Chapter 5

Palmer breathed in the roasted aroma of the Colombian coffee that wafted from the coffee cup being filled by the sci-fi looking coffee maker. His mouth watered from the smell; in his entire existence, he had not tasted such excellent coffee.

As he waited for the coffee in the small kitchenette, he saw Natalie standing in the hallway, talking to a colleague. Dressed in a skirt suit that showed her brown toned legs and perky ass, she looked captivating. His hand itched. He badly wanted to touch that ass, stroke it, and give it a good smack. A smack to show his displeasure at her doggedness at not acknowledging their night together. Sure, he knew nothing can happen between them now, but that night was something he didn’t want her to dismiss so quickly. For the past two weeks, there has been an awkward politeness between them that didn’t touch on anything remotely friendly. He picked her up at 8:30 each morning, with the same good-mannered greeting that she would return with a small smile and then silence in the car until she reached work.

When she laughed at what her colleague said, Palmer remembered her smile pulled at him at the club. When his eyes had landed on her sitting in that booth with her friends, he couldn’t look away. Looking at her moving her body sensually in the neon-colored dancefloor had sent heat down to his groin and he knew he had to talk to her. Which turned out to be one of the best nights of his life. A night he can’t seem to forget.

The coffee maker beeped to show that the cup was full, pulling him back to the present. He removed the coffee cup from the hot plate and took a deep breath of the aroma before taking a sip. Black and sugarless, just as he liked it. His back hit the Inca Gray counter and his head brushed the cabinet as he took a minute to enjoy his coffee. His client was right in front of him… scratch that, she was walking toward the kitchenette with her head down in the documents in her hands. Her heels showed a red bottom as she stepped, the movement showing her perfectly shaped calf muscles. He swallowed the nutty, bitter taste of the coffee in his throat.

She glanced up when she reached the kitchenette and saw him casually leaning against the counter.

“Hi,” she said, a timid smile on her face.

“Jolene too busy to get you coffee?” he asked.

Her eyebrows lowered and pulled together. “She is actually. And I can make my own coffee.”

“Okay. Didn’t know princesses could get their hands dirty.”

She smirked. “You, of all people, should know how dirty I can get.” Her eyebrow lifted as she placed a coffee mug on the coffeemaker.

His cock instantly reacted to her words, and he turned toward the counter and placed his cup down. “I thought we were pretending that night didn’t happen.”

She didn’t say anything while she waited for her cup to be filled with the dark brown brew. When the machine stopped, she picked up her cup and a couple of sugar and coffee creamer packets. Juggling her cup, packets and documents, she turned to leave.

“Good day, Palmer. I’ll be leaving work at 10pm today. I hope that means Mark will take me home today.” With those last words, she left, leaving behind a lingering feeling of sadness and loss that she could easily dismiss one of the best nights and sex of his life.

Natalie mentally scolded herself when she hurried to her office. Ugh, why did she mention that night? He’s right, she’s the one who insisted that they not discuss that night and should pretend that it never happened, but that little comment of his about princesses and not getting their hands dirty really rubbed her the wrong way, and she lashed out. Having to prove to others that she was not a spoiled brat has always followed her, her whole life. She knows that the board members and Nathan thought she didn’t deserve the COO position and even to be the next CEO but she worked hard for this company. Ever since she was in high school and college, she interned at Lopes Corporation and she learnt every single department at the company. She earned her position. She didn’t get it as the boss’s daughter. Sure, she had let the ball drop when she was dating Aaden. Allowing herself some form of pleasure and some recklessness in just letting go and be Natalie, not Natalie Lopes, daughter of billionaire Edson Lopes. Something she had never done since she was a little girl. It’s been drilled into her, that she was the next person to take over after her father. Aaden had provided an escape and that escape had unfortunately made her father think she was irresponsible and couldn’t be the next person to be CEO, but with this new task of getting this new contract in Angola, she’ll prove to everyone that she’s capable of being the new CEO after her father. She may not run the company exactly like her father, but she was more than capable of running it. She wasn’t going to let a devilishly handsome man with the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen distract her from that.

Losing herself in the documents on the Angolan diamond mine the Corporation wanted to buy, she could see why her father wanted the mine. The exploration activities by the mine indicated that there was a viable kimberlite pipe that could produce diamond deposits in over 20 years. Looking at the business reports for the company that held the majority shares presently, it showed that they didn’t have the funds to develop and excavate the pipe. The new contract showed that Lopes Corporation will gain the majority shares, while the former company kept 20 per cent shares in the diamond mine. All she had to do was get the company’s CEO Alfred Manuel to sign on the dotted line and the mine will be theirs, just like her father said. She rubbed the back of her neck and bite her lower lip. She wasn’t going to screw this up for her father. She will prove that she could be reliable and get the job done.

Engrossed in the documents, she failed to realise that the sun had set and the office was lit by the desk light which cast shadows in her office. A knock sounded, and she lifted her head to see Palmer peek in.

“It’s 10pm. Ready to go home yet?” he asked.

She blinked, surprised that time had flown by. “Yeah. I thought Mark was taking me home as it’s past your shift.”

“I always see you home. Now, are you ready?”

Natalie bit her lower lip to stop a retort from leaving her mouth. He never did what she told him. She wanted Mark to take her home because she wanted one night where she didn’t fight her instincts that wanted to throw herself at Palmer and demand that he fuck her like he did the night they met at the club. Blowing out a breath, she collected her bag and some work documents and followed him to the elevator.

The elevator doors closed, enclosing them into the small space. His wood sage smell coated the steel vertical shaft. She filled her nose with the fragrance, her eyes closing to memorize it for later when she was in bed alone.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” His deep voice broke through the silence.

Her eyes flew open, taking in the steel doors as the elevator carried them to the basement where their car was parked.

“Um,” she cleared her throat. “Yes. All my bags are packed. The flight leaves at…”

“Fourteen hundred hours,” he answered.

“Still in the Army, huh?”

“Navy.”

“What?”

A smirk crossed his face. “I was a Navy Seal, not Army. Important difference between the two.”

Natalie shrugged. Her Chanel bag slid off her shoulders from the movement. Placing it back, she glanced at him. “Sorry. My bad.”

“No problem, civilians don’t know the difference. One military branch is the same as the other.”

The elevator doors opened with a ding and she breathed a sigh of relief. Being too close to him was not good for her constancy.

Palmer walked next to her. His eyes taking in their surroundings as they neared the black SVU. Opening the passenger door, he stepped aside so that she could climb in and shut the door when she settled into the tan leather seat.

Shutting the driver’s door, he buckled in. Glancing at her, his mouth quirked in annoyance. “Buckle up princess.”

Her mouth compressed into a thin line. “I really hate it when you call me that.”

“I’ll stop when you stop behaving as one,” he said, starting the car.

Her teeth nipped at her lower lip as she stared outside the window. The night pulsed with energy from the endless flow of pedestrians, cars, and motorbikes. The bustling of the street magnified the silence in the car.

Turning slightly in her seat, she looked at him. He was wearing his usual uniform of jeans, a T-shirt and a black jacket that she knew hid a gun holster. His dark blond hair tousled like he had just ran his hand through it when he got out of bed. Palmer’s eyes were focused on the road ahead, occasionally checking the mirrors to see if any cars were following them. He was constantly aware of their surroundings, and she pondered if he never got distracted or tired of always being alert.

Cocking her head, she couldn’t stop the question that she’s been wondering from leaving her mouth. “Why did you leave the Navy?”

He side-eyed her before he focused back on the road. Stopping at a red light, a sigh left his lips. “I got a medical discharge.”

The twitching in his jaw made her aware that this was a discussion he didn’t want to have, but curiosity got the better of her. “What happened?”

Palmer rubbed the back of his head, the hand on the wheel tightened. “Ums,” he hummed, checking the rearview mirror. “I got injured during a mission. A shrapnel wound from a bomb blast. After months in the VA hospital, I couldn’t get back full mobility to operate.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “So, I had to leave. Thankfully, Isaiah reached out and offered me this job. I agreed to work with him for a short time period to see if security work is the right fit for me. I’ll decide after the job in Angola.”

Side parking next to her apartment’s door, she heard his audible sigh. It told her he was glad they were at her home, as it meant the end to the conversation. He unbuckled the car seat belt and got out of the car. Striding to the passenger door, he opened her car door and stepped aside so that she could climb down the SVU. Following behind her, he stepped behind her as they waited for the elevator to open. Chewing on her lower lip, she wondered if she pushed too much with her questions. The ding of the elevator gave her a reprieve from the guilty emotions that laid heavy on her stomach. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to learn more about Palmer. He always looked at her with heat in his eyes, but he hardly talked to her. Just gave her one-word answers or instructions during the two weeks he had been her bodyguard.

When the elevator opened on her floor, she waited as he craned his head left and right, his eyes swiping the hallway. Giving a brief wave of his hand, she followed him to her door. After checking that her apartment was empty and safe, he observed her for a second.

“Mark is already here in the security room. I’ll be here at 1pm to pick you up for the airport,” he said as he strolled out of her door.

Giving a curt nod to show she understood she quietly shut the door. Leaning against it she wondered how many nights she’ll be able to fight off her desire to have him inside her again.