“Kelsey said those heels are an inch lower than the ones from last night,” he offered, unable to hide his amusement.
“Praise God for that. The fall to the floor will be shorter.”
He grinned. “You look fucking edible, though. So there’s that.”
She smirked, but he caught the flash of pleasure in her eyes at the compliment. She put a hand on the back of the couch to steady herself. “Thanks.”
“Well, look at that, I gave you a compliment and you didn’t shoot it down.” He pushed off the doorframe. “You’re learning. Two points to the pretty lady with no panties.”
She rolled her eyes, and he made a mental note to pay her back for that little nod of disrespect later. “So why am I dressed like this? I didn’t see anyone else wearing this kind of thing at The Ranch.”
He grabbed his Stetson, which he’d set on the entryway table when he’d come in, and secured it on his head. Then he put out a hand to her. “Oh, I never said we were going to The Ranch. Today I have an important business meeting with some distributors for the winery. And you, sweet Charlotte, are going to be my assistant.”
Her eyes widened as she took a hesitant step forward and placed her hand in his. “What?”
“I gave my admin the day off, so I’ll need someone to serve us the wine samples and cheese plates, to set up the slide projector, to take notes. That kind of thing.” He drew her against him. “I’ll need someone to dazzle them with hospitality.”
“But—”
He slid his hands over her ass, loving the fact that she was bare underneath that tight little skirt. It took all he had not to lift it up and bend her right over the sofa. “You’re going to do fine. And if you don’t, you’ll pay later. If you’re rude to anyone, embarrass me in any way, or talk back to me in front of them, there will be a punishment.”
She shuddered against him and he smiled inwardly. Charli would never admit it, but that little kernel of fear fed her. He could see it in the ways her pupils dilated the instant he mentioned possible punishment.
“Yes, sir. But what does this have to do with my training?”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “That’s for me to determine and you not to worry about.”
He’d figured out pretty quickly that Charli didn’t have a femininity problem, she had a confidence problem. She expected people to be critical and steeled herself up for it, which inevitably came across as her being bristly and harsh. And he knew if he put her in a room of businessmen who were probably similar to that board of directors she was trying to impress, he could show her that she had everything she could possibly need to wow them.
He could honestly give a shit if she messed up in front of his colleagues, but he wanted to put the added pressure on her so she’d know how to pull it off when she had everything riding on her performance. Plus, a little role-playing would provide some much needed distance between the two of them. Things had gotten too raw last night. Too real. A fun little game was just what the doctor ordered.
He stepped back from Charli and removed something from the inner pocket of his jacket. “You look so prim and proper with your hair pinned up like that. I think these will be the perfect final touch.”
He handed her the dark-rimmed glasses and her eyebrow arched. “Last I checked, I don’t have a vision problem.”
“The lenses aren’t prescription. Put them on.” She slid the glasses on, and he grinned. “Oh, what some of my members up at The Ranch would do to have you. Anyone with a naughty teacher or librarian fantasy would fall to his knees at your feet and beg.”
She put her hand to her hip and tilted her head, batting her eyelashes in mock coyness. “What? You don’t have one of those fantasies, cowboy?”
He grabbed her wrist and put her hand against his quickly hardening erection. “Not really. But maybe I have one about a hot little secretary.”
Her fingers curled along the outline of his cock, stroked. “I’m not that kind of employee, Mr. Waters. Or that kind of girl.”
Nice. Already she was slipping into character. “We’ll see. I know how badly you need this job, Ms. Beaumonde.”
He clasped her arm and moved her hand away before she pushed him past the point of self-control. “Let’s go. If you make me late for my own business meeting, I’ll be very unhappy.”
And oh, what fun he’d have disciplining her for the tardiness.
Charli had to work hard to keep up with Grant’s long strides as they headed over to the biggest building on the non-Ranch side of the property—home to Water’s Edge Wines. Walking in heels along gravel was like learning to drive a stick shift on a steep hill; it took all of her concentration. While she worked on not face-planting, Grant explained that the main operation of Water’s Edge and its employees worked out of a satellite office in Dallas, but that he liked to bring clients out here for meetings sometimes because they enjoyed seeing the vineyards.
Hearing him talk about his business, she could hear the pride in his voice, the dedication. This was no side business for him. It was a passion.
When they reached the building, he opened the door for her and let her walk inside first. The inside was rustic, not unlike the building at The Ranch, but there was a refined elegance present as well. The wall opposite the entrance was covered with smooth river rock, and a hidden spotlight projected the logo for Water’s Edge Wines onto the stones. Water slid over the rocks, making the logo seem to ripple before falling into a fountain below.
To the right was a curved reception desk. A tall, gray-haired woman rose from behind the desk, greeting Charli and Grant with a warm smile. “Hello, Mr. Waters. Everyone is already here and set up in the conference room.”
“Thank you, Madeleine. I should have everything covered from here. Charlotte is going to assist me in the meeting today. You can head back to your normal post.”