like she had Googled him, but—okay, she’d Googled him. A quick search had revealed many news stories. Well, mostly postings on Montreal Secrets, in which he was reputed to have bedded all sorts of famous, glamorous and beautiful women.
Maya looked down and took in her own suit. A gray jacket and slim pants and a white blouse paired with some killer dark red heels which normally made her feel like a million bucks. She thought the ensemble was stylish and had always felt comfortable in it. However, next to Mary she felt bland and boring. She sighed quietly and consulted her watch, while her left leg twitched up and down—a nervous tic she had been scolded about since childhood.
Maya was nervous. She knew that she was overqualified for the job, but a small part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, she had been hired because she kissed him. Had her parents been right? Had he hired her because he thought she would be easy access for a little afternoon delight in the office? I mean, he probably thinks I’m some easy girl who wouldn’t think twice about lifting her skirt for her boss. Her nerves somehow turned to anger. How dare he? Well, I’m here to work, and if he’s just looking for some office sidepiece to fill his needs, if that’s what he thinks I’ll be, he’s wrong. I’ll show him just how hard I can work as his assistant.
“Jamie’s running a little late this morning,” Mary told her, interrupting her thoughts. “He shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Thank you,” she responded with a small smile, grateful for the break from her thoughts.
“Can I get you anything? Some espresso or sparkling water?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Something buzzed on Mary’s desk. She touched a button on her headset. “Certainly, Jamie. She’ll be right in.” She turned to Maya. “You can go in now.”
Maya stood and brushed imaginary lint from her pants and jacket. “Thank you.” She pushed through the heavy door. And with her heart pounding against the inside of her chest, she walked slowly into the large office. She took in her surroundings and she was astounded by what she saw—a seating area with a sleek leather couch and armchair, a wet bar with a small selection of premium alcoholic beverages and a kitchenette with an espresso machine. One large window showed the city skyline for miles.
“Oh, wow, what a view,” she spoke softly, to herself.
He was seated at his desk, his face obscured as he looked down at some documents. His dark hair was shiny from the sunlight that was pouring in. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t even register her appearance in his office until she was standing in front of the desk. His head rose and she was hit with that face once again, making her gasp a little. His light blue eyes, high cheekbones, straight nose and that strong square jaw which seemed to be perpetually covered with a five o’clock shadow, even at ten in the morning, all combined to send her uncontrollable hormones into a tizzy.
“Ms. Connor,” he said with a smile before standing to shake her hand. “Thanks for accepting my offer and for coming in today.”
“Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
He smiled again, his white teeth glistened. “Please sit down. I’ll just go through the details of the job and expectations, and then you can head over to HR to get settled away with your compensation and other personnel details.”
Maya relaxed when he started talking about the job. Of course, he would be professional. He didn’t hire her to be his personal bedmate. He was a businessman, after all. He passed over documents and folders and explained what each one was. She nodded, attempting to keep it all straight in her head.
“If it feels like too much right now, you’ll get it in time.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks,” she told him, balancing the files in her arms. “I do better when there’s a heavy workload, or a tight deadline.”
“Not a bad quality in someone working for me,” he said. “We’ve got quite a few balls in the air right now.”
“Well, I can’t wait to start,” she said, smiling over the reams and reams of paper that she held in her arms.
When it seemed as if he was done discussing the workload, he hesitated. He breathed deeply and sat on the corner of his desk, closest to her, and his voice got lower. “And, Maya, just so we’re clear, I hired you because of the recommendation that came from Dr. Carmichael and your desire to work in hotel management. It didn’t have anything to do with us kissing.” He averted his gaze, as if he were nervous. Did she make him nervous? “But, let me be firm. That’s not the type of organization I run here. I feel that relationships between coworkers can only lead to disaster. And nothing like that can ever happen between us again.”
Maya breathed a sigh of relief. After hearing him lay out his position on their kiss, she was certain that he hired her for her professional attributes. She could do this. She could do this if they promised to keep it professional. She nodded. “It absolutely will not happen again. I wish I could take that kiss back. I really do. Thank you for the opportunity, Jamie. You won’t regret it.”
“I know I won’t,” he said, smiling at her.
* * *
HE ALREADY REGRETTED IT.
After he had sent her off to the human resources department, Jamie sighed and rubbed his hands through his dark hair. What was I thinking hiring her? The short time she had been in his office, he found it impossible to think of anything but how her black hair shimmered, the smell of her perfume, her sharp eyes, her smile. How could he be expected to get any work done with her sitting in his office, day in and day out?
Since the night that she’d kissed him, she was all he had been able to think about. All he wanted to do was kiss her again. To feel her hair in his hands. To rip that amazing-looking suit from her body and to feel her soft skin against his own. He groaned in frustration. Well, she’s here now. You’ve got to make it work somehow, Sellers.
Steeling himself, he made a decision and pounded his fist on his desk. I’ll just do my work. Stay busy. Ignore her. That’s the only way this is going to work, and we’ve got to keep this professional. It wouldn’t be hard to do. He regarded the stacks of paper in front of him and the phone messages that Mary had just given him. He puffed his cheeks and quickly blew out the air that he had been holding in his lungs. All right now. Pull it together.
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