Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Boss - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 1) (17 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Not a Bad Way to Pass the Time

JAMES GREETED ANDREW at the door to the conference room with a sincere handshake and a pat on the back. He offered Jennifer a smile as she squeezed behind Andrew to take a seat in one of the chairs around the long rectangular table. If he did a double take at her breathtaking getup for the day, she missed it. She wondered if he was able to get his ring out the drain. Did he really say it was fifty thousand dollars? A shiver ran through her body.

Andrew sat on the opposite side of the table, two chairs to the right of Jennifer. He leaned against the chair and winked at her when he saw her watching him. She looked away quickly. Andrew chuckled.

James was tinkering with a small pot of coffee. He used the hotel brand, their disgusting brand of creamer and dropped in several packets of sugar that were likely to be stale, crystalized, and just plain nasty. Jennifer grimaced as she watched. She generally bought his coffee from an upscale, classy shop somewhere downtown. On the mornings she was making great time, she’d often stop for a bit of Garret’s too, but those days were very rare.

“Jennifer, can you run us down tomorrow’s schedule?” James asked; he picked up his cup, scowling when the coffee ran over the sides.

“Sure thing.” She whipped out her phone and began. “You have a conference call with Rocket Panda at 11:30. Scheduled for a 30-minute debriefing of last month’s performance and then it’s game time with Seogen at the Four Seasons for dinner. Appointment time 5:30 pm.”

“Tell me about Rocket Panda,” Andrew said leisurely. He was looking at Jennifer.

She held Andrew’s eyes and swallowed. He was waiting. Looking to James, she saw that he was holding his mug over the countertop, sipping at the coffee. Was she expected to answer to both of them? James glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Can you fill Andrew in please?”

Jennifer took a deep breath. Apparently so.

“Do you want the figures or the summary of the reports?”

“Both,” he smiled at her.

Jennifer frowned before reaching for the folders. She shifted through a couple of papers before she found what she needed. Finding the folder, she pushed it towards James, flashing him a curt smile. He chuckled and took the document.

“How much were you able to get done on their last quarter information for Seogen?” James asked, still hovering over his mug. He shot Jennifer a cursory glance.

“I’ve got a good fourth of the information pulled,” she stopped as she saw his face. He turned to her, confused.

“That’s it?”

“She had dinner with me last night,” Andrew said over the open folder. He didn’t bother looking up.

Jennifer felt her stomach tighten. She really didn’t want James to know that. His face changed to something unreadable. He seemed perplexed and looked to Andrew.

“Dinner? Where’d you go?”

“Eddie Merlot’s,” Andrew put an arm on the table. He had marked on several sheets within the folder. Were the numbers wrong? Why was he scrutinizing her work?

“Oh, they have one here?” James asked curiously.

Andrew looked at him. “Yes. In Englewood. About 30 minutes away.”

James smiled. “What’d you guys have?”

Setting the folder down, Andrew glanced at Jennifer. “I had a fat juicy bloody steak and she had sesame tuna.”

“I love their steaks,” James growled. He laughed and set down his mug. “So what was the occasion?” He looked to his assistant.

Jennifer smiled. There wasn’t an ounce of jealousy, and why should there be? They weren’t together, not even remotely close.

Andrew met Jennifer’s eyes and held the gaze strong. He looked her over thoughtfully before facing James. “I just wanted to take her out.”

James smiled. “That was nice of you. Did you enjoy it?”

“Every second,” Andrew answered without hesitation. The room grew quiet. James’s faced changed.

He looked to Jennifer, searching her face. “Did you enjoy it too?”

She could only give a weak nod. Something uneasy began to build in the room. “Yes, I did.” She decided to change the subject. “Almost as much as I enjoyed tossing your fifty thousand dollar ring into the drain.” She couldn’t say it with a straight face.

Andrew sat up. “What?”

James scoffed, squinting at Jennifer. “It’s nothing—and I got it back by the way. Had plumbing in here until two am taking those pipes apart.”

“What?” Andrew asked again.

Jennifer eyed James carefully. She didn’t want to make a mockery of the let down from Katie, but she had to deflect the heat. He didn’t seem too bothered about it. Or maybe it was that feigned indifference men could be known for, although Jennifer was certain James was pretty terrible at it.

“It was a ring I bought. I let Jennifer see it, and it got stuck,” James paused and reached for his mug again. “It ended up going down the drain.” After a drink, he stood and stooped to pick up his briefcase.

“Let’s plan for lunch at two. I’ve got a meeting right now with Carnal,” James looked to Jennifer. “We’ll need those reports with Seogen by three. We need to run it down, tweak it. Make it perfect. I want it all done tonight before eight.” Jennifer nodded.

“Carnal Magnal?” Andrew asked.

James looked to his new partner and nodded. “Yes. Turns out they were at the benefit and have started to reconsider the assessment we gave them several months ago, thanks to her,” James jerked his head towards Jennifer. “They absolutely loved your speech.”

Andrew sat up. “They’re interested in you?”

“Us,” James corrected with a large grin, “and yes. They are.”

Andrew whistled. “I’d love to be a fly on that wall. When are you meeting with them?”

“45 minutes. They’re above Fort Collins.”

Jennifer tapped on her phone, trying to ignore their conversation, but she couldn’t help but key in. Was Andrew going to ditch her?

“You should come with me,” James said as an afterthought. “Yes, you should be there.”

Andrew leaned back in his chair. “I promised your assistant I’d work with her on the reports since I took her evening last night.”

Jennifer exhaled. Andrew didn’t look her way, but James did briefly before looking back to Andrew.

“Are you sure? She’s quite capable of handling the reports herself.”

Normally, Jennifer would have smiled politely at that kind of statement. It was how James complimented her. This time, it just felt rude and insensitive. Then again, maybe her anger was unjustified. After all, this
is
what she got paid to do.

Andrew stared thoughtfully at James. “I know she’s capable, but I’d like to help her, so she’s not working all day.”

James nodded and then looked towards Jennifer. “I bet you’re glad we have him for a partner now, aren’t you?”

She could only smile in response. James left them minutes later after finishing the rest of his coffee. She had never really pegged him for the type of man to drink
any
thing caffeinated. That thought sickened her a bit. She would have thought even an order from a nearby shop would have been better than the hotel grounds he used for his coffee. Then again, if he wanted something of higher caliber, he would have probably asked her to get it.

Jennifer sighed. Andrew had returned to the papers within the folder. He circled, marked and wrote notes. She was used to James checking her work, but for some reason, watching Andrew looking over the paperwork only made her anxious.

After several minutes had passed, he lowered the folder with a sigh. When their eyes met, his face brightened.

“Ready to get to work?”

Jennifer shrugged. “I was born ready.”

He chuckled and then stood. She watched as he walked the length of the table and moved into the seat closest to her. He motioned to her computer and asked to see the information she had been preparing for the detailed report the previous day. She did as he was told, holding her breath when he leaned towards her computer. He moved in from her left side and then tapped at her keyboard as if he were confiscating the entire thing for his purposes right then and there.

He used the arrow keys, the page up and page down buttons. He even highlighted certain text and figures with the word program with just one hand. Jennifer wondered if she should relinquish her seat too. This wasn’t exactly working together. Then again, she thought she rather liked the feel of him so close to her again.

After several more clicks and taps on the keyboard, Andrew glanced back at Jennifer. He looked twice, the second time, he just stared. Seconds before his gaze turned uncomfortable, he pushed up from the table and settled himself into the seat closest to her.

“How do you think we should do this?”

Jennifer blinked. Was he talking about the report or the business venture he mentioned earlier? What if he was talking about something else entirely?

“I’m pretty good at picking out key phrases from reports that we can transfer to figures for a presentation. If you don’t mind, I’d like to do that, unless, of course, that’s your thing, and you don’t really like presentations.”

“I love making presentations,” the words slid off her tongue a bit too easy, but they were every bit of truth. To her, the proper presentation was an art form that she learned to master years ago for James. When done correctly and presented with the right information and confident speaker, presentations could make or break a deal.

Andrew’s eyes lazily looked over the features of Jennifer’s face. That sexy smile was back. “Seems like we make a pretty good team.”

A smile tugged at her lips.

“I guess so.”

Chapter Sixteen

Confronting Suspicions

SHE WASN’T SURE how Andrew was able to concentrate, but within minutes, he had his laptop with the copied documents and was working silently at her side. They ordered a feast for breakfast. While they waited, Jennifer scoured the internet for photos, quotes, and inspiring templates for the presentation. In the end, Jennifer decided on creating her own, unique theme.

Room service arrived with breakfast, and it was completely ordinary. Andrew diligently worked while he ate, prompting Jennifer to do the same. She fought herself constantly to forget the kiss they shared. Whenever she succeeded, her mind would immediately switch to the conversation the men had about their date. Andrew didn’t seem the least bit concerned about whatever it was that happened or was happening between them at work. Jennifer didn’t understand how he could sit so comfortably next to her after the kiss they shared before leaving her room. Then again, maybe kisses didn’t mean much to millionaires. They probably had a dollar for every time they had
ever
kissed someone.

She groaned. Sometimes, she hated having a feminine heart. It seemed to create delusions and fantasies about people and places that only existed in her mind. The kiss was real though. That much she knew. She remembered his hands on her body like he had wanted to hold and caress her the very moment he had seen her. Then again, maybe that was just her girly tendencies searching for coincidences where none existed.

Jennifer sighed again and forced the words on her screen to focus. It was then that she saw Andrew looking at her. He wasn’t trying to hide his gaze. Their eyes met, and he looked at her face. His eyes lingered on her lips before he met her eyes again.

“You keep sighing,” he said flatly.

Jennifer wanted to ask him about the kiss, but that would make her too much of a little girl, she was certain of it. These men—men like Andrew—they liked a good fight, didn’t they? Someone playing a little hard to get to make them chase a bit? But didn’t Andrew say he was getting too old for games? Andrew turned to her completely and reached for her cheek. He stroked it quickly before bringing his hand down. Too many thoughts had elapsed for Jennifer to play off the frustration in her mind.

“Talk to me,” he said calmly.

Jennifer swallowed. It was a trap. Now she remembered why she didn’t date—she knew nothing about men. Every little thing they said only confounded her. She felt like they couldn’t be trusted. They spoke in some language only sex goddesses understood to keep their hearts from breaking while everyone else fell victim to the spells their words cast.

“I’m fine,” Jennifer knew her voice said she wasn’t, but it was her answer, her
final
answer, and she didn’t plan on changing it.

“You don’t look fine,” Andrew mused. He glanced at his wrist, and his smile grew wider. “You know, we’ve been working for almost two hours. I think we should take a break.”

Jennifer shifted in her seat, unable to meet Andrew’s eyes. “Has it really been two hours?”

“Almost,” he answered quickly, he swiveled in the chair. “Want to take a break?”

She swallowed. “To do what?”

“Relax.” She could feel his laughing grin burning her skin. It wouldn’t seem like anything that was possible, but it was happening right now.

Jennifer arched her back slowly, taking in a deep breath. At length, she gave Andrew her full attention and was surprised to find his smile gone and concern on his face instead.

“What’s wrong?” He reached for her cheek again, but she shrugged uncomfortably. “You don’t think you’d be up for a swim in the pool?”

“What?”

“The pool. There’s a nice pool here. I like to do laps. Thought you might like to come with.” He looked her over, confused.

Jennifer squawked out a weird laugh. The sound caused Andrew to laugh, although she could see the misunderstanding on his face.

“I thought you meant a different type of relaxing.”

Suddenly, his laugh became more genuine. They must have laughed for minutes straight before silence finally came to them. Even then, Andrew still chuckled abruptly every now and again. He wiped at his eye before meeting Jennifer’s gaze.

“That would make me a real douche, wouldn’t it?” He said with a sly grin.

Chuckling, Jennifer nodded. “Just a little bit.”

Their laughter driveled to giggles. Andrew reached for her face again. This time, she didn’t pull away.