Page 21 of At Your Service
FOLLOW-UP.
He stared at the letters for a moment before deleting them, too.
This was ridiculous. Was he really going to tell this grown and exceptionally attractive woman that they couldn’t touch each other again? Because that’s what it was going to take. He’d decided on the ride back to his penthouse that touching her—in any capacity—was only going to make him want her more. There were plenty of couples who didn’t engage in PDA, so that wasn’t out of the ordinary.
But he and Nina weren’t a real couple. They never would be after Stacia’s conniving ways. Major had learned his lesson about being a Gold and trying to have a real relationship.
With that thought, Riley and Chaz immediately sprang to mind. His sister and her boyfriend were always touching—holding hands, Chaz touching her arm, Riley leaning in to him as he said something. All acts that, as Riley’s big brother, made Major uncomfortable to see. But his parents were no different. How many times had he seen his father squeeze his mother’s ass while growing up? He closed his eyes tightly and groaned. The answer was too many for his comfort. But Ron Gold loved his wife Marva without reservation. They were a partnership in love and in business and still going strong after thirty-seven years of marriage.
ADDENDUM.
Major typed the letters and this time didn’t stop typing until a five-item list and two paragraphs were complete.
He hit Send and closed his computer before he could think better of the action. Sex with Nina had been great—if he were inclined to be specific, it was jolting, surprising, tantalizing—but it wasn’t part of the plan. The plan that Major had worked on for far too long to be curtailed by a beautiful woman wearing colorful and sexy-as-hell waist beads that he knew would forever stay on his mind.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“IRECEIVEDYOUREMAIL” was the first thing Nina said when she walked into Major’s office the next morning.
He was sitting behind his desk and had looked up the moment he heard her voice.
“Landra told me to come right in since you were expecting me.” She set her bag on the floor next to one of the guest chairs across from his desk but didn’t take a seat.
Before getting started with business, she had to say what she’d rehearsed since reading his message at two this morning.
“What happened last night was consensual, just in case you may be thinking you used your Fashion House Playboy vibes to seduce me. You didn’t. I do what I want when I want.”
That came out much better than the dozen or so times she’d said it to the bathroom mirror.
“I’m aware of that,” he replied as he put down the pen he was holding and stared at her. “I just thought it would be a good idea to outline some rules.”
“Rules to outline a charade.” She nodded. “Okay, I can get with that.” She didn’t really have a choice. She wasn’t walking away from this deal and she’d had him once, that would suffice. “I’ve noted each of the rules you’ve set—from the ‘no kissing’ all the way down to the ‘no standing too close to each other in private’—and replied to the questions about my basic likes and dislikes.”
“I saw them.”
But he hadn’t responded. So they were going for the cordial coolness. She could do that, too.
“Good. Now if we’re questioned on the basics of our family, where we came from, schools we went to and future goals, we’ve got that covered.” By habit, she smoothed the gunmetal-gray pencil skirt down before sitting, even though it was so tight it wasn’t moving anywhere without some assistance on her part. This was definitely one of her size-fourteen days.
“They won’t ask us questions like that. All they’re really concerned about is the wedding date and who’ll be designing your gown.”
And yet his email had asked questions like “What’s your favorite movie?” and “Do you read while sitting on your father’s back porch?”
“Well, I’d think that would be obvious,” she said and tried her best not to think of how handsome he looked sitting behind his cherrywood desk in that mammoth burgundy office chair.
He was just a guy and there was no need for her to act any differently because she’d thought about this guy all night long.
“The others on my team will be here in a few moments. After I make the introductions, they’ll take you to an office we had set up for you and get you started on the integration.”
“But you’re going to stay here,” she said slowly. “You have other work to do. More important work.”
He ran a hand over his chin and sat back in his chair. For endless moments he didn’t speak, only stared at her as if he were memorizing everything about her. It made her wonder if he was possibly reconsidering this distance he’d decided to put between them, but then he cleared his throat and shook his head.
“I run an entire department as well as a few outside projects. I can’t be at every meeting.”
Nor did she need him at every meeting with her. She was being silly when she was supposed to be presenting a strong and unshakable front. That had to stop now.
“Great. I’m ready to get started. There’s nothing on our agenda for tonight, so I’ll make some plans to take in another play or possibly do some shopping to pick up something nice for my dad.” And he didn’t need to know all of that.
