Chapter 6

DONOVAN

I sat behind my desk, my attention divided between the reports on my computer screen and Trevor who was working at the desk I'd had set up for him in my office. He'd been behaving jittery and distracted the last few weeks, which was odd for my typically composed and efficient assistant.

His first week here, Trevor had been like a breath of fresh air. Always with a smile on his face and a friendly word, he had managed to charm the clients he'd met and had my staff eating out of the palm of his hand.

When I'd mentioned it to him, he'd modestly explained that he was simply doing his job, but I had a feeling it was more than that. It seemed it was just who Trevor was. Friendly and outgoing, talkative, with a quick wit that had me fighting back a laugh on more than one occasion.

People liked him and I'd found myself enjoying his company way more than I probably should have. Not that I would ever admit it. Just like I would never admit how attracted I was to him. An attraction which had led me to a swap party in order to distract myself. Only that plan had ended up backfiring on me.

I'd gone there to play. Occasionally, I liked to indulge in the sort of scene with a partner who would let me call all the shots. The guy I'd been with had been cute and certainly eager to please. But when I'd closed my eyes, it was Trevor's face that had appeared in my mind.

The thought of my gorgeous assistant on his knees, head bent down as he took my cock into his warm, wet mouth had sent me over the edge, a powerful orgasm racing through me. I'd left soon after, feeling unfulfilled and even more frustrated. I'd only known Trevor a few weeks and already he was wreaking havoc on my carefully constructed life.

I'd spent the rest of that weekend chastising myself and listing all the reasons why I could never let my assistant find out about my attraction. Not the least being that I never allowed the line between work and my personal life to be blurred.

Plus, if he didn't feel the same, it would not only be embarrassing for me but could potentially lead to him quitting. And he'd proven to be far too good of a PA for me to let that happen.

The following Monday, I'd come in, prepared to keep as much of a professional distance as I could, but then I'd noticed his strange behavior. He'd been unusually quiet—at least around me.

I'd seen him talking and laughing with Kelly and a few of the others around the office, but when he was with me, he was professional and polite, his usual warmth and charisma notably lacking. I couldn't help but think it had something to do with me personally.

I furrowed my brow in concern, watching as he fidgeted with papers, his eyes darting in my direction, only to skitter away when he caught me looking. He seemed even more on edge than usual.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, my curiosity finally getting the best of me. "You seem...unsettled."

Trevor jumped, my voice seeming to startle him out of whatever thoughts he'd been lost in. "Oh, um, yes, Mr. Marshall. Just a bit stressed, I suppose. I want everything to be perfect for your presentation."

I nodded reassuringly. "I understand, but it will all get done. You're doing a great job but I know this is your first time working as a PA, so I don't expect you to get everything right the first time."

His shoulders relaxed a bit, but his smile still seemed strained. "Thank you."

Not wanting to push him, I decided to let it go for now. We had a lot to do to get ready. In two days, I would be presenting my ideas to the board for a rather large company acquisition and while I didn't necessarily need their permission to do what I wanted, their support would ensure things ran smoothly.

As we worked on into the night, I found myself stealing glances at him, my concern growing with each passing hour. I wondered what could be weighing so heavily on his mind.

Finally, I couldn't take the silence any longer. I opened my mouth to say something—I wasn't sure what—when my phone buzzed. I checked it then pushed away from my desk and stood. My back was stiff from sitting so long and it felt good to stand.

Trevor glanced up from where he'd been putting together a PowerPoint presentation and did a double take when he saw me stretching my arms above my head. His eyes traveled over my torso, and he swallowed visibly before flicking his attention back to his computer.

"Our food's here. I'm just going to run downstairs and get it."

He scooted his chair back. "Oh, I can do that."

"That's all right. I need to stretch my legs anyway. I'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you get a couple of bottles of water from the lounge?"

"Okay," he said with a tentative smile.

I grabbed my wallet off the desk and quickly made my way down to the first floor lobby. The building was fairly quiet this time of night, most of the staff having already gone home for the day.

It was also the best time for me to get things done because there were no interruptions or distractions. Well, normally there were no distractions. Tonight, I was finding it very difficult to focus on anything other than my assistant.

Why did he get under my skin so much? I'd always been a very private person. I didn't have any close friends and I didn't particularly care what anyone else thought of me. So why did the notion that Trevor might be upset with me bother me so much?

I paid the delivery guy for our food and said hello to Dan, the night security guard before making my way back upstairs. Trevor was slouched over his desk, head in his hands when I walked back in. He lifted his head when he heard me approach, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

My cock twitched inside my pants as I imagined licking that smooth white column of skin. I cleared my throat, forcing my brain to move on to something less…tempting. "Why don't we eat over here," I suggested, moving over to the small seating area and sitting down on the leather couch.

He followed me over and I knew I wasn't imagining the wary look he gave me as he placed the two bottles of water on the coffee table, sliding one over in front of me. The tension between us seemed to increase as he sat down quietly in one of the chairs across from me, watching me pull containers of food out of the bag. His eyes widened when he saw how many there were.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I ordered a bunch of stuff to choose from. Help yourself."

Trevor leaned forward, peering into each of the small white containers. "Uh, thanks. I'm not sure I know what half of these are though."

"What do you normally get when you order Chinese take-out?"

He shrugged. "We don't order take-out all that much. Too expensive."

"We?" I asked before I could stop myself. I knew I was entering dangerous territory, asking personal questions, but my curiosity about the man sitting across from me outweighed my common sense at that point.

I watched as he began scooping a little of each item onto his plate and for some reason, it made me happy to be able to treat him to something he didn't get very often. It also made me feel worse for the times he'd shown up the past few weeks with a coffee for me. Those chain coffee places weren't cheap.

"Me and Doug," he explained.

"He's your best friend, correct? The one who wants to open a restaurant?"

Trevor's face registered his surprise, either that I'd listened to him or that I'd remembered what he'd told me. Or maybe both. If only he knew how much attention I paid him.

"Uh, yeah, he is. He's also my roommate. Anyway, neither of us had much money growing up. We came to New York to try and make a better living for ourselves than what our parents had, but we were in for a bit of a shock when we saw how expensive it is to live here."

"I know what you mean. It was hard for my mom, raising me on only one…income." I wiped my mouth on a napkin then reached for my water and took a big drink, suddenly feeling very exposed. My forehead furrowed. "I'm not sure why I said that. I never talk about my personal life at work. Or really, anywhere."

Sensing how uncomfortable I was, Trevor decided to break the ice using his sense of humor. "Well, I am your personal assistant, so…"

I chuckled and he grinned, the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face all week. Something warm settled in the middle of my chest and I found myself relaxing. "So, you clearly aren't from around here since you were shocked by the prices. Where are you from originally?"

"A little town in Indiana that's barely more than a dot on the map."

"Really? That small, huh?"

He nodded, swallowing a bite of fried rice before he answered. "Seriously. There were only eighty-two kids in our graduating class."

"You're kidding! I probably graduated with somewhere around a thousand. I didn't even know most of the kids in my class."

"In our town, everyone knew everyone else, and they were always in each other's business."

"That sounds terrible." He laughed when I visibly shuddered.

"It definitely had its challenges. People there—particularly the ones who'd been born and raised in the town—were often quick to judge someone simply because of the family they came from. If you came from a rough family, they assumed you were going to be trouble too. On the other hand, if you came from one of the golden families, then it was believed that you could do no wrong."

"I think that happens everywhere, not just in small towns. Maybe not so much because of who your family is, but simply because people love to make assumptions about others and then they treat you a certain way based off those assumptions, even if they're completely off base. The truth is, everyone has secrets, and it should be up to each individual what they want to share."

There was a lot more I could say on the subject, but I doubted my PA wanted to hear me rambling on all night about how people needed to mind their own business, so instead, I stabbed a piece of broccoli with my fork and shoved it in my mouth.

When I lifted my gaze, I found Trevor staring. I licked my lips self-consciously in case I had food there and heat coiled in my belly as his eyes tracked the movement.

He looked almost confused as his eyes traveled over the rest of me. He gnawed at his bottom lip the way I'd seen him do whenever he was deep in thought, and I quirked an eyebrow, curious as to what thoughts were going through his mind right then.

Blue eyes darted to mine, widening when he saw he'd been caught. His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink and I had to fight the urge to reach over and run the back of my fingers down them just to see if they were as soft as they looked. And that, was a problem.

The problem wasn't with him at all, but rather my reactions to him. Trevor was kind and outgoing, helpful, and smart as a whip. He learned everything very quickly and I could tell my instincts were spot on. He was turning out to be a damn good PA.

But then there were times he'd smile at me, and I'd feel that disconcerting tightening in my stomach. Or the way the sound of his laugh seemed to loosen the tension in my neck and shoulders. It was all very odd, and I wasn't sure what to do about it.

"I think we should call it a night," I announced suddenly.

Trevor's forehead scrunched, clearly confused by my strange behavior. You and me both, buddy. "But we still have things to do. I haven't finished putting together the PowerPoint yet and we need to finalize the agenda."

"We can do all that tomorrow. Go home and get some rest," I said when he looked like he was going to argue some more.

"Okay then. I'll just clean all this up first." He reached for the containers of leftover food, but I stopped him.

"I'll take care of it. Seriously, get out of here before I change my mind."

He smiled at my lame attempt at humor, but his eyes held uncertainty. "Are you leaving too?"

I blinked at the concern in his voice. "I have a few things to take care of first, but then I'll head out too."

I busied myself at my desk as he began gathering his things. A few minutes later, I heard him open the door. "Good night, Mr. Marshall," he said softly.

"Good night, Mr. Reed."

I held my breath until the door shut behind him and then I let it out in a loud whoosh. I rubbed my hands over my face wearily. What was it about Trevor Reed that affected me so much and what in the hell was I supposed to do about it when we spent every day in each other's pockets?