Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
I laughed as she walked out of the room. She was constantly surprising me. In my face and stern one moment, crazy and funny the next. Then shy. I never knew which Magnolia, Myers, or Maggie I was going to get.
And I was surprisingly okay with that.
MAGNOLIA
I was nervous the rest of the afternoon. I hadn’t entirely gotten over the whole “the condom I rolled onto his dick almost killed him” issue. He was calm and relaxed today, apologizing and being sweet Bane again. His decision that we would go to his place for dinner and to talk was unexpected, but I was excited to see his home and to make him dinner. Maybe to understand where he saw this relationship going. Assuming, of course, that he thought it was a relationship.
He was older than I was, jaded. I had no idea what his thoughts on us were for sure. I had checked him out on the internet, and his dating history was sparse. The pictures I could find all contained different women. There weren’t many, and he didn’t look happy in any of them. His brother, on the other hand, was everywhere. It looked as if he loved attention and being “caught” on camera. The only ones I saw of Bane with a smile were business-related, usually with his partners at the unveiling of one of their many successful projects. From the records I found in my desk, he’d had more assistants than girlfriends, and they never lasted long either.
Given his charming personality, it was a mystery.
Then I laughed. Bane was charming—if he let you in. I had a feeling that was rare.
He was in and out for meetings, and I stayed busy with the list of tasks he’d given me to handle. I was working on an Excel document when he walked in, Jessica from HR behind him.
I smiled, although my nerves kicked in. Had someone seen something?
But she stopped by my desk, handing me a memo. “The anti-bullying seminars start next week,” she informed me. “We’ll have an informal meeting with the outside group Bane has brought in, and then we’ll move on to the next step. We’re breaking it into two groups, so I need your preference.”
I glanced at the schedule and Bane’s calendar. “Tuesday is better.”
“Great. I’ll mark you down.” She smiled kindly. “Still doing well?”
“Oh yes. Everything is great.”
“Bane mentioned how invaluable you were with the resort project at the partners’ meeting. You must be doing everything right.”
I laughed. “Not everything, but some things, I suppose.”
Bane came out of his office. “She’s being modest. Best assistant ever.”
Jessica looked impressed. “High praise, coming from you.”
He smiled at me. “She deserves it.”
“So I guess we’d better get ready to apologize?”
Bane chuckled. “I consider finding Myers lucky. No apology needed, but I am going to let you take us both to lunch.”
He turned and went back into his office. Jessica looked at me, her eyebrows raised. “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
For some reason, those words made me laugh. “I’ll try,” I managed to get out.
She left, and I let my amusement out.
“I heard that,” Bane called from his office. “What are you—twelve?”
I went to his door, still laughing. “Keep it up. I was trying…”
“Don’t even go there.” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. But I saw his lips quirk.
“What apology?”
He explained what had happened and the bet they’d made. I laughed even as I shook my head. “So I’m a means to a free lunch?”
He returned my smile, his tone serious. “Maggie darling, you’re a means to many things.”
“Oh,” I breathed out. He was very good at being charming when he wanted.
“Coffee?” I asked, sounding breathless.
“Yes,” he replied. “Some of your foamy stuff. I need the sugar.”
I picked up the cup from his desk and, unable to resist, bent and kissed him. “There. Sugar for you.”
With a low growl, he captured me around the waist and pulled me close, kissing me again. Harder. Deeper. Then he pushed me away.
“Yeah,” he grunted. “I needed that. Now, get my coffee.”
But now, he couldn’t hide his smile.
I was giving myself more points.
Chapter Fifteen
MAGNOLIA
Bane’s condo was close to the waterfront. One of the popular Rabba stores was across the street—a local specialty market—and he followed me, holding the basket as I picked up some things to make a simple dinner. Then we strolled across the street and headed to his condo. The building wasn’t tall, but he had a unit that offered a nice view of the water on the top floor with a generous-sized patio. If I stretched over the railing and strained my neck, I could almost see my neighborhood across the park area that separated the two worlds. Not a huge distance in miles, but vast in the differences. The condo was spacious, the kitchen modern and sleek. And, from what I could tell, rarely used. He had an office and a large living room. His bedroom took up a good portion of the space with a private en suite, walk-in closet, and an exercise corner containing a machine I was sure I would never figure out how to turn on, never mind use.