He reached up and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, causing the short strands to stick out in a few places, making him even sexier, in her opinion. In the next moment he looked up, and his deep azure eyes met her startled green ones.
“I’m sorry, Esther. I didn’t realize you had a client in here.”
Amy was shocked by his words. Why was he calling her a client?
“Lucas Anderson,” he said as he held his hand out to her. I’m in trouble, big, big trouble, was her only thought as she looked at his hand as if it were a snake. Skin-to-skin contact would feel far too intimate, even though it was simply shaking hands, but when had she ever touched a man of this stunning caliber? She also knew full well she couldn’t refuse to shake her boss’s hand.
As she hesitated an awkward amount of time, she saw him raise his eyebrows at her questioningly. Her face turned a nice shade of red as she finally broke eye contact.
She snapped out of her trance, realizing he was waiting for her to introduce herself. Finally, she stood and gave him her hand. “Hello, I’m Amy Harper.”
Amy was rooted to the spot as his fingers closed around hers, her breath instantly held prisoner inside her lungs.
Chapter Two
As their hands touched, Lucas felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his body and straight to his groin, shocking him. He tightened his grip around her fingers, tugging a little, enough that she noticed. He didn’t like the instant attraction—not one bit.
Amy was beautiful, sure, but so were thousands of other women he was in contact with. It seemed, though, that none of them had the power to electrify him with only a simple touch. The electric moment with Amy was a first for him.
As a myriad of emotions crossed Amy’s face, Lucas found himself fascinated by her expressions. She didn’t seem capable of hiding a thing from him, though he was sure she’d like to. Their gazes were locked together, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide as he watched a mixture of desire and fear play from deep within their depths. He found himself wanting to lean closer, shock her into gasping, opening those luscious pink lips, but somehow he managed to pull himself back.
He had work to do—important work. He certainly didn’t have time to play with the obviously innocent woman.
Slowly, Lucas turned toward Esther, releasing Amy’s hand at the same time. “When your guest leaves, step into my office and grab the paper on my desk. I have several letters that need to go out today and a few other tasks I want done before five.”
“I think you and your father need to talk right away, Lucas,” Esther said, stopping him.
“Talk about what?” He saw the hesitation on Esther’s face and got a bad feeling.
“I sent you my notice last month and told you that your father would be hiring a new assistant.”
“I told you then that I needed you to stay longer. I assumed the matter was settled,” he answered a bit too harshly.
“Lucas, don’t you dare use that tone of voice with me. Don’t forget, I’ve seen you running around in nothing but a diaper. You knew when your father retired that I’d be leaving as soon as you got settled in. I stayed on to make sure you had a smooth transition, but now it’s my turn for retirement. I love this company but, like your father, I believe sometimes it’s best to get on with things and bring in a new generation.”
“I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. Can you work one more month so I can find an appropriate replacement to take your position? I’ll double your salary, knowing it’s an inconvenience,” he asked, trying to forget Amy was in the room.
“Your father already conducted the interviews, and Amy’s your new assistant. I’ve been training her all morning, and she’s doing a remarkable job,” Esther finished and patted Amy on the hand.
His gaze turned immediately to the woman in question, the one who’d seared him with nothing more than the touch of her fingers. There was no possible way she could work for him—not even a chance.
Suddenly, Amy found herself the object of Lucas’s intense gaze. The minute he turned those cold blue eyes back on her, she felt her stomach drop. He had enough heat raging in his eyes to be considered a fire hazard. The intensity flowing between the two of them was enough to leave her shaking, though she really hoped her fear wasn’t showing through.
She tried to firm her shoulders and meet his look with an expression of indifference, but she was sure she wasn’t pulling it off.
“I’ll speak to my father about this, but I should’ve been informed of the interviews. Don’t get too comfortable in your new position, Ms. Harper,” he spoke with the utmost authority before storming through the doorway, shutting it a bit harder than necessary.