Desire Part Two (The Desire Series Book 2) (2 page)

*****

Maddie unpacked her box in anger. Her trek across the huge office had been the worst of her life. She could feel the eyes of her co-workers follow her to the cubicle that was now her office. She could imagine what they were thinking and would soon be gossiping about. She sank into the uncomfortable desk chair and leaned her head against its stiff backing. She shielded her eyes and turned to stare at the tall office buildings lining Wall Street. This morning she had felt so at home in the busy business district. It was where she had imagined her interior design business to be located. Now she wondered if that dream would ever manifest. This morning’s turn of events left her feeling deflated and unsure of herself. She turned her back to the hot glaring sun. The heat was miserable. No wonder the cubicle had been vacant. Everyone knew to steer clear of it. What she wouldn’t give for a window shade to protect her from the sun’s blistering rays. She sat forward in the thinly cushioned chair and took a deep breath. She needed to get busy and stop feeling sorry for herself. She pulled her laptop from its carry bag and set it on the desk. Opening it she stared blankly at the dark screen. Maddie realized that she wanted to cry; something she never did. She felt so derailed but she couldn’t let it get the best of her. She brushed her tears aside and determinedly turned on her computer. She found the file that held her notes on the Edelston Project and read over them closely. She blindly opened the bottom drawer of her desk and moved her hand randomly about searching for the floor plan of the house. She felt nothing; the drawer was empty. She realized that she had left the specs in the desk of her former office. She’d taken no time to get them before storming out of the office. She loathed having to go in there and ask him for them but she had no choice. She pushed away from the desk determinedly and stood. She turned to leave the cubicle and practically ran over Whit.

“Oh! You!” she gasped.

“Will you never call me Whit, Madison? Or am I destined to remain a nameless parasite with you,” he asked mildly.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be standing there. What do you want?” she asked abruptly.

He gestured to the cylinder in his hand.

“I thought you might need these so I brought them over,” he said kindly.

His sudden presence had disconcerted Maddie. She hadn’t noticed what he held in his hand. The cylinder undoubtedly contained the floor plans that she’d been on her way to retrieve from him. 

“I was just on my way to get them,” Maddie replied.

He offered her the tubing. She grasped the cylinder but he did not release it. Their eyes clashed. Maddie had not said thank you and obviously Whit was waiting for her to do so. It irritated Maddie to no end to show the least bit of gratitude to him for any reason. But it was clear that he would not give her the floor plan until she did.

“Thank you,” she said gruffly.

“You’re welcome,” he returned amiably.

He let go of the cylinder. Maddie turned her back to him and sat at her desk. She took the floor plan out of the cylinder and spread them out on her desk. He sat on the corner of it.

“Tell me your ideas for the house,” he said with interest. “What color and design schemes are you considering? And for which rooms in the house?”

Maddie started. She hadn’t expected him to show real interest in what she was doing. She had pegged him as an insufferable oaf with little knowledge or interest in design. His familiarity with the subject surprised her. He looked over her shoulder at the specs then raised an eyebrow at her, awaiting her answer. She answered his question which led to many more from him. They soon were engaged in a lively conversation about materials, paint vs wall paper, furnishings and window treatments.

“My confidants did not exaggerate. You have a keen eye and vivid imagination. I look forward to seeing this project come together,” he observed.

“You checked up on me?” Maddie asked in shock.

“Of course. I wanted to know everything about this company before purchasing it and that included you. I always employ due diligence, Madison” he remarked.

“Well, I’m glad I passed muster,” she said irritably.

Whit observed her closed expression. Damn it! What had he said? He had given her a compliment but it had incited her ire. They had been getting along smoothly. She was animated and alive when she was discussing her work. Her green eyes had twinkled with amusement and her guard was down. Her vibrant red hair kept falling in her face and she continually brushed it back. The action was somehow extremely erotic and he had wanted to hold her hair back and kiss her tempting neck. She’d been relaxed and responded to him as a friendly colleague. They had discussed the design and been in perfect agreement. They had shared a common bond and he didn’t want to lose that connection with her. But now she was annoyed with him and he wasn’t sure what had caused it. What had ticked her off? She pushed her chair back from the desk and stood.

“Excuse me,” she said abruptly as she left the cubicle.

Whit’s expression was thoughtful as he watched her walk briskly out of the office. He knew she had to be upset over recent events but she was holding it together. He admired that quality of strength and perseverance in her. She refused to allow his actions to disrupt her game plan. He had heard that she was driven and ambitious and that she wanted to establish her own interior design company. Having spent time with her while she fashioned her creative vision, he had little doubt that she would manifest her dream.

*****

Maddie trudged up the walkway of the red brick apartment building and unlocked the modern security door. Entering the building she crossed the foyer to her mail box. Maddie sighed as she pulled out only one letter of significance. The rest was junk mail. Crossing the hall she stopped before her first floor apartment and unlocked the door. Luckily she did not run into her loquacious landlady. She didn’t feel up to friendly chatter. Maddie scooted into her apartment and quickly shut the door. She leaned against the door for a moment and took a deep breath. She had had a horrid day and it would have simply been unfair to have to suffer through a conversation with Laura. Maddie pushed away from the door and slowly walked into her living room. She looked around her apartment and smiled. She loved her spacious dwelling. It was large, light and airy. The color scheme of pale blue, white and grey suited her personality perfectly. The big bay window provided a wonderful view of the tree lined residential street and the downtown skyline in the distance. The high ceilings gave the room a sense of grandeur yet the old world fireplace exuded warmth and coziness. She felt her stomach rumble and realized that she had not eaten all day. She decided to change into her pajamas then make a turkey sandwich to go with the left over clam chowder soup she made yesterday. She went into her bedroom and quickly changed into her red pj’s and furry floppy slippers. She then padded into the modern, open kitchen to prepare her dinner. She had just put the soup on the stove to warm when her door buzzard sounded. Maddie frown as she was not expecting anyone. She crossed to the door and pressed the speaker button.

“Yes?” she said.

“Madison, it’s me. May I come in?”

Maddie was shocked. It couldn’t be him. Yet she would know that voice anywhere.

“You?” she exclaimed.

She could hear him sigh deeply.

“Will I forever be a non-entity when you address me?” he bemoaned.

“What are you doing here?” she asked sharply.

“Let me in, Madison and I will tell you,” he answered.

Every instinct in Maddie screamed that she not allow him entry. But her curiosity was getting the better of her. She pressed the button to release the security lock on the front door. She heard him come in and within seconds he was knocking on her door. She looked down at her pajamas and shrugged. He would just have to see her as she was. It wasn’t as though she were expecting him. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Chapter 2

Whit looked at Maddie and blood immediately rushed to his cock. He could feel himself growing at the sight of her. Maybe those pajamas were supposed to make her appear unappealing and sloppy but they were having the opposite effect. With her red hair falling over her shoulders covering the luscious mounds of her full breasts, she looked damned sexy and enticing as hell. He hadn’t realized how short she was when he’d seen her earlier today. Without her towering heels the top of her head barely reached his chin. The baggy pajamas could not hide how slender she was and he had no problem imagining her enticing curves. She stepped aside to allow him to enter.

“Why are you here? And how did you know where I lived?” she asked pointedly as she closed the door.

Whit looked at her and saw the clear clarity and questions in her beautiful green eyes. He would never tire of looking into her eyes.

“Personnel files gave me the information that I wanted,” he said off-handedly.

“That doesn’t explain why you are here,” she said tartly.

“What? No small talk before delving into schematics and floor plans?” he asked wryly.

“Small talk is for friends. You and I are not. Now why are you here?” Maddie said curtly.

“Ouch! I have a lot of ground to make up,” he thought.

“The Edelston project,” he replied.

“What about it? And why could you not tell me tomorrow in the office?” she demanded.

Whit knew she would confront him with these questions. He wasn’t her favorite person at the moment and would not appreciate him knocking on her door after work hours.

“I have decided that you will go to Aruba to oversee the project,” he said.

“What! I thought Dana would be going on-site to supervise the assignment,” Maddie said in astonishment.

“She is needed on the Cochran project in the Hamptons. There are some problems there and I need her expertise to sort them out,” he said.

Maddie had heard about the problems on that project. Dana had been complaining about the suppliers and scheduling of deliveries. She was not happy with the designer she had assigned to the project; and apparently nor was Whit. He was sending Dana there to straighten things out. But she could hardly believe Whit wanted her to manage the Edelston project. Working on this project in Aruba was a dream of a lifetime.

“Why me?” she asked.

“Why not you? I need the best on this assignment and that would be you. Are you ready for it? Or is it more than you can handle?” he asked.

He was challenging her and Maddie never turned down a challenge.

“Of course I want to do it. After seeing my enthusiasm for the project, how could you doubt it?” she asked.

“I need to be sure. There can be no hiccups or mistakes. Edelston is too important,” Whit warned.

“There will be no mistakes. I will make sure of it,” Maddie said confidently.

“Good,” he said. He sniffed the air. “What’s that I smell? Is it burning?”

“Oh my God!” Maddie said as she ran into the kitchen.

She snatched a pot holder from a wall hook and quickly moved the soup to an idle burner. She turned off the burner where the soup had set and picked up a wooden spoon to stir the soup.

“I caught it just in time. Thanks for your keen nose,” she said as she smiled at him.

Whit was struck by the transformation her smile caused. He had known that she was beautiful but her smile gave her an angelic stunning loveliness. Did she realize the power she held in her smile? She could have any man she wanted and he would walk on scorching coals if that’s what it took to please her. He normally would assess that kind of man to be weak and ridiculous.  But as he grew to know her better, he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t one of those men.

“I was about to eat dinner when you arrive. Would you like to join me? I have plenty,” she invited.

The astounded look on his face was comical and Maddie wanted to laugh heartily. But to be honest she was just as surprised at her invitation. Why had she invited him to join her in a meal? Yes, she was grateful for the opportunity he was affording her. But did it warrant an intimate dinner invitation? Oh well, she offered and she couldn’t withdraw it now. If he accepted she would just have to make the best of it. 

“Thank you. I am a bit hungry,” he said admitted.

Maddie turned from him and smiled. He had regrouped nicely. Maddie busied herself setting the kitchen table.

“Can I help?” he asked.

“I have a bottle of white wine chilling in the fridge. Would you get it for me? The wineglasses are in the cupboard,” she instructed. 

“Of course,” he answered.

He opened the fridge and noticed that it was fully stocked. Obviously Maddie liked to cook. He had not thought of her as an avid cook; just the opposite in fact. He had assumed that her career was the most important focus in her life and she would have little time for domesticity. He saw the bottle of wine and removed it from the fridge. He placed it on the island and saw that Maddie had placed a cooler on the counter. He placed the bottle of wine in the cooler then opened the freezer drawer to scoop ice into the cooler.

“Thank you,” Maddie said softly. She moved the cooler onto the table then returned to the island. “Do you like turkey, pastrami or roast beef?”

“Pastrami,” he replied.

Maddie removed the necessary ingredients from the fridge to make his sandwich. He watched her as her deft hands made the sandwich in record time. He wondered how her fingers would feel as they glided across his naked body. He felt his penis react to his thoughts and gripped the back of the island stool tightly. He needed to keep his imagination in check. It was way too early in the game to let her see how much she affected him. Maddie finished the sandwich and moved it to the table. She then dipped up the soup.

“It’s ready. Let’s eat,” she invited.

They moved to the table and he pulled out her chair for her. His behavior unnerved her a bit. He was a gentleman which was a surprise for her. Her opinion of him had been less than flattering. But maybe he was beginning to prove her wrong. She had to admit that she enjoyed being treated like a lady. She adored being catered to by a man. And although having a man in her life was not on her agenda at present, she could still appreciate the attributes of chivalrous man. She glanced up at him and smiled.