In Another Time Read online

  She finally moved and followed him into his office.

  “Please have a seat.” He motioned her to sit in the chair in front of the desk. He then sat back behind the desk to read through the report. Quiet awkwardness filled the room as his attention was focused on the report, flipping page after page until he got to the end. “It looks like you’ve made all the corrections I requested. I’ll leave it for my secretary to type up the final project.” He gazed at her face before redirecting his attention back to the papers in front of him. “Thank you again for putting in the extra effort to get this done early,” he said with a smile.

  “You’re welcome, I’m willing to do what’s necessary to keep our company open,” she responded. The smirk that appeared on his face made her regret the way she phased her last statement.

  “Is that right? I may have to hold you to that,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  The deep tone he used sent sparks through the lower part of her body. She stood quickly, needing to put distance between them. “If you don’t need anything else, I'm going to head out for the evening.” She stood in the doorway.

  Charlotte then remembered to smile as she nodded before walking out of the office. It wasn’t until she was down the hall that she realized her breathing seemed irregular and her heart was pounding. She paused to take a few deep breaths before walking back to her office to retrieve her things. Hanging out with her friends would be a welcomed distraction. She needed to get a hold of herself and quickly too.

  The scent of her floral perfume still lingered in his office after she left. The last time she’d been in his office, James watched her retreating back and instantly felt a sense of loss and he felt the same way just now. He stood and looked out the window as he recounted their interactions. He remembered their first touch. He’d reached down during that very first meeting, their hands touched, and a spark ran through his body. He’d wondered about it; he had never felt that before, by anyone’s touch. He wanted to taste her delicious looking lips that had been only inches from his face. He even slowly moved in, but realized what he was doing and stood instead.

  He noticed every curvature of her gorgeous body including the sexy heels that added about five inches to her height. He wanted that body beneath him screaming his name. Charlotte was an incredibly stunning woman that he desperately wanted, but he knew it wasn’t an option right now. She was an employee, and he didn't condone that type of fraternizing.

  He shook his head as he tried to get the thoughts of her out of his mind. She had begun to infiltrate his dreams at night. He’d had a couple of highly erotic dreams of them in bed. He knew that if they were together for real, it would probably make those dreams pale in comparison. He felt frustrated though as he did not want her doing the same to his thoughts during the day. He took a deep breath as he sat back down to make a few calls before leaving the office for the evening. James leaned back in his chair. He needed to get his head back on business. He was meeting Daniel Moret, one of the Vice Presidents of the company, who was vying for the CEO position.

  Charlotte walked into her apartment and sat on the sofa. The sound of her shoes hitting the floor with a thud vibrated in a silent room. “Awhh,” she moaned as she began to rub her feet when her phone buzzed. She tapped the phone. “Hey Jewels, I had to work. Yes, of course, we still meeting for drinks… I’ll meet you there about seven o’clock…okay see you then.” Charlotte disconnected the call and began to disrobe as she headed towards the shower.

  Charlotte arrived at the restaurant an hour and thirty minutes late and Jewels was already pouting.

  “Why can’t you ever be on time?” Jewels asked with an attitude.

  Charlotte kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry I got held up at work again. I’ll make it up to you, the next round of drinks are on me,” she said with a smile.

  Jewels rolled her eyes. “The next two rounds are on you because I’m already two drinks in.” She took a sip of her drink and snuck a smile at her.

  Charlotte turned her attention to the restaurant that was extremely crowded. The live band was blasting and a few people were on the small dance floor. If they didn’t know how to do anything else, they did know how to party in the French Quarter.

  They both ordered another round of drinks before heading to the dance floor.

  James, Aedan and Daniel Moret walked into the restaurant that was recommended by Daniel. James and Aedan had plans to meet for dinner. Daniel was still at the office when they were leaving and invited himself along. James was still trying to figure Daniel out, but he was from New Orleans and figured he probably knew a good place to have dinner, so he agreed to allow him to tag along. There was a table waiting for them when they arrived, James concluded Daniel called ahead, trying to impress them.

  The hostess escorted them to their table and took their drink orders. Daniel was becoming obnoxious as he began to hit on the hostess who rejected his advances immediately.

  James sat and his eyes involuntarily scanned the restaurant when he immediately noticed Charlotte on the dance floor. He could feel his heart rate begin to race. What was it about her that made him take notice whenever they were in the same room?

  “James, did you hear what I said?” Aedan asked as he followed his eyes to two beautiful brown-skinned women dancing and laughing on the dance floor.

  He glanced over at Aedan as he continued to watch the women.

  “Friends of yours?” Aedan asked as he motioned towards the dance floor with a glass in his hand.

  “She is one of the VPs at the company,” James responded.

  Aedan looked at him confused. “Which one?” He stared at the women as they walked from the dance floor to their table.

  “It doesn’t matter,” James said annoyed that he’d been caught watching her.

  “If women are working at your office that looks like that, I will make sure I don’t miss any more meetings,” Aedan said jokingly.

  James’ annoyance spiraled into anger. “I wouldn’t advise that if I were you,” he said in a low stern tone.

  Aedan stared over at him. “Are you thinking about going out with one of them?”

  “No, you know I don’t date my employees,” James said growing increasingly irritated.

  Aedan smiled, it was evident that James was interested in one of them.

  “If you are interested in hooking up with beautiful women while you’re here, I can introduce you to women that are more our style,” Daniel said smugly as he overheard their conversation and saw who they were talking about.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” James asked angrily. He didn’t tolerate racism around him at home and he would not tolerate it here.

  “I just meant that I know women more to our liking,” Daniel explained realizing that he messed up.

  “Quit while you are behind Daniel,” Aedan quipped with a smirk. “Calm down James, the man didn’t know you have a preference for darker meat.”

  James gave Aedan a glaring look. “Shut the fuck up, Aedan,” he said as he took another sip of his drink.

  “I didn’t mean to insinuate or offend anyone,” Daniel said nervously. “But if you were looking at Charlotte Trudeau, she is a bitch on wheels and not worth the headache.”

  Aedan could tell by the look on James’ face, that this was about to get real ugly fast.

  James turned his head to glare at the man. “What the fuck did you just say?” His voice boomed as his accent became more pronounced.

  James then stood up and Aedan grabbed his shoulder. “Not here, James,” Aedan urged as he tried to control his friend’s temper. He signaled the hostess who was watching the argument, to get another round of drinks. Aedan turned his attention to Daniel. “I suggest you shut the fuck up before you create a situation you will not be able to…”

  James reached around Aedan, grabbed Daniel by the neck, and pulled him towards him. “If I ever hear you say another disrespectful thing about her or any other woman, I will break your
fucking jaw, are we clear?” James said in a menacing tone. Both men could see the fear in Daniel’s eyes. “Now get the fuck out of here,” James ordered dismissing Daniel as he sat back down and sipped his drink.

  Daniel stood there in shock. “I didn’t mean to…”

  “Good night Mr. Moret,” Aedan said interrupting Daniel’s comment. He knew his friend and if Daniel didn’t leave, there would be no stopping James from beating his ass.

  James ignored Daniel’s retreat as he continued to sip his drink. He redirected his attention as he tried to locate Charlotte and her friend.

  After dinner and a few more drinks, James decided to call it a night. As he turned to leave, he glanced at the table where Charlotte had been sitting all evening and he noticed that two men had joined them at their table. His mood instantly turned sour. “I’m calling it a night. I have a few early calls to make tomorrow.” He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and headed out.

  “Hold up James; we’re at the same hotel remember,” Aedan said jokingly as he caught up with him.

  Charlotte laughed again at the absurdity of the conversation she was having with her best friends. “I can’t believe you think that a test can determine your soul mate,” she stated.

  “I don’t think I would be with my husband now, if it were not for this test,” Robert said with a smile.

  “Get the hell out of here, you fell in love with Tony the first time you saw him. I should know, I was there and you could not stop smiling as he talked to you. I didn’t need a test to determine that,” Charlotte said.

  Her childhood friend smiled at the thought of his husband. “Okay you have me, it was love at first sight for me,” Robert admitted.

  They all laughed again, when Charlotte noticed the time on her phone. “I have to go. I have an early morning at the restaurant.” She stood up.

  “I will head out with you,” Jewels said as she began to stand too.

  “No, you guys stay, and please tell me how this debate turns out,” she said with a smile.

  Jewels shrugged then sat back down.

  “I’m walking you to your car and I don’t want to hear any objections,” Robert stated as he stood.

  Charlotte smiled and they walked out together, Robert was fiercely protective of her. He was a gay man who did not give the appearance of femininity. Robert was an alpha gay male. Since they were children, he’d always made her feel safe, especially after her parents were killed in a car accident. He became her unofficial protector. He was sixteen years old when he finally came out and his family disowned him. He moved in with Charlotte and her grandmother until he left for college. He was now a successful lawyer and had been married for the last five years to a wonderful man. Her friend was lucky to find someone who loved him unconditionally, she thought as they walked out the restaurant to her car. His mate was throwing him an extravagant thirtieth birthday party and she had to be careful not to ruin the surprise, so she chose her words carefully as they talked.

  “Is everything okay Rob?” Charlotte asked sensing something was a little off with Robert.

  “Everything is fine, call me when you get home,” he said as he placed a familiar kiss on her cheek.

  She stared at him and knew something was not right, but she also knew he was very private and he would eventually tell her what was wrong, but he needed to do it in his own time. As Charlotte drove off, her thoughts instantly went to her boss. James Donavan. So hot, so sexy…so off limits. She needed to stop obsessing over his fine ass.

  Charlotte turned up her radio and tried to think of something else.

  As James and Aedan strolled out of the restaurant, James noticed Charlotte leaving with one of the men. As they came out of the door, he felt a sense of rage when he saw the man place his hand at the base of her back as they walked out.

  Aedan seemed to take notice of his friend’s tension. “I assume that’s the one who’s one of your VPs?” he asked with a smirk as he nodded towards the door.

  James rolled his eyes.

  “There’s no law against dating an employee. You may be passing up on a good thing because you choose to follow your, self-imposed rules,” Aedan teased.

  “It doesn’t matter now because clearly, she has someone,” James responded.

  “Life is too short not to have a little fun.” Aedan paused as he stared at his friend. “Sometimes it’s good to relieve some stress,” he added.

  James glanced up and saw the man kiss Charlotte on the cheek before opening her car door. The jealously he was feeling became almost unbearable. Why was he so jealous when she didn’t even know that he was interested in her? Aedan made another comment that James barely heard as they got in the car.

  Their driver sped down the highway and James tried to get the image of Charlotte and the man out of his head.

  Chapter 8

  Monday morning came too fast and Charlotte wasn’t looking forward to the long week ahead. She would be on double duty all week, working during the day at the office and the restaurant at night. She promised Mimi she would make sure the books were in order before the end of the year and to cover another shift until they could hire extra staff. She and her grandmother had interviewed a few people, but they weren’t a good fit for their restaurant.

  Charlotte felt thankful that she had minimal contact with her boss all week, and when she did see him, he seemed off, almost like he was trying to avoid her. She knew he would be making a final decision soon on whether to keep the company open or sell it off. She figured he was distracted, but hoped that he hadn’t decided to sell the company.

  Surprisingly, Friday quickly rolled around and Charlotte was looking forward to the weekend. As she studied some final reports, she received a call from Mr. Donovan’s office; he needed to see her right away. She slumped back in her chair as she told her assistant to let him know she was on her way.

  For a few minutes, she just a sat in her chair and tried to prepare herself before seeing this sexy boss of hers. Then with a deep breath and a squaring of her shoulders, she headed to the elevator to the 50th floor.

  Charlotte walked into his office and paused.

  He stood gazing out over the city.

  She loved looking at him from behind without a suit jacket, the view of his broad shoulders and narrow waist caused her to smile. “You wanted to see me Mr. Donovan?” she asked. Her heart melted as he turned to face her.

  “Yes, we are going to dinner,” he declared. “I’m hungry and thought you might know a great place to eat in this town.”

  Charlotte immediately thought of her family’s restaurant but decided against it. Instead, she chose an upscale restaurant that specialized in New Orleans cuisine. While she knew her family’s restaurant was probably the best in town for serving New Orleans cuisine, she didn’t think it was appropriate to send her boss there for dinner. “I know a great place called Frida’s right on the French Quarter. I think you will enjoy it.”

  “Great, shall we go in about twenty minutes?”

  Charlotte stared at him feeling puzzled. “You want me to go to dinner with you?” she asked not sure if this was an invitation.

  He gazed at her with a slight smirk on his face. “Yes Charlotte, I said we, as in you and me. I would like you to have dinner with me.”

  Still confused by their conversation, she needed clarity. “Do you mean a working dinner?”

  “You can call it what you want, but I know that I’m hungry and I can’t think of anyone right now, I’d much rather have dinner with than you.”

  Her cheeks flushed while feeling unsure how to respond to his last statement. “Okay, I will finish what I’m doing, grab my purse, and meet you in the lobby.”

  He nodded as he turned to look out the window again.

  She went out the door and headed towards her office not sure why she agreed to have dinner with her boss, she hoped she wouldn’t regret it. She went into the bathroom to freshen up first.

  As Charlotte rode the elevator down
to the lobby, she was unable to shake her nervousness. When the elevator doors opened and she saw him waiting with a smile, she began to relax. How is it possible that he looks more handsome every time I see him? She pushed away that kind of dangerous thinking as she walked towards him.

  James stood talking to his driver, and they both looked up as she approached. “Beautiful,” he said in a muffled tone.

  The driver smiled in agreement, as he held the door open.

  “Are you ready to go?” James asked and she nodded. As they made their way out, he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her out of the lobby door. Yes, he should be the one to touch her, not anyone else. He shook himself. Overbearing much, James?

  The ride was quiet until James interrupted the silence, “Your presentation was extensive. It has me reconsidering my decision to shut down the company.” He saw her face light up. He always wanted to see that look on her face.

  Charlotte could not stop smiling. “As I stated in my report and proven with the numbers, the company is not only viable but has the potential to make you a lot of money, with the right person at the helm.” Her tone held a bit of excitement

  He nodded and looked forward, as they approached the restaurant.

  James still felt surprised that she hadn’t recommended her family’s restaurant. He heard the food there was amazing, he also knew from the background check he ran on her, that it had been a family-owned restaurant for many years and it was one of the staples of New Orleans.

  The driver pulled in front of the restaurant and got out to open the door.

  Charlotte looked stricken for a second. “Oh, I should have mentioned that this place is always crowded and we don’t have a reservation, we may have to wait for a table,” she explained.