Still In Love With Her (8 page)

I forgo breakfast so that I can make it to work by seven thirty a.m. The other early birds study me as I walk to my office. Mavis is already at her desk, and she stands as soon as she sees me. Her almond eyes are reddened and her expression dreary.
 

I point my head toward my office. “Join me in there.”

Mavis is rigid when she sits in the chair in front of my desk. She’s clenching my schedule and avoiding eye contact. I never took a moment to ponder how my leaving would affect her. I’m the one who asked Mavis to be my assistant. She had been working for the company as a marketing administrative assistant for three years, so one day, I asked her about her goals. She had said she wanted to be an executive assistant because her strengths were in handling details and keeping a very busy person on schedule. So after Linda was promoted, Mavis became my executive assistant. She has made my hectic life manageable.
 

I set my briefcase on my desk and settle into my chair. “I’m sure you’ve heard.”
 

“That you’re leaving? Yes. If the reason…” She ruffles her eyebrows as if she’s reconsidering saying whatever she wants to say.

“It has nothing to do with the meeting. I mean, not anymore. I’m pursuing a new business venture.” The look on her face says she doesn’t believe me. “But I won’t leave you hanging.”

“But are you sure you want to leave? Maybe you should take some time to think about it. You’re very important here. I’ve been receiving calls all morning and this weekend from concerned clients.”

“Well, they shouldn’t be concerned...” Robert says.
 

I look over Mavis’s head at Robert standing in the doorway.
 

“Good morning, Maggie.” Robert’s smirk lingers on me for a few beats before he looks at Mavis. “Good morning, Mavis.”

“Good morning, Mr. Tango.”

“Maggie, we need to...” He points his head toward his office, which is next to Vince’s.

“In a minute,” I say. “I just want to finish up with Mavis.”

He nods. “Are you running over your schedule for the day?”

“We’re getting to that.”

He walks in, takes a chair from the round table I use to hold small meetings, and sits next to Mavis. She and I are caught off guard. I was just about to invite her to come work with me, offering her the same salary and benefits. Of course, I’ll have to hit Jack up for a loan to do that.

“Well, I’ll wait until you get to that part,” he says, making himself comfortable.

I glare at him. “How do you know I didn’t want to speak to her in private?”

He throws up his hands nonchalantly. “About what? You’re leaving.”

“I’m still here now.”

Robert clicks his tongue. “Now, now, Maggie. I only want to see how you work with Mavis since she’ll be my assistant after you leave.”

Mavis and I both look shocked.

“You can’t take her from me,” I whine. No one can make me regress like Robert. I focus on Mavis. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come work with me.”

Finally, she smiles. “Well, of course!”

“I was going to double your salary if you come work for me,” Robert says.

She slaps her hand on her chest and gasps.

I shoot to my feet. “Mavis, could you give us a moment please?”

Her eyes flicker between Robert and me. I can tell that she’s already accepted Robert’s offer because she’s second-guessing my request.
 

“Yes, Maggie and I should talk alone,” Robert says while wearing that naughty smirk.
 

I seethe as Mavis walks out the office. I don’t like the way he looks at her ass. He’s such a scoundrel. Robert shuts the door behind her. If looks could kill, he’d be six feet under.

“Alone at last,” he says.

“Who are you fucking with, me or Mavis?”

Robert tilts his head as if he has to think about it. “Could I fuck you both? What is she? Latina? Black? A combination of the two?”

I take a deep breath and hold it to keep myself from exploding. “You are way out of line.”

He nudges my shoulder. “It’s just a joke. Lighten up. But I do want her to work for me. She’s better than every secretary in the company.”

“She’s an executive assistant,” I snarl.

“Right. But since she’s already an asset to our company, I want to
keep her
.”

“I think I’m the one you’re fucking with,” I say because of the suggestive way he spoke.

He smirks. “I’d like to
keep you
too.”
 

“Okay, you win. If you double her salary, then I won’t fight for her. But I want to see that offer in writing. And I want you to add an executive health package. And profit sharing.”

“Is that all?”

“No. You know that fancy penthouse health club upstairs? I want her to have a full membership to that for as long as she works for your company.”

“Done, done, done, done, and just to put you at ease, done again.”

I sigh. “So is that it? Have you gotten your kicks for the morning?”

Robert’s expression turns serious as he takes the seat Mavis abandoned. “I’ll be shadowing you this week.”

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know why.”

“I do if you’re getting your kicks.”

“What do you mean by ‘kicks’?”

“Grinding my ass, declaring you’re going to sleep with me, and looking at me like you’re fucking me in your thoughts.”

He sniffs. “You make it too easy. But I promise, no more funny business. You don’t want me, I get it.”

I narrow one eye. “Do you?”

He shakes his head. “Yes.”

I laugh. He’s impossible.

Our first meeting is with Linda and her team. We review the event schedule for the next three months as it applies to Prime D TV. Linda continually mentions the fact that I won’t be available when things go wrong. We get through that meeting and the three more afterward.
 

At ten minutes until two, Robert asks, “Do you eat lunch?”
 

We’re heading back to my office for our next meeting with the
Bugsy’s Blue
miniseries international marketing team in London.
 

“You’re hungry?” I ask.

“That’s just too easy,” he says.

“For food?”

“Yes. You haven’t eaten all day. No wonder you’re losing our hills.”

“Our hills?”

He slides his hand down my hip.

I slap it away. “No touching.”
 

“Okay, but you’re going to have to let me take you to dinner tonight.”

“Nope,” I say as we walk past Mavis’s desk. I catch the wink Robert gives her.
 

She accepts it with an obligatory smile.

“Is this how your schedule has been all along?” he asks as we enter my office.

I plop down in my chair and link into London. “Yes, boss.”

“I have to eat. I’m going to ask our executive assistant to order lunch. What do you like?”

“Mavis knows,” I say just before Rayford Riley says, “Hello, Maggie.”

“Hello, Rayford, Betis, and Magnus.”

“I hear you’re leaving us, yes?” Betis, a pure redhead like Prince Harry, says.

“Unfortunately, I am. You shall be missed.”

Robert walks out to have Mavis order lunch, and he closes the door behind him. He’s back fifteen minutes later when we’re almost finished solidifying the media strategy for the new show.
 

An hour later, Mavis lets in two men who set up sushi dishes on my small table. Robert digs in before we bring the meeting to an end.
 

Mavis knocks on the door. “Ten minutes before your next meeting with the print publications division.”

“Cancel it,” Robert says. “Maggie’s done for the day.”

“Tell them I’ll be there,” I say.

“Tell them that Robert Tango says the meeting and all meetings on Maggie’s schedule for the remainder of the day are cancelled. She’s worked her quota.”

I’m too stunned to object again. Mavis looks at me to gauge my reaction. I just shrug. She nods and backs out of the office.

“What the hell was that?” I ask.

“Shit, I didn’t know you worked this fucking hard.”

“Vince knows how hard I work. If you were around more, you would too.”

“Vince…” He closes one eye. “You haven’t mentioned him all day.”

I raise my hand and show him my ring. “The last I saw or heard from Vince, he fucked me and made me wear this.”

He drops that smirk. “Your engagement ring?”

“Yes,” I say, studying the pretty cluster of diamonds.
 

He snorts and sets a plate of food in front of a chair across from where he’s sitting. “Eat now, Maggie.”

The smell of Asian spices stimulates my appetite. I go right over and dig in.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever done what I asked without me cajoling you,” he says.

I roll my eyes and stuff shrimp on a bed of rice into my mouth. The taste hits me right away, and I close my eyes. “Yum.”
 

“Again, too easy.”

I roll my eyes. “Is there ever a moment when sex isn’t on your brain?”

“Not around you.”

“You can’t stand it, can you?”

“No, I can’t. Let’s just do it tonight. My place. No one has to know but you and me.”

I narrow my eyes. “Vince is your friend. Don’t you love him?”

“Yeah, I love him, but if you remember, there was you and me before you and him.”

“Do you mean eons ago back in high school?”

“It wasn’t that long ago. I used to dream about you.”

I can’t help but laugh.
 

Robert looks amused but confused.
 

I say, “You dreamt about me? What did you dream?”

“Do you want me to show you?”

“Is it sexual in nature?”

“Let me show you, and you’ll see.”

“Nope.” I shake my head. “It’s sexual.”

He chuckles. “It’s sexual, but it’s romantic too.”

I laugh and cough, nearly choking on a scallop roll. “Romantic?”

“You and I were watching the sunset, making babies and shit.”

I study him while chewing, searching for clues that he’s pulling my leg. I swallow. “What if Jack had called you instead of Vince and asked if you could give me a job here? What would you have done?”

Robert nods as he ponders. “I would’ve asked you out for a drink.”

“Basically you would’ve tried to get into my pants from day one.”

“That’s part of it.”

I laugh. There are three knocks on the door, and I recognize the cadence. My jaw drops when Vince enters, but I frown when I see who’s with him. Emily is wearing a tight, satiny emerald midi-dress. Robert looks just as surprised to see Vince and Emily as I am. Vince comes over to me and gives me a peck on the cheek.

“Did Robert tell you?” Vince says.

“He’s told me a lot of things,” I say.

Vince scowls. “Emily is going to take over your position.”

Emily looks at me with a satisfied smile. “By the way, we never formally met, although we’ve met before.”
 

“We’ve met before?” I ask, shaking her outstretched hand.

“In high school. Vince and I were dating,” she says as if that’s supposed to ring a bell.

I shake my head. “I barely noticed Vince in high school.” I sneer at him.
 

His frown deepens.

“She only noticed me,” Robert says.

Vince peels his glare off Robert and pins it on me. “You should show Emily what you do.”

“Vince, we should discuss this before we make any final decisions,” Robert says.

I wonder if Emily realizes she’s staring at me. It’s uncomfortable. She’s standing so close to Vince that she might as well cling to his ass.
 

“Is there a problem?” Vince asks Robert.

“A big one. We seriously underestimated Maggie’s workload. We’re going to have to perform a legitimate executive search to replace her.”

I look at Emily, waiting for her to chime in and sell herself, but she just stands there looking pretty and protected by my beautiful ex-boyfriend, or perhaps now fiancé.

Vince checks his watch. “We’ll discuss it tomorrow. We’re going to attend the Guggenheim event tonight,” Vince says, referring to Emily and him.
 

Maybe that explains why she looks as though she’s on her way to a photo shoot.

“Oh?” Robert says as if he’s intrigued. He shoots me a look.

“I think you should attend as well,” Vince says to Robert. “You too, Maggie. A lot of clients will be there. You should smile and explain to them that you’re leaving to pursue another business venture.”

This alien Vince is certainly the same guy who insists I get on my knees whenever his dick gets hard. Although he’s said he’s not involved with Emily, I get a different vibe. I bet she gets on her knees whenever new Vince tells her to. Even though he’s avoiding eye contact with me, I beam in on him as I slip that damn ten-thousand-pound ring off my finger. He looks at me when I drop it into the top drawer of my desk and slam the drawer closed. That felt better than flipping him off with both hands. Vince does an about-face, puts his hand on Emily’s back, and they exit my office. I’m so pissed that I can feel my lips scrunch.

“So you’re my date tonight, and she’s his,” Robert says, taunting me.

“Don’t you have any compassion for my heart?”

He’s about to make a snappy comeback, but instead, he uses his chopsticks to put another roll on my plate. “Eat that. It’s a cucumber roll. It’s good.”

I slam my chopsticks on the table. “I know it’s good, but I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Oh, you’re going to eat.” He groans regretfully. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but don’t let him get to you. That’s what he’s trying to do.”

“Is he fucking her?”

Robert shrugs. “Have you asked him that?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he wasn’t.”

“Do you believe him?”

“No.”

Robert nods. “And what if they were fucking? Would that be the end?”

I take a moment to ponder the question. “Aren’t we already at the end?”

He picks up another cucumber roll with his chopsticks and lifts it to my lips. “Eat it.”

I eat the damn thing.

He winks. “So what time should I pick you up?”