The VIP Room(166)
He rubbed at his stubble, kept his gaze on her flushed face. “Important plans?”
She took another deep breath and met his eyes. “Yes.”
Marcus wanted to soothe her obvious anxiety. Instead, he played his trump card. “More important than a charity auction, where The Hawkins Group’s reputation is on the line?”
Her shoulders slumped. “No.”
She looked so—alarmed. Marcus would have let her off the hook, but he only had a few hours to find another date. He needed—respectable. He needed the no-nonsense woman standing in front of him.
Besides, the chance to peel her out of her hideous suit and into a sleek gown that revealed what he expected hid under all that fabric—oh, that was too tempting to pass up.
“Yes,” he muttered, scanning her from the toes of her sensible black heels to the tight bun hiding her brown hair. She obviously didn’t know that several curly tendrils had escaped, tracing the graceful line of her neck. Marcus wanted to see the rest, tumbling over her bare, pale skin. “You’ll do.”
“For what?” She whispered the two words, clutching her notepad like it was a lifeline.
This was going to be an interesting evening.
“My date.”
Chapter 2
No. No no no no— Leah slid along the wall, trying to reach the door. Marcus paced her, like a big, graceful cat tracking his prey. And that’s what she felt like—prey.
“Mr. Hawkins—”
“Marcus.” He stepped between her and her goal, crossing his arms. “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t like formality.”
She loved it, especially with him. It kept him at a distance. Untouchable. She needed him to be untouchable. Former bad boy, gorgeous heartbreaker—God, she couldn’t survive another heartbreaker.
“I can’t,” she said. “You’re my boss, and it’s such an important event, I wouldn’t—” She cut herself off.
“Wouldn’t what, Leah?” The way he said her name made her shiver. “Wouldn’t want to embarrass me?”
He moved to her and leaned in, those dark blue eyes intense, so close his breath warmed her cheek. Too close. She could smell his cologne, a mix of sandalwood and some warm musk that made her want to sniff his neck—and the rest of him. While he was naked.
Stop it.
His deep voice wrapped around her. “You have too much class to embarrass me. Do you have a gown suitable for black tie?”
She swallowed, incredibly aware of him. “No,” she whispered.
“I will have something sent to your apartment.”
Oh, God.
“Mr. Hawkins—”
“Go finish the letters, then head home, Leah. You have a party to get ready for.”
“But—”
“I will have a car sent for you at seven.”
“But—”
He caught her around the waist and turned her to the door, letting his hands slide down to her hips before he gently pushed her out of his office and shut the door in her face.
Shit. Holy shit.
Leah had a date with her boss.
* * *
Marcus strode back to his desk and called his sister’s friend Fantine before he forgot the feel of Leah under his hands. Fantine was the only girlfriend of Hope’s who had never hit on him. He always appreciated that, and they became friends over shared remarks about drooling girls and overzealous advances.
“What, Marcus?”
“Hello to you, sweetheart.”
“Sorry.” A long, dramatic sigh flowed out of the speaker. “I am having employee issues. Know anyone with impeccable organization skills that’s also reliable and doesn’t have a new boyfriend every other week?”
Marcus smiled, since she couldn’t see him. “Lost another assistant?”
“God—why are the creative ones so damn flaky? What did you want?”
“I need that favor you owe me.”
“Yes?” Caution edged the drawn out word.
“I need a gown, black tie.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
The expected explosion bounced off the walls of his office.
“Are you out of your mind? I have a show in less than a week and you want me to pull a gown out of my ass by tonight?”
“That I’d like to see.”
“Hilarious, Marc. I can’t do it.”
“I don’t need anything from scratch. Do you have a sample you’re not using? One that can be altered?”
“If you have her measurements, I just might.”
“I don’t have numbers, but I can come over and show you.”
He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “I’m not going to ask how you got those measurements. I have half an hour I can give you, if you get here in the next ten minutes.”
“Already on my way.”
* * *
Leah looked up as her boss strode out of his office. He flashed her a smile, pushed up his wire-rimmed glasses, and jogged toward the elevators. She managed to wait until he was out of sight before she hunched over her desk, both hands pressed against her fluttering belly.