She sighed and shook her head. “Good luck, Archer. I hope you get what you’re after.”
Once she left, I knew it was only a matter of time before my friends lit up our group chat about the wholePenny situation.
As the event wound down, when Caleb got snagged by Jill in a lengthy conversation, I finally caught Penny alone.
“You’ve been baptized now—first industry mixer under your belt. How’d it go?” I asked.
“I handed out every card I brought. I still want to pinch myself that I even have a business card now.” She paused, glowing with a smile meant only for me. “Thanks again for this opportunity,Mr. Bellamy.”
She fluttered her lashes and said my name in a teasing, mocking, bratty way that hit like static under my skin. How I wanted to kiss those words right off her lips. I leaned closer,catching the faint scent of her vanilla perfume, impossible to forget.
“You’re making this very hard,” I started.
Her chin rose, eyes flashing. “Maybe I want it to be much, much harder.”
The air thickened between us, heavy with things unsaid. Every muscle in my body locked and loaded. I wanted to crowd her against the wall, erase the space between us, and claim her mouth. Or bend her over my desk and spank her for being so goddamn cheeky. Most of all, I wanted to take her home and finish what we’d started Halloween night.
Instead, I stared at the line of her mouth and counted backward from ten.
“This is almost over. Do you need a ride home?” I asked, voice tight. “No motorcycle. I’ve got the Jag tonight.”
She laughed once, wrecking me. “I think we both know what would happen if you took me home. I’ll call a car service.”
I accepted the truth and pulled myself together, because the alternative was burning it all down, HR rules be damned.
She summoned a ride from her phone. I followed her to retrieve her coat. In the hallway, only our breaths filled the space, echoing softly off marble and glass.
“Here, let me.” I surprised her by taking the coat and holding it out for her arms. “Text me when you’re in the car, and when you get home so I know you’re safe.”
She cocked her head as she buttoned up. “Do all your employees text you when they’re home safely?”
“Only the special ones.” I pulled her scarf from the pocket and looped it gently around her neck, fingers brushing the warm skin just above her collar. The faint scent of her lemony shampoo hit me, mixed with vanilla perfume and she became everything sweet that could drive me crazy. “And right now, that list only has one name.”
We stood there for a heartbeat, one foot of space between us, but a mile of tension.
Her phone buzzed. “My ride’s here. I’ll see you at work.” She brushed past, her shoulder grazing mine, leaving sparks in her wake.
Outside, I lingered under the awning in the shadows, cold air biting me, waiting to make sure her car showed. A black town car rolled up, but suddenly Caleb launched out of the club doors. She laughed at something he said as he opened the door for her, smooth as ever.
She paused, glancing back as if she could feel the heat of me watching, then slipped inside. The car pulled away, and a few seconds later my phone buzzed.
Penny: Safe and sound, on my way home.
Caleb waited at valet, collar turned up against the cold. I stepped out of the shadows.
“How’s Penny coming along?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
“Sharp woman.” He nodded. “Thanks for putting her on my team. She’ll move fast if she doesn’t let the pressure get to her.”
“I expect great things from her.”
“So do I.” The fuck is that sly smile doing on his face? I read too much into it.
A valet swung his charcoal coupe to the curb before I could remind him of our new HR policy and to keep his hands off. He slid inside, one palm loose on the wheel, and offered me a brief salute through the glass.
His taillights blinked away down the block. I muttered, “You don’t deserve her.”
Sophie’s words echoed in my head,You can hold a boundary or you can hold her gaze.I’d built a respectable empire ofwealth and monuments of steel and glass around the world. Yet one woman from Steele Valley dismantled my control brick by brick.
