Chapter Five

 “I’m telling you the way it is. You are sitting there in that sexy as sin skirt knowing you are gonna give in eventually and warm my bed. This isn’t about coffeee, Rose, it’s about you being weak. So don’t try to bullshit me because I know what you are trying to do and I’m calling you out on it.” 

                 “I am not going to warm your bed!” I fired back. 

                 “Oh yeah you are,” Knox returned. 

               “You don’t even know my name,” I retorted. 

                 “Nope, and I didn’t before I did you hard, and you did me harder. It didn’t bother you then.” 

                 “I thought you knew my name!” My voice was rising. 

                 He bent at the waist, put a palm on my desk and said quietly, “if that’s what it takes for you, darling, then tell me, my office is sound proof and I guarantee you’ll enjoy an extended break.” 

               “Go to hell, Knox,” I hissed. 

               “Or we can just lock the doors, close the blind and I’ll do you on your desk.” 

                Total. Freaking. Jerk. 

                “Go to hell,” I repeated.

               “Or if you are into that shit we don’t have to lock the doors or close the blinds.” 

               I glare at him. He held my glare and did it with lips twitching. I didn’t find anything about the situation funny. 

             After we had our staring contest for a while, he whispered what sounded like a dare. “Are you gonna quit?” 

             “No,” I snapped, his lips stopped twitching because he started grinning instead and then I finished, “Not until I find another job. I’ll start looking for one immediately and I promise to give you notice.” 

              “Right,” he muttered still grinning. 

             “And in the meantime, I’ll warm you that I have no clue what I’m doing.” 

             “I’m patient, baby,” he said with a soft voice and I knew he wasn’t talking about me getting his schedule and tie’s right. 

              “Well that’s good because you are going to have to be.” I returned then added, “Very patient.” 

               “You’ll get it eventually,” he muttered, his meaning clear. 

               “You are unbelievable,” I muttered irately. 

               “Yeah, I think you whispered that in my ear last weekend,” he whispered back, not, I noted, in the least irately.

               It was safe to say I was done. 

              “I have a lot of work to do, Knox. Do you want to maybe stop annoying me and leave so I can do it?” 

              “Sure,” he agreed and I glared at him again. Then, without warning and so fast I couldn’t avoid it his hand curled at the back of my head. He pulled me to him, leaned into me and I had to be careful not to have the whole table covered on coffee. 

              I forgot all about the coffee when I noted how close he was to me and he was all I could see. 

             “To be fair, Rose, I’m giving you a warning,” he said quietly. 

              “Let me go,” I demanded just as quietly, mostly because he was scaring me and I was freaking out. 

             “I want something, I get it. You know that Rose.” 

             “Let me go,” I repeated. 

             “It had only happened to me once, not getting what I want. That shit ain’t happening to me ever again.” 

             “Knox…” 

             “You’ve been warned, Rose “ he whispered and I watched his eyes drop to my mouth. 

              I held my breath and put pressure on his hand at my head. I was concentrating on both of these things so hard, I lost focus on his other hand until I felt his fingers against my cheek. His thumb was moving over my lower lip before I could do anything to stop it. 

             Then he released me suddenly, turned and without another word or look, he sauntered out the door. 

             When the door closed behind him, I sucked in a breath, closed my eyes tight and kept breathing deep until I felt my heart slow down and my lip stop tingling. 

             Then I opened my eyes and stared at the door. 

           Then I whispered, “I’m not a coward and I’m not going to be your plaything. I know nothing about my job, I don’t know what I’m doing but I do know that I am  Rosalie Easton and Rosalie Easton is not a coward and she’s most definitely not a plaything. That’s what I know . So, Knox whoever-you-are, bring it on. I am more than ready for you.” 

         Then I turned to the computer and went back to work. 

         “Hey, Yvonne, I called loudly to the secretary closest to the door leading to my office. The petite pretty lady raised her head from her monitor and turned to me. 

          “Hey!” She replied. 

           I moved closer to her and asked. “Do you know where Knox is?” I asked. 

           It was precisely an hour and fifteen minutes since he left my office (I had timed it). I had the documents he asked me to put together in hand and to remind him of the meeting he had in about ten minutes. I was hoping Knox would come in and fire me due to lateness as well as the fact that it was clearly stated I had no clue what I was doing. 

          These hopes were dashed when Yvonne’s eyes slid to the door of the bay and she jerked her eyes toward them. 

         “Out there, Rosalie, the warehouse. I looked toward the door but couldn’t see anything so I walked down the steps and through the warehouse toward the doors. 

         Then I saw him. He was standing, back to me, at the line of planes. He was with two other engineers. There were more airplanes there today. Twenty, I counted as I walked across the forecourt, my heels clicking on the cement, my eyes squinting against the powerful, bright July sun of a New York day. 

         "Rose," he called as he turned to face me. "Engineer Mo cheung and engineer David, my assistant, Rosaline. We'll be going to the conference in London together." 

              What! 

            I'm sure my face was conveying my confusion. How am I just hearing about this?