“Right. My brother has mysophobia and has gone totally OCD. I’ve known you quite a long time, and you aren’t like him at all. But hey, I give up.” Abby raised her hands. “You know that I’m your friend, right? You helped me a lot in the past, and if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d like to do something back. If you’re happy, then I’m happy too.”
Abby was the first person who was nice to her when Charlotte started working for the company. As a bookkeeper, this job was perfect for her. It didn’t require too much human interaction, and she was practically left alone the whole day. When she asked to be moved into the storage room in the basement, her boss thought she was quirky, but he let her have what she wanted anyway. She always came early and left late, did a good job, and never caused trouble like the girls from the marketing department.
“I’m already happy, Abby. I’m just not a people person. As long as I’ve got my job and this office, I’m a happy camper.”
“Are you?” Abby asked sarcastically.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. If you say so.” Abby planted her hands on her hips. “What should I tell him when he calls again? He knows that you weren’t in any meeting. I think he’s already figured out your daily schedule.”
Charlotte forced herself to smile brightly. “Transfer it to me. I’ll tell him off myself.”
Daniel Addington didn’t try to contact her again for the remainder of the day. It was too early to celebrate, but Charlotte allowed herself a small measure of relief. Had he finally come to his senses and decided to leave her alone from now on? It was too early to tell.
She read somewhere that Addington was a workaholic. Maybe his workload had caught up with him. Well, she wished a mountain of work would fall on him, making him so busy that he wouldn’t have time to harass her.
Charlotte’s heart was lightened by the end of the day, so she indulged herself with the thought of buying some ice cream on the way home and just pigging out while watching reruns of Fringe.
That thought quickly shattered as she tidied up her desk, ready to go home. Footsteps echoed by the stairs, accompanied by the noise of a giggling woman. A man spoke, and she’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Addington.
It was that deep, bassy voice with a very low register that sounded so sexy, and she got a thrilling shiver at the base of her spine just from hearing him talk.
“Oh, no.” Drats!
Addington simply didn’t back down. Instead, he’d stepped up his game a notch.
He’d come to her apartment the day after her bike was returned, but she was able to elude him by pretending she wasn’t home. This time, she couldn’t escape. The stairs were the only way to get out of the building, as the service elevator had been out of commission for the past two weeks.
That man never gives up, does he?
Charlotte scrunched up her forehead and thought about hiding in one of the large utility cabinets. Impossible. Unless she was as thin as a broomstick, hiding wasn’t an option. She was one of those of plus-sized girls with a binge eating disorder when she was stressed out. And lately, everything had stressed her out.
Addington descended into view, followed by her section manager and a bunch of her female coworkers.
What a surprise.
Her heart went pitter-patter when their gazes collided. Jesus! He was as handsome as she remembered that day. Tall and muscular figure wrapped in an ultra-expensive suit. Hypnotic eyes. Charming smile. The way he carried himself was elegant—the product of a proper education that had been ingrained deep into him since an early age. It made him a rare and refined gentleman.
A very persuasive gentleman.
Out of nowhere, a premonition from that day flashed into her mind. Her face burned hot instantaneously. She couldn’t forget it—not in a thousand years. The image of them naked in bed writhing in passionate throes burned vividly in her brain. He’d straddled her while amorously kissing her open-mouthed. Their fingers entwined as he thrust himself inside of her, so deep, so mind-blowing, she got a shiver just thinking about it. She was freaking embarrassed. Because of her condition, sex was the last thing on her mind. She’d never had a lover in her life. Not that she’d even entertained the idea before. The thought that she’d discover more than she wanted about that person was a big turn off. She’d had her share of weirdness for a lifetime, thank you very much.
“Charlotte!” Moira, her manager, beamed. “Why have you never told us you’re acquainted with Mr. Addington?”
Charlotte could only grin stupidly. She avoided direct eye contact with Daniel, knowing that she’d purposely avoided him for the past few days.
“Ms. Winters,” Addington greeted her in polite manner. “Please pardon me for coming here unannounced, but there are matters weighing on my mind, and I feel I should discuss them with you in person. Are you well?”
“I-I’m fine, thank you.” Charlotte noticed that Abby was among his fangirls, and she was grinning from ear to ear. She secretly gave her a thumbs-up.
“Oh, were you sick, Charlotte?” her manager nosily asked her.
“Ms. Winters was recently involved in a traffic accident, and I worry for her well-being when we’re out of contact,” Addington explained to Moira. He then looked back and studied her from head to toe. “I see that you’re seemingly fine. Didn’t you hurt your knee as I recall?”
“It was just a light scrape, and I’m totally okay now.” Moira and the others seemed curious, and Charlotte felt obligated to offer them an excuse. “I was riding my bike Sunday night when a car drove me off the street. He happened to witness the accident and help me.”