If Only You Knew
“You know what I think?” She spoke in a sexy, sultry whisper before moving in for the kill. “I think that when I am ready to leave Harrington Enterprise, my sexual-harassment case is going to be so airtight against this department, I won’t have to work.”
“She’s playing the sex card! Okay, mamacita.” Juan laughed as he threw up his hands in mock defeat. “You know we’re just playing with you. Lighten up, bonita.”
“Yeah, girl! How are you going to do a brotha like Anita did Clarence? You know I was just joking with you,” Stan teased.
“Mmm-hmm, ha, ha, ha.” Taking another sip of her drink, she felt the stress from the work week slowly leave her.
Jeff let his arm drop from the seat to her shoulder and smiled. “I’m not playing. You just let me know when and I’ve got you, darling.”
“Please, stop playing. You know the company frowns on hanky-panky between employees.” She smiled at him as she took another sip of her drink, musing that the risk of censure hadn’t stopped Jeff from making his way through the other women on the staff. It would, however, stop her from even remotely considering the Ben Affleck look-alike and his offer.
“Who’s talking hanky-panky? I’m talking you and me forever, till death do us part. And you won’t even give me a chance. Tell the truth—it’s because I’m white, right? That’s discrimination. You won’t give a man a chance because he’s a little melanin challenged. That’s cold.”
Breaking into a fit of laughter, she playfully popped Jeff upside his head.
“Good, you’re laughing. I knew we could get you to smile sooner or later.” Jeff let his hand touch her cheek.
Just then, the sound of the younger Harrington’s deep voice interrupted her laughter. “It’s good to see my department getting along so well.” His eyes fell on Jeff’s arm draped lazily around Latonya’s shoulder and the hand that softly stroked her cheek. It became obvious what Carlton meant to imply. She almost shoved Jeff’s arm off of her. But against her better judgment she simply sat there and gave Carlton her best interpretation of a polite smile.
It wasn’t as if the company actually stated it was against office dating, but it certainly didn’t encourage it. People got skipped over for promotions when they didn’t adhere to the unwritten codes of protocol. The last thing Latonya needed to do was to give Carlton Harrington III another reason not to like her.
“Hey, boss, you came to join us?” Jeff queried, breaking the ice.
“No, that’s all right. Thanks for the invitation. I’m meeting some people here and I would hate to interrupt your cozy situation.” Carlton gave Latonya a pointed stare as he emphasized the word cozy.
What does he mean by that? What was he implying about her with those snide comments and veiled looks? She mentally counted to ten in an effort not to blast the man where he stood. How dare he!
“Well maybe next time, boss.” Juan smiled, clearly trying to diffuse the growing tension.
“Yes, maybe. Oh, and Stevens, I’ll need you to come into the office tomorrow and work with me on the Biltmore project.” Carlton’s voice sent a shiver through her in spite of the hot Miami air.
She tried to keep her tone even and polite, but she was fighting a losing battle. “It’s not my project. It’s Jeff’s,” she spat before she could catch herself.
“It’s yours now. I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early.” He nodded briefly to everyone in the booth before walking away to meet his party.
Latonya didn’t waste her time being shocked. The man’s obnoxious attitude and complete disregard for her was par for the course. If he were not rude to her then she would have been surprised.
Even though she’d come to expect Carlton’s attitude and his treatment of her had become the running joke of the department, it didn’t take away the sting. The way things appeared the younger Harrington had it in for her. She would’ve quit, but Latonya really needed her job.
Her colleagues were hell-bent on consoling her. Instead, she insisted she was okay, put on her brightest smile and let them know that she had to leave and get some rest so that she was ready for whatever Carlton Harrington III felt like dishing out in the morning.
Chapter 2
Sitting across from Carlton in the department’s conference room, Latonya found herself sweating even with the air-conditioning on full blast. Once again, she cursed her intense reaction to a man who, for all intents and purposes, thought of her as a walking, talking idiot.
So far, she’d done a halfway decent job maintaining her composure while they were in the room together. She even managed to get a lot of work done. Every once in a while she would literally feel herself getting hotter and look up to find Carlton staring at her. His perplexed expression would always turn into a glare when she caught him. She tried not to wonder about what her workdays would be like if he could stand the sight of her or if he brushed those soft thick lips across her own.
Snap out of it, Latonya silently chastised as she shook her head to clear out the visions of kissing Carlton. Getting up from her seat and picking up her laptop, she walked over to where he sat on the other side of the conference room. As she walked toward him, she wondered why he sat so far away.
“I think I found the problem here.” She pushed his laptop aside along with a stack of papers and placed her computer in front of him. Leaning over Carlton, she pointed at the spreadsheet she’d created.
She waited for him to respond, but he just sat there still and silent. He almost seemed to be holding his breath.
Latonya was tempted to check herself for body odor. She knew she’d perspired a little due to her nervousness, but she didn’t think that she stunk or anything.
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “See, there are just some small inconsistencies where someone mistakenly put in the wrong averages. It looks like they actually doubled March and skipped April. Probably just a typing error. That’s why—”
She stopped talking when Carlton hurriedly pushed away from the table and jumped out of his seat. He backed away from the table and her with such speed she swore he was running for his life.
“That’s fine. I have some things to take care of in my office. Continue to fix those errors.” He jetted out the door before she could say another word.
Latonya lifted her arm and sniffed just to be sure before picking up her laptop and going back to her seat. With each second that passed, she became more resentful.
She glanced at her watch with irritation. It was five in the evening on a Saturday and she had been in the office since seven-thirty that morning. If she didn’t need the job so badly she would have told him exactly where he could go. She didn’t expect high praise or kudos, but she felt that he could have at least managed not to bark and grunt at her. Then he had the nerve to run from the room as if she had the cooties just because she stood by him! If she didn’t already have a thick skin, she would no doubt have one by the time he was done with her.
Brushing her hair back from her face, she wished that she had pinned it up in the French twist that she normally wore to work. She’d worn it down in a silent form of rebellion, along with wearing her navy slacks and a white short-sleeve shirt that she normally would have worn under her business suit. She’d been tempted to come in jeans and a T-shirt but thought that might have been going a little too far. If the ogre wanted her to come in on a Saturday, she would at least come in her casual clothing. Letting her hair down might not have been the equivalent of burning her bra, and maybe she wouldn’t be compared to Norma Rae, but seeing him dressed in his usual perfectly styled business suit, she felt like she’d bucked the system in a small way.
Carlton came back and threw another stack of papers in front of her without saying a word. That simple act was her breaking point. Turning off her laptop, she shut it and placed the machine in its case before picking up her purse and briefcase.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home.”
“We’re not done here.”
“I’m done. I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Harrington,” she said as professionally as she could manage.
“We’re not done, Ms. Stevens.” His hard-edged voice matched his glare.
She couldn’t take it anymore. “What is your problem? What do you have against me? What have I done to offend you? Can you please tell me that? Because I need to decide if it’s worth it for me to remain in this department.”
“Do you think you can transfer?” His tone took on a mocking edge.
“I think you leave me no choice.”
His gaze narrowed and his lips took on a slight smirk. “I’ll block it. If you can’t withstand a little hard work, then maybe you’re not cut out to be an employee of Harrington Enterprise.”
“I don’t believe this! I have a stellar record. I always give my best and you do nothing but insult me with your little snipes and condescension.”
He walked over to her. Invading any semblance of personal space, he was close enough for her to smell his cologne, and what a cologne it was. The mixture of musk and pine along with the force of his manliness nearly took her breath away.
“Get back to work, Latonya. I’ll let you know when it’s time to leave.” His voice was eerily calm as his mouth still held its daring expression.
“Go to hell, Mr. Harrington.” She forced a pleasant smile. “I have a life. I’ll see you on Monday.” She tried to walk around him but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“What do you have to do? Go out with Weatherby?”
“That is none of your business. You’re treading on thin ice, Mr. Harrington. I suggest you let go of me.” She tried to snatch her arm away, but his grip remained strong. He pulled her closer.
He paused and shook his head as if clearing it. “You’re right. It isn’t any of my business.” He folded his arms and stood silently for a moment, just looking at her. His smoky, searing, hooded gaze was flooded with determination. His eyes made physical promises that she had a feeling he fully intended to keep.
Despite herself, Latonya couldn’t help being caught up in the intensity of it all. His eyes exuded seduction! And every playa-proof instinct in her body seemed to be on strike. No man had ever looked at her like that before. Men had desired her, sure, but this felt different.
“I think we have been going about this all wrong.” He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek.
Taking a step back on legs shakier than she felt comfortable with, she said, “I think we have been fine. You could just try being nicer and showing a little appreciation and we should get along just fine.”
“Nicer. A little appreciation. I think I can do that. In fact, that’s exactly what I had in mind.” He smiled and took another step forward, standing right in front of her and too close for comfort again. He bent his head and suddenly his lips connected with hers.
She opened her mouth in shock and his tongue darted in. She couldn’t believe that he was kissing her. And though it was the last thing her body wanted to do, she tried to pull away from him. But he held her in a tight embrace.
Carlton’s lips were a cross between punishing and tender. She resisted her desire for him as much as she could, but he wouldn’t allow it. He pulled her closer and his mouth became a hot branding iron. She swore that every place he touched, he owned, and she soon knew what it meant to be putty in someone’s hands.
His hands started to explore her body and she felt things she had never felt before. Her legs went weak, and she realized that Harrington wasn’t the only one moaning and enjoying the kiss.
What am I thinking?
He was the last man she needed to be kissing. His hand roamed down to her behind and he pulled her so close, she swore she could feel his every pulse. Moving her hands up to his chest and resisting the urge to explore his fabulous pecs, she pushed back with all her might, finally breaking the kiss.
She tried to catch her breath, but it was next to impossible. Her heart raced. They stood there for a full minute panting and glaring at each other. Taking a step back, she reached for her purse and briefcase. She had to get away from the man in order to think.
One minute he was barking orders at her and the next he was kissing her. Well, he had better okay my transfer, because there is no way I can work in the same department with him now.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I told you I’m going home. And I expect you to have me transferred to another department. What you just did was highly inappropriate!”
“Sit down, Latonya.”
She began to back away. “No, I will not. I’m leaving.”
“Please, sit down.” His tone was soft, almost endearing.
Making the mistake of looking him in the eyes, Latonya noticed the slightest bit of vulnerability there. She’d never seen him even remotely unsure of himself. The small crack in his cocksure personality was enough to make her at least listen to what he had to say.
She sat in spite of herself. He dragged another chair up and sat right in front of her, running his hand over his face in a frustrated gesture.
“That shouldn’t have happened.”
“You bet it shouldn’t have happened,” she said, crossing her arms defensively. “You are way out of line, Mr. Harrington. However, if you’ll just transfer me to another department—”
“Is that what you really want, Latonya?”
She nodded. “Yes, it is. I think it’s best.”
“We’re clearly attracted to each other. What would you have us do with that?” His eyes narrowed and his voice took on a slightly suggestive edge.
“Transfer me to another department,” she snapped in retort.
“That won’t work. The company is not that big. Besides, I’d much rather examine our attraction. I’m tired of ignoring it. I think it’s time we did something about it.”
Swallowing, she stared at him and her eyes widened as she realized what he was insinuating. “How do you intend us to do that?”
“Spend the night with me.”
The way he nonchalantly dropped the suggestion almost made her fall out of her seat. “You must be crazy! There is no way I will have sex with you, Mr. Harrington!” She started to get up and he placed his hand on her knee, staying her.
“Given the way you kissed me just now, Latonya, it’s obvious that you are attracted to me, too. Why are you being so difficult?” he asked with a chuckle.
I kissed you? What play are you in? In her script she was the one who had a right to be irritated. She was the one who just had all of her senses attacked by a moody, but oh-so-fine man. She should be upset just because he’d had her body at war with her mind from the moment she met him.
“I’m being difficult, as you state, because I’m not accustomed to thinking that I can go around scratching each and every one of my annoying itches. No, Mr. Harrington, I won’t do it. Now, either you transfer me to another department or I’ll have to take other avenues.” Latonya slanted her eyes just a little to let him know that she wasn’t playing.
The only other avenue she could take if he refused to transfer her would be to file a sexual-harassment charge. Since his grandfather owned the company, she doubted it would do much good.
Carlton leaned forward and kissed her again, a softer, sweeter kiss. Her lips opened as if they had a mind of their own, and her tongue darted into his mouth as if on a mission of destiny. She felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach.
This. Is. So. Wrong.
He pulled away, his gaze intense and seductive. “I’ll tell you what. It is rather late and you’re right that we should wrap things up here. How about I treat you to dinner for working so hard on the Biltmore project?”
She stared at him. And even though a small part of her mind screamed do not go to dinner with this man, other parts whispered seductively how gorgeous he was and how attracted she was to him. When the words reached her mouth, she was startled to hear her own traitorous voice say, “Okay, I’ll go to dinner with you. But that’s it.”
He smiled and his hand brushed her cheek. “Fine, let’s go. I’ll have my driver take us to Manny’s. It’s a small Cuban restaurant I think you’ll like.”
She never thought she would see the day when Carlton Harrington III actually smiled at her. Her mouth almost went dry. Gathering her things, she followed him out of the conference room.
Chapter 3
She looked like a woman riding to her death sentence, Carlton thought wryly as he eyed Latonya in the back seat of his limousine. It almost seemed as if the warm, vibrant woman who had been in his arms fifteen minutes ago had been a mirage. The expression on her face showed a woman not too happy about the prospect of having dinner with him.
After crossing the line and kissing her, he knew that he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to have her more than he’d ever wanted anything else in his entire thirty-five years of life. But if he were honest, he’d admit he’d known that before he kissed her. He’d tried to ignore his feelings. Hell, he even tried to be extra harsh on Latonya, hoping it would force her to stay clear of him. However, when he found she could gladly stay away from him, he’d started coming up with reasons to make sure he could be around her.
He wondered if working on the Biltmore project had caused a wrinkle in whatever relationship she had with Jeff Weatherby. The two of them were always flirting. Hell, Latonya always playfully flirted with the rest of the guys in the department—everyone except for him. What he wouldn’t have done to have her bat those sparkling eyes at him.
In the short time that he had known her, she had managed to get under his skin in a big way. The way she kissed him once she had loosened up suggested that sex with her would be a delightful encounter. Passion leaped from her at his touch. When he kissed her, he swore he felt electric currents shoot through his system. He needed to find a way to get her out of his system and—after kissing her—he figured a more intimate arrangement might just do the trick. If they had sex, he’d be over his infatuation and they would be able to continue working together. He usually didn’t hold any woman in his mind very long after he’d been inside her.
Permanent relationships just weren’t his style. He’d learned early in life that love and commitment never came to a good end. The things he’d witnessed with his own parents made him more than a little gun-shy when it came to long-term relationships. Love wasn’t something he was looking for.
Carlton glanced at Latonya again. Calling her a very beautiful woman felt like a huge understatement. Her flawless face was the color of rich toffee. And when she was happy, her brown eyes danced with passion and vibrancy. Her auburn hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. He’d always imagined what her hair would look like when it wasn’t pinned up. When she’d come into the office with it down, she looked prettier than he ever could have imagined. She wore a pair of drab navy-blue slacks, and even they were sexy on her. Her body had such delicious curves that he salivated just thinking about them. She made those boring nondescript business suits she wore look like something that could be found in a lingerie shop.
He’d been struggling to keep his eyes off her all day. When she’d come and stood by him, it was all he could do not to pull her onto his lap and kiss her senseless. He barely made it out of the office to catch his breath. No woman had ever had such an impact on him.
It was a good thing she’d been able to work, because he could barely focus on anything but her. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t kept catching him while he stared at her. Always in control of his emotions, he felt thrown off balance by the woman.
That’s why he’d made up his mind to face whatever attraction there was between them head-on. He was tired of running from it. It was out of character for him to run from anything or to deny himself something he wanted. He decided that must have been the reason Latonya was causing such strange feelings in him. Once he faced the feelings and they explored them, he would be fine.
Sitting as far away from him as she could possibly get, Latonya twisted her hands nervously in her lap as she gazed out the window. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was running scared.
He pulled out a bottle of wine from the minifridge, hoping if she had something to drink that she would loosen up a bit more.
Clearing his throat, he implored, “Latonya, look at me.”
She turned slightly and glared at him.
Well, that’s progress, he reasoned. At least she showed some emotion. He handed her a glass of wine and she took it hesitantly.
“You can drink it. It’s not poisoned.”
Rolling her eyes, she turned to face the window again. Her hand shook as she sipped the wine.
Her jittery nervousness sparked a deep desire in him to ease some of her discomfort. Sliding closer to her in the seat, he placed his arm around her. She jumped and spilled the glass of wine.
“Why are you so jumpy? Relax,” he whispered softly, picking up the glass and placing it in a holder.
He bent his head to kiss her. Her lips were soft and inviting. She tasted like the sweet wine and a hint of peppermint. Once he worked his tongue into her mouth, he felt any thirst he had ever had being quenched. She sighed just before she relaxed into his embrace and a sharp jolt raced through him at the sound. Suddenly he was struck with so much need he almost couldn’t concentrate.
She was intoxicating and addictive, and he couldn’t pull away from her if he wanted to. He allowed his hands to explore her luscious body. He pulled her closer until he almost had her on his lap. Still it didn’t seem close enough. If he could have inhaled her, injected her into his veins somehow, he would have done it.
He pulled away and took a ragged breath. If he didn’t stop kissing her, he would wind up quickly taking her in the back of the limo, and he didn’t want that to happen. He wanted to savor every moment. The woman had wreaked havoc with his libido and his emotions and he fully intended to take his time to see if she offered all he’d imagined.
“We should probably stop,” he managed to mutter as he tried without success to catch his breath and calm himself down.
A red stain flushed her toffee cheeks and her eyes fluttered. Her face became the picture of embarrassment as she put some distance between them. Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath.
“Mr. Harrington, I really would like you to reconsider this…dinner. I’m really not comfortable with it. I realize that there is some attraction. But this is not the best way to deal with it.” She cleared her throat again as she ran her hand across her navy slacks, picking off nonexistent lint. “I think it would be best if you just have your driver take me home.”
“Do you really? Because now that I’ve kissed you, Latonya, I can honestly say that wouldn’t work for me at all.”
She sighed and looked away, seeming emotionally torn.
He ran his fingers over her long auburn tresses. “Tell me that you’re not attracted to me. Tell me that you don’t want this as much as I do.”
With a face full of anger and passion, fueled no doubt by stilted desire, she turned to face him again. Instead of responding in words, she simply pursed her lips.
The sight of her luscious lips closed so defiantly made him want to kiss her again. At least she didn’t deny she wanted him. He took a small relief in that as he continued to toy with her hair. Pulling her closer, Carlton whispered, “I’ll tell you what, you let me treat you to dinner since you worked so hard today. And we’ll just see how the night goes. Who knows, you might even have fun.”
Her lips formed a smirk and Carlton couldn’t resist. He had to touch them. Letting his hand trail down her cheek, he traced her lips with his thumb. He could feel the steady beat of her heart as she took a deep breath.