His Unexpected Lover (The Thorpe Brothers) (14 page)

Ryker smiled inwardly as he pulled into his parking spot, but not a hint of that personal satisfaction showed on his handsome features.  Ryker was known to be reserved, cool and in control.  He rarely put his emotions on display unless he was alone with his brothers.  And even then, he was the eldest, needing to be the calming influence.  He knew his responsibilities and took them very seriously. 

That didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate life, he thought as his eyes looked around for the woman. 

To the casual observer, he knew that he generally looked serious and intent but he didn’t really care.  The opinions of others was of no consequence, he had more important things to worry about than whether someone perceived him as likable.  Ryker didn’t mind that his staff was intimidated by him.  It enabled him to run The Thorpe Group more effectively.  He not only had his entire division to run, he was also responsible for the whole company not to mention his three younger brothers who tended to lean towards the boisterous side of life.  Thankfully, they didn’t fight as much as they used to. 

Well, Xander did, but that was because of…Ryker sighed as he thought about that situation.  Xander was the second oldest and in charge of the family law division of The Thorpe Group.  Ryker thought about the cynicism he’d seen recently in his younger brother.  It wasn’t healthy and Xander was definitely becoming more jaded.  Maybe that’s why the arguments between the second oldest and their office manager, Autumn, were getting more…pointed. 

Stepping out of his black Tesla sedan, he lifted his briefcase and walked efficiently towards the building’s entrance.  He timed it perfectly every day and, sure enough, there she was.  The exquisite woman with curly blond hair was hurrying into the building on the opposite side of the courtyard.  She was lovely and had the sexiest walk, even when she was rushing. 

He waited until she was through the doors, watching her for as long as possible before he proceeded into his building.  It was a morning ritual that he intended to stop, as soon as he could figure out how to get her to agree to dinner with him.  She was painfully shy, he knew.  On previous occasions he’d tried to get her attention, but she’d just scurried away after a brief glimpse in his direction. 

They played this game every morning, staring at each other across the courtyard, both of them obviously interested but she was too timid and ran away before he could figure out how to interact with her.  He’d tried to speak with her once when they ran into each other at the deli.  She’d been even more beautiful up close but she’d blushed and hurried out the door, not even getting her lunch in her rush to get away from him.  He’d watched her blond curls and extraordinary figure hurry out the door as quickly as her heels could carry her but he’d caught her blush as well as the small gasp that escaped from her lush mouth as soon as she saw him. 

A weaker man might be discouraged but not him.  That woman was worth the effort, he told himself as he pressed the elevator button for his floor.  He would have her sitting across a
restaurant table from him very soon.  He walked into his office, his assistant, Joan, meeting him at the doorway to the lobby as she did every single morning, following behind him as she read through his early morning messages. 

“And lastly, Jason Moran left a message last night and wanted to speak with you urgently.  This is his third message in two weeks,” she told him without any kind of expression on her face.  Joan knew not to be judgmental about any of the issues that came through this office.  If her boss hadn’t called the man back, there was a reason. 

Ryker’s eyes slashed over to Joan’s.  “Jason?” he repeated, his irritation at the man’s persistence annoying.  “I gave Jason to Martha as a client,” he explained, referring to one of the other lawyers in his group.  “I know she called him back the last time he called.  What does he need to speak with me about?”

Ryker knew that Jason Moran worked in the building across the courtyard.  The same building in which his introverted stranger worked.  That was a promising development, he thought as he took that message and glanced down at the writing.  Perhaps Jason could give him more information about the lovely mystery woman. 

Making the decision quickly, he handed the pink square paper back to Joan and continued into his office.  “Tell Jason I can see him this afternoon.  Give him whatever opening is available on my calendar after my lunch meeting.”

Joan nodded and made a note, then turned and walked out of his office to follow his instructions. 

Cricket leaned against the back of her office door, breathing deeply of the cool air and trying to slow down her frantic heart rate.  She couldn’t believe that she felt like this just because that man watched her walk into the building.  Even from a distance, the look was so hot, so intense she felt like she was going to burn up as she walked from the parking garage to the door to the building. 

Often, on her drive into the office, she tried to talk herself into actually looking at the man.  She’d seen him up close once and he was…amazing!  She’d been such a wimp that day.  She’d seen his intention to talk to her, to actually communicate, but she’d run away.  It was one thing to have a secret infatuation with a man, to build up stories about him and wonder what it would be like to actually talk to him and meet him.  She imagined herself sitting down with him in a fancy, elegant restaurant, enjoying witty repartee while he laughed at her quick wit and pithy observations. 

Alas, she wasn’t quick witted and she rarely had profound reflections about people other than whether they had adequate security or if their jewelry was real or fake. 
Other than that, her life revolved around numbers and finding the stories in the numbers.  She might be able to sneak into a high security building without being noticed or find variances down to the penny in a multi-million dollar project, but conversing with a gorgeous man?  Nope, she was too shy.  Especially around her tall, terrifyingly huge and intimidating morning-man in particular. 

She really needed to change her schedule so she wasn’t showing up at the exact same moment he was arriving each day.  But then she smiled inside her tiny office where no one else could see, her body’s reaction slowing down.  As long as he continued to arrive at the same time, she’d probably keep the same schedule that had her driving up at the same moment.  Her mind relished the zing that she got from his look each morning.  The feeling was better than a double shot of espresso.  It might be silly, looking forward to seeing a man every morning, but she loved her morning excitement.  If she changed her schedule, she’d miss that man terribly. 

She should be brave and just talk to the guy.  She set her alarm clock, skipped breakfast if she was running late, went around the block a few times if she was early…all so she could get a glimpse of him each morning.  It was more than a little pathetic, she told herself. 

But the idea of actually talking to him, of meeting him face to face instead of across the courtyard set her whole body to shivering in fear.  What would she say to him?  What could they possibly have in common?  He looked like some sort of executive while she was a lowly accountant.  She’d probably trip on her own feet if she got any closer to him.  He made her so nervous just with a look! 

With a sigh, she sat down behind her desk and pulled her chair in close, turning on her computer and pulling the large stack of messy and poorly written expense reports closer, forcing her mind away from one dazzling, sexy and scary man.  Now that she’d had her morning jolt it was time to start her day.  She might be a boring, cautious accountant but that didn’t mean she wasn’t also a secret adrenaline junkie. 

Autumn stood by the side of the receptionist’s desk, praying the woman wouldn’t say the words that would once again break her heart.  Unfortunately, fate wasn’t playing nice today. 

“I’m here to see Xander Thorpe,” the blond woman with the almost dripping red lips said while flicking her thick, blond hair back over her shoulder. 

Autumn knew that the hair flip was only to show off her impressive bosom, perfectly displayed by the deep V of her red dress. 

Diane, the receptionist, acted professionally, exactly as Autumn had trained her.  She turned to her computer with a gracious smile, her fingers poised over the keyboard as she said, “Do you have an appointment?” Diane knew that her boss, the amazingly lovely brunette with the deep, brown eyes, was standing beside her stiffly,
watching to see how this exchange played out. 

The blond bimbo, as Autumn now thought of her, laughed and waved her hand.  “I don’t, but I’m pretty sure he’ll see me,” she said and smoothed her hands down her hips.  “Just tell him Jessica is here to speak with him.”

Diane knew the process.  She typed the information into the computer, then sent off the notice to Xander’s assistant, currently a new woman by the name of Tilly who, at the moment was only a temporary employee, brought in yesterday when his last one quit without any notice.  Xander had a bad habit of going through assistants at a horrible rate.  With gritted teeth, Autumn slapped the file folder down onto the table and walked quickly out of the area.  Her feet pushed her faster, desperate to not see…

She wasn’t fast enough.  When the woman in red entered Xander’s office and closed the door, the laughter and money started exchanging hands. 

“How much did you win?” James, one of the third year lawyers asked Autumn as she passed by his desk.

Autumn gritted her teeth and shook her head, walking quickly by him but trying to paste a calm-looking smile on her face.  It was the normal wagers that were being paid up now that the previous
girlfriend, a lovely brunette had been replaced by the gorgeous blond.  She desperately didn’t want anyone in the office to know how painful she found the betting.  Xander’s love life was the office entertainment and it hurt more than it should.  She hated him so much!  Why should she even care who he dates?  He could date anyone he wanted, just so long as he kept it outside the office. 

Maybe that’s what bothered her so much about his philandering ways.  She walked down the hallway, ignoring the jokes and the exchange of cash as bets were paid up and new ones initiated.  If Xander would keep his private life more private, it wouldn’t bother her so much.  She preferred efficiency and order, trained her support staff to work hard, look and act professionally and be exceptionally helpful and efficient.  The betting about how long the current flavor-of-the-moment would last slowed down her staff’s efficiency. 

Autumn knew that it happened but she never participated.  Everyone thought she was just being noble and not lowering herself to petty gossip.  But she knew better why she wasn’t delving into the bitter world of Xander’s girlfriend office pool. 

Axel and Ash were walking towards her and she quickly looked down.  But Axel wasn’t having any of that.  He caught the flash of pain in her eyes and touched her arm gently, obviously concerned. 

“What’s going on, Autumn?  You look like you’ve just lost your best friend.”

Autumn laughed bitterly.  “Oh, goodness, nothing
so dramatic as that,” she came back, her shoulders squared off against the pain ripping through her.  “It’s just the changing of the guard.”  At their blank looks, she sighed and said, “Xander’s old girlfriend is out and a new one is in.  Everyone in the cubicles are paying up on their old bets and placing new wagers on this next woman.”  She was looking downwards, wishing she could just race to her own office and hide away until the pain abated, but then she caught the twenty dollar bill exchange between Axel to Ash.  “That was thirty-one days, right?” he asked.

She nodded numbly, unaware that her mouth was hanging open in shock that even Xander’s two younger brothers would be involved on the betting. 

When those dratted tears threaten to spill over her lashes, she took a deep, frantic breath and started moving around the two extremely large men.  “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, but didn’t bother finishing the sentence as she raced down the hallway and into her office. 

She wasn’t aware of the two men staring after her, both of them frozen into stunned silence.  “Well I’ll be…” Axel said, watching until she slammed the door to her office. 

Ash stopped staring at the now-closed door and grinned towards his brother.  “I think that’s another twenty you owe me,” he said.

Axel looked at his brother, then back at the closed door one more time.  “I would have sworn…” he started to say, then shook his head.  “You were right.”  And he handed Ash another twenty.  “At least it was just around us.”

Ash nodded his head as well, his mouth grim with irritation over his older brother’s insensitivity.  “Yeah.  She’s usually more in control.”

Axel grinned as they both turned to continue their walk down the hallway.  “Want to bet on when he’ll crack and admit it to her?”

Ash was already shaking his head.  “Hell no!  Big Brother Xander realizing what’s going on?”

Both men laughed as they continued towards their destination, unaware of the woman leaning against the doorway fighting back the tears.  Thankfully, Autumn didn’t hear their conversation or she would have been even more humiliated.  As it was, she just had to deal with the pain of seeing Xander with yet another beautiful woman.  She hated this, she told herself, brutally wiping the tears from her cheeks.  He was such a jerk!  Why did he have to bring those women here?  It was such an insult to everyone’s professionalism and productivity. 

He should just be more circumspect about his personal life mixing during business hours.  He should never have his girlfriends trot around here like that.  It was unprincipled and inappropriate! 

And it hurt!  Damn the man! 

She sat down behind her desk and dropped her head onto her hands, trying to control the painful emotions that were threatening to choke her.  She should find another job, she told herself firmly.  She shouldn’t put herself through the pain of watching him come and go with those women. 

The idea of not being here, of not seeing…all the Thorpe brothers, caused another sharp stab of pain.  She liked her job, except when there was a changing of the guard.  She really shouldn’t let it bother her so much.  She should just look the other way and leave him to his philandering ways. 

Or maybe she should talk to him, try and convince him to keep his lady-loves outside the office.  Too many staff members watched them come and go.  Not to mention the younger men on the staff seeing ridiculous stuff like that.  Xander was a role model!  He was teaching them that women were disposable, that they weren’t worth the effort to invest in a real relationship. 

When the meeting notification pinged, she looked at her computer and sighed.  She wouldn’t have time to consider that option right at the moment.  She had yet another meeting to attend.  Thankfully this one was just with her own staff so she wouldn’t have to sit at the conference table and feel Xander’s presence.  Or even worse, fight the growing anger whenever he prodded her temper.  The man was ingenious about getting a rise out of her and no matter how hard she tried to stay calm, she inevitably ended up firing one or two pointed jibes his way just to get back at him.  He changed her, she thought resentfully.  He made her act in a petty manner and she hated it.  She wanted to remain calm and unemotional, to appear professional at all times.  But he just kept on pushing her buttons, making her angry and forcing her temper out in the open. 

She took a deep breath and grabbed a tissue out of her drawer, patting down her cheeks.  With efficient movements, she pulled a mirror out of another drawer and repaired her makeup, furious that he’d reduced her to tears this time.  When her face looked calm once again, she stood up and walked to the window in her office, taking several deep breaths. 

Xander watched with rising fury and frustration as Autumn Hallman walked into her office, closing the door. 
Closing everyone out.  He saw his brothers turn the corner and he made a mental note to ask them later if they knew what had upset her.  He would do it now, but he had to get rid of Jessica Lilsedale.  The irritating woman had attached herself to his arm last night at some charity function and he hadn’t been able to get rid of her.  Why had she shown up here?  He’d given her absolutely no encouragement last night.  And now she wanted a private word with him? 

He’d gotten into the office early this morning, needing time to get work done because he had a busy schedule.  Normally, the fall was a slower than normal period in his division, but not this year for some reason.  Business was thriving and he was going to have to bring on a few more lawyers if this pace kept up. 

He ran the family law practice in The Thorpe Group which included all family issues but mostly it came down to the divorce division.  He had a thriving practice with people almost lining up at the door wanting to tear apart the spouse that, only a few years earlier, they’d promised to love, honor and cherish.  It always astounded him that people who had once claimed to love each other so much that they wanted to dedicate their lives together, could reduce their entire world down to money and a desire to hurt someone as painfully as possible, in any way possible. 

Jessica was rattling on and on about some inane issue, all the while, he was looking down the hallway towards Autumn’s office door, willing her to come out and show her face just so he could see that she was okay.  Had someone hurt her feelings?  Was she overwhelmed with her work load?  He’d go directly to his brothers if they were
laying too much on her slender shoulders.  She was just one woman but she continued to accept more and more responsibility within the firm. 

Good grief, what was Jessica talking about now? 

“So what do you think?” she asked, tilting her head and twirling her bleached blond hair with her talon-tipped fingers. 

Xander hadn’t heard a word she’d said.  “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

Jessica laughed and playfully punched his shoulder.  “Tonight!  The party?  Are you up for some fun?”

That was definitely not going to happen.  With as much patience as he could muster, he walked the irritating woman to the elevators, ignoring her obnoxious chatter.  “I’m sure you’ll have a much better time without me,” he said and took her hand, effectively releasing her grip on his arm.  He lifted her hand to his lips and, as graciously as possible, kissed her fingers in an effort to send her off into the descending elevators. 

As soon as she was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief.  Unfortunately, the cloying cloud of perfume she left in her wake almost made him gag.  Why did women insist on bathing in the rancid stuff?  His mind popped to the way Autumn smelled.  She was always fresh and clean.  He couldn’t think of a single time that she’d worn perfume.  But she always smelled…incredible. 

Back in the office, he stood at the end of the hallway, contemplating Autumn’s closed door.  She was upset and he had no idea why but it tore him apart. 

He had no right to feel this way.  She was an employee, and an exceptional one at that.  He was one of the owners so he should remain distant, treat her just like he would any other employee.  He and his three other brothers owned equal shares in The Thorpe Group and, between the four of them, they could cover about every area of law possible. 

What he couldn’t cover was his need to hold Autumn Hallman in his arms.  Seeing her like this, her beautiful, brown eyes filled with tears, tore him apart.  He hated seeing her in pain. 

What could be wrong? 

She’d been with the firm for five years and she’d only become more valuable as she’d matured. 
And more beautiful.  He’d been aching for her ever since she’d first walked through the doors looking for a job and that need had only intensified as he’d gotten to know her.

He knew that she thought of him as a royal pain in the ass.  At times, he annoyed her just to see her brown eyes sparkle with anger and those pretty, pale cheeks bloom with color.  And other times, he was in so much pain to possess her, to be with her and be near her that he snapped at the world.  His administrative assistants bore the brunt of his irritation, but he couldn’t deny the pleasure of working with Autumn every time he had to replace the previous assistant who had quit. 

Of course, it helped that the last several assistants were completely inept.  He wasn’t one to pressure someone into quitting just so he could have one on one time with Autumn while they worked to hire a new one.  No, he’d never do that to his staff.  The ones that had left over the past two years had genuinely been poorly trained and ill-humored. 

The last one had quit just yesterday, but he didn’t mind since he’d been about to fire her anyway.  The client files were a complete mess and the woman had lost track of all of his appointments, triple scheduling clients and leaving large gaps in between. 

But now he felt like someone was tearing off his arm all because Autumn was upset about something.  And she had to be genuinely upset because, unless she was snapping at him, she never let her emotions interrupt business.  This was extremely unusual.