Текст книги "Beauty and the Boss"

Автор книги: Diane Alberts

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

Chapter Three

Benjamin rubbed his jaw, and his smile widened as he replayed the look of pure shock on his mother’s face when Maggie threw herself into his arms and declared their love for one another. Love. What a silly notion, and an absolutely perfect weapon against his mother’s ultimatum. She would be as disoriented in the face of love as he would be, because neither of them had a clue what it was.

The Gale family ran on ambition, not feelings. And that was a damn good thing, too. If she had said they were marrying for money, or for convenience, his mother would have been on them quicker than a lion on a wounded gazelle.

But instead, she’d used love. It had been enough to send his mother running, and it had bought him some much-needed time to get his shit together. He had no doubt his mother could challenge his position if he refused to at least try to settle down and be responsible. But if he already had a fiancée…

Hell, she didn’t have a case against him. And she was fully aware of that.

Maggie’s ruse had literally saved him. Of course, she was panicking, and looked as if she might be close to running from the office. But after she handed him that ingenious plan, there was no way he was letting it slip out of his fingers. He’d make her see that it was resourceful, not irresponsible. Her lie saved both their asses.

They were in a win/win situation.

She licked her lips—lips that he couldn’t get his mind off of now that he’d had a taste—and shook her head. “N-No. It was stupid. All she has to do is ask a few questions around the office, and she’ll find out the truth. She’ll fire me. I won’t be able to pay my rent, or help my parents out back home. I’ll be disgraced, and no one will hire me. I’ll have to leave the city and go back to milking cows and training—”

Milking cows? Jesus. People still did that? Didn’t they have machines for that? “Maggie.” He pressed a finger to her soft lips, and she shut up. It took all his self-control not to kiss her into a silence, but he had a feeling if he did so, she’d bolt. She was already seconds from hyperventilating as it was. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

She flushed even more. “No, it’s not. I messed up so bad, just like I always do, but this time it’s at work.”

“But we don’t have to tell anyone. No one needs to find out.” He lifted her chin with two gentle fingers, and her upturned face was more vulnerable than he’d ever seen it before, and so impossibly beautiful. He tried another smile, hoping to set her at ease, but if anything it seemed to freak her out even more—probably because he didn’t smile much anymore. Or ever. “We can make this into something real. Well, not real, but for the sake of everyone else it will look authentic. Like we were dating all along.”

Her gray eyes—they were definitely gray with blue flecks, now that he was this close to her—watched him, full of so many questions he could practically hear them. She was so different from the society women he usually dated.

The last one, Elizabeth, he’d been with for a year, and she never showed him even an ounce of emotion or softness. But Maggie? Ah, she showed every emotion as she experienced it, and it was refreshingly sweet. He didn’t know how to do the same. All his life, he’d been trained to hide his feelings.

But she was so…so damn open.

A surge of protectiveness hit him. He’d do what it took to help her keep her job and to make her stay by his side. With her help, he could get to the bottom of his mother’s plan. Hell, maybe he could talk to his brother and see if he was as eager for the position as his mother made him out to be.

He would win this battle.

But he’d need Maggie’s help to get it done and to avoid endless dates with the insufferable, money-grubbing, empty-headed snobs his mother usually set him up with.

She stepped back, and he dropped his hand to his side. “No one will believe it. We’re never alone together.”

“Yeah, we are.” He stepped closer, towering over her short height. She bit her lip and gave him a onceover. The air between them became charged, and he curled his fists into tight balls to keep from touching her again. “All the time. We always work later than everyone else, just like tonight. If we announce our engagement, people will all slap their thighs and go, ‘That’s why they always stayed late.’”

She shook her head once. “It can’t possibly be that easy.”

“The hell it can’t. People are gullible. Show them what they expect to see, and they believe it. If we tell them we stayed behind late to hide our love from the world, they’ll eat it up.” He paced, unable to stand still with so many ideas running through his head. “My mother will fall for it, too, since she already saw us on a date.”

She spluttered. “It wasn’t a date.”

“I know that, and so do you.” He pointed at her. “But she doesn’t.”

She tugged on her fingers. “Okay, fine. Whatever. But why would you want to pretend to be engaged to me?” she asked, watching him as he paced back and forth. “I don’t get it.”

“You’re the one who told her we were engaged in the first place,” he said. “Not me.”

“I know. And again, sorry. I’m never impulsive like that. I have no idea what came over me. I guess I just wanted to help you.”

“I’m not impulsive either, and I always think things through. To the point of exhaustion, even.” He stopped in front of her. “But I can see the merit of us pretending to be engaged, and you should be able to as well.”

She pressed her mouth into a tight line. “And that is?”

“Well, for starters, you could be fired if she went to the board with what she ‘saw’ here tonight—and she does have that power, if she can convince them.”

She paled. “She does?”

“Yes. It’s against company policy, so we could both be punished. It would help her force me out as CEO, and you would be fired on the spot.” He rubbed his jaw. “But with your smart lie, we wouldn’t have to worry about it. If we act as if we’re in love, and have been for a long time, we’ll both be safe.”

“That’s great and all, but we’ll have to convince people we’re in a relationship.” She held her hands out, palms up. “How do we do that?”

He’d seen it in movies, so it couldn’t be that hard. Smile a lot. Kiss a lot. Hold hands. Stare into each other’s eyes meaningfully. I can handle that.

“We act happy, just like regular couples do. Kiss. Smile. Date. Instagram how in love we both are, and how we can’t wait to get married.” He shrugged. “And then, after a suitable amount of time, we break up and continue on as we have been.”

She shook her head. “But we have to pretend to be in love? That’s crazy. Isn’t it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugged, his heart pumping hard and fast. “Either way, I think it’s our best option. This way, you keep your job and I keep mine. No cow-milking necessary.”

A small laugh escaped her. “But we’d have to actually, you know, date.”

“Yeah.” Another shrug. “And?”

“And…and you know nothing about me,” she said, wringing her hands. “Nothing at all.”

“That’s not true. Remember when we worked on the Collins project for a week, and on Friday, it all fell apart?”

She blinked at him. “Yeah.”

“We thought it was hopeless, that we’d end up failing the client because we didn’t have the numbers or the presentation ready.” He rested a hand on her shoulder and stared into her gorgeous eyes. She shivered and swayed closer. “We worked all throughout the weekend, only breaking for sleep, but we ended up giving them the best damn presentation we’ve ever given.”

“You’re saying this to prove we work well together, right?”

“Yep.” He let go of her because if he didn’t, and if she kept staring up at him, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. “And there’s no way in hell you can argue with that.”

“You’re right. I can’t. But you still know next to nothing about me.”

“Sure I do. You’re kind, smart, and think fast on your feet.” He shrugged. “I can count on you to get a job done, and you’re a loyal employee. If that’s not enough for me to decide we make a good team, there’s the fact that I enjoy working with you.”

He purposely left off mentioning he liked her, because the appreciation he had for her had grown even stronger after her lie. Never in his life had anyone cared enough to try to help him like that. When his father died, and he’d been in a dark abyss of grief and shame, all his friends had abandoned him the second it became clear he wouldn’t be paying for their drinks anymore. He’d been alone, struggling with guilt, for almost six years now.

And she’d jumped to his defense, like no one else ever had, tying them to each other in unexpected ways. His mother was every bit as ruthless as she let on. If she wanted to get Maggie fired, she would. Unless he did something. Unless he saved her. And he would. If there was one thing he’d inherited from his mother, it was her ruthlessness.

She took her turn at pacing, with short, agitated steps. Pressing her thumb against her mouth, she nibbled on the nail, clearly upset. It was so strange to be able to read her so easily, since he lived in a world of masks and fake smiles. “But we have next to nothing in common. Your family is as different from mine as night is from day.”

“Night and day aren’t that different, when you think about it. Both are ruled by a bright, round object in the sky. And both end in order for the other to begin.” He stepped into her path, stopping her pacing, and caught her arms gently. Her skin was soft under his hold, and when she glanced up at him, every nerve in his body focused on her. “It’s all about teamwork. And I, for one, think we’d make an excellent team.”

“But—” She rested her hands on his chest then quickly jerked them back, leaving behind a searing heat. “Sorry. So sorry.”

If there was one thing she didn’t need to apologize for, it was touching him. Every small caress, every soft stroke, reminded him what it was to be alive, instead of just living. And he didn’t want to let that go yet. “I’ll pay you,” he blurted out. “Twenty thousand dollars.”

“Wha—?” She choked on nothing, falling into a coughing fit.

“Thirty.”

She coughed even harder, wheezing.

He patted her back, and by the time she was able to breathe again, he was prepared to pay even more, if that was what it took to get her to agree to be his fiancée. He’d never been so certain of anything in his life as he was of this. It wouldn’t even be hard to pretend he’d fallen for Maggie. He looked forward to having an excuse to spend time with her. For all intents and purposes, he’d be her…lover.

He would be expected to kiss her. Hold her. Touch her. That was enough to make pretending to feel that foreign emotion called “love” well worth it.

She finally recovered from her surprise, shaking her head. He opened his mouth to up his offer, but she beat him to it. “I can’t–won’t—take money from you to continue a lie that I initiated in the first place,” she finally said, her brow creased in a scowl. “You insult me by insinuating I would.”

What? No one ever turned down his money. Ever. He scratched his head, not sure where to go from here. “But—”

“No.” She shook her head furiously. “Absolutely not.”

He dragged his hands down his face, not sure how to deal with someone who wasn’t out to profit from the situation. If she didn’t want his money, what could he offer her?

Nothing. That’s what.

He eyed her, trying to get a read but failing. “What will it take to get you to agree, then?”

“Not money,” she spat, crossing her arms. “You can’t buy me.”

He held his hands up. “Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I’m used to… Most people wouldn’t turn down money. Actually, most people would have asked for more before ‘reluctantly’ agreeing.”

“Then you obviously hang out with the wrong people.” She shook her head. “And that’s just sad.”

Sad? Maybe. But he didn’t give a damn about any of them, and they didn’t give a shit about him. So he certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. “I said this before, but we make a good team, Maggie.”

“We do,” she said softly. “That’s exactly what I’m scared of, because I don’t want to mess that up, like I inevitably would. Pretending to love someone—”

That wasn’t the first time she mentioned “messing up” in the area of her private life. “Let me guess. You and love don’t get along?”

She blinked. “No.”

“Well, I wouldn’t recognize love if cupid shot me with a heart-tipped arrow straight through the chest. So we’re the perfect match. Neither of us will get attached, because we both have no interest in doing so, therefore no one will get hurt.” He caught her chin again, tilting her face up to his. “Please do this for me? For us?”

She locked eyes with him, swaying closer. The magnetism between them was undeniable, and he was getting pulled under her spell again. His blood rushed through his veins, heading down south to his already hard cock. Her pink lips called to him, beckoning him to take another taste. This time, nothing would stop him from taking it.

They might be talking about pretending to be a couple, but the attraction between them was one hundred percent real, so maybe he was going about this wrong. Instead of trying to buy her help, maybe he should try a sweeter path. He lowered his face to hers, slow inch by slow inch, and stopped just short of kissing her. “Maggie.”

She gasped, her hands creeping up to grasp his shirt at his shoulders. “Mr. Gale—”

“Benjamin.” He brushed his mouth across hers in a brief imitation of a kiss, and she tasted as sweet as he remembered. He watched her for any signs of rejection or hesitation, but she melted into him, letting out a small breath. “Call me Benjamin.”

“Benjamin…if we do this, it has to be a business arrangement. It has to be clear-cut and easy. Pretend.” Despite her words, she tipped her face up to his. “If we don’t keep everything fake —it’ll blow up in our faces. Trust me.”

If we do this. That was all he heard out of that whole speech, because that meant she was considering it. He tasted victory, and it was as sweet as she was. “Deal. But we need to be comfortable with one another, too. To sell the whole ‘in love’ thing.”

She nodded. “R-Right.”

“So little kisses like this…” He brushed his lips against hers again and slid his hand down the curve of her hip, tracing the side of that hot little ass he’d done his best to ignore for the past six months. He moved closer, letting her feel exactly how much he wanted her—because there was no hiding that from her. “They have to come as easy to us as breathing.”

She grasped his shoulders. “Mr. Gale.”

“Maggie.” He skimmed his hand around her waist, dipping down to tease the waistband of her skirt. He wanted to feel the soft skin there, to stroke it, but she had her shirt tucked in, and he couldn’t cross that line. “You have to call me Benjamin.”

“Benjamin.”

“There you go.” He chuckled and ran the back of his knuckles over her cheek. “That’s not so hard, is it?”

Her gaze flitted down. “I don’t know. Is it?”

A laugh escaped him. An actual laugh.

He’d spent years with his sights set on one goal only: to succeed as CEO. He’d been living, yes, but with her in his arms, he felt alive for the first time since his father’s death. “I’ll be honest, I’ve thought of doing this before. Touching you. And now here we are.”

“Yeah.” She nodded her head imperceptibly. “Here we are.”

“What do you think?” He splayed his hand across her lower back, his pinky on the sweet curve of her ass, and the pulse at the base of her throat leaped. He pressed a soft kiss there, relishing her reaction to him. “Can we make this thing between us work?”

“If we’re being honest, I definitely feel the attraction, too. That’s why if we get caught up in the lie, it would be catastrophic.”

Would. Not could.

Something told him Maggie had been hurt pretty badly before. That’s what made her cautious about love, while he simply didn’t understand the point of such a vulnerable emotion. It only led to pain. “But it could be really good, too.”

She pulled him closer, her words at war with her actions. “If we do this, we shouldn’t be doing”—she motioned between them—“this.”

Despite her words, she didn’t let go of him. If anything, she held him tighter.

“I’m fine with that, if that’s what you want. I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to do. You can walk out of here, tell me to go to hell, and I’ll still fight for your job till I can’t fight anymore.” He let go of her, even though every muscle protested the loss. “Do you want to leave?”

She bit her lip, staring up at him, still holding him tight. “No.”

“All right.” His pulse surged. “So, back on topic, if we’re going to do this, we’ll have to kiss fairly often, to make it real. We’ll have to be comfortable enough with one another…” He slid his hands back into place and dropped a kiss on her lips again, pulling back right away. “To do things like this without hesitation.”

She lifted her face to his, a small breath puffing out, and her lids dropped down. She looked so damn kissable and fit into his arms like a missing piece of himself. “All the time. Try it again.”

He kissed her again, his lips lingering over hers. “Like that?”

“Mm hmm.” Her eyes opened, and she took a deep breath. “This is all a horrible idea.”

He stepped back and cocked a brow. “Do I sense a ‘but’ coming?”

“But I’ll do it.” Her lips quirked. “You’re right—we are a good team. If anyone can make this look real, it’s us.”

Feelings he hadn’t let himself experience in years hit him. Gratitude, satisfaction, victory, and excitement—they were all there. The urge to pick her up and swing her in a circle was a tangible thing, but he didn’t move. The man he used to be? He’d have done it. But the man he’d become wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

“Thank you, Maggie.” He held his hand out for her to shake, even though he would rather kiss her. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

She shivered and slid her hand into his, her gaze dipping to his mouth as she stepped closer. “Let’s kiss on it. Make it official. That way we get more practice, and we get more comfortable—”

“You don’t have to sell me on the idea.” He hauled her into his arms and dropped a kiss perilously close to her lips. She gasped and rested her hands on his chest. “You want me to kiss you? I’ll damn well kiss you.”

He nibbled on her ear gently this time.

“G-Good. But we need to lay out rules, and times where I have to be seen with you, and—” He bit her ear a little harder, then sucked on it to ease the sting. She even tasted sweet there. Like cotton candy, but more addictive. And he fucking loved that fluffy, sugary shit. “Benjamin.”

Releasing the lobe he’d bitten, he kissed the side of her neck again, flicking his tongue over the sensitive skin there. He was coming on strong, but she kept making sexy little sounds every time he touched her, and he couldn’t help it. “Was that too much?”

Her resistance faded with each brush of his lips on her soft skin, and the undisputable attraction between them was drawn so tightly it should snap. “Um, maybe…”

“I’m sorry.” He brushed his lips across hers again, ever so slightly, lingering this time. “Just practicing.”

“Yeah. Sure.” She moaned and grabbed hold of him, swaying closer. “Practice.”

Another almost-kiss had frustration boiling inside him because she hadn’t showed nearly as much desire for him as he had for her. He didn’t like wanting someone so strongly in the first place, but he’d be damned if it was one-sided. “Maggie—”

“Enough.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged hard, finally seeming to break. “Kiss me.”

I thought you’d never ask.

He closed the tiny distance between them, their lips melding together on one jointly exhaled breath. She melted against him instantly, her soft body curving perfectly into his. She fit against him as if she was made for him alone, and he had the sinking suspicion that she was. And that terrified him. He swallowed the impending sense of doom creeping up his spine, hauled her even closer, and deepened the kiss.

Again, she opened for him, and he kissed her like a starving man. Never had he had something as sweet, or addictive, as Maggie Donovan. Pretending to love her would be a pleasure if it meant he got to kiss her. Hold her. Touch her.

Make her scream out his name.

Backing her against the wall, he gave her a second to push him away. When she didn’t, he explored her body fully. She was all softness and curves, easily the most perfect combination of hotness he’d ever had in his arms. Instead of the toned, almost boyish frame of most of the women he’d dated, she was all curves, swells, and lean legs.

All woman.

Closing his palms over her large breasts, he ran his thumbs over her hard, perky nipples, cursing the clothing that stood in his way. At the slight pressure, she gasped and pressed against him wantonly. Her pencil skirt was in the way so he lifted it, inch by inch, so he could press his knee against her core. She gasped and dug her nails into his forearms, rotating her hips in a circle.

Her hands drifted up his arms, clinging to his biceps. A small, breathy moan escaped her. He swallowed her sounds of pleasure and increased the pressure of his knee, gaining a small cry from her lips. Her entire body tensed, and she moved against him, almost pushing away, but then pulling him closer instead. She rode his leg with a wildness he’d never seen before.

It made him even hotter to have her, naked, in his bed.

To make her his for real.

She rubbed herself against him frantically, her tongue swirling over his, and bam. She came, her whole body freezing as a tiny little whimper escaped, long and drawn out until it ended in a sigh. He could have kept going. Could have bent her over, and fucked her until she’d forgotten all about ever wanting to keep their relationship professional. But that wouldn’t be fair. So, despite every single muscle in his body screaming for him to finish what he’d started, he let go of her and backed off.

Gave her room to breathe.

“Holy crap.” She collapsed against the wall. “I never…I mean… Oh my God.”

Smoothing her hair off her face and away from her swollen lips, he locked eyes with her. He shifted his position, trying to ease the throbbing insistence of his aching cock. She might have gotten more than a kiss, but he hadn’t, and his body was all too aware of that fact. “Maggie…”

She licked her lips and shrugged off his hold, and he watched the wet path her tongue left behind, unable to glance away. “I need…I need a minute.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Pushing away from the wall, and her, he forced his expression into a cool, calm, collected mask. He had a hell of a lot of practice at doing so, but still it was harder than normal, which probably wasn’t a good sign of things to come. “We should discuss rules and plans.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear with a shaking hand and walked toward the door on trembling legs. She stumbled and he reached out to steady her, but she caught herself on the edge of his desk. “Yes, we should, but not now. I-I need to go.”

“Okay.” So he kissed her, and she bolted. His earlier suspicions had been confirmed—she was a runner. He’d scared her. Shaken her. Well, she’d shaken him, too. So they were even. “Meet me for dinner tomorrow? So we can discuss everything in detail?”

She froze in the doorway. “Where?”

“Macaluso’s. Eight.”

She hesitated, but nodded. “See you there.”

He watched her leave, an emptiness taking hold of the pit of his stomach as she walked away from him, but it wasn’t strong enough to dispel the satisfaction of having a plan in place. One that would secure his position, once and for all—while giving him an excuse to kiss Maggie.

As soon as the door shut behind her, he went into his private bathroom, locked the door, and undid his pants. Gripping the counter with his left hand, he closed out the world, a small smile slipping into place as he slid his right hand inside his pants, squeezing his erection. She was honest, fresh, sweet, and even better? Naughty as hell underneath those knee length pencil skirts and soft silk blouses.

He moved his hand faster, grunting as the pleasure made his balls tighten and pull up close to his body. The more frantically his hand moved, the more he pictured Maggie’s face as she came, and how she’d ridden his leg—until, letting out a long groan, he came, hard and fast. It wasn’t enough.

It wouldn’t be until he had Maggie in his arms again.