“On a date.”
I laughed and put a hand on his chest, slowly pushing him away. “I don’t think so.”
I knew my answer was a lie, but he didn’t have to know that. I could hear Miguel’s warning loud and clear in my mind. I’d just gotten home. The last thing I wanted to do was mix myself up in some kind of whirlwind romance with my boss.
Jami seemed shocked, but stepped back. “You’re saying no?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He smirked and wrapped his arm around my waist, but I managed to sneak out of his hold. “I could show you this city in ways you’ve never dreamed.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes at the cheesy line. “You’ll have to try harder than that.” Sure, he was my future boss, but if he was going to hit on me like this, I felt like I had a reason to be a little snarky.
He smirked and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Is that a challenge?”
“I suppose it is.”
He shrugged casually and started to walk by me, heading for the doors. He paused beside me, leaning in, his warm breath tickling my ear.
“I accept.”
With that simple declaration, he left me flushed and strangely aroused, only pausing at the door to offer one last comment.
“You start work on Monday. I’ll see you at noon.”
Jami
I couldn’t get her out of my head. Even as my daily routine went on, I couldn’t get Lena out of my head. She was a beautiful woman with a shapely body and a spark inside of her that ignited me as well. I wanted her badly, but I couldn’t seem desperate. That wasn’t how I did things. Normally, I wasn’t the type to go after women. I didn’t go after them because they flocked to me, but this time I was going to make an exception. Lena was a well-traveled woman with some world experience under her belt. She wouldn’t be as easily swayed as the women I’d courted before her.
Playboy was the word that was often used to describe me, but I didn’t really agree with that term. It sounded slimy and unappealing. I preferred to think of myself as a connoisseur of women. I loved women. I loved having them around, I just didn’t like keeping them around. I was always upfront with the women who came to my bed, but when morning comes around they always seem to forget the conversation and the request that they be gone by breakfast time.
Some are more persistent than others and some are so offended at the fact that I don’t want to give them a ride home, that they stomp off and never come back. I prefer the second type of woman, to be honest. I’m sure they told all
their friends about me, but it didn’t stop the flow of women I saw in my life. My money and my charm were too much for them to resist. Hopefully, Lena wouldn’t be any different.
I placed a tooth pick between my lips as I walked through the doors of my towering office building. The marble floor clicked under the worn leather boots I wore every day. Most of my clothes got replaced when it came time to wash them, but it was hard to find a good pair of shoes. I hung onto my shoes until they were literally falling apart at the seams.
I greeted my employees in the hall way, waving and nodding my head politely. Sandy blonde hair fell into my eyes as I approached my secretary. Rachel was one of the only women who’d worked for me that I hadn’t fooled around with. Don’t get me wrong, I’d tried like hell to get her on a date, but she was the first and only woman to ever rebuke my advance completely. It was part of the reason I kept her around as my personal secretary and assistant. There wouldn’t be anything weird in the way of our working relationship.
“Rachel!”
“Mr. Whittle,” she said, tipping her head in my direction, her eyes not leaving the computer screen.
I put my hands flat on her desk and leaned over, grinning brightly. “How many times do I got to ask you to call me Jami.”
She cocked a perfectly sculpted brow and I could see her trying to resist rolling her eyes at me. “You know I prefer to keep our relationship professional.”
I grunted a little and stood back up. “To a fault.”
She shrugged her slender shoulders and went back to typing. God, I loved the way she ignored me. There was something thrilling about it. Powerful women were such a rare find. It was the reason I was so interested in Lena.
“What do I have going on today?”
“You have a meeting at 1:30 with the housing committee, but that’s about it.”
“Gotcha.” I started to walk away, heading for my office.
“Oh, and you ought to know that there’s a woman named Marie waiting for you in your office. She said she knew you, so I thought I should let her in.”