to-face with Jamie. “Does it have anything to do with the beautiful new assistant you hired? I heard her name is Maya Connor. Funny, that happens to be the name of the woman who kissed you right here at the bar not long ago, is it not?”

Jamie threw back the scotch and swallowed it in one gulp. Normally, he would have enjoyed sipping such a decadent spirit, but right then he needed the fortification. “Yeah,” he sighed, the scotch burning a pleasant trail down his throat and into his stomach. “Even though you already seem to know, it is her.”

He proceeded to tell Trevor about their encounter in Dr. Carmichael’s class and him offering her the job. “And for the love of God, could you please keep that kiss on the down-low,” he whispered and leaned in. “I don’t want anyone getting ideas about why she was hired.”

“It’s nobody’s business, but why did you hire her?”

Jamie was silent for a moment. Why had he hired her? He wanted to say that it was strictly professional. That he knew she would be a competent assistant and nothing more. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell his friend that. So he went with the partial truth. “She came highly recommended by Dr. Carmichael, and I trust his opinion,” he said with a wave. “What happened here that night is just a wacky coincidence. She told me that it was a dare. Her friend Abby was trying to get her to be a little wilder, so she dared Maya to kiss me. That’s all. That’s the story.”

“Uh-huh.” Trevor stood straight, clearly unconvinced, and gestured to the empty glass Jamie had slammed down on the bar. “So, why the drink?”

“Why can’t I have a drink in my own club?” he angrily defended himself. “I have to head back upstairs for a conference call soon, and I just wanted a quick break to relax a little. Is that okay with you?”

Trevor smiled at his friend’s outburst. “It’s fine, dude. If anyone needs to relax a little, it’s clearly you.”

4

M
AYA
ENTERED
HER
apartment at seven o’clock. She knew that Jamie was staying late for a conference call to settle some things with a presentation he would be giving at an upcoming conference in Las Vegas. She had offered to stay, but he dismissed her, saying it wasn’t necessary. It still felt like a brush-off, all the same. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was uncomfortable being in the same room with her, and she wondered why he hired her if her presence made him so bristly? She made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Merlot, and when Abby ran into the kitchen to greet her she poured one for her friend, as well.

“So, how was your day?” Abby asked her, eager anticipation spread across her face.

Unsurprisingly, Abby had been supportive of Maya accepting the position. She was a great friend and she was so excited for Maya. She had even helped her decide on an outfit for her first day, in addition to helping her research Jamie and J. Sellers Holdings.

Maya’s smile was tired. “It was long. There’s a lot of work to get done. He’s got so much going on. But—big news—he did tell me that the two of us would be going to Las Vegas in a few of weeks for a convention. So that’s pretty exciting.”

“Vegas? With Mr. Gorgeous? That’s amazing. I’m so jealous! I love Vegas.”

“Yeah, it should be great. I’ve never been there, but I doubt I’ll get much time to sightsee, or shop, or anything else. He’s pretty serious about business being strictly that.” She took a sip of her wine.

“And a weird thing. The day was going fine at first, but then it’s like his personality changed,” she told Abby, frowning. “He spent most of the day ignoring me, and we both worked quietly at our desks. It was kind of awkward.”

“You said he was busy. That’s probably just him in work mode,” Abby offered.

Maya rolled her eyes, embarrassed that she had been so sensitive. “Of course, that’s it. He is busy. He’s still at the office on a conference call, as we speak.”

“Or, maybe he was just on edge because he was concerned you would jump him at his desk?” Abby mused, an evil glint in her eye. “Did you think about that?”

Maya sighed and brushed past her. “I don’t know why I even talk to you.”

“Because I’m your best friend and you value my opinion.”

“Oh, right, I forgot,” she laughed.

Abby followed her down the narrow hallway which led to the bedrooms and the bathroom. “He is insanely good-looking. Do you want to jump him at his desk?”

“No, I’m his assistant. This is a
strictly professional
working relationship.”

“Maya, I know everything about you, so don’t think I don’t know when you’re all hot and bothered over a guy,” she reminded her. “Even if it’s been more than a millennium since that has happened.”

Maya dropped her laptop bag and her purse in her bedroom and moved past Abby once again. “I’m not all
hot and bothered
over Jamie. But I am getting in the bath. I’ll see you in a bit.”

* * *

M
AYA
WALKED
INTO
the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Abby alone in the hallway. She turned on the hot water, letting it fall over her fingertips. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she poured in some bath salts and her favorite lavender bubble bath. She grabbed her phone and found a soft jazz radio station to stream online. Closing her eyes, Maya sipped her wine, finally able to decompress after her long day. When the tub filled, she lit some candles, and she quickly undressed and slipped into the too-hot water. The sensation made her hiss at first, drawing in air between her teeth. But she quickly acclimated and slid into the water until it covered the tops of her breasts.

She moaned. There was truly nothing better to her than a piping-hot bath. The bathtub was her sanctuary. It always had been. Even when she was younger, she looked forward to her private bath time. In the tub, she didn’t have to think about her parents or the pressure they had put on her, her schoolwork, piano or her skating lessons. It was her time.

Closing her eyes, and without any other distractions, she let herself once again think of Jamie Sellers. As impossible as it was, she could still smell his cologne, feel him nearby, hear the deep timbre of his voice as it echoed in her brain.

All day, she had wanted to just reach out and touch him and run her fingertips over the coarse hair on his strong jaw. She remembered with a shiver the point in the afternoon when he had loosened his tie and unfastened the top button of his shirt. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and play with the small tuft of dark hair that was revealed. She tried not to stare as he rolled up his sleeves, exposing his strong, tan forearms and more hair that looked so exquisitely soft.

With a small sigh, Maya laid her head back against her bath pillow. There was no denying it. Abby was right, though she would never admit it. She did want Jamie. Badly. She was indeed all
hot and bothered.
It had been so long since she had thought that way about a man. She assumed now that she was basically finished with school she would have time for lust and desire and to give in to her romantic inclinations. She dismissed the thought as quickly as it formed. She would have wanted Jamie even if she was still in the freshman year of her MBA.

But after today, he had more than made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her, outside of a professional, working relationship. The lack of interest he’d shown her was formidable, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be attracted to him. She would pine for him in secret if she needed to. Maya needed the job, and she wouldn’t do anything to screw it up. But, God, he invaded her thoughts like no other.

Maya touched her own lips and remembered what it felt like to kiss him. She brought those fingertips to her jawline and down the sensitive skin of her neck. How would his lips feel tracing a similar route? She brushed her hand over her chest and down her full breasts. She smoothed her fingers over a stiff nipple and her fingers continued their voyage south over her belly.

When Maya reached the small triangle of curls at the apex of her thighs, she hesitated briefly before slipping a finger inside her warm folds. She bit back a moan when her digit skirted over the sensitive nub. She pictured Jamie’s mouth and fingers on her, giving her the pleasure she sought with her own hand. She slipped one finger and then another inside, while her other hand strummed rhythmically around her clit. When she closed her eyes, she pictured Jamie’s warmth was all around her, and he plunged into her. Waves, both physical and metaphorical, cascaded over her. Her legs shook, and she hooked one over the edge of the bathtub. Somewhere in her brain, she knew she was splashing water on the floor, but she didn’t care. The pleasure that Jamie-in-her-head was giving her was too great to stop because of a little water on the floor. She felt herself rise and crest, and Maya pulled her bottom lip between her teeth in order to stop herself from screaming as she came with a force she’d never experienced in her life. She extracted her hand, and she leaned back in the tub until most of her face was under water.

I can do this
, she told herself, with a sigh.
I can do this.