Kitabı oku: «In Bed With Her Boss», sayfa 2

He felt a strange prickling sensation and looked up, surprised to see Opal standing in the doorway of his office. Before he could open his mouth to ask what she was doing there, she entered and placed a take-out box in front of him.

“I know what you said, but I couldn’t see myself letting you starve. If you don’t want to eat it you can trash it,” she said, before turning to leave.

“Why?” he asked before she had reached the door. When she turned around, his eyes flicked over her with a cool expression. “Why did you come back? With the food?”

She tilted her chin and he saw a stubborn glint to it when she said, “Because I refuse to become a grouch like you. Life has been too good to me this year for me to do that.”

“Then, I suggest you count your blessings, Ms. Lockhart.”

To his surprise, she smiled. “Trust me, Mr. Armstrong, I do. Maybe it’s time for you to start counting yours.”

His eyes narrowed at the boldness of her statement and before he could give her a reply, she was gone.

Opal quickly stepped onto the elevator thinking she could probably go ahead and kiss her job goodbye. However, today her boss had gotten on her last nerve. Maybe she was out of line for returning with food, but she had known he wouldn’t take the time to eat anything.

A part of her wondered why she even cared, but she did. Once the crowd at the reunion had begun dwindling, that part of her that was too filled with kindness to let even someone like D’marcus Armstrong not share in such a wonderful meal had decided that, no matter what kind of attitude he had, she would not let him dictate hers. By nature she was not a mean-spirited person and she refused to let him turn her into one.

As she made her way through the parking lot toward her car, she glanced over her shoulder and looked up. D’marcus was standing at the window in his office staring down at her. She sighed, deciding she would report to work on Monday as usual. If he asked for her resignation because of what she’d said, there was nothing she could do about it. But he’d needed to hear what she had said. He of all people should be counting his blessings.

As she got into her car she forced any worries about next week aside. Tomorrow, she would go to church and say a prayer for him. She would also make sure she got all the spiritual preparations she needed for when she saw D’marcus Armstrong again.

On Sunday morning Opal sat in a pew beside Amber and Ruby in the Lakeview Baptist Church. This was Pearl’s Sunday to lead a song, and they were all excited. Reverend Kendrick would be delivering the message after the scripture was read, and Opal felt she needed to hear the Word today, more so than ever.

D’marcus Armstrong might have pissed her off something awful yesterday, but that hadn’t stopped him from invading her dreams last night. Some of her thoughts had been downright corrupt, and a lot of what she had imagined them doing together was shamefully sinful. And, to make matters worse, she didn’t even like the man. Not to mention there was a good chance he would be kicking both her and her job to the curb tomorrow. Her sisters would refuse to believe that she, of all people—someone who never lost her temper—had actually gone off on D’marcus Armstrong.

She cleared her mind of the issues facing her with her boss when Pearl stepped up to the mic to sing. The church was packed—not unusual for the first Sunday of the month. And Opal thought the choir’s new robes looked really nice.

Pearl began singing “What a Mighty God We Serve” in a way that only Pearl could do. Within no time, the church was rocking, people were standing on their feet rejoicing, getting caught up in their own testimonies to the fact that God was truly awesome. Pearl and the choir members were singing out of their souls, but it was Pearl’s beautiful voice that was stirring things up, causing jubilation to spread throughout the congregation.

After Pearl’s song ended and the scripture had been read, Reverend Kendrick stood before a packed and electrified house. “I want to thank Sister Lockhart for that song, because while she was singing I was sitting there thinking about just what a mighty God we do serve.”

He paused to glance over the congregation, and for some reason Opal thought he looked at her a little longer than the others. A guilty conscience will do that to you, she thought, shifting in her seat.

“How many of you ever pause to not only think about how mighty God is,” Reverend Kendrick continued, “but also about all the many blessings he bestows? Most of us just assume we’re at where we are in our lives because we are deserving. Well, that is not the case, because none of us are deserving. We have all sinned at some point in our lives. Some of us are still sinning.”

Opal hoped no one saw her blush when she felt her cheeks get a little warm.

“But God loves us anyway,” Reverend Kendrick continued. “He forgives us, and we have to find it in our hearts to forgive others, even those we may feel don’t deserve our forgiveness.”

D’marcus Armstrong suddenly flashed across Opal’s mind.

“But we have to forgive them, just like our Father constantly forgives us,” Reverend Kendrick went on to say.

Opal shifted in her seat, thinking it was too bad D’marcus wasn’t at church today. If he embraced the concept of forgiving and forgetting, then she wouldn’t have to go to bed tonight worrying about whether she still had a job tomorrow.

Reverend Kendrick interrupted her thoughts by saying, “We should especially forgive those who don’t deserve our forgiveness, and continue to pray for God to work to change their hearts. And I’m standing before you as a living witness that miracles can happen. You just have to believe that they can.”

Chapter 3

Monday morning Opal was seated at her desk when D’marcus arrived. He glanced over at her, gave her a curt nod as he crossed the room to his office.

“Mr. Armstrong, the minutes from Saturday’s meeting are typed and on your desk. I’ve also saved them in an electronic file.”

At her words, he’d slowly turned toward her and now she quickly searched his features for any indication that she was about to be fired. He wasn’t smiling—not that he ever did—but aside from that, she couldn’t gauge his expression. A part of her wanted to believe that he had gotten over what she’d said and that it was water under the bridge. However, she knew some men would consider her words disrespectful.

“Thank you, Ms. Lockhart, and please hold all my calls until noon.”

“Yes, sir,” she added with a quick smile of relief when it appeared he wasn’t going to let her go.

“And, Ms. Lockhart?”

She swallowed, thinking perhaps her relief had been premature. “Yes?”

“Thanks for dinner on Saturday. I enjoyed it very much.”

She blinked. He was thanking her for dinner? Gracious. As Reverend Kendrick had said at church yesterday, miracles could happen if you only believed.

D’marcus tossed his briefcase into the chair and let out a ragged sigh. He wasn’t sure just what he planned to do about Opal Lockhart. Because of her very efficient nature, she had become a vital asset to him, but, as far as he was concerned, just as he’d told Dashuan Kennedy on Saturday, anyone was replaceable.

But, while sitting in this very office on Saturday evening enjoying every mouthful of the food she’d brought him, he kept thinking that Opal Lockhart was a woman who could remind a man each and every time he saw her that there was more to life than work.

When she had shown up with the food, she had still been wearing what she’d had on earlier, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Although the length of the shorts could be considered decent, they had still shown her lovely legs. For the second time that day, she had stirred his hormones and for a split second as he had stood at the window and watched her leave, he had been tempted to call her on her cell phone and tell her to come back up to his office.

D’marcus grimaced. He was glad he hadn’t made such a move. That would have been the worst thing he could have done. His mind knew that, but, at the moment, his body wasn’t so sure. He counted backward, trying to remember the last time he’d been intimate with a woman, and was surprised to recall it had been well over eight months. It had been just that long since he’d socialized in any way. Lately, he had spent the majority of his time adding more stores to his portfolio, which required a lot of his time and concentration. No wonder he was beginning to notice just how downright horny he was now.

There was one way to fix his problem. Tonight when he got home he would check his address book to see which one of his female acquaintances who knew the score would go out on a date with him that weekend. A date that would eventually end up with them sharing a bed. If getting laid was what he needed, then he would take care of the problem—and soon.

Opal picked up the phone on the first ring. “Sports Unlimited, Mr. Armstrong’s office. Opal Lockhart speaking.”

“Ms. Lockhart, this is Mr. Stone, manager of the Viscera Apartments.”

Opal smiled. “Yes, Mr. Stone?” She hoped he was calling with good news.

“It appears I’ll have a vacancy within a few weeks.”

Opal’s smile widened. “That’s certainly good news.” Once she had made the decision to move, she had decided to check on the Viscera Apartments. They were a lot nicer than her current place and only minutes from the office, which meant a lower gas bill. Of course the rent would be higher, but she was a firm believer in getting what you paid for. And right now, she was tired of paying for sleepless nights in the party building.

“So I take it you’re still interested?” Mr. Stone was saying.

“Yes, most definitely.”

“All right. Then you can come by this afternoon with your deposit. We require two months in advance.”

Her eyebrows raised. Two months rent was a lot and not what she’d assumed. “Two months?”

“Yes. That’s our policy. If you don’t think you can—”

“No, there won’t be a problem,” she said quickly. She would take the money out of her savings, but she would have to replace it quickly if she still intended to get a new car at the beginning of the year.

“Good. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“Okay, Mr. Stone, I’ll see you then.”

Opal had just returned from lunch when D’marcus buzzed her. “Yes, Mr. Armstrong?”

“Ms. Lockhart, could you step into my office a moment please?”

“Certainly.”

She gathered her notepad. He hadn’t been out of his office since he’d shut himself in there this morning, nor had he called out for her assistance.

She opened the door and walked into his office. He had removed his jacket, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. A ton of files were spread out on his desk.

He glanced up when she walked in. “We might be adding two other stores this week,” he said in a tone of voice that was all business.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. And, while it’s good news for me, it might not be for you, Ms. Lockhart.”

She swallowed tightly. Maybe she had told Mr. Stone prematurely that she would be taking the apartment. There was no way she could afford it if she didn’t have a job. “Why would you say that?” she asked as she sat down in the chair across from his desk.

“Because it will require you to work longer hours for the next two weeks. Of course I will pay you generously for any overtime.”

Relief spread through Opal. Little did he know, she considered what he was saying as good news. The extra money would help replace what she was taking out of her savings to cover the security on her apartment. And she couldn’t discount the fact that, if she impressed him by doing a good job, it would be a way to move up in the company. She would have her degree in the spring and there were plenty of opportunities for advancement within this company.

“Will you be able to work additional hours, Ms. Lockhart?”

She met his gaze. “That won’t be a problem. When will they start?”

“Tomorrow. Three extra hours every evening this week, except for Friday, should be sufficient. And let’s do the same for next week, although I want to throw Monday night into the mix.”

“That’s no problem.”

“Good. Now, I need to go over the stats for the Savannah store with you. I should have asked you to bring that file in here with you.”

“I’ll go and get it.”

Opal stood and quickly walked out of the office.

As soon as Opal left, D’marcus leaned back in his office chair. Her scent was still in the room. More than once, he had noticed the fragrance and had yet to put a name to it, but he definitely liked it on her.

No, he mustn’t think about how much he liked that particular perfume on her or how good she looked today in her business suit. Professional but still sexy. She never wore anything to call attention to herself but her clothes did it, anyway.

He thought about all that he knew about her from her employment records. Both of her parents were deceased and she was the second oldest of four daughters. She lived in an apartment in a fairly decent area of town and she had turned twenty-seven her last birthday. He gathered she was close to her siblings and enjoyed staying in touch with her family. The family affair she had attended on Saturday attested to that. He also knew there were great cooks in her family, considering the food she had brought to him. What he’d told her was true. He had totally enjoyed every mouthful.

He glanced up when she returned to his office. “All right, I’m ready, Mr. Armstrong.”

Her words stirred something deep within him, something directly below the gut. That part of his body definitely needed help and he intended to get it this weekend.

“Okay,” he said, straightening up in his chair. “Let’s get started.”

“So you have to spend more time with The Hunk?” Pearl smiled at Opal as she sat down at the kitchen table. Ruby and Pearl had dropped by after work as they usually did most Monday afternoons. Amber would join them every once in a while but lately she’d been taking classes at the university on Monday nights. Opal had been excited to tell them the good news about the apartment. Then she told them about the additional money she’d make working extra hours the next two weeks.

Opal rolled her eyes. “I’ll be working overtime but Mr. Armstrong wasn’t specific as to whether he would be staying late or not.”

“Why would you fall for such a tyrant?” Ruby asked, grinning.

Opal shook her head. “First of all, I haven’t fallen for anyone and, to be quite honest, D’marcus Armstrong isn’t a tyrant. He just happens to be a very demanding boss. There is a difference.”

Ruby lifted an arched brow. “And do you have a crush on him?”

“Of course not. Where did the two of you get such an idea from?”

Before either of her sisters could answer her question, her cell phone rang. Standing, she pulled it from her purse and checked the caller ID. It was Colleen. “Yes, Colleen?”

“Did you get the apartment?” her cousin asked excitedly.

Opal smiled. “Yes, I put down the deposit today,” she said, deciding not to mention to anyone how much of a deposit it was. But she did tell Colleen about the overtime since they usually went to prayer meeting together at church on Wednesday nights.

“Maybe you can get Mr. Armstrong to go to prayer meeting with you,” Colleen joked.

“Sure, but don’t hold your breath,” Opal replied, wondering if D’marcus even went to church.

A few minutes later, after ending the call with Colleen, she glanced across the table to find her two sisters staring at her with smug looks on their faces. “What?”

“You do have a crush on him,” Pearl said.

“I do not,” she persisted.

“Yes, you do. You get this funny little smile on your face each time you mention his name. Just like you did just now, while talking to Colleen.”

“You’re imagining things,” Opal said, taking a sip of her tea.

Ruby smiled at her over the rim of her cup. “Okay, keep your secrets, but you can’t fool us. I agree with Pearl. You have a crush on your boss.”

One thing Opal had discovered about her sisters while growing up with them was that, if they truly believed something, trying to convince them they were wrong was nearly impossible, a waste of good time. So she decided not even to try anymore. In time, they would discover their assumption was incorrect.

Later that night, when Opal slipped between the sheets in her bed, she tried drowning out the sound of the loud music playing next door by thinking how nice her new apartment would be. She thought of the time she would spend decorating and how, since the new place was more spacious, she would no longer feel cramped.

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was ten o’clock. She wondered if D’marcus was still at the office or if he’d already gone. He had been on an important international conference call when she had left. She breathed in deeply as she recalled how she’d stuck her head in his office to let him know she was leaving, and found him sitting on the corner of his desk talking on the speaker phone.

Once again, she had been struck by just what a good-looking man he was. Even while conducting business, he spoke in a deep, husky voice that actually had made her pulse race. And the way his trousers stretched tight across his firm, muscular thighs had made her heart pound in her chest.

She had silently mouthed the words, “I’m leaving now,” and he had held her gaze and nodded, letting her know he’d understood what she had said. For just a heartbeat, she’d thought their gazes had held for a moment longer than necessary, but now she was sure she had imagined it.

She turned on her side thinking how wrong her sisters were about her feelings for D’marcus. She would be honest and say she was attracted to him, but that was as far as it went. And, as she had told Ruby and Pearl, she wasn’t sure he would be staying late with her over the next two weeks, but if he did, she was determined that things would be kept on a strictly professional basis. She couldn’t imagine him having it any other way.

Chapter 4

D’marcus released a deep breath before taking a sip of coffee as he stood at his office window and watched his ever-efficient administrative assistant walk across the parking lot.

There was a businesslike tilt to her head, and her walk was brisk and measured. He glanced at the clock. She was early. Usually he arrived after she did so he never knew exactly what time she arrived at work each day. He wondered if coming in at least an hour early was the norm for her or if she had done it today because of all the work she would be tackling this week. If coming in early was a habit, she definitely hadn’t been recording it on her time card.

He frowned. He was a person who believed in paying his employees for the work they did and the hours they worked. He would definitely have a discussion with her about it.

He glanced back out the window and watched as another one of his employees, Ted Marshall, from the accounting department, conveniently began walking beside her. D’marcus stiffened inwardly when he noticed Opal smiling at something the man had said. Were the two dating? For some reason the thought irritated him. He knew that Marshall was divorced and, from what D’marcus had heard from his last administrative assistant, Marshall thought himself quite the ladies’ man. Definitely not the type of person Opal needed to become mixed up with. He shook his head, thinking, who was he to determine who his employees should be involved with?

He moved from the window and sat behind his desk, staring at the files spread across it. He had more to do with his time than to be concerned with the love life of Opal Lockhart.

Opal drew in a sharp breath when she sat down at her desk and realized Mr. Armstrong had already arrived at work. Usually she had plenty of time to get settled into her work before he got there.

While her computer booted up she went about watering the plants in her office. There were a number of them and she intended to keep them alive and healthy.

She turned when she heard D’marcus open the door to come out of his office. She flicked a glance in his direction and immediately studied his face, wondering just what sort of day she would have. His expression was unreadable.

“Ms. Lockhart.”

“Good morning, Mr. Armstrong.”

“I have an off-site breakfast meeting this morning with the other two owners of the Chargers. I should be back in a few hours. Then you and I need to get together to discuss the inventory for the two new stores.”

“Yes, sir.” She tried not to notice how nice he looked from the toes of his expensive shoes to his dark suit and white shirt. The man was immaculately well groomed and sexy as sin.

“We may have to work through lunch so I suggest you order us something.”

Opal raised an arched brow. “You want me to order something for lunch? For both of us?”

“Yes, by all means. I need your assistance the better part of the day but I don’t want to rob you of your lunch. And I might as well eat something myself since I plan on working rather late tonight.”

She nodded. He had just answered the question that had been tugging at her mind—whether he would be working late each night, as well. “Is there anything you prefer? Any particular type of sandwich?”

He shook his head. “No, but I prefer they hold the mustard.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Ms. Lockhart?”

“Yes?”

“Do you come in early every day?”

“Just about.”

“Then make sure you’re adequately compensated for any extra time you spend here by including it on your time card,” he said curtly, and then he walked away.

D’marcus glanced up when Opal entered his office carrying bags filled with their lunch. He quickly got up and walked around the desk to relieve her of them. It didn’t help matters that he had to stand close enough to her that he got a good whiff of her perfume, the same perfume he’d found to be totally seductive.

She glanced up at him. “Thanks.”

He nodded and took a step back. “No problem.” He placed the bags on his desk. “What do we have?”

She smiled. “Turkey sandwiches, cream of broccoli soup and iced tea.”

“Sounds good. Let me clear an area on my desk so we can pull everything out of the bags.”

Opal lifted a brow. He wanted them to sit in the same room together and eat? She’d assumed they’d be taking a break and she would be going back to her desk to eat.

He must have seen the strange look on her face because he asked, “Is something wrong, Ms. Lockhart?”

“No, but I assumed you would want to eat lunch alone.”

He shrugged. “Normally I do, but I’m expecting a call from Bob Chaney any moment and I’ll need you here to jot down what he says when I place him on the speaker phone.”

He then eyed her for a moment and asked, “Do you have a problem doing that? If so, I can ask Human Resources to send me one of the women from the typing pool.”

“No, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“You sure?”

No, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Good.”

He then proceeded to clear his desk before coming back to sit behind it, leaving Opal to set out the lunch.

“We basically got the same thing,” she said, handing him his sandwich, soup and tea. “I’m not crazy about mustard, either.”

He glanced over at her when she took the chair in front of his desk and scooted it up closer to share the desktop with him. “What else aren’t you crazy about?” he asked.

She started to say “demanding bosses,” but thought better of it. She had said enough on Saturday. Even now, she was surprised he hadn’t given her her walking papers. “In the way of foods, I’ve never developed a fondness for squash.”

“Umm, I like squash.”

She stared at him and watched as he took a big bite out of his sandwich and slowly began chewing it. A strange sensation passed through her stomach when she thought about him opening his mouth that wide over hers, devouring it as greedily as he was the sandwich.

She quickly gave herself a mental shake, wondering where such a thought came from and demanding it never return.

“Is something wrong?”

She blinked when she realized he had asked her a question. “No.”

“Then, why are you staring at me like that?”

She swallowed, not knowing how long she’d been staring. Never before had she been mesmerized by a man’s mouth. So she said the first thing that came into her mind. “You seem hungry.”

He chuckled and she blinked again. This was the first time she’d ever heard him chuckle, and the dimples that came into his cheeks almost made her drop the cup of ice tea she was holding. “If I seem hungry, Ms. Lockhart, it’s because I am. I came into the office early today so I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast.”

“Oh,” she said. Instead of meeting his gaze she bit into her own sandwich and tried concentrating on just eating it.

“I hope your family isn’t upset about the extra hours you’ll be working.”

She washed down the food she had in her mouth with her ice tea before saying, “Trust me, they understand.”

“What about Ted Marshall?”

She did glance up at him then. “Ted Marshall in the accounting department?”

“Yes. I saw the two of you walk in together this morning and assumed that you were seeing each other.”

She shook her head. “I barely know the man. We just happened to be in the parking lot around the same time and walked in together. No biggie.”

D’marcus stared at her for a moment while she lowered her head and continued eating her sandwich. What on earth had possessed him to bring up Ted Marshall’s name? He was not the type of employer who got into his employees’ personal business. It really wasn’t any concern of his if she and Marshall had been dating. It was their business as long as they conducted themselves decently in the office.

A few moments later, his phone rang. It was Bob Chaney and, as far as D’marcus was concerned, he had received the call right on time. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have endured being alone in the same office with his very attractive administrative assistant.

Opal glanced at her watch. It was close to eight o’clock and she had just completed filing all the electronic messages. It was time to call it a day, but before she left, she needed to check with D’marcus to make sure there wasn’t anything else he needed her to do. They had been busy in his office with numerous conference calls until around five that afternoon. She wondered where on earth the man got his energy. In addition to his regular business, he had received a couple of media calls regarding Dashuan Kennedy’s incident that past weekend.

Before logging off her computer, she picked up the stack of papers she needed him to sign. The door to his office was slightly ajar so she walked in—and stopped short. He was leaning back in his chair asleep. This was another first. Today at lunch she had seen him smile; now tonight she was watching him have a peaceful moment. The expression on his face was relaxed, unstrained and calm. She walked farther into the room and once again noticed the framed photograph of the woman he usually had sitting on his desk. Earlier, when he’d spread out the files on his desk, he had placed it in a drawer.

Curiosity made her move toward the desk to pick up the photograph and look at it. Something she had never done before. For some reason, he always placed it in the drawer when he left each day.

The woman was simply beautiful and Opal immediately knew she had to be the fiancée he’d lost, the one who had gotten killed in a boating accident two weeks before their wedding. She then wondered if Colleen was right and if D’marcus’s less-than-friendly attitude could be the result of a broken heart.

“What are you doing in here?”

Opal jumped at the sound of the gruff voice, nearly dropping the papers out of her hand as she quickly placed the frame back on his desk. She swallowed against the tightness in her throat and said, “I have papers for you to sign.”

He straightened in his chair. “But that doesn’t give you the right to bother my personal belongings, Ms. Lockhart.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Armstrong, but I was curious.” She then added, “She was beautiful.”

Instead of accepting the compliment he stared at her with ice-cold eyes. “You had no right to touch that photograph.” The anger in his voice almost made Opal’s pulse go still.

“I said I was sorry, sir, and it won’t happen again.” Anger tainted her voice, too. She was a person who respected everyone’s privacy and she hadn’t meant any harm. It wasn’t like she was planning on stealing the darn thing.

“These need your signature,” she said, handing him the papers. He took them from her and the room got extremely quiet. The only sound was the shuffling of papers. He handed them back to her and she turned and quickly walked out of his office, closing the door behind her.

As soon as Opal left, D’marcus stood and shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. He walked over to the window and glanced up at the sky. Damn, what was wrong with him? It seemed he didn’t miss a beat when it came to chewing out Opal Lockhart about anything. He could understand her being curious about the photograph, especially since he went to great pains to lock it up each night. And she was his administrative assistant. There was nothing on his desk that she shouldn’t be allowed to touch.

He inhaled deeply. What was there about her that seemed to bring out the worst in him without her even trying. In fact, if he was honest with himself, he had to admit she was the most easygoing person he knew.