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“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t me who spoke. Or even Michael. We turned around to see Thomas Larchwood framed in the elevator, staring at us in shock.
The next second I was on my feet.
“Jenna—”
There was a slap. I heard it before I even saw it happening, before I even realized that it was me. Michael jerked back, clutching his face, but he didn’t seem surprised. In fact, he rather seemed to expect it. I figured he couldn’t live the life he did without getting his fair share.
“I’m just—it’s fine,” I blurted, rushing clumsily around as I grabbed handfuls of papers from the coffee table and crammed them into my overflowing briefcase. I didn’t know why I was censoring myself. I certainly didn’t want to. Shoes in the bathtub weren’t the worst things I could do, and Michael certainly had it coming.
But then, there was Thomas to think about.
I carefully avoided his eyes as I snatched up the last of the documents and made a mad dash for my coat.
“Jenna, please,” Michael tried again softly, “let me explain—”
In my periphery, I saw Thomas make a furious, threatening gesture, and his brother fell silent.
“Miss Harks,” he went on automatic damage control, soothing in his low voice, “if you would please let me assist you, I’m sure we can come to some sort of—”
Some sort of arrangement? What was this—a table reading for the Godfather?! The words sounded scripted. Did he run around behind cleaning all of his little brother’s messes?
“That’s alright,” I cut him off, “I’m just going to head home.”
On any other day, I would rather literally shoot myself in the foot than interrupt Thomas Larchwood—but right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care. As I stuffed my arms through my designer coat sleeves and peered around at the dazzling penthouse and equally dazzling men staring imploringly back at me, I suddenly wanted to have nothing to do with the whole family.
“Miss Harks, you—”
But I was out the door, doing my very best not to slam it behind me. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the elevator. On the other side of the door, there was a hushed argument followed by the shuffling of feet.
Please don’t let it be Michael, please don’t let it be Michael, I silently prayed as the handle turned and it pushed open. It wasn’t. It was Thomas. But now that we were standing face to face, I was suddenly sure that wasn’t any better.
“You forgot your phone.”
I looked up in surprise to see him holding it out in the air between us. That had been what he was trying to tell me? My cheeks flushed pink, and I took it quickly, careful not to touch his skin. While the lines of propriety had already been thoroughly savaged today, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t try to salvage what was left of the aftermath.
“Thank you,” I murmured quietly, not meeting his eyes. I looked instead at the elevator, willing the numbers to move faster.
“Jenna?”
It was strange hearing my name come out of his mouth, however uncertainly, and I flashed him a look before I said, “It’s Miss Harks.”
He actually seemed to appreciate this. “Of course. Miss Harks, please allow me to apologize for any...transgressions on the part of my brother. If he crossed a line, I don’t—”
I whirled around. “You mean when he suddenly kissed me?”
It was impossible to keep the anger out of my voice. A very strange look passed across Thomas’s face and he studied me carefully before moving cautiously on.
“Yes, when he...” He paused again and considered me with that same curious expression.
I honestly didn’t understand it. What did he think I was going to do? Throw away my entire career and sue? I continued my anxious foot tapping, praying to the elevator gods to step it up a notch. What—was this thing broken?
“Yes, when he kissed you,” he finally repeated quietly. For a moment, he looked incredibly uncomfortable, shifting uneasily in his suit. “Miss Harks...if I interrupted something between you two, allow me to apologize—”
What?! My head jerked up in bewildered surprise.
“I would only advise you to be careful. I was very impressed with your presentation, and I would hate to see a mind like yours go to waste. The last of Michael’s conquests,” he caught himself quickly, “I mean, relationships...well, those women don’t work for us anymore.”
I didn’t know if it was a warning or a threat. First the little brother kisses me; now it seemed like the older one was somehow blaming me for the whole thing.
My eyes narrowed viciously. “Let me assure you, Mr. Larchwood, not only do I in no way reciprocate your brother’s feelings, but I spent almost the entire day openly rebuking his advances. Not that it made much difference in the end...”
The shock and dismay of what happened aside, I had to admit, I was a little stung. By the end, I’d actually been having a good time with Michael—I thought we were on the same page.
It was clear by now that the elevator was playing some sort of cosmic joke on me, so I tightened my grip on the briefcase and pulled open the door to the stairs.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an entire merger to write.”
This time, I did slam the door shut behind me, turning only long enough to get a single glimpse of Thomas’ surprised face.
I paused at the top of the unending stairwell and peered dubiously down. Okay...this could have been a bad idea. I wriggled my toes in my pricy, high-heeled shoes and wondered blandly how long they would last. I could always take them off...my eyes flickered doubtfully down the column. I decided to keep them on, and had just made it down the first floor when I heard the door open and shut again above me. What had I done to deserve this?! I hurried on, but in only a few seconds, Thomas was standing by my side.
At first he didn’t say anything. His eyes simply swept over my flushed cheeks and angry, pursed lips. Then they drifted down to my quivering ankles, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
“Is there something wrong with the elevator?”
I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me, or just being polite. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood.
“It was taking too long,” I replied in clipped tones. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“What are you going to do? Take fifty flights of stairs?”
Um—there were fifty? Oh well, better get going then. I continued my march.
“That’s not your concern, Mr. Larchwood. I’ll see you at the office on Mon—”
“Miss Harks,” he started after me, “there has to be a way we can come to some sort of resolution.”
I continued walking determinedly ahead. “As far as I’m concerned, the matter is resolved. It never happened. I spent the day working with my regional supervisor, completed only a fraction of what I had to do, and now I’m going home to do an entire month’s work in less than forty-eight hours. So forgive me, Mr. Larchwood, if I don’t have time to soothe your fears about your brother’s...indiscretions.” I sighed. “Listen, I didn’t do anything wrong. I was working. I was forced to work with Michael. It wasn’t my choice. I was assigned to him. And he refused to come to the office and work. Said I had to come here. So I did. Fought off all his flirting. And then he kissed me when you walked in. And then you seem to think I liked it. Maybe threw the slap in to make it look like I didn’t. And that’s insulting. The slap was genuine, I assure you of that. But don’t worry. I won’t report it. But it better never happen again. We don’t have some secret relationship and we never will. So please don’t give me advice how his other conquests got fired, because I do not want to be with him in that manner!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
He came around to stand in front of me, casually blocking my way. I gave him a withering look, but he stared back steadily as if willing the problem out of existence. (In his defense, it was hard to remember why I was so angry when I was staring into those blue eyes.) After a moment, he cocked his head to the side with an adorable little smile.
“A month’s worth of work, you say?”
In a flash, he was the boss again. All first names were forgotten, all kisses in the penthouse long since passed. He held out his hand expectantly for my briefcase.
“Well, let’s take a look, shall we?”
* * *
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, we were sitting on the top floor of a coffee shop. A floor I never knew existed, despite having frequented the same shop since I moved to the city. The second we walked inside, a series of whispers spread from behind the counter, and a moment later, the manager came out and started manning the machines.
“Is it just the usual today, Mr. Larchwood?”
Thomas took off his coat, and a barista appeared from nowhere to hang it on a rack behind the counter. I blinked in disbelief. It was just like when Michael snapped his fingers at the gym and got us those drinks. I was pretty sure the gym didn’t have waiters, just as sure as I was that the Starbucks didn’t have coat service. And yet, there we were.
“Actually, Billy, I need a quiet place to work today.”
“Of course, sir. Alicia will show you up, and your drink will be there momentarily.”
Thomas nodded before turning deliberately to me. All at once, my coat was lifted off my shoulders as well as a sweet-faced girl asked, “And something for you, miss?”
I tried to play it cool while simultaneously grabbing my phone from my jacket pocket as it was whisked away. “Um...just a house coffee, please.”
“French or Italian?”
I blanched. There wasn’t just...house coffee? That wasn’t a brand?
“Italian,” Thomas answered for me, gesturing me to follow the girl named Alicia. I hesitated and reached into my purse for my wallet, but he just put a guiding hand on my back and led me to the door. “We don’t pay here.”
I kept this revelation to myself as we headed up a row of quartered off stairs, and through a door on the next story. The second it opened, I stopped dead in my tracks.
It was a miniature office. Wall to ceiling windows, desk in the corner, conference table in the middle. It even had the obligatory shriveled plant in the corner. I stood there in amazement as Thomas loosened his tie and took a seat at the table. A moment later, two coffees were set in front of him. Not coffees in the typical Starbucks cups, mind you. No paper and straws here. Both of these had been meticulously poured and garnished in heavy, thick-bottomed mugs. As I got closer, I saw that mine had a little flower design on top, sprinkled in cinnamon.
Thomas gestured me forward, and I took a seat by his side, taking the cup tentatively in my hand. “We don’t pay here?” I repeated it as a question.
“I own the Starbucks,” he said simply.
Despite the tension, I couldn’t help but laugh. “For that reason alone, my roommate would insist that I marry you.”
I had obviously said it as a joke, but the second the words left my mouth, I regretted them. An incriminating flush heated my skin and I dropped my eyes quickly to my briefcase, unloading the documents Michael and I had been working on before.
Thomas looked amused. “Is that right? Big coffee drinker, is he?”
“She,” I corrected automatically, wondering suddenly if the ‘he’ had been intentionally inserted. “And yes, we come here almost every day. It’s been prioritized above rent. Just smelling coffee makes me less stressed.”
He chuckled. “I love my coffee.”
While this lighthearted banter would have been relished by Michael and carried on for hours, Thomas got straight to work.
“So tell me, what are we looking at?”
I pulled out my computer and opened the file with the merger thus far. Although it had taken Michael and me several hours to write it, Thomas read through in only about ten minutes, frowning to himself and taking occasional sips of coffee. I waited on pins and needles for the verdict. Although I’d drafted mergers before, it was obviously nothing on this scale and I was suddenly worried as to the level of quality. Faint strains of early Christmas music floated softly from the speakers, and I had nearly ground my nails to a pulp by the time Jingle Bells started a second time around.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally leaned back in his chair.
“This...is good.”
I half-collapsed in my seat with a silent sigh of relief. Thank God.
“You started with Hong Kong?”
I nodded quickly, pulling out my notes. “That was actually Michael’s idea.”
“Michael?” He looked up in surprise, then shook his head. “That kid drives me crazy.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes, the only time he and his brother seemed like real people was when they were talking about each other.
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head again as he pulled my spreadsheet from the pile. “It’s a brilliant strategy—putting Hong Kong first. He’s smart. He’s really smart. But I swear, he doesn’t want anyone to know it.”
I smiled to myself. “Why would he? Admitting it only leads to added responsibility, and he’s twenty-seven. I know he wants to impress your father, but it doesn’t seem like this is exactly his cup of tea.”
Thomas looked up for a moment, staring at me like he had never considered that, before returning quickly to the spreadsheet.
“And who wrote this?” he said quickly, changing the subject. “Who went with Viacom instead of sticking to Northwestern?”
“That was me,” I said hesitantly.
He took another scalding sip of coffee. “We’re going to scratch that and go back to the original plan.”
I lifted my hands to type the changes but paused. “May I ask why?”
He frowned down at the papers. “Because in addition to having Senator Coalman’s endorsement with the fishing industry, NW has never dipped below a four point five.”
I ran my fingers back through my hair. “And if we were living in nineteen ninety-nine, I might agree with you. But if you look at the growth patterns for the last five quarters, Viacom has been consistent while NW is flagging in the wake of their new vice president.”
There wasn’t a sound between us as Alicia quietly refilled our cups and then left.
For a moment, I thought I was going to be reprimanded for talking back. But then Thomas suddenly gave me a taste of his first, genuine smile.
“Viacom it is.”
“Thanks.”
“Your truly thinking outside the box. I love fresh new ideas like this. This is exactly what our company needs. Creative ideas are the lifeblood of a successful business.”
I smiled. “I’m so glad you liked it.”
The rest of the evening passed quickly. He was visibly impressed by my tenacity, and I was flat-out blown away by his brilliance. What would have taken a team of people the better part of a month to do, we had halfway finished by nightfall. Not only were we amazing work partners, but we’d already developed a bit of a shorthand that had both of us hiding secret smiles.
“Did you already go over—”
“Done, it’s in the pile.”
“What about—”
“I was debating between the second Wednesday or Thursday of every month.”
“Make it Thursday.”
I typed at the speed of light. “Why Thursday?”
“Wednesday is national karaoke day in Hong Kong.”
I nodded along and kept typing before I suddenly paused. “Wait...what?” I looked up to see him grinning widely over the rim of his mug. “Very funny,” I breathed, deleting the last line.
“Stay sharp, Miss Harks.”
I shot him a sarcastic grin and gulped down half my mug of caffeine before returning to the computer. “I’m actually surprised you’re not grilling me on the price of Chinese milk. You asked me about every other question.”
The air between us chilled a bit as we both remembered his behavior at the presentation the previous morning. For a moment, he looked at me speculatively, then he set down his mug.
“Do you know why I was so hard on you at the meeting?”
Because, like his brother, he got a sadistic thrill out of messing with people?
I kept this opinion to myself and silently shook my head, still looking fixedly at the computer screen.
“Minutes of those meetings get sent to my father. I was impressed, Miss Harks. I knew he would be too.”
My fingers froze mid-word, and I stared at him from across the table. “Is that true?”
“Which part?”
I shook my head quickly and looked down, a bit overwhelmed with the profound compliment I’d received. “Well, I’m...I’m glad that...” After a few seconds, I finally looked up and said plainly, “Thank you for doing that.”
He nodded graciously, fixing me curiously in his gaze. “This job means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
I sighed softly and returned to my typing. “I’m risking everything to be here. But that’s what you do, isn’t it? When you want something? You risk it all.”
A very strange look passed over his face and he nodded slowly. “Yes. You do.”
Alicia came back up about an hour later to tell us that the shop was closing down. We packed up the table, and Thomas graciously helped me back into my coat as we headed out into the freezing New York air.
“So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” he said politely.
“Are you kidding?” I smiled, holding up the briefcase. “I’ll be working on this the rest of the weekend.” A cab pulled around the corner at the far end of the street, and I took a step away from the curb, lifting my hand pre-emptively.
“All by yourself?” Thomas asked with a frown. “They assigned you the whole thing?”
“Well, Jamie and Patti are working on different parts—and of course, legal and PR has their say as well—but yeah...I’ll be writing the rest of it.”
And on that note... I turned back to him as the cab pulled up to the sidewalk.
“Thank you very much for helping me out today,” I said sincerely. “I might actually get a little sleep tonight.”
“Any time,” he replied, as I threw my things into the cab. “I only wish I could help you with the rest. I know how much more there is to do.”
“Hey,” I laughed as I climbed into the car, “if you want to come to my apartment, be my guest. I could always use an extra set of hands to help me finish.”
Oh my gosh.
I could always use an extra set of hands to help me finish?!
Was there a way that could have sounded more sexual?!
A little smile froze on his face as he lifted his eyebrows. Even the cab driver glanced back in the mirror and gave me a low whistle.
“I’m sorry,” I stammered, “of course that’s not what I—”
“In that case, yes, I think I’d better come along.”
Before I could make heads or tails of what was happening, he slid onto the seat next to me and double tapped the outside of the cab. We eased away into traffic as I leaned forward and whispered my address to the driver. In the midst of a Larchwood, East 60th Street didn’t fill me with as much pride as it normally did.
Ten minutes later, we were pulling up in front of my house. We hadn’t said a single word on the ride. The last embarrassing thing I said was still ringing in the air between us, and while Thomas seemed to find this greatly amusing, I wanted to shrivel up and die.
“This is a nice building,” he said politely as I fumbled with my keys.
I glanced at him sideways. He was probably used to going home with girls who owned the whole thing.
“Yeah, I’ve lived here for a couple of years now. It feels like home.”
“A couple of years?” he asked as we stepped inside and headed down the hall. “I thought you’d just moved here from California.”
My heart froze in my chest, and I mentally pummeled myself for my obvious mistake. Choosing to go the mature route, I pretended not to have heard and smiled politely as I opened the door and gestured him inside.
What followed was a hasty, four-second cleanup effort on my part, as I speed walked in ahead of him and grabbed the empty vodka bottles and candy wrappers off the floor. I dropped the whole lot of them behind the television and turned around with a smile just as he entered.
“Well, this is it,” I gestured around unenthusiastically. I had always liked it, but after seeing Michael’s apartment, I was thoroughly convinced the Starbucks was more comfortable.
Thomas, on the other hand, seemed to like it a lot. He glanced around curiously, eyes soaking in every detail as I hurried to put on more coffee and clear away a space in the kitchen for us to work.
“We can set up in here if you like,” I called, placing the two chairs at opposite ends of the long table. No need to give him the wrong impression after my slip-up earlier.
He stuck his head inside, but after seeing the sterile place I’d prepared, he glanced back out at the big sofa in the living room. “Actually, all we really need is the computer. What would you say to working somewhere a little more comfortable?”
I froze in place, before reminding myself to play it cool. “That would be great.”
I followed him out to the living room, automatically slipping off my uncomfortable shoes and jacket as I settled onto the couch. The lighting was much dimmer in here, just two softly lit lamps that gave everything a rather intimate glow. I nervously tucked my hair behind my ears and pulled the laptop out of my bag, but he took it gently from my hands and set it up himself, opening up the document as he balanced it on his legs.
“So,” he began, as he started typing, “you’ve lived here for a few years...?”
I bit my lip nervously, but his eyes merely twinkled as he finished up a page. “Check the company records,” I said innocently. “I think you’ll find I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
He actually chuckled under his breath. “Well, there’s no doubt about that. This is some first class writing, Miss Harks.”
“Please,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed, “it’s Jenna.”
There was a pause as he stopped typing and looked up at me over the computer. Our eyes met, and for the second time that night, he gave me a genuine smile.
“Jenna.” He held out a hand. “Tom.”
Laughing softly, we shook hands before dropping our eyes quickly back to our work.
Rather, he returned to our work, and I sat idly on the couch, wondering why he’d purposely taken only the laptop and left our papers behind. It didn’t give me any way to help—placing the entire impossible job on his shoulders. I was about to sneak back to the kitchen on a ‘coffee break’ to grab my briefcase when the computer screen caught my attention.
I’m sorry...did I say impossible job?
His hands were flying along at a speed that put both Michael and me to shame, blowing through page after page as he pulled facts and dates from memory, barely even paying attention. My eyes widened in astonishment, and I instantly understood the reason behind all the articles, all the Wall Street gossip that claimed he was a genius.
There was a chance he really was.
He glanced at me self-consciously, oblivious to the reason behind my expression, and shifted on the couch, so we were facing each other. “Do you stare at all of your house guests with such unnerving attention?” he teased.
I blushed and looked down at my knees. “Only the encyclopedic ones who can write mergers from memory. At this rate, I’ll have enough time to go to the gym tomorrow.”
“If you’d like a hand there as well...I’d love to help you finish.”
My head jerked up as he flashed me a mischievous grin, but before I could say anything back, the door pushed open, and Rose breezed inside.
“What an unending day!” she called as she shed her jacket in the hallway. “Jen, break out the vodka, because I swear, if I hear the word Larchwood again I’m just going to—”
She stopped dead when she entered the living room. Tom looked up with a bemused smile as I paled behind him and made the ‘you’re dead’ gesture behind his head.
“Mr. Larchwood,” she said pleasantly, “it’s a pleasure to officially meet you.”
He jumped to his feet, and she swept her long hair behind her as they shook hands. For whatever reason, the sight of it tightened my stomach. I realized I didn’t want Tom and Rose to be in the same room together. Everyone who laid eyes on Rose had the unfortunate tendency to fall in love...
Tom, however, seemed totally nonplussed. “You must be the coffee drinker,” he said in a surprisingly friendly tone. She faltered for a moment and glanced back at me for an explanation.
“He owns our Starbucks,” I explained.
She cocked her head with an ironic grin. “Of course you do.” The coffee in the kitchen dinged right on cue, and she gestured down the hall. “Jen, can I speak to you for a moment?”
He continued typing as I got up from the couch and followed her into the kitchen. The second we were alone, she grabbed my arms in gleeful surprise.
“Oh my gosh—what is he doing here? Are you two sleeping together?!”
I closed my eyes with a painful grimace. “Rose, please remember how thin these walls are and lower your voice!” I cast a nervous glance to the living room. “And no—we’re not sleeping together. Although...I kind of accidently asked him to before we headed over.”
“What?!”
“It’s a long story.”
She cocked her hips impatiently. “I thought you were working with Michael today.”
“I was—I just left in a hurry after he kissed me.”
“WHAT?!”
“It’s a long story. For goodness sake—lower your voice!”
She leaned back, looking impressed. “You work fast. Both handsome brothers, who just happen to be the boss’s sons, in only a week of working there. That has to be some sort of record.”
“Okay, you’ve had your fun.” I steered her—giggling away—down the hall and deposited her in her room. Once the sound of her laughing had died down, I headed nervously back down the hall and re-settled on the couch.
Tom didn’t look up as I joined him, but the hint of a smile was playing about his lips.
“Is everything okay?”
I blushed, wondering how much he’d been able to hear. “Oh...yes, um, she just...she just had a very long day. Sleep deprivation, and all that...”
“I see,” he said with mock seriousness. “Well on that note, we should really get cracking or we’ll be up all night ourselves.” He tilted the screen to me. “Now what do you think of the Kensington proposition...?”
Hours flew past at a speed that seemed impossible. We laughed and talked and typed, and before I knew it, it was three in the morning. The merger, however, was complete.
“I can’t believe this got finished in a day,” I said in sheer amazement, as my printer fired out page after page.
Tom stood up and stretched out his stiff arms. “Looks like you have time to go to the gym after all.”
My heart sped up as I remembered his teasing offer. “Listen, Tom, earlier on—when I invited you to come over here—I didn’t mean to—”
My voice trailed off, as all of a sudden, he was standing right behind me.
“You didn’t mean to...what?”
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. His already gorgeous face was even more beautiful in the soft lamp light. It softened all the tension and lines I saw at the office. Or maybe, that was just because he was looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I shook my head quickly to pull myself together, “I didn’t mean to be forward, or even imply that anything would... I mean, you’re my boss, and we don’t even know each other, and—”
“And it’s against the rules,” he finished.
I took a deep breath. “Yeah. It is.”
We stared at each other for a moment longer. I felt like there was a good chance I might actually faint with the amount of tension in the room, but his eyes were sparkling as he leaned closer. His head came down until we were even—so close that I could see the golden flecks in his ocean colored eyes. For a split second, I thought he might actually pull a Michael and kiss me, but he merely smiled, staring down at me with that same mischievous look in his eyes.
“Goodnight, Jenna.”
I caught my breath.
“Goodnight, Tom.”
And he left.