Marry Matthew Read online

  “Annie.” He said.

  Her name fell off his tongue like butter and she realized she hadn’t seen him well the night before. She hadn’t noticed just how tall dark and handsome he was. He possessed the same Italian features of his father and she wondered where he had been all their lives and why he had decided to come in now.

  “Delighted to meet you.” She said stretching out her hand for a handshake as she stood.

  “The pleasure is all mine!” he said bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it gently. The smooth of his lips tickled her hand and sent jolts of excitement through her body. She had no doubt that Leon would be a hit among the women in the office.

  “I brought Leon here today because I am prepping him to take over the business.” Alonso said plainly, “since you know the most about how things work around here, I’m going to ask you to use half your days to get him up to speed on the company processes.”

  Annie wanted to protest. She wasn’t in the habit of slowing down her job for any reason and she knew that if she was going to have to teach a complete novice how to run a company, that would be a problem.

  “Are you sure?” she asked looking over at Alonso, “I’ve been working with Melissa on that for a few months now. Maybe she could teach him what I’ve taught her.”

  Her words were meant to remind Alonso of his other two daughters who were perfectly capable of taking over the business. The chuckle she heard from Leon assured her that he understood what she was saying.

  Alonso sat back in his chair and looked up at her with furrowed brows.

  “I know that.” He said in his usual somber tone, “but this is my son, he’s the one to take over and you’re the one to show him about.”

  If they hadn’t been in her boss’s office she would have groaned.

  “Alright,” she mumbled surrendering.

  She knew there was no way she could get away from this and she was upset that her well-laid plans were suddenly off the rails.

  “Will that be all?” she asked

  “Yes,” Alonso said, “he will begin today, I’ll send him over a few hours from now.”

  Annie placed the memos she had done up on Alonso’s table and nodded at him before walking out. She was happy he had given her the few hours because she would have to prepare herself mentally. She had nothing against the man, she just couldn’t understand why Alonso would throw his daughters under the bus for the son she had never heard anything about. He and his wife had fathered two beautiful girls in their younger days. After coming to the states, his wife had died of a rare form of cancer and he had never remarried. His daughters were beautiful women who she looked up to. The young man who stood in his office didn’t look much older than herself and she could bet he knew nothing of the business world. She would have to hatch a plan to change Alonso’s mind or God knows what would happen to the business.

  She ran to her office and pulled out her phone to call Lidia. She updated her friend of the situation and within moments she was in her office

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Lidia said, what’s going to happen to our jobs?”

  “I have no idea.” She replied, “All I know is that I have to do something about this”

  “You’re right!” Lidia said, “I say you run him out of time!”

  The glint in her friend’s eye was fierce and it took everything in Annie to not laugh at her passion.

  “Listen, I’ll update you on how it goes later. Till then I’m going to prepare.”

  “Yes,” Lidia said, “show no mercy.”

  Lidia stood and was almost at the door when she turned and looked at Annie.

  “Is he good looking?” Lidia asked.

  Annie almost blushed when her friend asked the question.

  “Yes, he’s very handsome.” She replied honestly.

  “Maybe don’t work too hard then.” Her friend said before rushing out of her office.

  Annie slouched down in her chair and rolled her eyes. She only had one plan and that did not involve getting involved with her boss’s son.

  Chapter 4

  Two weeks later into her training with Leon she was regretting everything she had thought about him originally. Unlike the unschooled upstart she had imagined him to be, he seemed more knowledgeable than she had expected and in some areas, he was more knowledgeable about business procedures than she was. She was slowly becoming more impressed with him and as he sat across from her she began to appreciate just how handsome he was.

  “Did you hear what I just sad?” he asked dragging her out of her thoughts.

  “Oh yes, yes,” she lied,

  “You’re lying.” He said with a wicked glint in his eyes.

  “I’m not.” She said disliking the way her voice went high as she spoke.

  “I know you’re lying.” He insisted placing the document he had been looking over on the table and leaning forward.

  “Why do you insist?” she asked

  “Because I said nothing.” He replied flashing her an accusatory look.

  “Oh,” she replied unsure of what exactly to say after being caught in a lie.

  “Where did your mind wander off to?” he asked.

  “What makes you think I’m going to tell you?” she asked.

  “Because I’m about to become your boss, I think we should get to know each other better.” He said.

  She smiled at his cockiness and shrugged it off. He was baiting her and she would have to do her best to not fall for it.

  “I was about to ask you out last night you know.” He said, “but you ran off.”

  “It’s a good thing too.” She replied, “wouldn’t want to have been caught trying to seduce the boss’ son.”

  He laughed at her ridiculous comment and shrugged.

  “Is there any chance I can still get that date?” he asked.

  She smiled not knowing exactly what to say. He was a handsome unattached man who, she was slowly finding out, was brilliant.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” She said.

  “How come?” he asked.

  “Well firstly,” she said, “you’re my boss’ son, I don’t think that would be appropriate.”

  “And what’s the second one?” he asked

  “Well second, I’m celibate.” She lied

  “I wasn’t asking for sex.” He said smiling

  “Isn’t that what relationships these days are all about though?” she asked

  “Mostly.” He replied, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t foresee you writhing on top of me with pleasure t some point. But I’ll settle with lunch for now.”

  The way he said these words sent a strange rush of heat into her stomach and a few parts south of there.

  “Is that so?” she asked wondering where she had found the strength to speak.

  “Yes,” he replied, “I think we can get away with lunch for now.”

  “Third,” she said ignoring what she had said, “from what I can tell, you seem to be used to getting your way with women, I endeavor to not be one of them.”

  He laughed then, and she knew her inklings had been right.

  “You wound me.” He said flashing her an innocent look she knew must have worked for him in the past.

  Although she fought against his charm there was no escaping her attraction towards him.

  After another two hours, she realized that they had spent enough time together for the day. She was late for her lunch break and she wanted to get out of Leon’s presence. The more time she spent with him the more she lost her resolve to get rid of him and the more she found herself picturing herself writhing on top of him.

  “I think that’s it for the day.” She said standing, “let’s pick up tomorrow”

  She walked around the table and made her way towards the door but not before he caught her by the hand and pulled her towards him.

  “I just wanted to try something.” He said before lowering his head and gently kissing her on the lips. It was
a gentle fleeting kiss, but the intensity promised there was much more.

  When he looked into her eyes she could tell he saw her vulnerability and she took a step back and shook her head.

  “I was wondering if I was the only one I felt it.” He said looking at her without a hint of mirth. “now I know you feel it too.”

  His intense gaze left her trapped and vulnerable and that was a feeling she was both new to and unsure of.

  “I should go.” He said stepping around her and walking out of the office.

  When he was gone, she slouched down into her office sofa and let out an exasperated breath. She hadn’t expected him to do that and she had no idea how to respond now that it had been done. Should she have been outraged at his misconduct, but she had been thinking about it for hours as she sat across from him watching him speak. She was at a crossroads, but she decided to let it be and go for lunch. She would have time to consider all this later.

  Chapter 5

  The next day when Annie went to work, she was adamant that nothing would happen between her and Leon ever again. After going home and thinking it through she realized that Leon’s advances had been extremely inappropriate. To avoid future occurrences, she knew she’d have to establish her boundaries. She walked into her office and her jaw dropped when she looked around and saw her office filled with red roses. She looked around to see if anyone else was inside but found no-one.

  She walked over to her desk and took a card from one of the bouquets and read it.

  “I apologize.” The note read. There was no name attached and she struggled to figure out who had sent it.

  She walked out of her office and into the lobby and found the receptionist beaming at her.

  “Hi Violet, I found my office filled with red roses, are you sure they were sent to me?” she asked.

  Viola looked at her a bit surprised.

  “Of course I am.” Viola said, “They came here with your name, office number, and title.”

  Annie smiled and thanked her before going back to her office. She didn’t understand this gesture, but she knew the doer would reveal themselves soon enough. She only hoped it wasn’t Dale trying to get a second date. As she worked for the morning she found herself relishing the fresh scent of flowers in the room. She went for lunch and when she came back she was surprised to see Leon in her office. She had hoped he wouldn’t be in the office today since he hadn’t shown up for their morning session.

  “Sorry to be late.” He said apologetically.

  “That’s alright.” She replied taking a seat.

  “So, you liked the flowers?” he asked smiling.

  She realized then that he was the one who had sent the flowers and for no reason, the thought made her smile.

  “Oh, yes.” She replied, “I didn’t know you sent it.”

  “I wondered if I should have put my name on it.” He replied.

  “They’re beautiful.” She replied, “what were they for?”

  “I realize what I did yesterday was a bit inappropriate.” He said, “I can’t expect you to forgive me, but I am sorry.”

  She smiled thinking about her plans to tell him off earlier and she realized with his gesture she didn’t have the heart to tell him off.

  “Thank you for the apology.” she replied, “I must be honest, you weren’t the first person who came to mind when I read the note.”

  “Who was the first person who came to mind?” he asked.

  “A terrible date I had the other day.” She replied.

  “Have you given any thought to going out with me?” he asked, “I wanted to take you someplace nice tonight if you’ll accept my invitation.”

  Annie thought about it for a minute. She wanted to say yes. There was something about Leon that made her want to throw caution to the wind. She had been locked away in herself for so long that she was afraid that if she didn’t break through now, she may never be able to have a normal relationship with a man.

  “Tonight?” she asked

  “Yes, I have a lovely place I’d like to take you.” He replied, “we could go right after work.”

  “I guess I could find a way to schedule you in.” she replied, “I can’t stay out too late though, I have to come back here and finish off some things later.”

  “Great.” He replied

  She was about to say something else when Alonso, popped into her office.

  “Wow, did a flower store throw up in here?” he asked

  “No, just another crazed fan.” She replied.

  Her taunt didn’t fall on deaf ears and she heard Leon chuckling.

  “I see.” Alonso said, “I hope you let the sucker down lightly.”

  She couldn’t help the laughter that filled her.

  “I need Leon for the rest of the afternoon.” He said

  “No problem.” She replied eager to get away from him a bit. She wanted to call Lidia and tell her what had happened, and she wanted to give herself enough time away from him before their dinner date tonight.

  “I’ll see you tonight.” Leon said as he stood, “we can take my car.”

  She smiled and watched him walk out. She looked at Alonso who had one brow raised and a sneaky smile on his face.

  “Fan huh?” he asked.

  “They’re all fans.” She replied cheekily.

  After he left she called Lidia who came to her office in record time.

  “How come you didn’t tell me you got a truck full of roses?” she asked

  “I didn’t know who they were from till just now.” Annie replied, “They’re from Leon.”

  “Wait, Leon, the boss’s son who you’re trying to get rid of?” Lidia asked

  Annie laughed when she remembered how she had reacted to him the first time she had seen him.

  “Yes, him,” Annie replied

  “Wow, your plan is going great then!” Lidia teased

  “I don’t think so.” Annie replied, “I don’t think my opinion of him yesterday was fair. He’s actually brilliant.”

  “Wait,” Lidia said with a cheeky grin. “are you smitten with him?”

  “Smitten?” Annie asked, “what am I? Two?”

  “You’re a grown woman, I’m asking if you’re into our boss’ son,” Lidia said

  “I have no idea.” Annie replied, “I do like him, he’s smart, handsome and he’s a great kisser.”

  “Wait, how do you know he’s a good kisser?” Lidia asked, “did you kiss him!!”

  “It just happened,” Annie replied, “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “Wow,” Lidia said, “I’m actually happy to hear about this.”

  “I agreed to go on a date with him,” Annie said quietly.

  “Wait for what?” Lidia asked, “all of a sudden you’re planning dates for yourself.”

  “I thought, who would it hurt,” Annie said

  “I encourage this,” Lidia said.

  They spoke for a few more minutes before Lidia had to leave. Annie went back to work always trying to keep her mind off her upcoming date. She was both anxious and nervous. She wasn’t sure what to expect from a man like Leon, but she was also struggling to keep her mind off his lips and that usually led to thoughts of his other body parts. She was shamefully lusting after him.

  Chapter 6

  Annie walked into the office and saw the paper’s sitting on her desk. She knew that coming back to work after a date would be hard, but she didn’t regret it. Being with Leon was so fun it made her want to reconsider her opposition to dating. He was kind and attentive and she found out more about him in those two hours than she had in the two days they had spent working together.

  He was a calm and spirited man who seemed to be all about his business. He was attentive to her stories as she talked about her childhood and she did the same when he told her of his family holidays in diverse places. She learned that although she had never heard of him, Alonso’s children had spent a great amount of time with him as a child.

  The mor
e they spoke the more her attraction to him grew and the harder it was for her to focus on keeping him at arm’s length.

  She decided finally to try to clear her mind of Leon, so she sat down at her desk and began typing. It wasn’t long before she heard a sound at her door. When she looked up she realized it was Leon.

  “What are you doing back here?” she asked

  “I didn’t think it would be good to leave you here to work alone.” He replied, “after all, I was the one who stole you away from your work.”

  “So, you’re going to help me?” she asked

  “I’ll sit here and watch you work so you don’t feel alone.” He said. “that’s the best I can do.”

  Annie laughed.

  “You can sit over there.” She said pointing to the seat in front of her desk that he usually sat in.

  “I’m glad you came out with me tonight.” He said, “you’re a beautiful woman.”

  “Thanks” Annie replied not knowing exactly what to say.

  She was more concerned with the heat that was pooling between her legs and her sudden desire to kiss Leon right then and there.

  “I need to head to the bathroom for a moment.” She said getting up and hurrying out of the room. She pulled her phone from her pocket and called Lidia.

  “I’m stuck at the office with Leon.” She told her friend.

  “Oh my,” Lidia said.

  “I know! What should I do?” Annie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lidia said with a hint of mirth in her voice. “Just be yourself.”

  “What does that even mean?” Annie asked

  “I don’t know,“ Lidia said, “you’ll figure it out.”

  Without another word, her friend was gone. Annie looked in the mirror and sighed.

  “You got this.” She said to herself.

  She went back to her office and found Leon standing at the window behind her desk.

  “Hey,” she said as he walked in, “I’m back.”

  He turned to look at her with smoldering eyes.

  “I was just thinking,” he said, “I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t tell you that I’m attracted to you in the most primal way.”