Page 4 of In Charge

Chapter 3

Maya

Two months later

“Julia!” Where in thehell was my assistant? I’d hardly seen the woman all morning. We had a critical deadline today, and she was supposed to be at her desk helping me prepare the documents I needed for my dinner meeting with a new client. “Where is that woman?” I mumbled under my breath.

“I sent her on some errands.” I jumped at the sound of Robbie’s voice in my ear. I’d been so focused on finding Julia, I didn’t hear him come up behind me. He was close enough that when I jumped, I knocked into him. Which then resulted in him putting his hands on my shoulders to steady me. His closeness and the gentleness of his touch sent a tingling sensation down my arms.

“You did what?” These past two months with Robbie had been interesting to say the least. He had been so arrogant and flirtatious in our first meeting. He’s still those things, but he’s softer somehow. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it, but my gut told me a lot of his cockiness was for show. When he let his guard down, he was actually kind of sweet and we worked well together. Like when he brought me coffee when I needed it most or always seemed to know which files I needed without me asking.

But right now, he was way too close to me and my body couldn’t take it. And damn him, every time I took a step back, he stepped forward. I hated that he knew the effect he had on me.

“I sent her on some errands,” Robbie said with a crooked grin. “Did I not say that clearly?”

Smartass.

“Mr. Pennington, you are impossible.” I still refused to call him Robbie. It was the one thing I had to get under his skin. It didn’t take long to figure out Robbie didn’t get along with his father. I pushed past him and headed back to my office, and dammit to hell, he followed me. What is this man trying to do to me?

Despite his hidden sweet side, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Robbie was up to something. I just couldn’t figure out what. I hadn’t caught him doing anything specifically, it was more in the way he acted sometimes, especially when his father was around. When those two were in a room together the tension was near impossible to withstand. Whatever it was, I wished he would just do it and get it over with. Too much of my time was taken up with teaching him about a business he didn’t care about.

I figured that out too. He hated his father and I got the sense he wanted nothing to do with the business. He came in every day and went through the motions but there was no heart behind the work he did. And I struggled to make sense of the things he did do. But none of that changed the fact that he made my body beg to be touched by him on a regular basis.

Regardless of why he started working for his father, it was clear to me why he stuck so close. I did a miserable job at hiding my physical reaction to his presence and he made it a daily goal of his to set my nerves on edge. It had become this unspoken game between us, and in some sick way, I loved it.

And he knew it.

He did it just to get me all worked up. Like now for example. The way he snuck up behind me and spoke in my ear made my body beg to feel his lips pressed against my skin. What frustrated me even more was that he hadn’t actually made a pass at me. Not once in two months. He just teased me, never crossing the line into action. Sometimes I wondered what he’d do if I grabbed hold of him and stuck my tongue down his throat. Or maybe the next time he stepped into my space I’d brush my hand against his upper thigh just to throw him off his game. That would teach him.

Then again if I did that and he acted on it, well ... Shit, why am I thinking about this? I let out a low growl and shook my arms out to my side. I didn’t have time to fantasize about Robbie. I had to focus on tonight’s meeting. And apparently prepare all the files myself.

“Are you okay, Maya?” I didn’t need to hear his voice to know Robbie stood several feet behind me. I felt the distance he left between us. At least he’s giving me some space. I should be grateful for that, but I wasn’t. “You seem more tense than usual. Which, if I can be honest, is scaring me a bit.”

Oh, sweet baby Jesus, is he fucking kidding me?I’d been tense since the day he walked into my office, and he knew it. What kind of game was he playing now? I jerked around and huffed. “Mr. Pennington, have you listened to anything I’ve said to you over the past couple months?”

“Yep, I’ve listened plenty.” And there it was—the same damn playful smile painted on his face since the day he walked into my office. The smile that lit his deep-set brown eyes aflame and revealed the tiny dimple hidden beneath his short beard. I clenched my legs together to fight the excitement that hit my core. “You, however, are not.”

“I’m not what?” I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my best scowl.

“Listening to me.” He stepped closer stopping only inches away. “I’ve asked you multiple times—sometimes in a single day—to call me Robbie, and you continue to call me Mr. Pennington.”

Oh, that. Well, he had me there. It was fun to call him Mr. Pennington. It riled him up. “It’s more professional. Robbie seems much too casual for a business relationship.”

He raised his brows and a flash of lust darkened his eyes. For a second, I thought he was going to finally do something about this tension between us and kiss me, but instead he sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Does that mean you would prefer I call you Ms. Stone?” He took a step forward and brushed his hand down my arm. I trembled, and was powerless to stop it. His smile grew and his eyes shifted to my lips. “I’ll gladly call you whatever you desire.”

I froze. I’d love to show him what I desired, and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with what he called me. Although ... I could think of a few arousing pet names he could whisper in my ear. My gaze fixed on his lips as they moved closer to mine. My breath hitched, I lost control of my own body, and I moved in closer to him.

Oh, my God, Maya. Stop!

Yelling at myself did the trick, and I took a wide step back, putting as much distance between us as my stride would allow. No matter how much I wanted him, I couldn’t afford to give into lust. At least, not until I understood his motive for being here, and not until my promotion was secured. There’d be plenty of time for a roll in the sheets later. “What I want is my assistant, at her desk, helping me prepare for my meeting tonight. Not running errands for you.”

“Oh, shit.” He dropped his smile and ran his fingers through his hair. “Is that meeting tonight?”

“Um, yeah.” God, I could kill him. Or kiss him. Whichever. “What do you think I’ve been doing all week?”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Now it was my turn to raise a brow. He looked genuinely concerned for the first time since I met him.

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