Trust Game (2 page)

Reese

I stare through the doorway after Everett disappears. Was that man real? This is cruel. My ex and I only separated two months ago. I’ve been pissed at men in general, and now, I have to be surrounded by them.

Every last one I’ve met in this
building has been handsome, but Everett … he had to have been made in a lab, each perfect feature brought together to create every natural wonder.

His light brown hair is like sand, and
those blue eyes match a clear, daylight sky. Mountains could be moved by his muscles, and it’s as if he was made from the earth with that naturally bronzed skin.

I force myself to turn and put one fo
ot in front of the other to my seat. Voices filter through the wall. Unreal. Everett is angry that I was hired. I’m going to be jobless. Sitting completely still, I eavesdrop. It’s about me, so I feel no shame.

His wife died. Holy shit. That’s why there are so many men running around this place. He doesn’t want to be near women.

“He’s a little high strung these days.”

I look up, and
Kyle is standing in the doorway.

“Um, can
we go ahead and have that meeting?” I ask.

“Sure.”

Sitting across from my desk, Kyle names off his job responsibilities. It’s way too much. Mistakes are bound to be made if he’s carrying that kind of work load.

“So you handle payab
les, receivables, and you turn payroll in to an outside company?”

“Yes. Everett has been handling journal
entries and balancing the books the last six months.”

“How long have you been this short staffed
?”

“I’ve been here
three and a half years. The woman who held your position died almost two and a half years ago. Then Dennis started a few months later. He lasted a year and a half, so I’ve been on my own again for six months.”

Ugh, I’m replacing Everett’s wife. Hell, I’m probably in
her chair. No wonder he’s stressed.

“
Sarge said I can hire another person, so I’m going to do that immediately. Which job do you feel you excel at or would like to continue doing?”

“I’d prefer receivables
.”

“Why don’t you do receivables and continue submitting the payroll
? I’m supposed to be working on a tax issue before anything else, so I’ll hire an accounts payable clerk.

“
We can always change duties later, if we need to. This company seems to run on its own accord, so I’ll go with it,” I say with a smile.

“That’s fine with me. I’m just glad to have help again.
” He flashes me a grin, and his hazel eyes sparkle against his dark hair.

“Cou
ld you run some reports, so I can see which accounts owe and how many days they’re past due?”

“Sure.”
Kyle leaves, and I prop my elbows on the desk before rubbing my temples.

“Discouraged already?”

I sit up straight and see Everett eyeing me. Geez, working around him is going to be difficult and so is what I have to do next.

“Can I have a word with you in
private?” I ask. If he’s already angered by my presence, then we have a problem.

He smirks. “Sure, but why don’t you come to my office?”

“OK.” I smooth out my skirt and take a deep breath as I follow him down the hallway. After taking a seat in a chair across from his desk, I take a glimpse around his office.

It’s different compared to most I’ve been in. There are photos of motorcycles
and dirt bikes all over the walls, and he has a black executive desk. The top of it is a light cherry wood.

His chair is the same cherry color with a cushioned
, black leather center. His office is edgy yet distinguished.

“What can I do for you?”

“I apologize, but I couldn’t help overhearing some of your conversation with Sarge. I feel it will be difficult to have a successful working relationship if you don’t trust me from the start, so I’m here to see what we can do to fix that.” I’m assertive with my words as I adjust my posture.

He leans back in his chair and studies me. His palm is resting over his other hand as he drums his fingers. I
feel like the man is burning a hole through me, and I’d like to look away from those sexy, blue eyes.

“I apologize for what you overheard. That wasn’t professional of m
e. It’s fine that you’re working here.”

“
If there are some duties you’d rather me not take over right away, I’ll respect your decision, but I’m being paid the salary I am to manage your accounting department. I’d like the opportunity to show I’m capable.”

“Look, it’s not a problem. I was caught off guard when I met you since Sarge hadn’t informed me of who he hired.

“Along with managing accounting, I’d like you to focus on sorting out a tax issue. We’ll work together on it. Casteel is being audited in sixty days, so I need to be prepared.”

I smile at him.
“Perfect. Taxes are what I do best.”

Everett studies me further
. I feel this need to sell myself to him so he’ll trust me, yet the last thing I want is to be trapped longer in this room with him.

Rising, he walks to a filing cabinet. His company t-shirt is snug
, and his jeans shape his ass perfectly. Stepping in front of me, he lays open a file on the desk and motions for me to stand near him.

“Here are the forms we received from the IRS.
I’ll let you take them to review.”

Oh, h
e smells delicious. The scent is a mixture of leather and pine, with a hint of something sweet. He’s towering over me, and his bicep brushes against my arm as he points at some dates. Hurriedly, I attempt to refocus on the papers in front of me.

“For Christ sake,”
he murmurs, sounding irritated.

S
hit, did he ask me a question? I turn my head and peer up at him. He’s staring right at me, our faces less than a foot apart.

“I’m sorry, did you ask me a question?”

“No.”

“OK.
” I glance back to the papers, nervous as hell.

“You–
you smell incredible. Damn, I’m fairly certain I’m not supposed to say that to you.”

The sweep of heat through my body is like a trail of gasoline being l
it, but I’m not going to be a play toy for these handsome men running around here, with their sexy bodies and charming smiles.

“No, you’re not supposed to say that to me.
” My tone is one of disapproval, even though the X-rated woman in me is clawing at her cage.
Jesus
. I tend to have this balance problem, and the best way to explain it is to reference the motion picture rating system.

My
behavior is either G, which means it is suitable for a general audience, where I work diligently to behave like the good girl I should be. Or, it’s X-rated, and I’ve thrown caution to the wind.

That girl has been on lockdown since college
, but the sexual energy from this man tells me he could hold the key. Unfortunately, I never operate in the middle.

This applies to
other areas of my life, as well. I’m either sober or drunk, eating butter or starving, vegging on the sofa or running a marathon.

I
come back to earth and realize Everett is still staring at me. What do I do? “I’ll take these to my desk and review them today.” Grabbing the folder, I dart from his office. The fire alarm has been pulled and is directing me away from the smokin’ hot boss.

Maybe I’m making too big a deal out of this.
He lost the love of his life, so I imagine getting with me is the furthest from his mind, as it should be. He only said I smell good. I mean, is the statement really that inappropriate? 

Everett

I’m tired when I arrive at work. My mind betrayed me throughout the night as it fantasized repeatedly about Reese. Since Krystal’s death, Reese is the only other woman I’ve dreamed about, and I even feel guilty for that.

When I enter the store
, my baby brother, Travis, signals for me to talk to him.

“What do you need, Trav?”

“Um, how old is Reese?”

“T
wenty-six. Why?”

“S
he’s only four years older than me. That’s not too bad. Sarge said she’s single, so I wonder if she’d be interested in a younger guy. Her body is sensational.”

“You can’t date he
r; she’s a fellow employee.”

“
Since when did we start that policy?” he asks with a frown.

“Since right now.”

“You didn’t care when I took Karly out.” He raises his eyebrows like he’s won this battle or something.

“I don’t even know who that is.”

“That blonde who worked the counter a few months ago.”

“Oh, yeah, a
nd she quit. Why is that?”

H
is normal cocky grin bursts at the seams.

“I’m guessing a
fter getting a piece of this awesomeness, she couldn’t handle the distraction every day.” His arms are held out to draw attention to his body.

“Leave Reese alone.” I narrow my eyes and point at him.

“I’d think you wanted her if I didn’t know better,” he calls out as I walk away. My body wants her, but surely that’s normal after this long without sex.

Once in the hallway
, I spot Kyle standing behind her at her desk. For some reason, it bugs me. Her intoxicating scent must’ve killed some of my brain cells yesterday.

I still can’t believe I told
her she smelled good. Reese barely left her office the rest of the day, and I didn’t like that, either.

I’
m starting up my computer, when she taps on the door frame. Damn, she looks good in her silky, leopard print blouse and black dress pants, which cling to her sensuous curves. Her blonde hair is up, and the way pieces of it fall around her face make her look even sexier.

“I would’ve put these tax papers back
on your desk before you arrived, but I didn’t know if you’d mind me being in your office without you present,” she says in a formal tone.

“If you ever need to,
it’s fine. Please, have a seat.” I point to the chair directly in front of my desk.

“I’v
e gathered some numbers for the audit.”

My forehead creases. This audit is a pain in my ass, and it means I’m going to
have to work closely with her. “I’ll be out of the office most of the day. Is five too late to meet to go over them in more detail?”

“No, and since you’re busy, we can discuss it then.
”

“Wait, please stay,” I say a little too desperately, my gaze glued to her green eyes. She nervously glances to
the paper in her hand.

“I
haven’t delved deep into it yet, but like the IRS is stating, I see there is a large discrepancy in what profits were reported two years ago, compared to several filed before it and last years.”

“You discovered that this quickly?”

“Yes, I briefly scanned your tax returns. Casteel reported roughly ninety thousand dollars less that year.”

“I’m aware of
that.”

“Well, do you have any idea why it’s such a large difference
?”

I scrunch my forehead again
. Discussing with her what happened that year is the last thing I want to do. Since I don’t answer, she scoots closer to the desk and leans over to the center, holding out her notepad.

“I scribbled this down, but we’ll g
o over the prior tax returns, too. See, here is what your numbers were three years ago, two years ago and last year.”

I stare at
the numbers on the paper, but I’m completely distracted by how fucking good she smells.

“I wasn’t trying to s
care you off yesterday,” I say. Without moving, she turns her head and holds my gaze, which surprises me.

I’m impressed with her attempt at appearing impassive, b
ut I see through it. Reese tips her chin slightly and raises her eyebrows.

“You didn’t scare me. I was busy working on this.”

“So, what I said didn’t make you uncomfortable?”

“It did but only because you’re my boss.”

“Only that reason, huh?” I ask before I lean closer and breathe her in again. Our cheeks are almost touching, and I feel her breath on my neck as she rapidly takes in air.

Why it’s different with Reese than any other woman I’ve met the last two years, I’m not sure
, but getting to know her is more appealing than discussing my past.

“It doesn’t matter if that’s the only reason or not. You’re my employer, so it’s a discussion we should
n’t be having,” she says softly and unconvincingly.

Pull
ing back a few inches, I stare into her stunning eyes. They’re telling me that what we should do and what she’s desiring are two different things. My gaze shifts to her lips. They’re full and wet, and I want my mouth on them.

“Do y
ou know why there is a discrepancy?”

“I have no idea and haven’t researched it.
It wasn’t the responsible thing to do, but I’ve had a lot to deal with since. I’d rather not discuss it today.” Our skin is still a breath apart, and she hasn’t moved away.

“Disclosing
everything might help me figure it out, so I’d appreciate it if you would share with me sooner rather than later. You need to be as prepared as possible when meeting with the IRS.”

I grab her face gently but swiftly and plant my lips on hers. She opens her mouth, letting my tongue in, but as quickly as she does, she pushes me away.

“Oh, lord, what is happening? I need to go.” She’s on her feet, holding her hand over her forehead.

“Reese, I’m sorry. I–I don’t know what else to say. Please don’t leave.”
I’m up next, alarmed from her reaction.

“
Um, I’ll see you at five.” Never making eye contact again, she flees my office.

This is why I didn’t want a woman working here. I’ve been sex deprived for
almost two and a half years. Like I’m not going to want to kiss her when she’s inches away from me, looking gorgeous and smelling that fucking incredible.

I have to
get the hell out of here. She said she’d return at five, so at least I didn’t run her off completely. Although, she might feel differently after having time to dwell on it.

Reese is brave
if she sticks around, and that will make her more irresistible. I want to taste those plump lips and that tongue again, for much longer.