According to the Self-Made Diva magazine, Daniel needed to practice how to connect with a woman on a date, and Ms. Baxter would be the perfect guinea pig. So why was he struggling to get the words out?
It was probably due to the kiss outside the restaurant.
He had thought it would feel like kissing a sister or other female relative, but it didn’t.
The kiss wasn’t passionate, but his heart was pounding when he reached in and claimed her lips. The entire event had unsettled him, which was why the kiss was only a peck on the lips.
He took a deep breath to relieve his tension. New clothes, new hairstyle, new role… but same Ms. Baxter.
The excitement he had felt was just because the newness of it all. Nothing else.
Employees are off-limits.
Period.
He looked down at his empty glass and then caught the waiter's attention. “I'll take another,” he said, ordering his second scotch of the evening in a more aggravated tone than he had intended.
After having memorized the top five dinner conversation starters from his latest edition of Self–Made Diva, he leaned in and continued with question number four, hoping to get more of a conversation going than just a yes or no answer.
“What's your biggest fear, Deborah?”
Her widened eyes suggested that he had surprised her.
She glanced away. With a slight hint of a nervous smile and a shake of her head, she said, “Well, like you, probably a fear of security.”
A five-word answer, nothing more. It was interesting that she shared that same fear.
“What kind of security?” he asked, prodding her for more information.
A distant look crossed her face, then a slight blush. “I didn't have a lot growing up. I had the love of a good family, but not much money.”
A spark of hope kindled within him. He had asked the right question. He had always suspected as much since she mostly packed her lunches and, as far as he could tell, she never took extravagant vacations.
He wanted to keep the conversation going. “Your family didn't have much of life's little extras?”
She took a sip of her water. “Nothing such as extras. No. We were poor”—she glanced away but then made eye contact with him—“and I have an older sister. Sometimes,… we didn't even have enough food.”
Her voice was soft with a whiff of sorrow.
She then paused as though deciding whether or not to continue sharing, but then she took a deep breath. “We always ate three meals a day, don't get me wrong, but I'd be hungry most nights. I would get free breakfast from the school district, but that was only during the school year. The summer months were the hardest, but the local area Food Bank would help us.”
She smiled and waved off the last statement, but he suspected the story pained her deeply by the way her eyes were tearing up.
“I got a job in high school, which helped my family,” she said. “Being the youngest, my money didn't have to help feed more than just my parents and me once Sue got a scholarship and went to college.” Deborah took a deep breath. “My father got a promotion at work just as she left, so much of the money I earned helped me attend college.”
He felt a wall being torn down between them, and he felt closer to her. “I’m so sorry, Deborah.”
Dedicated, loyal, and hardworking. Those were three characteristics Daniel always associated with her, and now he knew why. They were instilled in her very early in life.
Her green eyes sparkled in the candlelight. She’d said she hated wearing contacts, but she looked amazing without glasses. Her hair was also more feminine and soft than he had ever seen it before. Some days, he figured her tight bun must give her headaches. Tonight, her hair flowed freely over her shoulders, brushing them softly as she turned her head or laughed.
“What do you do in your time off?” he asked, moving on to the next question—and hoping it was less painful for her.
“I like putting on comfortable blue jeans and a T–shirt and…well, I like going to quiet coffee houses and writing.”
That's right. She had mentioned something about writing years ago to him. “Novels?”
She didn't answer. She only blushed, which made her look more radiant than ever before.
Enjoying the conversation, he felt drawn to her full, red lips. She even smiled throughout the evening. She never scowled around the office, but here, at this moment, she appeared happy. She had a smile that lit up the room.
Her lips also looked soft and kissable.
Staring into her eyes, and at those glorious lips, kept him from focusing on her cleavage. Even wearing his jacket now since she had mentioned how cold the room felt, he still had a marvelous view of a great deal of flesh.
He pulled himself away and now focused his gaze on the bread and butter on the table.
What the hell was he doing?
This was a contractual dinner with an employee. An employee who only took this assignment to help him out. She had made it perfectly clear that nothing was to come between the two of them. The last thing he needed was to lose the best assistant he ever had, and possibly, get a law suit to deal with.
He was better than this.
“But enough about me.” She poked the food and moved it around on her plate. “Tell me more about you.”
He never shared too much of his stories with others, but he mentioned his hometown, she already knew he had been the star quarterback of his high school team. Of course, she had seen and taken care of his tenth and twentieth high school reunion invitations. He hadn't attended either of them, but not because of a lack of preparation. Deborah was more than willing to set up hotel reservations and flights for him. Instead, she sent out his regrets for not attending them.
“Before I forget,” Deborah said, “please remember the company all–hands quarterly meeting is in one week. I've gathered the statistics from the five department heads and have begun the work on your presentation, but”—she shook her head—“I didn't have time to finish it.”
And, as if by magic, his assistant Ms. Baxter returned—sans hair bun, glasses, and a business suit. He stared at Deborah, finding it hard to believe that this was the same woman who had shared his office for the past eighteen years.
The waitress appeared with their dessert. Daniel had known the young lady for years since she was Adam's daughter, but he’d never bothered to ask her anything about her life. Deborah had no issue with asking questions and getting to know the people around her. Thanks to Deborah's questions, they found out that the girl worked at the restaurant in the evenings and on the weekends while putting herself through school.
How did he not know that? He had thought her name was Teresa until Deborah read her nametag and began calling her Tessa.
Daniel downed his scotch.
He was paid to run businesses, not be a people person. There was no need to feel embarrassed… God, did he really call the girl by the wrong name for years? Had he done so in front of her father?
“Are you sure you'll be able to drive?” Deborah asked and then tasted her slice of cheesecake.
That's right. He’d driven tonight. Surely he shouldn't get behind the wheel.
“You can drive my car back to the hotel, that is if you don't mind. I'll take a cab back to my home.”
“Do you think that's wise?”
He glanced at his empty glass. “I shouldn't be driving.”
She shook her head. “If the photographers are still outside, won’t it appear odd if we don't leave together?”
Deborah always thought ahead and took care of all the little details. It’s why he relied so heavily on her.
“I'll leave my car, and Adam will see that it gets home,” Daniel said. “We can take a cab back to your hotel, and then I'll have the driver take me home.”
Exiting from the side door and into a cab would allow them to ditch any reporters outside. He wasn't going to stay the night with Deborah at the hotel, and he didn't want the reporters disturbing her privacy.
He bit his lip and focused on that single thought. He wasn't going to stay the night with Deborah. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He had to keep this arrangement professional and just remember that she was his assistant, not his date.