Page 9 of In Charge

I forced my eyes to turn away and stared at the flickering flame of the candle instead. Anything was better than staring at the sexy man I had no business fantasizing about. But choosing the candle as a distraction proved a mistake. My imagination ran wild, and I started making a list of all the places on his naked body I’d drizzle hot wax. First his chest, then his abs, and down the hard curves of his navel. I smiled at the image of his body jerking and twisting as the hot wax hit his most sensitive areas.

“What are you thinking about?” Robbie slid into the booth next to me with two glasses and a bottle of the Cabernet he raved about earlier.

“Nothing.” Thank goodness for the low light. As warm as my face felt, I was sure my cheeks were just as red. It was bad enough that my mind was in the gutter; I didn’t need him to see my dirty thoughts written all over my face. I needed a new distraction. I picked up the glass and took a sip. “Hmm, you’re right. This is a good wine.”

He smiled and held his glass up for a toast. “To Maya and her kickass business skills.”

I chuckled and toasted with him. Yes, let’s keep it about anything but this attraction between us. Maybe then I’d get out of here with my dignity intact.

“Tell me a little about your family. You have sisters, right?” I knew Mr. Pennington had several daughters in addition to Robbie but in over ten years of employment I’d never met anyone in his family until Robbie started working for me. I guess that in part was why I’d been so suspicious of Robbie’s sudden appearance and interest in the company.

“Yes, I have six older sisters. I’m the youngest.” His face lit up at just the mention of them.

“So you’re all close?”

“Very.” He smiled. “How about you? Any siblings?”

“Nope, I’m an only child. My parents tried for more, but it never happened.”

“And your parents are still together?” I nodded. “Can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

“How many different moms are there between all of you?” His smiled faded and I could see the mention of mom hit a nerve. “I’ve heard stories, office gossip, that your father wasn’t exactly husband material.”

He chuckled. “You could say that.” He sighed and took a big gulp of his wine. “Dad’s been married four times, but one marriage didn’t result in children. Three daughters each for wives number one and two. My mom was wife number four. He divorced every one of them after they gave birth to their last child.”

My mind reeled with images of how hard that must have been on all of them, but truth be told, I had no concept of such an upbringing. My parents weren’t perfect, but they gave me a loving home and they were always there for me. We were a small family but a loving one. That was why I worked so hard so I could send them money each month. “Is it true he never sees his daughters?”

“Yep, all he wanted was a son. After I was born, he never married again.”

“That had to be hard.”

“It was, but despite him, we were all close. The ex-wives banded together and became friends over the years. Let me just say it was interesting growing up with four mother figures and six overprotective sisters.” He let out a low laugh and it was sexy as hell.

“I can’t even imagine.” I smiled. Despite the way his laugh reverberated through me and caused me to shiver, I sensed this conversation wasn’t easy for him, but his face still lit up in a way I hadn’t seen before. “One mom is bad enough. Four must’ve been a disaster.”

“It was at times, but we had each other and most of the time that was enough. I don’t know who it was harder on, me or my sisters. Unlike them, I had a dad in my life. Most of them have never even met dad. Can you believe that? I was the only one he exercised his visitation rights with. It was hard growing up with the constant tug between wanting a father figure in my life and dealing with the knowledge that the father I had didn’t really want any of his children. Not even me. He just wanted a son to leave the business to. Dad’s influence on me wasn’t good, but my sisters were always there to protect me from him, to make sure I knew he wasn’t a good example of a man or a father.”

There was something about the way Robbie talked about his sisters that drew me in. He loved them, and despite having different mothers, they were all close. This knowledge made him sweeter, more endearing. I would have loved having a sister or brother growing up. It would have been a lot less lonely. Seeing this kind, loving side of him only drove my curiosity more, and I couldn’t stop the next words from exiting my mouth.

“Why are you here?”

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “Uh...” He hesitated, and the vein in his neck pulsed. “Because I like you.”

My breath caught in my throat. A part of me already knew he liked me, but hearing him say the words was a different experience entirely. “I like you, too. But that’s not what I meant. Why are you working for your father? You hate him, and you don’t seem interested in the work. Help me understand.”

“Is it that obvious?” He dropped his head and ran his fingers through his silky light brown hair. He did that when he was nervous. It was cute. The soft candlelight brought out the lighter tones, which glistened like gold.

“To anyone who’s looking, yeah.”

His gaze shifted to mine, and it was the first time I’d seen him look vulnerable. “Dad asked me to come, so I did.”

I hadn’t known my question would lead to such vulnerability, but it did. There was so much more behind his eyes, but I didn’t want to press him. Not yet at least. “Just don’t do anything stupid. Please.” Even though he hadn’t shown the least bit of malice these past couple months, I sensed he had motives he wasn’t ready to share, least of all with a senior VP. “I don’t like your father either, but I love my job.”

Robbie’s eyes widened and he flinched. It was slight, but it was enough that I noticed. Then he moved closer to me. His face was mere inches from mine, slowly eliminating the remaining distance. I bit my bottom lip, anticipating what was coming. Robbie’s lips curled up in a smile.

Don’t do it. Pull away. Do not let him kiss you.

A light sparked in his eyes and I knew if I didn’t turn away now, I was done for. Time to leave, Maya. Just back out of this booth and go home. I said the words to myself, but I didn’t listen. Again. This was becoming a serious problem. Do not let this man kiss you.

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