Chapter Three

Amanda

It's been one week and five days since I saw Leonardo Mendez. Working with him has been both exciting and intriguing. Samantha was right about the way he ran the place. Everyone is scared of him. With him, it's either go hard or go home. I’m not surprised, as he's always been so serious and businesslike. When he used to visit us, I would sit beside him and ask him tons of questions. He would reply as best he could, but I'm sure he was irritated by me. I wonder what he thinks of me now. There's something about him that draws me like a magnet. I love how matter-of-fact he is, but it seems like there's not much else in his life apart from work. He is softer with me, possibly because of my dad, and I'm grateful for it. Perhaps I could get closer to him and find out why he's so serious all the time.

"Amanda ... I mean ... Miss McKnight, can you come to my office immediately?" He says over the telephone.

"Yes Sir," I reply. The sound of him calling my name is just amazing.

I head to his office and knock on the door.

"Come in, Miss McKnight."

As soon as I walk into the room, I sense that something is very wrong. Esther White, his PA, is standing in front of his desk with a terrified look on her face. Mr. Mendez's brows are knotted in anger.

"Have a look at this, Miss McKnight," he says, handing me an open file. "Miss White here tells me that you approved those numbers. I find that incredulous as I know that this file hasn’t even landed on your desk yet as it's not ready for approval."

I look at Miss White's face. Her eyes tear up.

"Yes, Sir. I did. But I had no idea that you hadn't approved them. Esther prepared it and sent it to me to have a look before you gave the final approval. She just wanted to make sure it was accurate before you received it, Sir."

Leonardo looked from me to Miss White. "Hmm. Alright. You can go Miss White, but next time please obey orders. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir," she answers hurriedly and leaves. She mouths a 'thank you' in my direction as she leaves the office.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Amanda ... I mean ..."

"Amanda is fine, Sir. I assume 'Miss McKnight' is a bit of a mouthful."

He laughs and nods his head.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?" He answers.

"Like an army general?"

"What?"

"You remind me of an army general or a Navy Seal drill sergeant."

His eyes meet mine for a few seconds and he turns away. I don't know what it means but it was definitely exhilarating. I feel my pulse racing as he smiles at me.

"I see you didn't lose your wit as you grew up."

"My wit?"

"Yeah. It's something you had when you were little."

"And you probably found that annoying?"

"Yeah ... I mean no ... well, what I mean is ... "

I laugh as he fumbles with telling me the truth.

"It's fine. I was annoying and a bit of a spitfire. I don't know if it's my place, Sir, but you could loosen up a bit. I mean, on people."

He sighs and sits down, gesturing for me to do the same.

"I'm not intentionally difficult, Amanda. I just want people to be efficient. Being soft will only make people take advantage of that and become ineffective. It's bad for business, as you know."

"Being soft doesn't mean being lenient, Sir. The thing is, people here want to please you but they're scared of you. When you talk down to them, it discourages them. Trust me when I say that no one here is a slouch. I know I’ve only been here a short while, but they love working here and they do like working with you. They believe in your vision for this company, but they could do a lot more with some encouragement and positive feedback."

He looks at me intently and I can't help but blush as his bright blue eyes seem to pierce into my soul. He smiles and leans back on his chair, running his fingers through his salt and peppered hair.

Is he flirting with me?

"You sound like your dad."

"Uh ... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"It's a good thing," he laughs. "I'll take what you've said into consideration, Amanda."

I get up to leave.

"Amanda?"

"Yes Sir," I turn to face him.

"Thank you." Our eyes lock again and his gaze sweeps over me in a way that makes me instantly warm all over.

"You're welcome … Sir."

I walk briskly back to my desk and sit down on my chair. Samantha Elizabeth is making drinks so I take this opportunity to try and calm myself. I place my head in my hands and shut my eyes. Being around him is heady stuff.

What's happening to me? I think to myself as I take deep breaths. How long is this going to go on? I'm supposed to be working here and with him. How do I keep myself from feeling this way? I have no business feeling like this about this man but I can’t help myself. And his eyes ... ohh his eyes ...

I shake my head vigorously enough to cause a potential aneurysm. I try to blur out the images of his strong muscles bulging out of his gray shirt and his day old stubble, wondering how that might feel on my naked body. No! I force myself to concentrate on the work I have on my desk. It works for a while until I get home. I fall asleep wondering what it would feel like to be held in those strong arms and him dominating me. Again. And again.