I needed distance.I needed focus.I needed Liam Powers out of my head.Because after ten minutes alone with him this morning, I already knew one thing with absolute, undeniable certainty.Working in the same office as Liam was going to be a problem.A very sexy, complicated, distracting problem.
Because no matter how hard I tried to pretend otherwise, no matter his genuine apology or our resolve to keep things professional, it was clear that at least on my part, the attraction and chemistry between us hadn’t abated one bit.
CHAPTER NINE
Liam
My first weekat GalvaTech was busy, which was to be expected when starting with a new company.As usual, I spent my first day setting up my office and introducing myself to everyone, buying lunch and giving the employees a chance to get to know me and establishing a comfortable working dynamic.Now that I’d been here almost a week, I had a routine in place.
When I started the angel investment company with Simon after leaving Wall Street, I discovered early on that coming into an already established company was a delicate process.Feathers were easily ruffled when a new guy showed up and started throwing his weight around.It didn’t matter if my experience in business made my ideas valuable.It didn’t even matter that I invested a significant amount of money into the business.
People were touchy about strangers bossing them around, so I learned that it was best to spend a few days observing how things ran and working closely with the CEO to make it clear that this was a collaborative effort and that I wasn’t just some rich asshole coming in to take over.This was a partnership, not a takeover.
Most everyone seemed more relaxed around me now.While learning how things operated and were managed across the company, I was particularly impressed with how Samuel ran things at GalvaTech.He was hands-on without being overbearing.He checked in with each department regularly but also trusted his executives and managers to run things as needed.He delegated responsibilities in a way that made people feel supported instead of micromanaged.
He was a down-to-earth guy that cared about his company in a way that only a man that built it from the ground up could.It was clear to me that the success of this company meant the world to him because it was his legacy, and that feeling was reflected among his children.
His stepson, Parker, was vital to the company.I quickly realized that he didn’t just design the new product.He oversaw the research and development department and managed technology infrastructure.By all accounts, the man was a computer genius.
Morgan was the marketing director for the company, and even just a cursory review of her department told me that she was damn good at her job.She’d taken GalvaTech from a mid-level name to a recognizable brand in a few short years.She had a passion for this work that was obvious without even having to talk to her.
Which was convenient, considering how she’d avoided me completely.
After our awkward conversation when I was setting up my new office, I knew that keeping things professional with her wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as she made it sound that morning.She talked about our night together as if it didn’t matter, and I figured I had that coming for sneaking out, but I also knew it was best to put it behind us so that my investment and her family’s company could be our focus.
But telling myself that and actually doing it?Two very different things.
I couldn’t seem tostopthinking about the night we slept together, and it was all because of her.Morgan was too damn tempting in her pencil skirts and high heels that did amazing things for her ass.
Not that I was staring at it.Nope, not at all.Especially not when I was in a meeting with her father and she walked by the conference room.That would be incredibly unprofessional.
I also didn’t get turned on by the deep red lipstick she was wearing today or fantasize about that mouth wrapped around my dick.My hands didn’t itch to be buried in her silky brown hair and Idefinitelydidn’t long to spread her out on my desk and bury my face between her legs again just to hear her moan my name.
Because I was businessman, entirely focused on the job I was here to do.
“Liam, did you hear me?”Samuel asked.
I internally cringed as I realized all those dirty thoughts that Iwasn’thaving about Morgan had completely distracted me while I was supposed to be speaking with Samuel about the strategy going forward.
After almost a week of observing and getting to know everyone, it was time to develop and execute a plan to achieve goals related to the mobile EV charger.At least, that was what I put in the memo when I arranged this meeting with Samuel.So far, the conversation hadn’t gotten far because my eyes tracked Morgan’s stroll from her office to the elevator a moment ago.
Feeling guilty checking out the woman in front of her father—as much as I tried to convince myself that wasn’t what I was doing—I cleared my throat and refocused my attention on Samuel.He looked at me with nothing but patience in his expression, and I figured he must not have realized exactly what had diverted my focus.
That was fortunate.
“I’m sorry,” I said, straightening the papers on the table in front of me just to give myself something to do with my hands.“My mind wandered for a moment.What did you say?”
“I was saying that I think the best way to move forward is to team you up with a member of my staff that will work directly with you to make sure the launch of the EV charger goes well.Someone that is familiar enough with all aspects of the business to be a liaison between you and the other employees.”
That made sense.“Who do you have in mind?”
Samuel smiled.“Morgan would be the best person for the job.I know you haven’t had a chance to interact with her much since you started at the office, but she doesn’t just hold her position as the marketing director because she’s my daughter.She’s great at her job, and I know she’ll have plenty of innovative ideas to offer for launching the product.”
“If you think that’s best,” I said, carefully keeping my expression blank.
Morgan is going to hate this.
And me?Well, working that closely with her every day was going to wreck my focus, because if there was one thing I realized over the past few days, it was that my attraction to Morgan hadn’t faded one damn bit.Sharing space with her, breathing in her scent and noticing every small detail about her was going to blur lines I was already struggling to keep straight.
