Page 28 of Beck and Call

"I didn't go after you last night, did I?"

"The scary thing is, I think you really had to think about not doing it."

Chapter Ten

Lunch was awkward. Beckett and I spent most of the meal staring at each other while Sabrina and Colter carried the conversation for the four of us.

On the ride back to the office he stared out the window. In the reflection of the glass I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching. I consulted his schedule on my phone and saw that there were back to back meetings for the rest of the day and a business dinner later in the evening. Suddenly, everything on the calendar disappeared.

My heart stopped and stuttered. First I got into an argument with him in the office, in front of his friend and business partner no less, then I managed to wipe his schedule for the day. What was worse, his schedule change went out to the person he was having dinner with, and they confirmed the cancellation. It seemed safe to say I was a horrible assistant, and I'd be back to looking for a job this evening.

He sat forward and spoke to Rick. The car made a turn and redirected toward Jana's apartment. I guessed I wouldn't have to wait until this evening to start searching for another job. Maybe the diner hadn't given away my shift yet. It was unlikely, but worth looking into.

Colter, who had been busy on his phone, looked out the window in confusion. "Why are we going the opposite way from the office?"

"The car is going to drop Evie and I off at my place before taking you back to the office. I'm also going to need you to take the dinner tonight and my meetings this afternoon. You were already going to be present for those. I sent my notes and the presentation to your email."

Colter nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

Beckett clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks."

The car pulled over in front of a luxury high rise. I'd thought Jana's building was opulent, but hers had nothing on this glittering glass structure.

Rick came around and opened the door closest to the building. Beckett reached across the seat and took my hand. "Let's go," he demanded.

His long legs ate up the sidewalk, and I practically had to run to keep up with him, but I wasn't fast enough. He stopped suddenly, grabbed me around the waist, and lifted me up over his shoulder.

Part of me was embarrassed by his possessive display, but a larger part of me, a side I hadn’t been aware of before now, was thrilled. The doorman opened the door and didn't react if he thought it was odd I was being carried into the building.

He strolled onto the elevator, still not putting me down. The blood was starting to rush to my head and make me dizzy. "Would you put me down? Where am I going to go?”

He didn't respond and continued to hold onto my legs as the elevator began its ascent. It didn't take long before it opened to a private foyer. "Private elevator," he explained when he noticed my confused expression in the mirrored door.

He opened the next door and we entered the largest apartment I'd ever seen, and this was just the living area. He set me down and kicked the door closed.

Beckett moved toward me, and I started feeling like I was being hunted. Every step he took, I instinctively took one back. He didn't speed up, only started slowly removing his shirt with each step he took.

"Take off your dress," he ordered.

I ignored him and took another step back. He raised his eyebrow, and his lips slowly curved up in a smirk. He inhaled, and I could see by the widening of his irises my defiance turned him on.

His blue shirt hit the black marble floor. His cufflinks clanged as they bounced off the floor. Next, he began working on his belt. My steps backward sped up. I didn't really want to run away, but the intensity of his gaze made me uneasy about what would happen when he finally caught up to me.

When he dropped his belt I realized it was several feet from where his shirt landed. I'd missed him taking off his shoes and socks in my initial haste to back away from him. His articles of clothing covered dozens of feet from the door to where he stood.

My back hit something cold, and I reached back with my hand to feel cold glass. I'd managed to corner myself against the window.

Within seconds he was standing in front of me. He grabbed my chin, firmly but gently, and brought my gaze up to his. "It's time we made up."

I nodded, because I didn't want to keep fighting with him, not when getting along was so much more satisfying.

He let go of my chin, grasped my hips, and spun me around to look out the window. "You agreed to be available and obedient. Last night you were neither of those things."

"Beckett, I thought we were going to make up, not rehash this argument. I agreed to work for you and I'll try and be available, but I don't recall agreeing to be obedient."

"Well, we're going to have to renegotiate then, because I very much insist on both of those things."

There was a tug on the zipper of my dress, and the sound of the teeth disconnecting tore through the tense silence. I started to turn around, and he grabbed my hands one at a time and placed them flat against the window.

---