Michael took hold of my elbow and pushed me into the chair to his right. David still seemed at a loss for words.
“I hope the fact that Lily is now my assistant, won’t cause problems. I know Lily had nothing to do with your bid, so it certainly shouldn’t cause a conflict of interest,” Michael told them.
I watched David glare at me, which was starting to piss me off. I lost my job, so why shouldn’t I have found another one? Okay, perhaps I should have told him about it, but I really didn’t want a lecture, which is what I would have gotten.
“How long have you been here, Lily?”
I knew that tone of voice. He was pissed. “I started here this morning.”
His eyes narrowed. “So.... while we were being intimate this morning, you didn’t think to tell me?”
Bastard.
“Enough.” I jumped when Michael banged the table with his fist. He looked just as pissed as David. “Do you have a bid to make or not?” Michael demanded.
Peter cleared his throat at the little confrontation and started waffling on and on. All the time, David was sitting glaring at me, giving his input for his company’s proposal here and there. He was an ass. Why was I only just seeing that now? How the hell can anyone who gave a damn about someone blurt something ‘intimate’ out?
Michael sensed my unease and slipped his hand under the table, then caressed my hand before he entwined his fingers with mine. I held tight and caressed along his thumb. It was so wrong, but it felt so good. It was soothing, but my blood still sizzled.
If holding hands with Michael made me feel hot and bothered, what would it feel like to be held by him, skin to skin? He squeezed my hand and released me, then he ran the back of his hand along my thigh and hip before he brought his hand back above the table. The trail his hand left had my sex quivering with need.
He looked at me, his gaze scorching. “Can you make a note of that?” He smiled, knowing what he’d done to me.
With a shake to my hand, I started to put pen to paper, but couldn’t remember what was said. My mind had been on Michael and not on the meeting. He realized my predicament, so he repeated what he wanted noted.
We didn’t touch for the rest of the meeting, which carried on just fine, and David seemed to have stopped being a jerk. I still couldn’t believe he announced to everyone that we had sex this morning, something I really would have preferred Michael not knowing. Admittedly, I should have corrected him and pointed out that David was the one being intimate, while I’d just laid there and accepted him.
John passed Michael the copies of the documents and drawings he was keeping for his meeting with his brothers, so I stood and hoped for a quick escape. I glanced towards Michael and realized he had too much to carry back to his office.
“It’s okay, Lily. You head back if you want. I can come back and retrieve the rest,” he said.
I couldn’t do that. I really just wanted to stay close to him. It had felt good having him touch me during the meeting and I wanted his hands on me again.
“It’s okay. I’ll stay and help.” He frowned over my shoulder. I turned around and saw David standing there.
“Lily, can I have a word please, before I leave?”
I sensed the tension between Michael and David. I turned to Michael. “I’ll only be a minute.” He looked worried, which made me hesitate, then I turned back to David. “Let’s go over there.” I walked off and left him to follow.
“What the hell are you doing here, Lily?” He was still furious with me.
“I needed a job. I applied and got it. It’s a good company to work for and you should be happy that I’ve found another job so quickly. It pays more as well.”
“Well, I’m not happy. Why can’t you just let me work, while you take care of the apartment or something?”
What the hell! “I can’t live on fresh air, David.” I was astonished. He wasn’t even pissed because I’d kept the job a secret, but because I wasn’t jobless and free to look after the apartment or something.
“I would give you housekeeping.” He was still pissed.
Well I was too. “I’m too old to get ‘pocket money’ and what the hell was that in there about this morning?” I asked as I poked him in the chest with my finger.
“McKenzie was looking at you, so I wanted him to know who you woke up with this morning.”
“You’re an ass. Considering he knows I live with you, I guess he already knew I would have woken up with you this morning. That really was uncalled for.”
“Lily. We need to get back to the office.” Michael called. Thank God. I really didn’t want to be anywhere near David.
“Okay. I’m done here.”
I started to walk back to the table to collect my belongings and some of the papers for Michael, when David took hold of my arm.
“I’ll see you at home, Lily. Don’t forget we’re meeting Daniel and Val tonight,” he said, loud enough for the whole room to hear.
Michael looked about ready to lose it. I pulled my arm away. “Whatever.”
I followed Michael out of the conference room.
Chapter 8