Romance: Edge of Desire (3 page)

Chapter 7

Walking into the office at the end of the corridor, I knock gently and pop my head in.

“Hello?” I quiz as I enter the room.

As I enter the room, an older lady looks at me from over the top of her glasses. She is sitting behind a large desk and typing away with aggression on her keyboard. That must be a theme around here.

“Hi. Are you Nancy?” I question.

“Yes. You must be the new thing,” she states bluntly.

“The new thing?” my eyes almost pop out of my head. “My name is Harper.”

She pauses and then smiles, “You’re not what I expected.”

“How so?”

“Mr. Adams has a particular habit of hiring a certain type of girl. He has a type. And you don’t match his usual description.”

“I’m just here to make coffee.”

“Sure you are,” she replies.

“Sorry, but I’m not sure what you are implying. I was hired to make coffees for the executive team.”

“Is that what he told you? That’s a new one.”

“Yes, that’s what he said. Should I expect something different?”

Nancy shakes her head, “Look dear, Mr. Adams is a very busy man and he usually picks girls to work closely with him that are more…”

“More what?”

“More beautiful.”

“Oh,” I say dejected.

“Don’t worry sweetie. If he has chosen you to work for him, there must be a reason. I’m sure that you’re very good at making coffees. I’ll show you to the barista room next to the kitchen and you can start by showing me how well you make a cup of Joe.”

“Ok… I’m just a little overwhelmed by things at the moment. It all seems a bit serendipitous.”

“Serendipitous?” Nancy laughs out loud, and then snorts.

“Yes… why is that so funny?”

“Well, I like you already,” her whole body bounces as she chuckles. “That is the biggest word I have ever heard any of Mr. Adams girls use. You certainly aren’t the usual type of girl that he hires!”

“He hires a lot of girls then?” I am starting to get a really bad impression about this job. It seems that the man that has come into my coffee shop every day for the past month has a lot of bad habits.

Nancy leans forward to talk to me. “I’m going to be honest with you, Harper. Mr. Adams hires a lot of girls for very short periods of time. Usually they walk in here looking like they have come straight off the catwalks in Milan. They think they are above working and once Mr. Adams is bored with them, he fires them. And he usually gets bored very quickly, so I have seen a lot of girls come and go. But you… you are different. You’re witty, feisty and strong. Definitely not the usual type of girl that walks in here.”

“Well, I…”

“Let me warn you though,” Nancy interrupts me. “And I’m only saying this because I like you. Brad is an interesting character. He… he is very charming and convincing but it is all surface talk. Rarely does anybody get to see the real Brad. Work is everything to him and it means that he doesn’t have to open up. Underneath the surface you’ll find a lost man who doesn’t know how to form lasting relationships.”

“That’s good to know. I’ve been serving him coffees every morning for the past month and…”

“Oh…” Nancy interrupts me and then ponders her thoughts for a while. “That explains a lot. This last month is the happiest I have ever seen him. Hmmm…”

Her comment brings a smile to my face, “How long have you worked for Brad?”

“For the past ten years. I was the first person he hired when he was just twenty-one years old. I have been beside him as he has built this business into something special. He always turns to me for advice and I like to think that we built it together. And I have seen many girls come and go over the years, and it is because he pushes them away the second they get close to him.”

“He hasn’t pushed you away?”

“I’m the most motherly figure he has ever had in his life. Not many people know his past, but he was thrown from foster home to foster home and he never had anyone to care for him. I think that is why he protects his heart so much. He’s vulnerable and that’s why he hides behind the business. It gives him a chance to be someone. Just be careful, Harper.”

“Thanks… I think,” I smile.

“Come on,” Nancy gets up from behind her desk. “Let me show you the coffee machine and I’ll have the first taste.”

Chapter 8

Luckily Nancy was impressed with my coffee making skills.

As soon as I have provided her with a warm cup of comfort, a message comes through to her that Brad would also like two cups of coffee. Quickly, I move to my coffee machine and focus hard enough to ensure I get the process perfect.

After grinding the fresh beans, whipping up the milk, and adding one sugar to both cups, the coffee smells so good that even I want to drink it.

I deliver it to Nancy but she shakes her head. “No dear, you take it into him.”

She stands and opens the large glass doors and I nervously walk into his office holding the tray.

Again, I am stunned by the grandness of this place. His office feels like something out of a Hollywood movie. I never actually thought that offices this large existed.

Beautiful view, amazing artwork, lots of space, and even a small bar to the side. I am lucky that I don’t drop the tray as I stand in awe of the main office.

And then there is Brad.

Wow. Even more impressive than the office.

“Harper,” Brad smiles. “Welcome. Please come in.”

I place the tray off to the side of his main desk and place the coffee down for him. I look around the room but only Brad is in here, “Sorry. Nancy said that you want two coffees.”

“I do. One is for you. Please, sit down,” his large hand directs me towards the expensive chair opposite his desk. Everything in this room says money.

“Oh,” I smile. “Ok.”

Taking the second coffee, I sit opposite him.

“Tell me about yourself Harper.”

“About me?” I ask surprised. “What would you like to know?”

“Something real.”

“Real?”

“Yes. We’ve been talking for the past month and I feel like I know you…” he looks towards the window. “But I actually know nothing about you.” He sips his coffee, “Expect, of course, that you make exceptional coffee.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Something real? Um…” I sip my coffee hoping it will give me some bravery. “I love the city.”

His delicious green eyes stare at mine, “And what is it exactly that you love about the city?”

“The excitement. The rush. The buzz. The fact that we are on the cutting edge of finance, fashion and art. I love that. I love being a part of something that evolves all the time.”

Brad smiles slightly, looking quite pleased with himself, “You certainly chose the right part of the city for that. This is where the action happens.”

“And you?” I ask.

“Me?”

“Yes. Tell me something real about you.”

Brad face shows a slight amount of shock. I am sure that not many women have been so direct with him, but I am not a bimbo here to entertain him. If he wants to engage in that sort of conversation, that he better be aware that it is a two-way street.

Brad looks into his coffee, slowly takes another sip and then stands to face the window. As he faces away from me, I have a clear view of his tight butt, broad shoulders and tall physique… yum.

He stares out the window with his hands behind his back for some time until he breaks the silence, “Come look at this, Harper.”

Hesitantly, I stand and walk over the window next to him, “Wow. What a view. That is amazing.”

“It certainly is.”

“Do you love this view?” I ask.

“The view?” he questions. “Yes, I love the view but…” he sighs. “It’s not what I really love. What I really love is the fact that I am above it all.”

“Power issues, uh?” I joke.

He doesn’t reply to attempt at humor. “I love the fact that I am above everyone else, Harper. It makes me feel powerful. And I love feeling powerful. I love the fact that I hold people’s lives in my hands. If I say jump, they have to jump. If I say sit down, they sit down. I love that power.”

I want to ask whether that is caused by a lonely childhood, possibly because he had no power over his situation. He had no control over where to go and what happened to him… but even I think that is too far after only one sip of coffee together.

“I have never said that to anyone,” Brad looks back down to me as I stand next to him. He looks as shocked about his statement as I am. “There is something about you makes me want to be honest… truthful… I have never felt that before, Harper.”

I don’t know how to reply to the statement. And I am hardly ever lost for words.

As I stand next to him, his gaze meets my eyes. And then his lips come towards mine… is he going to kiss me?

And…

Wow.

His lips gently touch mine and I almost melt in the moment. My entire soul is alight with the chemistry.

Oh…

I am lost in the kiss.

His tender lips send my head spinning.

No.

I can’t.

Pulling away from the impossible kiss, I take a step back with my eyes still on his.

“Sorry…” I whisper to his shocked face. “But… you’re my new boss and I…”

“No,” he replies. “It’s ok. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I got carried away in the moment, which is very unlike me. I’m sorry.”

I nod, still staring at those deep green eyes.

And then, quickly and nervously, I leave the room.

Chapter 9

What happened?

It has now been two hours since the kiss and I am standing next to my coffee machine, still shaking. The text exchange with Nicole hasn’t helped. She thinks I should walk back in there and rip the clothes off the man.

Don’t get me wrong, that would be nice…

No!

I can’t think like that.

No matter how good looking the man is, I can’t be his piece of meat. I am more than that. I respect myself too much just to be a piece of meat.

I mean, I’m not even here for him. I’m here for me.

I’m here because I want to earn enough money to stay in the city and pay off my debts. I don’t want to go home and if that means I have to work with this man, then that is fine.

More than fine.

But if he wanted to take me to dinner first?

Well, that would be a totally different scenario. Then I could jump his bones without even thinking about it.

I mean, there
was
chemistry in that kiss.

I can’t deny that. I could see that he felt the chemistry in that kiss. I could see it in his eyes. He loved it as much as I did.

Definitely.

Absolutely.

He can’t deny it… could he?

I have spent the last two hours making coffees for Brad’s executive team, trying to distract myself from
that
moment. But still, I have a massive smile stretched across my face.

I can’t wipe it off.

Even when I try to frown, my lips creep back up.

It has been a very nice bonus to my new job.

Then a request comes through that Brad needs another coffee.

He doesn’t
want
another coffee – the message says he
needs
it. The message also says that Nancy is to deliver it, not me. He must be feeling uncomfortable about what happened before, and I don’t blame him for feeling that way.

The first interaction after
that moment
is going to be uncomfortable.

Quickly, I make the coffee to perfection and walk into Nancy’s office but she isn’t there. I look around but there is no sign of her.

Staring at his glass doors, I take a deep breath. I don’t want the coffee to be delivered late if he
needs
it. He’s a powerful man and I can only guess that he doesn’t like anything to be late.

Taking a deep breath, I walk into the office…

Oh…

Shit.

My whole world stops spinning.

I see…

I see
her
.

Straddled on Brad’s lap is the receptionist from the foyer. The stunning blonde model is resting on his lap, like she lounging on a couch. She giggles like a little schoolgirl as he whispers something in her ear.

“Oh…” Brad notices me as he pulls his eyes away from her large breasts. “I asked Nancy to deliver that coffee.”

“Nancy… she wasn’t there.”

Brad stands up suddenly, almost like it took a few moments to realize what was happening, and he brushes the blonde aside, looking like he has been caught with his hands down his pants. 

He stares at me – waiting for me to say something.

The blonde stands next to him and places her hand on his shoulder, smiling with animosity.

I smile politely, but not genuinely, and place the coffee on the edge of his desk, quickly turning to walk back out the door. 

Brad doesn’t move or say another word as I exit.

Shit.

What a bastard.

What a pure bastard.