Frayed Silk(64)

My lips curve into a genuine smile as I take in her frizzy red hair, plump figure, and the freckles scattered over her nose. She seems sweet. “You’re Leo’s new secretary, right?” The one he hired at the start of the year, and I’ve yet to meet.

She nods frantically. “Yes. Yes, well, not that new now.” Rubbing her hands together she turns red in the face. “That’s me.” She pauses. “Oh, gosh. I’m sorry. My name is Bella.” She holds a hand out, and I shove my purse over my shoulder to shake it. “Nice to meet you, Bella. I’m Dahlia.”

“Oh, I know.” She snorts then startles. “Sorry. You’d like to see him, right? Of course.” She shakes her head. “Follow me.”

Sarah watches the whole thing with a bored expression on her sixty-year-old, Botox-infused face then returns to clicking away at her computer.

“Thanks,” I tell Bella as she leads me to the elevators and presses the button. The doors open, and we walk in as I ask, “How do you like working here?”

She hits the button to the top floor where Leo’s office is. The doors close and the elevator glides up. “It’s amazing. I love it,” She gushes theatrically, causing me to laugh.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell him. You can be honest.” I wink at her.

She chews her lip for a second. “No, seriously. He can be, um, moody sometimes. But he treats us well and puts up with my countless mistakes.” Her eyes widen. “Don’t remind him of them, please.”

Shaking my head, I give her a smile as we step out. “Your secret is safe with me.”

She directs me down the hall to the large wooden doors that lead into Leo’s office. “He just got out of a meeting five minutes ago, so he should be back by now.” She knocks, and his voice sounds on the other side, telling her to come in. Bella opens the door for me, and I walk in to find him leaning back in his chair, a pen in his mouth, and eyes that widen when they fall on me.

“Hey.” I smile, walking over to his large desk to put our drinks down.

“I’ll just, ah, leave you two to it then.” Bella waves awkwardly when I turn to say thank you, almost smacking into the door when she spins around.

Leo chuckles. “Thanks, Bella.”

She blushes and closes the door. I turn back to him. “She seems nice.”

He smirks. “She is. A bit of a mess at times, but she does well.”

I fidget with my hands, glancing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the sprawling city beyond. And on the other side of his office, windows with a perfect view of the ocean. Which is choppy and gray due to the weather.

“Lia.” His chair creaks. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” is all I say. Because it’s true.

He sighs, tossing his pen to the desk and pulling the tray toward him to grab his to-go cup. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I chew on my lip as I watch him take a sip and stare out the windows. Oh, fuck it. I came here to see him, so I’m not just going to stand here like an idiot and act as though he’s put me in the naughty corner. Moving around the desk, I move some papers out of the way, drop my purse, and take a seat on the desk, swinging my legs over and between his as he watches me with amused eyes.

Then he scowls. “You do realize your dress is soaking wet.”

I glance down at it, frowning. Shit, the white cotton is a little see-through, showing my stupidly chosen black lace bra beneath it. Flushing, I look back up at him and give him a small shrug. “I found a parking spot out front and got stuck getting our drinks out of the car.”

He leans forward in his chair and places his coffee cup down on the other side of his computer. His hand lifts to my hair, and he toys with a wet blond strand that was resting on my arm, studying it between his fingers. “You don’t usually like coming here, Lia. What’s up?”

It’s my turn to scowl. “It’s not that I don’t like it …” His quirked brow halts me. “Oh, fine. But I don’t care. I like you, so get used to it, Mr. Vandellen. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”

He gives me that crooked grin. “You like me, huh?” His eyes move to my chest, and my nipples harden behind the confines of my bra. “I more than like you,” I reply.

His eyes meet mine, and he leans forward farther, wrapping his arms behind me and bringing my ass to the edge of his desk. “I know,” he says with his face close to mine.

Tears prick my eyes as I stare into his. Emotion clogs my throat as I ask hoarsely, “Do you still like me?”

His whole face softens, and he rests his nose on mine. “I fucking love you. Only ever, always you.” His voice is rough, and my heart riots as though it’s trying to leave my chest to get to him. I dive forward into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck as he holds me tightly to him.

The phone on his desk rings, and he moves forward to pick it up. “No,” he answers whoever is on the other end of the line. “Hold all my calls until further notice.” He slams it back in its cradle.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of these wet clothes,” he murmurs, kissing my cheek gently.

Pulling my head back, I ask, “How?”

His hands reach up to frame my face as he brings my mouth to his. He kisses me softly, sweetly before responding with, “You’ll see. Up.” He smacks my ass as he helps me onto my feet. Grabbing our coffees, he passes me mine and my purse then directs me to the door with a hand on my lower back. We step into the elevator, and I’m still wondering where we’re going when he checks his phone. “As long as I’m back by one for a conference call that I can’t put off, we’re good.”