Sliding into the seat, Natalie knocked over an empty glass. Chase caught it before it rolled to the floor. Her skin flushed pink as he slid in after her.

The table was small, but she tucked herself as far away from him as possible. He didn’t know whether to be frustrated or to laugh. What he really wanted to do was pull her back into his arms and keep her there for several hours. But he knew they’d both be better off if they repaired their working relationship and forgot about the tantalizing prospect of that kiss. At least until this mess with Martin was over.

She picked at the napkin and stared at the menu.

The sweet, clean smell of her lingered in his nose. His fingertips itched to turn her face up to his. He cleared his throat. Her gaze leapt up to his, her eyes wide and wary.

“Do you know what you want?” He smiled, trying to reassure her and calm her down.

Her eyes widened further, and she leaned away from him. She looked like she was ready to bolt.

“To eat, Natalie. What do you want to eat?” He picked up his menu. “I typically get shrimp scampi, but everything here is really good.”

“I’m sure it is.” Her eyes darted back to the menu. How could he make her relax?

The waiter stopped by and filled their glasses. They both ordered, and he left, leaving them quite alone in the secluded booth.

She started to fiddle with her fork. He laid his hand over hers, stilling her fidgeting. Her eyes were warm pools of chocolate as they met his, but her body tensed.

“I’m not going to pounce on you.”

Panic and disappointment warred on her face before her shoulders dropped slightly. “I know,” she said, as if she knew he’d never do something like that.

He wanted to shake her. His whole body ached to pull her into his arms again and prove to her that even though he said he wouldn’t, he wanted to.

“Natalie.” He waited for her eyes to meet his again. “You are a very attractive woman. No, don’t deny it. I find you incredibly attractive, but-”

“There’s always a but,” she said under her breath.

He blew out a breath and took a drink of water. He’d never have this much difficulty on a set. Everything was scripted already. He knew exactly how the other person was going to react. Natalie eluded him. He couldn’t figure out her character, couldn’t put her into a category.

“As I was saying, you work for my company. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you last night.” He should say he’d never do it again, but something stilled his tongue.

The moment their lips had met he’d felt something he’d never experienced before. Desire and passion had been full-force in the front, but something had lingered in the back of his mind keeping him awake all night pondering the feeling. He’d felt protective and possessive. Feelings he had no right to have, but she’d felt right in his arms. He couldn’t say he wouldn’t be tempted again.

“I could have stopped you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

The hesitation in her voice increased his pulse rate. He had to change the topic. “Have you had a chance to go through the papers again?”

Her body relaxed, and her hands stilled. “Yes, and I came up with the same number. As soon as Mr. Morrison leaves for the evening, I plan to go through the bank statements and figure out if he used a check to get the cash or if he made a withdrawal.”

The confidence she exuded when talking about her job always amazed him. The pink receded from her cheeks, and her eyes were animated. This is the way she should always be. This is the way she should be with him.

His body tightened, but he shoved the desire back. For now, she couldn’t be a part of his life except through work.

He remembered the look on Martin’s face in the parking lot. He wasn’t sure if the man suspected anything was going on between them, but he wouldn’t put it past Martin to say something to the press.

“We’ll have to take things carefully, if the files continue to point to Martin.” Chase turned his thoughts back to business, a much safer subject. “He has his fingers in everything at Pandora. Robert and I talked this morning. We’ll need a list of every bank account he has access to.”

“I was just hired to help out. He hasn’t given me a lot of things to do or shown me much.”

The waiter reappeared and set down their lunches.

“The biggest thing is what he will leak to the press when he leaves. There’s no telling what he’ll make up or what he suspects.” He hoped that was enough to warn her. He didn’t want her to start with the two weeks’ notice again. Martin probably wouldn’t try to bring Natalie into it, anyway.

He needed to make sure Martin wouldn’t insinuate anything. That look on the man’s face when he’d seen them in the parking lot had worried Chase. Surely, Martin wouldn’t think anything was happening between Natalie and Chase. Maybe he should stay away from her desk during the day.

They ate in silence. When the waiter removed the plates, Chase turned to Natalie.

“We’ll need someone to help with the transition until we get a new CFO if Martin is implicated. Can I trust you to stay with us until then?”

She hesitated for a moment, and he held his breath waiting for her reply. “Of course.”

“Natalie, will you give me-Pandora Productions-another chance? I think you have a brilliant mind and would be a great asset to our company.”

The red crept up her cheeks. She nodded slightly and lifted her eyes to his. “I’ll try.”

Chapter Eight

Natalie sat on the edge of her seat, waiting for the clock to turn five. Mr. Morrison had left at the same time every day for the past month she’d worked here, but tonight he was supposed to leave early. With her luck, he’d probably stick around.

Chase had been avoiding her desk all afternoon. After the first hour of waiting for him to pass by her desk, she’d started to relax. She ignored the twinges of disappointment as time continued to pass.

It would be better for both of them if they kept their relationship purely work-related. She could forget how his lips had caressed hers and how the warmth had flooded through her from the touch of his hands.

The door slammed behind her, and she almost fell off her chair. Mr. Morrison locked the door and turned his shifty eyes to her. “I expect the report first thing Monday morning. Just because Mr. Booker took you for a long lunch doesn’t mean you can neglect your work.”

Her cheeks were on fire. “Of course not, Mr. Morrison. I’ve got the numbers tied into the expense reports and just need to categorize two more reports before I’m finished.” She hoped he was convinced by her lie, because she could hear the tremor in her voice and could feel the tightness of her smile.

“Good. I’ll see you Monday morning.” He hefted his briefcase in his hand and was out the door before she could say anything else.

Now she just had to wait for the rest of the office to clear out. Which shouldn’t take long. Over half the staff hadn’t come back after lunch and half of those remaining had taken off early. They had places to go and be seen.

Her phone rang. She stared at it for a moment. The caller ID came up as Unavailable. She really didn’t want to talk to Jared Anderson again, but he wasn’t the only one who had her phone number.

Tentatively, she picked the phone up from the cradle. “This is Natalie. How may I help you?”

“Nat,” Rachel’s voice yelled above the background noise. “Brian finally asked me out.”

“Good for you.”

Rachel had been trying to get Brian from work to ask her out for months now.

“Don’t wait up, sweetie. I don’t think I’ll be home tonight.”

“Be careful.”

“Hey, sorry about the mess in the kitchen, I was experimenting last night with cupcakes. Turns out I can’t cook, so I picked some up at the store this morning. Would you mind cleaning it up? Just in case Brian and I end up back at our place?”