You're All I Need. Karen White-Owens

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      Fascinated by the sheer beauty of the man, Tia stared, tongue-tied. As tall as Adam, Christophe moved forward. Casually dressed in a blue and white striped poplin shirt with the cuffs rolled back, he revealed a set of long, muscular arms sparkled with blond hair. The man completed his outfit with a pair of tan Dockers and sandalwood-colored snakeskin boots.

      Tia gazed into a pair of pale blue eyes that twinkled with humor and intelligence. She nodded at the man.

      Adam made introductions. “Christophe Jensen. Tia Edwards.”

      “Nice to meet you,” he stated in an accented, musical voice. The deep tone resonated within her. He captured Tia’s hand and shook it. A spark of something sizzled between them. Christophe’s eyes widened and his gaze settled on their intertwined fingers.

      “You too.” Flustered by the contact, Tia pulled her hand free and rubbed her hands together.

      “I’m going to leave you in Tia’s very capable hands,” Adam said. “She’ll take you to your new office and get you settled. If you need anything, Tia will be your contact person.”

      Christophe’s eyebrows rose, questioning. “Oh? With anything?”

      “Work related,” Tia clarified swiftly, wanting to make her role as clear as possible. She waved a hand toward the door and then retrieved her computer. “Let me show you your office.”

      Christophe hesitated in the doorway. “Adam?”

      Back at his desk, Adam glanced at the pair, shifting through a dozen or so pink message slips. “I’ve got a few things to sort out. Let’s meet back here after lunch, around two-thirty?”

      Nodding, Christophe replied, “That sounds good.”

      “See you then.” Adam picked up the telephone and began to dial. “Tia, did my wife call?”

      “Yes, Wynn called around nine-fifteen.”

      “Thanks.” He focused on his phone call. “Good morning, Helen. Can I speak to Wynn?”

      “Your office is this way.” Tia shut Adam’s door as she led the way with Christophe on her heels. She stopped to deposit her computer on her desk, and grabbed a pen and notebook and a set of keys from the drawer before continuing to a dark door on the opposite side of her workstation. “We’ve had this office as part of our suite but never had a need for it. It’s yours now.” She unlocked and threw open the door, reaching for the light switch on the wall. Instantly, light bathed the room. Tia waved him inside.

      Christophe slowly strolled around, examining the workspace, touching the desktop, opening empty file drawers, and peeking into the closets. After a moment, he stopped at the floor-to-ceiling windows, taking a look at downtown Windsor’s shoreline. Nodding approvingly, he gazed directly at her. “This is nice.”

      “Good. I’m glad you like it.” She moved closer to the man, drawn by the combined scent of his tangy aftershave and unique scent. “There’s an attached restroom,” she explained, crossing the floor and turning on the light to the washroom. “Let me know if you’d like anything changed. We can have maintenance move the furniture or add anything that you believe you’ll need.”

      “A log-in and password so that I can access Gautier’s databases would help.”

      Nodding, Tia said, “I’ll take care of that immediately. Anything else?”

      Christophe tapped a long, tapered finger against his lips. “Supplies—pens, notepads? Telephone? I have my laptop, but I do need Internet access.”

      “Internet, phone. They’ll get taken care of when I get back to my desk. Until you’re up and running, you can use my computer for the Internet.”

      “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

      Tia jotted a few notes on her pad. “For supplies, there are a couple of ways we can go. We have an office-supply closet down the hall on this floor. You can raid it and find most of what you need.”

      “Or?” He raised an eyebrow.

      “I have a catalog at my desk.” She jabbed her thumb at the door. “Anything that you don’t find in the supply closet can be ordered from that book.”

      “Merveilleux!”

      “Let me show you a few other things, like the executive dining room. Then I’ll introduce you to the rest of the legal department.”

      “I appreciate that.”

      “Where are you staying?” Tia asked.

      “The hotel.”

      Eyebrows raised, she pointed a finger toward the floor. “Here?”

      “Yes. I believe it’s called the Marriott.”

      “That’s the one. What about a car? Will you need a parking card?”

      “I don’t have a car yet, but I do want to get out and away. I want to see more than downtown Detroit and the Detroit River. Can you arrange for me to have a car spot?”

      “Certainly. Parking space and card for you.” Tia added this to his growing list of requests.

      An hour later, Tia returned to her desk and sank into the chair. Together, after she and Christophe raided the office-supply closet, they returned to his office and set up his desk. She took him on a tour of the Gautier executive branch and introduced him to his colleagues. Christophe’s pleasant personality was a huge hit with the legal department. The attorneys welcomed him enthusiastically. That wasn’t all. Tia suspected it was his good looks that also won over the female staff.

      Tickled, Tia turned aside, hiding her smile when several of the executive assistants began to giggle like tweens when Christophe flirted lightly with them. She couldn’t blame them. From the moment that charming and handsome hunk of male perfection had entered Adam’s office and turned his pale blue eyes on her, Tia’s heart had thumped wildly in her chest while her body quivered in response.

      Her immediate reaction and attraction to Christophe was a major surprise. She had never before reacted to a white man or a colleague in this fashion. There was definitely a spark of something she hadn’t felt since high school. The sensation was stronger than any she had felt after meeting Darnell.

      Calm down, she warned herself silently. That white boy is not for you. Remember, you’re in a relationship.

      Smiling, she swiveled her chair from side to side. I think I’ve made a good deal with Adam. I’ll get my promotion and a chance to work as a law clerk. This Christophe assignment doesn’t seem like it will be difficult at all.

      Tia grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk and rose. The next few months would be interesting. She hoped that she would not regret agreeing to this deal.

      2

      A week later, Tia tapped on Christophe’s office door.

      “Yes?” came the accented reply.

      She poked her head inside the room. The surreal СКАЧАТЬ