18. Lara

Chapter 18

Lara

“ C arter,” the soft whisper escapes me before my brain is able to stop it.

There’s a whirring sound throughout my head, and I’m pretty sure it’s due to the fact my mind is going a million miles a minute, attempting to process the fact he has a name. A name other than Mr Darcy. A real name: Carter .

Vaguely aware of movement in my peripheries, it seems Anna is now directing her attention at me rather than her boss. My boss.

The fact I’m so caught up on his real name, instead of the fact he’s my new boss, is laughable.

My new boss went down on me.?

The man who will sign my paychecks is the man who takes up a little too much real estate in my thoughts. This is not good.

As my crazy thoughts begin to slow down a little, I’m finally registering I have this man’s full attention right now.

The way he’s looking at me is unnerving. It’s as though his thoughts are straying to that encounter as well, if the slight pull at the corner of his lips is anything to go by.

The intensity of his gaze has me slicking my palms down my skirt before returning them to a clasp in front of me. It’s all I can do to avoid fiddling. Has someone turned the heat up in the past few moments?

Dragging myself out of my head and back into the situation at hand, I’m made painfully aware that Mr Darcy— Carter —must have spoken. His arm is outstretched in my direction, waiting, the delicious veins of his hand and forearm on full display.

A blush creeps slowly up my neck, and I send out a silent prayer that I don’t end up looking like a tomato.

Ever so diligently, I reach my own hand out, taking his larger one in mine. Our gazes lock on one another. A handshake has never felt quite so inappropriate.

“Lara.” God , his voice is as deep and authoritative as ever. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Fuck, I hope the wicked glint I caught in his eye wasn’t noticed by Anna, or the subsequent reddening of my face. The last thing I need on my first day is for the lovely Head of HR thinking I have a crush on my boss.

Did he know? He couldn’t have known. Could he? Ugh, I wish I knew what he was thinking right now.

Carter’s handshake is so much more than that; it’s firm, and warm, and comfortable in a way no handshake has any business being. The silly little organ in my chest skips a beat when his fingers skate across the centre of my palm as he retreats, almost longingly.

The delicate contact sends a small zap of electricity up my arm, and I immediately miss the warmth of his hand in mine. My thoughts are yet to process the way they should, so all I can do is smile shyly at him.?

It seems ridiculous to be shy around him when last fortnight, the man had his head between my legs. But alas, here we are.

“Carter, can I borrow you for a moment? I need to run you through what Lara and I covered this morning.”

Anna flashes a warm smile my way before ducking out the office door. With a small glance in my direction, Carter follows.?

I watch them silently for a moment, Anna speaking animatedly whilst Carter listens intently. Rather than continuing to stand awkwardly beside the door, I take a few steps further into the office.

Alone for the first time since this atomic bomb was dropped on me, my crazy thoughts ramp right back up again. He must have known, right? There’s no way he didn’t. It’s his damn company after all. Bu then again, he looked as shocked as I felt when he saw me, so maybe he really didn’t know? It’s all too much.

Glancing around at the furniture and décor to distract my racing thoughts and rapid heartrate, I take in the simple yet sophisticated style of the spacious office. Two tufted cream occasional chairs sit centrally, across from a matching lounge, separated by a low-set deep walnut table. The crisp white walls are broken up by matching walnut bookshelves lined with what looks to be every law book known to man.

The main feature is clear: the dark mahogany desk sitting off to the right. It’s situated so the sweeping view of the Thames is the backdrop, and any natural light will fall directly on it. The skin covering my arms prickles as my gaze comes to rest on the chair behind the lavish desk. My heart rate kicks up a notch as memories of Carter and me with a similar office chair float into my mind.

I’d deny it if I were ever asked, but I think about that encounter far too often. I squeeze my thighs together as I reminisce about the feeling of his mouth on my skin. The heat of his breath at my core, his gentle touch on my inner thighs, the way his tongue knew precisely what I needed.

Feeling as though I’m being watched, I whirl around and meet Carter’s gaze. Lost in the memory of him, I failed to notice him and Anna re-entering the room. His emerald irises flare briefly, and I’d put money on the fact that he can hear my filthy thoughts.

Jesus Lara, can you be a professional for five minutes?

My gaze remains firmly on Carter as I watch his flicker to the chair behind the desk, then to me, giving me a smile only I can see. And holy crap, what a devastating smile it is.

“Well, I think that’s all from my end of things, so I’ll leave the two of you to get acquainted.” Anna beams at us, clearly happy with this pairing, before turning and walking out of Carter's office. My head swivels around as I watch Anna leave, but the door clicking shut softly behind her still manages to startle me.?

Turning to face Carter, he’s the picture of cool, calm and collected. He’s reclining in his chair now, one ankle crossed over the other knee, and his hands come to rest against the back of his head. Oh how I wish I could appear as unaffected as he does.

I fight the urge to squirm as he regards me from head to toe, taking in every detail. I feel like an imposter in my pencil skirt and blouse because I know that he knows I don’t dress like this. What he doesn’t need to know though, is that I made a last-minute frantic trip to H sometimes she’s far too good at her job.”?

The level of detail and organisation Anna displayed was enough to cement that we’d be great friends. She’s a woman after my own heart.

Carter doesn’t speak again, and comfortable silence ensues. Considering I don’t have any actual executive assistant experience, I’m happy with the lack of conversation. It gives me the chance to really focus on the materials given to me.

My first day passes by relatively quickly; learning new things makes time fly. Although minimal words were spoken, I’d need at least three hands to count how many times I felt Carter’s warm gaze on me. But each time I looked over at him, he’d refocused on his computer, acting as though he’d never been looking my way.

Most of my trip home is spent trying to figure out how to tell the girls about this development. They’re going to think I’ve lost my mind completely.