Madeleine gave Charli a sly look, like they were sharing some unspoken secret, then nodded. “Very well.”
Madeline glided from behind the desk with an elegance Charli could only dream of having. She walked with the confidence of royalty, the effect making her appear much younger than she probably was. Madeleine put a hand on Grant’s biceps as she passed and gave him a little squeeze and a wink. “Good boy.”
Charli watched her leave, a little stunned, then turned to Grant. “Why do I feel like I missed a joke?”
He shook his head, but seemed amused. “Maddy isn’t just an employee, she’s a good friend and one of the fiercest dommes you’ll ever meet. She’s been badgering me to take on a new sub for months. Told me celibacy will age me before my time.”
“But how did she know what—who I was?”
Grant put his hand to the small of her back, guiding her forward. “Apparently, her radar for submissives is more finely tuned than mine.”
Charli pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. That couldn’t possibly have been Grant admitting he’d been wrong about her. That maybe his initial assessment of her had been a swing and a miss. She should buy a helmet—the sky might collapse.
“Gloating isn’t becoming, Ms. Beaumonde,” he said, his tone as cool as the air in the quiet hallway. “You just earned yourself a reprimand from the boss after this meeting is done.”
The smile she’d been fighting broke through anyway. “Sorry, sir.”
He stopped in front of pair of frosted glass doors. “Now don’t embarrass me. I expect you to be professional. These people are important.”
The warning had her grin sagging and her back straightening. Nerves settled around her like high-strung little birds, twittering all the what-ifs in her ear. She and Grant may be playing roles, but the people on the other side of that door were real. Grant’s business and reputation weren’t a game. She rubbed her lips together, smoothing her lipstick, and nodded her readiness.
He pushed open the doors and she followed behind him, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. The last thing she needed was to trip and fall. The fearsome image of her doing a belly flop and exposing her lack of underwear to a room full of businessmen had her walking with the deliberateness of a gymnast on a balance beam.
The long conference table was filled with men in suits and one woman in a smart maroon blouse. Conversation was humming between them all, but quieted when they noticed Grant.
“Afternoon, everyone,” Grant said, flashing one of his lazy cowboy smiles toward the room. “I appreciate y’all venturing out to the country to visit today.”
Charli laced her fingers together in front of her, trying to blend into the background. The less she was noticed, the less chance she had of doing something wrong.
Greetings were exchanged, and Grant let everyone make introductions. Most everyone was involved with either a restaurant chain or a gourmet store—all places that could stock Grant’s wine. Grant turned to her. “Charlotte, I have some brochures about the new line we’re rolling out. They’re in the bottom drawer of that file cabinet in the corner. Please retrieve them and make sure everyone has a copy.”
“Yes, sir.” She headed to the back corner of the room, happy to have a task as Grant flipped open a laptop and turned on the slide projector to begin his presentation. When she reached her destination, she realized the file cabinet was half blocked by a man with shaggy blond hair who’d pushed his chair back a bit so he could hook an ankle over his knee. He was making a note on the legal pad in his lap and didn’t seem to notice he was in the way.
She leaned down, keeping her voice low “Excuse me, I’m sorry, but I need to get by.”
He glanced up, his blue-eyed gaze colliding with hers. The smile he gave her could probably slay a cheerleading squad in one fell swoop. He was pretty in that way that was almost too perfect. She preferred the more rugged look, like Grant, but even she wasn’t immune to this version of male beauty. He rocked forward in his seat, putting both feet on the ground, and rolled the chair to the side. “No problem.”
Once he was out of the way, she moved toward the file cabinet, eyeing it warily. Grant had said the bottom drawer. Her pencil skirt wasn’t overly short, but it was formfitting and there was no bending over easily. She peeked up at the front of the room and caught Grant watching her even though he was speaking easily about his new products. His lips tugged up at the corner, letting her know he was well aware of the predicament he’d put her in.
Dammit. She looked at the cabinet again, and noticed Grant wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on her. Blondie gave her a sideward glance as he made more notes. Apparently, he had figured out her quandary, too. Not that he was offering any help or anything. With a huff, she attempted to get to her knees gracefully. Using the rocking motion she’d failed in the intro class, she managed to hit the floor without a sound and without exposing her ass to the world. Win!
She grinned and Blondie coughed, the noise sounding suspiciously like a muffled laugh, but she pretended to ignore him. The file drawer was full of materials, but she found the stack of brochures Grant had requested and grabbed them. Of course, now she had to get back up. She used her free hand to propel herself upward off the floor, but before she got to a full stand, her heel caught in the carpet and she had to reach out for the wall, dropping the papers all over the floor.r: Roni LorenShe returned his smile, but a gnawing worry settled in her stomach. She was going to have to get a hold of her emotions ASAP, because if she had any more nights like tonight, she was in deep shit. Grant was already seeping under her guards, and even if she was discovering she could appreciate a little physical pain, she wasn’t up for emotional annihilation.
She could hold her own in a lot of competitions, but she’d never win against the dead love of his life.
EIGHTEEN
Grant leaned against the doorframe of Charli’s cabin, fighting a chuckle as she teetered out from the bedroom on a pair of black heels. She looked smoking hot in the outfit he’d brought over. The snug gray pencil skirt hugged her hips just right and the tissue-thin silk blouse gave him a delicious glimpse of the lacy white bra she wore underneath. But the shoes, once again, were getting the best of her.
“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.”