Fit to Be Stapled

  An Office Romance

  Lauren Smith

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Summer Heat Wave

  Summer Heat Wave

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2022 by Lauren Smith

  Cover design by Clover Book Designs

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  Lauren Smith supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact Lauren@Laurensmithbooks.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  * * *

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  ISBN: 978-1-958196-32-8 (ebook)

  ISBN: 978-1-958196-33-5 (print)

  Chapter One

  If it wasn’t for her boss, Cate Cross would have the ultimate job. In fact, she loved everything about it—the hours, the atmosphere, the pay—except for Spencer Howe, the CEO of Howe Marketing. He was broody, bossy, and a total taskmaster who demanded perfection from everyone, but especially her.

  He wasn’t some old grump who would fade into the background of her consciousness. Instead, he was thirty-one and so fine that when he wore his Tom Ford suits, which was every business day, every woman in a fifty-mile radius sat up straighter and their panties got a little wetter. Cate had seen the reaction he got from women personally.

  The first day she had started her associate account manager position at the firm, Spencer had exited the elevator and strode past her in a dark-blue suit so crisp it made her mouth water. The other three women working on the floor by the elevator all stared at him too. One woman leaned so far back in her seat that she and her chair toppled over. Spencer didn’t even turn at the sound of the crash.

  He was obviously used to the effect he had on women, just like Clark Kent was so used to his superior strength that he never broke anyone’s hand when he gave them a handshake. Spencer had his superpower under control. Cate never wanted to see him turn that intensity on her. She wasn’t sure she could survive it.

  Soon she wouldn’t have to worry, though. She was almost finished with her master’s in business administration program. She’d be done in a month and would move on. Her current job at Howe Marketing had been arranged through her MBA program, and it was her hope that she would have been able to stay in the position and advance once her program was over. But even if she was offered the chance to stay she couldn’t.

  All because her boss treated her like an administrative assistant.

  There was nothing wrong with being an administrative assistant. They were amazing. Anyone who thought that being an administrative assistant was easy was fooling themselves. They had to be the master of the universe to get a million different jobs done. She had nothing but respect for the people who held such jobs. But Cate was working toward managing ad accounts and creating marketing plans for clients. That was her dream job. And if Spencer didn’t see her in a position like that at Howe Marketing, she couldn’t stay here.

  “You headed home?” Mary Ellen, Spencer’s actual administrative assistant and a total godsend, asked Cate as she slung her purse over her shoulder. She and Cate had desks facing each other just outside Spencer’s office to be within easy “summoning” distance. Normally someone with Cate’s position would have been in an office, but because she was learning the ropes of the job, Spencer had moved her to a desk near his office. Mary Ellen’s presence had been invaluable in helping her learn the day to day things that Spencer didn’t have time to teach since he spent most of his days in meetings.

  “Yeah, I’ll go home soon. I just need to wrap up a few things.”

  “Don’t work too late,” Mary Ellen said. “The boss starts expecting it, and then you lose your Friday nights. You’re too young to be working late.”

  “Thanks.” Cate blushed. At twenty-four, she had long since abandoned any thought of a social life. She’d always worked harder than other people her age. She’d finished college in three years and went straight for an MBA. Between work and classes three nights a week, she was just too busy or too tired to go out and have fun like most people her age. Committing to a relationship was also impossible, at least until her classes were over.

  “Good night,” Cate called after Mary Ellen just before the elevator doors closed. She was alone. Well . . . not exactly. He was still working. She could feel his presence in the large office just ten feet away. She could also hear his voice as he spoke on the phone. It was deep, slightly rough, like perfectly aged scotch. He laughed at something on the phone, and the sound carried.

  Cate sighed. She hated him . . . and yet she didn’t. There was an undeniable raw animal magnetism that emanated from him that made her feel a little punch-drunk if she got too close. He put off pheromones in tidal waves. She’d better get moving before he knew she was still here.

  She collected her purse and turned her computer off. It was going to be an exciting month for the company, but also a busy one because Spencer’s uncle, Richard, the founder and senior account manager of the company, would be retiring. Spencer had taken over as CEO six years ago when Richard had decided he wanted to step back and spend more time with his family. Now that he was ready to leave the company for full retirement, he was going to appoint a new senior account manager, and the office gossip was already spinning with possibilities. It shouldn’t matter to her, she wasn’t going to be around long enough to justify caring, but she did.

  “Cate!” Spencer’s voice boomed from his office.

  “Crap,” Cate muttered.

  She should have left with Mary Ellen, because now he was going to drag her into some late-night project. Working late with Spencer wasn’t bad, at least not in a way that some women would worry about. Everyone knew Spencer didn’t fish off the company dock when it came to relationships. Hell, Cate was convinced he didn’t even have anyone like that in his life. He was too busy working. It would certainly explain the crazy pent-up sexual frustration vibe he gave off. Like a man so tightly wound that if he finally slept with a woman, she wouldn’t be able to walk right for a week.

  “Yes, sir?” she called back, but she didn’t dare peek her head into his office.

  Maybe he would get distracted and forget he’d even called her name. She grabbed her purse and walked around the edge of her desk but froze just as he opened his office door to stare at her. She casually leaned back on the edge of her desk, nonchalantly sliding her purse out of sight so he wouldn’t notice she’d been trying to sneak off.

  Spencer strode toward her, his dark hair slightly messy in the way that only a man could pull off and the top two buttons of his crisp white dress shirt artfully undone. It exposed just a bit of dark hair on his chest. There was something sinful about those two buttons being undone, as if he’d dressed in a hurry after leaving a lover’s bed. It would definitely explain the hair. It was just the right length for a woman to sink her hands into to grip the strands while he kissed her. Not that Cate ever let herself think about that. Okay, that was a total lie. She thought about it. A lot. But she was only human, so she tried not to blame herself for her seriously sinful work sex fantasies.

  “Cate, I’m glad you’re still here. I have financial summaries and commentary to prep for the annual reports for Lockwood Industries, and I need copies made before my meeting—”

  “No.” The word slipped out before she could stop herself. Had she just told Spencer freaking Howe no?

  He stopped inches from her where she sat perched on her desk.

  “No?” he echoed. His eyes were brown, dark and fathomless. Eyes that made a woman think of magic and danger.

  “No,” she repeated, this time more breathless and less firm. Don’t wuss out! she screamed inside her head. What was the worst that could happen? She wasn’t staying here when she had her MBA in hand.

  Her inner voice came back at her, saying, You’ll still need a good reference. Being a smart-ass or a rebel won’t help with that.

  “You don’t have class tonight,” Spencer said quietly, almost dangerously, and sudden heat flooded her body at that dark tone of his. Oh boy . . . She had a thing for commanding men, but only in bed, so why was his voice making her thighs clench and her panties drenched all at once?

  “No, I don’t,” she agreed, just too softly, but damn she couldn’t help that breathless quality in her voice.

  “Then it shouldn’t be a problem to stay late today and assist me. That’s your job.” There was something primal in his eyes that caught and held her in place like a pinned butterfly, but she still miraculously found her voice.

  “I’m not your secretary, so stop treating me like one. And I’m not staying late tonight.” She glared back up at him, and something seemed to catch fire between them. His answer was a dark, smoldering look that she’d only ever imagined between the pages of her favorite books. His gaze actually burned, setting a sweet fire beneath her skin, and just like that she went up in flames.

  She wasn’t sure who moved first. Only that a second later Spencer Howe’s mouth was on hers and he was pinning her back against her desk with a growl as if he owned her with the most devastating kiss she’d ever had in her life.

  Kissing Cate was a mistake. Spencer knew it, but somewhere between her feisty “no” and “I’m not your secretary” his logical brain left the room. He had been trying for several months to ignore how he felt about this woman. How she, unlike anyone else who worked at Howe, had tempted him to want to break his rule to not date within the office. It only made it worse that people would assume she was continuing to work there because she was sleeping with him. It was why he never dated within his office.

  Now he knew he could never keep that vow to himself. Cate tasted like pure heaven. She was sweet, and her lips were soft and full, and all he could think about was kissing her for endless hours . . . then fucking her and then kissing her all over again.

  I have to stop, the shrinking part of his rational mind warned him. It was just a kiss to punish her, to silence any further protest of working late, and . . . She was fighting back, but not in the way he expected. She was digging her fingers into his hair, pulling at the strands as she fought to get closer to him. It sent zings of pure liquid heat through his blood and straight down to his groin.

  He really had to stop kissing her. If he didn’t, he might ruin everything. His uncle was going to retire at the end of the month, and Cate was going to be named the new senior account manager. They were waiting to make the announcement until after Cate’s MBA program was over. He had advised his uncle to wait to inform Cate because he knew how much work an MBA took, and the last thing he wanted was to add unnecessary stress for her. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with the pressure to perform even more for the job she knew she’d have in the future with Howe. It might send her running into the arms of his competitors. He couldn’t let that happen.

  Savoring her taste and the feel of her in his arms for one long moment more, he finally forced their mouths apart. She gazed up at him, her warm brown eyes dazed as though she had forgotten completely where she was . . . perhaps even who she was. He felt the same. He never lost control, not anymore, not when it came to passion. He had too much on his mind to let sex and lust rule his thoughts.

  “That shouldn’t have happened,” he whispered, his hand still holding her, still touching her.

  Some of the dreamy look in her eyes vanished. “No, it shouldn’t have, but I didn’t mind.”

  He cursed softly. “It’s no excuse..” His face was warmer than he would’ve liked. “It won’t happen again.” He cleared his throat and pried his hand from her body. A soft little sound escaped her lips that he thought might’ve been disappointment.

  “I understand if you wish to speak to someone in human resources about this,” he said carefully.

  “Don’t be silly. We’re adults, and I don’t feel like you pressured me or attacked me or did anything inappropriate.” She told him this with such confidence he didn’t feel like she was lying.

  He grunted, still not entirely convinced however. He had crossed a line, but he didn’t know what else to do about it. It had never happened before. That always was no excuse, damnit.

  “Do you . . . do you still want me to stay and help?” she asked after a long minute.

  “Er . . . no. I’ll manage. You should go home.” He needed to send her home and get her as far away from him as possible before he made any more mistakes.

  “But the last time you tried to make copies when Mary Ellen had the day off, you broke the machine with your bare hands.”

  That was true. The damned thing had taken his original contract and proceeded to shred it. A few dozen pieces were all that had survived of the original paperwork when he’d forced the back of the machine open to find the paper jam. Naturally, he was more than a little angry, and the copier hadn’t fared well when he was done.

  “I’ll stay, but I haven’t eaten, so I’m ordering takeout. Do you want anything?” she asked. As she spoke she casually fixed her clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles and touching up her hair. Spencer missed the tousled look he’d created in just a mere moment of passion. He couldn’t help but wonder how she would look if he’d fucked her on that desk. He had never done that before, the office had always been his sacred space, but right now he wanted to swipe his hand across the desk and send everything scattering so he could bend her over it, hike her skirt up, and—

  “Is Thai food okay with you?” Cate’s question cut into his thoughts.

  “I . . . yes. That’s fine. Come into my office when you’re ready.”

  Then he did the smart thing. He turned around and left. Because imagining all the things he wanted to do to her on that desk was going to put him into serious trouble.

  Chapter Two

  “Mongolian beef and fried rice? I thought you said you ordered Thai food?” Spencer stepped into the conference room an hour later, his gaze carefully assessing the various take-out boxes with a skeptical brow arched.

  Cate rolled her eyes. “That’s for me. You can have the pad thai or anything else on the table. There are spring rolls and some other entrée options in here.” She nudged a bag that was closed to keep the heat in.

  Spencer removed his jacket, tossed it over the arm of the nearest chair. Then he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up the sleeves, exposing his forearms. It was the most undressed she’d ever seen Spencer, and he was hot, insanely hot. Since when did she get a hot flash from seeing a man’s bare forearms?

  The muscles rippled beneath his skin as he leaned over the table and collected one of the take-out boxes and a pair of chopsticks. She had to stop herself from gawking. The expensive watch he wore had a brown leather band and a dark-blue face. It looked worn, as though he’d had it for a long time. She’d never noticed that before since his sleeves almost always hid the watch. She wanted to ask him about it, but they weren’t close enough for questions like that.

  It was funny, she’d worked here for six months and had been around him plenty of times, but never alone and never like this . . . and never after he had kissed her. God, that kiss was . . . well, it was dangerous, that’s what it was. She had never been kissed like that. She knew he had kissed her to punish her, and it had worked. She was punished because she wanted more and she couldn’t have more of that, or him.

  “If you have no objections, I’ll take the pad thai and a couple of spring rolls,” he said as he confiscated the food and settled himself down in a chair at the long table.

  When she finished collecting her own chopsticks and her own spring roll, he got up and pulled back the chair next to his and waited for her. It was gallant and unexpected, but she let him push her in. Then he took his seat.

  An awkward silence settled over them. What was one supposed to say to one’s insanely hot, often grumpy boss?

  “So, you’ll be finishing your MBA at the end of this month,” he said after they had both taken a few bites of food.

  She nodded.

  “I assume you’ve made plans for your future?” he asked.

  Cate took a few bites and then spoke.

  “I am hoping to land a few job interviews. Trouble Inc. has reached out to me via email already.”

  “Trouble Inc.?” At this, Spencer’s eyes narrowed. Trouble Inc. wasn’t exactly competition, but there was a definite competitive spirit between Spencer Howe and Maxwell Andrews, the CEO of Trouble Inc.

  “They have an open senior marketing director position. I know I don’t have that much experience, but my mentor for my MBA program told me to never be afraid to apply for jobs I would love to have even if I think I’m underqualified for them.”

  “That is sound advice,” Spencer agreed. “More men take positions above their qualifications than women do, and that is something that should be corrected. I’ve done business with plenty of men who were not as educated or experienced in their fields as they should be. I’ve met many women who should be promoted from the positions they are currently in.”

 

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