The Garrisons: Parker, Brittany & Stephen: The CEO's Scandalous Affair

“And you have no other source of income?”

She blinked at him. “Of course not. I make my living working for you.”

“All right, then, I understand what you’re saying.” He reached for another sushi and gave her a wistful smile. “But I don’t have to like it.”

She sighed with relief. “I appreciate your respecting my concerns. I know you’re a man who gets and takes whatever he wants.”

His eyes flashed at that. “If I were, I would have taken what I wanted Saturday night. I wanted…” He closed his eyes in correction. “I want you.”

“I wanted you, too,” she admitted softly, resisting the urge to put it in the present tense. “But I want my job more.”

He took a bite of the sushi, still studying her intently. “It’s not the only administrative job in Miami, you know,” he finally said. “I could help you find another just as good if you really want… to remove that obstacle.”

The comment tore her in half. On one hand, the compliment ran deep. He really did want her—enough to try to help her past the hurdle that kept them apart. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to risk the search into her background, the hassle and worry of getting another job.

She’d landed this one with the help of a trustworthy friend, but what might get revealed if she hit the job market?

Still, it seemed like a magnanimous gesture on his part. “Would you do that just so we could sleep together?”

“Trust me, there’d be very little sleeping involved.” His smile was sinful.

“No.” She shook her head in determination. “I want to work for you. I want to stay where I am. I’m learning a lot.”

“You’re learning a lot,” he repeated slowly, the disappointment clear in his expression. “Well, if you change your mind…”

“You’ll be the first to know,” she assured him. “In the meantime, let’s stay focused on business.”

His smile was tight and forced, as if he didn’t like what he was hearing at all. Another compliment. “Yeah,” he said drily. “So you can learn more.”

He opened the drape with a slow swipe as the waiter approached with their dinner. When it was served, Anna felt the strain of silence.

“You know,” she said conversationally, “I was so busy this afternoon I forgot to check your calendar before I left. What’s on it tomorrow?”

As he took a sip of water and swallowed, she watched the wheels turning, probably visualizing his PDA screen.

“I have an early-morning meeting with some developers of that North Miami property I’ve had my eye on.”

“Really?” She tried to picture his calendar for herself. “I don’t remember arranging that.”

“You didn’t.” He studied his food intently, that stray lock falling on his forehead, tempting her to touch it. “I set it up myself.”

“Oh. So you won’t be in until, when? Ten?”

He gave her a quick look through his thick lashes. “Yep. Enough time for you to shower in peace.”

She laughed softly, grateful for his humor. He may like to be in charge, but Parker had another side to him. A side that was much more human and tender than a man like Michael Montgomery. A very attractive side.

He held a forkful of his roasted duck toward her. “Want to taste?”

It wasn’t entirely professional, and it wasn’t a move that “friends” made, but she couldn’t resist. She ate off his fork and the intimacy of the act pulled at her most feminine core, twisting a pang of arousal exactly the way his demanding kiss had.

As he held her gaze and fed her, she couldn’t help feeling that he knew exactly what he was doing to her insides. And he liked it. With Parker Garrison, knowledge was power.

Power she had no doubt he would use—and use creatively.

She knew she’d made the right decision, but she just couldn’t escape the sensation that she just might have made her life even more complicated.

Six

“You didn’t bring a picture?” Anna threw plenty of exasperation in her voice as she served a cup of coffee to the friend she hadn’t seen for far too long. “I don’t think I’ve seen a picture of your daughter since she was two.”

Megan Simmons tossed some wavy red curls over her shoulder and tucked her feet under herself as she got comfortable in Anna’s kitchen. “Well, Jade’s three and a half now and trust me, she’s gorgeous. She’ll be the first to tell you.”

Laughing, Anna bit back the next obvious question. Who does she look like? Megan had never revealed the father of her child and Anna respected that. Their friendship dated back to elementary school and one of the reasons it had lasted so long was that they knew when not to pass judgment on each other’s actions.

And they knew when to help each other. As Megan had four years ago, when she’d left her consulting job in Miami and returned to Indiana exactly at the time Anna had been up to her earlobes in false accusations. It was Megan’s connection with the director of human resources at Garrison, Inc. that had given Anna a much-needed escape, and because of Megan’s strong recommendation, she’d been able to get the job without the usual deep background check.

There were times when friends just didn’t ask, no matter how much they wanted to know. So, Anna brought the conversation back to the reason they had this unexpected Saturday morning to share some coffee and chat before Anna drove Megan to the airport. “So, how did the meeting go yesterday?”

Megan took a sip, her green eyes widening over the cup. “It was really an interview,” she said as she swallowed. “My former boss offered me a partnership in his design firm.”

“Wow, congratulations.” Anna lifted her coffee cup in a mock toast. “That’s wonderful, Megan.”

“Thanks. It sure is tempting.”

“I’d love it if you moved back here.”

Megan’s expression grew warm, but wary. “Yeah, it would be great to live near you again, but I don’t know.”

“You loved Miami when you lived here.”

“I know. But Jade has only ever known life in Indianapolis. And she’s starting preschool this fall.”

“The best time to move,” Anna said. “You can start her here. Garrison, Inc. donates to an excellent private preschool. I bet I could get Parker to pull some strings and get Jade in there.”

Megan pulled back, a little smile tugging at her lips. “Do you know that since I got here about twenty minutes ago, you’ve mentioned Parker Garrison about six times?”

Busted. “Have I? I hadn’t noticed.”

“I did,” Megan said drily. “So I guess you’re enjoying your promotion from the humble HR department to the lofty executive suites.”

“It’s different up there,” Anna admitted. “It’s more exciting. And I’m so busy. It’s my whole life.”

“It’s your job,” Megan corrected gently, using a voice she probably used on Jade when the child wanted soda instead of milk. “And I didn’t say you mentioned Garrison, Inc. I said you mentioned your boss.”

“I guess I have. But he’s…” How could she possibly explain what it was like to work for someone like Parker?

“He’s a Garrison,” Megan said, rolling the name on her tongue as if it tasted bad.