Seduce (2 page)
Chapter 3
~~ LILY ~~
When I clashed
eyes with the guy who stood in front of me at the elevators, my pulse jumped, my heart stopped, and my stomach quivered. Never in my life had I reacted that way to a man before.
As I s
tood in the elevator the doors closed, leaving me trapped inside with the sexy-as-sin man. I quickly leaned forward pressing the button for the floor I wanted and felt the heat flowing from his body to mine. My stomach still quivered and I was pretty sure my panties were soaked. He watched me carefully through the mirror on the doors while I watched him out of the corner of my eye. I refused to meet his eyes.
My heart was accelerating and I felt
more turned on than I had been in a very long time – ever, if I was totally honest. What the hell was happening? David was acting like an ass, but we were still in a relationship. At least I thought we were. I had no reason to be attracted or turned on to high heaven by a total stranger.
The stranger
, who had decided to focus his full attention on me and I didn’t think my panties could get any wetter.
What the hell’s wrong with this elevator – it’s damn slow!
“You’re new here?” he stated
, or was it a question? I wasn’t really sure.
I finally manage
d to put my tongue back into my mouth. “Yes.” He didn’t take his eyes from me. “I presume you work in the building?” I asked, trying to hide my embarrassment. I wasn’t used to being the object of such a penetrating gaze. His eyes twinkled.
“You could say that…. Y
ou haven’t told me your name?”
What
did that mean? He either worked here or not. “You haven’t asked me my name.”
Oh god, did I just flirt with him
?
“I would
love to know your name, if you wouldn’t mind telling me,” he replied.
He’s smooth, I’ll give him that.
I groaned inwardly
. This guy was really turning me into a bubbling idiot. I knew that touching him would be a really bad idea, but I held my hand out anyway. “Lily Redmond.”
He seemed
to freeze for a split second, then he stood taller and took hold of my hand. He wrapped his fingers around mine; the contact brought me out in goose bumps. My nipples hardened in my lace bra and pressed up against my blouse. I was suddenly glad I was wearing a jacket, otherwise he would know exactly what he did to me.
With m
y hand still clasped in his, I looked up. His eyes had darkened and a pulse was beating on the side of his neck.
Mmm, I wouldn’t mind using my tongue on that spot.
I licked my lips; his eyes followed the movement of my tongue and darkened a few shades.
He cough
ed, released my hand and stepped slightly away from me. He was just as affected by me, if the bulge he was trying to hide in his trousers was anything to go by. That realization made me hotter. Wetter.
“I’m Michael McKenzie.”
Those words doused me in cold water.
He’s my boss! Shit.
I hadn’
t even arrived at the office yet, and I’d already flirted with my boss, or rather, one of them.
“Michael McKenzie
, as in the McKenzie Brothers? I mean as in McKenzie Holdings…. my boss,” tumbled out of my mouth almost incoherently.
Why me?
“Yeah, t
hat’s me.” He looked about as happy as I did.
“Oh.” The elevator pinged
and the doors slowly opened on the floor of the McKenzie Brothers Executive offices, where Mr Roberts had told me to meet him.
I couldn
’t help but feel a huge disappointment that he was one of my bosses. I really would have liked to get to know him better, and I didn’t mean with sex. He was a really handsome man, tall with broad shoulders, slim torso, and the most amazing blue eyes. When he looked into mine, I sensed a yearning, for what, I wasn’t sure, but something was there, other than attraction. A connection.
I heard
a throat being cleared and pulled myself together enough to step out of the elevator in front of Michael McKenzie to greet Mr Roberts. He looked from me to his boss with curiosity in his eyes.
“Ah
, Lily. You’ve met Michael McKenzie, I take it?” he asked with his eyes focused on me.
“Yes, we’
ve met. Let’s go to my office,” Michael replied to a startled Mr Roberts. He didn’t sound too impressed either. After a brief look in my direction, Michael started to walk toward the glass door, which I presumed led to the inner sanctum.
I followed
both Michael and Mr Roberts along the corridor and tried not to wobble over in my heels. The carpet was so thick, like sponge. I would have loved to walk along there without my shoes, it would probably feel amazing.
The offices were
plush with no money having been spared on the executive floor. I couldn’t help but wonder what the other floors looked like. The art on the walls looked like originals, at least I thought they did. In all honesty, I wouldn’t know a Picasso from a Rembrandt. I wasn’t sure where all the paperwork was stored, as the furniture was minimum, but expensive by the look of things.
I didn
’t know if I was ready to work for McKenzie. Within a week my work space would probably be a complete and utter mess. I wasn’t the tidiest of people.
Following Michael into his office felt like I was walking straight into the lions den.
Michael had set his briefcase on the table and pulled a handful of documents out, before moving it to the floor.
“Dale, here are the papers yo
u left last night. I’ve signed them, so you’re good to go. Thank you for seeing to Lily, but I can take it from here,” he told Mr. Roberts who looked flustered.
Not sure what that was
about.
“Okay
, Michael.” He turned to me. “I’ll talk to you later, Lily.” He quickly walked out of the office and once again I was left alone with the very hot Michael McKenzie.
~~ MICHAEL ~~
While I le
d Lily and Dale to my office, I’d hoped to get my libido and disappointment under control. I was an idiot for not realizing in the lobby who she was. I’d only this morning been thinking about having a new assistant and the assurance from Dale that she was perfect and the ideal choice. After seeing the look on Dale’s face when he’d realized we’d already met, it made me wonder whether or not Dale had an ulterior motive as to employing Lily.
I walked across my
office to my desk, quickly retrieved the papers for Dale, then placed my briefcase near the coat rack and took a seat, hoping to hide the evidence of my arousal. My brothers, especially Sebastian, would have a field day if they knew I’d reacted like I had to my new bloody assistant. I never reacted to a woman, unless I wanted to – so this was damn annoying.
On
ce Dale left, I just watched her fidget. She was nervous and I wasn’t surprised after the heat that pulsated between us in the elevator. The light went out of her eyes when she found out who I was. If I hadn’t been watching closely, I would have missed her reaction. It wasn’t fake. She really hadn’t known who I was. The one damn woman on this planet who really didn’t know who I was and she was my assistant.
Just my fuckin' luck.
“Lily
.” I loved the sound of her name. She had her eyes locked on me, which was driving me crazy. “I know Dale interviewed you for the position of his assistant, but the position open was actually as mine. I’ve had a bit of trouble in the past with interviewing, so thought it best to leave it up to Dale. I’m really sorry for not being up front, but I hope you’ll stay.”
I could
see the wheels turning in her head. “Why do you have problems interviewing?”
Hell
,
I certainly hadn’t expected a question back, most people just agreed with me. “In the past when I’ve interviewed, the interviewee has known who I am. They ended up being more interested in me and my brothers rather than the job. Not only is it embarrassing, but it’s annoying as well. Whereas you hadn’t a clue who I was in the elevator. It was….refreshing.”
Why the hell did I tell her that?
I shuffle
d some papers on my desk to hide my discomfort at having admitted about the interviews. “As my assistant, I expect all deadlines met. I do not expect you to run around on personal issues for me. If I slip and ask, then you tell me no.”
She laughed.
“Okay. I won’t have a problem saying no.” She was sitting opposite me with the biggest grin on her face, and all I wanted to do was drag her over my desk and seal our lips together.
I cleared
the obstruction, which I knew was desire, from my throat and stood up, hoping to hell she didn’t look below my belt. “Please follow me, Lily, and I’ll show you to your desk. The reference we received for you was excellent and they complimented you on your computer skills, which I can assure you will be an asset in this job. My computer skills leave a bit to be desired, so it will be nice to rely on you for that.”
Lily placed
her purse on her desk then turned to look at me. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was uneven. I wondered if she was finding the closeness difficult as well.
“Okay then. Here is the password for the computer. When you logon, please change it to something only you know
, but please tell me. Do not write it down.” I really needed to leave.
“Will you be
all right out here? The coffee is over there and it should be fresh. Sylvia from reception out front makes it daily. I don’t expect you to fetch me coffee, but when I have a meeting, I may, depending on who it is, ask for coffee, in which case I would expect you to bring it in. Otherwise, I can get it myself. The tray here has work in it, which I should imagine will keep you busy for most of the day.” I turned to pour a cup of coffee, so I could escape back to my office.
“Mr McKenzie?”
I hadn’t realized she’d walked over to me and when I turned back around she stood so close that I had to force myself not to take a step back. “Yes?”
She looked rather flustered. “T
hank you for not giving me my marching orders before,” she said, waving her arms around.
“Why would I do
that? You haven’t done anything wrong.” I couldn’t look away from her eyes when I noticed they were almost violet.
“I mean for….
ah…. well…. flirting,” she blurted out eventually.
Flirting.
My heart drummed wildly – she really had been flirting with me. I hadn’t imagined it.
“Okay.” I turn
ed and walked back into my office, closing the door behind me. Once safely inside, I leaned back against it and breathed a sigh of relief. I was so screwed. Perhaps it was just as well that Sebastian was in San Diego. I think I’d seriously have to hurt my brother if he went anywhere near her.
I climbed out of bed this morning not bothering about anyone
, but myself, not interested in anyone. I walked into my office building only to be hit by lightning.
My cell
started to ring on the desk, effectively pulling me out of my reverie. I reached across to grab my phone and glanced at the display.
“Lucien?”
My oldest brother, and the most serious. Up until his car accident, he was as bad a womanizer as Sebastian, but now he was practically a recluse.
“What’
s Sebastian up to now?” he asked as way of greeting.
I sa
t down in my chair. “I haven’t spoken to him in two days, and that isn’t from lack of trying.” I leaned back in my chair and did a ninety degree turn to face the window and the skyline.
“Te
ll him I need help out here…. he’ll come.”
“Are you sure about that?” Sebastian h
ad never done what he was told, it used to drive our mother up the wall.
“Yes. Send someone to find him and get him on a plane to me.”
Shit.
I
hit end on the phone, because it was already beeping in my ear. Lucien had always had a problem with manners, but after his accident they were nonexistent.
After a few minutes of debating with myself
, I punched out a text message to Roger from the San Diego office, asking him to find Sebastian and ring me when he was with him.
Chapter 5
~~ LILY ~~
I watch
ed Michael walk back into his office and sighed in relief. Being close to him set a spike in my blood pressure. He wasn’t only handsome, but I was guessing lonely too. I placed my face into my hands and couldn’t believe I’d been flirting with him, and then tried to apologize, which only drew more attention to the fact.
What an idiot!
With the computer
switched on and flashing at me for a password, I entered the details Michael had given me and voila, I was on to the system. After a quick glance at the work that awaited my attention, I walked over and poured a cup of coffee.
Mmm, it was really good, a lot better than I usually made.
Back at my desk, David popped into my head. I wasn’t sure what the hell to do about him. It was hard. We’d been together forever and, up until recently, he’d always been there for me. Something was certainly going on with him and if I didn’t know any better, I’d even go as far as to suggest he was having an affair.
“
Hi there, you must be Lily?”
I was
brought out of my thoughts by a blonde in stilts taller than mine. “Yeah, that’s me.” I held my hand out and hoped for a name. I didn’t have to wait long.
“I’m Sylvia. I work at
reception and I’ve only been here three weeks myself.” She shook my hand and then poured herself a coffee. She really was pretty, but looked as though she should still be in college.
“I believe I have you to thank for th
e coffee? It’s delicious.” I had another sip.
“Would you like me to carry on making it?
Or would you prefer to make it when you arrive?”
“Oh, please keep making it
. If you don’t mind, that is. Mine would taste nothing like this.”
“I don’t mind.
” She took a sip of her coffee. “So is the gossip true? That you didn’t know the job was with Michael McKenzie?” she whispered.
Sylvia obviously liked
to gossip. “Dale Roberts interviewed me and I can’t really remember whether or not he told me who the job was with. I was really nervous.” That should do it – I hoped. I wasn’t one for gossip.
Sylvia looked
at me for a few seconds, and then shifted gears. “Do you have a boyfriend?” I laughed. She was nosy, but delightful. She grinned.
“I have a boyfr
iend – I think – named David. We’ve been together seven years. I don’t have any family, and my previous job let me go, along with about two hundred others, a couple of weeks ago.” I leaned back in my chair, taking another sip of my coffee and watched her take in what I’d just said.
“So, you
won’t be after Michael then?” She paused. I frowned. “Nearly all the girls are after him, but he never shows any interest. In fact, gossip says he hasn’t been interested since his wife died six years ago, I think that’s what Jacky said. Actually, Jacky said she thought there was something between you both when you stepped out of the elevator.”
Heck
, I felt embarrassed. At least I knew I hadn’t imagined the heat between us. “No, nothing there. Not sure what she was talking about.” I started to pick some papers up from my desk and hoped Sylvia took the hint and left, so I could get some work done. She did.
I was alone at
last and in no time at all I’d finished the work that had been left on the desk. Not really sure what else I was supposed to do, I stood and was just about to walk to Michael’s office when a woman, in over-the-top ‘everything’ including make-up, walked through the door. I tried not to stare, but it really was impossible. I didn’t think anything, including the hair, was real. She was quite a sight.
I c
leared my throat. “Can I help you?”
“You’re not my type….
” She sneered. “Is Michael in? Now he’s my type.”
Oh god
, please don’t tell me he’s had sex with her. It really shouldn’t bother me, but it did. A lot.
“I’ll check. What’s your name?”
“Candy.”
How ori
ginal.
“Just take a seat and I’ll see if he has time to see you.” I walked towards Michael’s office and hoped I was wrong. With a quick knock on his door, I entered.
He s
miled at me and my heart stopped. “There’s a woman outside to see you.” He actually looked bewildered. “Candy,” I said and he raised an eyebrow in query. “She made it sound like you knew her, if you, ah, know what I mean.”
He stood and
, by the look on his face, he hadn’t liked what I’d said. He walked closer and had me nearly pinned to the door. He didn’t touch me, but his closeness had my stomach full of butterflies and my panties wet. “I don’t know any Candy, in or out of the sheets,” he whispered to me and moved chest to chest.
I could feel his erection against my stomach.
All I wanted was to reach out and touch him. I felt as though a weight had lifted from me when he’d said he didn’t know her. How the hell could I be so jealous after a couple of hours of meeting him? It didn’t make any sense.
I
gazed into his eyes and it was clear by the heat flashing in his that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. His erection twitched against me. My breathing hitched when I reached out and put my hand to his chest. He shivered. This really wasn’t a good idea. “Candy,” I said to try and break the spell.
He took
a deep breath and stepped away from me. “Open the door. Let’s see what she wants.”
I wasn’t sure I could
move, he had me so aroused. I just wanted to throw myself into his arms. I opened the door and when he saw Candy, he quickly glanced at me then back to her.
“Candy, I’m Michael McKenzie, how can I help yo
u?”
Hmm, perhaps he really didn’t know her. She was
n’t acting like she knew him either.
“I’m looking for Sebastian. Do you know where he is?”
Michael seemed to tense at the mention of his brother. “I’m looking for Sebastian myself, and up to now, he hasn’t been in touch.”
She stood and started
to walk away. “Please tell him Candy is looking for him.”
“Will do.”
He sighed, rather loudly, and turned to look at me. He ran his hands through his hair. “Please, don’t ask.”
“Okay.”
I moved back behind my desk and sat down – I needed some distance between us. “I’ve finished the work that was on the desk.”
“Yo
u have?” He sounded, surprised. “There was a lot to do.”
I smile
d at him. “I’m a quick worker.”
He grinned back.
“Give me five minutes, then follow me through to my office,” he said and stood grinning at me. After about a minute, he turned and walked into his office, shutting the door behind him without saying another word.