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“Well, I don’t know.” Shut up while you still have a job, girl! She never listened to her inner voice when she should.
“Get him on the phone and ask him.”
She took a deep breath, rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. She knew Jeff wasn’t home. Rather than telling Harrington, she looked up the number and dialed it, anyway. When Jeff didn’t answer, she left a detailed message, and then turned to face Carlton. Her pleasant smile dropped as soon as she noticed him glaring at her as if she were the bane of his existence.
His right eyebrow slanted and a smirk spread across his face. “Since you can’t get in touch with Weatherby, you can fill in the missing facts. I need this before the end of the evening.”
“What? It’s not my report! Why should I have to spend my Friday night finishing Jeff’s work?” All false pleasantries fell from her face and her voice.
“It shouldn’t be that much of a problem. You are familiar with the ins and outs of the project, aren’t you? You should be. There is no reason why you can’t go through the files and data and finish this report within a few hours.”
“What if I have plans, Mr. Harrington?” She had no personal plans, but she did need to relieve her grandmother’s home health aide.
“Cancel them. I’d like that report before you leave.” Turning, he walked briskly away.
Watching his retreating back, she cursed herself for noticing how his muscles filled out the shirt he wore. To her, Carlton was simply an insensitive jerk—albeit an extremely fine insensitive jerk—that she would have to learn how to work with until, God willing, he got sent off on some other plush assignment. He wasn’t even her real boss. He was just filling in until the company decided on a replacement for the former head of the marketing department. Latonya hoped, perhaps unrealistically, that even though she hadn’t been with the company long, she would be considered for the position. However, her on-going battle with the younger Harrington, made that seem less and less like an attainable dream.
Latonya angrily added the missing information and printed out a new report within an hour. Because of her desire and pressing needs to rise quickly in the company, she was on top of all of her projects and the projects of her coworkers.
Without bothering to knock, she walked into Carlton’s office, dropped the report on his desk and didn’t wait for his response. The ogre looked up from his computer and his gaze narrowed in on her, but she refused to acknowledge his glare. With briefcase and purse in hand, she headed to the elevator and left the building before saying or doing anything that would put her job in further jeopardy.
Instead of heading straight home, she stopped at Soka’s. She had a few choice words for Jeff Weatherby and she planned on giving them to him straight away. He would get the telling off she’d had to hold back from their temporary boss.
Filled to capacity, the bustling brewery was a vibrant melting pot, filled with people from various races and ethnicities all laughing, drinking and partying together. Decorated in bright blues, subtle greens and warm tans, the inside of the brewery captured the colors of the water, sand and palm trees that surrounded the city. The deejay played a mixture of salsa, reggae and popular American music, and people had already taken to the dance floor.
“Hey, look who decided to grace us with her company. It’s Stevens. What are you drinking, beautiful?” Always charming, Jeff gave Latonya his best dazzling smile. He’d removed his tie and rolled up his sleeves.
Jeff stood to greet her and gave her a hug. Latonya smiled in spite of the fact that she was there to tell him off and thanked God she considered herself playa-proof.
Latonya leaned into his embrace and the perpetual flirt pecked her on the cheek. “Don’t ‘beautiful’ me. I just got reamed out by the boss because of your half-finished report. He made me finish it.”
Jeff gave a shocked expression and opened his mouth to respond, but Stan chimed in first.
“No shit?” Stan rubbed his chin. “Wow, the boss really seems to have it in for you. It’s crazy, because you’re like the hardest worker out of all of us.”
Latonya cut Jeff a nasty look. “Well, at least you know it, Stan. And, Jeff, if you’re going to hand in incomplete reports, let a sistah know so she can get out of the line of fire.”
“That report would have been just fine for the old boss,” Jeff countered playfully. “I’ll tell you, I think Carlton Harrington III just has something to prove because he’s the boss’s grandkid. I say we all keep doing the caliber of work we did for Samuels and let him get used to our way of doing things.”
Jeff was using his charm to try to incite insurrection, but Latonya wasn’t having it.
“Well, I always make sure my reports are thorough. And since he didn’t have me finish anyone else’s report but yours, why don’t you step it up a notch?”
Pouting, Jeff shrugged before breaking out a sulking frown. “Oh, come on, beautiful. You’re bringing me down. It’s Friday. Let me buy you a drink and let’s just forget this. Come on. Sit down and take a load off. White wine, right?” The consummate charmer, Jeff knew when to give up a losing battle.
“Make that a gin and tonic with lime.” After her runin with the sexy ogre, something stronger was in order. Sliding into the booth, she occupied the spot Jeff vacated when he went to get her drink.
She moved over when he came back with her drink in hand and a mouth full of apologies. Deciding to forgive and forget, she slowly sipped her drink. Jeff rested his arm on the seat behind her.
“So, I guess we can thank good old Harried Tres for your presence tonight. If he hadn’t made you angry you would probably still be in your office working before you headed home, not to be seen again until bright and early Monday morning,” Jeff teased.
“It’s called having a work ethic. You should try it sometime.” She gave Jeff a sarcastic smirk before breaking into a smile at his nickname for the boss. Jeff had made up a funny way of referring to the Harrington men. While he alternated between Harry and Harried as a pseudonym for Harrington, it was always followed by Uno for the big boss and Tres for Latonya’s nemesis.
“There is nothing wrong with my work ethic. It’s workaholics like you and Harried Tres that need to reevaluate themselves. I believe in having a balanced life.” Jeff took a swig of his beer and bobbed his head to the salsa music playing in the background.
“Whatever. Some of us really need our jobs and some of us have to work twice as hard to make up for not being the right race or gender.” She didn’t have the privilege to buck the system like Jeff might.
Jeff feigned outrage. “Was that a white-male crack? Because some would say that as a white man working for a large black-owned company, I would face more than my share of discrimination. In fact, I may have it worse than you,” he joked.
“Well, as the only woman in a department full of men of all races, colors and creeds and with a temporary boss who can’t seem to stand me, I think I have it the worst. And I don’t have the luxury of being able to quit my job at any time and go work for my dad at the family empire.” She took a sip of her drink and gave Jeff a pointed look. His old money family hadn’t taken it well when he’d declined to join the family business and set out on his own. They were always trying to get him to change his mind.
“You know you could always quit this job and let me take care of you. I have a sizable trust fund. You’d never have to work again. All you have to do is say the word.” Jeff, the flirt, couldn’t go for five minutes without making a pass.
Juan saw that as his opportunity to jump in. “Hey, mamacita, you know I don’t have a trust fund. But if you’re taking offers, I’ll put my bid in. I’ll work ten jobs for you, bonita.” Juan was tall and slender and of Afro-Cuban origin. He had a face that could only be described as beautiful. His eyes were warm and expressive, and the longest lashes she had ever seen on a man framed them.
Stan snorted before adding playfully, “The sistah isn’t interested in either one of you. When she’s ready to stop working so hard she’ll coming looking for an African-American brother like myself.”
Latonya smiled sweetly before she lit into the three flirtatious devils. In their own way they were just trying to cheer her up because of her constant run-ins with their new boss. A girl could have worse things happen than a multicultural alliance of handsome men working together to lift her spirits.
“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.”
