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  He noticed that the closer he got, the more she seemed to move. She shifted her weight from one foot the other and he wondered if he made her nervous. Or maybe her body was responding to his nearness. His body certainly was.

  Brianna watched him come closer and couldn’t stand still. Her hip was throbbing something terrible from her collision with the desk and she really wanted to rub it, but when she done that earlier his eyes had been drawn to her hips. The heat that she had seen flare in his eyes had her defenses up.

  “I believe I asked a question that requires an answer Miss…?”

  Brianna blushed as she realized she had forgotten to introduce herself. Trying to cover her mistake, she took a step towards him and held out her shaking hand, “Sorry. It’s Brianna. Brianna Daughtry, Mr. Coldwell.” This man was not the kind, gentle man whose picture hung across the office. He was a predator and she felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she attempted to hold his stare.

  Trent took the proffered hand and felt the electrical current rush straight to his core. He had never responded so easily to a woman before. He briefly shook her hand and then let it go. “The name is Trent.” He held her stare, until she looked down and away, clearly nervous at his nearness.

  Brianna was still trying to calm her racing heart when he reprimanded her word choice. Not responding immediately, she stared at him while her body tried to come to terms with the butterflies that had taken residence in her stomach. “Sorry, Mr. Coldwell. I mean…” shaking her head at her inability to form a proper sentence, she looked away and tried once again to formulate his name on her lips. “I’m sorry Mr…uhm.. Trent,” the last word coming out as a whisper.

  “It’s just Trent. No Mr.”

  Looking up at him, Brianna swallowed before quietly saying, “Trent.”

  Trent gave her another pointed look, nodded his head, and then proceeded to pick up the sheaf of papers she had found lying on the desk. He flipped through them, noting that Pam had done a remarkable job as always. When Brianna continued to shift her weight from one foot to the other, he placed the papers back on the desk and turned to peruse her once more.

  Trent wondered if she was always this quiet, but then decided it didn’t really matter. He didn’t plan to spend that much time talking with her anyway. He was just about to find out what her capabilities were when the phone on her desk began to ring.

  When she just looked at it dumbly, Trent walked around the desk and answered it himself, holding her gaze as he did so, “Trent Coldwell.”

  “Trent, I spoke with Brianna and she should be coming up soon. She left here about ten minutes ago and I sent her to lunch early so that she could help with your contract issues this afternoon.”

  Trent nodded, “She’s standing in front of me now.”

  Brianna blushed and looked away when she realized she was the focus of the conversation. Trent watched the blush rise in her cheeks and briefly wondered at it. He didn’t usually spend time with women who could still blush. It was a charming trait and he found himself envisioning all of the things he could do and say that would re-create it. He let his eyes drift down her neck and wondered if she turned that nice pink in other areas when she blushed.

  Janet continued speaking, “I know she looks young, but she’s twenty-four and the best I’ve ever hired. Try to go easy on her for the first few days, and don’t growl too loud.”

  Trent growled into the phone in response and then watched as Brianna’s eyes widened and she took a small step away from him. Mentally cursing himself, he tamped down on the urge to reach out and pull her back. He didn’t like the fact that she had moved away from him; especially since it appeared, she might be afraid of him. He didn’t like it one bit.

  Trent growled a dismissal into the phone and replaced the receiver. Turning to look at her again, he asked, “I assume you’re here because Janet has every confidence that you can do the job correctly?”

  Brianna nodded, and then licking her lips, tried for a verbal response, “Yes, Si… Trent. She mentioned that you have a contract that needs some items fixed before 3 o’clock today?”

  Trent nodded, bringing his mind back to the task at hand, “Yes. I’ll send it out here shortly. I’m going to lunch, and since you’re already here, I’ll expect to see a finished copy on my desk when I return.”

  Brianna watched Trent head for his office, not waiting for her to agree to have the document finished while he was at lunch. What if there were a lot of corrections, or she had trouble with the computer?

  Several moments later, Trent left his office and found Brianna still standing where he had left her, rubbing her sore hip with her eyes closed and a slight firmness to her mouth. Did she injure herself?

  Hearing him come back to the reception area, Brianna removed her hand from her hip and opened her eyes. She watched as he approached her with the document needing help. He moved like a panther stalking its prey. He had broad shoulders, and towered over her by almost a foot. As she moved her eyes downward, she caught a glimpse of a narrow waist, before she had to raise her eyes back up.

  Trent had seen her eyes wander over his body, and rather than feel irritated with her, he hoped that she liked what she saw. He certainly was enjoying his appraisal of her. He wasn’t sure how she could stand to wear such hideous clothing, or why she insisted on covering her body with ill-fitting clothes, but seeing her looking at him had his body heating up. His eyes wandered to her mouth and he wanted to taste it. His eyes wandered to where her hair was pulled back so tightly it pulled at the skin on her temples, and wondered if it was long or short, if it was as soft as it looked, and what color it truly was.

  “Brianna, I need the changes I’ve marked in red fixed, ten copies made and placed on my desk. I shouldn’t be more than an hour. Oh, and do us both a favor, check your work for mistakes. I won’t be happy if we have to make more copies and correct it again.”

  Brianna swallowed and took the document he held out to her. He gave her another enigmatic look and then left via the elevator. Brianna watched the door for several moments before pulling herself from her daydreaming and returning to her temporary desk.

  Taking a quick look through the document, she was pleased to see that the corrections were few, and shouldn’t take her more than a few minutes to fix. Looking around, she was also happy to see a copy machine, hidden behind a screen and several large potted plants. That meant she wouldn’t have to see Pete again just to make Trent’s copies.

  After proofreading the contract one last time, she sent it over to the copy machine and then stood up to wait. Stretching her arms over her head, she was just about to head towards the copy machine when she felt a button pop off her shirt. Glancing down, she groaned when she saw that the button, which would normally close the shirt between her breasts, was no longer where it should be. She quickly looked around the ground, hoping to spot the clear plastic button.

  She was just about to give up hope when she glanced at the clock and realized that Trent could come back from lunch anytime. Deciding to finish the contract and then find the button, she quickly retrieved the copies from the machine, neatly stacked and stapled them; placing them front and center on Trent’s desk.

  Chapter 6

  Exiting his office, she then began her search for the missing button again. She finally located it under the far corner of the desk. After looking at the massive structure, she realized the only way to retrieve the button was to get down on her hands and knees and crawl under the desk until she could reach it.

  She had just managed to grab the button when she heard the unmistakable sound of the elevator door opening. Cringing, she debated about whether to stay under the desk and hope that he wouldn’t see her, or to get out from under the desk as quickly as possible and act as if nothing had happened.

  Before she could make up her mind, she saw a pair of black, shiny dress shoes from the corner of her eye, standing a foot away from her knees. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

&
nbsp; Brianna blushed furiously and wished the floor would just swallow her up. When that didn’t happen, she attempted to scoot out from under the desk, but then a new problem presented itself. As she attempted to scoot backwards her body went, but her skirt stayed. She froze in place, not quite sure how she was going to extricate herself from this mess with her dignity intact.

  Trent had expected to see her sitting at her desk, furiously trying to complete his contract when he exited the elevator. The disappointment he had felt when that hadn’t happened had been quickly replaced with a surge of lust as he came around her desk and spotted her ass so neatly presenting itself, while the rest of her body was hidden beneath the desk.

  He knew that his voice had come out much more aggressively than he had intended, but the way his body so quickly responded to hers had him irritable and feeling edgy. When she didn’t answer, but attempted to scoot out from under the desk, he watched as her skirt stayed in place, as if glued to the carpet.

  She had very nice legs, and if she kept moving backwards, he would most likely be treated to a glimpse of her backside as well. That thought was halted when she abruptly froze, having realized that her skirt wasn’t cooperating.

  Smiling at her predicament, he took a small step back and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see what she would do now. He had to admit, he hadn’t had this much fun at work in years. He contained his chuckle as she once again attempted to scoot out from underneath the desk without giving him a private showing of her underwear.

  Finally taking pity on her, he huffed and told her, “When you see fit to remove yourself from underneath that desk, please join me in my office.” Trent turned and left her to it.

  Brianna let her head fall to the carpet as she realized he had left her alone. Quickly removing herself from under the desk, she pulled her skirt down, and attempted to straighten her hair which had come loose. Finally giving up, she pulled the pins securing it to her neck out, and quickly finger combed it down so that it fell in soft waves down her back. She pulled some of it over each shoulder, and then grabbed a pen and pad, holding it in front of her shirt where the button should have been. She would find the ladies room and repair her shirt just as soon as she was through in his office.

  She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart and hoped that the brightness of her cheeks had begun to fade. Realizing that Trent probably expected her to follow him immediately, she walked towards his office, knocking once on the partially closed door before entering.

  “Sit,” Trent commanded, not lifting his eyes from the contract he was perusing. So far, she had accurately fixed all of the errors he had marked.

  Brianna quietly took the seat in front of his desk and calmly crossed her legs, attempting to adopt an air of calmness. She mentally counted backwards from twenty, hopeful that by the time she reached zero her heart would have stopped racing and her breath would be under control.

  Trent was impressed with how quickly she had accomplished the task he had given her. Glancing up, he was taken aback at the beauty sitting before him. Her hair was like polished copper, and picked up the sunlight coming in from the wall of windows behind him. With her hair down, she looked even younger, but with an innate sexuality, that many women tried so hard to emulate and failed.

  Her cheeks were still pink, probably from her earlier embarrassment, but it only heightened her appeal. The freckles across her nose made more sense when he caught the red highlights in her hair and his mind immediately wondered if her temper matched when she was riled. He was tempted to push her just to find out.

  He noticed that she had studiously brought a pen and paper along with her, and was holding them against her chest like a shield. Interesting.

  He brought his eyes back to her and found her watching him. “These are fine. I’m going to send two more files to your computer, which need to be proofed and then ten copies made of them as well. If you have any questions, mark the documents and send them to me. Hand me your pad.”

  Brianna cringed inwardly at his command. In order to comply, she would have nothing left to help hide the fact that a strategic button was missing from her shirt. She could already feel the color rise in her cheeks. Looking up, she found him staring at her with an outstretched hand. “I’m sorry. Why did you need my pad, Si.,” she stopped abruptly as she saw his eyes narrow at her.

  “Miss Daughtry, is there a problem that I am unaware of?”

  “No, Sir. I mean… Trent, no problem.”

  “Then hand that blasted pad over so I can write down the link that will let you access the documents I need you to work on.” Trent made a come hither motion with his fingertips as he waited for her to hand the notepad over.

  Seeing no other recourse, Brianna quickly handed him the pad with one hand, keeping the other arm wrapped around herself, trying to make it look as if she was scratching the opposing arm.

  Trent raised an eyebrow at the strange action coming from his new assistant. She had handed over the notepad, but had taken steps to ensure that her arm remained over her chest. Had she spilled something on her shirt? She was definitely trying to hide from him.

  Trent wrote the web address down on her pad, glancing at her as he did so. She now had both arms crossed over her chest. Finishing, he started to hand the pad back to her, but made a point of not reaching it far enough, causing her to have to move to retrieve it.

  As she did so, he immediately saw the reason for her strange arm actions, she had lost a button on her shirt and he was being treated to a tantalizing view of soft skin and a pale pink bra trimmed with lace. Seeing the flush rise in her cheeks, he wisely held his tongue and allowed her to grab the pad and use it once again as a shield.

  “That will be all.”

  Brianna quickly headed for the door to his office when his voice stopped her, “Leave your hair down from now on. I like it. Oh, and you’ll most likely find a sewing kit in Pam’s desk. Be sure to make use of it before leaving this afternoon. You wouldn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression about what goes on up here.”

  Turning she inquired, “Sir, I mean… I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  Trent looked up and repeated himself, “Leave. Your. Hair. Down. Fix. Your. Shirt.”

  Brianna couldn’t believe he was giving her commands in regards to her personal appearance. Could he do that? She was tempted to refuse, but one look at the hard glint in his eye had her backing out of his office and nodding her head.

  After returning to her desk, she realized that she should have stood her ground. Grabbing her hairpins, she carefully pulled her hair back up into a bun and secured it. Trent could dictate how she did her work for his company, but no man was going to tell her how to wear her hair.

  As far as the button, she quickly located the sewing kit and then located the ladies room. Removing her shirt, she quickly reattached the button and got dressed again. The blush was still high in her cheeks, and after splashing some cool water on her face, she felt ready to tackle the rest of the day.

  *****

  Several hours later, Trent exited his office only to stop short and glare at her. “I thought I told you to leave your hair down?”

  Brianna looked up from the computer screen and squared her shoulders, “Mr. Coldwell,” she began, at his scowl, she forged ahead, “I don’t believe it’s appropriate for you to tell me how to wear my hair. I happen to like it pinned up. It doesn’t get in my way and I work better with it this way.”

  Trent couldn’t believe she was openly arguing with him. When she continued to hold his stare, he growled and went back inside his office.

  Brianna let the breath she was holding out and congratulated herself for having stood up to him. She finished the document she was working on and sent it to the printer. After collecting the copies, she took them to Trent’s office.

  Knocking once on the partially closed door, she pushed it open when no one responded. Seeing him behind his desk on his cell phone, she quietly entered and placed the f
inished documents on the corner of his desk where they wouldn’t fall off.

  As she turned to leave, she overheard him talking to someone, “Chelsea, I already told you I’m busy tonight.” After a pause, she heard him call to her, “Brianna, wait a moment.”

  Brianna turned and remained where she was, halfway between his desk and the office door. She patiently waited for him to end his conversation, which he did with, “Fine. Yes, meet me tomorrow for lunch, we need to talk.”

  Without any further conversation, he hung up the phone and Brianna found herself the subject of his gaze. “On your way up in the morning, stop off at Godfrey’s and talk to George. Tell him that Pam is out of the office and you are replacing her. Pick out something for Chelsea and he’ll box it for you, then bring it to my office.”

  Brianna tried to keep her mouth from hanging open, but couldn’t do it. “I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand. You want me to pick up a present for someone named Chelsea…?”

  “Was I not clear enough? Go to Godfrey’s and pick up something for Chelsea and bring it in with you tomorrow.” Trent watched her and was stunned at the change that came over her features as she became more agitated.

  “Who is Chelsea? If I’m to pick out something appropriate for her, I need more information.”

  “Chelsea is my soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend. Make sure it’s equal to whatever I gave her for her birthday last month. George should be able to help you with that.”

  Brianna swallowed and tried to contain her irritation with him, “Don’t you remember what you gave her for her birthday?”

  Trent looked up at her and shook his head, “Why would I? Pam picked it out. I do remember her taking great pleasure in telling me she spent $10,000 dollars on it. If you’re unsure, have George make a recommendation. Chelsea will go quietly with the right gift, and I don’t have time for any female hysterics right now.”

  Brianna couldn’t believe the audacity of the man sitting behind his desk. His assistant purchased his girlfriend’s gifts, and he thought that an expensive gift would what, “buy her off” and she would just fade into the woodwork without a sound? What kind of world did he live in? And $10,000 dollars was more money that Brianna could imagine, let alone spending on a piece of jewelry.